Wow I'm Impressed with Wii

[Marc von Martial]

ORIGINAL: Oleg Mastruko

.... Yesterday I read a nicely and descriptively written review for CoD3 on Wii, which concludes game is nigh on unplayable on Wii with it's controls being totally inappropriate for FPS games (very imprecise and too random). I can't find the URL to the said review though [>:]

But we all know what to give on game reviewer reviews, hehe [:'(]

[Marc von Martial]

The Gamespot review on the COD3 Wii version say nothing about beeing "unplayable", it says you have to learn and the learning curve is definetly there. No surprise given the completly different controls.

The reviews of games will come down to how the reviewers are willing to really give the Wii controlls a try. After all you can play everything with a normal controller too. So basically reviews would need to cover both possibilites.

But I guess that's the same as with reviews about wargames, if the reviewer is not willing to to really try then the review is worth nothing. Happend quite some time to us [;)]

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: Marc Schwanebeck

But I guess that's the same as with reviews about wargames, if the reviewer is not willing to to really try then the review is worth nothing. Happend quite some time to us [;)]

Same goes simulations: in one review of Starshatter was said something about ...like first person shooter without powerups... Whoever wrote that hasn't played Delta Force, Ghost Recon or Operation Flashpoint.

[Oleg Mastruko]

ORIGINAL: Matti Kuokkanen

ORIGINAL: Marc Schwanebeck

But I guess that's the same as with reviews about wargames, if the reviewer is not willing to to really try then the review is worth nothing. Happend quite some time to us [;)]

Same goes simulations: in one review of Starshatter was said something about ...like first person shooter without powerups... Whoever wrote that hasn't played Delta Force, Ghost Recon or Operation Flashpoint.

Reviewer stereotyping galore [:D] Most reviewers I know (including myself) are actually very devoted, professional and prepared to give every possible chance to reviewed product, trying to figure out the way it is *supposed* to work (not the way they *want* it to work or think it should work). Of course there are bad reviewers out there, as there are bad journalists in general.

I am sure Wii, being the novel and (supposedly) fun thing, will be reviewed with lots of good will on the side of reviewers. After all it's a fun new console, not some obscure hex based wargame from Marc, David, Erik & co (LOL [:D][:D])

With that in mind, mostly mediocre marks for Wii games (including Gasmespot with most launch titles around 7-ish and less) are not very encouraging.

Oh and another thing, I've seen the effect I'd call "beneficial superficial reviewing" too. It happens when Your Average Indolent Reviewer (YAIR) does not want to spend his time and energy reviewing the game, but he sees there is something important happening there, probably beyond his comprehension - so even though he obviously does not understand the game, he ends up giving solid marks out of some strange mixture of respect and laziness.

I've seen games like HTTR, COTA, WaW and practically ALL HPS titles benefit from this approach [:D] A certain English language gaming magazine I won't name here is notorious for this - seems like most of their reviews are 5 minute affairs, sometimes ending with reviewer giving solid marks as some sort of an excuse for being too lazy or stupid to actually understand the product [:D]

Oleg

[jvgfanatic]

Just jumping in here to respond to Oleg, I know of what you speak. I'm in the middle of working on a Ys Strategy review. Most gamers have played a few levels and written the game off as crap. Despite the fact that I'm still only barely into the game my review for it is already 6 pages long. Rest assured that I will trim it down but it's length comes from an attempt to work within the game. The game has grown on me, I haven't lost site of its faults but I've found workarounds for many of them and for the first time in a long time am enjoying a RTS.

I think not enough reviewers begin by examining their own biases (I don't generally like RTS games) and that can only lead to a slippery slope of comfortable catch phrases. As long as they can make it look like they got into the game it'll be okay. It's easy enough to spot the posers, however.

Anyway, I've said more here than I wanted to say (hear, hear!). Cheers.

[ravinhood]

A reviewers opinion is a biased review no matter how you slice n dice it. If you love a company or love a game engine you are going to be prone to show it in a review. If you hate a company or you hate a game type you are also prone to show it in a review. There is not one review that I can't pick out the biased remarks in them, not a one can be totally objective.
 
All to many reviewers get off into what they like and dislike about the game instead of presenting the game features, it's challenges, the AI ability (this is something that only gets one liners most of the time and is to me one of the most important aspects of any computer game). How well do the features work an interact with the player, etc. etc. I want to know about the game, it's mechanics and it's difficulty factors. Something else I find few ever do is tell us the variances of difficulty the difficulty levels present. I don't think a fair review can be made playing the "easy" difficulty with all the cheat codes.  Once again too much fluff and not enough stuff.

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: ravinhood

A reviewers opinion is a biased review no matter how you slice n dice it. If you love a company or love a game engine you are going to be prone to show it in a review.

Or if game of said company really sucks, reviewer might be dissapointed and it would show in review.

[IandMe]

I've always wondered if there is any truth to the rumor that magazines will give good reviews if a company is a large advitisor.

[Kuokkanen]

If company has large what?

[Sarge]

IandMe means large advertisers,

I am also sure there is some bias to their advertisers, it would be financial suicide otherwise .

[David Heath]

Yea Hey Baby.... I just got a Wii for my son.  This is really looking like a great console system.

David
 

[ravinhood]

Uh huh for your SON uh huh hahah like I used to buy train sets and model racing car sets for my SON too. haha

[Marc von Martial]

ORIGINAL: David Heath

Yea Hey Baby.... I just got a Wii for my son. This is really looking like a great console system.

David

NO excuses anymore now Dave, work out [;)]

[Charles2222]

I guess this means that Matrix will have to start making games for consoles (Wii) now [:-]

[Oleg Mastruko]

ORIGINAL: Charles_22

I guess this means that Matrix will have to start making games for consoles (Wii) now [:-]

I'd love to see that....

Wiiar in the Pacific - Wii version [:D] LOL! Try to wrestle with the already not-very-friendly interface using Wiimote!

or perhaps:

Wiirth of America

Gary Grigsby World at Wii - handle the strategic production in the novel way, as you move the Wiimote in circles faster and faster you get better production bonuses! Wargame workout works wonders!

Wiimpire in Arms - finally to be released for Wii4 in 2015 exactly two centuries after Waterlii. [:D]

Lets see who can come up with the most hilarious Matrix Wii conversion [:'(]

[Charles2222]

ORIGINAL: Oleg Mastruko

ORIGINAL: Charles_22

I guess this means that Matrix will have to start making games for consoles (Wii) now [:-]

I'd love to see that....

Wiiar in the Pacific - Wii version [:D] LOL! Try to wrestle with the already not-very-friendly interface using Wiimote!

or perhaps:

Wiirth of America

Gary Grigsby World at Wii - handle the strategic production in the novel way, as you move the Wiimote in circles faster and faster you get better production bonuses! Wargame workout works wonders!

Wiimpire in Arms - finally to be released for Wii4 in 2015 exactly two centuries after Waterlii. [:D]

Lets see who can come up with the most hilarious Matrix Wii conversion [:'(]

You touched on something there Oleg. How about trying to fly against CAP? You extend your arms and dart around the room to try to simulate the hard turning abilities of the Zero.

To simulate a bombing run, you would need to place the device into your trousers and then jettison it out from the zipper.

For incendiary bombing you would have to one of two things 1) place it in the trousers for a good while, so it gets good and warm and then jettison, or 2) rub the device quite strenously (such as Boy Scout fire-starting) with both hands and then place in pants and jettison.

For machine-gunning? You spit really rapidly. If that doesn't work you spit on the Wii really rapidly.

[Kuokkanen]

Finally some decent article about Wii in local (finnish) game magazine which answers my questions I've posted here. Wii can play Game Cube games right away but it don't seem have slots for older consoles (Nintendo 64 and earlier). However those games are available online and buying & downloading them is something like games of Xbox Live! That means I can't insert my 15 year old (older?) Probotector (NES game) to Wii but instead I would need buy it AGAIN and download for Wii. For Game Cube and Nintendo 64 games there is own controller, called Classic-pad, but some other games (NES & SNES) can be played with Remote, which reminds more than little original NES pad (A & B buttons seem to be named 1 & 2).

[Charles2222]

That would halfway make sense if they would give you a substantial discount for proof that you own the old version that you are downloading, but, instead, if I have read the situation correctly, they mislead you into thinking your old games would work, when the reality is they won't work at all as the customer understands it, because to pay for old games you never owned on one system is a bonus possibility, but for the ones you owned is just a ruse.

[Kuokkanen]

Charls, chill down! You can still use your old consoles for old games, if THEY are in working order. My NES is [:D]

[Charles2222]

Nonetheless, people seem to often buy it with the understanding they can play the old games on it. There are those, also, who don't have the old sytems, I would qualify as such if I were interested in the Wii, who will be disappointed that one of the selling points was largely fictitious.

I wonder if they sell the downloadable old games with a large discount, assuming they don't give owners of old titles a discount? Some people, if they believed the hype, would have also trashed or sold their old console just to save space, since, afterall, this was going to take care of that.