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PC Mag columnist calls Wii "computing wonder of the world"
When you limit your compilation of computing wonders of the world to a mere seven, you're going to become quite familiar with lists. Crossing things off and comparing/contrasting will become second nature to you, as your discerning eye will evolve into an almost superhuman sense. And that's what PC Mag's Lance Ulanoff has just finished doing. In drafting up this feature, securing the Wii as number two on his illustrious list must've been difficult. Citing the motion-sensitive controls and drama surrounding Nintendo's ability to bring the supply up to the demand as the main reasons for its fascination, Lance forgot to mention that the Wii is damn near the best time one can have with company anymore. Not since Pictionary can we think of such a universally enjoyed social activity.[Thanks, Neal! We had ourselves a good laugh at this.]
Boogie producer defends his game against reviews
Boogie producer Jean-Charles Gaudechon is not entirely pleased with the critical reception to his game. One review in particular upset him, and with good reason-- 1UP basically assassinated his game.Gaudechon mostly defended the controls in his statement to MTV's Gamefile. "Difficultly should come from the game. It should be easy to dance. It should be tough to dance on a certain level of difficulty." He said that his team reexamined motion control schemes after SSX Blur's controls were panned as too complicated, and that Boogie's controls were focus-tested on a diverse age group.Of course, none of that addresses the major issue found in the 1UP review, that "this game is fun for exactly 20 minutes, and only in a group of two or more." Of course, that's a little harder to respond to than specific complaints about the oversimplified, rhythm-insensitive controls.
The motion sensing patent may have more history than we thought
No doubt you read about the newly-discovered Nintendo patent that describes a handheld gaming device with accelerometers in it to read motions. Ben Richardson from Games Radar got excited enough about the idea to take some silly pictures of hypothetical play sessions with such an item! Maybe 'excited' isn't the right word. It certainly makes sense for Nintendo to explore the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii for future gaming devices, including handhelds. But is this patent proof that they are?Motion sensing in handheld games is not a new idea. Homebrew developers have been reading motion input for a while now, thanks to custom peripherals. And Nintendo has had their own experience with tilt control, in both WarioWare Twisted and Kirby Tilt & Tumble. But individual game cartridges with built-in motion-sensing tech and homebrew developments don't compare to a system designed from the ground up with motion control in mind. Certainly if Nintendo released such a system, it would change handheld gaming forever, right? Maybe not.
Joystiq hands-on: The Godfather (PS3/Wii)
The Godfather The Don's Edition (PS3)EA released The Godfather for the Xbox, PS2, and PC about ten months ago, with the Xbox 360 out in September, 2006. Even with the market potentially The Godfather-saturated, the company is readying versions of the game for the Wii and PS3 to ship in March, about a year after the original. In the time since the first launch, EA has added more missions and settings to the new games, including a few gameplay changes that affect the whole experience.I recently tried the updated The Godfather games; EA even showed The Godfather Blackhand Edition (for Wii) next to The Godfather The Don's Edition (for PS3) side-by-side, allowing further scrutiny between the platforms. While my time with the games was limited, I walked away hopeful that the new versions add interesting motion-controls and more to do, likely justifying their release.
