After all, the N64 often is considered to be when Nintendo first started losing traction in the video game industry.
They lost traction because they insisted on using crappy technology (and yet they still managed to make some of the best games ever on that thing).
Yeah, Nintendo is doing a lot better now, but that's what makes people say that Nintendo is to casual.
Nintendo is to casual as peanut butter is to jelly.
But seriously, are you sure you don't mean that the other way around?
the main point I was trying to make is that the term "casualization" can't just be applied to the Wii. People have been complaining for ages now that Nintendo is a kiddy system, so this is nothing new.
"Casual" and "kiddy" are
way different. Ironically, part of the reason I've been something of a Nintendo fanboy for most of my life is because their games were always really simple. I picked up Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour because I knew I'd probably never be able to wrap my head around, say, Tiger Woods PGA whatever. I got the ever-elusive DDR:Mario Mix because I'd tried DDR in the arcades and sucked hard. I think it's even more ironic that some people went off on LoZ:WW for being too easy. After all, even Miyamoto himself said he wanted to make it more for "everyone", and yet it was still an awesome game.
Not just simple, but the kiddy thing was actually always fine for me. Not only would I probably never be allowed, at least now, to play GTA4 (or what-have-you that's all over the PS3/360 these days) in my house, but I don't even really like those kind of games. I'm not "hardcore" like that, in case that's what anyone thinks. What do I want? I want what Nintendo used to be all about. What they still kind of do, but seem to be slowly moving away from: Easy-to-get, (reasonably) inoffensive games that can give me a challenge.
...I realized that video games in general aren't getting easier. Just the ones Nintendo makes.
Now here's a guy who "gets it".
Nintendo must be playing the mario party (or 2?) mini-game where you must cast your line out with the glove on the end and reel in coins.... The casual gamers represent the treasure chest with many coins while people like us, actual gamers, represent the lame, insignificant single coins in the very front.... and we only get reeled in when they accidentally miss the casual crowd and randomly latch onto us.
Obscure, yet fairly accurate analogy (but even their "core" games always have some little things "casualized" here and there. Even Brawl, in all its gaming glory, had Pity Smashes).
