From my previous post, you can see that I got to spend a lot of family time with the Wii. In fact my brother-in-law, also known as the Urban Docent, posted an entry on his blog about it. He brings up some very interesting remarks, and I started to leave a comment, but soon realized that I had too much to say, so I will opt to comment with a blog entry of my own.

First, check out his original post here. He initially likes the idea of motion controls, but wonders if it can be sustainable. I think these are very important questions to the potential success of the Wii. Some folks have even labeled the motion controls as a “gimmick”. Ironically, this is what everyone (including me, at the time) labeled the DS’s dual screen and touch screen capability as. The DS went on to become a huge success, and is destroying the PSP (mostly in Japan). Now, was it exclusively touch screen games that made the DS a success? I don’t think so. I think what makes it so great is that it can house both traditional D-pad + 4 button games, and innovative touch screen games. It opens up innovation with a new input mechanism, while preserving the tried and true existing input mechanism. It is the combination of familiarity and innovation that ultimately makes it work. For the Wii to really thrive, we need to start looking at combining motion controls with the existing traditional controls. I think this is where those Gamecube ports will come in handy, and we can expect to see some games that will use Gamecube controllers. In fact Smash Bros. director, Masahiro Sakurai, has already alluded to the possibility of using the Gamecube controller for Smash Bros. Brawl, an providing no motion sensing alternative. There may be some initial backlash at having to buy another controller for the folks that never owned a Gamecube, but I think if enough games use it, it can be justified. And anyone that owns a Wii and never plans to play a Gamecube game on it, is really missing out on a lot of great games. Also, Nintendo once said it would make “controller shells” to use for traditional gaming controls (pictured), but we haven’t heard anything else about it in a long time. Presumably, the classic controller has replaced this, which could also be a candidate for using to play traditional controls for new games.

Now, with all of that said, I would like to summarize. Motion controls are fun, but I do not think that they can exist as the only way to play games on a system for its entire lifespan. I do not think they are a gimmick, but I think they are only a piece of the puzzle to make a great system. By allowing both controls to exist on the Wii, it will allow third party developers to preserve multiplatform titles on the Wii, and will not presumptuously force motion controls when they are not the best way to control. Really though, given the Gamecube ports, any developer should be able to make games that use the Gamecube controllers. It’s only a matter of time, but Nintendo and/or third party developers will have to discover this crucial balance if they want the Wiis presence to linger.

As I’m sure most of you did, last Thursday I went over to my parent’s house for some turkey goodness. This year played out like most years: lots of food, football, and just relaxing. What was different this year however was that I brought my new Wii along to try out on some decidedly non-gamers. A week before the Wii came out, I was talking to my parents about all its features and abilities. For the first time, they actually sounded interested on what it could do, and they specifically asked me to bring it on Thanksgiving when they found out I got one. Nintendo’s big plan with the Wii is to get a lot of non-gamers interested in what it can do, and judging from my family’s first reaction to it, I think Nintendo is headed in the right direction.

After letting the turkey digest a bit, I hooked up the Wii. There were some minor sunlight issues, but we got it worked out. I selected the Mii Channel and handed over the remote. Mom and Dad really enjoyed making their own Miis. Then we played some Wii Sports. It took a few minutes to get used to the controls, but no longer then it took me to get it. In no time my parents were having a good time, and even beating me at video games. In fact, my Mom turned out to be quite the bowler, despite seeing me play video games all my life and never once being interested to try them. I didn’t even beat her once! I even got to play Boxing with my Mom. It was a very strange feeling punching your Mother’s digital doppelganger in that face. After we had played sports for a while, I showed them the new Zelda. My Dad has actually been a fan of the Zelda series for a while. He even played through Ocarina of Time when I got a Nintendo 64 years ago.

The next morning I slept in, and my Dad told me that he had played Zelda a bit and some Wii Sports without me. It’s one thing when people play games when you ask them to, but when non-gamers want to play the games unprompted, it’s a pretty good indication that they truly enjoy the games. Later, my sister and my brother-in-law came over, and they too enjoyed some Wii Sports. I even tried some Red Steel with my brother-in-law, and showed him the VC games and Gamecube backwards compatability. Unfortuneatly Red Steel did not have the same effect as Wii Sports. It really takes a while to get used to the controls, and they are definitely not as intuitive as Wii Sports. Overall, I think it was a really enjoyable time. After playing for a while family members where asking details like price, availability, etc. I really think Nintendo is making some good progress in winning over some non-gamers. The next step, and arguably more difficult, is to sustain that interest. Having non-gamers interests piqued, and keeping them coming back for more are two very different things. I think games like Wario Ware, Cooking Mama, and Wii Play could fill this gap, but I guess we’ll just have to see.

A few weeks ago, I visited my parent’s house to enjoy some dinner and see how they were settling in their new place in the swanky part of Alpharetta, Georgia. I had a good time and I suggest all you reader(s) of BHM to cherish the time you spend with your family.

Anyways, on my way out the door, I was saying my goodbye and I noticed on the ground a very peculiar mushroom. Interestingly, I had a desire to eat it until I realized the gravity of the situation that I present to you in a professional, bulleted-point fashion:

1) It would be gross.
2) It may be poisonous.
3) 2 decades of Nintendo indoctrination has affected my subconcious in ways that I wasn’t aware of.

After I fought off the impulse to eat it and grow to gigantor-size, I luckily had my camera there to document my find.

On my way back home sitting in traffic, I daydreamed “What If…” scenarios on eating the mushroom and jumping my way back home on the tops of the vehicles that sat before me on I-85.

So about 4 months ago, I heard about The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Since I am a huge fan of “try before you buy” and that I am a big fan of LOTR, I quickly signed up hoping to get into the beta program. And then I waited…..and waited. Since then, I had as much hope of getting into the program as The Fellowship had of ever seeing Gandalf again after the Balrog knocked him off the cliff.

Well, today Turbine Entertainment sent me my beta invitation and instructions on when I can get in and destroy some Orcs, Wargs, Men, Elves…I’ll try not to be a griefer too much in beta. I do hope they give you the ability to play for either Sauron or on the Fellowship’s side. Congratulations if you got in, if not, I will post pics and discuss my adventures here in BHM.

More information can be found on Turbine’s website.