27 Playable Wii Games At E3

The Nintendo conference seemed to be the perfect opposite of Sony's conference yesterday. It was polished, the presenters were poised, and the demos conveyed exactly the message they were aiming for. Notable info includes 27 playable Wii titles on the E3 floor, a speaker in the Wii controller, a StarFox title for the DS, and a confirmation of motion sensor in the nunchuck attachment. There will be two versions of Twilight Princess (one for Wii, one for GC) and they'll both be out on Wii launch day. Launch is slated for Q4 of this year. The presenters kept the launch price and date under wraps as the tone of the event was inspiration, not information. The number of playable games available this week confirms their commitment to a launch date this year, and the hilarious tennis game played onstage by the Nintendo honchos and the contest winner made their 'playing = believing' slogan really hit home. More flash than substance, but a solid presentation overall

Slight disappointment

[Lacobra]

That rocked hard, but the absence of any SSB details, Virtual Console demo or DS-Wii connectivity was a major letdown. Compared to Sony's CG filled rip-fest. Wii couldn't have asked for more. Nintendo FTW!

Nevermind those engadget idiots :)

[csoto]

I like the name "wii" and I'm getting one for my son the day it comes out. Nintendo understands why I got into games to begin with - social interaction with people in the room. Yeah, FPS is fun, but nothing beats clobbering your bros. at Cyberball or NHLPA Hockey (yes, Genesis days, TYVM) and telling them their "face" was just handed to them...

Great, great conference

[Swimmin' Pants]

After nearly falling asleep while watching Sony's conference, Nintendo's was a breath of fresh air. The games they had on show looked great, and looked like they played great. They actually had something significant to show! It was awesome, plain and simple. I think Nintendo's really got the goods this generation. I just wish we could've seen a price.

Also, I'm very happy that there's going to be a Fire Emblem game for Wii :)

Re:I think I speak for us all when I say...

[b06r011]

he is indeed a lucky ***
he played doubles tennis against Reggie & Iwata, but had Miyamoto on his side... not a lot of people can say that...
i think the important question is, who won?
B.

Wii-markable

[swanriversean]

Early coverage seems to show that after Sony's belly flop yesterday, Nintendo hit a perfect 10 today.

I can't wait to read the reviews tomorrow after everyone has got to play the games!

When Nintendo anounced the virtual console last year, I starting thinking about buying my first console since my SNES (which I still have and play occationally).

Everything they've done since then has shown me they are serious about closing that deal.

Bringing lapsed gamers like me back into the market is just half their plan though, if they can get my mother gaming, or my grandma (that Joy of Painting game might be something she'd really enjoy - if it gets released) then they're going to blow Sony and MS out of the water. I don't even think the so-called "industry experts" have thought about the impact the addtion of lapsed, PC-only, and new gamers will have on the market. Sony may well keep 40-60% of the current market base, but if that market grows, I think it will all go to Nintendo ... and there are significantly more non-gamers than gamers.

Could've been better

[MMaestro]

I watched the Sony press conference yesterday and that was a total failure (wtf they copy Nintendo's motion sensor after mocking them?) but I think Nintendo's press conference could've gone better. Admittedly, I didn't think they would announce the launch date or price of the Wii (just in case Microsoft decides to announce a price cut later), a lot of the stuff they've showed has already been talked about. Here's my short list of what Nintendo SHOULD have shown:

1. 3rd party add-ons for the Wii controller. Lets get an idea of what developers are doing and show us that they're serious about supporting the Wii.
2. Give us a glimpse at how the older NES, SNES, Genesis, etc games will be played (the Wii controller flat-out lacks the proper number of buttons).
3. Wheres the multiplayer? Yes there was that tennis multiplayer match near the end but it seems like they didn't talk about it much overall.
4. Three words : Super Smash Bros. Where was it?
5. Less pre-made pre-arranged (gameplay?) videos, more on-stage demonstrations. (We don't want another 'was the Killzone video real time?' debate.)

Nintendo, I applaud you

[Kaptain_Korolev]

You listen, you notice, you innovate!

While the other two are busy trying to out do each other with hardware oneupmanship Nintendo is bringing us a console that is shock horror, fun to play and has games people want to play.

I don't own a console. I'm an electronics engineer, I spend all day on my ass in front of a computer thinking. When I come home I want to switch off, play a quick 30 mins of computer games that are fun. I DON'T want to play a game that takes hours to get into and that I must devote my life to.

I want a game like chess.... anyone can learn to play in a short while, but it takes ages to master.

Altogether now, Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

Re:Pricing

[Guppy06]

Or the price is low enough that they know Sony (and maybe Microsoft), if they saw it, would burn even more money by lowering their prices before launch. Or they're waiting to see if the price of certain components changes between now and launch.

We can speculate all we want, but the only thing we can say is that it's probably to allow Nintendo as much flexibility in pricing as possible.

Not bad...

[MaestroSartori]

...and disclaimer, work for Sony, am the devil incarnate etc.

From the sections of the thing that I saw (Zelda, and Red Thingy the FPS) it looks like the Weemote works fairly well. One of the big worries I had, that it wasn't gonna be precise enough for decent lightgun-style control, wasn't an issue. Some of the gesture-based stuff also looked cool, like Link's shield-block in the Zelda fight.

One of the things I thought might be a problem did crop up in Red Thingy - using the "mouse-look" style of aiming to also rotate the viewpoint. It seemed like the character was fairly slow to turn around, throughout the demo it was all fairly gently turns rather than how I know I play fps games (twitching round corners like a caffeine bomb just went off).

I think a great deal of the success of the new control-style will be how well it maps onto what gamers expect it to do. We've had pads and sticks for a long time, and we've mostly grown accustomed to the quirks of how we map them to solutions - when these fail, like FPS y-axis inversion and left-right camera rotation in 3rd person games (my own personal bugbear), it really kills the enjoyment of the game for some players. If the blend of interaction is right, these things will fly off the shelves.

Super Smash Bros. not a release title...

[Anitra]

Super Smash Brothers (Melee!) wasn't a release title on the GameCube, why do you think the next one will be a release title on the Wii?

Re:Might be great games, but...

[CCFreak2K]

Think about it, though: It's perfect from a marketing standpoint. Why have a stupid name like "PlayStation Third Regurgitation" or "Revolution?" With a name like "Wii," people go, "What the Hell? What the Hell is 'Wii?!'" It's almost like viral marketing in that it exploits the mind. People make a lot of noise when they're confused.

Fourth Quarter Not Confirmed

[warmgun]

Reggie actually said you'd be playing Wii by the fourth quarter. That isn't the same as saying it will launch in the fourth quarter. I wonder if they have a summer surprise up their sleeve... Their biggest launch title is a reworked Gamecube game.

Re:Nevermind those engadget idiots :)

[God'sDuck]

intendo understands why I got into games to begin with - social interaction with people in the room.

indeed. halo...how i love halo. but i have to admit -- silly little sidescroller Super Smash Brothers and all the various MarioKart/MarioTennis etc got gamecubes in lots and lots of dorms, and unlike halo, the girls would play, and unlike halo, there would be laughter and side-conversations during play. x-box is great for immersion...but as much as i've smacked on the puny power of the gamecube...Nintendo is especially gifted at making playtime...playful.

Re:Pricing

[mikeisme77]

More likely they're withholding the price for one of multiple reasons (I'll list 2):

1) So when MS announces their 360 price drop they can't factor in the price of the Wii

2) So that they can get more PR later on--maybe counter MS's price drop announcement with their launch price announcement (which will be at least $50 or less than the 360 core pack price)

Re:Highs, lows, and missing data

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

"My gut feeling was that it was going to be $249 but now Nintendo might try for $299."

If they pull that, I hope they put more RAM into the machine.

Re:Underwhelming

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

"There's really nothing that appeals to a non-Nintendo fan like me contrary to what they are preaching. Playing is believing? No thanks."

So... yer not even going to try it?

"Besides I heard there's some secret in Wii but it turned out it's a speaker in the wiimote, which I don't think will be better utilized by game developers."

Huh? Why not? We've got developers going out of their way to do surround sound on games, but an extra audio stream into the controller would be neglected? Audio's easy. If Nintendo had shown some R2D2'esque holographic projector, well then yeah, I'd believe you.

"As for games, there were nothing that appealed to me in the lineup of 27 Wii games shown today. I don't play games to appreciate the "revolutionary" gameplay of wii, I just would like to play interactive contents."

So why hasn't Red Steel impressed you?

"If you've watched the Sony conference it has Warhawk demo, which looks 100x beautiful and fun."

Okay. A higher-detailed game sequel appealed to you. Nothing wrong with that, but I do wonder if you're unimpressed because you won't let yourself be impressed. Mind you, I cannot cast any stones here. Sony hasn't impressed me, but I haven't stepped forward to try to be impressed. Hehe.

My family's thoughts

[GodSpiral]

As I was watching the PS3 conf last night, and figuring out that I was unlikely to be shelling out for it and an HDTV at the same time, the familly (past N64 owners) kept shouting back "wait until the games before you decide what to buy"... I wasn't allowed to say "but this thing is $600 minimum... there's no way"... I heard a "need FFXII" comment, but I plan on undermining PS3 requests at home for the next 2 years.

I think the 3 in 1 sports game at launch is gonna be a great title for wii. Spastic sports fun that could make mediocre sports titles fun, and a must buy, if they are packaged together, and their individual simulation value is overlooked.

The family will definitely drool over zelda. And I expect a good mario-party like title with fun mini-games.

So even if the controller response is going to underwhelm the hype, I'm pretty sure the wii will be fun enough to buy, and the family will enjoy it.

Which Xcast360 price point, and which launch date?

[tepples]

MS has already revealed their launch date and price point

Price point for first year != price point after the round of price cuts intended to attract people who would otherwise buy a Wii. Price point for first year != price point as a loss leader to establish a foothold in Eastasia. Launch date for console != launch date for Halo 3: Head Like a Hole.

Re:Q4 2006

[nate nice]

You bring the Wii, I'll bring the cocaine!

Re:Slight disappointment

[Anonymous Coward]

Someone's been playing wow too much

Re:Q4 2006

[youknowmewell]

Nintendo never actually said that the console would launch in Q4 '06, just that we'd be playing it in Q4 '06. They were vague about the launch date, as they were with other things.

Aren't Listening

[paullyjunge]

You listen, you notice, you innovate!

Actually, I would say that they aren't listening, which is why they are innovating. If they were listening to what people say (No HDTV? This is gonna suck!) or (Wii? WTF kind of name is that?) or (That new controller is lame, I want another dual-analogue!) or (It's only 2x as powerful as Gamecube? The graphics will suck!) they wouldn't be innovating. In fact, they'd end up with another POS console like Microsoft and Sony have.

Nunchuck Attachment?

[CodeBuster]

I wonder if Nintendo is aware that in certain states here in the United States, namely New York and California although there may be others, the mere possession of nunchaku is illegal. These types of laws are of course utterly ridiculous, who would bother to use a nunchaku in a crime when they could use any number of other potential weapons up to and including a handgun, but they are on the books anyway. Probably due to some wrongheaded political gambit in an election year...they are bringing nunchaku to school so they we must totally ban the possession of two sticks joined with a string...wont somebody think of the children? You know the rest.

Fighting Arts - Nunchaku Illegal in New York [fightingarts.com]

Re:Q4 2006

[phritz]

The graphics won't dazzle everyone but they'll be fine.

In my opinion, this is actually a big FEATURE of the Wii. The better the graphics, the more work that needs to go into every square inch of every surface, polygon and texture. That means that a) no one except huge production houses is able to afford to produce a game that looks alright, and b) game production is far too expensive for any company to risk innovation.

I think that the wii will definitely have a boost from being cheaper to develop for than the other 2 systems. Less time spent on polygons and and high textures means more time to innovate. I'm also of the opinion that artists tend to produce far more intersting output when they're working under practical constraints - give someone the freedom to do everything, and it becomes hard to do anything.