So I thought I'd unscientific and use up a little of my Sunday grabbing some data, chucking it in OO Calc and messing with it a little.
With most publishers/developers/gamers/press-people thinking that PlayStation wouldn't win out back in late 1994 when PlayStation was released in Japan, and even in 1995, before the release of PlayStation was released in NA and Europe, many of us have likened the PlayStation to Wii.
PlayStation's first full year on the market was 1996, with Wii's being 2007. PlayStation has a vast library of hardcore-oriented games and I thought I'd look into when, collectively, these titles were released throughout PlayStation's life. I was interested to see the ratio of high caliber games in 1996 (when PlayStation's leadership hadn't taken much effect on third party releases because of dev time) compared to the following years. And if Wii is to trend like PlayStation did, we can have an idea as to what we'll be seeing from Wii in the future when it comes to hardcore games. Ie, not Wii fit.
I've used Metacritic and Gamerankings as my sources for average reviews of "professional" websites/magazines(?). Metacritic is incomplete, but was easier for me to collect data from because of it showing the release year's in the list so I used Gamerankings for the rest, and these are marketed with a *. I've also created a points system, based on the games's ratings which gives each year a score for how well it serves the interests of a typical hardcore gamer (yes, it's very unscientific).
PS1:
1996: 30 Points
93: WipEout XL
91: Tomb Raider
91: Resident Evil
89: Tekken 2
86: Die Hard Trilogy*
86: NFL Gameday '97*
85: Twisted Metal 2*
83: Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
83: Suikoden*
83: Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain*
83: Tobal No. 1*
82: Star Gladiator*
82: King's Field II*
82: Street Fighter Alpha 2*
80: Disruptor*
1997: 64 Points
93: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
92: Final Fantasy VII
92: PaRapper The Rapper
91: Colony Wars
89: Resident Evil 2
89: Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back*
89: Formula 1 Championship Edition*
89: ISS Pro
89: Soul Blade
87: Command & Conquer*
86: Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha*
86: Time Crisis*
86: Monster Rancher
85: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
85: Tomb Raider II
85: Rally Cross*
85: Alundra*
84: Madden NFL 98*
84: Riiiiiidge Racer*
84: NHL '98
83: Bushido Blade
83: Wild Arms*
83: Final Fantasy Tactics
83: Ace Combat 2
82: G Police*
81: NASCAR '98*
81: Ace Combat 2*
81: Command & Conquer: Red Alert*
81: Hercules Action Game*
80: Moto Racer*
80: Treasures of the Deep*
1998: 78 Points
96: Tekken 3
96: Gran Tourismo
94: Metal Gear Solid
91: Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
90: Einhander
89: NBA Live 99*
88: Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
88: Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit
87: Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
87: Tomba!*
86: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile*
86: Vigilante 8*
86: Colony Wars: Vengeance*
86: Alundra
85: Spyro the Dragon*
85: Bust A Groove*
84: Point Blank*
84: Dead Or Alive
83: Xenogears
83: Madden NFL 99*
83: TOCA Championship Racing*
83: Moto Racer 2*
82: Rival Schools*
82: Civilization II*
82: NCAA Football 99*
82: Hot Shots Golf*
81: Brave Fencer Musashi
81: Parsite Eve
81: Star Ocean: The Second Story
81: MediEvil*
81: Gex: Enter the Gecko*
81: Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars*
80: Guilty Gear*
80: NHL 99*
80: SkullMonkeys*
80: WWF War Zone*
80: World Cup 98*
80: Bust-A-Move 4*
80: Diablo*
80: Elemental Gearbolt*
1999: 83 Points
93: Gran Tourismo 2
93: Street Fighter Alpha 3
92: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
92: Medal of Honor
91: Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
90: Ape Escape
90: Syphon Filter
90: Final Fantasy VIII
89: WipEout 3
89: Grandia
88: Ridge Racer Type 4
88: Resident Evil 3*
88: Driver*
88: Crash Team Racing
87: Driver
87: Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!*
86: Silent Hill
86: Need For Speed: High Stakes
86: Triple Play 2000*
85: R-Type Delta*
85: MTV Music Generator*
84: NCAA Football 2000*
83: Sled Storm*
83: Worms Armageddon*
83: Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return*
83: Dino Crisis*
83: Um Jammer Lammy*
83: Monster Rancher 2
82: Suikoden II
82: Need for Speed: V-Rally 2*
82: Vigilante 8: Second Offense*
81: Pac-Man World*
81: Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation*
81: NLB 2000*
80: Final Fantasy Anthology
80: NFL Gameday 2000*
2000: 91 Points
98: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
94: Final Fantasy IX
94: Chrono Cross
92: Vagrant Story
91: Spyro: Year of the Dragon
90: WWF Smackdown 2: Know Your Role
90: Colin McRae Rally 2.0
90: Madden NFL 2001
88: NHL 2001
87: Spider-Man
87: Rayman 2: The Great Escape*
87: WWF SmackDown!*
86: NBA Live 2001
86: Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
86: Medal of Honor Underground
86: Dino Crisis 2
85: Rollcage Stage 2
85: FIFA 2001: Major League Soccer
85: Fear Effect*
84: Knockout Kings 2001
84: Front Mission 3*
84: Hot Shots Golf 2*
83: Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
83: Breath of Fire IV
83: Colony Wars III: Red Sun*
82: Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX
82: You Don't Know Jack, Mock 2
82: Harvest Moon: Back to Nature
82: NHL Rock the Rink
82: NCAA Football 2001*
81: Valkyrie Profile
81: Colin McRae Rally*
81: Syphone Filter 2*
81: Triple Play 2001*
81: Silent Bomber*
80: Jarrett & Labonte Stock Car Racing
80: RC de Go!
80: Incredible Crisis
80: MediEvil II*
80: Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness*
80: NASCAR Rumble*
80: Rollcage Stage II*
2001: 25 Points
95: ISS Pro Evolution 2
90: Dance Dance Revolution
89: Final Fantasy Chronicles
88: Madden NFL 2002
87: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
85: Metal Slug X
84: Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix
81: NBA Live 2002
81: FIFA Soccer 2002
80: Mat Hottman's Pro BMX
Wii:
2006: 13 Points so far + 22 = 35 Points
91: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (4)
91: Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition (4)
85: Super Paper Mario (2)
83: WarioWare: Smooth Moves (1)
80: Mercury Meltdown Revolution (1)
80: Mario Strikers Charged (1)
Unreleased estimations:
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core (1)
MySims (0-1)
Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party (Bundle) (1)
Ultimate Duck Hunting (0)
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (1-3)
Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis (0-1)
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (3-5) (I and II were 5)
Endless Ocean (0-1)
Manhunt 2 (1)
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (0-1)
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (0-1)
Super Mario Galaxy (5-10 .. 19)
Super Smash Bros Brawl (4-8)
Anymore?
Unreleased total = 16-34.. Let's say, 22.
Rating : Points
80-84 = 1
85-87 = 2
88-89 = 3
90-91 = 4
92-93 = 5
94 = 6
95 = 7
96 = 8
97 = 10
98 = 12
99 = 15
100 = 19
If Wii finishes the year with a score of 35 and then trends like PS1, then this is how Wii's future will look.
With most publishers/developers/gamers/press-people thinking that PlayStation wouldn't win out back in late 1994 when PlayStation was released in Japan, and even in 1995, before the release of PlayStation was released in NA and Europe, many of us have likened the PlayStation to Wii.
PlayStation's first full year on the market was 1996, with Wii's being 2007. PlayStation has a vast library of hardcore-oriented games and I thought I'd look into when, collectively, these titles were released throughout PlayStation's life. I was interested to see the ratio of high caliber games in 1996 (when PlayStation's leadership hadn't taken much effect on third party releases because of dev time) compared to the following years. And if Wii is to trend like PlayStation did, we can have an idea as to what we'll be seeing from Wii in the future when it comes to hardcore games. Ie, not Wii fit.
I've used Metacritic and Gamerankings as my sources for average reviews of "professional" websites/magazines(?). Metacritic is incomplete, but was easier for me to collect data from because of it showing the release year's in the list so I used Gamerankings for the rest, and these are marketed with a *. I've also created a points system, based on the games's ratings which gives each year a score for how well it serves the interests of a typical hardcore gamer (yes, it's very unscientific).
PS1:
1996: 30 Points
93: WipEout XL
91: Tomb Raider
91: Resident Evil
89: Tekken 2
86: Die Hard Trilogy*
86: NFL Gameday '97*
85: Twisted Metal 2*
83: Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
83: Suikoden*
83: Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain*
83: Tobal No. 1*
82: Star Gladiator*
82: King's Field II*
82: Street Fighter Alpha 2*
80: Disruptor*
1997: 64 Points
93: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
92: Final Fantasy VII
92: PaRapper The Rapper
91: Colony Wars
89: Resident Evil 2
89: Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back*
89: Formula 1 Championship Edition*
89: ISS Pro
89: Soul Blade
87: Command & Conquer*
86: Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha*
86: Time Crisis*
86: Monster Rancher
85: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
85: Tomb Raider II
85: Rally Cross*
85: Alundra*
84: Madden NFL 98*
84: Riiiiiidge Racer*
84: NHL '98
83: Bushido Blade
83: Wild Arms*
83: Final Fantasy Tactics
83: Ace Combat 2
82: G Police*
81: NASCAR '98*
81: Ace Combat 2*
81: Command & Conquer: Red Alert*
81: Hercules Action Game*
80: Moto Racer*
80: Treasures of the Deep*
1998: 78 Points
96: Tekken 3
96: Gran Tourismo
94: Metal Gear Solid
91: Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
90: Einhander
89: NBA Live 99*
88: Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
88: Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit
87: Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
87: Tomba!*
86: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile*
86: Vigilante 8*
86: Colony Wars: Vengeance*
86: Alundra
85: Spyro the Dragon*
85: Bust A Groove*
84: Point Blank*
84: Dead Or Alive
83: Xenogears
83: Madden NFL 99*
83: TOCA Championship Racing*
83: Moto Racer 2*
82: Rival Schools*
82: Civilization II*
82: NCAA Football 99*
82: Hot Shots Golf*
81: Brave Fencer Musashi
81: Parsite Eve
81: Star Ocean: The Second Story
81: MediEvil*
81: Gex: Enter the Gecko*
81: Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars*
80: Guilty Gear*
80: NHL 99*
80: SkullMonkeys*
80: WWF War Zone*
80: World Cup 98*
80: Bust-A-Move 4*
80: Diablo*
80: Elemental Gearbolt*
1999: 83 Points
93: Gran Tourismo 2
93: Street Fighter Alpha 3
92: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
92: Medal of Honor
91: Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
90: Ape Escape
90: Syphon Filter
90: Final Fantasy VIII
89: WipEout 3
89: Grandia
88: Ridge Racer Type 4
88: Resident Evil 3*
88: Driver*
88: Crash Team Racing
87: Driver
87: Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!*
86: Silent Hill
86: Need For Speed: High Stakes
86: Triple Play 2000*
85: R-Type Delta*
85: MTV Music Generator*
84: NCAA Football 2000*
83: Sled Storm*
83: Worms Armageddon*
83: Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return*
83: Dino Crisis*
83: Um Jammer Lammy*
83: Monster Rancher 2
82: Suikoden II
82: Need for Speed: V-Rally 2*
82: Vigilante 8: Second Offense*
81: Pac-Man World*
81: Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation*
81: NLB 2000*
80: Final Fantasy Anthology
80: NFL Gameday 2000*
2000: 91 Points
98: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
94: Final Fantasy IX
94: Chrono Cross
92: Vagrant Story
91: Spyro: Year of the Dragon
90: WWF Smackdown 2: Know Your Role
90: Colin McRae Rally 2.0
90: Madden NFL 2001
88: NHL 2001
87: Spider-Man
87: Rayman 2: The Great Escape*
87: WWF SmackDown!*
86: NBA Live 2001
86: Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
86: Medal of Honor Underground
86: Dino Crisis 2
85: Rollcage Stage 2
85: FIFA 2001: Major League Soccer
85: Fear Effect*
84: Knockout Kings 2001
84: Front Mission 3*
84: Hot Shots Golf 2*
83: Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
83: Breath of Fire IV
83: Colony Wars III: Red Sun*
82: Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX
82: You Don't Know Jack, Mock 2
82: Harvest Moon: Back to Nature
82: NHL Rock the Rink
82: NCAA Football 2001*
81: Valkyrie Profile
81: Colin McRae Rally*
81: Syphone Filter 2*
81: Triple Play 2001*
81: Silent Bomber*
80: Jarrett & Labonte Stock Car Racing
80: RC de Go!
80: Incredible Crisis
80: MediEvil II*
80: Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness*
80: NASCAR Rumble*
80: Rollcage Stage II*
2001: 25 Points
95: ISS Pro Evolution 2
90: Dance Dance Revolution
89: Final Fantasy Chronicles
88: Madden NFL 2002
87: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
85: Metal Slug X
84: Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix
81: NBA Live 2002
81: FIFA Soccer 2002
80: Mat Hottman's Pro BMX
Wii:
2006: 13 Points so far + 22 = 35 Points
91: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (4)
91: Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition (4)
85: Super Paper Mario (2)
83: WarioWare: Smooth Moves (1)
80: Mercury Meltdown Revolution (1)
80: Mario Strikers Charged (1)
Unreleased estimations:
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core (1)
MySims (0-1)
Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party (Bundle) (1)
Ultimate Duck Hunting (0)
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (1-3)
Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis (0-1)
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (3-5) (I and II were 5)
Endless Ocean (0-1)
Manhunt 2 (1)
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (0-1)
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (0-1)
Super Mario Galaxy (5-10 .. 19)
Super Smash Bros Brawl (4-8)
Anymore?
Unreleased total = 16-34.. Let's say, 22.
Rating : Points
80-84 = 1
85-87 = 2
88-89 = 3
90-91 = 4
92-93 = 5
94 = 6
95 = 7
96 = 8
97 = 10
98 = 12
99 = 15
100 = 19
If Wii finishes the year with a score of 35 and then trends like PS1, then this is how Wii's future will look.