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Wii Games Go Online, Lose Happy Clouds
Ars Technica has the news of some comments made by Reggie Fils-Aime on the SpikeTV show GameHead about Wii's online multiplayer future. Essentially, there aren't any games in the near future to look forward to, online. The Japanese launch saw the inclusion of Pokemon Battle Revolution, a with a solid online mode. The first batch of online games is slated for sometime around March or April. From the article: "Many games still in development for the Wii are designed around playing with people who are physically present: a recent preview of a new anime-themed golf game for the Wii on Electric Playground revealed that the developers had not included online multiplayer modes. Fils-Aime also indicated that new multiplayer channels were on their way for the Wii's online service, but declined to give any details about what new features might be enabled on them." In somewhat related news, it seems that the Bob Ross game may not end up happening after all. The loss of happy little clouds will be felt by every Wii owner.
You heard me say it here and now folks. If the new Smash Brothers is online-capable, and they do it right...holy shit.
Living With a Nerd
Don't they know all the world needs is a little Prussian Blue?
"The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success" -em
Yeah I don't mind waiting for online games. I honestly don't even care about that. I have my PC for good online gaming anyway....
This means I'll have to paint BY HAND!? ZOMG NO!
Honestly, even if there were multiplayer games, they'd still be hampered by friend codes. I understand Nintendo's motivations for using friend codes, but still, they're a pretty big drag on online multiplayer, especially for adults want to play by some other schedule than when their handful of friends are on.
Can anyone with a Wii (*snicker*) comment on how viable a Bob Ross game would be? In other words, does the Wiimote give you enough DPI (for lack of a better term) to give you precise motion for a painting program? I could zone out and relax for hours with something like that.
Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
A couple games has some Wiiconnect24 support coming. Elebits will next week, and a couple other have plans for it.
I'm tentative about claiming the Wii has any good online. Online is good and all but with out a solid online platform having to share friends codes is more than a little annoying. Especially if we are forced to both be on at the same time.
I'm very hopeful for some good support, don't know how pokemon battle revolution does it but I know that won't be the breakaway hit for online..
Online pokemon is going to be serious business.
This is not the greatest sig in the world, no. This is just a tribute.
I'm really sad that my Mii Parade is always empty. None of my friends can afford a Wii, so I never get to interact with others online. Why the heck isn't there an option to do something like enter your zip code and obtain Mii's from people within a certain radius from you or something?
Morphing Software
You've gotta support this thing, otherwise it might not make it.
It would be nice to see the Wii support video chat and USB web cams. If done right, taking advantage of the 'always on' capability, it could become the best way for the video-phone to submarine itself into homes.
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
The best thing to come out of the wii will likely be the controller.
With replacements cheap and blue tooth receivers also cheap it may make life better.
Windows drivers are already in development (here is an example of how far they have come and are playing half life 2 with the controller)
This could be the legacy of this console.
liqbase
>> recent preview of a new anime-themed golf game for the Wii
For those of you who haven't heard of Pangya/Albatross18, it's a really awesome golf sim, available for free in several languages (Windows only, or Cedega, sorry, kids)
http://www.albatross18.com/ - English
http://www.pangya.jp/ - Japanese
http://www.t2qq.com/ - Chinese
http://www.pangya.com/new3/ - Korean
http://pangya.boleh.com/ - Indonesian
http://www.pangya.in.th/ - Thailand
http://www.pangya.com.br/ - Brazillian
http://www.pangya.com.ph/ - Phillipines
http://www.pangyasea.com/ - East Asia
http://tw.pangya.gamania.com/ - Taiwan
Shiny. Let's be bad guys.
Would that be so bad? I like a lot of what the Wii brings to the table, but I would much prefer a console that isn't a generation behind when it comes to rendering power. Motion sensing alone is nice, but motion sensing combined with next-gen graphics would be so much better, especially since computing power isn't limited to graphics, better physic engines would definitely be something that would benefit a motion sensing controller a lot.
1. Use Ruby on Rails to create a P2P friend code sharing site in 30 minutes.
2. Add copious abouts of AJAX and call it Miir or something.
3. ???
4. Profit!
Help poke pirates in the eyepatch, arr.
Yup, sounds like you're not in the target market.
The point of endless games is because there's a whole lot of people-turning-gamers out there that don't want to have a game that has a point at the end of 80 hours of playtime. Neither real life tennis, bowling, or golf have lost their appeal after 200+ years of existence. Nintendo expects Wii Sports owners to, likewise, just keep playing those games because it's fun.
This is why, 2 years after Mario Tennis was released on GameCube, my wife still asks me to play it with her. Anyone who knows how to handle a video game controller can pick it up and play it. With the Wii, you don't even need that.
Gives another meaning to "replay value", doesn't it?
-Rob
Biblical fiscal responsibility
I agree, but you can't just jump right into a new idea and have it perfect. I think Nintendo took a risk, and it paid off. Their next console will likely develop the idea further while also bumping up the rendering power to be on par with the other consoles of that time. But for now, I firmly believe game play is far (far far far far far) superior to graphics. If your game play sucks, you don't have anything but a shiny static object collecting dust.
Example: I would (normally) rather play Quake3 than Doom3. Even though Doom3 represents 5 years of development past Quake3, Quake3's game play (particularly multiplayer) is just flat out superior to Doom3's. And of course, Doom3's graphics are unbelievably awesome compared to Quake3. This may not be the best example, but it gets the point across.
Graphics are important, but they don't define the game... they are a bonus.
The Wii seems to me like it's designed to be a social device, the type of system you play with your family and friends. Online gaming is only 'social' at its lowest common denominator. I, for one, don't give much of a shit whether the Wii EVER "gets online right." In my mind, they've already gotten multi-player right by focusing on solid, fun, and communal play when two people are in the same room.
I play MMO's and I dig the pervasive online nature of the beast, but more than that, I love playing the Wii with my real life friends -- I, for one, have no desire to play Wii Tennis with STABZUFACE24 from Wisconsin. Am I alone here? I'm sure there's got to be more gamers than me out there who really don't care about online multi-player whatsoever, when half the fun of it is you and your buddies laughing at each other making asses out of yourselves.
So buy a PS3. It has "motion sensing combined with next-gen graphics". Then pray that the blue-ray is successful and $ony doesn't try and pull another rootkit fast one on you. Also, hope that the rumors about games being written for the 360 and ported isn't true. And try not to think about what you could have done with the extra 350 bucks. Oh, and hope that they fix all the controller and heat issues with future firmware updates.
Every console this round comes with significant drawbacks. Either figure out which ones you can handle or just buy them all.
It's nice to think that when you want to play a game, you can always turn to your friends to play.
But what happens when, like me, none of your friends are into video games? It happens, there is no rule stating your friends have to have all of the *exact* same interests you do. Since none of my friends are into gaming, it's important to me the game has some decent multi-player. It's fun to play with someone after I've finished the single player campaign.
While it's true I'm able to con my non-gaming friends or family into the odd game, it isn't often. So online multi-player really comes in handy.
I'm sure there are a host of gamers who don't require online multiplayer in order to enjoy games. I'd prefer my real friends as well, but many of them have jobs and other responsibilities that don't always coincide with my schedule. Who cares if it's at the bottom of the social ladder? Unfortunately, it's not really about making friends for many people; it's about having a better experience.
Plus, if the Xbox Live service is any indicator of general interest, I'd say that Nintendo has a lot to gain in terms of offering online services, especially if they're free.
Personally, I would want a stronger online system. And if they want to appeal to the parents, they could have two separate systems; one that protects children and a more sophisticated solution for a mature (up for debate) audience. Upon initial setup, the parent could choose a password to limit the online functionality for their children.
I bought the Wii for the same reason, I enjoy gaming with friends in the same room. It brought me back to console gaming, and probably spending more money and time than I intended on gaming.
Most video game consoles are usually on the market for a year and a half before their first price drop, not counting retailer discounts.
And a "huge number of Gamecube stuff"?! Last I heard, people were ripping the Gamecube for a LACK of games.
It already does. Agencies hired by RIAA labels have been injecting fake data into online peer-to-peer downloads of MPEG audio files ;-)
Yeah, why don't you go and try to implement a method for doing realtime interaction over a network and get back to me on how there's no difference. Especially for a fighting game, where split second reaction time can matter.
Network code is the stuff of nightmares. Eldritch horrors that skitter and shuffle through the network wires are waiting just outside your perception to break through the paper thin boundaries that seperate them from our world and devour your soul.
Maxim: People cannot follow directions.
Increases in truth directly with the length of time spent explaining them
> The Wii seems to me like it's designed to be a social device, the type of system you play with your family and friends. Online gaming is only 'social' at its lowest common denominator. [...] In my mind, they've already gotten multi-player right by focusing on solid, fun, and communal play when two people are in the same room.
This ignores the situation where your family and game-playing friends don't live near you.
My local friends aren't that into gaming, but my college buds are always up for it, so it's great to be able to set up a private game with headsets and have a social gaming session with friends who are spread all over the country. It's even better in some ways, because everyone gets their own TV screen and none of your friends drink your beer.
So yeah, I think online play is an important and useful part of any gaming platform.
Are they all busy bidding on cheapo PS3s on eBay?
Where is that guy who'd die defending what I had to say when I need him?
While playing games socially is always more fun, there are times when I just want to play a competitive game and no one else is around.
Playing against even an anonymous human opponent is very different from playing against an AI. Take Mario Power Tennis, for example - against the computer all the human factors of reaction time, bluff and strategy are missing. Online multiplayer in the Mario Kart DS style provides the game with the equivalent of very good AI.
"especially since computing power isn't limited to graphics, better physic engines would definitely be something that would benefit a motion sensing controller a lot."
While what you say is technically true, I don't see too many console games going around improving physics engines all that much. This argument reminds me of the salesmen claiming the Commodore 64 can run educational programs, too. Sure it can but that's not how it's being used.
My Grandmother is STABZUFACE24 from Wisconsin, you insensitive clod!
Sometimes, life itself is sarcasm...
Don't forget that The Wii-mote is also working, sans speaker and IR, on Mac OS 10.4
Linkie:
http://blog.hiroaki.jp/2006/12/000433.html
You do realize that people have "real life" friends that aren't in the same geograpic reason, right? I know families that play WoW together so that they can keep in touch and enjoy a game together. Sure, it's great to have friends over for a gaming session. But when they live hundreds or even thousands of miles away, you can't beat online multiplayer. Does the Wii need online? No. But Xbox Live proves that a lot of people want it and enjoy it. Just because you don't care, doesn't mean they should ignore it.
Support a great indie game: http://www.abaddon360.com
The Wii seems to me like it's designed to be a social device, the type of system you play with your family and friends. Online gaming is only 'social' at its lowest common denominator. I, for one, don't give much of a shit whether the Wii EVER "gets online right." In my mind, they've already gotten multi-player right by focusing on solid, fun, and communal play when two people are in the same room. Breaking news: Some people have family or friends living in other states or even *gasp* countries. I know, totally foreign concept and so rare that it's probably safe to advocate developers not spend any time on it. Idiot.
What about golf?
Would you like a bit of tea with all that bitter?
I'll attempt to respond to this like a mature individual so at least one of us comes out of this with some modicum of respectability. Yes, I'm aware of the fact that not everybody lives in the same geographic location as the people that they might want to play games with. I also realize that the average person out there (i.e. not the hardcore gaming folks) don't really think of "online games" when they think about "getting in touch with distant friends and relatives." I also know that the entire marketing thrust of the Wii has been, to this point, to appeal to the casual gamer, to market the system's multiplayer functionality to people who might not otherwise be interested in buying a console by presenting their gaming as more of a "respectably socialized" group activity than an anti-social "I am by myself in my underwear with the blinds drawn" sort of pursuit.
So my point is: Why bother? You can look at it as fanboyism if you want, but truth be told, I have no preference. I plan on purchasing both systems as soon as they become reasonably affordable - but for completely different reasons. The PS3 and X360 are both consoles that seem to be designed to appeal to the 'online gamer' far more than Nintendo's, which seems to be well on its way to carving out an entirely different, more 'communal' style of multiplayer. Why should Nintendo spike their development costs on emulating competitors' functionality when the results would be catered to a niched subset of their market base that they don't even seem very interested in attracting in the first place? That would be completely INSANE, somewhat akin to sticking a three hundred dollar movie drive into their system or someth... never mind.