Wii graphics: What's the deal with them?

Really not much of an intro needed here, so I guess I may as well get on with the article!



We all know by now that the Wii isn't anywhere near as strong as the Playstation 3 or the XBox 360, but it's still at least twice as strong as the Gamecube. However, judging by the games released thus far, you really wouldn't know the Wii's graphics have been improved at all!

So far, the best graphics we've seen could have easily been pulled off on the Gamecube. Heck, the two best looking games on the Wii (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition) were Gamecube games in the first place! Now, I'm usually the last person to truly give a damn about graphics, but come on, can't we at least show some effort, people?

Is this as good as it gets?

When I first played Resident Evil 4, I was completely blown away by it's graphics. It was dark, gritty, and above all extremely creepy! The lighting was brilliant and the massive amount of enemies was mind-blowing!

That was way back in 2005, people, on the now obsolete Gamecube. Here we are two years later, with the Wii, and this is still basically the best looking thing we've got. I KNOW the Wii is more powerful than this, but few developers have proven it to me thus far.

But, this looks to not be the case for much longer. Check out the latest trailer for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. This is all running on an IN-GAME engine! Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 are other great examples of the Wii's power.

So in the end, I guess there really isn't too much to worry about. The Wii is much more powerful than current games would make you believe.

But even if the Wii was no more powerful than the Gamecube, all that matters is the fun we have playing the games.

The Duck Has Spoken.

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition impressions

Well, I grabbed me a copy of Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition today. Hey, the Gamecube game rocked, and it was only $40 (Canadian), so what the heck? Here are my feelings thus far.



Of course, one of the main things to consider in any Wii game (Especially a port) are the controls. Well, at first, I admit they were a little odd to grasp. Then again, I have The Godfather: Blackhand Edition's controls burned into my soul as of now, so adjustment to any new control scheme takes a while.

My intense Corleone allegiance aside, the controls work very well, if a little unexpectedly. Of course, movement is handled by the analog stick, and camera angles are manipulated via the D-pad. As usual, interacting with the environment entails the use of the A button, and holding the Z trigger steps up Leon's pace to a sprint. Access the menu with the - button and the map with 2. To use your trusty pocket knife, merely swipe the Wii remote for a quick strike, or hold the C button, aim with the analog stick and then swipe for a more accurate cut (Quick swipes will auto-target nearby objects and enemies, sometimes yielding unwanted results).

But, it's with the gun play where things get a little odd. To enter the aiming mode, hold the B trigger. Once that is done, you can freely aim within the confines of the screen by pointing the Wii remote wherever you want. However, pointing the remote at the edge of the screen does NOT cause the camera to turn. Instead, all camera manipulation in aiming mode is handled by the analog stick. This can be quite odd to grasp at first, but once you get the hang of it, everything works quite well.

As for the graphics, they're merely Gamecube quality, but they still manage to blow me away with their beauty! Seriously, Resident Evil 4 looks better than many Wii games on the market today. Everything is dark and gritty, which does much for setting the mode for this survival-horror adventure. Leon and all other living beings are also all rendered very well, and even with 20+ people on screen at once, the frame rate rarely misses a beat. Some of the textures can be blurry at times, but it's pretty rare unless you're specifically looking for it.

It all sounds pretty great, too. The villagers have many different things to say, and Leon's occasional conversations with more civilized beings are very well acted out. The sound effects are spot on, too, from the biggest shotgun blast down to the sound of your feet tramping along in the underbrush. Capcom really outdid themselves here!

Those are my basic impressions of the game so far. Remember, this is merely a preview! The full review should be up on Monday evening, so keep an eye out for it! Until then, keep on gaming, folks!

The Duck Has Spoken.

Is Metroid Prime 3's lack of online really that bad?

Judging by this thread on the Nintendo forums, gamers are fairly divided when it comes to whether or not online multiplayer would have been right for Metroid Prime 3. Seeing this great divide, I decided to write up an article stating why I think Corruption is better off without it.



The Metroid name has been around since the early days of the NES, and it always offered an amazingly deep and extensive single-player campaign. The franchise has appeared on nearly every Nintendo system ever made, with the N64 and the Virtual Boy being the only exceptions. And, almost always, these games shared one major defining feature: They were single-player only.

Even as time went on and consoles had more and more controller ports and processors were able to render more and more characters on screen, Nintendo kept to the way things have always been, leaving Metroid a one person adventure. That is, until Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, the first ever game of the series to offer multiplayer. How did it fair?

Sadly, not too well. Critics seemed to universally dislike the multiplayer mode. Also, all the extra time and resources taken to make Metroid Prime 2 multiplayer had a significant impact on the core game. It was significantly shorter than it's predecessor, and locations were used over and over repeatedly, resulting in never-ending backtracking. In the end, Echoes was significantly less well received than Prime.

Then, in 2006, Nintendo once again tried to appeal to those wanting more than just a single player campaign, and they did it in the form of Metroid Prime: Hunters on the Nintendo DS. The controls were precise, the weapons were greatly varied, there were seven different bounty hunters to play as, and the online play was smooth and generally lag-free.

But, at what cost? Sadly, all the attention payed to the online aspect resulted in a very poor single-player adventure. The story mode of Metroid Prime: Hunters was short, and bosses were recycled over and over again.

So then, it seems that we either get a quality single player experience, or we get multiplayer, and there is little middle ground. Many argue that the Metroid Prime label would lend itself quite well to online fragfests, but I hold firm in my belief that Metroid should always be single player. As I've said before, adding multiplayer would subtract significantly from the main game, as the developers would have to spread their workforce thin in order to achieve it all. Also, there is the matter of how much space is available on the Wii's DVD format. If Retro has made Metroid Prime 3 as extensive a game as they've wanted, little space will be left on the disc for multiplayer modes.

No, multiplayer in any form is NOT right for Metroid. Maybe one day Nintendo will make a 100% multiplayer Metroid, with all resources focused on multiplayer and multiplayer alone. But, as of now, fragfest lovers will need to go elsewhere for their fix. Metroid Prime 3 is single-player only, and no amount of griping will change that.

The Duck Has Spoken.

EA Sport's "Wii Family Play": A turning point for the industry

Again, I'm sorry for not posting yesterday (See previous article for further details). Also, sorry for the article being somewhat shorter than usual, but I figure I may as well make it short and sweet rather than letting myself ramble on. Things should be back up to par as of tomorrow.



On IGN today it was revealed that Electronics Arts Sports will be programming alternate control schemes into their upcoming titles, such as NBA Live 08 and Madden NFL 08. These control schemes are much simpler and more non-gamer friendly, but still allow a fairly complete gaming experience to be had. Instead of the traditional Nunchuk style, these "Wii Family Play" modes will use only the Wii remote's motion sensors and a few buttons. This way the whole family can get in on the fun!

In my opinion, this is a major turning point for the entire gaming industry. If more developers can integrate simpler control schemes into their games, the audience would increase exponentially. Of course, it would be near impossible to integrate this into some games, such as Metroid or Battalion Wars, but this is surely a start.

Perhaps the greatest thing about this is how many more games will be accessible to the less skilled gaming newcomers. Instead of being restricted to titles such as Wii Sports and Big Brain Academy (Not that they're bad, mind you), a whole new world of possibilities will soon be available to this new audience.

I applaud Electronic Arts for all the extra things they're doing for the Wii. As of now, no third-party has gone so out of their way to deliver a unique experience to the Wii in the form of a multi-platform title. Bravo, EA, bravo.

The Duck Has Spoken.

Sorry for no Monday post!

Sorry about the complete lack of article yesterday, but my 'net was freaking out, and O had little to no bitrate all day. But, now all is good, so I'll be back to posting tonight, and I expect the spammers will be back to flame as well.

Hooray.

The Duck Has Spoken.