Ever felt jaded? Well, at times my cynicism and jaded nature are overwhelmed by the developments in the gaming world. When that occurs, we have the latest entry in the cynical gamer, which is an insight into my little world of cynicism.
[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.
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Gamers have been having controller debates for 30 years now. It's all a part of gaming and probably always will be. But in truth, control is everything and can make or break one's interest in a system. How you drive a car, swing a hammer, shoot a rifle, play a guitar, gaming is no different. The very first thing you notice about just about any experience involving interactivity is it's control and how it feels.
My take on the Wii is that the controller feels puny, cheap and gimmicky. Like one of those cheap [url=http://www.radicagames.com/playtv-baseball-3.php]TV plug 'n' play games[/url] that's shaped like whatever game it's emulating or a dollar store toy for a child that I could crush it in my hand while I'm "waggling". That just Nintendo though, as the N64 and the Cube suffer much the same thing. Of course people say the same of my beloved Intellivision and my Sega Master System which I can certainly understand. After playing a couple dozen Wii games, I know it's not the Wii itself, it's the controller. A shame too, there are 2-3 games I'd otherwise probably have that would probably have better camera control as well. I don't even need to turn on the TV to know that this cheap feeling little thing in my hand certainly won't make the game experience "all that and a bag of crisps".
I can't speak for everyone in that thread, but there's no inherent fanboyism here. My X360 died and I can't be bothered to replace it because there's no hurry for it to sit and gather dust once again. I'm not a huge fan of the controller either, it's solid and functional, but not particularly comfortable, especially the face buttons. But I have one for Western titles I can't get anywhere else and i'll have another system by the time the next decent game comes out.
On the other hand, the Sixaxis once it gets rumble, will be a fine example of merging comfort and control with motion sensing. It feels right, it feels accurate and despite the fact the PS3 has few games I actually like, I still think they control well, in some cases like skate, better than their X360 counterpart. Take one of my favorite systems' (PS1) controllers, slap some motion control into it and I'm a happy man, all I need now is the software.
Take a moment and think about why SSBB has so many control styles. Even Nintendo/Game Arts realize the severe limitations waggle alone could have on a title like that. So it shouldn't be hard to understand and imagine that perhaps a small portion of the gaming world, doesn't like it for a lot of it's games. Excitetruck and Super Paper Mario? Now that's motion control.
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Great article and I totally agree with it. Waggle in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, it's just when it's used in poor ways.
@c1471:
"Take a moment and think about why SSBB has so many control styles. Even Nintendo/Game Arts realize the severe limitations waggle alone could have on a title like that."
The waggle thing does not limit them. It's just that they want to give people the flexibility to choose how they want to play the game. Casual gamers can do a simple method while traditional Smash gamers would rather play with a Gamecube controller.
"Excitetruck and Super Paper Mario? Now that's motion control."
Hmm. Now that seem to be going against what you said in your original comment.
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@Tondog:
I'm not saying that the control for those two is great, only that it's a better use of the Wii's potential than most waggle is and a better example of it's usage.  Not all that different for the most part than the Sixaxis.
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I'll agree on ExciteTruck, but not SPM. No More Heroes impletmented waggle better than SPM did.
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