"Realistic" games and "Kiddie" games....

[Dezm0nd]

Being in the retail industry for over 4 years now, i have often heard people talk about how Mario, sonic and crash bandicoot games are crap, because they're aimed at a childish market.

This really grabs my goat, especially when 10 year old kids are saying the same things. "They're too childish" often gets me replying with "You're a kid, do you know that?"

I find it amusingthat they (general public) find it immature and child-like to be bouncing around as mario in a pipe filled game which just happens to be the best games around.

but what REALLY makes me laugh is that, even saying that, they dont find it "immature" and child-like to pretend to be tiger woods or ryan giggs in a sport simulation, isn't it just the same thing?

I hope i'm not alone in this, i'm sure other retailers who are on this forum know what i'm on about.

[revisedgenocide]

im not a retailer but i have noticed the only people really concerend about 'kiddie' games are kids themselves. Im just as happy bouncing around as a plumber as i am shooting people on Wolfy. As long as its a good game il play it. Regardless of the asthetic.

[NINTY]

i know exactly what you mean, and this why Nintendo are failing.
i see it all the time in shops, i used to interept and give thrm a bit of my opinion.
but i see it to much now i just ignore it

[Babelrich]

I work in a game shop game ahem...and it really bothers me when I hear such rubbish as they are buying the latest movie licence, but what can you do? Grab 'em by the lapels and spit "I've been playing games since you were jacking off to She-Ra, and you wouldn't know a good game if you were pissing on one"? No, we can't I just take solice in the fact that they are dropping 40 quid on a pile of **** that they'll try and bring back in a few days and then I'll refuse them because it's scratched.

Still pisses me off tho'

Universal Studios = Childish
Mario Sunshine = Quality

And don't you just wanna scream "I'd like to see a 5 year old complete expert on Monkey Ball, childish my arse."

Still, "casual" gamers, eh?


Peace

Rich

[Molloy]

I was playing Monkey Ball on a demo pod and a few teens look at it and say something about it being childish. "It's too ****ing difficult to be childish" I say. "But.. look at it.." he gestures. Bloody moron.

I just said "The Simpsons are a cartoon but it isn't necessarly for kids" and they seemed to see what I was getting at.. but I'm sure they'd forgotten 10 minutes later.

In fairness I think Mario and Sonic don't translate well to 3d; they were successful in a different time in a totally different market. Sega and Nintendo should have started afresh. You can't shoehorn old characters into new media. Pixar and Disney had the sense to see that. They didn't do Mickey Mouse in 3d.

Sega and Nintendo gave up doing market research at some point in the early 90's. That's why they aren't selling units. Games cost too much money now to simply be art. They need to appeal to people on a superficial level before they'll get enchanted with the gameplay.

Even the people raised on Sonic and Mario are surely getting tired of them at this point. We want fresh content.

[Zed]

I agree that visual style shouldnt be the sole test for being a "kiddie" game, it's more about content and concept.

Personally i have been gaming for so long that simplistic or rehased games lose alot of appeal unless something fresh is there also - so while i wont judge a Mario game by looks if it's all collecting coins and being illogically restricted then i will have concerns.

Similarly "realism" is only useful if it there for a reason, cartoon zombies wouldnt scare in a Resident Evil type game, so it fits. But is the Getaway better than GTA due to its realism? I think if you had swapped the visual styles around the content of the game would show which is superior.