I'm 24 and I own a Wii...

[DarkLordofDevon]

I'm 20 and I have a Wii. I enjoy the Zelda titles plus I'm looking forward to Force Unleashed for Wii. Do I care that the average user is 5? Nooo! Why? Because I don't give a damn what people think of me. I find it fun and thats all that matters.

I've never really got into FPS because I just don't have the reflexes. However I do have a good logically mind so something like zelda that has more to it than just firing as much ammo into the nearest target appeals to me. I do also like a good RTS but thats what the PC is for.

In short - Yes Nintendo may release something that is very similar over and over again, but it leads back to the Ancient Greeks who often retold the same story over and over but in a different way. If its good enough for the Athenians and Corinthians its good enough for me. I enjoy the Zelda titles and if Nintendo were to change the formula I probably stop buying them.

But the Wii is far from perfect (I find the Wii control hard to play certain games because it just isn't as good as the old gamecube controller). But for those games which use the Wii's functionality to its best use it is a fairly good console.

I do think Nintendo shot themselves in the foot with the name change though. The Revolution or whatever they were planning to call it would have sounded so much better. But you can't have everything.

So feel free to assume me of having the mind of a 5 year old, I'd rather be young at heart and having fun than running around than not.

 

[poleboy]

Also I don't buy the 'samey' FPS argument. Half Life 2, Call of Duty 4, Halo 3 , Unreal 3. Whilst all being sequels we have HL2 an its episodes that I've used to convert people to FPS games and is just staggeringly above most games in terms of gameplay and story (subtly told inside of beating you over the head with exposition). Call of Duty 4 has a staggeringly good and varied single player game and what is becoming the most popular xbox live shooter. Halo 3 might have its faults but its definitely looks different (ie brighter) than other FPSs out there. Unreal 3 is still the daddy of death matching, and has its own unique look and style

I looked at LoZ:TP for ten minutes whilst my brother was playing and decided I didn't want to do slightly different puzzles in the same world, with the same characters and same creatures.

I still say that you are using the argument that Nintendo games recycle settings and characters to draw the conclusion that they're making you do the same thing over and over. Again, this really isn't true.
Example: Playing as a wolf was a big part of LoZ:TP. The puzzles you had to solve as the wolf were different, because you didn't have a human body to pull a switch or whatever, forcing you to think in new patterns. Mario Galaxy placed you on little planets that had you often hanging upside-down and again, forced you into new patterns of thinking (where will I end up if I run that way, what's on the other side of this planet and so on).

Now don't get me wrong here, I love shooters. HL2 is one of my favoritest games, evarz! But 90% of all shooters give you a specific path you have to follow (like HL2) or a series of mulitplayer-style arenas that you have to beat (Halo). The guns have tactical aspects and it takes some practice to find out what gun to use for what. But honestly, HL2 is the only shooter I've ever played that asked you to think about anything beyond what weapon to use on what monster. And the gravity puzzles were still fairly simple. If you ignore graphic and sound and look purely at gameplay, shooters have developed very slowly, and most companies are still churning out updated versions of Quake (being the first proper 3D shooter). You talk a lot about look and style but let's be honest: That's just icing. It's the cake that keeps you playing the game.

 

[GuerrillaClock]

I can see this thread turning into a flame war between fanboys...
Anyway, the Wii is a great little console, it has the casual demographic (which is getting more people into gaming, how can this be bad?) but it also has the hardcore market, Manhunt 2 anyone? Madworld? Resi 4? And so on.
I was under the impression that gaming was all about fun, and the Wii provides (relatively) cheap, simple fun that a lot of people can enjoy. Many gamers whine about their hobby not been taken seriously in the mainstream, then when the console comes out that gives them some semblance of mainstream appeal they decry it. I just don't get it.
If you don't like Wii fit or whatever, don't buy it, buy Okami or something instead! Get Zack and Wiki! Mario Galaxy (not a kids game, have you ever actually seen a 6 year old on it? Pretty painful stuff).

 

[EeveeElectro]

All I can say is: Age is just a number.

 

[Dommyboy]

I sold my Xbox 360 for a better computer. You can do so much more with them. Though I find the Wii to be the only console worth getting as you get some exercise and it can be great fun.

Now don't get me wrong here, I love shooters. HL2 is one of my favoritest games, evarz! But 90% of all shooters give you a specific path you have to follow (like HL2) or a series of mulitplayer-style arenas that you have to beat (Halo). The guns have tactical aspects and it takes some practice to find out what gun to use for what. But honestly, HL2 is the only shooter I've ever played that asked you to think about anything beyond what weapon to use on what monster. And the gravity puzzles were still fairly simple. If you ignore graphic and sound and look purely at gameplay, shooters have developed very slowly, and most companies are still churning out updated versions of Quake (being the first proper 3D shooter). You talk a lot about look and style but let's be honest: That's just icing. It's the cake that keeps you playing the game.

You are spot on about shooters. The only changes in shooters have been HL games and STALKER and Far Cry games. While they arn't a big change, any small addition of RPG's is surely welcomed. Though these games are still quite linear.

 

[poleboy]

Just a quick side-note here: The idea that Nintendo makes games for kids seems to be hard-coded into most people's brains. And indeed, the games' colorful graphics could fool pretty much anyone into thinking so. But honestly, does anyone actually look beneath the surface? The most atrocious example I've seen was a games journalist reviewing Super Mario Sunshine. His main argument against the game was that it was only for kids, because you could just breeze through it.

I'm sorry, what? What the hell game was that guy playing? Or did he only play for five minutes before making his biased verdict? Because SMS includes some of the most anal, unforgiving EVIL platform levels I have EVER experienced in my twenty years of playing video games. Some of the levels where you lose the watergun and have to navigate huge rotating mazes surrounded by a childish rendition of space made me simply put down my controller in complete apathy and sob quietly. That game broke my hardened spirit with a colorful grin and a wink, and cheerfully suggested that I could have a few more lives if I wanted to try again. Almost like it felt sorry for me. I can't play Super Mario Sunshine anymore. It scarred me for life with its sadistic demands for perfection, disguised as a chubby guy in overalls. How's that for mature?

 

[rossatdi]

Once you've got WSAD and a mouse, or two analogue sticks and a trigger, you can't really get the FPS gameplay any tighter. The FP viewpoint is the one I most enjoy because it actually feels like you are the character.

As as for game mechanic innovation, how many games have been more inventive in recent years than Portal? Maybe Braid! With Loz:TP it certainly appeared to be "oh I can't solve the puzzle with Link, I guess I have to turn into the wolf." Certainly no adventure game has ever used changing modes of interaction before ... please.

 

[Cyclomega]

dannydamage, there is at least one damned reason an xbox is "better" than PC gaming :

no godforsaken activations

If somebody objects to that, here's a tip of my hat to your pluck, good Sir/Madam, with all respect due.

 

[Apocalypse Tank]

I have a 360 and my father have a wii
I think wii is more family and children orientated
SO, massive sale through friendliness and creativity

Yeah sure, call it great exercise when you play wii sports
call it great FPS control when you use the zapper
one problem, even with all the joy and fun and kittens:
Its one thing to be irritatingly ugly, and its another to just throw the graphics out the window.

yeah sure, you can put up the "graphics isn't everything because its fun" argument, but I can't stand it.

 

[tiredinnuendo]

To put it into perspective mate, and I mean no offense here, you're 24, you own a wii and you're really into Dragon Ball Z. The stereotype, alas, still stands.

As a Wii owner, I still laughed.

I probably laughed harder actually

Ditto, actually.

It was a decent burn on me too, come to think of it, because I do own a Wii, and one of my self-confessed favorite fighting games is DBZ:BT3 (although I've never liked the show, but really, how can you not like a fighting game where you can fly and turn into a big monkey).

- J

 

[Cyclomega]

To put it into perspective mate, and I mean no offense here, you're 24, you own a wii and you're really into Dragon Ball Z. The stereotype, alas, still stands.

As a Wii owner, I still laughed.

I probably laughed harder actually

When it comes to FPS controls, I honestly think the Wii has the most satisfying and fun control scheme to offer for first person shooters for any console out there.

If only now they would release a good FPS on the Wii, maybe I haven't played enough at a friend's, but so far I have found the controls dodgy (especially the UbiSoft way of managing sniper zoom) and the FPS I have played on a Wii were run-of-the-mill or failed ports (Red Steel and FarCry jump to my mind, as well as Call of Duty, and I did not play Metroid Prime 3 yet, mind you, I feel the Metroid Prime series is an exception and I see them as FPE (exploration) more than shooting.
Now if you prove me wrong, well my bad.

 

[Apocalypse Tank]

I have a 360 and my father have a wii
I think wii is more family and children orientated
SO, massive sale through friendliness and creativity

Yeah sure, call it great exercise when you play wii sports
call it great FPS control when you use the zapper
one problem, even with all the joy and fun and kittens:
Its one thing to be irritatingly ugly, and its another to just throw the graphics out the window.

yeah sure, you can put up the "graphics isn't everything because its fun" argument, but I can't stand it.

That's why I have a PC which can play Crysis on very high (with the Cuban-Ultima-Doom-Sword config anyway) along with my Wii for playing fun games with my girlfriend and friends. So far, neither the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 can't Crysis it up right?

I hope crysis work with windows 95

but that argument is perfect
I dont have alot of money to throw around
I goto school
and be cool

sadface

 

[Cyclomega]

Well, using asymetrical analog sticks like on an XBox pad feels great to me, way better than using a PS2 pad, weird huh ?

Otherwise I have a hard time adjusting to the Wii sensor bar, I'm not used to it (remember, I do not own a Wii and I only played at a friend's on a handful of games, including Brawl, Wii Sports, Red Steel and Ghost Squad), so I usually play quite bad...
Best aiming devices remain keyboard and mouse to me, but the 360 pad is probably one of the best gamepads ever (never tried FPS on the Gamecube, but a friend lent me his with TimeSplitters 2, so I'll give it a shot).

 

[blackcherry]

I have a 360 and my father have a wii
Its one thing to be irritatingly ugly, and its another to just throw the graphics out the window.

yeah sure, you can put up the "graphics isn't everything because its fun" argument, but I can't stand it.

Fair enough dude, if graphics are your bag then go for it, I won't knock you at all. I fact i do have to say that most games these days do rely on graphics to prop up lackluster game play.
When this isn't there, as say for example the recent wii version of iron man, you notice how bad the game is.

Myself, i must just be easily pleased, or a weirdo, as when i saw TP i just thought, very nice graphics, but i preferred WWs' style.

As for mature games, I still have to point to Majoras' Mask, which was released on the N64. It to me, shows quite clearly what nintendo can do that other developers struggle to. The game is very kid friendly, and i would argue its easier in its main quest that OOT. However for the more mature gamers, it packs in 'hardcore'(whatever the hell that is anyway) side quests, and a vein of black humor that had me roaring with laughter. And this was in a bright sparkly world with no blood or swearing involved, something most games that are 'mature' rely on these days.

In regards to shooting games on the wii, red steel took the first steps where as MP3 got it walking. I will admit it took me a while to come to terms with the wii mote controls, but thats just because i wasn't used the such freedom. I would argue that it wil take a while to lock down Wii FPS controls so they are in line with a PC, but the new add on they have announced(hopefully) should allow it.

 

[Danny Ocean]

Misconceptions about PC gaming. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.67044]

[/punt]

EDIT: Wow, this thread went down the pan pretty fast.

 

[DannyDamage]

I'm just glad people could come along and have a *****! hehe