IGN's quality Wii footage at Leipzig

25 minutes of some quality footage. none of these games were were even on my radar, though i was going to pick up redsteel so i could review it. the only real point brought up in the video is the one regarding controller sensitivity. i think it would be a fool's mistake to not include adjustable sensitivity and he makes that quite clear. parts of it are "meh" but the video is still definately worth watching.

I was one of the very many that was eating my toenails in anticipation for Wii news in Leipzig.

When nothing but Strikers and Battalion Wars showed, I was extremely upset. However, this could be due in part to the fact that I've briefly watched someone play the cube strikers and have NEVER seen even a single screenshot of BW.

Though I must say, IGN's video has my interest perked. BW looks a lot of fun, despite the fact that I never played the original. And there's something undeniably cool about watching Mario plummet into the stadium in a stylized fashion, only to be followed with his eyes glowing like he's some kind of soccer-obsessed demon, and smashing the ball into the net. It hasn't got me jumping for dear joy, but I'll look into them as more information comes.

It isn't bad by any means, but I don't think anyone can judge how well it will actually play without getting their hands on it.

I want to see some Zelda/Red Steel action with the 1:1 sword control.

I have already seen that video in HD and all, and it is jorgeous. You have to download it, it is worth it. Do it! =D

You can skip the ads and slow load times by directly downloading the file and avoiding streaming.

The guy does a good job of showing how the games work. Red Steel has some impressive graphics and Battalion Wars looks like a fun game, especially in multiplayer.

Definitely meh. I still want a Wii (actually, I want a Revolution, but apparently that ain't gonna happen) but none of these games did it for me. I think I'm more excited about getting all the old games on it.

WOW...a blog trying to think they are superior to a legit gaming media website.

/end sarcasim

These are the kind of in-depth hands-on previews that I like to see! It gives me hope in considering the quality of footage for the predecessor to E3. This kind of atmosphere allowed some pretty objective viewpoints that kinda leaves it up to the viewer to determine an impression. Fran, himself, did a pretty good job.

While it won't necessarily make people jump out and buy a Wii, it certainly has potential to invoke more anticipation for future coverage. There are still lots of questions, but at least there's a decent baseline to consider further Wii coverages to.

Says I need shockwave right away, can't even find the swf file...

I wish sites would only post avis/mpegs/movs and such with direct links. This new (and ineffective) method of controlling content is annoying.

this video makes me want a wii even more, and if you think these games look like they are from 5 years ago.....go play a 5 year old game jack ass. this looks like a lot of fun can't wait.

That looks like fun. Things are definitely improving. I played the Wii a few months back and I left a little underwhelmed, although the controller was not the problem - it was far more precise and accurate than I thought something this side of an expensive government-funded thing could be.

The problem was with the games I played - a little lacking in the depth department. But these look great.

Big year for gamers!

Too bad all this footage was created with E3 builds of the Wii. I want to see what Red Steel looks like NOW, not how it looked three to six months ago. (It's been confirmed by Ubisoft that this is an old build).

Oh well.

T-Bag:
Wii's going to survive on the backs of fanboys? Come on, you've got to be kidding. Why do you think DS completely outsold it's competitor(s)? Sure, the main reason is it was cheap. But it's not the only one. PSP/PS3/XB360 are only appealing to the gamers, and you probably won't find an older person/non-gamer, that will buy any of them. However, with DS/Wii, this may change, as the Wiimote is extremly natural to almost anyone. And when somebody gets into gaming, why shouldn't they try out the competition too?

Just, to clarify, I'm not opposing Sony/Microsoft. I'm just saying that you're completely wrong. I was extremly obsessed with PS3, because back in the day, Revolution looked like it's just a nice and small blue box. They didn't reveal it's backward compatibility or the controller. But when I got my DS, I realised that cheap doesn't always mean 'not fun'. After all, it's Sony, who raised the prices, enlarged it's console's casing and downclocked the frequencies. It's Sony, who has the smallest launch game line-up ... And guess who will buy their machine. I don't want to say the same thing as you did about Wii, but frankly, your statement is completely wrong, if you were a Sony employee, I'd say that hipocrisy is a bad thing ...

I rest my case.

T-Bag, do you mean just like gimmicky DS? Those graphics are really old, you know?

Just ignore T-bag...he's NEVER posted anything that is worth reading. He (and others like Darryl) will bash anything that has to do with Nintendo.

@ Jigen:

Just go directly to IGN and you'll find IGN Weekly on there.

This has just crushed my dreams of an excellent console from Nintendo even more. I was really hyped about the Wii when it first made an appearance, but now I really don't feel like buying one. Sure I understand that I haven't actually touched one, and the games still need tweeking, but the controls just dont look that great. I don't like the way that by the looks of things, you can't actually point and shoot, you have to drag the cursor across the screen. Also, I cannot in any way see me play a Wii game for more than 10 minutes at a time, my wrists would really start to kill. Don't even get me started on that Orchestra "game", the one that aims to be the crappest crap I've ever seen. I have to agree with T-Bag, and there's no chance in hell that thousands of old people will flock to play a Wii, ever.

@Pac Man:
"I don't like the way that by the looks of things, you can't actually point and shoot, you have to drag the cursor across the screen. Also, I cannot in any way see me play a Wii game for more than 10 minutes at a time, my wrists would really start to kill."

The reason the remote works the way it does (drag and shoot like a mouse) is to prevent the pain caused by games that require you to lineup shots with a lightgun. So while you get the benefit of interaction, you prevent the stress other games cause. This input method is perfect.

It also greatly mimics the mouse, creating an opportunity for true FPS control on a console for the first time.

Fran is so dreamy~

I also havent played the Cube version of Battlion Wars, and i have to say ... D= that looks really really fun

The first game looks nothing short of horrid.

BW and Strikers look pretty, if you ask me. Obviously not super-realistic, but that actually makes them look far superior to certain other games in my eyes. They look exactly like they're supposed to, whereas realistic games always fall short. But these games have great, very clean effects, excellent-looking lighting, and they seem to have excellent framerates and smooth gameplay. Strikers I really don't care about, because it's not my kind of game, but the control seemed nice. I might grab Batallion Wars, that looked like fun, and a great match for the Wiimote.

I do think Red Steel looks a little bit dated. It seems to have low-poly models and less-than-beautiful textures. It does have nice effects, but that doesn't make up for it. (Except...maybe it's the video quality, or something, but what is up with the white outlines
around the characters in some places?) I think it could be fun, but the graphics in the other games impressed me more. I see that vidGuy says it's an old build, maybe that's the problem. I'll reserve judgement on that until I see a final version.

All those little things near the end of the video will be neat if -- and only if -- I don't have to pay full price (not even close!) for them. That orchestra thing had better be free if it actually gets released. It would be a great thing to build right into the console.

Wii Baseball and Golf looked cool, especially how you hit the ball. The others seemed to be a bit of a let down from what I've seen earlier. Red Steel seemed like fun until I witnessed gamaeplay. Maybe I was expecting more. Control seemed to be an issue if you're too close.

And Wii Orchastra? Hmmm...

I think nintendo showed these two specific games because of local tastes. In Europe we love football and in Germany they love strategy and war (dont get me wrong).

These two games are clearly wiimakes, they are built on previous gamecube work so they look exactly like i thought.

One thing is for sure, they look fun, specially online. If they are rightly priced count me in.

T-Bag, if you're sore after 10 minutes with the Wii, you need more exercise.

Dang now I'm going to HAVE to get a wii! I'm 44 years old for heavens sake (think I may have to hide it in the closet!)

Sorry, T-Bag, I meant Pac-Man. :P

Hmm...let's see, before you made another account you had -4 stars which right away says something about you.

Then you go and make up some fake meaning for the 3 letters for the name I post under that are an insult and are uncalled for.

So tell me again where you support Nintendo, b/c this statement:

-->"Those games looked 5 years old.

Wii's going to survive on the backs of fanboys, and fanboys alone. Pathetic."

...makes it REALLY obvious that you have no idea what you are talking about AND you can NEVER back up what you say.

Those graphics are pretty sad, esp. the Red Steel ones. They are almost like PSP graphics. And, there will be no free-style control of the sword in Red Steel, its all gesture input.

And those who think that graphics dont matter because the DS is doing so well. Well, this aint a handheld, people pay bg bucks for their home theatre systems and will have higher expectations. Just imagine the Wii kiosk sitting beside the PS3 kiosk in a store, the Wii is gonna look so, so sad.

wow, the ign bugger looks like an even smarmier serge gainsbourg. an oprah make-over is due.

People that pay big bucks for home theatre systems are in the minority.

To be honest, I don't see what all the fuss is about. I don't see anything there that couldn't be done with a normal controller. If anything, it actually looks MORE complicated. Given that the graphics are nothing special and the control scheme looks grossly overhyped by those that wish to see the underdog become top dog, I'll pass. The DS might be outselling everything else in Japan -- a country with bizarre game shows, square watermelons, and a complex about wearing shoes inside -- but the PSP is stomping it in my home country: the place where I actually buy games. I figure Wii looks set to share a similar fate, and I have no intention of ending up with another Gamecube: a machine with overpriced games and no third party support (EA stopped supporting them here altogether).

"29. People that pay big bucks for home theatre systems are in the minority."

As are people who think graphics don't matter.

I don't remember reading your posts T-bad, but the first one in this thread was fanboy-ish.

Saying that Wii graphs aren't (as) good (as the 360/PS3) is like beating a dead horse. It's been known for a LONG, LOOOONG time that Revo/Wii would not be powerfull.
If you can't live without the best graphs, then you have 2 consoles to choose from. There's no point in saying 'not so smart' things like "Wii's going to survive on the backs of fanboys, and fanboys alone."

The PSP was/is almost an entire generation stronger than the DS. But thanks a few reasons, the DS is now outselling the PSP by far. What it largely came down to (imho) was: the DS was the better handheld (battery & durability life for example) and much more importantly: it had/has the best games! That is almost always the most important reason.

All the consoles have games i'm looking forward too, but it's mostly the Wii games that make me giddy with anticipation. Finally something new and fresh. :)

Clearly, i am a Nintendo fan(boy), but you don't see me saying bad things about the 360 or PS3 do you ? To each their own, learn to live with that. That goes for everyone btw. :)

-->"but the PSP is stomping it in my home country: the place where I actually buy games. I figure Wii looks set to share a similar fate, and I have no intention of ending up with another Gamecube: a machine with overpriced games and no third party support (EA stopped supporting them here altogether)."

I'm going to go out on a lim and say you like in Europe b/c the PSP is not stomping the DS in the US. Even if the PSP is selling more then the DS over there, it still doesn't change the fact that the DS outselling the PSP worldwide.

...and the Cube with overpriced games? WTH? Sooo...the PSP is better yet it is expensive and has overpriced games but the Gamecube with even CHEAPER (and better) games is too much? Umm...ok...you loco buddy.

Donutta, i have no idea which country you're living in, beacause the DS is outselling the PSP in japan (http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/01/japanese-hardware-sales-21-august-27-august-dear-diary-editi/)
, USA (http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/11/report-us-july-sales-up-22-ds-and-ea-top-sellers/) and europe (sorry, don't have numbers, but they are :)).

Your mockery of Japan doesn't really help with your credibility. There are A LOT of great developers over there. Getting their support is actually quite a big deal.

And you don't see anything you can't do with a regular controller ? Well sure, in some way, that is true. In the same way we could play all our games without an analog stick, shoulder buttons or rumble. But they all make controller games easier and/or more immersive.
Same with the Wii-mote.
If Nintendo/Ubisoft can get the controls right, the Wii-mote will make sure FPS games are much better to control than other console games. It might even give the old mouse & keyboard a run for it's money, but i kinda doubt that one. :)

And the difference between Wii-tennis and tennis (or baseball or ...) on other consoles is quite obvious isn't it?


T-bag:
"If you deny the fact that the games shown in the video suck than you're just, to put it frank, stupid."

Of course, because everyone who doesn't share you opinion must be an idiot. Please forgive us.



Optimus Prime:
Ubisoft has (sort of) confirmed a 1:1 swordfighting system, try to keep up.

And people don't pay big bucks for handhelds? 300 euros for a PSP is a lot of money as far as i'm concerned. The same as a core 360 and more than a Wii.

Again: to each his own, let us have our fun, don't just mock it. (Especially without any valid points.)

@ T-bag:

The fact that you have a negative star now sums everything up.

Oh and have you played the Wii? Oh that's right...you HAVEN'T! So you have NO IDEA what you are talking about.

I've actually tried the Wii (at E3) since I actually DO work in the game industry.

So keep on making statements that can not be proven in any way b/c you are just making yourself look more and more ignornat and childish.

I'm no soccer fan but mario strikers looks pretty fun. Battalion wars looks ok and red steel was kind of meh too. I don't like how u had to take the cursor to the way edge of the screen to make it turn, it seemed kinda slow doing it that way... but then he did say that may have been cause how close he was to the set.

The graphics do look really dated however, I'd bet the console more than makes up for it in gameplay. Definetly looking to get a wii on launch day to complete my wii60 duo.

"Even if the PSP is selling more then the DS over there, it still doesn't change the fact that the DS outselling the PSP worldwide."

No, it doesn't. But the fact the DS is outselling the PSP worldwide doesn't change the fact that local distributors of Nintendo gear recently dropped the opportunity because of poor profit margins. Consequently, being a Nintendo fan here is like being fan of Vanilla Ice. It was hard to get Nintendo games before, now it's nearly impossible.

"...and the Cube with overpriced games? WTH? Sooo...the PSP is better yet it is expensive and has overpriced games but the Gamecube with even CHEAPER (and better) games is too much? Umm...ok...you loco buddy."

Gamecube games retail here for $120 - $150 dollars new, with $70 being the Player's Choice price. That's the price of third party Xbox 360 games. Playstation 2 and Xbox games retailed from $70 - $100, with players choice being between $35 and $60, depending on the title.

It's a similar situation with the PSP and DS. The PSP games retail between $50 to $90, and DS games retail for $80. So you're only saving yourself about $10 bucks, which is about US$5.

The only "loco" people are the ones who make baseless assumptions about other countries based on their own experiences.

"Donutta, i have no idea which country you're living in . . ."

New Zealand. And my point is that it doesn't really matter how the DS does worldwide, because it's selling poorly and it's undersupported here.

"Your mockery of Japan doesn't really help with your credibility. There are A LOT of great developers over there. Getting their support is actually quite a big deal."

It wasn't mockery; it was a tongue-and-cheek commentary on how different the culture is and how success in one area does not relate to success in another. As for the developer thing, I've gone into this a million times and I'm sick of flogging a dead horse. One only needs to look at how Capcom deliberately altered Onimusha 3, despite the success of Onimusha 2 in Japan, because they wanted it to sell well in the West. As far as the three major territories go, Japan is the smallest and developers know it. That's not to take away from the DS' success, but I've yet to see all these brilliant best-selling DS games here.

My point, before the Nintendo fanboys get their knickers in a twist, was that I don't really see anything to be excited about in Wii. Sony have already beaten Nintendo to the whole non-gamer thing with Eyetoy, Buzz, and SingStar -- games that dominate our top 10 -- and with the graphics, the lack of anything "OMGWTFBBQ?" in the controller, and the expected price (about $600), I fail to see how Nintendo is going to be successful here. As such, I have no desire to be lumped with another Gamecube. (I like being able to buy cheap games in multiple locations and I like to be able to rent games.)

I'll hold off on Wii and see how it's received before I make my final decision, but I'm pretty good at predicting these things as far as my own country goes. But, ya know, God forbid I care about my own experiences and have my own opinion. The fact Wii might do well in other countries isn't going to do me any good if I can't get the games here myself, is it?

Different (Wii controller) doesnot equal better. You can have great gameplay and great graphics, Nintendo and their fans try to act as if the 2 are mutually exclusive. The Wii would be more attractive to me if the games were more visually impressive than what they are. Yes I like the new controller concept but why can't it have great graphics aswell?

#35; So deciding not to dance the vicious cabaret of increasing platform and development costs is "giving up". Got it.

Nintendo looked at the high costs of the PS3 and XBox, and the amount that Sony and Microsoft would be losing on them, and said "Screw you guys, I'm going to play something else." Then they went and did precisely that. They don't have the money to absorb the billions in losses Sony and MS do, and they would likely 'lose' anyway, so why not try something new?

This has pushed me away in terms of a launch purchase.

Alot of what we see with the controller in the video is superflous: how much more fun/immersive does shaking a remote when you want to tackle make a soccer game? I think after 5 minutes most people would be thinking "Can I please just press a button? PLEASE?" Battalion Wars was somewhat similar, in that it seemed to force you into making annoying gestures with the LH controller to do simple things, and just had the RH remote acting like an innacurate mouse. Ditto for Red Steel. The Wii Sports stuff is more along the lines of what I was expecting, so hopefully they demo more games that take advantage of the controller in that fasion moving forward.

I guess it's the same things as the DS: games that use the stylus for the sake of using the stylus are annoying, games that use it where it makes sense, like Kirby or Metios (or whatever its called), are a blast to play. The thing is, DS has standard controls and uses the stylus as an enhancement. The Wii has funky controls and can adopt a more standard setup if necessary. If I'm going to play without using the remote for something innovative, I'd rather get the better graphics, physics and AI of the PS3 or 360.

"T-Bag, if you're sore after 10 minutes with the Wii, you need more exercise."

Or lube.

Somehow it seems the anti-nintendo fanboys are always the most retarded of all. And this is an honest observation.


I mean, when reading this:

"If you deny the fact that the games shown in the video suck than you're just, to put it frank, stupid."

"WTF" is the only thing that comes to mind.

Wow... Which year is this "revolution" from?

I have no doubt the Wii will sell well, even with it's crap-tacular graphical/processing capabilities. Just like the DS... Nintendo is smart to release hardware for those with less disposable income. There are many more people who will be able to afford Nintendo products versus Microsoft and Sony products.

You can't knock Nintendo's strategy... but man, those graphics are absolutely horrid. You get what you pay for I guess.

LOL jonAgain. Bravo! :)

Still, after people saw the Wii and PS3 side by side at E3, this happened to each company's stock price:

http://www.infendo.com/2006/09/tale-of-two-stock-prices.html#comments

Check out the shift in May.

The more that comes out about Wii, the less impressive it becomes.

When the controls were first shown, there was lots of excitement since people thought that there would be free-style control of onscreen widgets in 3-space. NOPE, not even close. It functions just a pointer like a mouse with tilt sensors, whats so innovative about that? And, so far, all the Wiimote controls are gesture inputs, which is more complicated and mre importantly LESS PRECISE than pressing buttons (the plethora of onscreen tutorials proves this).

What does this mean? It means that games are going to be DUMBED down. Check out Madden 07 Wii or Wii Sports (tennis especially) if you dont beleive me. Its not going to appeal to high-level gamers who revel in learning complex controls and combos. At the same time, the gestures are going to feel tacked on; ie. for the sake of using the wiimote simply to make it different.

This is going to the last Nintendo console. And, FYI, I still have my NES and SNES from way back ...

"Its not going to appeal to high-level gamers who revel in learning complex controls and combos."

Optimus Prime, you don't know who the Wii is for. The drive behind it is to EXPAND the gaming audience. That means you have to attract new people to gaming. You are not going to do that with complex games.

Wii Sports Tennis is simple on purpose, so that non-gamers won't have to learn so manny button combinations.

So far, many mainstream mags have been talking about the Wii, and as non-gamers they love it.

Have a look:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/ukcorrespondents/davidderbyshire/september2006/wiinintendoway.htm

And for those too lazy to read the whole thing:

"To outsiders like myself, a Playstation or Xbox games console joypad is a fairly intimidating beast, packed with mysterious and intimidating buttons, marked with Xs, circles or squares. Games are now so mind-blowingly three-dimensional and interactive that unless you’ve been brought up on them since the age of seven, newcomers to the games culture have little chance of understanding what’s going on.

In contrast, the Wii offers simplistic, intuitive and social play. Its button-free design, and choice of simple, mostly non violent software, is wiping clean the slate of the last 15 years in an attempt to appeal to people who don’t like the computer games culture of guns, sports, cars and monsters.

Proof came from the female photographer who came with me for the trial. Beforehand she didn’t “get” computer games and had to be forcibly handled by two burly Nintendo employees to have a go at the Wii tennis.

In the end, she was having so much fun, the same two men had to pull her off."


See, it's not people that attack the Wii that bother me. Whatever, that's fine, go buy your PS3. It's the people that don't understand why it is the way it is, and who the target audience is. There will be games for gamers, but there will also be simple, cheap games for people that don't like most video games now.

The controls are not very accurate yet.

Red Steel doesn't seem that much fun, to be honest. I think games like the shooter they had at the end, driving, the Wii sports, Bomberman, etc., will be a lot better to play on the Wii than games associated with hardcore gamers/consoles

How cool would it be though, to be able to play the same game on the DS than on the Wii?

I.e., take a stripped down version on the DS on the go so you can continue advancing on your game, then come home and play on the Wii. That'd be pretty cool.

Not convinced it will do better than either the PS3 or the Xbox 360. If Nintendo thinks it will do better than the two other competing systems just because it has a new controller and a large back catalog of old games then I think they have seriously underestimated the power of both Sony and Microsoft. And if history repeats itself then I think we will all be stuck with another Gamecube. All of the excitement of the new controller will wear off in time. Just watch and see. And please please stop comparing the Wii to the DS. Portable gaming is entirely different from console gaming. Just because the DS does well does not mean the Wii will. In time we will see. And when there finally is a clear winner we can come back to these comments and single out all the people who said the "Wii will dominate" or the "Wii will surely fail". This generation is going to be very interesting.

El H: I know what Nintendo is up to and have beleived in their strategy up to this point.

But, the Wiimote is not making things easier. What is easier: to slash the RedSteel sword .. (1) doing an 'x' motion with the Wiimote or (2) pressing a button? My argument is that the Wiimote and its gesture input system are in fact MORE complicated and far LESS precise than button presses (the wii needs to interpret motion data from the Wiimote at all times and recognise when a gesture has ocurred). Look at all the tutorials and practice sessions that the player needs to go through. If you dont want to put the player through tutorials, then stick to point and clock games (eg. Zelda Phantom Hourglass and Nintendogs), FPSs, or dumb down the game significantly.

The only advantage the Wiimote has is with pointing type games like Nintendogs Wii or FPSs. With FPS its a no win situation with the Wii because of the PSP-like graphics which are competing with true next gen FPSs on 360 and PS3.

Even then, PS3 and 360 have other input methods like gesture input with cameras and tht guitar hero guitar. in fact, the Wii will never have a camera because it lacks the video processing capabilities needed to make it interactive.

The best consumer-friendly console this holiday season is the PStwo. Huge library of games and dirt cheap. Sony needs to drop the price to 99 USD to put some pressure on the Wii.