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Wii Version of Twilight Princess to Require Wiimote
1up is reporting that the Wii version of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will require the use of the Wiimote. The GameCube controller for the Wii will not be usable for the Wii version of the game, despite the fact that the game will also be coming out on the Cube. This has provoked discussion that the Wii version of the game may include extra content or gameplay elements, which will make it unplayable with the GameCube controller. From the article: "Many had hoped Nintendo would allow for dual Wii and GameCube support ala a number of upcoming Wii releases, but Nintendo appears confident enough in its design that hardened fans will have to pick up the GameCube release if they're that hardcore. You still have time to decide which one sways you, as both versions will be launched simultaneously during Wii's launch date this fall."
According to n-sider,
* Bad for the game: Twilight Princess is a GameCube game, plain and simple. It was developed around a solid traditional foundation, with traditional and cleanly defined control options. The Wii controller is simply unable to completely emulate the functionality that the game was designed around. Even if it could emulate all of the functionality, it's not really adding anything to the game. All it's doing is tacking on more convoluted ways of doing things you could already do with the GameCube controller.
* Bad for the Wii: Again, Twilight Princess is a GameCube game. Gamers might be more forgiving of the fact that the Wii version has GameCube graphics if not for the fact that it has GameCube gameplay as well. The Wii seems to be rife with these kinds of games at the moment -- games that only use the motion-sensing capability of the controller to emulate actions that you could do with a regular controller. When you change the controller without changing the game, you do a piss-poor job of proving the point of your hardware. The Wii is supposed to offer new possibilities, not repackage the past with a shiny new bow.
The same article also says the game plays rather poorly with the wiimote, and that the controls seem to be a bad imitation of fine gamecube controls. The worst part is the lack of camera control on the wii version. Looks like I'll be picking up the GameCube version for sure.
Erm, I suppose I should be complaining about 1up reporting this as news on a slow news day, but didn't Nintendo make this clear back during E3?
Xbox 360 version of kameo ro require 360 controller. PS3 version of heavenly sword to require ps3 controller..
best headline ever.
The war with islam is a war on the beast
The war on terror is a war for peace
This was the only Wii game I planned on buying this year. GameCube for the win!
The more we learn about the Wii controller the less revolutionary it sounds and the more like just another gimmick it becomes. The days of the talk of Nintendo reinventing console gaming back at E3 seem so long ago now.
"Game released on console to require that console's controller"
and here I thought I would be able to use my Atari Joystick!
The original Xbox controller is a USB human interface device (HID). Widely available adapters (such as EMS USB2) make the PS2 Dual Shock controller appear as a USB HID. If a game doesn't support generic USB HIDs, then it's either the game developer's fault (for not checking for USB HIDs in the game's input code) or the console maker's fault (for not providing any driver for USB HIDs to developers, in an attempt to increase attach rate by promoting sales of new controllers).
It's different when a system has backward compatibility. You'd be surprised at how few PS2 games need the pressure sensitive buttons; most work fine with a PS1 digital controller or a PS1 Dual Shock controller. Heck, the Sonic the Hedgehog games for Sega Genesis can reportedly be played with an Atari 2600 controller, as the Sega protocol is just a compatible embrace-and-extension of the Atari parallel joystick protocol.
so which version should I get? Is nintendo hoping I purchase both by not allowing GC controllers (since we already know you can plug a GC controller into the Wii) to work w/ the Wii ver?
If the Wii has any additional gameplay elements or improved graphics/sound I would say no question get the Wii ver.. However if it's exactly the same I'd lean towards the GC ver. My logic behind this is that the core of the games controllers were designed first and formost w/ the GC controller in mind.
I really hope we get the specifics on the differences (if any) soon so I can ensure I have the new Zelda on release day
Ok, I haven't been keeping up with the TP news but last I knew the game was gamecube 100%, there was no Wii version of the game coming out.
What was going to happen was, The Wii would know it was TP (thanks to the B/C) and add in new Wii-Mote functions for the game.
So now are we going to get two versions of the exact same game?
In other news, Phantom Hourglass will require you to own a Nintendo DS to play. ... ok, not so completely different.
Sometimes when I'm working on projects things disappear, I suspect gremlins.
My comment was intended not solely to state a tautology ("it is either A or B") but to start a discussion ("is it A?"). I guess I forgot to make the implied question explicit:
On video game consoles with a USB port, is the lack of support for USB HID gamepads in games more likely the fault A. of the game developers or B. of the console makers?
The PlayStation 3 console runs a Linux operating system. In order for what you said to be true, one of the following has to be the case:
Which is more likely?
Wasn't there more differences between the two versions of Twilight Princess than just the control scheme? I remember hearing that only the Wii version would support a widescreen aspect ratio. I was considering getting the Wii version just for that, but if it requires you to use a control scheme other than the one for which the game was designed, then I'll have to wait and see....
...but is it art?
Besides the obligatory "zOMG U haff 2 u53 the w11m0t3 4 a w11 game!!!!!11", Do you really think the Wii control scheme will be worse than the GCN controller? I doubt Nintendo would let any of their games, least of all Zelda, ship with controls that were in any way bad. I can honestly say that I have never played a Nintendo game with BAD controls. The Wiimote controls weren't simply tacked on in the last few weeks before release; Nintendo has been working for months on adding the Wiimote (I doubt there was much more development of the main game), and the quality of the controls really matters. Zelda, as a Wii launch title, will one of people's first experiences with the Wiimote, and I doubt Nintendo will let people down. I'll be buying the Wii version just for the novelty, personally.
I've heard that Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario Bros, once praised Naoto Ohshima and the Sonic Team for being able to do what he never could: produce a successful platformer that used only one button. It is, litterally, the Apple of the videogame world. It cuts the platformer genre down to its simplest form: run, and jump. It does away with the traditional "run" button of Mario, and instead uses an exponential accelleration system to compansate, so when walking short distances (like jumping from platform to platform), you're moving slowly, but hold the controlpad over, and you will run faster and faster. If you think about it, during normal play, Sonic isn't really any faster than Mario... it's the exponential accelleration that gives Sonic the kick that made it famous.
This is the main reason why I think the first Sonic game is the strongest in the series (as well as Sonic CD and the original GameGear Sonic). Sonic 2 had great level design, but the addition of the spin dash completely destroyed the purity of the original Sonic's control setup. If you got going really fast in the original, it was a rush, because you had to get to that speed by your own doing... with Sonic 2 and on, going from zero to fast was just too easy to make it that thrilling anymore.
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
I don't see why any of this is a problem. I fear that half the people here imagine having to swing the wiimote around frantically just to get Link to walk from one side of the room to another. You'll be using the nunchuck add-on to move, in other words a regular analog joystick as seen on the N64 and GC. To attack with the sword, you again, just use a regular button on the wiimote.
It's only when it comes to firing the bow, fishing and things like that then you'll start to really use the wiimote's features.
I don't think it'll be any more difficult to control whichever version you get, and if you plan to have both consoles then I would personally go for the Wii version.
Having two versions just lets Nintendo promote the Wii a little more by having a 'killer app' on it. Although why they couldn't stick both a GC disk and a Wii disk inside the same box and charge the price of a normal game is beyond me.
Wii Version of Twilight Princess to Require Wiimote
Did you know that Wii is the new console from Nintendo? The sky is blue? Slashdot sucks?
I'm a hardcore Zelda fan; it's the main reason why I buy Nintendo consoles at all. I'm worried that I might not like the Wii controls for the game, but I don't want to find that out only after I've bought a Wii and played the game for a while. Does anyone know if it's possible to save the Wii game onto a Gamecube memory card and transfer it over to the GC to be played there, in case I don't like the control?
What is this all about? ... ring a bell?
... a dumbed down version.
Hello? It's Zelda. Zelda, Nintendo,
They could eben push out variant cover cased versions of the game that only run on Wii's with the matching case color and still make a better revenue even though it costs more than a single version to produce. If I'm a Wii fan and I'm buying a new Zelda Iteration for my new Nintendo Iteration it better be built for that exact Nintendo, using all the neat new features to the max. Especially the Wiimote.
So the GameCube is getting it's own version? Nice move and good for the GameCubers I'd say.
So what's all the fuss about? You want a 'universal binary'? Stupid idea. Wii'ers will think they're getting a dumbed down version and GameCubers will think they're getting
Bottom line:
Yes, they're selling seperate versions of the new Zelde, one for each plattform - and you (yes, you) will love them for it. As usual, Nintendo has everything under control. Everythings cool, calm down.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Can you imagine using that remove on any TV smaller then 32 in sitting right in front of it? I mean, Wii's remote is a _great_ idea, but I'm not so sure the world is ready for it. With few living rooms having a 50+ inch TV (and I wouldn't be surprised if as HDTV rolls in, that will still be somewhat uncommon), I don't think it'll make for a great playing experience. And sitting 10 feet from a 50" would make it kind of small for a pointing device if a game needs precision..... Although I've never used it..... Maybe it'll work out well.... But I don't think it'll be all that great for my 23".
In undeveloped countries, the consumer controls the market. In capitalist America, the market controls you.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm a Nintendo lover, and I think the Wii has great potential.
But the problem here is the same problem that was seen with the power glove. Instead of designing games around the controller, people came up with clever hand motions and finger movements to simply trigger an action on the screen that was completely unrelated to the actual motion.
If you end up turning the Wii controller 90 degrees to trigger a spin attack, then that is a horrible idea. It will make the controller feel like a gmimmick. The whole point of the controller is to allow you greater immersion in the game, and the way you do that is by having the controller motions emulate control the character. Preprogrammed motions are a no-no. If a character needs to jump, that should be done with a button press, not a flick of the Wiimote. On the other hand, if a character needs to swing a sword, then the Wiimote is perfect for that, and the characters movements can follow the player's exactly. Shooting an arrow? The Wiimote is good for this. Swinging a golf club? Again, it will work great. Throwing a baseball? Swinging a bat? These are good too. But if you've got link in the fishing game, and when you pull back on the Wiimote, he does a preprogrammed jerking animation a moment after you complete your movement, then that's just not going to feel right.
If Nintendo didn't have confidence in their own controller for one of their flagship titles, that would bode ill for every other game on the system.
For what little it's worth, Nintendo has said it's not using the Wiimote's motion sensing features for the first Wii Super Smash Brothers. Comments to the effect that it didn't add much to the game, etc.
Flagship title? Check.
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
A video game requires a controller... this is a new low, slashdot.
But quite seriously, I'd assume they'd be using the wiimote for some sort of pseudo sword combat system... doesn't seem like it's that much of a suprise.
--Nick
The Wii seems to be rife with these kinds of games at the moment -- games that only use the motion-sensing capability of the controller to emulate actions that you could do with a regular controller.
I am not understanding this point; maybe it's just been stated clumsily.
A "regular controller" uses buttons that are mapped to [whatever action]. What's the set of actions that cannot be mapped to a button press and analog stick set of controls, again? The motion sensor gives us another way of controlling actions, in the same sense that analog sticks added their element -- but are we supposed to have only games relying on motion sensing, then? Or what?
If what they're saying is that studios -- including Nintendo in this Zelda case -- just took games already under development and made the Wiimote actions "map" to something that was a button before, that makes some sense... But doesn't particularly convince me that the Wiimote couldn't be a dramatic improvement over other controllers. A mouse is much better controller for FPS titles than a keyboard or a "regular" console controller. For similar reasons, people like the idea of the Wiimote in FPS games too. Is that "just emulating" stuff you can do with the other controllers?
To shoot Link's bow, you can either a) use an analog stick to aim and then press a button to fire; or b) draw the Wiimote back and aim it using the motion sensing, with the little speaker in the remote saying "sho-ook" when you release your arrow. Is that just remapping actions from a regular controller?
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
Nintendo most likely feels the need to embrace the motion sensing functionality whole heatedly in order to save face. Think about it, Zelda:TP is their number one launch title; it wouldn't instil much confidence if Nintendo didn't have faith in their own controller. As a direct result of Nintendo's decision a large number of informed gamers may end up buying the GC version over the Wii version. It is quite possible that this will be picked up and used as evidence that gamers don't have faith in the Wiimote, exactly what Nintendo was trying to avoid. There is still a small chance though that they will program a setting which will allow us the use the nunchaku analog stick to aim the bow and do spin attacks.
Nintendo must be EXTREMELY confident in how Zelda plays with the Wiimote combo to pull a stunt like this. I mean, it would be no extra effort on their part to enable the Gamecube controller controls. They must be using this title to prove their point. I have a lot of faith in Nintendo, lets hope they know what they're doing.
Man, Nintendo's balls have dropped over the past few years with Reggie at the forefront. I thought the guy was a douche at first, but I really think he knows what he's doing.
Wise men say, "Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza."
When the game was first mentioned, this was said very firmly. The wii version would only be Wiimote compatible, the gamecube version will be playable on the wii with the GCN (gamecube) controller. I'm assuming that at some point we'll also receive news that the GCN version is going to be two discs.
This is neither bad nor good. Though there's some tilt.
It's still definitely a good thing for the company and developers because now they can see how easily a game X is made into a "wii" game. It's also a good thing for Nintendo because a Wii version of Twilight princess at launch will kill.
It's still unknown for gamers, if the Wii version has radically better graphics then it'll be a killer app at launch assuming the controls are right (which they should be). At the same time though it creates the problem "which controller do I want to use with it". Personally I'm grabbing both. But I know for most people this is going to be a serious choice rather then grabbing both. I just am a serious zelda fan and a game collector.
Honestly though this story is nothing unknown or unexpected to the Nintendo fans. Perhaps 1up needs to pick up on press releases and conferences a little more than their humorous snarky reviews of games.
It was also confirmed the Wii Version will run in 480p, but I'd be amazed if TP didn't run in 480p on the GameCube.
which goddamn controller it uses, would they just release the fucking GC version already, I've had it preordered for over 2 years now.
Check out the cave on the east side of lake Hylia. Strange and wonderful things live in it.
"Ultimately, Nintendo will have solid controls ready for launch because I have never owned a Nintendo game with sloppy controls."
Except for that lousy "Wave Race" sequel right?
Zelda Wii will support 16:9 widescreen, since the hardware will be able to render more of the playing area without crippling the framrate.
The gamecube can support 16:9 as well rgiht? I'm pretty sure I've seen options in some GC games to enable widescreen.. So I assume the GC ver will also support 16:9
It can, depending on what is going on. I think the GC game doesn't have enough power to present full 16:9 Zelda: TP (but it can for other games such as F-Zero GX, and StarFox Adventures).
"Hold the Right button, and jump sometimes" Wow, FUN!