Microsoft: Hardcore Gamer, Thanks But No Thanks

All the talk about Kinect, Microsoft and the Xbox 360 pre E3 was electric to say the least. Now, in the mist of the aftermath I cant help but feel like I've been sucker punched once again by Microsoft.

[PoSTedUP]

MS is really in it for the money this time. its a shame appealing to the casuals took almost everything out of MS hardcore section. sony does both and it really shows how strong sony is when they can appeal to the casuals with MOVE can keep their hardcore games at bay with awesome new titles plus MOVE can be for the hardcore gamer aswell.

[OneSneakyMofo]

I truly feel sorry for all of the hardcore gamers out there. I thought that Microsoft would at least bring something new to the table. Oh well, I can't wait for Zelda Wii and the PS3 conference.

[RememberThe357]

It's going forward that concerns me. I got Crackdown, Halo, and Fable coming out htis year so I'm good. But I'm just not sure how much more of those games I will get in the future.

[sombrero]

oh man, can't wait for zelda wii.

http://imgur.com/O8qZD.gif

[Conloles]

Who honestly thought this would bring hardcore games I've been saying this for ages this and Move are going to kill consoles for 2 years. We'll get one or two in house hardcore games and multiplats but the rest will all be casual crap cashing in on Ninty.

[HyperBear]

Im really interested to see tomorrow and See if Sony follows suit and wastes 3/4 of their conference talking about MOVE, or split it up evenly and show hardcore gamers what they want and the casuals (Not like what M$ just did, was show 5 games for the hardcore and then waste the last hour+ on Kinect).

But to M$ credit, at least they didnt waste that time showing numbers and talking about consoles sold etc etc. which Im going to bet that Sony and Nintendo will both do tomorrow.
Plus, everyone was complaining about not seeing real-time natal (now Kinect) gameplay action, so now we've seen what they've been working on the past year. It was just hard to watch and sit through and nothing really appealed to me except for that videokinect stuff and the way you can interact with the menus, thats it.

[The XBOT]

Now I am praying that Sega comes back to console making as Sony is the only console maker catering for hardcore fans. I am not an Xbot lol, I use the name for fun. I am a mature gamer who owns a PC, 2 360s, a slim PS3 and a Wii but sold the Wii. I really couldnt not get myself to play the Wii. Nintendo has/had the best IPs in the world, but is still not next gen and is still focusing on casuals more than anything else. But that has always been their mindset this generation, Sony are a hardcores dream. They have more expreince in gaming and are worth the loyalty to a limit, fanboyism though is an extreme state that should not be reached as it stops minds form thinking objectivelty. MS today has distrubed me. I have been planning for this day for the last month. I even slept early to wake up at 3 am to watch this. As an overall presenation, the quality was average. But after it ended, it left a really bitter feeling. If you look at the video, if not for the free 360, people would have booed this disgusting presentation. I wish I was there to boo. I wish there was someone to represent the hardcore gamer there who would have shoved this new 360 up their behinds. If this is how they want to do it than I pray to bing back Sega. Jet grind/set Radio, Panzer Dragoon, Shinobi, Skies of Arcadia, Phantasy Start, Shenmue, Sonic, wonderboy, Alex Kid, and all the things that I miss in this generation. I am really upset :(

[Millah]

Did anyone ever think for a second that MS ever cared about gamers, hardcore or casual??? MS cares about one thing, money. They smell more money with Kinect because they saw Wiis success like a pack of wolves, so they're pursuing that money. Even if that sight is very near sighted, they don't care, they'll take the short term gain over the longer term money. MS is foolish like that. This is how MS acts in every single market they are a part of. Thats just part of their DNA. Always playing "me too" anywhere someones making a lot of money.

The thing that I find funny about Natal, is that everyone rags on Wii for saying that the infamous "waggle" just mimicks a button press most of the time. Well from everything I've seen from Natal, flailing around replaces the waggle, and falls victim to the same button press replacement. Like the Track and Field game, flailing around running in place seems to only mimic pushing "A" repeatedly, and isn't translating your actual movements to the game.

And to be honest with you, I'd much rather sit on the couch waggling with Move or Wii, than standing up jumping around getting tired in about 3 mins. I mean, it seems like you basically need to stand up to play Kinect right?

[webeblazing]

lol i was saying that for the longest people dont care even if its in front of they face tho. i like MS theyre a business and they actions speak louder then words, and their word is saying "f#ck you pay me". every company is out to make money but atleast they invest mostly believe or care about. theres three main reasons i love MS

1 theyre best represent US (american dream is to be rich, make money by any means but that dont mean everybody.)
2 they know people like a book
3 theyre like pimps

[PyReX-]

I think you look pretty hardcore doing this..
http://i48.tinypic.com/wh0a...

[sombrero]

and this...

http://i47.tinypic.com/2cgf...

and this...

http://i46.tinypic.com/wl6o...

and this...

http://i46.tinypic.com/9jd6...

[TEHUser]

funny how the avatar moved first then the guy 'controlling' it.

[PS360PCROCKS]

Oh jesus that guy's dancing...oh my...that was exceptionally bad.

[nickjkl]

watch those and then watch this i did it by accident when i had that guy tab who posted this earlier in the thread and opened those 3 in succesion in fire fox

http://i.imgur.com/O8qZD.gi...

[Obama]

wow Kinect is so high tech that it uses jedi mind tricks to predict your movement. I am amazed.

[boodybandit]

Telekinetic.

[The_Firestarter]

You're you clever fellow! + bub 4 u

[EVILDEAD360]

Microsoft did EXACTLY what they were supposed to do..And the funny thing it's still going to work

LMAO @ Microsoft showing Halo Reach, Gears 3, Fable 3, Crytek's exclusive, Metal Gear Solid Rising & Call of Duty: Black Ops

Microsft has lived and breathed off of the hardcore since day one and the blind are pretending the hardcore got left behind

Not to mention the independent games and all the rest of the hottest multi-plats announced this E3 will be there too...

Don't like Kinect..don't buy it..they smartly followed the Wii and concentrated some of the show on the audience theyve been trying to attract for years..but this time they actually succeeded and at the end of the day when the numbers come in..mission complete

[xxLuckyStrike]

i will be using my sons PS3...and build a library of games as my 360 will collect dust by not having any hardcore games to play...Shame... all that hype and nothing...They gave the bird to the hardcore today

[SOAD]

Reach gameplay.

It's worth watching.

[JANF]

@ Soad

HR, GEoW3, F3 were worth watching, but what about next year, what games they have for next year. None. MS just went casual, its time for all the hardcore gamers to jump out.

[SOAD]

Mass Effect 3, Alan Wake 2, some racing game, some fighting game, some timed exclusive.

Microsoft doesn't have many first party studios. I keep this in mind and I don't get my hopes up. This is why I was not too disappointed with Microsoft's E3. I knew they wouldn't do that well. I was quaintly impressed with Reach and Gears 3 and those games will be enough for me since Sony will deliver the rest.

[DigitalAnalog]

Reach did look spectacular. Now playing 1 & 2 for the PC. Hopefully I would be intuitive enough to get the new 360S here in Hong Kong to finish up the storyline.

-End statement

[TheAwesomessMan]

You know I'm still buying a 360 for gears n halo for I still like that franchise but I will always have my ps3 for it will provide me with 20+ exclusives from different genres. Right here Sony is giving us hardcore gamers options. I like options. Microsoft is like the story about the kid who wanted more soup and the king or whatever says "No!" Other words we want more games and Microsoft in their presentation is saying "No!"

[NeoBasch]

at least for M$.

[Redlogic]

basically sums up exactly how I feel. Wow, I couldn't agree more. I have been saying I'm tempted to sell my Xbox360 now that I've seen what the future holds for the brand. We'll see I guess, maybe they will throw in some surprises besides the usual (full disclosure: I was addicted to Gears 1).

[-EvoAnubis-]

Yeah, to the hardcore, that conference was kinda meh. However, there were a few hardcore games shown, even if they clearly weren't the focus. Give them time. Sony has been mixing hardcore with casual since the beginning, while MS is new at this. Let's see if they learn from their mistake. E3 this year is lost to them, but there's still Germany and TGS to look forward to.

[gamingisnotacrime]

they want to make the type of money Nintendo is doing with PS2 era graphics, Wii controllers, and low cost game development. is all about the money, not about learning their ways for pleasing both crowds.

[NY_State]

Yeah but by doing that they're giving you the big middle finger. You're no longer the focus. Not as important. Don't matter as much. That's fucked up man. Now that you've helped them get to this point they don't need you anymore. Hardcore gamers can get fucked basically.

[gamingisnotacrime]

the PS brand has a strong fanbase and growing, Sony wants our money too but they take care of business and keep us pleased while spending our money on PS related items

[Ilikegames76]

analyze it carefully, Nintendo sold a lot of Wii because it was something new back then and it caters to the casuals. But if you look at their games line up, more than 80% are shovel ware. A lot of their third-party developers didn't make much money from the Wii. Only Nintendo's first party are selling a lot. Now MS is going after the casuals, what do you think will happened, since a lot of what was shown on the Kinect conference are Wii game clones. Casuals don't buy a lot of games, only hardcore gamers do.

[Myst]

The only good 360 has for it is a back log of games. Lost Odyssey, Mass Effect if one hasn't picked those up. Honestly I'm looking more so at previous games than anything else thus far for my 360. Not to mention Microsoft pretty much slapped us all in the face with the new designed one, thus far I'm tempted to kick Microsoft back in the lower region.

Kinect isn't for me, Gears and Halo I don't follow so only Fable and ME3 has hopes for me, unless Mistwalker plans to come back with something of Lost Odyssey standards. Microsoft should stop looking at all the money that Nintendo is making and hoping to rake some of it in by mimicking. Though I bet they are raking in quite a bit with their Gold subscriptions so what do they have to complain about?

[earbus]

Thanks for a great show ms loved it all.

[DelbertGrady]

The last 12 hours have seen nothing but MS bashing articles on N4G. I'm amazed at how many new blogs that have popped up in so little time. Or it could be the fact that the fanboys in conjunction with the poor moderation makes it possible to post the same articles over and over again. All on the front page, of course. Gotta love the place.

[Elvfam511]

Dude the conference wasn't great aside from the game trailers.

[TheAwesomessMan]

Yea the trailers was nice but if felt like it wasn't their focus as EvoAnubis said. It's like they said "So here some play vids.... OK! Now the moment you all been waiting for.....(drum roll please).... here's KINECT!" "Microsoft, wait where's Crackdown 2, any new games coming out? Anything?" Not theor best E3.

[justpassinggas]

The real question is, have all these comments against Microsoft been legitimate? I say that they have. With this E3 conference, all we saw, when it came to "core" gamers, was what we knew about already (and what we knew was that there'd be sequels coming out of well established franchises). Anything new has been targeted for the casuals. Microsoft seems to be going the same route as the Wii.

[nilamo]

Well we did get to hear about kingdoms, action game published by ms and developed by crytek, so that's pretty big news. I mean sony almost had no surprises last E3 but they weren't bashed for it.

[TheAwesomessMan]

Yeah but that's just one game compared to the 4-5 games we already knew about.

[andthensum]

I've been to a few forums on major sites: Gamespot, IGN, 1up, and numerous others and everyone seems to share the same sentiments--Microsoft seriously underwhelmed everyone, including ... wait for it... XBOX fanboys. But seeing that you were very pleased by the conference, I guess you and other Super Xbox Fanboys like yourself can never be displeased with Microsoft even if they pissed in your face while taking a dump in your mother's mouth. In fact, you'd probably subscribe to have it done over and over again saying things like, it only cost 60 dollars.

Truth of the matter is, the media is no longer blind to tactics MS used years ago, especially when they gave gifts to sites to give nice reviews to HALO 3; those methods won't work anymore. Gamers want games and not lies. Super 360 fanboys love lies, and hate games. Period.

[Ilikegames76]

which I have suspected a long time. Soda is a MS employee.

[kaya]

hard core gamer, and were looking forward to Kinect (or whatever they want to call it) or even the wand for that matter, then you got some high hopes, cause it's going to be a long time before any kind of motion controller really fills our needs.

[QuantumWake]

Yes, I am truly saddened that MS decided to abandon their hardcore fans this year. I was really expecting them to step up their performance from last year. Heck, even last years press conference was better. Like I said before, I think Kinect got the better of them. I think MS was to fixed on the casual market and they just went in for the money this time.

Also, I think some people might agree with me but, I thought MS was off to a very good start. They had demoed or showed their exclusives and then they announced "Kingdoms". It was all fine and dandy until they decided to ruin the show with Kinect. I was thinking to myself, "Wait, isn't this why they held two conferences"? Kinect just really got them better of them. *Sigh*

Oh well... I guess we'll have to wait a couple of months or so. Maybe..... Just maybe, they might show something at TGS. Hopefully..

It just bugs me that MS decided to leave us in the dirt. Next year...... Hopefully. :P

[therealdwhite]

I remember a long time ago before i got my xbox360 how i said i would only be buying exclusives and games friends of mine had. Now you know why. Cause i saw this coming back then. Microsoft is slowly killing themselves.

Even though SONY's console is hard to develop for and not every Dev looks at it like they do Microsoft's xbox360, SONY always looks to the hardcore and casual no matter what and has never abandoned either or.

Microsoft is doing whatever it can to not let SONY surpass them in this supposedly console race that SONY does not care about of according to them.

Microsoft is racing a war SONY never was. SONY just wants to make games and make money of course and is always about the community.

That goes along way when it comes to the consumer and shows that they are more loyal to there consumers that Microsoft will ever be.

They are trying to be how SONY was 10yrs ago. They're trying to do what SONY did to Nintendo

[chiwoo]

they will never do what Sony did to Nintendo many years ago even after 2 gens Microsoft is not on top with a year head start Nintendo out did them and soon Sony will surpass them that what they fear in which now trying to win over the casuel audience because thats all thats left for them.

[Michael-Jackson]

Casual Shovelware, no wonder it failed.

[PS360PCROCKS]

Ya I was angry watching their conference. I hope Sony doesn't do the same thing with all move games tomorrow. But Sony has GT5, KZ2, LBP2, Motorstorm 3 and Infamous 2. sim Racing, shooting, platforming, arcade racing and open world. That's BEFORE E3 and it's only June of 2010, that only covers til early 2011. Microsoft has Gears, Halo and Fable and the Crytek game. shooting, shooting, rpg and action. I don't think anything else is coming out this year. When will they announce it? 2-3 months before it releases?? We all know Sony won't go an entire E3 without announcing SOMETHING new. I've faced the music, Sony just kills in games now.

[gcolley]

this article is a complete and utter waste of time. what did he expect Kinect to focus on??? you are a sad idiot posting for hits. they didnt show any hardcore games that must mean they are not releasing any anymore. this E3 was always going to be about casual gamers, they already share the hardcore market with Sony... they are both now going after nintendo's market. use your damn brains if you want people to read your articles.

[chad22hkd]

A butt smacking game!! (smack) (SMACK) you like that don't you.

[labwarrior]

PS3 has some casual bashing or shooting linear short games (GOW3, Unchrted 1-2, MGS4 etc)

xbox 360 is the only one with huge non linear hardcore games like Fable 2, Lost Odyssey, Mass Effect 1-2-3, Halo, etc

[djfullshred]

Yes, these motion control systems were created solely to cut into the Wii demographic.

But you guys shouldn't forget there are a lot of developers out there that make the hardcore games because that is their profession. They aren't going away, because that is what they do. Maybe some of the big publishers will fill their catalogs with fluff, but the good developers will still have publishers for the hardcore games...because there will always be a market for that.

[rmedtx888]

I'm afraid MS wants so badly to steal the Wii gamers that they forgot about their loyal hardcore gamers.