Time article on Wii - some tidbits on a couple of games. including Zelda: TP..

[Titanio]

jamesinclair & Father_Brain at GAF have relayed some info from the newest issue of Time magazine, which includes some nice tidbits of info.

The article has a sidebar, with a few small screenshots, and some captions, including:

MAGIC WAND: It looks like a remote, but Nintendo's new game controller senses a player's hand movement
THE LEADER: Satoru Iwata started as a game designer and rose to become Nintendo's fiercely independent president
ZELDA In the new installment, Twilight Princess, Link fights with sword, bow and boomerang. Aiming is a snap: just point at the enemy and fire away
RAYMAN With the full (and rather odd) name of Rayman Raving Rabbids, it will feature a skewed sense of humor and lots of bloodthirsty bunnies
RED STEEL Nintendo isn't known for violent game play. But in this yakuza-themed shooter, players will live (and die) by both gun and sword
TENNIS The graphics aren't much, but the game play is hilarious. The controller becomes your racket
THE LEGEND: Gaming's answer to Steven Spielberg, Shigeru Miyamoto scored with his first creation, the arcade classic Donkey Kong
NEW DOG, NEW TRICKS In Nintendogs, for the portable Nintendo DS, players train a virtual (but very cute) puppy. It's part of Nintendo's attempt to lure female gamers

So, apparent confirmation that Zelda: Twilight Princess has indeed been reworked to take advantage of Wii controls This is excellent news - it'll be interesting to see now if it'll be Wii exclusive or not. Either way, it's probably Wii's best chance at an early killer app.

Also, note confirmation of a Tennis game

Apparently a WarioWare game on Wii is also referenced, which is inevitable.

edit - here's a bit more on Zelda and Tennis:

After Warioware, we play scenes from the upcoming Legend of Zelda title, Twilight Princess, a moody, dark (by Nintendo's Disneyesque standards) fantasy adventure. Now I'm Errol Flynn, sword fighting with the controller, then aiming a bow and arrow, then using it as a fishing rod, reeling in a stubborn virtual fish. The third game, and probably the most fun, is also the simplest: tennis. The controller becomes a racket, and I'm smacking forehands and stroking backhands. The sensors are fine enough that you can scoop under the ball to lob it, or slice it for spin. At the end, I don't so much put the controller down as have it pried from my hands.

 

[StefanS]

So, apparent confirmation that Zelda: Twilight Princess has indeed been reworked to take advantage of Wii controls This is excellent news - it'll be interesting to see now if it'll be Wii exclusive or not. Either way, it's probably Wii's best chance at an early killer app.

Well, that has been known for quite a while that Z:TP would take advantage of Wii's controller. However, it has been stated over time and time again by Nintendo representatives that Z:TP would also release on the GCN. Moreover, I don't think that they'll rework the artwork, it will just be the same game with different controls and probably a better framerate.

 

[Titanio]

Well, that has been known for quite a while that Z:TP would take advantage of Wii's controller.

Was it actually confirmed? I must be so out of the loop.

I agree on the rest, I'm sure it's otherwise identical to the GC version (if that's still coming).

 

[pc999]

Tennis on Wii, I am happy, althought I would prefer tabletennis/ping-pong.

 

[PeterT]

But the name Wii not wii-thstanding, Nintendo has grasped two important notions that have eluded its competitors. The first is, Don't listen to your customers.

The lame wii-joke notwithstanding, I very much agree with that important notion. And for that reason among others I hope the Wii works for Nintendo - despite it's gross technical deficiencies.

 

[StefanS]

Was it actually confirmed? I must be so out of the loop.

I agree on the rest, I'm sure it's otherwise identical to the GC version (if that's still coming).

Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed it in an interview quite a while ago. He also said that the GCN release is set in stone.

 

[pc999]

The lame wii-joke notwithstanding, I very much agree with that important notion. And for that reason among others I hope the Wii works for Nintendo - despite it's gross technical deficiencies.

What is the other notion?

 

[Teasy]

Full article link

http://groups.google.com/group/rec....hread/thread/c34d048d64a8afd/1a7d188027394f91

Excerpt:

Nintendo gave TIME the first look at its new controller--but before I pick it up, Miyamoto suggests that I remove my jacket. That turns out to be a good idea. The first game I try--Miyamoto walks me through it, which to a gamer is the rough equivalent of getting to trade bons mots with Jerry Seinfeld--is a Warioware title (Wario being Mario's shorter, fatter evil twin). It consists of dozens of manic five-second mini games in a row. They're geared to the Japanese gaming sensibility, which has a zany, cartoonish, game-show bent. In one hot minute, I use the controller to swat a fly, do squat-thrusts as a weight lifter, turn a key in a lock, catch a fish, drive a car, sauté some vegetables, balance a broom on my outstretched hand, color in a circle and fence with a foil. And yes, dance the hula. Since very few people outside Nintendo have seen the new hardware, the room is watching me closely.

It's a remarkable experience. Instead of passively playing the games, with the new controller you physically perform them. You act them out. It's almost like theater: the fourth wall between game and player dissolves. The sense of immersion--the illusion that you, personally, are projected into the game world--is powerful. And there's an instant party atmosphere in the room. One advantage of the new controller is that it not only is fun, it looks fun. When you play with an old-style controller, you look like a loser, a blank-eyed joystick fondler. But when you're jumping around and shaking your hulamaker, everybody's having a good time.

After Warioware, we play scenes from the upcoming Legend of Zelda title, Twilight Princess, a moody, dark (by Nintendo's Disneyesque standards) fantasy adventure. Now I'm Errol Flynn, sword fighting with the controller, then aiming a bow and arrow, then using it as a fishing rod, reeling in a stubborn virtual fish. The third game, and probably the most fun, is also the simplest: tennis. The controller becomes a racket, and I'm smacking forehands and stroking backhands. The sensors are fine enough that you can scoop under the ball to lob it, or slice it for spin. At the end, I don't so much put the controller down as have it pried from my hands.

Very excited about the Tennis game

 

[DemoCoder]

Does anybody know if the controller requires the Wii to be in front of the TV? My game consoles are in a side cabinet on the side wall, 90 degrees from the viewing area. Does it require line of sight? My XB360 isn't even viewable from the couch.

 

[patsu]

I'm really glad the controller works out well for early testers. (Takes a deep breathe, and wait patiently for my turn).

I wonder whether it's intuitive to use the controller to handle a whip (Like Soul Caliber's Ivy).

 

[DemoCoder]

I'm really glad the controller works out well for early testers. (Takes a deep breathe, and wait patiently for my turn).

I wonder whether it's intuitive to use the controller to handle a whip (Like Soul Caliber's Ivy).

I'm just hoping more games are like Tennis, and less like studio Wario party games where you pick nose boogers with the Wii controller. It's like the EyeToy, I don't want lame party games where you slap bugs around, but I do want EyeToy games where I can pick up objects and manipulate them with my own hands and play with the environment. Bug slapping would be a gross waste of the position capabilities of the controller, unlike the tennis and ping pong examples.

 

[Teasy]

Does anybody know if the controller requires the Wii to be in front of the TV? My game consoles are in a side cabinet on the side wall, 90 degrees from the viewing area. Does it require line of sight? My XB360 isn't even viewable from the couch.

No, you'll have a sensor on each side of the TV, so it doesn't matter where the console itself is. Although there might be wires from the sensors to the console, that's not confirmed yet though, they could be wireless like the controller itself.

 

[Teasy]

I'm just hoping more games are like Tennis, and less like studio Wario party games where you pick nose boogers with the Wii controller. It's like the EyeToy, I don't want lame party games where you slap bugs around, but I do want EyeToy games where I can pick up objects and manipulate them with my own hands and play with the environment. Bug slapping would be a gross waste of the position capabilities of the controller, unlike the tennis and ping pong examples.

From looking at the already announced games I've no doubt there'll be a good mix of both, which is the best way really, since a lot of people do like those Wario Ware style games (not a big fan myself).

 

[DemoCoder]

No, you'll have a sensor on each side of the TV, so it doesn't matter where the console itself is. Although there might be wires from the sensors to the console, that's not confirmed yet though, they could be wireless like the controller itself.

Uhhh..uhh...houston we have a problem. Wired sensors? Sensors on TV? I don't have a TV, I have a electronic projection screen that rolls up into the ceiling. There is no place to "attach" the sensors, and the console rack is a considerable distance from the screen. I could attach the sensors to the wall on the sides of the screen, but I can't run 15 feet of wire for the wii sensors.

And this is not just a problem with projection. I have a friend with a wall-mounted plasma. His AV equipment is not "under the tv", the TV is overtop a fireplace. The AV equipment is actually a considerable distance away, with only an HDMI cable run thru the wall.

If there's no way around this, I'm not buying a Wii. I mean, I want the Wii and it's "party atmosphere/gimmick" controller to be in the HT, not on an auxillary TV.

 

[scooby_dooby]

You're just going to have to run the wires, not the end of the world.

 

[Teasy]

Doesn't really matter if its a TV or projector, just as long as the sensors are on each side of the viewing area (this is so the controller can work without any need for calibration). As far as wires go, as I said its not confirmed yet wether the sensors are wired, they could be wireless. However if they are wired then surely you can find a way around it. For your friend, you mentione he has a HDMI cable run thru the wall, run the sensor wires with that cable

 

[DemoCoder]

Running wires like that are neither "Wife-friendly" nor child friendly (I have a 1yr old) unless bust up my dry wall and run them through the walls. (I have hardware, not carpet, and is Nintendo gonna ship it with 15+ foot of cable?) Looks like this nixes the Wii for me. Perhaps some third party will come out with a wireless hack later and then maybe I'll get it. I'm glad Sony had the good sense to make the PS3 HDIP camera wireless.

Why can't they offer a cablibration mode, so that I can put the sensors anywhere? They could store the calibration in Wii permanent memory once it's calibrated once on console setup.

 

[Teasy]

Running wires like that are neither "Wife-friendly" nor child friendly (I have a 1yr old) unless bust up my dry wall and run them through the walls. (I have hardware, not carpet, and is Nintendo gonna ship it with 15+ foot of cable?) Looks like this nixes the Wii for me. Perhaps some third party will come out with a wireless hack later and then maybe I'll get it. I'm glad Sony had the good sense to make the PS3 HDIP camera wireless.

Why can't they offer a cablibration mode, so that I can put the sensors anywhere? They could store the calibration in Wii permanent memory once it's calibrated once on console setup.

As I said the sensors may be wireless, we'll see at E3.

BTW if they used calibration I don't think there would be any need for the sensors at all. I think the sensors are there so that the controller knows where the edges of your TV/display are at all times. However you would need to calibrate every time your turned the console on. Because once the calibration is done the console would need to keep track of the controllers every move to know where it is in relation to your display. So saving initial calibration data wouldn't really work AFAICS. This is just from what I understand of the controller of course, I'm not expert so someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[DemoCoder]

No, the calibration would store the location of the sensors relative to the screen edges. So if I put them on the side of my wall, 90 degrees perpendicular to the wall where the screen is located, or if I put them 180degrees (behind the couch!), all it needs to remember is where they are in relation to the screen once.

I'd be perfectly willing to go thru an arduous setup process if it meant I could do this. Give users an "advanced setup" if they can't put the sensors in the default position.

They should be able to do something like:

"ok, calibrating sensors. Please take the Wiimote and hold it with a sticky tape to the left edge of your screen. Calibrating...Ok, now sticky the Wiimote to the right edge of your screen..." They could use the Wiimote to calculate the position of the screen edges relative to the censors by having the user move himself to the screen.

 

[NANOTEC]

Was it actually confirmed? I must be so out of the loop.

I agree on the rest, I'm sure it's otherwise identical to the GC version (if that's still coming).

Wii can play all GC games. Zelda will likely be stored on a GOD with additional control information for the Wii controller, otherwise it's just a GC game which Wii can also read. Why release it on DVD only and ignore the 20 million GC owners out there? Even if the Wii additions require more disc space, they can still use 2 GODs allowing the release of ONE version that's playable on both machines.