Climax: Hardcore Games on Wii Difficult to Make
The CEO of Climax Studios says its difficult to develop Wii titles for hardcore gamers.
Climax Studios, the developer behind Konami's Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for the PSP, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo Wii, is a seasoned veteran when it comes to bringing gaming content to consoles and the PC. With 12 years of experience under its belt, it's somewhat difficult to blow off seemingly negative comments it makes about specific consoles. Then again, this isn't the first development house to complain about making hardcore gaming titles on the Wii.
However, truth be told, the recent Silent Hill title is the developer's second Nintendo Wii game (following June 2009's Overlord: Dark Legend). So when Climax Studios CEO Simon Gardner tells Develop that the console is difficult to develop for because titles geared to hardcore gamers remain commercially unproven, we have to nod in agreement. The Conduit may be the perfect example of that theory, Sega's answer to hardcore gamers, racking in an overall rating of 72-percent.
“We feel we now understand the hardware and the interface very well,” he said. “But the flip-side to that is that non-Nintendo publishers feel they haven’t done that well on it commercially. That’s the biggest issue. From that perspective, the Wii is a really difficult device to develop for, because as a hardcore games machine, Wii games are always going to be held up against whatever’s just come out on the Xbox 360 or PS3."
He also goes on to assume that ROIs (Return on Investment) on Wii games are low, and because of that, publishers are conservative on how much they can spend on the console. He also adds that the Wii's huge, installed base has a fairly low attachment rate, and that too is a deterrent on how much publishers are willing to invest.
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The Wii is a great system... but like he said, it's not for the hardcore gamer. And if you really want to game ... forget the xbox 360 and ps3 ... there just toys, get a PC
Call it "Silent Hill: Mario Fit Racer Pals" and judiciously use that wobbling board thing Wii users love to stand on. Have mini-games between each level and display their brain age when you die.
Because apparently we love that shit.
The Wii is a great system... but like he said, it's not for the hardcore gamer. And if you really want to game ... forget the xbox 360 and ps3 ... there just toys, get a PC
Well said.
I wouldn't see why people would buy a console that is aimed at school age kids and soccer moms, then complain about a lack of hardcore games. This subject is becoming tiresome, the wii was never aimed at that market with a lower cost and limited hardware. I think the producers are smart to not invest in such projects on the wii.
That's a completely retarded statement. He should say it's difficult to make a successful mature game on the Wii.
The Wii is a great system... but like he said, it's not for the hardcore gamer. And if you really want to game ... forget the xbox 360 and ps3 ... there just toys, get a PC
rofl
here we go again, PC is da 1337 shitz y0
I game on my PS3 more than on my PC. PC is only good for one type of game, FPS. and yes I play that on my PC, other than that, nope.
PC+Xbox360 controller>all
roflhere we go again, PC is da 1337 shitz y0 I game on my PS3 more than on my PC. PC is only good for one type of game, FPS. and yes I play that on my PC, other than that, nope.
dude, rts? hello? macros? That's way better on PC than on a console.
I'll never understand system-warriors (ie those that champion a single system, be it 360, ps3, PC, wii, etc., calling all other systems 'terrible'). Personally I own a pretty powerful PC, a 360, ps3, wii, psp, ds, because if a game comes out that's good, I want to be able to get my hands on it.
Sure, the Wii's got a rather bad noise ratio, but there are some very good games in there. Any FPS fans would appreciate Dead Space: Extraction, lightgun fans get House of the Dead, platform fans have Super Mario Galaxy, RPG fans have various Final Fantasy games, then there's other gems like Okami, Zack and Wiki, No More Heroes...
Anyway, my point is that the Wii isn't a terrible console, it has some great games just like every other system, but they're drowned out by the terrible shovelware. It takes a bit of digging but they can be found, and are worth it when they are.
That's a completely retarded statement. He should say it's difficult to make a successful mature game on the Wii.
After reading the article, I believe that is actually exactly what he was saying. The original article was a little clearer, and it also contains this quote:
"We just don’t know if hardcore games can succeed on the Wii. I think it’s yet to be proven. I think a lot of people have bought Wii’s, but many aren’t buying software for it.
“With Silent Hill Shattered Memories, we’ve made a gamer’s game, and we’ve put a lot of passion into the game to get it right. But we’ve now got to wait and see how successful it’s really going to be commercially. That’s kind of out of our hands.”
I got mine using the service at www.amzpricesniper.com. It watched the Amazon inventory and the moment Amazon received fresh inventory at the regular retail price this obnoxious alarm went off.
You're a dick, apart from the fact that I can build a PC from scratch that pumps out higher res and FPS than a PS3 for less money
I assume you speak of an AMD build by the looks of it. You can't get a decent intel build that cheap unless something made them heavily drop their prices (that I highly doubt)
I assume you speak of an AMD build by the looks of it. You can't get a decent intel build that cheap unless something made them heavily drop their prices (that I highly doubt)
why does the manufacturer of the CPU make a difference?
if the end result is better graphics for the same price...
I am an OG gammer from the early 80's with the likes of Nintendo and Sega Master System and to some Atari 2600. Consoles are pointless for FPS and MMO's...or the like. A keyboard + mouse will run circles around anyone using a controller to play any such FPS or MMO games. Side Scrolling, Street Fighter II, Final Fantasy, and Mario type games are meant for Consoles. PC+XBox360 Controller = fail unless you are playing Street Fighter IV.
I just don't get people who play FPS's like COD: MW2 on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Consoles have its advantages and so does PC for certain game types.
And yes, I have played through all the PC games from Doom to hal-life to StarCraft, to UT, to WarCraft II, to L4D2. Not to mention I have all the consoles except for Xbox, Xbox360, and PS3. PC gaming is just more enjoyable then Consoles except retro games (my Opinion). But again, there are certain console games that are worth it.
Oh, I love console gaming. N64 emulator to play Conkers Bad Fur day, PCSX2 to play anything else. =D
$60 Pentium Dual Core (2.5GHz dual core, but only 2MB cache, deal with it) + $30 MOBO + old case laying around + $30 PSU + $20 2GB RAM + old 80GB HDD laying around + $60 ATI 4670 = $200 gaming rig. =D
I want a Wii for FPS games myself (though I can only imagine rail shooters would work well) and hack'n'slash games.
The Wii just isn't serious, sorry. It's the same for the NDS. The Sony PSP does have a nice feeling of badass to it though (plus games like GoW, Daxter, R&C etc.).
Why so serious?
I have a 360, PSP and a PC. >=)
PC + DVI->HDMI cable to LCD + 2x X-box360 controllers = X-box with 10 times the computing capacity. Consoles are, and will always be teh sux!
There is nothing you can do on any console, that a PC won't do - better!
Call it "Silent Hill: Mario Fit Racer Pals" and judiciously use that wobbling board thing Wii users love to stand on. Have mini-games between each level and display their brain age when you die.Because apparently we love that shit.
Apparently.
Respect goes out to you, sir!
roflhere we go again, PC is da 1337 shitz y0 I game on my PS3 more than on my PC. PC is only good for one type of game, FPS. and yes I play that on my PC, other than that, nope.
EEEERRRNN wrong answer douchbag !
game genre's that are better on pc
1. FPSer (obviously)
2. RTS (definitely)
3. RPG's (when designed for pc such as dragon age : origins)
4 Simulators (air combat tank ect. ect.)
5. simulation (like life simulators, such as second life and the sims)
game genre's that are not at their best on pc but are fairly nice when done right
1. Racing games get a wheel or a game pad and racers are awsome on pc
2. 3rd person action and adventure if you like lara croft reember she was on pc first for areason .. and every TR game has been done on pc the best beign teh last three games in the series totatlly playable on mouse and keyboard
.........
only gane genere's that cant be done on pc well are general sports titels , martial art games like soul calibur , and boxing games like finght night
so your answer is an epic fail dweeb
I am an OG gammer from the early 80's with the likes of Nintendo and Sega Master System and to some Atari 2600. Consoles are pointless for FPS and MMO's...or the like. A keyboard + mouse will run circles around anyone using a controller to play any such FPS or MMO games. Side Scrolling, Street Fighter II, Final Fantasy, and Mario type games are meant for Consoles. PC+XBox360 Controller = fail unless you are playing Street Fighter IV. I just don't get people who play FPS's like COD: MW2 on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Consoles have its advantages and so does PC for certain game types.
not to burst your bubble i paly console games and PC but havem to defend some consolers , because they arn't all laoded enough to build a low end gaming pc even, much less a mid or high end gaming pc, now i can understand the argument if say said console gamer got a 1,000 dollar 42 inch lcd tv with his 200 dollar console, me perosnally woudl rather spend 1200 dollars on a nice pc than a tv and a console , but this isn't always the case , . take me for example , i have an OLDer CRT based wide screen tv , (standard def aka 480p) i got my consoles on it via a component cable so the image is not to bad it';s not lcd good but it's still nice enough to game with . i also ahve a budget gaming pc that costed me 800 bucks last year point being i got a cheap gaming computer , and the tv i paly my consoles on is not LCD HDTV because i could not afford such . many console gamers can't afford a new tv or a cheap gaming computer .. me i ahd to get the comp because i'm in school for game art design and my old system just would not run 3ds max at all. but again poijnt being we cant all be so fortunate. so many gmaers have to go with a console on every genre can't knock them for that
Agree with demonhorde's list though I think cosoles have made inroads.
and Witcher are both outstanding old school RPG's that no console can match. IMO the real problem with consoles in this genre is that they dumb down the games too much, which might maximize the audience but it costs them any "Hardcore" potential. Series like Final Fantasy are fun but simplistic compared to their PC bretheren.
Consoles have closed much of the gap on racing sims... they lack the ultimate realism but the 360/Forza and PS3/GT titles both spank PC racers in image quality. It's not that the PC couldn't support a racing title that would crush the consoles... but nobody has done it (I'm not including arcade racers since I don't play them).
I would've argued they've taken the lead in RPG's with solid titles like the Fable series... but DA
I'd add MMO's to the list too... you'll never see a Console MMO with the complexity of WOW until they start FULLY supporting a keyboard/mouse interface. The console controller is FAR too limiting forcing games to be simplified.
RTS also is really only lacking a decent kb/mouse interface to be competitive.
I guess looking at the list... the biggest hinderence to the current gen consoles competing in PC dominant gaming genre's is really their lack of a robust kb/mouse interface. Certainly they're also dated in the graphics and computing areas... but both consoles have enough power to host compelling gameplay given innovative developers (which they've got) and powerful input device support (which they don't have).
lol... instead of the smiley... that should say Dragon Age Origins.
@rigaudio: Your comment is NSFW. Because when I laugh that much, people around me realize that I'm not working very hard!
That's perfectly understandable. Nintendo doesn't make gaming machines really... they make no\/elty toys. "cute" is what I would use to describe nintendo's console iterations after the n64. And up until the DS game gear still made their handhelds look like cheap toys. Ne\/er the less, they are no\/el, and fun. But anyone that wants to get some real gaming done usually does so on the PC. More control, more options, more fun. Primary reason PC is not quoted as the 'primary' gaming platform imo is due to ignorance of the general population on what piece of hardware will make things look pretty on their pc's. Cheaper to buy a mid range \/ideo card than it is to buy a console. :-p
I have a pretty powerfull pc, It is good for games and I play a few on it, but this is why when I want to play cod mw2 I fire up the xbox. All my friends have an xbox, so I can play with all of them. I cant do that on the pc, because alot of my friends run laptops, and therefor can game with me. Until the pc becomes as friendly as consoles, you will never see wide spread adoption. The proof in point is noone is making pc games anymore. They are all console ports. I hate to say it, but the pc gaming experence is dying, No matter how much more elite it is.
ah yeah... and it would be hard to sell an xbox 360 game on a bluray disc...
the consoles have different strengths and focuses, I would have thought this was obvious by now.
I want a Wii strictly for mario games (Super Paper Mario, New Super Mario Bros, Super Mario galaxy etc). It is actually kind of worth it for the caliber of those few games. I had 4 N64 games back in the day, but I would still say the system was worth it for how much I played those 4 games.
The Wii should not be compared with the Xbox360 or PS3, it's like comparing a tractor with a combine harvester, thy both have different uses.
Agree with demonhorde's list though I think cosoles have made inroads.Consoles have closed much of the gap on racing sims... they lack the ultimate realism but the 360/Forza and PS3/GT titles both spank PC racers in image quality. It's not that the PC couldn't support a racing title that would crush the consoles... but nobody has done it (I'm not including arcade racers since I don't play them). I would've argued they've taken the lead in RPG's with solid titles like the Fable series... but DA and Witcher are both outstanding old school RPG's that no console can match. IMO the real problem with consoles in this genre is that they dumb down the games too much, which might maximize the audience but it costs them any "Hardcore" potential. Series like Final Fantasy are fun but simplistic compared to their PC bretheren.I'd add MMO's to the list too... you'll never see a Console MMO with the complexity of WOW until they start FULLY supporting a keyboard/mouse interface. The console controller is FAR too limiting forcing games to be simplified.RTS also is really only lacking a decent kb/mouse interface to be competitive. I guess looking at the list... the biggest hinderence to the current gen consoles competing in PC dominant gaming genre's is really their lack of a robust kb/mouse interface. Certainly they're also dated in the graphics and computing areas... but both consoles have enough power to host compelling gameplay given innovative developers (which they've got) and powerful input device support (which they don't have).
yes fable is an awsome game i have both fable 1 and fable 2 (in thier console variety) but i'm talkign to history of the genre's RPG's on pc ahvbe been far more indepth in both game play mechnaics and story i certianly cant argue console rpgs are in the lead when pc still has great rpg's like DA and witcher comign out not to mention teh cross platform games like oblivion and fallout 3 are far superior on pc compared to thier console counterparts ( though i will admit with these two titles this is largely thanks to a massive modding community, not the actual game it's self)
these thigns listed below are what should occure for the consoles to catch up in the "pc" genre's i listed earlier
1. beter mouse and keyboard support on console games
2. Developers start releasing SDK's for console games (of coruse such sdk's would also require a mouse and key board , as a student majorign in game art design i hoenstly can't see any way you could make a toolset usble on aconsole controller)
3. this is for next gen consoles hardware ... they are gonna have to support and demand all games on thier systems feature FULL HD res With 4 x or 8 x aa ,m current gen many titles don't even have full HD res much less FULL antialising ( a very few games have 720 p with 2 x aa but bump those to 180p and it drops the aa) , granted pc's will stil catch up on textures and effects , but if the next gen can support full hd with 4x or 8x aa then it will really close the graphical gap
4. try to keep thier initial release prices frokm being so close to a budget gaming machine computer. this current gen launched with some of teh highest prices in console history , xbx 360 was 500 bucks at release ps3 was 500 or 600 (higher model) on release , we all know if you build wisely you can get a gaming PC that is beter than the current gen for about 650-700 with the way consoel prices are going up when teh next gen comes along i wouldn't be suprised if they matched a budget gaming pc's cost...so they really need to look at controlling prices
5 better quality control , the 360 adn ps3 both initally relased with rather massive failure rates , and ms didnt get thiers under control much till just last year with teh jasper main boards , ps3's were overheating bad too at first , and this promted sony to remove the hardware ps2 chip to give the system more air flow next gen this kind of stuff just can't happen , many loyal gamers to both ms and sony are vowing they wont run out adn buy the next gen until they hear what kind of heating issues they have , so MS and sony both got to release top notch systems that don't have many fail rates.
I have a pretty powerfull pc, It is good for games and I play a few on it, but this is why when I want to play cod mw2 I fire up the xbox. All my friends have an xbox, so I can play with all of them. I cant do that on the pc, because alot of my friends run laptops, and therefor can game with me. Until the pc becomes as friendly as consoles, you will never see wide spread adoption. The proof in point is noone is making pc games anymore. They are all console ports. I hate to say it, but the pc gaming experence is dying, No matter how much more elite it is.
you sir are talking out your arse ..
1. pc gmaes arnt all ports yet , most these "ports" yous ay are whreally what is called CROSS PLATFORM , meaning they were developed for both pc and console at the same time , many of these cross platform games have key features teh console varieties dont ahve , DA: has an entire tactical hud on PC that NONE of the console versions have. left 4 dead 2 has a much larger pc community on pc as well as better match making. hell even some of teh pure ports are better on pc in atleast graphics , Resident evil 5's port fuly supports a mouse and key board set up and the graphics are a good step above the console version. as for stait pc games ther are many rts's simulators and even some RPG's on PC that you WILL NOT see on console period, granted theya re not big indutry titels , sicne when has that determined rather or not agame is good .. remember ubisoft was a nobody ubntill they released far cry 1, many good companies get thier start makign great pc games that tend to fly under the radar of main stream media .. there is pently of games and juice left in the pc gaming industry.keep in mind also , toolset are relased for pc you can get 3ds amx for pc , youc ant get those on consoles , so thier are alot of little guys out ther making whole games and or mods to exising games that cost way less than big industry titles , and you srue as hell can't get all that on consoles.
sorry to come off asa pc fan boy again i like both consoles and pc's i jsut hate seeing know it all's talking out thier ass when they don't have a clue
pc is where the true hardcore gamers are. so hardcore that they make their own add-ons [mods] or make their own games. this is why downloadable content is never going to work for the pc because these gamers are more then able to make it themselves.
what is funny though is that the 360/ps3 gamers think they're hardcore gamers, but little do they know that they are only suckers being sqeezed by big game companies like activision and the other video game developers.
the problem with making hardcore games on the wii is really not a problem. it is a problem to ps3/360/pc developers because they are only fixed at one thing and one thing only, the hardware. nintendo has made games that proved otherwise, but we keep getting reminded that the wii has this hardware limitation while in fact there are no limitation. npd month after month keeps showing that ps2 consoles are still being sold. this informs us that people are buying the ps2 because it has a nice dvd feature. no, people are buying the ps2 because of the software and those ps2 software are old hardware and no one cares. if people cared then they would all buy a 360/ps3, or even better buy a pc and play with superior hardware.
look at capcoms megaman 9 and, soon to be released, megaman 10. these two games made by capcom will have nes like graphic games and no one really cares.
read these two articles,
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/ar [...] -the-Choir
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/ar [...] g-Prophecy