Fusion Tour: Wiimote impression

There’s been a lot of feedback regarding the Wiimote during the past expos and conventions, and often with varied experiences. Some are detailed, some are obscure, and some are hilarious (wonky hand syndrome!). Each personal account of the Wii experience adds color, and we figured there’s always room for extra tones.

This particular feedback was written by Go Nintendo’s Spak-Spang an attendee of the Fusion Gaming Tour in Dallas, Texas. Spak mentions his first reactions to the Wiimote, and how surprisingly natural it felt and weighed in his hands. There were criticisms regarding its button setups and weight distribution, but Spak’s report tells of how well-balanced the Wiimote felt, though the Nunchuck felt a bit “too light” at times, and the “A” button’s positioning could use a bit of work – as mentioned during his boss battle in Zelda.

Zelda:
Speaking of Zelda, Spak waited an hour to play the game demo. From the onset, the first thing that caught his attention was the graphics. Saying it was an upgraded GameCube was an understatement – the Wii had processing power to spare, and
it showed in the character arts and subtle detailing in his surroundings.

As for interface, once again, it was natural. Most games suffer from a serious learning curve – a major turnoff for any prospective player – but the Wii’s flagship game didn’t seem to have that problem. And Spak mentions that after learning the initial button movements, he didn’t have to think hard about it again… save for learning how to center the camera.

So, how did the gameplay feel? Honestly, Spak comments the gameplay isn’t that far off from a typical push-button setup, but the sword swings aren’t just fun, they’re immersive – every time a baddie did get close, he didn’t feel it was just Link who was threatened, but him as well. Immersive and personal, to a certain degree.

The full article awaits after the jump!

There’s been a lot of feedback regarding the Wiimote during the past expos and conventions, and often with varied experiences. Some are detailed, some are obscure, and some are hilarious (wonky hand syndrome!). Each personal account of the Wii experience adds color, and we figured there’s always room for extra tones.

This particular feedback was written by Go Nintendo’s Spak-Spang an attendee of the Fusion Gaming Tour in Dallas, Texas. Spak mentions his first reactions to the Wiimote, and how surprisingly natural it felt and weighed in his hands. There were criticisms regarding its button setups and weight distribution, but Spak’s report tells of how well-balanced the Wiimote felt, though the Nunchuck felt a bit “too light” at times, and the “A” button’s positioning could use a bit of work – as mentioned during his boss battle in Zelda.

Zelda:
Speaking of Zelda, Spak waited an hour to play the game demo. From the onset, the first thing that caught his attention was the graphics. Saying it was an upgraded GameCube was an understatement – the Wii had processing power to spare, and
it showed in the character arts and subtle detailing in his surroundings.

As for interface, once again, it was natural. Most games suffer from a serious learning curve –  a major turnoff for any prospective player – but the Wii’s flagship game didn’t seem to have that problem. And Spak mentions that after learning the initial button movements, he didn’t have to think hard about it again… save for learning how to center the camera.

So, how did the gameplay feel? Honestly, Spak comments the gameplay isn’t that far off from a typical push-button setup, but the sword swings aren’t just fun, they’re immersive – every time a baddie did get close, he didn’t feel it was just Link who was threatened, but him as well. Immersive and personal, to a certain degree.

Wii Boxing:
Sadly, this game didn’t fare as well as Zelda, and Spak pointed out the lack of the “natural” feel he experienced in Zelda – he was slugging it out and winning, all right, but the Wiimote just didn’t have the fluidity in his actions he was looking for. Tyson does not approve.

Excite Truck:
This merited mixed reactions. The good news was that the game was indeed as fun as the trailers and other testers before him had noted, and it wasn’t just thanks to the Wiimote’s controls. The game’s itinerary of stunts, courses and items would keep most gamers interested in it as they played through. Ironically, it was the Wiimote that tarnished it: the controls were too sensitive to commands, and people were too preoccupied with trying to handle their cars properly than just enjoying the game.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves
Spak admits to disliking much of the previous Wario Ware installments, but this was an exception. The controls were so intuitive they didn’t need explaining, and while the gameplay was extremely simple, they’re fun. The big problem? Play the games fair. In the Hoola Hoop game Spak describes, it’s assumed that you can only win by mimicking a Hoola Hoop with the Wiimote to you hip. As it turns out, you can “cheat” this match by just shaking the Wiimote.

Wii Bowling
The game controls closely mimicked those in real bowling: Line up a shot, Hold the “B” button, step forward, swing your arm as in bowling, and release “B”. Spak was happy to report that the game responded flawlessly to his commands, and while he missed a couple of bowls, he chalked it up to the game’s readout of his wrist adjustments, much like how a real ball is influenced by a player’s hand. Spak considers this his second best game of the tour.

Wii Tennis:
Spak rallied against a Nintendo rep here, and he had a ton of fun. The Wiimote responded exactly like how a racket would in a real match, and he found himself adjusting his hands to pull off the variety of strokes in real Tennis, and he soon found himself immersed in thinking like he would in a real game, with the ball’s realistic reactions to the strokes and the ground adding even more depth.

Conclusion:
Maybe it was the hour-long wait (hey, that’d make ANYBODY grumpy), or maybe it was the fact he had problems orienting himself with the controls, but he wasn’t that hyped over Zelda. Still, he recommends it to those waiting for a Wii, even as he was all praises for Wii Tennis and Bowling.

All-in-all, he enjoyed the Wii and the Wiimote, with the controls adding a whole new dimension to the games’ immersiveness. Now, can somebody please tell us how CoD3 handles?

Via gonintendo