argon said:
Some questions for those who have played the Wii... I haven't seen one yet.
1) How does the nunchuk feel in terms of weight? Is it too light? Are the Z1 and Z2 buttons easy to reach?
It is very light, but I felt it wasn't too light. The plastic of the buttons (C + Z, I think they are called) is different, and feels rougher, like the original DS L + R buttons, for example. The buttons are exceedingly easy to reach. I have big hands, so take that into consideration. The only criticism I have is that the stick has too much give, I do much prefer the 360's stick springy nature, but I'm told this is a matter of preference. The reason I mention the buttons is because the lightness of the nunchuk is very confronting at first, but the buttons at the front make it feel right.
2) Does using the analog stick with the nunchuk feel better/worse than using an analog stick with a two-handed controller? In other words, did removing your right hand as support (stabilizing the controller while you move around with the thumbstick) change the control mechanics at all?
Interesting question; I can't say that I noticed any difference, but when I've played, I've had my arms quite low and my left hand has been palm up, which for some reason feels very natural. To answer your question, everything about the control mechanics is changed, and more than you may think. Let me explain:
One thing that GAF has not talked about much from what I've seen is the naturalness of the Wiimote, for or against. I know that when I play normal controllers, I 'waste' a lot of button pushes, and even for things like QTE gameplay where you have to push Square or Circle, my sense memory doesn't work so well and I have to fiddle, sometimes get it wrong between the two. In other words, if you mapped all the button clicks in my gameplay, I'd estimate about 10%-20% misfire, especially in action games. Now you can think I suck if you like, but I've beaten Ninja Gaiden and Ikaruga, for reference.
I've played about two hours of Wii, and the one thing I noticed that I didn't expect; no mistakes. I wasn't getting things wrong or fumbling. Zelda's controls were not perfect in the sense that maybe another scheme could have worked, but the way that the Wiimote works means that you don't need complex sense memory to do the same actions. I never looked down once at my hands after the first 2 minutes. The B button is a rectangle, the A button is a circle; the prompts aren't going to confuse anybody. I have played thousands of hours of Xbox games and I could not tell you what colour the buttons are in which order, same with NES. The Dualshock I know even better, but as I say, in the thick of battle, I fumble. I did not fumble with the Wii. As in, the controls were invisible for complex tasks in Zelda. They are not usually for me.
Your mileage may vary.
Control niggles do exist, and I think they will revamp the nunchuk at some point. Using the Wiimote side on, for example, to drive in Excite Truck, was an absolute joke and has lost them a sale on that game. There have to be a million better ways to control driving than that.
My experience; direct-action uses like driving which everyone including Nintendo thinks the controller is built for need to be done very well to work... BUT complex gameplay is by far, BY FAR, the main beneficiary. Those playing Zelda can attest. Action games for the Wii will be... well, lets see more of them made, anyway. (Why didn't they do a remix of RE4?)
3) Does the nunchuk/remote cord attachment have some sort of breakaway feature to prevent it from being damaged if it is accidentally yanked out of place?
Yes, and it worked fine when I accidentally pulled the cord out. Game paused and let me plug it back in.
