Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Paul Barnett, EA Mythic's creative director, recently told CVG in an interview, "I think probably the best chance of someone doing [the first successful console MMO] is Nintendo."

We're not here to argue whether he's right or completely bonkers, though. Imagine for a second that there would be no limitations on a Wii MMO, whether you fear friend codes, communication issues, Nintendo's paranoia, or what have you -- would you want an MMO on the Wii? If so, would you want it to be something Nintendo related (as in the likes of Pokémon or Animal Crossing), or would any type of game do?

Are home consoles ready to support a successful MMO? EA Mythic creative director Paul Barnett thinks so, but reckons that the hegemony enjoyed by World of Warcraft could be an obstacle. As Barnett puts it in his interview with CVG: "It's very hard [...] when almost everyone has only ever played one of these games and it dominates their thinking."

We'd probably agree with that analysis, though we're not so sure about this bit: "I think probably the best chance of someone doing [the first successful console MMO] is Nintendo."

Backing Nintendo to break new ground is usually a safe bet, but let us not forget how Satoru Iwata wasn't thrilled by the idea of a Nintendo MMO back in February; we can't imagine his position on the matter will have deviated much since then. As much as we all crave an Animal Crossing MMO, we're just not sure if soccer moms and Leroy Jenkins are ready to be united.

A fresh press release from Hullbreach Online, that Wii Internet Channel MMO we reported on a few weeks back, states that some people have decided to give it a try. With 1,175 members, the game has grown a bit. There are now 576 different sectors that players can hyperjump to, as well as numerous quests and combat scenarios to complete. From the press release, it sounds like this thing is growing pretty fast.

While we haven't played it ourselves (darn this blogging), we love to hear about this kind of stuff. Ambition projects are few and far between, it seems, so we look forward to December. Why? Well, that's when the final release hits, which will have NPC interaction, asteroid mining and player-to-player bartering.

Has anyone given this a try? Are you finding it to your liking? Or, is it a waste of time?

[Via press release]

You know, as much as we love the Wii, there are other games and systems out there. We understand that not everyone feels the same way we do, so we felt obligated to inform you of our new Joystiq network blog: Massively. The blog is geared towards fans of MMOs (or massively-multiplayer online games), and not game-specific.

They've already got a bunch of stories up and running and are already giving away some goodies. So, if you are a fan of MMOs, be sure to give them a bookmark (but don't forget about us!). If you have a friend who digs MMOs, then let them know about the new blog.

Best of luck to Massively and welcome to the Joystiq family!

Yesterday's big rumor is so interesting that we can't resist an excuse to discuss it further: Animal Crossing as MMO. What do you think of the idea? More importantly, how do you think it will work? Better yet, do you think it will work well?

The idea is certainly intriguing; we like the idea of free access (or even limited free access) to the towns of others. It's something we've enjoyed from time to time in the DS version, and making it even easier could certainly be fun. But what do you think? Will it really add to the experience? Will Nintendo be able to pull it off, with their limited online experience? We have faith, but if there was ever a reason to doubt ....

It's not a big secret that Animal Crossing will eventually resurface on the Wii -- Nintendo bigwigs have discussed the game openly before now -- but in what form?

A "Japanese source" that tipped off UK magazine Edge reckons it could be as a social networking MMO, and that we'll all (presumably) be able to travel freely to one another's towns in numbers, nabbing alien fruit and hooking rare furniture from Nookingtons; you would have to be extraordinarily angry with the world to resist such a prospect.

This is strictly a rumor for now, but Edge's solid past record on such matters makes it a tantalizing one. It also makes perfect sense, really, particularly as some of the core concepts of Animal Crossing -- community, trading, communication, and so forth -- are what MMOs are all about.

One does wonder, though: is the Wii ready for such a game? Animal Crossing: Wild World on the DS is notoriously temperamental when handling network play, and so far the Wii's own online capabilities haven't dazzled. We shall, as they say, see.