Are Hardcore Gamers Buying the Nintendo Wii?
July 30, 2008 by Panzer Pev
I consider myself to be a hardcore gamer. I’m currently playing the PS3, Xbox 360 and PSP with a touch of PC gaming to keep things spicy. It’s well documented that the Nintendo Wii no longer caters to the traditional hardcore gamers that have made it so successful in the past and the most recent Nintendo press conference at E3 did nothing to win the hearts and minds of the Nintendo faithful. We all know that the Wii is being snatched up by casual gamers who like to have a gaming system around that is easy to learn and increasingly trendy. Sure Wii Sports can be fun – if you are drinking with your friends or trying to show Mom and Dad that games aren’t intimidating and overly violent. However, I still can’t bring myself to buy one. The graphics leave much to be desired, the games offered are almost laughable in their immaturity and the only carrot that Nintendo has dangled for the hardcore is an casual remark that Mario and Zelda games are in development. Well no kidding.
In my experience the gamers that read these sites, watch E3 and actually pay attention to news in the gaming industry typically fall into the hardcore gamer demographic. I don’t see my Mom hitting the forums and message boards and commenting on posts with fiery passion. Nintendo has forgotten about the fans that brought them to where they are today and helped them survive a pretty weak system in the Gamecube. Where would they be today without the support of their most loyal fanbase? Would the Wii even have seen the light of day?
So my question for you, as hardcore gamers, is do you own a Wii? Sure there are some great games there: Zelda: Twighlight Princess, Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. But what else are you playing? Are you really buying Wii Fit and excited about Wii Music?
For years I was a loyal Nintendo fan. I grew up on Mario and Zelda. I still remember the excitement of getting my first Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64. I regret that those days of unbridled enthusiasm for everything Nintendo are gone. Nintendo has done little, if anything, to remind me that it still has gamers interests in mind. Like all major corporations that stumble upon a big idea at the right time, it is now more about exploiting that idea and making as much money as possible. I guess I can’t fault them for that. It’s what corporations (and people in general, do). However, I do think that by turning their back on the hardcore fanbase that kept them alive for so many years they are taking a risk. If they believe that the casual gamers will be ready to move on when a Wii HD is inevitably announced they may find that the market in which they now operate isn’t as prepared to buy another Wii…
So tell us, if you are a hardcore gamer do you have a Wii? Do you own any of the other systems? What games are you playing on the Wii? Do you still trust Nintendo to deliver the gaming experiences you want?
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I don’t understand why hardcore gamers feel abandoned by Nintendo. We already had many great games so we should wait.
In my opinion though wii is more for kids(i am one) wether they are casual or core. Most of my friends have wii’s and they love it. I don’t really care that much for hardcore games like fallout 3 or resident evil 5.
All this hardcore and no games for Wii is B.S. I’m feeling hardcore still but games still have to be fun. Shooting with the Wiimote is pretty damn cool and something the other console players only can experience on a Wii. I like pointing my WiiZapper at Heroes 2 to kill the enemy instead of moving the stick with my thumb to get the enemy in my sites. I loved the way Red Steel played. It was underrated as a cool new direction for the Wii console. The feel when you turned your wrist to shoot the enemies with that side shot of the pistol was just an intense rush. Who else gave that feeling to a gamer in a FPS. NO ONE. Mario Kart is fun and my friends and I love Wii Sports. But we also enjoyed playing thru Tomb Raider, Manhunt, Resident Evil 4, Heroes 2, and Zelda and Mario Galaxy. A lot of us are really excited about The Conduit too. So this crap of hardcore only 360 or PS3 is just crap. And so is your article. Gaming doesn’t have to have realistic graphics to be hardcore. It has to be intense and fun and have a great story with great gameplay. And the Wii with 3rd party support has done this. With Call of Duty 5 around the corner too, it’s just getting better. And the games look fine. Better than the NES or SNES or N64 or PS2. That’s fine. I can only guess that you must be a person who looks at a chess board and says “WTF is this?!? No holographic board with Hologram pieces that I’m moving with my mind? This isn’t chess. It’s no game.”
I’ll even go as far to guess that you could be beaten within the 4 moves that most people are to blind to see.
All the systems are pretty cool. But the Wii does gaming. And a hardcore user can be proud to play in a whole new way. Now THAT’s a LOT of fun. nuff said.
I do not feel as though Nintendo has abandoned anyone. How often does Nintendo release a new entry of its big franchise games? How many of those have been released within the past year and a half? Almost all of them. The hardcore Nintendo fan knows not to expect something fantastic from them every month. I’d say that life has been pretty good so far in the Wii generation for Nintendo enthusiasts. I was and still am excited about Wii Fit and purchased it on the first day it became available. At this point I’m not too hyped up about Wii music, but I haven’t heard too many details divulged yet either. Nintendo hit the jackpot with an untapped user base in the casual gamer and are trying to make sure they have enough content and fresh ideas to continue to bring in new gamers. If Nintendo released a first-party game every month that the majority of hardcore gamers would want to buy then where would that leave third-party publishers? Struggling to make a return on their investments, I say. Speaking from personal experience, I buy a game on the order of one per month. I still have much to do in Zelda, Mario and Metroid (becoming a new Fire Emblem fan took up A LOT of my time). I rather enjoy some downtime from Nintendo to allow me to explore games I may not be familiar with from third-parties. Ultimately what I am trying to say is that it normally takes Nintendo a while to create and polish a game before it gets released. I am fine with this and have been since I go my first Nintendo in 1988. It takes time to make great games and seeing as how we just got iterations of the big Nintendo names I wouldn’t expect nor want another series release in the next few months because it probably would feel rushed and as previously stated I still need to complete the first games. Besides, I like the original definition of a hardcore gamer as someone who is willing to play a variety of games not just FPS and racers and maybe RPGs.
Inappropriate poll answers.
Yes, I have one, and yes, I’m very disappointed with Nintendo. Covert it up with whatever facts you want, I don’t care. You didn’t even going announce anything even remotely interesting at E3 and you continue to shrug off problems that people have been demanding. Truly disappointed.
Fine, go for casual, but don’t turn your back on the audience who wants something more that you refuse to give.
[...] Article here [...]
Dude then look at other 3rd parties
I’m a Gamer since the NES
I owned all Nintendo Home Consoles since, you guess it, the NES.
I love my Wii
I’m pretty excited by Wii Music
I don’t feel abandoned in any sense.
If you believe Nintendo is not for you, don’t write this stupid stuff and promote the other consoles my friends
This post is just proving Nintendo is going to the right way.
Hi,
I´m Gordon 31yrs and I´m from Hamburg, Germany!
I call myself “hardcore” gamer!
I´ve started my console career with let me guess, yeah it was Atari VCS 2600, then NES and Master System, SNES, N64 & PS1, Gamecube, PS2 & Xbox and now the Wii!
Of course I do also hve a PC!
So, for starters the only cmpanies, that hve disappointed me in that generation by now are MS&Sony!
Wii brings that new experience that a gamer have ever dreamt about!
Secondly Nintendo Games like Zelda&Mario stuff are always damn good!
And as a hardcore gamer I´ll love to play GTA on Wii (rumors tell that it´s very likely to come mid/end of 2009!!!
That would be the first installment of that franchise on a BigN home-console ever!!
And many other rumors tell that at the end of this or beginning of next year many so called “hardcore” games will follow!
The only reason I´ll buy a X360 is by now Fable2.
For the PS3 I don´t see any good reason by now, but that can change!
Nintendo is doing a good job and now after 1 and a half year the 3rd partys too start doing a better job!
So, I think BigN did a very good job!
Bye!
I own a Wii and a 360. I’m pretty happy with both. I don’t like friend codes and I don’t like how freaking loud my 360 is.
As a hardcore gamer and longtime Nintendo console owner, I don’t feel abandoned at all. On the contrary, I’ve been so pleasantly surprised. Nintendo usually waits at least a year inbetween it’s marquis titles (like on the gamecube and N64) but not on the Wii. On the Wii, we’ve gotten most all the major franchises in the first 18 months. The Wii is honestly a dream come true to the Nintendo fan, no more waiting years for the next big game. They have been coming out one after another. Not only that, but the games are some of the best in their respective genres. Galaxy was remarkable, TP was fantastic. Fire emblem was hardcore NIntendo at its finest. I really liked BWii, MP:3, Kart and Brawl. I mean, what’s missing for long time Nintendo fans? F-Zero? Starfox? Thats about it. Animal Crossing is right around the corner.
Now, with regard to E3, yes THAT was a bit disappointing. I’m not really that excited about Wii Music or Wii Fit, although, Skate It and Shawn White on the balance board could be really cool.
But seriously, Nintendo fans are generally pretty pleased with the Wii I think.
The people who are not pleased are the ones who want top notch graphics and hyper realistic shooters, like Gears or GTA. But then again, those gamers stopped playing on Nintendo consoles, back the PS1 days, so no loss there.
I really hope they make RE5 for Wii. Sure I could buy it on my 360, but after spending many hours playing the RE4 remake on Wii, when I go back to thumbsticks for a shooter, it really feels old-fashioned. I don’t want to go back to aiming with my thumbs. There’s a better way now.
wow it’s nice to hear people actually saying good stuff about the wii.
I will stick with nintendo no matter what
baah yet another “fanboy” trashing of the Wii.
leaving out the “Hardcore” gamers? are you kidding me have you seen what games have been released by Nintendo in the first 18 month??
It’s sure a hell of a lot more then what they did for GC.
I’m 28 years old and own a Wii, so does 8 of my friends aswell.
They are all around 25-30 years old and only 1 of them own any of the other 2 consoles.
wich pretty much says that Wii isn’t just for kids.
Hey everyone,
Awesome comments so far. This article was never meant to slam the Wii but rather see what gamers really think. Some great responses so far. Keep em coming!
Your welcome
i’m glad more people love the wii than hate it.
Maybe you should do the same thing for xbox360 and ps3
The Wii has some of the worst controls on a gaming system ever. The graphics look like a big stinkin turd. If you are going to have motion controls on a console, at least make the controls feel realistic enough to make up for the horrible graphics. I grew up on Nintendo consoles, and I am extremely disappointed by the Wii. If you don’t believe me go pick up your Wii remote and try doing realistic movements in your games instead of the weird motions it makes you do. Try doing bowling on Wii Sports. You can use the controller upside down and it will give the same result as holding it right. NUFF SAID.
Your point is… especially since they announced wii motionplus and try to play a good game like zelda and tell me the controls don’t suck
I can tell you the Wii is the console I’m least disappointed with this generation. I have a PS3, but very little I want to play on it. I don’t buy defective hardware, so the Xbox 360 is out. The Wii’s current problem is it’s going through a drought. Still, though, there are already more Wii games I own/plan to buy than PS3 games.
Honestly, the entire time I was playing Metal Gear Solid 4 I was thinking “I probably would have enjoyed this just as much if it had been a PS2 game.” I can’t say Boom Blox or Mario Galaxy or Twilight Princess ever made me feel that way.
@ Jason
If you can’t comprehend playing with motion than you just don’t get it and there’s no point of you owning a Wii. The fact that you swing your arm LIKE real bowling is the point. Not that it works no matter how you hold the remote. The point is that you don’t have to use a stick and buttons only to aim and throw while sitting your fat ass in a chair or sofa. To complain about the controls is simply complaining about something your fav consoles are trying to incorporate into their own systems now. To bowl like real bowling or golf like real golfing, well that’s just awesome for a next-gen system. That’s more realistic than button mashing with CGI.
I’m happy with my Wii, but the future is really cloudy. We got almost all big franchises in less than two years (Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros, Zelda TP, Metroid P3, and a lot of Mario games – like Kart), and some third parties are starting to show the games they started producing when they saw that the Wii was selling like hotcake.
The problem is that Nintendo is doing terrible decisions about their core games (like the terrible marketing of MP3, one of the best games this generation), and isn’t making any extra effort towards the core audience. Games simply dissapear (HAMMER, Disaster), and nothing was annouced at E3, as if they haven’t expanded since the money-less era of Gamecube. There is no effort to bring third parties to the Wii, too; they showed at the press conference as if getting two ports with less functionality (CoD:WaW and SWS) on the best selling console this generation was something to be proud of. And what we get doesn’t try to blow our minds with innovation (Mario Kart without solo deathmatch? Broken online on SSBB? Animal Crossing is almost the same as the DS version, with the exactly same flaws? WHY?!).
I always loved Nintendo because of innovation, but I feel like really playing the N64 for the third time.Wich is a great system, but I don’t want to play it for 20 years; mainly if they are not going to blow my mind like Rare did (there still isn’t a game so complete as Perfect Dark! That’s stupid!)…
Sorry for taking so long, but to conclude:
The Wii is an amazing system. I can’t tell by words how it blows my mind every time I play Metroid Prime 3, or how amazing was the first time I got into the last dungeon on Zelda TP. I tried to feel the same thing with other systems, but the only game I remember giving me this sensation was Half Life 2 on PC.
I just wished that Nintendo would take more risks with every single segment of the industry, and not just with the casual (WiiMusic, WiiFit are huge risks). The quirky, innovative games that interest us are relegated to few videos before launch (Fatal Frame 4 – wich isn’t that risky, and still just got (little) advertising two weeks before getting out, and still don’t have a localisation confirmation; Captain Rainbow looks like a really low budget title, even with such a great idea behind; and Wario Land was relegated to a corner in E3, with no mention on the press conference).
I bought the Wii, and now I wish I hadn’t. Honestly I’m not impressed with Nintendo’s hard core gamer offerings. All of the hard core gamer offerings are sequels and they’re starting to get really old. I thought Twilight Princess played far too much like Ocarina Of Time (A great game but I don’t want to play a remake every 5 years). Metroid Prime 3 had way too much back tracking, and it felt too much like a last gen title. I loved Mario Galaxy, that is the only that I’ve played for the Wii that I think really takes advantage of the controller. At any rate my kids love the Wii, so I’ve kept it; otherwise I would’ve put it up on E-Bay and bought a PS3.
@ Wiifan
I thought I would be a Wii fan also. Considering I stuck with Nintendo up until the PS2. I completely skipped the Gamecube altogether because of the controller. From all of the ridiculous hype the Wii got prior to and after launch, I thought what the hell, let’s give the big N another chance. After using the Wii for several months and playing all of the “Triple A” games, I can sadly say that I have lost faith in Nintendo for such a failure of a machine. It is quite evident that the Wii is made solely for raking cash in and not catering to the people who grew up on their consoles. Now other companies are also guily of money grubbing (Micro$oft and $ony) but at least we get really good hardcore games out of them. Every game I have played on the Wii could easily be played on XBOX or PS3 with a gimmicky motion controller, but with a hell of a lot better graphics to boot. If XBOX or PS3 comes out with motion controls and uses them well, along with XBOX Sports or PS3 Sports, Nintendo will be screwed….
Are hardcore gamers buying the Wii? Yeah, they’ll be some hardcore gamers in there somewhere, but I’d say most are casual gamers. Let’s face it, the Wii has quite a poor range of games, seems to be full of party games, it doesn’t cater for every gamer. It’s never going to have any serious racing, FPS games which you get on the 360 and PS3, and I can’t see that changing. I think Wii sales will fall forcing a pricedrop. Remember that the Wii is a suped-up GameCube so with it not being very powerful, developers can only do so much with it. All in all, the Wii is just a novelty. The PS3 always seems to climb into the situation somewhere, I’m convinced that once the PS3 drops to £200 (or less), it’ll start wiping the floor. And remember that if Nintendo can sell a console with a poor range of games, Sony can do the same. The price is holding the PS3 back, the Wii is cheaper in price.
I am also a Hardcore Gamer who has played since the Days of the NES. I am 23 and have enjoyed such consoles as…
- NES,SNES,GBC,N64,Gamecube,GBA SP,NDSL & Now the Wii
- Sega Genesis,Sega Saturn,Sega CD & Sega Dreamcast
- PS1,PS2,PS3,PSP
- XBOX
I have purchased many a game for all the consoles for example my PS2 Collection is @ 80 + & right now my PS3 Collection stands @ 20 as for the Wii it is @ 16 and growing with a mixture of Hardcore and Casual games from both 1st & 3rd Parties.
I believe that Nintendo is all about making there games fun and I have to agree with most above I don’t mind waiting, as a lot of Nintendo’s 1st party staple of games have already been released and I rather see a another quality Mario/Zelda title then a rushed sequel.
While I like to have the best graphics. I believe it isn’t the most important thing. If you have the best graphics but horrible Gameplay or Controls it will ruin the experience for you. So I really think that you have to have quality in all of the aspects of the game weather they are…
- Graphics
- Gameplay
- Controls
- Story
- Music/Sound
- Multiplayer/Online (If Applicable)
- etc etc etc…
In the end though I am glad I own a Wii as I like using it to play some truly unique games. I am always trying to look for something new to play and the Wii is always the 1st place I look.
I have owned the NES, SNES, N64, GC, and now Wii and DS (and PC, PS2, and PS3). I also had Atari 2600 and Commodore64 before that. I like going back and forth between the Wii and PS3. I get my COD4 fix as well as Mario, Zelda, etc. I also love playing the Resident Evil Gamecube games. I’m excited about Resistance 2 and RE5 as well as The Conduit and the next Mario. I laugh because I can’t decide what version of The Force Unleashed to get. I would love to try Fallout 3 and FF but between work and family there’s now way…I have less than 10 hrs a week to play.
I have been a Nintendo fan a super long time but have only recently jumped in with Sony. Maybe because I am 40 yrs old and am getting a HDTV and would like to game in high-def…..but, I will always love Nintendo and will probably support them and Sony in the future (the PS3 is a great value with built-in Blu-ray). Sorry, I won’t be getting an Xbrick 360.
“Honestly I’m not impressed with Nintendo’s hard core gamer offerings. ”
Ok, fine, but they’re just as hardcore as they ever were(or werent). If you didn’t link Nintendos core games, why buy a Wii? Did you think suddenly they would introduce headshots in a mario game? Or that maybe Link would now be able to Teabag? I mean, c’mon. They’ve given nintendo fans what they want as well as bringing new fans. Is that so bad?
Referring to the article. And as a retail employee, I’ve seen a ton of Wii’s moved, often making the media dep’ts budget for the day. But if you look at the attach rate of the games going out, there aren’t many. Games like Zelda, RE, No More Heroes, Red Steel, and Boomblox (the outlier in games for the hardcore, but it’s a puzzle game) are all ignored while overrated, underdeveloped games go out all the time. Games like Ninjabreadman, Wii fit, and knock offs of originally decent games (Carnival fair or w/e it’s called as a cheap knock off of Carnival games is an example); just because of hype or more importantly to the casual consumer base, the price. I’ve met many hardcore gamers who originally bought the system, played the original “hardcore” games, and when that dried up they were left hanging, so sold their console. Nintendo had this idea behind it, where it used to cater to both sides of the line, and the hardcore and the casual both played things like the N64. It had original games coming out that people could relate to and have fun with. It’s a giant part of what made gaming what it is today. But it’s detracted from that path. No more original IP’s are coming out.
As with many things before it that have seen their rise and their inevitable fall, maybe Nintendo’s Wii was a brief revival to the coughing ailing giant they once were. I believe the sad death knoll for Nintendo has started. And who will they have at their funeral? the casual will have either left or moved onto a different system. And the hardcore were ditched years before.
I cant believe what the lot of you here are saying. It is more than laughable. The author is right on the money when he says nintendo abandoned its original fans. The whole lot of you who dont believe so are not just fools…youre DAMN FOOLS! Wake the f**k up already.
@djom,
“nintendo abandoned its original fans”
Nintendo’s fans have been there for the Zelda’s, Marios, Metroids, Karts, Animal Crossings, and Smash, etc. and not have those games all come to the Wii, but they are some of the best in their series. As a Wii owner and Nintendo fan, I’m actually more pleased than I’ve been in years. We’re getting WAY more and better content on the Wii than we did on the gamecube, and even the N64. Nintendo has been releasing exactly the games that NInty fans WANT. I just don’t get where all the bitterness comes from. My guess is, the people crying that Nintendo is abandoning the core, are probably gamers who abandoned nintendo back when the PS1 came out.