Elebits and Warioware - Bad Wii and Good Wii 366
The anecdotal evidence that's been going around, now that the Wii is an established fixture in American living rooms, is that Nintendo's new console still has room for improvement. We all had fun over the holidays, sharing Wii Sports with our relatives and watching our aunts laugh themselves stupid. Now, though, it's a new year and it's time for the Wii to step up as a gaming platform. It needs to be more than a Zelda player, and the console needs to prove that this 'new gen' style of play is sustainable over the long term. The post-launch round of games has started to trickle out, and the results are definitely mixed. Today I have for you impressions of Elebits and WarioWare: Smooth Moves. These are two games that show quite a bit of promise, but only one of which actually delivers. Read on for my views, and a return to a numeric grading scale.
- Title: Elebits
- Developer/Publisher: Konami
- System: Wii
- Score: 3/5 - This game is flawed, but will appeal to genre fans. Any gamer might enjoy renting it, but this won't ever be a classic.
That's not to say it's unlikable. Quite to the contrary, the game wraps itself in an incredibly appealing package. Hung loosely on the hook of telling stories to a kid, each stage pits you against the wilds of a suburban Japanese home. Your goal is to use the electricity gun developed by the protagonist's parents to capture a certain wattage in Elebits. The miniature creatures literally *are* electricity, and snapping them up with your weapon powers up household gadgets left and right. The key is that you need to find the little buggers first, which requires a great deal of rooting around in closets and checking under beds.
The fun comes from the fact that you're interacting with the environment through the extremely smooth Wiimote controls. Your controller is represented in-game by the electricity gun, which can lift objects via a sort of energy field; think Syndrome's zero-point energy from the movie The Incredibles. When you start off a level your power is somewhat weak. Moving small objects is all you can manage. As you collect more Elebits, the weapon grows in power and larger objects can be manipulated. Later levels feature you lifting entire buildings in an effort to locate the wily creatures.
The core game mechanic is thus essentially a modified form of hide and seek. The first time you play the game, it will be sure to cause a smile. Subsequent play is equally entertaining, but there's never a real sense of a challenge. Elebits is a very easy game, and the duration of the main story mode only highlights that ease of play. It's quite possible to play through the entire game in one five hour session.
That would be fine if the basic elements of the game were ever switched up, or if multiplayer offered something substantially different. That's not the case. Simple variations on 'lift things, find Elebits' exist in later stages; some require you to avoid breaking certain objects, while others have some of the little creatures actively attacking you. The core mechanic stays the same, though, and by the end of the game you'll be quite ready to stop playing. Multiplayer, likewise, is more of the same. Up to four players can lift things and shoot Elebits, competing to see who has the most wattage. Additionally, and confusingly, only the first player is allowed to move the camera. This makes it exceedingly hard to tell what's going on, and has a lot of potential for abuse.
Graphical presentation on the Wii is not something I'm going to harp on very often, but I think a more thoughtful look could have given this game a little extra oomph. While the Elebits themselves are cutely designed, the game world is very boxy and uninspired. My hope is that Wii game-makers will take into account the limitations of the console they're working on when planning art design. Why fight the console's low power when you can make a statement? A more stylized art form would have made Elebits pop off the screen more, and would have alleviated some of the sameyness of later levels.
If you're looking for a quite weekend rental, Elebits isn't a bad call. It's very Wiimote-centric, and is another title you can use to show friends and family the potential of Nintendo's console. Just the same, don't put down hard-earned money for it. The long-term playability of the game is very low, and a few months from now it will end up as grist in Gamestop's maw as you purchase more worthy 2007 titles.
- Title: WarioWare: Smooth Moves
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Developer: Intelligent Systems
- System: Wii
- Score: 4/5 - This game is above average, and excels in the genre it supports. A classic for the genre, likely to be a part of a genre fan's collection, and well worth a look for every gamer.
Just as in past WarioWare titles, the single-player story is the means by which all of the on-offer minigames are unlocked. The multiplayer, too, is closed up until you 'beat' the single-player game. In Smooth Moves, games are identified by the 'move' that is used to complete them. These moves translate to specific ways to hold the Wiimote, and specific actions you can take with it. Games are clustered by move, and introduced over the course of the single-player game as part of an entertaining narrative for a the Wario-related characters. The cute witch Ashley, for example, introduces the moves 'The Thumb Wrestler' (a vertically held position), 'The Big Cheese' (holding the Wiimote at your hip), and 'The Discard' (lying the remote down on a surface and then picking it up or rolling it). Each move is introduced with a short instruction text, which is far more entertaining than game instructions have any right to be.
The games themselves are, as always with a WarioWare title, crack-addled. Only a few seconds long, each minigame allows you only a moment to understand how you are supposed to use the specified form to complete the vague command associated with the game. It seemed to me that things were a bit less insane than the offerings from WarioWare:Touched, the DS title, but the games were still plenty strange. Some examples include : picking a nose, putting a old woman's false teeth into her mouth, drinking a glass of water, hula-hooping, driving a car, balancing a broom with one hand, fighting a samurai, and roasting a piece of mutton.
There are 13 character stories in Smooth Moves (two of them revolving around Wario), and in total there are about 19 different controller forms to master. Only one of these, 'The Diner', uses the Nunchuck; most of the game is playable with just the Wiimote. Playing through all of the stories and learning all of the moves won't take most gamers very long. A determined player could almost certainly play through the entire game in one sitting of about four hours.
That brevity may seem like a problem, but what is a problem for so many other titles is a strength for this series. WarioWare titles are endlessly replayable, even in a single-player state of mind. There's always a drive to refine your skill at the various games, to see how far you can make it through the endless series of games before succumbing to a missed cue or a slow hand. The Muliplayer component of Smooth Moves is especially well constructed, and allows for up to an astounding twelve players to compete against each other using one Wiimote. There are about six modes for multiplayer mania, with multiplayer-specific games joining the minigames playable in the single-player mode. My favorite is the nose-shaped rocketship piloting course.
The insanity of the minigames would not be complete without the distinctive 'look' of WarioWare offerings. While the character art has a crisp '2D/3D' style to it that looks amazing on an HD screen, the minigames themselves are all over the map. Crude pencil drawings walk side-by-side with what looks like clip art, crayola colorings, college-level 3D renderings, and actual-in-game assets from Nintendo titles. These last make for some of the most memorable games, as you bounce Mario off of coin blocks with a waggle of the Wiimote, or flick the device upward to catch a fish in five seconds of Animal Crossing. The dizzying array of visual styles is one of the game series' signature elements, and Smooth Moves delivers in spades. The games' audio is just as entertaining, with each stage having a characteristic jaunty tune to accompany your gaming. I recall enjoying these offerings a bit more on the DS title, but I may just be thinking of Ashley's music. Her simultaneously funereal and bouncy theme was a highlight of that game for me.
WarioWare: Smooth Moves is exactly the kind of game the Wii needs in these post-launch days. It's a ridiculous amount of fun, contains an endless amount of multiplayer, and (most importantly) shows off the Wii control scheme in a way few other titles can match. The only thing holding this game back from perfection is the incredibly short single-player component, and even then it's hard to argue with the developers choices. If you ever plan to have friends over to your home again, this title deserves a spot on your shelf alongside Zelda. The game's multiplayer element is as close to perfect as you can ask for, sure to elicit laughter and invite play by any and all interested parties. Smooth Moves is a title that deserves a look from every gamer who enjoys the act of playing games.
Good Wii, Bad Wii, I need to go Wii, Wii (Score:3, Insightful)
Besides, who wouldn't be charmed out of their socks by a giant R.O.B. the Robot waving a Nintendo Zapper at your Starfox Arwing fighter? I mean, can you get any geekier?
BTW, it's worth noting that the Wii does have a few non-minigame games. Call of Duty, for example, is apparently a well liked FPS even if the graphics aren't quite as nice as the 360 version. Also, by the time that most people get their Wiis, Metroid Prime 3 will be blasting on the scene, ready to kick some Space Pirate booty!
Good stuff but short lived maybe? (Score:5, Insightful)
However I need to ask the question, What is going to keep X-Box and PS3 from stealing the Wii thunder? They simply need to make a remote to match their systems and Nintendo will be off the board, perhaps for good. I guess Nintendo will still have the low price but that is about it other than fanboys.
Re:Good stuff but short lived maybe? (Score:5, Insightful)
Established fixture? (Score:5, Insightful)
Mario - Wario - Wii? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Good stuff but short lived maybe? (Score:1, Insightful)
See also:
Power Glove
Zapper
R.O.B.
SNES Mouse
Eye Toy
Nintendo Bongos
and others who's names I cannot remember. All of those devices were produced and made a profit. But none ever really went anywhere. People just didn't make games for them.
Say Microsoft released one today and 30% of the 360 owners bought one. There would still be a bigger market selling that game on the Wii. And to be honest I think that 30% is likely pretty high.
Re:Mario - Wario - Wii? (Score:3, Insightful)
You forgot Metroid, Starfox, Donkey Kong, Zelda, Kirby, and a half-dozen other characters/franchises I'm probably forgetting about. All of which are available for the Wii NOW as Gamecube games. (See if you can pick up the $10 DK: Jungle Beat from Gamestop. The bongos make the game a blast to play!) If you wait a few months, they'll also be available as Wii games.
While you're understandably tired of Mario, you do have to admit that Nintendo knows how to run a franchise. They have consistently produced some of the most desirable games in the industry by utilizing those properties. Save for Sega's success with Sonic (which they promptly drove into the ground), I don't think you can claim that of any other game maker.
Rayman Raving Rabbids (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Wii Hype Defating Rapidly (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Mario - Wario - Wii? (Score:2, Insightful)
One trend I've noticed with the Wii is that the majority of games are simply collections of mini-games. That doesn't inspire confidence to me, and TFA's claim that Warioware is "exactly the type of game the Wii needs" really makes me think that the Wii will become nothing but that: a mini-game console with little in the way of traditional (long) games.
Re:Good stuff but short lived maybe? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Mario - Wario - Wii? (Score:3, Insightful)
I really don't get this whining about Nintendo and their franchises. They aren't just churning out incremental sequels as fast as possible just to make a quick buck. Nintendo takes good care of their franchises, and almost always creates high quality games. They might make 100 different games that take place in the mario universe, but there will be at least 80 different types of gameplay among them, and even the ones that just build on an earlier game are still going to be well designed, polished, and likely bring at least a few new good ideas to the table.
It takes a lot of time and effort to create a new "universe" in any type of media. Nintendo has managed to create a whole bunch of great ones. Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, Starfox, etc. These franchises make up one of Nintendo's greatest strengths. They allow Nintendo's game designers to take an idea, and extend it in ways that wouldn't make any sense outside of some greater context. These different game universes that Nintendo has to choose from creates that context. A soccer game where you throw red turtle shells at someone before you steal the ball from them is a pretty random and stupid idea on its own, but in the Mario world it makes perfect sense; so Nintendo can create a bizarre soccer game without having to subject the gamer to all the storyline and background that would be required to make it coherent otherwise.
I'm not sure gamers are the right people to judge (Score:5, Insightful)
Now, though, it's a new year and it's time for the Wii to step up as a gaming platform.
Maybe it would be more useful to look at the Wii this way: Do people who bought a Wii enjoy it three months, six months, a year after purchase? The target audience is broader, and the games are different than those for PS2, XBox 360, et al. I'm reminded of all the early analysis of how the iPod was going to go down in flames. The analysts didn't understand that the target audience wasn't technophiles, but regular average everyday people.
Re:Good stuff but short lived maybe? (Score:4, Insightful)
Future Lineup (Score:2, Insightful)
By the end of 2007 we'll have
- Super Mario Galaxy
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Metroid Prime 3
- Sonic and the Secret Rings
- Project H.A.M.M.E.R. (maybe?)
that stand out as really great games (plus one or two more probably) that aren't simply based on the novelty of the wiimote. Sounds good to me, but is it good enough for most 'gamers' and enough to compete in the long term with the 360 and PS3??
Re:Wii Hype Defating Rapidly (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Good stuff but short lived maybe? (Score:3, Insightful)
What is going to keep X-Box and PS3 from stealing the Wii thunder?
Maybe patents? I don't really know if Nintendo has anything significant patented, but it's possible that there's something key to the Wii remote.
Either way, it'd take Sony/Microsoft a while to bring anything to market, and even then it might take some sort of firmware upgrade to make it work (not that I really know about such things). Not that it's impossible, given that all of these consoles are internet-connected computers, and can be updated. Hell, the Wii remote is a bluetooth device, so it's theoretically possible that someone could even get Nintendo's own remote to work on other consoles. Still, it will take some time for MS/Sony to devise a strategy, design/test a new controller, manufacture and release it. Nintendo can continue to make buckets of money in the mean time.
Re:Good stuff but short lived maybe? (Score:5, Insightful)
Secondly, there's a lot to prevent the PS3 and 360 from stealing Nintendo's thunder.
1. R&D. In order for this to work they need to put time and money into it. If they don't, the quality of their work will suffer and not come close to what Nintendo offers.
2. Copycatting. Sony came under enough fire for their SIXAXIS being a cheap knock off aimed at stealing the Wii's thunder. Imagine the jeers at an outright, blatant copy.
3. Difficulty. The Dual-Shock was extremely easy to incorporate into existing games because they were basically mini-joysticks. Joysticks had already been around for years, so there were plenty of people already experienced with them. However, the Wii's remote has no predecessor in the gaming medium.
4. Cost. With the Wii, you're spending $250 for the whole package. Because any other console would require such an addon to be bought separately, you're looking at $60 extra minimum for a single remote and sensor combo, which is in addition to however many of the $50 regular controllers you bought. All of that is on top of $300 minimum for the cheap Xbox 360, or $500 for the PS3. The Wii is obviously the cheapest option.
5. Development. As neither Sony nor Microsoft has announced an add-on, it is highly unlikely any titles currently in developement would use such a tool. Given the development time on AAA titles, chances are we wouldn't see one completed using this system on the PS3 or 360 until past the midpoint this generation.
6. Default. The Dual-Shock did well when it was introduced with the PS1, but it did not come unto its own until it was made the default controller for the PS2. The importance of being the default control mechanism for a system can not be stressed enough, as developers tend to target the lowest common denominator. It's safe, and keep them out of the red and get bought by EA.
It is entirely possible that the remote will never have a game that truly shows what it can do. It's also possible that Sony and Microsoft will successfully release their own copy-cat controllers to combat Nintendo. However, their success isn't guaranteed and will require more than a rushed R&D job to be a serious threat to Nintendo.
Re:Good stuff but short lived maybe? (Score:4, Insightful)
I smell... I smell a blockbuster if someone releases a good starwars game for the Wii featuring a lightsaber
Exactly ... two major audiences involved here (Score:3, Insightful)
Then you've got your "new gamer", which Nintendo is now catering too, with lighter and easier fare (Wii Sports). These new gamers, your grandparents, for example, aren't suddenly going to become your standard console gamer, purchasing 5+ games a year, spending hours in front of the console, etc. The Wii will be something they pull out from time to time, maybe when friends are over, or maybe when the grandkids visit, etc. That's fine.
So, the doom and gloom we hear from typical hardcore gamers saying that the Wii needs to "step up as a gaming platform" is somewhat unwarranted. It's already doing it's job with that new audience, and arguably, that's really the important one for Nintendo.
Zonk's bias (Score:4, Insightful)
I thought the anecdotal evidence was that it's hugely successful and so in-demand that you still can't find it any in stores. Everything in the world has "room for improvement;" what a totally meaningless statement.
Re:Wii Hype Defating Rapidly (Score:3, Insightful)
Regarding pointing...
In a FPS on a typical console controller, you are required to use one joystick to aim your target reticule. Imagine trying to do the same thing on a PC. Any PC gamer would tell you it's ridiculous and go back to using their mouse.
The beauty of pointing is that it is simple and realistic, while freeing my thumb up for more important matters. I point where I want to shoot, and I shoot. Soldiers in real life do not fiddle around with joysticks on their guns to fire.
That is, of course, only one use for pointing. You can use it to zoom in and out of an image for a Where's Waldo game, interact with a puppy in a Nintendog's style pet game, direct armies in a RTS (something consoles have long struggled with), or even draw.
These things are possible with the current controllers, but a pointer does them better.
Regarding waggling...
Waggling has far more potential than even pointing. The vast arrays of minigames that have been derived ala Rayaman and WarioWare are testaments to that. Then you have other concepts such as Excite Truck where it works as a steering wheel. It, like pointing, is a dynamic interface with your game environment.
Claiming that "waggling" only replaces A and B buttons completely neglects the limitations of a button. In racing games, hitting a button to accelerate is the equivalent of flooring the gas pedal. You have absolutely no control save on and off, and the durations or repetition of each therein. With a waggle, the severity, speed, direction, twist and other factors can be used to define control.
The "waggle" does more than replace the buttons, but surpasses them. Any failure of your friend to come up with any better example than a light saber is his alone.
Your complaints eerily mimic those levied against the DS when it first was released. It may not have happened immediately, but incredible games were made using the new interface. While the Wii's remote is not above criticism, yours speak more of ignorance than of insight.
Re:Is it just me? (Score:3, Insightful)
Instead of copycatting, focus on strengths (Score:4, Insightful)
This generation, it appears that all the major players have their own strengths that they can focus on, to try to distinguish them apart from everyone else. Nintendo, obviously, has the Wii-mote and everything that new interface can bring. MS is focusing a lot on all of the software/services of the 360, especially with Xbox Live. Sony, well, it's hard to say, but I imagine they would have to build their strength on just the raw power of the PS3, and really prove to gamers that their system is far more sophisticated than the others. Oh, and that Blu-ray thing too I suppose.
Re:Good Wii, Bad Wii, I need to go Wii, Wii (Score:5, Insightful)
If they are fun, why wouldn't they hold appeal to you? I thought the idea of the wario games were pretty stupid, till I played them and found them to be pretty fun.
Will they engross you...no. But that doesn't mean they aren't worth playing
Re:Instead of copycatting, focus on strengths (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't have much doubt that eventually the graphical differences between the 360 and the PS3 will become clear. In a year or two (or three) there won't be much question that the PS3 has the greater horsepower. The Cell simply has that potential, however excruciatingly difficult it may be to access.
Which is why Microsoft definately needs to either kill Sony now (unlikely, despite the bad press Sony seems to attract) or build up their Live and other online services. Integrating the system with Vista is an interesting idea, and one we'll have to see how it pans out.
I'll also note that Nintendo has the unique opportunity to completely blow it. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but if they get high on the DS and Wii sales and forget to make sweet games on the Wii to showcase what it can do they may lose all of their momentum.
Anyway, it's a great time to be a gamer. If all the companies play to their strengths we could have 3 unique and worthwhile systems to own.
Re:Good Wii, Bad Wii, I need to go Wii, Wii (Score:2, Insightful)
Reality Disagrees (Score:3, Insightful)
You're wrong. Adults very much play with dolls and toy cars and read children's books. I even have an uncle who collects toy cars, and has a huge slotcar game in his garage. Many of the adults I know read books from Eoin Colfer or J. K. Rowlings. All in all, adults generally do whatever they like to do without thinking too much about the impression it may give to others.
Here's another interesting tidbit: Kids prefer the PS3 and 360 over the Wii [kotaku.com]. I actually think it's mostly adults who buy the Wii. Kids prefer to have violent games which impress their pals, regardless of whether they are fun to play. Adults play whatever they think is fun.