I think this Nintendo vs the core audience is absurd. Nintendo has a casual audience. They have to keep making games for that audience in order to keep the audience entertained and to bring in more of that audience. Nintendo will still make their core games as will 3rd parties. Therefore the Wii is not just a casual only console.
Microsoft spent much of their conference focusing on casual games and ideas. Gears of War was a huge hit for the Xbox 360 but Gears of War 2 took a back seat to the casual titles. As did the Resident Evil 5 trailer and the Final Fantasy XIII announcement. Why, the Xbox 360 is a hard core console but E3 is not only about Hardcore gamers. The mainstream media outlets are present as well. The New York Times, The LA Times, and the Washington Post as well as many Journalist from Magazines such as Wired, Popular Mechanics, and Time. This type of media is where casual live. Where on earth is Microsoft and Nintendo going to find all these mainstream media outlets in one place. No where. Not only will their casual titles be covered in depth but it will also provide free advertising.
Core titles can be revealed to IGN, Gamespot, or 1up and before the day is over every core gamer will know about the game. This is why E3 is a perfect place to pander to the casual audience.
If Nintendo is successful at the moment, it’s because they are good, and I cannot blame them for that. What we should do is try to be just as good.----Laurent Benadiba
