Forgot password?  |  Register  |    
User Name:     Password:    
Special   

PixlBit's Wii U Launch Roundtable

The PixlBit staff got together to talk about their excitement for the Wii U. Join Us!

Nick

I'll admit, I'm pretty damn excited for the Wii U. I've always been a fan of Nintendo consoles and since the GameCube I've showed up on day 1 to get one of my own, the Wii U will be no exception. However, I can't say I'm too excited about the launch line up.

Of course, this is an interesting situation. On one hand, this is probably one of the best launch line ups Nintendo has ever been able to assemble for a new system, but at the same time, it's one that holds little interest for me. Many of the games releasing have either released on other systems already, or will release around the same time, making most of what's hitting day 1 not unique to the Wii U.

As someone who already owns both an Xbox 360 and a PlayStation 3, there isn't much incentive for me to grab these titles on the Wii U. With the exception of Assassin's Creed III, I won't be grabbing anything that's currently cross-platform.

Unfortunately, outside of Assassin's Creed III, I don't know that there's too much there to excite me. New Super Mario Bros. U looks kind of cool, but I can't say I'm highly anticipating it and I'd say the same goes for Nintendo Land. Although Nintendo Land looks far more interesting than it originally let on, it's certainly not a system selling experience for me.

Since I'll be grabbing Rayman Legends and Pikmin 3 in the coming months, I figure purchasing the system day one isn't too big of an issue since I won't be able to resist the purchase regardless when those hit the shelf.


All that being said, I'm a little iffy on the future of the system. I think the GamePad concept really will need to prove itself with the games. I want the Wii U version to be my de facto choice simply because I expect the GamePad to make my experience even better. If we don't see meaningful implementations of the gimmick, it's going to be a hard hit for Nintendo. Currently they're selling the system at a loss and the GamePad accounts for a large percentage of the system resources because it must be rendered separate of the main screen.

If the GamePad doesn't pan out for in-game experiences, I'm hoping that using it solely in a portable fashion is comfortable and convenient, making my investment worthwhile. The potential is definitely there, it'll just be a matter of developers tapping into it (ala Rayman Legends) to prove to everyone that this concept (and system) are worthy.

6 Pages «  4   5   6  »

 
#Wii u  #Launch  #Roundtable 

Comments

Michael117

11/15/2012 at 02:39 PM

Great roundtable. I share sentiments from a few different staff members. Like Julian I would like something shiny and new. Like Patrick I think this next generation will be more about performance, animation, frame rate, and simulations. I don't care much about games looking better, I care most about games playing better. Efficient development, better tools, not having to start from scratch with every game, solid high frame rates, handling more complex simulations and interactions. Getting high quality, and free, development tools into the hands of as many people as possible. The more design-tool-literate people out there who can experiment, the better. Gameplay and simulations need to take more ambitious steps, but have great engines to do it with, and not have you go bankrupt just trying to design a system. Gameplay experimentation gets me very excite!

The Wii U gamepad seems pretty cool. I just need to get my hands on it, because even though it looks cool and has interesting functionality, I'm also skeptical because I'm hoping that it isn't too long or uncomfortable. I'm accustomed to playing games that utilize thumbsticks and triggers, but on the 360 controller the spread between each trigger is 3" and the spread between the thumbsticks is a little less than 3". Will it be weird to play a thumbstick/trigger game on a controller the width, shape, and button layout of the Wii U tablet controller? I'm going to go into the Gamestop by my house to see if they have a display Wii U and if they do I'll check it out. It probably won't be as drastic as I imagine, but I won't know till I try.

After all, I've played on weirder controllers before. The Duke was really wide and trying to press some of those buttons was like packing up for a cross country trip. I really like small, light, traditional controller design like the PS3 and 360 controllers. Fairly ergonomic, not too big or small, and for the most part the buttons are all easy to get to. I wonder how many games will be able to use the Wii U's Xbox 360 imitation controller? I'd probably end up using that a lot if it's available.

Joaquim Mira Media Manager

11/15/2012 at 10:38 PM

I tried the gamepad yesterday. I liked it. I even played a bit of the Rayman Legends demo. It worked fine, and felt fine holding it. You should definitely go to wherever the closest Wii U demo kiosk is and try it.

Log in to your PixlBit account in the bar above or join the site to leave a comment.