Wii Balance Board might not be one-trick pony
by Scott Jon Siegel 
{ Jan 31st 2008 at 10:00AM }
In a recent Famitsu magazine interview, Shigeru Miyamoto admitted that Nintendo may consider developing future software titles that use the Wii Balance Board, depending on how well the Wii Fit package performs overseas. Today, Namco Bandai is releasing Family Ski in Japan, which includes an option to play using the Balance Board. If Nintendo were to go ahead and continue developing for the Balance Board, would we be seeing more fitness titles, sports titles, or perhaps something else altogether?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
jsn @ Jan 31st 2008 10:13AM
gimmick... like ALMOST everything else for this thing..
Co @ Jan 31st 2008 10:28AM
Your face is a gimmick.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Jan 31st 2008 10:31AM
Steven Segall's face is definitely a gimmick.
jsn @ Jan 31st 2008 10:43AM
Co: your life is a gimmick. try again..
Crono: seagal is not pleased!!
Co @ Jan 31st 2008 10:58AM
You could have at least gotten Chuck Norris with your unoriginal ass lol
motang @ Jan 31st 2008 2:44PM
I see what you did there
Cesaria @ Jan 31st 2008 3:52PM
Jesus, can't you stay out of Nintendo talkbacks. If you hate Nintendo so much, why the hell do you read every article and put in your two cents. Seriously, no one gives a fuck what you have to say, jsn.
Purple Haze @ Jan 31st 2008 4:42PM
Are people still calling it a gimmick a year later when its still sold out?
Dustin @ Jan 31st 2008 10:17AM
The more developers that throw in balance board functionality, the more the Wii's control schemes are going to be solidified as a gimmick. Who cares if "Family Ski" uses the balance board? Not hardcore gamers, that's for sure. We need some real, triple A games on the Wii (I know, I know...) that use the balance board.
Nintendo also needs to warm up to software updates so they can update games like Mario Galaxy and Metroid Corruption to use the board. Doing that could have the same affect on those games as Resident Evil 4 Wii edition did on RE4 - breathe some new life into it. They're already fantastic games, so why now give gamers a reason to play through them again?
Anyways, I can't imagine the balance board being adopted quite as well here in America as in Japan.
Grog @ Jan 31st 2008 10:23AM
Adding Balance Board control to Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime retroactively *would* be making this a gimmick. Using it for games like skiing or, as I hope, a new 1080 game, is exactly what it *should* be used for!
Dustin @ Jan 31st 2008 10:37AM
Hmm... you make a good point. Lol. I canceled out my own thoughts.
I guess I'm just tired of 95% of all Wii games being built around poorly-implemented motion controls, when developers should be building great games, and then tying in motions controls where it would benefit the game.
Eric @ Jan 31st 2008 10:26AM
The Wii is not a gimmick, Nintendo has proven this with there software, 3rd partys treat it like a gimmick. Nintendo Needs to start pressing 3rd party publishers to start thinking out of the box and not just release mini game after mini game if they want to publish on there system just like in the old days.
jsn @ Jan 31st 2008 10:40AM
please... not a gimmick? wake up and smell the coffee..The whole console was justified by the "unique controllers" yet they've only released ONE GAME (wiisports) that truely makes valid use of them. Everything else is tacked on pandering or going out of their way to find a use for the controllers. Now they're putting out flagship games that are BETTER using a traditional gamepad. That alone proves how much of a gimmick the controls were.
apart from wiisports and all the boring gesture based mini-games, can you name one game that simply couldn't happen without the Wiimote/chuck? I own about 10 and I can't...
Eric @ Jan 31st 2008 10:47AM
So M0etriod is a gimmick? Mario Galaxy is a gimmick? Have you played either of these games? They both use the controllers in new and innovated ways. Also hate to tell you this, but Sony and Microsoft will follow suit with there next counsels. The Wii is just the first stepping stone to the next generation of how we play games.
Eric @ Jan 31st 2008 10:47AM
So Metriod is a gimmick? Mario Galaxy is a gimmick? Have you played either of these games? They both use the controllers in new and innovated ways. Also hate to tell you this, but Sony and Microsoft will follow suit with there next counsels. The Wii is just the first stepping stone to the next generation of how we play games.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Jan 31st 2008 10:50AM
Seagal: Metroid Prime 3 wouldn't have happened (or at least, not nearly as well) without the IR and Motion. WiiMote+Nunchuck is superior in every imaginable way for FPS genre than dual analog.
deaftly @ Jan 31st 2008 10:54AM
Mario is the best game on the wii and it doesn't even use the motion controls that much, it would have easily been just as enjoyable with the gamecube controller.
jsn @ Jan 31st 2008 10:55AM
Eric: yes I own MG and I love it, but I'm not going to lie and say that I don't think it would have worked just as well with a traditional controller. You would simply have to pick up the bits by running over them, as in other games.
I tried Metroid and the controls just didn't do it for me. IMO, they were still too dodgy and inconsistent. They may be slightly better than dual analog, but dual analog flat out sucks for FPS's. Both are a poor sub for Kb/M.
So don't say metriod "wouldn't have happened" without them. In fact the game likely would have sold much better without the quirky controls.
Eric @ Jan 31st 2008 10:58AM
True, any game on the wii could be done with a classic controller, but i enjoyed Zelda, Metroid and Mario so much more using the motion based movements. It puts you more in touch with the game.
Co @ Jan 31st 2008 11:03AM
The beauty of the Wiimote is two-fold: The IR Sensor and motion control.
The IR Sensor is for the hardcore gamer. It requires precision, accuracy, and unparralled results when applied right.
The motion control is for the casual gamer. It's just downright fun and more engaging when applied right.
And when both are merged together in an experience the right way, it too is like no other.
vidGuy @ Jan 31st 2008 11:05AM
Yeah, that's kind of a broken argument. Almost any game from this generation /could/ be played with the NES controller or a 1990 flight-simulator joystick. Just because they could be played that way doesn't mean they are /best/ played that way. Just as dual-analog, rumble, shoulder buttons, etc have added to the control, motion and IR have added to Wii games.
Co @ Jan 31st 2008 11:08AM
Also, as a side note: I never thought of how enjoyable it is to hold a seperated controller in both hands, moving them independently of each other. When I grab ahold of a "typical" game controller after a bout of Wiiness, it just feels constricting now....
deaftly @ Jan 31st 2008 11:18AM
Co, the way your posts usually are do you even have another console besides the wii to compare its controller to a "typical" controller. I like the wii and all but playing 2-3 great games a year (just like gamecube) isn't what i call a stellar system. Hell, I bought no more heroes just for a reason to turn on the damn thing again.
samfish @ Jan 31st 2008 11:28AM
"Mario is the best game on the wii and it doesn't even use the motion controls that much, it would have easily been just as enjoyable with the gamecube controller."
No way. Completely wrong, chief.
You really think the game would have been enjoyable if you had to run up to all the star bits to collect them or, at best, fumble around with the second analog stick?
I don't. It'd have turned it into a game-breaking collect-a-thon.
Anyway, I've become weary of this whole, "It would have worked just as well with a regular controller" argument.
That isn't the point. It's about which control scheme is most fitting. On those merits, the Wiimote(+Nunchuck) destroys the competition in quite a few areas (shooters, sports) and gets trounced so far in others (fighters).
You can make a game work "just as well" with ANY control scheme you come up with. But does it make sense to use that control scheme?
In many, if not most, cases, the answer is no, if only due to the fact that the medium's grown was 'stunted' for years by virtue of having to use traditional style controllers for so long.
Co @ Jan 31st 2008 11:50AM
Deaftly, I understand where you're coming from. But I actually enjoy alot of the games out for Wii outside of the minigame crapfest. I own upwards of 10 games currently and rent plenty more. Also, I don't have the time or money to invest in multiple console efforts, nor will I ever hand over my earned cash for a 360.
Having said all that, I do play the 360 and PS3 often due to my cousin owning every console ever made, and I love the Wiimote set ups alot more. I've always hated dual analog FPSs (grew up on Quake 2 PC online). I dunno, Nintendo products just have a niche for me.
Vidikron (FU) @ Jan 31st 2008 11:53AM
@samfish
"No way. Completely wrong, chief.
You really think the game would have been enjoyable if you had to run up to all the star bits to collect them or, at best, fumble around with the second analog stick?"
That's a marginal argument at best. Maybe they put thousands of those bits into the game because of the Wiimote? It IS convenient to pick them up with the point, but in it's absence they could have simply reduced the number of bits to collect and likewise reduced the number you need to use to feed those hungry stars. It's hardly a critical game element. Honestly, even though the game is Mario, collecting them with the pointer doesn't even make much sense... nor does shooting them with the pointer. It comes across like some mysterious "force" is helping Mario along. Whatever though... I don't care much either way. But I do think that the many of the best Wii games only make token use of the Wiimote's unique abilities. MP3 seems to have benefitted the most.
KayRazy Ken Kutaragi @ Jan 31st 2008 12:58PM
jsn,
We have not seen eye to eye very often but I am with you on this one brother. Yeah baby yeah...grooovy
I am so sick of the Wii being grouped into THIS generation. THIS generation is between the 360 and the PS3. The Wii is with the PS2, and the PS2 has a 100meeelion lead on the Wii.
Please Sony, release a copy/rip-off of the Wiimote for the PStwo and instantly you can show that the Wii is nothing more than a GameCube that has Internet access.
Praise be to tacked on, gimped, and mostly unnecessary waggle controls.
McWeen @ Jan 31st 2008 10:27AM
This sort of thing is interesting as a concept but I hope they don't go too peripheral crazy. My living room already has a huge pile of DDR pads, rock band drums, guitar peripherals, arcade sticks and normal controllers laying around. I'm sure there are plenty of gamers feeling space constraint as well.
maverick_saturn_626 @ Jan 31st 2008 10:31AM
What do you do with it? Stand on it or something? Lost...
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Jan 31st 2008 11:59AM
Yes. You stand on it. It has strain gages positioned in 4 (maybe 8?) corners to measure your total weight and the distribution of your weight left to right and front to back.
WiNG @ Jan 31st 2008 10:33AM
I'm pretty sure using this in 1080 Wii would be awesome, not a gimmick, as long as it's also optional.
I would hope the balance board is used for more than one game!
Co @ Jan 31st 2008 11:10AM
Well, any controller/input that is not bundled in with EVERY system sold is guaranteed to be an optional control scheme at best.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Jan 31st 2008 10:33AM
The wii really is NES 2.0. One of the coolest things about the NES was all the different STUFF it could do with the different hardware out there.
FOXHOUND @ Jan 31st 2008 10:49AM
Then, hopefully this gets more use than the Power Pad...
hvnlysoldr @ Feb 2nd 2008 7:15PM
R.O.B. is ready for a smashing comeback.
Billy O'Keefe @ Jan 31st 2008 10:54AM
Give me Punch-Out with Balance Board support.
Shift left and right on the board to dodge, punch with the controllers.
Or just give me a new Punch-Out with classic controller support.
Just give me a new goddamn Punch-Out please.
vidGuy @ Jan 31st 2008 10:55AM
It could definitely be an interesting input device, but I'd have to see it incorporated into a real game before I put down the cash. Just as I bought into the Wii for the motion controls and IR in traditional franchises (Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Madden, Tiger Woods) rather than Wii Sports (which is great but definitely a 'gimmick' demo), I'm not buying into the Balance Board until it gives me more than "shift your weight to hit a ball!".
I guess this is where I disagree with you, jsn. Wii Sports is the gimmick in my mind, as it's not a complete game and is packaged with the console. The true games are the ones that simply couldn't be done on a console without the Wii's controller or have been vastly improved by it: Zelda, Zack and Wiki, Super Mario Galaxy, MP3:C, RE4:WE, SSX Blur, etc. Granted, some games are built around a regular pad and add the motion later, and it shows.
But could you imagine aiming with the second analog after using IR? Could you imagine using button presses to use the objects in Z&W? Could you imagine running around to collect every star bit in SMG?
Gimmick = a novel trick that attracts the masses but doesn't work overall. That doesn't describe the Wii at all in my mind.
Max Headroom @ Jan 31st 2008 11:22AM
I want a first person shooter combined with an extreme sports game. You move and dodge using the Balance Board while you aim and shoot using the Wiimote. Who wouldn't buy a game like "Surf Ninjas With Uzis!"
Worst Review Ever @ Jan 31st 2008 11:52AM
Dude, I totally already had that idea! Mine was called "Surfing D.O.A." D.O.A. as in Dead On Arrival.
deaftly @ Jan 31st 2008 11:36AM
@samfish
The majority of star bits i do collect i do just run up to them because moving the pointer just detracts from the actual gameplay going on because you have to stop what your doing and focus on collecting them, its fine and all when you're flying around but annoying all the other times. Have a good one.
deaftly @ Jan 31st 2008 11:37AM
yeah that was a reply somewhere up there
vidGuy @ Jan 31st 2008 11:40AM
Can you walk and chew bubblegum at the same time? Seriously, moving your wrist to collect star bits while you are running through a level is too difficult and distracting? I've never stopped to collect star bits, nor do I run to them. No wonder you don't like the Wii controls.
deaftly @ Jan 31st 2008 11:45AM
who said i didnt like them?
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Jan 31st 2008 11:48AM
Vid guy took the words right out of my keyboard. Thats more asinine than people who want start power on a foot pedal because they always screw up their multiplier tilting the guitar.
Teach your brain to do 2 things at the same time, peoples.
Lemmiwinks @ Jan 31st 2008 11:52AM
Joystiq has acquired +3 Duh
deaftly @ Jan 31st 2008 11:55AM
@vidguy i never said it was difficult, you love putting words in my mouth don't ya, i said it was DECTRACTING from the main game play. reading ftw.
vidGuy @ Jan 31st 2008 1:27PM
"you have to stop what your doing and focus on collecting them" suggests that you find it /difficult/ to play the game WHILE collecting star bits. The proposition that it detracts from the gameplay suggests that you find it cumbersome and/or annoying. In the literal definition this may not be /difficult/ but I was using the term colloquially, as in it's /difficult/ to enjoy the game while collecting star bits.
If you can't defend your statements with anything better than a jab at my choice of words, why are you still here?
snorkel @ Jan 31st 2008 2:23PM
Perhaps using doing two things at a time is not difficult for you, but using the bloody comment system appears to be downright impossible. Learn how to reply properly.
cold school @ Jan 31st 2008 12:25PM
Super scale peripheral to be, possibly, kinda-sorta, used in crap game!
film at 11!
Darcy @ Jan 31st 2008 1:13PM
Quite frankly, I think the idea of a Wii Fit is a great one. Americans as a whole are becoming one giant blob of obese people. Seeing as how for the most part, kids are starting off fatter and younger than ever before, and they are the videogame lovers, I think it would be an excellent idea to help them get exercise while in the comfort of their own house via videogames. If it’ll motivate them, then go for it. I think the Wii itself is an awesome starting point for getting kids some seriously needed exercise… not much obviously, but a little is better than nothing. I can only hope that they choose to release the Wii Fit here to help our society not be such plump, lazy people. I have nothing wrong with videogames, but if you’re getting a bit overweight because all you do is sit and play and you have no motivation to get up and do anything, maybe videogames could get you up. Please let the trials in Japan go over well so that we too can enjoy in slightly healthy videogaming habits.