Lair dev berates motion controls ... in other games

Damn. Shagi wasted NO time pissing about motion controls across the board without any leeway whatsoever. Very open-minded.

sigh,

I'm not gonna waste my time.

Actually, they made two good Rogue Squadron games, and one that was "aiight."

The controls on the cube sucked,imo. Not to mention it was hard to see distant fighters in space, and I hated having to use the night vision i mean nav comp to see em. Hassle. Had a few good missions but was sullied by these things. Rouge Squadron 64ftw!

...and isn't over-hyped or has a huge stiffy for itself.

Actually, I'm more prone to suggest it's due to sub-standard technology and pressure from Sony to implement the controls.

Also: because you can't express an opinion on the internet without stressing your position, I don't have and have no interest in obtaining a PlayStation 3.

And I base this on absolutely nothing.

I think gamers want to control dragons not be dragon riders.

nice. gotta love scary movie 4.

Yay for the double post!

I hate it when I do that....
Anyway, until I'm shown a good game that makes their motion controls worth a damn I'm gonna have to say motion controls are not worth the effort.
-prepares for the flames-

Well, at least the pointer capabilities are finally very well implemented (Metroid Prime 3).

Mind you, it's still reasonably early for both systems in terms of motion(and soon rumble on both)controlled gameplay development ... but I'd say both systems have at least a handful of games that the motion controls were feasible.

It's always going to feel tacked on, simply because it's a "gimmick immersion" when most gamers have simply used a gamepad or joystick for the majority of their experience.

Twilight Princess was, of course, developed for the 'Cube and then had motion controls added - so they are somewhat tacked on, that can be taken for granted. To see motion controls well implemented from the ground up, play Metroid.

The PS3's implementation of motion control is lazy if you ask me - it's the same design approach Sony has for everything: keep the same basic layout, and tack on new features. Motion control doesn't make much sense when you're holding a traditional gamepad. I tried that years ago when I purchased the Microsoft Sidewinder, and it was the most awkward setup imaginable. If you're going to try to push control in a new direction, you need to design the controlller with that in mind from the ground up. The Wii remote's shape makes perfect sense for motion controls - but tacking them onto a normal (sneslayout+n64analog+n64rumble) dualshock is a failure from the outset.

@warioswoods

I have to disagree with you on the controller designs. I don't really see how Sony using motion controls in a traditional design is lazy and the Wii's TV remote controller is somehow better. The Wiimote's shape is better for it because it has a pointer built-in, but the PS3 doesn't use any light-gun type application.

Also, the Wiimote's overall design is crap. For example, have you played MP3? The aiming controls work great, but the game really highlights that the button placement is horrendous. Having to reach for the +/- and 1 buttons all the time is NOT comfortable. They are in horrible positions when holding the Wiimote like that. Even hitting down on the D-pad isn't the most convenient thing, though not as bad as the others. Then take a game like SPM that forces you to hold the Wiimote sideways. Holding the Wiimote sideways is another inconvenient and non-ergonomic position. The physical shape is clearly meant for holding it like a TV remote and is simply not ergonomic sideways.

Anyway, bash Sony and their remote all you want, but the Wiimote has hordes of flaws itself.

No, the Wii remote certainly has flaws, but it is still far better suited to motion control than anything else on the market, and not just when pointing. Waving something that you hold in a wand-like fashion in one hand is simply more intuitive than stretching your wrists to tilt and push a gamepad.

While it has some flaws, the Wii remote still highlights Nintendo's basic strategies regarding control that I, for one, applaud. One of the most prominent of those strategies is a simple maxim: different actions in the game should feel different. The N64 controller and the Gamecube controller both received criticism from some who didn't like the odd, asymmetrical design, but it makes sense when you try it out - having one very large button that feels primary, for instance, while having a smaller secondary button you can roll your thumb over feels better than each button being identical as it is on the dualshock series. The shoulder buttons have a slow press that senses depth, while the z-trigger is faster. You get the idea - each type of action in a game feels very different when using such a controller, and it's a better experience than simply mapping a series of identical buttons to different actions.

Secondly, this reminds me a bit of reactions I've seen to the iPod in the past. It's true that other players on the market have a better list of features when you put them on paper side by side - however, that misses the appeal of the iPod and its source of success. Regardless of how many features some other player may glue together haphazardly, the features and the interface of the iPod (generally) make perfect sense. I don't care much for carrying my whole library of music around so I only have a Nano, but I see its great appeal in the interface when I'm navigating the menus rapidly with one thumb.

Features are meaningless if they don't fit together into an intuitive whole. Granted, the Wii is far from perfection according to this rubric, but I would argue that it's still far closer than the PS3. Then again, there's a market out there for both.

It wouldn't be so bad if developers just stopped using the controller like a steering wheel.

That and the targeting system... and the camera... and the crappy timed missions... and failing them though no fault of your own... and, well you get the idea.

not to mention random verb omission.

I completely agree with you on the aftertouch controls. That part where Kai has to protect Shen was great fun.

Smithers, send out the Simmons bot.
Shake Shake Shake. Shake your booty!

eggface.

Bah.

That so doesn't work. I am fail.

no, no

Rouge Squadron is the sequel to Knuckles' Chaotix, a squadron of "attractive-to-furries" bats that have to hunt for treasure

The delusion continues. Apparently, EVERYONE who said bad things about Lair's controls, which wound up being, well, ALMOST everyone, must OBVIOUSLY not know what they were doing. Intuitive means that the controls are easy to grasp by the majority of people. Lair is not intuitive.