Hehe,
I do a TON of interviews, you can never tell where conversations will go, but I do speak my mind. I’m one of the few developers that doesn’t have a publisher PR department breathing down their necks. (Chris Hecker vs EA.)
So while I can, I just say how I feel. The press appreciate that. The question they hate the most is when they ask someone “Which is your favorite console?” and the response HAS to be “Well, I think the’re all great, I don’t have a favorite.”. They know they won’t get that from me.
Here’s the interview in Question: CLICK HERE
500 interviews go by without a blip, but then if you mention something negative about Nintendo, it’s pretty impressive the passion that stirs.
I was alerted to this when I got an email from a guy saying I’m no longer his friend and he has removed me from his LinkedIn.com list. Huh? What for? Oh, because I said something negative about Nintendo!
It’s funny to see all the flames out there, “He hasn’t done anything good since MDK”, “The only good thing he’s done is Earthworm Jim”, “Who does he think he is, he’s done nothing decent since Sacrifice”, “The only games I liked of his were Disney’s Aladdin & Cool Spot” etc. People can’t even agree here.
Some people fight back, “My Wii is collecting dust already”, “The Wii is a party machine”, “I agree, I’ll be playing Halo when it comes out!”.
Do I take my comments back? Hell no. So let me add some detail.
I have a Wii, I bought it the second it came out, I play it often and pretty much every time someone comes over that can’t understand how to play Guitar Hero. (By the way when given a choice Guitar Hero wins every time.) Bowling or Tennis is a GREAT backup for example.
They love it and have a great time.
If my visitors are able to handle full (more complicated) games, then it’s out with Gears of War or something like that. Their jaws are on the floor and they have a great time.
If I’m playing alone, I’m more likely to fire up something on PC. I’ve just been playing through Lost Planet on PC for example. If I have any spare time travelling, I’m on DS or PSP. Currently going through Lego Star Wars on PSP after just finishing all 6 Metal Slug games for a bit of Nostalgia.
I play every kind of game and have every machine. I’ve shipped games on endless platforms, including Nintendo.
The Wii is selling amazingly and personally I’m most impressed at how Nintendo was willing to simplify the controls in a world where everyone chooses complexity. Apple is famous for making the same decision with the iPod and it’s a smart decision.
I’ve met Miyamoto many times and love the guy, when I first met him he told me that Earthworm Jim was one of his favorite Western Characters, Howard Lincoln (who was the head of Nintendo USA) wrote to me to say he had an Earthworm Jim picture hanging in his son’s bedroom! So I’m no Nintendo hater, the problem is that when I say how impressed I am with the design of the new controller, nobody could care less. When I say that I think the new games on PS3 and Xbox 360 are going to make heads turn away from the Wii, then I must be on crack.
So maybe I should be more clear on that. If you are a hardcore gamer, tell me you don’t want to play the list below (in HD.)
If you are a hardcore gamer, I stand by what I say.
Assassin’s Creed
Killzone 2
Halo 3
Crysis
Metal Gear Solid 4
Gran Turismo 5
Little Big Planet
Resident Evil 5
The Simpsons Game
Guitar Hero III
Drake’s Fortune
Haze
Call of Duty 4
Ratchet and Clank
Grand Theft Auto IV
Rock Band
Lair
Madden & FIFA 08
Mass Effect
etc.
I will be playing ALL of these games the first chance I get and I don’t want to play any of them on the Nintendo Wii hardware.
dp
Dropping Wii Controllers?
Great write up David. To answer your question, there is no way I would play any of those games on the Wii.
On a side note I have to tell you, after E3 I am more excited about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare than I am about Crysis.
The one game that I want in my hands now is Hellgate: London from Flagship studio’s.
I started talking about E3 sorry. Ha-ha.
Anyways, anybody with gaming at their center will feel like you do about the Wii. I was watching G4 TV and they talk of hardcore games like they are going to start to fall and the casual games will see a rise because of the Wii. (They are talking about all the platforms having more casual over hardcore games.) In honesty everyone did follow suit this year, Microsoft with Scene It and EA announcing a casual games division. I hope this doesn’t hurt us in the long run. I am all for casual games but I want my “hardcore gamer” games as well.
In my own opinion the industry is headed for a split and the Wii is going towards the virtual reality side of things and the other consoles are going towards the ooh that’s pretty side of things.
Again, great write up DP, nice to hear real thoughts from the industry.
Carbonite
Well said David.
Hi, it’s Rob from Disposable Media.
I realised from the interview we had that you just love games, and want nothing more than see the best from them.
It’s such a shame that some people will buy a console and defend it to the death. It’s not exactly the attitude that’ll drive our industry forward; people refusing to acknowladge the drawbacks of a certain console, and instead blindly defend it.
Fact is, the Wii is similar to the original XBOX in terms of graphical grunt, that’s just the fact. If people want to see graphical fidelity, then isn’t it obvious they need to invest in another console? How on earth can people find this surprising?
I think it’s a shame some people have judged you from one single quote, as true as it was. But there you go, I guess some people can’t be bothered to actually read into the facts.
Thanks for the interview as well, thought you were a right laugh!
Oh, and Miyamoto, David? Miyamoto!? I cannot imagine how amazing it must have been that a man like Miyamoto tells you he loves Earthworm Jim. Nice one.
I think the way the blogs have responded to this interview is more of a reflection of their tabloid nature than it is anything you said; anything for a quick headline, a quick click-through, a quick hit.
Me? I don’t even own a Wii. Presumably that means I should be locked up, immediately.
Anyway, everyone here at DM would quite happily interview you again. And again. And again…
Yes I would play those games on the Wii. I’m not playing a game for its graphics alone; the gameplay should also be hair-raising. With the Wiimote, games like RE5 or Haze, would be more intriguing than moving an analog stick to aim. And I’d dump HD over better gameplay any day.
Understandable, I tried playing RE 4 on the Wii and almost stabbed my eyes out.