Yeh, gather alot of dudes and jam out with pretend instruments while looking at your miis dance at field with rainbow...so merry, i'd even say gay

Zorba

The guy playing the cello looks like Lavar Burton!! Take a look, it's in a book!!

[www.geocities.com]

Lazlo

I would be bitching, but you ruin the fun of bitching about causal music games. Besides, I rather bitch against Rock Band (which is defined causal...), so why should I even bother with Wii music?

On a sidenote, I noticed both Hamronix and Nintendo are similar, in that in the past they make hardcore games, but nowadays gone soft.

Jestersage

@pd771: Or better yet they could Mario AND Sonic and quadriple sales!

excel_excel

I so want to jam onto "Twinkle twinkle little star." Shame that "Happy birthday" is copyrighted, if it was not then hold on for when you play at a party!

Kaizuden

Will it be donkey kong bongo compatible?.....lol.

Chrinkster

yay its up properly!
Wii music could be good, plain fun, can't wait to give a few of the different instruments a try, hopefully the rythum aspect of the game is good.

aaaaand any second now the 'hardcore' will be bitching

excel_excel

they can sell double by adding mario characters and calling it Mario and Mii Music.

/Why the hell am i not in marketing?

pd771

"It just feels like there is something missing"

What, you mean you never dreamed of feigning participation in a band playing 'Yankee Doodle Dandy?'

The_Atomic_Pod

If Mr. Miyamoto gave me some sexual favors, then I would consider buying Wii Music.

Ping5000

@Chopper_Mike: Harp actually looks fun in a RPG kind of way. Flute is just stupid.

Hyperfludd

WELLLLLLLLL
I'm pretty sure that this game will let me make that impeccable Charles Bronson Mii play the accordion, while I back him up on the cello, so

it's a must-buy.

In all honesty, I doubt that there will be much fun to be had playing WITH the public domain songs, but simple creation sounds like good, simple, entertainment.

PhantomSpaceman67

@excel_excel: I dont think you have to be a hardcore player to think that this is pretty crappy. We are gonna dumb down guitar hero? Great. Thanks alot.

ALT

Something missing in this game?
Perhaps....gameplay?

I really missed the boat on where this one is a game....or fun. I'm with Bishmon on this.

Setzer IIDX

"It just feels like there is something missing - other than the fake plastic instrument."

Oh I wouldn't worry about that, Nintendo is sure to release a line of fake plastic instruments to go along with this.

PlasmaMachine

Here, have a little japanese commercials to end convincing yourselves that this game sucks:

+ Watch video

+ Watch video

+ Watch video

Chopper_Mike

@ Bishmon

so they can give michael phelps a prereleased copy of the game and get away with it... xD

Deenight

Nintendo is just trying to find the limits of their power. If they can really sell people on pantomiming instruments along to crappy public domain music, they'll know there's no stopping them. I'm telling you, if Wii Music is successful, we're one step away from Wii Nothing-in-the-Actual-Box.

Bishmon

hope there is coming a christmas edition too...

just kiddin... everytime i hear wii music i think of the ravi drums video on youtube where he wiggles to this indian crazy song :D

Deenight

I usually play air guitar on the street while listening to my iPod.. so, I could like this.. :P

CockroachMan

Wii Music reminds me of that Comcast commercial with the air drummer. Oh, it makes me laugh...

boopadoo

@Lazlo:

It's LeVar, and I don't think that Kunta Kinte is all that impressed.

Parapraxis

@Jestersage: How exactly have Harmonix "gone soft"?

Xylophone

...because playing your own music and looking weird with your wiimote just doesn't waist enough battery life or cost $50.

Nedge

Shame on anyone who buys this crap. If you really love that music, then learn how to play it with a real instrument. The sheet music is free.

If this is the "innovation" that only the Wii can bring, then hard-core gamers are screwed.

waterhand

Yeah I was surprised when I saw it was Air Piano and not Air Vibrophone or something. And the harp movements remind me more of the bell choirs I used to see in church as a child.

I don't own a Wii, but even if I did I'd pass on this game.

Aeralindor

if i ever get my hands on this and i hope i'm not, i will upload a video to youtube where i wiggle me through all instruments, with just ONE wigglemotion...

i will call it the "magicwigglewanker" watch out! it's coming soon on youtube!

Deenight

Does anyone have the number for DJ Ravi's hairdresser? I need to get my fauxhawk styled in anticipation for this title.

Wii Music + four Percocet + Cammie Dunaway's friend code = Dear Penthouse Forum, I'm a long-time reader, first-time writer. It all started this last Friday afternoon...

wild homes abides!

Man if this used wii motion plus, and actually played different notes based on where your wiimote was, drumming and xylophoning could be fun... but alas

Lobescoper

The more demo commercials I see, the more I face palm.

Seriously, "air piano?" Are there really people clamoring to play air piano? Especially since it looks no different than playing "air marimba" or "air snare drum."

dyl604

I'm puzzled. I still don't know enough, but what I know now, and what I see in those videos really makes me think that I'm sticking with Rock Band (or GH, or whatever the hell Konami is releasing).

Oh, and the guy "drumming" at Nintendo's unveiling of this game (exercise? experiment?) at e3? He's a professional drummer. He drums in a band with a friend of mine. If he can't get that shit to work, I don't like my chances.

TitillatedOcelot

I'm a self described "hardcore" gamer. After I saw that I could flail my hands around to some great public domain songs, I forgot all about Gears of War 2, Resistance 2, etc. etc.

In all honesty I haven't touched my Wii since I beat Metroid. Any game that makes me move my arms around wildly to loosely control whats on screen does not appeal to me. The Wii isn't innovative its tedious and annoying after 2 hours. Perfect for people that don't play games.

xenovis

@Hyperfludd: promising future? uhm... the lineup for the wii is not really looking good... maybe that's for me... but for a nes, snes, n64 and gamecube player, the wii is a big fat dissapointment...

Deenight

@kingmanic: In all my years of gaming I cannot recall a point in time when there were more games aimed at an adult audience with mature themes, depth, and complex and rewarding gameplay.

Your logic is flawed. The success of the casual market is not at the expense of the hardcore market.

elementary

Im sure this could be good but man this is NOT what we gamers are looking for!

HELLSRIDER

@kingmanic: So you're going to ignore a system with very promising looking future games for a single game?

That's..um...smart?

Hyperfludd

This game looks horrible. It'll sell millions.

kojirodensetsu

yup still looks dumb as hell.

Lombax

This is a rhythm game for the rhythmically challenged. Nintendo and the Wii has been a massive disappointment. Wii Music is the key reason I will no longer buy Wii games. It's part of Nintendo trend to aim itself exclusively to people who don't want to play video games. It's success will further undermine the studios focus on making games and shift it towards making expensive gimmicks.

kingmanic

What the hell is going on here? I dont get this. Are there note charts? Do you just move your controllers around"? Maybe alcohal is the missing peice...

DarkHavoc99

What I am really interested in knowing about this game is the music creation and song trade features. One can be really creative, then send it to a friend so they can modify on their take, and send it to another to do it and so on and so forth.

Hyperfludd

I can't believe Nintendo released these to hype up their game. This looks really, really bad. The sets look terrible - do those speakers look like washing machines to anyone else?

MeanMillz

@Foxstar Sixtail

I really don't give a rat's ass how this game sells. Isn't this the section where people go to state their opinions? Or did I miss the part where we're now only allowed to use this space to swear fealty to all Nintendo products, as Shiggy somehow went back in time and invented the friggin' Sun?

TitillatedOcelot

@Foxstar Sixtail: A lot of people don't realise that, and heck Wii sports was a lot of fun, albeit short lived fun

excel_excel

Yeah and everyone dissed the " Wii " name and look how that turned out. I think its amazing that people have such a cat in a bucket of water reaction to Wii Music...do people honestly think that Guitar Hero and Rock Band are the only way to do music games and that all music games should be like them? Game nazis :P There are people out there that think Guitar Hero is just DDR trash with a plastic dick hahahaha.

Anyhow at the core I think snapping the wii-mote / chuck for tempo ( moving it however ) while pressing buttons to trigger notes in a scale or cords or play scripted arrangment could be nice ( all the instruments and multiplayer mode and the factor of being able to stack parts solo goes with that ). The drums will work fine as well ( who cares if some pro tard made a animal beat drum fool of himself on stage )Im sure many will youtube thier talents shortly after release ( lol having a left and right foot pedal by default allows for things that cant be done on rockband drums hah I never understood why the rockband drums had tons of pads but only one pedal then I thought OH yeah that would be hard for people ).

spacecoffin2

I remember when they first announced this game before/around the launch of the Wii and I was super interested in what this game had to offer and the possibilities.

What happened since then that everything that's been demoed and shown since then have managed to make me not want anything to do with this game anymore?

I think RB may have spoiled me. =\

def PD

Do we really need screens of this? lol

Frologic

So much ass hurt from so many folks who the game isn't even aimed towards. Cry on folks, cry on, in the end, you mean dick all in the sales of this game.

Foxstar Sixtail

Is me or Miis are becoming "tired" ?
However, I'm sure this game will sell a lot of copies. But I might pass my turn and stay with RB2.

slimky

It's neat that it could tell the difference between hitting one note and hitting a bunch on the marimbas :P

BrotherNick

Personally, while I'm not interested in wanting to pick up Wii Music myself, or most other music games for that matter, I find the game's concept to be simple, shallow, silly and also kind of clever.

I think Miyamoto referring to Wii Music as a "toy" is exactly why it will sell millions of copies. It's a simple casual game with a pick up and play approach that's meant to be played by a group of people.However,unlike the typical video game, Wii Music's lack of challenge and skill is what helps make it unique. It's a different type of game in the music rhythm genre. Whether or not you're interested in it simply depends on what you're looking for in a music rhythm game.

Killer7

@Mezodon: But it's silly to hate on the game for those reasons. It's not like Nintendo has only the resources to make one game at a time-- Wii Music doesn't make it impossible for Nintendo to simultaneously develop other games. If you disagree with Nintendo alleged prioritisation of non-traditional games over the other, then hold Nintendo accountable. But don't dismiss this game out of hand instead of taking Miyamoto and friends to task.

I am wary about this game not because I'd prefer another Mario (I guess), Zelda (I suppose), or PilotWings (ZOMG)... I'm wary because the game, as shown at E308, appeared to be almost comically non-functional. But I'll still give it a chance if the final release appears to be working.

Know your enemy (Nintendo's priorities) from the incidental victims (Wii Music), and react accordingly.

wild homes abides!

@Xylophone: Compare to Guitarfreaks/Drummania and you will understand what I mean. Me and my friend ended up enjoying Guitar Hero 3 more after we learn that they actually make it interesting to play instead of being accurate.

@Brain_Craters: And that is what I meant by many people lambasting activision. They call themselves hardcore, but when it come to music games, causal, "play with friends", etc. Why do you think we always play alone on ITG?

Jestersage

on that note, was electroplankton any good? because this kinda reminds me of it, except in a less creative way

bigman88zz

@chris_wing: what do you mean? isnt wii music a... oh.....i see what you did there.

bigman88zz

Maybe we should withhold due judgement until it comes out, and you know, can actually play it? Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but darn it if the critics act like they've played it. All this talk of "hardcore"; how exactly can we call ourselves true gamers if we make complete and utter statements about a game none of us have even played? It's all knee-jerk reactions and ignorance. Am I even saying the game will be good? Not at all. I'm just saying it's hard to really judge either way until we've actually played it./mild rant

Brain_Craters

@Foxstar Sixtail: I think people hate Wii Music so much because with all the money Nintendo has been making the past few years and as capable as they are of developing great games, they choose to devote resources to this thing. There are still plenty of people who bought a Wii for actual games and not just a promise of "new Mario and Zelda" with a release date of who knows when.

Mezodon

@chris_wing: Win.

Refused

Another non-game related story on Kotaku.

chris_wing

I totally can't wait to play this game with my Snoop Dogg Mii! I wonder if it has Gin and Juice?

robinandtami

@Hyperfludd: They blew the promising bit in the year since launch. A year on and there are few if any games that utilize their gimmick well or none except wii sports/wii fit/ RE: umbrella chronicles would have been worse with traditional control schemes. The entirety of the rest would have been just as good with normal controls (Mairo galaxy, Zelda TP, Fire emblem, Metroid).

The wiimote control schemes are tedious, inaccurate and gimmicky.

kingmanic

@elementary: What systems are they one (360, PS3, PC). Yes exactly.

kingmanic

@Killer7:

Miyamoto-san didn't say it was a "toy" (that was the questioner's word). He said it was "more interesting than a video game".

And he's right - this is seriously groundbreaking stuff. The world's first audio game, the only one where the whole of the game world is in your ears, not your eyes. The only one where graphics really don't matter. The biggest exploring game ever, in sixty dimensions. The only one where the rewards lie not in the game itself but in the real world. On top of that it is multiplayer co-op.

The design work behind it - making all those things work harmonically in any combination - is enormous. You probably have to go back to Bach to find anything equivalent.

Given all that - don't you want to get it just to see how he pulls it off? (It's Miyamoto, so he will pull it off).

You know - it all sounds a bit too hardcore for me … but I think I'll get it just for fun.

phisheep

The concept of the game itself is very interesting, this should have been out on the Wii launch to show people some creative ways to use the Wii controls..

CockroachMan

Kotaku 1992

"Mushrooms for music notes? Mario Paint screens revealed"

Comments
-------------------

sonicrulz at 02:45PM
Sigh... painting and music? This is even less of a game than sim ant.

oldgamr at 07:41PM
lol look at those gfx, might as well be a master system game. the sprites on Neo Geo are way better. not even worth playing.

Fryfat2

@Foxstar Sixtail

Good, then I'm free to point out how silly I think your calling me silly is, and how silly it is that I'm pointing it out (just to halt you in your tracks of what would have most certainly followed).

I don't doubt that sales of this game should be pretty good. Just like I don't doubt that a lot of people went to see Disaster Movie. I find both equally depressing.

TitillatedOcelot

@Fryfat2:Win.

@Mezodon:The thing is, a new Mario and Zelda are already in development. That said, we just -got- new games in each series. Wii Music isn't effecting the development of anything else. What annoys is that 'core' gamers act like the very idea of this game being developed is a grand insult to all life when it's not being developed for them. Dozens, if not countless games each year are developed and published and out of all of them, how many are for everyone, how many are for a set group of people?

@kingmanic:It's always a pity when bias and sheer tunnel vision, along with personal views so cloud someone's vision that he can't enjoy something. I weep for you sir and note that your point has been clearly made.

The Wii is not for you. So why not do yourself and other posters a favor and stay out of future Wii threads. Or is trolling more of your game?

@TitillatedOcelot:Your free to state your viewpoints. I'm free to state how silly your viewpoints seem to me. Your free to do a lot around here and when you do something bad, you'll know quick.

@chris_wing:Another pointless commenter, sigh for the days when the site was invite only.

@excel_excel:From what I see, it's largely the 'core' who don't understand it and again reinforces my belief that they don't understand how little they mean to the gaming market at large and how they sound much like the anime fans of the 80's when new blood started coming in, or hardcore comic fans to people just getting interested in say.. Iron Man, because of the movie.

People, you should understand that this game will likely not be for you. It's a causal focused game. Deal with it. Withhold your spite and snide comments. Move on. Or keep sounding like a bunch of half blind old men in rocking chairs with shotguns who are screaming at the kids to 'git off my lawn'. Your close-mindedness will lead to you cutting your own throats, among fellow cores who don't have your blinders on and the influx of new gamers who don't have your biases.

Foxstar Sixtail

@waterhand: Can't you say the same thing to all the Guitar Hero / Rock Band fans? Any tool can look up guitar tabs online, and learn to play the ral songs...

I'm not saying there's no difference between Wii Music and GH/RB, but it seems that your comment could be directly applied to either.

dae_giovanni

@kingmanic: "The entirety of the rest would have been just as good with normal controls (Mairo galaxy, Zelda TP, Fire emblem, Metroid)."

I hope you're refering to PC normal controls when you're talking about Metroid there.. otherwise.. you have some problem there..

CockroachMan

@Foxstar Sixtail

And my hat is off to you as well. I always prefer a discussion over an argument. I also understand that it's easier to assume that it's an argument that is starting (I do it myself). Thanks for that.

TitillatedOcelot

@TitillatedOcelot:Well i'm glad your stating your reasons in a good, discussion worthy manner. I was harsh on you to start but your one of the more viable dissenters in this thread and my hat off to you.

As for Disaster Movie, I see it as "Less then toxic brain poison." It's something you go and see with all your higher brain functions turned off.

@ST19AG_WGreymon:I did not know we had a new King crowned. Here, let me hand you your robe sir. It's lovingly done in gold thread with the word "Tool" on the back.

Foxstar Sixtail

me grammar bad...

TitillatedOcelot

@kingmanic: You do know nintendo does NOT care, and would not if they saw this. They would still be rich for advertising to non gamers, and they know you aren't really going to grab your Wii and throw it away, or never go out and buy entertainment for your Wii ever again.

Shockadin

@Foxstar Sixtail

[www.rottentomatoes.com]

It's merits eh?

Come to think of it, the comparison is unduly harsh. That said, I fully realize this game is not aimed at me. I'm not going to yell at people who do like it or are excited about it. By the same token, I don't like being called closed-minded for not being in that target group. I'm merely stating that my gut feeling is that it's not for me. And hey, if it turns out that Wii Music turns out to be a revolution in music games, I'll be the first to admit I was wrong.

TitillatedOcelot

Anyone who buys this should get their Wii-mote shoved up their ass.

ST19AG_WGreymon

@TitillatedOcelot:I didn't see Disaster Movie. But then I know it's not for me. It's not aimed at me and I won't have any fun watching it. That does not dampen it's merits.

Foxstar Sixtail

Adam, how could you possibly be torn on this? It's absolutely horrendous. You don't DO anything in this game...except look like a fool whilst holding the Wii Remote like a flute. It really is, a "glorified noise maker".

ThisCharmingMan

@Kaizuden: Actually only the lyrics are copyrighted.

Wii Music doesn't have any vocals right? ;D

urutapu

@waterhand:"Basically, Nintendo will charge you $50 for something that you can use a paper towel tube and your imagination for. There's no excuse for it."

Then if that's really all their is, the free market will reject it and it will bomb, now won't it? Does the idea of it selling well scare you?

Foxstar Sixtail

@ dae_giovanni: No, there's a difference: In GH and RB, you actually play and need talent to play those games. I am not saying you'll be a true rock star once you've played those games, but there's skill to them. Anyone can wave around a remote like a 5 year old and say that they are "playing a song".

Basically, Nintendo will charge you $50 for something that you can use a paper towel tube and your imagination for. There's no excuse for it.

waterhand

So... are they going to have vocals?

ArgentAngel

@waterhand: Admittedly you need some kind of talent to play RB and GH, but how many times have you heard some jackass spout "I don't play Guitar Hero, 'cause I know how to play a REAL guitar, snarf!"

I'm not sure I agree with the 'you actually play' part of your argument, because you only hit plastic buttons. The "guitar" itself doesn't actually produce any notes-- it's just a controller.

Also, I get where you're going with the 'paper towel tube and imagination' remark, but in that case, you can just about substitute ANY videogame for 'a physical in-hand object + imagination'.

*bangs empty wrapping-paper tube against wall* "Look, I'm playing Castle Crashers!" *fires ping-pong gun won in PAX schwag contest* "Look, I'm playing Halo!"

I think it's semantics, so I'll relent... but I still think your original comment can be (and has been!) applied to the GH/RB series, as well. That's all I'm saying. I agree that there certainly seems to be a whooole lot more to the GH/RB series, and even though I am the reviews editor for a Wii fansite I probably will not be buying Wii Music... but RB, GH, and WM amount to a person wielding plastic and merely emulating the real thing.

dae_giovanni

@Foxstar Sixtail: well said.

Evil Tortie's Mom

@newave:Bravo, bravo.

Foxstar Sixtail

if you do your research you'll know what the purpose of wii music, which some of the people have figured out.

the purpose of a video game is to entertain the user. the idea of entertainment is not literal when it comes to video games. the idea of video games is that the user interacts with the software. most of the 360/ps3 and sometimes the wii players themselves get mixed in on what the purpose of video games are. what most people believe is that you have to have some sort of a goal or a purpose, like in guitar hero or rock band where you play music to become the best band or whatever objective the software creates. or for those that like the action/rpg/etc... games, having a start and an end. but with wii music, that's not the point. the point is to be entertained in whatever the purpose is for the user. if the user uses it to goof of with others, then the software has done what it needs for that user.

similarly, when we listen to music ourselves, don't we pretend we're playing that instrument in our hands or minds.

all in all, for the hardcore, it's not an objective type game where you have a mission, a goal, a start to finish like scenerio here. it's simply just to be entertained. it's a weird concept for most of us now, but nintendo has redone themselves and we'll more then likely become fully accustomed to it within the next 2-3 years.

newave

FINALLY A REASON TO BUY A Wii!!

Jason

@Shockadin: They have lost my business and my evangelism. I will not buy another wii product and have successfully avoided doing so since I bought bloom box and found it was basically a repackaged Rayman:Raving rabbits. They could persuade me to come back by packaging some engaging games with a good use of the wii mote. Unfortunately they have chosen not to do so within the next few quarters.

@Foxstar Sixtail: You object to the exercise of free speech? Are Kotaku threads the exclusive domain of the fans of the subjects of each thread?

I am airing my on topic opinion of a future product based on my own experience with the platform. If there is no criticism for this, the industry will shift gears in short order to cater to the much less expensive casual market. The casual market may not maintain that interest, leading the industry into a brick wall. The more vocal the dissent against Nintendo's casual direction, the less severe the shift towards casual gaming will be.

I'm fine with my father having fun with me with wii sports. I don't object to the existence of a casual market. The objectionable part is when the market leader makes it clear they have no near future plans to cater to the traditional market. The market that kept them profitable when they were #3/#2 globally with lower sales.

I am not a console fanboy. I own all 5 (PSP, PS3, 360, Wii, DS), I have owned all of Nintendo's previous efforts. From NES to Virtual Boy to the Wii. I find their lack of support for their traditional audience disheartening.

I voice my disappointment to attempt to protect my ability to buy games that can capture my interest (like Disgaea 3, Valkery Profile, Fire Emblem, Advanced Wars, The world ends with you, Bioshock, Fallout, Oblivion, Street Fighter, Soul Calibur, etc..).

kingmanic

@kingmanic:The 'traditional' market did not keep Nintendo profitable at all. The causals did and the numbers reflected this. Also, how completely and utterly 'full' of yourself can you be to say...

"The objectionable part is when the market leader makes it clear they have no near future plans to cater to the traditional market."

They have done no such thing. Six causal focused games are not a death knell to 'core' games. My god, you are just full of yourself as if you work for Nintendo and know their MO and what they plan on doing for the remander of the Wii's lifetime. Your really need to scale back your bias and tunnel vision, it's poisoning any view you have.

Foxstar Sixtail

as a side note, sony and microsofts pursuit on what the wii is doing will not work. nintendo has created loyalty and has fished the ocean [they're trying to saturate as much as noted in e3]. when they [sony/ms] pursuit, it'll be empty. so their only objective is to stay in the "hardcore" business.

also, they [sony/ms] have a misconception of "casual". look at some of the articles from sony and ms. you'll noticed that they [sony/ms] would not have considered the older generations or family or party and all everything else. sony/ms think it's those that can play video games but only play the simple games [girls for instance]. that is not the idea of the so called "casual". nintendo on the other hand is everything put together, brain age and mario kart. little big planet, where in there does it offer family entertainment or some form of leisure for non gamers? that's why little big planet will not sell like wii music.

newave

@kingmanic: "The market that kept them profitable when they were #3/#2 globally with lower sales."

Hmmm. That would be the same market that deserted them so that they *became* #3/#2 globally with lower sales would it?

Not a good call for loyalty now.

phisheep

Kanye West: Nintendo doesn't care about gamers.

hagridore

@kingmanic:The market has already shifted. Voicing your disappointment to 'protect' your ablility to buy some types of games is like cursing at the darkness in order to get the sun to rise. If it's profitable, it will be made. If it is not, it will fade to black.

Causals have been in control of the video game market from 1985 on. It's only now that people are realizing this.

Foxstar Sixtail

@kingmanic: maybe you've been stuck thinking about how there are more third party support for 360/ps3 as compared to nintendo's console and maybe you feel left out. but i would simply say don't worry about them because they're market is shrinking and people are a little exhausted with the ideas. fps existed for years on the pc, especially unreal tournament, how do you not get bored playing the same game with better graphics. similarly, if you watch a movie, do you watch it because there's entertainment or for technicalities? if it's for technicalities, my god what are the shows your watching.

"hardcore" is like a ceo position. a ceo is all the way at the top. if we wanted to go much higher, it's pretty hard to since you're all the way at the top. however, with the entry or lower positions even the mid range, they have more options then compared to a ceo. the 360/ps3 has a similar idea. the longer we go on, the more likely that the 360/ps3 will shrink.

this is the concept of the "hardcore". the idea of shopping has both a literal and a non-literal definition. the literal would be to actually buy and the other would be simply to look around. who said when you go out shopping you actually had to buy something. there is the idea of window shopping or to some they call it browsing around. this applies to games. just because a game is created, doesn't mean that it has storyline, a starting point and an ending, and so and so. no. there are other purposes that the game can bring. graphics has become more then enough, of course there will be times where it will need to be upgraded but not so often as it was in the past [maybe once every 2-3 generations depending on the length of each generation].

newave

Coincidentally, I was really playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on my harp today. (No joke. Yes I'm just starting to learn it.)

I guess I could get Wii Music and do that virtually as well :) Probably not, but it looks kind of fun, so who knows...

@kingmanic: Seriously, the thing that gets me here is the 'no near future plans to cater to the traditional market'. I don't understand where the fuck people get this. Yes it's - now - a bit annoying that Nintendo scheduled most of their traditional games to come out during the first year of the Wii's life. Unfortunately, that does mean there's now a gap between the Wario game and whatever's next from Nintendo (Disaster: Day of Crisis if the US date is like the European one, and if the game doesn't suck; otherwise next year with Fatal Frame and whatever else) and obviously even longer if you only count in-house games and not second-party. Anyway even if the gap turns out to be more than six months, it's a scheduling issue. It's not any evidence at all that they don't plan to cater to the traditional market. The fact you had to use the phrase 'near future' simply proves that you already know that. Nintendo still cater to their traditional market. They have a gap in the schedule. Like, oh noes.

Basically I agree that it's annoying that there aren't any new traditional Nintendo games for a while (Animal Crossing is actually pretty traditional by now, but I understand why nobody counts that.) But it's no indication at all that they have somehow abandoned traditional fans. They've stated that several times, a look at their stats proves it (their major games are about half and half casual/traditional), and a look at the sales numbers for their major franchises proves that they'd be insane to dump them.

In the meantime there are quite a lot of third party titles that look pretty interesting. But those might all turn out to suck. Let's see.

So: is there a bit of a lull in Nintendo titles at the moment? yes. does Wii anyway have less to offer a gamer who only wants 'hardcore' experiences than PS3/60? yes. do lots of people feel disappointed with the quantity of good traditional games on Wii overall? yes. but please leave out the bullshit about being abandoned - and also leave out the panic about 'protecting' traditional games. Nintendo and the other companies will keep producing those games as long as they keep selling, and many of those you list sold (or will sell) by the bucketload. They're not going anywhere.

quen

@Foxstar Sixtail: That does seem to be a broad statement made by kingmaniac, but I do remember reading something on Kotaku a few months ago about how there was a "booth" at some convention where Nintendo had an area with "core" games in it. During the tour, the Nintendo rep brought attendees out of the "core" section and said something like "and now we walk away from the past of how gaming used to be and move toward its future." The "future" was Wii Sports-like games and Wii Fit. That spoke volumes to me.

karmaghost

"The objectionable part is when the market leader makes it clear they have no near future plans to cater to the traditional market." kingmaniac

if you're referring to 360/ps3 [ms/sony] then yes because if they try to they lose the "hardcore" and enter a ver risky entrence to get the "casuals". so it's more likely that they will try to cater to both but more for the "hardcore".

if you're referring to the third party developers, not yet. after a year of the wii has been out, things have change drastically. since the beginning of this year up till now. we've seen ea [electronic arts] has changed their strategy in marketing for the wii. we also see ubisoft. maybe next year [2009] we'll see things become more serious.

newave

@Foxstar Sixtail: @quen: @newave:
I think you mixed up when I say "traditional" game market. You think I mean the hardcore 40h/week who play halo 3 non stop. What I mean by traditional is everyone who has played and finished an Final fantasy game or who can name off all of Nintendo marquee franchises. I don't mean the annoying frat boy gamer but instead the "traditional" market. Basically anyone who is interested enough to create a kotaku account. Gaming hobbiests who have been in control of the gaming market since it's inception. From early adopters like me to the camouflaged gaming geeks like my GF.

The attitude at Nintendo is that this traditional market will always stay with them. They just need to rehash their N64/GC games and we'll stay loyal. The absence of those rehashes only accentuate the point.

It's not merely scheduling but priorities. They want to expand the casual market because thus far the casual market has shown a very weak ability to identify shovelware and a very strong compulsion to buy cheap high margin plastic junk. They place development resources into there and continual license junk.

@phisheep: The part of the market that abbandoned them were the teenage boys. They buy who ever is #1 or what ever their friends have. They are part of the traditional market but is not the entirety of them. Much of the generation that played the SNES when we were younger bought n64's and GC's. These slightly older gamers kept them going along with some "family" purchases. But those tapered off as much of those purchases were directed by the above mentioned teenage boys. Having bought a N64 and GC, I most certainly put my money where my mouth is and supported Nintendo.

@newave: If EA follows Ubisofts lead regarding the wii then yes indeed gaming will decline. Have you seen Ubisofts lineup? 3rd party support is poor due in part to the unpreparedness of the 3rd party studios but also due to past performance on Nintendo systems. For the N64/GC third party titles did poorly in general and even on the wii 3rd parties sell fractions of what first party titles sell. This may be due to the abundance of shovelware which makes uninformed buyers wary on non-mario/zelda/metroid titles. We need to see nintendo do some promos with their franchise rehashes, we need them to tighten up their pathetic licensing process, and we need to see 3rd parties try to put quality titles on the wii, this is hampered by incidents such as the wii plus which Nintendo is planning on releasing but didn't bother to tell any of the 3rd party studios they work with.

kingmanic

@Jestersage: You are pretty stupid.

dowingba

@kingmanic: Sure I understood that. The 'frat boy' hardcore don't play Nintendo games anyway - they're out of the equation.

But if Nintendo have given up on the traditional market then why did they shell out for (reportedly) the Fatal Frame franchise, or (case in point with Disaster release date) Monolith in the first place? Sure those aren't in-house but Nintendo bought 'em specifically in order to get a few more 'traditional' games on the system.

And where's your evidence that they are placing 'development priorities' on casual games? I mean obviously they are doing plenty of development in that area but how many casual games are they allowed to make before you think that's too many? They really don't release all that many - just as they don't release all that many traditional games. On major (top level) in-house games, it's about fifty-fifty between casual and traditional. I suspect it takes them less time to develop a Wii Fit than a Zelda, so the development priorities are probably still skewed in favour of traditional games.

So anyway, if you want to complain that Nintendo should make more traditional games, then ok fine, that's a good point and I wish they would too. I also totally agree it would be nice to see some new traditional games developed in-house too (although realistically, they have so much older stuff that new entries in previously-aborted franchises could be just as good, I don't think anyone would be complaining that a Wii PilotWings isn't 'new IP' for instance).

All I really think is silly about your argument is the claim that a six-month (or whatever) schedule gap somehow indicates - well - anything. If it'd been a six month schedule gap after nothing much then sure - but it is a six-month schedule gap after one of the busiest major-franchise release periods in Nintendo's history. The realistic scheduling alternative would've been getting some of those earlier games a bit later - say maybe Mario Kart this Christmas - rather than getting more games now.

quen