The Video Game Critic

I am not saying this because I have any problem with the 360 or some sort of a Wii superiority complex of any kind, just so we are clear.  I am saying this because I cannot help but laugh at the 360 commercials I see now.  They are totally family oriented.  Remember when 360 and PS3 commercials were nothing but what my wife called "hardcore"?  Some edgy music and effects mixed with screen shots and console shots?  That has definitely changed.  First I started seeing quick little 10 second spots showing the 360 console with the two packed in family friendly games (Kung-Fu Panda and Lego Indiana Jones, I think) and "Over 200 family-friendly games" in bold print just above.  Then today, it is a commercial of a whole family playing guitar hero together, interspersed with quick shots of the console and a family portrait on the wall, with more voice-overs of the family-friendly-ness of the system.  I think it's safe to say that, like it or not, the Wii has changed the direction and the face of gaming.  I think we are going to continue to see the 360 and PS3 try to get as much of the family-friendly-pie as they can, because it has now been proven to them that that is one friggin' huge pie.  I wouldn't be surprised if we stopped seeing the "hardcore" commercials altogether, except from developers themselves.  Again, I am not saying this out of some kind of desire to put down the other systems (I am playing nothing but my PS3 lately), I just think it is an interesting observation.

Yeah, thank God. The end of fratboy domination of the game industry that has plagued it since the mid-90's. Have you seen the old 2600 commercials from the early 80's on Youtube? They advertise the system as being "for the whole family"!

 I would argue that Xbox360 already has the majority of the hardcore/male player demograhic won over in this console war; and they are now just trying to get some other gaming demographics on board.

What you're saying Paul, about the Wii changing the direction of video gaming forever.........GOD I HOPE NOT.

If I wanted to become a candyass'd wuss, I'd start watching Disney movies, leave video games out of it.

Paul, I've been thinking the exact same thing. They really have changed directions with their advertising. But that was to be expected with their price drop on the Arcade version. Now that it's cheaper than the Wii they can probably get a lot of casual gamers on board if those people know that casual games are available and not just Gears of War or Halo type games.

I'd say it's a smart move to try to access the casual family friendly market.

As a proud 360 owner, I don't mind your post per se, but the title of this string is a little off. ALL videogame companies copy off each other....from the controllers to the games to the hardware to the media used and so on. I've seen the commercials you refer to and if I am correct (could be wrong), the family playing Guitar Hero together is a WalMart commercial and not a Xbox 360 commercial.

Perhaps your string is best named Microsoft is becoming a Nintendo wanna-be.

So, Xbox copied the avatar things,
PS3 trophies copy the Xbox achievement system, etc

I will say one thing about this current generation of consoles (and it is in favor of Microsoft as a company). From my recollection of various interviews and articles all over the web-and in this forum-only Microsoft has given credit to another company (Nintendo). Sony has been arrogant since day 1 and Nintendo is riding high on their conquests. 

In closing, I don't mind your string and/or discussion but I think the title is a little offensive to 360 owners. Regarding the commercials, I would think the holiday season is the time to market "family gaming". I've also still seen the "hardcore" commercials on some channels also. Spike comes to mind showing Fable 2 and Gears of War.

Don't hate me. I'm just discussing.

I certainly don't mind that Microsoft is trying to get a piece of the "family gaming" pie.  It's the smart thing to do.  However, I don't think that the 360 is by any means the system you want to buy for "the whole family".  That award still goes to the Wii.  It is the least intimidating system, thanks to the simplified controls and great pick up and play games.

I think the 360 and the PS3 are still a little too focused on the core gaming crowd.  Sure they both have karaoke games, rock band and licensed stuff like Kung Fu Panda, but they pale in comparison to Nintendo's lineup.  Sony always used to be the king of "a little something for everyone", but they have effectively priced themselves out of the competition. 

[QUOTE=Zenzerotron]
 I would argue that Xbox360 already has the majority of the hardcore/male player demograhic won over in this console war; and they are now just trying to get some other gaming demographics on board.

What you're saying Paul, about the Wii changing the direction of video gaming forever.........GOD I HOPE NOT.
[/QUOTE]

I totally agree.  Although I guess I should clarify that I don't really think that everything is going to become Wii-ish (I agree that would suck).  I think things are still going in the same direction, but I think the Wii represents a new breeze that has altered the direction of the arrow a little, a more than just what would result in someone copying a controller innovation or something... we are talking about the need to appease a newly adopted demographic here, whether we like it or not.

[QUOTE=Steve]

As a proud 360 owner, I don't mind your post per se, but the title of this string is a little off. ALL videogame companies copy off each other....from the controllers to the games to the hardware to the media used and so on. I've seen the commercials you refer to and if I am correct (could be wrong), the family playing Guitar Hero together is a WalMart commercial and not a Xbox 360 commercial.

Perhaps your string is best named Microsoft is becoming a Nintendo wanna-be.

So, Xbox copied the avatar things,
PS3 trophies copy the Xbox achievement system, etc
[/QUOTE]

I see what you're saying, but I think what the Wii has done is much more significant than a the addition of an analog stick or motion controls.  I think the industry was much more family friendly from the 2600 up to the NES and even SNES, but has lost that recently.  The Wii seems to have brought us back to the days when we would open a new Intellivision game and see a photo on the front of the insert of a whole family huddled around the TV and console with faces like they all just took happy pills.

[QUOTE=Steve]

As a proud 360 owner, I don't mind your post per se, but the title of this string is a little off. ALL videogame companies copy off each other....from the controllers to the games to the hardware to the media used and so on.

[/QUOTE]

*coughSixAxishiccup*

I don't know why Sony hasn't been more aggressive in going after the family market. They have the cheapest games, largest library and the most popular console right now. They have everything for the new or casual gamer: low cost, large variety and it's easy to operate.

I know if I worked for Sony, I would be aggresively marketing my console as a Wii wanna-be. After all, the Playstation 2 is still going strong and is my far the most affordable console out there.