Yeah, that's a much better word! :D I just grow so weary of this whole debate between fan boys that won't see reason (I'm NOT calling ps3-sales for a fan boy; I'm speaking generally here). It's all so tiresome with people calling games for core, casual and whatnot.

Thing is, that in certain contexts "core" is such a good term. I just started playing Darksiders, and I can see how people think it's "core" - the only other word that springs to mind is "mature". I don't like either of them!! But it's such a simple way to describe a game. But most of all, it's entertaining ;)

Core and Casual didn't come to be until the Wii. Before that no one called themselves a hardcore gamer.

I call myself a "gaming enthusiast".Back on topic, i love Wii and have got as much out of the system as i would expect to. Good diverse library of games, great console for a party/game night, its got some child friendly games for my daughter to enjoy and some decent mature content for myself. Also it gets regular usage from my wife too with Just Dance , Zumba and other fitness related games. The Wii was aimed towards families and being a living room feature, its done exactly what it set out to do.

Core and casual has been used to distinguish between a few things, hence why they are so hard to follow in a debate. To distinguish between:

1) Games that habitual gamers play and non-habitual gamers play.
2) Games that are traditional, and games that are a new type of experience.
3) Games that tend to require a sit-down period and those that are pick up and play.
4) Games that have darker themes and games that have lighter themes.
5) Games that have more violent and sexual themes, and those that do not.
6) Games that have kiddy themes and those that do not.
7) Games that evoke deeper emotions and those that do not.
8) Games with intricate art design and those that are simplistic.

The list continues.

But in the end, what matters is what the person using the word is trying to express. If Core and Casual are words that don't work for you, there's a reason. It's because they are so broad for the time being. Until people use more precise words to denote what they mean, we are left with asking the question.

Hardcore is a term that has been around forever and has long been associated with gaming, just in a much different context than people are (mostly incorrectly) using it now.  It just means someone who is into something to the point of excess.  When I played MMOs, well before the Wii released, the hardcore players were those who were always online or always raiding.  Gaming was their focus and a much larger part of their life than for the average player.

Hardcore does not equal to core and never has.

The term "core", to the gaming industry, is really nothing more than a demographic slice.  It's a designation based on habits.  Different organizations have different critera, I'm sure, but most core players play many different games in a year, for example, mostly in traditional genres.  Microsoft defines core players as having high technical knowledge and as being very comfortable with both hardware and software.  "Core" is really just a term for enthusiasts, really.  It's nothing nearly as bad as people make it seem.  It's not really a software term, but people have begun using it to describe games that appeal to the core demographic, or enthusiast gamers.

So, yes, even though it's kind of wrong to say it that way, pretty much all the Ninteno first party titles are core games.  I don't think that can be disputed; or, at least, I haven't seen it yet disputed in a way that makes sense.

I played WoW for awhile (along with SC, Diablo, etc).  We called the people that didn't know shit noobs.  We didn't call the good players hardcore.  There was that stupid leet, 1337, elite term that went on for awhile though (mainly in SC).

I agree with everything else you said about the core audience.

"Nintendo is a big boy now, he doesn't need defending. Small time curmudgeons like me are not going to reduce anyone who works there to tears, and they care even less about you."

Yeah, I remember 1337 speak, I mocked it often.  I started playing WoW not long after it came out and was in a few raiding guilds.  On the servers I played, most of use definitely talked about the difference between raiders and hardcore raiders.  It was a known thing, with some people being proud of the term "hardcore raider" and others wanting to avoid it.  I never wanted to be in a guild that raided more than 3 nights a week but my friend was in a high level guild that raided 5 nights a week and spent the other two nights getting ready.  They reveled in the term "hardcore".

We also used it in the Korean MMOs I played, in reference to the guys (and girls) that lived and breathed the game and had EVERYTHING.

Edit:  However, you're right about the core/casual dichotomy.  That's post-Wii.  Before that, as far as I can remember, it was only "kiddie" or "adult" games.

i said i was coming back, here it is!!!!!
The Ultimate Wii 3rd party game list!!!!
enjoy it!!!

007: Quantum of Solace
Alice in Wonderland
Alien Syndrome
Alone in the Dark
Anubis 2
Arc Rise Fantasia
Baroque
Batman: The Brave And The Bold
Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII
Bleach: Shattered Blade
Bomberman Land Wii
Boom Blox
Brave: A Warrior's Tale
Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templar (Director's Cut
Brothers in Arms: Double Time
Bully: Scholarship Edition
Call of Duty 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex Edition
Call of Duty: World at War
Castelvania Judgment
The Conduit
Conduit 2
Cradle of Rome
Crash: Mind over Mutant
Crash of the Titans
Cruis'n
Cursed Mountain
Anno: Create A New world
de Blob
de blob 2
Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop
Dead Space: Extraction
Deadly Creatures
Death Jr. II: Root of evil
Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed
Diabolik: The Original sin
Disney Epic Mickey
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
Don King Boxing
Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire
Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
Dragon Quest X: Mezameshi Itsutsu no Shuzoku Online
Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter
Driver: Parallel Lines
Driver: San Francisco
Earth Seeker
Elebits
Far cry Vengeance
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon
Ghost Squad
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
TheGodfather: Blackhand Edition
GoldenEye 007
Grand Slam Tennis
Guilty Gear XX Λ Core
Harvest Moon: Animal Parade
Harvest Moon: Magical Melody
Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility
Heatseeker
The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return
The House of the Dead: Overkill
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
Inazuma Eleven Strikers
Inazuma Eleven Strikers 2012 Xtreme
Inazuma Eleven GO Strikers 2013
James Camerons Avatar
King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga
Klonoa
The Last Story
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night
Little King's Story
Lost in Blue: Shipwrecked
Lost in Shadow
MadWorld
Man vs. Wild
Manhunt 2
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2
Medal of Honor: Heroes 2
Medal of Honor: Vanguard
Metal Slug Anthology
MIB: Alien Crisis
Mini Ninjas
Nocturne
Mobile Suit Gundam: MS Sensen
Monster Hunter Tri
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Mushroom Men
MySims
MySims Agents
MySims Kingdom
MySims Racing
MySims: SkyHeroes
Naruto Shippūden: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! EX
Naruto Shippūden: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! EX 2
Naruto Shippūden: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! EX 3
Naruto Shippūden: Ryujinki
Naruto Shippuden: Dragon Blade Chronicles
Need for Speed: Nitro
Nights: Journey of Dreams
No More Heroes
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Nobunaga's Ambition Kakushin
Obscure: The Aftermath
Ōkami
One Piece: Unlimited Adventure
One Piece: Unlimited Cruise Episode 1
One Piece: Unlimited Cruise Episode 2
OneChanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers
Opoona
Overlord: Dark Legend
Phantom Brave: We Meet Again
Prince of Persia: Rival Swords
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sand
Pro Evolution Soccer
Project Zero 2: Wii Edition
Project Runway
Rabbids Go Home
Rampage: Total Destruction
Rapala Pro Bass fishing
Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time
Rayman Origins
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution
Real Heroes: Firefighter
Rebel Raiders: Operation Nighthawk
Red Steel
Red Steel 2
Remington Super Slam Hunting
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil
Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil Zero
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Rise of the Guardians
Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis
Rogue Trooper: Quartz Zone Massacre
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI
Rune Factory Frontier
Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny
Rygar: The Battle of Ar
Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love
Sam & Max: Season One
Sam & Max: Season Two: Beyond Time and Space
Samurai Shodown Anthology
Samurai Warriors: Katana
Scarface: The World Is Yours
SD Gundam: Scad Hammers
Secret Files: Tunguska
Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis
The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun
Sega Bass Fishing
Sega Superstars Tennis
Sengoku Basara 2
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes
Shaun White Skateboarding
Shiren the Wanderer
Showtime Championship Boxing
Sid Meiers pirates!
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
SimAnimals
SimAnimals Africa
SimCity Creator
The Simpsons Game
The Sims 2: Castaway
The Sims 2: Pets
The Sims 3
Skate It
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
Skylanders: Giants
The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces
Sniper Elite
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Sonic and the Black Knight
Sonic and the Secret Rings
Sonic Colors
Sonic Unleashed
Soulcalibur Legends
Soul Eater: Monotone Princess
Spectrobes: Origins
Spiderman 3
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
Spyborgs
SSX Blur
Star Trek: Conquest
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber Duels
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Republic Heroes
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll
Tak and the Guardians of Gross
The Tale of Despereaux
The Amazing Spider-Man
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
Tales of Graces
Target: Terror
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up
Tenchu: Shadow Assassins
The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest
Thor: God of Thunder
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X 2
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
Trauma Center: New Blood
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga
Victorious Boxers: Revolution
Worms: A Space Oddity
WWII Aces
X-Men Origins: Wolverin
Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's: Duel
Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's: Wheelie Breakers
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure

and i havent listed sports and racing games cause theyr casual ;)
execpt they brought something like PES and the fantastic playmaker controls