*Scroll to bottom for tl;dr version*
What is the deal with the "Big 3?" These companies are so focused on changing the way we play games and staying on top they lose focus on the big picture: Wii DON'T CARE! When you look at the success of previous consoles of yesteryear it wasn't because the console itself had something to offer the gaming community, it was the games that came with it. The PlayStation 2 wasn't successful just because it could play DVDs or the first system to come out, it was because it had a lot of games with variety and quality.
Once the Wii was released in 2006 Nintendo proved that the casual audience was a force to be reckoned with. It proved that you don't need high definition graphics, top of the line online functionality, or a DVD/BluRay player to be successful. The Wii had shown promise that it could of been the best system of this gen. In hindsight it wasn't. Why? Because it didn't have a lot of games that could make it stand out and say "you need to own this system." 3rd party developers had to not only make games that had an entirely different control scheme, they also had to step backwards in technological limits (so to speak) to create a game that was also on the PS3 and Xbox 360. So what did Wii gamers get? A lot of shovel-ware and a handful of excellent games (mostly by Nintendo). So the Wii may have been the vanguard of console sales but it was also the runt of many bad games.
Flash forward to this years E3 and you have Nintendo's Wii U. The system shows a lot of promise but it also drags in many doubts. Will the console be successful? Probably. Will it suffer the same problems of the Wii? Probably. I get a weird sense of deja vu when I look at the Wii U. The graphics (so far) are on par/moderately better than the PS3 and 360 but it also has a control scheme that changes the way we can play video games. However if you look at the launch titles most of you probably said "more of the same." Sure there is a decent lineup of great games and a couple interesting ones but it also begs the question: Why should I buy this system? Most of these launch titles have already been released on the Xbox 360 and PS3 but what you'll get is maybe a shinier coat of paint and a different way to play them. That's all fine and dandy right now but what will happen when the PS4 and Xbox 720 come out with better graphics and online play? 3rd party developers will probably be asking "So we have not only have two systems to make games for but also for an inferior system with a control scheme that is entirely different from the former?" This is merely speculation but I can't help but think the Wii U will suffer the same fate.
And then you have Microsoft trying to once again emulate Nintendo's success. Microsoft is too worried about instant success rather than long term success and I can't blame them but at the same time I don't envy them either. Why did Microsoft receive negative feedback from their press conference? Because all they could talk about was how "new" and innovative their next big ideas were; the games however were remarkably absent. Sure you got Halo 4 but that wasn't turning any heads.
If anything positive came out of this year's E3 it was the games. Sure the Wii U impressed and the Xbox 360 explored alternative ways to play their games but you didn't hear an ecstatic crowd either. What received the most welcoming response was the games, and that's what is most important right? Right?
tl;dr: More of the same, company's are losing focus on the big picture. Games are what is most important to gamers not the toys they use to play them.
Check out my homepage under my profile for the full article.
Captcha: atomic bomb
What is the deal with the "Big 3?" These companies are so focused on changing the way we play games and staying on top they lose focus on the big picture: Wii DON'T CARE! When you look at the success of previous consoles of yesteryear it wasn't because the console itself had something to offer the gaming community, it was the games that came with it. The PlayStation 2 wasn't successful just because it could play DVDs or the first system to come out, it was because it had a lot of games with variety and quality.
Once the Wii was released in 2006 Nintendo proved that the casual audience was a force to be reckoned with. It proved that you don't need high definition graphics, top of the line online functionality, or a DVD/BluRay player to be successful. The Wii had shown promise that it could of been the best system of this gen. In hindsight it wasn't. Why? Because it didn't have a lot of games that could make it stand out and say "you need to own this system." 3rd party developers had to not only make games that had an entirely different control scheme, they also had to step backwards in technological limits (so to speak) to create a game that was also on the PS3 and Xbox 360. So what did Wii gamers get? A lot of shovel-ware and a handful of excellent games (mostly by Nintendo). So the Wii may have been the vanguard of console sales but it was also the runt of many bad games.
Flash forward to this years E3 and you have Nintendo's Wii U. The system shows a lot of promise but it also drags in many doubts. Will the console be successful? Probably. Will it suffer the same problems of the Wii? Probably. I get a weird sense of deja vu when I look at the Wii U. The graphics (so far) are on par/moderately better than the PS3 and 360 but it also has a control scheme that changes the way we can play video games. However if you look at the launch titles most of you probably said "more of the same." Sure there is a decent lineup of great games and a couple interesting ones but it also begs the question: Why should I buy this system? Most of these launch titles have already been released on the Xbox 360 and PS3 but what you'll get is maybe a shinier coat of paint and a different way to play them. That's all fine and dandy right now but what will happen when the PS4 and Xbox 720 come out with better graphics and online play? 3rd party developers will probably be asking "So we have not only have two systems to make games for but also for an inferior system with a control scheme that is entirely different from the former?" This is merely speculation but I can't help but think the Wii U will suffer the same fate.
And then you have Microsoft trying to once again emulate Nintendo's success. Microsoft is too worried about instant success rather than long term success and I can't blame them but at the same time I don't envy them either. Why did Microsoft receive negative feedback from their press conference? Because all they could talk about was how "new" and innovative their next big ideas were; the games however were remarkably absent. Sure you got Halo 4 but that wasn't turning any heads.
If anything positive came out of this year's E3 it was the games. Sure the Wii U impressed and the Xbox 360 explored alternative ways to play their games but you didn't hear an ecstatic crowd either. What received the most welcoming response was the games, and that's what is most important right? Right?
tl;dr: More of the same, company's are losing focus on the big picture. Games are what is most important to gamers not the toys they use to play them.
Check out my homepage under my profile for the full article.
Captcha: atomic bomb
