Although I can see what you're saying, Kangaroo, does it not seem to be the case that by skewing the market towards casual gamers that instead of seeing innovation we're just going to see gimmicks to attract people to play rubbish games? For instance, the glut of shooters and action RPGs with bastardised play mechanics. Or worse, the pain of Guitar Hero and Singstar, and while Nintendo isn't solely responsible for titles of that kind it's leading the way in that regard. I don't think peripherals are what will drive gaming forward. Trashy plastic appendages have been around since the NES [if not earlier, I never owned an Atari etc.] and there's nothing new in the concept. They get trashed and reformulated, only to add to the rubbish tip of history.

owl_of_minerva

Oh I totally agree with you, Owl. I didn't really know if anybody was going to see that first post of mine so I was just kind of smartass about it.

The thing that worries me is that, like I said in the above post, you'd think Nintendo would've planned more games around the hardware before they went and manufactured it. Sooo, you mentioned some of the Wii stuff being gimmicks -- what if Wii itself was devised as a gimmick? Even if not, they may very well be heading down that right now, like you're saying.

Yeah, accessories can't make a system, but the reason that I still think Wii is a watershed is because it could lead to something that is as creative as Wii was supposed to be. Also, I do love the fact that it gives you a reason to want that system over another. Back in the day -- and I'm sure you remember -- it was great to have a separate library of games for each systems. Sure, there were cross-platform games, but not like today where people who bought a PS3 are all playing Xbox360 games.

For a long time I've been hoping we could go back to that. Eventually, people might not fall into either "gamers" or "non-gamers", where a "gamer" is anybody who is familiar with all games regardless of platform. We're already seeing this casual vs. hardcore thing, after all. Maybe like "physical gamers" who only play things like Wii Sports will just be another class of people. Nothing wrong with that, really. It almost seems like it should happen eventually with the way people are with technology nowadays. Remember before people with their web 2.0 blogs hit the internet? The internet feels like a completely different place from when I first used it.

Whatev. I totally know that when you win as Mario in SSBB, you teabag Princess Peach.

It's unfortunate that not many more games capitalised on that.

Other games that really should have benefitted from the controls (here's looking at you, Okami) oddly didn't. And then others like Boom Blox came out of nowhere with intriguingly well done controls that were actually integral to making the game fun and which could not have been possible on any other console. But it's fairly obvious at this point that the Wii has not lived up to its hype. Well, there is still time.

clicketyclick

Verrrrrry funny @ the first part. Actually, okay, I did think that was hilarious, because somebody just told me about teabagging like last week. I'd never heard that, lol.

Anyway, yeah, that's pretty much how I feel. There is still time, and the truth is Wii may not ever prove itself, but something that succeeds it might. Maybe not even something from Nintendo. Like I said, the potential is there. But yeah, I am REALLY surprised it doesn't have more blockbuster games that play like the reason the Wiimote was invented. You'd think they would've had better games designed around the hardware, instead of the other way around, you know?

Damn, you're right. I forgot all about the N64 controller, probably because I repressed it as a tramautic experience. Consider my vote changed.

kangaroo

What brought back the horrid memory was a retro gaming night I went to a few weeks ago. Trying to play Goldeneye multiplayer with one of those controllers was execrable. To make matters worse, the flimsy analog stick was broken, ie. had come loose, so I spent a lot of time staring at the ceiling and getting shot. And the buttons are so unintuitive as well. Suffice to say that the N64 has inoculated me against Nintendo for life.

"Execrable" rofl. I HATED that analog stick; WHY was it shaped with like little ridges in it? It sure didn't make the grip any better but it always hurt my thumb. I kind of understand your vendetta with Nintendo considering Gamecube controllers weren't much better. Game companies should realize how important their controllers are to the game. You can't make these things flimsy.

also traumatic*. A decade of typing experience and I still can't type in the dark when I can't see my fingers, lol.

mortgage is pretty terribleN8A

Oh man, good point. How about property taxes?'

My parents have a house kind of in the mountains and the local township wanted to institute a "view tax": an extra tax you would have to pay if your house has a nice view out the window. This is for real. I'm sure somewhere it's already done.

Nevermind researching the issues; I'll just vote for whoever my favorite rapper's voting for!

Phone bill is a joke, but then again so is health insurance since it never seems to cover anything but the problems I don't have.

Tie!

It has a ton of potential, and that's really all I can say.

Still, I can't believe people are actually crying about Wii being a problem because of casual gaming while they bounce around the internet with Master Chief icons.

Guess what, guys?

I know valley girls who call people like us "gamers" because they don't play video games. They only play Call of Duty 4 on Xbox Live.

What was once hardcore is now as genuine as Linkin Park. Wii doesn't want to be compared to Xbox and Playstation. If you're upset that it's not hardcore enough, realize that it's trying to diverge from "leetspeak", internet culture, and people who play 8 hours a day.

I'm surprised the N64 controller hasn't been singled out for mention. It was like trying to game whilst having metamorphosised into a bear and using claws instead of hands. At least, given that I have small hands, I found it extremely uncomfortable and difficult to use.

owl_of_minerva

Damn, you're right. I forgot all about the N64 controller, probably because I repressed it as a tramautic experience. Consider my vote changed.