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Skyward Sword & "Hard Core" Gamers

Jupiter

Bringer of Jollity
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Location
Great Lakes
The Wii has had a lot of trouble with the so-called "hard core gamers"...the XBox 360, PS3 owning crowd who obsess over Call of Duty, who adore Red Dead, who drool over Uncharted, etc., etc....will Zelda SS appeal to them?

I know it will be a great game, but will it be universally great? Will classic gamers, hard core gamers, and new/young gamer all be attracted to this game?

Explain what it would have to do if not...I have my thoughts...
 

David

But you called me here...
Joined
Aug 6, 2010
Honestly, we won't know until it actually comes out, or we get more information. Knowing Nintendo, I imagine that they wanted to make a more hard core game than some of their other titles. We know that the mechanics in Skyward Sword allow for a more hard core gaming experience than they have before. I personally have great hopes for Skyward Sword. But I'm not going to dedicate myself to something until I complete the game. I won't make any final judgements until I have completed the game. I'd suggest you do the same.
 

Hanyou

didn't build that
"Hardcore" means nothing, and I tend to hate the label. The Wii has Mario, Donkey Kong, Kirby, and several other Japanese games that some idiots in the Western media decided weren't "hardcore" enough because they weren't M-rated.

Skyward Sword won't appeal to the closed-minded gamers obsessed with Xbox Live and First-person shooters.
 

Djinn

and Tonic
Joined
Nov 29, 2010
Location
The Flying Mobile Opression fortress
Yea I am really wondering exactly what hardcore gamers means in this context. To my mind that really only includes the FPS fans found on XBox Live every night. So most things Nintendo and Adventure would not interest them anyway. But even they are just another part of the gaming world. There are just as many roleplayers or Madden fans. And Nintendo has their own share of gamers that are faithful as well. Plus there are the action adventure fans. With all these I do not think Skyward Sword will have any problems.

I always assumed the shooter fans get the hardcore title from playing M rated games and killing everything that moves. Really I think the MMO people put a lot more time and effort into their playing. Their characters are an investment.
 
J

jora

Guest
AS long as you like it dont worry is others like it just buy what you like and play what you like forget about the reviews and sales let Nintendo worry about that your job is to just be happy with what you get :D
 

Jupiter

Bringer of Jollity
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Location
Great Lakes
"Hardcore" means nothing, and I tend to hate the label.

Yea I am really wondering exactly what hardcore gamers means in this context.

OK, fair enough, because "Hard Core Gamer" is not a strictly defined term...but I think most people have the same thing in mind: people who tend to gravitate toward games with "mature" content, including highly realistic content (CoD, or realistic sports games) and/or highly graphic content (God of War, Bayonetta, GTA) or games that feel more "adult" (Halo, Heavy Rain, etc.)...some of the games I mention fit several of these criteria. Sure, many of us would think that gamers who shun a game like SMG or even Kirby's Epic Yarn because they feel to grown up for them are lame, misguided, and even insecure...but that's not the point really. The point is that there is some value to games with a more "muture" feel to them...Zelda has always been a game that can kind of bridge the gap between "hard core" and "classic": at it's best, Zelda can appeal to both crowds (AL, OoT, TP), but sometimes it is decidedly more on the "classic" side (MC, WW, ST)--which will SS be?...will it appeal to "mature" gamers?

I am sure many of you will say, "I don't give a rat turd if it does, I just want it to be a good game, if people are closed minded, they can stuff it". And that is a valid response, I somewhat agree...but on the other hand, it is important for the Zelda series that it appeal to a wide variety of gamers, and I think that Zelda is better when it is darker and is both "hard core" and "classic". No?
 

Djinn

and Tonic
Joined
Nov 29, 2010
Location
The Flying Mobile Opression fortress
Well then in this case Hardcore refers to people roughly between late teens and early thirties who play specifically various M rated games based on graphic content and online connectivity.

So that would shift the question to would Skyward Sword interest gamers who would otherwise not be very interested in the first place. Then I would have to answer no, it would not. But as I said earlier every genre has their fans. The action adventure, hack and slash, and plain old Nintendo fans will all enjoy a new Zelda adventure. While the Call of Duty, Halo, and Gears of War fans will give it a pass as it is not to their taste. I imagine the Madden, Rockband, World of Warcraft gamers would do the same. It is not their genre. Zelda has a corner of the gaming world all it's own and it is rather large. To attracting fans of other genres to something that is not their taste might not happen.

I do not think it is so much these guys not playing Kirby because of how it looks (although I believe it is a factor) but they want to pickup a shooter game because they are shooter fans. It is fun to pickup a game, go online and play with a squad of your friends sometimes. Some people would always rather do this than play a platformer. Besides there are a lot less Hardcore gamers in Japan so I do not think this effects Nintendo's decisions. I actually hope that Nintendo does not try to ever make a Zelda title for the Hardcore crowd. Then they would not be releasing a title for the Zelda fans.
 
Joined
Jul 1, 2010
Location
MD
It will appear gimmicky, if you ask me. I will play it and love it, but the hard core gamers may hate it. That said, it's Zelda. Everyone's going to play it.
 
S

Sephiroth

Guest
Ok guys, here is my take on things.

There seems to be a little confusion as to what defines a 'hardcore' gamer. I would consider myself a hardcore gamer but not because I only focus on mature games. I do so because gaming is my main hobby and a real passion of mine. In my opinion a hardcore game is one that requires a great deal of attention as to opposed a quick pick up and play bore-fest. In other words a casual game such as Wii sports or these rubbish dance games. When I play a game I want something to get into.

My favourite gaming series of all time is Resident Evil. And you know what my second is? Zelda. I enjoy a great range of games. 'Mature' or not. I play games that are fun. I love God of War, Dead Space and Assassins Creed. I also love Mario, Donkey Kong and these so called kiddy games.
 
Joined
Jan 28, 2010
Location
Skyrule
I really think its hard to answer this question because hardcore gamers come in a million different categories.

I have friends who play hours of CoD every night, and a few of them are really interested in the new Zelda.
They are the gamers who play a wide variety of games and usually own a few different gaming systems.
Then there are those who don't care, because they only like shooters, or they only own an Xbox, or are only interested in M rated games, or have just never been interested in Zelda.

People who will probably buy it:
Someone who has played or owns a Zelda game and liked it a lot,
Zelda fanatics who do/don't but will own a Wii,
Gamers who like action adventure games, and own a Wii,
Younger kids who want a good game for their Wii.
One of the seven million people who own Twilight Princess and really liked it.


XBOX, PS3 fans who don't own a Wii will not get it. Its really that simple. If they do own a Wii, then its totally up to their gaming preferences.
The M rated fanboys will be turned off by the bloodless cartoon graphics, but they probably wouldn't give it a second glance unless it was super realistic with lots of heavy sword combat and looked all Lord of the Rings-like.

Conclusion, this game probably won't sell as well as Twilight Princess because it's cartoony. A huge chunk of gamers love their violence, and a lot of people bought Twilight Princess because it was "serious" and "mature" looking. Fortunately, Twilight Princess opened a lot of gamers eyes to the glory that is Zelda, even if its cartoony.

I feel it will do better than Majora's Mask and Wind Waker, because of the success of Twilight Princess. I don't think it will do as well as Twilight Princess though. I'm gonna say around 5 million units sold. 2 million less than Twilight princess but 2 million more than Wind Waker.
 
M

Mechanical Gun

Guest
By your definition of hardcore gamer, no. I browse a lot of forums with a focus on PC related games, most people believe the Wii is a joke. They think it's just a highly advanced toy, and to a certain extent, I agree with them. The Wii has motion controls as a core part of it's gameplay. All motion controls are is a another blowjob to the casual gamer. The problem with appealing to the casual gamer before your hardcore audience is you will alienate those who will continue to support you for years. This is why developers like Bungie and Valve are so successful, they love there core audience and understand what they like.
 

Jupiter

Bringer of Jollity
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Location
Great Lakes
XBOX, PS3 fans who don't own a Wii will not get it. Its really that simple. If they do own a Wii, then its totally up to their gaming preferences.

...

Conclusion, this game probably won't sell as well as Twilight Princess because it's cartoony.

This is really what I'm asking...

By your definition of hardcore gamer, no. I browse a lot of forums with a focus on PC related games, most people believe the Wii is a joke.

Yes, again, this is what I mean: will it sell Wiis to the people who have shunned the Wii in favor of the HD consoles? Will the "hard core" Assassin's Creed, CoD, GoW crowd pick it up? The consensus seems to be: no.

I disagree. At least, I would not be so sure. Zelda is a franchise that has the power to really transfix gamers. Certain entries in the series have, in their time, been the game for "mature" gamers. I think when ALttP was hot, when OoT was hot, Zelda was the biggest thing out there even for the 18+ crowd. Zelda, at it's best, can have a moodiness about it, and captivating dark (and light) fantasy atmosphere that is as meaningful to children as it is to adults. It's the only series that has this power. Much like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter at it's best, it can be dark, troubling, enchanting, and powerful.

SS has a chance to pull this off. Remember: we don't know much about this game...all we know is that it is cell-shaded and a little bit about Skyloft. But while it is cell-shaded, it is not necessarily cartooney. And while the "sky" theme is pretty, ummm, lofty, we can also expect that Link will traverse some dark, eerie, grimy, challenging (and hopefully frightening) lands below. I think that if they build this game right, it could expand the Wii's audience. No?
 

MOTLEYlink

...No your other left
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Location
Missouri, USA
I don't consider my self a "hardcore" or "casual" gamer I have a hard time putting my self under any label period, I just consider my self some one who plays video games. But if you really wan't to use the term "hardcore" or "core" you can, but I will refrain from it. :)

To your question of how and will Skyward Sword appeal to the Xbox 360, and PS3, first person shooter crowd, I really don't see why not, sure many are so busy playing CoD, or Red Dead to really worry about our favorite little white box (let alone the latest games), but there are just as many that value and respect the quality that is Zelda.
Zelda has just about everything out there in one package, you have sword play, first person shooting (err archery) via the bow, free roaming, many weapons in your arsenal, and plenty of baddies to beat up, all backed by a true epic of a story!

I guess what I'm trying to say is although The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword may not appeal to all Xbox 360/PS3/PC fans, It will appeal to many. I play Call of Duty quite a bit (on PC and Xbox360), and have begun to neglect my Wii, but I for sure will not pass up this chance to play The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Anyone who decides against it should at least give it a chance, and if they don't good luck to them.
 

Ganondork

goo
Joined
Nov 12, 2010
If you give it thought, think about other Nintendo games. Metroid Other M, that's a hardcore shooter, but to a lot of people's minds, Black Ops is a better game, because that's just "oh hey, that thing's alive! Oh, cool, Killed it!" Nintendo makes you think in the games, and due to the wonders of CoD, many people don't do it anymore. I dare any of you to have your friends who do xbox live to play ONE dungeon in Wind Waker (the easiest of all zelda games) and they will be sitting there thinking "what the hell, how do I do this???"
 
Joined
Jan 28, 2010
Location
Skyrule
If these "hardcore" gamers are interested in the Zelda series quite a bit from the past, then they MAY go out and buy a Wii, if they are really into the series. If they don't care much for Zelda, or never played it, then they definitely won't.

But same goes for some of us Zelda fans. I'm not waiting for the next big Call of Duty even though I consider myself a hardcore gamer. I love Bioshock, Fallout, Darksiders, etc, and I play Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and I speed run, collect every single item, clock in over 300 hours on each Zelda game I get. I don`t know, I feel like I play games enough to be a hardcore gamer. Some games just appeal to different people.

There will always be Call of Duty fans who like Zelda, and Zelda fans who like Call of Duty and there will always be Zelda fans who hate Call of Duty and Call of Duty fans who don`t give a crap about Zelda.
 

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