The Video Game Critic

Check out this take from Gears of War designer CliffyB's brother:

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/archive/2007/06/07/i-for-one-do-not-welcome-our-new-wii-overlords.aspx

I don't have enough time at the moment to give my full opinion on this, other than to say that I disagree and think this guy is working from some faulty assumptions in terms of how the free market works.

Anyway, what's everyone's take here?

-Rob

I find it amusing that the term "hardcore gamer" supposedly means "FPS-loving graphics whore", rather than someone who puts innovation and gameplay above everything else. What, do hardcore movie buffs judge movies based on their special effects, while slamming Hitchcock for being dull and not including enough violent action scenes?

"hardcore" gaming died with the dreamcast

So let me get this straight, this guy's afraid that because the Wii is a success, the industry is going to be overrun with bad games like Wii Play??

I don't think that's the case.  The market has a way of weeding out the games that aren't fun.

Now, if you're talking about games that are shorter and easier to play, well, that may in fact be the case.  But if you're a real classic gamer like this game claims he is, that shouldn't scare you.

If any type of game has overrun the market in recent years, it's the complex, graphics hungry first-person shooters he covets so much.

[QUOTE=The Video Game Critic]
The market has a way of weeding out the games that aren't fun. 
[/QUOTE]

Not necessarily.  Wii Play sold tons of copies, despite its negative reviews.  And many of those bad licensed games sell well, too, even when they aren't fun. Yet, some truly great games like Psychonauts and Okami sold like dirt. 

As long as I have been into games, there has been something that is going to "ruin gaming" because of its popularity. I am rather sceptical of all this nonsense.

[QUOTE=Michael D]

[QUOTE=The Video Game Critic]
The market has a way of weeding out the games that aren't fun. 
[/QUOTE]

Not necessarily.  Wii Play sold tons of copies, despite its negative reviews.  And many of those bad licensed games sell well, too, even when they aren't fun. Yet, some truly great games like Psychonauts and Okami sold like dirt. 
[/QUOTE]

Everyone know Wii Play sold because of th eextra controller

FUNK

[QUOTE=Funkmaster V][QUOTE=Michael D]

[QUOTE=The Video Game Critic]
The market has a way of weeding out the games that aren't fun. 
[/QUOTE]

Not necessarily.  Wii Play sold tons of copies, despite its negative reviews.  And many of those bad licensed games sell well, too, even when they aren't fun. Yet, some truly great games like Psychonauts and Okami sold like dirt. 
[/QUOTE]

Everyone know Wii Play sold because of th eextra controller

FUNK
[/QUOTE]
I'll second that. ~.<

[QUOTE=Michael D]Not necessarily.  Wii Play sold tons of copies, despite its negative reviews.  And many of those bad licensed games sell well, too, even when they aren't fun. Yet, some truly great games like Psychonauts and Okami sold like dirt.[/QUOTE]

(a) Wii Play isn't a terrible game.  I rate it at about average.
(b) It came with a controller, making the aggregate cost of the game itself around $10.
(c) Psychonauts was a great game, but people either like it or they don't.  If the average buyer doesn't seem interested in it, it's probably because it was not fun for them.
(d) I plan to savor the inevitable backlash you will dish out as I write this:  I think Okami is about on par with Wii Play.

[QUOTE=m0zart]

[QUOTE=Michael D]Not necessarily.  Wii Play sold tons of copies, despite its negative reviews.  And many of those bad licensed games sell well, too, even when they aren't fun. Yet, some truly great games like Psychonauts and Okami sold like dirt.[/QUOTE]

(a) Wii Play isn't a terrible game.  I rate it at about average.
(b) It came with a controller, making the aggregate cost of the game itself around $10.
(c) Psychonauts was a great game, but people either like it or they don't.  If the average buyer doesn't seem interested in it, it's probably because it was not fun for them.
(d) I plan to savor the inevitable backlash you will dish out as I write this:  I think Okami is about on par with Wii Play.
[/QUOTE]

LOL. I haven't played Okami, so I'l steer clear of that topic.
But getting back to CliffyB's bro, I sort of think this is a knee jerk reaction when a rival entity suddenly becomes very succesful. Epic, while producing games for both Sony and Microsoft (and I'm assuming that this guy, even if he isn't involved with Epic, roots for them due to the familial relation), has never really done anything for Nintendo to my knowledge. So there's this paranoia that everything will be Super Mario and Link and that there won't be any room for what Epic does.

What I hinted at in the OP is that the Wii is an additive thing, not subtractive. Wii Sports doesn't replace anything. It adds. Getting the casual gamers involved adds to the gaming world. And like most people he isn't giving enough credit to the "Non minigames" on Wii. Red Steel was a major success (despite how one feels about the game, it IS a single player driven FPS title that sold a million copies). As is Super Paper Mario, a game that, despite its cutesy graphics, is certainly not a minigame title. SSX Blur is a superbly challenging original sports title. Some of the "dreaded" ports have in fact been excellent (others not so much, and that is a problem for Wii right now).

And The Critic nailed it: There are plenty of deep, immersive experiences to be had, now and in the future. Between Halo 3, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Metal Gear 4, etc., I'm not sure where the so called shortage is coming from. If anything, the shortage was in pick up and play titles.

-Rob