The Wii, according to Mat (Part 2)
This article is intended to be read after Kim Kaze's recent feature on the Wii's first UK LONG play session. With her, I ventured into Nintendo land to discover what playing over two hours of Nintendo Wii would feel like and get a bit more meaty play time in on key launch titles.
This was far better than a quick burst at E3 2006 or even the odd ten minutes at the previous Press event in the UK. This was like having a Wii at home, and what follows are my perceptions as an adult, male gamer in the UK.
Everyone's talking about the Wii remote; will it change gaming or become a gimmick for sporty titles and the odd bout of Wario Ware? Intuitive to pick up, after five minutes of use you'll get used to the sensitivity of the remote the control. The control over the games is very easy to pick up and really and truely - unlike anything else.
Sports games on the Wii are much like playing sports in real life, and you need to practice to get a really good 'feel' for them. If you’re bad in real life at sports, likely you won’t be much cop at Wii Sports pack certainly to begin with, but you will have a lot of fun. It is better to be fit and about that there's no doubt, but having said that I managed the session without any real problems, and I was going for it. A poor PR lady was almost wearing the Wii remote in her hair at one point. I think my forearm swing needs to be reeled in a little!
The versatility of the remote is highlighted by the Wii Sports pack and the number of different ways you can hold the controller and the different ways it responds. The precision is excellent; you’re never left feeling like you’re just randomly twitching the remote hoping something will happen. It feels very interactive and you'll want more than a few minutes stuck in a que with fifty other gamers all wanting a go.
Excite Truck is an Arcade Racer essentially, similar in style to the Burn Out series but set off road, which means lots of air when you go over the jumps and interactive scenery that changes when you pick up icons, causing jumps to appear or rocks to fall. The sense of speed is very impressive and the remote use is again intuitive and very easy to pick up - did we mention it's a lot of fun? The handlebar position takes a bit of getting used to but once you're doing it, you realise that no other gaming machine you can take home with you offers this. If you're not already grinning like a kid in a sweet shop, you will be now.
Wario Ware is ... well ... Wario Ware. Almost undefinable as a game; mad mini games, all of which use the remote in differing ways, an excellent party game and also highlights once again the sheer versatility of the Wii remote. The title probably won't have you playing it for very long in a session but that's not what it's for. Definately one for quick bursts of mirth and stupidity, this is a party game that anyone can play but there is a learning curve for those who want to play it a little longer.
The one weakness of the Wii is the apparent lack of graphical horsepower. Not to say it looks bad - far from it, but you do notice it doesn’t look as good as some systems. But then you don’t notice it once you’re playing, because you’re having too much fun.
After two hours with the thing, I can say this with certainty. The remote is not a gimmick, it’s a well thought out interactive control system that will let people of any age and skill pick one up and have a go at gaming. They'll have a lot of fun in the process.
This was far better than a quick burst at E3 2006 or even the odd ten minutes at the previous Press event in the UK. This was like having a Wii at home, and what follows are my perceptions as an adult, male gamer in the UK.
Everyone's talking about the Wii remote; will it change gaming or become a gimmick for sporty titles and the odd bout of Wario Ware? Intuitive to pick up, after five minutes of use you'll get used to the sensitivity of the remote the control. The control over the games is very easy to pick up and really and truely - unlike anything else.
Sports games on the Wii are much like playing sports in real life, and you need to practice to get a really good 'feel' for them. If you’re bad in real life at sports, likely you won’t be much cop at Wii Sports pack certainly to begin with, but you will have a lot of fun. It is better to be fit and about that there's no doubt, but having said that I managed the session without any real problems, and I was going for it. A poor PR lady was almost wearing the Wii remote in her hair at one point. I think my forearm swing needs to be reeled in a little!
The versatility of the remote is highlighted by the Wii Sports pack and the number of different ways you can hold the controller and the different ways it responds. The precision is excellent; you’re never left feeling like you’re just randomly twitching the remote hoping something will happen. It feels very interactive and you'll want more than a few minutes stuck in a que with fifty other gamers all wanting a go.
Excite Truck is an Arcade Racer essentially, similar in style to the Burn Out series but set off road, which means lots of air when you go over the jumps and interactive scenery that changes when you pick up icons, causing jumps to appear or rocks to fall. The sense of speed is very impressive and the remote use is again intuitive and very easy to pick up - did we mention it's a lot of fun? The handlebar position takes a bit of getting used to but once you're doing it, you realise that no other gaming machine you can take home with you offers this. If you're not already grinning like a kid in a sweet shop, you will be now.
Wario Ware is ... well ... Wario Ware. Almost undefinable as a game; mad mini games, all of which use the remote in differing ways, an excellent party game and also highlights once again the sheer versatility of the Wii remote. The title probably won't have you playing it for very long in a session but that's not what it's for. Definately one for quick bursts of mirth and stupidity, this is a party game that anyone can play but there is a learning curve for those who want to play it a little longer.
The one weakness of the Wii is the apparent lack of graphical horsepower. Not to say it looks bad - far from it, but you do notice it doesn’t look as good as some systems. But then you don’t notice it once you’re playing, because you’re having too much fun.
After two hours with the thing, I can say this with certainty. The remote is not a gimmick, it’s a well thought out interactive control system that will let people of any age and skill pick one up and have a go at gaming. They'll have a lot of fun in the process.
posted by -=Kim Kaze=- at
11:15 AM
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