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[EatChildren]

Tell you what though, this game is hugely affected by upscale lag on the LCD at my mate's house. On my old CRT it's truly, 100% 1:1 in the sword fighting. At my mate's, it's got a notable delay.

Damn. I hope the Game Mode that many LCDs have, like Samsung, fixes that. I know when I play games on my Samsung LCD with Game Mode off the delay is extremely noticeable and frustrating, but I don't notice it at all when it's turned on.

 

[SpokkX]

How many "stages" are there in wave race mode? And are there any AI opponents?

 

[radioheadrule83]

No, no, only the first time you boot the game ever, not each time. That'd be insane.

Tell you what though, this game is hugely affected by upscale lag on the LCD at my mate's house. On my old CRT it's truly, 100% 1:1 in the sword fighting. At my mate's, it's got a notable delay.

That can usually be mitigated on a lot of TVs by turning down sharpness, running in game-mode that some TVs have, or generally ensuring any enhancement filters are turned off. He would probably have lag problems on other consoles, but expecting the screen to replicate what he's doing in realtime makes it more obvious.

Do we have a full game list / feature list for this game yet?

 

[swerve]

I'm not sure how widespread the lag issue will be - he has a pretty old Aquos and it's not so big - but it's a big enough difference to affect opinions I reckon. Reviewers better review this on a CRT...

 

[Cosmonaut X]

Is Motion+ any "harder" to hook-up than the nunchuk ? Sounds like you plug it in, push the "safety switch", and it's done.

It is slightly more awkward. You need to slot the Remote into the extended jacket, and you've got to be careful not to nip the rubber inbetween the extension and the remote before connecting the two. The device then settles in place with two side clips and is finally locked in with a switch on the reverse of the MotionPlus. It's straightforward enough when you know how, but it does require a little explanation (or fiddling) at first.

IIRC, the explanatory video in Grand Slam Tennis also explains that the device may require recalibration and explains how to do that.

I'd read up on the mechanism and had seen how to fit it in other demonstrations, so the video was a bit pointless for me, but it's probably well worth including for the sake of users who are completely new to it.

 

[swerve]

I've played a lot today but I'm going through every game's initial mode again, just for the sake of writing impressions.

Each game has an alternative mode not discussed here.

Sword-Fighting:

-Very fun when the enemies start blocking
-Satisfying landing three strikes straight after you block one of their swipes

BasketBall:

-Amazingly sensitive to different throw types
-You have to throw the ball up not forward, and the difference in strength required is really subtle.
-Landing a basket feels brilliant - landing two in a row, even better. Especially as I'm terrible at this in real life

Frisbee:

-It's all about curve-shots. Really satisfying shooting off to the left to hit the balloon then curving back in to land in the target.
-This was massively affected by the lag on the LCD, due to the time when you release the button being slightly less precise - it meant the difference between shooting straight, and way off.

Archery:

-It's pretty 'plain' in feeling, whilst being very challenging at higher levels

Wakeboard:

-One big combo run.
-Your jumps increase the boat's speed
-Faster boat = higher jumps
-Higher jumps = more points

I got lots of the Wii Sports Resort Achievements in this mode.

More to come later. In general, calibration is done really nicely. Motion Plus does not disappoint at all (only my friend's TV does...)

 

[Eteric Rice]

That can usually be mitigated on a lot of TVs by turning down sharpness, running in game-mode that some TVs have, or generally ensuring any enhancement filters are turned off. He would probably have lag problems on other consoles, but expecting the screen to replicate what he's doing in realtime makes it more obvious.

Do we have a full game list / feature list for this game yet?

Yeah, I hope so.

I never really considered lag from the actual television. I'll have to lower my TV's settings just in case, when I get it.

 

[EatChildren]

Great, now I'm totally fucking paranoid that Wii Sports Resort is going to be an unplayable sin on my LCD.

BAD IMPRESSIONS. GO AWAY.

 

[megashock5]

^ Yeah, me too. Sucks that they couldn't implement a lag calibration like Guitar Hero/Rock Band. That seems to work pretty well from my experience.

 

[swerve]

OK, I didn't mean to worry you guys. Here's a good test - if you can notice some lag when you press jump in Super Mario Bros. from your Wii, then you'll notice it here.

If you have lag free SMB press->jump, you're probably OK.

Golf:

-OMG it's perfect. Putting is so much fun. It's a game of immense restraint. You want to just swing but you really have to be subtle and slow yourself down. Amazing. Amazing.

 

[mrklaw]

^ Yeah, me too. Sucks that they couldn't implement a lag calibration like Guitar Hero/Rock Band. That seems to work pretty well from my experience.

how? In guitar hero that works by delaying when its expecting a strum from you based on when you actually see/hear the notes crossing the line.

with motion+, you move the controller, the game reacts. It can't react faster than you move.

 

[shongololo]

^ Yeah, me too. Sucks that they couldn't implement a lag calibration like Guitar Hero/Rock Band. That seems to work pretty well from my experience.

How could you calibrate lag based on your own movements, delay yourself by a few frames?

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

OK, I didn't mean to worry you guys. Here's a good test - if you can notice some lag when you press jump in Super Mario Bros. from your Wii, then you'll notice it here.

If you have lag free SMB press->jump, you're probably OK.

Golf:

-OMG it's perfect. Putting is so much fun. It's a game of immense restraint. You want to just swing but you really have to be subtle and slow yourself down. Amazing. Amazing.

How does golf feel compared to Tiger Woods 10 Wii? (Also how many golf/disc golf courses are there?)

Does the sword fighting game measure the actual height of the remote? (If you held the remote sideways and lifted it upwards vertically, would that be reflected onscreen?)

Also have you noticed any calibration/drift problems at all?

 

[DDayton]

^ Yeah, me too. Sucks that they couldn't implement a lag calibration like Guitar Hero/Rock Band. That seems to work pretty well from my experience.

Eh... the problems with the display technology, not the system. Game systems shouldn't have to downgrade their performance due to the inability of "more powerful" monitors/screens/televisions being unable to properly display standard video.

That being said, I can't think of how you could implement lag calibration for a peripheral entirely based around the lack of lag.

 

[swerve]

Haven't got Tiger (not out in Japan yet). I can't imagine it feeling better, smoother or more accurate than this, but I imagine it has a lot more options and of course courses.

No problems with drift. When trying out frisbee at first we were messing around (removing the sensor bar) etc and we managed to get it to think it was pointing left when it was pointing forward (or maybe the other way round, can't remember), but pressing the B button to select a frisbee weight instantly brought it back in line (as is common in most of the games).

BTW, removing the sensor bar you can still go for ages without it going out of sync, it seems. Drift isn't going to be an issue with WSR.

Whenever you have to use the menu it calibrates, whenever you pick up a ball/frisbee with B, or when you're pointing down you press B, it syncs up. It's really done all the time so it's not an issue.


Impressions continue...

Bowling:

-So much faster now that you don't really need to worry about position.
-You can do anything you like, shot wise, and it works.
-Essentially, the z-axis rotation that you end your throw on determines the amount of spin, which makes it really easy to judge.

For example:

Start your throw with the wii remote in the usual position (so that if you follow straight through, it ends up flat, forward, facing the TV with the buttons up-side).
Finish your throw with the remote 90' rotated counter-clockwise (buttons facing left), and your ball will spin across about half of the lane.
Finish your throw with the remote 180' rotated counter-clockwise (buttons facing down) your ball will spin right across the lane.
Then, it's just down to variations within those (it's totally analogue) and of course power (for when the spin starts to take effect) and start position (for where you spin from).

It's pretty amazing how much faster the game goes with this in play, and also you can really carry through some awesome pick-ups for pins left standing, without doing any lining up of your character or changing angle.

 

[Ramenman]

-OMG it's perfect. Putting is so much fun. It's a game of immense restraint. You want to just swing but you really have to be subtle and slow yourself down. Amazing. Amazing.

Yeah I remember putting being pretty much the only problem I had with Golf in the first game. It pretty much required you to go into gamespot-wrist-flick mode instead of actually mimicking the gesture.

Is the "training" mode were you had to make the ball land on a target still there ?

I had a lot of controller-passing fun with my brother on this one. Actually the "training modes" for the games in Wii Sports were way underspoken. The Tennis one with targets was so cool in a "omg look at that score" way.

 

[EatChildren]

I had a lot of controller-passing fun with my brother on this one. Actually the "training modes" for the games in Wii Sports were way underspoken. The Tennis one with targets was so cool in a "omg look at that score" way.

The bowling one where the amount of pins increases has been played by my group of friends about as much as normal bowling.

 

[swerve]

Actually the "training modes" for the games in Wii Sports were way underspoken. The Tennis one with targets was so cool in a "omg look at that score" way.

They've clearly realised that. Most modes have elements of the previous training modes in them. For example 'balloon challenge' in disc golf, where you have to pop balloons whilst also completing the throw (requiring some mean curve shots).

 

[tuco11]

How does the "putting" in golf utilize motion plus?

thanks

 

[swerve]

Waverace:

-Somehow more shallow than WaveRace 64, but that's because of no opponents in the time trial (main) mode.
-Brilliant controls.
-No, really. Really brilliant controls.
-The first example of a Wii game where I think people's arms actually will get tired. Usually I'm happy to just sit on the couch and flick, but not here... no dice.
-Really, really brilliant controls.
-Has free-play mode.

 

[swerve]

How does the "putting" in golf utilize motion plus?

thanks

It knows rotational velocity, so it is just a lot more accurate in measuring your swing power, when you stop swinging, etc. If you swing down but stop just short of the ball, it won't hit it. It'll just stop dead, exactly as in real life.

 

[ciccione]

It seems we have a GOTY contender here...

 

[swerve]

Canoe:

-People are going to put their backs out on this.
-Pretty hard work.
-Speed control is pretty suprising - the strength of your strokes really strongly affects the movement, not just the rhythm.
-Easy to fake movements without actually switching the remote from one side to the other, but when doing that it's really hard to get a good rhythm or speed.

 

[plagiarize]

No, no, only the first time you boot the game ever, not each time. That'd be insane.

Tell you what though, this game is hugely affected by upscale lag on the LCD at my mate's house. On my old CRT it's truly, 100% 1:1 in the sword fighting. At my mate's, it's got a notable delay.

it'll have delay even on your CRT... just probably not enough to notice. the added lag by the LCD probably pushes it over the edge.

trust me, 1:1 is impossible without some lag... but anything that reduces that is going to help. how sensitive a person is to it is going to vary pretty wildly i'd bet.

 

[swerve]

it'll have delay even on your CRT... just probably not enough to notice. the added lag by the LCD probably pushes it over the edge.

trust me, 1:1 is impossible without some lag... but anything that reduces that is going to help. how sensitive a person is to it is going to vary pretty wildly i'd bet.

Obviously it's technically not possible for the Wii to know what I did this 'frame' of the real world, so it has to be at least one tick behind, but considering the hugely analogue movements we're talking about, and a human's inability to accurately know what degree their hand is held at, for all intents and purposes 1:1 means 'it feels like it's in the right position all the time'.

I'm very sensitive to such things, as an avid beatmania player and 2D mario gamer, it's of crucial importance to me. On a CRT it's not just 'probably not enough to notice', it's significantly difficult to identify (in sword fighting) when actively looking for it. At any point, the direction I am holding the controller is the direction I'm holding the sword on screen.

But anyway, that's not even the point. It's less about the 1:1-ness, and a lot about what a great selection of games Nintendo have put together here.

I mean, I'm enjoying a canoe-time-trial game in which I only race against a rubber duck.

 

[Roelatie]

I mean, I'm enjoying a canoe-time-trial game in which I only race against a rubber duck.

:lol seriously?

 

[swerve]

Seriously. Maybe it's not rubber.

Cycling:
-I don't know why they made the tiredness gauge so stark - three hearts rather than a gradual bar.
-Pretty frustrating when you aren't good at slipstreaming the other racers.
-Very fun when you are flying downhill past loads of rivals
-Probably a bit too annoying, this one. However, it really makes me want F-Zero GX2, because the number of racers is 30, and they're pretty tough at times.
-The courses are really nice, and fun to look at
-The music is AWFUL here. I'm a big fan of Wii Sports Lift-Music stylings, but this is one stretch too far. I want panic and tension in a race, not a relaxing shopping trip.

OVERALL: The initial modes of each game type are fantastic. It almost feels underwhelming having the new technology of M+ because it is integrated in such a 'normal' way. It's never showing off or saying LOOK HOW AMAZING THIS TECH IS, it's just being used nicely. Which results in a very restrained, quietly confident feeling of the overall package.

Also, the sheer volume of activities is somewhat distracting. I haven't spent anywhere near enough time with any one thing yet, because of the desire to try something else. Yet everything I try, I want to click 'one more go' on.

 

[HUELEN10]

Push me over the fence GAF...


I HATE Wii Sports, yet I am very intrigued by cycling and archery. Would you say that these 2 alone would be worth the 30 USD price of admission? I know this sounds a bit ridiculous, maybe seeming like a troll post, but I assure you it is not the case. For archery, I have heard nothing but utter praise, but I don't know how deep of an experience it could provide...

Reminds me of that one time I bought WiiPlay for Tanks for like 6 bucks. Tanks was definitely worth 6 USD. Is Archery worth 30?

 

[swerve]

Push me over the fence GAF...


I HATE Wii Sports, yet I am very intrigued by cycling and archery. Would you say that these 2 alone would be worth the 30 USD price of admission? I know this sounds a bit ridiculous, maybe seeming like a troll post, but I assure you it is not the case. For archery, I have heard nothing but utter praise, but I don't know how deep of an experience it could provide...

Reminds me of that one time I bought WiiPlay for Tanks for like 6 bucks. Tanks was definitely worth 6 USD. Is Archery worth 30?

You've picked two of the weakest sports in the package, but they're still worth the cost of admission. Archery, with the wind-factor, ever-expanding distances, moving targets, etc, is a fair sized game and feels great.

For cycling, see above comments.

Now, where's Sprsky???

 

[HUELEN10]

You've picked two of the weakest sports in the package, but they're still worth the cost of admission. Archery, with the wind-factor, ever-expanding distances, moving targets, etc, is a fair sized game and feels great.

For cycling, see above comments.

2 weakest sports huh?
Well how deep is archery? Replay value any good?


I have read what you have been posting, but as of this moment, the now, what would you say is the strongest offering, and why?

 

[Roelatie]

how is wii plane? does it feel like pilotwings?

 

[swerve]

I tell you what, they've nailed sword fighting so well with this that they simply *must* be working on a sword-fighting game alone. I'm usually fine with the Miis, but this is something which would be enhanced by ninja, samurai, blood, and screams.

 

[swerve]

how is wii plane? does it feel like pilotwings?

It does, a little bit, which makes me sad. It's really relaxing, but I haven't played 2 player dogfighting yet to know if there's much reason to come back.

It's not quite 'birdman' but it's incredibly responsive and a lot of fun.

 

[ciccione]

Why archery is "weak"? I expected something good from it...

 

[swerve]

weakEST. Not weak.

 

[Roelatie]

It does, a little bit, which makes me sad. It's really relaxing, but I haven't played 2 player dogfighting yet to know if there's much reason to come back.

It's not quite 'birdman' but it's incredibly responsive and a lot of fun.

thanks.

On Youtube i've seen that wii plane has a timer on the upper right screen. is it possible to turn the timer off?

 

[swerve]

OK, drift test:

In the screen where you look at your character on screen with the sword (after clearing a stage) I just spent two minutes with the remote behind my back, spinning it in a cone-shape, left-to-right, then all around my body (still spinning in a cone whilst rotating around me). I the remote upside down (buttons facing away from me) and continued twisting. I quickly thrust it from one side to the other, and it's still synched perfectly.

As expected, when tethered to a character in the game world (with relative movements rather than absolute position) this thing is going to be fine with no re-calibration.

 

[swerve]

thanks.

On Youtube i've seen that wii plane has a timer on the upper right screen. is it possible to turn the timer off?

Not yet it's not. I'll try and find a later free play mode. It'd be weird if there isn't one, seeing as there's free play for many modes and this is the perfect candidate...

You have to collect information from the info points around the island and in the ranking screen there is a higher level, for 'stars' collected, so I reckon perhaps after a while I can unlock free-flying mode and just go finding stars... maybe.

 

[Eteric Rice]

So this game lives up to it's hype so far?

Sounds a lot deeper than Wii Sports was. Which is good.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

OK, drift test:

In the screen where you look at your character on screen with the sword (after clearing a stage) I just spent two minutes with the remote behind my back, spinning it in a cone-shape, left-to-right, then all around my body (still spinning in a cone whilst rotating around me). I the remote upside down (buttons facing away from me) and continued twisting. I quickly thrust it from one side to the other, and it's still synched perfectly.

As expected, when tethered to a character in the game world (with relative movements rather than absolute position) this thing is going to be fine with no re-calibration.

Does the sword fighting game take the height of the remote into account? (If you hold the remote sideways and move it up and down, is that reflected on screen?)

 

[Taurus]

swerve,

I just wanted to thank you for the impressions. So, thank you!

 

[Kilrogg]

Swerve, I hate you just about right now.

 

[Gamecocks625]

It seems we have a GOTY contender here...

looks like it

 

[Neo Samus]

If you live in SoCal head on over my place and try it out.

I live in Northern Illinois, a bit of a distance for you. But thanks for the offer!

 

[swerve]

Does the sword fighting game take the height of the remote into account? (If you hold the remote sideways and move it up and down, is that reflected on screen?)

No. Height is all done based upon the rotation of the controller, be it attacking or blocking.

What you need to know is that blocking feels really cool, because of the rotation being real-time. It's a lot of fun bouncing off a hit then striking down the opponent and knocking them off the bridge.

Technically, left/right is also done mostly from rotation but it factors in actual movement distance too, so you can NOT get a full wide swipe from just spinning the controller in front of you.

 

[megashock5]

That being said, I can't think of how you could implement lag calibration for a peripheral entirely based around the lack of lag.

Yeah, that's true. I wasn't thinking at all when I posted. I'm all congested and my head feels like a bowling ball:lol


Swerve,

Are there multiple courses for Golf? How many holes?

Disk Golf?

 

[swerve]

Swerve,

Are there multiple courses for Golf? How many holes?

Disk Golf?

One 18 hole course. It appears to be 9 new holes and 9 from Wii Sports.
Can be played in:
6 x 3 hole courses (you can choose any running set of three)
2 x 9 hole courses (choose first or last nine)
1 x 18 hole course.

All available in Disk Golf.

 

[Kilrogg]

@swerve:

About kendô:

1) What kinds of challenges are there in the "slice through various objects"-mode? Does it ramp up in difficulty?

2) What about the difficulty and length of the challenge in chanbara?

 

[DRock]

Swerve,

Is your friend's wii hooked up via component or composite to his LCD TV?

 

[swerve]

Swerve,

Is your friend's wii hooked up via component or composite to his LCD TV?

D-Link component. Dude, it's an old LCD, and it didn't have a 'game mode'.

@swerve:

About kendô:

1) What kinds of challenges are there in the "slice through various objects"-mode? Does it ramp up in difficulty?

2) What about the difficulty and length of the challenge in chanbara?

1) What I've seen so far is mostly just the same, but your rival gets faster. However, it's cool being able to continue cutting items even after you've won/lost for a short time.

2) There are maybe ten stages to the 'dynasty warriors' mode, with the strength and number of blocking opponents increasing. Cutely, it raises the pitch of the hit sound effect like in Wind Waker as you raise your combo...