The internet, as it tends to do on occasions, went and got itself in a great big tizzy last week, after Nintendo of Europe's Laurent Fischer suggested that only "geeks and otaku" cared about the Wii's storage issue. It wasn't the smartest move of Fischer's career, and it attracted considerable bile -- and not just from Nintendo fans.God of War creator David Jaffe, as he tends to do on occasions, got narked, and expressed his annoyance over the comment in a colorful entry on his blog. After dedicating a hefty part of his amusing rant to comparing Fischer's remarks with 1987 film Can't Buy Me Love, Jaffe accused Nintendo of "arrogance [...] that should make the company very ashamed," and suggests that Fischer "has no real clue" about games -- all while getting Fischer's gender wrong (" ... she really needs someone to sit her down and explain to her ... "). Brilliant.
Anyway, just as Jaffe was about to hoisted onto the shoulders of Nintendo fans everywhere, Fischer went and spoiled all the fun by apologizing ... sort of. "I have huge respect for those who, like me, share a common passion for Nintendo and want to make it clear that I would never use and I didn't use this terminology in such a context or way to cause offence," Fischer blubbed. "I regret that this misunderstanding has created such offence and disappointment within the community."
It's not the most heartfelt apology we've ever heard, but we'll take it. Now give us a hard drive, Fischer.
[Via Eurogamer]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-13-2008 @ 3:37PM
velocitySTRIKE said...
It's Dale Winton!
And, hrm, I don't think we "geeks and otaku" should accept the apology without a hard drive attached. Petition time, folks..
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6-14-2008 @ 1:30PM
Ghen said...
Or just update the firmware so I can attach my own external drive. Does nintendo really need that much more money to sell me a spray painted white external drive?
6-13-2008 @ 3:56PM
Dustin said...
He said there was a misunderstanding. I haven't read the quote in full context yet, so I'm sure that there really is a misunderstanding.
After doing a little search, I couldn't find "Geeks and Otaku" in context with anything else he said. Where is the full source? What did he say before and after that? I really want to know. All I've seen is this: "Fischer says only 'geeks and otaku' need more space on their Wiis. What a douche."
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6-13-2008 @ 4:19PM
Mr Khan said...
The original source article, as linked from joystiq and wiifanboy, lists the "geeks and otaku" quote out of context, too
So the context for this is hard to establish
6-13-2008 @ 3:59PM
Dio said...
He can give us the external hard drive. Games like Rock Band for Wii have been gimped because of the storage issues.
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6-13-2008 @ 6:46PM
LV426 said...
WRONG! We are getting gimped because people are buying a BS excuse.... namely that a HD is the only way.
I WANT a HD, but that isnt stopping DLC... what is is lazyness and the "oh good, no HD, so we can port the PS2 version and use that as an excuse" attitude.
6-13-2008 @ 9:39PM
Dio said...
Even if you do consider it a BS excuse, it's a reason given by Harmonix and therefore geeks and otaku aren't the only ones that care about it.
6-13-2008 @ 4:05PM
ChunkyB said...
I'll accept an apology when he gives it with a fracking hard drive. This is honestly getting ridiculous. It's such a great/horrible time to be a Nintendo fan.
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6-13-2008 @ 4:42PM
trE said...
I am holding out that nintendo really isn't that naive and we will get some sort of external media / update at some point. I just can't see nintendo wanting to release so much and not have a plan for storage space.
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6-13-2008 @ 4:47PM
Sonic_13 said...
1) I don't think Fischer needed to apologize as he didn't say anything offensive.
2) I couldn't care less that David Jaffe took offense to the comments. The day that one of Jaffe's projects touches a Nintendo systems is the day I might care a little bit, but until then forget it. It seems like Jaffe is just looking to start a fight, especially since it is clear from the gender mix up that he has no idea who Fischer actually is.
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6-13-2008 @ 5:01PM
phenylketonurics said...
Oh god, don't apologise over that. A harddrive for the Wii is just as ridiculous as a bloody iPhone. For all the moneybags out there who have the cash to fill up the memory on their console, give it up. The USB flashdrive is spoiling enough for you guys.
The kids are never happy, I suppose. Let's just demand an IV with intravenous VC and WiiWare games. And for christ's sake, there better be WI-FI SUPPORT.
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6-13-2008 @ 7:23PM
Author X said...
Yeah, seriously. I mean, how dare anyone expect the Wii to hold up to the same standards as the other consoles, just because companies use it as an excuse to cripple the Wii versions of multiplatform games? It's almost as if they want to be treated the same as any other console owners, instead of as a second-thought audience only there to have a half-assed port thrown at them "just in case" all the old people and small children that own Wii's buy it.
Okay, to cut the terrible sarcasm, WiiWare games are pretty big too, and the loudest complainers are usually the ones that have already run out of space, and have to "backup" games or delete and redownload them later just to download new games (then again, they're just geeks and otaku, right?)
6-14-2008 @ 9:44AM
vildand said...
Same standards? As a long time console player I have to admit that I think harddrives have worsened the standard.
6-14-2008 @ 9:51PM
phenylketonurics said...
Harddrives ARE NOT some amazing thing that we should just expect a video game console to have as standard. I understand that the alloted space given to us default may not be enough for the "hardcore downloaders" out there. Check Nintendo's history and you know that they're always business conscious when it comes to hardware. A harddrive would not in any way be a big money-maker for them (god knows they need another money-maker, haha). A huge chunk of the Wii's supporters probably don't even know about WiiWare crap. They're just on it for the quote/unquote shovelware every 'real gamer' likes to whine about.
Besides I've been a conscious Nintendo dork since `88 and never expected more out of them than the nice console, fun games, and a controller or two. Personally, the new online capabilities annoy me. FACT IS -- Nintendo doesn't give a crap about the fankids like me. That's what makes them all the more appealing~
6-13-2008 @ 5:13PM
Roto13 said...
1) That's not an apology, that's backpedaling.
2) Who the hell asked Jaffe? Who EVER asks Jaffe?
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6-13-2008 @ 5:16PM
zeldazeppelin said...
well as a person that likes dave jaffe games man i think he right i mean man theres no reason to speak for others and the Laruant guys is an prick theres no reason for an to make a comment like that plus the developers want extra storage of some sort to so this Laruant guys is an complete idiot.
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6-13-2008 @ 7:15PM
Ray said...
David Jaffe is an asshole. I can't stand that guy.
I didn't see where he said the "geeks and otaku" thing either...but at least he's apologizing >.>
And Nintendo is making a USB HDD. They just like to keep things hidden and mess with our minds =P
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6-13-2008 @ 7:45PM
nytestalker said...
lol. but that person was right!
only geeks and otaku really need a hd....
srsly. the world would be better off with less console fighting and more console Fscking.
(just imagine the off spring of a ps3 / wii mating... 7 cell cpu's, enough video memory to recreate the great wall of china on a 1:1 scale, a huuuuuuge HDD that could create more space on the fly by eating freash ozone, AND FRIEND CODES!)
(i love my wii. but sometimes i hate the internet.)
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6-13-2008 @ 9:12PM
daniel =] said...
OMG its george clooney !!!
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6-13-2008 @ 9:33PM
Haohmaru said...
I'd be satisfied if I could run all of my VC games right off of my SD card, freeing up my Wii's flash memory for WiiWare.
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6-13-2008 @ 10:05PM
LiQuidSnakex said...
Ehh just another PR idiot who thinks he knows what he's talking about. Seems like Nintendo is goin back to their SNES era arroragance. The "Geeks and Otakus" are basically hardcore gamers. I guess Nintendo forgot who bought the N64 and the Gamecube and kept Nintendo alive during the PS1 and PS2 dominance. Sure wasnt any casual gamers who are buying wii fit
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6-14-2008 @ 9:35AM
vildand said...
If it seems like a company actually cares about it's fanbase beyond the goodwill they can pull off it, it's frankly because pretending makes the company even more money. All in all I have to admit I found the geek comment fairly refreshing because it's one of the few honest things to be said for years.
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