SailorAlea said:
In any case, back onto the "topic," the fact that the games can be played on the GameCube is discouraging. If they can be technically played on a GameCube, why exactly are we going to have to shell out $200 to get a virtually identical (technologically) machine when a simple add-on could accomplish the same thing?
A very valid concern. To be frank, while I like to promote myself as an optimistic person in this case, I do have my doubts about some of the more "simple" inclusions that Nintendo is overlooking. However, I think it might be too early to assume that what we saw at E3 is exactly what we can expect when the Wii is finally released. The demos designed for E3 were made to work in a GCN, yes; likely (more so obviously) because the Wii, itself, is not complete. Does this mean that all Wii launch titles and beyond will be restricted to, basically, the same quality as what the GCN puts out? I sincerely doubt that. For their conference, they chose to demonstrate, strictly, the only "different" feature they could offer; that's the controller. I would have preferred to see a more complete demonstration, but if I were gunning for that, I wouldn't be watching an E3 webcast - I'd be renting the system when it hits my local Blockbuster.
What I'm getting at, though, is that I believe it's
way too early to be drawing the conclusion that they used a GCN with a modified control system because the Wii would perform identically, if not undistinguishably better. We haven't been given enough, from E3, to draw that conclusion. Quoting specs won't change my opinion of that, either.
Am I cheerfully optimistic? Yes. BUT, in so far as I'm not going to kill my interest in the system because of an assumption based on cynicism and/or skepticism. Will said optimism land a Wii in my living room during launch week? No, I sincerely doubt that. There is a difference between having faith in so far as you're going to keep up on the info and the faith that causes one to say "Screw everything else, I'm getting a Wii, no matter what!" No, I likely won't see any of the next-gen consoles in my home until several months, maybe a year, after their launch.
...so, don't lump people who are being optimistic into one category (re: "ignorant"; particularly since nobody outwardly stated that there'd be room for
MASSIVE improvement; just that we'd likely see some sort of noticeable step-up in the final system's performance). After all, if you can only see the dark side of something without considering the up side, then there's something wrong with you.
EDIT - And remember - that's my opinion. I do not fault anyone for choosing to believe that what we saw at E3 will be what you'd get on your TV screen in late 2006. However, I do not care to see people being shot down for choosing to believe something to the contrary. Nobody has stated any unrealistic hopes for the system, so I think that some folks are choosing to be undeservingly hard against the positive statements made, thus far. Don't try to shed pity on me or others because we haven't condemned Nintendo's most recent project before it's even had the opportunity to leave the ground. That's both disrespectful and asinine. If you truly believe that I'm ignorant because I still anticipate info about the system and what it's
complete form will be capable of, then you're welcome to do so; however, it'll make painfully clear the notion that there are people markedly more ignorant than me around. That's right - I went there.
EDIT 2 - And I'm going to state, for the record, that I don't like what's going on here. People are, clearly, attacking the opinions that are different than their own. I'm going to make one notion very clear, here. If this kind of discussion is going to carry on through all threads of this nature, there simply won't be threads like this. I, for one, am getting sick of having to state, re-state, and re-state again, the fact that one's opinion is not a subject for debate. Pride's opinion was attacked almost immediately after it was posted. What the hell is up with that? While I do think that it was inappropriate to start pitying people who still have faith in this console, the post was perfectly valid. Almost immediately after that, there were attacks made against people who believed that there'd be some noticeable improvement in the performance of the complete Wii. Again, I ask: what the hell is up with that? It's a damned gaming console, for crying out loud! We're not talking about the pros and cons of emancipating slaves in an impoverished country, we're talking about GAMES. What the hell made it appropriate for people to shoot down others' personal preferences? I don't even feel comfortable posting the fact that I bought a DS, because I know that people are going to immediately leap on me and tell me that I wasted my money. There is something incredibly wrong with that fact.
I'm going to state this for the last time, and the discussion will continue in light of this: One's choice in gaming/games is based on personal preference. Not everybody is going to give a damn about marketing practices when they opt to purchase a console - they'll decide based on what they enjoy, and that is not a point to be criticized or picked apart.
Oh, and if certain people want to back-talk my mandate (as I know some people are going to claim there's nothing else to discuss if they can't shoot down opinions that differ from their's), you can do so via PM's. This thread is not about my mandate, so discussion of it will be considered off-topic and will be treated accordingly.
Now, prove me wrong; be mature, guys. For the love of the nation, accept other people's opinions, for once, instead of running to battle them. When I'm convinced that you're all civil enough to start some legitimate discussion between conflicting views, I'll loosen up the choke chain.