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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.
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
"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).
Indeed. I had my doubts about how "revolutionary" this controler would be. I always thought I'd never really like it - and everyone else, while thinking the idea novel, would quickly show disdain for the device and be critically panned and fall behind Sony and Microsoft in sales.
Of course, that's what I said about the 'Gameboy DS' - and I was completely wrong about that.
Whoo, signature!
DesireCampbell.com
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.
And yet my favorite games on NintendoDS are still Castlevania, MarioKart, Mario64 and NewSuperMarioBros, all of which make little to no use of the touchscreen (a little menu and map, nothing that couldn't be done on a normal non-touchscreen handheld).
I hope for the best with the Wii, but from what I have seen so far I have still quite a bit of doubt if the Wiimote will actually work as a generic game input device, for some it might be great (first person stuff), for other probally not so much (third person stuff). Will be interesting to see if Wiimote actually works out or if developers go back to the classic controller, which SmashBrothers will do as far as I heard.
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?
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?
Give "Kirby's Canvas Curse" a look. Quite possibly the most revolutionary platformers since the genre went 3D. the entire game uses nothing but the stylus, and in its most basic and truest form. Absolute blast of a game. It's a tough call between New Super Mario Bros. and Kirby's Canvas Curse, though, both games are excellent, in fact, Kirby might have an edge, just because it's so unique and fun.
Similarly, the actual gameplay of Metroid Prime Hunters wasn't bad at all... it's just that the level design, and the decission to make it more of an FPS than an adventure game ruined it for me. I'm kinda hoping that they someday port Metroid Prime 1 to the DS though, because it might be really cool with the stylus. Also, Animal Crossing is pretty nice with it's use of the stylus.
Oh, and Mario64, I've finally come around to greatly preffering the thumb stick method... sure it's not quite as solid as the A-Pad, but once you get used to it, it's a fine alternative.
There will always be games that are better suited to different control setups, which is why the Wii is including GCN controller support. The bottom line is, though, we don't even know what's out there yet that can be done with this thing. The mastery of the controller is probably not going to be evident in this first batch of games, but I expect solid results as well.
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
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.
In the future, unofficial homebrew applications or 3rd party accessories may allow it to happen. Does PS3 support it now? No.
I haven't seen anywhere where Sony has said that standard PS3 games will run on top of a Linux kernel, just that they would be shipping a version of Linux on the harddrive, presumably with some sort of desktop functionality. I can't imagine that it will be the primary platform for commercial games to run on, though that would be really cool.
The Farewell Tour II
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.
PS3 Linux is going to be exactly like PS2 Linux. Lots of ballyhoo and hype, but in the end it will amount to almost nothing of interest to anyone.
I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
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
...and, of course, the GC controller support was originally intended so people can play GC games on the Wii
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.
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."
While I enjoy some games on the DS, the stylus isn't really that great. If you play for any extended period of time (particularly Metroiod Prime Hunters), your hand will go numb or start to hurt. I think the DS is a neat concept...but it is really not designed very well for use with the stylus. I haven't tried the lite yet...maybe they have improved its egonomics. So to me, an all stylus game isn't very appealing. I am surprised more people don't complain about this.
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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.
I had similar issues on my Phat with stylus games (except brain age) where you have to support the game one handed. Metroid needed to be played 'Dual digital' or whatever it was called, or it was unplayable. The DS-Lite is smaller, and lighter, and helps in this reguard.
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.
Revolutionary platformer, yes, its certainly a new kind of game (even so there are some small parallels to Lemmings and other critter games), however I don't think its an especially good game, its boring and challangeless, I played through half the game and then simply gave up, because there was nothing to care about, no challange, no exciting levels, it all just feld way to passive and uninteresting.
The thing with innovation is that it doesn't gurantee that the result will actually be fun, sometimes it will like in Katamary or SotC, but Kirby Canvas or Yoshi Touch, nope, wasn't much fun for me, after the 'new' feel was gone, there simply wasn't much of a solid game left. I prefer NewSuperMarioBros over Kirby any day, that said NewSuperMarioBros isn't a great game either by Nintendo standards, compared to SuperMarioBros3 or Yoshi Island it just can't hold up, to short, to easy, to unimaginative.
Now with MetroidPrimeHunters those controls where rather awefull, precise they were, but holding the NintendoDS in such a position for longer amounts of time was a total no-go. This was especially annoying because MetroidPrime(GCN) actually had controls that worked great on normal controllers. That said, the level design of MetroidPrimeHunters was among the worst I have seen in a while, one stupid, boring hunt-the-switch puzzle after another, that just wasn't fun at all, so since the game itself wasn't good, the contorls where actually not the main problem.
With Mario64 I tried the thumbstick quite a few times, but it is simply a lot less presise then the good old Dpad, for one because the virtual-thumbstick has the annoyancy to drift away, so if you have to push forward for a while you run into the edge of the screen and have to reset, extremly annoying, but also the virtual thumbstick doesn't exactly lay in an easy to reach position, stretching thumb out that far is no good for longer amounts of play. I gave up and used the Dpad and had lots and lots of fun with Mario64, my favorite DS game so far. That said, the touchscreen was actually very usefull in that game, not because of the virtual thumbstick, but because of map and camera control.
So while the touch screen can actually be helpfull for map and inventory, as a main control device it so far wasn't really all that good, it allowed some new kinds of games (TraceMemory, TraumaCenter, ...), but for many games the classic controls still worked a lot better. I don't think it will be much different with the Wii. In the end it are however the games that matter, control is important, but I don't buy a console for the controller, I buy it for the games, if those aren't good no controller in the world can fix that. Which is why I consider the Wii to be still quite a bit away from winning this generation.
Since the Wii version is going to have additional features, that sounds extrememly unlikely. I'd recommend holding off on the purchase and trying out the game in a demo unit at a store before you buy. But note that the controls will become more natural with time.
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.
The only announced extra feature for the Wii version is support for 480p. It's doubtful anything else will materialize.
Add to that list, Trauma Center, Another Code, Advanced Wars DS and Metroid Prime DS all of those titles use the touchpad extensively so does super Mario 64 DS...
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).
I think you dropped your space bar. I'll let you know if I see it.