Variety's Metroid Corruption review highlights message conflict
The Variety review of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption just goes to show the ramifications Nintendo's message that the Wii is a casual system can cause a title like Metroid. Just forget the debate if Nintendo abandoned hardcore gamers, or gamers abandoned Nintendo, for just a little bit. Like we went over in Joystiq podcast #14, whoever did what to whom, the two are currently experiencing what professionals might call "marital issues." The thing this review by Variety showed is that a mainstream publication notices something wrong with a non-casual title on a perceived casual system. Variety ends the first paragraph of the review saying, "Ultimately, gamers looking for a well paced, thrill-a-minute shooter with a compelling narrative are going to be disappointed. 'Halo' this ain't."
The Variety review has some kind words for the game, but it seems so clearly written with the realization that the marketing of the Wii console as a casual system doesn't click with this game. Another scathing point they make is Metroid is more "tedious than epic," they say the boss battles are "exhaustive affairs requiring dedication, patience, and most importantly, a familiarity with the vocabulary of videogames: double jumping, circle strafing, shooting weak points for massive damage, etc. Those who previously used the Wii only for party games will need a 13 year-old boy to explain it all." Whether this analysis is right or wrong isn't the point, 10 million people may own a Wii, but how many of those people actually move beyond the casual titles or would purchase a game like Metroid? The Wii was sold on casual fun, Metroid is not -- to an outside consumer -- a Wii title.
