A growing disconnect with the community, and why this year's E3 show left a bad taste in our mouths
In the good ol' days, we loved Nintendo, and try very hard to keep on loving them. Still, Nintendo fans watch as gaming media withdraw their support for the industry giant, one news article at a time. Is this movement within the gaming community completely unfounded?
Sales numbers will, of course, show that Nintendo is still very much alive. And no one can deny the fact that they revolutionized casual gaming in just a few short years, also laying down a lot of groundwork for the other two "Big Three" in terms of motion control. However, the company and their lineup have been topics for debate in the gaming community for some time, and since the Wii became a huge success, we've been back-and-forth arguments over whether Nintendo still cares about core gamers.
Personally, I won't formulate an opinion in the matter, but this year's E3 press conference did not make Nintendo any more likeable to those not indoctrinated. Most of the event stands as irrefutable evidence for Nintendo's gradual and continuous departure from core gaming, despite duplicitous claims that they still support "hardcore" games, citing titles like the formerly exclusive Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, MadWorld, The Conduit, and the budding No More Heroes franchise.
And yet the bulk of their presentation this year spoke louder than any PR claims. There's no doubt that Wii Sports Resort and (facepalm) James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion will make Nintendo loads more money (sadly), but the audience was terribly underwhelmed by the overall show. More worthwhile titles like the new Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Galaxy 2, and the mysterious Metroid Other M did get the right side of the auditorium going briefly, and that same crowd cheered for the Golden Sun DS announcement. I'll admit these games show great promise, regardless of my usual disinterest in Nintendo's first-party games.
Wait, what about The Conduit, Dead Space Extraction, and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles? Fils-Aime barely touched those games, breezing straight through while offering trailers that showed us nothing new. He admits knowing how core gamers feel, empathizing with their disappointment, and then builds expectation by reminding the audience that Nintendo has not abandoned them. The way those games were then presented doesn't exactly support his sincerity though.
That was a far cry from the excitement we saw during Microsoft's and Sony's respective conferences. Xbox 360 VP John Shappert let their lineup do the talking, and Sony CEO's Jack Tretton and Kaz Hirai were infinitely more charismatic during their presentations than Reggie Fils-Aime, Cammie Dunaway and Bill Trinen could have hoped to be with their horrendously scripted industry-speak. Oh, the other execs no doubt rehearsed their lines for hours on end (or even had a teleprompter somewhere), but they pulled it off in spades. These speakers knew exactly how to connect with their audience and draw out a favorable response! The dynamic at Nintendo's show, on the other hand, was embarassingly flat.
The entire Nintendo media briefing also felt like one massive personal insult to many of us. The games are one thing, but their unexplained decision to have the execs projected onstage rather than appear in person felt like a backhand to our faces. We kept fidgeting in our seats, wondering if perhaps Miyamoto would suddenly bust on stage and make everything better. Never happened. Some suggested a separate, more private briefing for the elite was going on in another wing of the Nokia theatre.
And to think, we got up at sunrise to see that. Thanks, Nintendo, for having the earliest flippin' media briefing and deciding we aren't worth your time.
Like his colleagues, Iwata also failed to show up in person. Though this decision may have been a precaution, in case anyone in the first ten rows felt like chucking their laptop at the guy's head after he announced the Wii Vitality Sensor. You really didn't need a sensor to see the audience flatlining in our seats that morning.
Incidentally, I finally took my first gen Wii out of its box again and hooked it up beside my Xbox 360, where it eagerly awaits being put to good use. Hopefully sometime soon. There are definitely some new Wii games to look forward to, like Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and Muramasa: The Demon Blade, which were not even mentioned during the briefing, like so many other missed opportunities.
To be clear, we aren't completely dismissing Nintendo hardware. At least I'm not; wouldn't know about my two co-workers who were present with me. Media and community disillusionment this year comes from further realization that Nintendo has found greener pastures in a different market.
Admittedly, I felt sympathetic toward these people, except Cammie because I was too busy imagining myself performing a flying kick to her face from my chair. As far I know, they could be genuinely excited for their products, and if that's the case, the response they got from their audience this year must've felt absolutely deflating. Then I remembered these guys bleed money, and I didn't feel quite so guilty for not giving a crap about Mario since the early '90s.
Kojima and his translator are not amused.
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The briefing was like pulling teeth, they managed to combine the elements from the prior year with total disregard pandering to a select audience of drones instead. When they were planning the event it seems like they simply asked where they wanted their lemmings to be and found that it was easier to keep them in an entirely different room instead of mixing them in the audience.
First and foremost, you must realize that Nintendo is has to appeal to two markets now. I you can say whatever you think, but SMG 2, Golden Sun 3, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Metroid: Other M, very anticipated, and were very unexpected. Yes, Nintendo had to appeal to the casual market as well, cry me a river over how Nintendo likes other people's money too now. Cry me the same river for MS spending over half their conference talking about Natal (a fishing line for casual gamers in case you couldn't tell), and how it be used to exchange fashion tips or post things on Facebook.
As for the third party games, The Conduit is out now, no use presenting a game that was literally weeks away from being released at E3. The other games? Hey, Nintendo is the only company that actually has a large number of first-party titles with recognizable faces. At E3, it's kinda expected that they show off their stuff instead of the other stuff, especially since a lot of the third party stuff had booths, but you already knew that.
I also distinctly remember Iwata being there in person. Like you know...in that picture you have of him...in person...at E3.
The more it goes on, the more your musing sounds like whining (early? Wasn't it like at 9:00 or something? Hardly sunrise), but this really just sounds like more and more "wahh, look at me, I can bash Nintendo too".
Of course, this is my opinion, you're free to respect it or dismiss as you like.
1. Seating began around 7:00 am.
2. Projected onstage, not in person.
Read more carefully, please. c:
If you thought The Conduit was generic but worshipped that trash then honestly don't talk about quality. COD5 was an epic failure by Treyarch to ride the coat tails of IW, I wont even call it a decent game on the PC.
You have 4 years on me but honestly I don't feel Nintendo has done me any favors, I have a novelty box that occassionally plays really good games for me.
BTW: this isn't a question of mature games, it's a question of quality games. For every Little Kings Story you have 10 shovelware games filling the pot. For every a boy and his blob you have 10 more. It doesn't have to be "mature" it just has to not be absolute rubbish making me want to make a brick wall around the Wii games kiosk.
Lost story short, I sold my Wii a few days ago after the abysmal E3 didn't give me a reason to unpack my Wii. Absolutely nothing has even slightly raised a hair of interest since Brawl came out. Not even Madworld or The Conduit.
On the handheld front, my DS gets a lot more play time than my PSP, (although that may change once MHFU comes out). But my Wii hadn't been turned on since mid-December.
I mean....vitality sensor....really?
The man in charge of this company has publically been quoted, on multiple occasions, that he does not want his console to be for gamers(in many, many different ways, not literally).
Instead, his vision is to make video games accessible as movies are. And what he hasn't realized, is that he is sacraficing the very thing that makes video games a unique, challenging and exciting entertainment medium.
What he has created is a gimmick, a farce, an embarassment to what this industry has been all about. The talented creators int he industry who are forced to attach even a minute on developing for this console are in my prayers.
It's amazing how the largest gaming company can be so disconnected from the majority of their market and their developers.
Of course power and money controls most people but you really want to believe people that are in it for the art and pride can hold onto their integrity just a little bit harder.
Perhaps Nintendo is in the state of conceit because of its enormous selling records across the globe.
Note: Although I've bought a new MS PSP, I still want a new Super Mario Bro Bundle that includes Red DS Lite.
I also read an interesting article about the core who're at fault for Nintendo's recent shift in market. Comments like, "I sold my Wii a few days ago after the abysmal E3 didn't give me a reason to unpack my Wii", are the reasons for the shift. New titles aren't even being given a chance like the conduit. Now, this post as of date is only a few days since the release of the game, so I doubt everyone as actually played they game. Point is, it's not all Nintendo's fault for the recent shift when not everyone is willing to share the "love" for Nintendo.
Many of us were not pleased. We turned to Nintendo, because they were one of the last holdouts. They alone it seemed, still thought of us. They promised that they would change video games. Now they have, and I am happy as a clam in sand.
Wii Sports is a landmark game. It is the final break from the PlayStation era, and it is a fantastic game. No one would have thought it... except Miyamoto and Iwata. They tapped into something that others have neglected. Take Miis for example. I have bonded with my Mii. I want my Mii in every single game I play. I want my Mii kicking Mario's ass in Mario Kart, storming the beach at Normandy in Call of Duty, and on stage in Rock Band. I never knew I wanted them, but now I can't imagine a gaming world without my Mii.
Talk all you want. You just don't understand. Some of us old timers played games for fun, and fun is finally in season again. I cannot wait for Wii Sports Resort.
Oh, and I bought the Conduit. Generic sci-fi FPS fare, much like Halo. You guys will probably love it.
I do not have a Wii, simply because there is no need for me to get one. The Majority of games are simply not good enough. If nintendo up their game i will certainly show intrest.
This year's conference was just more of that. They can appeal to the casual market, but I'm pretty damn sure their E3 media briefing is not the time and place for that. Sure, they've got a lot of great games, but it's like Nintendo doesn't even know what these games are or just prefers to brush them under the rug unless they features Mario.
The fact that they didn't even show up in person onstage showed a serious, serious disconnect with their audience.
And if 31 makes you an old timer, Neoseeker staff must be middle-aged to senior citizens.
So inherently the wii CANT have good games.
@31 year old,
Fun? Games aren't fun anymore until the Wii? What are YOU playing games FOR? What makes a game fun? Perhaps a vitality sensor is what you've been waiting for, so you can monitor your aging heart while your Mii flaps and jumps on screen?
Or maybe you'll like the game to play itself for you so you can have so much fun watching a video game beat itself?
Somewhere in your post I missed the message of what makes a game fun. Because I know myself and millions of gamers have had a blast since the PS1 and it continues to get better.
While most of us disregard the Wii as Nintendo selling out to the corporate game of life.
I can understand the article's point, Nintendo is really caught up in its quest to expand the gaming market. It would be a crying shame if the company is actually forced to do homework in order to "win back" the "core" demographic that is was built upon in the first place.
When was the last time Nintendo put out a great IP?
It seems Zelda, Mario, etc.. is all they're rehashing. They're not innovating on any front.