The term hardcore has no meaning anymore. I'd say the hardest people are those who pump £2000 into Candy Crush Saga - that's dedication

Industry uses 'core' now, rather than hardcore.

"This is game is targeted at the core gamer market" etc.

Hardcore is fo sho a shite term.

Or Space Station 13 but I'm trying to get into that.

Sayings wot I hate, "Putting the gamers first".

nick_md wrote:

I guess hardcore as a term is less crappy when applied by someone, to someone, as opposed to appropriated by.

That guy's hardcore

Vs

I'm hardcore

Kinda like how you can't give yourself a nickname, and are a tool if you do.

Hardcore's per-person, per-title applicable, not a default state. WipEout HD can be played and enjoyed by absolutely anyone, but those at the sharp end of its leaderboards are hardcore players. Although such skills aren't a prerequisite to being hardcore (common side effect, naturally), because the real criteria of hardcore is one's investment of time and effort. Be that actual play, or just spending lots of time thinking of ways to improve and have more fun.

Fanfic and drawings, bejesus.

I was once a hardcore player of a few games. TheShend's a hardcore player of Third Strike. Uncharted 2 was never regarded as a hardcore game, but that doesn't preclude it. Q*bert's hardcore if you make it so, and many have.

Core's a much better catch-all term for games that tend to attract hardcore mindsets. CoDs are core due to their average online playtimes. The term I'd punt is 'gamer'. Don't homogenise me; I haven't played a game in two years.

On the other hand, any game can be played with a casual approach - even if it wasn't designed for one, so they're certainly limited-use, really quite silly terms. In t'day, we just looked on back o' t'tape fer screenshots.

Hope so, but I imagine it'll be out before I can afford a PS4.

All

Escape wrote:

Hardcore's per-person, per-title applicable, not a default state.

I like that.

There's all sorts of labels and categories, and as with pigeon holing people only works to an extent.

But what I'd call "gamer" games seem to be a neglected category now.
That's stuff like F-Zero, 1080, Waverace, Excite Bike - classic games that's don't try to have a certain appeal - or perhaps were mass appeal in the 90s but aren't anymore. But then the videogame market was very different then, so most people playing games were "gamers".

Now you get your mainstream casual stuff on smart phones that anyone plays - who don't consider themselves gamers. The mainstream franchise console stuff like COD, FIFA etc. that appeal to total non gamers and to more traditional gamers potentially too - with plenty of cross appeal titles like Assasins Creed. Block buster videogames just like block buster films; enjoyed by many, you don't need to be a film buff, and generally rejected as popcorn fair by those more into the medium.

And yeah, "core" games - which cover some of the mainstream blockbuster stuff, but also "gamer" games, and games with some depth. But basically appeal to those that are quite into games.

Everything seems to be getting more extreme now, which is probably a product of the market being so much larger, and development costs going up and the budget of some titles. Far more like movies now - with distinct blockbuster and indie categories and consumer bases.

And far less risk taking for most games.

Sony and MS pandering to the blockbuster and mainstream crowd.
Nintendo pandering to families and kids.

80/90s gamers mostly having to look to the indie scene and perhaps having some needs met by both Sony/MS and Nintendo or PC.

Anyway for the NX I'm hoping something comes out soonish, and comes with an updated pro controller with proper triggers and an updated wii mote with rechargeable battery that can just be plugged in, and better speaker.

VR would obviously be awesome but it would just cost too much, and wouldn't work for Nintendo I think.

Hoping power will be on par with PS4/Xbone, and can then get proper third party support.
Move to PC architecture makes sense.
Hopefully will be powerful enough to run WiiU games - or can even have hardware emulation if just need to include the processor - might be cheap enough.

Although not that bothered with Wii U compatibility given the short time, and that the few that did invest in a Wii U can just keep that plugged in and use that to play Wii games etc as well.

Perhaps a decently powered system with software emulation would make sense. So can have full VC back catalogue. Let users buy again (oh dear!) at a massive discount.

Next hand held allows transfer of saves and proper unified system with Nintendo+ ID thingey.
Discounts for hand held version of game as mentioned.

I'd like to see Ninty's investment - and that of studios like Ubisoft - pay off, and have more proper motion control games.

Shooters, samurai sword fighting action games, party games again, etc. - to cover all bases and push the medium to another level.

Will attract traditional gamers, core gamers, families etc.

Basically the Wii but with power so can have 3rd party support and also games that weren't possible on the wii (and which we didn't see on the Wii U because the gamepad got in the way and it didn't sell).
The gamepad is a nice feature, but nothing revolutionary.
Proper motion controlled gaming really can be the future. That and a normal controller and you've got all bases and games covered. Obviously can do that with a gamepad (as can function just like a normal controller) but it's expensive and distracting.

I don't know.

I think Ninty will either go even further to the playing it safe/distancing themselves into a niche market - for kids and families and not try to compete/provide a viable home for 3rd parties, or they may think going the new play style/lower powered route didn't work this time and may not next - so they will release a console with comparable power quickly so they can have 3rd party support too.

Imagine if Sony/MS tried to carry their consoles without 3rd party support. Nintendo have done pretty well with the Wii U considering.
They really need some more 2nd parties too, and more development strength.

I think they really struggle with the resources required for modern games; that's probably the issue with the new Zelda.

They can make money by ignoring that as they mostly have - and make more cheap to develop games that sell well - like 2d mario - and may well be what they continue to do, but I hope they ramp things up and basically modernise.

Then we can have both. Epic Zelda and pure gameplay goodness games.
Fun family games, and 3rd party support.

But I find it a real shame how the wii mote has been mostly left ignored now. It's more than a gimick. It's arguably the best way to play a shooter or sword fighting game on a console. Good for strategy games too. And can be a whole load of fun. Appeal to both the mass market and "hardcore" players.

WiiU2

I predict that owning an NX will feel like owning every other ninty console, i.e. It will feel like owning one of these

... because this one will have * placeholder for TBA plastic peripheral *

MattyJ wrote:

If it's not on par with the X1/PS4 then what's the point? Why would I buy another underpowered console when I've got the wii u to play Nintendo games on?

But theyll stop making nintendo games for wii u?

To flip it round: what's the point of making a ps4 behemoth if everyone has got a ps4 and to play games available everywhere else.

Diluted Dante wrote:

People might trade their ps4 in for a Wii Stupid Name That Doesn't Make Clear It's Not An Add On if they can play Nintendo stuff, and FIFA on it.

This. If you has a Nintendo console that could play all the third party stuff that has come out, plus all the mario, zelds etc al, I think it would hit.

MattyJ wrote:

Diluted Dante wrote:

People might trade their ps4 in for a Wii Stupid Name That Doesn't Make Clear It's Not An Add On if they can play Nintendo stuff, and FIFA on it.

This. If you has a Nintendo console that could play all the third party stuff that has come out, plus all the mario, zelds etc al, I think it would hit.

I genuinely think that train has sailed for Nintendo

Yeah even if they can do the hardware at affordable prices, the operating systems and whole server and service infrastructure has developed well beyond the level Nintendo have been playing at. They can't compete with a like for like console and I'm not sure there's any big market left for another underpowered console with a shitty gimmick.

If they modelled their box after one of the others, like the PS4, they could probably speed things up with ports. But I don't think that's feasible anyway.