You’ll love it, we swear
July 15th, 2008Note to Nintendo: when you show a new peripheral, in this case the WiiMotionPlus, make sure we understand what it’s good for and why we need it. It looks like they demoed just Wii Sports Resort with it, but no other announcements with it or what it really allows developers to do with it.
Incidentally, Wii Sports Resort would be even better if they put the original Wii Sports on the disc as well, sort of creating a “platform” as Rock Band is doing. They could even add in support for the “WiiMotionPlus” to make the original games even better (if it actually does anything, since they didn’t really make the advantages very clear).
As for Nintendo’s conference overall… it was a bit of a bore. I didn’t expect it to compete with Microsoft’s because Nintendo and Microsoft are quite honestly playing different games at this point. But I was hoping to at least see an interesting new franchise (for the “core” gamers they supposedly still care about) or at least an update to one of their popular franchises (and Wii Music and Animal Crossing don’t really count). I really thought we’d at least see a teaser for a new Zelda, or didn’t they announce or strongly hint at a new Kid Icarus game at some point? Instead it seemed to be mostly numbers with a few games that I didn’t really care for, and then telling me that I should “disrupt my thinking” and escape the Matrix so that I care. As with seemingly everything they produce, though, I’m sure they’ll sell a trillion copies.
Posted in Commentary, E3, Jeff, Nintendo, Wii |
July 15th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I gave Nintendo a chance for the Wii, because PS2 had an ugly [both literally and figurately] start as well.
I gave teh Wii about a year
By the time E307 rolled around, Nintendo’s future was pretty clear to me. The best part now is watch the fanboys try to justify the Wii catalogue and Nintendo’s property as something that is in any way 1. quality gaming, or 2. gaming with depth.
You want quality casual gaming? There are better places to look for, I say !
July 15th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Laesp-
There are still fun games on the Wii… Boom Blox, for instance, is a pretty fun and intuitive game that fits the Wii perfectly. But still, it does seem like that now that Nintendo has rolled out all of it’s biggest franchises, they’re moving on to placate the casual gamers now. Nintendo keeps saying that they still care about the “core” gamers, but it definitely looks like they’re done with them for now.
July 15th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
I basically said the same thing you did, except in my trademark blunt, direct, more honest way, rather than your muted, modest, Croalesque format
July 16th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Note to Nintendo: when you show a new peripheral, in this case the WiiMotionPlus, make sure we understand what it’s good for and why we need it.
To a certain extent, I disagree. This kind of peripheral will never be as good as what our own imaginations will come up with. Plus, if they tell us what it’s good for, they will be creating their own limitations. A device like this should inspire, not prescribe.
That being said, so far the Wii is still my preferred console this generation. For a multitude of reasons I won’t bother with here. Suffice it to say, Nintendo is satisfying a lot of customers. I game all the time and I’m very happy. Yes, there are problems. The Wii is far from perfect. But for my money, it provides the most fun, hands down.
I can’t wait to see what comes of the motion plus. Sports Resort looks pretty damn fun to me. Then again, what do I know?
July 16th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Cisco-
When the Wii was first announced, people’s imaginations ran wild. For the most part, I’m not sure that Nintendo really met them. In some ways, the WiiMotionPlus is proof of that. After all, wasn’t the Wii Remote itself supposed to at least have the ability for 1:1 motion control? Wasn’t it supposed to be the perfect FPS controller?
Now, if this sort of is the “perfection” of the remote, perhaps the technology will make it into the remote itself at some point. But as it is, I feel like they barely showed off why it’s such an advancement over their current technology. Wii Sports Resort might be fun, but what is it about the game that demanded this new functionality? The demonstration just lacked, for me, a real explanation of what they were giving to people, and why developers, who know that developing to an optional peripheral is always risky, should start using it in their games.
July 16th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
“That being said, so far the Wii is still my preferred console this generation.”
Well wowee.
I totally agree Jeff, except I would go further: Does not the fact that 3rd party developers are pumping shit casual games like Baby Party and Jenga and not good quality casual games - LET ALONE games with more depth rather than “mainstream” accessability that insults the intelligence of gamers by destroying any degree of challenge - proof that, in stark contrast to what Nintenfarts say, the 3rd parties don’t care about the Wii in any quality gaming sense, but only in the business sense? THat when Nintendo PR says ‘3rd parties are flocking to us’ they neglect to mention they are flocking with shit games? And therefore, they don’t care for the Wii, except in financial terms? Doesn’t last E307 and this E3 and all the happenings in between prove that when Nintendo says ‘we still care about hardcore’ and when Reggie is prodded, all he can come up with is “Animal Crossing and GTA DS is hardcorezzzzz,” when Nintendo’s now increasingly overrated Miyamoto has the GALL to call Wii Music a quality mainstream-friendly gaming while ignoring true groundbreakers like Rock Band - does this not show that Ninty does not care about you, the hardcore, nor the blind-yet-easily-preyed-like-applefanboys-like nintendo fans, but instead they set sight on the money - the casuals - without making it *quality* casual gaming? And finally, does this Wii Remote attachment thingy not prove that, without a shred of doubt, the Wii is a FAILURE in providing quality, deep gaming except for a few [and increasingly fewer, if not already nonexistent] Nintendo sequels - let alone the fact that they are sequels to 20plus year old franchises, and no new quality IP to speak of? Despite the fact that they are NOT destroying hardcore gaming, does this not demonstrate that not only with Ninty reach for the mainstream, they will do it almost completely without you, and also without regards for quality nor sense of shame?
*whew*
July 16th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
oh i forgot to bold this part
the Wii is a FAILURE in providing quality, deep gaming except for a few [and increasingly fewer, if not already nonexistent] Nintendo sequels
you really gotta put in an edit option if possible :/
July 16th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
“After all, wasn’t the Wii Remote itself supposed to at least have the ability for 1:1 motion control?”
Not to my knowledge.
” Wasn’t it supposed to be the perfect FPS controller?”
It’s damn close IMO.
“Does not the fact that 3rd party developers are pumping shit casual games like Baby Party and Jenga and not good quality casual games - LET ALONE games with more depth rather than “mainstream” accessability that insults the intelligence of gamers by destroying any degree of challenge - proof that, in stark contrast to what Nintenfarts say, the 3rd parties don’t care about the Wii in any quality gaming sense, but only in the business sense? ‘
Only if the same can be said of the PS2. Considering the fact that the worst of the 3rd party shit on Wii is ported from the PS2, I find this claim dubious at best. I personally loved the PS2 despite the massive amounts of shovelware. Same for the PS1 and the NES. You don’t judge a console by the bad games, but by the good and the Wii has a lot.
I won’t burden this comment with how wrong Laspy is on so many levels, nor how much simpler it would be if he could learn to express his ideas is a more manageable literary style, but suffice it to say, as usual, I disagree with him categorically.
But, I’ll agree with Jeff that the presentation left a lot to be desired. How much is dependent on the beholder I suppose.
July 16th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
I like you man, but you’re hilarious, and your fanboy colors show rather elegantly.
absolutely NOBODY EVER judges a platform by its worst games, but instead by its best games, their quality, their quantity, their breadth, and more than anything, 3rd party support.
“How much is dependent on the beholder I suppose.”
Indeed, by dear man. Indeed.
July 17th, 2008 at 6:55 am
“NOBODY EVER judges a platform by its worst games’
You do.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I think both of you are talking past each other.
cisco, I think you need to acknowledge that it’s possible to play the Wii’s best games and still believe that the games — with very few exceptions — the console, and the controller are craptastic. I’m in that group.
July 17th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
“cisco, I think you need to acknowledge that it’s possible to play the Wii’s best games and still believe that the games — with very few exceptions — the console, and the controller are craptastic.”
Acknowledged.
Unfortunately, I don’t think Laspy and his ilk (those who shout fanboy at the first sign of disagreement) can acknowledge that there are plenty of us out there, core gamers included, who are actually quite pleased with the Wii so far.