conduitToday boys and girls we will look at an issue that has been debated by almost every games media outlet.

It’s an issue that’s very complex and honestly deserves to be dissected by a careful assessment, backed by numbers, by a group of very well informed analytical minds in the industry.  Only then can such an issue be solved.  Assuming there is a possibility of a solution.  What am I babbling about, you ask?  The Wii and its hardcore following.

Notice I said hardcore following, not titles.

There are plenty of Wiis out there, in fact if we were to combine the number of Wii  units out there and then add up all the 360 and ps3 units.. The Wii would still have more units than them (not the ps2 and its monumental record though).

Granted titles like Wii sports were a pack in… And wii fit has sold amazingly well, but when it comes to the “hardcore games” which by definition are games that have depth and follow the typical gaming conventions that require mastery of skill, as well as providing depth and many layers to the game that a “veteran of games” can appreciate.
Hardcore games have also played another role, creating new art directions, pushing systems limits and creating more immersible and groundbreaking genre than you might think.

Sure titles like pixel junk and flower, world of goo and even Wii sports and fit are casual forays that create new art direction, game play implementations and over all, break new ground. But lest we forget what genre busting games like devil may cry, Resident evil 4, Call Of Duty 4, etc. have brought to the table? There are tons of titles that have pushed gaming into a new direction and caused some of the most delightful new creations to take light and become part of our gaming library.

madworldThis was apparent at E3, when show stoppers like Assassins Creed 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, Metroid other M, and Uncharted 2, showed us it’s never been a more exciting time to be a gamer.

But now I’m getting sidetracked, it’s not about hardcore gaming, its all about the Wii and its hardcore following.
I know many people who own a Wii; in fact of the 25 on my Wii message list only 6 are active online players. The rest seem to side with the other systems of choice.  This saddens me since these people are not only missing out on some of the best games out there but they are holding back Nintendo and the third party Wii devs  from  investing in them for a reliable future in hardcore gaming. And lets face it, Nintendo will always make its key hardcore franchises for us, but it’s the shy third party developer that I worry of.

My buddy Roy is hardcore; he has all three systems and a PC rig decent enough to play any title… except Crysis.
Yet most people like him think the Wii is designed for their younger sibling, refuse to invest time into it and most importantly ignore some of gaming’s best offers exclusive on the Wii.

So, if you have a Wii…and an HD set, start by GETTING COMPONENT WIRES. If you can moan about the jaggy graphics then things will seem slightly clear in 480P. TRUST ME, it wont be as crisp as 1080p but it does make a dramatic difference.  So now with a sharper resolution and more vivid color pallet (since component has 3 video inputs) you might want to next invest in a classic controller for the fighters (smashers) or if you are hardcore enough have already some GameCube controllers lying around. AND THAT’S IT. Your Wii is set to accommodate almost any title that comes your way. Face it, you dished out 40 bucks for that HDMI cable for the ps3… optical out for the 360 sound… this is the least you could do.

Now then, go and pay attention to the COUNTLESS hardcore titles out there, support them, play them… BUY THEM.

Oh but I hear there aren’t any? And most of them are kiddy! And there is no way I will play a MARIO GAME!
Shut up, sit down and OMG you couldn’t be more wrong.

Here is a list of the top of my head… of titles I can guarantee most Wii owners, especially the hardcore system hoarders have missed out on.
nmh
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Zak and Wiki
Okami (Wii-make)
Resident evil umbrella chronicles
Resident Evil 4 (now with better aiming!)
Battalion Wars 2!!!
Victorious Boxers Revolution (surprisingly deep and fun anime game)
Guilty Gear accent core (the last we will see from the original developers)
MARIO GALAXY!
NO more Heroes!
House of the Dead Overkill
Madworld!
SSX Blur
Super Smash Bros Brawl
Tenchu 4
Deadly Creatures
METROID PRIME 3 CORRUPTION!
Boomblox
Da Blob
Rune Factory!
Trauma Center series!
Fire Emblem series

THE CONDUIT

you know what… I can honestly go on and on.
Go to any fan of gaming and check and see if they even have 4 titles from that list. I’m sure you’ll find they don’t.
The fact remains some of these titles innovate genres we have grown up with, most of them are designed for the hardcore in mind and all of them are stellar achievements in gaming.

See even I don’t own all of them, but I can say I’ve played and own a fair majority of them. These titles have made me realize that not all the coolest and most memorable moments belong on my ps3 or 360

Back when Mario Galaxy came out, all of my friends were stoked over Assassins Creed. GREAT Game BTW! But only one of my buddies saw how insane and amazing Galaxy truly was.  Would you believe we played the game for 6 hours exploring the physics behind the title?
zelda

So what I’m getting at is this, you own a Wii, DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY. Go out and make use of the system, recommend good games to people, after all, gaming is a social event, even if it’s a single player game. We have all discussed games like GTA 4 to death and Gears of War, even if we don’t own the game.

Go explore the Wii, support some of its best third-party offerings and its stellar first party titles before you declare it a last gen system or something your younger sister would play.

Casual gaming will only last so long before even these casual gamers will require something a bit more advanced to enjoy on the system.

I commend EA and its new take on sports, providing this year the best sports titles appearing on the Wii, let alone any other platform. Titles like Tiger Woods 10 which is the finest golf game out there and Grand Slam Tennis.

Madworld was an insanely fun game, yet few have played or heard of it. The same could be said for No More Heroes, which now has a sequel in the works despite it’s ho-hum sales record. But titles like metroid prime 3 need your attention. It’s hard to believe this game did not sell well where its prequel did amazing on the GameCube. Retro studios did a stellar job and you need to play it.

I will go out and say one last thing. THE CONDUIT is out now. GO play it… BUY IT. Support it!
It’s the first time someone has done a FPS well on the wii (prime 3 was FPA…adventure) the team has gone and made a game that’s fully customizable and houses an engine that will leave you breathless at times. It truly is a remarkable title on the Wii… GO GET THE CONDUIT plain and simple. You a hardcore gamer? Love your systems? Have a Wii… then GO out and Buy some good games for it… EXPAND YOUR MIND MAAAAN!






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