I now truly respect the power of Wii

Arkay Firestar

Arkay Firestar

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Preface: My parents are fairly open-minded and liberal people, but both are rather tech unsavvy, and my mom has basically spent my whole life telling me that video games are an addiction, a waste of time, etc. She's pretty extreme with most of her views, but this one was one of those really strong ones (probably because she felt guilty for getting games for me during my childhood.) My dad really only ever played one game, Zelda 1 on the NES. He learned every secret, every tree to burn and rock face to bomb. Its amazing that he's retained it to this day.

Anyways, a few weeks ago I'd had my parents come check out my new apartment, and since I knew my dad loved golf, I showed him Wii Sports and the golf game. He seemed mildly interested. My mom, however, was incessantly teasing me for being 22 years old and having a child's toy in my living room. I kept telling her that the demographic for the Wii is about as wide as possible for any consumer product, but of course, she's really set on this point.

So to my unbelieveable surprise, perhaps because she'd seen so many news clips on CNN about the Wii, when she came over yesterday to take a break at my apartment before driving home, and I jokingly asked my parents if they wanted to play tennis against each other, she said ok.

I had already made Miis of my mom and dad (accurate ones, too) so when I jumped into a game of tennis against my mom, there was already laughter in the room at our virtual selves squaring off against each other.

Now my mom, she has no video game experience. None. Never played a game in her life. EVER. And she does not use the computer without help from my father...its intimidating for her and she worries that she will mess something up. But I swear to god, to my continued amazement, after no less than 2 games we were already having sustained rallies. I was going easy on her, but after a while I realized that her hand/eye coordination and reflexes were more than good enough to do well at the game...for her the block was all psychological, that intimidation thing again. And I really think that's got to be whats held older, less tech-savvy people away from these things previously.

Anyways, we finish a game, where I won of course, and then I switched it two her and I on the same team against the computer. She was continuing to do better.

After that I went back to the menu and asked what other sports she wanted to try. She chose bowling and we played 10 frames. Her first game she got 100, her second 166 (I had 169 the second game...so she almost bloody beat me...and I was TRYING).

By this point she was REALLY getting into the games. She saw boxing on the menu and asked to play that...and though I hate the boxing game and she later told me she did not really get what was going on (my complaint with the game...feedback is terrible and controls unintuitive)...the two times she knocked me down she was giving my dad high fives.

I got my dad up before we had to leave and played a game of bowling against him as well. He got a 157.

It is AMAZING to me how quickly they picked it all up, how well they were playing, and how much fun they were having. Again, I acknowledge that the reason they had not played games before was almost entirely psychological, but the fact that the wall was broken down by the Wii still astounds me.

I hadn't even turned the thing on for a whole month...not really motivated to finish up Zelda, and not that interested in single player Wii Sports or Wario Ware. But playing with them again really reignited my appreciation for what Nintendo has accomplished with this thing. I know a lot of you have very similar stories, but I just wanted to share mine because when my mom was looking at the clock asking how far the the restaurant we were going that night for dinner was, to know how long the drive would be, and how much longer we could play before we had to leave, I knew that everything Nintendo has said and is saying about what the Wii is out to accomplish is accurate and true.

Kudos to them. They deserve to win the console war this time around.
 
[quote name='panasonic']april fools the ps3 deserves to win[/quote]

What? Deserves? How does a video game console deserve to win something?
 
[quote name='dragonreborn23']What? Deserves? How does a video game console deserve to win something?[/quote]

people feel sorry for it?
 
[quote name='dragonreborn23']What? Deserves? How does a video game console deserve to win something?[/quote]

he said something about the wii deserves to win so i just shoved that in.
 
[quote name='Unickuta']If only the Wii had more graphical power...how hard is it to make a system that has great graphics and gameplay?[/QUOTE]

Apparently not very, if you're willing to lose several hundreds of dollars when you sell it.
 
Kudos to them. They deserve to win the console war this time around.
Click to expand...

The reason I chose the Wii and am rooting for them this generation is because they decided to make a console that, god forbid, focused on games. Everyone else is all about the HD bullshit and the Blu-ray and the super duper computer multemedia center.

When I buy a game console I expect it to simply focus on games and gameplay. Nintendo did just that and at a cheaper price too. And if things weren't already good they go ahead and actually put forth some real innovation that hasn't been seen in 10 years. Real innovation - not we got better GraPh1xZZ and HD!111!!

The problem is that the industry is made up of a bunch of idiots that care more about the gRaph11Xz than anything else and do nothing but look down on the Wii. This has already moved a few companies to patronize the Wii and only make shit ports or as another CAG so aptly put it "swords" versions of games.

I hated the Wii way back when it was called the revolution, but when I realized that they were the only ones committed to a reasonably priced game console that focused on, oh my god, games I ditched the other guys and went with them.
 
i killed 17 people last week...april fools. the wii is very powerful though, you are correct. i had my whole family playing it over xmas break...it was incredible!
 
[quote name='Scrubking']The reason I chose the Wii and am rooting for them this generation is because they decided to make a console that, god forbid, focused on games. Everyone else is all about the HD bullshit and the Blu-ray and the super duper computer multemedia center.
[/QUOTE]

Agreed. I have an HDDVD player, and am tempted to get a BD player of some sort, and loved my PS1 and PS2....but it's about the content. People--and the media--are so focused on resolution and hdmi and ultra high res formats and professional voice acting, they forget it's supposed to be about the games.
I don't necessarily want Atari 2600 level graphics, but I'd rather play a fun game in 480i than a boring game in 1080p.
I've walked down the PS3 aisle at Best Buy, and none of those games really made me want to drop at least 500 bucks on a new console.
The Wii is doing so well, imnsho, for three main reasons:
* very competitive pricing
* the control scheme is truly novel (if not perfectly applied in all games)
* the games are very accessible. (We had a family dinner at my house a few weeks ago, in ten minutes, my 4 year old, my wife, my inlaws, and my grandfather in law all knew how to play Bowling and Tennis, and did reasonably well at them)


[quote name='Scrubking']
When I buy a game console I expect it to simply focus on games and gameplay. Nintendo did just that and at a cheaper price too. And if things weren't already good they go ahead and actually put forth some real innovation that hasn't been seen in 10 years. Real innovation - not we got better GraPh1xZZ and HD!111!!

The problem is that the industry is made up of a bunch of idiots that care more about the gRaph11Xz than anything else and do nothing but look down on the Wii. This has already moved a few companies to patronize the Wii and only make shit ports or as another CAG so aptly put it "swords" versions of games.

I hated the Wii way back when it was called the revolution, but when I realized that they were the only ones committed to a reasonably priced game console that focused on, oh my god, games I ditched the other guys and went with them.[/QUOTE]

I thought the Revolution was a hokey name, though I didn't know much about it; I thought the Wii was even hokier, but it doesn't really matter what it's called. And I think the Wii is providing more of a 'revolution' in gaming than there's been in at least two generations.

I just started Red Steel tonight, I'm not very far but it's not that bad yet. except for two things:
* the language (why are Yakuza assassins repeatedly calling me a 'bastard' in a very American accent) is rather gratuitous; and
* the sword fighting doesn't necessarily seem to jive with my specific controller motions. Oh well, it's worth a rental, and it's first or 1.5 generation anyway, so it will only improve.
 
[quote name='Arkay Firestar']
She saw boxing on the menu and asked to play that...and though I hate the boxing game and she later told me she did not really get what was going on (my complaint with the game...feedback is terrible and controls unintuitive)...the two times she knocked me down she was giving my dad high fives.
[/QUOTE]

Its kinda funny how our mind fills in these blanks for even video games. I thought that only happened in movies.

Has anyone noticed that the Wiimote really works for some situations but not all? I've been trying to part with mine since I played Cooking Mama.

Srry OP, but the novelty has worn off for me. At some point when your mother divorces your father and marries Jack Thompson, she'll come to understand that the Wii sucks. Its not much of a competitor in this console war.
 
If I didnt have a short-attention span I'd read the original post
 
I have noticed the controls are a little off in some games. That's nothing endemic to the Wii though, every console has its share of games that have poor collision detection or poor AI or whathaveyou.

Hardware sales through Feb 07 (estimated):
Xbox 360: 2,162,000
PS3: 1,061,000
Wii: 1,851,000
http://forum.pcvsconsole.com/viewthread.php?tid=11067
Sure looks like a competitor to me.
Now, long term, that's a good question. Is there enough solidity behind the novelty to make it last (and success)? Failing that, can Nintendo and its third parties release games creative and enjoyable enough to balance out the admitted shortcomings in hardware specs? I honestly don't know, and I have heard lots of people say what you're saying, they're in a slump right now--but launch was less than 6 months ago, and most console launches have a high percentage of crappy or non-optimized or tech-demo games for the first 6-12 months or so. I also hear similar for the PS3: "I use it mostly as a BD player", etc.
So to write any of them off now, or to say any of the consoles is not a competitor, is shortsighted. The Wii could end up being the next Saturn in terms of fizzle, or the next PS1 in terms of making gaming more mainstream. I look forward to finding out, and of course hoping for the latter.
 
I also have to agree that the Wii isn't all that special/ground breaking nor does it "deserve" to win this gen. I don't see how the Wii concentrates on games more than the 360 or the PS3.

Here's a point you missed. You set up the Miis. You turned it on, you started the games for her and probably walked her through initially so that she would get the hang of it. The Wii depends on word of mouth and having family members who are already gamers to spread the word. Wii and their mini games are fun for a gaming session and no doubt there is mass appeal since Wii Sports, Warioware, etc. are so easy to play.

But then there was the PS2 and eyetoy also. It was easy to control and play. Shallower than the Wii of course. Like the eyetoy I think the Wii will run it's course and fad into the background.

Nintendo better hope they have some really great ideas and games coming out for the Wii. I just don't picture much third party games coming out or selling very well.
 
[quote name='jngx80']
But then there was the PS2 and eyetoy also. It was easy to control and play. Shallower than the Wii of course. Like the eyetoy I think the Wii will run it's course and fad into the background.

Nintendo better hope they have some really great ideas and games coming out for the Wii. I just don't picture much third party games coming out or selling very well.[/quote]Well, no... that would be the logical conclusion if Nintendo had done what some people wanted, which was to throw the remotes out as GameCube accessories. They'd have a few games, people would have fun, then they'd stop playing them. That scenario changes quite a bit when they are the constant in all games.

How did this thread get derailed again?
 
Can homeboy not talk about what he likes about the system without people bitching about "teh warz?"

For pete's sake....
 
[quote name='Scrubking']The reason I chose the Wii and am rooting for them this generation is because they decided to make a console that, god forbid, focused on games.[/QUOTE]

Ironically, games is the one one thing the system just doesn't seem to have right now or even on the horizon. Yeah, there's some stuff... but it still doesn't seem like Nintendo's got the third party support they need to have quality and quantity with their games. I'd like for them to prove me wrong, mainly because I've already plunked down $250 for the system... but I don't see anything right now.
 
[quote name='Strell']Can homeboy not talk about what he likes about the system without people bitching about "teh warz?"

For pete's sake....[/quote]
Teh warz is awlays on!

I don't get why it always happens either.
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']Teh warz is awlays on!

I don't get why it always happens either.[/quote]

Cuz Sony pwnz j00!

Or maybe its M$, I can never remember.

Anyway. I called my parents to let them know when I'd be home for spring break, and the first thing my dad asked me was "you're bringing the wii home right?" That's all I need to know right there.
 
[QUOTE-jngx80]Here's a point you missed. You set up the Miis. You turned it on, you started the games for her and probably walked her through initially so that she would get the hang of it. The Wii depends on word of mouth and having family members who are already gamers to spread the word. Wii and their mini games are fun for a gaming session and no doubt there is mass appeal since Wii Sports, Warioware, etc. are so easy to play. [/QUOTE]

He held her hand when setting up the game - so what ?

The real point is that, in today's gaming generation, you can hold your moms hand until hell freezes over and she'll never learn how to juke with L1, spin with R2 and dive with triangle, not to mention steer through the esses at Watkins glen with a tiny analog thumbstick. The gamer demographic is really a thin slice of the population as a whole. Breaking this barrier would be virtually impossible were it not for the Wii.

How many PS2's are there in the US ? 20 million? Out of a total of 120 million households that makes for a large opportunity for expansion instead of narrowing your market to only those with nimble fingers.
 
OP, just wanted to say that I had nearly the exact same experience with my mother, except for the relative shift in ages (I'm older than you and my mother is probably also older than yours). She was the same way though - thinking I was wasting my time with games, saying I'm rotting my kids' brains with the games, etc. Well, she still thinks the same but she had a blast playing Wii Sports Tennis with them when she visited a few months ago ;). She does like that the Wii got them up off the couch and running around. Although if she ever saw my youngest playing Smash Bros. she'd know that he already did get a lot of exercise using a Wavebird controller too - if anything, the Wii remote forces him to stay put more ;).
 
[quote name='Unickuta']If only the Wii had more graphical power...how hard is it to make a system that has great graphics and gameplay?[/QUOTE]

I think the Wii has both. Of course your definition of "great" may vary. I happen to like the art direction of the Mii's, the Wario Wares, Wind Waker, ect.

I also happen to enjoy the more realisitic, but still stylized Twilight Princess, but I tend to dislike the uncanny valley-esque graphics used in some 360 and PS3 games. That being said, games that hide those animation problems are beautiful.
 
[quote name='bmulligan']How many PS2's are there in the US ? 20 million? Out of a total of 120 million households that makes for a large opportunity for expansion instead of narrowing your market to only those with nimble fingers.[/quote]
43 million PS2s in the US. You really think the Wii's going to break that?
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']43 million PS2s in the US. You really think the Wii's going to break that?[/QUOTE]

Maybe, people never thought a system could sell more than the original NES/Famicom.

Also, acording to VGcharts.org the Wii is selling faster than the PS2 (launches alinged).

Of course, you may have to discount some of the later PS2 #s, after all it is common for people to have to buy a second Playstation when the first dies out ;-)
 
I just hope that this new influx of older people playing the Wii isn't just a freak occurance like in the movie Cocoon or Awakenings where this newly found youth and vigor is sadly short-lived and everyone will soon be back in near-comatose states.
 
[quote name='foltzie']Maybe, people never thought a system could sell more than the original NES/Famicom.

Also, acording to VGcharts.org the Wii is selling faster than the PS2 (launches alinged).

Of course, you may have to discount some of the later PS2 #s, after all it is common for people to have to buy a second Playstation when the first dies out ;-)[/quote]
And how inflated will Wii sales be when people rebuy the multiple Wii colors and the DVD-playing Wii when they are released? ;)

Seriously, do you see the Wii lasting the 6+ years it'll take to get near the 40 million sales that the PS2 has seen in the US?
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']43 million PS2s in the US. You really think the Wii's going to break that?[/QUOTE]

I think it'll come closer than trying to sell 40 million PS3's at $600. Especially since the demographic is widening from the typical "hardcore" base. Catering to the more casual and novice gamers is a good thing for the market.
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']And how inflated will Wii sales be when people rebuy the multiple Wii colors and the DVD-playing Wii when they are released? ;)

Seriously, do you see the Wii lasting the 6+ years it'll take to get near the 40 million sales that the PS2 has seen in the US?[/QUOTE]

Not very, if Nintendo follows suit, then we wont see the Wii-DVD stateside, which is fine. I'll also wager that the majority of folks picking up a colored Wii console will sell their white one. (source: my ass)

Do I see the Wii lasting 6+ years? Maybe, the Gamecube lasted 5.
 
[quote name='foltzie']Not very, if Nintendo follows suit, then we wont see the Wii-DVD stateside, which is fine. I'll also wager that the majority of folks picking up a colored Wii console will sell their white one. (source: my ass)

Do I see the Wii lasting 6+ years? Maybe, the Gamecube lasted 5.[/quote]Adding DVD playback, especially to a console that doesn't use DVD-like media, to a console in 2001 wasn't a cheap prospect while these days, it's a small drop in the bucket. Nintendo's obviously not following suit with the Wii as they were talking about releasing it in the US a few months ago.

"Lasted." That's the key word, as the GC barely had much of a presence for the last year or so of its life. It may be too early to really be able to tell, but the idea of the Wii steamrolling with its current momentum for another 5-7 years doesn't seem that plausible in its current state. If we see more original, at least built for the Wii, games instead of the waggletastic PSP games we're seeing now, things could change. I'm sure the Wii will do very well for itself, but I question how sturdy the legs of the system will be in a few years.
 
I remember buying my PS2 at launch and except for Madden and SSX, there was nothing noteworthy for the system except it's novelty of being new.

I went out and bought a Dreamcast on clearance and played some great games until the PS2 came into it's own later the next year.
 
To get back to the OP.

2007_03_23t105841_450x320_us_videogames_retirees.jpg


2007_03_23t111019_450x265_us_videogames_retirees.jpg
 
For every account I've read of non-gamers getting hooked on the Wii, it's always centered around Wii Sports.

It's great if grandma plays Wii bowling, but is she going to take up Zelda? Will she care about Super Smash Brothers or Mario Galaxy?

Nintendo has suceeded in hooking extremely casual gamers with a few short attention span friendly mini game collections. Where they'll lose them is in the games that people spend weeks or months playing to completion, i.e. something with a story/season/etc.

That's why the Wii will be a niche console. Real gamers will go elsewhere to get their fix, while the sheep play Wii Sports because they think it's the pinnacle of gaming.
 
^^^^ Your same reasoning for calling it "niche" could also be used to say it has wide appeal, which is just the opposite conclusion. There will be casual players who like Wii Sports and the upcoming Brain Age, and anything else like that (Wii Sports 2, etc). But there will also be the deeper games like Zelda, SPM, Mario Galaxy, Metroid, that will fulfill the harder core gamers. Why would they have to go elsewhere for their "fix"? If the Wii keeps selling like it is, there will be enough of an installed base for both types to get plenty of games. There may be "niche" users and plenty of niche titles (I certainly hope so!), but I don't think the system will become niche.
 
I think someone calling themselves a "real gamer" is like when a drunk person convinces themselves they can make it home from the bar without crashing.
 
If Nintendo was really taking gaming mainstream with the Wii wouldn't everyone want to try something like Zelda or Mario instead of playing the Wii Sports game that comes with the system?

I just think Nintendo is cornering themselves by focusing on the Wii Sports/Wii Play/Mario Party minigame collections to grab the non-gamer. There will always be Zeldas & Marios for the hardcore gamers. But when they come out as sporadically as they do (every 2 or 3 years) and there's not much else to play in between, people are going to look to the 360 or PS3 for a more traditional gaming experience.
 
I consider myself a "real gamer", and the only one of the 'next gen' consoles I have is the Wii. *shrug* I think there's room-and should be--for both types of gamers on a console. I read an editorial in this month's Game Informer that basically said "I don't like casual gamers, because that means there will be fewer games for us, the l33t hardcore gamers." It's that sort of exclusionary tripe that makes me ashamed to be a gamer, and that negates the changing marketplace of gaming. As gamers age, since that's what we're hearing with the 'mature' (usually meaning blood and guts and T&A type games), they also have more requirements on their time. Most of them don't have 80 hours to commit to a long, involved game, much less many of them.
As an adult gamer with other demands (job, home, wife, child, etc), I appreciate a game that I can put in and play for 10-30 minutes. Even better if I can involve the rest of my family. But I also like the more involved, deeper games as well. Of course, if one of those longer games has an easily accessible and prevalent save system, that helps. (I remember playing Arc the Lad and going into the 100 level dungeon. Granted, that was a special circumstance, but I just couldn't do that nowadays. I can't commit the 8 hours or whatever it took at one time.)
Most 'online' (PC) gamers are casual gamers--Pogo, Yahoo, etc. Most of those gamers are adults, and many of them vote or contribute money. For an industry that's striving for acceptance (and still fighting political busybodies like Jack Thompson and Hillary Clinton), it would be a mistake to write that market off, and even more of a mistake to be too 'hardcore' to try to involve them.
Some of the best selling games of 2006 were...football and sports games. Yes, you can play a season in those, but not all at once; I'd wager many people who play those play a game or two at a time. And I'd also wager many of those consumers aren't the ones with the 'long', involved, timesink/commitment games.
What Nintendo needs to do now, now that some previous non-gamers are 'hooked' on things like Wario Ware and Wii Sports, is show that there are longer, more in-depth games, that offer quality story or immersion, while still being accessible, playable in small chunks, and fun.
And even if a consumer wants to only play Sports and Play and Warioware and the other minigame collections, and doesn't want to, for whatever reason, commit to a long game that takes 'months' to complete, does that make them any less of a gaming consumer/market? There will always be enough of the 'l33t' gamers who think it's not a game unless you have to have next year's PC, or it takes a 50 page instruction manual and a walkthrough to beat with more than 90%, but those are also the kinds of gamers who frequent gaming message boards and say "We don't want their kind", and run the risk of either being ignored/unnoticed by Joe Consumergamer, or making their industry so insular it feeds only upon itself.
 
[quote name='BGPu']If Nintendo was really taking gaming mainstream with the Wii wouldn't everyone want to try something like Zelda or Mario instead of playing the Wii Sports game that comes with the system?

I just think Nintendo is cornering themselves by focusing on the Wii Sports/Wii Play/Mario Party minigame collections to grab the non-gamer. There will always be Zeldas & Marios for the hardcore gamers. But when they come out as sporadically as they do (every 2 or 3 years) and there's not much else to play in between, people are going to look to the 360 or PS3 for a more traditional gaming experience.[/QUOTE]

Do you consider Madden - the biggest casual game of all time - to be "hardcore?"

What about The Sims?

I believe those are two huge glaring examples against your entire theory.
 
The thought process of the modern "elite":
"Whatever game I play/show I watch/anime I follow/music I listen to is hardcore, everyone else is a poser."
 
It's funny that if someone went around boasting that they were a 'hardcore' tv watcher who watched tv 8 hours a day, most would consider him a big loser.

I guess I'm a hardcore working man, bill payer, child entertainer since that consumes most of my existence. I like to play games with my family, as well, so maybe I'm a hardcore Wii player too. Ahem... But it's not something I'd brag about much less put on my resume.
 
[quote name='Strell']I think someone calling themselves a "real gamer" is like when a drunk person convinces themselves they can make it home from the bar without crashing.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='dtcarson']The thought process of the modern "elite":
"Whatever game I play/show I watch/anime I follow/music I listen to is hardcore, everyone else is a poser."[/QUOTE]

Oooh, you got me. Burn. I'm just so smug, aren't I?

[quote name='Strell']Do you consider Madden - the biggest casual game of all time - to be "hardcore?"

What about The Sims?

I believe those are two huge glaring examples against your entire theory.[/QUOTE]

Actually, the term I used was non-gamer, not casual. I'm pretty sure non-gamer is the same term Nintendo has used in all of their publicity since the Revolution/Wii sprang to life. You're twisting my words around. Bully for you.

Madden & the Sims are "casual" mass market games. I'm not going to debate that. Nor am I going to get up in arms about if those games and the people who play them are "ruining the industry" for real gamers. That sentiment is ridiculous. I think the more people playing games the better.

The point I was making is that Nintendo is pigeonholing themselves if they want to push the Wii with nothing but minigame collections. They're shooting themselves in the foot. When the novelty of Wii Sports wears off, some people aren't going to try Zelda, which is too bad for Nintendo.

But that's just my opinion. And it's different from yours so I must be an idiot. An elitist idiot. :roll:
 
The problem with that argument is that Nintendo isn't pushing just the Mini-game aspect of the Wii. After Mario Party 8, what mini-game collection is coming out (other than the inevitable Mario Party 9)?

Also, I dont' think that appeal to non-gamers and appeal to "real gamers"(whatever the definition) are mutually exclusive. The PS2 sold because it had Madden and because it had Rez(or some other obscure game, I never had a PS2).
 
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