MarioKart: Graphics vs. Controls

bruceleroy · 06-22-2008, 06:28 AM

After playing Mario Kart and Excite Truck, i realized that the wii controller $hitz on regular old school controllers when it comes to racing games. I would never ever play another racing game that didn't have wii-like steering controls. Imo it's a lot funner and adds realism. The gamecube controller felt like playing atari back in the days. Anyways, to all you people who have played Mario Kart Wii and LEARNED the wii wheel, which would you rather have? If you could only have one: the all-new wii steering or better graphics(PS3/360 like)? And to all you people who dislikes the wii-steering controls, I would suggest that you learn it even if you think it's stupid, like i did.

captainff · 06-22-2008, 08:11 AM

As I've said in other similar threads .. .. .. I love the wheel. I had a brief flirt with the wiimote / nunchuk combination and while I think that it's far more accurate it wasn't as much fun (for me, anyway). I've always been one of those sad gamers who leans when steering so the Wheel is a natural progression for me. However, if others want to use the GC, classic or wiimote/nunchuk controls because that is their choice then that's totally ok by me too. Each to his / her own .. .. .. so long as no-one minds me using the Wheel.

I've used the "gorgeous airhead in a bar" analogy before but here it is again!

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainff

Whenever I read about the graphical shortcomings of the Wii I think of this analogy......

Imagine you are in a bar and a gorgeous woman / man is giving you the eye. You go over and get acquainted, spend the night together. In the morning you realise that while they were gorgeous, and fun for a night, you really don't think that you can spend your whole life with them......

The next night you go to the same bar, and meet another,slightly less attractive woman / man, who is just as fun. It dawns on you that this second person is emotionally and mentally on your level, and that you want to spend your life learning new things about them......

Now I know that someone will think / say that you could just keep on going back to the bar night after night. If that is your choice, so be it. I'd rather spend the time exploring the less visual, but ultimately more interesting option.

That's not to say that the Wii graphics are ugly, just that gameplay is more important. So, to answer your question I would not choose a graphically polished game over a game with better gameplay if I was making an informed choice.

As to your abuse of the people who don't like the wheel .. .. .. telling them to learn how to ue it .. .. .. .. it's not really going to persuade them is it? Watever controller that they want to use, so long as there's always people to race / battle online .. .. .. it's all good IMO.

Sovieto · 06-22-2008, 08:47 AM

well as it turns out 360 too has a wireless steering wheel, so you can get quality racing and racing simulation games with the steering wheel AND graphics. wouldnt be surprised if ps3 had one as well...

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainff

As I've said in other similar threads .. .. .. I love the wheel. I had a brief flirt with the wiimote / nunchuk combination and while I think that it's far more accurate it wasn't as much fun (for me, anyway). I've always been one of those sad gamers who leans when steering so the Wheel is a natural progression for me. However, if others want to use the GC, classic or wiimote/nunchuk controls because that is their choice then that's totally ok by me too. Each to his / her own .. .. .. so long as no-one minds me using the Wheel.

I've used the "gorgeous airhead in a bar" analogy before but here it is again!

That's not to say that the Wii graphics are ugly, just that gameplay is more important. So, to answer your question I would not choose a graphically polished game over a game with better gameplay if I was making an informed choice.

As to your abuse of the people who don't like the wheel .. .. .. telling them to learn how to ue it .. .. .. .. it's not really going to persuade them is it? Watever controller that they want to use, so long as there's always people to race / battle online .. .. .. it's all good IMO.

if youre at a bar youre usually looking for a quick ****. but just because the wii has graphical shortcoming doesnt mean its the be-all end-all gameplay power house. outside of ocntrols the game itself is what makes gameplay, not the controller. when youre using the wiimote you forget you are the fun wears off in 20 minutes or so, so that voids that analogy...

Kamikaze · 06-22-2008, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruceleroy

After playing Mario Kart and Excite Truck, i realized that the wii controller $hitz on regular old school controllers when it comes to racing games. I would never ever play another racing game that didn't have wii-like steering controls. Imo it's a lot funner and adds realism. The gamecube controller felt like playing atari back in the days. Anyways, to all you people who have played Mario Kart Wii and LEARNED the wii wheel, which would you rather have? If you could only have one: the all-new wii steering or better graphics(PS3/360 like)? And to all you people who dislikes the wii-steering controls, I would suggest that you learn it even if you think it's stupid, like i did.

I have used both controls, and I prefer the traditional controller. You speak like you're young so I HIGHLY doubt you would know how it is to hold an Atari controller, as a matter of fact it was more of a joystick than anything else. And no the Gamecube controller does not feel like playing Atari back in the day. I'm 20 years old, and I've had an Atari (was actually my sister's but handed it down to me), and in no way shape or form does it feel similar. Why can't you have a combination of great controls and visuals? You may just want great control mechanism, but I'd rather get a combination of both.

f[i]Rebat · 06-22-2008, 11:41 AM

if you got a wii for the graphics then er...

on a different note, caring about graphics in this age is pathetic

Budo · 06-22-2008, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruceleroy

After playing Mario Kart and Excite Truck, i realized that the wii controller $hitz on regular old school controllers when it comes to racing games. I would never ever play another racing game that didn't have wii-like steering controls. Imo it's a lot funner and adds realism. The gamecube controller felt like playing atari back in the days. Anyways, to all you people who have played Mario Kart Wii and LEARNED the wii wheel, which would you rather have? If you could only have one: the all-new wii steering or better graphics(PS3/360 like)? And to all you people who dislikes the wii-steering controls, I would suggest that you learn it even if you think it's stupid, like i did.

Yup, I use my USB steering wheel (and pedals) with my PS3 on occasion, and I prefer it over a stick. Unfortunately the Force Feedback doesn't work atm, but future games that support rumble should.

bruceleroy · 06-22-2008, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamikaze

I have used both controls, and I prefer the traditional controller. You speak like you're young so I HIGHLY doubt you would know how it is to hold an Atari controller, as a matter of fact it was more of a joystick than anything else. And no the Gamecube controller does not feel like playing Atari back in the day. I'm 20 years old, and I've had an Atari (was actually my sister's but handed it down to me), and in no way shape or form does it feel similar. Why can't you have a combination of great controls and visuals? You may just want great control mechanism, but I'd rather get a combination of both.

I'm pretty old, 27 actually, and I did have an Atari back in the days. Craze Maze was the game that got me hooked into video games. When I said that the Gamecube controller felt like the Atari controller, I meant that it feels old, not exactly the same. I'm not telling people to learn the wii controls, I'm just suggesting it. If they don't want to, oh well.

DrMoze · 06-22-2008, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamikaze

I have used both controls, and I prefer the traditional controller. You speak like you're young so I HIGHLY doubt you would know how it is to hold an Atari controller, as a matter of fact it was more of a joystick than anything else. And no the Gamecube controller does not feel like playing Atari back in the day. I'm 20 years old, and I've had an Atari (was actually my sister's but handed it down to me), and in no way shape or form does it feel similar.

You weren't even born yet "back in the day."

Bob#4 · 06-22-2008, 09:57 PM

Quote:

I'd rather spend the time exploring the less visual, but ultimately more interesting option.

First off that is a retarded analogy. People who claim the HD consoles are all looks and no play are retarded, they have the best games on the market at the moment-even if the graphics were whittled down they'd still be better than Wii.
Second, who says the gameplay on Wii is better? The Wii only has a handful of games that are playable (at the moment). Yeah, it has the POTENTIAL to have the best gameplay, but it doesn't. Not by a longshot. The biggest title on the Wii (Brawl) doesn't even use motion sensing, and its pathetic excuse for online play killed its long-lasting potential, so it's clearly not about controls, it's about the games themselves.

I got the Wii for two reasons:
1.The potential for shooting game controls/piloting game controls (both of which there is a complete lack of. I thought Factor 5 would develop an incredible Rogue Squadron game and I'd be set for life, but instead they're making a gay-ass Kid Icarus game)
2. First-party titles such as the Mario games, Metroid, Star Fox, etc.

Like it or not, the HD consoles have tons of games that are extremely good and long-lasting, while the Wii only has a few excellent first-party titles and extremely few good third-party titles, and a shitload of shovel-ware, since companies have somehow viewed the Wii as a landfill instead of the console with the most potential of success (largest audience, much easier/cheaper to develop for than 360/PS3).

What I'm hoping is that the big genre-taking games on the HD consoles will scare away developers and force them to work on something good for the Wii. By that I mean, any shooting game that has come out since Call of Duty 4 has either received a poor review, or received something along the lines of "It's good, but it's not COD4." And I wish the Wii had that. I wish the Wii had an absolutely amazing game that just crushes everything else. Again, Brawl would've been it if Nintendo weren't so damn stupid, but oh well.

Sovieto · 06-22-2008, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by f[i]Rebat

if you got a wii for the graphics then er...

on a different note, caring about graphics in this age is pathetic

exactly! who needs graphics, why bother advancing beyond n64's?

thas · 06-22-2008, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovieto

exactly! who needs graphics, why bother advancing beyond n64's?

Well, if you have been playing games for a long time, the graphics on the wii seem pretty good.

captainff · 06-22-2008, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob#4

First off that is a retarded analogy. People who claim the HD consoles are all looks and no play are retarded, they have the best games on the market at the moment-even if the graphics were whittled down they'd still be better than Wii.

I love threads like this one .. .. ..two replies to my post that assume that I was comparing systems rather than games.. .. .. .. my analogy is neither "void" nor "retarded" as I think that gameplay is more important than graphical polish. Not once have I suggested that the Wii is the best of any system I've played on, or that it's better or worse than any of the other current systems. Other people have added their own perceptions into what I've written, not read what I've written and taken it at face value.

Great graphics alone do not make a great game. Great gameplay makes a great game and part of great gameplay is the ability to not have to think about the controls because they have become intuitive. Whether that's with a motion sensor or a gaming pad makes no odds. When any developer gets it right then the game is a joy to play but when they get it wrong it's a dog to play irrespective of how pretty it is.

captainff · 06-22-2008, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob#4

First off that is a retarded analogy. People who claim the HD consoles are all looks and no play are retarded

I love threads like this one .. .. ..two replies to my post that assume that I was comparing systems rather than games.. .. .. .. my analogy is neither "void" nor "retarded" as I think that gameplay is more important than graphical polish. Not once have I suggested that the Wii is the best of any system I've played on, or that it's better or worse than any of the other current systems. Other people have added their own perceptions into what I've written, not read what I've written and taken it at face value.

Great graphics alone do not make a great game. Great gameplay makes a great game and part of great gameplay is the ability to not have to think about the controls because they have become intuitive. Whether that's with a motion sensor or a gaming pad makes no odds. When any developer gets it right then the game is a joy to play but when they get it wrong it's a dog to play irrespective of how pretty it is or which system it's on.

Bob#4 · 06-23-2008, 01:33 AM

Typically that's strongly implied. And being that we're on a Nintendo forum, fanboys love to use the "It has good graphics so the gameplay sucks WII RULES ZOMG!! 61!!!!", so you can't really blame me for the assumption.

Don't get me wrong, I own a Wii, and I love it. I play Brawl and Mario Kart pretty much every day I'm not busy (along with the occasional F-zero GX/Enter the Matrix), and I've played and beaten several other games (sadly, the weakness of most single-player games is that there's nothing to do after achieving 100%, so those went to gamestop).

Yes, obviously great gameplay makes a great game, and the Wii remote make controls simple (as long as the motion controls actually feel relative to the game and they're not something retarded. See: FIFA 08 Wii).

But I've got a PS3 too, and it's so much better. With the Wii the mentality is: "It's been months since the last good game, when is Nintendo gonna announce another one?" With the PS3? "I've had this game for x amount of time and I've pretty much beat everything, but, oh wait! The PS3 actually has a large selection of good games! I'm actually having trouble picking one!"

All I'm saying is-at the moment-the HD consoles have most of the best rated games, and on multi-platform games the Wii almost always gets the butt-end, PS2 graphics with slapped-on motion controls. If they put in actual effort, their sales would improve by a large margin, but oh well.

Boethiah · 06-23-2008, 03:35 AM

I learned how to play with the Wii Wheel, and thats what I love. The Wii wheel really perfected Mario Kart. I'll pick up Excite Truck sometime, if it's any good.

bruceleroy · 06-23-2008, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boethiah

I learned how to play with the Wii Wheel, and thats what I love. The Wii wheel really perfected Mario Kart. I'll pick up Excite Truck sometime, if it's any good.

Excite Truck is one of the best single player racing games I've ever played. A lot funner than the Gran Turismo Series. Only thing that suck about it is no online mode. Buy it used or at least rent it after playing mario kart because if you play Excite Truck then Mario Kart, then Mario kart will seem kind of slow because Excite Truck is pretty fast. Mario Kart's online and multiplayer is a lot funner though.

Sovieto · 06-23-2008, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thas

Well, if you have been playing games for a long time, the graphics on the wii seem pretty good.

if youve been playing games for a long time, youd realize you already played a console with even better graphics last generation.