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Wii hands on report
Here is a good review of the Wii from someone who got to spend some time playing it.
It's an interesting review. Setting aside fanboy status, it's really concerns me that the gameplay may not be as fun as originally thought. The graphics aren't there, so it's all got to be about gameplay.
It's an interesting review. Setting aside fanboy status, it's really concerns me that the gameplay may not be as fun as originally thought. The graphics aren't there, so it's all got to be about gameplay.
Comments
Still, best to reserve judgement for when you actually get to play for yourself. I thought the controller could be used at least two different ways (as a sword or as just a control?) in Zelda to cater to people who don't want to look completely daft.
I'm not worried about the graphics. I still think the PS2 and Gamecube generation graphics are teh awesomes, so, I'm pretty easily pleased.
What I had discovered is that as much as we all want the Wii remote to actually work as if it was a magic wand, the actuality is that it has been designed to mimic a joypad, with a few neat tricks thrown in. When I was swordfighting in Zelda for instance, I wanted to be able to hack and slash in a way that felt natural. The actuality is that it is easier to sit down, and instead of hacking and slashing, flicking your wrist in one way or another. The wrist flicks correspond to what button presses would have done in years gone by and so ultimately you end up with a game that is not drastically different to what you're used to (except you do wrist flicks instead of button bashing).
Don't get me wrong, this preview wasn't intended to slate the Wii and everything it stands for. The Wii is fun to play and has some interesting titles lined up for release. What I do want to do is provide a little realism. Too many journalists are giving out the impression that the Wii will provide an unbelievable, unique experience unlike anything you will have ever played before. That the Wii remote allows for completely dynamic gameplay that will revolutionize the gaming world. These facts are half-truths, based most probably on people spending a small amount of time with the console at a booth at one of the big conventions. When you get down to the nitty gritty of the Wii you find something a bit different from the 360 and PS3, but not drastically as you may have thought/hoped.
Prior to this review I was ready to buy the Wii sight unseen. Now I think I'll want to try it first. If it aint about the gameplay, then a PS2 is looking like a nice choice right about now.
I should also point out that the host of Cnet's Buzz Out Loud podcast had essentially the same reaction. Troubling indeed.
Dispatching enemies at a distance took the use of the bow and arrow. Midna told me to aim using Z and fire at my targets. This was where the Wiimote became tricky. You must point the controller at the sensor bar and not the TV and I found myself struggling to locate my center. Taller people gaming with a low sensor bar will make things much harder because you must turn your wrists down in order to get a center spot on the monitor. Compound this by a slow and unresponsive camera, and you'll spend more time losing arrows and taking hits than actually killing baddies. I tried to picture myself in an eight hour session marathon of Zelda (which is totally common for me and the franchise) using only the Wiimote. I cringed at the thought.
And this:
Marvel Ultimate Alliance was the most disappointing display at the party. I’m sure this game would be perfect with a normal controller, but with the wiimote it was a disaster.
Yeah... I think it's now a "try before you buy" purchase for me. Bummer. I was all psyched.
My biggest bummer is Zelda. It sounds like the Wiimote just isn't as cool as I thought it would be for Zelda. Add in a serious lack of anti-aliasing (which ALL reporters seem to be distrubed by), and I wonder what's left.
As for graphics, the general impression is that the games look like good Gamecube games. That doesn't bother me, but it does bother me that Nintendo is promising "double" the graphics power of the Gamecube. If this doesn't prove to be true, what other promises are not true? I understand that these games are early, but if Zelda doesn't look good... what will? That's their flagship game, after all.
Trust me... I really want to like the Wii. I want it to be what it is promised. My point is that I'm just being a little more cautious now, and will try before I buy.
This article is probably going to be a good prediction of what the general public's initial reaction to the wii will be so lets not get too defensive, time will tell if the wii controller is a gimmick or a revolution.
If the experience is not there, the Xbox 360 is looking better and better. Let's just hope that the Wii really does offer something totally worthwhile as far as playing experience. Trust me... I'm pulling for the Wii.
I haven't written it off, I'm just being cautiously optimistic. The other concern I have is that the Wiimote seems to be tied into the sensor bar so that you aren't really pointing to the spot on your TV that you intend to. Rather, you are pointing above or below that spot relative to the location of the sensor bar. That's a bummer.
Also, I don't know what you're talking about "all these reviews". It looks to me like there is just one review from bit-tech, which is predominantly a technology site and not a gaming site, that is getting lots of exposure.
All in all, I think the issue of the Wiimote is pretty cut and dry. Some games are going to use it properly, and some are not. Just like some games use the DS stylus properly, and some do not. Heck, lots of games don't even manage a joystick or gamepad properly. The technology of the Wii-mote hasn't changed since we found out about it. The fanboy dreams of having perfect sword fighting games were never a possibility. All that matters is which games make good use of what the Wii can do, and which games don't. The trick is to just buy the good games and not the bad ones.