Yeah, while reading that in EGM I thought "wow, that sounds pretty cool...wait a minute, what month is this issue for? Ah, yes, that's the April Fool's Joke."

Gotta love EGM in April. Aside from the famous "Shen Long" that started it all, my favorite joke was the LOTR kart racing game.

The LOTR one was great. I didn't buy the Mushroom Kingdom Hearts for the same reason the dude on the podcast didn't fall for it. Disney, Nintendo & Square licenses all in one game? Overkill. That and the fact that Mario's outfit was poorly clipped in Photoshop.

i saw the one in game informer about the Wii balls, coming in a skin colored sack that will read how much you squeeze them....

sadly, it wasn't until I read about the colors the sack came in, did i realize that was a joke :lol:


sad, i know

You still have to remember what shape goes to what combo etc. Further compounded by the damn things not working half the time when the button combos work consistently once you have them down.

But for me, that's kind of a side issue. The other point of it just being fucking lame and stupid to draw a heart to do a trick in a snowboarding game is what turns me off. I'd personally MUCH rather just press buttons.

It's just a tacked on way to: 1) show off the new motion controls and 2) Make the game work on a system that doesn't have enough buttons on the standard controller.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow if a fair comparison for me. While a more extreme example of tacking on new controls scheme, it turned me off from the game a bit. SSX Blur was worse for me though since the picture drawing was such a big and constant part of the game rather than just an annoyance at boss fights.

But some people liked both, so to each their own I guess. :shrug:

I'm all for stylus and motion controls, they just have to be used in a way that makes me enjoy the game more for me to prefer them over traditional controls. Zelda did a great job of that as it was simple and more immersive for me. SSX Blur, while not any more complicated, just felt lame and tacked on to me.

Official Nintendo press release - Norwegian cruise line partners with Nintendo

Per IGN Wii...

Microsoft Says Wii is for Babies
Well, not exactly - but apparently once you hit your early teens, you outgrow it.
by Matt Casamassina
March 28, 2007 - Oh, sweet mud-slinging, how we love you. It would be impossible to count how many times company reps poked fun at GameCube, just as it would be a difficult undertaking to calculate how many times former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi spoke ill of his hardware competitors. Nowadays, though, publishers rarely speak badly of Nintendo or Wii as both are overwhelming success stories.

But Microsoft's group product manager for Xbox and the Live platform, John Rodman, recently took a stab at it. According to a report by Daily Tech, Rodman insinuated that gamers would outgrow Nintendo's new console just as soon as their voices started to change.

"We don't feel like the Wii customer and the Xbox customer are the same thing," Rodman reportedly said. "We think that as soon as the Wii customer turns 14, they want something else."

Whoops. We must've missed that memo. And so did our parents.

Wow. The execs would fit right in on most message boards.
*shrug* Don't have an XBox or 360. Do have a Wii. Have hit 14....20 years ago. If Xbox's main feature set is an online service allowing those 14 year olds to 'game'/talk trash, curse, and insult random others, they can keep it.

I agree that motion controls need to make sense and be fluid and immerse you in the game, and not just be there 'because'. That is one of my concerns about Wii longevity as well (i haven't tried SSX). But then again, for some games, if they're fluid and done right, they could be 'easier' than traditional button combos (playing Mortal Kombat, I had to print out move lists and practice with one character a lot just so I could learn and pull off his moves, much less win a fight with them.)

Well my Wii sort of died yesterday. Luckily I know someone that has one so I was able to check and it was only the AC adapter. I again have to credit Nintendo for awesome customer service. Phone call took less than two minutes, they didn't hassle me the way Sony has in the past. I explained the situation and he got my address and sent me a new AC adapter. I didn't even have to give them a serial number, send them a copy of my receipt (fuck you Sony) and I don't have to send them back the old adapter. Nintendo is king of customer service.

Yeah, MS execs are the new Sony execs for 2007.

Wii golf games -- comparison
 

(This was posted in the TW thread, but I figure more folks might catch it here in the sticky Wii thread.)

I've spent a fair bit of time Wii golfing over the past week or so. As promised earlier (in the TW thread), I'm sharing my observations on the relative "golf-ness" of the 3 Wii golf games now available. This is more to help people in deciding if they may like a game than a spark intended to incite flames. As an initial matter, I'm not a hardcore golfer, but an occasional hacker (not more than 2-3 outings/year) who doesn't shoot below 100 (although I do try...).

Summary up front: In terms of swing mechanics and similar feel to real golf (which has *nothing* to do with graphics, characters, etc.!), this is my rating (most golflike to least golflike):

Tiger Woods > Wii Sports > Super Swing

Now for the whys and other observations:

Tiger Woods initially had a few glitches, including swings that started unintentionally or never followed thru past the backswing. As noted earlier in this thread, this can be avoided by timing and smoothness. A slight jiggle of the wiimote after pressing the B trigger can start a backswing unintentionally. The cure is simply to press the B trigger and start a smooth backswing immediately. Don't hold the trigger while settling in for a shot. A smooth backswing followed by a smooth follow through gives very consistent results. You can put something extra on the ball (>100%) with a fst swing, or consistently get 70-80% swings (with some finer control) with a partial backswing and slower follow through. Putting is still a bit tricky to get the distance consistent, but smooth and distinct back and forward motions helps. Use practice shots to find the right rhythm and combo. Putting results do not quite foillow a purely natural putting stroke (you have to adapt your rhythm to the game control mechanics) but once you figure it out, putting is more consistent and not unlike a real putt. Ball mechanics and lies are decent, and hooks/slices can be done either by follow-through twists of the wiimote or by holding the wiimote at an angle thru the entire shot. Tiger Woods seems closer in difficulty to real-life golf than the other golf games (although my scores are better in TW than in RL!).

Wii Sports golf has a reasonable swing mechanic. It encourages you to have a smooth backswing and follow through for consistent results. Power is the main shot aspect controlled by the swing. Sadly, the hook/slice is random and appears only when you swing harder than the 100% top of the swing meter. Wind seems to be used as a bigger factor (it has more noticeable effect) in this game than the others. Putting is a bit easier to control, and is generally a bit easier overall than in the other games. I like Wii Sports golf for taking some hacks and playing a few quick holes.

Super Swing has the least realistic swing mechanics of the three in real life. I've read many reviews praising the mechanics, but let me explain why I beg to differ. Super Swing is the most like a conventional button-push swing-meter game than the other two games. The conventional meter is at the bottom of the screen. But most importantly, the strength of your swing is determined not by the height of your backswing, but by the precise angle of the wiimote at (or near) the top of your backswing. Why is this unrealistic? Because, no matter how much I might want to, I cannot prevent myself from pausing at the top of the backswing, adjusting the wiimote angle slightly to get to the right spot on the power meter, and then pressing the A button to lock that power and then following through on the swing. This game encourages and almost requires that sort of "cheating" to get precise power on your shots. And at that point it is more like a conventional button-pushing golf game than a "realistic swing" game. The follow through has some effect on hook/slice (corresponding to the second button push in powerbar-based golf games) which is OK. The speed of the follow through has little effect on the strength of the shot though. Putting encourages the same "cheating." It is hard to avoid adjusting the wiimote angle on your backswing to get the meter just where you want it, then pressing the A button and following through. Again, Super Swing encourages a separated 2-part swing to get the strength accurate. (Although I realize you don't have to play that way, it is hard not to! I'm sure enough practice may lead to good results with a more continuous swing, but the thinking is still split between top-of-backswing precision and follow through straightness.)

So, Tiger is my game for the most realistic golfing feel. Wii Sports is fun for playing a few holes for fun. And I do like Super Swing a lot (it also has a lot of unlockable features, "power-ups," a story mode with multiple characters, etc.). However, I actually found myself preferring to play Super Swing using the button control. And for that, I would recommend the essentially free PC version (aka Albatross18 or Pangya), which also has online multiplayer features.

my friends keep bugging me about getting a good golf game for the Wii, but I keep telling them I'm going to wait for Mario Golf

Don't know much or watched much for Super Paper Mario, but I bit the bullet and pre-ordered at CDUniverse with the new Google Checkout Coupon. $41.94 shipped.

I've enjoyed my Wii, but I'm still looking for that magic game that makes it all come together and seem worthwhile. I haven't turned it on in two weeks. :sad: And that is with the new Sonic game staring at me.

I'm not an RPG fan, but don't mind action/adventure games with RPG elements. This one sounds interesting though from the limited info I've read on it. Mostly the excellent developer interview in Nintendo Power this month.

Which, BTW, has turned out to be a pretty solid little mag. Not the shit it used to be. They generally have pages of info dedicated to the big games, with lengthy descriptions. Color me impressed. I think I might like it more than EGM.

rent that Godfather game Michael


you'll like it :D

From what I've seen it looks to be one of, if not the, best platformer ever. That's not hyperbole. It really looks to be awesome. I'm really looking forward to this one. The mixture of action and puzzle-solving looks great. The ability to switch between 2d and 3d looks really cool and not just gimicky (it's useful, not just for show). The mixture of RPG elements (gaining HP, skills, etc.) in a mostly action/platformer seems well balanced. From what I've read it's also a good mixture of easy-going and challenging gameplay. Some really easy/moderate stuff mixed with some hair-pulling hard stuff. I'm really excited about this game.

Now, I just hope it lives up to my very high expectations.

As for my Wii-playing. It's slowed a bit, just because I've been tired when I get home from work and haven't felt like much game playing. I've been renting games, so it's been getting pretty steady attention. I've been playing some GC games on it as well. This weekend I'm going to play through some more Cooking Mama before I return it on Monday. I want to rent Tiger Woods and Godfather, so those are probably next on my rental plate.

$41.94 is a great price for that. They show a release date of Thursday 4/12. I'd be afraid of missing out on that weekend of gaming! I may just use my $5 off Wii game BB/Gamepro coupon and get it for $45 + tax.

I'm not sold, yet, on this new paper mario.


the one for SNES was so short, and I wasn't really impressed with the one for the 64.

I didn't play the ones on the GC, so I guess I'll wait for my bro to buy it, and borrow it from him

It's been tempting from the positive words you and others have said. I'm just not a huge sandbox fan(although I did LOVE both Crackdown and Dead Rising) and I'm really not a Mafia kinda guy either. Do you think I would still enjoy it?

I'm not too worried about when it will show up. Right now it is all about the 360 anyway.

i think, if you totally removed the story, mobsters, and everything else, I believe you would be sold on the solid controls above all else.


I showed this game to my brother 2 days ago. He was POSITIVE that he wouldn't be interested, but again, I insisted he check it out and eventually give it a try.

Besides him falling in love with the execution moves, he seemed to be very impressed with the 3rd person mode, similar to Zelda, where you strafe and walk, and can aim any where on the screen with the Wii pointer

If you lock onto an enemy, like in crackdown, you can choose where to shoot him (head, leg, arm) similar to crackdown. Instead of moving the analog, you move the Wii pointer.

They realize that you don't want to be constantly aiming the pointer at the screen, so they really make it fool proof.

It may seem weird to remember all the various moves, but they are more obvious than you would initially think.

My brother was asking how to choke people, and I really didn't want to pull out the book. We thought about it for a few seconds, and basically just tried the motions you would if you were actually choking someone (bring both hands close to each other)

At that point, he would start the choke, but let go. Instead, you just repeat the motion, as if you REALLY want to choke someone, over and over, and you have a dead body now.

Cool. I'll put it on my radar. I just wasn't sure how integrated or removed the gangster theme is. Meaning you could remove it/change that aspect and still have a great game.

I was never a fan of the Godfather movies. Too friggin long imo.

I really skip 9 out of 10 cut scenes for every game, tbh

:lol: Well now you almost have me sold.

yea, its really all about gameplay with me...

and this game does a VERY good job. Definitely my favorite Wii game, by far

I never played the SNES or 64 paper mario, but the GC one is fun, though totally different from Super Paper Mario. SPM isn't really an RPG, it just has RPG elements. Instead, imagine Super Mario Bros with some RPG elements like HPs, increased skills, etc (no turn-based fighting here, it's real-time fighting). It's also a mixture of 2d platforming and 3d platforming, as you can switch between the two perspectives -- to pass certain parts or find secrets. As for game time. I'd imagine it's at least 20 hours. One of the developers said it could easily be 30-50 though (probably depends how much of a completist you are).

i could really go either way with this game


i really like the SNES one. The RPG elements kept me interested, as well as the combo system.

problem is, for those 30-50 hour games, I never seem to have the patience to finish them.

Again, this will be no where near the RPG type of game that Super Mario RPG or the Paper Mario games are.

This is basically just a mario platformer (like SMB 1,2 & 3 etc.) with just some lite RPG elements tacked on.

And from early reviews, it sounds like 20 hour or so game (one mentioned being 10 hours and seemingly about half way through).