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Will Wright Opines That Wii Is the Only Next-Gen Console
PhoenixOne writes "In an article that will probably tick off a lot of PS3 owners, Will Wright calls the PS3 and 360 'incremental improvement(s)'. 'The Wii feels like a major jump - not that the graphics are more powerful, but that it hits a completely different demographic. In some sense I see the Wii as the most significant thing that's happened, at least on the console side, in quite a while ... I still, for the most part, prefer playing games on the computer - to me the mouse is the best input device ever. Every generation it's like 'the PC's dead! The PC's dead!'. But it carries on growing when consoles are flat for five years. At the moment I can get better graphics on my PC than I can on the PS3.'"
All about gameplay baby and NOT pretty graphics. While they're nice to have, I'd rather have fun and be somewhat active than sit and look at pretty pictures. Viva le Wii!!! Peace
I never play mine. Camped for it, but so far just not compelled to actually use the thing. The abysmal attach rate indicates that I am not the only one. Posted anon because I'd like to keep my little karma.
Seeing as Spore currently is on track to be Next-Next-Gen anyways. I guess it's safe to say it'll be on the Wii 2 rather than the Xbox 720 at this point.
Or perhaps it actually went and did something new instead of rehashing the same crap all over again this time slightly shinier. I'm just saying...
How the fuck does the creator of The Sims have any right to accuse people of rehashing the same old crap over again?
A link to the real article from The Guardian would have been much nicer.
Demented But Determined.
So you're saying that 360 owners are resigned to knowing that their system is mediocre at best?
Hey, the Sims "Livin' Large" was innovation!
The test to see if something is truly a console should be something like "Can you system be reprogrammed to complete Folding@Home units?" The PS3 can definitely say "Yes" to this and I'm sure the XBox could too, if it didn't have its current game library available.
You know, Custer had a plan.
I'm not at all surprised. Here's a man who is famous for creative mind asked what he thought about the new consoles. Of course he's not going to find the PS2 + 1 and the XBOX +1 (well + 360 in this case) interesting. They simply are more of the same. Better graphics with HD support. Even more bloat trying to act as a media hub. Wireless controllers. These are all nice things but really nothing that took any creativity. Really those two consoles are the sum of minor upgrades to bring them in line with newer technology.
The Wii itself is actually even worse in this regard, it's the past generation of tech being sold...again. The innovation and creativity is in the controller and that's what he respects. In this way the Wii isn't a Gamecube + 1 it's more like a Gamecube + Demographic widening idea. Is he doing anything of note for the Wii/DS? I'd be curious to see what he comes up with.
I agree completely. I wouldn't care if graphics were stuck where Zak & Wiki and Metroid 3 and Mario are. They all look just fine. If someone could figure out a way to make actual curved surfaces fast, that would be an improvement, but those games look fantastic. Heck, even RE 4 and some of the other 'Cube games looked good enough.
The Wii is different. I read something the other day where someone important commented that we have 50x more power this generation than last (or something like that) and we are using it to calculate 50x as many polygons and stuff like that. They are mostly being used for better graphics. Not more physics. Not more AI. Just more stuff in the background of games that don't effect things as much. There are a few games doing things differently, but the average game is still a PS2 or XBox game with more polygons and shiny things.
This will improve some as people get more familiar, but the Wii is the only system that is trying to do something different at this point in more than 1 or 2 games.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
I'd originally dismissed the 360 as just like the last generation, just with more shiny. But all of the internet and xbox live services really push this into realms I've not yet seen. The 360 is certainly one direction the next generation can take, even if you disagree with it. The Wii is another approach. I haven't played one or anything but I hear it has an arcade like the 360 and can explore that avenue. Exploring new demographics is a great idea and they've certainly built up some impressive hype to go along with it.
The only console I'd really bag on at this point is the PS3. Whatever they tried to do with it, it ended up a failure. I don't really see that conclusion changing any time soon, a late lifecycle resurrection or the like.
I'm still happy with the idea of multiple game systems vigorously competing against one another. The last thing we need is a video game monoculture that stifles all development.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
but, really, what it comes down to is semantics. I mean, look at the different generation iPods, yea, there were some leaps, but sometimes it was just an improvement in hard disk space and tweaks to the interface. the way people use the term "next-gen" is in terms of the competition available. the wii's competition has been deemed to be the ps3 and the xbox360. technically, it's competing with the ps2 and xbox as well, but its main competitors, the ones that everyone keeps an eye on, are the ps3 & x360. each generation is just the group of the current competitors of that era so to speak.
So, while he does raise a VERY good point, its really just a different use of the term next-gen. its the next generation of each console (sony's, ms's, & nintendo's). while the wii is revolutionary, it doesn't mean you *can't* call the other consoles next-gen. technologically speaking, they are quite revolutionary (ie: ps3's cell processor) in their own regards, but the basic concept behind them hasn't changed.
I still don't have a Wii since it was released earlier this year as I can't find it locally or on Amazon. I go to Best Buy all the time to see the Halo XBox 360s that no one wants.
The Wii, on the other hand, has a truly innovative interface, which only promises to get more interesting as new devices (like that platform for WiiFit) come out for it. It feels more like VR for the home than a traditional game console.
I understand that the 'hardcore' gamers in my generation are upset with the Wii, and how it's making gaming somewhat less cool because their parents (and grandparents) are getting into it. However, Nintendo is going to be laughing all the way to the bank for this round of the console wars. The next generation of high-end consoles looks like it's going to have to include impact vests, Wii-like controlers, and Wii-fit like boards. Gamers, even if you don't like the Wii, you better figure out how to use the controler, because that's where everything is going.
Concept is simple, a bunch of folks standing in a circle holding wii-motes shaking them towards the center.
I agree with an earlier post, the sims would look no better on a WII than an XB360 or a PS3, each of the new systems is innovative in
their own right but using something like an innovation in control as an indicator of 'next-gen' status is a little silly.
Unix, an obscure operating system developed by bored researchers in an attempt to get a better game playing experience.
Usually I agree with Will Wright (regardless of your opinion of his games, you cannot deny the impact he has had on the industry) however, in this case, I think he is a little off the mark.
The Wii does something new and exciting, yes, but so do the PS3 and the 360...it's not just "shinier graphics", there are many things that game developers are able to do now that they were unable to do before...that extra computing power can go towards smarter AI, larger level design (for example, compare the size of the levels and objects on screen in Beautiful Katamari to the first three Katamari games.)...it's similar to CGI in movies...it is allowing us to achieve things in movies that were previously nigh-impossible.
And let's not forget the online portion as well. Yes, Live was around with the original Xbox, but look at what Live has grown into...a massive marketplace, tons of video and game demos right at your fingertips, not to mention Arcade titles...ditto for the PSN, so much stuff it's nearly overwhelming. The Wii has done well with the Virtual Console in this area, although out of the three I would have to say it has the furthest to go.
The Wii has made some baby steps towards innovation, but it's going to take games where the waggle is no longer labeled as such (Prime 3 is a great example of this, btw.) More powerful CPUs and GPUs don't just make things extra shiny...they make gameplay possible that was not possible before...just like a Wiimote.
Living With a Nerd
...a PC game developer thinks the PC is the best gaming platform?!?
In all seriousness, the man is an innovator, and he'll naturally be drawn to the most innovative machine, which the Wii certainly is. It'll probably be the first "next-gen" system I'll break down and buy. Even though he praises the Wii, he's basically saying it still can't touch the PC. Well, he takes the CYA approach when he says, "To me, [the mouse is the best input device]." Well thank you for your input Mr. Wright, but to me, it's not. So please make some games for the Wii.
Generations are *meant* to be incremental improvements - the very name implies they're nothing new, mostly the same thing, just done better. PS3 and Xbox360 are exactly "next generation"; they're the same improvement over PS2/Xbox/GC that those were over PSX/N64. The Wii is the console that *isn't* next generation - less improvement in power, fewer similarities, instead it's gone off and done something different. Perhaps it's the "console mutant"?
I am trolling
I don't know why it would tick off PS3 owners (or Xbox 360 owners, for that matter)....
1. If your point of view is that "next generation console" means "console that introduces a new model for interacting with the system", then it is generally true that the Wii is the true next generation system (though the PS3 does cautiously dip its toe in that water).
2. On the other hand, if "next generation console" means "console that provides the core functions of a next generation TV-based entertainment environment," then the Wii misses the boat and the PS3 (and perhaps the Xbox 360) is the true next gen console.
3. Now, if one asserts that what makes a console "next generation" is that it taps a new or expanded audience of users, then it is not the console that is "next generation" at all. In this case, one might understandably describe the audience as "next generation gamers".
In summary, having a new or expanded class of users means there is a "next generation" audience. Having a new or expanded class of functions means there is a "next generation" device.
Don't be sad... On the bright side, it'll keep you warm at night!
You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
"Casual" games are very much like tv, something to do to be mildly entertained with little or no effort involved.
No, but then Sony is taking a loss on the PS3. Assuming they sold it at cost, I could get better graphics out of a system that was 8-9 hundred. Sure I'd sacrifice Blu-Ray and raw processing power, but I'd make up for it by having a bigger game library that goes back quite a few years.
You know, Custer had a plan.
Well, but you're not part of the core demographic of the Wii or of Spore.... The fact that you own all three consoles tells me you're not a casual gamer. I have a Wii, and my wife plays it more than I do. She wouldn't touch the other consoles with a ten foot pole, but she loves the Wii games. Even the simple ones that you're disparaging. The "audio quality, screen size, screen resolution, and general graphics quality" don't really matter to her as much.
True gamers have never liked titles like The Sims or Spore because they don't have an end goal. You actually have to be creative in these games to enjoy them; it has little to do with "involved skill".
The Sims was innovative when it was new. What's more likely: that Will Wright has slaved away personally over every one of the dozens of Sims expansion packs or that Electronic Arts controlled the massive expansions for that series?
Wright had as much to do with Sims expansions as John Carmack does with community Quake mods.
Warioware? I'm not the frantic mini-game type. Super Paper Mario? Not enough gameplay. Metroid Prime 3? Too dark, too hard to navigate.
Where's the innovation? Where's the fun?
if you linked to the actual interview rather than a quick blog quote from the interview.
I think too much development has fried his brain. The Wii does have a cool control scheme. But to completely discount processing power and graphics capability is simply foolish. To many of us, the jump to high def is a major leap in consoles. And if that is only incremental, why isn't changing the controller on a gamecube an incremental change?
I think he's way off on this one. Sorry Will.
Why do you have to sacrifice screen size? Using my TV's "fill" mode, the Wii takes up all of a 47" 16:9 screen.
She wouldn't touch the other consoles with a ten foot pole, but she loves the Wii games.
It's easier to use the 360 if you switch to a smaller pole... try 6" or maybe a foot at most.
Comment of the year
For the "PC is dead" comment, it should be that the Microsoft PC is dead. Because vendors are so hesitant either realising source code or spending money for a very niche market there aren't that many major games for Linux. And Microsoft with Vista has scared hard-core gamers away with lacklustre performance, bad or non-existent drivers and the fact DirectX10 is being made to work on both Linux and XP. Not to mention how M$ core developers are developing only for the 360 rather then making releases for the PC at the same time. As for the Wii, it has tons of potential but most of the games don't have much substance yet, it will take some major games such as Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl to get development moving for the Wii. If you take a look at the Nintendo DS the first year or two very, very few "substantial" games came out, only tech-demo like experiments until major games came out for it that were traditional games that used the 2 screens well. For the Wii though, the one thing that is saving it is the Virtual Console and exclusive titles. You can almost guarantee most Nintendo first or second party titles will never show up on the PS3 or 360 such as Mario, Super Smash Bros., Fire Emblem, Zelda, and the list goes on and on. The only reasons that people have told me that they bought a 360 was for Halo 3, most people I talked to about getting a Wii wanted either the innovative controls, first-party titles or the Virtual Console.
There is no "disagree" moderation, and troll, flamebait and overrated are not valid substitutes
The attach rate is appaling because the majority of non gamers buying the console are,... shock horror not that into games!
They aren't buying games for the system, it's that toy they will pull out of the closet every xmas because last year grandma had fun with Wii bowling.
The majority of games are diluted versions / ports from other systems or kiddie games.
The few Nintendo games on the system that are good are well... such a small amount of the library.
The wii remote is not as accurate and 'fun to use' as it's marketed as, it'll never be a proper gun pointer, it's not accurate for sword / light saber swinging - it's just a clever motion detector not an accurate one.
I am normally the first man to say graphics aren't everything but there is still a baseline and that thing is seriously dated, it'll soon be at the point where people look at it as the atari.
My family had an atari when I was a kid and it was the same thing, the cool toy we pulled out twice a year, we NEVER got other games for the system, attach rate like 3 initial games, nothing else.
The Wii may sell lots of hardware but hopefully it diminishes back to gamecube levels, so Sony and MS can pick up the slack, I want to see those 2 competing better so we, the gamers get more choice and lower prices.
Oh while I'm at it, I can not tell you how many friends, friends of friends, people I speak to on forums have told me they own a Wii and it's sitting under their TV doing nothing, I don't think I actually know one person who actually IS happy with the thing.
It's a very popular fad right now andhopefully it will soon die away.
When "The Sims" first came out, it really was a new game, and not a clone or rehash of other games. The thing that so many people find annoying about "The Sims" is the continued push of new content packs, and the expansions. Others dislike the community that revolves around the franchise because it is very different from the RPG or the FPS crowd, each of which has their own feel and community.
Many people also look at the content that has been made available for the consoles as being what the console is all about(because of marketing). That has to be seen as a very valid opinion, because without games, any console is just a piece of electronic junk in the same way that a PC without applications is a piece of electronic junk. The SOFTWARE is what makes any of these things worth buying. So, are the games for the PS3 or 360 any different in terms of gameplay compared to the last generation? The Wii has changed the gameplay(due to the controller(s) used), and the games available are different, and as a whole are not just newer versions of stuff seen in the last generation of console games.
Make no mistake, new shooters on the new consoles may have new graphics and have notable improvements, but aside from story, how different in terms of gameplay are games on the new consoles compared to game on the old consoles?
I do NOT consider the Wii to be next generation, but it's different. In many ways, the differences are an improvement since there is more to games than running around in a World War II game trying to play the hero, or shooting everything that moves while following a very linear storyline with no options or chance of changing via actions.
If you want a Wii and can't find it yet, you should know that supply will double in Christmas according to Nintendo themselves. They've probably been stockpiling units for the important holiday season.
The question is, when are they going to start releasing those units? You have to be attentive, because it's likely that demand is so high, that even doubled supply will still not be enough.
The AACS key is NOT 0xF606EEFD628B1CA427BEA93A9CA9773F
Wii fans completely disregards graphics. That's nonsense. Why can't they see that graphics DO make a game better as well as gameplay? I have a Sony WEGA tube tv and thought standard def programming was pretty nice and sharp. I recently, finally, got a HD signal to my tv and it does look better and I was happy with it. I didn't REALLY get excited about HD until I went to a friend's house to watch a football game in SD and was thinking, this picture is crap. It is fuzzy AND not have widescreen makes everything look cramped. That's when I started appreciating HD now. I played the latest Metroid Prime on the Wii. I dug the control interface using the Wiimote but I can only imagine how great the game *could* be on HD. Wii = "last-gen.5" because they would be truly next gen with HD graphics.
it just won't hold a gamer's interest for long.
It seems that you do not know that the largest age group of gamers is 40+. And that their sex is female.
Hardcore gamers typically occupy the 18-34 demographic and are mostly male (not all, but most).
This shift happened years ago. Pogo and all those other Java-based games available online changed things as the internet became popular with the general population. It is no longer what system specs do you have, or what your frame rate is with those specs (or what console you own). It is about sitting down and losing a few hours playing a game that you had originally devoted only fifteen minutes.
Yes, many people do not consider anyone outside of the 18-34 demographic to be gamers, but they are. They are the ones that are being targeted with the Wii. These are people that have influence over others. If someone's mother, father or grandparent is wanting to play a game with them on a Wii, then that is saying something. That is saying that gaming is finally hitting the general population.
I am not saying that hardcore gamers are people to just let fall by the wayside. They are not. However, they are not the most important demographic anymore. There are not enough of them to carry a PS3 or Xbox 360 into profitable margins in the first few years. Yes, I did just read something about the Xbox division of MS making a profit during a quarter this year, but that is not for this conversation.
Hardcore gamers were the life blood of many gaming companies for years. Many have changed what they liked. They have expanded their horizons and found other games that can draw them in. I am one of them. Although I did not consider myself a hardcore gamer, I did play many games associated with the hardcore crowd. I played them ten to fifteen hours a day, sometimes more. However, I have moved on. I started playing RTS games, and have even moved on to TBS games now. I play RPG games and quite a few Java-based games, but not as much as years past.
So, although, there will always be a hardcore gamer market, the industry has grown beyond them. They will still have their games coming to them, but they will have to live for awhile knowing that what they consider to be the best is not what is going to be talked about. Almost feels like a videophile talking about how much better Beta was over VHS, only to watch VHS take off leaving Beta fewer and fewer customers and therefore releases and then availability.
Hah, this is rich, coming from Will Wright of all people, the man behind Spore. Seriously, have you guys taken a look at the underlying technology behind Spore? We're talking about real-time animation and gait construction, procedural generation for EVERYTHING, from geometry to textures to AI behaviour, all the way down to your animations.
If anything, Spore is a prime example of all that "next-gen" power being harnessed to do great things for gameplay, instead of putting on just more shiny.
This also makes Spore the prime justification for having beefier CPUs, RAM, video cards, and a whole lot more bus bandwidth than we had before. I highly doubt Spore will run on a Wii, but it will for sure run on PS3 and 360. All that processing power is being put to good use, and he's complaining about MS/Sony making consoles that will actually be able to execute his idea, and pledging his allegiance to a piece of hardware that WON'T?
We are a LONG way from the day where our computers are so fast that nothing more can be done on the gameplay side with more performance. The fact that few developers are pushing their games in this direction is no reason to stop making our machines faster.
Or perhaps it actually went and did something new instead of rehashing the same crap all over again this time slightly shinier. I'm just saying...
New like the power glove? Not new, but old idea done fairly well in a few titles (wii sports, zelda, metroid, mario party 8) and very poorly in others (almost every other title). The idea itself is an old one. and the 360 and ps3 brings things that aren't just "shiny".
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
I guess I am an avid gamer, but aparently not a hardcore one (all of my free time is spent on games, but not all of my money). I own aprox 500 Console games, my annual budget for console games is probably in the $400-$500 range. In other words, I play games when the price is right and I own many games from many generations. I bought a Wii and about 5 games, and I will probably not buy more till next year. I still have never owned an Xbox of any kind and do not have a PS3. The games I really want to play are still being released for PS2 and the new ones I care about are on the Wii. I bought a PS2 years after the fact, for GTA3 games. From what I read about GTA4 they have scaled back the flexability of gameplay in order to make it prettier, so it will probably not make me buy one of the 2 graphics machines out.
The Wii is revolutionary, admit it or not, it is.
No game, no system, no genre has been able to solve my biggest obsticle to gaming: Wife Aggro. The Wii solves this readily. My wife, my 2 year old son, my dad, my friends, we can all play Wii.
Last generation Nintendo was the only one of the big 3 to turn a profit on day 1 and day 500. They will continue to churn out their profit slowly and steadily like they always do. MS and Sony will continue to feed money into the advertising machine untill they turn a profit.
Turning 1 billion dollars into 1.2 billion dollars is not nearly as impressibe as turning 200 million dollars into 400 million dollars in my opinion, even though the end result is pretty much the same. But then again shiny things like HD Graphics don't really get my motor rolling.
Okay, so a GameCube with some IR leds and a gyro is labeled as the 'only next gen console'? Suuuuuuure.
Disclaimer: I have a Wii and a PS3 and right now the Wii is simply collecting dust while I use the PS3 almost every day (movies, streaming videos from my laptop, playing the few good games currently out that have ONLINE CAPABILITIES, etc.)
Fuck Spore, where the hell is Little Big Planet?
Having played on the Wii a good bit now has convinced me that it isn't the revolutionary next step people claim it to be. Sure, it's got some great games and the controller is quite entertaining. The Wii, for me has provided a gaming experience no different from that offered by the Gamecube. What has made the console so approachable to non-gamers is not the controller but rather Nintendo's marketing and their game design. The controller may allow for some flexibility with game design, but not to the profound extent some believe.
Nintendo has sold the Wii, and to a lesser extent the DS, as being for non-gamers. And reinforcing this message they've developed games like Brain Age and Wii Sports. It's not that an Xbox360 or a PS3 couldn't be suitable to non-gamers, even without a fancy controller. It's that Microsoft and Sony haven't marketed their system as such, especially Sony. Recent marketing seems to indicate that Microsoft is trying to appeal to that market. Unfortunately, they don't yet have the sort of games yet that to that demographic.
Graphics certainly aren't the ultimate determining factor in whether a game is any good. I'm not looking for games to be photo-realistic and in fact, while impressive I find games done in that style to be quite bland. On the other hand, in this day and age I expect graphics to look crisp, especially coming from a PC gaming background. I can't tolerate a pixelated, hazy mess. I find it irritating that my DS isn't capable of doing much more than Doom-era 3D graphics. It apparently is completely incapable of doing transparencies in 3D, hence the lame particle effects.
One thing that strikes me about PS3 graphics is how impressive they are in person. It's at a point where they look like the touched up promotional graphics developers release during production. Although, I concede that doesn't change the fact that there aren't many compelling games available for the console. Those capabilities, however, do ensure that the PS3 will have better longevity than the Wii, provided good games are released soon.
This is not to put down the Wii at all. I think the Wii demonstrates Nintendo's commitment to a basic concept They entered this generation with a clear message and have stuck to it. They were willing to develop an unconventional controller. And they marketed their system well. Of course it helps that they also have their own game development division which does phenomenal work. Even if the Wii didn't have that controller it would likely still do well because of the games.
I think everyone will agree, it's the games that make the system.
I own a 360 and it's awesome when it's not flashing the red ring of death like now. Mine is being repaired so I though I'd try PC Games. Opps.
So with my Xbox in-transit back to me I was having withdrawls not being able to play any games. I stopped by Gamestop and picked up Shadowrun for the PC.
Then I get home and try to install it and fine that it requires VISTA! Here is the kicker though. It is a Native DirectX 9 game that was written for XP! Bill Gates and his cronies decided to force their game studio to do Vista only releases. The install won't even run on XP. Luckily I found a crack. Then I had to update my Video Card Drivers to get it to run. Next I found that the game REQUIRES you to sign into Windows Live! What the... So I have a Gold account so I sign in. Then it asks for an update so I click yes. No-GO. It just gets stuck and then says I'm not connected to the Internet.
At this point I shake my fist at the sky and scream "I'll get you BILL!". Ok not really but something like that but with more obscenities. So then I read that the update will not work if you have more then one network interface installed. I had three. A Wireless which I used, a Wired NIC and a VPN Client. So I remove the other two and still no dice. Finally I read that the Cisco VPN client is buggy so I uninstall that. That knocks out my Internet Connection. I followed the damn guidlines right on ciscoDOTcom. I hate Cisco. So I reinstall the damn Internet Connection and run the game. Now it acts like it is updating. I am almost esstatic but a little too soon. The game updates, restarts and then asks me to upsate again, and again, and again. It's stuck in a loop.
At this time it was 10PM and I needed to work the next day so I packed it in and went to bed. So 3 hours of troubleshooting later and I still can't play the game that I paid for with my hard earned dollars.
I think I'll stick to console games from now on.
Not insightful. And I doubt that the poster was aiming for insightful. It's pretty much a "Yeah, Me too"/"I agree" post. Not that there is much wrong with that, but it shouldn't be modded up.
If someone disagrees, feel free to argue.
Another note: as this (the one I'm writing right now, not my parent's) post is off-topic, and should probably be modded as such, click on "Fair" if it is.
Isn't this the same guy who dissed the Wii, calling it a toy (or something along those lines) a while ago?
But he thinks the Wii is the only modern console, even though it's different mostly because of its controller. Which is as much like a mouse as a mouse is like a light pen.
Speaking of which, touchscreens which can use a stylus, especially a stylus with 2 position points for angle, plus pressure, are the best input device ever, if we're not counting MIDI musical instruments.
--
make install -not war
but isn't game play just the software?
Why can't I have it all? Jaw dropping graphics and innovative controls (and compelling gameplay while we're at it).
I see too many people dismissing the importance of improved graphics, particularly in the face of the wii's novel controls. But graphics can improve the gaming experience (of course, I'm not saying that they automatically do; a bad game is a bad game, from text adventures, to sprites, to 3D). And I'm not just talking about hyper realism. Improved graphics can help immerse you in highly stylized games as well (see the upcoming Little Big Planet).
What I'm getting at here is that I think that the wrong message to take from the current generation of games is: graphics don't matter because the wii sold well. (Which isn't really what Wright is saying, but I see it a lot.)
What I want from the next generation of consoles is an amalgam of everything that is good about the current generation. And that includes graphics better than the ps3.
Every game ever was a rehash of Barbie, Doom, Brick Breaker or some random ass puzzle game (tetris, puzzle bobble, etc). They just end up with more FPS, more Polygons per whatever, and more BS graphics. Oh and three more guns if you buy the expansion pack.
Is Wii the only "next gen" video game system? I dont know. What is "next gen?" I dont think it has to do anything with graphics. But, Wii, as Nintendo does, is the only gaming system with a unique HID. Just like they did with the power pad, power glove, and the zapper gun.
I for one am not into a console because its ability to make 'realistic graphics.' I play video games for story line. Give me a unique way to play the same old game and I'm sold. Give me the same way to play the same old game with an upgraded look and 800000000 new weapons(!!(C)(R)(TM)) and woop de fucking do.
because as far as I can tell, he's only saying that the Wii is a completely different type of gameplay platform. Well isn't that just insightful?
If the criterium is as you say things "you can't do on a PC" - then it's an argument already lost. There are already 'wiimote'-style controllers for the PC and silly games that make use of them. But say that this peripheral didn't exist, then one could argue that the gun in duck hunt or the mat in DDR was 'next gen'. Puh-lease.
If the criterium is "smaller, more fun, games not necessarily with flash graphics" then you need not look any further than all of the online Flash / Java games that were raised to popularity long before the Wii was a glimmer in Nintendo's eyes. Oh, and.. pssst.. that's all on the PC.
Personally I don't think one can say that 'next gen' is supposed to mean 'different gameplay', and one certainly can't say that it is exclusive to a specific platform; especially if you include a PC as a platform.
But if one -must-... I'd say the Nintendo DS is 'next gen', at least on the hand-held platforms end. Using a stylus to draw your own characters, create walk paths, etc. etc. is something that, if executed well, is way out of the league of any other handheld platform and still not offered for any other platform; and not for lack of a stylus (a wacom penpal is $40 or so), a mouse would do just fine as well - there's simply no games that are played that way because nobody has had to become creative within the 'limitation' of a largely stylus-driven interface.
So, what your saying is, you wanna play the Final Fantasy series on Wii?
Course, this post started out as me being a wise ass, but wouldn't that actually be kind of cool?
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Yes, I agree, Nintendo should have followed Microsoft and Sony's lead and produced a $400 console (twice the price normal gamers spend on a gaming system) in order to cater to the 25% of people who own HDTVs; that way Nintendo would have forced the videogame crash and (hopefully) pushed all the companies that have been producing the same game year after year with somewhat prettier graphics out of business.
...
There are very (VERY) few games produced for either the PS3 or XBox 360 that could have not been produced for the Playstation with minor gameplay modifications. From what I have seen most 'advanced' AI is just the exact same scripted "Hide-behind corner" events that were used in the late 1990's on PC and console games; the difference today is that they now have an army of coding monkeys (at a huge cost) to produce far more of them. The 'advanced' physics used today is used in the exact same way that scripted events were used in the late 1990s except it looks a little more realistic.
Bioshock is the poster child for the XBox 360 and PS3's 'advancement' in that it is exactly the same game produced in the late 90's (System Shock) except for prettier
Its time people faced facts and realized that the PS3 and XBox 360 offer NOTHING that the PS2 and Gamecube didn't in terms of gameplay
You posted my thoughts exactly.
Wii is next gen in it's own way. But I'd say it's not even as "next gen" as the 360 because the 360 is all about Live and interactivity. The Wii to me is a novel party machine with a nifty controller. The 360 isn't about cutting edge graphics, it isn't about a special controller that lets me get bored of bowling after 2 hours.
It's all about Live and how integrated the online experience is to the whole console. It certainly feels next gen when I'm playing MK3 that I just downloaded but then get an invite from a friend to hop into a game of TF2 where we're all communicating with voice over IP through the console, then another friend jumps on so we send him an invite. Then I notice my download of the NHL 2K8 demo has finished so after wrapping up TF2 I jump out to play the demo to see if it's anywhere near as good as NHL 08, it's not, but before I turn off the system I watch a trailer for a movie I want to see that's about to come out.
It's all seemless, it's all right there, it's all easy to nav through.
Where my console gaming in the past has been a relatively solitary experience, or one confined to times when I had gamer friends over, the Wii is the first game system that I feel comfortable inviting everyone to play when they come over.
Seeing my Mom playing Wii bowling really clarified the Big Picture of what Wii has accomplished. I believe that it may be the first time she had ever even played a console game, and there she was laughing and having a great time.
Actually, it was kind of creepy.
And if anyone cares, I forgot to mention . . . what do I play? NES, Genesis, and an Arcade Classics Upright (Woot) and Wii.
Yeah, I dont have LAN parties or woot woot fun over my XBOX live . . . PlayStation, XBox, you can have my money when you do something original.
As I recall, Johnhamsta asked him about having Spore and other such games on the Wii very early on, and it looks like it did some good.
...)
Now, a more intriguing question is - what will the next gaming console be when America converts over to 80 percent HDTV somewhere in 2009?
I've seen how the PS3 is now shipping features that are part of the Wii in an attempt to catch up - what other features do we think we're likely to see? One can assume it will be an HD-DVD version capable of running both DVD and HD-DVD, with probably a base aspect of 720p, but will it be designed for 1080p for optimal usage?
And will we see things like lightsaber and gun attachments become standard add-ons (much like the Guitar Hero III addon) or will the controllers morph into this usage (traditional Wiimote and nunchuk used as if they were those add-ons).
And will I be able to use my Barbie and Bratz Princess Fairy and Wicked Pr1nc3zz controllers as well? (no, I don't have them, but if more than half of the market will be women and girls
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
360 and ps3 have the potential to bring things that aren't just "shiny," but they haven't yet.
The Wii or the controller are not the reason the games are great. Nintendo is.
No other platform, PS, XBox, or PC PREVENTS good games from being made. All platforms have some shiney gems and a lot of... duller ones. Nintendo is different. Fixed that for you. They have been for a long time.
They're manufacturing a market out of essentially nothing; out of people who have written off video games or have never been that interested before. I'm not sure how you quantify that market, except by churning out consoles as fast as you can and see how many of them you can sell.
Nintendo was never going to win the hardcore market anyway. They've never catered to that and I don't think that stuffing a lot more processing power in the Wii so it could render blades of grass more effectively was going to make it appeal more to the Gears of War / Halo 3 set. Given that premise, the Wii has been amazingly successful. Moreso if they profit off of the consoles themselves and don't need to depend too heavily on downstream game sales.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
I own a Wii, and in a way I agree with Will's comments. Especially in how the Wii has attracted players from new demographics. The fact that my Mom can enjoy it, is fantastic.
But, when I bought it I wasn't expecting to be FORCED to use the wii remote for FPS games. I thought I could use it if I liked and if I didn't I could pop in my gamecube controller and play it like a normal game. I was excited about the remote-as-a-gun-pointing-device idea but as it turns out, I'm not a fan. In fact I hate it, mostly due to the lack of buttons in reach of my fingers when holding the remote plus nunchuck. Imagine my shock to learn that the new Metroid as well as other shooters do not support a standard controller. Use the remote or else you lowly customer! I'm turned off of the Wii for the purposes of the more hardcore games.
While I'm enjoying Halflife2 ep 2 on my PC, I had to seriously cripple the graphics to get it to run (no, I can't afford a system upgrade every friggin year) and I can't get Bioshock to run on my PC at all.
So, here I am, considering buying an XBox360 or PS3. Something I never thought I'd do considering I've owned Nintendo products for a decade. I like the Wii in some ways for fun/party/virtual console games, but it has alienated me as a hardcore gamer. Not to mention the slim pickings for games. I'm kinda sad about this. Really, how hard would it be to support a standard controller TOO??? *sigh*
Oh, and Will... get your a$$ working on Spore and when it's FINALLY released, then I'll have more respect for anything you say. Till then, you're just a tease.
I hardly think the Final Fantasy series counts as a good story. How many poorly created love triangles can one be forced to endure between 2 dimensional characters?
The Generation
I'd say something witty here, but I'm not that bright.
Absolutely. If I can swing the paladins sword . . . and by sword I mean sword.
I do think I might tread a hole in my carpet running forwards and back everytime I perform an action in battle though...
I don't quite understand the constant argument in favor of consoles, simply because "keeping up with the PC hardware is so expensive"?
... but even 1080i resolution isn't as demanding on the video card as the modes something like a 30" LCD panel runs in by default.
I do have a PS3 *and* several computers, but here's the thing. My last PC ran everything I wanted to play (on a 24" LCD monitor), simply using an AGP Radeon 9800 Pro video card, up until about a year ago. Then I upgraded from an Athlon motherboard to an Intel Core Duo with PCI Express video, and went with a mid-range ATI card (X1600 I think?), and once again, it plays all the latest titles just fine for me.
Do I insist on running everything with every last detail mode maxxed out, anti-aliasing set to the max, etc. ? No! That's just too resource-intensive. The games aren't any less enjoyable though. It's rather like the comparisons of Bioshock's new Direct-X 10 support vs. what the same screens looked like under DX9. The differences were SO subtle, nobody would notice 3/4ths. of them without them being pointed out first. The most "relevant" change was minor too, and would really add zilch to the overall gaming experience.
My "state of the art" PS3 isn't capable of any better graphics than what my PCI Express mid-range ATI card puts out anyway. Most of the visual impact of the PS3 comes from running it on an HDTV that's larger than most monitors on computers
Graphics do make games better, but that could be not enough difference (I had fun with my atari2600, you insensitive clod!) to justify the price. You don't buy some extreme gamer $10k computers, do you? Besides, as I've found out thanks to my deteriorating eyesight, people are beautiful in low resolution.
Is this close enough? They're already letting you play all the old FF games, and even updating them in many cases.
My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
As a bonus, you could get some component cables and play in native 16:9. 480p, but at least it's 16:9.
Mess not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.
Anyone who would label themselves as a "gamer".
My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
You mean the Sims expansion packs have a wall texture of Will Wright's bloody head impaled on a stick? AWESOME!!!!
Please stop stalking me, bro.
But like 6-8 months (maybe at E3) ago didn't Will Wright go off on Nintendo saying they and the Wii sucked because they didn't appreciate game designing as an "art form" and that Nintendo was only interested in making games that were 'fun'?
You are doing it wrong. I think perhaps this is one of the reasons PC gamers suffer is because of the FUD spread around by people with regards to the costs. Is it more expensive than consoles? Sure. Is it thousands a year? Not even on the high end. Turns out you can get quite a good gaming experience with a $100 graphics card. Get one of those every year, and you'll find that you can do a decent job running all the games out there at a reasonable resolution. Nab some benchmarks on midrange cards some time, they do just fine.
I don't know why it is so often presented as "Ultra high end or nothing." You know what? Turns out you can have plenty of fun gaming on a PC without everything being as high as it can be. You don't have to have a 30" monitor and play at max rez to be happy, you can play at 1920x1200 or 1280x800 and be perfectly happy (and in line with the resolution consoles use). Not every graphics setting in every game has to be turned all the way up, and so on.
I am a PC gamer and have a whole lot of friends who are and none of us break $1000/year. I spend by far the most, probably averaging about $500-600 since I get a new pretty high end graphics card each year and usually upgrade something else. Most of them spend in the range of $150/year if amortized on a yearly basis (generally it's a bi yearly type of thing). Still more than a console, though you are arguably getting close, but not breaking the bank.
So if you want to always have the best of the best, fine, but don't pretend that's what PC gaming requires and don't pretend it's comparable to consoles. You already have a system far in excess of any console.
There is, of course, the additional factor that a PC doesn't just have to be used for games. My PC is also a word processor, an Internet terminal, a DAW, a video editor, and so on. If you own a PC purely for gaming, ok then, but I'm going to guess most people get secondary use out of ti and that does factor in to the price.
Here's mine:
Please stop stalking me, bro.
Wow, them's fighting words ;)
Eh, to each their own I guess. I don't think the combination of storyline and score can be beaten though. That's just MHO.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Exactly... rehashing, but with less effort. The need to rehash them with a magic wand controller so I can cast the black wizards spells.
Stop attacking the source and think about the concepts, you authority-appealing ignoramus.
You can't take the sky from me...
Let me preface this by saying I don't have anything against any consoles. But you mention computing power (among other things) as the reason Will is wrong. But if that's the case the PC (I'm not trolling, bear with me) is truly the Next-Gen console, but of course that isn't the case. So considering innovation in the consoles is not their primary focus (I'd say over-all game experience is) then the Wii truly is the most innovative Next-Gen console. Really the only innovative Next-Gen console, which is admirably risky considering game is king on the console. But Nintendo has been in this game for a long time and I'd imagine they are pretty good at doing what they do.
Either way I don't see Will's statement devaluing 360 or PS3 any. Console gamers like their consoles and I don't think good graphics will be going out of style any time soon.
Quack, quack.
Woot, I'm a funny troll!
Comment of the year
How the fuck does CGDR2, Slashdot member for four whole days and designer of (almost certainly) exactly zero games, have any right to accuse Will Wright of anything at all?
There are 0x40000000 types of people: those who understand 32-bit IEEE 754 floating point, and those who don't.
Actually, I have my Wii hooked up to my widescreen monitor via composite (roommate's VGA box), and the Wii's built-in widescreen feature works fine for me.
"May evil beware, and may good dress warmly and eat plenty of fresh vegetables." -The Tick
I'm a PS3 AND a Wii owner. I'm also an avid PC Gamer. My system is about 2 years old yet can play Jericho (thank you gametap) on it's max graphics settings at 1200x1024 resolution (highest my LCD monitor takes).
I'm honest up front here no trolling intended. The PS3, I only play PS2 games on it currently. I have a lot of them, they look much better, and not having to swap memory cards is a world of difference. I've put in 160 hours playing Persona 3 (when will it end damnit?)
No trolling intended I'm going to sway in the favor to Will, the PS3 and 360 are upgrades not seriously next gen. Better graphics, CPU, memory, networking, internal storage, upgraded sound.... It's all "upgrades" nothing seriously innovative.
Sure PS3 and 360 feature multicore CPU's and wireless control. But there is nothing seriously new with either console aside that it now has a mini OS that you can web browse, stream music and video and stuff. but that's not really next gen either. My computer has done that since 1999 or even earlier.
The Wii on the other hand Is as close to a true "next gen" platform as you can get. It has an entirely different controler scheme, multiplayability and simply fun. Nintendo brought in seniors who've never played video games into the fold. They've widened the audiences and are adding in a slew of different addons that will expand on the Wii's everyday non gamer usability "wii fitness".
I'm sure Sony could easily add in a Wii style controler with Ease. update their system software to support a new bluetooth device and add a wireless sensor bar....
But So far Nintendo took the edge. They took a risk, made a new style of console, and opened up gaming doors to millions more who never dreamed of gaming. That's an achievement.
All 3 consoles have their place though. Not everyone will get all 3, and not everyone shares the same needs. So each console serves it's purpose.
in close, I'll agree with will that the Wii is the only true next gen, and the PS3 and 360 are mere upgrades. None though are trash. I love my PS3, even though it's only being used for PS2 games (ugh persona)
"It seems that you do not know that the largest age group of gamers is 40+. And that their sex is female."
Source this please, because everything I've found says you've misunderstood the report.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003220685
"While women are dominant among online gamers, men still outnumber women in the overall video game space by more than 2-to-1 (70%-30%)."
Stylish sheet to fix many problems in Slashdot's D3: https://gist.github.com/801524
CLEARLY this should have been titled "Wii Wins Writes Will Wright".
To get better resolution than the PC you will have to wait for the PS4 with Ultra High Turbo Definition 2160i.
This is just ridiculous. All Nintendo Wii has is an input device with an accelerometer in it. Think of it as a mouse that can work in 3-space. I'm sure Sony and Microsoft can come out with peripherals that are similar. Moreover, it has marquee characters (franchises) that it can milk. Yes, I like Samus and Mario and Link - but what are these but platformers after all in different costumes? So the Wii has franchised characters plus a controller with an accelerometer. To call it a true next-gen machine is a bit much, don't you think? Nintendo is really great at promoting themselves as "about gameplay" - but that's just an excuse to sell crappy hardware. (don't get me wrong, the game designers are great (esp. Miyamoto)) Also, and I believe others have made the point already but its worth reiterating, but PCs are much, much more expensive for equivalent games (in terms of graphics) to PS3 and XBox360.
True gamers have never liked titles like The Sims or Spore because they don't have an end goal. You actually have to be creative in these games to enjoy them; it has little to do with "involved skill".
So this precludes MMORPG players from being hardcore gamers? little/No skill required, no end goal?? I will not argue that sims and spore aren't really for hardcore gamers, but I take issue with your definition because it excludes the biggest and arguably most hard core game market.
Cue an avalanche of hateful comments by hurt and insulted PS3/360 fanboys who really know the truth deep inside (i.e. their console is nothing special).
;)
Oh, wait. They're already way ahead of me.
I'll give you that the score tends to be on the amazing side. The graphics are pretty, and the mini stories told in those cut away scenes are compelling. For me the problem is the game play story itself is on the weak side. I personally can't stand the love triangle story that develops in every FF I've played.
The Generation
I'd say something witty here, but I'm not that bright.
That's funny, I have a 42" Panasonic Plasma and Metroid Prime looks fantastic on it. You need to look through your Wii's settings to make sure it knows you have an HDTV. However, something tells me you dont actually have a Wii.
I believe the argument goes "If I had to pick one, the interface is more important than the aesthetic." Which I agree. Then again I came from the camp that played the Atari 2600 when it was "current gen", so needless to say, graphic fidelity was a secondary concern.
Yes, graphically it's a stunner, but more Pixels != better graphics. I would argue that Metroid Prime 3 looks a hell of a lot better than Halo 3 despite only being "teh 480p". The Art direction is better. They do more with less, and very much like Gears of War, or Bioshock they focus (mostly) on smaller environments so they can can be stunning. The claustrophobic nature of the Metroid series lends to that, the Halo series (with big sweeping landscapes, lots of characters, long draw distances etc...) does not.
If you use native resolution as the only criteria to measure graphics (hence 480p graphics are inherently worse than 720p) Then I suppose Uno on XBLA trumps all Wii games past, present and future in the graphics category as it outputs in 720p.
The Wii is now "Current Gen", just like the X-box 360 and PS3. I think it's a little early to speculate about "next gen" machines.
Forty-two, naturally.
Fanatically anti-fanatical
I build a new rig every 2-3 years or so and I don't upgrade anything between the rebuilds. Anywhere from $1000-$1300, and the only reason it has ended up being that much is because with that kind of time between builds you end up not being able to reuse many/any parts (full architecture changes).
First on the list (2001) was a P3 1000, 512 RAM PC133, ATI All-in-wonder (equivalent to 7200 series, and still serves as a cheap TV and coax input for consoles!). This played TFC, CS, UT, BF1942 fine. RA2 was popular in the dorms, and it did Mechcommander 2, whatever AoE game was out, and Warcraft 3. Plus all the legacy games that are still fun. Ran Win98 at first and then XP.
Next was a couple years later (2003) was a 2.8Ghz P4c (good overclock and price/performance when I bought), 1 GB dual channel DDR, ATI 9800Pro, and an Audigy2 for sound. This ran HL2, DoW, WoW, C&C Generals, War3 at full settings (RoC DotA!), UT2k4, RtCW, W:ET, Doom 3. Plenty of games, all at decent settings and framerates.
This January (2007) was a C2D 6600, 2 GB DDR2, and an 8800GTS ($379 after rebate). This was a bit heavy on the vid card price compared to the last two, but the 8800s were quite a bit better than the next lowest, and as I said, I don't do midstream upgrades usually so it needs to last. This runs anything current. Bioshock, TF2, Overlord, ET:QW, UT3, C&C3, Company of Heroes, whatever.
If you look at the last two, it was in the neighborhood of 4 years between builds. And I had no problem playing the games that came out.
And that is my only point in throwing all this out here is that I was able to play any game I wanted during these time periods with decent settings without going broke, and got a great computer for doing anything else I wanted.
Why, yes I have been touched by His noodly appendage. And I plan to sue.
Have a conversation with the video games person at your favorite electronics store. Even better, go in and talk to the people (perhaps the manager) at your local Gamespot/EB. They told me they are getting shipments of Wiis every week. The problem is that they usually sell out the same day, or by the next day. So you just have to find out when they expect the next shipment and call them or show up that day. One guy at Circuit City told me CC was only releasing their shipments on Sundays. Maybe because of ads or something. Target and the other general stores were kind of useless to get any kind of useful info out of. I did hear from someone, I believe it was at Target, that Nintendo is planning some kind of a relaunch of the Wii around Nov. 20. Good luck.
I've got to go against what you've said. "Next Gen" is next generation, it's not really actually supposed to be revolutionary and different. It's supposed to be an incremental improvement. Therefore the Wii can't be "Next Gen", it's not an improvement on the old. It's not the future of the game console. It is the beginning of something different, not the continuation of the old.
It's kind of like claiming that a laptop is the next generation of desktop computers. They can do a lot of the same stuff but they aren't designed for the same target markets.
Fanatically anti-fanatical
True gamers have never liked titles like The Sims or Spore because they don't have an end goal. You actually have to be creative in these games to enjoy them; it has little to do with "involved skill".
True gamers? What do you mean by that? Am I a false gamer because I enjoy The Sims? I'm guessing you actually mean competitive gamers who derive their enjoyment from overcoming computer or human adversaries and challenges. It's possible for gamers who like challenges to enjoy The Sims, though--they just have to create their own challenges, and for that they need imagination, and like you said, creativity.
When someone says, "Any fool can see
1. Games that didn't take 15 minutes to NAVIGATE to the point you can play.
games that make you setup a bazillion things just to play, make the default player name 'Sam'
and lets play!
2. Level Load Times at 3 seconds max.
waiting for levels to load is a pure waste of time...
They Live, We Sleep
Grandma? Maybe not. Housewife in her 40s? Hell yes! Some of the best selling titles are games like Bejeweled.
;p
BTW, your family has issues if Grandma is in her 40s...
PS3 games, high-def movie support built in, streaming media off your home servers, DVD upscaling, PS2 game upscaling, internet browsing, DVR functionality, movie/TV downloads, etc. Your one-machine solution for entertainment.
Next Gen can mean alot of things.
USB is next gen compaired to the serial port.
PCI is next gen compaired to the ISA slot.
3D cards are next gen over the 2D cards they replaced.
Computers have had incremental upgrades over their 20+ years in service as well as several next gen upgrades.
the 486 was a marginal upgrade over the 386, it added the cache on the chip for a performance boost. Petium would be next gen CPU from there... then 64 bit is the next gen jump again.
They ALL target the same audience, but some items only offered a marginal increase. the PS3 is an upgrade. It plays a higher def DVD format, and does internet plus tons more. I dont consider it next gen yet. Though that "eye of the beholder" can be a next gen game...
We all have our opinions, I hold on a significant upgrade or even change in a device to be next gen. PC's while at the core are the same as they were 20 years ago, they've deffinately up there in the generation leap, though I would have to say incrementally so.
The "next gen" hard drive will be Solid state... finally
"Casual" does not mean no skill involved, or not for adrenaline junkies. It means no story, no narrative, or a very simplistic shallow story(think tv sitcoms and other serials).
Go over your list again. That's not next-gen. That's a hardware hack.
That was John Romero, not John Carmack.
Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
likewise i would call GTA next gen for the gameplay, and GTA3 next gen for the hollywood-quality voice acting. offering something different, true innovation, that hadn't been seen before.
i'm sure i'm not the only one who bought halo 3 only to find nothing really new or different from every other FPS in the past few years. i liked half life, but was it really anything new, or just the apogee of games of its type at the time?
it's really hard to define. is spore really next gen, or is it another incremental take on "god" games?
It seems that you do not know that bullshit you pull out of your ass doesn't fly just because you say so.
Study results: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003220685
Included summary for those like yourself with learning disabilities:
"Teenagers still comprise the largest chunk of the active gamer universe at 48 million, followed by players in the 18-24 age range (17.5 million). About 15 million active gamers are 45 or older."
You are not your UID, but in this case I think it's safe to say that CGDR2 is an idiont and can be safely modded to hell. Just remember that alot of us have been reading Slashdot alot longer then we have been members.
I may agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to face the consequences of saying it.
I would argue that Spore is indeed new, in that it is a "god" game, yet an enitrely new way of looking at it and working with the concept... Much like how Wii Sports (although quite simple of a game), feels NOTHING like a rehash of older sports games available on the market, due to game play mechanics.
Yes, I know; but he hasn't exactly come out against the expansion packs, has he? I hate to invoke Godwin's law so soon, but... no, forget it. It was a joke. Forget it
I completely agree with you, but all the buttsecks-ing Nintendo fanboys on Slashdot are gonna rip you a new one, unfortunately. I also have all three consoles, but happen to think that the Wii is mostly a curiosity that will collect dust more than not for most people. The 3rd party support is atrocious.
In what sense does these phrase "next-gen" require major design changes? The PS3 and 360 are evolutionary improvements; they are, by definition, the next generation of their respective product lines.
From my father's point of view, I'm "next gen" but I only offer incremental improvements over him....couple of inches taller, better at math, less flab, more fun to be around, but nothing "revolutionary"...I'm still next-gen, though.
Did you try Tiger Woods 08 ? It's far more indepth, and option crazy than WiiSports golf, but extremely accessable and fun to play. I actually straitened out my swing in real golf (not completely, but noticably improved).
ExciteTruck is very "Arcadey" in that it's easy to pickup and play and good fun. You can also change your music by addding MP3's on the SD card (The game magically improved when I added "The Offspring" to it.)
Also Harry Potter despite being Single player only is worth a Rent. Using motion controls to cast spells is really fun (leviosa by itself got me to buy the game).
Will Wright has become a Nintendo shill. Why don't they just come out and say it?
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the Wii just a slightly souped-up gamecube with a handheld camera?
Perhaps he means the only 6.5 gen console, while the rest are 7th generation.
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
I have Xbox lan parties all the time. It's awesome.
Maybe so, but I just bought one for my wife's 40th birthday. She loves it and I love it. I tried to convince her into a PS3 instead (the graphics! the Blu-ray player!) she said the Wii was simply more *fun*, and, after having played it for a few nights, I have to say I agree with her (I'm not 40 yet, but will be soon). Furthermore I could not find one anywhere; I had to buy one off eBay for $50.00 above retail, and X-mas is still months away.
My Co-worker/co-manager is female and she loves it, too. One of my female employees also thinks it's great.
From what I have seen, women love this console because it is more fun and more family friendly. That is saying a lot and it appears that the marketplace has spoken.
Perhaps you should reconsider your assertion that the GP's stats are incorrect.
uR iGn0ranc3, Their Power
Well, lets be fair. There's a difference between incremental improvements (consoles) and addons ad nauseum (The Sims). His point remains valid without making him a hypocrite.
Property is theft.
No, you aren't. You're just a troll. Grandparent is funny and not a troll.
Is that so? Let's do some math, ok? One can legally get married at the age of eighteen. Let's say conceptually this happens the week after her eighteenth birthday, and on the honeymoon, the couple gets pregnant. Nine months later, out comes a beautiful baby girl. So, mom is eighteen, almost nineteen, and baby girl is a newborn. Let's fast forward eighteen years. Baby girl is now eighteen, and now mom is thirty-six, almost thirty-seven. Baby girl marries her high school sweetheart shortly after she turns eighteen and surprise! She gets pregnant on her honeymoon! Nine months later, she gives birth to a child. Now we have child newborn, mom eighteen, and grandma thirty-seven. How is a grandmother in her forties such an odd concept? My mom is forty-seven and she has two grandchildren from my sister. The oldest was born when she was forty-three, so I don't see how your argument holds any water.
I run Ubuntu skinned to look like a Mac on a PC. Go figure.
Agreed. With one exception, Metroid Prime 3 IMHO, is much better than Keyboard and Mouse gameplay. The Wiimote on Advanced still isn't "quite" as sensitive as a mouse (close though), but the analog stick kicks the shit out of WASD (Which I always feel like I'm driving my character around like a golf cart). Add in the viseral immersion of the motion controls for the Grapple gun, and you end up with superior control.
Stop attacking the source and think about the concepts, you authority-appealing ignoramus. Flaming someone for their stupid comment isn't trolling. ESPECIALLY if he started with the four letter words.
You can't take the sky from me...
He is the grandparent. I'd suggest reading before insulting next time.
For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
Thanks for the recommendations -- I'll put 'em all on the rental list. ExciteTruck looks fun; I haven't had a chance to play any driving games on the Wii yet, but I've heard a few people say that the controller works pretty well for them.
We had a few fun evenings playing through the Ratatouille game, which for a movie tie-in was surprisingly good, although the S.O. still thought it was too "sit down" and preferred Wii Sports. Definitely a rental rather than a purchase. Tiger Woods may be just the thing.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."