Playing Wii today

[DreamTR]

I'm not one to dive into multiple tirades about systems in general, but I've been playing the system for a couple of days now (with only Wii Sports) and I have to say, it's pretty amazing what Nintendo has done. To the poster that said he was going to "trade in" Wii Sports awhile back? Come on buddy. This system and the pack-in are the greatest things since the oriignal NES. Innovation and not this movie-like BS and FPS crap that everyone keeps babbling about when comparing PS3 to XBOX 360. The Wii is pure gaming. Simple as that. Interactivity and evolution are what makes this a gamer's dream come true. I'm glad Nintendo is releasing tons of these at launch and up to X-Mas.

[bigdaddychester]

Aside from gameplay, how would you describe the sensitivity of the controller? Is there an optimal distance that you feel comfortable playing at? What about timing/anticipation of hitting the ball in baseball and tennis? And lastly, the overal mechanics of the controller and how well it works, do you believe that right out of the box this system delivers on Nintendos' claims? Is it as easy as it appears on their videos?

[Kejoriv]

how have you been able to get it early?

[FantasiaWHT]

I have played Excite Truck at an EB Games, and so far I believe Nintendo is coming through on what they promised. The controls were incredibly intuitive (held sideways like a standard controller and rotated to turn, tilted backwards and forwards to lean into your jumps, gas and brake buttons and the D-pad for turbo) and flowed naturally with the on-screen action.

Plus the game itself was a blast- especially trying to get all the bonus stars :)

[GrandAmChandler]

DreamTR: This is exactly what I wanted to hear! Keep us posted with more impressions of the system as soon as possible!

-GAC-

[jajaja]

Innovation and not this movie-like BS and FPS crap that everyone keeps babbling about when comparing PS3 to XBOX 360. The Wii is pure gaming.

I agree that the Wii is really cool, but do you mean that 360 and PS3 aint pure gaming because they use the traditional controller? True that Nintendo made a innovating controller, but the controller isnt the only thing that must be renewed to call something innovation. I.e. GoW for 360 got amazing gfx, stuff that have never been seen before on a console. I will call that innovation too because its something new.

[DreamTR]

A few more impressions: I find it easier to use the Sensor Bar on the bottom as opposed to the "top" area of the television set (works better for the Golf game on my end) Pitching and batting seem to work better if you slant your wrist in a downward motion at this point in order to utilize faster speed and homeruns. I noticed I hit a slew more homeruns when I was playing as a left handed batter the first time around, but it's a lot easier now that I am accustomed to the timing. It's pretty fun all around!

Jajaja: nothing to do with the controller, it's the innovation of the TYPES of games. (Think of what the Nintendo DS has to offer in terms of "new" games never before done. Gears of War? Graphics don't do it. The graphics have been seen before on a PC, and I am not taking away anything from the game, but this "style" of gameplay has been done before in games many times over. I don't see anything forward in that except for sprucing up how GOOD a game can be, and there is nothing wrong with that, it's just that NIntendo decided to go in another direction for their entire console.

[DreamTR]

3-6 feet is the optimal distance for me, though it says 3-8 feet in the manual. It's pretty easy to set up, but you have to make sure that your wireless controller is "mapped" correctly the first time.

[jajaja]

Ok, know what you mean. Btw, GoW gfx have never been done before, not even on PC. Its the first game that uses the Unreal 3 engine, which does the gfx in a very unique way. Check this movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m7T5ay_8DI) for some info on how it works.

[Lord_Magus]

Thanks for the mini-review DreamTR, and I agree: if you look at each of the three companies in this generation, it's crystal clear what direction they are taking with their consoles and games. Nintendo appears to be focusing more on accessible, innovative and above all fun games, while the PS3 and 360 already seem to be engaged in a "pissing contest" over which has the more polygons and a larger hard drive.

Graphics and gameplay as some will say aren't mutually exclusive, and I wholeheartedly agree. But then again, I'm perfectly satisfied with the graphics of Resident Evil 4, Twilight Princess, Killer 7, Shadow of the Collosus, ICO, Okami and Final Fantasy XII :)

Can't wait to pick up my Wii :D

[Spycee]

I was able to play at Wii Tennis at the Arcadia festival (in Montreal) and I must say that I am very impressed ! I played with my girlfriend and 2 other guys, and after playing it she decided that the Wii will be our Christmas gift 8-) She did not want me to buy it before that try, so it was VERY impressive for her too :)

We played at about 6 feet, and the controller was a bit too sensitive at first (in the menu screens) but after a couple of minutes it feels very "natural". I was feeling like I was playing tennis for real :D The movements must be very precise to hit the ball at the right place, like in real tennis. I also missed a couple of balls because I was too slow :embarrassed: It takes a couple of tries to get at the real speed.

[cyberfluxor]

Ok, know what you mean. Btw, GoW gfx have never been done before, not even on PC. Its the first game that uses the Unreal 3 engine, which does the gfx in a very unique way. Check this movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m7T5ay_8DI) for some info on how it works.
First game to use the Unreal 3 engine but it is compatible with Direct X.9 so there will be plenty to go around PC and consule wise, it's just a wow for now but will go the way of Mario64. What they are lacking is the handling the Wii has. It'll be just a little more time and Crysis will become the big showoff of new generations of video cards that even these newer consules can't handle. That's the main point though, regardless of what other systems can do they don't have the patents and licensing to continue on a side step from the norm of gaming today. Nintendo has everything they need to make this new generation a great one.

[jajaja]

Sure, Unreal 3, Crysis and so on will kill gfx wise, but GoW was the first. Someone has to be first ;)