Case of the Mondays: NO YOU'RE NOT HARDCORE

This years E3 showed off a lot of game3s for the “hardcore” audience. Every single one of these games were, violent, bloody, had realistic graphics, and will be rated M for mature. This is not hardcore! This is just senseless violence, and it doesn’t help the medium progress to being considered an art form, or to be taken seriously.

What always bothers me about people talking about hardcore games, is that they always have to be violent, realistic, have guns, and has to be described with the words “visceral”, “action” and “intense”. Why can’t a hardcore game just be good? Don’t get me wrong, some of these violent games are good. However, it seems they’ve all been done, they’re all the same, they all feel expected. Call of Duty, Halo, Gears of War, Ninja Gaiden, and several others were showcased at E3 and they were all presented for the “hardcore” audience.

I always end up referencing the game Pikmin, because I was a doubter of the games capability to be a challenge and to hook me. I was dead wrong. Pikmin is extremely challenging as well as addictive. While the graphics come off as childish, they are charming and give the player of being tiny and insignificant. But with the power of your regiment of Pikmin, you can overcome almost any obstacle. It’s a tremendous sense of accomplishment when you take down a monster that’s a hundred times your size. I know that Shadow of the Colossus does this as well, and it does it very very well. However, let me put on my hipster glasses and say that Pikmin did it first.

I have no qualms about the showcasing of violent video games. But it bothers me to say that the hardcore audience, the ones who not only play nonstop, but play a variety of games, get angry at games that look “childish” or “cartoony” and cast them off to the side.

Originality was a rare find at E3 as well. Most games were sequels or ports. I was excited for these sequels and ports as well, but come on fellas! Show me something original! I know it’s tough coming up with something new, and it’s probably too much to ask for as making a game is a lot of work. E3 is one giant commercial and producers and developers want to make money so that they can continue to make new, exciting, and original IPs. So perhaps, I, and everyone else, should just be patient. But at least let us know that when you’re done with your visceral, epic, action intense trilogy, that you’re thinking ahead to the future and we will see something new.

Nintendo.
Everybody always seems to get on Nintendos back about not having anything new or original, and how they rely on their new peripherals and gadgets to see them through ad make them money. While it may seem that way, I honestly don’t care. I love The Legend of Zelda, and you do to! You love the idea that you can play The Ocarina of Time on your 3DS and take it wherever you go. You love these games because they are they reason you became hardcore gamers. You love these games because they are the reason you got into games. You love these games because they are good.