Let us dive down the rabbit hole that is gaming down under, before it has a cardiac arrest and the next of kin takes the throne and ... I didn't actually have a point to all this, so I'm going to move on.
The whole bloody thing is here:
http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/300491/hardcore_gaming_isn_t_dying_--_it_already_dead but I know you guys want the choice bits.
One day, you’re happily swanning about in flannel shirts or cargo pants, the next; your favourite trend is yesterday’s fading fad.
Apologies if this guy is stating the obvious to you, dear Reader. I want to hit him in the back of the head for mentioning flannel (which was only popular for Billy Ray, and if you were following Billy Ray back in the day you were a sad, sad person).
In the context of this article, the phrase refers to all types of gaming other than the ‘casual/party’ genre... which just so happens to be the cause of hardcore gaming's demise.
Uh-oh, I smell an axe grinding. I think someone might have been playing Wii Sports on his lawn (chasing a
really long return, perhaps?) and he's snapped.
As much as games journalists refuse to admit it, hardcore gaming is definitely on the wane, to be replaced by its simpler, party-prone brother (i.e. the other ‘C’ word.)
I don't profess to know everything about everything, but I know here he's talking about **** gaming - the bastard cousin of casual gaming. **** gaming always shows up to the party uninvited, and you're never been able to work out how anyone of your circle of friends knows him, but its always a laugh when he passes out in a bush.
The sales figures speak for themselves. According to GFK Australia, nine of the 10 best-selling games in 2008 were Nintendo exclusives. Almost all of these were party/casual games, with the top slot held by Wii Fit.
This is ridiculous. I don't want to live in a world where Wii Fit is the best of anything.
The only non-Nintendo title to break into the top 10 was GTA IV — which only managed to place fifth. Given the hysterical press coverage that game’s sales figures received, you’d expect it to be ranked much higher.
Go **** a doorknob. GTA's release wasn't hysterical anywhere - I'm almost certain the sales figures will show the first week was subpar save for the millions wasted on PR, but lets not go into the realm of fact.
Such is the clout of the Nu N-Gamer.
Wow, how long did it take for them to think that up? I hope they didn't lose sleep over it, because it is a totally ghetto name. Slap a casual group with a nickname straight out of a late-90s-sounding-which-wasn't-even-a-good-hip-hop-era-sounding name and pat yourself on the back.
While they still pay lip-service to the hardcore contingent, both companies are gagging to emulate Nintendo’s runaway success. They want in on the Nintendo gravy train, and hardcore gaming is about to take a backseat as a consequence.
More head-belting-because-its-so-obvious remarks would go here, but I can't be arsed.
“We’re moving on now... to look at softer brands that maybe we had with PS2 franchises. There’s certainly a line-up of very strong family-friendly titles that we’re looking at for PS3 in our continuing effort to appeal to that casual consumer.â€
Thanks for the tip, Sony rep. You've done Buzz to death, but what else is there? Ratchet and Clank - nope, that's already bombed. Prince of Persia - oh right, not even yours. I'm struggling here, and perhaps he is too becaus he doesn't mention any specific titles. ("We're starting it tomorrow! Seriously! We'll have it on the shelves by Friday!")
Oh, and if they put out another infernal Motorstorm game (hanging out for a real Bonestorm title so I can chant those immortal lines at every game store I can find until I am banned from them all) I am just going to snap.
With the exception of Final Fantasy XIII and the usual brigade of samey sequels, there are few Triple A titles on the immediate horizon.
This is the point where I reached for a drink to tolerate the stupidity. Triple A titles don't happen overnight, dipshit. And we know third parties are still falling over themselves finding excuses to stall and make shitty titles in general.
But do you know who's to blame for this "sequel overload" that's been happening for the last few generations? Hardcore gamer culture. The Madden-esque vicious cycle of the same game being tweaked (I'm being nice here, they could be lazy and just change the player names and/or race each year), increment the number on the front, and sell a boatload to a willing audience.
Of course, I can hear the retorts now - "I'm not one of those fans! I only buy the good titles! I heart Square!" Oh, so you're an elitist hardcore gamer? Doesn't matter. If you didn't buy Madden I'm betting you lined up for MGS4 on day one. Same ****, different day.
I'm actually talking to no-one in particular, but think about how many games in your library have a number or a year next to it (and no, PNO3 doesn't count, but you should shut up for different reasons) before you claim to demand quality games. And don't give me this "good franchises are good franchises" argument, because I played through BG&E again last week and it was probably the most fun I've had with a game in the past couple of years.
And don't even get me started about FFXIII - that basket case of a game won't make 2009 anywhere.
Mark our words, the PS4 and XBox 720 will have full-blown motion control schemes — and hardcore gaming can only suffer as a result.
Ho ho ho! Such rage, such insight.
Let me put it this way - both of them won't have "full-blown motion control schemes" next gen. Remember the Sixaxis? Remember Lair? Of course you do. Think real hard about whether they can get the combination of hardware and software just right, so that you don't get devs complaining about shitty platforms and gamers complaining about shitty products. You still reckon they'll both do it?
Meanwhile EA is complaining about the MotionPlus being too accurate (uh, unless I misheard Bill or Mario, I can't even remember my source on that), technology that is available here and now and gaining traction (I'll still call it waggle, I don't care about being cool anymore).
It's time to welcome our Nu N-Gamer overlords.
At this point I can't help but conjure a mental picture of Yamauchi crossed with that Thriller clip. Combine that narrator talking about hardcore gamers roaming downtown Tokyo and after the "plot" of the movie is done the next hour or so is Yamauchi strangling prostitutes with a Wii nunchuck. I think it could be a decent movie.
So if Joe Blogger is already predicting doom, are we past the point of no return? Is there no way back to a world where gaming is an anti-social habit? Or does the hardcore gamer have to grab their ankles and think of happy things while casual gaming has its way with the industry.
But hey, what do I know? I'm just a angry guy at a keyboard. I have less merit than the guy in the original article (unless he doesn't get paid for it, in which case I like to think I'm better than him).
Topic: ITT: Some guy blogs about hardcore gaming's demise, I swing trashbags (Read 2112 times)
