Slashdot Mirror
Violent Video Gaming Comes To the Wii
TuringTest writes "In an attempt to bring the Wii closer to the hardcore gamer's taste, Sega is preparing to release MadWorld, a violent 'hack and slash' game. This has brought attention from family-conscious lobbies: 'The decision to release a violent game on a console which has based its reputation on family fun has shocked anti-violence pressure groups. Mediawatch-UK, Britain's longest-running pressure group campaigning for decency in TV, films and games, said MadWorld will "spoil" the Wii.' The game features black & white cel-shaded graphics, except for the blood blobs which are in brilliant red. MadWorld is announced to be released in early 2009."
Yes, I am one of those dirty filthy casuals that plays games to *gasp *horror* *shock* enjoy them. I tend to like the games that have innovative and fun gameplay. Unique visual audio styles are a plus.
Perhaps I'm just too old for the current definition of hardcore games and hardcore gamers but what I don't really get is how the number of pixels pushed or the volume of blood makes a game for the hardcore gamer.
I'd expect the hardcore gamer to want intricate and complex yet responsive control schemes that reward having faster-than-framerate reactions. Requiring six liquid cooled video cards just to render the game on its lowest setting or requiring a TARDIS built into the circulatory system of every mook to handle the amount of blood they spray when killed doesn't mean its "hardcore" to me. It generally says its cheaper to hire graphic designers than it is people capable of putting together a solid game.
I'm not a big Wii fan and part of that is due to the fact its games don't interest me. However, I don't like that hardcore gaming is being equated with violence (and inevitably, sex). The Wii does come across as sort of a child-centric system to me but adding titles with blood won't necessarily make me think of it as more mature and won't make me think of it as 'hardcore'.
Personally, I don't think it gets more hardcore then Civilization. There's very little, if any, blood in the game but it's the complexity of the gameplay and the dedication one has have for it that makes it something of an elite gaming experience. If we 'hardcore' gamers don't demand complexity and innovation in games then all we're going to get is Halo/GTA clones.
but the wii NEEDS to have those games.
The sad truth is that the Wii doesn't need those games. It is selling like crazy, even now well over a year after its release and so far I haven't seen numbers that this trend is going to change, even things like the much more powerful Xbox360 selling for 50EUR less then the Wii in europe hasn't put a dent in the sales. The Wiis whole concept simply isn't build around classical games, instead it seems to be build around accessories, Wiimote, Balance Board, Zapper, Wii Wheel and so on. Accessories seem to give people something that they can instantly understand, which you can't have with classical game, which is also why you always see happy people jumping around in front of a TV in Wii commercials and never really much of the actual game.
When it comes to 'normal' games I have given up all hope for the Wii and never really had it much to begin with. Nintendo is doing something completly different with the Wii and simply doesn't care about the market segments of Xbox360 and PS3, when some third party still manages to sneak such a title on the Wii, fine, but there are always exceptions to the rule.
The interesting part is what will happen five years down the road? Will people still swing their controller as tennis rack and golf club or will they be tired of it and move on to the next trendy thing? I don't really know, but for the moment Nintendo seems to be doing more then fine with what they do.