Sorry, the Wii isn't crap
by John Bardinelli 
{ Mar 9th 2007 at 10:26AM }
It seems like just yesterday Maxis programmer Chris Hecker mentioned the words "Wii" and "piece of shit" in the same sentence. He also said the system was nothing more than two GameCubes duct-taped together. The internets took those words, spread them like a delicious marmalade, and soon everyone was digesting it. The EA bosses got wind of the situation and decided they didn't much care for the Anti-Nintendo-flavored jam, so they had a chat with Chris.Hecker has made a formal statement retracting his remarks, saying they were all made in fun but went a little over the top. He also uttered statements like, "When I'm on stage, I'm me -- I'm not representing EA or Maxis"; and, "I do not think the Wii is a piece of shit." Even though Nintendo-brand Teleprompters weren't sighted, he continued to praise the company for their efforts in innovation and controller interface technology.
Sounds like EA showed up at Hecker's front door with an offer he couldn't refuse.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
sheppy @ Mar 9th 2007 10:30AM
Spineless Twerp! If you're going to say something has a problem, say it.That's half the problem with the industry. You can only publically denounce certain targets. Anything outside this limited circle will get you attacked.
nick @ Mar 9th 2007 10:31AM
If the guy has an opinion about something, so be it. We don't have to like it. We don't have to agree with it. But it's certainly his right.
Tha man @ Mar 9th 2007 10:32AM
Sounds like someone at Nintendo's didn't like the comment ....
Dark_Jedi @ Mar 9th 2007 10:34AM
Guess he wanted to keep his job...
SuperMario21 @ Mar 9th 2007 10:35AM
You are right. He does have the freedom of speech but when you are at a Gaming Conference, you represent the company you work for. So to use such childish and ignorant language, you are setting a bad image on the company which your bosses probably wouldn't like.
Myke @ Mar 9th 2007 10:37AM
Yeah, I completely disagreed with what he said but I'm not going to ask him to take it back. The fact that he did so makes him a much easier target than he already was IMO. At this point the guy can rot in hell for all I care, he speaks his opinion in an open forum and then retracts it once he "reads the internetzz" Go f*ck yourself, seriously, grow a pair and stand behind your comments. Sony still hasn't taken back the 4D graphics comment, he could learn from them.
Jack of No Trades @ Mar 9th 2007 10:37AM
Don't you dare attack Nintendo's precious gamecube2. If you dare say it has inferior power when stacked up against the 360/PS3 you will be killed.
Slander towards Nintendo is a serious offense. Truth or not, only say positive things on Nintendo or face the wrath of the Mario community.
I just "cannot" believe that he let the cat out the bag and shot holes in Nintendo's cash cow console. "Fuck the 1st Amendment", says EA! Nintendo is above the Constitution.
Daphodils @ Mar 9th 2007 11:12AM
"5. You are right. He does have the freedom of speech but when you are at a Gaming Conference, you represent the company you work for. So to use such childish and ignorant language, you are setting a bad image on the company which your bosses probably wouldn't like."
So you think that the situation would have been any different if he had said this in an interview, or on his blog (assuming he has one...)
Not so much, it wasn't about were he said it but more so HOW. He's not just representing the company he works for when he's at a conference.
JodyAnthony @ Mar 9th 2007 10:41AM
you know jack, it was his choice to take the comments back (although I don't think he should of, but I understand why he would if EA put pressure on him)
It's not like he was going to get arrested or something for it, so your little wannabe clever consitution remark is moot.
Lou D @ Mar 9th 2007 10:42AM
I just loved his remark about AI. How is Xenos and Cell better at AI than Broadway? While they have extra cores to handle the sub-routines, it's the sub-routine, developed by the programmer that actually makes AI what it is, intelligent or unintelligent.
He has no credibility.
Chris @ Mar 9th 2007 10:43AM
Pussy
Neal @ Mar 9th 2007 10:42AM
LOL
What a tool bag.
Neal @ Mar 9th 2007 10:43AM
lolz
kris @ Mar 9th 2007 10:44AM
I can't believe people are that shocked. If I was at conference and spouted off about a company that my company makes money selling games off i would probable be fired!! Oh and crap to the first ammendment. Its been a long time since that was ever relevent!!
Jason @ Mar 9th 2007 10:46AM
Jack- Here is the problem with what he said: He works for EA and when he was on stage he is rep. them and Maxis. The Wii is a platform that they are going to Dev for. The could lose support from fans because of what he said. When you work for a company you lose 1st amendment rights when you are at work for them. When I was at Apple, I could be fired for wearing my badge into a bar or saying I worked for them. I signed a paper saying I would uphold there brand when I was at work or off.
billychaos @ Mar 9th 2007 10:46AM
Does anyone other than I work in the coorporate world. Judging from the responses I'd say no. If i were so make any statement like that about our competitor public, I WILL get canned without a doubt! It has nothing to do with 1st amendment, it's company representation.
sheppy @ Mar 9th 2007 10:46AM
It was an open forum he said this at and his rant was because of Nintendos stance that more powerful processors are not the answer and only equate to better graphics. His rant was about how the power is applied to much more complex situations than people think and how Nintendo purposely crippled the Wii to make it cheap.
Having said that, if this was the makers of Area 51: Black Site, I could understand the outrage. If this was EA Canada, I could understand the outrage. If this was Ubisoft, I could understand the outrage. But this is Ben Heckler. He's creating a very complex game where majority of the CPU power does NOT equate to graphics. He has the ability to bring this point forward because his game reflects that point precisely.
deruss @ Mar 9th 2007 10:52AM
sorry, this is america and speech is not really free. if you want your job, then you don't bad mouth your company's business partners. if you want a good reputation then you don't burn your bridges.
Myke @ Mar 9th 2007 10:51AM
Yeah, to all the constitution pushers here, we all know what the 1st amendment is. My point is that he shouldn't get a chance to take it back. He dug a hole yesterday and now he's being given a chance to say the exact opposite of what he said yesterday (Nintendo doesnt care about games as art/ Nintendo is extememly passionate about what they do, AND The wii is a piece of sh*t / The wii is NOT a piece of sh8*) to rectify it. That's BS. If he spoke his mind in public and that gets him fired then that's what he has to deal with, I don't care what company you represent, and if you DO care about your company then you shouldn't say something that you know full well will be taken JUST as you meant it. Sorry, but there's no other way to spin "the wii is a piece of sh*t". I say can the prick, he spoke his mind and now he's lying to keep his job.
mike @ Mar 9th 2007 10:51AM
@JodyAnthony and @mike.
You guys are morons. This guy obviously does not like the wii, but was FORCED to rectract his statement. Hes not weak for changing his mind, as him sure if you went up to him personally, he would still hate the wii.
Most likely his supiriors said if he does not retract his statement, he will be fired. Use your brains. If you had a career (not a job like you have at mcdonalds), you would do what they told you to keep your position as well.
Eric Draven @ Mar 9th 2007 10:54AM
God forbid someone actually tells the truth!
Since when is honesty a bad thing?
sheppy @ Mar 9th 2007 10:55AM
"I say can the prick, he spoke his mind and now he's lying to keep his job."
I say keep him around until he finishes Spore, then let him pull a Lorne Lanning.
Non-biter @ Mar 9th 2007 11:01AM
@Jack of No Trades
I think you'll like No More Heroes from Suda 51 because he promises to make it more violent than Manhunt 2 and claims to make use of the Wiimote in a non-gesture type of way. But who knows we'll have to wait and see. I can't wait for MP3 provided it sets the standards for First Person Adventures and First Person Shooters for the Wii. Wii must wait and see.
REUYL @ Mar 9th 2007 11:02AM
Wow, I just lost even MORE respect for EA... and this guy.
Jack of No Trades @ Mar 9th 2007 11:04AM
Think about where he is comming from.
He has developed for all the consoles. It most likely pissed him off to develop a game on the Wii after developing on the hardcore sytems.
Going from developing a game for 360 (has very few limits in power) to developing for a Wii (has alot of restrictions). It would piss me off too. It would feel like a couple steps backwards.
Virtua Fanboy @ Mar 9th 2007 11:06AM
Guess what kiddies, lol. In real life your supposed to get what's called a job. Also in real life you also have the right to something called free speech. While the first ammendment is "still relevant", you do not have a right to have a job. Having a job in real life is called a privilege, not a right. The guy did not change his mind, he just has to keep a roof over his head w/bread to break at his table. You know like your mommies and daddies do for you! Fucking kids, LoL. Man I'm startin to sound like my old man. lol
Ben @ Mar 9th 2007 11:10AM
I love when people talk about the 1st fucking amendment as if they even know what it means. EA has nothing to do with the first amendment. It prohibits THE GOVERNMENT from passing laws infringing on freedom of speech. Idiots.
Also, how did EA make a bad move in doing this? It's probably not smart for a high-profile developer working for you to trash-talk the most popular console on the market today. It makes sense to have him retract those comments.
the real Steve @ Mar 9th 2007 11:10AM
the wii sucks. I'm sorry all you people who like it, but my cousins brought it over a week ago. I played wii sports for about 15 minutes and got bored. Since I have no reputation to uphold or a job in the industry I would like to keep, I will pick up the torch where this pansy dropped it. The wii is a piece of shit. lol.
Myke @ Mar 9th 2007 11:09AM
Virtua - Yeah, we know, some of us have careers, but what's your point? That the guys just a moron for blowing up like he did? They're not way to twist this without either making the guy look like a liar or an idiot.
Jack of No Trades @ Mar 9th 2007 11:10AM
@ Virtua Fanboy
In a country where they use loopholes in the system to phase out the constitution is bullshit.
Charles Doty @ Mar 9th 2007 11:17AM
Why would anyone take this guys comments seriously?
He's nothing more than two mid level programmers duct-taped together.
Myke @ Mar 9th 2007 11:15AM
"the wii sucks. I'm sorry all you people who like it, but my cousins brought it over a week ago. I played wii sports for about 15 minutes and got bored."
Wow, you must be pretty advanced to be able to render a verdict on a system by playing the pack-in game for 15 minutes. Can you also give movie reviews by just seeing the trailer? I'd bet you could with that level of brain function.
Neal @ Mar 9th 2007 11:15AM
I think we can all agree its pretty damn obvious that he was pretty much forced to retract his statement.
Either way, when someone says somethign harsh or terrible, and then has to retract that statement (forced or not) its still funny.
At least, thats what I was laughing about. We all know he didn't all of a sudden start liking the Wii over night.
samfish @ Mar 9th 2007 11:16AM
Well, if he was representing EA, then he shouldn't have said it.
If he WASN'T representing EA, then he had every right in the world to say it.
Right or wrong, something like this isn't covered under the whistle blower protection laws.
It seems to me he got reprimanded not for saying what he said, but HOW he said it. He could have been a little more diplomatic, to say the least.
...of course, coming from yours truly, that might be the pot calling the kettle black, but that's beside the point.
SONY_LOVE_SLAVE @ Mar 9th 2007 11:18AM
So, it's not ok for EA employees to make disparaging remarks about Nintendo, but it's perfectly fine for them to make disparaging remarks about the PS3 and Sony.
Fuck you EA and all your micro-transaction bullshit! Won't be buying anymore EA titles until they retract their anti-Sony diatribes!
Zelos @ Mar 9th 2007 11:20AM
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
What the hell does that have to do with the relationship between a company and it employee?
Vidikron @ Mar 9th 2007 11:20AM
Yeah, as a few others have pointed out, this has nothing to do with free speech. He is free to say what he wants, but EA is free to fire him for doing so.
Personally, I agree with this the his main point that more power doesn't just mean prettier graphics. But he went overboard when he called the Wii a piece of shit. He could have made his point without doing that and he might not have had to retract his statements.
But we all know he still believes what he said, EA just pressured him into publicly retracting them because they stand to make big profits from the Wii. Like it or not, EA did what they had to do as a business.
Virtua Fanboy @ Mar 9th 2007 11:20AM
Trust me I'm not defending this guy, though I agree w/him. He's an idiot. Sorry I'm not gonna argue constitutional rights over a video game site, lol. But my point was the guy didn't change his mind and he's not weak minded per say. Read #30's post he's got it right on. You lose the right to free speech when you are jailed or even killed for saying the Wii is a piece of shit. Anyway that's all I'm sayin.
JOYSTIQ_LOVE_SLAVE @ Mar 9th 2007 11:21AM
You know, it's funny that since the blogosphere has come into being that these rants were taken seriously to begin with. If it wasn't for the instant on news that we get to deal with now then this would've been understood to be tongue in cheek by the developers at the GDC.
Terrak @ Mar 9th 2007 11:23AM
LOL this Hecker guy just made all those Nintendo haters look like fools!!!
Priceless, just priceless
All is forgiven Mr Hecker, what you did to those Nintendo haters more then made up for your comments.
Bravo!!! Now lets get some Wii games happening!!
Jake @ Mar 9th 2007 11:22AM
You have the freedom to say what you want, and your boss has the freedom to fire your ass for saying it. He is retracting his statements, but he still meant what he said. And yes, I think is language choice was more to be funny than him being just childish. If the Wii has the same or less power than two gamecubes and uses the same architecture, why can't you call it two gamecubes. That is a very accurate analogy. The duct tape is added for fun.
James @ Mar 9th 2007 12:55PM
Why can't people take criticism and leave it at that. The Wii does seem like two gamecube's duct taped together. Nintendo needs to address that.
Majortom1981 @ Mar 9th 2007 11:31AM
Have you guys ever played a maxis game? Sim City was mostly AI and it was extremely extrewmely bugy. They stopped making patches for the game and its still very buggy.
How can he make comments like that when maxisd games are some of the most buggiest and most ineffeciently programmed games out there, Yes I have all there games to date so I am talking from experience.
There AI programming stinks.
Also Nitnendo is one of the most artistic companies out there. Just look at wind waker and phantom hourglass.
The only true thing he stated was that the wii was udnerpowered BUT only compaired to the competition.
Most of what he stated was a compelte lie and everybody here knows it .
A maxis developer whos company makes very badly programmed games has no right to criticize other companies.
(I cant even get The Sims 2 to properly install on any of the 10 computers I tried to install it on)
Geo @ Mar 9th 2007 11:24AM
I`m` agree with # 2 he is right...
clo1_2000 @ Mar 9th 2007 11:24AM
I work for a multi-billion dollar corporation. I'm smart enough to know that I shouldn't badmouth one of my partners, let alone in a public forum. I understand why he is now retracting his statements; to keep his job. My point is, he shouldn't have said his comments in the first place, knowing he would get into hot water with his company.
This guy is extremely lucky as if I were to say such condescending comments about one of our partners in public I would be fired the next day. He knew his superiors wouldn't like what he was saying, so he should stick by his opinion and live with the consequences.
Vidikron @ Mar 9th 2007 11:24AM
@41
Your comments make no sense. How does it make anyone look like a fool?
Neal @ Mar 9th 2007 11:28AM
@ Steve
"I played one game on the wii for 15 minutes, and it sucked, therefor every game on the wii sucks..."
guess what...
I met a guy once named Steve. He was a total douchebag. Guess what my conclusion is.
Yeah, you're a douchebag.
Jack of No Trades @ Mar 9th 2007 11:38AM
"Also Nitnendo is one of the most artistic companies out there. Just look at wind waker and phantom hourglass."
You must be joking. Okami, ShadowotC, Ico, Gears are art.
Wind waker didn't have shit.
Ger @ Mar 9th 2007 11:41AM
Hmmmmmm...americans have a very closed mind, they argue too much, i don`t get it......
Genius @ Mar 9th 2007 11:40AM
I agree with everything Hecker said and I thought it was amusing. Unforunately the fanboys calling out for his blood caused this backlash. Its stupid and a quite a testament to the idiocy of the Nintendo fanboys in general. I mean really, had a similar comment been said about the PS3 would HALF the whiny crybabies on this site even care? I doubt it, they'd probably be stampeding one another to get into this thread just for the chance to share their own not so witty comments. Its hilarious how all this works but unfortunately thats the way it is.
Personally I hate my Wii, its been gathering dust for over a month, Im pretty frustrated with the fact this silly little console has ZERO "real" games. I didnt like Zelda so dont even try to mention it, although it is funny Zelda is the only real game on the Wii and its technically a GC game...