Added: April 10th 2008

Can Wii be hardcore?

When it comes to the next generation console wars, Nintendo has taken the early lead.  Wii has sold more consoles then anyone thought they would have.  Many people waited in lines for hours to get their hands on one.  However, now Nintendo has come upon two big questions that will define the system in the future: will Wii ever have a third party game worth playing, and will casual gaming be a fad or a cash cow to milk for years to come? Both of these questions may be tied into the real question at hand, will Wii ever appeal to the hardcore gamer? I like to think of myself as a hardcore gamer, I play far more video games then the average person. And truth is, I knew when the Wii came out it was going to be aimed toward families and try to cash in on casual gaming. However, like most gamers, money was an issue, and at the time I didn't have six hundred dollars to shell out on a "hardcore" gaming system, so I settled for the more party game based Wii. Now let’s be real about the Wii, if it is not a Nintendo developed game, the game probably is not worth buying (with a few rare exceptions). So let’s focus on Nintendo’s more hardcore titles. Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Brothers Brawl are the two that jump out at you, with Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Paper behind them (I am leaving out Twilight Princess because it was a port). Galaxy and Smash Bros. are, bar none, two of the best games made for any next generation system, but are they really hardcore games? Galaxy is one the best developed games of all time. It has some of the best level design ever, can be picked up and played at anytime, and is even creating very unnintendo like rumors of sequel, but for the most part, it still has that Mario game easiness to it. You know what I am talking about, where you have 20 lives all the time and even if you lose them all you are only sent back to the star you were trying to get anyway with no penalty. Now, I understand that some of the stars are very difficult, including some of the daredevil stars.  However, this makes up only about 5/100ths of the game. So if 5/100ths of the game is hard, I do not think you can consider that hardcore. Smash Brothers Brawl can be seen as a party game, being the most fun with when played with friends, but with all the collectables and facets of learning how to play with each character, the game has a hardcore game feel to it. So all things considered, I would not classify this title in the hardcore games category. Super Paper Mario is another game with many collectables and the 2D feel with the new element of changing dimensions gives it a great new twist. Again, however it has that “Mario game easiness” to take away from its "hardcoreness". Metroid Prime 3 was probably the most hardcore of the mentioned games. Why? This first person shooter had difficult game play, challenging puzzles, and solid level design; it’s a solid hardcore game all around. So can you guess which of these four have the lowest sales total? Metroid Prime 3 of course, and even though 1.3 million units is nothing to be sad about, it proves that if a game stays to hardcore, the sales on the Wii fall off. Mario Galaxy has sold 3.5 million which is very impressive, but Wii Play has sold 5.4 and in the past three weeks has still outsold Mario Galaxy, casual gaming anyone? I am not saying Wii can't be hardcore, but I believe hardcore games with casual aspects to them will work the best on Wii. It will be extremely hard to create a pure hardcore game on the Wii that will have extreme success, like Metal Gear Solid 4 is about to on Playstation 3 or Halo 3 did on Xbox 360. The problem my even lie in Wii’s biggest draw, the Wiimote.  It is extremely hard for developers to create games that involve the Wiimote that are not just casual games.  Could you honestly ever picture yourself playing Devil May Cry with a Wiimote?  I can’t. But honestly I have no problem changing pace and playing Wii Play once in awhile, and if any "hardcore" gamers say they have a problem with it, I think its being more narrow-minded then anything. So even if you are hardcore, sit down and play a game of Wii boxing with your mom, I did and I loved beating the snot out of her (in the game of course).

Mario might not be hardcore, but he's hardcore enough to kick your ass!