Nintendo - What were you thinking?

So I gave into the hype and bought a Wii.  Along with the console I got three 'sets' of controllers, Zelda, Trauma center and Wii sports (anyone thinking this is a cheap option in the UK is being sorely mislead).

So I open it all up, marvelling at the tiny nature of the beast, hook it up to the TV, find a suitable place for the sensor bar, phone up some friends and settle down (well I say down, more like up) to play Wii Sports while I wait for the guys to turn up. 

There I am, swinging away with my mote, smacking baseballs and tennisballs and  having fun doing it.  I was being a little cautious having seen all of the threads on Wii mote damage but still really getting into it and, being honest, working up a bit of a sweat as well.   All good fun.

Then the guys turn up.  Now most of us haven't played a Wii before but one friend has had his for little over a month and so immediately starts telling us all about how simple to play Wii sports is and how good he is at it.  Typical gamer that I am I say 'yeah, yeah i'll kick your ass' and jump up to grab a controller.  However while i'm poised to swing he sits down with his mote and the game starts.  Now I was expecting him to stand up and be swinging along side me....but no, this is not how you play apparently.  He proceeds to show us how small flicks of the wrist are as good as any big swing.  Little forward motions equal the biggest jabs you can put out....well I have to say I was a little taken back by this. 

So we get to talking about how the controller works while everyone sits around 'flicking' their motes and he tells me some quite disturbing news.  The controller, while an excellent idea, has one big flaw;  It doesn't seem to sense the RANGE of motion but just 'motion'.  This means that making a small movement with the remote is exactly the same as a large motion.  The only difference that is registered is the SPEED of the movement not the RANGE.  I scoff at the idea but he shows me exactly how this works in both Wii Sports and Zelda before going on to tell me it's the same in WWSM and Wii Play.

This is a huge let down for me.  While I was having fun swinging the controller to hit a ball it lost all feel the moment I realised I could just 'flick' and achieve the same results.  Now I know people are going to say 'play it the way you want to play it' but I just feel like an idiot standing up and swinging when you don't have to.  Where is the fun if the guy you play against can just chill on the sofa and beat you by 'flicking'?  

My only hope here is that it is the software at fault and not the hardware.  Maybe they will release a game that forces you to use a range of motion but I'm getting a bad feeling about it.  Anyone else feel the same way?

Wall of text. Point please.nivet14

I think its great that you can just flick it. If I just swing my arms in my cramped room I am gunna smack my hand into something and hurt it.PelekotansDream

I'm pretty sure Nintendo said that when they announced the Wii.

Otherwise age and ability to move would be quite a big factor in being good at games. Yes you can sit down and achive the same result flicking your wrist.

I guess i can understand why you are a bit disappointed when a couch potato can beat you while you are working up all the sweat but me and my friends are having a lot more fun when no one sits down. So when we play we all WANT to stand and jump around. But don't expect that to change. People sitting on a couch will be able to play the games just as good as if they were swinging the bat like a pro.

[QUOTE="PelekotansDream"]I think its great that you can just flick it. If I just swing my arms in my cramped room I am gunna smack my hand into something and hurt it.Boba_Fett_3710

Wall of text. Point please.nivet14

[QUOTE="nivet14"]Wall of text. Point please.greenleaflink

Nintendo - What were you thinking?Stonin

I've known this since before I got the Wii.

Do you honestly think sitting down and flicking your wrist was the way these games were meant to be played? It's not very fun that way, in all seriousness. I derive great fun from standing up, and making a fool of myself when I play. (Except in Zelda, because the controls... meh, I could take 'em or leave 'em. Doesn't make it any more fun for me.)
pokefant

[QUOTE="Stonin"] Nintendo - What were you thinking?MrFame

cept I was going to do this: ($)_($)

well... I'm glad it's not exactly like the xbox 360 or ps3. then it would be 'just another gamecube', which would be another disappointment and I wouldn't have bought one.

I'm happy with the wii right now.  It's not perfect by all means. It's new technology which will be improved in further generations.

I think its great that you can just flick it. If I just swing my arms in my cramped room I am gunna smack my hand into something and hurt it.PelekotansDream

Not true, the range of motion and determination is detected, it's just not part of wii sports, there are so many examples of this don't even know where to begin.Articuno76

[QUOTE="Stonin"] Nintendo - What were you thinking?MrFame

So I gave into the hype and bought a Wii.  Along with the console I got three 'sets' of controllers, Zelda, Trauma center and Wii sports (anyone thinking this is a cheap option in the UK is being sorely mislead).

So I open it all up, marvelling at the tiny nature of the beast, hook it up to the TV, find a suitable place for the sensor bar, phone up some friends and settle down (well I say down, more like up) to play Wii Sports while I wait for the guys to turn up. 

There I am, swinging away with my mote, smacking baseballs and tennisballs and  having fun doing it.  I was being a little cautious having seen all of the threads on Wii mote damage but still really getting into it and, being honest, working up a bit of a sweat as well.   All good fun.

Then the guys turn up.  Now most of us haven't played a Wii before but one friend has had his for little over a month and so immediately starts telling us all about how simple to play Wii sports is and how good he is at it.  Typical gamer that I am I say 'yeah, yeah i'll kick your ass' and jump up to grab a controller.  However while i'm poised to swing he sits down with his mote and the game starts.  Now I was expecting him to stand up and be swinging along side me....but no, this is not how you play apparently.  He proceeds to show us how small flicks of the wrist are as good as any big swing.  Little forward motions equal the biggest jabs you can put out....well I have to say I was a little taken back by this. 

So we get to talking about how the controller works while everyone sits around 'flicking' their motes and he tells me some quite disturbing news.  The controller, while an excellent idea, has one big flaw;  It doesn't seem to sense the RANGE of motion but just 'motion'.  This means that making a small movement with the remote is exactly the same as a large motion.  The only difference that is registered is the SPEED of the movement not the RANGE.  I scoff at the idea but he shows me exactly how this works in both Wii Sports and Zelda before going on to tell me it's the same in WWSM and Wii Play.

This is a huge let down for me.  While I was having fun swinging the controller to hit a ball it lost all feel the moment I realised I could just 'flick' and achieve the same results.  Now I know people are going to say 'play it the way you want to play it' but I just feel like an idiot standing up and swinging when you don't have to.  Where is the fun if the guy you play against can just chill on the sofa and beat you by 'flicking'?  

My only hope here is that it is the software at fault and not the hardware.  Maybe they will release a game that forces you to use a range of motion but I'm getting a bad feeling about it.  Anyone else feel the same way?

Stonin

they really should have put difficilty, flicks for 5 yeare  oldss and realistic for ppl who want to play properly. It sucks even more in bowling when my 9 year old sister can get a score of 260

this sort of reminds me of guitar hero.  All my friends sit down and intently look at the screen all set in position like some sort of robot.  I on the otherhand am doing windmills, singing along, jumping off the couch, and doing tons of crazy stuff.  I lose almost everytime since there's alot of mistakes to be made when you're not facing the screen (and you don't own the game), but I have so much more fun.

Also I think movement depends on the programming in wii tennis it doesn't make much sense to focus on length since a 5 year old might not have enough reach, but it seems to notice length in trama center quite nicely.
jrhawk42

this is true for, tennis, golf, baseball. they just use tilt and timing so it makes it very easy to play lasy. thought in the future they will change, rember wii-sports is just 5 tech demos.

It may also be true in bowling, I can't work out how to make it do it with out standing.

you can't do boxing with out doing aresonable amount of motion.