Yeah, I hate hearing about "hardcore" gamers. That's such BS. And then PC gamers will start saying how all console gamers are casual gamers in comparison. There's hardcore and casual games on all three systems. And I challenge anyone's definition of "hardcore" versus "casual." What would a hardcore game be? Halo? Anyone could play it given an hour of playing. Metal Gear Solid? It's an interactive movie with some gameplay thrown in and very liberal continues. Neither are what I'd call "hardcore." Madden NFL? Hardcore for 12 year old girls maybe, since that's what their soundtracks are geared towards. Or does hardcore mean something more obscure like Dragon Age or Demon's Souls, which is basically a more realistic-looking Zelda.
And I'm guessing Zelda and Mario are no longer hardcore games? They're challenging and fun. And Wii controls are supposedly more casual than using a controller?
Just because the Wii has lots of party games, I guess that makes it casual. And people say that like it's a bad thing. People want to play the Wii because it's fun, especially with friends and family. If you live alone, you're probably not going to get a lot of mileage out of it. But if you're a true "hardcore" gamer, then you'd still respect games like Zelda and Mario and play those in addition to whatever else you play. Instead, people throw around terms like hardcore and casual with an air of superiority when really they're just ignorant fanboys who refuse to look outside the small world of their gaming console because they might kill themselves if they can no longer justify spending $400 on a console.
Graphics aren't everything, and people who complain about the Wii controls are probably the same people who say who awesome Natal will be. There's no denying that Nintendo knows how to make pretty much anything FUN. And that's all a game really needs to be is FUN. If there's one bad mark on the Wii, it's the shovelware crap that 3rd party companies make. But there are lots of great titles too, just like any other system. The Wii just seems to have more of it because it's easier to develop on and it has the greatest marketshare.