Am I a shallow gamer for not liking the Wii U?

Games are a preference though. Another medium like music, books or movies. I agree with you on the grown up part, but some users such as myself have just a desire to move on to other things.

No, it doesn't make you shallow. Although it confuzzles me that people want Nintendo to be a COMPLETE clone of their rivals, former and current.

I'm with you bro, I play games to look at pretty things most of the time, Wii U games are pretty visually unimpressive.

@parkurtommo

On the Contrary.... They are Technically Unimpressive..... But they are visually stunning, perhaps not very sharp or detailed but very stunning. :)

I have a WiiU and a PS4 as my main gaming systems right now. While I really enjoy Super Mario 3D world and Mario Kart 8 (these are AWESOME!!!) I am glad that I also have a PS4, because while there are some brilliant games on the WiiU there are just too few that I like and I'd feel like I'd be missing out if I only had a WiiU. I'm currently really into Final Fantasy XIV and the WiiU doesn't have anything like that (yet).

actually there is a strong correlation between disliking wiiu and an individuals iq level.

No shit!

/sarcasm hidden within sarcasm

we can pretty much end this discussion by simply sticking to the facts and rejecting some of the OP's assumptions alltogether:

The Nintendo demographic is not kids; it's everyone.

Kids (people between 12 and 18. Kids below 12 don't buy their own consoles) at any point in time will be attracted to racing, shooting and sex. Kids want the PS4 and XBone. People who bought a Wii U in its first 2 years are usually people that grew up with Nintendo. This attachment would most likely have happened during the NES, SNES or N64 generations. Since the Gamecube and Wii generations were dominated by significantly inferior 3rd party titles.

There's nothing wrong with saying that Nintendo games aren't your cup of tea. There's everything wrong with saying that Nintendo games are for kids. I am very confused with the "mature" theme people keep mentioning in these discussions. What's so mature about playing an FPS or a racing sim? That's what I used to love when I was a kid. I still love it now from time to time, but it has absolutely nothing to do with being mature. Sex in games is the exact opposite of mature. As a kid I would drool over any Thombraider game and feel like I was doing something naughty. Nowadays I really don't care how much nudity or profanity a game contains; that's just game devs catering to 12 year olds.

Not at all dude. This is just another example of gamers thinking this hobby is not subjective to individual preferences. It doesn't make anybody's preference right or wrong, just their own.

@Episode6

With one single Post you struck Pure Intellectual Gold ! I totally agree ! :)

@emgesp: Bro play what you think is good. Its you deciding what is best and what not. Dont get into others hype. Play what you like and problem solved.

Because X amount of people hyping X title doesnt mean its for you or youre shallow because you dont follow the train. Your opinion >> everyones else , thats how it should be for you. Period

Shallow is killing every NPC in Fallout: New Vegas. Good or bad.

I suggest trying it sometime.

No, they really aren't very stunning at all. Most of Nintendo's first party has a "pleasant" art direction but nothing that would leave me "stunned" lol.

I don't know how you couldn't like the Wii U more after the disappointment MS and Sony let dribble out of their warehouses and into retailers.

Challenge accepted.

@parkurtommo

Ofcourse you wouldn't be stunned... You focus too much on the technical aspects.... I doubt you have any appreciation for looks beyond the Technical 1080p Bullshit fanboys here keep bickering about.

The only nintendo exclusive i enjoy is Metroid and it seems like they abandoned it. Everything else (including the 10/10 games like smg2 and bayo 2) are just not interesting, maybe i would've enjoyed smg back on N64 gen when i was 13 but now its just yet another mario

This is how I feel. I for one am glad Nintendo is doing their own thing this gen.

Thats not to say the other two systems dont have their merits, they just dont appeal to me at all.

Not liking Nintendo games? No, not really.

Asking this on System Wars? Yeah, probably.

quite the contrary my friend. True gamers don't play Wii U.

@Gue1

Wii U is just a console... True Gamers know its the Games that matter.

It's ok to dislike garbage, TC.

No need to force yourself to love overpriced and gimmicky gaming systems.

You aren't shallow for your preferences, though you should be disappointed in yourself for being insecure about this at 31.

Not shallow for having a preference. Maybe a bit immature for caring about what other people think about what you like though.

The only time in my life that I cared about what others thought about the games I played, I was 12. And that mindset lasted for all of about 6 months.

I'm 32 now and I can't even begin to fathom how a guy just one year younger than myself would be having these kinds of conflicts lol. How does this even register as an issue worth talking about at that age?

On another note, I find most of these 'mature' games to actually be on the same maturity level as Nintendo games, if not worse. Mature titles typically seem to be geared towards boys in middle school more often than not. Doesn't bother me though, I play games for fun. All I want from this medium is good gameplay, anything else done well is just a bonus.

Let me see what The Good Book has to say on this matter ...........nope, there ain´t commandment sayin´ : "Thou shall like and own all consoles".

Shallow? Of course not. Nintendo games don't do it for me, either. Except for Fire Emblem... that franchise is awesome.

@arkephonic: Have you tried Starcraft 2? You don't have to be a Korean pro gamer to play the game, but it will help improve your multitasking skills and your hand-eye coordination.

Yes it makes you shallow! ;P

To me its ridiculous hearing from anyone's mouth that Zelda sucks or whatever, but the same could be said for my hate towards the gta series. We all got preferences man.

i have not spent a lot of time on the wii u but in the time i did i hated it.

with that controller it's like trying to play a game with a fussy baby in your lap.

every time you start to get into it that baby starts to wail about something and you have to pay attention to it.

who makes a system that destroys immersion on purpose? who? who for ***** sake who?

Nope, that's just your taste.

what the hell are you talking about lol?

to the TC...

idk....play what you want.....nintendo made a profit this year with or without you....so whatever.

@emgesp: Like Charizard said, you just have your own preferences. But at the same time, I would suggest being open to Nintendo games and other great franchises on other systems that are different from the types of games you usually enjoy. You have to appreciate each excellent game for what it is. I have owned each console from the last two generations. From last gen, here are my favorite games (one exclusive per console): Super Mario Galaxy 2, The Last of Us, Halo: Reach. Each one of those three titles are among my favorite games of all time for very different reasons. Don't count out certain games because they do not fit your strict notion of what makes a game good. However, if you don't like those games, then you don't like them. No big deal.

By the way, Zelda's story is pretty decent and not as simple as you think. Its strength lies in great characters and charming narratives. I thought Windwaker and Skyward Sword succeeded in this area.

An analogy I used before: when I was young I used to love to play with G.I. Joe action figures because it was all very hands on. Manipulate the limbs, change weapons, pose them. This I equate to the type of software Nintendo creates. It's all very "hands-on" gameplay, and I can see the appeal of this type of enjoyment and hold no judgement against it or those that enjoy it, but I've been doing that since the early eighties. Now at 37, I still very much enjoy figures, but instead of G.I. Joe I buy Sideshow Collectible statues, of which I gain the majority of the pleasure simply having them on display to look at. Demo pieces not to be handled. And while I wouldn't call what Sony and MS make "hands-off" at all, I think the point is made that they strive to assign a bit more of a meaning (at slight compromise of functionality) to their offerings than Nintendo does. With Nintendo, everything is a pretense for the gameplay, and as such it's utterly forgettable 99% of the time past clever level designs and flawless gameplay execution. With the others, that pretense is more the focus of why I would want to play.

Simply put, the older I get, the more reason I need than just "twiddle my thumbs and work my hand-eye coordination/reflexes". This is still predominantly why I game given the nature of the medium, but it's not nearly as important as it once was.

Unfortunately, seldom does it occur that stories in games extend past the talent of people who are game designers and not writers, so it's still an anomaly to see a really well executed title that not only gives me that deeper meaning, but combines it with engaging gameplay to boot. But games do exist that show it can be done, TLoU being the most recent example. I believe that this is a large part of why Nintendo's marketshare is suffering; Nintendo is neglecting an entire segment of gamers who wish for these deeper experiences. I don't know why they don't attempt it much anymore, they did once with such games as Eternal Darkness. They came out not long ago (Miyamoto I believe it was) and said they view games as toys, and I think that's exactly the problem right there. They are neglecting huge potential. They are stuck and insist on a game design philosophy borne in the eighties.

In this context the TC is referring to, I'd have to disagree with you that Nintendo operates on the same level as Pixar.

TC is saying that, thematically, Nintendo games are just not doing it for him anymore. Pixar appeals to everyone because not only do their films hold family friendly, bright light-hearted aesthetics that draw in the younger ones, they also have incredibly deep and sometimes very dark themes that the grown-ups can more relate to.....love, loss, death, triumphing over adversity, mature humor. Some Pixar flicks are oftentimes downright painful to sit through, Up, Finding Nemo, and Wall-E for examples.

Nintendo on the other hand is like a really well made Sunday morning cartoon. In terms of gameplay yes it's easily accessible to all, but no game of theirs comes to my mind that holds any real thematic relevance past the point of justifying the controller or anywhere emotionally past the gradeschool level.

It's kind of a stupid question I don't see what could possibly be shallow about not wanting to play Nintendo games. I grew up playing them and now I'm bored to death of Mario and Zelda so Wii U has literally nothing to offer me since most third party devs have completely blanked the system. It's a hard sell anyway with seriously underpowered hardware and a price that's way OTT for what it is IMO.

I can see the attraction of Nintendo games for people I've just kind of grown out of them and by the way people saying Nintendo games are not primarily aimed at kids have a word with yourselves it takes about five seconds of any first party Nintendo game loading up to see exactly what the target audience is. I'm not saying that's a bad thing I'm just saying it is what it is no point denying it.

Damn son.... I thought I would never agree with you as much as this... EVER.

I couldn't go past 3 hours of The Last of Us ... pretentious movie wannabe experience with very little in terms of gameplay.... I was bored s*itless.

@TC

That being said, opinions are just that. I don't see why you have to be "7 years old" to appreciate it. I'm 26 ... and I love Mario Kart / Smash Bros / Zelda even more now than I did during the GC/Wii era (Teens... that age where you think you are too cool for "Nicer themes").

Mario Kart and most of the Wii U games so far have been gorgeous/colourful to look at, have great detail and fantastic gameplay. I can understand the themes being "Shallow" ... they are... because they are meant to be GREAT GAMES ... not INTERACTIVE MOVIE SEQUENCES.

Which is also why Team Fortress 2 is also my favourite MP shooter of last generation... and why I am looking foward to Overwatch. There are milllions of boring michael bay shooters out there... getting kinda pathetic and sad pandering to the bro-dude crowd "I am a western man, I need masculine gritty content all the time and must be tough guy!" attitude which I don't care for.

I think most adult males need to get out of their narrow little bubble when it comes to themes.... if you can't appreciate "cute" or any other themes that would be used to describe something like the mario universe then damn.... well done for living a stupid stereotype which fuels feminists assault on "The Patriarchy".

Do you feel embarrased when you play Nintendo games infront of your other half or friends? I don't... infact.. they are often far better recieved than "Call of duty look we butcher everyone, and we have dark themes.... we are adults HONEST!" games which seem to be OVERCOMPENSATING.

Eh, Zelda U and X will be the determining factor for me, if they deliver the excellent gaming goods, a Wii U could be in my future.

No! no! no! TC

You're a gamer with good taste unlike sheeps

yes you have outgrown nintendo lol...time to stick to alien isolation killzone and GTA....

game on ...youre a real man now.

I don't think you're shallow. I've not put my hands on a WiiU, but after my experience with the Wii, I won't go near it.

Ultimately, don't feel bad. It's almost completely subjective.

However I will point out that it's a flawed outlook to simply say you outgrew it. Nintendo tells its stories through gameplay. Mario saving Peach is not the story at all. The real story is told through gameplay mechanics that have shown us some of the most impactful games with long lasting appeal.

Yes, yes you are, shallow Hal. :P ..nah..if you don't like Nintendo games then you don't...I don't like CoD, BF & most first person war pew pew stuff...& I don't like Xbone much. :P

I don't like it either the games don't appeal to me.

Im 29 year old male who is a brazilian jiu jitsu practioner and i have no insecurities of playing Mario, Bayonetta 2. I own games like Super Luigi U, Suler Mario bro, Child of light, ninja gaiden 3, Wonderful 101, Zelda WW, B1 and 2, Duck Tales, Mario Kart 8, Deus Ex, ZombiU, Need for Speed. The only franchises thus far which have caught my eye are Scalebound Batman and Tekken on X1 i dont care for GTA, COD, Sports Games.

So different strokes for different folks.

Well you have your preferences, and in your case your current preference of compelling stories means you won't be interested in like 90% of all games. You're only left with a billion games to pick from.

Those preferences will change. I used to be more interested in very serious games, until everything I saw was trying to be serious (and failing) and brown and bald and especially after seeing some bloody things in real life I began to appreciate the colorfulness and cheerfulness of Nintendo games. So for me that changed over time, dramatically. I think being interested in only a tiny part of the gaming industry makes you limited, the antonym for all-rounded? Kind of like a voluntary prisoner of sorts. A prisoner in a very big fun prison because even if all you like is point and click adventure games there are a lot of point and click adventure games.

Over the years especially after buying the Wii I started playing all sorts of games that I would have never played. It was a real mind opener. There are so many niche games that happen to be great fun that 95% of the gamers never try because they expect it to not be fun. I'd say whether you explore gaming or stick to your expectations is a better indication of whether someone is shallow (or maybe just not as passionate about it, or poor, or busy, or...). If you stick to your own little world without ever reaching out to see what else is there you'll be living like some kind of prisoner of your own expectations. And from my experience those expectations we have tend to be corrupt, and grow more corrupt over time until you turn into a very grumpy grandpa sitting on the porch with a shotgun in a rocking chair complaining about the wife and the weather and the world.

Have you played any of telltale games yet, Walking Dead or Wolf Among us, you will love them based of what your preference seems to be

TC, why do you need to be reassured about your own tastes? Man up, and tell everyone else to piss off. You don't have to conform to liking anything you don't want to.

Agreed, it's fucking stupid. This gen would have been the best ever if gamers let the Wii U and X1 do their own thing. Then every platform would be different. Why do we need 3 PS consoles and a PC? Now we have two PS consoles (PS4 and X1 since MS pussied out of their vision) and Nintendo are holding the line. It's a sad state imo.

Then gamers have the nerve to talk about originality and variation.

LOL, it isn't insecurity. I'm just honestly curious because people are always calling people like me who aren't interested in the Wii U shallow and not "true" gamers. I just wanted to know if that is the case.