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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.
GamesRadar imagines the future of Bully Wii controls
What's more fun than playing Wii games? Speculating about how to play future Wii games, of course. Bully is an excellent candidate for such pie-in-the-sky dreaming, because, as a sandbox game, it is crammed full of varied tasks, many of which are just crying out for motion controls. GamesRadar has come up with a list of five possibilities for Bullying gestures, with accompanying pictures. Some, like holding the Wiimote sideways to simulate driving a go-kart, don't seem terribly imaginative, but this article marks the first time we've been asked to think about the potential for virtual swirlies.
Poll: The best in motion controls (so far)
For such a popular console that tries to offer something for everyone, the Wii also manages to be somewhat controversial -- and we're not just talking about Manhunt 2 here. The motion-sensing controls have been a bone of contention when it comes to nearly every game, even those people seem to enjoy. Some gamers find them awesome, and others ... not so much. We've selected six games which cover a range of game types (and aren't all first-party, either) as a measuring stick of what you think is best when it comes to Wii controls. We encourage you to vote early (and often!), but feel free to talk about other choices in the comments, as well as the reasons behind your picks. You might have noticed that Wii Sports isn't on this list (and neither are several other well-received games!). We considered including it, because not everyone agrees that it works quite well as a showcase of the Wii control capabilities, but decided at the last minutes to include only non-bundled games. Feel free to voice your support for Wii Sports in the comments, however! Which of these games boasts the best motion-sensing controls? The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Cooking Mama: Cook Off Trauma Center: Second Opinion Madden NFL '07 The Godfather: Blackhand Edition Resident Evil 4 (Wii)
Bongos replaced with carpal tunnel in DK Jet preview
The game looks okay, and despite reservations, we're open to the idea ... but the video preview of DK Jet at Jeux France makes us wince in anticipated wrist pain. There's a whole lotta shakin' goin' on there, and we're not sure that's really a good thing. Bongos, at least, were a little easier on the arms. However -- the good folks at Jeux France do make the point that maximum shaking motion is only necessary to gain max speed at the beginning of a race, and if you're stopped or slowed by obstacles during the race. Once you've achieved maximum speed, with no interference, you have only to concentrate on the rest.The long preview offers a nice walkthrough of the menus and gameplay (albeit in French; where's My French Coach when we need it?), and the game itself looks good. We'll just have to give the controls a try for ourselves at some point to see just how intense they really are. Also, we really need to steal that plush Donkey Kong featured in the video.
Conjecture Countdown: 9 days to go
Even with a diminished E3, there's no controlling the wave of rumors that hit the Internet every year before the show. Why fight it? From now until E3 hits, we'll be posting one piece of wild speculation every day. Some may be patently ridiculous, and others just might turn out to be true. Even some of the ridiculous ones might turn out to be true! Rest assured, everything will be totally made-up and unfounded. Except, of course, when we speak about all the ass Reggie is going to kick. That part? Totally true.Rumor: At least two third party developers (not Ubisoft) will announce their plan to re-release old games with new waggle.
Wii Warm Up: Waggle adjustments
Yesterday, we talked about some of the problems we've had with motion-sensing controls. But here's the thing: traditional control schemes often have problems as well. The best controls are those that just feel "right." You automatically hit the right buttons to shoot and jump, and in other games, sometimes it's a struggle to adapt.So here's our question: is it really any different with the Wii's waggle? Is it just the same struggle as with any game, or is it made worse by less-than-optimal motion-sensing controls?
Wii Warm Up: The no-waggle zone
Sometimes, waggle makes everything better ... and sometimes, it makes us want to gouge out our eyes, or maybe a friend's eyes. Really, any eyes will do. We're not picky. The thing is, everyone has different opinions one what makes for a good waggle game. And what exactly counts as waggle, anyway? Excite Truck and Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam used limited motion-sensing controls, and that worked out pretty well. But a lot of people are uncertain about how a fast-paced game like Super Smash Bros. Brawl will work with the Wiimote and nunchuk control scheme. Will we like it? The good thing is, if we don't, we have option. But we're not always so lucky.In the games released so far, where do you think the controls have worked, and where have they been less than good?
Guilty Gear waggles into the US, leaving glitches in Japan
Aksys Games, publishers of Hoshigami Remix on the DS, have announced that they're localizing Guilty Gear XX Accent Core, the fifth revision of the third entry in Arc System Works' totally metal 2D fighting series. The new version includes 2 new characters, A.B.A. and Holy Order Sol. Aksys claims that A.B.A. has "never been seen outside of Japan," a claim that is only true if nobody bought Guilty Gear Isuka. In addition, Siliconera found a post on Aksys's official forums stating that they'll be fixing the bugs that were prevalent in the Japanese PS2 release. We consider "not being broken" a significant gameplay feature.Finally, in a decisive victory for Internet linguists everywhere, the official press release advertises, in addition to Gamecube controller and Classic Controller play, "Waggle controls exclusive to the Wii!" It's, like, an official term now.
Today's please-play-play-better-in-person video: DK Bongo Blast
Is the Wii doomed to half-baked waggle games, or will developers harness the awesome power of apples gestures? For a game from Nintendo, Donkey Kong Bongo Blast doesn't give us a lot of hope, at least in video form. Watch the spastic drum-roll gesture to start Donkey Kong racing in addition to other control ... um ... schemes. (And we were sick of the drum roll after Rayman Rabbids, even with the reward of kicking a bunny or launching one off a train cart.)Oh, waggle, prove us wrong.See the video after the break.
Hudson confirms U.S. Fishing Master (Wii)
At a designed-to-be-informal blogger get together today, Hudson announced the Japan-only Wii game, Fishing Master, will be localized and released in the U.S. later this year. The game isn't the fishing simulation real-world anglers have been hoping for, but its waggling controls may still appeal in-part to those players. Instead, Fishing Master is a decidedly Japanese game -- your dog barks to help identify strikes -- that hopes to find an international audience of casual players.All other Japanese features, like the kinds of bait, types of fish, and locations based on prefectures, will remain intact for the rest of us. Hudson hopes to ship the game in September. Stay tuned for our hands-on impressions of the game.
Bill Gates wants to play some kind of tennis simulator
Imagine, if you can, a game where you swing a tennis racket and an onscreen character swings a tennis racket. That's the bold new future Bill Gates wished for at the D5 conference. We love to see the prophetic mind of a business genius in action.Oh, what? There's already something like that? No, the Wii doesn't count, because shut up it just doesn't: "No, that's not it. You can't pick up your tennis racket. And swing it." We guess motion controls are only cool when there's some kind of camera involved.
New Guilty Gear screens and details
While these pictures are from scans and thus aren't the best quality, they come with a bonus bit of information: Guilty Gear XX Accent Core players will have a choice of two control schemes: Wiimote with full motion controls, or a more traditional control scheme. Just what we wanted!This latest Guilty Gear is due out in Japan near the end of July.
Wii Warm Up: EA waggle
So, EA has thrown their support behind the Wii (after a categorical beatdown in sales). It's great to have the behemoth on our side, of course, but there seems to be this mystique in the air, one that enforces a rule: if a multi-platform game is coming to the Wii, it needs to use waggle.Take, for instance, the upcoming version of NBA Live '08, featuring one hobbled Agent Zero (Gilbert Arenas) on the cover. Do we really want to have to dribble the ball using the Wiimote? Even something like passing could be wildly inaccurate if two players are in the same direction; the game might end up suffering as a result.Do you feel as though multiplatform games tend to benefit from additional Wii controls, or suffer? What are some notable examples?
Wii Warm Up: Superfluous waggle
Some games, like the ubiquitous Wii Sports, use the Wiimote's space-age technology to closely map real motion into gameplay. This is generally regarded as "neat" and accepted by the masses, who run off to show their grandparents.Other games, like the upcoming port of Resident Evil 4, make no such attempt to represent physical motion as virtual motion (outside of the new knife controls). In fact, some of the motion controls seem to be simulating button presses. Case in point, reloading requires you to hold B and shake the Wiimote. That's hardly more representative of the action of reloading a gun than pushing a button, or even going into a menu.We sort of revealed how we felt there, but this isn't about us. It's about you. How does non-representative motion control affect you? Is it still fun to waggle, even when you're waggling abstractly?
Parish on the problem of "waggling the dog"
Personal hero Jeremy Parish has just written a (fairly restrained) rant on his blog about a problem he's identified with Wii development: what he calls "waggling the dog", where software developers throw wacky controller gimmicks into every game as "innovation", instead of designing more accessible games. He notes that too many developers are using the Wiimote not to make games more natural, but just more ... jiggly.We know that some of the best DS games are the ones that don't lean unnecessarily on the DS's unique features. Should the Wii be any different? Does every game need crazy motion controls? Fire Emblem doesn't think so, and neither do we. What do you think? Do you think every Wii game needs to be as Wii-ey as possible, or is it preferable to design a good game and put it on the Wii? And on a side note, what do you think about the term "waggle" to describe Wiimote gestures? It's often derogatory, but we admit to enjoying it.
Brothers in Arms coming: with waggle!
Sounds generic, doesn't it? "We're pleased to announced the new (insert World War II title here) for the Nintendo Wii. It will feature new ground-breaking motion controls and deliver an unparalleled sense of interactivity. 'We're pleased to bring our exciting new title to the Nintendo Wii,' says overpaid PR guy. 'World War II is so totally cool."Yes, the latest May issue of Nintendo Power has confirmed the earlier suspicion that Brother in Arms: Double Time is coming to the Wii, and we have to admit, it has one sorta-maybe-kinda-cool feature: using motion control to direct teammates in tactical situations. However, if this isn't perfectly implemented, it'll cause more strain than its worth. "No, to the left, dammit, the ... FRACK!"[Note: Image shown not from the Wii version.][Thanks, John!]
