January 21st, 2008 · 3 Comments (http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/index.php/2008/01/welcome-to-the-new-nintendo.html#comments)

by Lono (http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/index.php/author/lono/)

http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/wiimom.jpg (http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/index.php/2008/01/welcome-to-the-new-nintendo.html/wiiliketoplayjpg/)

Every month my wife gets the Family Circle in the mail. It’s a magazine
directed at women, who have families and are looking for that next, great lemon meringue recipe. After she pulled it from the mail pile, she thumbed through it and immediately noticed something different.
What you ask?

On the second page of the magazine, Nintendo has took out a full page ad for the Wii.

Welcome to the new Nintendo. To check out the scanned pics, continue reading….


Here’s the cover of the thing, freshly scanned and immediately to the right, check out the Wii ad. Click on either for an enlarged, more detailed picture.
http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/famcircvrwii.jpg (http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/index.php/2008/01/welcome-to-the-new-nintendo.html/famcircvrwiijpg/)
http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/wiifmcl.jpg


Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutley zero problem with women playing video games. Why would I care that Nintendo is actively seeking soccer moms and 10 year old girls to play games on their console. I don’t and yet this still bothers me.

Maybe it’s because it finally crystalizes what most people have been screaming from the rooftops for some time about the Wii. It’s a toy. It’s a more expensive Vtech or Leapster, but for adults.

I hope this opens eyes for gamers and Wii extremists. Nintendo doesn’t care about you. Nintendo saw that you only bought 500,000 copies of the latest Metroid game, but picked up 4,000,000 units of Wii Play. They see that their core audience wants crap games that let you turn your brain off while you waggle your arms like a shrieking monkey. So, let me repeat that…

Nintendo doesn’t care about you.

They want people like Linda Perry. Not singer/songwriter Linda Perry. They want soccer mom Linda Perry. They want the Linda Perry’s that only plays Wii Sports.

Welcome to the new Nintendo.

Why would I care that Nintendo is actively seeking soccer moms and 10 year old girls to play games on their console.
If only Nintendo were actively seeking people in Europe rather than just giving us the shaft with evary game release (a game released in europe five months after its released in the us) not funny...

Nintendo is doing what any company does; make money. Even at the cost of their core fanbase. IMO the wii is going to bring back (not that it left.) and streanghten the notion that games are for kids(and house wives.).

It's impossible to make everyone happy. I'm not surprised.

It is pretty lame though.

What's sad is the email thing at the bottom...

Well, I can deal without Smash Bros. I personally think I won't be missing that $300 system a year from now. I was considering buying a Wii, but instead I'll just hoard my money and purchase myself a PS3.
Many of us didn't buy Metroid Prime 3 because of the fact that it has no online play - so many hardcore players who wanted to play it, rented it. I'm quite sure Nintendo doesn't realize that you not only have to make a game people want to play - but you have to make a game people want to buy. Smash Bros. is a step in the right direction, but it's too little too late.

They're happy with their $2,500,000,000 they've made so far on the little system that could, and they could care less about the customers who helped them through the end of the N64 cycle, and the entire Gamecube fiasco.

Je vous souhaite bien, Nintendo - I wish you well.

the wii makes you feel more alive hmmmm more alive than i am now wow I'm sold lol.
All jokes set to one side nintendo are very good at getting female gamers the ds and wii have done what they were made to do expand the gaming audience beyond the hardcore.
It still sucks that nintendo are going to focus on the non gamers but at the end of the day that market is bringing in more cash so that is what they will target.

the wii is going to bring back (not that it left.) and streanghten the notion that games are for kids(and house wives.).
WrjwaqZfjIY

You do realize that if they do that... There is going to be a continuation of mindless games as other companies see "Oh. I guess this is what people want. Stupid mini-games to keep their attention. Damn those are so easy to make. We're going to make a fortune." And you know what's going to happen then? More real gamers will get shafted. It's great that kids play video games. That's how I got into video game when I was a kid. But stupid mindless mini-games is not the answer. You know what I played as a kid?
Super Mario Bros and Mega man. If their going to draw in younger audiences, at least makes some good games... I'm glad I don't have a wii. I'm quite happy with my PS3 and 360.

I'm going to naively believe in Nintendo, in so far as that they will continue to support their old franchises. Even though Metroid only sold around 500k (though that's not a number to look down on), that is still presumably making a profit. I'd only can something if it made a loss.

A positive from this is the Mario and his name won't get pimped to every half baked Nintendo game looking to make a quick buck. Ninty know now that they don't have to drag their iconic mascot through the mud for crap games to sell.

So Nintendo decided to jump the 'hardcore games'-ship completely...
Can we really be surprised? I mean, If a company has to choose between its trusted fanbase and a new audience with buckets full of cash, the choice is easily made.

Maybe in the next years we will see some better stuff, but I doubt that sincerely.
What's sad is the email thing at the bottom...
Don't you have a Wii story to tell to the world? Come on, I know you do.

WrjwaqZfjIY

You do realize that if they do that... There is going to be a continuation of mindless games as other companies see "Oh. I guess this is what people want. Stupid mini-games to keep their attention. Damn those are so easy to make. We're going to make a fortune." And you know what's going to happen then? More real gamers will get shafted. It's great that kids play video games. That's how I got into video game when I was a kid. But stupid mindless mini-games is not the answer. You know what I played as a kid?
Super Mario Bros and Mega man. If their going to draw in younger audiences, at least makes some good games... I'm glad I don't have a wii. I'm quite happy with my PS3 and 360.

Did you read my post or just quote it? "their core fanbase." 360 & PS3 has a CORE fanbase for better quality games. Nintendo is targeting causual and non gamers. I did not say every company was making crappy or low quality games. Each indiviual industry is going to make games that sell for their system.

We all should have knew from the start that the Wii wasn't going to be for the 'hardcore' set. This brand of marketing slant Nintendo's been on lately just confirms it. Outside of their prized franchises and the rabid Nintendo fan holdovers, this system is about pushing innovation in its control scheme onto the casual market ... and it's working. The system is still hard to get a hold of and all of the positive press they are getting just amps consumer demand.

I'm not a hater, so good on 'em, but when you want graphically intense games, real online functionality, as do I, the Wii was never a real console candidate.

Did you read my post or just quote it? "their core fanbase." 360 & PS3 has a CORE fanbase for better quality games. Nintendo is targeting causual and non gamers. I did not say every company was making crappy or low quality games. Each indiviual industry is going to make games that sell for their system.

I'm saying what's to stop other companies from following in Nintendo's footsteps when they see how easy people are at buying pointless games.
It sure heck would save them a lot of cost producing games like wii play instead of a game like cod4

I'm saying what's to stop other companies from following in Nintendo's footsteps when they see how easy people are at buying pointless games.
It sure heck would save them a lot of cost producing games like wii play instead of a game like cod4

That's the thing - the attach rate for Wiis is horribly low. Most people who buy a Wii buy maybe 2 games at most. The 360, however, has like 10 games to each console. Nintendo's really the only one profiting from the Wii since their games are the highest quality.

She just called the wii console a "game". S**T.

I got this eerie sort of feeling by thinking about the original name. Revolution.

The best selling system, the one that is always sold out, ushers in crappy games and a PLETHORA of copy-crappy games. What is this going to do to the market? It feels like a sudden threat.

I'm saying what's to stop other companies from following in Nintendo's footsteps when they see how easy people are at buying pointless games.
It sure heck would save them a lot of cost producing games like wii play instead of a game like cod4

I see what you mean now. I don't think the other companies (sony and microsoft) would "cheapen" their games though only because with those two companys I would imagine have more hardcore gamers than casual gamers. Even they must relize that their core audiance is not soccer moms.

This doesn't surprise me at all. I (and many other people, I'm sure) grew up on Nintendo consoles, but now I have grown up and Nintendo hasn't. I guess in a way they're sticking with what worked for them back before gaming was considered a big deal, but now it is. Technology is better now than it was back then, and because of this more types of games can be made, including more mature games. This fits well with the fact that most people that played video games when they were young are now older and want these more mature games.

In other words, instead of sticking with the generation that they made their reputation on, Nintendo is just sticking with younger kids: kids that don't really care if a game is "deep" or not. Some of their best games were those that stepped in the direction of "deep," but now they've mostly stepped back and are going for cheap and simple. And now they're targeting the other people that don't care either: casual gamers, or people that aren't into gaming but would gladly start if it made them feel less lazy (I'm talking about soccer moms buying the thing to make themselves feel like they're actually exercising when they play it).

It works, but it alienates Nintendo's original followers. To me it basically looks like Nintendo took the cheap way so they could make more money by taking advantage of people that little know better.

That's my take on it, at least. I'm sure some people will disagree.


Off-topic: Artemis, that Halo 3 sig is awesome. Was the background done with brushing?

She just called the wii console a "game". S**T.

When you spend $350 to play Wii Sports (Wii + 3 Wiimotes), the Wii is then a 'game' - they don't know the difference. As I stated before, many of these 'Soccor Moms' who bought a Wii have probably never taken Wii Sports out of the system - maybe only for Mario Galaxy.

In response to V3NOM's post, I have to say that it hasn't always been that way. The N64 wasn't exactly a kiddy system. Yes, it had its casual games, but it had its share of hardcore offerings - and some mixes of the two. Super Mario 64 was fun for anyone (as was Banjo-Kazooie, but some people hate on it because it does look kiddie).
Mario Kart 64 and Super Smash Bros. could be played by kids and adults alike. Then you move on to Goldeneye 007 / Perfect Dark. The Resident Evil ports (crappy, but certainly not kiddie). Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, etc.
The Gamecube also had a good mix of casual/hardcore games. I personally loved Pikmin. Problem is, 3rd party support for the system was horrible - so almost every notable game was branded by Nintendo. Their games were gems, though, for kids and adults alike.

Moving onto the Wii, it seems like Nintendo tried to cater to both audiences during the launch, but quickly moved away from those plans. Had Smash Bros: Melee not been a huge sucess on the Gamecube, I'm quite sure the project would've been scrapped for the Wii.
We're not their audience anymore, we're not even in their field of view. Sad thing is, we're the only ones who are going to buy their ridiculously high-priced Virtual Console titles. We're the ones who are going to buy Zelda and Metroid from name alone. However, we're not the ones reading these magazines, and we're not going to be sending in stories about our Wiis.

Its true.
I am an exclusive wii owner.
And its unbelievable how much nintendo has changed in ONE generation.
Instead of getting less flak from hardcore gamers, and actually focusing on their long time supporters, they focus on gamers who have never even heard of a thing called 'hardcore game' or even 'NES' all they know, is that there is a game on there called 'Wii sports'.
God nintendo.
We have supported you through the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, AND 5th console generation, but they odiously dont care.
I seriously regret supporting nintendo over the years now.

Nintendo has been beat at the hardcore market, so they're going their seperate way.

This just means that we shall no longer recognize nintendo as a company that makes the kind of games we like to play.

Nintendo has been beat at the hardcore market, so they're going their seperate way.

This just means that we shall no longer recognize nintendo as a company that makes the kind of games we like to play.

Agreed - and really, you can't blame them. After what happened with the Gamecube, they hit a nerve with the mass market and made billions of dollars because of it. Up until this week, I was hopeful they would use that money to give back to those of us who made sure their last home console didn't completely flop. Hell, even the DS has its share of 'Hardcore' titles, I just don't think the Wii will get there.

I hope all of you here realize that first and foremost, the reason that Nintendo essentially abandoned its more hardcore fanbase is because it saw the potential $$$ from the casual market if it handled the situation appropriately. They chose cheap parts and something new and innovative and marketed it like mad. And just over a year later, Nintendo has already made billions off of the Wii, and yet they most likely put the least amount of effort into their technology of the Big 3. It started with the DS, and has since become the new face of Nintendo. It's just business strategy - and it sure as hell worked.

I hope all of you here realize that first and foremost, the reason that Nintendo essentially abandoned its more hardcore fanbase is because it saw the potential $$$ from the casual market if it handled the situation appropriately. They chose cheap parts and something new and innovative and marketed it like mad. And just over a year later, Nintendo has already made billions off of the Wii, and yet they most likely put the least amount of effort into their technology of the Big 3. It started with the DS, and has since become the new face of Nintendo. It's just business strategy - and it sure as hell worked.

Indeed. Can't blame them at all for it. We can get mad at them, but we can't blame them. On hardware alone, saying the system costs $200 to make (yeah right), they've made over $500,000,000 since launch. That's not a number to sneeze at, and if you're making that kind of money, it's hard to go back to doing things that made you less.

In response to V3NOM's post, I have to say that it hasn't always been that way. The N64 wasn't exactly a kiddy system. Yes, it had its casual games, but it had its share of hardcore offerings - and some mixes of the two. Super Mario 64 was fun for anyone (as was Banjo-Kazooie, but some people hate on it because it does look kiddie).
Mario Kart 64 and Super Smash Bros. could be played by kids and adults alike. Then you move on to Goldeneye 007 / Perfect Dark. The Resident Evil ports (crappy, but certainly not kiddie). Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, etc.

I was trying to get at that in my post. I tried to word it well, but looking at it now, I wasn't very clear. I started getting into hardcore games with my N64, and I owned and loved most of the games you listed. Nintendo was following the direction that the rest of the industry was also going, but now they've stepped back.