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[Duckhuntdog]

I find it funny that we are harping on strictly Nintendo about innovation. It's become really aggravating to read posts that attack one company, Nintendo; who seem to be taking on the most derision by individuals here. Granted they set themselves up for SOME bashing but not the amount that is currently being fired at them. And it you know what, it isn't Nintendo that should be disparaged; It should be the entire industry. Shame on gaf for just laser pointing to one company.

I walked the E3 show floor for hours. Looked at all the games that were there and I saw one single defining trend: <game name> followed by a number. Just more revisions on what came before with the exception of UBISoft who are trying new IPs. Lame Sequels with barely any changes from previous versions or "reboots" that contain no new mechanics or gameplay ideas, just a new varnish of normal mapping.

I walked out of the convention center, turned around and looked at the E3 logo and shook my head. E3: Innovation Unleashed it read in bold letters. How laughable a statement that was. If it were a product claim, we could all sue for consumer fraud. To Nintendo's credit there is a chance for innovation with the WiiU, but with the state of the industry, I seriously doubt anyone will bother attempting anything. Anyone outside of UBI, good for them, and I hope they reap the rewards.

We should yell at the industry and ask for more new IP and not more ways to nickle and dime us with DLC or worse, DLC that was actually part of the game. Let alone useless services that should be free in general.

I never walked through an E3 and felt that the industry has lost its way. So confused, so uninspired. So... Oh that game. AGAIN.

 

[Criminal Upper]

Where is the innovation? Much like the Wii's unveiling, and much like the launch of any other system, launch games are the worst examples to use for a system's true potential. First gen Xbox 360 games barely looked much better than high-end Xbox games.

 

[orioto]

Will you make these kinds of posts when you buy the new PS4 or Xbox 720? Will you feel even more "terribly wrong" when you have to buy entirely NEW controllers for them, instead of simply carrying on your old ones?

Nintendo makes a lot of stupid decisions, they had a terrible E3, and I'm not convinced of the Wii U, butyour war on Nintendo takes some strange, illogical paths, Orioto.

The fact that questioning those things is perceived by you as a "war" shows that the problem is not with me...

PS4 and XBOX8 won't have a design mainly focused on 5 players in front of a tv indeed. So i won't have any interest in buying 4 more dual shock 4! The comparison is pretty ridiculous.
Nintendo explains us that the big deal of its console IS to play with all of this.

Surely everyone has 4 wiimotes at home or lots of friends with wiimotes. Must be a certain club then i guess. Nintendo doesn't really want to expand at any point it seems.

 

[cyberheater]

The innovation for me is when I'm playing Aliens: Colonial Marines standing and moving in the dark in my living room using the uPad as a Alien tracker with that amazing beep sound coming from the built in speakers.

It's going to incredible.

 

[FlashbladeGAF]

Yes, because you're loosing focus on what's around you and takes more time than a pop up menu.

This is the point, in Zombie U is perfect. But this also show that in any other game that doesnn't want to have these effect, using the screen as inventory is slower to do that on the first screen.

looking at inventory is slow period

but selecting inventory on a touch screen can be alot quicker than moving a cursor up and down. I'm not saying its so hard that you cant hit the down button but it is more efficent to just touch what you want then selecting it.

Plus typing out a message to search or chat is alot easier through touch controls then with a standard controller.

 

[lefantome]

right maps are useless now.

Who needs easy access to an expanded map for a game like RDR or GTA5.

Having to hit pause, select map and move the cursor to the selected area is ten times better than using your finger to hit the spot you want to go to while controlling your character all in real time.

It only takes a millisecond to glance at a map to make sure your going the right direction.
Minimaps help but if you need to go over several miles you need to look at an expanded map.

I could only hope developers at the very least use the second screen for something as simple as a map and inventory screen.

Why should I want to look at the maps in real time?

If I open the map menu it doesn't mean that the game has to be in pause state. GTAIV maps works in multiplayer too.


if you are not playing skyrim yes. Most of the games have small inventories.
but Minecraft on 360 works with a big amount of items and it doesn't seems bad.

 

[Always-honest]

Why should I want to look at the maps in real time?

If I open the map menu it doesn't mean that the game has to be in pause state. GTAIV maps works in multiplayer too.

You don't have to. Nobody is forcing you to do anything. Enjoy

 

[Cdammen]

Holy shit that looks fun! Can't wait for P-100

 

[Duckhuntdog]

The innovation for me is when I'm playing Aliens: Colonial Marines standing and moving in the dark in my living room using the uPad as a Alien tracker with that amazing beep sound coming from the built in speakers.

It's going to incredible.

If Gearbox doesn't do this, I don't know what to say.

 

[Rebel Leader]

he said INNOVATIVE games tho ..............

It will come... but not when we want it

 

[zroid]

The innovation for me is when I'm playing Aliens: Colonial Marines standing and moving in the dark in my living room using the uPad as a Alien tracker with that amazing beep sound coming from the built in speakers.

It's going to incredible.

yer givin' me goosebumps, man!

 

[Always-honest]

And what else is there to a game beyond gameplay interaction? All I want are some new ideas and not a constant retread of the same old formulaic crap (and I'm talking gameplay mechanics and not Nintendo/Microsoft/Sony rehashing the same game over and over again). Gameplay mechanics get recycled all the time no matter the IP and developer.

What? I think you misunderstood me. I'm all for it .

The "move along bro" was for the op.

 

[FlashbladeGAF]

Why should I want to look at the maps in real time?

If I open the map menu it doesn't mean that the game has to be in pause state. GTAIV maps works in multiplayer too.

it doesnt have to be in realtime, but it saves time if the map is available without having to press a button more than once

 

[Tookay]

The fact that questioning those things is perceived by you as a "war" shows that the problem is not with me...

PS4 and XBOX8 won't have a design mainly focused on 5 players in front of a tv indeed. So i won't have any interest in buying 4 more dual shock 4! The comparison is pretty ridiculous.
Nintendo explains us that the big deal of its console IS to play with all of this.

Surely everyone has 4 wiimotes at home or lots of friends with wiimotes. Must be a certain club then i guess. Nintendo doesn't really want to expand at any point it seems.

You've been a constant skeptic of them for a while for weird reasons like this and I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that you don't get them, or at least purposefully choose not to.

I also don't think it's unreasonable to assume that most people have a bunch of Wiimotes at home: there's almost 200 million of them out there.

And "five player local play" isn't the only big deal Nintendo's trying to make of this. For family/party games, yes. But there were plenty of other titles that focused solely on the U-pad.

And I'm not sure what you're post about "not wanting to expand at any point" even means.

 

[Criminal Upper]

If Gearbox doesn't do this, I don't know what to say.

They are, Randy Pitchford confirmed it a while ago.

 

[cyberheater]

If Gearbox doesn't do this, I don't know what to say.

They've already confirmed it.

 

[Schnei871]

I certainly saw more gameplay innovation in P-100, ZombiU, and Rayman Legends than I did in The Last of Us and Halo 4.

This.

 

[boyshine]

I feel there is something terribly wrong here, almost GBA/NGC wrong when you think about it... Do you realize the cumulated price of all that ? Really ? I honestly prefer to play some board game or card game with friends if that's the type of thing i want...

What? It's Wii Remotes! Most gamers already own at least two, if not a full set of four. You are complaining about an extra cost that's EXACTLY the same for ALL consoles. If you want to play multiplayer, you buy extra controllers. PS3 supports 7 DualShock controllers. What a rip-off, right?

 

[GamerSoul]

Just like the Wii, the potential is there but something tells me Nintendo will again be the ones who will fully explore it, hopefully with more than just minigames, while the others lag behind. At this time I don't think 3rd party will continue to try their best to make a "special" version for the Wii U. I'd love to be proven wrong though, seriously.

I see the potential in it. Developers should be thinking about how they could really integrating the Wii U Pad without it being to much of a hassle to the player. An interesting idea for co-op I have includes one player with the Wii U Pad trying to crack a code/complete a puzzle to open a door or something while another player is defending the area as best as they can. Could be an intense experience while using both screens.

 

[Despera]

I love the idea of the controller with the screen. It can improve gameplay in a variety of ways.

However, nothing really matters if the system doesn't have the software to back it up. Right now, other than the seemingly cool Sonar idea for that one Alians game, I see nothing that interests me which makes use of this new added functionality.

Nintendo has the ability to deliver, though. I hope they don't "lose the plot".

 

[Dark Octave]

NES = D-pad and sideways controller. This innovated on the way we played games and changed it forever for the better. We have not gone back to the trackballs, vertically held joysticks and in most cases arcade sticks since.

SNES = 4 face buttons and 2 shoulder buttons. Again Nintendo has changed the way we play games in a significant way. Giving us more control, options and making use of otherwise wasted index fingers.

N64 = Thumb stick. This allowed us to properly roam free in all directions for 3D environments where the only alternative proir was tank controls. Nintendo again changed the way we play games forever.

NGC = ...Some strange button layout. Stagnant. Did absolutley nothing for anybody in a progressive manner.

Wii = A remote pointer. While different and innovative, it is very limited to specific types of games specific to only the Wii. In most games, motions simply replace button presses. This is not a game changer and did not move the industry forward in unison like it's earlier attempts.

WiiU = Controller touch screen tablet. It's too early to tell everything about this controller, but the question is, will it change the way we play games? Is it vital to gaming? Is it a neat novelty or do we truly need this type of control method to progress the industry?

 

[Kai Dracon]

Innovation is becoming the most overburdened, overused word in gaming, actually.

What it really means is "I'm bored with games. Please make games that don't bore me."

This has little to do with how "original" or "innovative" games are. By focusing on the notion that what solves boredom is merely novelty, it creates several potential problems.

1. Game makers may focus on novelty for its own sake, to try and amuse jaded audiences, regardless of whether the novelty is only different for the sake of being different.

2. Companies that try new things may get derided by the audience for just pitching 'gimmicks' because people may not really want something truly new, just different from what's currently being offered. Yes, there is a distinction.

I think you can see these contradictory attitudes in the habits of the game buying public. Many gripe about nothing being 'innovative' but people tend to buy games that offer the same reliable, predictable experiences. People want the familiar but are tired of a sameness in presentation and theme.

And there lies the problem, perhaps. It IS true that themes and presentation are becoming monotone as publishers try to wring more blood from a well chipped stone. Once upon a time, publishers were afraid to stop making WWII shooters because "people bought a lot of those. They must only want to play shooters set in WWII". Now, the "modern warfare" shooter is the common game, so it is presumed that everyone in the gaming audience just wants to play games wrapped up in the theme of brown on brown in the middle east with the same three special forces operatives using the same battle rifle and sniper scope.

But more to the specific question here, trying to judge whether Wii U measures up to an almost mystical concept of 'innovation' is also the wrong question, I think. What it presents, are a few key features to offer variety. Variety is not necessarily innovation. Games that take advantage of Wii U's interface properly, may not be some sort of invention of a whole new genre, but they would offer an experience you could only find on the console, and one different from games with similar core gameplay on other platforms.

It's similar to what ended up happening with the DS. Having two screens wasn't really some kind of innovative revolution; it wasn't like the tablet phenomenon that could be called a legitimate innovation or revolution (those only happen rarely). But it gave the DS something unique, and made the experience of playing games on it special. It offered a break from the experience of other portables, or platforms. Many games came to use the second screen in a subtle but effective way, with asynchronous display of maps and useful information. The DS didn't have to change the world and cause everyone else to make devices with two screens, in order to succeed.

Similarly Wii U doesn't have to represent some kind of future revolution to succeed or for its unique interface to be a valid design decision. All it has to do is add something you can't get on any other platform (which is, what Nintendo is about and how they try to differentiate themselves - something that Team Go 3rd Party continually fails to see).

I actually have written before about how the Wii's interface failed due to insufficient technology - it didn't have the tech at launch, and as standard, to achieve the kind of experiences Nintendo promised and predicated the system on. But its basic concept was valid, and the system was designed to offer a variety of experiences. If anything, it could be seen as partly a genuine revolution, because aspects of gesture and motion control DID in fact spread to everywhere else. Every time you play a game on a tablet that uses gyroscopes to tilt the game world or a character, every time you play a game that uses gestures (even with fingers) to do things "more naturally", the Wii's conceptual DNA is in there. Such technologies existed before the Wii, but the Wii did massively advertise and popularize the basic idea. It also handed a lot of prototype game designs to everyone else.

 

[MarshMellow96]

So how does the added functionality work when you're using the GamePad as a screen? Are devs going to have to create two separate UIs for TV use and GamePad use?

 

[alazz]

I'd love to have a strategy FPS with a map and real-time squad control on the subscreen. I don't think that's ever been possible on any home console. I'd also love a new Trauma Center with touch controls. More than those two, I'd love full Civilizations and 4x strategy games to be easily playable on consoles.

The fact that questioning those things is perceived by you as a "war" shows that the problem is not with me...

PS4 and XBOX8 won't have a design mainly focused on 5 players in front of a tv indeed. So i won't have any interest in buying 4 more dual shock 4! The comparison is pretty ridiculous.
Nintendo explains us that the big deal of its console IS to play with all of this.

Surely everyone has 4 wiimotes at home or lots of friends with wiimotes. Must be a certain club then i guess. Nintendo doesn't really want to expand at any point it seems.

You can play by yourself with one controller or online if you want. Nintendo isn't forcing you to play local multi-player. A special feature of the system is the local multi-player, not the only feature.

I can't believe people are giving Nintendo a hard time for this when they offer more ways, in addition to identical methods, to control than Sony and Microsoft. It doesn't make sense.

 

[plagiarize]

So how does the added functionality work when you're using the GamePad as a screen? Are devs going to have to create two separate UIs for TV use and GamePad use?

not every game is going to let you play it using the GamePad as a screen when the TV is otherwise occupied. Nintendo aren't mandating anything as far as i understand, just as they didn't mandate 3D support for the 3DS. it's up to devs to decide what they want to do as i understand.

 

[Monty Mole]

The controller is maybe the ONLY innovating thing about the Wii U. I'm mostly concerned about the total lack of innovating games actually.

It's always a worry when they have to rely on a minigame compilation (aka tech-demo) to demonstrate the "innovation" and "capabilities". The same went for Kinect.

Show and invest in some fully-fledged games that utilise the "innovation" instead. The reality is that neither Pikmin 3 or New Super Mario Bros did much with the controller that made them superior to the Gamecube/Wii games, and outside of a minigame compilation they didn't show any first-party games that did. Instead relying on a Ubisoft game!

 

[Partition]

I think the WiiU IS innovative. People seem to forgot that the Wii was hardly the first attempt at motion controlled games - the PSEye was out long before it to start. The Wii just perfected it and brought the idea to the masses.

With the WiiU, I believe they are doing the same thing, though I don't know if it will work for them as well as it did with the Wii. Apple's AirPlay has been able to pretty much replicate the WiiU functionality with an iPad for a while now, but again it's not something that people are familiar with. I think it is a great idea, and they are sort of banking on the tablet trend right now with the controller, because that's how many people will view it.

The coolest part of the WiiU to me is the portability, the fact I can be on the toilet and still playing Pikmin 3 right in my hands. That's a feature certainly never done before with a console.

 

[Neo C.]

You can play by yourself with one controller or online if you want. Nintendo isn't forcing you to play local multi-player. A special feature of the system is the local multi-player, not the only feature.

I can't believe people are giving Nintendo a hard time for this when they offer more ways, in addition to identical methods, to control than Sony and Microsoft. It doesn't make sense.

It's E3 time. People go crazy in GAF. This is nothing compared to the legendary MH3 and DQIX announcements though.

 

[muu]

Waypoint controls. Orders to teammates / squads. Squad selection in RTS-esque games. Precision airstrikes without being completely defenseless for 10secs. Easier inventory management. Innovation? Maybe not, but the breadth of things now possible make it closer to the freedom of controls achieved on the PC. Games were dumbed down for consoles for years, and if devs choose to do so, they can bring back deeper experiences. The only thing holding this back is that simple sells, meaning devs may choose to ignore these features for yet more graphical glitz.

I'd love to have a strategy FPS with a map and real-time squad control on the subscreen. I don't think that's ever been possible on any home console. I'd also love a new Trauma Center with touch controls. More than those two, I'd love full Civilizations and 4x strategy games to be easily playable on consoles.

I'd like to see them do a revamp of the Action-RTS Battlezone remake we saw for the PC early 2000s.

not every game is going to let you play it using the GamePad as a screen when the TV is otherwise occupied. Nintendo aren't mandating anything as far as i understand, just as they didn't mandate 3D support for the 3DS. it's up to devs to decide what they want to do as i understand.

I was wondering about this too. Are games that require both screens going to have some sort of special labeling?

 

[Ushojax]

So how does the added functionality work when you're using the GamePad as a screen? Are devs going to have to create two separate UIs for TV use and GamePad use?

Some games will support play without a TV, some won't. It's not a universal thing.

 

[walking fiend]

About the second screen, i'm really wondering, (and it's not sarcastic, i want someone to prove me wrong), if there is a real use to it. By that i mean, tell me what couldn't be done without it, honestly.

About the asynchronous gameplay, i love how, as usual, Nintendo want us to believe the hardware is the only way to innovate. Explain me why nobody did a game, before, where you have many controllers and somoene isn't doing the same thing as the others ? He doesn't need an other type of controller for that...

The only point i can see, of course, is that a player has informations that the others doesn't have.. But.. Isn't it pretty easy to do that with online gaming ? It's actually even better, except for the fact that you're not in a convivial and physical connection with your friends.

In the end that's the only thing i can see that Nintendo is really bringing there. But whenever i see this picture :

I feel there is something terribly wrong here, almost GBA/NGC wrong when you think about it... Do you realize the cumulated price of all that ? Really ? I honestly prefer to play some board game or card game with friends if that's the type of thing i want...

Now about the type of thing you get in ZombieU, i'm sorry but you can do the same with one only screen, on the tv. You can even split the screen on the tv, and it will give you the exact same game design intention.

1. They have sold like 200m wiimote already; there are lots of them out there already;

2. You can operate windows almost entirely using keyboard; time to throw the mouse out? Just because you can do something in a crippled and less interesting way, doesn't mean you should

3. How are you going to play master mode in the split screen when they see everything that you do to set them a trap?

 

[orioto]

You've been a constant skeptic of them for a while for weird reasons like this and I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that you don't get them, or at least purposefully choose not to.

And I also don't think it's unreasonable to assume that most people have a bunch of Wiimotes at home: there's almost 200 million of them out there.

And "five player local play" isn't the only big deal Nintendo's trying to make of this. For family/party games, yes. But there were plenty of other titles that focused solely on the U-pad.

And I'm not sure what you're post about "not wanting to expand at any point" even means.

By not expanding i mean that the simple idea that people who will enjoy this multiplayer thing already have a wii is a problem. There are certainly many wiis out there but there is also certainly a portion of gamers who didn't buy one.
And yeah i'm sorry but i don't have that many gamers friends, or even Nintendo anthusiasts, or who live near me and can come regularly to play a party of Nintendo land. I'm probably a sociopath i don't know, and am indeed part of the sad proportion of gamers who play online with virtual people. Local versus is a thing but giant 5 player party in my living room isn't something i will be able to enjoy, for sure.

The problem is that it's not simply something Nintendo allows. It's the console. It's the point of the tablet, and they didn't close their conf by the longest demo ever for the sake of it. Nintendo land is the WiiU, as Wii Port was the Wii. Just see as game journalists insist on this asynchronic feature as the only things that could save the bad impression the console made at E3.

And about your problem with my posts in general, i'm sorry to express my opinion. You can tell me Nintendo has chosen this direction and i just should accept it or move on, but the small problem is that they refuse to let their past philosophy let go. They don't assume totally yet the fact that they don't give a shit about making a zelda or anything else anymore, and are interested in electronic board games, as i read in some articles this week. They always try to make us believe they still like videogame. And yeah, Nintendo represents something culturally at least, in this world of dudebros and violence. They represent something i like somewhere, a certain innocence in videogame, and i don't like them to slowly drop the ball.

You can play by yourself with one controller or online if you want. Nintendo isn't forcing you to play local multi-player. A special feature of the system is the local multi-player, not the only feature.

Yes it's my problem, it's that it's the only feature they're interested in and it's been pretty clear at the conf. They're not even hiding it.

 

[Redford]

Seriously? The whole point is to not feel in total control of the situation. If you feel that way then Ubisoft accomplished their goal with it.

It can be intentional in games like ZombiU, but not all games should/can have that dynamic, which is where it kind of affects immersion.

But it's balanced out by convenience of HUDless gameplay, so eh.

 

[MercuryLS]

I really think there will be some cool stuff done with the second controller like with ZombiU. But right now it's just potential, just like with the Wii. If developers put most of their energies into PS4 and X720 then we will have a repeat of this gen. I don't care how innovative your machine is, if the games aren't there I won't be either. Nintendo alone can't carry a machine for me.

 

[MarshMellow96]

Some games will support play without a TV, some won't. It's not a universal thing.

not every game is going to let you play it using the GamePad as a screen when the TV is otherwise occupied. Nintendo aren't mandating anything as far as i understand, just as they didn't mandate 3D support for the 3DS. it's up to devs to decide what they want to do as i understand.

This makes sense. Cheers.

 

[Karsticles]

They've already confirmed it.

I didn't care about this game at all, but now I'm hyped.

How is me playing the game while I hear a "bip-bip" sound coming from my controller, which I glance down to in panic to see what's coming, not another level of innovation and immersion? So cool.

 

[plagiarize]

Yes it's my problem, it's that it's the only feature they're interested in and it's been pretty clear at the conf. They're not even hiding it.

this is clearly not true. they didn't demo ZombiU's multiplayer mode at all, only focussing on its single player. single player Pikmin 3 was given plenty of time.

it isn't the only feature they're interested in.

 

[walking fiend]

I think people really need to read the 01net article about asymetric gameplay, it'll help them understand the Wii U better.

http://www.01net.com/editorial/567651/e3-2012-l-asymetric-gameplay-veritable-revolution-de-la-wii-u/

can someone please translate this finishing line:

Et la chance, pour une fois, d'être plus agréablement surpris après y avoir joué qu'après avoir vu ses vidéos...

 

[rohlfinator]

I have pretty much stopped expecting innovation to be largely driven by new hardware. One of the Guacamelee guys on the Bombcast last night put it well: most developers come up with a game first, then decide which platform is best for it. I've seen tons of innovative games in the last several years that were designed around mouse and keyboard, and that interface is decades old.

I'll give Nintendo credit -- they do the best job in the industry of taking advantage of unique hardware. But even they tend to start from the game idea; the whole asynchronous game play things has been floating around at Nintendo since long before the Wii U was a reality.

There's no doubt the Wii U will have some really creative software over its lifespan, but I believe it's going to be more due to how the playerbase responds than due to the hardware. If P-100 and ZombiU sell gangbusters out of the gate, we'll see more developers focusing on unique ideas. If AC3 and Darksiders 2 sell more, we'll see more of a trend toward traditional experiences with tacked-on Wii U controls.

 

[RooMHM]

I certainly saw more gameplay innovation in P-100, ZombiU, and Rayman Legends than I did in The Last of Us and Halo 4.

That's a given. Nobody's forced to like said innovation but one must recognize it. Troll thread.

 

[Holy Order Sol]

I usually buy the console based on games first then technical specification because If a want to buy a new hardware I want to buy something fresh.
I don't want to talk about Nintendo games /exclusives here the thread is about the new controller.thanks.[/B]

wha

 

[Nostalgic Nightmare]

Striving for so called innovation is all fine and dandy but I just feel like these companies should strive to better their AAA titles in more meaningful ways. There are plenty of issues in all of these games, old outdated mechanics/formulas that should be revamped. I've owned every nintendo console since the NES when I was 7. In the case of Nintendo exclusively, I really just wish they would stop trying to come up with the alternate hardware angle, and pretty much become software only. Focus on their top titles and make them available across the remaining platforms. I know this will never happen and I'll probably get flamed for this but hey, I'll still hold a special place in my heart for the Nintendo hardware, a few notches above Sega and the TG16)

 

[orioto]

this is clearly not true. they didn't demo ZombiU's multiplayer mode at all, only focussing on its single player. single player Pikmin 3 was given plenty of time.

it isn't the only feature they're interested in.

Hm the way i understood it, i would say the conf was organized that way the shige/pikmin stuff was fan service more than anything, but the real focus of the show (and anyway, the clear marketing aim for Nintendo) was Nintendo Land and the asynchronic gameplay. The term was used so many times actually.

Oh and the 01net is the article i was thinking about. Where the guy clearly says how much the whole genius of the WiiU is to be some sort of great board game.

 

[Pie and Beans]

What I love about the Wii U, is that its entire make-up sort of enforces Nintendo is now just running on gimmicks. Remember when motion control was the future, that replacing buttons with gestures and 1:1 actions was going to herald a new age of gaming? I do, and it was Sony that finally realised a lot of that with the Move in games like Sports Champions and Sorcery. Nintendo meanwhile has completely abandoned the wiimote as the de facto controller for Wii U, instead heading back to something far more traditional but with a DS screen.

And because its a DS screen, that means the Wii U Game Pad is already a "been there" done that device, other than the very limited appeal of holding a screen over your TV screen for the worst gimmickry I've seen yet.

As a device doing the same thing, the Vita to PS3 shenanigans are already stripping any "never seen this done before!" appeal, and that device has even more inputs than the Wii U, what with multi touch on the front AND back.

The Wii U is a very odd console indeed, its not really doing anything new for a completely different audience to be another Wii, and its not even another Gamecube because its not pushing truly great tech for its time.

 

[Neo C.]

Yes it's my problem, it's that it's the only feature they're interested in and it's been pretty clear at the conf. They're not even hiding it.

They are interested in making the Wii U popular. If they had MonHun ready, the marketing team would emphasize the features of MonHun. Asymmetrical gameplay is one of the feature and certainly the one which differentiates them from the competition greatly. But Nintendo isn't stupid and only interested in this kind of gameplay. That's just absurd.

 

[Penguin]

Waypoint controls. Orders to teammates / squads. Squad selection in RTS-esque games. Precision airstrikes without being completely defenseless for 10secs. Easier inventory management. Innovation? Maybe not, but the breadth of things now possible make it closer to the freedom of controls achieved on the PC. Games were dumbed down for consoles for years, and if devs choose to do so, they can bring back deeper experiences. The only thing holding this back is that simple sells, meaning devs may choose to ignore these features for yet more graphical glitz.

That reminds me.. where was Ghost Recon Online?
That had some cool uses of the controller last year as well.

 

[beril]

he said INNOVATIVE games tho ..............

In how many games can you turn a bunch of super heroes into a giant sword to pole vault over a building? If that's not innovation I don't know what is

 

[alazz]

I have pretty much stopped expecting innovation to be largely driven by new hardware. One of the Guacamelee guys on the Bombcast last night put it well: most developers come up with a game first, then decide which platform is best for it. I've seen tons of innovative games in the last several years that were designed around mouse and keyboard, and that interface is decades old.

I'll give Nintendo credit -- they do the best job in the industry of taking advantage of unique hardware. But even they tend to start from the game idea; the whole asynchronous game play things has been floating around at Nintendo since long before the Wii U was a reality.

There's no doubt the Wii U will have some really creative software over its lifespan, but I believe it's going to be more due to how the playerbase responds than due to the hardware. If P-100 and ZombiU sell gangbusters out of the gate, we'll see more developers focusing on unique ideas. If AC3 and Darksiders 2 sell more, we'll see more of a trend toward traditional experiences with tacked-on Wii U controls.

It's not even a matter of innovative gameplay for me; standard controllers are awfully limited. Mouse and keyboards have gestures, and dozens of buttons and modifiers that humble controllers, on top of which you can use controllers, joysticks, and other peripherals. Computers are comparably unlimited.

The Wii U Gamepad just brings us closer to the amount of options and convenience a mouse and keyboard have, alongside all of the standard controller features.

 

[cyberheater]

I didn't care about this game at all, but now I'm hyped.

How is me playing the game while I hear a "bip-bip" sound coming from my controller, which I glance down to in panic to see what's coming, not another level of innovation and immersion? So cool.

Yep. Almost worth the price of admission.

 

[orioto]

They are interested in making the Wii U popular. If they had MonHun ready, the marketing team would emphasize the features of MonHun. Asymmetrical gameplay is one of the feature and certainly the one which differentiates them from the competition greatly. But Nintendo isn't stupid and only interested in this kind of gameplay. That's just absurd.

What's the last time they focused on a game at E3 ? No they focused on casual gaming, wii music, wii sport, and that's why they focused on Nintendo Land. It's pretty hypocritical to even argue that this game isn't the whole illustration of the philosophy behind the WiiU... Iwata will certainly tells you it is in Iwata Asks.

And yes again, my theory, that's mine, don't be hurted by the fact that i'm exposing it in a videogame board, is that Nintendo is interested in that sort of things, and they're pretty bored with conventional videogames. At least a part of the big heads there are, beginning with Shigeru Miyamoto.