Spore developer rants on Wii
by Eric Caoili 
{ Mar 7th 2007 at 7:25PM }
Chris Hecker didn't pull any punches at GDC's "Game Publisher's Rant" session. The Maxis developer began his "Fear of a Wii Planet" diatribe by declaring, "The Wii is a piece of sh*t."He went on to describe the console as being vastly underpowered, citing low graphical standards and an inability to process complicated AI. According to Hecker's exaggerations, "The way you manufacture a Wii is you take two GameCubes and duct tape." As if that wasn't already enough to break a fanboy's heart, he called on Nintendo to "make a console that doesn't suck ass."
His complaints weren't limited to hardware gripes -- he also criticized Nintendo for not pushing games as an art form. Maybe he hasn't seen Electroplankton or the bit Generations games?
Hecker's rants from previous years were just as brutally harsh on Sony and Microsoft, but we're sure that will do little to tame the wrath of offended gamers. Bringing Spore to the DS might have earned him enough good will to make it out of the session unharmed, but he might want to avoid walking around GDC alone at night until this cools down.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
boot @ Mar 8th 2007 6:35AM
Suit yourself
ghnvt @ Mar 7th 2007 7:30PM
Tell this a-hole to stop complaining and do more coding. I hope Will Wright slaps him across the face and tells him to STFU. They didn't promise on industry changing visuals and then not deliver (SONY). Nintendo was pushing for innovation and what did we get....Innovation! I guess he isn't working on the Sims for the Wii.
Chocolate Starfish @ Mar 7th 2007 7:42PM
You can make ANYTHING with duct tape.
GOB @ Mar 7th 2007 7:36PM
At first I thought this was referring to Will Wright.
Then I noticed it was someone even less important.
Jonny @ Mar 7th 2007 7:40PM
I'm not overly impressed with visuals that I've seen on the Wii and constant stutters seen in RayMan (watch the "rabbids" in the arena while the camera pans) make me fear the platform isn't really meant for any rapid action, or any AI done on a Will Wright scale.
Save those sorts of things for the other guys I suppose.
Sonic_13 @ Mar 7th 2007 7:48PM
For someone complaining about the Wii's visuals, perhaps he should look at his own game first:
What is so special about the graphics in Spore?
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/729/729182/gc-2006-spore-20060829044145823.jpg
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/724/724248/spore-20060808055405636.jpg
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/711/711053/spore-20060602095955282.jpg
I'm sure Spore will be a great game, but I don't see how it utilizes any of the things he complained about in any special way (graphics or AI).
Perhaps before he speaks again someone should duct tape a sock in his mouth and remind him to think before he speaks.
dan @ Mar 7th 2007 7:49PM
word on the street is; duct tape is what binds the 8 cores of the cell processor
AndrewNeo @ Mar 7th 2007 7:50PM
Well, the PS3 is made out of a PS1 duct taped to a PS2..
(Extra points to anyone who gets the reference)
flamingsquirrel @ Mar 7th 2007 8:03PM
I totally got a extra point. It was hard work.
Graphics don't bother me all that much. if we get games that look like SSX, I'm fine. What does bother me is power. The inability to run complex AI, fewer enemies on screen etc.
AzaMcWazza @ Mar 7th 2007 8:56PM
That guy can go to hell. By dissing duct-tape he's dissing MacGyver and we all know how Uber MacGyver is!
GRT @ Mar 7th 2007 8:48PM
I love how the Sony-haters can twist a PC developer ranking on the Wii into a Sony flame. Buncha morons.
As for Chris Hecker, I wouldn't worry about what he has to say. As you pointed out, it was just Nintendo's "turn" this year. He's just trying to get controversy going...
Put it another way...if the blogging community didn't report on this, it wouldn't ever have mattered one bit.
Kenny @ Mar 7th 2007 9:06PM
I still don't understand the criticism of the power of the Wii. Sure, it's less powerful than the PS3 and 360, but the Gamecube was more powerful than the PS2 and the Wii is more powerful than the Gamecube. It's also more powerful than Xbox. So what's the problem? People are still developing for the PS2 and the Wii is a lot more powerful than that.
ForeSt_G @ Mar 7th 2007 9:09PM
It is at least disappointing for someone from the gaming industry not to embrace the originality of the wii. I'm sure that nintendo chose to keep the specs of the wii low just as the price to make it accessible to everyone. Sony on the other hand just duct-taped together high-end parts from a pc and with old tactics is trying to promote it.. A game programmer should know better!!the most legendary games where quite simple in graphics
scepia @ Mar 7th 2007 9:13PM
"the most legendary games where quite simple in graphics"
Interestingly, the top 6 games of all time (per GameRankings) are from the "forgotten" systems: they are ALL from the N64, GCN, and DC.
George @ Mar 7th 2007 9:33PM
i like my wii and its a nice change of pace but i agree the graphics are bad. it doesnt look any different than gamecube to me...at all. i would never just have a wii alone, i would die without my 360 for the hd titles. as for the people talking about ps3 not delivering. I agree but i have seen some trailers of titles coming out this year and next and they are getting much better, if they only would drop the price i would buy one.
djmg82 @ Mar 7th 2007 9:30PM
Nintendo never promised mind blowing visuals. They promised to innovate along with a not-too-spectacular tech advancement. That's what they gave us. To berate the Wii for falling short of something it never claimed/attempted to acheive is idiotic. Not that this guy's opinion really matters. Will Wright himself could start spouting the same nonsense and I wouldn't give a shit. I loved Zelda and thought the visuals were amazing... especially knowing it was only GC caliber. The Wii has a lot of room to grow... just like ANY fledgling system.
Jonny @ Mar 7th 2007 9:45PM
wow this guy's a genius, what a philosophy. "two gamecubes taped together" must mean that people will only like over-produced and graphically saturated products. If this were true that means i've stopped listening "the white album" and have progressed to "the pussy cat dolls" cause it sounds better. Nevermind the fundamentals of gameplay or good design, hell, nevermind anything you hold dear being authentic.
Because the truth is you look like this guy:
http://www.game-joint.com/images/gears-of-war/a%20(12).jpg
wear these clothes:
http://www.macsoftgames.com/products/ut2k4/images/ut2k4_players.jpg
and only like military based/ white trash games from this developer:
http://www.freewebs.com/raelcreve/Epic_logoE3_small.jpg
In all honesty id have to shoot myself in the head if i didnt have interesting and artistic games like okami, super mario bros., legend of zelda, or interesting games like cooking mama or forever blue to look forward to. At least the wii will sooner keep your creativity sharp.
Chris @ Mar 8th 2007 12:13AM
I was going to buy Spore too... I guess my bitterness combined with my amazing stubbornness will stop me from purchasing it though... maybe he said that to get the name out there?
Se7en @ Mar 8th 2007 12:31AM
This guy is a Maxis employee? And he basically denigrates Miyamoto and the rest of Nintendo, not to mention all those who bought and enjoy playing the Wii? Maxis just lost a customer-I'm not interested in supporting a company with such a low opinion of its customers, or its industry peers.
The_Unsane @ May 12th 2007 2:44AM
This guy rules. We need more people telling it like it is. Boo to Joystiq for forcing me to go to the Wii section to read this.
The guy who replied that he loves the Wii, but needs his Xbox360 is making sense. Xbox360 and Sony PS3 are the natural progression of video games. Wii is an underpowered novelty toy that is getting way to much love.
Anyone who is content with just a Wii this generation needs a lobotomy. Have fun flapping your arms like a moron, while the real gamers stick with Xbox360 and PS3.
The worst part is, Sony is giving Wii style controls and killer next-gen gaming, but people are ragging on it. I personally do not own a PS3 at the moment, but that will be a different story when GTA4 finally hits. The people who are content with just a Wii get to flap their arms like a chicken on that day and won't get to play GTA4 at all. Their loss.
The funniest part about Wii owners is they talk about all the old NES and Genesis games being releases for it instead of the chicken flapping simulators being released.
Zan @ Mar 8th 2007 1:59AM
He's funny, I pity him to really think Wii is bad. Haha, what a sucker.
ShaleX @ Mar 8th 2007 3:26AM
Stop saying the Wii is more powerful then Xbox 1... it's just not true. It's got a few more Mhz in some areas and can do a few more calculations, but the GPU is less advanced then the Xbox. Without shaders, you'll never see a Wii game that'll look as good as Ninja Gaiden Black, or DoA. Thing is, with it's low power, the celing is a bit higher, but remember to exploit it, developers have to use tricks and tactics to get to the higher end visuals. So... an standard Wii game will look like a 3rd gen Gamecube game.
Rubang B @ Mar 8th 2007 6:03AM
@ShaleX, you're wrong.
@Sonic 13, point taken about the Spore graphics; this guy's an idiot. But I just had to make one of those screenshots my desktop because it looked so rad.
Will @ Mar 8th 2007 7:30AM
Evidently, this guy had negative comments to say about the industry as a whole, not just Nintendo. If he's that bitter, why don't he work in another sector? Does he think he's really this important that he can spout off stuff like this? Who would hire him? I wouldn't be shocked he's canned by Maxis in the next couple of years because I'm sure he says even more outlandish stuff back at the office....
meist3r @ Mar 8th 2007 7:49AM
Going a little into the details this guy is referenced at the GDC07 as a "tech guy", he worked (on his own account) as a freelance programmer and startup dude in the last 8 years and also for Microsoft. So I believe all he knows are people that always speculate on the latest and greatest in hardware and have lost the perspective of how to make a good game small and less demanding. Spore claims to be made up of mostly procedural content ... did this guy ever see the .kkrieger engine? That's 96K of 3D gaming ingenuity right there and well if Maxis has the awesome visionaire programmers they always seem to associate with then they should be able to make Spore run on a Wii, hell if it runs on a DS -wtf? The Wii was never a competitor for the Hi-Res, Hi-Def, Low-Profile market. Innovate or go develop for Sony and M$ -it's your choice.
Chris @ Mar 8th 2007 9:39AM
So lets get this straight:
1) The Wii's graphics are crap.
2) The Wii's graphics are about the same as the last gen consoles.
3) Developers need better graphics than last gen's to make any decent games (errr, "art").
Conclusion: He's saying that all his previous releases have been crap.
Oops, my logic doesn't follow. HE HAS NEVER SHIPPED A GAME.
How about you keep quiet until you've actually done something more than talk, Hecker? You have absolutely no credibility at the moment.
Author X @ Mar 8th 2007 9:45AM
Wow... I never knew that high processing power was a requirement for artistic games.
Well, at least he actually addresses more than graphics - yes, power is required for complex AI going on concurrently, and the more power you have, the more complex AI and the more distinct entities you can have. Just try playing Darwinia on an underpowered PC (a matter I don't have much choice in... :( ). I don't think anyone can justifiably claim "graphics-whore" with that game, as the gameplay is unique and engaging, and the graphics are elegantly simple. Viruses range from simple polygon shapes, remeniscent of the 64 at their most complex, down to a series of flat triangles at their simpliest. The titular Darwinians are each a single, identical 2D sprite. However, get over 1000 of the little buggers and as many viruses in play at once, and the whole system slows down.
That's not to say that the Wii is underpowered, after all I am a Wii fanboy, and for a reason. However, many fanboys Wii fanboys seem to forget that you can do more with a good processor than prettify the graphics. Of course, a good deal of PS3 and even 360 developers also forget that, so it doesn't help them much either way.
j250x @ Mar 8th 2007 11:41AM
All I'll say is... Look at all the people enjoying their wiis. Every single person who I've met who has actually played on the wii has loved it. And this isnt just gamers and hardcore nintendophiles, this is people who you'd never think would enjoy video games. Games are sposed to be fun. People really, really, really enjoy playing on their wiis. How can it be a bad console in this respect?
Joop @ Mar 8th 2007 2:50PM
Looks like everyone missed where he said it had to do with calculations, not graphics.
However, that just makes me look more the fool. The quality in artistic games is directly related to the human elements rather than the retrictions on horsepower. Shadow of the Colossus, any Zelda, Okami, Geometry Wars, flOw, Elektroplankton, Katamarii Damacy, Planescape, anything considered an "art game" has everything to do with design and presentation and nothing to do with requiring high levels of number crunching. It's almost like he's saying that you can't write a good book on a typewriter, you need a powerful word processor program, or that you can't paint a beautiful painting without the most expensive brush, paints, and canvas. None of that has a thing to do with creative input, but I wouldn't expect some one from EA to understand that.
See, it's possible to say he's a moron without being a fanboy about it.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Mar 8th 2007 4:18PM
Performance and HD isn't that big a deal. It's the lack of quality that bothers me. There's no excuse for the lack of anti-aliasing and only 3MB of texture memory, and you still have to pay extra for the bare essentials, like the network adapter and rubber grips for the controller.
The Wii is backwards compatible with the Gamecube, but you have to cannibalize an old GC controller, preventing you from selling the Gamecube for more Wii games? How cheap is that?
Like it or not, Nintendo is a hardware company, and in 2006, hardware was MUCH better than what Nintendo decided to use. It's greed. There's no other word for it. And... you're all happy about it, of course.
meist3r @ Mar 9th 2007 2:49PM
Do I hear a faint: FULL STEAM ASTERN!?
http://kotaku.com/gaming/wii/spore-developer-chris-hecker-apologizes-for-calling-the-wii-a-piece-of-shit-242822.php
Tokintegra @ Apr 13th 2007 4:40PM
Id like to add something for once. And Im 100% sure this has been said,,, but now,, I get to say it! haha
The Wii is a system that wants to be playable by anyone, not just in a sense of the gameplay, and how you play it, but also in the sense that they didnt want to make a system like the PS3 or even the 360 where you have to pay out your,, ahem,,, for a fun gaming system. They wanted to try something new and innovative, and I for one say they nailed it! My girlfriends not all that into gaming, but I am. Simply the fact that she loves this system and will play it with me is enough incentive to have it, yet alone the fact that I love it too.
I have an awesome gaming computer for my hardcore gaming, then I have my 360 as well. I got the Wii for a party system, and it serves its purpose well.
This has been a glimpse into my mind, and I apologize =)