Exactly one year ago today, the Nintendo Wii launched in Australia. To celebrate the consoles first birthday we have put together a list of all the major headlines that we have covered this year. From the launch and the associated drought, to the delays of some games and early release of others, and the games we missed out on. Also why not tell us you thoughts in the forums here. We want to hear all your high points, low points and how you think the Wii is going to go here down under in the coming year.
December:
- Wii launches in Australia for a cheap but still expensive by world standard for $399.
- Accessories and games becomes hard to get as the short supply grips the world.
- Wii Point cards are MIA from stores.
January:
- WarioWare lands in time for Australia.
- Eledees gets delayed
- Wii Point cards are still MIA from most stores.
- Wii hits 50,000 sales in Australia in just over a month.
- Nintendo announces Wii games will be cheaper – so far only a handful of games have been.
- The Wii News channel finally launches.
February:
- Launch left-over Excite Truck finally hits and proves to be a diamond in the rough.
- Eledees gets delayed.
- The IEAA’s Australian industry event awards Nintendo Australia with 6 awards, including one for the Most Innovative Game of the Year.
March:
- Nintendo publishes the two Hudson titles, pushing back its other game as Eledees gets delayed again.
- Sonic and the Secret Rings, plus the Godfather both launch, as some of the first “the Wii is a good game system, don’t give up on it yet” titles.
- Wii hits 68,000 in Australian sales Playstation 3 launches with impressive number, Nintendo doesn’t falter.
April:
- Super Paper Mario Launches in the US. Australia says: “Surely it can’t be that far away, right”.
- Eledees gets delayed yet again.
- Wii library continues to have too few hits and way too many misses. The lack of games get people (read: Internet) angry with quality titles looking a while away.
May:
- Finally decides to get Eledees gets released.
- Wii breaks the 80,000 as Nintendo Australia has good financial year thanks to Wii.
- The year ending March 31st, 2007 Nintendo Australia nearly doubles sales to A$138.9 million. Net profit increased to A$6.4 million, almost tripling the previous figure. previously it had posted a operating loss of A$2.3 million in the ’04/’05 period.
June:
- Nintendo finally announces TG16 games for the Australian Virtual Console, we care for about 15 minutes and now it’s “another TG16 game, eww” every week.
- The quality of releases gets banged up a notch as Mario Strikers Charged launches in Australia first and we get to take our Wii’s online.
- Wii sales hits 100,000 in Australia, the fastest to do so Nintendo announces WiiWare for downloadable original games.
July:
- Wii drought becomes to finally come to a end as Scarface, Mario Party 8 release.
- Vispi Bhohpti leaves Nintendo Australia for Sega
- Wii makes another big splash at E3, nearly everyone who stayed up to watch the press conference immediately hates Nintendo for Wii Fit, Zapper fails to impress, and Nintendo what the hell is up with the Mario Kart Wheel?
- Harvey Norman begins talks with Nintendo to get the Wii’s and DS back into stores, seems they can’t do without it.
- Smash Bros is announced for a US December release, Australia waits in anticipation.
August:
- The Leipzig convention comes, sucks once again.
- Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 are rumoured to be released within the same week.
- Wii gets upgraded with a clock and a new storefront.
September:
- Super Paper Mario finally get released, has game breaking glitch.
- Heather Murphy joins Nintendo Australia – immediately realises what a bunch of sad fan boys the internet brings out.
- The game delay issue comes to a boiling point as Aaron Davies writes a report into game delays in Australia.
- Nintendo announces another Connection Tour, this time for Brain Training.
- Nintendo confirms preliminary Q4 release list with Smash Bros. Brawl delayed; American fans get angry, PAL users say Welcome to our world.
October:
- Nintendo encourages protection, sends out rubbers to all, jokes how they will never use them, become hypocrites and uses them.
- Nintendo Australia responds to fans outcry over release dates, Nintendo Australia has no comment; Nintendo Australia does not comment on these issues.
- Harvey Norman and Nintendo finally make babies, Wii and DS to begin being stocked before the year is out. Gerry and his merry band of share holders announces they swim in a larger pool of money.
- Later on in the month Nintendo comments on delays again – “We apologise for the inconvenience that Nintendo fans are experiencing compared with people outside of their region.” Is their response this time. “We are currently making efforts to minimise the time needed for localisations, as we understand that the difference in worldwide release dates is frustrating to fans. Nintendo Fanboys then sit on fence.
- The last reported figures for the GameCube put the ironically oblong system at 162, 936 units sold, back at the end of Q3 2006. The Wii passes that at 167,899 units sold. This means the Wii has sold in 10 months what took the GameCube 4 years and 4 months.
- Sonic joins the Brawl.
November:
- Wii surpasses 200,000 and becomes the fastest selling console to reach that mark in Australia.
- Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy launch in Australia.
December:
- Endless Ocean ironically drowns during swim from Europe to Australia.
- One year since the Wii launches, it hasn’t overtaken the 360. Yet.
- At time of writing 168 titles are on the Virtual Console.
Other fun facts
- Game that should have been a 2007 release but aren’t;
- Battalion Wars II
- Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
- Endless Ocean
- Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure
- Donkey Kong Barrel Jet Race
What was you best memory of the year gone? The highs, the lows, the future tell us your opinion!