News BioWare president: Nintendo Wii is 'like a toy'

[Tim S]

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/04...s-like-a-toy/1

BioWare's president Greg Zeschuk has said that the Nintendo Wii is less like a games console and more akin to a toy.

[lewchenko]

Fisher Price eat your heart out...

Is the Wii a toy ? I would love to know how many people bought it just to play Wii Sports, and then got bored with it after 2 weeks, and never turned it on again (Oh.. other than for a Mario Party night with her friends). Reminds me of those single use game console systems of the 1980's..

I think its quite a few people ! My wife was one of them. From that point of view.. she certainly thought of it as a toy, rather than a game console. She couldnt care that there are other games out there.

She has just bought Wii fit as well today. Im sure that too will go though a similar life cycle (i.e. 2 weeks of use, followed by a dust collecting period).

Gotta hand it to Nintendo... premium priced games (£30-£40) for their Wii Toy, and DS games at £30. We sure love being fleeced by them !

[Paolo]

Hmm, I'm not sure I agree with the 'dust collecting' claim. I'd say that if you were obsessed with your Mass Effect or Knights of the Old Republic you'd complete it in well under two weeks (if you're a bum student like me).

After that, I'd say these games also become dust magnets in most folks' collections unless they have an online element to them (which in the Wii Sports comparison would equate to having your mates round and playing Wii Tennis with a Beer in one hand and the controller in the other... I in no way recommend this!)

My 2p,
Paolo

[Paradigm Shifter]

"They're playing, together or not, but you're not 'gaming' anymore. . . . If gaming is defined by story, then generally the Wii may not be."

So... if 'gaming' is defined by 'story' then obviously Pong, Tetris and just about every board game ever made... isn't gaming. Or any card game.

What is this massive hate-on for the Wii among the developers recently? Are they angry that on that console they have to define their game by the illusive ideas known as 'gameplay' and 'fun' rather than 'graphics whoredom'?

[Redbeaver]

why cant it be both?

its a good toy (u play with it), and a good console (u play games on it).

[labr@t]

one word


Zelda.



as good as any bioware rpg, cracking little game on a games console.

[Thacrudd]

Originally Posted by Paradigm Shifter

So... if 'gaming' is defined by 'story' then obviously Pong, Tetris and just about every board game ever made... isn't gaming. Or any card game.

My thoughts exactly.

Nintendo isn't afraid to bring new things to the table, and for some reason others have a problem with it. All my consoles go through "dust collecting" periods, it just depends on what I'm gaming at the time. Right now it's Crisis Core on the PSP. In a bit it will be Mario Kart on the Wii.

[Kamakazie!]

When will developers get on with making games and stop fuelling the console war rubbish.

All consoles are Toys..... i don't get where the notion that they are something above and beyond comes from. The only thing that stops my PC from being a toy is the fact that i use it for doing work which makes it more of a tool than a toy. In all honesty though, the semantics of this are stupid.

Also, since when are game experiences defined by the hardware in stead of the software?

[Drexial]

This is yet another games developer complaining about the games on a console they don't make games for....

MAKE A GAME FOR IT THEN. if you think your games are great and this system is in almost every home, then what is this idea that you cant make games for it?

are these companies paid to trash talk the Wii or something.

If the number of games is the problem then make some and stop complaining.

Side note, can't wait for Force Wars in the Wii.

[BurningFeetMan]

Wow, Greg Zeschuk sounds hardcore, having an opinion and all.

We all know the Nintendo Wii isn't backwards compatible, can't surf the web, is lacking in the latest intuitive gaming motion detection technologies and is targeted at under 6 year olds. Oh, wait a second...

[Bladestorm]

I think it can deliver as well as any in terms of story when done right. I've certainly enjoyed RE4 and Metroid Prime 3 with the pointing to aim far more than any game I've played with a joypad I think and neither has any less story than any similar shooter on other consoles.

Now I might like to see more RPG's for it sure, but those aren't massively numerous on any platform these days with such emphasis put on FPS/driving/sports games and I'd prefer them on the PC over any console any day anyhow.

I suspect what has the biggest potential on it would be a good strategy game .. the pointer would work really well there.

I can think of a dozen good games, though I only own half of those I want to, because of a usual lack of "telly time" when compared to playing stuff on my pc.

[quack]

For something he just considers a "toy" it's selling mighty well.

[Thacrudd]

Alot of people complain about the lack of "great games" on the wii. If you look at the ratio of "great games" verses the amount of games available on the different consoles, you will see that it isn't far off. The xbox 360 has more good games available, but it also has more crap ones as well.

This has been a stupid arguement going on for too long that the Wii is "not as powerful" or "doesn't have enough good games" despite it's consistantly sold out at all my local stores. It's kinda like bashing Vista because it's "cool" to do.

[Blademrk]

oh FFS, It's a platform, just like the Xbox or the Playstation (or even the PC).

Yes some of the first party games like Wii Sport/Play/fit etc... may seem a little overly simplistic, but that's only because Nintendo are catering some games towards the casual gamer - the kind of people who don't want a deep and meaningful game, just something to kill 15 minutes here and there or have a drunken laugh with a few friends.

There are also some truly great games (first and third party) on the Wii (Zelda, Metroid, Mario Kart, Resident Evil etc...) which 90% of casual gamers probably wouldn't go anywhere near.

At the end of the day the hardware doesn't matter, the platform (Wii, 360, PS3, PC) is irrelevant, it's the software (Story/Gameplay etc...) which is important.

I think Bioware should start challenging that thought and thinking about how they could use that "toy" to convey their stories...

[Lepermessiah]

Zelda is not an RPG, it is an action adventure game, even nintendo calls it action adventure, and Zelda is not better then Bioware's best RPG's.

[DXR_13KE]

if by a toy you say: "the best fun you will ever have with a console", then yes.

edit: and yes, if it is for fun, i don't mind playing with toys.

[supermonkey]

Odd. Personally, I think "games console" is a fancy, grown up euphemism for "toy." It appears to me the Wii just plays a different style of game than the other mainstream consoles.

As a parent, I don't get a lot of free time to spend on an in-depth, time consuming RPG. Sometimes, I just want to bowl a few quick rounds, ya know?

-monkey

[bilbothebaggins]

Definition: Toy ...
- An artifact designed to be played with.
Definition: Game ...
- A contest with rules to determine a winner; "you need four people to play this game".
- An amusement or pastime;

Ah yes. I see. There seems to be a whole lot difference. Especially with respect to computer games :

[yodasarmpit]

On the ratio of good games to bad (that are not available on the far superior PC) it falls behind the 360, but it kills the PS3 which has yet to see GT5 released yet.
As far as I can see GT5 is the only reason to buy a PS3.

Cant some of these guys understand each platform offers something different, I use my PC to play the more hardcore games and my Wii for a quick 30 minute fun fest.

[zero0ne]

Originally Posted by Lepermessiah

Zelda is not an RPG, it is an action adventure game, even nintendo calls it action adventure, and Zelda is not better then Bioware's best RPG's.

are you NUTS?