The Wii/Xbox Massacre is Over...but the Console Wars Have Just Begun

[Tron Bonne]

We don't fear around here...we beat, maim and consume

 

[MadVillainy]

Sounds to me a "casual gamer" is a stereotypical Wii player, a kid who plays alot of the Mii games with his family like Wii Sports.

I dont see whats so bad about that. Thats what Nintendo is aiming and has been aiming for for a while.

 

[SuperFerret]

I go a little bit more than that. I'll admit, I like simpler games with more social gaming value, like Wii Sports and Rock Band, which anyone can get into, but I'll also play other games that take a bit more of a typical gamer approach. I'm outgrowing video games in general and don't have the patience to play a game that pretends its a movie. I prefer the older arcade style of play.

The "problem" seems to be the family Wii players, which makes it laughable because of all the people I know who only have a Wii, very few have anything more than Wii Sports, WiiFit and maybe one of the other similar games, like WiiPlay or Wii Resort. That's all. It's the hardcore gamers that'll continue to drive the market, and though the direction it's heading in isn't my cup of tea, that's just how it seems like it's going, and that's fine.

Can't we all just get along?

 

[MadVillainy]

I just dont see why there is so much animosity towards them. I mean there just innocent families lol.

I gonna outright say it I think Wii Sports is a blast. If I had a Wii I would probaly only have that and Super Smash Bros Brawl (which is why I dont have a Wii). Whats the big deal if families want to have fun.

I dont see how theyre hurting anyone

 

[BatMatt]

That's what they said about the Manson family

 

[Tron Bonne]

The animosity comes because it basically boils down to two groups who just want two different things from gaming. When one is in 'control', one side swings more their way making the other side feel alienated which leads to animosity and so on and so forth

 

[SuperFerret]

*pictures Charlie M playing a Wii*

 

[MadVillainy]

The animosity comes because it basically boils down to two groups who just want two different things from gaming. When one is in 'control', one side swings more their way making the other side feel alienated which leads to animosity and so on and so forth

ok....

IDK it seems that the 2 groups should be able to coexist because mostly .casual gamers could give 2 sh**s what "hardcore gamers" think becasue 1) they probaly dont know "hardcore gamers" exist and are mad & 2)Because their having alot of fun doing there own thing

Its not like Microsoft and Sony are going to stop selling M rated shooters

 

[Tron Bonne]

That can co-exist, I didn't say they couldn't, but you asked where animosity came from and I told you. It's basically the same thing between the casual movie going audience and the hardcore(?) movie going audience on a lesser widespread scale.

Also, M rated shooters does not automatically equal 'hardcore'. Most of those are built for casual audiences too really. Just not the family casuals, but the 20-35 age range and fraternity casual crew

 

[MadVillainy]

you misunderstood I wasnt implying that you thought or said that they cant coexist.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Oh, well my mistake you quoted me and went directly into that so I assumed you thought I had

 

[SuperFerret]

My philosophy on games that I'll own is essentially if I can't goof off every once in a while or if it doesn't have characters I already know and care about and/or a decent create a character mode, I'm not getting it.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I've already got a 360 harddrive, so it's pointless for me to waste money on the Elite. I have no use for Blu-ray, Wi-fi, or bluetooth. Yes, I enjoy the Wii.

I am the dreaded casual gamer, fear me!

Hey I enjoy the Wii and casual games as well

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

The Wii is like fat chicks and mopeds. Fun to play with, but you don't want your friends to know about it.

 

[Brainiac 8]

I've already got a 360 harddrive, so it's pointless for me to waste money on the Elite. I have no use for Blu-ray, Wi-fi, or bluetooth. Yes, I enjoy the Wii.

I am the dreaded casual gamer, fear me!

Meh, me too. As of right now I have a 360 and a Wii, and I love both of them. In fact my Wii may seem to get more attention from me. I guess I'm a dirty 'casual' gamer also. Woe is meeeeeee!

 

[Fading]

I have np with casual gamers either. Play whatever makes you happy. Same with music, movies, or whatever other genres of entertainment you enjoy.

My problem with casual gamin is aimed at the game publishers and console makers themselves. I know the Wii's selling well, but I honestly think in the long run it's a dead end (not necessarily this gen). A lot of Wii owners are getting into gaming for the first time, how many do you think will be gamers for life because of it? Especially if ALL they buy is Wii Sports and Fit. However all the big companies see the Wii as the future because of it's success. I'm just worried about them pandering to the casual crowd too much while pushing aside some of the more fun hardcore titles for shovelware, then the casual crowd abandoning gaming.

Kind of an extreme iffy view of what could happen, but it's really the only gripe I have. Any other complaints boil down to individuals and their comments or fanboyism.

 

[Fading]

As for "The Wii and 360 massacre" being over, I'm not sure. I've said it before, I believe the PS3 has the best exclusives this gen. With the price cut there's really no downside to owning one. Toss in the new news of the 360's 54% failure rate possibly having a negative impact on 360 sales.

However, IMO, it's simply too soon for PS3 sales to soar. It's at the right price point, it's got great games, and more features for the $$ than the other consoles...however not everyone knows this. Not everyone goes online to read about German game conferences. Most won't know about the price drop unless they stumble across it in stores, or by word of mouth.

At Christmas when friends/family are looking for good gifts, yeah I see a sales spike. I just don't see anything huge inbetween then. I mean sale will go up, especially the first week or two after the drop, and sales will permanently stay higher than they have been. I just don't see the PS3 suddenly getting Wii sales on a regular basis.

 

[Spider-Vader]

um left for dead 2.. comes out in november???


why is there no love at all on this board .. PERIOD for L4D.... i was lookin for a thread.. GREAT effin game.. anywho...

Xbox has a price drop coming soon i think in a couple of weeks.. so its fair to say they are ALL gearing up for the buying season

I love L4D. I even made the thread for L4D2, which died down.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I have np with casual gamers either. Play whatever makes you happy. Same with music, movies, or whatever other genres of entertainment you enjoy.

My problem with casual gamin is aimed at the game publishers and console makers themselves. I know the Wii's selling well, but I honestly think in the long run it's a dead end (not necessarily this gen). A lot of Wii owners are getting into gaming for the first time, how many do you think will be gamers for life because of it? Especially if ALL they buy is Wii Sports and Fit. However all the big companies see the Wii as the future because of it's success. I'm just worried about them pandering to the casual crowd too much while pushing aside some of the more fun hardcore titles for shovelware, then the casual crowd abandoning gaming.

Kind of an extreme iffy view of what could happen, but it's really the only gripe I have. Any other complaints boil down to individuals and their comments or fanboyism.

You hit the nail on the head. The reason the 'hardcore' gamer has a problem with the 'casual' gamer isnt due to suddenly being in the minority but more of a fear that what makes a casual game 'casual' will find its way over to the 'hardcore' games in order to increase sales. I feel this is a very real possibility and is beginning to happen now. More dev's are going for this pick up and play gameplay design and i think thats why some gamers tend to give that "look" to the Wii type gamers.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I love L4D. I even made the thread for L4D2, which died down.

Im sure itll pick up once we get closer to release.

 

[DarthRekal]

I love L4D. I even made the thread for L4D2, which died down.

whats yer GT???

 

[Spidey-Bat]

The impact of casual gamers is being overrated. Casual gamers don't just buy shovelware games. They buy good games, too. They just don't spend 100+ hours playing online multiplayer. The "hardcore" crowd is just paranoid that developers will abandon them to make a quick buck with shovelware games which isn't true. Shovelware games don't go platinum. The "hardcore" crowd will still be catered too because they are the ones who spend the most money on games. For all of you who would consider yourselves hardcore gamers, how much have you spent on games this year? How many did you buy shortly after release for full MSRP?

I love the title of this thread, the console wars have just begun? Really? Just because Sony finally decided to get on a level playing field? Sony needed to lower their prices a while ago, this move will help PS3 sales, but I doubt this Holiday season will see a huge upswing in hardware sales, I'd actually expect it to be the lowest Holiday season for hardware sales since before the 360 was released. With the current economic climate parents will be buying their kids software for the decent investment in a system they already made.

amazingfantasy summed it up perfectly. The slim isn't going to make a big dent on the Wii or 360. And with the economy the way it is, people will be buying more software. The one thing we can look forward to is a lot of sales to move merchandise.

 

[Tron Bonne]

The impact of casual gamers is being overrated. Casual gamers don't just buy shovelware games. They buy good games, too. They just don't spend 100+ hours playing online multiplayer. The "hardcore" crowd is just paranoid that developers will abandon them to make a quick buck with shovelware games which isn't true. Shovelware games don't go platinum. The "hardcore" crowd will still be catered too because they are the ones who spend the most money on games. For all of you who would consider yourselves hardcore gamers, how much have you spent on games this year? How many did you buy shortly after release for full MSRP?

No, go back and read what ProjectPat and FadingCB said. There's undoubtedly 'hardcore' gamers with that amount of paranoia, but what they said is much closer to where the problem lies from that side of the feild.

 

[Soapy]

The one thing "core" gamers never seem to take into consideration is that developers want to make the kind of games you enjoy. No way is Bioware going to suddenly stop making games that are deep in both gameplay and narrative in favor of something like Party Babyz. (Yes, that is an actual game.) In my opinion, the argument is moot really.

 

[Fading]

It has to be argued that money speaks tho. Wii Sports is the best selling game of all time. The Wii is selling incredibly fast. Then in the same year MS and Sony both (while they may have been working on it for awhile, they only announced it recently) start pushing motion controls. The Wii's success speaks volumes.

If company a makes an RPGish FPS game it sells for crap on the 360/PS3. Then the same company makes Wii Party Babies and Puppies for Wii for next to nothing and it sells by the truck loads. Which do you think is getting a sequal? Of course a lot of companies want to make fun/good games that gamers enjoy, and many are willing to take a hit to the wallet to do so. However there is a limit, and many game CEOs aren't in it for the gamers, they're buisness men. If they see cheaply made buggy games can sell more than their big budget block busters, some will push the cheaply made games.