We here at Kitsune Games strive to provide gaming journalism of high quality. It shouldn't be that foreign a concept, but in the pantheon of gaming websites, magazines, and other publications, the quality of writing ranges from excellent to absolutely terrible, with results skewed severely to the low end.
Allow me to demonstrate my point with an example you may be familiar with. A number of articles have popped up recently about the Wii. Specifically, about how it may be a fad. This sort of thinking isn't necessarily new, after all, questions had been raised about the motion controls long before anyone actually played the system. Now, however, almost six months removed from the Wii's launch the idiots have come out of the woodwork again.
"The Wii is a souped-up Gamecube."
"It's gimmicky stupid childish nonsense."
"Impressive, but so were the Razor scooter and the Furby."
"Some control schemes are more difficult than with a standard controller."
These people call themselves journalists. Shocking. Let's have some facts, shall we, rather than pointless hyperbole.
Yes, the Wii is based on Gamecube architecture, and is about twice as powerful as its predecessor. Source: http://wii.ign.com/launchguide/hardware1.html
Nintendo certainly has a reputation as a family-oriented company, but there were M-rated titles on the Gamecube, and there will be M-rated titles on the Wii. To name a few: Godfather, Mortal Kombat, Scarface, Farcry, Driver, Splinter Cell, Manhunt 2, I could go on. Source: http://wii.ign.com/index/games.html
The Wii has sold about 6.6 million units worldwide, a ratio of more than 2:1 versus the PS3 in the same time frame. It's only 3 million units behind the 360, which had a year head start. Source: http://www.vgchartz.com/
The Wii is currently available on approximately 1% of retail store shelves across the US, whereas the PS3 and 360 are available on 94% and 77% of retail store shelves across the US, respectively. Source: http://www.itrackr.com/home.aspx
Buying a Wii online isn't much better, as the only options are resellers on auction sites, at a premium of $100-150. Source: http://www.wiitracker.com/
The only people who would refer to the Wii as childish are insecure adults. Swinging an actual bat, golf club, or tennis racket is perfectly acceptable, but mimicking those motions in the comfort of your living room is childish and gimmicky? What seems more like "play": pressing buttons and moving sticks on a controller, or performing physical actions that are directly related to the activity on screen? Is it really possible for a system that has 2 or 4 buttons and one analog stick to have a more difficult control scheme in any game when compared to systems with 8 buttons and two analog sticks?
I'll be the first to admit that I'm a hardcore gamer. I'm proud to say I started gaming when I was 5, and have been doing so for two decades. I have a varied collection of gaming consoles, and a sizable gaming library for each one. I own a Nintendo Wii. I do not own a Microsoft Xbox 360 or a Sony Playstation 3. That is not an accident. I don't have anything against Microsoft or Sony, nor do I have an affinity for Nintendo. No, I based my buying decision on the quality of play. Because that's what it's all about, isn't it? Whoever pushes more polygons, or has exclusive licenses, or owns higher profile development houses, or has a better online shopping scheme doesn't mean anything if the experience of playing the games is poor. I'm not saying I can't have fun playing the 360 or PS3, I'm saying that the Wii is more fun.
The Wii will have been out in the US for six months on April 19. But you still won't be able to buy one without waiting in a long line early on a Sunday morning, paying $100 or more over retail online, or simply getting lucky, and it might be that way for some time to come. And yet, you can walk into almost any store at any time and pick a 360 or PS3 off the shelf. Are Wii buyers childish? Are they buying into a fad? I don't think so. I think they know what's fun, and the hardcore gaming journalists are more interested in their gaming "cred."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
You know, I can't wait for Manhunt 2 on the Wii. That is going to be awesome when you get to stab someone in the eye with a shard of glass or other improvised weapon with an actual stabbing motion.
I wrote that as a joke, but you know... It's true. That is going to be awesome.
Post a Comment