Wii is a Virus: Epic Boss

[IronMuck]

My thoughts on the subject are:
He does seem bitter about his lack of profits from the wii, as already mentioned.

I don't think it leads the market backwards, sure some developers can make a game for less and have it sell well on the wii but the argument that developers will stop making other types of games (Higher budget blockbuster types) doesn't add up. Halo 3, CoD 4, GTA 4 Resident 5 etc. They made huge profits/people still eagerly anticipate their releases. I wouldn't believe you if you said that Generic party game X made more money than Halo 3.

Perosnally, I bought my wii day of launch(UK) i played it alot simply because of the novelty of a new console. The novelty has worn off, but i do still find myself playing it; albeit not as much as my 360 but i've still greatly enjoyed my wii and i'm glad to have it.

 

[Befuggly]

Just goes to show that Mike Capps enjoys the taste of his own foot! Most of the people who have left comments here have proven that. Way to go Mike - don't get envious, get even, and think up something new and intuitive yourself... or go on making an ass of yourself.

 

[xMacx]

The Wii chose a weaker processor and now numerous indie 3rd party developers are able to keep making games shovelware for relatively cheap no costs.

That's more like it.

Nintendo needs to bring back it's Seal of Quality.

There are plenty of indie games coming or already out on the Wii thanks to the cheap production costs that don't suck.

Just because Xbox keeps most of their shovelware on the strictly "download" end of things doesn't make them any less susceptible to the problem.

There's a couple of great articles out there (there was one a week or so ago on gamasutra) about how nintendo is making it easier due to cheap production costs (you're right), but they lack a real system to filter out the great number of cheap indie games that will suck. It's a high risk maneuver ATM, but one that could pay off really well. Xbox is on the other end; higher costs, but less likely to get spammed with loads of low cost garbage.

You should check the article out - at least from reading that, it seems like your first point is correct, but the second point may not be.

 

[xMacx]

and on a slightly different note, the only thing that was bitter was the title of this piece. Maybe a touch misleading, as well.

am I the only one who didn't find this bitter?

I thought he was making a metaphor about game use on the Wii - everyone catches it, but it passes through relatively quickly. Game purchase data would agree with that.

And per the industry comment,I just kind of nodded. If your job is to push graphic engines forward, what would your perception of the Wii be like? In context of the industry, (i.e., his profits are tied to games using increasingly greater graphics) it makes some sense.

Besides, he said he moves forward, (not backwards) in the context of unreal's graphic engine being scaled down for the Wii. Then talks about the business case and groups who had scaled the engine back for the Wii.

He never said that the Wii was moving the industry backwards, regardless of what the headline reads.

 

[ripper_hugme]

Sour Grapes? more like Sour Wine.

From my understanding they are licensing the UE3 to Ubisoft who apparently intend to use it (and cut about every corner to do so) to make Red Steel 2.

 

[slyder35]

initially i thought i made a bad choice purchasing the Wii last year, but that was only due to the crap games out at the time. once you learn to read online reviews (ie metacritic.com) you start to pull the roses out of the shite-pile and then the Wii's purchase all becomes more than worthwhile. needless to say my 3year old daughter loves watching me play (she even collects starbits in SMG) and will use it herself no doubt as her IQ increases. she spent an hour making her own Mii the other day, with the wiimote she just had to point and click, try doing that on an xbox or ps3.

the Wii is simply another option, an alternative if you like, to the next-gen PC, Xbox360, and PS3, it's not holding them back at all. so my take on Mike Crapps comments are - he's full of Mike Crapp.

 

[stompy]

Funny enough, if you think about it, the greatest pull-back in the industry (IMO of course) is the dev's obsession with graphics, which mean they spend less time on story, gameplay, or what-have-you. So, this sounds hypocritical to me.

- A procrastinator

 

[xMacx]

Sour Grapes? more like Sour Wine.

From my understanding they are licensing the UE3 to Ubisoft who apparently intend to use it (and cut about every corner to do so) to make Red Steel 2.

He talks about them using the engine to make the original red steel in the article.

 

[Lance Icarus]

Looking at that snippet, it seems that he really is just getting his panties in a wad over the fact that his precious little engine doesn't run on Wii. You know, because nothing is innovative or next gen without the Unreal 3 engine.

I have a Wii and nearly all the games I've played on it except for a very select few totally suck. I think what he means by holding the industry back is the fact that the cheaper lower technology of the Wii selling so well will make console manufacturers less inclined in the next generation to release a more expensive more tecnologically capable console thus holding back software advancement.

Holding back software advancement? Are you saying that software will just stop if we all go the way of the Wii? Games are totally going to suck in the future since we can't jam that last piece of bloom into the gamer's eyes. If graphics is your idea of software advancement, then I suggest a cutting edge PC.

By the way, I actually feel that software as we know it is at a standstill anyway. Every game series on the planet seems to have a number after it. GTA 4, Halo 3, Final Fantasy 13, Metroid Prime 3, Guitar Hero 3, etc. We're so married to these games and genre's that nothing new seems to be coming down the pike. Hell, the most innovative console out there seems to be the PSP of all things in terms of software.

 

[Damn Dirty Ape]

That epic guy is making alot of crappy comments lately, I'm surprised people take him seriously anymore. The success of gears has gone to his head me thinks.

 

[Ian Dorsch]

I love the comments threads for these console war news posts. The sound of jerking knees is almost deafening.

 

[Kukakkau]

i can relate to this got a wii on release date got a few games that lasted no time at all. -twilight princess was too short for a zelda game. so i left it for as the arguements says 2 months... nothing good came out do i chucked it. novelty of the controller was great....for a week. wireless internet picked it up fine but then it kept saying "no networks in range...what about the one i just told you to connect to???? read the first post like wow that is so true
oh and to balance the arguement i hated gears of war and the 2nd one is just "ok lets use the same crap..but!! chainsaw duels" wow...im riveted

 

[The Anonymous Mr P]

Oh, people in here are so pretentious its hard to believe. He makes good points, regardless of his area of expertise. I can't help but think that had someone more respected said it, people would posting in mass agreement.

While it has plenty of potential, the Wii hasn't lived up to it yet. While you all seem to be focusing on the mention of UE3, and Epic's usual sort of game, he makes a point in that a good number of people buy it on the 'gimmick' pretense. These people do buy it for two months and then not use it again.

Ever had a telescope, or remote-controlled car, or hobbycraft of some sort? It may have been the best in it's field, and revolutionary, but if you stopped using it after two weeks, did it succeed? Couple this with Nintendo's focus on exceedingly cheap hardware - a good thing, don't get me wrong - it does feel at times they're trying to sell this Christmas' gadget; One of those plug-an-arcade-game-into-the-TV devices instead of a console.

I hope the Wii pulls the finger out and starts turning things around, I really do. People mention that Mr Crapp has simply had success go to his head, but seeing the constant press and rising sales figures in only hardware, I worry that that Nintendo might see that as success.

 

[nightfish]

I don't know anyone who still plays the Wii, or even talks about it for that matter. The fact that the Wii is way behind the PS3 and XBOX 360 technically

thats the point, it never meant to be as good as the xbox 360 or ps3

what it was meant to be was a family gaming machine, same with the DS and to be honest they've succeeded in doing what they set out to do.

 

[Nuronv]

As far as I'm concerned the Wii certainly isn't moving the industry backwards.

I pre-ordered UT3, when i showed it to my friends they of course got themselves a copy. After a couple of months no one plays it anymore. The same logic applies to Epic with their tarting up of graphics engines every year, they just apply a sparkle to the same game mechanics.

At least Nintendo are trying something different rather than pedaling the same stuff every year is what I'm trying to say i guess. After all is said and done, what looks great this console generation will look naff in the next.

 

[McMo0^]

He's got one good point though. I mean, this is the same company (Nintendo, I mean) that likes to release handhelds with serious flaws (GBA, DS), make us want to buy them, then rerelease it with all those serious flaws fixed (GBA-SP, DS Lite) about a year later. I love Nintendo, but their marketing schemes are anything but subtle.

In general, though, he does just sound like a grumpy old man ranting about heavy metal music.

Let's face it though Microsoft jumped onto the that band wagon with the 360. Granted the Elite brings so nice upgrades, but still the hefty number of 360's that go back to microsoft, and then get a quick bodge job fix to keep it goin till the guarentee runs out.

I'm not a huge fan of the wii. I don't think its seen anywhere near its potential with motion sensor technology. The releases that have appeared for it in the majority imo are the kind of thing i could've happly just used a joypad for, and then most motion sensor things just feel like a way of using the technology becuase they have to, rather than because its cool. And as for wii sports. I got just as much from the various eye toy releases for the ps2.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

The Wii's control system is promising, but right now it's more novelty than "wave of the future". Look at how few games the Wii has that take real advantage of the Wiimote... waggling doesn't count. The lack of storage and the cruddy networking nerf the console pretty badly for online play and the community aspect... and the hardware limits really do gimp what developers can do with the Wii. Not just graphics... imagine trying to create an open-world, persistant game on a console without a hard drive.

Throw in the dramatically lower "attach rate", meaning that Wii owners seem to stick with what's in the console or just abandon it a couple of months after purchase, and it's easy to see why developers don't see much incentive to push stuff onto the platform.

-- Steve

 

[PROXER]

Feh, I have a Wii and I've played TP and Metroid prime 3. I really dont think there is any shame in making another game to a ongoing story like Halo or Metroid, but even though I greatly enjoyed 6-9, I must agree that Final Fantasy has gone too far. But yeah, Wii is seriously lacking a lot of good games. Project Hammer would have been cool if they hadn't have canned it.

Oh well, I still prefer my PS2, anyway. A much MUCH larger library of fantastic games, as well as playing all the great PS1 games. I'll never get tired of Final Fantasy Tactics.

 

[gregpolk]

Love my Wii. Don't mind the shovelware because I don't buy it. Every game I've bought so far has been solid gold. Epic can eat their sour grapes, I'm going to go play some Mario Kart, and Smash bros, and finish off no more heroes, and zack and wiki and.....

All the people who think they havn't found a fun game, I have to wonder what games you've been playing.
BTW Twilight Princess was ~50 hour long game. How is that too short? I finished OoT in 10.

Person going on about the article not being bitter - His concept of the Wii Virus is pretty accurate, I do know a few people who have bought it because others have bought it, and then never touched it again. As for you thinking his article isn't a touch bitter, he's complaining that a games console is going to destroy the creativity of the games industry because god forbid it can't run a next gen game engine (in particular HIS next gen game engine. Touch alarmist don't you think. If anything providing a platform for designers to concentrate on original, fun games without having to pray to the big developer gods seems like a benefit to the games industry.