We'd like to think that there is a debate raging about hardcore games on the Wii. But we'd also like to think that there's a debate going on about making milkshakes with a George Foreman grill. We're like that.
The fact is that the Wii loves casual gaming. High Voltage, however, remains proud of the 350k sales of The Conduit on that platform. In a recent interview in which less than earth-moving sales were mentioned, HVG's CEO Kerry Ganofsky and chief creative officer Eric Nofsinger returned fire before admitting that sales were 'impacted'.
Nofsinger pointed out that "Sadly, sales of nearly all games were down."
While Ganofsky went defensive-aggressive with, "We are extremely proud of the sales for The Conduit, with over 350,000 copies sold, numerous 'best-of 2009' nods, and over a million hours played according to the Nintendo Channel, we are the go-to FPS on the Wii. If you look at the sales for the games that are lumped in as 'hardcore' titles for the Wii (Silent Hill, Dead Space, et al), you'll notice that sales for those types of games are low across the board."
But when it came down to it, the CEO admitted that, "There were a variety of issues that impacted The Conduit. We are focusing on fixing those issues that we have control over in our future games. For those issues that we cannot control, we are working hard with our partners to ensure the best possible experience for gamers."
So, a hardcore debate on hardcore Wii games? Is there one? Tell us on the Forum.
Source: IGN
The fact is that the Wii loves casual gaming. High Voltage, however, remains proud of the 350k sales of The Conduit on that platform. In a recent interview in which less than earth-moving sales were mentioned, HVG's CEO Kerry Ganofsky and chief creative officer Eric Nofsinger returned fire before admitting that sales were 'impacted'.
Nofsinger pointed out that "Sadly, sales of nearly all games were down."
While Ganofsky went defensive-aggressive with, "We are extremely proud of the sales for The Conduit, with over 350,000 copies sold, numerous 'best-of 2009' nods, and over a million hours played according to the Nintendo Channel, we are the go-to FPS on the Wii. If you look at the sales for the games that are lumped in as 'hardcore' titles for the Wii (Silent Hill, Dead Space, et al), you'll notice that sales for those types of games are low across the board."
But when it came down to it, the CEO admitted that, "There were a variety of issues that impacted The Conduit. We are focusing on fixing those issues that we have control over in our future games. For those issues that we cannot control, we are working hard with our partners to ensure the best possible experience for gamers."
So, a hardcore debate on hardcore Wii games? Is there one? Tell us on the Forum.
Source: IGN
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Comments
Dreadknux 5 Feb 2010 12:11
1/4
Honestly, I think Wii users are just happy with what they get these days. I know I don't expect many 'hardcore' games on my white box, so whenever one comes along I get to enjoy it. Mind you, I have a PS3 and 360 to satisfy me until such games do come around for the Wii, so maybe I'm the minority who's not talking about hardcore Wii games.
Horatio 5 Feb 2010 13:37
2/4
I've always found this argument to be a strange one. I consider myself fairly hardcore, gaming for 20yrs+, own every console etc, and I personally find that games on Wii satisfy my needs at least as well as the other consoles.
I found SMBWii to be a fun and very challenging platformer and worthy of play by any so-called "hardcore" gamer.
Likewise, how far have you got in the rankings on Wii Sports Resort swordplay? It might look like a somewhat childish game, but rising to the top is not a simple task!
Okay, so I understand that the new "hardcore" is really a way of saying either "adult" or "not for casual gamers" but I genuinely believe the Wii provides as much of a challenge as the next console.
The real problem is that the majority of Wii gamers are proper casual players who don't expect the more mature titles and don't really want them. Any proper gamer would likely have a ps3, 360 or PC for such pursuits.
In that market, 350k isn't a bad result.
I found SMBWii to be a fun and very challenging platformer and worthy of play by any so-called "hardcore" gamer.
Likewise, how far have you got in the rankings on Wii Sports Resort swordplay? It might look like a somewhat childish game, but rising to the top is not a simple task!
Okay, so I understand that the new "hardcore" is really a way of saying either "adult" or "not for casual gamers" but I genuinely believe the Wii provides as much of a challenge as the next console.
The real problem is that the majority of Wii gamers are proper casual players who don't expect the more mature titles and don't really want them. Any proper gamer would likely have a ps3, 360 or PC for such pursuits.
In that market, 350k isn't a bad result.
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DrkStr 5 Feb 2010 13:58
3/4
Horatio wrote:
Okay, so I understand that the new "hardcore" is really a way of saying either "adult" or "not for casual gamers" but I genuinely believe the Wii provides as much of a challenge as the next console.
Even casual games cabn be played in hardcore way. Just look at minesweeper FFS! That doesn't make them a hardcore game, just means they have more depth than a normal casual game.
Modern Warefare, God of War, Halo, Gears, Bioshock, Gran Tourisno, etc. Those are hardcore games and they are not able to be played in a casual way or by casual gamers.
If you enjoy playing casual games, like Wii sports resort, in a hardcore way, then good for you, but don't pretent it's a hardcore game.
Horatio 8 Feb 2010 13:20
4/4
DrkStr wrote:
Even casual games cabn be played in hardcore way. Just look at minesweeper FFS! That doesn't make them a hardcore game, just means they have more depth than a normal casual game.
Modern Warefare, God of War, Halo, Gears, Bioshock, Gran Tourisno, etc. Those are hardcore games and they are not able to be played in a casual way or by casual gamers.
If you enjoy playing casual games, like Wii sports resort, in a hardcore way, then good for you, but don't pretent it's a hardcore game.
Modern Warefare, God of War, Halo, Gears, Bioshock, Gran Tourisno, etc. Those are hardcore games and they are not able to be played in a casual way or by casual gamers.
If you enjoy playing casual games, like Wii sports resort, in a hardcore way, then good for you, but don't pretent it's a hardcore game.
I'd have to disagree a little with this. My initial post stated that hardcore was sometimes just another way to say mature, and you're comments confirm. My 5 year old nephew can happily complete a lap on GT and takes every opportunity to, so does that make him hardcore, or is the game accessible to a more casual audience?
God of War is surely just a mature title? Certainly it "can" require some skill but set it to easy and its a no-brainer hack'n'slash, playable by anyone with hands? Likewise for Halo, I'm sure I've seen Bungie state on the record that they've tried to make the Halo game more accessible to casual players? So.... a casual game, albeit more mature, and playable by hardcore players?
I certainly don't pretend that Wii Sports Resort is a hardcore game, I just contest the definition of a hardcore game. I think the players can be called hardcore, but the games are more easily identifiable by genre, or possibly age classification.
I'm guessing that the this argument would have the many Train sims out there classed as hardcore? Certainly a casual player has little hope of penetrating them?