GDC: "The Wii is a piece of sh*t," says Hecker

[Boffa Jones Veteran]

What saddens me more than anything is that almost no one here is actually looking at the guys points. He has a valid point, Nintendo is not representing games as art. That said, they make games like art, such as Pikmin, Metroid and Zelda, and have great games like elebits on their system. Honestly though, attacking his character doesn't make you smarter or his argument any less valid.

[Yagi]

Has everyone forgotten that the better games for a system come out months, even years after the system is released to fully utilize it's potential? Look at God of War for PS2, that game is unbelievable and it came out how many years after the PS2 was released? And tell me, did anyone think the PS2 could produce anything like that when it first came out? I know I didn't. To say a system is a total piece of you know what in the first few months is rediculous. The fact that he "has been in" the game industry for so awhile now and say something like that boggles my mind. And I put that in quotes because here's his company's website and the one game they have produced http://www.d6.com/games/index.htm . Now, tell me someone who produced that has the right to talk about art. Anyway, before I turn this post into a bash on his personal character which I shouldn't, if you want to go off pure specs, sure go ahead and say what you want but be ready to eat your words when a real game developer fully utilizes those specs.

P.S. It may not have the best graphics but I'll be damned if some tells me Zelda TP isn't a work of art. The graphics look good, the storyline is amazing, it creates an entire interactive world, the music is an orchastrated soundtrack, it's over 30 hours in gameplay, it's challenging, it's interactive, and it's fun.

[cosine]

but be ready to eat your words when a real game developer fully utilizes those specs.

Except those specs were already being fully utilized...last generation. Anyone expecting any major jump in quality in Wii graphics is fooling themselves. Whereas the PS3 and 360 haven't even come close to their limit yet, the Wii is more or less already there. Don't forget, it's still just a glorified Gamecube.

[Cole]

One could say that it is not all about graphics, valid point. However, he makes a great point, without the processing power the developers really cannot develop the ai and the game itself. And IMHO, smarter AI allows for a much more realistic gaming experience than a crippled motion sensing controller does.

Nintendo went the motion sensing/less powerful way because they are not big enough to pull out a machine that compares to the hardware prestige of the PS3 or 360. The Wii is a gimmick. And all gimmicks eventually die.

[neufuse Veteran]

One could say that it is not all about graphics, valid point. However, he makes a great point, without the processing power the developers really cannot develop the ai and the game itself. And IMHO, smarter AI allows for a much more realistic gaming experience than a crippled motion sensing controller does.

Nintendo went the motion sensing/less powerful way because they are not big enough to pull out a machine that compares to the hardware prestige of the PS3 or 360. The Wii is a gimmick. And all gimmicks eventually die.

Gimmick huh? Most of Nintendo's innovations eventually end up in other consoles... just wait, you'll see it... just look at the analog stick, with N64... then sony copied it then xbox... then came rumble... then came motion sensing and position sensing (of which PS3 doesnt have both)... the L/R buttons.. the under controller triggers... the list goes on and on...

[spenser.d]

Gimmick huh? Most of Nintendo's innovations eventually end up in other consoles... just wait, you'll see it... just look at the analog stick, with N64... then sony copied it then xbox... then came rumble... then came motion sensing and position sensing (of which PS3 doesnt have both)... the L/R buttons.. the under controller triggers... the list goes on and on...

The day all consoles have nunchuck controllers is the day I go heavy into PC Gaming. Other than that there isn't much for anyone else to copy from Ninty this time around. I agree with Cole, as I've said before. I think the Wii is a gimmick. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, but I think people will play it for a while and then it will sit and collect dust while the people who own 360's and PS3's keep playing on those.

-Spenser

[MadFerIt]

Except those specs were already being fully utilized...last generation. Anyone expecting any major jump in quality in Wii graphics is fooling themselves. Whereas the PS3 and 360 haven't even come close to their limit yet, the Wii is more or less already there. Don't forget, it's still just a glorified Gamecube.

Untrue. The Wii is actually quite a bit more powerful then the Gamecube, PS2, and even the Xbox. Watch the latest trailer of Super Mario Galaxy to get some idea ;).

[Fighter-X]

well one has to admit that the wii is not something to look at or play for the pretty graphics because let's face it, they are absolutely horrid and unfortunately stuck in the 80s but the games are damn fun and this is where Nintendo wins. Nintendo never does graphics, they sell fun and you cannot compete with that.

Yeah seriously, if the wii had powerful hardware + fun games and controllers they'd really be the best. Everyone in the family is hooked on wii sports =P

[Danrarbc]

Yes the Wii is underpowered and graphics suck, i mean cod3 on it looks like it running on my computer at all graphics down.

Well that's not exactly a fair comparison since that's almost exactly what they did to bring it to Wii, remove all the shader effects. It was a quick port with no time spent on graphics. Mario Galaxy proves that with time at least some of the visual effects could have had appropriate substitutions added, it'd never look as good as a 360 game though.

[cosine]

Untrue. The Wii is actually quite a bit more powerful then the Gamecube, PS2, and even the Xbox. Watch the latest trailer of Super Mario Galaxy to get some idea ;).

Nintendo has said themselves that the Wii is about on par with the original Xbox, maybe slightly better. Sounds about right to me, considering Twilight Princess looks like a late-generation Xbox game. I watched your trailer, I'm not really sure what you think that's proving. The graphics are nice, but they're still nothing to write home about. For the record, I'm not one of those people that thinks graphics makes the game. I'm just saying the Wii is more or less at it's ceiling now.

[Boffa Jones Veteran]

Nintendo has said themselves that the Wii is about on par with the original Xbox, maybe slightly better. Sounds about right to me, considering Twilight Princess looks like a late-generation Xbox game. I watched your trailer, I'm not really sure what you think that's proving. The graphics are nice, but they're still nothing to write home about. For the record, I'm not one of those people that thinks graphics makes the game. I'm just saying the Wii is more or less at it's ceiling now.

I agree that the graphics probably don't have too much further to go, but TP is a bad example because it was a gamecube port, so the graphics weren't going to be as good as they could have been.

[Mathachew Veteran]

I agree that the graphics probably don't have too much further to go, but TP is a bad example because it was a gamecube port, so the graphics weren't going to be as good as they could have been.

I've always thought TP's graphics were fine. I mean, boo hoo I can't see the zit on that guy's face... EH? :blink:

[Danrarbc]

Chris backpedals.

[tcsdoc]

Since most people have never heard of this guy then this must be his ticket to 'stardom'. Remember, all press is good press when developing a recognized name.

Gotta start somewhere.....

[Harlem39s Finest]

i can't see wahts so good about the wee either :huh:

[cosine]

Chris backpedals.

If I made a rant at a rant session, I sure as hell wouldn't retract it just because people feel the need to get all defensive about their console of choice. And this isn't just Wii owners, it's everyone. I don't understand it, honestly. I own a 360, I don't care if people rip on it. For crying out loud, I rip on it myself - I'm on my 2nd replacement console already and this one looks like it's on it's way out. If someone got up on a stage and called the 360 a steaming pile of crap and said you're a terrorist if you play it, would I care? No. Because I'm not a little whining baby.

People need to stop caring so much about their consoles. They're inanimate objects with no feelings.

[Spartan_X]

Remember Maxis developer Chris Hecker calling the Wii a "piece of ****"? He has an apology for you.

I don't know who has read the internet, yesterday. In a [unintelligible] panel I said a bunch of things. I was trying to be thought provoking and entertaining and fun and a lot of the stuff went too far over the top?on the entertaining and fun side, so that it was no longer thought provoking, just inflammatory. And in the process I hurt a bunch of people I care about. And so, I want to apologize now.

When I'm on stage, I'm me. I'm talking talk from me. From me. I'm not representing EA or Maxis.

I want to make two things perfectly clear.

I do not think the Wii is a piece of ****. Nintendo needs to be applauded for trying to interface on the controller front, the user interface front, on making games accessible, on making a console that you don't need to mortgage your house to afford.

Secondly, it's totally obvious?and I'm sorry that I implied otherwise?that everyone at Nintendo is passionate at making great games. Some of the games give me hope that we will be seen as an art form on par with movies and books.

t]

Whether or not he was made to apologize by his bosses isn't clear, but it's a good gesture nonethelSource:e: Kotaku[/quTranslation:n: "I'm a freaking moron and I was told to ask for forgiveness or I'll get my ass fired"

[Lexcyn]

Translation: "I'm a freaking moron and I was told to ask for forgiveness or I'll get my ass fired"

Hahaha yeah. No doubt someone from higher up on the food chain heard this and decided to make him apologize.

[soniqstylz]

It bothers me that nintendo invites that view though. Metroid was an amazing game that was far from aimed towards kids. The sense of exploring a new world was definitely there. The resident evil games for the console were also amazing. Then you look at games like eternal darkness and the star wars rogue squadron games. If you want to tell me those are games aimed at younger people I would disagree.

The problem is that the top guys at Nintendo seem to be letting that perception stick and it will not do them good in the long run.

Godfather, Scarface, and Manhunt 2 are all out or coming out for the Wii.

[Boffa Jones Veteran]

And? I don't think its marketed towards kids, but obviously many many people do and Nintendo isn't doing much to change that.

[Cuttz]

TBH i don't think nintendo is on the dot with they're games.

When i got my ds, after the major ones i only saw ****ty titles on it after the first month, with like, 1 or 2 PRETTY GOOD releases.

Other than mario galaxy, the new super smash bros and possibly metroid (great titles can **** up, note zelda) i don't see much else on my poor little wii :(

[Blackhearted]

If I made a rant at a rant session, I sure as hell wouldn't retract it just because people feel the need to get all defensive about their console of choice. And this isn't just Wii owners, it's everyone. I don't understand it, honestly. I own a 360, I don't care if people rip on it. For crying out loud, I rip on it myself - I'm on my 2nd replacement console already and this one looks like it's on it's way out. If someone got up on a stage and called the 360 a steaming pile of crap and said you're a terrorist if you play it, would I care? No. Because I'm not a little whining baby.

People need to stop caring so much about their consoles. They're inanimate objects with no feelings.

Really? It sounds to me like you are "whining" in atleast some form in this post.