The E3 Expo might be old news by now, but the Game Critics Awards just announced their best-of-show winners, and Nintendo came out Wii, Wii ahead.
Yeah yeah yeah – the E3 Expo was weeks ago in Los Angeles (you can check out DT’s coverage), but the independent Game Critics Awards have just been announced, and Nintendo’s offerings have landed top slots, with the Best Of Show and Best Hardware awards going to the company’s forthcoming Wii gaming console.
Nintendo also took home prizes for Best Sports Game (Wii Sports), Best Racing Game (Excite Truck), and Best Handheld Game (The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass). That’s a total of five awards: more than any other manufacturer at this year’s E3 Expo.
The awards seal the notion that Nintendo successfully stole the thunder from higher priced gaming consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s über-pricey, not-yet-available Playstation 3, in part due to the Wii’s innovative wireless controller but also its emphasis on fun, casual gaming designed to appeal to a wider audience rather than solely to hard-core video game enthusiasts. However, it remains to be seen whether enthusiasm for the not-yet-shipping Wii will translate into blockbuster sales.
Other key winners of Game Critics Awards include Best Console Game going to Epic/Microsoft’s Gears of War for Xbox 360, and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed earning a trophy for Best Action/Adventure Game. And another big winner was EA’s Spore, which took home prizes for Best PC Game, Best Simulation Game, and Best Original Game.
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RSSI'm not very much into Console Gaming but I follow the market closely and this Wii have realy catched my attention. Sony is out on deep water with it's PS3, the whole project might not be what they expect. They show no fear and are according to some people, a little bit, or very, arrogant... so to speak. With both the Xbox 360 and the Wii priced under what a PS3 will cost, Sony are putting all their trust to the PS3 brand, hoping it will help them win this war. It may do so in Asia. The US and EU market on the other hand are more sceptic against the pricing of the PS3. Infact, people in EU will have to pay the highest price for the PS3, like $700+ converted to dollar which is way too much even for a "Fine resturant Gaming Console" and it's here the Wii comes in. With a price tag at $250 dollar it's aiming for a whole other market than the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Sony want us to look at the PS3 as much more then just a Gaming Console and maybe that strategy will succeed in Asia where the whole PS-brand is somewhat "holy", but not in EU and the US. You will be able to get an Xbox 360 and a Wii for the price of one PS3 and as the PS3 will cost more in the EU then in the US I think that you will be able to pick up the Premium version of Xbox 360 along with the Wii fot the price of one PS3 console. Now you can get titles for two systems. It's realy a smack in the face for Sony.
About the Wii name. Well, I thought it was strange in the begining but after 3-4 days is realy started to feel pretty good. It's short, easier to say then both Xbox 360 and PlayStation3. It's just a short, clean and nice little name. Just as Wii is aiming for another market then 360 and PS3, the name realy helps it to separate it from the Big consoles. It will get noticed and people will fall in love with it. Nintendo have realy made a smart move here in this war of the next gen consoles. Nothing would have gained them more.