Wii don't need no education

I agree that the Wii is going to be a really fun console, and I'll be getting one on release to go with my 360, but Im afraid the bit about the violent game names for Playstation and Xbox is ridiculous. What about the Resident Evil series on Gamecube?

 

I agree on the innovation side however, I don't see what all the fuss is about violence in games. In my opinion it's a good thing as it provides release without actually hurting anyone. Can anybody honestly say that a good frag fest in Quake or CS or any other similar game doesn't make you feel better after a long day at the office/school. I know it helps me. So before we engage in evangelistic violence-bashing let us stop and consider some of the advantages.

-ed out

 

Funfactor is what it's all about. I just beat Final Fantasy Tactics and that was a cool game. It's funny sitting right next to a 2000 dollar computer and playing PSone games. Will there ever be another game like fallout? Starcraft? Command and conquer?

Everyone has a top 10 gaming list and I assure you most of the titles are 2D....

The Wii is just like the gamecube but with Wifi and a broader format. Is any one else suprised they won't make the jump to hi-def?

 

You're kidding right?

 

Wait wait, you say they're focusing on us, but at the same time taking out the agression? I liked that part.

TBH, I won't be buying any game consoles. I have a PS2 which I regret buying (but at least I can use that as a DVD player), and I have a NES, which from time to time I still play. That's good enough for me, I don't know why we need new consoles. Just like I don't understand why we need a new Windows... come on, we're not done fixing XP yet! The best games have always been on computers.

 

I just wanted to comment on this really quick...please note my disclaimer on not being a Jack Thompson idiot parade believer! I'm talking about marketing tactic here, nothing about the violence. It's about the aggression, and much of that aggression is subtext (hence why I mentioned about the X and its semantic issues). I'm simply pointing out that much of videogame marketing ploys play into our alpha-male tendancies.

Just wanted to clear that up...there was no intention for evangelical violence-bashing; simply a note on the level of advertising tactic that focuses on our aggressive tendancies.

With that said...carry on with the conversation!

 

In terms market niche, he is quite correct (budget console). The only difference this generation is that the Wii has the potential to top the ps3/360 in terms of sales, profits and game originality/quality.

As well, the audience they are aiming for (non-tech enthusiasts especially) will most likely not own HD capable televisions. (In response to Nature's question)

 

Personally I am kinda looking forward to the wii.
Imagine instead of a playstation sneaking up to a guard, pushing a button and slitting his throat. You could actually use the Wii controller as a knife, sneak up to him and learn how to properly slit someones throat, if you get it in the wrong position then the guard turns around and angrly shoots you. The Wii can finally teach us how to authentically stab people and slit peoples throats with realistic movements. If they release a shock vibrating version then you would be able to feel resistance as the controller digs into peoples guts and scrapes pasts their ribs straight into their heart.
Family games are fun.

 

Ha! So what you are saying then, is Nintendo is unique in being able to do family games AND violent games well on this platform?

 

I find this train of thought disturbing........

Back on topic

I own both a ps2 and a xbox. Tbh I havent played on my PS2 in years, and the xbox is used as media centre rig. I had pretty much decided I wouldnt buy another console. However having read about the Wii, I'll be most definitly getting one. Zelda sounds amazing.

 

I've had a PS2, Xbox and Gamecube. Both the PS2 and Xbox have moved on to pastures new but the Gamecube has remained.

Why, its not the graphics as both the xbox and PS2 were better. It was the games. The Gamecube has a load of family orientated games. My son and daughter are loving playing super monkey ball, mario party, dora and the purple planet and many others.

Both MS and Sony have primarily aimed their console at male audience and although there are 'kids' games out for the consoles its not been marketed that way.

I dont know when Wii is coming out, but thats the console I will be choosing. Shiny graphics are great but I will take gameplay over visuals.

I think anyone looking at spending £400+ on a console is insane? How much are the games going to cost on Blue-Ray, certainly more than the £50 currently being spent on DVD games.

This is a format war that Sony is going to lose. The discs are expensive to make, and it will be the consumer who will have to pay the extra. What is the point of buying a console if you're only going to be able to afford 1 or 2 games a year. If that is the case you best make sure you pick some real good ones and not just Ridge Racer 12!

 

"The first GTA was edgy and incredibly creative. But the fourth, now? And how many times will Lara Croft's breasts continue to take our $50, when the best thing that can be said about her latest outing is that it's "much more like the first game than the last 3 or 4 were"?"

I agree with this partially, but how many incarnations of Mario, Zelda and Metroid have there been?

 

That set off a ping on my sarcasm detector, but he brings up a going point. The Wii controllers could indeed be used that way, and force feedback technology exists and could be implemented in the next generation of games. We always talk about games becoming more immersive, isn't this another step in that direction?

Last year while I was in Mississippi with FEMA I went to the State Fair. One of the exhibits was a combat simulator that the Army brought as a recruiting tool. You entered into a semi-trailer and were handed a weapo The weapon in this case was the body of an actual M4 carbine that had been modified internally with an air cylinder and a weight to simulate recoil. The inside of the trailer was filled with projectors and the "game" simulated a moving firefight through the streets of Baghdad. When you fired the weapon it actually recoiled in addition to the sound and effects on the screen.

My point is that the future that DriftCarl describes is here, or at least possible today.

One final thought...

The first time I played the HL2 demo, the zombies scared the hell out of me, and setting them on fire was a pretty disgusting, if compelling, expierience. Just how immersive do we want to be?

 

wow food for thought, great column, tbh I think Sony are setting themselves up for a major fall, and the next console (if I do buy one) will most probably be an xbox 360 ... ouch the name is now hurting my head with its spikyness!

 

Oh please, you are totally wrong.

Nintendo are not aiming for a 'niche' market at all with the Wii. They have already stated countless times they are trying to encompass a far broader share of the market as well as actively bring new people into games.

Saying the Wii is just like a GC is plain daft. Maybe you didn't notice the whole controller thing...

 

Agree totally. I do like Nintendo and am getting the Wii when its launched, but I hate this attitude so many seem to hold that Nintendo can do no wrong.

 

I'm really looking forward to the Wii. I love the D3 budget titles that Midas and 505 Street are bringing to the European (and therefore Australian) market for PS1 and PS2. I much prefer paying AU$20 for 3-4 hours of sweet yet plain-looking gameplay than AU$80-100 for 20 hours of generic mush wrapped in a candy shell of pretty graphics, so if Nintendo plans to go that way on the Wii, I'm all for it. The whole concept of the controller looks great, too; I can't wait to try one out "in the flesh", so to speak. The console's small size and elegant lines are the icing on the cake.

But. Wii. Is. Still. A. Dumb. Name.

Nezuji

 

The thing with the Nintendo series' of Zelda and Mario is that they all add something new.

Zelda is the best demonstration of this, different weapons, different storylines, then they had the time travel, they have music, they had the masks, they experimented with cell shading, etc...

 

I've never owned a console, not one. I'm a PC fan and if there's a game i like on a console theres always ways round it to be able to play it on pc.

But I will be buying the Wii, i want something fun, something i can turn-on with some mates and then just have a good laught with. The Wii fits this beautifully, it's not trying to be the most powerful realistic gaming machine, blah blah blah, it's trying to be fun! and damn it looks like its gunna make a good job of it.

 

great article, tbh consoles dont do it for me at all - i have a pc for games, any game on a console feels restrictive and unnatural. All games i have played on consoles are better on pc.

However, the Wii has the capability to change this, from what ive read it will be a totally diff playing experience so for a pc gamer it actually seems quite an attractive buy as an alternative gaming system in the lounge