Play Wii

From 6^th – 9^th of November in Melbourne Central there were free Wii tryouts.

First perception: wow the console and controller is smaller than I imagined! The Wii controller is also extremely light. I used to compare it to a TV remote but it is much lighter, thinner and of course nicer looking. I was slightly disappointed at the weight, I was thinking if it was a little heavier it would feel better to use. I guess if you waved it about a lot you would want it to be light.

At the time I was there the games available were: ‘Wii Sports’, ‘Excite Truck’ and ‘The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess’. As I was in a rush I only lined up for one demo but I did watch people play all three games.

I had a go at ‘Excite Truck’. It’s a simple racing game with additions like rings to jump through. The motion control of the Wii was used to turn and adjust the vehicle (when landing a jump). It felt very natural, better than punching buttons or fighting with a keyboard. The only thing I found odd was how you recovered from a collision. When you hit a tree or another truck the game moved in slow motion and prompted you to repeatedly push ‘A’ to recover with better speed. I thought it felt odd and it broke up the faced passed atmosphere of the game. Overall it looks great. The Wii will definitely improve racing games.

‘The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess’ looked very polished and impressive. I cannot wait until it comes out. Nothing more to say but; this is a must buy.

The sensor for the Zelda booth was a little buggy which gave me a few bad vibes on the console. During E3 this year, I remember the comments about Nintendo Wii sensors not working properly under halogen lights. I would like to know if the Wii is guaranteed to work anywhere and if there are situations that can weaken the sensors. I’m a little worried about how long the sensors last. If the motion sensing was even a little thrown off, it could completely ruin the experience. I guess these are questions that will be answered after millions of Wiis are played in all situations across the globe.

Only three weeks until the Australian launch!

More Australian Play Wii dates can be found here.