Wii Q&A Thread

[stray]

Anyways, the point is that those two other systems haven't even been around long enough to release much outside their launch titles. It's just a bit too early for circle jerking yet. So tuck your shirts in and wait, say, another three years.

Bah, fuck all that wait and see shit.  If we wanted to just wait and see who comes out on top you wouldn't have bought a PS3, I wouldn't have bought a 360, Haem wouldn't have bought a Wii, etc... 

One thing most of us can agree on though is that the PS2 is still going strong in 2007.  With over 110 million units shipped worldwide (from the looks of it 10 million or so sold in 2006 alone), there's a lot of incentive for developers to continue working on PS2 titles.  Enough possibly for quality games to be released well into 2008.

Well, technically, I only bought the PS3 because my PS2 died on me.....Just in time for the PS3 launch. ;)

Never thought I would have bought it that early, but here I am. Playing the part of the well reasoned defender of Sony (cocksucking fanboi to others).

Anyways, Resistance, BD, and PS2 titles have held me off, but I'd be the first to admit that the PS3 needs some more attractions asap. But then again, it's no worse than pretty much any console launch before either (and the hardware itself hasn't even sold as bad as some want to think. Slightly better than both the 360's, as well as the PS2's launches...And yet, things aren't going well for them?).

[schild]

For the record, I'm not saying the 360 will be the PS2 in terms of sales. Rather, it'll be the PS2 in terms of niche games.

And you'll see, I don't need to "wait" on that one.

[stray]

For the record, I'm not saying the 360 will be the PS2 in terms of sales. Rather, it'll be the PS2 in terms of niche games.

And you'll see, I don't need to "wait" on that one.

OK, define niche then?

Not disagreeing with you, I just want to know what you mean. So far, I can see them dominating the action oriented niche, and competitive online gaming. And they're getting a lot of love/migrants from the PC world as well.


Niche aside, I'm convinced that Sony will have the most knockout first party titles. I don't care when they come out, or what they are exactly, because I know they'll be good. Team Ico, Naughty Dog, Polyphony, more from Insomniac, whatever Jaffe oversees... The shit will be good.

It's funny too, because I remember not too long ago (late PS/early PS2 era) how the gaming press was chanting doom on Sony for not having enough attractive in house titles and licenses (at that point, they had Crash and GT, which wasn't enough). They've really improved in that area though. As far as I'm concerned, they're even better than Nintendo in that department now (as far as the type of games I want to play, of course).

[schild]

Diario: Reverse Moon Legend
The Idolm@ster
Vampire's Rain
A-Train HX
Earth Defense Force 3
Oneechanbara Vortex
Zegapain NOT
Super Robot Taisen XO
Culdcept Saga

Didn't bother going past the second page. A lot of that is coming out in America.

But since you decided to mention the oppisite of niche... Don't underestimate Silicon Knights (Too Human, Eternal Darkness 2), Halo 3, Epic (Gears, probably more exclusives given the GoW performance and MS' willingness to write checks), RARE, and whoever else Microsoft has acquired. Also, Squaresoft may pull some old licenses out.

Basically, while your defense of the PS3 is "nice" it's also missing the point. The PS3 is most definately worth owning. So is the 360. This isn't Genesis vs. SNES. This is a generation where you buy both or miss out on too much good. I prefer it this way.

I understand that most people don't follow all the shit I follow, and that's cool, but it makes any points you try to make lose most of their impact. It's one of the reasons Haemish just sounds like he fell off his rocker when talking about console stuff. But then, I understand he doesn't like half of this shit (and also buys Madden despite hating EA). But you? You'd probably like most of that shit.

[stray]

But wait, you're painting me as someone who's not going to get a 360. But I am. I'm just not convinced of it's domination yet.....Way, way too early for that.

And yes, it's like having to own an SNES and Genesis. I get ya there. The only thing I am probably going to ignore for awhile is the PC.


As for Epic, no.... They're actually going out of their way to be the nice, neutral guys right now. Sony shelled out plenty of cash early on as well.

Rare...

I doubt they'll be doing anything cool for awhile. Hell, I'm not even sure how much of the real Rare is left. So far you've got PDZ, and measuring launch to launch FPS's, I think they got trumped by Insomniac. Then there's Kameo...

We could also mention other companies that Microsoft purchases, and never does anything significant with (FASA, Digital Anvil). Only Bungie stands out, and even then, they're not being soaked for all they're worth either.

[schild]

Gears of War being an Xbox EXCLUSIVE for the series is not playing the "neutral" position.

But you have completely ignored most of what I said and that whole niche thing. I don't know why you're giving a shit about the mainstream stuff since you seem to pay attention to about 20% of it. See, here's the thing, I could care less who wins the battle. It's not even a battle for me. I have all 3 consoles. It's about who appeals the most to ME and my type of gamer.

Rare, Epic, etc. They won't really do that, despite me liking a lot of their stuff.

[Velorath]

But you have completely ignored most of what I said and that whole niche thing. I don't know why you're giving a shit about the mainstream stuff since you seem to pay attention to about 20% of it. See, here's the thing, I could care less who wins the battle. It's not even a battle for me. I have all 3 consoles. It's about who appeals the most to ME and my type of gamer.

Of course I think the DS will out-niche all 3 consoles.

[schild]

Possible. Oddly enough, innovation has not been the systems strong suit. There's still only 2 stylus heavy games that aren't annoying. Trauma Center and Cooking Mama. Cooking Mama is a non-game. And the brain game stuff isn't even remotely non-game. It's something else. Life supplements maybe.

This is one of the reasons the Wiimote is a waste to me. It's a budgety console, and Nintendo is forcing the wiimote on developers. It's like when Sony said "NO MORE 2D."

[stray]

Gears of War being an Xbox EXCLUSIVE for the series is not playing the "neutral" position.

But you have completely ignored most of what I said and that whole niche thing. I don't know why you're giving a shit about the mainstream stuff since you seem to pay attention to about 20% of it. See, here's the thing, I could care less who wins the battle. It's not even a battle for me. I have all 3 consoles. It's about who appeals the most to ME and my type of gamer.

Rare, Epic, etc. They won't really do that, despite me liking a lot of their stuff.

I'm not trying to ignore anything. I asked what you meant by niche, you answered, and I moved on. I didn't know if you were talking srpg's, card games, "games that do not stagnate", games with guys with shaved heads and guns, chicken breeding racing games....etc. Just needed you to define niche is all.

Not trying to talk about anything mainstream per se either (some games may or may not be, but that wasn't the point). I was just making an off comment that Sony has an impressive amount of first party talent on both sides of the globe. It had nothing to do with your niche argument.

[Velorath]

Possible. Oddly enough, innovation has not been the systems strong suit. There's still only 2 stylus heavy games that aren't annoying. Trauma Center and Cooking Mama. Cooking Mama is a non-game. And the brain game stuff isn't even remotely non-game. It's something else. Life supplements maybe.

I'm not expecting a lot of innovatiion on the DS because of the stylus, I just think that a lot of people own a DS and I imagine the development costs aren't as high for DS games as it is for the next-gen consoles.  I don't know if you'd call them innovative, but games like Hotel Dusk and Phoenix Wright I would certainly consider niche.

[schild]

Phoenix Wright paved the way for Hotel Dusk not to be very niche. Phoenix Wright broke the whole niche thing down for that sort of text heavy adventure title on portable systems. Pacing will start to be a concern if a lot of companies start making these.

Stray, anything that doesn't appeal to mouthbreathers is niche.

[Velorath]

Not trying to talk about anything mainstream per se either (some games may or may not be, but that wasn't the point). I was just making an off comment that Sony has an impressive amount of first party talent on both sides of the globe. It had nothing to do with your niche argument.

True enough, and Team Ico's stuff at least could still be considered niche or at the very least cult hits, as neither Ico nor Shadow of the Colossus ever hit 1 million sales from what I could find out (with Shadow of the Colossus selling for $16 on amazon right now though maybe it has).  For all the critical acclaim they haven't really gotten the mainstream popularity that they should have (in the U.S. at least).

[schild]

Shadow sold at least 500,000. Pretty sure it hit 1M after becoming a greatest hit.

[Yegolev]

Obviously, the PS2 is the new GBA.  Easy and cheap game development, plus enough power to make really great titles.

[CmdrSlack]

Looks like the Wii is gettin' Guitar Hero.  I'd like to see if that's with the existing guitar controllers or if there's going to be some use of the Wiimote.

How, exactly, would you use the Wiimote for GH?  I"ve spent at least thirty seconds thinking about it and I got nothin'.

[Yegolev]

A few months ago, I would not have been able to tell you how you would use a stylus in a Castlevania game.

[HaemishM]

I'm fighting for the sake of it. Don't care about tater tots. It's a fun subject. God forbid I argue about games on F13. 

Look, Haemish is just being a pissed off little toddler because he can't afford the shiny.  Rather than say, "Damn, there's some stuff out there I wish I could get my hands on", he's decided to adopt the extremely unique and EDGY^TM stance that games have stagnated.

It's poverty-based sour grapes, and you can ignore it if you like.

Dick.

I don't WANT a PS3. If I HAD the money, I wouldn't spend it on a PS3 because there's no there there. Same reason I wouldn't spend it on an HDTV now, because I'd get all of 7 HD channels out of the 150 channels I currently have with DirecTV. A 360 is a more doable proposition, not just because it's cheaper but at least with the 360 there's at least 1 game I give a shit about (Gears of War), and I'd likely find others. It's got nothing to do with my not being able to afford a PS3, it's got to do with a PS3 being as shitty shit shit shit value.

There's nothing edgy about being bored with the current paradigm of game design, or with seeing shitty games like Killer 7 for what they are, overpretentious avant garde shit.

If you want to piss away your money on a PS3, go ahead. And I'll call you a moron for doing so, just like you'll call me a moron for thinking motion-sensing controls are a good direction to go in for game design. I've been waiting for decent motion-sensing controls since at least 1998.

[HaemishM]

Looks like the Wii is gettin' Guitar Hero.  I'd like to see if that's with the existing guitar controllers or if there's going to be some use of the Wiimote.

How, exactly, would you use the Wiimote for GH?  I"ve spent at least thirty seconds thinking about it and I got nothin'.

You likely wouldn't. I certainly wouldn't put it past them to make a new controller for the Wii that plugs into the Wii like the Nunchuk, and maybe even has a pocket on the back to rest the Wiimote while thrashing. As annoying as it may seem at first to hook things like the Chuk to the Wiimote, it should open up a great deal of expandability. I'd so buy Guitar Hero on the Wii. It's one of the few really innovative titles on the previous console generation.

[Margalis]

I would assume Guitar Hero will have a custom controller.

I've never understood those games. I can practice real guitar (or bass in my case) instead. I think I would feel just stupid and guilty playing a fake guitar game would I could learn real guitar instead and impress all the ladies.

[Big Gulp]

If you want to piss away your money on a PS3, go ahead. And I'll call you a moron for doing so, just like you'll call me a moron for thinking motion-sensing controls are a good direction to go in for game design. I've been waiting for decent motion-sensing controls since at least 1998.

I'd be insane to buy a PS3 right now, it's not something I've ever advocated getting.  However, you've repeatedly pounded the "HDTV is a waste of money!" table (and here's a hint, you don't just need HD cable to get the benefit of HD; DVD's, PC-out, and nextgen systems all look great on 'em) and gone on and on about how graphics just don't matter in gaming.

To that I say, why have you ever upgraded a video card if graphics don't matter?  A lot of your gripes do come off as really sour grapes rather than legitimate grievances.

[Velorath]

To that I say, why have you ever upgraded a video card if graphics don't matter? 

Because game performance does matter?  Just guessing here.

[Big Gulp]

Because game performance does matter?  Just guessing here.

I can get better game performance scaling everything down...  Do I?  Hell no, I buy a better card to keep me from having to scale down the shiny.

[Riggswolfe]

INNOVATIVE controls

Please tell me you're joking here. The Wiimote isn't innovation. It's getting an '80s era concept to work after reselling it. It's a gimmick, it's not innovation. It may be a fun gimmick, but it's a gimmick all the same.

[HaemishM]

and here's a hint, you don't just need HD cable to get the benefit of HD; DVD's, PC-out, and nextgen systems all look great on 'em

I'm well aware of that, however, most of what I use my TV for is TV - sports specifically. And the HD coverage in my area makes it a waste of money.

To that I say, why have you ever upgraded a video card if graphics don't matter?  A lot of your gripes do come off as really sour grapes rather than legitimate grievances.

Because after awhile, software makers DON'T WRITE GAMES for my cards anymore. I upgrade when forced. I often play games on medium settings to make sure they are playable. I'm used to being treated like a second-class citizen by game developers the world over.

I never said graphics don't matter, I said graphics matter less than gameplay, and it's not necessary to have the greatest graphics capabilty to have a great game. The 360 and PS3 have both concentrated their development on graphical improvements over anything else. At least the 360 has taken the extra step of trying to make a full online application to go with it. The PS3 doesn't even have that. Instead it has a new DVD format that's being shoved down my throat, meaning that $600 purchase for a new Blu-Ray player with game capabilty will cost me a lot more to replace my DVD collection if I want it in the new shiney format.

New shiney can suck my left nut, until it becomes standard, sanely priced shiney.

[Margalis]

Wii Sports is the most fun game I played last year, by far. That is my reasoning. Whether or not the controls are "innovative" I don't really care, although I will say that I've never played another tennis game where you actually swing your racket.

[schild]

Wii Sports is the most fun game I played last year, by far.

lol

[naum]

Wii Sports is the most fun game I played last year, by far.

lol

Dude, I just made pro at Wii Tennis!

[Margalis]

So here I go, out into the freezing cold to try for a Wii yet again...Wii or bust!

[CmdrSlack]

Good luck!

I am hoping that we'll see more Wii availability in March.  Not only will I have tons of spare dough by then, but I'll have the time to invest in a new game, let alone a new game system.  I was at Best Buy tonight and there were tons of other consoles.  Not so much for the Wii.

[Margalis]

Fuck never mind...too damn cold. 20 degrees and dropping...argh.

Guess I'll just play ResEvil 4 for a while...

[Rasix]

Whether or not the controls are "innovative" I don't really care, although I will say that I've never played another tennis game where you actually swing your racket.

I play one on Mondays, Wednesdays and sometimes Saturday.  :-D

[Torinak]

Target stores in the Seattle area at least received rather substantial shipments of Wii consoles for Sunday (2/11/07); one of the smaller stores received 119 (!) of them, and there were "only" 45 people waiting in line for them when the store opened, so there's a small chance that they didn't sell out instantly.  These were the bare consoles ($250 for console + wiimote + nunchuk + Wii Sports).  They did not have any extra controllers.

Interestingly enough, many of the people getting them were picking up second or third units for themselves; several commented that "it looked like so much fun when the kids/grandkids were playing it..."

[Yegolev]

I have been sick for over two weeks, and it was fucking cold.  My wife looked for a Wii at Target after about 1pm and there were none, so no fake tennis for me.

[MrHat]

Taught my inlaws how to play Wii Bowling and Wii Tennis last night.

They played for 3 hours and it's the most they've done something together and enjoyed in about 5 years.

[Mazakiel]

About the only game I have any interest in playing on the Wii is Raving Rabbids, and I'm pretty sure I can get that on the PS2 now.  I've just been burned too many times by Nintendo to give them any more money for their nonportable consoles.  The SNES was the last time I ever felt like owning a system of theirs was actually worth the cost involved.  N64 and Gamecube both sucked overall.  GameCube had Eternal Darkness and Skies of Arcadia, and that was pretty much it for me.  Eternal Darkness rocked, but it sucks that I had to buy a console that saw so little use otherwise to play it.  Skies of Arcadia I played on the Dreamcast first, and while the GC version was better, having the game attached to two failures of a system seems to have put a nail in it's coffin, which is sad, because I really liked it and the sequel I heard was being developed never materialized.  Other than that?  Mostly shit for games, and anything decent pretty much appeared on better consoles. 

Nintendo trying to create a new wave of 'innovation' with whatever new peripheral or control scheme they've cooked up is hardly something that makes me feel all tingly either.  This is the same company that gave us that R.O.B. the robot thing.  They had a lightgun, which has always just been a niche peripheral.  They even repackaged it as that bazooka thing for the SNES, and little was done with it.  They had that floorpad controller which was never used anywhere else with success until recently with DDR.  Even with peripherals that should be cool, like the aformentioned lightgun, it's like Nintendo has a touch of death for making anything with longterm usefulness.  Good idea or bad, they cook up something and force everyone to use it, and there'll be a decent to good game or two that uses it, alot of good games lessened by being saddled with it, and alot of shitty games hoping to cash in on the "SEE US INNOVATE!" wave.  I love my DS to death, but I view the stylus as a detriment to it overall.  Dawn of Sorrow was full of, as someone above put it, kick in the balls moments because of being saddled with that fucking stylus.  The tempo and momentum of a fight has to grind to a screeching halt so that we can make squiggles to kill a boss.  Portrait of Ruin, thankfully, dropped that gameplay 'innovation'. 

I really don't expect to ever pick up a Wii.  Nintendo could surprise me and it could turn into something decent, but I won't hold my breath.  I've got my PS2s that should last me a good long while with the game library I've built up, and by the time I've made my way through it, I fully expect the PS3 library to have grown enough to warrant a purchase.  In the meantime, I've got my 360 I purchased awhile back in time to pick up Gears of War and a few others, and that was well worth the year I waited to pick it up. 

The point being, everything else out there either has a builtup library or one I can trust to grow enough to where I feel safe in spending my money on it.  Nintendo does not.  I just can't trust them to.