Former DICE CEO Describes Wii as "A Virus"

[ZaronX]

"a toy, not an entertainment focused product"

Can anyone find me a three letter word for "entertainment focused product"?

LOG!

What rolls down stairs alone or in pairs
Rolls over your neighbor's dog?
What's great for a snack and fits on your back?
It's Log, Log, Log!

It's Log, Log, it's big, it's heavy, it's wood.
It's Log, Log, it's better than bad, it's good!
Everyone wants a log! You're gonna love it, Log!
Come on and get your log! Everyone needs a Log!

Victory is so yours! XD

And anyone griping that all hardcore games are the same: You've been playing your Wiis too much. Seriously. A lot of them are me-too affairs, sure, but there's plenty of games out there that can appeal to the Halo-tards and still be their own creative affairs.

At least this generation has seen a nice decrease in WW2 shooters, if nothing else.

 

[muffincakes]

Well, I guess he is kind of right about the one-time use for the Wii. Of course, treating it like science, we have to add in the variables. That has been done right? The first variable here is the games that are decent and people will play. One the Wii side, this will be pretty much whatever Nintendo makes, and that's about it. On the other sides, well, it's pretty much third-party all the way. A second variable is the amount of these types of games. For the Wii, there are only a few because Nintendo can only make so many games at a time. For the others, there are quite a lot, because there are very many third-parties, and together, they can publish a high number of games. Thirdly, there is the time variable. How much time between releases for these games is there? Since Nintendo is typically the only developer for good Wii games, a lot of time can go between releases, usually with only one a year. For the others, third-parties try to release games during three or four main times a year, so they get three to four times as many games. So, to put that all together, the Wii is limited by the developer, and that's about it.

To put it in other terms: The only games that you own for the PS3/Xbox 360 are Call of Juarez, Madden 07, and Guitar Hero. Now if you only have those games to play, tell me how long it would be before you got tired of it and your console started collecting dust. Then, think about how Fredrik Liliegrin claims that this means your console is a 'virus' and respond accordingly.

I will expect all your responses by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, class. And make sure to double space your answers!

 

[ItsAPaul]

I'll never own one because the only good game for it (Twilight Princess) also came out on gamecube. There's literally no reason to buy one if you're not 12.

 

[teisjm]

"a toy, not an entertainment focused product."

yeah, cause toys aren't for entertainment :/
Sure he has some good points, but this single statement is retarded.

 

[rated pg]

So then who's playing all those copies of NSMBW that people bought, Hmmmmmm? Why would so many people be buying copies if most of them didn't use the system anymore?

Because NSMBW is SRS BIZ, just like Soul Calibur 4 and other skill requiring games. Forgetting for a moment the possibility that so many hours were logged ages ago that it can't fall out of it's number one spot.

Permalink

I've been using my Wii for nearly 4 years now.

He sees it more of a toy, which most purchasers barely use.

Personally, I see video game consoles more as an appliance, because of the extra features offered by some like the ability to work as media center, DVD player, Facebook/Twitter checker (I don't have Netflix/Last.fm but then again, neither do any other Canadian Xbox owners), Blu-ray (for PS3), web browser (for Wii/PS3) and finally, yes, a games machine.

 

[Treblaine]

Well, one thing I think everyone has to realise is that people who bought the Wii are NOT A SINGLE HOMOGENOUS DEMOGRAPHIC.

One major distinction is about 10 million of the 60 million Wii owners did not get it because it was "the in thing" but most rather the die-hard-hard-core Nintendo Fan(boys) whwere if there was a Venn Diagram of that demographics and Gamecube owners, there would be a lot of overlap.

I would put The Escapist Magazine's own Movie Bob in this category. They LOVE all those classic Mario, Zelda, Metroid and other first party Nintendo games which you can ONLY get on Nintendo platforms. They are the first ones to defend the alienating company and point out the shortcommings in "hardcore" game like MW2 which certain Nintendo games have not forgotten.

I WANT to be in this category... but I don't like Nintendo franchises QUITE that much and all the Wii would need is a little bit of a price cut, say to around £100 (where the Gamecube was at this point in its lifecycle) then I'd buy. Maybe the

The problem is most Wii owners are not in this demographic but part of the flippant feckless, no-challenge and "casual" market who don't want "games" in any traditional sense, it is as if the clock has been wound back 40 years and the most advanced actual GAMEPLAY you can get is a game of Pong only with a cutesy interface and gimmicky controls.

But the way I look at it, Nintendo may be getting most of it's cash from these mindless tending drones, but they have not forgotten the 20-25% of their users who have stuck with them for the long run, since the N64 days even where they have given:

-Super Mario Galaxy
-Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
-Super Paper Mario
-Mario Kart Wii
-Super Smash Bros. Brawl
-Wario Land: The Shake Dimension
-New Super Mario Bros. Wii
-Metroid Prime Trilogy
(Later: Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M, Sin and Punishment 2, Zelda 2010??)

These are all GOOD games and this is just the 1st party line-up (no Twilight Princess, that's a GameCube title) and really sell the system to the hardcore which shows there is a market there. Mario Galaxy has sold over 8.1 million units worldwide (compared to 7.8 million copies of COD4 sold for Xbox 360). Third party is less extensive (No More Heroes, Muramasa, Madworld) though seems to have cornered the rail-shooter market and also other "mee-too" titles which are really just re-releases like Okami, and Resi 4.

But OT, I don't think you can call the Wii a "toy" or "virus" without also applying the same to the Playstation or Xbox consoles. It has a log of good hardcore games, the problem is they aren't making Nintendo any significant amount of money.

 

[lasersandbearsohno]

like many people have said, all consoles are toys.
And so what people think the wii doesn't make "True Games" anymore.
Yea they have made many Novelty games but if that's all they think Nintendo is capable of now?
They obviously haven't played TvC, SSBB, or Muramasa:TDB and they must not know about
Metroid: Other M or Monster Hunters Tri.

I've played these games. I was severely unimpressed. SSBB was one of the biggest disappointments of my life and after I finished my bout with elebits i was done. The only reason I've had to touch my wii in the past two years was to play OoT. I borrowed metroid from a friend (self proclaimed nintendo fanboy)saying that 'It would change my view of FPS forever" and "its perfect". I played it for as long as i could before setting it down, once again disappointed. The main thing nintendo does for me is make games that I, at one time got excited for, and learned to not play anymore. Personally, the Wii was the best 250$ paperweight that will ever sit in my living room for whenever we have 8 year olds over

 

[Gindil]

"They just don't use it, it was cool, but they're not gamers, so they put it away," he believes. He doesn't hate on Nintendo, believing that the company is "smart in that way in that they realize this is not a video game machine, this is not a games game machine," and that it capitalizes on things like the "Wii Fit phenomenon that helped a lot of people get a nice cutie voice telling that they're fat and need to go work out."

Before anyone gets out of hand saying Liliegrin hates Nintendo, his "virus" comment actually has a point. Most people probably aren't playing the Wii anymore. The system makes its way into their homes, but interest can fade just as quickly as people get over a cold. It'll get dusted off when Super Mario Galaxy 2 or the next Zelda are released, but these types of games do not hit the system very often at all. Liliegrin's comment is too generalized for sure, as the Wii has proven to be a great tool to entertain people of all ages, but in many cases I would assume he's right.

Hmmm... Interesting "virus". Firstly, the games that have sold the best on the Wii, have outsold the best games on the Xbox or PS3 by the boatloads. Yeah, I'm talking about Mario. To me, Nintendo is doing something smart. The Big N has kept people wanting this game for over 30 years. They've captured the casual market and captivated a few hardcore people by very specific exclusives that work with their strengths. Hell, even Sony and Microsoft are going to

As I've learned recently, people need to remember what games were about. They were idle fancies to pass the time mainly. As I've seen MW2 come into prominence as well as Madden, I've seen other games bite the dust (Little Big Planet). Hell, the reason I don't have a PS3 or Xbox is the very fact that I KNOW I'll forget to do homework or something else. But at least with Mario, I can play for a while, then put the game down.

Not every game has to be some huge blockbuster with exceptional multiplayer and a sucky single player. I personally don't like the FPS franchise as much as others (yeah, I play TF2 all day) but at least with the Wii I can see that there's more innovation in design than what people are giving credit for.

All in all, Lileigrin's comments read more as a person who is bitter they no longer work in the big gaming industry and needs to read about what's happening.

 

[DTWolfwood]

Toy statement i 100% agree with. Virus? it is fast spreading i guess and possibly contagious

 

[omoto]

I've always been quick to note that Nintendo truly believes that Video Games are toys. Something that you are supposed to become automatically disenchanted with at age 12. They have always marketed their products in the 6-10 demographic and will continue to do so for as long as the company exists. The odd carry over of the Wii and DS into adult demographics was a total accident and Nitnendo will continue to assign this as "Parent crossover". Stating that these games are family oriented and continue to dismiss that gaming has an appeal to a much wider audience. An audience that they, quite frankly, do not and cannot appeal to.

We share a similar view on this matter, yet we have completely opposite opinions.
I agree with your point that Nintendo has a very specific demographic for it's releases (although, I would put the target age as 7-15), but what's the problem with that?
I can't see anything wrong with Nintendo releasing games that aren't "mature". You know, full of blood, with moral implications for every action you take. I like the fact that I can enjoy a good Zelda or Mario game, and let my 7 years old niece enjoy it too. Can't do that with God of War, or Dragon Age (actually, I could, but I wouldn't hear the end of it from my sister).

Hypothetical situation. Let's say that I marry my girlfriend and we have a son. By the time I turn 30, he'll be 7, around the age I had when I first played Zelda on my Snes. If the series had grown older with me, becoming more mature, with flashy finishing moves on Stalfos, were the blood would flow from their skulls while the MasterSword rips their body in two, how could I let my son play it and introduce him to the joy that is a Zelda game? By keeping the series without this - I won't deny - cool, but unnecessary stuff, I don't have to worry about what my niece and nephew play on the gamecube I left on my mother's house, when they go there in the summer vacation. In fact, wind waker was one of the very few action games my sister-in-law would let my nephew play.

The problem with the Wii, as has been previously mentioned several times, is the huge amount of shovelware. And Liliegrin has some good points, like the fact that a considerable amount of people who bought the Wii just did it because of the initial fad. But he sounds more like someone bitter with the Wii success than someone doing an actual analysis of the situation envolving the Wii and its consumers.

 

[RUINER ACTUAL]

Can someone please tell me how consoles are toys?

toy [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/toy]
?noun
1. an object, often a small representation of something familiar, as an animal or person, for children or others to play with; plaything.
2. a thing or matter of little or no value or importance; a trifle.
3. something that serves for or as if for diversion, rather than for serious pratical use.
4. a small article of little value but prized as a souvenir or for some other special reason; trinket; knickknack; bauble.
5. something diminutive, esp. in comparison with like objects.
6. an animal of a breed or variety noted for smallness of size: The winning terrier at the dog show was a toy.
7. a close-fitting cap of linen or wool, with flaps coming down to the shoulders, formerly worn by women in Scotland.
8. a simple, light piece of music, esp. of 16th or 17th century England, written for the virginal.

Specifically definitions 1+3.

I guess I'm not on board with this one. I just don't see it. It's something for entertainment, like music, a movie, etc.

 

[Gigaguy64]

like many people have said, all consoles are toys.
And so what people think the wii doesn't make "True Games" anymore.
Yea they have made many Novelty games but if that's all they think Nintendo is capable of now?
They obviously haven't played TvC, SSBB, or Muramasa:TDB and they must not know about
Metroid: Other M or Monster Hunters Tri.

I've played these games. I was severely unimpressed. SSBB was one of the biggest disappointments of my life and after I finished my bout with elebits i was done. The only reason I've had to touch my wii in the past two years was to play OoT. I borrowed metroid from a friend (self proclaimed nintendo fanboy)saying that 'It would change my view of FPS forever" and "its perfect". I played it for as long as i could before setting it down, once again disappointed. The main thing nintendo does for me is make games that I, at one time got excited for, and learned to not play anymore. Personally, the Wii was the best 250$ paperweight that will ever sit in my living room for whenever we have 8 year olds over

What about Tatsunoko VS Capcom & Muramasa: TDB?
Did you play those?
There are many examples i could give of Games that conveniently slip peoples minds when they talk about the wii.
Im not saying that your not entitled to your opinion, im just saying there are many Good and Bad Games for all systems, you just haft to look for them and stop Giving up on a system because of a few bad games.

 

[JaymesFogarty]

On subject, this is nothing new, really. Of course there are some good games on the Wii, but they are drowned by remake upon remake, and cheap cashin's, (see Mario and Sonic.)

Entirely unlike the remakes and sequels on the other consoles...

I never said that there weren't some bad remakes and sequels on PC's, 360's or PS3. It's just that whenever you think of remakes and sequels that never advance a series onwards, you will think of Sonic and Mario, who have both spawned awful games.

Actually I think of Halo and Call of Duty before those 2.

Well, until we have Call Of Duty: Baseball, or Halo: Tennis, Mario and Sonic will reign supreme as the spawners of terrible games. I agree with you though, Halo and Call Of Duty are definitely runners up.

 

[DarkSaber]

On subject, this is nothing new, really. Of course there are some good games on the Wii, but they are drowned by remake upon remake, and cheap cashin's, (see Mario and Sonic.)

Entirely unlike the remakes and sequels on the other consoles...

I never said that there weren't some bad remakes and sequels on PC's, 360's or PS3. It's just that whenever you think of remakes and sequels that never advance a series onwards, you will think of Sonic and Mario, who have both spawned awful games.

Actually I think of Halo and Call of Duty before those 2.

Well, until we have Call Of Duty: Baseball, or Halo: Tennis, Mario and Sonic will reign supreme as the spawners of terrible games. I agree with you though, Halo and Call Of Duty are definitely runners up.

Well Halo does have ODST and that strategy game.

 

[Baradiel]

Hear hear! My aunt got a Wii a some months ago. A few weeks ago I found out it was in our house in the loft. She'd given it to my younger brother, and he didn't even bother to set it up and just stuck it up there.

I can see where this guy is coming from.

 

[ElephantGuts]

Goddamn, I love DICE. It's that kind of thinking that brings us the Battlefield series, and it's true. I consider the Wii much more of a toy than a serious gaming console. Its common use patterns would seem to agree with this.

 

[JaymesFogarty]

On subject, this is nothing new, really. Of course there are some good games on the Wii, but they are drowned by remake upon remake, and cheap cashin's, (see Mario and Sonic.)

Entirely unlike the remakes and sequels on the other consoles...

I never said that there weren't some bad remakes and sequels on PC's, 360's or PS3. It's just that whenever you think of remakes and sequels that never advance a series onwards, you will think of Sonic and Mario, who have both spawned awful games.

Actually I think of Halo and Call of Duty before those 2.

Well, until we have Call Of Duty: Baseball, or Halo: Tennis, Mario and Sonic will reign supreme as the spawners of terrible games. I agree with you though, Halo and Call Of Duty are definitely runners up.

Well Halo does have ODST and that strategy game.

Yes, I suppose.