So, the Wii has been out for a week now and after a very long wait since the Nintendo “Revolution” days its quite a wonder realising where it has all come from. If you’ve been living under a rock, this may be Nintendo’s last hearty attempts at gaining supremacy of the market that it had lost since the Xbox and PlayStation stepped into the arena (even if Nintendo do claim that they’re not in it to win).

So after a long Wii-kend (gaw!) playing with the Wii, what’s my super honest opinion on the machine? What’s the verdict on a machine that Nintendo has promised to revolutionise the the way we play “games”? The little white box that aims to capture the hearts of those who have never played games before and those who have lost faith in the ‘ol mighty Nintendo? Well, to be honest, the Nintendo Wii is somewhat under-whelming.

Before I continue, I just want to let you know that I’m a big Nintendo fanboy and I’m trying to be as objective as possible.

Yesteryear’s technology
First off, I’m upset. Wait, more like pissed off with Nintendo’s decision to base the Wii on old GameCube technology. Dare I say it again? OLD. GAMECUBE. TECHNOLOGY! Sure, the chip may have been redesigned to consume minimal power (17 watts compared to 160 watts on the xbox 360, both during gameplay), but to be honest, I want a machine that at least looks like it’s a NOTICABLE evolution from its predecessor. I don’t care if its about ALL about gameplay. How can one experience great gameplay when one has to squint at the screen trying to decipher what the bunch of pixels represent? Yes, the machine IS a cute little white box. But fuck, how does that affect my gaming experience? Will the sheer delight of it being smaller than 3 DVDs (in width) allow excessive endorphin release thus making my gameplay experience more fantastic?! Or even, Wii-tasitc?!

Over here it’s $400AU for a Wii. In the US, its $250US. So with current exchange rates we’re paying an extra $80 for the same machine! Where does the extra dosh go to? Is Nintendo ripping off Aussie gamers? Is there something that makes our PAL systems more expensive?

These days GameCubes are selling at $100AU with a controller. For the Wii package and since we’re bored, lets take a mild guess at what each item costs in the standard Wii package:
*Wiimote and Nunchuck = $100 (according to RRP)
*Wii sports = $20 (a bunch of nicely disguised tech demos)
*Sensor bar = $20 (people have already begun to make their own wireless sensor bars using stuff found from stores like Dick Smith)

Which leaves the updated GameCube 1.5 technology (incl. WiFi, Bluetooth) at $260.

$260 for that little white box? In fact the price for that little white box could even be higher since packaging the Wiimote and Nunchuck with the machine could be cheaper. As a gamer and consumer involved in this new 256bit console war, I really did expect a GameCube 2 rather than this measly GameCube 1.1.

For Sony they will make a loss on every PS3 sold, while Microsoft’s Xbox division will finally see a profit in late 2007. Where does Nintendo stand in debt land? Well guess what kids? THEY DON’T. Nintendo claims that they will make a profit on every Wii sold. Let me say it again, EVERY WII SOLD = BIG PROFIT. Now this is the disheartening bit, while companies like Microsoft and Sony lose money along the way pushing for faster processors and better graphics, Nintendo decides to sit back and keep its profit margin by slapping on new controller technology onto last generation’s graphics. Sounds like good business I know but it also sounds like Nintendo is giving the loyal fans a slap in the face.

Yes, it’s great that Nintendo believes in the art of gameplay and is pushing all for it, but please, also gimme something decent to look at as well! Am I asking for too much?

Johnny, the Wii has revolutionary control methods!
You can argue that graphics don’t matter if the gameplay is ace. But lets be truthful here, graphics DO matter. Alot. Especially if you know what an Xbox360 and PS3 is. In my opinion, graphics make up half the experience. Lets take Call of Duty 3 for instance, beautiful on the 360 and PS3. And how does it look on the Wii? Utter shit. It’s so shit that its hard to distinguish if it’s an enemy soldier or a tree in the distance. I could be shooting a monkey for all I know. It’s that bad. Which brings me to my next point.

The Wii was sOOo not made for First Person Shooters - well at least for the launch titles anyway. Using Call of Duty 3 and Red Steel as examples, they suck because: A) the poor graphics; and B) the controls. Ironic isn’t it? Call of Duty 3, the better FPS than Red Steel according to many reviews in terms of playability, is way below par. I got frustrated with the technology more than I should be praising it. After spending yonkers in the Wiimote sensitivity menus the game was still abit jerky, unresponsive and an annoying pile of dogs nuts. And yes, I have set up my Sensor Bar position a zillion times! Using the Wiimote for a shooter may sound great on paper, but the reality is I’d rather go back to the mouse or even the anti-revolutionary control pad. Actually, the Wiimote IS very good for a shooter if the SCREEN doesn’t move. Once the screen starts moving, ie. looking around the virtual room, it sucks arse. Hard. I hope this isn’t what other FPS’s will be like in the Wii’s future. Hmm, now I think about it I think half the problem lies in the button layout on the Wiimote. Sometimes I feel the crosspad and that fat “A” button are abit too high on the Wiimote, which results in the the UP button on the crosspad at times being unreachable. Also the 1 and 2 buttons lie too low at the bottom. Most of the time in Call of Duty to get to the 1 and 2 buttons, I had to reposition my hand in a way that made my crosshair disappear off screen. Maybe I have crappy hands.

How many times did I tell you Jimmy? Move closer to the TV!
There are some other annoyances too, such as for pointing based games you need to be within 3 metres of the Sensor Bar. And that’s annoying if your couch is 5 metres away (mine really is). Why have limited infrared technology when everything else in the Wiimote such as angling, acceleration, button presses etc can be read by the system 2 rooms away? The Bluetooth technology really goes that far! It’s amazing that I can still bowl in Wiisports while the Wii is in the lounge room and I’m in my bedroom!

Another little gripe is the Wii’s single taskingness. If I wanted to go back to “Home” (stuff outside the actual games such as surfing the net) it means I have to leave the game. After doing whatever I wanted in the “Home” why do I have to start at the game’s begin screen again? Why can’t it multitask! It’d only be like switching windows. Oh wait, it’s only a GameCube

And the little speaker on the Wiimote? It’s a Gameboy speaker crackling everytime.

Still good
Given all the negative points about the Wii, there are some good bits. Only abit though. For one, it would be the Wiimote motion technology. For something simple like party games it’s good. Very good. Probably the single most very good thing in the name of party games ever. But is it worth $400? Is it worth the money only to bring it out everytime there’s a party? Oh by the way, that’s $400 excluding the additional controllers and games. So for $400, you’d be playing WiiSports by yourself. You nigel.

So it’s great for short bursts, but for the games that require abit more depth and endurance it’s not great. It gets tiring and if the controls don’t work well, it gets very frustrating (I’m only talking about slight wrist flexes here, not the full big motions!). Obviously since it’s only the beginning, we have yet to see how great the technology really is.

And finally, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
To be honest, I only bought the Wii on launch day because of Zelda. Despite being a big Nintendo fanboy I was still skeptic about the machine. But anyway, it’s a great game so far. Just what I’ve been longing for since the Ocarina of Time and it’s one of the most beautifully presented games even if it’s on a “GameCube”. It’s utterly gorgeous, running from the in-game menu screens all the way to the little icons on the playing interface. As brute as it sounds it has one major annoyance - the Wiimote. Swinging the Wiimote to simulate a sword swing is only novel within the first 5 mins (I’m still talking about slight wrist flexes here people!). Honestly, I want a traditional control pad to play this game!

To be frank, the Wii is not for the hardcore gamer. They would have better luck and value for money spending it on an Xbox 360 or even…. a PS3. For a Nintendo fanboy and for people who enjoy short bursts of gaming it’s perfect. Wait no, the $400 Aussie price tag doesn’t make it perfect at all.

I could go on forever, but no. I’ll leave it to the pub discussions.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 14th, 2006 at 9:50 am and is filed under Technology, Popular Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.