[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

I like the Blu-light
I like the design of the unit and remotes
I like the accelerometers (not the IR though)

BONUS: I like the includes Wifi, Mii's, DVD media and GC: BC.

That will work.
Thank you kindly, sir.

Can't include any games yet though as Sports wore thin fast and Zelda is ok but dated.

But at the end of the day the Wii has way way more cons for me than the other systems.

I'll ignore the but.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

I like the Blu-light
I like the design of the unit and remotes
I like the accelerometers (not the IR though)

BONUS: I like the includes Wifi, Mii's, DVD media and GC: BC.

Can't include any games yet though as Sports wore thin fast and Zelda is ok but dated.

But at the end of the day the Wii has way way more cons for me than the other systems.

So why do you keep it? Seems that you only like the technology/design and don't have any fun with the system at all...

[King Bob On The Cob]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

So im through CoD3..... it was ok, nothing special. the graphics in parts of the game were shockin (poor software development).

Soim ready to play Mario64, my options are ... NDS or VC. what do you guys recommend ? (ive never played this game before)

Cheers

I beat Mario 64 on the 64, then again on the DS (Got 120 and 150 Stars respectively)

The 64 one was way more fun, had better controls, and it was more challenging (Took me about a month of on and off to beat it on the 64, and about 15 hours on the DS). The extra stars and extra characters are really kinda gimmicky, short of the extra levels where you win the characters themselves.

My vote? Go for the VC.

[goMac]

Go for the VC version. I was very annoyed with Mario 64 on the DS.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by jokell82 

So why do you keep it? Seems that you only like the technology/design and don't have any fun with the system at all...

He doesn't actually like to play games. He just like to stare at the pretty pictures.

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

He doesn't actually like to play games. He just like to stare at the pretty pictures.

[Jawbone54]

I have a question about the Wii and with the PS2.

I have a 32" HDTV, and I've noticed that all of my PS2 games are sort of "blurry." I put that in quotations because I'm not exactly sure that I'm describing it properly. It's taking away from the quality of the games. I'm running it at 480p using component cables, of course. I've noticed the same problem on some of my friends' HDTVs.

Here's my question: does the Wii suffer from the same thing at 480p? I don't know how many of you have component cables for the Wii.

I KNOW that it doesn't look as good as the 360 or PS3, so please don't respond with any of that. I just want to know if the Wii has the same blurry and distracting image as the PS2.

[Adam Betts]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Here's my question: does the Wii suffer from the same thing at 480p? I don't know how many of you have component cables for the Wii..

With 480p and component cable, it's usually like this:

32 inch and below HDTV
Wii: Crispy quality although it could be a little better
Xbox360: Somewhat blurry since it's downscaled. Super tiny texts also.

40 inch and above HDTV
Wii: Very blurry
Xbox360: Crispy as hell

I have a 46 inch Bravia LCD at home and I was really disappointed at the quality of Zelda: TP at 480p, it does look really blurry but eventually I got used to it (just for the record, I absolutely love the look of Zelda: TP and find polygon count and texture to be above acceptable level, just not the resolution.)

[butterfly0fdoom]

Well, as long as you're not staring at the image, it really won't matter. The point of the Wii is to immerse yourself into the gameplay and let your imagination run wild. Not to sit on the couch and watch the pretty pictures fly by.

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by butterfly0fdoom 

let your imagination run wild

[icruise]

Yeah, I find that I enjoy my Wii most when I'm not actually playing it. I just sit back and think how much fun it must be.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by icruise 

Yeah, I find that I enjoy my Wii most when I'm not actually playing it. I just sit back and think how much fun it must be.

Is this sarcasm, or do you really dislike it?

[icruise]

I like the Wii (although I'm not crazy about it). I was being sarcastic about the idea that you should need to "use your imagination" to compensate for bad graphics, and that good graphics are somehow a handicap.

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by icruise 

I like the Wii (although I'm not crazy about it). I was being sarcastic about the idea that you should need to "use your imagination" to compensate for bad graphics, and that good graphics are somehow a handicap.

Well, if you strip away the hyperbole, that's not too far from accurate. Or are you saying imagination means nothing?

[Chuckit]

I was just playing Zelda yesterday — on an HDTV, no less — and I was struck by how lovely the characters look, especially Midna. I don't care if there are incrementally better graphics on the Xbox 360, those are still really nice-looking graphics by my standards. I really don't get the complaint. (Not trying to start a flamewar on the importance of graphics again. It just made me think, just by their own merits, the graphics do look pretty.)

[Dakar²]

Looking at foggy town to cover up draw in in Silent Hill is using your imagination.

Seeing something hinders your imagination, no matter how its rendered.

[icruise]

Originally Posted by lavar78 

Well, if you strip away the hyperbole, that's not too far from accurate. Or are you saying imagination means nothing?

If we were talking about text adventures (which I am a fan of), or old-school games where one dot represented a warrior or a dragon, then yeah, imagination was pretty important. But if you're talking about the difference between the Wii and the Xbox 360 or PS3, I find it ludicrous to suggest that the Wii's graphics somehow stimulate the player to use their imagination.

I'm not taking the stance that graphics are everything (just look at the previous pages of this thread and you'll see which side of that argument I'm on), but to turn around and twist the Wii's graphical shortcoming into a strength is just silly. You can say that graphics should take a back seat to gameplay, but all things being equal, better graphics are, well, better.

[butterfly0fdoom]

Originally Posted by icruise 

If we were talking about text adventures (which I am a fan of), or old-school games where one dot represented a warrior or a dragon, then yeah, imagination was pretty important. But if you're talking about the difference between the Wii and the Xbox 360 or PS3, I find it ludicrous to suggest that the Wii's graphics somehow stimulate the player to use their imagination.

I'm not taking the stance that graphics are everything (just look at the previous pages of this thread and you'll see which side of that argument I'm on), but to turn around and twist the Wii's graphical shortcoming into a strength is just silly. You can say that graphics should take a back seat to gameplay, but all things being equal, better graphics are, well, better.

I never said it's the graphics that require the imagination-- it's the gameplay. A chance to immerse yourself in a fantasy world (or just not your present reality). Besides, if you're really getting into the game, are you really going to be able to pay attention to the detail of the images? I know I can't pay attention to the details of the pictures because I'm too busy having fun imagining I'm Link, killing evil Shadow creatures as I flail the remote and immerse myself into the game. If you're sitting on the couch, staring at the screen, and flinging your wrists, you're really missing out on the purpose of the Wii.

[Jawbone54]

After 6 months or so, I'm going to look into buying a second game system (instead of trading/selling like a fool). I wish I could test run a Wii on my new HDTV so I could see if I'd be as frustrated as I was when I hooked up a PS2 to it. Playing Shadow of the Colossus was not enjoyable on an HDTV.

Until I make a decision, my DS Lite will give me my Nintendo fix. Elite Beat Agents is one of the top 5 games of the year, ANY SYSTEM, IMHO.

[Hawkeye_a]

I'd be lying if i said i was impressed with the Wii's graphical capabilities at this moment in time. In fact i actually find some GCN games graphically superior (Rogue Squadron, Rebel Strike, RE4 come to mind). Even Twilight Princess, is a GCN game graphically.

Visually, Z:TP is astounding.... only broken by the low-poly environments on occasion. Red Steel looks like a PS2 game and CoD3...looks....disappointing visually and graphically (ive played through the whole game).

I just hope i see some good looking games soon...i think Mario Galaxy and MPC will take care of my graphicaly needs this year.

Strangely enough, i think Sonic and the secrect of the Rings will probably be my first 3D sonic game...graphically very cool and apparently the Wii gameplay is awesome. As opposed to the incredible graphics and atrotious gameplay on the XB360/PS3 Sonic games.

Cheers

[Gamoe]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

wish I could test run a Wii on my new HDTV so I could see if I'd be as frustrated as I was when I hooked up a PS2 to it. Playing Shadow of the Colossus was not enjoyable on an HDTV.

Really? I was thinking about getting a PS2 at some point specifically to play that game and a few others I like for PS2. I have a 42" LCD TV, but I found even my Dreamcast quite acceptable on it, even though it was somewhat blocky. Then again, I wasn't expecting it to be even as good as it was, really.

The Wii looks fine to me, too. It's definitely better than the Dreamcast image (specially with component video). Of course, it's not as impressive as the other next-gen systems, graphically.

[Millennium]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

I like the accelerometers (not the IR though)

I don't get this: what is your problem with the IR? We have been over this at least twice now: there is no other way to do the pointer functionality in any reasonably-accurate way. Is it really just that you don't like the idea of infrared technology?

[Jawbone54]

In my week using a Wii, I didn't have a problem using the IR functions. Yes, I was pointing slightly above the TV, but unless I was really focusing on it, I completely stopped noticing. Maybe it's a bigger deal to some people than others, but I can't see it being a reason not to get a Wii.

[icruise]

Originally Posted by Millennium 

I don't get this: what is your problem with the IR? We have been over this at least twice now: there is no other way to do the pointer functionality in any reasonably-accurate way. Is it really just that you don't like the idea of infrared technology?

I'll have to say that I'm not overly impressed by the IR pointer functionality either. I don't care that it's IR, I just want it to work, and it doesn't always seem to work all that well. It depends on the game, but it's not uncommon to have to "recenter" the pointer on the screen when it goes off the side, and of course there is the issue with lag, which also seems to be game-dependent.

[Hawkeye_a]

Personally, im most impressed with the pointing functionality, which is based on relative movement than actual pointing. the fact that it uses IR (probably to triangulate the location of the Wiimote in the room), isnt an issue...it works most of the time.

The thing with having to recenter the pointer.....imagine if the mouse pointer on ur screen kept moving to lower/higter coordinates off the screen if you kept moving the mouse...its the same idea. its the software that limits the coordinate to that of your screen resolution. As far as lag, it's definately game dependant, so it's not like the technology is bad.... and im sure some developers will use some kind of a "smoothing" function to make the pointer's movement less jerky...the donside of smoothing/predicting direction is lag.

So yeah, i think the Wii pointing/motion sencing are amazing fatures of the console.

[icruise]

The News Channel is up and running, apparently.

[angelmb]

Yes, it is running, I like how they text is put into position when you vary the font size, give it a try, is fun.

Besides that, the Vivísimo clustering search engine is now 'optimized' for Wii, Clusty Search

[ajprice]

Yes, News channel just installed, had the blue light this afternoon.

Had a quick go, it has titles for national, international, regional, sports etc, and then each of those has a list of headlines, which open up to the article, it looks like a newspaper story. + and - buttons make the text bigger/smaller, with the words flying around like in the videos on the wii site. There's also the globe like in the weather channel, spin around to different countries, and zoom in to get regions within some of the countries (so at standard zoom on the UK, you see London, zoom in and you get London, Manchester, Cardiff etc.)

On first look it was pretty nice, but like the weather channel, not sure how long it will be before the novelty wears off. News channel could be better though, because every time I've checked the weather on the Wii channel, it has no resemblance at all to the current weather, or any other forecast report, lol.

[Dakar²]

Well, with some luck I finally have a chance to play one of these this wiikend. I'll be sure to post my irrelevant opinion so everyone can ignore it or flame it.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by Millennium 

I don't get this: what is your problem with the IR?

it has a very limited viewing angle, totally inaccurate and I have to play Wii in the dark as it thinks my halogen lights are the IR bar even though they are feet away and vertically oriented.

[icruise]

This quote is from a while ago, about Gamespot's "low" review of the Wii version of Twilight Princess:

Originally Posted by goMac 

The reviewer has a well known bias against the Wii. There is a topic in the Gamespot forums about it, I believe it's called "When will Gamespot learn to play the Wii?"

If he's so biased against the Wii, it seems odd that he gave such a high score (9.1) to Wario Ware: Smooth Moves.

I rented it recently and it's a lot of fun, at least at first. I'm not sure how it will hold up, since I've already gotten to the end of the one-player game. It really does make good use of the Wii remote, although there were a few "forms" (the name for different ways of holding the remote) that didn't seem to work very well for me. "The Waiter" in particular (where you lay the remote on your palm) often didn't respond very well.

The games that used characters and themes from other Nintendo games were the best.

[Dakar²]

Crap, that reminds me I was gonna give my impressions from this wiikend.

Be back after lunch.

[icruise]

Now that's one looooong lunch.

[Demonhood]

be sure to give me our Wii number when you're finished with that sandwich

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by icruise 

Now that's one looooong lunch.

Wow, someone actually gave a damn.

My memory has been suspect this week. I'll get to it later today when I'm awake and verbose.
If I remember.

[Millennium]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

it has a very limited viewing angle, totally inaccurate and I have to play Wii in the dark as it thinks my halogen lights are the IR bar even though they are feet away and vertically oriented.

How can your halogens be interfering from so far away if the viewing angle is so limited?

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Millennium 

How can your halogens be interfering from so far away if the viewing angle is so limited?

Because the viewing angle for the BAR is limited. The Wiimote is more than happy to think other things in the room are the bar though.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker 

Because the viewing angle for the BAR is limited. The Wiimote is more than happy to think other things in the room are the bar though.

I assume you've set your sensitivity too, right?

My problem is that the remote is not sensitive enough - I'd like to play farther away from my TV than the remote will let me...

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally Posted by jokell82 

I assume you've set your sensitivity too, right?

My problem is that the remote is not sensitive enough - I'd like to play farther away from my TV than the remote will let me...

It is set to 3 but if I turn it down the cursor stutters and has a very short range.

I pretty much play in the total dark if I want it to work right.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by jokell82 

I assume you've set your sensitivity too, right?

My problem is that the remote is not sensitive enough - I'd like to play farther away from my TV than the remote will let me...

Somewhere I heard that there is a 3rd party bar coming out that has signal as far as 25 feet.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally Posted by goMac 

Somewhere I heard that there is a 3rd party bar coming out that has signal as far as 25 feet.

The issue is not really the range though but the fact that the Wiimote sees sensor bars where there are none.

Couldn't they have used some sort of flickering light so it only recognizes ones flashing at at certain pattern?

[Dakar²]

Editor's note: I didn't even proof-read this. Points may require clarification or re-writing.

Alright, so a bunch of us met up with a friend we rarely see this wiikend. He brought his Wii and we were all excited since we had never played one.

Initially, I was surprised by the size. It's very underwhelming. It's like the complete opposite of the original XBOX. Subtle and sleek.

We started out with Boxing. My first match was against another rook. After 3 rounds I hated it. The game didn't seem to respond to fast punches too well. It seemed very slowed down and simplistic.

Next was tennis. I was concerned about the AI since I'd read on here the computer moves your player for you. I played a few games and loved it. I did notice however, a few problems. Initially, you can get confused as to use a backhand or forehand since your avatr doesn't seems to be sitting right where the ball is about to land. Second, you have to be careful about your stance during back hands> Several times starting my swing triggered a forehand, which then led to me swinging wildly to get the backhand in. SOmetimes we'd accidentally trigger an early response which would result in the front partner luckily returning. Sometimes we were able to get 3-4 swings in before the ball was dead. Very fun. I would think Mario Tennis could be very good once they iron some kinks out.

Afterwards, we settled on golf since it was the only game we could play 4 players (we had only 2 sets of remotes). This by far translated the best to the Wii. Any issues I have are mainly relegated to the gameplay itself and not interaction with the Wiimote. Mario Golf on this might tempt me.

While everyone took a break I decided to try the Baseball. By the end of the 1st Inning I was tired and bored. It was basically a home-run derby paired with some unsatisfying ineffectual pitching. It looks like they kept pitch speeds down on both sides of the plate for gameplay purposes, but seriously, I could take a nap during how long it took to get over the plate. The complete lack of interaction with the rest of the gameplay was boring, but I'd be at a loss as to imagine how to integrate it. Short version: Baseball becomes incredibly one-dimensional on the Wii.

I tested bowling briefly. Seemed well-suited to the Wiimote, but I needed to practice because my throws were going the lane much slower than I thought I was throwing them.

---

Off sports, my friend had Elebits with him. In multi you basically roam around rooms and shoot the bits while throwing furniture out the way with tractor-beams. It took 5 minutes before I realized what a boring button-masher this was. It felt like shooting fish in a barrel with a machine gun. I have no complaints about the aiming or reaction times, just the game could be better. I slower-paced FPS could probably work well on the Wii, so long as it had minimal need for other input.

---

In conclusion, I can't say I was disappointed with the Wii, but I certainly wasn't impressed by it as a whole. I was shocked to find that half-way through the night I regarded the thing more as a toy than a console. The somewhat limited aspect of interaction with the wiimote, seems to water down the system and make it seem more like a novelty than a serious system; indeed, it lends itself towards the group aspect much readily than most systems. I can't however see most people having the kind of space needed to have 4 friends with wiimotes swinging around. (Again this is where golf lends itself well to the system as you take turns). Another point is the interaction wears itself out... a couple hours in you get tired, which either affects your gameplay, or cause your to sit on the couch comatose, flicking your wrist here and there. (I was also sore the next day, but I take that as a complimentary symptom to the system, not a negative). I find myself thinking of Guitar Hero when I think of the Wii: it brings new fresh gameplay, but at the cost of being limited. On a personal level, I find these types of things are infinitely more fun to play with people than alone, so much so that I only play these types of things with people.

Synopsis: The wii offers unique gameplay you can't find anywhere else, but it needs polish, and I worry that it is realistically a dead-end or at the very least, a highly specialized tangent. The wiimote could never replace a real controller both in depth and control. It also requires a level of energy and attention which is as negative as it is positive. Bottom line: Fun with friends every once in a while.


You may now begin flaming.

[icruise]

I think I mostly agree with you, although I would say that you shouldn't make your decision based on Wii Sports and Elebits alone (I was not very fond of Elebits, and Wii Sports is, as you mentioned, rather simplistic). Wario Ware is at least worthy of a rental, as is Super Monkey Ball, Rayman, and Trauma Center (if you haven't already played it on the DS).

But yeah, as I've said before, I'm not really sure why everyone is so ga-ga about the Wii (and this is from a person who is a big Nintendo fan and who defended the Wii before it came out). It's good, yes, and I can see that it has some untapped potential, but I'm not sure that it's quite the "revolution" it's been made out to be. When you consider that I don't usually have anyone to play with (sniff...) you can see how I might be underwhelmed by the system as a whole. The remote seems to lend itself most to party games, which are usually pretty bad as one-player games.

[Dakar²]

I definitely feel I don't have enough evidence to make a final conclusion. I need to play more games and see how they polish control after a few years.

That said, I do feel my sentiments about when and how often I would play it won't change.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

"My biggest bone to pick with the game is the lack of online multiplayer. I spoke with the Majesco rep about it and he wasn't too pleased with how Nintendo was still keeping their online service a secret from developers. Basically saying that Nintendo is not letting devs know how to develop their games for Nintendo's online service."

Cooking Mama: Cook Off for the Wii: Early impressions :: DESTRUCTOID :: Hardcore gaming blog

To those who are complaining about the look of the Wii on your HDTV - it could be that your HDTV has crappy scaling. TVs with better scaling will look batter. That could explain why some think it looks great on their TV and others don't.

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

I was just playing Zelda yesterday — on an HDTV, no less — and I was struck by how lovely the characters look, especially Midna. I don't care if there are incrementally better graphics on the Xbox 360, those are still really nice-looking graphics by my standards. I really don't get the complaint. (Not trying to start a flamewar on the importance of graphics again. It just made me think, just by their own merits, the graphics do look pretty.)

Some HDTVs scale worse than others. You probably have a better scaler in your TV.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by hayesk 

Some HDTVs scale worse than others. You probably have a better scaler in your TV.

Honestly it looked perfect on the 42" Panasonic Plasma I played on over Christmas. I think you're right, some tv's must just have crappy scalers.

[goMac]

Dakar: I'd suggest Raving Rabbids. Elebits single player is good, the multiplayer was only so so. Your Wii Sports review was spot on. Golf and Tennis are my two favorites. A lot of people seem to enjoy boxing but it isn't responsive enough for me.

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by goMac 

Dakar: I'd suggest Raving Rabbids. Elebits single player is good, the multiplayer was only so so. Your Wii Sports review was spot on. Golf and Tennis are my two favorites. A lot of people seem to enjoy boxing but it isn't responsive enough for me.

Bowling and Tennis are my favorites with Golf right behind.

Dakar, I'm a little puzzled you accidentally triggered a forehand when you tried to hit a backhand. Have you played tennis before? Were you hitting a 1-handed or 2-handed backhand? Without any further information, I'd guess your neutral position was holding the wiimote on your right and it was registering the shift to the left.