They’re stuck in the mire. They’re drowning in the muck of obscurity. To save them, you must wade through the muck, avoid the soul-sucking crapware, and yank the poor unloved gem of a game out with your wallet. Is it worth it?
Perhaps. While the problem of good games being ignored isn’t new, nor is it as bad as it used to be, it persists. Sad thing is, core gamers hold a fair amount of responsibility for it.
But not all of it is our fault. Some games are niche, so not every core gamer would want them. Poor marketing and little hype doesn’t help.
Then there’s the Wii issue. Notably excellent games (if reviews are anything to go by) like Madword and Little King’s Story can’t catch a break. Both games had hype (especially Madword), and they generally lived up to it. If I was still a Wii fanboy (I’m a mere enthusiast now), I’d cry “racism against the Wii”, but I know better.
Madworld’s black and white style worked great within Wii limitations, but most gamers these days who appreciate vast quantities of violence lean towards realism. It’s a misunderstanding of an audience. Then again, isn’t the art style a rather superficial issue? Is that really a good reason to not impale people with stop signs?
Little King’s Story’s predicament is baffling. I don’t get it at all. It’s an impressive hybrid of RPG, Strategy, and Simulation, which I thought that core gamers would appreciate. Nope. The problem might be first impressions. Judging by screenshots, the game overshoots the soft-edged look it was going for, and makes it seem borderline cuddly (ugh). Then again, aren’t graphics a little superficial? Isn’t the gameplay worth it? Apparently not.
Ah, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom. You will be mine tomorrow. Now here’s a Wii-exclusive third-party game that fighting fans have been begging Capcom to port to the PS3 and 360. I can see why – there’s not much of a reason for the game to be on the Wii (exclusively, that is)…
Madworld and Little King’s Story could’ve been on the PS3 or 360, sold better, and maybe could have been better games. Core gamers see that, and perhaps make judgements based on it. This isn’t “racism against Wii” because, yes, they have a point. There isn’t much of a reason for these games to be on the Wii, if any. However, making a buying decision based on “it could’ve been…” is a lose/lose situation. The developer and publisher lose, and you deprive yourself of an enjoyable game. It’s not as bad as downright fanboyism, but it still sucks.
Actually, this is an excellent game more at home on the Wii. Still didn’t sell well.
The bright side? Junction Point comes and changes everything I once thought about hardcore 3rd party games on the Wii.
“Well, think about it. Would you really want to tackle convincing Halo or Grand Theft Auto players that they want to be Mickey Mouse? Would you really want to do that? In terms of finding a congenial audience, let’s go for a platform that’s known for Mario and Link and now Sonic. Come on. Honestly, with the unit sales on the hardware, it was kind of a lucky happenstance. We made the call to go to the Wii long before it was clear that the Wii was going to be, at least for now, the best-selling platform.
It was about going where the audience is and going somewhere where they’re going to accept a visual style that is more cartoony than people are used to seeing and where we don’t feel obliged to throw in every shader on the planet. ‘Look at the normal maps and shaders.’ We don’t have to do that kind of stuff. It’s the right platform for this project, for sure.” – Warren Spector in an interview with GameInformer.
This is a case where the Wii is a less restrictive platform. Junction Point sees it as an opportunity to try something new and unexpected, where the hardcore can be taken by surprise and the masses could unwittingly learn the basics of how great hardcore gaming could be.
Sure, I didn’t have to make this all about the Wii. Check in tomorrow and Wednesday for the anatomy of underrated games not on the Wii.
TGM’s VGMs #3 – Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – Ice Cap Zone Act 1
