14 DAY TRIAL // With the launch of the ratings and statistics elements of the Nintendo Channel, which enable any user to have a glance at how a game is classified and rated by fellow gamers playing it on the Nintendo Wii, the company has also released some tidbits of data regarding the overall success of the games that were featured on the Wiiware launch list. The data is collected from all the areas where the new Nintendo service is available.
LostWinds is the current chart toping title on the Wiiware list. Although Nintendo hasn't made available any specific figures, the game seems to have sold better than TV Show King and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (I think I will use the acronym FFCC: MLAK from now on because my fingers hurt from typing that), the games that occupy the number two and the number three spots.
Both LostWinds and TV Show King are created by European developers and Nintendo thinks that games coming from this part of the world can appeal to gamers everywhere, even though there are some cultural differences. LostWinds, from Frontier Developments, managed to capture the public with its interesting take on the platform running genre. Instead of directly guiding a character the title allows the player to use winds, created through the use of the Wiimote, to move the characters out from the path of evil.
TV Show King is probably a success because of the way it engages the whole family by offering them a chance to take part in spoofs of several quiz shows, all sprinkled with generous use of humor.
With the first batch of titles released on Wiiware taking in a considerable amount of money, more and more developers will likely become interested in creating titles for the Nintendo backed service. There are plans for the service to launch around 100 new games in 2008.