As I've said before, one of the things I was looking forward to seeing this E3 was how so-called "hardcore" fanboys will find even more ridiculous ways to dismiss anything Nintendo showcases because they're "too mature" to enjoy something all-age friendly.
Finally Nintendo comes right out and gives pretty much every hardcore gamer exactly what they want, and in return all they get is snarky blog posts, dismissive attitudes, and cries of "foul" if anything casual shows up on the screen. Am I the only one noticing this?
First, hardcore gamers seem to be completely blind when it comes to titles that interest them, instead choosing to bitch and moan about casual games that aren't for their demographic. Listen up, geniuses, if the Kinect and Move haven't opened your eyes up yet, casual gaming is now a viable market whether you like it or not. It's OK to have more than one demographic represented, especially when it's advertising for a brand new console.
Second, the one thing hardcore gamers DO seem to like is the new Pro-Controller which looks like a retooled black X-Box controller. What annoys me about that is it just goes to further highlight how stubborn and hostile to change "hardcore" gamers actually are. Here you have this fancy new tablet controller which can be used to display in-game maps and statistics, has 2 analogue buttons that can click, uses the camera to track your facial movements, can send messages, be drawn on, and streams in HD... and "hardcore" gamers are excited about the X-Box knockoff controller that can't do ANY of that and is an add-on peripheral. Does that add up?
Third, the attitude towards the games. "Oh, ANOTHER Mario game? Oh, Pikmin 3? Oh what's that? Batman Arkham Asylum on a Nintendo platform? Pffhh, that's like a year old now... Oh look, another minigame collection? Go figure, Nintendo." Ugh... Meanwhile everyone goes nuts for Microsoft unveiling Halo 4. Does anyone else see this weird attitude shift?
To me, this is an amazing feat by Nintendo. Not only do they have hardcore titles you don't expect to see on Nintendo systems (like Mass Effect 3, Batman, Darksiders 2, Assassins Creed 3, Aliens Colonial Marines, Ninja Gaiden 3, Tekken), but we're also getting key Nintendo Franchises (New Super Mario Bros U, Pikmin 3) good 3rd party support (Ubisoft, Rocksteady Studios, Square Enix, Bioware, Gearbox) and casual games (Lego City Undercover, Scribblenauts Unlimited, siNG, Wii Fit U) which amounts to quite a wide variety of titles that anyone can enjoy. And most of those will be available for launch too.
Yes I understand that many of those "hardcore" titles are ports of already established games, but that shouldn't matter right now. What should matter is that they're ON a friggin' Nintendo console to begin with. If you can get Mass Effect on a Nintendo machine, certainly you can expect other Bioware games to debut there as well, no? Same goes for Rocksteady and Gearbox. Even though these are ports, it shows that the support IS there and that these developers will be making games for the Wii-U. That's a GOOD thing, isn't it?
Finally, the tech specs. There have been rumors and complaints that if Nintendo doesn't comply by certain arbitrary tech specs, the system will fail (which is obviously bunk logic to begin with since the Wii succeeded with weaker tech specs than the Xbox and Ps3 but whatever), and now Nintendo has finally confirmed a lot of them. Yes the console will be in HD supporting 1080p, 1080i, 720p and so on. It will have internal flash memory which can be expanded via SD memory cards and USB hard disk drives (4 USB slots exist on the console). It will have Near Field Communication (NFC), a video camera, Bluetooth, rumble, speakers and microphones in the gamepad along with accelerometer and gyroscope features, and be compatible with all previous Wii controllers and games. It will be launching with an eShop built in already (something the 3DS lacked), and can stream Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Instant Video.
Even with all of that... "meh, it's just a Wii knockoff" according to many bloggers and video game journalists.
I dunno guys. I just don't get it. For me it seems like Nintendo has made the ultimate system to appease everyone. It's got the hardcore games and the power to play them. It's got the Pro Gamer controller for those immature "hardcore" gamers who can't be seen playing with the tablet. It's got the family friendly titles mom and dad will enjoy. It's got the core Nintendo franchises (and one in particular that hasn't been seen in 10 years). It's got online interactivity and social connectivity like no other console has outside the 360. It's got the also-rant apps and features you'd come to expect (and then some). And it looks very well designed and put together. Knowing Nintendo, too, it won't be plagued by red rings or startup errors the way the Ps3 and 360 did upon launch.
So...why do so many people seem to feel the need to go to such lengths to mock and dismiss it? The system is even going to be available in black. No more casual friendly white! What else does Nintendo have to do to please the "hardcore" gamers?
Oh well... NSMB2 is looking really good! And Paper Mario must be good too, since... Paper Mario.
