411 Games Fact or Fiction 8.17.09: Hardcore on the Wii, A Recession Proof Industry, Silent Hill, More

Posted by Drew Robbins on 08.17.2009

Is Silent Hill Shattered Memories your most anticipated Wii game for this year? Are you surprised by the overwhelming success of Battlefield Heroes? Is it a huge mistake for Sega to continue pushing hardcore software on the Wii? 411's Derek Robbins and Lee Price debate these topics and more in the latest edition of 411 Fact or Fiction: Games!



Welcome to a very special edition of Fact or Fiction! Why so special, you ask? Madden is out, and I had to use plenty of effort just to drag myself away from the game. See, I'm putting effort in this week, it must be special! Early impressions of Madden are, well, it's a good game. If you like football, then I can't recommend it enough. However, if you don't like the sport…what the heck is your problem?

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Derek Robbins - Derek, my brother! For the past several months this man has been trapped in the deepest, darkest reaches of Salmela's basement, but by some luck he managed to find his way out. I would promise that he is going to write the 10th Hour this week, but last time I said that he disappeared for five months.

Lee Price - It's tough when you are the only one around to evangelize the Banjo-Kazooie franchise. Luckily, I'm no longer alone in my campaign for bear-and-bird appreciation, because Lee Price has joined my cause! As the writer of Retronomicon, he once put out an entire column dedicated to the memory of Rare's best game franchise.

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1.) It is clear that the games industry is no longer "recession proof."

Derek Robbins: FACT - Well, I mean, I never really thought that it was recession proof in the first place. When the economy goes down, people have to budget their finances in different ways. Really, a $60 game probably isn't too high on a person's list of games. So of course the industry isn't recession proof. People are also more likely to be picky with their purchases in times such as these. Games that are lesser known aren't as likely to sell, because really, why would someone buy a game if they aren't sure of the track record and they don't have a lot of cash as is? So, unless you have a big-time game on your hands...in a recession, you won't sell. A shame, really.

Lee Price: FACT - To be honest I still can't figure out why people seemed to think it would be either. At the end of the day games are bought with disposable income, which disappears when a recession hits, so how on Earth was the games industry supposed to come through a recession unscathed? It should surely be common sense that the smaller develops would find it harder to fund projects that aren't surefire hits and thus some will end up closing their doors, but for some reason many gamers were insistent that the industry would not take any sort of hit from the global recession. I still can't wrap my head around why people thought this, its not like the industry has survived a recession of this size before to warrant to "recession proof" tag, the last major recessions were in the 1970's when gaming was in its infancy and nowhere near the mega bucks industry it is today. Slotting a quarter in Space Invaders and spending upwards of $60 on a game are very different things.

Score: 1 for 1



- One of the few platforms attempting to defy the recession

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2.) You are disappointed to see the Ghostbusters engine end up in the hands of Conduit developer High Voltage.

Derek Robbins: FICTION - I wouldn't say that I am disappointed; I would say that I am apathetic though. If more people want to use the Ghost Busters engine, go for it! I don't care if the Conduit is nothing more than a generic shooter coated with waggle, if the developer sees promise in GB's engine...why not? On the other hand, I didn't really like the Ghost Buster's game. It was nice to have a "shooting" game feel kind of different, but at the same time...I didn't really think it was that fun. The process of capturing ghosts felt more like a chore than anything. I mean maybe the engine would work interestingly elsewhere? After all, it's pretty much a gears clone when you get right down to it. ...So we'll see. Honestly though? I really don't care.

Lee Price: FICTION - At least not until I have experienced just what they are going to do with it. Granted many seem to think the Conduit isn't a particularly great game, but I fear the Wii stigma that many people seem to carry may but High Voltage on the back foot before it even starts with the engine. Let's see what they do with it before we judge them for getting their hands on it. Of course if what they do with it ends up sucking a bag of balls then by all means change this answer to FACT.

Score: 2 for 2

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3.) It's a huge mistake for Sega to continue pushing hardcore software on the Wii.

Derek Robbins: FACT - It really pains me to say this because I think Sega has been doing a bang-up job lately across all platforms, but the Wii really isn't the place for hardcore software. Don't get me wrong, as long as they continue to make the software I sure as hell will continue to purchase it, but if it's not going to sell...why bother? The Wii as looked upon by those who own it as something of a casual console, and for the most part, the "hardcore" gamer has found their haven elsewhere. I think that unless the title is made by Nintendo themselves, it will probably struggle to sell on the Wii because of the perception that the same experience can be had elsewhere - but better.

I think the Wii is a must-own console because, unlike the other two, it has a pretty broad library of exclusive titles. Sure, getting to those exclusive titles is like swimming through a sea of shit, but they are there I tells you! If you want to get the most out of this generation, you need to own the Wii and one of the other two. Otherwise, well, I couldn't blame one for thinking this generation was entirely mediocre and one of the worst, well, ever. That said, unless you're Nintendo...your hardcore title probably won't sell that well on the Wii. And it's sad.

Lee Price: FICTION - SEGA have recently unveiled some rather large sales figures with the Conduit, which goes against the grain of the current downswing in Wii games sales. Now granted MadWorld and HOTD: Overkill didn't sell particularly well, but these are niche titles. Especially in the case of MadWorld, that game wouldn't have sold well on any console in my view. The gamer in me also thinks that its good that a company is actually looking to bring more "hardcore" games to a console that is a little lacking in games that you can really dig your teeth into. At the moment SEGA aren't consistently making huge profits with the games, but they aren't doing to badly either so I figure they should be fine to carry on the way they are going.

Score: 2 for 3

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Switch!

4.) You are surprised by the overwhelming success of Battlefield Heroes.

Lee Price: FICTION - It's a free to play game and has been published by EA. So that right there should be a guarantee of some measure of success. Everybody loves free stuff, and EA has brand recognition (whether for the good or bad is an issue of personal taste mind). In terms of profitability on EA's behalf though, again I'm not surprised. We should never underestimate the power of advertising to make money for everybody involved. Nor, for that matter, should we ignore the fact that there will always be gamers willing to stump up a chunk of change for new outfits to customize their avatars with either. So no I'm not surprised at all.

Derek Robbins: FICTION - No, of course I'm not surprised. Battlefield Heroes is a free game from a major software publisher. On top of that, it's also a shooter. We know how popular those blasted shooters are. So it's really no surprise that the game is successful. I mean, of course they have ways to make money with it - what with ads and micro payments - but for a budget-conscious gamer the prospect of paying maybe $10 (you know, for your outfits and stuff. You got to be stylin') on a game and getting the same enjoyment from it that you would, say, a $60 game, has to be a good one. So no, this is really no surprise.

Score: 3 for 4

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5.) Loom is the best choice of the Lucas Arts games for Tell Tale to move onto after the completion of Tales of Monkey Island.

Lee Price: FICTION - Now this is a very tough question for me. I adore the Lucas Arts adventure games, but Loom was actually one of my least favorites. Sam & Max and Monkey Island have been done so that leaves Loom, Maniac Mansion and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. I always had a soft spot for the Indy game, and I also think its the perfect franchise for this sort of game, as finding your way through temples and puzzling out your next move seems perfectly suited to the point n' click style. So I'm going to go with FICTION. Let's see some Indy.

Derek Robbins: FICTION - I am all for the continued resurrection of classic Lucas Arts titles. You know, before they became just "Star Wars: The Company". Loom is a good game, but there is one Lucas Arts franchise that I think we would all want to see picked up for the sequel/remake treatment. That game? Grim Fandango. It's an absolute masterpiece and the apex of the adventure genre. The game features some of the best writing ever seen in a video game and it would be a shame seeing all these Lucas Arts franchises brought back from the dead and to have this one left behind. There's nothing wrong with Loom and really, it is worthy of the remake/sequel treatment...but to say it's the best choice? That's wrong. The best choice is Grim Fandango. Easily.

Score: 4 for 5



- Can we please have Day of the Tentacle HD?

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6.) Silent Hill Shattered Memories is your most anticipated Wii game for this year.

Lee Price: FACT - So much so that I bought Origins just to get myself an early fix of Silent Hill before it comes out. I am desperately hoping that this game doesn't get screwed up and tangled in a web of poorly implemented Wii-mote waving but from what I've seen so far the game is shaping up nightly. Being a complete slut for Silent Hill helps makes this a FACT as well though, and I can almost guarantee that I'll be plunking down some of my hard earned when Shattered Memories is released. It even ties in nicely with my earlier comment that the Wii needs more fleshed out titles to re-attract the "hardcore" as this is exactly the sort of game that I mean.

Derek Robbins: FICTION - I love Silent Hill, I absolutely do. The series is probably my favorite in the horror genre. The experience the second game gave me still holds strong today. I will be getting the Wii version of Silent Hill, I guarantee that, but it's definitely not my most anticipated Wii title this year. You see, any year where Nintendo releases a 1st party Mario title unto the market...that one automatically becomes my most wanted title. New Super Mario Brothers Wii looks to build on the amazing nature of the DS one, but add even more levels to the mix and four-player multiplayer. This game has me really excited and I think it has potential to be the best side-scrolling Mario game since Super Mario Brothers 3 (even though it will never be anointed as such). It's a shame Nintendo doesn't want two new Mario titles on the market at the same time, because Galaxy 2 and New Super Mario Brothers Wii would have made the Wii the clear favorite for winner of the holidays. It's a shame, what a shame.

Score: 4 for 6

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Until next time…

Derek and Lee seem to be pretty agreeable this week, and while I'd love to rant on how annoying it is that the Games staff is hesitant to rip each other a new one with these arguments, I'm just too darn happy to do such a thing. Why? Two words. Rams tickets! Football season can't get here soon enough…