Wii Minute Radio - July 2008 E3 Special Show is here!

[alexjlopez]

Here's a little something to keep you entertained during that flight or drive out to Phoenix and Monroeapalooza this week!

Wii Minute Radio - July 2008 E3 Special Show 1x04 should be hitting your RSS readers and iTunes at any moment. The show is also ready for direct download at the website and the latest episode has been loaded on our Wii Opera Browser friendly site. More info at www.wiiminuteradio.com (http://www.wiiminuteradio.com).

This month we've got a ton of E3 announcements and coverage to share as we go down the list of just about every Wii game shown at E3 2008. We'll give you the scoop on some highly anticipated new games coming your way including Animal Crossing: City Folk and Wii Sports Resort as well as exciting new hardware to go along with them such as the WiiSpeak voice chat microphone and Wii MotionPlus. I'll also share my thoughts regarding fan reaction to Nintendo's Press Conference, and share my own take on what the future may bring for Wii gamers.

It's 100% E3 coverage this month, but we'll be back to the regular format with some great reviews and other coverage in August!

Hope you enjoy the show!

[javierdlopez]

Grabbed it this morning (although it didn't show up on Itunes... I just downloaded the mp3 from your site), listened to it on the way to work. Nice job. Nice thorough look at every title shown at E3. I like the editorial. For all the fanboy flaming that goes on around here, you sure didn't hold back any punches.

Too bad the evil Sony consortium can't seem to bring themselves to do the same.

Great show!

[So Cal Mike]

Hey Alex -

Listened to your July show while doing 4 months worth of expense reports for my "real job". I really enjoyed your editorial this month and yes, the Nintendo press conference was just plain weird and truly a lost opportunity to showcase some truly incredible and hopefully up and coming games and concepts. Maybe E3 isn't the show it used to be and the big guns are saving their ammo for bigger and better events ??

Here is what Iwata-San had to say today:

July 22, 2008 - In an interview with Forbes, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata apologized for the company's lackluster E3 media briefing and said that while it chose not to display more core games, that doesn't mean that the developer isn't working n them.

"If there is any perception that Nintendo is ignoring the core gamers, it's a misunderstanding and we really want to get rid of that misunderstanding by any means," Iwata said. "We are sorry about [the E3] media briefings, specifically for those who were expecting to see Nintendo show something about 'Super Mario' or 'Legend of Zelda.' However, the fact of the matter is the so-called 'big titles' need a long, long development period. ... We really didn't think this year's E3 media briefing was the time to do so."

. . . and he may be right !

[alexjlopez]

You know, I've got even worse problems with some of the damage control statements Iwata, Myamoto, and Reggie are making than I do with the situation itself. Suddenly it seems their answer to every "what about the core gamer" question involves assuring us that more Mario and more Zelda are on the way, and I'm not sure that's what all the gripes are about.

Longtime Nintendo fans want new IPs and new experiences--a Kid Icarus traditional-style action/adventure game would have been something to get excited about given that it would be practically a re-invented IP. Nintendo fans aren't complaining for lack of our favorite existing IPs fresh off of the last six months which brought us MarioKart, Smash Bros., and Galaxy.

They can't please everyone, I suppose. At one time my hope was that Reggie's popularity and sudden rise to power was going to finally bridge the gap between Nintendo and the folks at Kyoto, but it seems his role as President of NOA will follow the long standing tradition of Kyoto holding a tight leash on the creative process and NOA & NOE focusing on marketing and selling to their respective regions.

[Cammey]

Another great show Alex.

Very interesting to hear your views on the farce that was E3.

and I'm embarrassed by my namesake Cammie :D

[javierdlopez]

Interesting article about 3rd part dev's annoyance with Nintendo. I sort of agree with their sentiment. We've been hoping for better 3rd party support for Nintendo...

http://talkingaboutgames.com/content/view/1750/1/

[Womp]

Another great show Alex.

Very interesting to hear your views on the farce that was E3.

and I'm embarrassed by my namesake Cammie :D

You should be.

;)

[WorknMan]

For those people bitching that Nintendo is ignoring the 'core gamer', I say good for Nintendo. The Wii is not a console for hardcore gamers. Never has been, and probably never will be. If you want hardcore games, go buy a 360 or PS3. Honestly that's what those consoels are there for. And leave the Wii for us casual gamers. I mean, can't we have just ONE console to ourselves without the rest of you pissing on our pool ? :)

Instead of Nintendo focusing their efforts on another Mario or Zelda game (basically, just give us the same sh*t we played last year), I'd rather see them making more games I can play with my parents and other people NOT online.

A couple of other points:

- Instead of people asking Nintendo "what about the core gamers", the thing they REALLY should be asking Nintendo is, "what about the casual gamers over the age of 12?" I mean, out of all the games talked about on this month's show, the majority of them that were not sports games seem to either be kiddie in nature or based off of an animated movie/TV show.

- I think we can officially state that the Wii has enough goddamn controller accessories already.

[Nexjen]

Thanks for filtering out all that info. Cheers mate. Get the August show out :P

[BydoEmpire]

For those people bitching that Nintendo is ignoring the 'core gamer', I say good for Nintendo. The Wii is not a console for hardcore gamers. Never has been, and probably never will be.Actually, Nintendo has always made the case that the Wii is a console for everyone - core gamers as well as nongamers (well, unless you like racing sims or RPGs, then you don't really have anything). This year, for better or worse, they pretty much abandoned the hardcore.

Mr. Iwata's statement is nice, but too little too late. The core gamers want software for them, and one 1st party game for the remainder of the year doesn't do it. I would say this is a huge opportunity for 3rd parties to fill that gap, but they basically follow Nintendo's lead, and copy what Nintendo does. They're not going to blaze any trails with content.


the thing they REALLY should be asking Nintendo is, "what about the casual gamers over the age of 12?"I completely agree with this, though it's more an indictment of 3rd parties than Nintendo themselves. 3rd parties have completely confused the casual market with the kids market. They're different. They want different things, and the games require different asthetics. See also: Boom Blox's poor sales. "Casual" gamers are generally adults, they don't visit gaming sites, and whatever games they buy are based off of TV ads, box art, or perhaps word of mouth. Having big-headed, cartoony characters will turn off these consumers. I see Nintendo as a bit more Disney- or Pixar-esque. For lack of a better description, they're able to make cartoony stuff that appeals to all ages. Whether it's style, nostalgia, or quality of games, they can make stuff that is kid-friendly, but doesn't turn off adults.

I thought the intro was pretty funny, by the way, "don't slit your wrists just yet."

[alexjlopez]

I completely agree with this, though it's more an indictment of 3rd parties than Nintendo themselves. 3rd parties have completely confused the casual market with the kids market. They're different. They want different things, and the games require different asthetics. See also: Boom Blox's poor sales. "Casual" gamers are generally adults, they don't visit gaming sites, and whatever games they buy are based off of TV ads, box art, or perhaps word of mouth. Having big-headed, cartoony characters will turn off these consumers. I see Nintendo as a bit more Disney- or Pixar-esque. For lack of a better description, they're able to make cartoony stuff that appeals to all ages. Whether it's style, nostalgia, or quality of games, they can make stuff that is kid-friendly, but doesn't turn off adults.

The "kiddie" thing when it comes to Nintendo is more of a cultural difference between the Japanese and the US, and my guess is it's not going away anytime soon.

Animated films (anime) and graphic novels (manga) are enjoyed by people of all ages in Japan, as one example. In the US we think of them as cartoons and comic books--"kiddie" stuff. Another example I'd use is the movie ratings system. If someone were to tell you they just came from seeing a rated "G" movie, you'd wonder if they had taken their kid to see the latest Disney film or something, when in reality "G" is for general audiences and is intended to categorize the types of movies everyone can enjoy.

But here in the good 'ole US of A, if there is no sex and violence, we leave it for the kids hehe.

Nintendo's creative endeavors have always catered to the Japanese with the hope the North American and European consumers will find the games interesting as well--it will never happen the other way around.

As for third parties--the "adult" games tend to be simulation games rather than amusement games, and those generally work better on the graphics oriented systems.

[WorknMan]

Another example I'd use is the movie ratings system. If someone were to tell you they just came from seeing a rated "G" movie, you'd wonder if they had taken their kid to see the latest Disney film or something, when in reality "G" is for general audiences and is intended to categorize the types of movies everyone can enjoy.

Yeah, in theory. But in practice, G-rated movies are primarily geared towards children. I have seen some Japanese anime, and I doubt much of it would qualify for the G-rating. Hell, a lot of it would probably be PG-13. That's a far cry from the Disney cartoons I have seen in the US.


But here in the good 'ole US of A, if there is no sex and violence, we leave it for the kids hehe.

My favorite movie is The Truman Show, and there's no sex or violence anywhere in it, yet it's certainly not a kiddie movie. See, there really IS a middle ground between the G-rated stuff and the hard R torture porn, a concept that most Nintendo fanboys don't seem to grasp. As far as they're concerned, if it doesn't appeal to my 5yo nephew, then it obviously has to be a violent, M-rated game.

[alexjlopez]

My favorite movie is The Truman Show, and there's no sex or violence anywhere in it, yet it's certainly not a kiddie movie. See, there really IS a middle ground between the G-rated stuff and the hard R torture porn, a concept that most Nintendo fanboys don't seem to grasp. As far as they're concerned, if it doesn't appeal to my 5yo nephew, then it obviously has to be a violent, M-rated game.


Yeah, the movie comparison isn't a perfect one--I loved The Truman Show, but I'm not sure something like that would translate over to a video game.

I look at it this way: take a game like chess. If I were to create a chess game for Wii, I'd have a lot of choices even if I were to limit myself from fiddling with the actual game mechanics. I could use the traditional looking "wooden" chess pieces, but that might be a little bland. So let's say I decide to create animated chess pieces that would actually battle it out in 3-d animated combat during each move (without changing the core game dynamics). I could make the pieces look like modern day soldiers, space marines, perhaps I could make them fantasy (swords and sorcerers) inspired. These might appeal to the "grown up" gamers who would be wowed by the cool factor of watching the combat, whether it's violent or not.

Now, take that same game of chess and concept of animated pieces and use a "penguins versus flamingos" theme. Suddenly, that fantastic chess experience is dismissed by "adult" gamers because they are turned off by the penguins and the flamingos that are clearly indented for kids.

That's how I feel about Boom Blox--the cartoon-kiddie "skin" that is used is really irrelevant to the gameplay, but it makes the game approachable. Think of Polarium for DS--they decided to pass on the fluff and went with a straight forward look, hoping that pure gameplay would carry the title. Instead, it looked bland and even complicated to some people.

[WorknMan]

Now, take that same game of chess and concept of animated pieces and use a "penguins versus flamingos" theme. Suddenly, that fantastic chess experience is dismissed by "adult" gamers because they are turned off by the penguins and the flamingos that are clearly indented for kids.

You speak like that would be a good thing :P To me, taking a game like this and 'toddler-izing' it is like those bone-headed developers who take a perfectly functional application and slap some ugly-ass skin on top of it (*cough* Opera *cough*) just so they can appeal to Generation iPod. Yeah, it's very irksome.
The most you can hope for is an option to change it to a skin you can actually live with, but in the case of games, there's rarely (if ever) such an option. And to make matters worse, not only do they change the visuals in games, but they also change the audio. So it's like using an application with an ugly-ass skin that makes god-awful noise on top of that. True, it doesn't change the gameplay (unless it's Meteos), but it DOES change the GAME.

Of course, it is important to know that I don't have kids, don't like kids, and find them to be exceptionally annoying. So I guess that somewhat alters my perception of all things 'kiddie' :)


That's how I feel about Boom Blox--the cartoon-kiddie "skin" that is used is really irrelevant to the gameplay, but it makes the game approachable. Think of Polarium for DS--they decided to pass on the fluff and went with a straight forward look, hoping that pure gameplay would carry the title. Instead, it looked bland and even complicated to some people.

Man, I think Polarium is a bad example... it was one of my favorite games on the DS. And I'm not just saying that here, as I've said it in other threads as well! In the case of Boom Blox, I think they did an ok job with the kiddie presentation. I mean it's there, but it's not over the top and in your face. And when a puzzle has you frustrated, pegging those little bastards in the background is immensely satifying :)

[BydoEmpire]

That's how I feel about Boom Blox--the cartoon-kiddie "skin" that is used is really irrelevant to the gameplay, but it makes the game approachable.Except that they didn't make it approachable. They made it such a young-looking game that they turned off a huge potential audience - the casual gamer audience, which is almost entirely adults. Adults who don't already know the game will take one look at the box, or see the ad on TV and assume it's not a game for them. Core gamers might know better, but not casual gamers. Meteos, Columns, Tetris - all the great, classic puzzle games have art direction that doesn't turn off big chunks of their potential audience. And those games don't look bland at all.

Also, I like the little stories in Boom Blox. I'm not a fan of the dull, pastely color palatte, but I don't mind the cutsey characters at all. I find them kind of charming. It's not that I personally don't like the game, I do, but I completley understand why it's sold so poorly (of course it could continue to sell slow and steady). The art direction is definitely one factor.

[Nicko68]

- I think we can officially state that the Wii has enough goddamn controller accessories already.

Agreed!

Now, if you want everything, you need the Wiimote - $40, Nunchuk - $25, MotionPlus - we'll say $10 to be optimistic.

That's $75 for a single controller setup. Ridiculous.

[Nicko68]

I completely agree with this, though it's more an indictment of 3rd parties than Nintendo themselves. 3rd parties have completely confused the casual market with the kids market. They're different. They want different things, and the games require different asthetics. See also: Boom Blox's poor sales. "Casual" gamers are generally adults, they don't visit gaming sites, and whatever games they buy are based off of TV ads, box art, or perhaps word of mouth. Having big-headed, cartoony characters will turn off these consumers.

So will a $50 price point, just because Steven Spielberg's name is on the cover. I probably would have passed up this excellent game were it not for being talked about on Monroeworld.

[TechMaster]

So will a $50 price point, just because Steven Spielberg's name is on the cover. I probably would have passed up this excellent game were it not for being talked about on Monroeworld.

Funny thing is, it's probably 'because' Spielberg's name is on it that it is $50. Even then, I here Spielberg but I don't really associate it with gaming, so I'm still not ready to shell out $50.
As soon as it drops in price I will pick it up. But I can't justify the $50 for some reason.