Can the Wii win back hard-core gamers?

MSNBC writes:
Nintendo has made gamers out of third graders, PTA moms and senior citizens. But Simon Jeffery, president of Sega, says there's one big audience the Wii hasn't captured yet: the traditional, hard-core gamer.

While it's true that Nintendo has made a mint selling the cutesy console to families, it's also true that most serious gamers think the Wii is lame.

Sega hopes to change that perspective with three new games: "House of the Dead," which launched in February, "MadWorld," which came out on Tuesday, and "The Conduit," due out this summer.

[ChickeyCantor]

Lawl, when did it lost the "hardcore"? Looking at N64 and GCN, it seems that "hardcore" gamers weren't really supporting them either.

Hardcore nonsense needs to end seriously, you are either gamer or not. No strings attached. If you really want to call yourself "hardcore" then you are just implying that you play games sh/tloads more than a regular gamer.

[N4g_null]

Really the hardcore are already on the system, it's just that the true hardcore is even smaller than the casual hardcore which are basically graphics whores. The true hardcore are playing the old games. A recent survey showed that people are still playing there GC, dreamcast, N64s, instead of buying a next gen system.

You can tell most of the HD owners are pretty new to gaming just in how they operate as fans. It's more like rooting for a football team than enjoying new games. There are some true gamers in their ranks but you can actually look at the sales of the games in conjunction with the very high scores and see wow these guys don't play video games they like PC games, they like graphic novels, don't like to actually practice. these guys need a new name because they are not gamers well not console gamers.

The hardcore group died a long time ago it seems. Other wise the HD console should be on top no matter how big the Wii is because the PS2 was a hardcore gamers dream right? It has all of it's game from the past system with high budget sequels right? Yet MS is beating, a PC company is beating the console champ of last gen. Some one needs to tell Kaz that he is playing the wrong game and Pc gamers will go back to PC gaming very soon.

Nintendo is console gaming's only hope right now it seems. What is even sadder is HD and shaders at a cheap price is all that is needed to TAKE the HD crown from MS and sony.

[ChickeyCantor]

" he hardcore group died a long time ago it seems. Other wise the HD console should be on top no matter how big the Wii is because the PS2 was a hardcore gamers dream right?"

Thats the thing, if hardcore gamers are so elite, how come no PS2 "hardcore" game sold 100million copies?

The whole "hardcore" nonsense is just pathetic.
Nintendo does have the so called " hardcore" gamers on their side, but the same could be said about MS not having all hardcore gamers on their side because some are on Sony's side....
...dunno how to explain it its just full of BS.

"Really the hardcore are already on the system"
I know, the thing is the word "hardcore" isn't what it used to be.
Thats the sad thing of this all and the industry even likes to spin it to make these "hardcore" gamers feel special...

-" ou can tell most of the HD owners are pretty new to gaming just in how they operate as fans. It's more like rooting for a football team than enjoying new games. There are some true gamers in their ranks but you can actually look at the sales of the games in conjunction with the very high scores and see wow these guys don't play video games they like PC games, they like graphic novels, don't like to actually practice. these guys need a new name because they are not gamers well not console gamers.
"-

*nods*

[FarEastOrient]

Those three games for the Wii look worst than the games on my PS2, for example Timesplitters 2 vs The Conduit and you can see the difference. Timesplitters isn't even the best example for FPS on the PS2...

The only thing I use the Wii for it the virtual console, but with the SNES / NES, Atari, Sega CD/Genesis/Saturn/Dreamcast emulators coming out for PS3's Yellow Dog Linux OS I don't think I'll be using the Wii anymore.

[ChickeyCantor]

" for example Timesplitters 2 vs The Conduit and you can see the difference."

I would still call it Art vs engine.
We get it, The conduits Art-design isn't special but the engine does sh/tloads more than the engine for time splitters.

" on my PS2 "
I guess you have a Special Ps2.

Also I noticed that lots of PS2 games tend to look on the grey side.
Not saying the games look bad but lots of them weren't really colourful either.

Those other games, what games do you compare them too?

But...anyways have fun missing out because it doesn't look good to you =).

[N4g_null]

Every thing on the PS2 looks worst than the GC and xbox1 so what is your point. Quake 3 looks way worst than kill zone but it's way more fun because it rewards skill, which is what hardcore use to be about.

Also the HD consoles look like crap when compared to real HD gaming which is PC gaming so your point is mute. Another thing is the PS2 could not do normal mapping at all. It also funny that the character in mad world and even conduit look like they should be on an HD console. You would not know that because you seem bias.

Also good luck with playing emulators on that retarded PS controller you got. Last time I heard lunix was like uses a walker to go to the bath room on the PS3 because they have not broken in an gain access to the RSX so your game will run like bricks waiting to dry.

[ChaoticStupid]

My PS3 is so covered with dust that I cannot see it but people are worried about Nintendo?? I'd love jsut 1 hardcore game for PS3 to give me a reason to dust it off but it doesnt offer a single hardcore game. Mature games? Sure but Mature isnt hardcore. Most PS3 games can be beaten with little effort in 5-10 hours. Not to mention anyone can beat them these days.

Oh well maybe one day Sony will learn to stop overshadowing 3rd parties and actually release some hardcore games. Until then my PS3 can just remain a door stop/ dust collecter.

[cmacdonald]

You should buy a vacuum.

[TheColbertinator]

@Chaotic Stupid

Try out Disgaea 3 or Valkyria Chronicles.They actually offer plenty of gameplay,so much depth and customization,and are very underrated compared to the other Sony exclusives

[heyheyhey]

@ChaoticStupid

erm... so give an example of a "hardcore" game in your eyes

[Mike Wallace]

My PS3 is kinda just sitting there with dust on it. I don't really wanna spend tons of money for Bluray discs. I'm kinda tired of how short and easy the games are. oh well, haven't picked up kz2 yet, maybe it'll be more "hardcore."

[bsachtjen]

put the game on a harder difficulty. try them now. uncharted on crushing is very hard, killzone 2 on elite is very hard. try them before you say its easy

[SiLeNt KNighT]

every hardcore gamer that has bought a Wii to see what the fuss is over so far has already sold it on Craigslist or Ebay.

[nerubii]

this is another interesting bit.

ill sell my wii to my friend then have my friend sell it back to me. in return, ill become hardcore.

[SiLeNt KNighT]

I can GUARANTEE you cannot pass Kz2 on Elite so easily. There's actually doubt that you can pass it period on elite. People just pick the standard settings and play the game just so they can say they beat it. That's what devs make different difficulty settings for! If it's too easy on one setting than move up. I think the last level takes about 5-10 hours alone on Kz2 elite. Your trying to tell me you think Super Mario (pick whatever version) is hard? Bad argument in my books.

[ChaoticStupid]

"heyheyhey - 3 hours ago
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@ChaoticStupid

erm... so give an example of a "hardcore" game in your eyes "

ok fine you want my opinion of hardcore. games that give you 3 lives 3 continues and nothing else. games that have certain levels that take weeks of practice to master, In short, nothing made for any console today outside of MM9. You wanna see my perfect idea of hardcore? Iwannabetheguy.Perfect example of hardcore gaming and you wont find a game like it anywhere at retail

[FarEastOrient]

I'll buy your PS3, I can use it as another "test" hardware for my systems.

[N4g_null]

SiLeNt KNighT you want hardcore try Super ghosls and ghost, einhander, sin and punishment 1, ninja gaiden, rolling thunder, Metroid prime 3, excite truck, Quake 3 online on the PC. These game are not easily beat even on easy, you have to be good. Most games operate like e bok these days and the stories are not even good most of the time and the art is ummm realistic? Yeah that helped out midway a lot huh?

[Sonyfanclubpresident]

not possible,
and never.

[slave2Dcontroller]

The Wii is hands down the absolute worse gaming system I have ever owned. Aside from SMG and Metroid they havent got anything that can hold my attention longer than the Wall Street journal could.

Before you go running off at the mouth about me being a hater READ MY BIO. I bought the Wii expeceting a ton of great games. With the MASSIVE amount of Wii's that are in homes, I expected that Nintendo would use that money to really bring some amazing games to the table.

I find it inexcusable that Iwata has actually went on record apologizing for taking a dump on its core base as seen here.

http://arstechnica.com/gami...

Furthermore, Nintendo's showing at last years E3 was so dog'gone awful that I cringed. I'm not here to defend this system or that system because I own both next gen consoles and the Wii. Its just when I think of how excited I was for this dusty white box to how I feel about it now, makes me wish I NEVER even thought about buying it.

I even tried giving it another chance by wasting $49.99 for Animal Crossing; City Folk. WHAT A MISTAKE that was. Its the same friggin game as the GC version with the exception of a tiny city and Wii controls. This looks to be a trend that Nintendo is looking to continue with the rehashes of Prime and so on.

Maybe their next system can peak my interest in Nintendo again. As for the Wii, I only wish their was a slot big enough for me to stick MY Wiimote in so I could tell Nintendo to SUCK IT! If it wasnt for my room mate playing it from time to time I wouldve sold it.

[nerubii]

why is your room mate playing it from time to time?

[slave2Dcontroller]

For Animal Crossing.

[nerubii]

well.. time will tell..

[ChaoticStupid]

Sorry but your E3 comment proves you are a hater.

What was wrong with E3? Nothing if you actually watched it. Of course if you go by some websites all that was shown was AC. However that is not th case at all. They showed COD, Shau White, Wario, GTA, Wii Speak, etc, but the haters act like only AC which is also how your post sounded.
Also you prove you're a hater by requiring that Nintendo alone release a new game every week on Wii. That alone shows you know little about them or their history. They've released their core franchises faster on Wii than any other console they've ever made.

It's fine that you dont like the Wii but you do sound like a hater with the excuses you use.

You do understand that you just said you havent played anything but Mario and Metroid right? So no DeBLob, NMH, HOTD, Madworld, SSBB, SPM, Zack and Wiki, etc right? I mean you go out of your way to say you are not a gamer just so you have valid reasons to hate the Wii.

[N4g_null]

lots of misplaced hurt feelings in that post. Every hater uses the same ideas it seems. None of you ever say any thing about the good 3rd party games. It's like you look at what sells then exclude stuff to make you point.

Then on top of that you use the past to justify what you are mad about. The 1st party games have been shown most of them and they look good. Hell treasure is pretty much a 1st party right now!

I mean you guys sound like bad actors in some B movie. Are you paid to post here? Just wondering. You don't sound like a fan, you sound like an irrational parrot or an analysis. What is even worst is you don't sound hardcore at all.

[heyheyhey]

let's not forget games like Monster Hunter 3, No More Heroes 2, Sin & Punishment 2 and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

[slave2Dcontroller]

To be honest RE;TDC did raise an eyebrow and RE4 worked exceptionally well on the Wii. Thanks for bringing that up.

[mcgrawgamer]

but I got a funny feeling the minute I do they gonna announce a wii hd. So i'm just gonna wait. at least I know when I finally do get a wii the library will be huge and robust.

[nerubii]

were you under any "peer pressure" before you sold the wii?

[adnanrules]

im with the wii the wii unlike the other consoles has a range of games instead of SHOOTERS

[TheColbertinator]

The 360 and PS3 have plenty of diversity.

They both just got Killzone 2(FPS),Gears 2(TPS),Flower(Zen Gaming),Street Fighter 4(Fighting),Valkyria Chronicles(Strategy RPG),Star Ocean 4(JRPG),Fallout 3(WRPG),Mirrors Edge(Platformer/FPS),Littlebig planet(Platformer/user created),Resident Evl 5(Horror/Shooter),Halo Wars(RTS),and Noby Noby boy(???).

Plenty of diversity and plenty of hardcore games with depth and challenge.

[ChaoticStupid]

@steven, Where is a game like NMH on PS3 360? What about Boom blox? PS3 and 360 to have some good games but diversity really isnt their strong point. Their main offerings are designed to get the preadult crowd. I can sit here and name off more examples and ask why PS3 360 dont have them. A game like Boom Blox would have been completely ignored by the 360 PS3 user base.

I just cant see how anyone can call those console diverse when their top 10 looks so similar.

[pixelsword]

...You're forgetting games like fl0w on top of flower, Linger in shadows which hasn't been done on any other system, Eye of Judgement, Trials of Topoq, Eyepet, and other games that would not may only be ignored on other consoles, but aren't even possible on other consoles.

Not that the 360 is a slouch either; you have games like Lips, You're in the movies, and other games that Steve listed.

[ChaoticStupid]

All any console maker needs to make those games is a camera.None of them are impossible on other consoles. Sorry but that is PR BS and I dont accept PR BS as valid argument. Put a camera on the 360 and they could have their own Eyetoy games. Sony didnt invent the program that allows the camera to do what it does so its not exclusive to Sony.

Lastly it's telling that most of the games you mention are either PSN or not available without buying an attachment. Boom BLox was a full retail game that sold well enough on Wii to warrant a sequel. Show me examples of a game like that on PS3 or 360 doing well enough to warrant a sequel. I'm not talking about PSN titles or AAA titles. I mean quirky, niche games that last gen would have been on PS2. This gen they just dont seem to be coming to PSN or 360 unless through PSN and live, but you can buy those games retail for Wii without the need for any add ons.

NOt knocking any system but it just seems to me that all the quirky weird titles are hitting the WIi as retail games.

[phantomexe]

Madworld.... god this game kicks ass

[SiLeNt KNighT]

N4G is messin up for me today. its kinda jumpy =/

[pixelsword]

and/or Madworld.

[TheEndzor]

Not with that Toy...

They designed a system for the soccer moms, Teenage Girls and children of the world and it was successful

But at the End of the day its a toy... and not something sought by the "hardcore" gamers