Surviving Outside the Party

Playing together is what the Nintendo Wii is all about. The name was chosen because it’s pronounced the same in virtually every language, and exemplifies Nintendo’s message of people playing together. The Wii’s advertisements all feature dozens of people, of all ages, genders, and races, either playing together or taking turns playing the single-player titles, rooting each other on. Where does this leave the stereotypical, friendless gamer in an age of party games and social focus?

The majority of Wii games have a strong multiplayer focus. Wii Sports, the minigame set that comes with the system, is only really fun in groups, and Wii Play, the one that comes with extra Wiimotes, follows in suit. Mario Party 8 has just been released, and one of the most widely-anticipated games for the system right now is Super Smash Brothers: Brawl. These games are all built around people playing together, be it a few friends, a party, or, eventually, online. Even in the last case of internet play, Nintendo is putting heavy focus on playing with friends.

Instead of usernames and lobbies, Nintendo is modifying the concept that it used on the DS for online multiplayer on the Wii. It has two parts to it: Friend Codes and Wii Numbers. Wii Numbers are unique console identifiers that, when mutually shared, allow two consoles to send emails, text messages, and Miis to each other. For gameplay, the Friend Code system from the DS is reused. For each game on each system, a Friend Code is generated. By trading Friend Codes, players can play games over the internet with each other instead of strangers. Even with these systems in place, playing with the general public is allowed, although some features of the game may be disabled if the users in the game aren’t all mutual friends. For example, on the DS, friends could chat through voice and text in Metroid Prime Hunters, while others could not. It is likely that a similar setup will be on the Wii.

Until these online games become more prevalent, however, our antisocial comrades are stuck with the few single-player games for the Wii. That’s not to say that these games are bad: Zelda: Twilight Princess is a fantastic game, as well as Super Paper Mario. Still, the limits are likely to drive some gamers away…at least until Brawl comes out.