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| Nintendo Wii - E3 Preview |
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| by Jason "Rodzilla" Rodzik |
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| Posted on May 16, 2006 |
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Rodzik’s Impressions
As we headed straight for the PlayStation 3 during the first day’s early access hours for media, we expected there to be huge waits for the PlayStation 3 games later in the expo. Of course, we ended up picking the wrong West Hall big-name to head for first, as Nintendo had their Wii closed off in what has to be one of the most asinine booth setups in history, while Sony had all their PS3 games in a wide open space.
So we decided to see the Wii first thing on Friday, and apparently about 8,000 people had the same idea, so we waited a good three hours to see the new Nintendo. Whether it was worth the wait or not, I could see it both ways, but it’s certainly an interesting console. When we first entered the main Wii booth, Nintendo had two drummers playing a demo of a drumming game for the Wii, simply by pressing the button of the drum of cymbal and moving the controller in a drumming motion. The demo was impressive, as were the other musically based demos, but what I really wanted to do was get my own hands on a game.
Overall, the Wii controller is certainly interesting. I was a bit amazed by the size of the console, especially compared to the relatively massive Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. Playing Madden with the controller certainly wasn’t everything I had hoped it would be, and it seemed as if it was even overly complicated just so that it could use the features of the Wii, despite the fact that it didn’t use the controller as effectively as it could have.
From the looks of the variety of games that Nintendo had both on display and for hands-on playing in their booth for the Wii, it seems to be that the Nintendo Wii will be absolutely amazing at games that are designed solely for it. Games developed for multiple platforms, including the Wii, even if additional time is spent on extra controls such as Madden, will most likely play better and look better on other platforms. However, games developed solely for the console and the features of its controller look to be very promising and also seem to be poised to turn a whole new group of non-gamers into gamers. The idea that a young child could spend time conducting an orchestra or playing drums simply by waving a controller around is certainly an interesting one, and may appeal to a large group of parents that may otherwise despise video games.
Vince’s Impressions
Nintendo isn’t competing with the PS3 or Xbox 360 in terms of graphics or performance with their new console, the Wii. Instead, Nintendo is promoting a whole new style of game play at an unbeatable price. The new hot feature of this next-gen console is of course the remote. Looking like an ordinary TV clicker, the remote contains a series of accelerometers which allow it to sense motion in the pitch, yaw, and roll directions. Now instead of just mashing buttons, players can interact with their games by physically manipulating the remote.
This new feature allows Nintendo to produce a variety revolutionary games that, for all intents and purposes, won’t be nearly as fun to play on other consoles. For example, it is possible to conduct an orchestra with this remote simply by waving it around in the air. Tennis games turn into exercise as players get up and swing the remotes as if they were rackets, and with a pair of remotes anyone can become an all-star drummer.
While the new interactive games are lots of fun to play, old-style games seem to suffer a bit on the Wii. Adventure games like Mario Galaxy and Zelda: Twilight Princess have no need for a sensing feature and would play much more ergonomically with a regular controller.
So should you purchase a Wii? Priced at $249, it is a more affordable option than the PS3 ($499 or $599 depending on how much memory you want). Both the PS3 and Wii have sensing controllers, but Nintendo is making games based on the remote; Sony is merely adding sensor features to some aspects of some of their titles. This means that if you really want to get up and active with your sensing feature, Nintendo will have the better system. If you’re used to classic styles of games with new twists, PS3 will be the better bet.
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