Free Radical: Wii FPS has Huge Potential

[Wiinter]

COD4 is skipping the Wii entirely. COD3 left off any multiplayer mode, a staple of the COD experience. MOH: Airborne (a legitimately cool game) is skipping the wii entirely, leaving it's kid brother Heroes 2 (just another MOH) to the system. Thanks for the online FPS, but don't think we didn't notice we got robbed. Nintendo Vice prez of Marketing George Harrison tells gamers if they are looking for aggressive online play, they should buy another system--and clearly he's been telling developers something similar, because 3rd parties are actually decreasing the FPS efforts they made in the first Wii development phase, not increasing them.

And will developers FREAKING finally acknowledge that no system has better potential than the Wii on FPS? Today, I saw Free Radical's (Developer of Haze) Derek Littlewood say something close enough:

"Personally, as a gamer, I think it has definite potential (as a first-person shooter controller)," he said. "It can be done, you can get really great FPS controls with the Wii. I think it has huge potential there."

Huge potential. That's a step in the right direction. It's not a "that potential will be realized by December", but maybe someday devs will see the light. One hopes that Metroid's control system will wake them up. As someone who saw the Wii and thought, "Wow. I can't wait to shoot with that thing", I hope more developers catch on. They're willing to go into markets that have high demands on graphics. Are they willing to put the same effort in to the best control system on the market, even if Wii gamers have high demands for their system's flagship feature?

[Ads]

[paintba||er]

But most people that buy Wiis are casual/non-gamers. So mini games and stuff would probably sell better than a great FPS on it, so why would the developers make FPSs for it?

[Wiinter]

But most people that buy Wiis are casual/non-gamers. So mini games and stuff would probably sell better than a great FPS on it, so why would the developers make FPSs for it?

Evidence shows that most new Casual gamers don't buy Wiis, they use the Wiis that hardcore (or at least Nintendo's defintion of hardcore) gamers buy. They aren't expanding the market by selling completely to people who've never bought consoles before, they're just increasing the number of people per household that use it.

Mini-games for the wii would probably have a better ROI (considering how cheaply they can be made) than hardcore shooters for the PS360, so why make shooters for the PS360? Reality TV has a better ROI than expensive primetime dramas, so why would anyone make the good stuff?

Nintendo's taken several bad turns on how they promote increasing the market (hopefully, with George Harrison stepping down, they can regain their balance), but there is a hardcore market there, and they bought Red Steel (though their standards are higher now), they bought The Godfather, they'll buy Metroid (even if it isn't 7th gen AAA), and they're waiting for new games to scratch that itch.

[6ix]

I think some hardcore FPS would be great. If you're good enough, you can actually legitimately get quick headshots, not to mention the immersion factor. Imagine a game like Sniper Elite, where they don't need to simulate your breathing when your in max zoom, they just up the sensitivity and you literally have to hold your breath to steady your aim.

[paintba||er]

I think they would be great, but I just don't see to many of them coming to the Wii, and the ones that do probably wouldn't be too good. (Red Steel)

[mushroomedmario]

paintba||er you act like only casual gamers buy the wii, yeah more casual gamers buy the wii than any other system, but there is still a huge market for ahrdcore gamers

look at the sales, tehre are probably more hardcore gamers that own a wii then a ps3(well i have no idea but it should be relatively close)

fps will sell well on the wii especially if there were a lot of them(cause then mroe fps fans would buy it)

[Wiinter]

Free Radical, who inspired this thread, is hard at work on Timesplitters 4. Hopefully they take a cue from Littlewood and put it on the Wii. I read good things about TS on the cube.

Not a bad idea 6ix. Somehow even the nicely executed mouse and keyboard combo doesn't really do it for me. The wiimote opens up a lot of possibilities. Did you see Shooter with Wahlberg? That whets my appetite for a good sniper game. Actually, sniping is what I end up doing in any FPS anyway.

[6ix]

^^^^Nah I haven't seen that I might download it now that you mention it though. But yeah a game like that would be sick.

[Trulen]

Personally I'd like to see a new genre become popular.
FPS's have reigned too long. Popular opinion today is: If a console doesn't have an online FPS, then it's rubbish and non-hardcore.

Now an online adventure game, that'd be worth something.
Not something like WoW or Ragnarok or whatever those MMO things are though.
Yeesh. I couldn't see 'em on the wii.


BUT ANYWAYS ON TOPIC.
We'll just have to see how Metroid will work.
Because any hardcore FPS fan that has a wii, and wants to see it in full-blown action, they're going to get Metroid.

Developers see that it sells because it's a FPS.

Developers create a FPS.
Not because they want us happy.
But because they want our money.


And then before you know it, there'll be too many FPS on the wii.


BUT...
Then again, I could be entirely wrong.

[Wiinter]

Personally I'd like to see a new genre become popular.
FPS's have reigned too long. Popular opinion today is: If a console doesn't have an online FPS, then it's rubbish and non-hardcore.

I've been out of the console market for a while, though, if I were ps or xbox owner, I might share your opinion. In my view, FPS on the Wii is substantially different than an FPS on any other system, and not a tired overworked genre no matter the experience.

Now an online adventure game, that'd be worth something.
Not something like WoW or Ragnarok or whatever those MMO things are though.
Yeesh. I couldn't see 'em on the wii.

Online adventure, but not MMO? What part do see online playing in it? 2 -4 player coop?

The Wii remote certainly has potential beyond the increasingly neglected FPS genre. RPGs come to mind.

BUT ANYWAYS ON TOPIC.
We'll just have to see how Metroid will work.
Because any hardcore FPS fan that has a wii, and wants to see it in full-blown action, they're going to get Metroid.

Developers see that it sells because it's a FPS.

Developers create a FPS.
Not because they want us happy.
But because they want our money.

And then before you know it, there'll be too many FPS on the wii.

Better too many than nothing good--competition will make something rise to the top. As it is now, the genre is slowly being abandoned (see post #1). And I don't mind companies chasing my money. I don't expect them to make games out of the goodness of their heart.