Review: Bit.Trip Core (WiiWare)
by David Hinkle 
{ Jul 17th 2009 at 8:00PM } 
[Note: There's also a video review!]
Bit.Trip Core's structure and goal are the same as Beat's: Pixels fly at you; you zap them; and it plays a tune for each successful zapping. It's all still a fantastical, colorful experience, but it's thankfully easier to play due to a more simplified control scheme than the unresponsive motion-based ones in Beat, which had you tilting the Wiimote to move around.
In Core, it's very different; a d-pad resides in the middle of the screen and by pressing a certain direction, you'll shine a beam of light that way. As you start zapping pixels in succession, you'll fill up a gauge that lets you perform a screen-clearing move. The game benefits greatly from this control scheme, as it's more reliable than the motion-based tomfoolery that went on with Bit.Trip Beat.
That's not to say the game is simple, by any means. Pixels fly at you at punishing speed and zapping the majority of them is a daunting task. It's an almost instant shift too, where you're playing a nice, serene bit of a level only to all of a sudden be hammered with walls of pixels. The difficulty spikes are an obstacle and if you're an easily-frustrated gamer, this is going to bring out your worst. But, for me, the new controls kept me playing longer than I did in Beat.
If you enjoyed its predecessor, then there isn't going to be anything in Core you won't like. It's got a way more comfortable controls and the charmingly retro Bit.Trip approach remains a unique twist on the music genre.
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
PersonOfSorts @ Jul 17th 2009 8:15PM
Beat had unresponsive controls?
Try again.
Mduck @ Jul 17th 2009 8:31PM
yeah, the control scheme was pretty much flawless :\
Sam @ Jul 17th 2009 11:04PM
Yeah Joystiq, what's up with the anti waggle?
Sam @ Jul 17th 2009 11:08PM
I think the only problem I had with Beat was that you couldn't save. I'm scared Joystiq has become anti-Wii.
psychedelicpaintbrush @ Jul 18th 2009 10:54AM
I'm gonna jump on the boat with these guys and say Beat had very responsive controls. Each level took me several attempts to finish but I absolutely never had a problem with tilting the wiimote. I will go so far as to say the controls were perfect.
I thought the only gripe people had about this game was the fact that it had a mere 3 stages.
Maybe Mr. Hinkle needs a new wiimote or something... you were holding it sideways right? Just making sure...
Pimliconite @ Jul 18th 2009 1:09PM
All my failures in Beat were because I couldn't keep up or couldn't discern the pattern. I screwed up more frequently in Core from applying just a little too much pressure to the right or left on the d-pad. If you got past the first level on Beat, you had the muscle memory to play the game, so I don't get Hinckle's complaints.
I don't what other control scheme would have given you that precision and rapid responsiveness. Certainly not the analog stick or d-pad. You would need something like the wheel from pong, which this is as close as you can get on the wii or any other console.
Gastrodon @ Jul 19th 2009 1:24AM
I agree. Half the time, I didn't even need to look at the paddle on the screen to tell where I was! It feels very natural.
TwEE @ Jul 19th 2009 6:21PM
All wii games have unresponsive controls. To say otherwise is anti-gaming.
Get with it guys.
gordo @ Jul 19th 2009 7:59PM
Hello Metroid Prime and Okami, I see you've made a fool of TwEE.
Fernando Rocker @ Jul 17th 2009 8:22PM
The Bit.Trip games are really good, very original ideas, and nice tunes... the gameplay is simple, yet very challenguing.
Also, why are the Beat controls bad? The controls works very good, and are kinda necesary for the gameplay: the little bar moves at the speed to move the Wii Remote. Sometimes you need to move very little and sometimes you need to move from top to bottom, always at very variable speeds. That's something you can't do with an analog joystick or a digital control pad. It's hard to explain due to my limited english, but you need movement for the Beat controls (I hope someone can explain it better than me).
Definitely one of my favorite WiiWare series... can't wait for the remaining 4 games in the series.
MLS @ Jul 17th 2009 8:36PM
I'm on song 2 and loving it, but finding it very hard to follow song 2's beat. This is gonna be tough.
The game is surprisingly easier than Beat. It took me about a week to finish song 1 of Beat; only 2 days for song 1 of Core. I still like Beat way more, but am digging this.
No game gives you a more satisfying feeling of accomplishment than finishing a bit.trip song.
KEENMACHlNE @ Jul 17th 2009 8:42PM
Played this at a friends a couple days ago. Unlike bit.trip.beat there's no penalty for multiplayer like the smaller paddles in the orignal, so that made things a bit easier. We managed to beat level 1 on our first try but died on level 2 about 80% though it.
Overlord_Dave @ Jul 17th 2009 8:57PM
This looks like one of those ridiculously-hard-but-addictive games I've been busy avaiding through SHEER TERROR!
zonic505 @ Jul 17th 2009 9:06PM
Yeah, I thought Beat had great controls. I usually get to half-way through level 3 (sometimes farther) before I die.
Still on level 2 on Core. Can't wait until the rest of the games.
Ian @ Jul 17th 2009 9:33PM
This may not be the place to ask, but I don't know where else. How can I get my Wii/Sensor bar setup so that I can aim the Wiimote at the screen and not at the sensor bar. I've been playing House of the Dead and RE: Umbrella Chronicles and I feel like if i put the bar on top of the TV, I'm aiming above the TV, and if I place the bar below the TV, I'm aiming below the TV. I'd like to be able to aim where I want to shoot without having to rely so much on the crosshairs on the screen. I just feel like the accuracy sucks for all games and I have to be aiming the controller almost directly at the bar for it to work right, or is this just how it is? Thanks.
xodus666 @ Jul 18th 2009 12:30AM
you can try angling it
Foetoid @ Jul 18th 2009 12:33AM
Yeah thats how it's meant to be, but you're doing it wrong. See it's not about looking down the Wiimote at all, even if it's in a gun attachment. It's more about shooting from the hip maybe. I find it work brillantly for any style of shooting game sitting normally on a couch or chair, your Wiimote-wielding-hand on your knee for support, then concentrate on the on-screen crosshairs as you aim the Wiimote towards the sensor bar. It's not meant to be the same style as an arcade-shooter like Time Crisis. Same gameplay, different controls, just like most Wii games.
Ian @ Jul 18th 2009 1:49AM
Cool, thanks for the tips. No wonder I don't play my Wii much. Not a fan of the motion controls.
TRON.dll @ Jul 18th 2009 12:37PM
Ghost Squad had a really nice calibration option that would make it so you could aim down the Wiimote and have spot on accuracy.
It's why it's possible to play without any aiming reticule.
Anti-Villian @ Jul 19th 2009 6:49AM
Buy some infrared LEDS and attach them to the sides of your TV, although you screen may be too big forcing you to stand further back.
Ashitaka @ Jul 17th 2009 9:38PM
So *this* is the true graphical of the Wii...
Ian @ Jul 18th 2009 1:50AM
This is the true fail on the Joystiq.
Ashitaka @ Jul 18th 2009 7:26AM
*ahem* graphical power
the2bears @ Jul 18th 2009 12:52AM
Motion controls tacked on? Are you serious? The controls were great, as just about everyone here has confirmed. Maybe they take away your union card if you don't talk down the Wii remote.
GordoJones @ Jul 18th 2009 12:56AM
As a 360 only gamer I am so Jealous.
Must have pong!
Ashitaka @ Jul 18th 2009 10:25AM
Nice sarcasm xD
GordoJones @ Jul 18th 2009 5:06PM
I'm an old school gamer who loves the modern retro classics. I've contacted the developers and publishers to bring Bit.Trip to XBLA.
Anti-Villian @ Jul 19th 2009 7:00AM
Thank you for stating your ignorance, you have truly helped us all.
Dv8thwonder @ Jul 18th 2009 3:05AM
For those having sensor bar troubles, I suggest you buy 2 wireless sensor bars and position each of them vertically on each side of your television. It works wonders.
On topic/ I have yet to pick up either of these titles yet I'm intrigued as to what type of gameplay will be in the next one. Joystiq has become anti-Wii that I am sure of. Tmac must be pulling the strings.
Retro is king!
ZombieX @ Jul 18th 2009 7:36AM
"than the unresponsive motion-based ones in Beat"
What? Beat's control scheme was perfection!
JayJ @ Jul 18th 2009 9:30AM
I don't know where everyone is getting this whole "Bit.Trip:Beats controls were perfect" thing from. They certainly weren't. They were fairly well implemented but it still created the inevitable lack of precision and the Wiimote was also a bit awkward to hold.
ninjafetus @ Jul 18th 2009 1:07PM
There's a difference between "I can't make the controls do what I want them to do" and "the controls are inconsistant and unable to perform the tasks at hand." The first one is what the reviewer had with Bit.Trip Beat, and is more of a problem with him than the controls. The second is what -actually- means "bad controls." Now, does B.T Core have more accessible controls? Sure, but that doesn't mean the predecessor's were bad.
I have a feeling that if Mr. Hinkle reviewed a trombone, he would talk about how unresponsive and imprecise the "slide-based tomfoolery" was. >.
Anti-Villian @ Jul 19th 2009 6:59AM
Unresponsive trombonery my good sir
the2bears @ Jul 18th 2009 1:31PM
Bring back Ben Zackheim. Now there was a writer who knew how to review.
Mory Buckman @ Jul 18th 2009 2:20PM
I thought the controls in Bit.Trip Beat were great. The controls in Bit.Trip Core I have a real problem with. The Wii's digital pad just isn't comfortable to play on for any extended periods. After less than a half hour, my thumb is already cramping and I need to stop. Considering that, it's likely that I won't finish this one, since I can't put the demanded amount of time in without physical pain.
GordoJones @ Jul 19th 2009 12:39PM
Out of all the games on the Wii, this is the only one that is even half decent. That really says a lot about the Wii doesn't it.
gordo @ Jul 19th 2009 8:13PM
Quality commentary from a trusted source.
Oh, and you have a horrible name.
Mr Mobius - the wandering artist @ Jul 19th 2009 10:44PM
I'll save my time making a list. You'd never listen. Lets just say that I'm having a great time with many core Wii games.
GordoJones @ Jul 20th 2009 12:31AM
LOL, gordo takes a good jab that nearly went right over my head, and I bet Mr Mobius didn't realized he's in the Bit.Trip Core thread talking about the many core Wii games. Anyhow, I take it back, you guys are too much fun.
Ian @ Jul 19th 2009 1:25PM
I think I found my issue. I have a Turtle Beach X3 headphone setup for my 360 and the IR transmitter has 3 red LEDs. This was at the bottom of my screen, and I think it was confusing the WiiMote. I unplugged it and, while its not perfect, its a lot better. Now I'm halfway through Super Mario Galaxy. Still have to figure out the scan lines that show up though. RUnning on a 720p 50" Samsung Plasma. On my 37" 720P LCD using component cables it looks fine, but plugged into the Samsung, theres some staticy kind of lines that are very visible on black screens. Just need to play around with it I guess.
Ian @ Jul 19th 2009 1:26PM
Fail. I can't even reply to myself properly.