At first it was a lot of fun however I soon found that lack of decent single player games and no online made the console a total bore for me.
But later you go on to say:
I had (still have but it is modded) an Xbox and used to really like Live however canceled my subscription after 2 years as I didn't feel I used it enough.
If you didn't feel you used Live enough to renew your subscription, then why are you complaining about the Wii's lack of online titles? They are coming (May, or June depending if you live in the US, or Europe), just not here.
I really wanted to like the Wii however it just doesn't excite me, after the initial novelty wears off it does feel rather gimmicky and it doesn't really revolutionise gaming, it is just another form of input, it doesn't really add any additional depth to a game.
If you like Golf, try Tiger Woods 07. The control isn't 100%, but it's damn good. Maybe 80%-85%. Other versions (360) are prettier, and other versions (PS2) have more courses, but the Wii one is the best IMHO as it hits enough of everything, and the control makes for a far more immersive experiance.
Actually, it's only $70 a year for Xbox Live Gold. You clearly don't know what you're talking about. For the most part, I'm impressed with Live. I get free game videos, demos, arcade games, I get my downloadable content, skins, etc.
Not sure where you live, but it's $50 for 13 months of X-box Live Gold if you buy the 'Redeamable card' at Retail in the US. Even better, Circuit City puts it on sale for $40 fairly often (I've seen it a few times in the last 6 months, maybe 1 week every 6 it's on sale it's usually on sale the week of a big game release).
That, and I'd like to point out that all the benefits you touted for GOLD are available in the FREE Silver Membership. Right now the main difference is online multiplayer, voice chat. I'm pointing this out, simply because many people simply forget that there is a free version of Live, and it is really good.
No, I am saying that far fewer adults are playing the DS than the PSP. I've seen it myself across all races and classes.
As you stated, in your experiance, riding the subway in NYC that very well may be true. Go to Tokyo (or any major city in Japan), and it will paint a very different picture. The DS is very much a mainstream product, and the PSP is more niche.
I simply refuse to believe the majority of people playing Nintendogs and Pokemon are adults.
In NYC that may be true, but travel more and you will notice the error in that. NYC is a great city, but isn't representitive of our own culture let alone that of other countries.
At first glance, that would seem to be backwards, as the PS2 had much better graphics than the Gamecube. So, did Gamecube Resident Evil 4 actually look better than the PS2 version,
Since other people have been kind enough to correct you about how the Gamecube was more powerful than the PS2, I won't harp on it too much. YES, the GC version looked, much better. RE4 was originally part of the 'Capcom 5' which were 5 games that were supposed to be wrapped up as exclusives for the Gamecube. 1 was canceled (Dead Phoenix); 3 were ported to the PS2 (Viewtiful Joe , Killer7, and RE4) and P.N. 03 was the lone remaining exclusive that wasn't too good.
Capcom apparently saw the growth in the PS2 market as too great (compared to the gamecube's market) to not bring these games to that system. So RE4 came out for the GC in January, 2005 and it was fantastic. Unfortunatly late in the GC's life it didn't move many units, so it got ported down to the PS2 for release in the fall. The PS2 isn't as capable a machine so the polygon count and texture work went down, and CGI cut scenes (rather than in game cut scenes) were added (So when they zoomed in you wouldn't see them lower res) to compensate for the weaker system.
Now, how do you sell a (albeit great) game that's 9 months late, and looks worse but sell it at full price? You add additional content. There were additional outfits added for beating the game as well as side missions that were alluded to (but not played) in the original.
Now The version for the Wii will have the horsepower greater than the GC, so it can use the better graphics of the Gamecube, and hopefully improve on them (even True widescreen over letterbox would be nice) and they are including additional content (including, but not limited to) that found in the PS2 version. That alone would be enough for me to re-buy it let alone adding in Wii-mote controls and precision aiming... A great game just got better.
Anyway, it's still consistent with something I tend to see on Nintendo platforms more than on others. Games being slightly re-tooled and released for a stab at easy profit. I'm sure it brings a good return on investment, but I feel Nintendo needs to cut down on it a bit (I don't see Mario Party ## being any less deserving of ridicule than EA's annual sports titles in this regard). Re-releasing a game on a system that can already play the original disk isn't exactly a step in the right direction, and I'm sure Nintendo had a say in it. Though, of course I'd have been far more surprised if they said 'no' because that would indeed have made no sense...
Ok, I'm all for 'Sensible wii-makes.' I am actually in the middle of my 3rd play through of RE4 on the Gamecube. Love it love it, love it. The game is great and since it hit players choice I bought copies for all my friends who didn't already have it. Now Capcom is announcing A Wiimake with improved aiming, same or better graphics (True Widescreen vs. Letterbox widescreen alone would be a welcome improvement), added content (not just the PS2 extras, but more) and all this for $30. Who knows, they may thrown in support for the GC, and Classic controllers too. I haven't heard any reports that confirm or deny this yet.
This is a far better precident to set than Ubi's rehashing of Prince of Persia's Two Thrones, with no additional content or enhancements and charging full price. So count me in for the former but not the latter.
Other Wii-Makes I would gladdly pay $20-$30 each for are Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, Wind Waker, and Sid Meier's Pirates!
I thought all the VC games were supposed to be down around $3. I payed like $8 for SOTN on the 360, so something like TMNT should be $2. How much are the other games generally on the VC?
MS got you. I'm not sure what the rates are outside of the US, but if you bought Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on XBLA in the US, it cost you $10 not $8. 800 MS points = $10. They sell them in increments of 500, but each point effectively costs $.0125 (so 500 points cost $6.25).
Nintendo sells points in increments of 1000 ($10)so each point = 1 cent USD.
As a general rule (though there are currnetly 2 exceptions including TMNT)
I suppose in theory you could have 2 seperate networks formed and bridge them (never tried it, but I can't think of a reason why it couldn't work) Allowing for 14 devices... but A Wii + 7 remotes @ $40 each... that's a lot of $$$. What purpose did you have in mind for needing more than 7 Wiimotes specifically?
This condisering you could also have 4 Gamecube controllers / wavebirds in addition (for a total of 11 controllers) using the built in hardware of the Wii.
Yeah, I see most of it being innovative ways to use the existing wiimote.....correcting my last comment a bit........that opens the door for possibly needing more than 4 wiimotes.....it may be as easy as a simple software level update to do that, but, it could be a hardware limitation......
Technically you can do 8 players locally now due to the Gamecube ports being active, but as far as Wiimotes there is a technical limitation of 7 as they use Bluetooth to communicate. A Bluetooth network caps at 8 devices, so you would have 7 Wiimotes + the Wii.
Ok, as interesting as a Sonic / Mario Crossover. IMHO it would be vastly more immersive if this was a game centered around 'Mii'.
Think about it; What would be more immersive? You playing as Mario in the Olympics against Sonic? or You playing as you in the olympics against your brother?
It also means that you're going to chew up more disc space for each level. With streamed textures, streamed geometry and streamed audio, even with compression, you can quickly approach 1 GB of data per level. That inherently limits you to a maximum of about 7 levels, and that's without multiplayer levels or mpeg cutscenes.
Ok, quick question. Why have ANY mpeg cutscenes? I understood the need back in the day when FinalFantasy VII had primitive graphics but GORGEOUS cutscenes, but now? RE4 (on Gamecube anyway) did all the cutscenes in game, and it was fantastic. Gears of War looks like it was all ingame engine (I don't know for sure though).
Why at this point don't they use the in-game engine? The graphics are nice enough and it keeps you immersed.
I would be happy to agree that the XBox rocks, but I have one glaring problem: I hate the controller. I have never liked the XBox controller and it's not for the lack of trying. But it just feels clumsy compared to the PlayStation's. I know that others will not understand this and probably think it silly if they don't have the same problem, but really the controller is the interface to everything. And if one doesn't feel comfortable with it, then everything else is moot. I think game machine designers should take note of that and consider offering a variety of controllers types.
Ironically, I feel the same way about the PS3. The Playstation controller is based on the SNES design , and in the PS1 era they had the analogs bolted on mid-life. It's a 10 year old design that is suited best for 2D games, not 3D. This is why I wasn't upset for the Wii Classic controller. It is a superior design for the retro titles that are pretty much 2D prior to the N64. For the N64 games, I use a wavebird.
There is a reason why Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sega put the analog in the primary position. For 3D games it offers superior control in a position that's comfortable. (IE: That's where it belongs.)
What is to stop me from buying a Core 360 and a 120GB HDD? If you don't care about HDMI, where's the value in the Elite SKU?
The core doesn't have a headset, and comes with composite cables, not the composite/component of the premium & elite.
That and... it's black. Once you go black, you never go back.
This seems like hes trying to say that the only people that buy a wii are kids under 14. I for one find this offensive. Since when does a game have to show extreme violence, language and nudity just to not be lumped into the "for kids" arena?
Who else but early teens and pre-teens would buy Manhunt 2?
Hah! You're talking about the same people that sell a $20 802.11g adapter for $100. Complete rip-off artists. It's cheaper to buy a nice, shiny new router and use it as a bridge than to get the adapter.
Though I go agree the Adapter is overpriced it should be noted that it does 802.11 b/g & a. Routers that use the faster 'a' protocol cost more than the b & g ones, but yeah... it shouldn't be $99.
There's nothing in the $500 PS3 that's not in the $400 XBOX - except for a Blu-Ray drive.
Correct, but the same cannot be said in reverse. For example the $400 X-box has twice the system ram of the $500 PS3. It also has a hardware scaler built in.
Are prices are always towards the $10 range for later consoles on the VC, correct?
Actually no. The VC priging goes like this:
Nes games = $5
TurboGraphix 16 = $6 (to be fair 1 game is $8, but they combined 2 games into one)
SNES/Genesis = $8
N64 = $10
The Selection also favors the cheaper titles, simply by availability. There are far fewer N64 titles than NES, or Turbo16 ones...
XBLA has most of their games fall in the range of 400 - 800 points ($5 - $10), but there are $15 ones and if you got fleeced by Luminies (as I did) it starts at $15 and can go all the way up to $30 if you buy all the modes you thought should have been in the $15 version.
I am also baffled that XBLA (which I don't consider to be more or less useful than the VC) has bigger "retro" titles so far... I mean, the very concept of the VC game setup is retro fun.... The XBLA just seems to have them for filler and convenience.
I agree that the VC was more of a focus for Nintendo than XBLA was for MS, but I guess it depends on what you mean by 'Bigger retro titles'. I'm personally happy with the selection of VC titles so far... I only wish there were more games for 'casual gamers' who have their first console ever and are not finding an ample selection of games. Stuff like Bejeweled, or online Texas hold em (such as on XBLA) would be nice. A Suduku, or tetris... Something!
If I could ever find a Wii... I might like to buy one.;) Then I could be a Wii60 owner too.
I wish you luck with the Wii. They are still difficult, but not impossible to get. It will take some patience, but it's worth it.
the Virtual Arcade (albeit a slightly higher priced alternative to XBLA and PS Store, but with more titles
I wouldn't consider the VC a 'Higher Priced alternative' to XBLA. Every VC game goes from $5-$10. XBLA starts at $5 and can go up to $30 (if you want the full game and modes of Luminies Live for example.)
One thing that has me baffled (as a Wii60 owner myself) is that XBLA has many more 'Casual friendly' games than Nintendo's VC. The Wii as a system is much more 'casual friendly' than the 360 but where are the games for them? On the X-box I can play networked Uno, Texas hold 'em, Bejewled 2... Hell Even Mrs. PacMan... Nintendo? where are the casual VC games?
The gap narrows considerably when using composite cables (480i) like 83% of the USA
That rate is shrinking rapidly, and most of the people who don't have HDTVs also are not in the market for new game consoles. In a couple of years most gamers will have HDTVs and use them with their PS3s and/or 360s. Nintendo simply isn't looking long-term, and that is a big mistake.
IMHO, Nintendo is looking long term, It's Sony and MS that are looking short term on their systems (being the early adopters). In 4-6 years you will see the Wii HD (or whatever they call it) complete with the gameplay mechanic and software that brought new people in at a time when most (50% +1) households have at least 1 HDTV.
Nice way to gloss over the problem for developers - do we or do we not require a hard drive. That's a choice that could have been hard to make if the gimped system sold just as well or even a large percentage of the better system.
No 360 is gimped by not having a HDD. Some people didn't even sign up for Live Silver, so if you can't even access the free downloadable content, why would you need a HDD?
Then you have to make the choice of whether it's better to make a more technically impressive game by caching to the hard drive and locking out a good chunk of users or making a less technical game with higher sales.
Caching to the HDD is a developer's work around to shitty read speeds on the optical drive. That's why Microsoft installed a higher speed DVD drive to eliminate the need to cache to the HDD. The PS3 NEEDS a HDD to cache content, but the 360 doesn't because the DVD read speed is much faster than what is currently available for Blu-Ray. That is the price of choosing a new format over an established one. Despite having greater capacity Blu-Ray currently has slower access speeds, which is why Games on the PS3 (such as Resistance, and Ridge Racer 7) REQUIRE multi-gig installs.
As for your argument concerning the PS2's processing power, I would submit that the PS2 wasn't nearly as weak as the Wii is by comparison.
The gap narrows considerably when using composite cables (480i) like 83% of the USA (and the US has the best rate of HD adoption). Gears of War looks great in 720p. I'm sure Lair will wow in 1080p. If you plug these into an SDTV they still will look nice, but not that much nicer than say, Ninja Gaiden Black.
HD is the future, but it isn't the present. It will still take years until the % of households with at least 1 HDTV will be greater than 50%.
By that time, it's time for the next round of consoles...
Slashdot Mirror
At first it was a lot of fun however I soon found that lack of decent single player games and no online made the console a total bore for me.
But later you go on to say:
I had (still have but it is modded) an Xbox and used to really like Live however canceled my subscription after 2 years as I didn't feel I used it enough.
If you didn't feel you used Live enough to renew your subscription, then why are you complaining about the Wii's lack of online titles? They are coming (May, or June depending if you live in the US, or Europe), just not here.
I really wanted to like the Wii however it just doesn't excite me, after the initial novelty wears off it does feel rather gimmicky and it doesn't really revolutionise gaming, it is just another form of input, it doesn't really add any additional depth to a game.
If you like Golf, try Tiger Woods 07. The control isn't 100%, but it's damn good. Maybe 80%-85%. Other versions (360) are prettier, and other versions (PS2) have more courses, but the Wii one is the best IMHO as it hits enough of everything, and the control makes for a far more immersive experiance.
The PS3 and Wii both use Bluetooth. The 360 uses an MS proprietary tech.
Not sure where you live, but it's $50 for 13 months of X-box Live Gold if you buy the 'Redeamable card' at Retail in the US. Even better, Circuit City puts it on sale for $40 fairly often (I've seen it a few times in the last 6 months, maybe 1 week every 6 it's on sale it's usually on sale the week of a big game release).
That, and I'd like to point out that all the benefits you touted for GOLD are available in the FREE Silver Membership. Right now the main difference is online multiplayer, voice chat. I'm pointing this out, simply because many people simply forget that there is a free version of Live, and it is really good.
As you stated, in your experiance, riding the subway in NYC that very well may be true. Go to Tokyo (or any major city in Japan), and it will paint a very different picture. The DS is very much a mainstream product, and the PSP is more niche.
I simply refuse to believe the majority of people playing Nintendogs and Pokemon are adults.
In NYC that may be true, but travel more and you will notice the error in that. NYC is a great city, but isn't representitive of our own culture let alone that of other countries.
Worse; I think he's implying the PS2 had better graphics than the Wii... So either he's a fanboy, terribly misinformed, or needs a new optometrist.
Since other people have been kind enough to correct you about how the Gamecube was more powerful than the PS2, I won't harp on it too much. YES, the GC version looked, much better. RE4 was originally part of the 'Capcom 5' which were 5 games that were supposed to be wrapped up as exclusives for the Gamecube. 1 was canceled (Dead Phoenix); 3 were ported to the PS2 (Viewtiful Joe , Killer7, and RE4) and P.N. 03 was the lone remaining exclusive that wasn't too good.
Capcom apparently saw the growth in the PS2 market as too great (compared to the gamecube's market) to not bring these games to that system. So RE4 came out for the GC in January, 2005 and it was fantastic. Unfortunatly late in the GC's life it didn't move many units, so it got ported down to the PS2 for release in the fall. The PS2 isn't as capable a machine so the polygon count and texture work went down, and CGI cut scenes (rather than in game cut scenes) were added (So when they zoomed in you wouldn't see them lower res) to compensate for the weaker system.
Now, how do you sell a (albeit great) game that's 9 months late, and looks worse but sell it at full price? You add additional content. There were additional outfits added for beating the game as well as side missions that were alluded to (but not played) in the original.
Now The version for the Wii will have the horsepower greater than the GC, so it can use the better graphics of the Gamecube, and hopefully improve on them (even True widescreen over letterbox would be nice) and they are including additional content (including, but not limited to) that found in the PS2 version. That alone would be enough for me to re-buy it let alone adding in Wii-mote controls and precision aiming... A great game just got better.
Ok, I'm all for 'Sensible wii-makes.' I am actually in the middle of my 3rd play through of RE4 on the Gamecube. Love it love it, love it. The game is great and since it hit players choice I bought copies for all my friends who didn't already have it. Now Capcom is announcing A Wiimake with improved aiming, same or better graphics (True Widescreen vs. Letterbox widescreen alone would be a welcome improvement), added content (not just the PS2 extras, but more) and all this for $30. Who knows, they may thrown in support for the GC, and Classic controllers too. I haven't heard any reports that confirm or deny this yet.
This is a far better precident to set than Ubi's rehashing of Prince of Persia's Two Thrones, with no additional content or enhancements and charging full price. So count me in for the former but not the latter.
Other Wii-Makes I would gladdly pay $20-$30 each for are Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, Wind Waker, and Sid Meier's Pirates!
MS got you. I'm not sure what the rates are outside of the US, but if you bought Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on XBLA in the US, it cost you $10 not $8. 800 MS points = $10. They sell them in increments of 500, but each point effectively costs $.0125 (so 500 points cost $6.25).
Nintendo sells points in increments of 1000 ($10)so each point = 1 cent USD.
As a general rule (though there are currnetly 2 exceptions including TMNT)
NES games = 500 points,
SNES/ Genesis = 800 points,
Turbo16 = 600 points and
N64 = 1000 points
This is proof to me that Microsoft is forming a Militia. If they can't dominate a market through economics, they will simply take it by force!
So a line of: "Nintendo's George Harrison told Next-Gen.biz in a phone interview that...."
gets followed up with a: "Meanwhile, Microsoft's spokesman, Ringo Starr..."
Now to me this makes Sony = 'Paul McCartney' Who is going through some difficult times now (with the Divorce/ poor console sales...)
And Who's Left? John Lennon AKA: Sega... died before their time...
This condisering you could also have 4 Gamecube controllers / wavebirds in addition (for a total of 11 controllers) using the built in hardware of the Wii.
Technically you can do 8 players locally now due to the Gamecube ports being active, but as far as Wiimotes there is a technical limitation of 7 as they use Bluetooth to communicate. A Bluetooth network caps at 8 devices, so you would have 7 Wiimotes + the Wii.
Think about it; What would be more immersive? You playing as Mario in the Olympics against Sonic? or You playing as you in the olympics against your brother?
Ok, quick question. Why have ANY mpeg cutscenes? I understood the need back in the day when FinalFantasy VII had primitive graphics but GORGEOUS cutscenes, but now? RE4 (on Gamecube anyway) did all the cutscenes in game, and it was fantastic. Gears of War looks like it was all ingame engine (I don't know for sure though).
Why at this point don't they use the in-game engine? The graphics are nice enough and it keeps you immersed.
Ironically, I feel the same way about the PS3. The Playstation controller is based on the SNES design , and in the PS1 era they had the analogs bolted on mid-life. It's a 10 year old design that is suited best for 2D games, not 3D. This is why I wasn't upset for the Wii Classic controller. It is a superior design for the retro titles that are pretty much 2D prior to the N64. For the N64 games, I use a wavebird.
There is a reason why Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sega put the analog in the primary position. For 3D games it offers superior control in a position that's comfortable. (IE: That's where it belongs.)
The core doesn't have a headset, and comes with composite cables, not the composite/component of the premium & elite. That and... it's black. Once you go black, you never go back.
Who else but early teens and pre-teens would buy Manhunt 2?
Though I go agree the Adapter is overpriced it should be noted that it does 802.11 b/g & a. Routers that use the faster 'a' protocol cost more than the b & g ones, but yeah... it shouldn't be $99.
Correct, but the same cannot be said in reverse. For example the $400 X-box has twice the system ram of the $500 PS3. It also has a hardware scaler built in.
Actually no. The VC priging goes like this:
Nes games = $5
TurboGraphix 16 = $6 (to be fair 1 game is $8, but they combined 2 games into one)
SNES/Genesis = $8
N64 = $10
The Selection also favors the cheaper titles, simply by availability. There are far fewer N64 titles than NES, or Turbo16 ones...
XBLA has most of their games fall in the range of 400 - 800 points ($5 - $10), but there are $15 ones and if you got fleeced by Luminies (as I did) it starts at $15 and can go all the way up to $30 if you buy all the modes you thought should have been in the $15 version.
I am also baffled that XBLA (which I don't consider to be more or less useful than the VC) has bigger "retro" titles so far... I mean, the very concept of the VC game setup is retro fun.... The XBLA just seems to have them for filler and convenience.
I agree that the VC was more of a focus for Nintendo than XBLA was for MS, but I guess it depends on what you mean by 'Bigger retro titles'. I'm personally happy with the selection of VC titles so far... I only wish there were more games for 'casual gamers' who have their first console ever and are not finding an ample selection of games. Stuff like Bejeweled, or online Texas hold em (such as on XBLA) would be nice. A Suduku, or tetris... Something!
If I could ever find a Wii... I might like to buy one. ;) Then I could be a Wii60 owner too.
I wish you luck with the Wii. They are still difficult, but not impossible to get. It will take some patience, but it's worth it.
I wouldn't consider the VC a 'Higher Priced alternative' to XBLA. Every VC game goes from $5-$10. XBLA starts at $5 and can go up to $30 (if you want the full game and modes of Luminies Live for example.)
One thing that has me baffled (as a Wii60 owner myself) is that XBLA has many more 'Casual friendly' games than Nintendo's VC. The Wii as a system is much more 'casual friendly' than the 360 but where are the games for them? On the X-box I can play networked Uno, Texas hold 'em, Bejewled 2... Hell Even Mrs. PacMan... Nintendo? where are the casual VC games?
His name was Bob Paulson!
That rate is shrinking rapidly, and most of the people who don't have HDTVs also are not in the market for new game consoles. In a couple of years most gamers will have HDTVs and use them with their PS3s and/or 360s. Nintendo simply isn't looking long-term, and that is a big mistake.
IMHO, Nintendo is looking long term, It's Sony and MS that are looking short term on their systems (being the early adopters). In 4-6 years you will see the Wii HD (or whatever they call it) complete with the gameplay mechanic and software that brought new people in at a time when most (50% +1) households have at least 1 HDTV.
No 360 is gimped by not having a HDD. Some people didn't even sign up for Live Silver, so if you can't even access the free downloadable content, why would you need a HDD?
Then you have to make the choice of whether it's better to make a more technically impressive game by caching to the hard drive and locking out a good chunk of users or making a less technical game with higher sales.
Caching to the HDD is a developer's work around to shitty read speeds on the optical drive. That's why Microsoft installed a higher speed DVD drive to eliminate the need to cache to the HDD. The PS3 NEEDS a HDD to cache content, but the 360 doesn't because the DVD read speed is much faster than what is currently available for Blu-Ray. That is the price of choosing a new format over an established one. Despite having greater capacity Blu-Ray currently has slower access speeds, which is why Games on the PS3 (such as Resistance, and Ridge Racer 7) REQUIRE multi-gig installs.
The gap narrows considerably when using composite cables (480i) like 83% of the USA (and the US has the best rate of HD adoption). Gears of War looks great in 720p. I'm sure Lair will wow in 1080p. If you plug these into an SDTV they still will look nice, but not that much nicer than say, Ninja Gaiden Black.
HD is the future, but it isn't the present. It will still take years until the % of households with at least 1 HDTV will be greater than 50%.
By that time, it's time for the next round of consoles...