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When first-person shooters made the transition to consoles from PCs over a decade ago, they weren’t very good. Or even just good. Despite being today’s go-to genre for blockbuster console game franchises (Call of Duty or Halo ring any bells?), the first-person shooter got a rough start on consoles. Game developers — used to the precision allowed by a mouse/keyboard setup — had no idea how to design shooters with console gamers in mind. Early approximations like Nintendo 64’s GoldenEye and Perfect Dark from Rare were held up as the gold standard for years, while PC gamers snickered and stuck with their superior control mechanics.

Bungie’s sci-fi shooter Halo: Combat Evolved heralded the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox in 2001, and it marked the end of Nintendo’s short-lived console FPS dominance. The first Halo game and its developer Bungie Studios are to thank for the modern console FPS — a streamlined, slower version of its PC progenitor that stands on its own. In the decade since Halo: Combat Evolved launched, Bungie and many, many other game development studios have honed and perfected FPS gameplay on consoles, to the point where it’s the leading sales genre in the US (for the past five years, with the exception of 2008, according to NPD). Nintendo, however, has taken a back seat in this genre — starting with the GameCube and even more so with the Wii, Nintendo eschewed first-person shooters for the better part of the last decade. Beyond the company itself not publishing or developing within the genre (the lone exception being its Metroid series), third-parties mostly offered watered down ports for the last two Nintendo consoles.

Continue reading Editorial: Why America’s most popular gaming genre likely won’t work on Nintendo’s new console

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Peripherals, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo

Editorial: Why America’s most popular gaming genre likely won’t work on Nintendo’s new console originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 10:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo’s Wii U gamepad may be the star of the Wii U show, but it won’t be available as a standalone at launch. It will, however, be available when games that function with more than one WiiPad become available, according to Nintendo America CEO and prez Reggie Fils-Aime. “Through the launch window, there are no games that leverage a second controller. And so, during the launch window here in NOA [Nintendo of America] territories, we will not be selling at retail a second gamepad,” he told investors during a Q&A this afternoon. “But certainly, when the games come out, we’ll be making that accessory available,” he added. As for when games will take advantage of a second WiiPad is another question altogether, and one that Nintendo isn’t willing to answer just yet.

Initially, the Wii U only supported one WiiPad per game, with additional control handled via the Pro controller or Wii remotes. Nintendo changed its tune, though, following public outcry for multiple WiiPad support.

Filed under: Gaming

Nintendo Wii U gamepad not for sale separately in US until games support multiple controllers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 21:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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