Topic: Why Wii sucks!

[UncleBob]

blarg, I hope that wireless sensor bar comes out soon.

As you may know, my entertainment set up is... not the norm.  Part of this set up has the feed that goes into my television split so that it goes into my TV in the Living Room (where my Wii is) and into my bedroom where I have a second TV.  Now, I knew all along that I wouldn't be able to play most games from my bedroom, but after downloading Bonk's Adventure, I had planned to play a little of it last night before going to bed.

So I grab a Wii controller, turn on the system and go to the bedroom... only to find that you need the sensor bar to navigate the Wii Channel Menu!  No!!!!

But then I got smart and remembered that you can use the Classic Controller to navigate the menu... so I got back up, grabbed the classic con and was able to get Bonk's Adventure to load.  Yay!

So then I played through Bonk's Adventure some, created a save point and quit.  Before I went to bed, I wanted to see if I had gotten any Mii's.  Well, I had.  Unfortunatly, you cannot navigate from within the Mii channel without the sensor bar... no classic controller this time!

So, back up again I get.

Stupid Wii.  Should have bought a PS3.

[Chozo Ghost]

Well, at least by forcing you to get up so often the Wii is living up to its promise of increasing exercise.

[thejeek]

Hmm. I've been dithering about whether to get a Wii or not for months now (still waiting here in eeyoorope...) and the launch has not inspired much confidence. On the upside:
 - Nintendo console - there haven't been many bad ones
 - No games on the 360 or PS3 look very interesting to me
 - Novel control mechanism
 - Interesting games in the pipeline

downside:
 - Most launch games look worse than better quality Cube games (Red Steel looks like arse, frankly)
 - Surprisingly expensive
 - Control issues reported for many launch games (including Super Monkey Ball, which was the only launch title that really excited me)
 - Few interesting launch games for the non-Zelda fan
 - Various network/update issues
 - Disk scratching issue

Apart from the fact that I have a pre-order at my local Gamestation plus credit from previous Cube trade in (which I'm now regretting), I'm not sure I'd bother with a Wii at all. Certainly not sure I want a first batch one, at full price with first generation games with sub Cube graphics and control issues :-(

[Rhoq]

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Originally posted by: thejeek
Hmm. I've been dithering about whether to get a Wii or not for months now (still waiting here in eeyoorope...) and the launch has not inspired much confidence. On the upside:
 - Nintendo console - there haven't been many bad ones
 - No games on the 360 or PS3 look very interesting to me
 - Novel control mechanism
 - Interesting games in the pipeline

downside:
 - Most launch games look worse than better quality Cube games (Red Steel looks like arse, frankly)
 - Surprisingly expensive
 - Control issues reported for many launch games (including Super Monkey Ball, which was the only launch title that really excited me)
 - Few interesting launch games for the non-Zelda fan
 - Various network/update issues
 - Disk scratching issue

Apart from the fact that I have a pre-order at my local Gamestation plus credit from previous Cube trade in (which I'm now regretting), I'm not sure I'd bother with a Wii at all. Certainly not sure I want a first batch one, at full price with first generation games with sub Cube graphics and control issues :-(

Jeek - don't take this the wrong way, but you are severely misinformed. To address your "downside"...

1. I have yet to see a Wii game look worse than the GameCube - Red Steel included. Don;t believe the hype. Red Steel does not look bad, at all.

2. It's well worth the price. I'm sure just about everyone here will agree with me.

3. Super Monkey Ball controls just fine. Any complaints are coming from people who either haven't spent enough time with the game to properly master the tilt controls or who are too stubborn to learn.

4. I'm not much of a Zelda fan (though I did buy "Twilight Princess") and the other 4 games I bought are as different than Zelda as can be. I'm completely satisfied with the launch line-up. Honestly, what system has ever launched with a robust library? None.

5. Any network issues will be worked out by Nintendo. It's hard to roll-out a new service and hiccups are to be expected. Updating issues only apply to the units assembled early on and for whatever reason hadn't had their firmware updated at the factory. Nintendo is replacing those with brand-new Wiis.

6. It's not widespread and surface scratches are common. Disc-based media are delicate and no matter how careful you are while handling a disc, scratches are going to happen.

[blackfootsteps]

Jeek just become a Zelda fan that will take all your troubles away and it will be a pleasant experience I'm sure.

[NWR_pap64]

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Originally posted by: thejeek
- Various network/update issues

AHEM!

Seriously, dude, don't let a few disappointments get in the way of you enjoying your Wii at launch. Like I stated before, no launch EVER goes smoothly, and compared to the issues the PS2, the XBOX 360, the PSP and probably the PS3 have experienced in the past the Wii issues are MINOR, and only seem to be affecting a small number of consoles. Not only that, Nintendo has admitted these faults and has announced they would fix them with no extra cost.

As for the control issues, this seems to vary from person to person. I've heard people who can't play a Wii without screwing something up while others play the Wii as if they were born to play it.

I say don't buy into initial disappointments and WAIT till YOU play it.

[thejeek]

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1. I have yet to see a Wii game look worse than the GameCube - Red Steel included. Don;t believe the hype. Red Steel does not look bad, at all.

Videos and screenshots I've seen show low poly characters and environments, average textures with nasty baked in lighting, unconvincing animations - it really doesn't seem to look as good as the best looking games on the Cube.

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2. It's well worth the price. I'm sure just about everyone here will agree with me.

It depends on what you're comparing the price to - nearly 200 quid is a non trivial amount of money for something that doesn't do a lot more than the Cube or PS/2 and (controller aside, which is not an unambiguous plus point) does a whole lot less than the 360 (which is dropping in price towards the point where the Wii is looking far from a bargin)

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3. Super Monkey Ball controls just fine. Any complaints are coming from people who either haven't spent enough time with the game to properly master the tilt controls or who are too stubborn to learn.

I've heard people complaining it gives them sore wrists because the neutral position requires holding the controller at an uncomfortable angle - we'll have to wait and see if this is a common problem or not, I guess.

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4. I'm not much of a Zelda fan (though I did buy "Twilight Princess") and the other 4 games I bought are as different than Zelda as can be. I'm completely satisfied with the launch line-up. Honestly, what system has ever launched with a robust library? None.

Maybe I'm just going off gaming but I just can't get excited about any Wii launch titles - what 4 games did you get?

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5. Any network issues will be worked out by Nintendo. It's hard to roll-out a new service and hiccups are to be expected. Updating issues only apply to the units assembled early on and for whatever reason hadn't had their firmware updated at the factory. Nintendo is replacing those with brand-new Wiis.

Brand new Wii's from the Japanese and European allocations no doubt - I'm not sure I'm happy about that

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6. It's not widespread and surface scratches are common. Disc-based media are delicate and no matter how careful you are while handling a disc, scratches are going to happen.

I think they'd have been less likely with a more conventional (and cheaper) drive, but again I guess we'll just have to wait for the dust to settle and see how common this problem is.

[NWR_pap64]

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Originally posted by: thejeek

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1. I have yet to see a Wii game look worse than the GameCube - Red Steel included. Don;t believe the hype. Red Steel does not look bad, at all.

Videos and screenshots I've seen show low poly characters and environments, average textures with nasty baked in lighting, unconvincing animations - it really doesn't seem to look as good as the best looking games on the Cube[./q]

Dude, you should know by NOW that the Wii is NOT about updated graphics. If they truly matter you should get an XBOX 360 or a PS3. True, the graphics are not perfect but those that have been enjoying the Wii are enjoying it because the games are FUN, which puts the graphics in second base when it comes to enjoyment.

Also, did you read my post? Nintendo has confirmed that they would fix the problem for the European launch (and most likely the Japanese launch as well).

[thejeek]

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Jeek just become a Zelda fan that will take all your troubles away and it will be a pleasant experience I'm sure.  

Hmmm. I've tried to like it but it it's just not my thing. I mean, I liked the graphics in WW but the gameplay bored me rigid so really I think there's probably no hope for me as a Zelda fan :-)

Stuff I liked on the Cube included Super Monkey Ball, Metroid Prime, PN03, XG-III, Burnout, Timesplitters 2, F Zero - anyone seen anything in the European launch line up (besides Super Monkey Ball) that might appeal to me (i.e. mainly quirky, twitchy and/or arcady stuff)
 

[thejeek]

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Dude, you should know by NOW that the Wii is NOT about updated graphics. If they truly matter you should get an XBOX 360 or a PS3. True, the graphics are not perfect but those that have been enjoying the Wii are enjoying it because the games are FUN, which puts the graphics in second base when it comes to enjoyment.

Just because it suits Nintendo to say it's not about graphics doesn't mean it's not about graphics... Part of the fun is the looks of the game. It doesn't have to be technically brilliant but it has to not look out and out bad and Red Steel looks bad. It looks worse than even an average Cube game. Not just technically worse but artistically worse - bad enough that I don't want to have to look at it. Metroid prime, to pick something at random, doesn't look like that and doesn't make me feel I need to gouge my eyes out with a spoon

[NWR_pap64]

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Originally posted by: thejeek

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Dude, you should know by NOW that the Wii is NOT about updated graphics. If they truly matter you should get an XBOX 360 or a PS3. True, the graphics are not perfect but those that have been enjoying the Wii are enjoying it because the games are FUN, which puts the graphics in second base when it comes to enjoyment.

Just because it suits Nintendo to say it's not about graphics doesn't mean it's not about graphics... Part of the fun is the looks of the game. It doesn't have to be technically brilliant but it has to not look out and out bad and Red Steel looks bad. It looks worse than even an average Cube game. Not just technically worse but artistically worse - bad enough that I don't want to have to look at it. Metroid prime, to pick something at random, doesn't look like that and doesn't make me feel I need to gouge my eyes out with a spoon

Um, dude...I know Red Steel is not graphically beautiful but its FAR from eye gouging bad. I'm sure you must've avoided the PSone like the plague because it featured some really bad 3D graphics, even by 90s standards.

Geist (which is the game I compare to Red Steel the most) also has some par graphics, but even with that I was having fun with it because it was the GAMEPLAY that enthralled me, not the graphics.

Hell, I personally think Wind waker would've been better if they had focused more on gameplay rather than just the stylized graphics.

I'm guessing you want to avoid Wii sports and Wii play as well, and they are even LESS graphically impressive than Red Steel.

[ShyGuy]

I don't think you should buy a Wii thejeek.

UncleBob, your AV setup was already abominable, why must it cross lines nature never intended it to??

[saluk]

I think you should try it first and then consider buying it or not.  Wii sports justified my purchase, and I'm a zelda fan so that works for me.   You ought to at least try Monkey Ball, to see if others' criticisms are valid from your perspective.  Most of the Wii releases are quite polarizing, some people love the games and others don't like them at all.  For quirky/weird, there is Rayman.  For arcadey there is Trauma Center.  Elebits is actually shaping up to be interesting, although it's not out yet.

Wii is worth the price even if you don't buy any games yet, just for Wii sports.  At least for me.  The slick interface, nice feel of the controller, and high tech appearance of the console, make it not feel like a cheap machine.

[segagamer12]

Well I can say for  100% that Dragon Ball Z Looks FANTASTIC not even at all GC Graphics. I had all teh DBZ games for GC and this one looks way better and plays way better.

Even Wii Sports has pretty Good grapics for the environments, the Mii's look N64 quality but thats not besides the point.


I haven't tried any other games yet but I have seen them in the stores and they look better than GC, but you have to take into consideration that teh launch games were mostly GC games to begin with and therefore the System hasn't even been properly tapped yet. Give it more time, but still the games out are not worse than GC they are better so they will continue to get even better.



With thats aid I too have a complaint about the Wii.



I hate how they have that blue light glowoiing when yor geting updates on Wiiconnect24 cuz ai had it one all day and was getting ecxcited tehy are sending me my first game or update or whatever, after all I did take the time to register my sistem so i was like cool. Then I boted up my Wii to fidn the stupid updates were just friends sending me their Miis.


Dont get me wrong the Mii channel ads a lot to eh online experience Live never could but they shouldn't tease you like that.  

[zakkiel]

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- Most launch games look worse than better quality Cube games (Red Steel looks like arse, frankly)

I've never understood this. It's another area where people think the game is great, or it sucks. I can only surmise that the "glow" around characters is causing unconscious associations with sprites, or something, because I have never seen a screenshot or movie that made me think the game looked other than great, and I've watched 'em all.

Otherwise: if you are not a Zelda fan, and none of the games coming out in the next year really appeal to you (I'm thinking it will be at least a year before we could begin expecting a price drop)... don't get a Wii now. If, on the other hand, any of those games strike you as a must-have, you might as well buy the system now, because you'll pay just as much for it later.

[Ian Sane]

"Hmmm. I've tried to like it but it it's just not my thing. I mean, I liked the graphics in WW but the gameplay bored me rigid so really I think there's probably no hope for me as a Zelda fan :-)"

Is Wind Waker the only one you've tried?  I personal consider that to be one of the weaker Zelda titles.  It's not bad but I wouldn't use it as an introduction to the series, particularly since the first few hours of the game focus more on stealth and don't provide a good sample of the Zelda experience.  Ocarina of Time or A Link to the Past are far better introductions (though Ocarina's graphics are pretty dated).

In my experience no console is worth buying at launch.  They cost too much, the hardware isn't always reliable, and the game selection is usually really poor.  You buy a console at launch because you're hyped about it.  The anticipation forces you to take to plunge.  At first I loved having a Cube at launch but after the first price cut I realized it wasn't worth it.  If you're not hyped about the Wii all the launch flaws are going to be clear as day to you so it isn't worth getting one now.  Hype is the beer goggles of videogames.  Wait until games come out that make you excited about owning a Wii.

[Kairon]

Don't be pressured into buying it at launch. If you're not sure, just wait 3-6 months and see if you still want it, you could probably get a better deal and buy better games by waiting.

HOWEVER, everyone was complaining about CoD's graphics, but they've got a whole bunch of soldiers on the screen and it is actually a step up above the GC's graphics. Also look at Zelda: those are GC graphics, and they are BEAUTIFUL. The only game so far that has looked really lackluister graphically for me has been my 10-minutes in playtime Tony Hawk Downhill Jam... but I was playing it split screen anyways.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[thejeek]

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Don't be pressured into buying it at launch. If you're not sure, just wait 3-6 months and see if you still want it, you could probably get a better deal and buy better games by waiting.

Yeah - I think that's really my best bet. I'm a bit bitter because I thought I was being very sly by trading in my Cube and a bunch of games earlier this year for store credit, planning to use the credit to get a Wii at launch. I figured the Cube would be worth less nearer the Wii launch so didn't want to risk trading it in on launch day. Now I've had no (non portable) console for months and I'm just not excited about the Wii any more and I wish I had my Cube back

[thejeek]

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Is Wind Waker the only one you've tried?

The only one I've played through all the way. I played a bit of OOT on my friends N64 and also something or other on the GBA but can't remember which (had lots of chickens in it)

I can see there's quality in Zelda but I'm just not a fan of that style of gaming - I like stuff that's more arcade style with shortish levels, lots of replay with the oppotunity to find/learn best routes and tactics + improve on past performance, and preferably lots of fast reactions and motor memory.  

[NWR_pap64]

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Originally posted by: thejeek

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Don't be pressured into buying it at launch. If you're not sure, just wait 3-6 months and see if you still want it, you could probably get a better deal and buy better games by waiting.

Yeah - I think that's really my best bet. I'm a bit bitter because I thought I was being very sly by trading in my Cube and a bunch of games earlier this year for store credit, planning to use the credit to get a Wii at launch. I figured the Cube would be worth less nearer the Wii launch so didn't want to risk trading it in on launch day. Now I've had no (non portable) console for months and I'm just not excited about the Wii any more and I wish I had my Cube back

If its true you already traded your GC in for store credit, why don't you just get a Wii? It DOES have GC support. get a Wii, even if it will be your GC for the moment.

While I do agree with Kairon that you shouldn't be pressured to buy one at launch (and I agree, to an extend, with what Ian said), I think you are putting WAY too much thought into the insecurities. The only one I understand is the price, but everything else is just blown up issues that can be solved or don't really matter.

But whatever...

[Ian Sane]

"I can see there's quality in Zelda but I'm just not a fan of that style of gaming - I like stuff that's more arcade style with shortish levels, lots of replay with the oppotunity to find/learn best routes and tactics + improve on past performance, and preferably lots of fast reactions and motor memory."

You sound like my brother.  He almost exclusively plays games full of action that rely on quick reflexes, skill, and instinct with virtually no puzzle solving.  If you're more of an action gamer then you probably won't like Zelda all that much.

[UncleBob]

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Originally posted by: ShyGuy
I don't think you should buy a Wii thejeek.

UncleBob, your AV setup was already abominable, why must it cross lines nature never intended it to??

Wow... two repiles on topic... heh...

[IceCold]

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anyone seen anything in the European launch line up (besides Super Monkey Ball) that might appeal to me (i.e. mainly quirky, twitchy and/or arcady stuff)

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I like stuff that's more arcade style with shortish levels, lots of replay with the oppotunity to find/learn best routes and tactics + improve on past performance, and preferably lots of fast reactions and motor memory.

Sounds like you're the perfect candidate for BIG DAMN TRUCKS. And perhaps Trauma Centre..

[thejeek]

Excite Truck could me my kind of thing - I'd prefer any other conveyance to trucks though, cars, boats, snowboards, hovercraft, motorbikes, boats, lawnmowers, giant seamonsters, all would be more to my taste - trucks are just terminally uncool. Still, Excite Truck might be worth a go.

EDIT: Actually Trauma Center might be OK too.  

[thejeek]

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You sound like my brother. He almost exclusively plays games full of action that rely on quick reflexes, skill, and instinct with virtually no puzzle solving. If you're more of an action gamer then you probably won't like Zelda all that much.

Yes - too much puzzle solving makes my brain hurt and gives me strong urges to throw the controller out of the window :-)