[merylsilverburg]

LOL, a buddy of mine and I were just having a conversation on this. And while I don't know the exact answer, I think it really boils down to two words:

"Family Friendly"

The Wii is marketing itself as a family friendly, all ages type of console. So the money makers (aka the parents, older people) are willing to pay up because of this. Also, the Wii is the cheapest out of all 3 consoles on the market.

Due to this family fun reason, I think developers are trying to stay away from anything too offensive which is why a truckload of minigame-esque games are on shelves and being developed. But I also feel developers don't mind since this is a fast way to earn money since they know families will pick up these types of games so the whole family can play. As for Nintendo developed games and characters (like Mario), these sort of characters are even more acceptable now; when Mario Kart Wii came out, I saw a grandmother at Best Buy pick up the game along with steering wheels, telling the sales clerk that she and her family (mom, dad, grandkids) were going to play together.