Why the Wii has Won

Looking back on 2008, one thing stands out in my memory that seriously changed the way I look at video games. That thing is the Nintendo Wii. Read more

Are Hardcore Gamers Buying the Nintendo Wii?

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?

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

Nintendo Fanboy Weekly: Oct 16 – Oct 22 – Nintendo Wii. Wii Fanboy Review: Tetris Party We play it and offer our two cents; Top 5: Castlevania Games Our weekly column offers up the top Castlevania games; It’s-a Mario World: Fan Art We celebrate the great Mario fan art on the … Wii Fanboy presents: Game Night – Welcome to Game Night, a fun activity where we (the staff) and you (the reader) get together and enjoy the multiplayer games available on the Nintendo Wii and DS, every Thursday evening. We meet in a chat room (which you can access by … Nintendo Wii Finder – Rising Demand for Wii Finder Websites – The Nintendo Wii can not be found in any retail store and it is causing my shoppers to go online. Many of them are resorting to services like this Wii … We’re Giving Away a Nintendo Wii! – We’re probably starting to bore you guys with all our free give-aways but we can’t help ourselves so here’s another one. Who wants to win a brand new in the box Nintendo Wii and a $50 free game voucher to top it off? You do! … Wii Availability – The Nintendo Wii is the playing console that has the highest demand since it has … http://www.scribd.com/doc/499426/wii-availability. wii+avalability … Time is running out to get your free Wii Opera-powered browser – Just a few days are left for you to get the Opera browser free for the Nintendo Wii. Starting on Sunday the Wii Opera-powered browser will cost 500 Wii points or roughly $5 (US) to download. If you’re lucky enough to own a Wii and … Review My Blog – Get A Free Linkback and A Free Nintendo Wii! – Yes you Read that Right, Review My Blog and Get A Free Linkback and A Free Nintendo Wii … well at least a chance to Win A Free Nintendo Wii! Dot Com Mogul John Chow has created one of the best ways to get feedback about any website by … Earn $1 Million By Not Buying a Nintendo Wii! – It’s true! You can earn $1000000 by not buying a Nintendo Wii! What? You don’t believe me? All right. Let’s look at the numbers and see if I can show you how not buying a Nintendo Wii (and a few key accessories along the way) can earn … Wii Fanboy Review: The Incredible Maze – Filed under: Reviews, WiiWare. The Incredible Maze is based on a simple, solid game concept: the wooden “labyrinth” toy. You know the one: you turn dials to tilt a wooden maze so that a ball rolls to the destination point without … retro nes skin for the nintendo wii – If you’re feeling nostalgic for the game systems of the 80’s, but still want all that the latest consoles have to offer, look no further than the Retro Revolution skin for the Nintendo Wii. DecalGirl’s 8-bit NES skin for the Wii is made … why the nintendo wii is a glorified board game – wii board game collection. i’ve had a thought mulling around my brain for the past few weeks regarding the nintendo wii, but i thought it too crazy to bring up here. after all, i’m trying to run a somewhat legitimate blog here–or at … Buy Nintendo Wii Online – 3 Smart Shopping Tips You Can Use To Buy … – With US retail supplies still severely limited, your best bet – if you want a Wii, is to buy Nintendo Wii online now. Don’t wait until the rush of the …

Maybe it’s time to get a Wii…

I’ve been debating for a while now about whether or not I should to get a Wii…and this video may have just pushed me over the edge….towards buying a Wii of course. What did you think I was talking about?

I think this video speaks for itself. Enjoy!

Grand Theft Mario

In anticipation of the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, here is a video to remind us of why the series is so great. I’m sure it infringes on multiple copyrights, but it is very well done and captures the essence of GTA perfectly.

What do you get when you add a pinch of Mario and Luigi to a Grand Theft Auto world? That question has finally been answered.