One of our readers sent in this interesting article about the rise of Rock Band parties, and in his e-mail, Dan said that he felt Nintendo was on the right track with their games-for-everyone strategy. While he and his friends -- the force behind the parties mentioned in the article -- were playing Rock Band on other systems, obviously, he felt that one game was similar to many of Nintendo's current offerings. That is, it's a game that brings everyone together, whether they're into those "vidya games" or not. He mentioned that he spends time playing WarioWare: Smooth Moves and Super Mario Galaxy with some of the new gamers in his life, gamers who were picking up the Wii, and that experience is enriching his gaming life as a whole. He can have it all -- time with more "hardcore" games, and time with his friends, just having a good time, and Nintendo is making that easier and more welcoming.
We wanted to pass along his story not only because, hey, we agree with him when he says Rock Band for the Wii is a sadly lesser entity, but also because we have to agree. Holing up for hours to get through one tough stage in the hardest of hardcore games is fun, but it's also fun to host a drunken tennis tournament or pass a few hours with a group of friends and WarioWare: Smooth Moves. But there's a trade-off: some of the traditional games are getting a little easier and a little more casual-friendly. For some of us, that's not a problem ... while others see it as a possible death knell for the hardcore niche title, and that's what we want to discuss this morning. Is the trade-off worth it? Can the hard modes in casual-friendly games keep things interesting for the rest of us?
[Thanks, Dan!]
