All this week, and last week, Nintendo has been inviting game journalists up to their manse to have some extensive hands-on time with Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. At 1up Jeremy Parish has an extensive look at the game, with screenshots, impressions of the Wii control scheme, and a detailed look at the title's first few hours. From the article: "The bulk of swordplay, however, is controlled by moving the entire Wii Remote. Contrary to common opinion, this doesn't entail making massive swiping motions. Although it's certainly possible to wield the remote like an actual sword, a simple flick of the wrist will cause Link to attack. How you move the controller also has no bearing on the kind of strike you make. By default, Link sweeps horizontally; for a vertical slice, you must first lock on to a target. And a swing executed while pressing forward on the analog stick results in a stabbing thrust." Other features on the game include pieces from GameDaily.
This game looks fantastic! Its just too bad the Wii doesn't support defs above 480p like everyone was hoping. It's also a little disappointing (but not surprising) that the controller doesn't convert the type of motion you perform to the screen. Oh well.
The only thing I'm disappointed about is that it's less than 3 weeks until launch, and I still have no clue when I'll be able to get Wii component cables. Supposedly they'll be available at least off the online Nintendo store, and probably at Nintendo world in NYC, but other than that, no idea. Can't preorder them either. That's irritating, I want them that Sunday, monday at the latest.
Funny, I just saw this today. An interview with Perrin Kaplan of NOA stating that component Cables would be available Day 1 at both Retail and online. [gameinformer.com]
too bad the Wii doesn't support defs above 480p like everyone was hoping.
Actually I was hoping it would be that way. Keeping the definition low means that I don't have to worry about not being able to read text on my non-HD TV (like the problem with Dead Rising). I think it also makes the Wii the console of choice for young, new, and creative talent - for they don't have to spend as much of their budget on graphics.
While I am also disappointed that it doesn't completely emulate the swing, I'm not surprised. After all, Twilight Princess was made with the Gamecube in mind, and only ported and enhanced (and mirrored) for the Wii. Plus, this is first generation software. Developers are still getting used to the different control scheme and seeing what they can do. While games during this generation will likely do the same action(s) regardless of swing motion, around the third generation (and definately by the end of the Wi
The Red Steel gameplay footage I've seen does feature this, although it seems limited to 2 or 3 canned motions. Cooler is the gimmick that your pistol matches the roll angle of the controller in your hand, so mid '90s John Woo style stances are possible, but only if you want them.
The real fun begins when Lucasarts gets a lightsaber game released.
The real fun begins when Lucasarts gets a lightsaber game released.
Ooooh yeah. There are roughly 200 million people out there who would love to mess around with a lightsaber, both kids and adults alike.
Give it a good story, make it so that the lightsaber is the main weapon (but other weapons are available), and use motion sensing for stuff like Force powers, and you have an instanst platinum game.
You know Lucas Arts is at least thinking about it, and would be stupid not to make it. I can't wait.
I was thinking that it wouldn't make TOO much of a difference, but after taking a look at the screenshots, I'm kind of disappointed. I mean, it doesn't really look any better than FFXII, which (despite being beautiful) is a little painful to play on a large screen.
Hopefully it won't matter in more cartoonish titles, but I can still see this being a big pain point for the Wii when it comes to the huge amount of "better looking = better" gamers out there.
The problem is that they're a HUGE part of the current set of gamers out there. Now, if Nintendo's aim of getting non-gamers gaming works out, this won't be too much of a problem. If it doesn't? Well...
I can't remember a better launch. There are a lot of systems, a killer ap, a diverse set of titles... The only thing missing is the ad campaign, but looking at their current DS push, Nintendo's ad agency is much more savvy than they were at the start of the GameCube's life. They are spending money advertising games that were released last year. It was not so long ago that Nintendo would barely spend money for upcoming games.
A good start does not guarantee future success, but it sure as hell can't hurt.
Nintendo has few enough Wii's to sell that they really don't need to focus much on advertising. Heck, Walmart has already sold out of preorders [gamespot.com]. Wii may have a strong enough product that word of mouth carries it until their production kicks up, and given their competition they can use the cost savings whereever they can find them.
How you move the controller also has no bearing on the kind of strike you make. By default, Link sweeps horizontally; for a vertical slice, you must first lock on to a target. And a swing executed while pressing forward on the analog stick results in a stabbing thrust."
That is just really, really disappointing. Actual swordplay would have been fun, and at last it is possible with this kind of controller. Instead we end up with the same boring dice roll kind of fighting, which is probably easier with a regular controller.
I don't agree. This is supposed to be Nintendo's flagship title that shows up the inventiveness of the Wii. And so far I've seen nothing in Zelda Wii that would want me to buy the Wii version over the Gamecube version. The Wiimote feels tacked onto this game and not made for it. That's what happens when you retool your game for something it wasn't clearly designed for. Apart from Wii Sports, I haven't seen anything that is really an inventive use of the Wiimote. I mean, we don't know how swordplay will be h
Actually, we know a great deal about how swordplay will be handled in Red Steel. Gamespot has a video of someone playing through the first level or so, with extensive commentary on how both the gun and swordplay work. That game probably has the depth you're looking for.
See, I think that it was supposed to be Nintendo's flagship title to show off the Gamecube. I don't think it was deigned to show off the Wii. They put in the Wii functionality after its release date got so close to the Wii's ship date. That's why I think the Wii stuff is tacked on. Sounds like its a difference in semantics. Twilight Princess is a Gamecube game w/ some extra wii stuff thrown in, not the other way around.
Okay. Looks then. I mean. The control scheme is pretty much straighforward, except that you wiggle your arm (or wrist) to slash in ONE direction and there is the quite cool arrow shooting with the nunchuck and remote motion. As for anything else in the game, it's pretty standard fare.
Actual swordplay would have been fun, and at last it is possible with this kind of controller.
That's a common myth. The Wiimote looses its position if you point it too far away from the sensor bar. You've still got the other sensors, but that's not enough for accurate swordplay.
Since your controller doesn't stop in midair when your sword in the game makes contact with another sword, of course anything resembling actual swordplay isn't there. And if you look at the swordplay in Red Steel, it amounts to drawing gestures on the screen. Pathetic.
Yeah, they should give a spoiler warning. That information however, is quite relevent: The amount of dungeons in Wind Waker was half of the reason it sucked so bad...
The first two pages covered the basics of the game. At the bottom of page two they warn you that the next few pages will reveal spoilers for the game. But you know what, the game averages 70 God damn hours of play time. If even if you've read every review and every spoiler for the game there is no way you could not be surprised given the sheer length of the game.
Next time skip the reviews and just buy the fucking game. You're going to buy it anyway.
Five years from now console gamers are going to look back at the idiots trying to hype this silly gimmick Nintendo is trying to pull and laugh their asses off at the suckers dumb enough to waste 250 bucks on a GameCube turbo with a pointer bolted on.
yeah! it's gonna be the DS all over again! Nintendo and their fancy gimmick thinking they're going to beat sony and all their horsepower... wait a second...
Yeah, I wish people would quit saying the Wii is just an overclocked Gamecube, as it is very far from that. All you have to do is look to the main CPU to know...the GC uses a PPC4xx variant, while the Wii uses a PPC750 variant. There's a huge difference here, the PPC4xx was more of an embedded processor...the 750 is a full blown desktop processor. It can handle (I believe) 2 more integer operations per clock than the 4xx, it has an Altivec unit (which Gekko did not), and it's around 20-30% more efficient
On top of that, it's clocked at somewhere between 800 MHz and 1 Ghz...so saying it's 3-4x more powerful than Gekko is about right, and probably conservative. I'm sure the GPU is better than the GC's by about that amount.
Moore's Law called, and it wants its vague 10x improvement over five years back. Ignoring the massive, law-confounding improvements in processor and GPU designs over those years, obviously.
In a predictable manner, I'll get modded down for this - but if you buy a Wii, you have to realise your
Maybe the GBA had no real 3D capabilities, but go play Golden Sun, and tell me a GBA game can't do a smashing good job of simulating three dimensions. That game was gorgeous.
Either way, what was your point? That the GBA couldn't compete with the PSP's predicessor?...the Amazing Non-Existant Sony Portable Doodad? (ANESPD! Rolls right off the tongue). The DS has outdone the PSP, through more effective marketing, innovative design, and the fact that it doesn't suck. (Read: it has good games, fun to play, batte
You missed the point completely. Most people treated the DS like a stupid gimmick before it came out ("I want a games console, not a PDA") and it's probably the best handheld since the original Gameboy. Most people, like you, are treating Wii like a stupid gimmick. If you hate it that much, go play Twilight Princess on the Gamecube. I'll be hacking my way through Hyrule by hand, thank you very much.
"Yeah, Nintendo's handheld sales have always been a good predictor of their console sales!"
Um.. okay. Anyway, the DS is creaming the PSP despite being graphically inferior. It's cheaper, the games are better, and it has a stronger UI. PS3 vs. Wii? Same circumstances. Which would you rather play: Quake 3 but only with a Dual Shock controller, or Quake 1 with a KB and mouse?
"Five years from now console gamers are going to look back at the idiots trying to hype this silly gimmick Nintendo is trying to pull and laugh their asses off at the suckers dumb enough to waste 250 bucks on a GameCube turbo with a pointer bolted on."
Have fun playing Gears of War with your analog stick.
Actually, people have been having fun playing 3rd person shooter with two joysticks for a while now. The same game could arguable handle better on the Wii, but don't say the current controllers are crap. Just say that the Wiimote is better at certain things. I have yet to see how a game like Mortal Kombat or Tekken would work on the Wii. How do you kick, jump and punch in sequence?
Wondering how all this controller mess works out in practice. Nintendo wanted to make things simpler with the Wii, but as it looks now you have to have three controllers to get the best out of all the games that the Wii offers. The Wiimote works only with Wii and NES games, Classic Controller with NES, SNES and N64, but not with Gamecube games, Gamecube controller works with NES, SNES, N64 and Gamecube games, but its flimsy dpad makes it hardly the controller of choice for NES an
... back when I was saying the same things about the DS with its wonky two screens and, get this, a stylus input for a video game. Then I met Kirby. All I can say is Wiiiiiiiiiiiii I'm a convert now.
I dunno about that...I'm left handed, and it's much more natural for me to hold the nunchuck in my left hand. I'm terrible at manipulating thumbsticks and moving a character around with my right hand. However, hitting buttons and pointing isn't nearly as hard, so the Wiimote can be used in my right hand without much difficulty. Oddly enough, it's easier for me to play Hunters using right hand stylus mode, even though I'm left handed, because even though holding the stylus with my right hand is a bit awkw
It looks like this confirms the "full switch to right-handedness" of the game. With no option to swap for lefties (unless I missed that somewhere else in the article), that's going to steepen the learning curve for us southpaws.
The thing is, since the actual motion you perform doesn't translate into sword motion, it's just the same horizontal, vertical, thrust sword moves Link has had in previous games, I don't see why the switch to right-handedness was even needed.
Yes, and it's rumored that he was made that way because Miyamoto himself is left handed, and he made the character. Apparently there has been a bit of an uproar about Link being right handed in this game, but since most people (even me, left handed myself) will hold the Wii-mote in their right hand, it was a lot less awkward for Link's sword hand to match. I read an interview, Miyamoto himself also holds the Wii-mote in his right hand, and he was the one who suggested this change. I'm left handed and hol
If you've been wondering about whether or not the controller is going to be tiring, then Chris Kohler's assurances for the worried gamer will be especially appreciated..
Is there anyone else who just finds the idea of gamers being worried about being tired from playing games kinds of ironic if not just shameful? hehe
All i have to say is... (Score:2)
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Tron? (Score:2)
It looks like Link got himself a weird sort of Light Cycle [1up.com]!
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Too bad not in HD (Score:3, Insightful)
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Re: Component Day 1 in at Retail. (Score:2)
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Who, praytell, is this "everyone" you speak of?
"It's also a little disappointing (but not surprising) that the controller doesn't convert the type of motion you perform to the screen."
You were looking forward to spinning until you were too dizzy to see straight to do the spin attack?
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Actually I was hoping it would be that way. Keeping the definition low means that I don't have to worry about not being able to read text on my non-HD TV (like the problem with Dead Rising). I think it also makes the Wii the console of choice for young, new, and creative talent - for they don't have to spend as much of their budget on graphics.
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Plus, this is first generation software. Developers are still getting used to the different control scheme and seeing what they can do. While games during this generation will likely do the same action(s) regardless of swing motion, around the third generation (and definately by the end of the Wi
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The real fun begins when Lucasarts gets a lightsaber game released.
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Ooooh yeah. There are roughly 200 million people out there who would love to mess around with a lightsaber, both kids and adults alike.
Give it a good story, make it so that the lightsaber is the main weapon (but other weapons are available), and use motion sensing for stuff like Force powers, and you have an instanst platinum game.
You know Lucas Arts is at least thinking about it, and would be stupid not to make it. I can't wait.
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Hopefully it won't matter in more cartoonish titles, but I can still see this being a big pain point for the Wii when it comes to the huge amount of "better looking = better" gamers out there.
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The problem is that they're a HUGE part of the current set of gamers out there. Now, if Nintendo's aim of getting non-gamers gaming works out, this won't be too much of a problem. If it doesn't? Well...
Nintendo is going to hit the ground running (Score:2)
A good start does not guarantee future success, but it sure as hell can't hurt.
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The wait... killing...me (Score:4, Funny)
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"The wait... killing... mii"
Huge, my ass (Score:2)
A great idea, stillborn. (Score:3, Interesting)
Too bad, they missed a good chance to innovate.
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That's a common myth. The Wiimote looses its position if you point it too far away from the sensor bar. You've still got the other sensors, but that's not enough for accurate swordplay.
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Then don't read reviews, (Score:3, Informative)
Next time skip the reviews and just buy the fucking game. You're going to buy it anyway.
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yeah! it's gonna be the DS all over again! Nintendo and their fancy gimmick thinking they're going to beat sony and all their horsepower... wait a second...
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Moore's Law called, and it wants its vague 10x improvement over five years back. Ignoring the massive, law-confounding improvements in processor and GPU designs over those years, obviously.
In a predictable manner, I'll get modded down for this - but if you buy a Wii, you have to realise your
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That game was gorgeous.
Either way, what was your point? That the GBA couldn't compete with the PSP's predicessor?
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Most people treated the DS like a stupid gimmick before it came out ("I want a games console, not a PDA") and it's probably the best handheld since the original Gameboy.
Most people, like you, are treating Wii like a stupid gimmick. If you hate it that much, go play Twilight Princess on the Gamecube. I'll be hacking my way through Hyrule by hand, thank you very much.
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Um.. okay. Anyway, the DS is creaming the PSP despite being graphically inferior. It's cheaper, the games are better, and it has a stronger UI. PS3 vs. Wii? Same circumstances. Which would you rather play: Quake 3 but only with a Dual Shock controller, or Quake 1 with a KB and mouse?
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Re: Weakest Console wins. (Score:2)
The PS1 is technically inferior in every way (except disk capacity) to the N64. Which sold more?
The PS2 is technically inferior in every way (except disk capacity) to both the GameCube and the Xbox. Which sold more?
Clearly, the "Most powerful console =! the winner."
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Have fun playing Gears of War with your analog stick.
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Wondering how all this controller mess works out in practice. Nintendo wanted to make things simpler with the Wii, but as it looks now you have to have three controllers to get the best out of all the games that the Wii offers. The Wiimote works only with Wii and NES games, Classic Controller with NES, SNES and N64, but not with Gamecube games, Gamecube controller works with NES, SNES, N64 and Gamecube games, but its flimsy dpad makes it hardly the controller of choice for NES an
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Yeah, maybe after I've played Twilight Princess, Mario Galaxy, Metroid 3, Trauma Center, etc.
I might have believe that... (Score:2)
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The thing is, since the actual motion you perform doesn't translate into sword motion, it's just the same horizontal, vertical, thrust sword moves Link has had in previous games, I don't see why the switch to right-handedness was even needed.
Did it bother anyone that in Wind Waker yo
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Is there anyone else who just finds the idea of gamers being worried about being tired from playing games kinds of ironic if not just shameful? hehe