Working Title 08.09.06: Welcome to Next Gen - The Nintendo Wii

Posted by Jordan Williams on 08.09.2006

In the final installment of Welcome to Next Gen, we take a look at the granddaddy of all gaming companies, Nintendo. With the N64 and the Gamecube both having a rough time making it to the top, can the console voted best of show in this year's E3 make a comeback?

Well, here it is. The final part of the series that is Welcome to Next Gen. We already looked at the returning King, the PS3. We saw the prodigy that is the Xbox 360. Now we look at the underdog that is the Nintendo Wii.


If you have a terrible memory, I am Jordan Williams and this is my column, Working Title. For the last three weeks I have been slapping my views on what the Next Generation will bring us, but now it's finally time to put it to rest. What better way to do it than talking about the console that won E3 Best in Show and has more buzz around it than Lance Bass?

Wow, that was a bad pop culture joke.


Nice Guys Finish Last


It's no secret: the Gamecube got its flat, purple ass handed to it this time. Sure, it had some great games such as Super Smash Brothers Melee, Metroid Prime 1&2, and the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 4. But Nintendo really dropped the ball this time. They served up almost no online functionality, next-to-no real third party support, and what some will argue was the worst controller of the last generation.

But it wasn't all bad news for the Gamecube; they did have a fair amount of success. Almost all of its major franchises had decent to great games, such as Super Smash Brothers Melee, Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Metroid Prime being three prime (no pun intended) candidates. And no one will forget that Resident Evil 4 was a big hit for Nintendo before it was ported over the Playstation 2.

With Nintendo losing its console dominance to Sony with the rise of the Playstation and then getting pounded by the Playstation 2 and Xbox, it seems Nintendo might have learned from its mistakes by being so hard with the Wii. And yet, it might be a double-edged sword that will come back to stab them in the face...


Wii. Simply Wii.


Wii. That three-lettered...word...damn near had the whole planet in a frenzy a few weeks leading into E3. Until then, the Nintendo console had been tagged as the Revolution, the only name Nintendo had released it under when they showed it to us at E3 2005. They released a press statement about the name a mere few days before E3, and every gaming centric site on the Internet had it at the top of its list of hot news.


Ingeniously Sneaky


Love it or hate it, the name got your attention, and that seems to be Nintendo's strategy this time: grab your attention with the most outlandish ploy they can imagine. First it was the 'Wiimote' (which I will get to in just a bit), and now it was this insane name. Most everyone disliked the name, but then people began to warm up to it. Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet?

Like I said before, Nintendo pulled off this same stunt earlier in its strive to be innovative and different. Nintendo decided to do away with the old standard controller design. They debuted what would eventually be called by fans and haters alike...


The Wiimote

Now, at first glance...unless you are blind, you can OBVIOUSLY see that this is no standard controller by any means. For one, it's a remote. For two, it's a remote. The Wii isn't going to go for the same old style of gameplay that the industry has become accustomed to; it's going to try something different. The Wii will mostly use this to function their games by using what can be described as a point and play style.

But those of you who are slow to change need not fret. The Wiimote, as you can see, comes with a body: the Nunchaku. It houses an analog stick and a slew of other buttons. Together, these will be the bread and butter of your gameplay. The Wiimote has a full motion sensor, able to track its position in 3D space and along the screen. This can be used to turn left or right in first person shooters, look up or down, or--as demonstrated in Project H.A.M.M.E.R. and Red Steel--you can actually use the Wiimote to swing and attack. At E3 2006, Nintendo also revealed that the Wiimote has a built-in microphone/speaker. So far, they haven't really shown us a practical use for it other than with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, where it can be used to hear when it is time to let go of the bowstring on your trusty bow and arrow and let the pain fly. I'm going to assume that the microphone/speaker will be used in some games to hear your surroundings better and issue voice commands.

Don't count out the Nunchaku. While it may not look like it, it does indeed have a motion sensor in there as well, and although it is not as advanced as the one in the Wiimote, it can be used for limited motion control. As seen in Red Steel, you will be able to use the Nunchaku to block and parry attacks while you attack with your free hand (the Wiimote).


Nintendo Power


Based on the tech sheets and gameplay videos we have already seen and despite it having the Wiimote functionality, it seems that the graphics of the console right now only match about two times the power of the Xbox, hardware-wise. Now, raw power doesn't have much bearing, as seen with other consoles. Good use of textures and lighting can make a game with mundane graphics LOOK pretty good.

There's no way around it. Nintendo is putting its power soley behind its games and the way you play them. At this year's E3, they had a slew of games ready on the floor to show, and a lot of them looked fairly decent and getting good play time. Among the games were:

Metroid Prime: Corruption
Super Mario Galaxy
Excite-Truck
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Red Steel

And, in a surprise, they unveiled what seems to be the Wii's biggest asset at the moment despite it NOT being a launch title: Super Smash Brothers Brawl (which will ironically make use of the Gamecube controller as well as the Wiimote). The series has been one of Nintendo's best-selling, and this year, with the surprise edition of Solid Snake of Metal Gear Solid fame, the game has a ton of buzz and a lot of people ready to play it.

Also, they have announced that Nintendo will FINALLY jump into the online market with WiiConnect24. It will use the same (or a similar) network that the Nintendo DS uses now. Sadly, Friendcodes will still run rampant, but on the bright side, it will most likely be FREE.

Also, with the addition of online capabilities, Nintendo is taking a page out of Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade. It will offer the Virtual Console, which will play games from the NES, SNES, N64, Sega Genesis, AND the TurboGrafx-16.

Whereas backwards compatibility is a big issue with the Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii will not have such a problem. It will be able to play all Gamecube games using the original controllers. The Wii will come equiped with four Gamecube controller slots and memory card slots just for this purpose.


Time for Change


The main focus of Nintendo this time around is to pull in gamers and non-gamers alike. Stressing on the latter, it has been the focal point of almost every press conference about the system. They not only want to change the way you play the games but also who plays them. In their press trailer, they showed a large variety of people playing, from little kids to the elderly. Nintendo is planning on making this console not a Media Hub but more of a family-oriented console.

Now, many see this as a good and bad thing. If you have been playing games post-SNES, it has been no secret that of the companies, Nintendo's consoles CONSTANTLY get smacked with being 'kiddie consoles' that have 'kiddie games.' While this is mostly true (Nintendo's games tend to aim for the younger audiences than the M-rated crowd), Nintendo doesn't seem to want to change this.

BUT

Nintendo's unwillingness to change its image might turn away a lot of gamers. Also, the Wiimote has received solidly mixed reactions. Some people are willing to embrace a new control style while others have already proclaimed it as a failure. Nintendo lost the last two generations; it's do or die time for the house that Mario built.

Can it win?


That's the question on everyone's mind. Can the console that arguably made E3 its BITCH and garnered Best in Show possibly win against the likes of the 360 and the PS3?

I'm going to say this right now since it's been questioned.

I am a Nintendo fan.

I've always loved Nintendo franchises, games, and consoles. Hell, I owned AND LIKED a Virtual Boy. However, I am not going to let my obvious bias affect this. Do I think the Wii will win this time? Possibly, plain and simple. It certainly has the buzz and mystery around it to capture the hearts of a lot of gamers, and at the rumored cheap price of less than $250, it's definitely going to be the budget choice for the consoles.

The Kiddie Curse might plague the console, but the way I see it, a game can be rated E or AO; as long as it's fun, I'm going to play it. Nintendo is known not only for its phenominal first party support but also for its extreme lack of third party support. Right now, it looks to be a bit of a mixed bag for the Wii. While big guys like Ubisoft and Capcom are stepping up to bat for the Wii, a lot of people are still on the fence on whether they should support it or not. This is made VERY apparant by the fact that almost every Next Gen multi-console game you hear of is for Xbox 360 and PS3. There seems to be no word on the Wii at all. It seems a lot of developers are waiting to see if the Wii takes off before they sink some diamonds into it.

Since Nintendo has opted to do what it does best with its consoles (make them all about the games), there is no Media Hub to really back them up on this. If their games--and the Wiimote--fail, they fail. End of story.

Nintendo has always been focused on the games, and after a rough couple of tries, they know that's what they will have to offer if they stand a chance at running against two giant opponents this time. Nintendo used to be King, but if E3 is any indication, it looks like it's about ready to take its seat back.



My God...READER MAIL!?


Yes, that's right. It seems that the front page rub got me two nice chunks of READER MAIL last week on my Xbox 360 column. As promised, I'm going to answer the mail right here.

Well, sort of.

You see, the first e-mail is from a fella by the name of Doug Bernard. Now, while he didn't send questions, he did send some arguments for the Xbox 360 (mostly against the PS3). Now, if you were paying attention, you'd know that I don't know TOO much about the Xbox 360, seeing as I don't own one. But I know someone who does! Frank Mohr is back; he will tackle the first half of this e-mail, and I will take over for the second:

1.) Most, if not all the really great games, will show up on both the 360 and the PS3. Note GTA, all EA games, most Ubisoft games. Why get a PS3 if most games are ports nowadays?

Frank: 1.) See, there's where the problem lies. MOST games, even on PS2, were ports. Did that stop sales of them in any way? I certainly don't think so. Let's also think on how the PS3 will have higher technical specifications that the 360. That will generally mean a preferable port, one with better graphics, tighter gameplay, and the like. For an example on this, look at Resident Evil 4. The GCN version had enhanced graphics, shorter load times, and in-engine cutscene processing due to the GCN having better quality hardware than the PS2. I believe you see where I'm going.

2.) Live: Sony has yet to show me anything I like about their online service. While Live has given me great videos, I love the demos (have you played 99 Nights?), and Live has some great original and classic games available.

Frank: 2.) Question: how much did MS show of XBL before the 360 launched? Nothing like what it turned out being, I'm sure. I find it quite hard to say anything positive or negative about Sony's online services until we actually get to try it for ourselves. With how great XBL is working for MS, it seems likely that other developers are going to try to at least place demos, videos, and the like on their servers. Again, though, I am reserving judgement until I have a hands-on experience, and I suggest you do as well. And yes, I have played Ninety Nine Nights. Quite fun.

3.) Price: $600 is a killer. I don't care what you say about it being a computer, PS3 is viewed as a game system and $600 is a high price for when you can get a comparable system for $400 that already has a decent size library.

Frank: 3.) If you care to so blatantly discard my opinion, then I shall do the same to yours. The extra $200 gets you almost $700 worth of equipment. Complaining about that is like ordering a cheeseburger and getting pissed that they charged you $2 more AND you found a bottle of fine wine and a gold ring in the bag.

4.) Hitting their stride while Sony is just starting: Sony did the same thing last generation. They really didn't have a truly great game on their system for over a year. Most of my friends sold their PS2 and kept their Dreamcasts at the time. They had great games to play on Dreamcast while they were waiting for good ones on the PS2, and they weren't losing any money because people were willing to pay ridiculous prices for the thing at that time.

Me: Okay, so your friends make up the the entire demographic that bought Dreamcasts and sold PS2s? If that was the case, what did you do when the Dreamcast died? Did you rebuy the PS2 you had sold? Congradulations, you just paid for the same console twice. Also, I don't exactly see what you are trying to prove here. It's very confusing to understand this. Are you trying to say that Sony will not have a truly good game on its system for a year? If you are, I want to see the time machine you have. I'd like to go play the Wii and pass judgement on that, too.

5.) The perfect combo for your money: 360 and a Wii. Wii will have a new gaming experience and the chance to play the classics while 360 will give you a comparable system at a cheaper price. I think it's nuts that you're most likely going to be able to buy a Wii and a 360 for the same price as one PS3. It just seems like a waste to get a PS3 at launch.

Me: I can't really argue here. Being a person of little-to-no disposable income, nothing right can justify me spending rent on a game console. With the Xbox 360 having games I REALLY want to play (Kane and Lynch, Dead Rising, N3) and the Wii having a gameplay style and MORE games I really want to play (SSBB, Red Steel, Metroid Prime 3), I feel that Wii360 right now appeals more to me than the PS3 does.

6.) BluRay: this alone will raise the price of games and not many people have even thought about the price of software when talking about the price of the hardware.

Me: Again, I can't really argue MUCH here. Sony is banking a lot of the price and the success of the console on the Blu-Ray, which remains to be seen if it will win the format wars. As a result, the games might cost as a bit more, but let's face it. If you already had enough cash to pony up for a PS3, you have enough cash to grab a couple of games for it.

Good e-mail, Doug, although you REALLY seem to be bitter about the PS3. If the console was out already and we had some real opinions to base it, I wouldn't notice it so much. But I think you just might be a little bit of a fanboy there. Thanks for the mail.


And now, onto our second reader mail from my personal proofreader/editor/NOT JP'S GIRLFRIEND REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH HE THINKS SO, Jislaine Medina:

Jordan,

I'll keep this short. With another Mortal Kombat game coming to play in Nintendo's yard (on the Wii, no less), do you perceive this as Nintendo's continued attempt to attract a more diverse fanbase? With the success of Resident Evil 4, I can see why Nintendo would want to bring in the blood; times are a-changin'. And how do you think a Mortal Kombat game will utilize the Wii-mote?

Your proofer and girlfriend...er,
~Jis

I agree. With the success of Resi 4, Nintendo might be willing to let a few more M-rated games slip onto its console, but I don't see it really turning into an Xbox 360 (which seems to shun rated E games).

With MK, in all honesty, I think the fighting game genre will suffer hard on the Wii unless some controller shell is made for it. The Wii Classic controller might do the trick, beacause the Gamecube controller isn't exactly the best for fighting games. As far as utilizing the Wii-mote, I think they might pull a DS and throw in some Wiimote-savvy mini-games. But as far as controlling the whole game like that? I think not. Thanks for the mail.

[Insert some witty line about pimping others work here]

Hey, just beacause you read MY column dosen't mean that you don't have to read the rest of the stuff. So here, check out some of what the other 411 staff are writing:

News from Bitopia from Caleb Newby. I hear Bitopia is a great place to visit in the winter.

Angry Gaming from Damian Sarcuni. He tells us why Blizzard needs to die and give me my goddamn Starcraft DS.

The Digital Pulse(not to be confused with another pulse out there..) by Joshua Richey. That man sure does have a lot of future ex-wives...wonder if he'll ever settle down.

The Start and Select News Report by Vincent Chiucchi. Where else will you find Mario talking about the PS3?(last weeks issue)

Of course, we have a ton of previews and reviews to read, too. So, go read them. We save you money.



All good things come to an end


Well, there you have it. Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii. These three consoles make up the Next Generation. These three consoles will be the ones that eat your wallet and your soul for the next half-decade. Each of them poised and ready for the top, each of them with their own sets of pros and cons, and one of them with an obscenely silly name. One thing is for sure: if there is a victor here, it will definitely be us. We are the ones who get to play these badass machines for the next five years.

Now, with the closing of Welcome to Next Gen, you must be wondering what my next issue is going to be. Well, after a long and hard brainstorm, I figured out what the next topic I'll be tackling is.

I am going to take on the single most annoying thing in all of the gaming universe...

Next week...I take on...

FANBOYS

Until next time, this is Jordan Williams....and GEEZ, this column needs a name.