Why Am I Still Playing Excite Truck?

Right now I'm sitting in my friend's apartment watching him school the computer in Excite Truck. My friend hasn't been a gamer since the days of the Sega Genesis, citing motion sickness caused through the newer onslaught of 3D games as his reason for eventually giving up gaming. I also get the feeling the overwhelming complexity of today's games aren't exactly extending him a warm welcome back either.

Most of my friends would describe me as a hardcore gamer (or a nerd), but I'm not bold enough to declare it about myself. I enjoy games a lot and probably always will, but I've noticed something peculiar after having my Wii for about two months. Normally by now, I'd get tired of most games and let them sit in a box somewhere, unbeaten for several months with the likelihood of regaining interest almost nonexistent. So it surprises me that I'm still playing Excite Truck - your average racing game - after having it for so long.

I thought about how the control elements play a part in truly immersing the gamer into the gaming experience. I've never been a fan of arcade racers with the wheel and pedals, but maybe it's because I don't spend a quality amount of time with them because of my general indifference to most arcades and an even smaller desire to spend tons of quarters just to play a game. Although the game experience for racers in arcades are truer to life than most regularly-controlled racers, the majority of people I know won't spend the amount of time needed to fully grasp the immersive potential of the arcade racer.

What I'm getting at is - in a sense - Nintendo has brought home gameplay either previously unreachable by any means or simply not as accessible as home console gaming. How many people do you know who have arcade-style coin-op machines at home? I know maybe one or two, but it's definitely not as common as finding a Playstation 2 in someone's living room.

The reason I can't stop playing Excite Truck is that it really is a gameplay experience unlike anything I've managed to feel at home before. And that is something I never could've seen while the hype for the Wii was being built up. Sure, developers and publishers talk about immersive gameplay, but you don't realize how important it is until you feel it.

Dear Nintendo

It looks like you're getting popular again. The direction you took with the Nintendo Wii was a good one and I commend you on it, but some people feel you're alienating the Nintendo fans that have stuck with you in good times and in bad in order to attract a new sort of fan base. "Why won't you give us Mother 3?" demands the big N community. As a matter of fact, I've got a few questions and suggestions myself:

1. The friend codes are not user-friendly. How has your online strategy evolved and is online gaming any more important to you?

Microsoft and Xbox Live have clearly demonstrated that online is what the people want. I am thankful that you decided to include online, even though early reports indicate we'll be in 12-digit friend code hell pretty soon here. Pokemon Battle Revolution - the first online Wii game - features game-specific friend codes independent of my Wii's friend code. I've heard people suggest this may have something to do with connectivity between Battle Revolution and the new DS versions of the Pokemon series. I sure hope this is simply an isolated example.

Please Nintendo, try to focus more on the online component this round. Xbox Live has shown me that I don't have to worry about child predators, but only those with a longing for gratuitous use of the N word. The community-driven experience is something beautiful in itself (AKA "I like making new friends... online") and I would consider even a partial emulation of what Xbox Live has accomplished a success on your part. It also wouldn't hurt if you were able to work in voice chat.

2. The bait is in place. Now watch the third parties flock like geese.

Last time around third party developers for the GameCube wound up being the guy who showed up who wasn't actually invited to the party. C'mon, let's show them some love. Now more than ever, ease of development is more important than any other factor in a console's potential for success and you hit the nail on the head. It also appears Nintendo is at the very least considering indie game development for the Wii with simple development tools a huge reason behind it.

To me at least, it seems like the creative part of many developers brains have been desiring a new type of outlet (and I'm not talking about Brain Age either). It turns out gamers aren't the only ones clamoring for something new. The Wii is the place to be for developers wanting to create entirely new game experiences. As soon as I heard Kojima was interested in Wii, I knew we had something special.

3. What's next for the Wii's interface?

A few people who just couldn't wait stumbled upon the fact that Nintendo launched the News Channel earlier than anticipated. One of the things I like about being an early adopter is seeing the firmware advances and the console growing up. Soon it'll be in kindergarten with all these new skills and abilities and you'll wonder where all the time went.

On a slightly more serious note, I'm eagerly anticipating new additions to the firmware. Now is your time to unleash the potential of firmware revisions and integrating new features. If Nintendo can utilize customer feedback and keep the ball rolling with new features to overjustify my $250 steal of an investment, I'm going to be one happy Nintendo customer. Once again Xbox Live has set a great standard for you to meet or exceed. Now it's just up to you to show us what you're capable of, especially with that nifty motion control gizmo.

4. Refined control, plzkthx.

This falls on both Nintendo's first party offerings and the third party offerings we've had the chance to partake in thus far. I know it's hard to believe, but control is a pretty important part of a Wii game. I feel like we've had a mixed bag and that it isn't just the result of a new learning curve for a completely different way of controlling your games.

Case in point: the bounding box. I am a first person shooter freak, so my control needs to be spot on. With my 360 launch purchase, two-thirds of the games I bought were first person shooters, but for this exact reason I decided to refrain from purchasing any first person shooters for Wii. As of right now I feel like the bounding box is a slap in the face for FPS fans; a poorly thought out alternative to the fast and tight control I'm used to. Until they find a way to tighten it up, I may have to wait or possibly keep my FPS' action on my 360. I'm hoping Metroid Prime 3: Corruption helps to rectify the current situation.

Parting Words

If it helps you at all, I think you can handle this. I know you weren't the most popular kid on the block last year, but it's all changed thanks to your good attitude and hard work. Don't let 'em forget who was on top all those years back and you'll be fine.

Sincerely,

Cameron Hermens

Input Strikes a Nerve

What started out as a comment on Maunderlust's blog turned into a full-fledged entry. That's what these things are for I suppose, right? I've seen a few articles on how FPS' utilize the motion control capabilities of the Wii today and it seems like it's struck a chord through the blogosphere. Everybody is writing about it now.

I believe this is because as soon as gamers laid their eyes on Nintendo's new controller, they almost immediately made the "perfect for first person games" connection. I'll admit the Wiimote has the potential to best mouse and keyboard gaming in first person games. The level of precision I'm already seeing is something I can be extremely comfortable with and these first gen games are nothing compared to what we'll be seeing a year or so down the road, and hopefully sooner.

Now we're getting into some of the ideas that expanded my "comment-into-a-blog." I'll just paste what I wrote already because I'm lazy and tired and cranky...

"The article I read suggested creating a system on the Wii that detected whenever you put your hands down, and rather then the camera going all wonky on you it would revert to the center of the screen after a predetermined amount of time. I think the main problem is that although most gamers are used to focusing their eyes, we're not quite at the same point with keeping our controllers steadily pointed at the screen.

"I still understand the first generation of Wii titles disappoints somewhat because developers are still learning how it's best to integrate controls. I still can't figure out Elebits controls at times - at one point it seems spot on and the next its out of control and I'm actually keeping my hand still [while this is happening].

"I like to look at it like this. Just as this new console possesses a learning curve for development (like all others, and even more so for the PS3), there is also a learning curve for this new method of input. I'm sure we'll see many different solutions for controlling different types of games. The beauty of it is that the Wiimote offers far more versatility in how the developers can set up their controls, so you never really know what to expect. There is no assuming in knowing exactly what it will feel like to control a game until you've played it. Does it work for you?"

Me personally, I don't believe this 'bounding box' method of input is the best solution for gamers. To me it's a clunky system that will never offer a true level of precision that's required in almost all first person shooters. What happens when the Wii goes online and you're ready to frag your friends? Are we gonna be left fighting with the controls half the time? I sure hope Metroid gets it right and the rest of developers either take notice of a system that works or find something bigger and better.

Family Sues Station After Wii Contest Fatality

Well I figured it would happen at some point. The family of Jennifer Strange, the mother of three who died in a "Hold Your Wii for a Wii" contest at Sacramento's KDND-FM, announced they are suing the station responsible. The Entercom-owned station hasn't responded yet because their phone lines have been completely busy since the announcement.

"The station knew this was a dangerous and potentially deadly stunt, but flippantly dismissed the dangers," their lawyer, Roger Dreyer said in a statement. "Hearing the tape (of the radio show), it's very clear they knew of the dangers and could foresee that this could lead to Jennifer's death."

After Jennifer Strange was found dead in her home, where she was suspected to have consumed up to two gallons of water without urinating, the station responded by firing 10 people connected to the contest and canceling the "Morning Rave" show the contest was featured on. The hosts of the Morning Rave show were joking about the possibility of water intoxication.

"Can't you get water poisoning and, like, die?" asked one host.

"Your body is 98 percent water," a co-host replied. "Why can't you take in as much water as you want?"

The hosts clearly didn't pay enough attention to the possibility of water intoxication. I'm more or less on the fence about most lawsuits because today people sue for a lot of insignificant reasons. I wish the Strange family the best of luck. After all, it's not like they're suing a shoe company for falling down or anything.

Get a Wii for $209!

It's rumored that this Sunday, Best Buys across the nation will have Wii's in stock. You can visit the Circuit City website by clicking the image above to print out your own $40 off total purchase of $199 or more coupon to get a shiny new Wii for the amazing price of $209, as if the price weren't attractive already. Make sure you arrive early for this one.

My only regret is already picking up my Wii. Then again, I've had enough fun to warrant the $249 price tag many times over. Good luck!

"Hold Your Wii for a Wii" Update

As you may have already heard, a Sacramento woman died of water intoxication as a result of participating in the "Hold Your Wii for a Wii" contest held by 107.9 KDND. Jennifer Strange was found dead in her home and was believed to have drunk two gallons of water without urinating. The contest had listeners drinking increasingly large amount of water as time passed, with the winner declared by who could hold the water without peeing for the longest.

Already ten people connected to the contest have been fired from the Entercom-owned station and the Morning Rave show has been canceled. From KCRA.com:

“The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office are launching an investigation in the death of Jennifer Strange, who was found dead in her home after taking part in a radio station water-drinking contest.”

I wholeheartedly agree with the dismissal of the radio jockeys and all those involved with the contest. You can even hear them joking about the possibility of water intoxication here, even after they're warned by a listener who called in. I bet they feel like asses now.