Wii Sports has control issues

[wraggster]

After spending "several hours" with Wii Sports, IGN's Nintendo editor Matt Casamassina doesn't like the game due to flawed controls with the exception of Wii Bowling which he calls "totally rocking." Regarding Tennis, he had this to say: "You don't control anything except the swing of your player's racket. The movement of these Mii-alike athletes is all done automatically by the game. You simply swing the Wii remote back and forth to make your on-screen character do the same thing."

True dat. Though we enjoyed the game at E3, it's unproven how long the fun lasts with tennis (from our limited play test). Regarding Baseball, Casamassina contends: "When you want to throw a curve ball, you don't actually motion it, as you might suspect. No, why would you want to use a gesture for a console whose primary purpose is to promote unique and innovative ways to play? To throw a curve ball, you first select it on the D-Pad and then make a standard throwing motion."

Though no one should be expecting deep gameplay from the pack-in, a flick of the wrist puts spin on a moving bowling ball but not a breaking curve? Bush league.

[I heart Nintendo]

This doesn't damper my love the Wii in any way.

It's just breeze...blowing in the wind. *shrugs*

[GazeboflossUK]

Hmmm, that's a bit of a disapointment actually because these games actually did look pretty 'fun' on all of the Wii Experience video's on the offical Wii site. I think Nintendo dressed them up a bit too much while editing those vids together.
I know that Wii Sports is just a simple introduction to the 'way of the Wii' but I still expected to be able to say the little games were 'good'. I can imagine someone who doesn't really know what Wii Sports is about, buying just a Wii and thinking "well, this Wii thing is crappy!" - when really they should have bought Zelda:TP too and been blown away. Should have been a cool LOZ:TP bundle. Nintendo's seemingly made a blunder here.

I feel slightly mislead now.

We'll see.

[philr359]

big freakin deal

[I heart Nintendo]

I don't see the dissapointment. Because I never thought that the way you moved the controller when you pitched a ball in baseball would correspond to the in game throw. I knew that when Miyamoto, Iwata and Reggie played Wii Tennis @ e3, they were exaggerating their movements and that the way you swung wouldn't translate completely in the game.

The info on how Wii sports plays in reality is how I expected it to play anyway - so I'm not dissapointed or disheartened at all. The game is pretty much free, so why trip eh! *grins*

It's a first wave title. Remember that. As developers and Nintendo themselves become more familiar with the controller - I'm sure we'll see intricacies as to how the remote can be implemented come further down the line.

I honestly can't see gamers being dissapointed with how Wii sports will play, because the fun you're having and the enjoyment factor should override.

[kando]

anyone remember the xavix port? reminds me of that...

[kcajblue]

i dont really like sports games.
but bad controls doesnt bother me anyway because a lot of things have bad controls.

[punkypine]

it seems like the wii mote isnt living up to the hype. in almost every game except zelda.

[Adrenalin]

i don't really care about wii sports that much, thats why i didn't like the pack in that much. but wii bownling seems like i might actually play most.

EDIT: soooo random, u know those jap tv remote/wiimotes? some student took one to my school today! FTW?! (a white guy in Australia) I dunno how the crap he got it.

[Gottaa]

Tennis never allowed you to control the players movement as far as I understood and that's been pretty clear from the start. Wii Sports as I understood was supposed to be more than anything an introduction to the controller and a bit of fun for 'all' the family not necessarily aimed at the more hardcore/old hat gamers.

Nice to know bowling is spot on though (and does allow spin with the wii mote via a flick of the wrist) as that's the one I was most looking forward too. I'm wondering if the games lead to a gradual learning of the controller, i.e.

Tennis > Baseball > Golf > Bowling (now you pretty well know the wii-mote) > Boxing (introduce the nunchuk)

But given recent reviews/comments and the golden joystick awards it's clear that most main-stream reports still struggle to move away from "graphics". As far as I'm concerned though if Nintendo convinced my Dad to get a DS lite there increasing the "gaming market" and moving it away from geeky nerds in darkened rooms which can only be a good thing.

I really can't wait for the Wii's release and indeed to PS3's if only so we can finally see how things work out. But I still reckon current gamers may well have a higher percentage of PS3's but as the DS proved there is a larger market out there if you aim outside the current limited "gamers" market.

Hope that made sense, just woken up :o

Edit: Ahh looks like I was right and Nintendo looking at the larger market

The New York Times reports on Nintendo's visit with the AARP. The Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons held a products show this past weekend, and Nintendo showed up in force to demonstrate the 'new generation' of gaming products they're offering. From the article From lower down the main page :)

[gotmilk0112]

lol. its not gonna be the best friggin game ever! i mean cmon it was the 1st Wii game! they are jsut showing how to use the wii controller. and yes as time goes by, developers will learn to do new things with the Wiimote.

i wonder if in "Avatar the last airbender" they will use the wiimote and nunchuck to bend like they do in the tv show. that would be cool!

[magical]

I think that most people seem to be missing the point with Wii Sports. Nintendo have never implied that the game was supposed to be a sports sim or aimed at HC gamers. It was designed as a way to demonstrate the potential of the Wii, in a quick, simple and effective manner.

Time and time again Nintendo have stated that in order for Wii to become popular people must see it, wonder about it and then try it for them selves, and what better way than a simple basic game that any one can pick up and have a crack at.

Although it has very basic grafix and basic gameplay this is all part of its appeal, its cute characters and quirky game play will entice people from all walks of life to look at it, query it and most inportantly try it.

And that is all it is designed to do, offer short bursts of quality fun in a whole new way, that any one can take part in within a few mins of picking up a Wiimote. This is why nintendo have bundled the game for free in europe and america as they want people to have it and try it, they want gamers to show their parents and families but they know that most gamers would not want to pay for it when they could be spending the same money on the likes of Zelda or Red Steel.

We should be embracing nintendo's boldness to create such a game in a world where this type of game would normally be shunned and laughed at because without attempts like this to broaden the gaming market then even the likes of Sony would surly see their proffits begin to dry up.

[compoman386]

Oh, wow, like what a huge surprise, IGN don't like something new and interesting that everyone else is exited about. Seems like if its not a pc game with hi res graphics they don't want to know

[alienanthropologist]

Couldn't possibly care less what that guy says. I don't even know who he is. I think it's been known from the start that on Wii tennis you don't control movement across the court.

By what I've read from the interviews with the Nintendo Wii progammers, they spent a long time working on subtleties of the different effects that you can give the ball as you hit it in different ways. One of them said that you could hit the ball 100 times consecutively and each hit will be different.

Anyway, I don't care what reviewers say anymore, I'M just DYING to get my hands on a Wii. December the 8 is too long to wait!! :mad:

[Cap'n 1time]

Keep in mind this is an IGN report... Also saying that the wii mot dosnt live up to the hype just because some IGN guy cant live his dreams of pushing a D pad down to move his tennis player is more than a little bit lame. As for the zelda comment, I honestly would rather play zelda with a controller.

[Kramer]

Yeah matt from IGN seems to be a bit of a douchebag so I wouldnt listen to him.

[compoman386]

IGN = Interesting Games? Never!