Epic, Bethesda Shunning The Wii?
Every time I mention my disdain for Shigeru Miyamoto's pronouncement that the Wii is essentially a Gamecube, the room goes quiet and everyone politely averts their eyes. I realize it's blasphemy to question the word of The Man...which is part of the reason I'm so intent on pointing out the "Emperor's New Clothes"-iness of the statement and the egos behind it. It's not that I mind the technical limitations of the console - which are a great way to make innovative and affordable gameplay. But amidst all the Wii-love, I do think there's been a big steaming pile of denial about the essentially gimmicky nature of the console and the irrefutable fact that its specs will be keeping some more technically advanced games from joining the Nintendo party.
As the current crop of systems mature, bringing along increasingly spec-heavy games, the Wii will either fall behind or rely on a progressively insular library of games. This could be good, if Nintendo works its hardest to develop and attract developers of great Wii games. It's also a substantial liability, as two major game developers have recently made clear in language that leaves little room for doubt.
On ShackNews, Bethesda's Peter Hines explains why Oblivion won't be popping up on a Nintendo system anytime soon:
"Our philosophy has always been that we don't believe in trying to design the game for a platform. Our philosophy is to [decide] what game we want to make, then determine which platforms can run that game... It's not really going to run on a Wii for example, but if it could we would put it there. Our philosophy is to make a game and make it available to as many people as possible. We're not looking to limit who can play a game."
This is the same game that's being ported, in some form, to a handheld.
Make the jump to see why Gears of War and its ilk won't be Wii-hopping, either.
Meanwhile, Epic Games' VP Mark Rein explains to Wired that while his company does indeed play with the Wii, that play is limited to games using "previous" technology:
Hey, we're in that space! Red Steel, Splinter Cell -- those use our previous engine technology. But it's not in our plans to bring Unreal Engine 3 to the Wii. It's really designed for next-gen, high-definition.
And then they go right back to talking about actual next-gen consoles. While I'm as weary of the whole "gen" talk as the next gamer, it's both a slap in the face to imply that the Wii is not next-gen and a telling rebuke of Nintendo's hopes that the lack of high-definition on the Wii won't be its Achilles' heel. Or, as the seasons pass, one of several Achilles' heels.
I'm loving the Wii as much as I can at the moment, but I don't think that fearing a reversal of fortune for the system is terribly out of line. I'm also of the opinion that no matter how much you might love a console, a game, or a franchise, ignoring reality is usually a foolish thing to do. Yes, the Wii is great...but for how long?
Let the uproar commence.
Interview: Bethesda Softworks' Pete Hines [ShackNews]
Epic Games Gears Up for Greatness [Wired]
[Via: Destructoid]
tiny dancer
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 9 February 2007
· Comments (14)
Other stuff like this: bethesda, epic games, gears of war, next-gen, nintendo, oblivion, shigeru miyamoto, wii
The Wii is great for as long as people come up with innovative gameplay. Who bought a PS3 to play Flow? Or an Xbox 360 for Geometry Wars?
As much as I like my games to look as possible, there is always room to make awesome, innovative games on any kind of power level. Compare some mediocre next-gen games to some of the best Gamecube or PS2 games and you'll agree.
Of course, technical progress has to be taken into account. Still, I've got some great ideas for a game that would do just fine with zeldaish graphics, and, to be fair, WOW, one of the most played (and sometimes enjoyed) games ever isn't enjoyed nearly as much for its sharp textures and detailed poly models...
Hooray for simpler games!
"Our philosophy is to [decide] what game we want to make, then determine which platforms can run that game"
I can just about imagine all the times at Bathesda when they had these games designed, but no platform that would run them.
Of course you make a game to a platform. Primary Skew and all that.
Brilliant comments
THANK GOD someone else has noticed how gimmicky the Wii is...
I play on mine only when friends are here. To me, all it's good for is party games; it barely seems to have any other uses. So it's great for wi-fi and email and all that, but it just doesn't seem to have the all-roundedness of the 360 or the graphical oomph of the PS3.
Can't help but wonder why people love the Wii so much
I want my games to look as hi def and graphically intense as possible.
The Wii brings innovation in the form of motion sensitivity to controlling a game. But I think it fell short in limiting it's graphic capabilities.
There is no reason we cannot have both. WE have the technology.
Otherwise we might as well be playing Pong.
Watch us hear Bethesda's next project "Elder Scrolls for DS" then since they DID do one for cell phones. I will NOT be surprised by this.
But plenty of people thought the DS was gimmicky at the start... all that microphone blowing. But now? They can't make the fast enough. So far the only problem I have with my Wii is that I can't find enough time to sit down and play it for as long as I want.
I don't get this obsession with high def amazing graphics. No one ever played Mario because the mushrooms looked photo-realistic after all.
You know, the Wii might be gimmicky, but so was the DS, and that has trounced the PSP in the handheld market. I'm not going to predict the Wii will leave the PS3 in the dust as far as consoles go, but I do think the Wii has a lot more going for it than just the gimmick. That being said, I am getting ready to finally cave and get a 360 just to play Oblivion. While it might be nice to see it on the Wii (especially because the swordfighting would be awesome), I have to admit, I'd rather see it on the 360 where the graphics will be all they can be. On the Wii I fear it would end up looking like Daggerfall.
Oh God, that was geeky. I'm sorry.
This is what pisses me off. Since when is "gimmick" a dirty word? The ENTIRE gaming industry is founded on gimmicks.
I have the feeling somebody's gonna be on their knees begging to be in on the bandwagon in a year's time. It won't be Nintendo.
I have the feeling somebody's gonna be on their knees begging to be in on the bandwagon in a year's time. It won't be Nintendo.
I have to agree with Liam Egan on that. Devs and publishers are too serious and lose sight that people just want to enjoy themselves. "Video games" in of itself is a gimmick right? If so it's one gimmick I'll always be happy to put cash down on.
i loved daggerfall!!!!
Mark Rein has been badmouthing the Wii since before anyone had even played it.... since before it was even called the Wii. That's nothing new. And as others have pointed out, Bethesda is making cell phone games too... if the sales are there, they'll target any platform.
Far Cry on the Wii demonstrates that some franchises don't belong on the Wii, and those franchises are the ones for whom photorealistic graphics are a selling point. See also: Gears of War. I wouldn't want to play it even if they did try it.
Nonetheless.... I've never had corporate executives call me into their offices to ask me, somewhat abashedly, if I had an inside track on getting a PS3 or 360 or a controller for them, which has happened with the Wii three times now. I'm guessing I never will. I might cave and get a 360 when Halo 3 comes out, but for them the Wii is all they want or need.
Nintendo's betting that there's more of them than there are of hardcore gamers. So far, in my observation, Nintendo is on the way to a payoff on that bet.
"This is what pisses me off. Since when is "gimmick" a dirty word? The ENTIRE gaming industry is founded on gimmicks."
Well, yes. But disclaiming that all games rely on gimmicks just shuts down discussion entirely - there's plenty of room to question which gimmicks work better than others, will last longer than others, lend themselves to multi-platform gaming, are fun at parties but not for marathon solo gaming sessions, etc.
Surely one insight into the nature of gaming doesn't negate the entire dialogue...