Wii Bad for the Industry

DarkMaster · 08-20-2006, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Typhoid

Katamari Damacy might be repetative and boring to some, but to others it may be epic because of the sheer size of it.

Except that Katamari Damacy is not large in size, scope, or gameplay. It's entirely a niche title, developed with a small budget, and uses its simplified gameplay and graphics to appeal to a more casual audience. Katamari is exactly the kind of game that would be most suited to the Wii and one that in many ways could prove the point of this article.

I don't think in terms of what makes a video game "epic" is very subjective. A game like Shadow of the Colossus is epic. Katamari Damacy is not. I don't think the term deals so much with how a game looks as much as what it brings to the gaming scene. Story and creative narrative, new ideas and technology. Something like Half Life 2 is epic. Wario Ware Wii is not.

I mean, yeah, you're going to see a lot of gimmicky-type games on the Wii, but that's what the system was primarily designed for. It's what you're buying into, so you should know before hand whether or not the Wii is for you when you go purchase one. Whether or not the console sees an "epic" game or two is irrelevant, because if you wanted games like that you'd be much better off buying a 360 or PS3; systems that focus on large scale games.

KillerGremlin · 08-20-2006, 08:03 PM

*hugs PC

we PC gamers have some of the most epicest games out there.

Typhoid · 08-20-2006, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkMaster

A game like Shadow of the Colossus is epic. Katamari Damacy is not.

See?

Subjective.

Shadow of the Colossus isn't epic in the least. It's repetative, boring, and drawn out. You do the exact same thing 10 or so times. And that's all you do. Ride, kill a giant monster. Load screen. Ride, kill a giant monster. That's hardly epic.

DarkMaster · 08-20-2006, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Typhoid

See?

Subjective.

Shadow of the Colossus isn't epic in the least. It's repetative, boring, and drawn out. You do the exact same thing 10 or so times. And that's all you do. Ride, kill a giant monster. Load screen. Ride, kill a giant monster. That's hardly epic.

You could use those terms to describe anything. What do you do in a FPS? Run around and kill stuff. How about a racing game? You drive, wow. An RPG? Yeah, run around, fight, long boring story, repeat. Not very epic, right?

"Epic", in the way we are using it, has a definition. Whether a game is fun or interesting is a matter of opinion. Any way you want to argue it, there is a clear distinct difference between a game like Shadow of the Colossus and Katamari Damacy. And without getting into terms like gameplay and fun-factor, it's obvious they have two completely different focuses in how they're going to affect the people who play them.

And that is the entire point of the article, the idea that the Wii might alienate those who enjoy games in the vein of SotC, because it is not designed specifically to present that type of gaming experience.

BreakABone · 08-20-2006, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkMaster

You could use those terms to describe anything. What do you do in a FPS? Run around and kill stuff. How about a racing game? You drive, wow. An RPG? Yeah, run around, fight, long boring story, repeat. Not very epic, right?

"Epic", in the way we are using it, has a definition. Whether a game is fun or interesting is a matter of opinion. Any way you want to argue it, there is a clear distinct difference between a game like Shadow of the Colossus and Katamari Damacy. And without getting into terms like gameplay and fun-factor, it's obvious they have two completely different focuses in how they're going to affect the people who play them.

And that is the entire point of the article, the idea that the Wii might alienate those who enjoy games in the vein of SotC, because it is not designed specifically to present that type of gaming experience.

I agree with you to an extent.

There is a clear division of games. I mean no one would ever mistake Mario Party or Wario Ware for epic games. But what about games in between like Sonic and Mario is there not a market (and this is a rhetoric question) for those type of games either. They aren't fully epic but they aren't party games either.

Second point and this still pisses me off, why does everyone assume Wii is not built for epic games. Granted it won't do games on the scale of the PS3 or xbox360 but to be fear the xbox 360 nor the ps3 have done games on their skill yet. They throw a few more enemies on screen, a bigger draw distance and you got yourself a next gen title. And yes this is a major oversimplification. The fact of the matter as you folks keep bringing up SoTC is an epic game which was done on the Ps2. Which means its possible to do even better on the Wii. Would it be as epic as the PS3 version..

That I really think depends. I mean I think games could enter a new field of immersion and epic with the Wii-mote if done right. I mean sure its been PR talk from day 1. But just think of all the actions you can do naturally in a game. Sure some may sound mundane but would add a lot. I mean imagine a game where you have to dig a grave for a fallen friend. Or use the wii mote and analog stick attachment to dig through rubble in a collapsed city. Sure you can do it with other controllers. But I think the action of doing it would add a lot more to the situation.

And to use the movie,book and music as the article pointed out. There is no formula for success for any of those. Epic movies may not be for everyone and the fact that comedies and romance movies tend to do so well at the box office as well proves that. On the same hand there are different types of epic, I don't think Harry Potter is epic in the same way as LoTR but they still find huge markets. And of course popcorn flicks are huge and some just see them as well popcorn flicks as they are called. Same deal with books... I mean I don't even know what type of books sell.. cuz u got biographies which do well and all those cheesy romance novels people can't get enough of.

So would it be so bad for Nintendo to expand the market to not only include epic games, but also comedic games for a different audience or romance games for a 3rd audience. Maybe even start getting into games based on real life things... and I don't mean another WW II sim.

DarkMaster · 08-21-2006, 01:35 AM

I'm not saying that the Wii can't output epic titles, but the system is not being designed with those kinds of games in mind. Like you're not going to purchase a Wii with the hopes of playing games like Metal Gear Solid 4, even though that doesn't necessarily mean said game couldn't be done on the console (well, with less graphical output, anyway).

It is pretty clear however that games on this so-called epic scale would be more at home on the PS3 or 360, whereas the Wii has a different focus in terms of the type of gamers its trying to attract.

KillerGremlin · 08-21-2006, 02:10 AM

the wii will have its epic game....zelda

and maybe a few more

i miss Rare...banjo-kazooie was epic.

Spasmolytic · 08-21-2006, 02:12 AM

A: "I don't like Bacon, Lettuce, or Tomato... PBJ for life!"

B: "PB&J Sandwhich Co. isn't going to attract the BLT crowd, which holds a large percentage of sandwhich sales."

A: "What do you mean? There's a B in PBJ and there's a B in BLT. It's just as good."

B: "BLT and PBJ are different. PBJ isn't meant to have Bacon, Lettuce, or Tomato."

A: "BUT, you fail to see that it CAN have BLT. What makes you think that it's not capable?"

B: "Umm, weren't you just saying you don't like Bacon, Lettuce, or Tomato? Besides, I think you're missing the point; There are sandwhiches for BLT and there are sandwhiches for PBJ. Each company knew what they were doing when they chose one or the other."

A: "PB&J Sandwhich Co. is capable of making BLTs... in fact, my PB&J IS a BLT."

B: *sigh*

Quote:

Originally Posted by define:epic

very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)...
genre characterized by bold and sweeping themes, usually in heroic proportions. The protagonist is generally an ideal representative of a culture‑either national, religious, or regional. The tone of most epics is dignified and the treatment is larger than life.

Crash · 08-21-2006, 01:01 PM

yes. I own a 360 for the best graphics and larger games.

I will own a Wii, for other types of games.

Bad for industry. Quite the contrary. I haven't played an EPIC game since ff7. I don't have time or patience for it.

I'll pick up zelda though.

Seriously, I'd rather have super monkey ball over monster hunter, or oblivion any day.