[img width=250 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/171605600847b5f52c93a4dIcarus.jpg[/img]You may have noticed that the average Wii game tends to... suck in the graphics department. How the hell is it that the most graphically taxing game for the Wii is Super Mario Galaxy? Certainly, that games looks nice, but they can do better. Too bad then that the Wii is land of shovelware and crap. Fortunately for those us that do own the system, there are a few diamonds in the rough. While they might not be the most graphically amazing thing out there, they do excel at one key thing - they are fun.
So, yes, Factor 5. They are working on [SECRET UNNAMED PROJECT NAME GOES HERE]. Some people think that it might be a new Kid Icarus. That would be pretty damn cool. Others though, think it might be on the level of Lair, which from what I heard is a graphically amazing, yet horrible experience. Things didn't turn out too well on their first outing on the PS3, but hey, perhaps could be better with their Wii outing, right? Right?!
Anyways, Julian Eggebrecht, the president of Factor 5, had a little chat with IGN. Turns out, we have some new, interesting information. Sure, it has nothing to do with what the game is, but everything to do with the graphics:
Whatever we're working on will at least blow you away in a lot of the technical aspects. We're really trying to do everything to squeeze the maximum out of the machine
My my yes, better graphics, better technical aspects? Neat, but what does that mean? Face it, from a technical standpoint, the bar is rather low. Will they blow the bar away, or will their technical advancements just surpass the current technical marvel, also known as Mario? Time will tell, but there is also this fun tidbit from Julian:
Although we're going to use everything for what we have in development, I think the pointing stuff is probably the biggest innovation which we're working on right now.
Again, the bar is quite low, but who knows, Factor 5 in the past made great games, perhaps they can pull off something amazing. Certainly time shall tell, and if we're lucky we'll know something more next week with GDC about to ramp up.
Update: Factor 5 Wii Project [IGN, via 4cr]
[img width=200 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/135696246747a14ac385facAntisthenes.jpg[/img]Hey there, name's Dave. I run this here site. I am generally a bright cheery fellow on this site. However, if you know in me in real life, I am the ultimate cynic. Doom, doom, and doom. So, I've decided on occasion to treat you to my brutally honest, cynical side. Friends that personally know me may get a kick out of this, while others may be infuriated with the statements I have to make. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy my spin.
I wrote this lovely review of No More Heroes. It's a nice game. Seriously. However, reading through comments I see comments belittling the game because it has "waggle". Well, la de da. I hate Halo because of its control. No thanks. There is one difference though - I've played Halo. Sure, you may not enjoy the "waggle" motions that get old (see Zelda), but trust me, this game is nothing like Zelda. The game makes "waggle" fun and rewarding. Finishing moves are completed via the "waggle," and to be honest, it's executed well. As are throws and wrestling moves initiated by "waggle." Never before has the "waggle" felt so good. I may even go so far as to say that the waggle of No More Heroes is better than that of Zack and Wiki. But, I digress.
I can't help but think that people who attack the motion controls of the Wii have some type of ulterior motive. Motion control, if executed properly, can be done really well, such as in No More Heroes or Even Mario Galaxy. It can also be piped into a shovelware title, and made to exhibit behaviors inherent of crap. Similarly, the same can be said for other systems. Do I look to play sims or RTS's on a console? Hell no. But look, there are games like the Sims or Theme Park World, and soon to be Halo Wars. Give me a computer to play these genres on. Even games with "normal" control can suck. Do I need to start naming shitty games with normal control? Nah, you're all smart, I bet you can think of your own.
Don't get me wrong - the Wii is currently the home of shovelware and crap. However, there are those gems in the landfill. In time, the frequency of these gems may increase, but who knows. Certainly it is a worrying thought for anyone who owns a Wii and also wishes for more than Casual Crap. The DS eventually became great, I certainly hope the same for the Wii.
So, those who dismiss motion control as "waggle," why? Did you get burned out on the Wii by playing too many crappy games, or do you possess inherent fanboyism? Maybe you're just getting old. I hear that as you age you get more resistant towards new ideas, perhaps that's it? Can you hear your bones rattling? That might be it.
Do yourself a favor. Take a deep breath. Think about why you hate or love motion control. Can you change your view of motion control? Are you willing to change your view? Perhaps you will as more good games are released with motion control. There might be a few you enjoy. All I know is that I feel bad for people like Suda51. Great concept and execution, dismissed for its "waggle". Certainly, a shame.
[img width=400 height=281]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/2027607695478c0ee73e35cLair-Wii.jpg[/img]
Julian, we Nintendo fans were crushed when you decided to jump ship to the PS3, and release the motion sensitive Wii. You delighted us with Rogue Squadron, but you just had to crush our hearts with the jumping ship to the PS3 front. Well, how did Lair end up doing, huh? I hear it was pretty bad, Julian. So, today we hear that you are officially developing at least one non Virtual Console game for the Wii? Given your last release, I don't know if I should be excited, but none the less here you are, back at the doorstep of Nintendo, developing some unnamed game. Hope it is better than Lair, but hey, that should be easy, right?
Well, I am sort of excited. Factor 5's games were, and are, visually stunning. Factor 5 also was a provider of middleware solutions for the Nintendo 64 and GameCube. Knowing this, I hope that Factor 5 puts other developers to shame with graphics. If anyone can push the envelope, it is them.
At the same time, they might be, like many other developers, in for the quick cash in. I certainly hope such is not the case, but I guess we'll find out for sure once we know what exactly it is that they are developing for the Wii.
Julian, please do not disappoint us. You've already done that once before.
Lair Developer Goes to Wii [Kotaku]
[img align=right width=350]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/792620377477c87120f933WiiWii.jpg[/img]Look at them. Cute kids, huh? Look at the one holding the Wiimote. An angel, I bet he is? Right? Maybe not. Maybe so. But look at the other one, the older brother. He looks angry. Not quite HULK SMASH angry, but pretty peeved. Note the Wii. Such an elegant system. Absolutely no scent of urine... whaaaaat???
Turns out the older brother was being a jerk. That's strange, normally older brothers are nothing but a ray of sunshine. I should know, as I am the oldest of my brothers, and I am nothing but a ray of sunshine. Somehow, that kid must not have gotten the memo about being a good brother. See, his parents got he and his little brother a Wii for Christmas for 250 pounds. Grats to the parents for finding a Wii for their beloved kids for Christmas. Months searching, according to the article. Really, months to find a Wii? In Britain? I thought you guys were Sony Fanboys. Guess the exorbitant price of the PS3 has converted you from that path. Anyways, the older brother was being a jerk once they finally got the Wii from Santa. Seems he was hogging the Wii. Not letting his brother playing the Wii, apparently. Certainly the little brother didn't like that, and by golly, he had to do something about that. Tell his parents? Nah, that's to mature for his age. What he did was more classic.
And that's were the headline for this article comes into play. Hilarious. Wee on the Wii. Genius. One hell of a way to get back at your brother. Certainly, if my little brother did that to my Wii, he'd be dead. Figuratively, of course. But the truth of the matter is that my Wii is not broken thanks to urine, while that pissed off older brother's Wii is. Ha!
Boy pisses on Wii in Revenge Attack [via Kotaku]
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[img align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/4790319754737ba3ac4734old_TV.jpg[/img]
So, in between my Pavement Problems I've been playing Guitar Hero, but today I noticed something as I was up close to the game. Sound was only coming out of the center speaker of my sound system. Nothing in the subwoofer, rear, or front speakers, just the center speaker. I didn't think much of it, as my receiver does DSP, which I promptly turned on. How humorous then is it when Tondog sends me a link mentioning that the Wii version of Guitar Hero III was in fact shipped with only Mono Sound. For a game that touts the music, certainly this is a low blow, and this screw up should have been caught in the really stringent QA that I guess Activision really does not have. Here's to you, Activision. Charging $90 for a gimped product, I certainly hope that the money you saved on skipped QA time will cover the costs of this screw up.
Cheers.
Read
According to a Reuter's Article, according to Scott Steinberg, the Vice President of Marketing for Sega Sammy. Who does he think is going to win? Well, in his infinite wisdom, he predicts the PLAYSTATION 3 to be the winner in the next console war, regardless of the fact that the wii is currently the fastest selling console of this home console generation. As Satoru Iwata would say, "It prints money".
Steinberg believes that the creative pool of Wii development will likely die within the next year. Regarding the Wii, Steinberg states,
"But how much value can developers and creative folks get out of this wrist motion two years from now, or 5 years from now, or 10 years from now?"
Well, to Mr. Steinberg my response is probably more creativity than Sega has put out since its Dreamcast days, but then Sega hasn't exactly been the most stellar publisher post-dreamcast, save for Shenmue and the handheld Sonics. Who wants to buy the 360 or PS3 version of Sonic? I bet they'd give that away.
The truth is that perhaps the Wii does have a creativity drought. How many mini game based games can publishers possibly release? Are those games really what the mass market wants, or is it more of publishers looking to make a quick buck? The truth is that there is much potential for great games on the Wii, but everyone seems to be content taking the easy way out, developing crap. If the Wii fails it will likely be because the only games ever released for it were crap.
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