Official Nintendo Fanboy Smugness & Gloating Thread

[Mayhem]

Just out of interest, why? After playing it myself, the Wii specific elements really bring a lot to the game, I think you should at least give it a good try before. The aiming, the sound effects and even the sword combat is WAY more enjoyable and immersive than what could ever be done with a traditional pad. I'm pretty sure you will not want to look back after trying it.

To me it'll be because I'm a lazy bugger at times, I probably won't be getting a Wii until after Xmas (unless dad buys one in the US next week) and I really want my Link to be left handed

(picky I know, but there you go )

So I'll be picking up the US Cube version... well actually I won't be. Kris has said she will buy it for Xmas

[Samus]

One thing to note, and something I noticed clearly when I played the Wii myself some time ago, is that there's bound to be way bigger differences in how people experience the game than ever before. I mean, I saw one guy bumping 10 minutes in to walls in Metroid Prime 3, never getting any sort of control or touch to his game, while I was aiming, strafing and turning smooth and fast almost immediately. I can definitely see how this guy has a different idea on how the controls work.

Well, that's what worries me.

I have an old arm/hand injury, which means that (like Grue) I don't have full functionality in one hand. Using a gamepad works fine, but I'd hate to be shut out from all the Wii gaming goodness, just because I can't get to grips with the controller.

Somewhat OT, but have Nintendo said anything about the Wii and handicapped gamers? I don't consider myself handicapped, but still.

Hmm, this might be a problem for you in some games. I've no idea what your range of movement is in your injured hand, but in Zelda the nunchaku hand is used at least for a small spin (spin attack) and a small push (shield stun) as well as the usual analogue stick controls. From what I understand you can calibrate the sensitivity of these in the game. I hope it's not a problem for you. The most complex games are sure to use two handed controls, hopefully even using two Wiimotes at the same time. From my experience, the Wiimote-only games are more than enough to enjoy the system, Wii Play for example is great (and different) fun in multiplayer, I'm sure more will follow.

[Samus]

As for excite truck, I'm in two minds. It looks arcadey and fun, but until I've played it myself I hope it's not possible to spazz off the track too easily. Too many videos seem to see people spazzing round corners. Well, not really spazzing, more just it never really looked to me like people were in control of the trucks, or that the trucks were in any way in contact with the course.

I know exactly what you mean, but fear not in that respect. The controls are pretty much spot on, not a walk in the park, but they do work great when you get the hang of it. Did you check the vid where I played it? User "kukokeke" in YouTube.

The only thing I'm currently worried about is the trick system and how that's implemented in to the game. To me it looks and feels like the game is all about getting perfect high speed runs through the courses, getting the 'S' ranks and opening the Super Excite mode, which is what some of the reviewers didn't bother to go through, and these are, surprise surprise, the ones that had problems with the controls and didn't even mention the track design. If you look at the GameSpot video review, the footage is very edited, but almost half of the time the guy is about to crash into a tree, cliff or just about to drive / jump way out of bounds. IGN's 8 seems pretty much like a review where the guy knows how to play it, the review is also glowing regarding the racing parts:

The vehicle handling is done really well in Excite Truck and skilled racers will never feel out of control... even when their cars are flying through the air at a height that's more in line with a game like Pilotwings. The level progression in Excite Truck does make it easy to blow through all of the tracks in an afternoon, but at the same time its point system ensures that you'll be playing those tracks over and over to get the highest ranking in order to unlock the game's Super Excite mode.

Check: http://wii.ign.com/articles/746/746278p1.html

ET is really nothing Wii-special like Laser Hockey for example, it could be done on every current gen console out there since DC, but it's just a very enjoyable racing game with a distinct personality, regardless of the platform. The Wii controls do feel different though, and they are a refreshing change, I expect that many PS3 and Wii games will use the tilt system in the future as well, we'll just have to see how developers manage to build their game around the tilt systems strengths'.

[fog]

As for excite truck, I'm in two minds. It looks arcadey and fun, but until I've played it myself I hope it's not possible to spazz off the track too easily. Too many videos seem to see people spazzing round corners. Well, not really spazzing, more just it never really looked to me like people were in control of the trucks, or that the trucks were in any way in contact with the course.

I know exactly what you mean, but fear not in that respect. The controls are pretty much spot on, not a walk in the park, but they do work great when you get the hang of it. Did you check the vid where I played it? User "kukokeke" in YouTube.

I must admit I was more than a little put off by watching the Excite Truck session on that Gamespot Live broadcast where everyone struggled. Now though, having had time to reflect, as long as it's just a learning curve thing and the controls aren't "broken" then I'm really looking forward to it.

Strange though it may seem Excite Truck reminds me a lot of the original Wipeout. Very different graphically but it has that feeling where you're always just in control and it could all go horribly wrong at any second. And just like Wipeout, that wont appeal to everyone. Very unforgiving but the months I spent getting those perfect clean runs were hugely satisfying.

[Samus]

Strange though it may seem Excite Truck reminds me a lot of the original Wipeout. Very different graphically but it has that feeling where you're always just in control and it could all go horribly wrong at any second. And just like Wipeout, that wont appeal to everyone. Very unforgiving but the months I spent getting those perfect clean runs were hugely satisfying.

I was actually very close to making the same comparison in my previous post. It doesn't require as much adjustment to a new kind of gameplay as the excellent WipeOut 1 did at the time (I think EDGE gave it 8, which I felt was criminally low, a strong 9 is what it should've been ;)), and I don't expect it to be as deep or challenging to master either. But, I do think that some people are just not interested enough to understand the games controls enough to really take advantage of the great track design. ET is more forgiving than WipeOut or something like WaveRace, but I think it's still a bit too subtle in its nuances to appeal to most of the people around, at least in the way it could.

[Marius]

A pity about Red Steel. I was really hoping it would be good.

Call me a pessimist, but I never expected Red Steel to be anything more than a mediocre FPS, especially after reading plenty of previews. But like someone stated, it gets pretty mixed reviews, so it might be a great game for the right person.

[Marius]

Jeff "I should do a different job" Gerstmann reviews Zelda: http://www.gamespot.com/events/wiilaunc ... ck=topslot

They should kick him out. Seriously, he gave Dark Messiah 6.7 and Zelda 8.8 and if you see the history of his reviews it's apparent that he has lost the enjoyment of videogames in general.

When so many reviewers call this one of the greatest games ever, even surpassing Oot, it seems strange that one person "only" gives it 8.8 out of 10.

It might be nitpicking, but it seems like some of the things he pointed a finger at, didn't bother most other reviewers at all, because they understood that the game was buildt upon outdated hardware and judged the graphics based on that, while boosting the score because the controls actually work better than expected.

Some games simply are great in every regard, no matter what your personal preference is. And it seems to me like TP, GoW, Okami, FF XII are such games in their respective genres, and should therfore be reviewed by people who can appreciate all aspects of said games.

Don't let a person who hates random encounters review Dragon Quest 8.

And certainly don't let a person who insists that the graphics should be "next-gen" review a game on older hardware.

But like I said, it might be nitpicking, and he did more or less give it a 9 out of 10

[GeeZa]

Yeah enough of this jibba-jabba, who's getting one tomorrow? I might try if I can get out of bed early enough.

[Bubba]

Yeah enough of this jibba-jabba, who's getting one tomorrow? I might try if I can get out of bed early enough.

Baa-stard . Let us know if you manage to aquire one, although from the numbers being bounced around you might not have to get out of bed early!

Cheers

Bubba

[Marius]

One thing to note, and something I noticed clearly when I played the Wii myself some time ago, is that there's bound to be way bigger differences in how people experience the game than ever before. I mean, I saw one guy bumping 10 minutes in to walls in Metroid Prime 3, never getting any sort of control or touch to his game, while I was aiming, strafing and turning smooth and fast almost immediately. I can definitely see how this guy has a different idea on how the controls work.

Well, that's what worries me.

I have an old arm/hand injury, which means that (like Grue) I don't have full functionality in one hand. Using a gamepad works fine, but I'd hate to be shut out from all the Wii gaming goodness, just because I can't get to grips with the controller.

Somewhat OT, but have Nintendo said anything about the Wii and handicapped gamers? I don't consider myself handicapped, but still.

Hmm, this might be a problem for you in some games. I've no idea what your range of movement is in your injured hand, but in Zelda the nunchaku hand is used at least for a small spin (spin attack) and a small push (shield stun) as well as the usual analogue stick controls. From what I understand you can calibrate the sensitivity of these in the game. I hope it's not a problem for you. The most complex games are sure to use two handed controls, hopefully even using two Wiimotes at the same time. From my experience, the Wiimote-only games are more than enough to enjoy the system, Wii Play for example is great (and different) fun in multiplayer, I'm sure more will follow.

But can't you configure the controls so that you use the nunchuck in either hand? I seem to remember reading that somewhere...

[GeeZa]

Yeah enough of this jibba-jabba, who's getting one tomorrow? I might try if I can get out of bed early enough.

Baa-stard . Let us know if you manage to aquire one, although from the numbers being bounced around you might not have to get out of bed early!

I'm not gonna try very hard because I'm too idle, but if I do snag anything you can be sure I'll post a pic.

[Samus]

But can't you configure the controls so that you use the nunchuck in either hand? I seem to remember reading that somewhere...

Yeah, you can hold it in what ever hand you want. My point was that even though the Wiimote is your sword in Zelda, and the one that requires most movements, you still make some gestures by using the Nunchaku in your other hand. The spin attack for example where you do a small circling motion with the Nunchaku, so in some games that may prove problematic to people with restrictions in hand movement.

But, one more thing to think about, when has a person with only one hand been able to play a tennis game before? Wii is good for the severly handicapped people as well

[Yak]

Just pre-ordered Zelda, Rabbids, Monkey Ball, an extra controller with Wii Play and an extra nunchuck .

Roll on the 8th I say .

[disciple]

Honestly not suprised about the range of scores for Red Steel. Never was going to be my kind of game, but I can see others in a love/hate relationship with it. As for excite truck, I'm in two minds. It looks arcadey and fun, but until I've played it myself I hope it's not possible to spazz off the track too easily. Too many videos seem to see people spazzing round corners. Well, not really spazzing, more just it never really looked to me like people were in control of the trucks, or that the trucks were in any way in contact with the course.

Yeah this is the same for me all the videos seem to be...

Vrooom *crash into a tree*
Vrooom *crash into a tree*
Vrooom *crash into a tree*
Vrooom *crash into a tree*

etc... but it's possible this is just due to a gamer's natural tendency to hold down accelerate regardless of what's going on onscreen.

A lot of the reviews seem to talk about it's lack of content/features but that doesn't really bothered me, as OutRun's proved a pure racer without all the superflous frills can be tremendous fun.



It certainly looks like it should be fun.

Quote from the IGN review :

This Wii launch title isn't designed to be anything more than an adrenaline rush of a racing game, and it definitely achieves this focus. It is, however, a title that suffers a bit from launch title-itis: its presentation isn't quite as fleshed out as far as current generation racers go, but even with a few small gaps like its weak multiplayer component, the game is a hell of a lot of fun to play in its solo outing.

If it lives up to that I'll buy it and be happy.


Monster Games' track record :

* 1998 - Viper Racing (PC)
* 2000 - NASCAR Heat (PC)
* 2001 - NASCAR Heat 2002 (PlayStation 2, Xbox)
* 2002 - NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona (GameCube, PlayStation 2)
* 2004 - Test Drive: Eve of Destruction (PlayStation 2, Xbox)
* 2006 - Excite Truck (Wii)

Not sure if this is good, bad or mediocre, I'm thinking probably the latter.

[Flabio]

If they're saying it plays like Outrun I'm definitely avoiding it, never ever ever got on with any version of that. Which I know makes me slightly freakish, but there you go.