commented out

Required reading: http://techgage.com/article/top_5_wii_downfalls

He makes some relevant points, but the article seems a bit shortsighted. Read the article anyway, especially since I’m not going to repost the entire thing. Now, brace yourself; I’m about to pontificate.

Number five:

Like the other next-gen consoles, the Wii is fully capable of handling online activities whether it be downloading or surfing the web. Or is it? On launch day, I had full intentions to check out what was available online. That was short lived however, as none of the special services were functional, even now, three weeks after launch. This includes the weather, news and even web browser. This lack made it feel like half of the console was missing.

Am I the only one who knew much of the online service wasn’t going to be ready until next year? The author also mentions a lack of games in the Virtual Console store, Virtual Console pricing, and a lack of demos. The Virtual Console lineup is different in every territory, it seems, and I agree that the U.S. lineup is pretty weak considering the expansive library they have to choose from. The author also points out that five dollars for an old NES title is a fair-seeming price that can quickly put a large dent in your wallet. He goes on to mention a lack of demos so you can try before you buy. Making demos would require extra programming, as developers would need to dig into twenty year old code. On top of that, some games are coming from third parties, so the code wouldn’t be readily available to Nintendo. Having a demo would make the price tag much more understandable, and I don’t deny that it would be a great feature, but it seems like an unnecessary use of developer time. The idea of a couple of free games as an enticement into the Virtual Console service, however, is quite a good one, both for the consumer and for Nintendo.

Number four on the list was a lack of console versions. The author cites the Xbox 360 Core and Xbox 360 Premium bundles as an example. Items for the Premium Wii bundle would include a component cable for HD resolutions and wireless network access, with a wired NIC as a stock method of connection. Personally, I like the idea of one console. Nintendo is reaching out to casual and non-gamers with the Wii, and you’d be surprised how many non-gamers I’ve talked to who were confused by the two Xbox 360 bundles. Having a wired NIC instead of wifi would mean slightly easier setup with a router, but then there’s cable to run; not everyone has a router across the room from their Wii. One version is good, and the inclusion of the component cable wouldn’t hurt, especially with HDTVs growing in number. There is definitely a noticeable difference in quality.

Number three:

Yes, I actually consider the Wii’s killer selling point as one of it’s downfalls. It’s obvious that the Wii is designed for a new level of realism.. a truly immersive experience. That’s fine… but most games for the Wii solely trust that you are a fan of this method of control. In Zelda, you can flick the remote to swing your sword. Does that make the game more realistic? No. It makes you look like an idiot, and is completely needless. I had no problem pushing a B button in previous games to swing my sword. Sitting in a chair waving your hand in the air doesn’t necessarily make the game more fun.

The motion-sensitive control isn’t so much for a new level of realism, as it is for a new method of playing. Personally, I think it’s a blast. This point will certainly apply to the developers who implement motion purely for the sake of having it, though. I have no doubt that there will be a game (or several) that goes overboard.

Number two:

The Wii is designed to be a “family” console, so I had thought the setup process would be a complete no brainer, but that wasn’t the case. The entire GUI is clunky if you want to do anything but play a game. A friend asked me to send a message to his Wii, but of course I had no idea how to do such a thing. It wasn’t common sense, and I didn’t feel like hauling out a manual from the box I threw in the back of the closet. This stuff -should- be common sense. After finding out that you need a 16 digit code to send messages (odd in itself), it worked fine.

In the end, I just find the entire GUI to be counter-intuitive. In order to choose any option of change menu screens, you -must- use the motion sensor. It would have made sense to allow the D-Pad or even the Nunchuck attachment to surf these menus. I don’t want to have to wave my hand around simply to begin a game or view my storage. One specific area where this bothered me the most though, was setting up the Wireless connection. I had to type in a 63 character password with the remote… huge pain in the ass. It would not have been so bad with the D-Pad. Sure, I could use a lower security setting on the router to gain a smaller password, but that’s not the point, or my plan.

I had my Wii set up in just a couple of minutes. Granted, I’m somewhat tech-savvy, so I’d give the average user ten minutes to do it instead of two. The problem with needing the sixteen-digit system code (similar to friend codes on the DS) is that it’s buried in the message tool. Since it will be used for more than just sending messages to other consoles, it should be much more prominent. The option to use the D-pad on the remote, or the nunchuk attachment, to navigate menus strikes me as pure novelty since the remote needs to be active anyway. The option to navigate with a Gamecube controller would make more sense. Suppose you’re taking your ultra-portable Wii to a friend’s house to play some Gamecube games. you wouldn’t need to pack the remote and sensor bar which, for many people, is affixed to the TV. As for setting up the wireless connection, I also have a sixty-three character password, and if using the remote is more difficult for you than a directional pad you need to work on your hand-eye coordination.

Number one:

That leads me to another fact that I am finding out. The majority of games out right now… seem more like tech demos rather than full fledged games. Maybe this is because the publishers know very well that nobody will want to play certain games on this system for a prolonged amount of time. Either way, the games still retail for a standard price, so it would be nice to get what you pay for. TH: Downhill Jam, Excitetruck, Elebits and others all seem more like arcade games ported for the console, instead of being a Wii exclusive. The only full fledged game out right now (to my knowledge) that actually offers deep gameplay is Zelda.

I don’t mean to nitpick, but facts don’t seem like anything; they just are, that’s how you know they’re facts. I don’t think it’s a matter of publishers (because Nintendo is one of the biggest publishers on *gasp* Nintendo systems) knowing that no one will want to play certain games for long. The DS started out the same way, with a lot of games toying with the dual screens and touch sensitivity. It’s almost unavoidable when developers are faced with something completely different. To be honest, I thought Excite Truck was going to be a gimmicky arcade game at first, too. Yes, it has a very arcade feel to it, but I dare you play it and then tell me it isn’t worth buying. Also, prices aren’t determined by gameplay, but by development time and costs. Otherwise, all of my role playing games should probably be more expensive than my shooters.

The author has his opinions and I have mine; it’s what makes the internet go ’round these days. I just think he may have jumped the gun a bit with this article. Even if some points are weak, he does succeed in pointing out some issues that could certainly stand to be addressed, like including a component cable with the system, and bringing the system code into prominence.

Relevant material: Firefly Reborn as Online Universe

Firefly is one of my favorite shows, and the source of a deep grudge between me and Fox Broadcasting. I don’t know what they were thinking for canceling such a great show. Granted, we got an excellent movie and a comic series. Now, Wired is reporting that a company called Multiverse is working on a massively multiplayer game based in the ‘Verse.

My instant reaction to squeal with delight. I want to be a Browncoat, assemble a crew, and stick it to those Alliance pigs. However, it is in my nature to remain cautiously skeptical. There are so many ways this could be fantastic, but just as many that this could be an abomination.

Optimally, I imagine something along the lines of Freelancer with more features. The ability to land and actually explore planets would be a necessity. You could play an Alliance soldier, a Bounty Hunter, a smuggler, or any range of tradesmen. Imagine questing on a home planet of your choosing until you get up the money to buy a ship, gather a crew, and start your own “legitimate business”. Or, maybe you’d rather hone your technical skills and get hired on as an engineer. There would be plenty of room for tradesmen to stay on their home world, perfecting the arts of weapon and armor crafting, ship repair, or parts makers. Of course, too much detail could slow gameplay, turning it into tedious drudgery as you struggle to find another player in a specialized class just so you can make that deal on Whitefall.

Players should probably be kept in the “normal human” range. Too many psychic River-clones running around would dull the feel of the game world, turning it into a race to amass the most psychic abilities. And what about Reavers? While I’m sure plenty of people would love the opportunity to play a Reaver, I imagine they’d be the perfect griefer class.

Overexposure of established characters would hamper the believability of the world. Part of what made Firefly so great is the believable feeling the ‘Verse had. There’s a sense that things hadn’t changed much; we just had better technology. Not every player could run a job with Mal and his crew, or even have the opportunity to meet them. Not every deal could come from Badger, or Fanty and Mingo, and not everyone is friends with Mr. Universe.

Translating an established property into a new medium is never easy. I just hope any further additions to the franchise are done with sort of care that was taken when the movie was made, and the comics were inked. Having Joss as a consultant on the project wouldn’t be a bad idea, at all. If they can pull it off, Multiverse has my fifteen bucks a month; goodbye World of Warcraft.

And hey, since Fox is involved (licensing and whatnot), maybe it could prompt them to give Firefly another chance after they botched it so badly the first time. Maybe they could even do it right.

Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Wii

Nintendo and I have a long history, starting with Super Mario Brothers on the original NES. Despite being less powerful than its competition, the Sega Master System, the NES was the system that set gaming on the path to become the pastime it is today.

With the Nintendo 64, and the advent of the Playstation, Nintendo’s haughty seat of power was toppled. While they’ve remained successful as a company with the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube, Nintendo’s status as a must-have company has waned over the years. Various generations of GameBoy systems have kept them popular; even the PSP, despite its growing popularity, is no threat to Nintendo’s grasp on the hand-held market.

Enter the Wii (Wikipedia entry), Nintendo’s newest console. With an innovative motion-sensitive controller, and a host of features that aren’t so much innovative as they are ingenius. I had high hopes for the system, bolstered by the success of the Nintendo DS, but I still maintained some skepticism. Both the Nintendo 64 and GameCube were good systems, but they weren’t quite revolutionary. After nearly a month of post-launch mayhem, I’ve finally gotten my hands on one. Should you get one? Absolutely.

Along with Wii Sports, which comes bundled with the system, I picked up several other games: Call of Duty 3, Red Steel, Excite Truck, Rayman: Raving Rabbids, and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I don’t have an actual video camera, but my digital camera has pretty decent video capture ability, so I’m going to try to get some gameplay videos up here soon. Right now I’ll give you my thoughts on Wii Sports and some brief impressions of the other games; I intend to write full reviews once I have the chance to finish them.

Wii Sports is bundled with the Wii and is something of a flagship title, meant to lure in players while demonstrating the Wii’s capabilities. You can play five sports: tennis, bowling, baseball, golf, and boxing. In Wii Sports Tennis, you have the option of playing two-on-two matches with any combination of human and computer players. At first, I assumed I wouldn’t be too interested in tennis, but as it turns out, it’s ridiculously addictive. You don’t have to worry about controlling your character, only hitting the ball. Sounds easy, right? Wii Sports Tennis is about timing, not just quick reflexes. Whacking the ball right away will typically just send it flying out of bounds. On the surface, it looks like glorified Pong, but once you actually get to playing it, you’ll find a surprising amount of depth in the control.

Next up in the Wii Sports package is Baseball. There are two facets to Wii Sports Baseball: pitching and hitting. The pitching player has a choice between throwing a fastball, curveball, or splitter. Batting, like tennis, is more about timing your hits to score homeruns. Virtual teammates will handle running bases and catching the ball. It’s not as addictive as tennis, but it’s still pretty fun.

Golf may be the deepest game in Wii Sports, as players choose a club and adjust their aim for the wind. You can practice swing all you want before you take your shot, since the actual strength of your movement will determine how far the ball goes. Whether you play alone or with friends, Wii Sports Golf is an entertaining diversion. It’s not as exciting as some of the other sports, but it’s a strong addition to the package.

Bowling is one of the sports I was looking forward to, and its mechanic is faithful to the game it’s modeled after. After you set your aim (by pivoting and rotating your character) you swing your arm back just like actual bowling. The strength of your swing will determine the speed and power of the ball, and you can put a little (or a lot) spin on the ball by twisting your wrist as you release. If you enjoy bowling, you’ll love Wii Sports Bowling.

Boxing is the only game that requires the nunchuk attachment. Jabbing with the remote and nunchuk you’ll punch your way to victory. Jabbing with either the remote or nunchuk will afford you a basic punch. Counter-punching will get you stronger attacks, and you can block by raising both the controller and nunchuk, or dodge by holding them close and shifting your weight to either side. The controls may be simple, but boxing is a hell of a workout.

On top of the standard game modes, each game has three training modes that help you practice individual aspects of the game. For example, training in tennis consists of three events: returning the ball, returning the ball in a specific area, and hitting targets. There’s also a fitness mode, where the game tests you in three random events and scores your “Fitness Age” based on speed, balance, and stamina.

Overall, Wii Sports is a great choice for a bundled game, as it’s fun for anyone, and shows off the controller perfectly. As simple as it is, it’s fun to play alone, but it’s a blast with friends.

Now, some quick impressions on the other titles:

• Call of Duty 3 - I may just need to adjust to the controls a bit, but they feel sloppy. Graphically, I don’t think the game takes advantage of the hardware enough. So far, it seems like an average offering.
• Red Steel - Guns and swordplay, what more could one want? Decent graphics, tighter controls than Call of Duty 3, but it feels like it could be better. An average (but fun) game that shows what the Wii can do for shooters.
• Rayman Raving Rabbids - Screaming bunnies, fart jokes, and great minigames. Best served with friends; hilarity will likely ensue.
• Excite Truck - Arcade-style racing at its finest. Pure action through and through. Plenty of tracks, lots of unlockable trucks, a good soundtrack with the option to use your own music via SD card. It’s a great game to sit down and play for fifteen minutes or a couple hours. The controls are simple enough that you can play right away, but still allow for more complex tricks like the Air Spin 360 (or Air Spin 720). This one’s a must-have.
• Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - While the controls for the Wii version are well-implemented, and incredibly convenient, they don’t add huge amounts of depth to the game. Graphically pleasing, good attention to detail, huge world. I’ve logged ten hours and I think I’m just getting started. Probably a must-have, but I’ll wait until I finish to make any definite claims.

Now, head on out and get yourself a Wii. I haven’t even gotten into some of the other features like the Virtual Console yet. Trust me, this is $250 well-spent.