The Wii sucks at online gameplay. I come across this criticism fairly often online (an example here).
I dabbled with online play with my Xbox when Xbox Live first came around. I wasn’t all that thrilled with it, but I see why so many gamers love it: They never have to leave their apartment or make friends.
People who criticize the Wii for its online features don’t understand the nature of the Wii.
The Wii wasn’t designed for hardcore gamers. A good portion of Wii owners hadn’t even picked up a video game controller until the Wii came along. Most Wii owners, including myself, play only when other people are around. You expect this crowd to play online?
It doesn’t make sense for Nintendo to invest the amount of money it takes to run a decent online service. Even Microsoft has trouble keeping its online experience up and running.
So, if you want to play a lot online, get an Xbox or PS3. If you want to have a good time with your real life friends, get a Wii.
I agree, the Wii is marketed almost towards non gamers. To me the online aspect of the Wii isn’t the multiplayer capabilities, it’s the Virtual Console, the News channel, all the additional CONTENT that the internet provides.
My experience with online play is just that you get to play with the biggest D-bags in the world that play whatever particular game you’re playing at the moment. That’s about it.