WiiMote - Is It Really Revolutionary?

[Griever]

Spoiler

I anticipate that people are going to come in here with their fanboy/girl head on and try to defend the Wii against what I am about to post so all I ask is that people don't reply unless they have something valid to back up their opinion.

If people are just going to post something like "OMGZ THE WII IS NEW AND STUFFZ" or "OMG YOU NOOBZ KNO NOTHINGS!!!111oneeleven" then they can just click back and save me having to embaress them.

Okay; we all know what Nintendo think of their new system just from the project name it was given - "Revolution" - but is the idea of using a motion sensor really that revolutionary or is it just a gimmick Nintendo have cleverly incorperated to try and get people to buy the system? I suppose the casual buyer could be fooled into thinking it was completely new given the fact that no other console has ever relied solely on such a system of control but does that really mean it is actually new or does that just mean that Nintendo are banking on the casual buyer's not really knowing?

I mean; the Wii is hardly the first system to use such a method of control. We all know that in arcades there are several gaming platforms which use similiar methods of control to make the game feel more interactive to the player. Lightgun games such as "Time Crisis" and "House of the Dead", skateboarding and snowboarding games which make use of moveable platforms which you stand on and the "Dance Dance Revolution" series are all viable examples. The "House of the Dead" series has even taken the idea to a new level with the reload features it put into the games such as shaking the Uzi for reload of pumping the shotgun for reloading and even introducing grenades in much the same way they are used in Wii title "Red Steel" (I shouldn't have to remind everyone that the "House of the Dead" series is a SEGA franchise).

Even other consoles - not just arcade style games which tend to be a little ahead of the console efforts - have had games using similiar methods; the PS2 has a bunch of games operated using an interactive control system such as the WiiMote but the PS2 never relied on that style of control for the whole system.

Because of all this I think it is sort of backwards the way that Nintendo (and many of their most zealous supporters) back the WiiMote as being a new and exciting gaming renaissance when, in all honesty, even the C64 had games with WiiMote style controls.

Still; you could easily say that it doesn't matter that the WiiMote isn't new because the WiiMote is fun to use. Gaming isn't about how good the games look and so the fact that some of the early titles (especially "Red Steel" and "Call of Duty 3" where their graphics could easily be kicked out by the PS2) won't really matter once you get into the gameplay. The WiiMote has added a lot to the way we play games, on the most part anyway, especially when you look at launch titles such as "Wii Sports". The game really is a lot more fun because of it.

But that's not true for all the games.

Personally I find that, for some styles of gaming, the WiiMote is completely and utterly useless and makes the gaming more of a chore than it makes the gaming fun. For instance, I would much rather play "Zelda" with a control pad since the extra effort needed to use the WiiMote doesn't really add anything to the game for me. I would have preferred if the option of a normal control pad was still made viable (and I know it is for Zelda but not all games are going to be simultaneous Wii/GC releases now are they?) because it would give the Wii more versatility when it came to development and would definately make it the most entertaining console.

Some gaming styles, such as RPG's and Sports, are going to find it hard to use the WiiMote properly; especially for sports like Football were the action is mostly made with your feet and not with your hands or for RPG's like Final Fantasy where there isn't much in the way of action and you really only need a few control pad buttons to do things. Because of all this I think Nintendo - by not allowing a full control pad alternative - may actually be reducing the ability of the console to pump out a diverse range of games. The WiiMote is very versatile when it comes to some styles - "Call of Duty 3" showed this the best with the many ways you can use the WiiMote in that games - but for other's it is going to make the Wii the weakest out of the three major platforms and I personally think that, unless developers get extremely creative, the Wii could become a hinderance for them to develop for.

The Wii is a great console to play when you play the right games but I like a diverse range of games and - up until now - I don't think that is really happening. I hope I can be proved wrong; especially on the RPG thing.

Blah.

 

[Jay61]

Didn't read it, but as you posted it I'm guessing its negitive.

Just thought I'd post before the arguement you crave starts.

 

[Almo]

well some good points here but i disagree with a few of them, Zelda was great to play with the Wiimote, and because of the joystick on the nunchuk and the dpad on the remote combined with all the buttons if you combine the two you pretty much have a normal controller config, the only difference is the two controller sides arent joined together (and having big hands i prefer this as my hands can be comfortable and sit wherever they want) also i believe RPGs will be fine with the wiimote, just to remind you zelda is technically an rpg. also where the wiimote holds its dominance is FPS, as you said CoD was awesome and MoH imo was better. the ability to have lightgun style gaming on a console without having to buy a seperate lightgun add on is awesome. Finally i believe that because of the pointing ability of the wiimote we may be able to see PC style games that have used the mouse successfully ported or developed for Wii where any port to a standard controller has been a flop or simplily will not work, this opens a whole new market for Wii, i would love to see an origional red alert style game or age of empires on wii just because the ability to point in real time is easily prefered ovr having to controll a cursor with a joystick.

however to answer your question, no its not completely revolutionary but it will revolutionise the way we play console games in out own home.

 

[Stranger]

AGH!!!!

*crushed by wall of text*

 

[CantGetAWii]

Well I was taking you seriously but then I read c64 so I just stopped reading the rest of it.

I agree with what Almo said
It revolutionizes the way we play games.

 

[timdouglas90]

good point man, i mean look at the eye toy on ps2 (crap i know but you know same concept just you are actually on the TV). Another good thing to point out is that the ps3 has that 6 axis thing...so im guessing since i'm not rich enough to get one, its movement sensored? sorta like the wii if you ask me.

way back when you could get light guns etc for your console...so its not that new...its just the fact that it is actually the first console to have that kinda controller all the time (no matter how many times it has a fit at the boss on red steel )

cheers,

Tim

 

[Griever]

Didn't read it, but as you posted it I'm guessing its negitive.

Making assumptions; how silly. If I was craving an argument, Jay, I wouldn't have asked people not to post fanboyistic posts, would I?

You, on the other hand, decided to take the chance to troll; congratulations on being oxymoronic in your criticism.

Thanks for posting though. >_>;

Zelda was great to play with the Wiimote, and because of the joystick on the nunchuk and the dpad on the remote combined with all the buttons if you combine the two you pretty much have a normal controller config, the only difference is the two controller sides arent joined together (and having big hands i prefer this as my hands can be comfortable and sit wherever they want)

I can see where having big hands could be a problem with some control pads but I usually find they're fine for me so I don't have that problem. The problem I had with Zelda was that a lot of the controls weren't any better for being ported to the Wii style; the sword swinging didn't really matter what you did since it more or less did the same thing unless you jabbed which I thought was a pretty useless attack and everything else (aiming) wasn't really any different for being on the Wii than it was on the GameCube. The game was still good, obviously, but I think I would just have more fun playing it with a control-pad; which is worrying considering I think the same could be said for a lot of other Non-FPS games - such as Grand Theft Auto...

lso where the wiimote holds its dominance is FPS, as you said CoD was awesome and MoH imo was better. the ability to have lightgun style gaming on a console without having to buy a seperate lightgun add on is awesome.

FPS is where the Wii holds dominance; but without the graphical capabilities of a PC or the 360 will it really matter? A lot of people who play FPS games only seem to care about graphics considering the games themselves are all very similiar to each other and so I don't know of the Wii can win out against the 360 and PS3 simply because of this trend.

Equally, lightguns usually cost about £10 tops - and they cost less when they come bundled with the game like with Time Crisis because the game is usually only £5 more than the normal RRP and soon drops down.

Besides, I don't think FPS is really something people see the Wii as being the platform for - especially developers. Ninty have always been the "kids console maker" afterall

Finally i believe that because of the pointing ability of the wiimote we may be able to see PC style games that have used the mouse successfully ported or developed for Wii where any port to a standard controller has been a flop or simplily will not work

I dunno; I think the Wiimote is too sensitive for games such as "Rollercoaster Tycoon" or "C&C", especially when hotkeys are a main part of the game and the ability to use hotkeys isn't something the Wii has - and even if it did, using a Wiimote with a keyboard would be quite difficult...

 

[Griever]

Double Post; I know. But I hate "Edits" when addressing a new person.

Well I was taking you seriously but then I read c64 so I just stopped reading the rest of it.
I agree with what Almo said
It revolutionizes the way we play games.

I don't see how it revolutionises when it has been done so many times before. Equally; the C64 has a lot of motion sensored games out for it but if you don't want to take something seriously just because it came out a few decades ago then that's your problem o.o; Then again, I'm a couple of decades old myself so I can't help loving the consoles I played as a kid

 

[Jay61]

Making assumptions; how silly. If I was craving an argument, Jay, I wouldn't have asked people not to post fanboyistic posts, would I?

You, on the other hand, decided to take the chance to troll; congratulations on being oxymoronic in your criticism.

Thanks for posting though. >_>;

Just because you've asked doesnt mean it wont happen, this is the internet we're talking about.

And your welcome.

 

[Almo]

i posted in another thread with this comment but may as well post it here too, most light gun games are rail shooters and lack depth and gameplay, i know there may be some of the newer ones out that aloow movement but idk. also who says hotkeys cant be ported to the wiimote or nunchuk buttons?

 

[CantGetAWii]

Well what im saying is for one I have never heard of c64 and im sure many other people havent heard of it either.

Also it is still early, there could be more to come with the wiimote and the wii that we havent seen yet. Maybe it doesn't seem revolutionary to you now, but maybe it will down the road.

 

[Griever]

i posted in another thread with this comment but may as well post it here too, most light gun games are rail shooters and lack depth and gameplay, i know there may be some of the newer ones out that aloow movement but idk. also who says hotkeys cant be ported to the wiimote or nunchuk buttons?

I use more hotkeys than their are WiiMote buttons when I am playing Diablo II. When it comes to games like Warcraft II the WiiMote doesn't even get close.

Also it is still early, there could be more to come with the wiimote and the wii that we havent seen yet. Maybe it doesn't seem revolutionary to you now, but maybe it will down the road.

That doesn't make the WiiMote revolutionary it makes how the developer has decided to use it revolitionary - completely different things ;D For instance, shaking the gun to reload on "House Of The Dead 4" (I think it is 4...) is revolutionary use but it doesn't make the lightgun a revolutionary idea.

And if you haven't heard of the C64...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64

I personally like the first sentence; "The Commodore 64 is the best-selling single personal computer model of all time."

 

[Almo]

That doesn't make the WiiMote revolutionary it makes how the developer has decided to use it revolitionary - completely different things ;D For instance, shaking the gun to reload on "House Of The Dead 4" (I think it is 4...) is revolutionary use but it doesn't make the lightgun a revolutionary idea.

ok yes in that sence i do agree as i said that the wiimote may not be revolutionary but the way its used certainly is, however i do believe that you should be looking at the whole package and not just the controller, i mean point out another system that uses a remote and a nunchuk to play...? where if i turn around to the PS and Xbox lines, both keep thier stanard conrollers (yes with some slight mods but no change) through the whole line, and when it comes to add ons steering wheels and pedals are standard and headsets and keybords almost identical. i this sence yes the wiimote is certainly revolutionary over the PS and xbox series controllers

 

[Griever]

I have to agree that it is for certain styles of gaming; but, like I said, I think it makes developing some styles of games harder because they simply work better with a control pad.

Besides, Ninty were talking about the Wii release about this being an all new way of controlling games and it isn't. It's just that they are "forcing" you to use it rather than giving you a choice much like Sony are "forcing" Blu-Ray on you.

 

[surfinrach90]

Besides, Ninty were talking about the Wii release about this being an all new way of controlling games and it isn't.

Okay there's been motion sensitive stuff before, but nothing along the lines of this..

I've certainly never played anything like this before..