Apparently he forgot about Xbox 360 gamers we are still as hardcore as ever. We only play games , we dont watch movies or play nintendogs.

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Only on the fuking wiii!

Hardcore gaming doesn't exist. Its just a damn game that's not just 'pick up and play' and you have to learn controls with a difficulty curve and that's also addictive.
A platforming game can be 'Hardcore', so can a puzzle game such as 'Tetris'. The genre never existed in households anyway, Its just an evolution and broader genre of the difficulty of arcade games and videogames throughout history.

I can understand that the Wii and DS is a success but there is no sign of hardcore gaming to die.

Bruce just check out the biggest most anticipated games for the next 2 years. Those are all hardcore and they will make a lot of money to the makers.

GTA4 remember that?? That's a hardcore game not a casual. MGS4 ring any bells?? Do not forget that gaming is what it is because of hardcore gamers. Those people did not die and as long as they live hardcore gaming will be around. Plus there are lots and lots of newcomers who love hardcore games.

It's really not that hard to play a "hardcore" game. My sister can attest to that!

there just is a huge casual market that never existed like it does now. Lets compare to the movie industry, there are plenty of crap movies that make loads of money... but movies like the Dark Knight still are made. Its all part of being mainstream media.

I like how good mechanics and controls are now considered traits of a "casual" game.

Does anyone even need to try to justify why this article and its title are ridiculous and stupid?

STOP APPROVING CRAP...

please?

Did these people forget that we the Hardcore gamers are ones in power,we are the ones that have kept this industry alive for so long,we are the major contributers in this industry,we are the reason why there even is "casual" gaming, and believe me my brethren when I say that the industry will die long before we do.

I've killed more zombies, and did more headshots on my Wii then my 360!

And Nintendo is the box there going to bury it in

Considering this guy has worked in the industry, his views are really narrow. The title is just to get hits, but the article actually says we will see hardcore and casual gaming become less polarised.

To an extent I can see where he is coming from. For example, there's no denying that MGS4 is a slightly more accessible game than previous iterations. I suspect FFXIII will also have a 'lower price of admission' compared to previous games. yet both titles would normally be considered hardcore.

However to say that the industry can not really mature until some sort of shades of grey develop between hardcore and casual is rubbish.

Just as there are indie film makers knocking out quirky pictures that appeal to a narrow segment of the market, there will always be developers who have a 'vision' which is not mainstream.

In fact I would suggest that the games industry could NOT be seen as mature until we see more developers catering for every niche. Not every title can be, or wants to be, a 'summer block buster', and I think titles like Disgaea, Still Life, and so on would not be as good if they aimed for a casual/hardcore cross over.

The industry will begin maturing when we start to move away from defined genres such as FPS, RTS, third person etc etc and instead move in to more emotional categorisation - such as psychological, action, comedy and so on. Wwith in thos categories will be the style of game (FPS etc) from which people can choose. It's a subtle but important difference, but we will always have games for the casual market, and games for the hardcore market (not everyone likes every type of horrow film for example).

When reviewers stop reviewing games on the number of polygons pushed, and all the technical things that make up a game, and instead start critiquing games for the experience they deliver we'll know the industry is moving on.

I don't think I've ever agreed with a BruceOnGames article and that trend continues.

It's one thing to have thoughtful opinions even if they disagree with the majority. I can respect someone giving a solid argument on why hardcore gaming is dead, but Bruce just rattles off with nothing to back up his statements. Just mere conjecture and not solid at that.

Great use of the dead parrot skit from Monty Python!

Hardcore gaming died long ago. There isnt a single real hardcore game out for any console. None of them make you start completely over after 3 deaths or any of the other things that made games hardcore back in the 80's early 90's. The only reason people still talk about hardcore is because a group of kids that missed the era completely feel that they are now hardcore for beating a game that pretty much lets you win. I'm sure every disagree will come from someone around 20 who thinks playing games that contain blood and foul language makes them hardcore.They are not. The entire market is casual and has been since the days of PS1.

Why the heck do you guys keep approving crap from "bruceongames"

seriously, this guy writes the most worthless pointless articles ever in the history of video games.

MGS4.

.

I dont see it dying out. Maybe it will for third party games since alot of hardcore gamers who use to love certain franchises and feel screwed from devs putting there favorite series on another system is prolly dying out but not all.

hardcore gamers. there are no console hardcore gamers. console gamers are content gamers. supplied with a proprietary system they have no control over. hardcore gamers are on the PC. striving to get every frame per second they can out of a rig. willing to pay for the best tech. tweaking and upgrading to run at full capacity, even at the very brink of an overclock burn up. that is a hardcore gamer.

I was On TeamSPeak til 5-a.m with a bunch of dead guys? LMAO...

Tell me again how the multiplatform strategy was supposed to fix everything. Look at your results and compare them to Nintendo, which keeps thriving with exclusives. Your loyal fans are gone. And let’s not forget the pile of IPs you purchased only to let them rot.

The worst thing is this is down from last years numbers/expectations which was down from the previous years numbers/expectations. You think about how long “down” has been a consistent part of the communication and you realize those subscriptions are what’s holding that boat together. The price cut of gamespass is still a price raise in a string of price raises. They are trying to use players to offset the missing revenue. Now call of duty is out of gamespass, which is literally WHY they bought the company. To draw people to the subscription. They realized they missed a boatload of money and that wasn’t sustainable. Now you pay for it like you would have if they never bought the company… so why buy the company? Mind you those billions still need to be paid back. Yeah it gives you a chance to say we make the biggest FPS… but the internal conversations must be brutal at high level on topics that really matter. Like revenue. Profitability. And ROI for the shopping spree.

Is this like the 10th quarter in a row they're down 33% on hardware how is that even mathematically possible. You would think their mediocrity would Plateau