Nintendo may have sold in excess of a million Wii consoles on launch day, Next-Gen estimates:
Nintendo Wii got off to a flyer yesterday with major retailers reporting sell-outs. Although Nintendo has not released official figures, day one sell-through should be at well over a million.
This would significantly up the current figure noted by NexGen Wars, which at the time of writing stands at just below 700.000. Their most recent figure is here:
You may ask yourself how that site comes up with those figures. I asked the owner about how he gathers the figures and this is what he mailed back:
There is no special secret to getting these. It basically just takes time and research to estimate the numbers as closely as possible.
What I have done is gotten charts of monthly sales for the past few years, and figured out certain trends. Then I have gotten past sales data and estimated the pace at which the consoles will sell. After I have the estimate and the counter running, I just watch out for anny official announcements, and adjust anything accordingly.
The site has been up since early July, and I haven't had to adjust the sales for the Xbox 360 since then. So far my estimation method has been pretty much right on. Now for the new consoles it is a little harder since there is no previous sales data to go off of. What I do for these is research how many they are expecting to have on launch and by the end of the year. For the launch counter I get it to around the number expected, and then I slow it down to pace it so that it will reach a good estimate for the end of the year, and as usual I will adjust anything if any official word comes in.
No, the numbers aren't perfect, but so far it seems to have been a very good estimate.
I myself am confident that NexGen Wars is as reliable a source as it gets, in the absence of official figures. In this case, I do believe the Next-Gen estimate, though, and would not be surprised if NexGen adjusted their numbers accordingly.
Nintendo refused to comment on this story. In fact, the company has not released any shipment and sales figures concerning the US launch - and they told me that they do not know when that data will be made available.
EDIT The owner of NexGen Wars has responded to my request for details on Wii and PS3 numbers. here is his response:
The Wii and PS3 numbers are a little bit more rough than the 360, but what I have looked at for those is trends in launches. I have then taken these trends and compiled the data with how many supposedly shipped and made it to stores. Assuming these shipment numbers are right, then the fact that everything sold out around launch means the Wii and PS3 numbers should be a pretty good estimate, but when any official word is released I will be able to adjust and more accurately estimate the numbers from then on.
Sources: Next-Gen, NexGen Wars
Thanks to: Joystiq
17 comments:
****IALS PRESENTS*****
DAVID VS. GOLIATH :
ROUND 2
Who will win in the end?
You decide:
PEER SCHNEIDER:
Celltherapy -- You keep on saying that I don't understand Nintendo's approach. Why? Because I am dissatisfied with Wii's graphics and speak candidly about that? I know exactly what Nintendo's approach is. Trust me, I've worked in this industry long enough to understand the concept of cheaper, mass-market-targeted hardware. I also know that Wii games in two years will look better than Wii games in the first year. That doesn't change some key facts about the machine, however.
Look, let me spell it out once again: I am disappointed with the lack of advancements Nintendo has made with Wii's hardware over GameCube. I am. I am me -- I am not representative of the entire audience and when I express my personal opinion about something, your argument that I'm not the target group for the machine and thus shouldn't complain doesn't work. Not only am I part of the target group by the very fact that I love playing Nintendo games, my complaints about the graphics and audio don't go away by saying that Nintendo was trying to make a cheap machine for the mass market.
I like the advancements in the control department. I think it's the only possible solution for Nintendo to try something different and target the mass market with a cheaper machine. The fact is, though, that Nintendo could have sold its Wii console with a smaller profit margin and made those of us who DO CARE about graphics and audio (in addition to everything else, mind you -- never are they mutually exclusive) a lot happier.
>Sorry, but if you don't come to terms, if you are not content with Resident Evil 4/ Rebel Strike/Metroid Prime type of graphics then I really can't help you
Well, you definitely won't be able to help me as I vastly prefer the visuals I'm getting from games like Rainbow Six or Gears of War on Xbox 360. Again, it doesn't mean I can't enjoy Wii games. I like Wii. But I'd like Zelda even better if the graphics were in HD or had more detailed textures. To argue against this is like saying I shouldn't want to drive a Ferrari since I could drive a VW Beetle to get from point A to B as well.
Note that you're also mentioning two games from developers that are VERY tech-focused. Factor 5 was attracted to GameCube because of system's capabilities. You will not get a Factor 5 game on Wii because the developer is disappointed with the system's graphics and audio power. Likewise, you are going to see Resident Evil 5 on PS3 and Xbox 360, not Wii. The reason is that the aim of this game is to dazzle you with visuals, make you feel like you're in this gritty and scary world, and, quite honestly, that this developer likes to work on powerful hardware. What you WILL get, is a Gun Survivor-style title that will likely look barely as good as RE4.
The hardware shapes the games. While the unqiue controller will inspire some developers to come up with awesome game ideas, the graphical limitations will likewise turn others away.
>Last but not least, I would also like to encourage you to watch the spider-boss battle from Galaxy concerning shaders.
I do you one better: I played the spider boss battle from Galaxy. I loved the framerate, animation, and the vibrant colors. I'm going to love Galaxy. What I saw could easily be duplicated on an Xbox 1. This is not a dis or statement meant to get anyone angry. It's a simple fact.
Also, please don't ignore my argument that built-in shaders could have made it easier for many developers to improve visuals on Wii (especially over GameCube). Instead, developers will either be investing more time programming bump-mapping from scratch (and because it's done in software, will no doubt result in framerate issues with games with larger vistas than the zoomed-in, background-less Mario Galaxy) or they will be skipping it altogether.
I like Wii. I like the new gameplay concepts that the controller will no doubt ring in. But spare me the "you don't understand because you're not the target group" or "well, the system is physically smaller" sermon. Arriving five years after GameCube, Wii's graphical capabilities are disappointing. Accept it. Live with it. But don't pretend to love it.
----------------------------
IALS:
Here is an excerpt concerning our little debate Herr Schneider:
jaeufraser:
"While I can see where you come from, the main problem is that you fail to see that your view only represents and reflects a small, small percentage of the populace(taking non gamers into account). Try to look at it this way:
When Nintendo came up with the new control methood in mind in the first place, their main endeavour was to cross borders and break free from the bonds of complex two handed controllers that scare non gamers off, in order to get them on board by all means neccessary. That's the essence of it, and the reason why they came up with the remote design(a stroke of genius in my mind by the way)."
An interesting debate here...
So far, I think Schneider's got the superior debating abilities (but cell, I admire your gusto to take him on).
I wanted to take on this point though...understanding WHY Nintendo made the choices they did doesn't mean that everyone has to accept it, like it, or think it's a good idea. Assuming that only a small % of gamers think like Peer does I think is a mistake...history does not really support that. Granted, history doesn't necessarily say the industry will shun this system either...Wii IS a pretty new thing. But along with innovation comes risk and uncertainty, and I think it would be naive to pretend that the things Peer is talking about dont' have, or won't have any effect. It certainly isn't minor. The system can become a great success in spite of these things, but that hardly means it's irrelevant.
One last thing, please, please stop calling current dual analog controllers "15 year old technology". Saying something like that really makes your argument sound disingenious...since that's obviously a load of BS.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
@ Jeau
First of all,
As far as debating abilties are concerned, English is not my native language I'm afraid to say.
Now that we got that out the way Jeau, let me clear some things up (with my limited "abilities" I should add)
As you might have noticed, I admited that I see where he comes from.
All I was getting at is that from a mere neutral business point of view it is rudimentary to question the capabilities of Wii as Peer does.
Once again, please keep in mind that Nintendos philosophy and aim is directed towards capturing a vastly broader demographic than so called hardcore gamers like Peer Schneider for example who favour high end technology.
As the launch indicates, Nintendos approach seemingly adds up.
Look Jeau, I'm not critzising Peer Schneider for what he favours, instead a good deal more due to him loosing sight of the essence of it in context to the point of view of everyday people that aren't into gaming at all.
While he is entitled to his opinion of course,it's still reasonable in my book, to demand a neutral point of view from an editor of a major games outlet, that takes those demographics and overall circumstances into account, when expressing his feelings towards Wii(and void of excessive one sided ego-centric excerences).
He came off mildly akward there I'm afraid to say.
I'm not quite sure if you understand what I was getting at with my response to Peer.
Thus I strongly suggest that you reread it and contemplate if neccessary.
Thanx for your feedback though.
Appreciate it.
--------------------------
No clear winner yet?
To be continued!
-IALS
Like i said before it's just predicted numbers. Nothing more than an educated guess and we've seen analysts do the same for years and all with different predictions. I have no problem with this site doing what it's doing, just with the way it implies these are "real" figures when they are just a guess.
Anyway what i really wanted to say was that right now Nintendo are probably keeping quiet. There are too many hardware issues right now for them to shout about how many consoles have sold. They need to fix them and assess the impact of the problems before they start gloating.
Let's just hope it's only a few systems showing problems. What worries me is the range of problems being reported. Even the Nintendo support page is struggling under tha strain.
Wie gern würde Falafel nur seinen Senf dazu geben...
Wie gern...
:)
-IALS
cubeboy101
wii last released allready in second place
1st place firmly secored and pimped by wii by mid 2007 compleat dominance by xmas 2007 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
wii carnt bump map in hardware
PLEASE YOU HAVE TO DO BUSSINESS CARDS CUZZ YOUR CLOWN ACT IS SO FUNNY
LIKE THE WII GPU DOESNOT SUPPOT BUMP MAPPING EXACLY WHAT PLANET DO U SMOKE CRANK ON
TRYING TO DEEM UR SELF ALL TECHNO SAVY TALKING BOLLOX
THE WII HAS NEXT GEN GRAPHICS
THE BUMP MAPPING ON GALAXY AND BWII IS FUKING SWEET AS IS THE DEEP 3D LOOKING TEXTURES AKA DEFORMATION MAPS
ARE YOU BLIND OR DUM OR MORE LIKLY SONY FANBOY AIRING BOLLOX AND BULLSHIT WILST HE RESTS AFTER GETTING SHOT AT PS3 LOURNCH ROCKSTAR GAMES HAVE ROTTED YOUR BRAINS
NO BUMP MAPPING IN HARDWARE YES AND IV JUST RODE A T-REX HOME FROM WORK LYING KNOB
i think the camera pulls back in mario galaxy to hide the fact its all 2d sprites in software above comments on graphics =nooooobbs
yea u push the caps lock button to turn the big boy letters off anonymous ;)
I wish I could believe the estamates but ive never been to fond of probability. then again it is fun to check how much the ps3 calculation is getting whiped by the wii calculation. thats my kinda math
Sorry Fal but I highly doubt he is even close. His theory is basing off previous sales and trends and it is highly unlikely, especially given the inaccurate or unannounced shipment numbers, that he would be able to cover the whole of USA.
Sorry but I think I will ignore this one until NPD.
A good idea but very unlikely scenario.
****THE IALS PRESENTS****
+++DAVID VS. GOLIATH OR PEER SCHNEIDER VS. IALS ++++
ROUND 3
WHO WILL WIN ?YOU DECIDE!
Enjoy:
IALS:
Guten Morgen Herr Schneider,
Time and time again,your responses have shown how one sided your views are.With all due respect, you attitude certainly bodes ill of your ability to access the situation from different angles and your ability to take those angles and the circumstances they cohere with into account.
Insisting on your sucked dry graphics argument not only contradicts your present alibi-like predilection for Nintendo games,( being that your excessive dissatisfaction and attitude towards the system far outweigh your cautious optimism)it also speaks volumes about your partition as a consumer in this industry and your overliance on it. You come a mucker since you buy their insufficient "face-lifted" products. They constantly pull a fast one on you because you buy into their vision of next generation gaming.
People like you are responsible for the lack of innovation in this industry and its' inability to move forwar at a steady pace.All the games that you mentioned are mere pimped up feeble imitations of tried and true gameplay formulas that established themselves many years ago. Games haven't evolved in a fundamental way since Mario 64( with the exception of online gaming).
Microsoft and Sony pulled the sheets way over your head I'm afraid to say Herr Schneider.Let's put things in perspective for moment.Matter of fact is, aiming in games like Rainbow Six Vegas is still done with the analogstick. You aim at moving objects and press a button just as you did in Doom way back in the day (albeit with a much more attractive presentation I should add.)
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!
I'm sick of conventional controllers. I'm sick of pressing abstract button combinations that translate into even more abstract movements on screen. There is no proper, believable interplay between the player and what is happening on screen. I guess that shows you how far we have come.At this stage already it's over 90% of peoples heads in the industry, artifical borders collide with the imagination of people.Again, I'm tellin'you, I have been doing this for many years, I know how the industry gets down, I know how the industy does what it does. It's all about making a quick and healthy buck nowadyas. No need for innovation as long as it sells. You confirm it.
I'm bored to death of games nowadays. They are all the same. I'm not that much into cosmetics you know ?!
To conclude, that's why I find it laughable and rudimentary of you, when you whine about something that your brainwashed mind has come to expect from games as if there is nothing more to it than better graphics. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.Also note that graphics are taken for granted nowadays whilst real (hardware)innovation simply isn't. At the moment, Nintendo is the only company that drives the industry forward in a reasonable manner, and I'm 200% sure that it's only a matter of time until Sony and Microsoft feel inclined to shift lanes, and to innovate in that area as well given that it truely changes the way how games are perceived in society. Nintendo broadens the industries' horizon in a way more significant manner than graphics alone ever could, and you Herr Schneider should pay hommage to that instead of complaining about peanuts and be thankful.
--------------------
To be continued
who the fuk is this PEER SCHNEIDER fob and why shoul;d i care?!?
please explain it to me in 100 words or less or else i couldnt give a shit nd therefore its not worth posting.
(its late im testy)
i no its probaly completely wrong but i cant help but check it every now and then to support nintendo lol.
i bet as soon as offical figures cum out he'll change the figures and proclame 'I WAS RIGHT!'
who wouldnt do that? ;)
@ The I.A.L.S
Just quit already, nobody cares and nobody read that crap. Go love yourself somewhere else!
Just quit already, nobody cares and nobody read that crap. Go love yourself somewhere else!
Wow.
How small must your p.... be if you feel so inclined to shove that up my throat????
Biaaaaaaaaaaa
-IALS
you casn moan about CAPS ALL YOU FUKING LIKE THE WII HAS NEXT GEN GRAPHICS DEVELOPERS GOT WII DEVS AT E3 2006 EALIST
IT WAS STATED CLEARLY RED STEL WAS DEVELOPED ON PC/CUBE LEVEL AND POLISHED UP WITH FINAL DEV KITS
BWII LOOKS AMASING AND CKECK OUT FULLY 3D SPECATORS AND DEEO DEFOMATION TEXTURES ON PITCH AND OTHER TEXTURE EFFECTS I CAN CLEARLY SEE HEAVY BUMP MAPING AND SOMEKIND OF DEEPER 3D LIKE TEXTURES GOING ON ALLSO AMASING BLOOM AND HDR LIGHTING
STOP TALKING GOOON TALK
****IALS PRESENTS*****
DAVID VS. GOLIATH :
"GOLIATH STRIKES BACK"
ROUND 4
Who will win in the end?
You decide:
P.s:(Nintendofans I'm running out of ammunition I may need your help..)
PEER SCHNEIDER IGN:
Celltherapy, you have a serious problem.
Not only do you post comments in the wrong threads and continously display your intolerance of other gamers' tastes, it's time you actually played the games you're dissing.
To suggest that innovation is primarily made possible by changing the control mechanism is like saying all books are the same because they rely on text and make you flip pages. As I've said again and again and again, I enjoy Wii, I like the new control mechanism and have high hopes that it'll lead to innovative games. But please drop the argument that other consoles' games haven't evolved or added much to gaming.
Likewise, just like I can enjoy the excellent Twilight Princess -- which sticks really closely to the age-old Zelda formula with just some minor added Wiimote elements -- I can enjoy titles like Rainbow Six: Vegas which stick closely to its established gameplay paradigms. R6 perfects the cover/shoot mechanics by introducing third-person elements to the series, improves squad control (tell your team what to do and when to execute it), adds more story elements, and radically upgrades the graphics to bring home an even grittier and more realistic experience.
I'm not too cool to express my likes and dislikes: I love good gameplay AND I love good graphics and sound. I think a game like Gears of War absolutely lives off its visual impact. One moment, it makes you feel like you're in the movie Pitch Black, afraid to step into the light because swarms of flying creatures will take your head off. At other times, you're running for your life because an oversized and frightfully rendered berzerker beast is out to pound you to goo. The fact that the entire game runs perfectly in two-player co-op online (and has loads of elements designed for two players to work together, such as one guy moving a spotlight to protect the other from darkness, or one driving an APV and the other manning the turrets) is proof that the developer wasn't content to entirely rely on graphical dazzle.
I will not buy bad games with good graphics, but I'll buy good games with bad graphics. You can stop repeating the company line to me that it's all about reaching the mass market or how the industry is declining (it isn't in the US. That's a problem unique to Japan, which is hyper-focused on mobile and portable culture), because you're neither telling me anything I haven't heard before nor are you making a convincing argument by trying to degrade good games. You hurl insults at me saying I'm "brainwashed," yet you dare repeat Nintendo's justification why its console is underpowered while trying to force the viewpoint that gamers should ignore technical advancements and be content that new control elements are introduced. How about both?
The statement that "Nintendo is the only company that drives the industry forward in a reasonable manner" is hollow, as Microsoft delivered an amazing online experience with Xbox Live that got console gamers playing and talking to each other online, comparing each other's accomplishments via achievements, trying their mettle at simple, downloadable games (which they weren't doing on their PCs) and building up friend lists quickly and easily. Sony is obviously struggling to give us anything but raw power, but nobody in their right mind would brush off what the company has done with PSX and PS2, broadening the console-playing audience in the first place with the help of third parties.
The fact is, I have broad tastes in gaming. I am able to enjoy Brain Age Sudoku one minute, then jump into an online match of Splinter Cell and enjoy it all the same. There's a time for simple presentation and graphics, such as in Wario Ware. And there's definitely a time for cinematic experiences with dazzling visuals and audio, like God of War, Metroid: Prime, Metal Gear, Gears of War, Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell, F-Zero GX, and so on. F-Zero GX, for example, did little in the ways of innovation. But it was an incredibly enjoyable racer in its own right. Not every game has to reinvent the wheel, as enjoyable launch games like Trauma Center show. It uses the same control concept as its DS counterpart and even duplicates the majority of the stages, but it's still a fun game.
Finally, please stop with your misguided assertions on what I like and dislike. My "excessive dissatisfaction and attitude towards the system far outweigh your cautious optimism?" Where do you get this crap? Do not mistake the desire to get better visuals out of a console that I waited five years on and paid $250 for excessive dissatisfaction. Just like I can complain about Gears of War being too short of a game and still enjoy its two-player co-op or that the camera system in Shadow of the Colossus was made by Satan himself, I can enjoy Twilight Princess and still lament its graphical shortcomings.
Since your arguments are running in circles and you're obviously not able to convince me to suddenly not enjoy games that I like or pretend like changing controls are the only ways to innovate, this is the last time I respond to your posts unless you change your tune and tone.
****IALS PRESENTS*****
DAVID VS. GOLIATH :
ROUND 5
"IALS NEEDS A SIT DOWN AND THANX ANONYMOUS FOR HIS HELP IN THE MEANTIME"
Who will win in the end?
You decide:
---------------------------
IALS:
Wow.Okay Goliath aka Herr Schneider,
Since you are obviously trying to pull heat on me with your verbal diarrhea, I will post this comment from anonymous on our debate in the meantime just to calm down myself before I move on with my own response to you(Note this does not neccessarilly reflect my own views) :
" wii carnt bump map in hardware
PLEASE YOU HAVE TO DO BUSSINESS CARDS CUZZ YOUR CLOWN ACT IS SO FUNNY
LIKE THE WII GPU DOESNOT SUPPOT BUMP MAPPING EXACLY WHAT PLANET DO U SMOKE CRANK ON
TRYING TO DEEM UR SELF ALL TECHNO SAVY TALKING BOLLOX
THE WII HAS NEXT GEN GRAPHICS
THE BUMP MAPPING ON GALAXY AND BWII IS FUKING SWEET AS IS THE DEEP 3D LOOKING TEXTURES AKA DEFORMATION MAPS
ARE YOU BLIND OR DUM OR MORE LIKLY SONY FANBOY AIRING BOLLOX AND BULLSHIT WILST HE RESTS AFTER GETTING SHOT AT PS3 LOURNCH ROCKSTAR GAMES HAVE ROTTED YOUR BRAINS
NO BUMP MAPPING IN HARDWARE YES AND IV JUST RODE A T-REX HOME FROM WORK LYING KNOB
you casn moan about CAPS ALL YOU FUKING LIKE THE WII HAS NEXT GEN GRAPHICS DEVELOPERS GOT WII DEVS AT E3 2006 EALIST
IT WAS STATED CLEARLY RED STEL WAS DEVELOPED ON PC/CUBE LEVEL AND POLISHED UP WITH FINAL DEV KITS
BWII LOOKS AMASING AND CKECK OUT FULLY 3D SPECATORS AND DEEO DEFOMATION TEXTURES ON PITCH AND OTHER TEXTURE EFFECTS I CAN CLEARLY SEE HEAVY BUMP MAPING AND SOMEKIND OF DEEPER 3D LIKE TEXTURES GOING ON ALLSO AMASING BLOOM AND HDR LIGHTING
STOP TALKING GOOON TALK"
This is a bit off-topic:
Hi Falafelkid!
I guess you've noticed the story about this guy in NRW running amok in his school...
What do you think about the neverending discussion about forbidding "killergames"? Now it's starting again lead by the typical CDU/CSU politicians (Stoiber & Co). I think their only reason to start talking about violence in videogames is that they are afraid to talk about the real reasons behind such a desperate act.
What do you think they are able to do in this field? As far as i know they want to completly ban games in which "people" get killed. Do you think they can fufill their wish? I guess this will be even more a topic as soon as the Wii with its motion-sensing more "weaponlike" controller come to stores in germany. I already can see the headlines in "Bild"...
:-(
*****IALS KILLS PEER SCHNEIDERS ATTITUDE*****
"Not only do you post comments in the wrong threads and continously display your intolerance of other gamers' tastes, it's time you actually played the games you're dissing."
Now this is really an unbounded cheek. What you say has nothing to do with nothing.I am just as much entitled to an opinion as Herr Schneider its' majesty.Such a statement at the very beginning of your text only attests to your overall lack of substance as you clearly feel inclined to incite others against me with this pointless irrelevant deviance.
" To suggest that innovation is primarily made possible by changing the control mechanism is like saying all books are the same because they rely on text and make you flip pages. As I've said again and again and again, I enjoy Wii, I like the new control mechanism and have high hopes that it'll lead to innovative games. But please drop the argument that other consoles' games haven't evolved or added much to gaming."
With all due respect Herr Schneider, that was probably the most rediculous and pointless comparison I have ever heard in my entire life. Books and games are two entirely different mediums. Books are already consummate for what they are since they serve their purpose for hundreds of years. They leave nothing to be desired.
I insist that Mario 64 was the last real evolution in gaming.I added a new dimension to gaming.All the games that you see nowadays feature the main ingredients that were introduced back then in a robust manner with Mario 64.
The innovations that you speak of on other consoles are a drop in the bucket compared to the innovation(s) that Mario 64 brought to the table.As far as innovation is concerned, people neither won't look back and remember the ability to command your team mates in Rainbow Six: Vegas nore will they accossiate (real)innovation with the ability to play GOWs singleplayer mode in co-op. No! They will look back one day and clearly spot Mario 64 as the game that set the ball rolling.Again, the innovation you talk about is in most cases so subtle, so peanuts, that it's not even wothh mentioning I'm afraid to say.
"Likewise, just like I can enjoy the excellent Twilight Princess -- which sticks really closely to the age-old Zelda formula with just some minor added Wiimote elements -- I can enjoy titles like Rainbow Six: Vegas which stick closely to its established gameplay paradigms. R6 perfects the cover/shoot mechanics by introducing third-person elements to the series, improves squad control (tell your team what to do and when to execute it), adds more story elements, and radically upgrades the graphics to bring home an even grittier and more realistic experience."
Red Steel is the perfect example why your argument doesn't add up.As many reviewers acknowledged, the story and presentational side of things get the job done quite buttery. Leaving not much to be desired. The controls on the other hand just totally crush it's undeniable potential by forcing you to move the reticule almost to the edge of the screen in order to move the camera which in turn translates into akward movement. As you can see I'm using a Wii game here to illustrate the sheer importance of controls and the impact it has on the overall game design and eventual expirience when done wrong. You probably know what ratings Red Steel got for it's unrefined controls. Yet still, many people who had the chance to test try either Call of Duty 3(which does it better controlwise than Red Steel) or Red Steel didn't abstract away from the fact that it still had an egde over conventional controllers. It should be clear by now that I'm not beating my own drum here. I insist on my opinion that the new control method may very well have a stonger and more magnifiscent impact on innovation in game design than the solely software specific(and in my mind subtle)innovations on the other consoles that you so doggedly defend.
"I'm not too cool to express my likes and dislikes: I love good gameplay AND I love good graphics and sound. I think a game like Gears of War absolutely lives off its visual impact. One moment, it makes you feel like you're in the movie Pitch Black, afraid to step into the light because swarms of flying creatures will take your head off. At other times, you're running for your life because an oversized and frightfully rendered berzerker beast is out to pound you to goo. The fact that the entire game runs perfectly in two-player co-op online (and has loads of elements designed for two players to work together, such as one guy moving a spotlight to protect the other from darkness, or one driving an APV and the other manning the turrets) is proof that the developer wasn't content to entirely rely on graphical dazzle."
First of all, it's not about being "too cool" to express his feelings towards something. Instead It's about separating the wheat from the chaff. Gears of War - if anything- is the prime picturebook example of stagnating static game design. There is absolutly nothing new in terms of raw innovation that Gears of War introduced. Quite the opposite actually. It's no mystery in my book that GOW blithely helps it self by breathing down other peoples neck. It's clear as daylight. On this account alone I don't see anything that justifies its' purchase over any other game. To be honest with you, I couldn't possibly care less about GOWs' clumsy, heavy-handed characters and apocalyptic ,sucked dry monster/alien invasion/uprising cliche story. And eventhough the technology in games like Resident Evil 4 and Metroid Prime 1 never matches GOWs' I find them much wittier and distictive when it comes to variety of environments, sheer architectural detail, texture design, character design and overall art style(but there's certainly no accounting for taste I should add ).
"I will not buy bad games with good graphics, but I'll buy good games with bad graphics. You can stop repeating the company line to me that it's all about reaching the mass market or how the industry is declining (it isn't in the US. That's a problem unique to Japan, which is hyper-focused on mobile and portable culture), because you're neither telling me anything I haven't heard before nor are you making a convincing argument by trying to degrade good games. You hurl insults at me saying I'm "brainwashed," yet you dare repeat Nintendo's justification why its console is underpowered while trying to force the viewpoint that gamers should ignore technical advancements and be content that new control elements are introduced. How about both?"
That sounds utterly confusing. You contradict yourself with your statements there mate. First you attach prime importance to gameplay and gameplay mechnics over graphics just to put the importance of graphics on a par with it at the end of your text.As for your other statement concerning.
The industry is INDEED NOT inclining in the US since people like you buy into the muddy waters of Microsoft and Sony.The pulled the sheets way over your head. And I'm certainly not trying to degrade good games. I'm simply pointing out the lack of innovation on tried and true gameplay formulas and I'm cocksure that Wii finds a remedy by forcing developers to rethink their approach on game design.
"The statement that "Nintendo is the only company that drives the industry forward in a reasonable manner" is hollow, as Microsoft delivered an amazing online experience with Xbox Live that got console gamers playing and talking to each other online, comparing each other's accomplishments via achievements, trying their mettle at simple, downloadable games (which they weren't doing on their PCs) and building up friend lists quickly and easily. Sony is obviously struggling to give us anything but raw power, but nobody in their right mind would brush off what the company has done with PSX and PS2, broadening the console-playing audience in the first place with the help of third parties."
Look, I'm not going to argue with you over things that clearly digress from the matter at hand. The only thing that
is distinguishable from the games you mention as far as the online expirience is conerned is the community aspect and the plurality of it. You are totally at cross purposes with me I'm afraid to say. Noone denies that Sony broadened the market or that Microsoft built up proper online service for its' console. You beat about the bush there since it's simply besides the point. So what? Does that change the fact that the inspiration regarding innovation on both sides of the end is staggnating? Sorry but I really don't get your point I'm afraid to say!
"The fact is, I have broad tastes in gaming. I am able to enjoy Brain Age Sudoku one minute, then jump into an online match of Splinter Cell and enjoy it all the same. There's a time for simple presentation and graphics, such as in Wario Ware. And there's definitely a time for cinematic experiences with dazzling visuals and audio, like God of War, Metroid: Prime, Metal Gear, Gears of War, Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell, F-Zero GX, and so on. F-Zero GX, for example, did little in the ways of innovation. But it was an incredibly enjoyable racer in its own right. Not every game has to reinvent the wheel, as enjoyable launch games like Trauma Center show. It uses the same control concept as its DS counterpart and even duplicates the majority of the stages, but it's still a fun game.
Finally, please stop with your misguided assertions on what I like and dislike. My "excessive dissatisfaction and attitude towards the system far outweigh your cautious optimism?" Where do you get this crap? Do not mistake the desire to get better visuals out of a console that I waited five years on and paid $250 for excessive dissatisfaction. Just like I can complain about Gears of War being too short of a game and still enjoy its two-player co-op or that the camera system in Shadow of the Colossus was made by Satan himself, I can enjoy Twilight Princess and still lament its graphical shortcomings.
Since your arguments are running in circles and you're obviously not able to convince me to suddenly not enjoy games that I like or pretend like changing controls are the only ways to innovate, this is the last time I respond to your posts unless you change your tune and tone."
And that is pure contempt. I am simply tired of wading through the same old games with minor ajustments to the concept and doing what I have been doing for so many years already, namely pressing buttons with my thumb.Please respect that I favour the new method of control because it seems like a breeze of fresh air. What you don't get is that I'm not saying that it's neccessarily the games that are bad instead it's just that I have a hard time enjoying those games nowadays since I have played too many of them, even with all the added bells and whistles. To conclude, maybe by impressions of JAK3 will shed some light:
Is it just me or is conventional gameplay with standard controllers getting boring?
Just recently I went to my local game dealer and bought Jak 3 for PS2, supposedly one of the best jump and run/action-adventure games that are available for the system (after reading some marvelous reviews of the game I should add).
Having spent about 5-6 hours or so with the game I must confess that I have a strange feeling. I can't help it. I have a feeling that is creeping the ish out of me.
A feeling of emptiness.
And you know why ?
Because-lo and behold- I'm sitting here and wondering what got me into gaming at all.
Somehow after playing Jak 3, I feel totally out of touch with games. There is nothing that conjoins me with them anymore. And you know what the weirdest thing about all this is? Jak 3 isn't even a bad game at all. Far from it. Quite the opposite frankly. It's actually one hell of nimble designed piece of interactive entertainment. It does nothing wrong.It's perfectly paced and offers so much alteration(youfly,jump,cruise,shoot,slide,kick,glide,float etc.).
I would go as far as to say that it's one of the best put together games I have ever played. It's challenging without being unfair or too easy. The controlls and graphics are also quite buttery. In fact it does so much right that I wouldn't even dare to critizise it, I wouldn't even know how to put it in words to be honest. Yet while playing it, I never got that sense of delight and achievment, progressing through the game. This game just totally crushed my world view. How on earth could I not have fun with a game that totally appeals to me ? a game that does so much right ? a game that has such a charming, vivid style ? Just how on earth ? Is it due to me being stoned all the time, taking hits from the bong day by day maybe? Or am I simply jaded ? Or have I simply played too many games with the same gameplay formulas eventhough they are not as well put together? Or am I just a labile,disoriented,neurotic weirdo since "every day feels like an off day with Ferris Buler"?
To conclude,I guess either one of the above or conventional controllers simply don't do it anymore for me...
-IALS
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