[Millennium]

Originally Posted by ink 

I think that the hardware manufacturers secretly want region-free hardware; but the software makers demand it for tiered global pricing (stooopid idea, because one typically pays MORE for import games anyway).

You're right in most cases, but in Japan they've jacked the prices on these games so high that it actually is cheaper to import them from other countries. Nintendo's not the only one guilty of this, nor is the video game industry the only guilty party. This is why they continue to demand region-locking.

[starman]

Nintendo says that gamers who complain about fatigue are out of shape.

Nintendo Says You Need To Be In Shape To Play The Wii - Gizmodo

I've been going to the gym 90 minutes a day for the last 6 years. If this thing is making me use muscles I don't normally use, then poo on Nintendo for making a statemement like this.

[legacyb4]

Ha ha, that's pretty good. What about the other 8 hours for life outside of Wii?

Originally Posted by Millennium 

It's been out for a week and a half now: some 240 hours. Even assuming eight hours each for sleep and work or school, you've got some 80 hours to play. Someone with enough time on their hands could beat just about any game in that amount of time.

[zro]

Originally Posted by starman 

Nintendo says that gamers who complain about fatigue are out of shape.

Nintendo Says You Need To Be In Shape To Play The Wii - Gizmodo

I've been going to the gym 90 minutes a day for the last 6 years. If this thing is making me use muscles I don't normally use, then poo on Nintendo for making a statemement like this.

What statement? This one: "If people are finding themselves sore, they may need to exercise more."

That's a no **** Sherlock true statement. Why Gimodo wants to blow it into some sweeping insult I'll never know.

[starman]

Originally Posted by zro 

What statement? This one: "If people are finding themselves sore, they may need to exercise more."

That's a no **** Sherlock true statement. Why Gimodo wants to blow it into some sweeping insult I'll never know.

Do you understand how muscles work? Basically, if you give a quarterback a golf club, he could be sore after 18 holes.

[RAILhead]

I just wish I could find the freaking thing: I need to get 2 Wii consoles ASAP.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by starman 

It took me months to get through OoT, mainly because I loved exploring the game. I remember being sick over Christmas break that year and taking notes on it (I still have the notebook). To beat it in a week really makes me wonder if it's worth spending all this time trying to get.

Dude, I can beat OOT in a week too.

Originally Posted by RAILhead 

I just wish I could find the freaking thing: I need to get 2 Wii consoles ASAP.

I hear you. Unfortunately, your only option is:
eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

[mdc]

I agree RAILhead, this thing isn't easy to find.

I think I'm going to stop looking, finish Gear of War and Need for Speed Carbon, and one day walk into BestBuy and see a Wii on the shelf.

[Dark Helmet]

I thought Super Mario Galaxies was coming out next march but now the release date is "anytime between the end of March and next Christmas."

And that isn't taking into account the trademark Nintendo delays.
Reggie On Vague Release Dates, GoldenEye And Wii-Mote Injuries - Kotaku

DAMNIT!

[icruise]

Originally Posted by ink 

Freeloader works with the Wii for GCN games -- and they haven't built a console that hasn't been region-free hacked yet, so prospects are high.

The Xbox 360 still hasn't been hacked to be region free and it's been a year.

[itai195]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

I hear you. Unfortunately, your only option is:
eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

I admit, I bought mine on eBay for a bit over retail. All the calling and running around to stores just isn't worth it. I haven't even seen a store here with a Wii accessory in stock, let alone a console.

I'm about 4 hours into Zelda so far and really enjoying it. Zelda and GoW so far have to be two of the best games I've ever played, we're spoiled this year...

[Dark Helmet]

On another note it is nice to see Gomac get interviewed

YouTube - Crazy Guy Waiting for the Wii

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

I thought Super Mario Galaxies was coming out next march but now the release date is "anytime between the end of March and next Christmas."

And that isn't taking into account the trademark Nintendo delays.
Reggie On Vague Release Dates, GoldenEye And Wii-Mote Injuries - Kotaku

DAMNIT!

That doesn't bug me as much as the slow release of Virtual Console titles. What the heck is the hold up? If they're emulating NES, then shouldn't any game just drop in? It's probably some crap the marketing department came up with to be sure that demand remained constant. Just let me buy the old games I want already!

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

On another note it is nice to see Gomac get interviewed

YouTube - Crazy Guy Waiting for the Wii

I'd like to know who employs that guy and in what capacity.

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

That doesn't bug me as much as the slow release of Virtual Console titles. What the heck is the hold up? If they're emulating NES, then shouldn't any game just drop in? It's probably some crap the marketing department came up with to be sure that demand remained constant. Just let me buy the old games I want already!

I complained about this a while ago.

I think Nintendo is evolving from being about the games to about the hype.

[zerostar]

Originally Posted by RAILhead 

I just wish I could find the freaking thing: I need to get 2 Wii consoles ASAP.

Your best bet will be: Walmart, ToysRUs or Best Buy - Sunday the 3rd, Get there 4 hrs before the store opens and you should score one.

Thats what I intent to do this weekend.

[RAILhead]

Originally Posted by zerostar 

Your best bet will be: Walmart, ToysRUs or Best Buy - Sunday the 3rd, Get there 4 hrs before the store opens and you should score one.

Thats what I intent to do this weekend.

Our Wal-Mart guy said mid-December. What's special about the 3rd?

[icruise]

Originally Posted by Dakar² 

I complained about this a while ago.

I think Nintendo is evolving from being about the games to about the hype.

You really think Nintendo of the 80s and 90s had no hype?

We've already discussed how staggering releases is good business, but I also think that the Virtual Console games are probably not as easy to throw up there as you think. In addition to possible technical issues and the need to write online manuals and whatnot, there are also rights to be negotiated. The interview with Reggie where he talks about Goldeneye highlights this problem.

[Dakar²]

No, I think the games to hype ratio was more even.

There were so many more games everyone wanted back then (Including stuff Nintendo didn't make).

[Dark Helmet]

GT Pro Series Review
How far can "It's all about the gameplay." go?

IGN: GT Pro Series Review

4:3 ratio and 480i.

So let that be a lesson to you developers. Gameplay alone isn't going to sell it so even though the wii doesn't do high def at least make it look at good as you can with what you got.

[goMac]

Virtual Console is my biggest disappointment with the Wii. There's none of the Nintendo owned games you would think there should be (Mario Kart, Super Mario Bros, Super Mario World), and the store itself is a mess. Wouldn't even take my credit card yesterday. PITA.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by starman 

You beat it already? That's disappointing.

I've had work off the last few days (work for a school district, so I get snow days), so I plowed through it. I haven't done many of the side quests yet though.

[itai195]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

So let that be a lesson to you developers. Gameplay alone isn't going to sell it so even though the wii doesn't do high def at least make it look at good as you can with what you got.

Different lesson than what I got from that review. Real lesson: slapping a $50 price tag on a port of a 3 year old last gen game is not cool. Many 360 launch games, ones that weren't 3 years old but were essentially last gen ports sporting $60 price tags, got tagged the same way.

[icruise]

The game sounds like it sucks, but good news about the controls:

Where the title actually shines though is in the control, which allows total tweaking of the Wii-mote's dead zone and turning angle to allow any hardcore racing fan to fine-tune their virtual wheel to the perfect sensitivity. After a few times jumping in and out of the options menu (there's no way to test your settings during a race), most players will have found their sweet spot and will be good to go. A perfectly-tuned Wii-mote feels great for competitive racing, but again the lack of overall depth and sense of accomplishment will stop players from spending too much time with GT Pro Series. In fact, while there's literally nothing we'd change about the Wii-mote calibration in the game, we simply want to see it put in a much more mature racer, as it's the accompanying gameplay that really kills GT's appeal.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by itai195 

I admit, I bought mine on eBay for a bit over retail. All the calling and running around to stores just isn't worth it. I haven't even seen a store here with a Wii accessory in stock, let alone a console.

I'd be willing to pay extra to avoid the hassle, but I refuse to give my money to the assholes who are causing the shortage in the first place by buying up 15 systems apiece to sell on eBay.

[TETENAL]

I doubt the Wii remote is good for racing games. Motion sensing is totally unusable for that purpose.

I hope I can try it out once the Wii is released in Europe.

[MindFad]

Motion sensing, yeah, but the orientation of the controller is perfect for racing games. I guess in personal theory, anyway, as I haven't played any, but I've seen the orientation functionality in action and it's awesome.

[TETENAL]

Originally Posted by MindFad 

Motion sensing, yeah, but the orientation of the controller is perfect for racing games.

It's physically impossible to sense orientation independently from motion. If you disagree please tell how. It just doesn't work.
So I'm convinced it's unsuitable for racing games until I tried it out myself (which will confirm my reservations).

[icruise]

Ok... So you don't believe the people who have actually tried it out and you are convinced that when you do try it out you will hate it. Gotcha.

[goMac]

Ok, here is my complete mini review having finished the game. Be aware there are some minor spoilers, most of them should be obvious to those who have played other Zelda. The other spoilers are things you'd learn in the first parts of the game anyway. I won't say any major spoilers.

First, we'll get it out of the way. After taking in the whole game, I have to say it is not as good as Ocarina of Time. It is a very good game, but it's just missing something.

Twilight Princess is not a carbon copy of Ocarina of Time as some people like to claim. Rather, it draws heavily from all the past games. I think this is in reaction to the departure that Windwaker was. Nintendo seems to have done the reverse and created a game heavily based on the lore of previous games. And this really isn't a problem. If anything, it's kind of cool to go back to places and see people you have not seen since OOT, or even the original LOTZ.

According to Nintendo, TP falls between OOT and WW. There are some surprising character omissions if this is true. There is no Great Deku Tree, no Lord Jabu Jabu, etc. I think this is the first fault of the game actually. In response to people who said WW was too kidish, Nintendo seems to have cut the most entertaining characters. OOT had some random characters who would make you chuckle every so often. For example, the Kokiri are completely absent from TP.

The gear is top notch. The first half of the game is standard Zelda fare. The second half brings in some new items that are really cool, some of unique items from the other Zelda games, and some weapons from previous games you've seen enemies use but haven't been able to use yourself (one weapon from Link to the Past stands out).

The dungeons are very good. They have some brain benders, but overall seem to try to be more fun and interesting rather than hard. I really liked most the dungeons from this game. I don't think I ever found myself wishing I was past a dungeon. The boss battles are nothing short of epic. In the first half of the game, the boss battles are really neat, but in the second half the boss battles take place on a very large scale, and are just astounding.

The game seems to fall flat though for the final battles. To give you some context, the plot in TP revolves around this place called the Twilight Realm, otherwise known as the Shadow Realm, otherwise known in some games as the Golden Realm. The king of the Twilight Realm, Zant, has taken over Hyrule, and it's your job to drive him out and defeat him. When you finally face Zant, after having so many epic battles with other bosses, he's kind of a disappointment. You'll probably be able to beat him in one try, and he's not very menacing at all.

Afterwards, like in any good Zelda game, you go on to fight Gannon. The problem is you've only seen Gannon once before in the game, in a cut scene no less. Having never met Gannon in the game, you don't feel very emotionally attached to the battle.

I think this leads into TP's biggest fault, and the one that keeps it from being better than OOT, which is it's story. The individual plot lines are all very good. But OOT had a way of stringing all the plot lines together into one grander storyline. TP seems to be completely missing that. For example, the Zora's subplot is very good. But things aren't explained. For example, Zora's domain starts as a frozen land. Why was Zora's domain frozen? It's never explained. You could assume it was because it was covered in Twilight, but that doesn't make too much sense. In fact, the plot seems to assume because you've encountered things in previous Zelda games, you won't question why you're seeing them in TP. And the new subplots have the same problem. In the game, some children are kidnapped, and then left places. How did these children end up in these different places? Why? It's never really explained well.

It's almost as if the game designers really did have some huge grand design, but when they tried to put it all together, it just didn't work. Battles are randomly thrown at you. That isn't to say these battles aren't loads of fun to do, they really are great. But there is no explanation as to why these things are happening.

Also, sometimes you'll run into areas or buildings that were very important in previous games. But TP doesn't even mention their significance. It does make you feel a little warm and fuzzy to tromp through so familiar ground, but you'll wish Nintendo took a chance to expand on the lore of these places a bit.

The end of the game is kind of a let down. After doing all these massive tasks you'd expect more of a massive ending, but you don't get it. It's better than most Zelda game's endings, but again, it's no OOT. When you do get to the end, make sure to keep watching through the credits, or you really will be let down.

Finally, the graphics are top notch. A lot of the scenery is beautiful, and you won't be disappointed by them.

Overall, it's a really fun game, and I'd play it again. I'll probably go back and do all the subquests. The plot needs work, but I don't think that ruins the game. It's certainly important, but it doesn't make the game any less fun. And I think that's what TP is best at, just being a fun game. The storyline isn't poor over the entire game, rather it has it's ups and downs. I think with a little more time and work TP could have been better than OOT, but none the less, it is still a game to own. I don't think it's an important enough title for you to go out and buy a Wii just for it. But it certainly is a must buy game if you do plan on picking up a Wii.

I'd give it a 9/10.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by TETENAL 

It's physically impossible to sense orientation independently from motion. If you disagree please tell how. It just doesn't work.
So I'm convinced it's unsuitable for racing games until I tried it out myself (which will confirm my reservations).

The gyroscopes in the controller can tell things such as tilt without needing to use the motion detectors (the springs). Controls for racing games actually work quite well on the Wii.

[TETENAL]

I didn't say I will hate it. I'm just convinced that it won't work for racing. Motion and orientation is physically the same thing: acceleration. So how could the Wii remote sense them independently? I don't see how this could work even theoretically.

My main console will be a PS3 which is perfect for racing in Gran Turismo and Formula 1. But I will wait until the price is reasonable which I expect to be a few years. Until then I might get a Wii to bridge the time. So I hope the controller works reasonably well for fun games. I don't hate the Wii.

[RAILhead]

Dude, it comes with a racing game doesn't it? If the Wiimote won't work with racing games, why does it ship with one, and why do I see people playing it?

Or am I missing something in your posts?

[goMac]

Originally Posted by RAILhead 

Dude, it comes with a racing game doesn't it? If the Wiimote won't work with racing games, why does it ship with one, and why do I see people playing it?

Or am I missing something in your posts?

It doesn't actually come with a racing game. That said, it's still the best racing controls I've used.

[RAILhead]

That truck game thing isn't a race game, then?

[goMac]

Originally Posted by RAILhead 

That truck game thing isn't a race game, then?

That doesn't come with the Wii.

[goMac]

Apparently the Wii is not region locked. Rather, it is NSTC/PAL locked:

Geek World � Nintendo Wii not Region-Locked

[icruise]

Originally Posted by goMac 

Apparently the Wii is not region locked. Rather, it is NSTC/PAL locked:

Geek World � Nintendo Wii not Region-Locked

That would be great if it were true, but I wouldn't put a lot of stock in what some anonymous customer service drone says. Places like Play-Asia.com (who would love for the Wii to be region-free, since it means they can sell import games to American users) still say that it's locked.

[zerostar]

Originally Posted by RAILhead 

That truck game thing isn't a race game, then?

That is Excite Truck, great game but it doesn't come with it.

Special about the 3rd is that Best Buy (for sure) is advertising the Wii in the sunday paper. They are required a certain amount in each store (at least in most states) so they have been holding them same as last sunday. You can try getting there around 8 before it opens (I think at 10) and get in line, I will be there much earlier cause I missed out last time, but perhaps 8 is good cause the mad rush is dying down somewhat now....

It has been verified by several Target employees that they are doing the same for sunday, they open at 8 I think...

The same flyers are going out for Toys R Us and Walmart perhaps walmart will sell at midnight on the 3rd though so you may get lucky?

Anyway, when do you NEED it by? If it is for christmas it shouldn't be a problem as they were expected to have 4 million and its looking like they will have that easily done mid-december so the store should have a bunch in before the 23rd at least.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by icruise 

We've already discussed how staggering releases is good business, but I also think that the Virtual Console games are probably not as easy to throw up there as you think. In addition to possible technical issues and the need to write online manuals and whatnot, there are also rights to be negotiated. The interview with Reggie where he talks about Goldeneye highlights this problem.

Many of the games I want are from Nintendo - no licensing issues. I have a hard time with the argument about how hard it is. Also, how about better selection? Super Mario Bros should have come before Mario Bros, for example.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by zerostar 

Anyway, when do you NEED it by? If it is for christmas it shouldn't be a problem

Uh…LOL? I don't know how it is where you live, but around here, there's no indication of Wiis sitting on shelves for more than a minute anytime soon, and Christmas isn't that far off.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by goMac 

Controls for racing games actually work quite well on the Wii.

Would be nice if the analog stick could be used for accel/brake. I don't like the binary on/off for accel/brake in racing games. You don't drive a car that way, and to me, that bugs me more than steering has.

[icruise]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

Super Mario Bros should have come before Mario Bros, for example.

I totally agree, and in that case I think it's purely a matter of saving some of their "big guns" for later. I am disappointed by the Virtual Console selection as well. There's nothing that I want to buy at the moment. Either the games suck (Soccer, Pinball, etc) or I already have them in some other form (Mario 64, Zelda, Mario Bros. etc).

[MindFad]

Originally Posted by TETENAL 

It's physically impossible to sense orientation independently from motion. If you disagree please tell how. It just doesn't work.
So I'm convinced it's unsuitable for racing games until I tried it out myself (which will confirm my reservations).

It's not that I disagree, just that you're completely wrong and obviously haven't played Wii Sports yet (boxing glove orientation, baseball bat, golf club) or I'm not understanding what you mean exactly. The controller orientation data is sent wirelessly to the console. It can also sense abrupt jolts or movements (punching in boxing, baseball, sword swinging in Zeld, etc.) in the remote, all done wirelessly and not with the motion sensing infrared. To clarify, I don't mean the depth or where the controller is, just its orientation, or how it's tilted or being held. In the boxing game, it makes sense that it figures out whether your hands are raised or lowered because you hold the the nunchuk and remote in fists and it figures it out by the tilt of the controller where you're holding them.

As for racing games, Excite Truck presumably senses the orientation of the controller as you steer it like a steering wheel. No motion needed there really.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by MindFad 

Motion sensing, yeah, but the orientation of the controller is perfect for racing games. I guess in personal theory, anyway, as I haven't played any, but I've seen the orientation functionality in action and it's awesome.

It may work but if it is "most like real driving" you are going for it is not the best.

You can freely move your control with or without steering wheel attachment on it freely all over the space infront of you and you have to hold it up not rest it on your lap. It also doesn't have petals or force feedback (in terms of the wheels turning resistance).

The way excite-truck did it is more like a seesaw or magic wand than holding a steering wheel.

You want real driving you get one of these and hook it up to a HD set for the closest thing to being there.

http://www.joytron.co.kr/goods/view....de=CD007-00233

[MindFad]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Uh…LOL? I don't know how it is where you live, but around here, there's no indication of Wiis sitting on shelves for more than a minute anytime soon, and Christmas isn't that far off.

Yeah, I had to camp Best Buy to get one the other day. They got 66 Sunday morning (presumably from a later Saturday shipment), and they were gone in the span of time it took the guy to pass out the vouchers—about ten minutes. About 80-90 folks in line. I was 40-ish.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

It may work but if it is "most like real driving" you are going for it is not the best.

Or you could get a wheel for the Wii too. In fact, a Wii wheel would be wireless.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by MindFad 

Yeah, I had to camp Best Buy to get one the other day. They got 66 Sunday morning (presumably from a later Saturday shipment), and they were gone in the span of time it took the guy to pass out the vouchers—about ten minutes. About 80-90 folks in line. I was 40-ish.

Yeah. I was too late (at a couple of hours early) to camp. Seems like high demand to me. I'm heading out at 4 this Sunday and gettin' my Wii.

[RAILhead]

That's what i was really getting at. TETENAL's post seemed 150% incorrect, as though he's totally ignoring all the vids of people playing Wii racing games.

[zerostar]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Uh…LOL? I don't know how it is where you live, but around here, there's no indication of Wiis sitting on shelves for more than a minute anytime soon, and Christmas isn't that far off.

Well, AFAIK they are holding to the schedule, they have shipped almost 800K units now and sold 600K so there are 200K in transit, in warehouses, wherever they sit.. This weekend should be a turning point, meaning after the weekend they will be getting hundreds in the store instead of the 20-30 they have been, will they sell? YES and fast but if they are on schedule with shipments it will be a matter of waiting in line or checking a few stores and you will have one.

Not to sound optimistic but they look on schedule and the big horde is almost over... Maybe not though and you are SOL till February LOL