Recently there has been some debate in a certain thread (check the portal) and many people there are complaining about how Nintendo isn't giving us any games for the "hardcore" gamer. I'm not even going to start talking about what is or what isn't a hardcore gamer. What I'm talking about is the lack of games that are more mature or not too casual. I was just perusing some other Nintendo sites and came across three new games coming out for the Wii. They are Crayola Treasure Adventures, George of the Jungle, and Professor Kageyama’s Maths Training. See what I'm getting at here. This is the kind of thing that makes some of us frustrated. Now why is this happening? Just take a look at this headline that has also just been posted, "Cooking Mama series sells over 2 million worldwide". Now don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy the Cooking Mama game somewhat but it's a casual game as well. While I won't be getting rid of my Wii, I doubt I'll be playing it much until SSBB comes out and then that will probably be the only thing that I will be playing on the Wii.
I'm going to keep my Wii and pull it out for some party games but I don't find it good for much else at the moment. This has made me decide to get a 2nd system, either an XBox360 or PS3 to give me other options when I want to play. The 2nd system will be more like a compliment to my Wii than a replacement but I have a feeling that I'll be playing it more than my Wii. I'll let my Wii fill my party game need and let my other system feel my other needs. Nintendo is after the casual audience and I have to accept that but they have to accept that the regular gamers won't stay satisfied with only casual games and will try to get their fix some place else.
i think we need to see the wii as a DS for your house
that seems to be the trend its heading in
Well, I see the Wii as a supplement to a PS3 or 360, since it's only for first party titles, IMO.
Lol, same difference!
The Wii will be my 2nd console after I get either the 360 or PS3 and you're right about the first party titles. They don't have many 3rd party titles to begin with and those they do have are either not interesting to me or are on the other two systems, where they would be much better in most areas.
i wish we could go back in time to the DS release and see what the consensus was on its viability
The DS is the number one handheld at the moment but they have great games and a ton of them. Even so I sold my DS Lite as well as 2 PSPs. I just didn't enjoy gaming on the go and prefer to listen to music.
I don't think Nintendo ever meant to market the Wii towards the hardcore crowds. Just look at what the system is designed to do, the bulk of the games, the channels and content of the commercials, etc. They went for casual and non-gamers, and let's face it, it was a very smart move for them. There are a lot more of them than hard-core gamers, and they are giving Nintendo a lot of money right now.
Don't get me wrong, I keep more than one system, but the truth of the matter is, the Wii is a social console. When I want to play a little of a game, I usually boot the 360 or DS. When I have a diverse party of 20 somethings (or even ranging from 10 to 50s) from different backgrounds and video gaming abilities, the Wii is king. It's completely in context with a gathering or party, since it doesn't usually require constant attention and you are generally playing while standing up and moving around. People can swap in and out of games easily (and it doesn't hurt rankings or anything). With Halo or CoD, you have up to 4 people splitting a screen, sitting idle, completely immersed in their video game world, while being completely uninteresting to the remainder of the party, dragging the entire party down. The Wii, again, is not only fun to play, but fun to watch people play. To get this effect with the 360, you have to buy a ton of unusual accessories that only work on a few select games (Rock Band anyone?)
As someone else pointed out, the DS was criticized for it's lack of hardcore titles, and now we see a ton of great games out for it. We'll have to wait and see with the Wii. Every popular system generally see's a large flow of crap come through, just look at every popular system from the NES to the PS2 (and even worse pre-NES)
Honestly, I am a casual gamer, so I see so many quality game releasing on the Wii that I just don't have time for all of them.
Exactly my point. The Wii is for casual gamers and they do have great casual games. I'd be much happier if Nintendo would realize that as well and not say that they care about all of the gamers including the hardcore ones. I honestly think they should drop trying to get other games and focus on only casual games. I bought the Nintendo Wii for the different way of gaming and I do enjoy that but sometimes I feel like sitting down on my couch and using a normal controller and looking at nicer graphics. People need to stop thinking that Nintendo is ever going to give them that feeling. I don't see it happening, even in the future. The Wii is for casual gamers and hopefully for Nintendo those casual gamers will continue to play the Wii well into the future. In the meantime other people who want more hardcore games need to look elsewhere.
sorry mana, but i'm gonna have to totally disagree, well, sorta
yes there are a lot of "casual" games out on the wii, and there are some games that are just total BS like the aforementioned Crayola game, but this has no affect on whether the system is good
the PS2 was huge. it is (i believe) the best selling console ever. with this comes a slew of total crap games. game developers and publishers aren't stupid. it's common knowledge in marketing. you sell where the people are. it's the gaming equivalent of location location location. are you going to open a store in the middle of the desert or middle of Chicago? so in the same manner, are you gonna release a game for the console that sold 4 million units in 2 year or the one that sold 6 million in one year? this however doesn't impact the system itself. no one marks the PS2 as a horrible console because of Bible Quest or Muppet Go Kart Racing
P.S. i was writing this before that last post of yours
Ok, just to clear up some things. I don't think the Wii is crap at all. I think the Wii is actually great but only for certain segments of the market, ie the casual segment. I would never pick the 360, PS3, or PC over my Wii if I felt like playing party games. Wii Sports, Wario Ware, and Rayman 1 & 2 are always being played at my house whenever we have guests over. That's all fine and dandy but when I'm in the mood to play something that would not be considered a casual game I would need to use a different system.
and granted that's all true at the moment, but it's not really affected by the console
yes, it's easier to pick up a game that you'll put 60hrs into on a PS3 or 360, but why is that? is it because of the nunchuk? the white color of the Wii? the bluetooth, pointer in the remote or sensor bar? not in anyway. it has nothing to do with the system. it's all because developers and publishers are releasing the crap on the system
It's not only 3rd party companies that are guilty, Nintendo also release these kinds of games. Granted Nintendo at least has quality casual games unlike most of the other publishers. However, it's not only a matter of just the games. It also has to do with the hardware. Nintendo was fully aware of the what the 360 and PS3 had to offer in terms of power and they chose to go another route. That is alright that they chose that path but for them to still say they care about the hardcore gamers and have hardware that can't even put out decent graphics that would be considered next gen graphics. They have next gen gameplay for sure but that's it. I was fully aware of the fact that the Wii was underpowered when I bought it and I'm ok with playing my party games on it but I'd rather play other games on the other systems as Nintendo and the 3rd party publishers just can't seem to get it right at the moment. They may or may not turn this around but I just can't see it happening. I also know we are to blame as well for buying the crap that the publishers put out. As long as we buy it they will keep shoveling it. It's like we are caught in a vicious cycle that we want better games but there aren't any so we buy the crap games to fill the void thus causing more crap games to be produced. That's why I think it will be hard for Nintendo to have any decent 3rd party games or games that aren't considered for the casual gamer.
Side Note: It's a little after 4 in the morning here and even though I don't have to wake up early tomorrow I will at least try to get some sleep so I'll be back to continue tomorrow.
Nintendo has pushed out a Zelda, a Metroid, and a Mario game within a year of launch. How many other Nintendo systems can boast that? SSBB will be here soon. These are all major titles, and I'm sure I missed a few "hardcore" games made by first and second party developers. Do MS and Sony release so many hardcore games first and second party that these major Nintendo titles count for nothing? It just seems, to me at least, that most of their hardcore games are released third party. Those third party publishers are not porting them over to the Wii.
I'm not saying that Nintendo hasn't done something wrong, I'm just not sure that Nintendo is to blame. They've released some major powerhouse titles. Perhaps we could blame the third party companies for watering down the selection with low quality party games? Perhaps we could blame the typical Wii buyer that ignores these hardcore titles and keeps picking up those low quality party games? Perhaps we can blame Nintendo for catering the system to party games, but really, can you blame them? Look how well it is doing as a result. The release of their major franchises early in the console's life cycle is a testament that they haven't forgotten their loyal fanbase.
This is exactly why Nintendo stated that the Wii does not compete directly with the 360 and PS3. If you were expecting 360 and PS3 games on the Wii, it's no wonder you are disappointed. I will say, though, you won't find Wii games on the 360/PS3 either. The Wii brought something different to the table that the other consoles can't replicate well, so if you want the best of both worlds, you will need two systems!
while the Wii has less power than the 360 or the PS3, that has little to nothing to do with creating a "hardcore" game. while it's hard to be absolutely certain seeing as Nintendo hasn't released real specs on the Wii, people pretty much assume the Wii is as powerful as the original XBox. so with that, can you conclude that the XBox had no good games. taken just as far, that would imply all gaming before the 360 or PS3 was crap because they had less power, which as we all know is a total lie. the only thing power affects is grahpics, and as i've stated many times and will continue to say, grahpics aren't important in a good game.
many people think Final Fantasy X was awesome because it looked so good. i was kinda disappointed because it lacked a new and unique flare that the best Final Fantasy games have had, and the story was good, but not the best to come from Square/Square Enix. Halo 3 looks amazing, but i still think it's crap because it's just a shooter and all it does is look good. it's like dating a super-model. may look pretty, but thats where the goodness ends.
the controls of the Wii are a little odd at times i'll agree, but in the end, i still prefer my wii-mote and nunchuk to the standard issue controller of the 360 or PS3. i was more involved with Godfather on the Wii than GTA3 because of the controls. it immersed me into the game much better than button presses will ever do. unforunately, not many games are fully utilizing this. shaking the remote to do an attack lost it's shine after Twilight Princess. Metroid Prime 3 did an absolutely amazing job utilizing it. i never felt that the controls for that game were in the way of my playing it and it actually immersed me into it. i felt more like Samus with it than someone playing a game unlike the previous Metroid Prime games. accompanying this, controls aren't everything. a game can be a great game with the standard controls, but must offer something else extraordinary. one of my favorite games of all time is Final Fantasy 6. graphics were good for the time, but by today's capabilities it's a joke. i still love the game though because the characters and story were amazing. the same with Final Fantasy 4. the graphics of Rune Factory look odd, but the gameplay has kept me playing it every day since i got it aside from the days my DS was out of charge and the two days i drove from Missouri back to Phoenix. actually, i even played one of those days thanks to a DS car charger i found
SO, in conclusion (because this is going too long and i kinda lost my train of thought) the selection is pretty bad at the moment, but the system is still awesome
You guys are preaching at the choir. I think that Nintendo's major franchises (Mario, Zelda, and Metroid) are all great games. Metroid is what I would consider a game for the hardcore audience. I don't want to try to put a definition on "hardcore gamer" as I said before so just replace it with "wants more than casual games". Nintendo does a good job with most of there games. The 3rd party developers are not doing so hot but have had a couple of hits. I also agree that many people are to blame and not just one. The whole point of this post is to say that if you want to play a wider variety of games then you need to have more than one system.
Instead of complaining about the Wii's lack of power/graphics you should get a PS3 or 360 if you want to play better looking games. I'm not saying they will be better overall but they will look better than what you normally see on the Wii. Then we come back to the controls. They are great for some games and terrible for others. If the controls feel right and make sense then I have no problem with them. It's the companies that tack on Wii controls to a game and then call it a Wii game. Simply put, the Nintendo Wii has never claimed to be a powerhouse but they have said they cared about all of their customers. If you look at the other thread in the portal you will see Many of Nintendo's customers and how they are not satisfied with what they are currently receiving. This is a gaming site specifically for the Nintendo Wii and you'd have to guess that the members here care a great deal about Nintendo or love the console and/or games. Recently you have seen a turning of the tide so to speak and many of the Nintendo fans are starting to look elsewhere for different gameplay. This is just a small sample on one website but you have to multiply that several times to get an idea of how many are shying away from the system. Right now I'm waiting for Brawl but after that...
Nintendo's franchises sell on the Wii for sure, but third party games do not; and that is a problem.
I feel that Nintendo has to do a major 180 for the Wii to become of lasting appeal to Mid-Core and Hardcore gamers. We need more games like "No More Heroes" to balance out the system library.
I read that NMH didn't do too well in Japan, which is a pity. Because of sales trends like that more and more Mid-Core and Hardcore developers are discouraged from the Wii. Not to mention the gamers themselves of course.
I can proudly say my Nintendo Wii is nothing more than a Smash Brothers adapter. If that game wasn't coming out, I would not own a Wii. Once that game comes out, it will be the only game present in my disk drive.
my Wii is for parties/friends
my PC is for real gaming
My wii is the perfect console to go along with my 360...I use my 360 for the hardcore gaming and have the Wii for parties and casual gaming and also for the great franchises that Nintendo has like Mario, Legend of Zelda, Metroid Prime, Super Smash Bros., and Pokemon
You really can't judege the Wii yet. Wait till around this time next year to see what the games are like. Sure there's a lot of crap now, but that's only because the developers are currently hard at work on other titles that will appeal to the hardcore crowd. YOu're just getting impatient. Honestly, can't a gamer just play games? Do they really have to have a certain niche or else they're 'casual' gamers? Just because every title isn't a shooter or ZOMG killing spree means that it isn't worth your time? That's just narrow minded thinking in my book.