Wii U: The VG Confab Staff Offer Their Thoughts

Nintendo has announced the price and date for the Wii U console, as well as offered a few more details on games and apps for the system.  This post will be updated by the VG Confab staff with their thoughts and impressions of how they’re feeling about the Wii U.

Brad vanVugt – I already said a lot of my piece about the console both in my hands-on, and the launch date post from earlier.  I’ll reiterate a few points: having a Basic bundle is freaking stupid, a max of 32 GB of storage is a joke, Nintendo TVii is interesting (but how is it implemented?), and accessory pricing will probably be too high.

One thing I wanted to wax poetic about is the notion of a “launch window” for games.  Now a launch window is 5 months?! Really Nintendo?  I’m, sorry.  The Vita had a bit of a long “launch window”, and that was three months (I’ll accept an argument for four if you consider Gravity Rush a “launch” title).  I’m tired of this launch window nonsense, as it’s just a way for a company to call a game a launch game without putting it alongside the console.  My qualification for a “launch window” is 2 weeks max; anything else is a post-launch game.  So while Nintendo will tout their “launch lineup” as being huge and awesome, right now that lineup to me consists of New Super Mario Bros U, Nintendoland, and a bunch of games you can already buy for PS3 and 360.

And again, there’s another point of contention for me: I count about 19 games confirmed for release on the Wii U that you can buy, or will have been able to by the time they arrive on the Wii U.  Why are hardcore gamers supposed to buy this console again?  Is it for the promise of a new Zelda title in four years?  Or all the new original series coming from Nintendo and third-party devs?  Maybe it’s the vast cavern of digital storage the console provides for all is digital offerings?  The Wii U will likely get a fast jump out of the gate, but I’ll be very interested to see how it sells next Spring, especially with the big lineup of triple-A titles dropping for PS3 and 360 in March, and how many, if any, of those games release simultaneously on the Wii U.

Cheetimus – I feel like the Wii U is a punchline to a joke we simply haven’t been told. How else would you explain the nonsense of this thing?
If you’ve been following us for any length of time then you know Brad and I have had some hands on experience with the thing. These games are either rehashes of games “hardcore” gamers have played or remakes of games casual Wii owners are very familiar with. Add the awkwardness of a controller you have to take your eyes off the main screen to use, and you have the beginnings of a total mess.

Now we have a bit more info just before the console launches. The prices would be fine if not for what you don’t get: memory. The two bundles either come with 8 GB or 32 GB. This is ridiculous and clearly shows that Nintendo still isn’t ready for a true online experience. That is precious little space for downloading DLC or full games. Lord knows you won’t be installing your game library, which is something I do all the time with my 360. Downloading anything beyond minigames is simply not something the big N is considering, and once again this will leave them in the dust. Online gaming isn’t the future; it’s the damn present.

Then there’s the controller situation. So many of these games require Wii remotes and you don’t get any with the system! Not only that, but they must be Wii Remote Plus so if you haven’t upgraded… tough nuts! Buy some $40 controllers to go with that weird wannabe tablet. Which, by the way, costs half the price of the console bundle in Japan, so lord know how much extra controllers will cost over here.

This system is a mess. They tried to point it in every direction but only seem to be aiming at themselves at the moment. Nintendo sure loves what they did, but I can’t see how others can or will once they really have this… mess in their hands.

Carrie Wood – I feel like I’m the only one even kind of on board with the WiiU at this point. It must be the fact that I was raised on Nintendo and ONLY Nintendo. Plus, generally, I’m just excited for the fact that there’s a new console coming out. It’s bringing something new to the table, at least.

I don’t want to repeat what my colleagues said because otherwise this space would become really boring, really quickly. So I’ll just narrow it down to this:

Good: Launch lineup. Look, it’s not SPECTACULAR, and yeah, it contains a lot of games already out for other systems. But if you don’t have those other systems (I didn’t have a 360 until about this time last year so I’m still playing catch-up) it’s a little more worthwhile. Also, I think it’s better than goddamn Pilotwings and Nintendogs, which is all they offered for the 3DS launch. All things considered, with Nintendo’s history, it could be worse.

Bad: Total lack of memory space PLUS no wii remotes? Dick move, Nintendo. Especially on the controller front. Cash grabs like that end up pissing people off. Kind of like when the original Wii launched and didn’t come with a nunchuk but everyone needed a nunchuk to play the games they wanted. I imagine by next summer you’ll see a bundle with a Wiimote packaged inside, so maybe hold off until then.

Confabia!: What We’re Excited for This Fall

The time has finally come!  The Fall release season is upon us.  There’s quite a bit of games coming out from now until the end of the year, and the VG Confab staff is here to tell you the 3 games each of us is looking forward to the most this year.  

 

Brad vanVugt

1. Borderlands 2 – I’ve written a lot about Borderlands 2 so far, and the release is finally just about here.  The reason I am so jacked for this game is the fact that Gearbox is looking to essentially make this the console version of Diablo II.  They want Borderlands 2 to be a game you keep popping in periodically over the next several years to go through with a new character or keep levelling your “main” all the way up to whatever the level cap ends up being.  Many of the other games I buy this Fall will get bought, get played, and get traded.  I see Borderlands 2 occupying space in my collection, and my console, for many years to come.
2. FIFA 13 – Another series I have recently been smitten with, FIFA should quite frankly be the best sports game this year.  Playing the recently released demo has only served to reinforce this fact, as even a feature as simple as Matchday shines through.  The new Skill Games I can see getting addictive as hell, and also serve as a great way for series newbies to learn the skills needed in the game.  I myself couldn’t perform a free kick for the life of me in FIFA 12.  In just one basic session, the free kick skill game in 13 helped me immensely.  I said it before and I’ll say it again: if you’re a fan of sports games in general, FIFA 13 should be something on your radar.
3. Need for Speed Most Wanted – There are certain titles some developers were just born to do.  For Criterion, those would be racing titles.  The realism of Gran Turismo and Forza have never been up my alley, but the pure fun of the Need for Speed series is exactly what I look for in a racing game.  As I mentioned in my hands-on, Most Wanted is really fun.  Autolog is what makes this game though.  Having that carrot on a stick is what pushes me through a lot of games, and seeing what my friends do in Most Wanted – everything they do – will be what keeps me coming back to the game again and again.

 

Carrie Wood

1. Pokemon Black & White Version 2 – OH MY GOD NEW POKEMON. It’s like trying to wait for Christmas morning. It sucks. I love it when Pokemon does a direct sequel – the last ones were Gold and Silver, and they were the tits. Getting to see how the region has changed and how everyone has aged is pretty awesome. I’m stoked for the small things that are new in these: starting in an actual city with a gym and a Pokemon Center instead of some podunk town with a laboratory as its main feature is a nice change, for one. I’m also excited to see what Team Plasma has been up to, plus if N is any less retarded this time around.
2. Adventure Time: Hey Ice King, Why’d You Steal Our Garbage? – This is basically Zelda II but with Adventure Time. I’m not sure if the universe was trying to specifically appeal to me by slamming two of my favorite things together, but it did a pretty good job at that regardless. I’ve already put money down to get the Collector’s Edition, so I’m looking forward to all of the little extras that come with that (stylus, steelbook case, artbook, etc.). Every new bit I see about this game makes me want it more, and it’s not out until November. My experience with games based off of TV shows is that generally, they’re awful. I like to hope that Adventure Time will prove me wrong, while still retaining that tongue-in-cheek humor that makes the show so appealing to someone my age.
3. Harvest Moon: A New Beginning – I’ve talked about this one before, so I won’t spend a lot of time repeating myself. Basically, I’m just excited for not having any limitations on anything in this game – I can make my fields where I want them, I can make my barns where I want them, I can totally customize my character, PLUS there are new livestock options. While Tale of Two Towns was great, it had some severe (though intriguing) limitations on what you could do in either town. So I’m just looking forward to being able to do whatever I want.

 

Cheetimus

1. Dead or Alive 5 – As a fighting game fan, and a fan of this fighting series (not the volleyball softcore porno games), this game has me pretty jazzed up. With a return to the older style and less like DOA 4, I’ll probably piss off a great deal of people as I must say… I’m a beast.
2. Halo 4 – I’ve grown weary of shooting games, so I try to steer clear of most of them so my favorite franchises will still feel fun and fresh when I get back to them. Halo is one of those franchises, and I’m anxious to see if a new studio can deliver on the fun gameplay I’ve grown accustomed to, although after Reach, they have a lot to live up to.
3. Jet Set Radio – A classic, and one of my all time favorite games. I know it’s just a port of a really old game, but without an actual sequel coming, I’ll just have to take this and be happy. AND it’s gonna be available for the Vita! Couldn’t ask for more.

DOA 5 May Ship With Unlockable and Unknown Characters

Recently Team Ninja’s Yousuke Hayashi told Famitsu that like previous DOA entries in the series, this new game will feature characters you will need to unlock through gameplay and that they may not announce all of those characters.

So wait, are they saying this fighting game will be like a real game that we get stuff for playing it? Unlockable and earn-able content without having to be nickel and dimed for it? Is it ten years ago already?!

I’m a huge fan of this series. For the fighting aspect, perv… HEY! Eyes down here, stop looking at those. Anyway, I love this series and I love that there is always unlockables, even though some games have more than others. DOA2 Hardcore was the one I played the most as there was SO much to unlock. It was damn fun.

So thanks, Team Ninja, for remembering to let us have some fun with your games. Just stay away from Metroid, ok?

Sling Fists, Not Mud in VOTE iOS Game

I’m a little *ahem* uppity about politics so when Brad showed this to me, I kinda fell in love and then fell into sadness as I don’t own any Apple devices to play this game with.

Remember Rock the Vote? Yeah, that thing that used to be featured on MTV to get young people out to the voting booths? Am I showing my age? Whatever, The Verge is reporting on this iOS game which was released today where you can choose Obama or Romney and beat the ever loving bejeezus out of the other guy. You can even do it in style, as you can unlock tons of costumes and accessories as you play through the game. It also does the right thing by linking you to current poll numbers.

Just look at this thing. Look at it! It’s hilarious, what with Obama’s giant goon ears and Romney’s… well the man is already an automaton, so being made of polygons isn’t much of a stretch.

I’ll stop there before I offend someone during this, our nations most internet sensitive time. I will say that I hope it shows up on Android systems and for the love of god PLEASE allow multiplayer! I know people that would gladly play the other side and I also know I’m better with video games then they are.

A Real Life Trip to a Real Life Arcade

I recently went on vacation in New Hampshire and while there, I stopped by Hampton Beach for some fun in the sun. There was a rather extensive boardwalk full of different shops and eateries and HOLY CRAP A REAL LIFE ARCADE!!! I’m sure I’d heard of this place some time in the past but, I’d long forgotten about it. In my neck of the woods, arcades have all dried and and shut down much like in most of the country. But here in northern New England, we have a real arcade with some great classics inside.

If I’d known this was waiting for me, I would have brought my real camera. I tried my best and snapped a bunch of shots on my phone. This ended up being a bit of a weird experience, as my black ass is truly a minority in New England, so I got to be that big black dude with a goofy smile taking pictures of all the white folk having fun. I got a few strange looks shot at me but I just kept smiling because this was too damn cool!

As I walked about taking pictures, I noticed a lot of classic games that were older than most gamers yet were still in working order (and they were still only a quarter to play!). Then I noticed there were no fighting games to be found. I guess that makes sense as they are promoting a family atmosphere and don’t want heated competitions driving people away while only a few machines get all the attention.
So anywho, I’ll just post the pics and let you guys enjoy a brief look into yesteryear. Oh how I miss these places…

 

Confabia! – Should DLC Be Free?

Earlier this week, CD Projekt RED’s Konrad Tomaszkiewicz made some waves in the community by stating his company’s belief that all DLC should be viewed as a “post-sale service” and therefore should be free.  Rather than just having one of our staff members weigh in on this interesting topic, we decided it would be a good time for a Confabia!, so we posed this question to our staffers: “Should DLC Be a Free Service?”

Cheetimus– In a word, yes. Expansion packs in the glory days were about $15 and totally worth the investment for many games. These days, that same amount gets you a couple of maps on Call of Duty or two or three characters in a fighting game that feel like they should’ve been basic unlockables to begin with.

I guess that’s my problem with DLC: most of it feels like stuff I should be able to earn as I play. I miss that kind of replay value in my games. Mortal Kombat recently did a good job of that despite also releasing DLC characters. The costumes, stages, and such were all on the disc and ready for you to earn them through playing the game. When I drop $60, I expect to get the full value, not just some of it with the rest being held back for later.

So yes, when dropping minor updates like freaking maps or a couple of new characters or damn costumes: just give it to us for free. You want us to drop a lot of money for DLC, you had better make it worth my time with a bunch of new quests or game modes; something that feels likes 1/4 of a game since that’s the price I end up paying anyway. Keep up with this practice of offering scraps for too much money, and I’ll keep on passing in favor of buying some other game as I have been for years.

Carrie Wood– Hrm. I think it depends entirely on the DLC. The whole business about on-disc DLC and having to pay for something you basically already paid for (it’s on the disc, and you bought the disc… so didn’t you pay for it already?) needs to stop right now, and I’m glad Capcom is re-evaluating their decisions on the matter thus far. But I think “DLC” is such an over-arching term for so many different things, that paying for DLC – and whether or not it’s worth it to do so – should be on a case-by-case basis.

On one hand, you have legitimate full-blown expansions to existing titles, like the Dawnguard addition to Skyrim. Dawnguard adds a TON of extra gameplay and is totally worth the $20 they’re asking you to shell out for it. This kind of stuff is still technically downloadable content, but I don’t think it should be free. When the developers basically put another game’s worth of material into your game, you should pay for it.

On the other, you have really small additions to existing games, like character skins, map packs and extra characters. When this stuff is already on the disc at release, I don’t see any reason why you should have to pay for it. That being said, I think these smaller DLC releases could be handled better. The developers want to make money by using smaller cash grabs like these, and that’s fine. But I have to wonder if these releases would be received better if you only had to pay for “early access.” Hypothetical situation: If the content releases to the public for free after 30 days or whatever, but if you pay $5 you could get it now. Social gaming has proven that gamers are impatient and are willing to spend some cash to achieve their in-game goals faster, so why not do that in the console world?

Regardless, I don’t think costly DLC is going to go anywhere anytime soon. But if developers are willing to start giving us some smaller things for free, that’d be swell.

Jack Rous– Should DLC be free? No, of course not. SOME of it should be free; I’m no fan of any on-disc unlockable DLC or horse armor, for instance. But in this day and age there aren’t a whole lot of ways for publishers to turn a large profit anymore, and whether the average gamer likes it or not, money needs to be made in order for the games they love to exist.

 Look, here’s my example: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 costs 60 bucks. Every few months, new multiplayer maps are released, at an average of twenty bucks per bundle. People grumble, but they buy them. Here’s what everyone needs to realize:

1.  How many games are you still playing TEN MONTHS after they originally released, besides COD? Very few, is the answer. You spent 60 bucks for ten months of entertainment. That’s cheaper than your monthly Netflix subscription.
2. If the game released with ten MP maps, players would bitch there weren’t enough maps. If the game released with twenty maps, players would bitch there weren’t enough maps. DLC is the only way to deliver what people really want, whether they know it or not; fresh content delivered at reasonable and expected intervals.
3. What’s the other answer? You’ll either get games released as a single experience with none of the additional replayability found in DLC, or you’ll go back and by a GOTY version of your favorite game 6 months later, and spend $60 anyway.

 Look, do you like new IPs? Do you enjoy playing new games at all? Then you have to realize that at the end of the day the video games industry needs to make money to exist, just like every other industry in the world. The advent of the used games industry destroyed much of the profitability of developing new games, and DLC is one of the few ways left to squeeze some extra bucks out of you. Which, believe me, they need.

Brad vanVugt– I got to read my colleague’s responses before writing my own, so I’ll try not to re-iterate a few of the points they made.  I tend to side with Carrie’s view here: some DLC is worth paying for, and some really isn’t.

We’ve talked a bit in the past about Capcom’s practices, which are bullshit.  If you buy a Blu-ray movie, do you have to pay extra to view the special features on the disc?  Of course not, and the same should go for games also.  Also crap is doing what Assassin’s Creed II did: rip 2 whole chapters out of the middle of the game just to go back and hit you up for extra money to play them later.  Or to do what games like Final Fantasy XIII-2 and 2008’s Prince of Persia did by making the “true” ending of the game available after the fact and for an extra $9.99.  These examples (and horse armor.  God don’t forget horse armor) are why DLC is viewed with a certain level of vitriol.

But expansions are a different story altogether.  Dawnguard is worth $20.  Each of the Borderlands packs were worth $10 apiece.  Things that are separate from the game you paid for in the first place should be charged extra for because it is genuinely new, and substantial, content.  New maps for shooters?  More of a gray area.  Jack raises an interesting point that you get a ton of use out of them, but $15 for 4 new maps is a steep price to pay.

So what do we do?  I have a solution.  Game developers often cite DLC as a necessary evil; a way to roll in some extra money they “lose” (different topic for a different day) to the used game industry.  They use DLC as a way to keep that game in the customer’s collection rather than on a retail shelf in a month.  To fix this, how about instead of an online pass system, publishers introduce a “DLC Pass?”  The concept is pretty simple: buy a game new, and you get a pass-key that entitles you to all future DLC content that game gets (excluding genuine expansions; as I said, they still should cost money).  Buy the game used, and you can still get that content; you just have to pay for it.  This way, I wouldn’t have to feel ripped off when spending $17.99 on new costumes for my Street Fighter characters, or for a few cases to solve in a game like LA Noire.  Plus, wouldn’t you be more likely to hang on to an older game if you knew you had some free stuff coming to you to reward your patience?

The reason many people view DLC as a rip-off is because when you evaluate the cost-to-content ratio, it usually looks like the player is getting hosed.  While publishers don’t necessarily need to give the farm away, they certainly could do more to truly evaluate the worth of this extra content they are trying to sell us and price it more appropriately.  Even if that price ends up being free.

What are your thoughts? Should DLC be a free service?  Confab below and let us know what you think!

Impressions: Transformers – Fall of Cybertron Demo

This past Tuesday, the sequel to the surprisingly good Transformers: War for Cybertron had a demo released on Play station 3 and Xbox 360. As the resident TF fan boy, it was up to me to take it for a spin and tell you what’s up.

Without getting too much into the history of the previous game (something I plan to do once I review the full game), I have to reiterate that after years of movie and cartoon licensed games, with one exception on the PS2, Transformers was not a series anyone expected much out of. War for Cybertron proved many people wrong with it’s surprisingly solid gameplay. With this demo, I can easily say they haven’t let us down and in fact improved a bit.

Most demos these days are little more than multiplayer beta tests in disguise. FoC bucks that trend and gives us two single player levels as well. They aren’t full levels as the WfC levels were really quite long. These feel more like three checkpoints of a level each. What we have first is a level where you play as Bumblebee (dear god, I am sick of Bumblebee) and learn the basics of the controls. This being the Unreal engine, you of course feel rather bulky and solid as you plod through the level, and the voice over from Ratchet helps acclimate you to the controls. Nothing much new here for your typical third person shooter: walk, dash, jump, and reload. The camera sits over your left shoulder, but at the push of a button, you can switch it to your right shoulder to make firing from cover much easier. I really dig this a lot. There is no cover mechanic so this little feature can make up for it, especially in the multiplayer. And yes, we get introduced to the transformation gimmick which once again fits seamlessly into your gameplay.

The second level is played as the Decepticon Vortex. As a member of the Combaticons team, you are on a mission to work with them to destroy a bridge. The majority of this level is spent in vehicle mode to counter balance the Bumblebee level’s robot mode fighting. Vortex is a Cybertronian helicopter so his movement involves a lot of precision which all come rather naturally, as the controls are very intuitive. However, if you pull the left trigger your blades fold back, jets fold out, and you are in turbo mode. Less precise movement in exchange for extreme speed. This shows you a bit of how useful the alternate modes in this game can be. Movement is a key factor to overcoming your opponents. Again, Transformers uses the Unreal engine, so expect vehicle modes to have a very floaty feel to them. You will be in complete control, but they won’t feel like the robot modes.

The big thing this time around is the new and improved custom characters in multiplayer. In War for Cybertron, you could choose a class of character and a bit of color. Here in Fall of Cybertron, you can choose from many different body parts. These parts all come from established characters in the game, so now if you really just want to be Jazz or Shockwave or anyone in particular, you can simply select their parts…after you’ve unlocked them. You can also mix and match all these parts.  The colors of your character can vary greatly as well, but don’t expect to be spot on for your favorite guy. All in all, this part is far more satisfying than the previous game.

Multiplayer itself is nothing special really. I mean it’s fun as hell to run around on these maps while transforming between modes to dodge and weave and catch others unaware, but it’s been done before. I will say that it’s very easy to get blown to hell before you even notice you’re being shot. Working well with your team and assigning a few healers is the best way to roll.

Overall it’s a pretty solid demo. We get to see a couple of new mechanics like gun hand switching the camera, and the colors are a bit more lively when it comes to the robots themselves which is good. They all became rather similar in WfC. It’s another solid entry into this solid series, and I’m really looking forward to playing through this sucker when it drops.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron releases August 21 on almost every current-gen platform there is.

Brad and Cheetimus’ Extended Wii U Impressions

Brad– So Cheets, we got to check out the Wii U this past Friday.  Our YouTube video will give our readers a brief overview of what we thought, but I wanted to take some time to dive a little deeper, especially as the games were concerned.

Again, I came into this event really wanting to find something to like and grab a hold on to with the Wii U.  What I left with was the impression this is just another Nintendo gimmick, and any hope I was holding out was kind of dashed.  I know you agree.

Cheets– Indeed. I went in feeling rather neutral on this system and left with an overwhelming feeling of negativity. There were a few positives: the general feel and weight of the controller, the comfortable Pro Pad, and of course Rayman. Unfortunately, most of it felt, well, unnecessary. Nintendo seems to have innovated themselves into a corner.

Brad– Hah!  That’s actually a good way to put it.  They’ve pigeoned-holed themselves into being the system that’s accessible by everyone.  Now they find themselves needing to gain hardcore support back.  What I saw wasn’t gonna cut it though.  I agree the controller actually felt better than anticipated, and Rayman felt very much like…Rayman, which is a good thing.

I was really surprised they didn’t bother showing off the Miiverse features at the event.  Of all the “innovations” they are making with this console, I was most interested to see how that worked, but it was nowhere to be seen.

Cheets– Miiverse and their entire online plan could make or break this system at this point. Without a very solid online presence this system has no chance of catching on with the hardcore crowd as is. Sadly, there are quite a few reasons for this, many of which center on that awkward controller. There was odd lag on some games, most likely caused by the system pushing video to the TV and the controller at the same time, as well as the unconventional methods of working this extra screen into gameplay, like they did with the game many are looking forward to, Zombi U.

Even I was excited about the depth the distracting controller would add to the gameplay but in the end it felt like more of an annoyance. It pulled me out of the experience more than pulling me in. I can’t see hardcore gamers going for it once they get the chance to try it out.

Brad– I couldn’t agree more.  When I was playing Batman, there are times where you have to select one of your bat-gadgets to get you through the world.  I instinctively went to select stuff the way you do when playing the game on PS3 or 360.  To do it in the Wii U version, you have to press up on the D-pad just to access your inventory, and then on the touch screen drag and drop which gadgets you need into your quick select.  It isn’t natural, and it took me out of the game immediately.  It shouldn’t take that much work to execute what is a basic in-game command.

Let’s dive a bit deeper into Zombi U since you brought it up.  You played it way more than I did.  What were your general impressions of the game?  It’s one that was getting a lot of buzz coming out of E3.

Cheets– Honestly I hope it’s far from finished. For one, it looks like a 360 launch title, not some “next-gen” game like Nintendo would want you to believe. For another thing, it feels like VERY common ground. It’s another Zombie shooter and it’s not very exciting. This game plods forward clumsily.

The angle of the sticks was my first obstacle. Unlike a 360 or PS3 controller, the sticks cause your thumbs to rest in a perfectly vertical position which will seem very unnatural for experienced gamers, and especially for shooter fans. Then there was the odd lag. Barely a fraction of a second, but very noticeable as you tried to aim and would miss the mark a tad. Then as you continue on, you have to use the pad to fumble with inventory. This is meant to be used as a distraction, as you can be attacked while doing things with the pad (the game is not on pause while managing your items). This sounds like a challenge, but it’s not very fun. Hell, I wasn’t even attacked and I disliked it, as shifting my eyes from one field of depth to another that quickly is not easy or fun. This is why some 3DS games are horrible; changing the depth of field in your vision like that is not natural. One last issue was the camera placement. But wait, this is a first person shooter, right? Well sure, except your head seems to be about eight inches in front of your body. I had a zombie on my chest and I couldn’t see it. At all. Overall I walked away from that just irritated.

Brad– It didn’t look all that impressive from where I stood either.  I get having limited enemies and vision adds to the tension, but people play zombie games because they want to tear up the undead, not because they want to stumble through a dimly lit world complete with monotonous objectives.  I know it’s an early build of the game, but I don’t get what all the fuss was about when it debuted last month.

We also got to check out New Super Mario Bros U…which felt a hell of a lot like every side-scrolling Mario game that preceded it.  If you really enjoy those, great.  I was blown away when Super Mario Galaxy released and wish Nintendo would continue pushing the envelope further with new ways to present a franchise that, quite frankly, is getting a little tired.  The new feature in this one is you can have someone manning the GamePad to create platforms for the other players to use to reach hard-to-get items and coins.  This is awesome if the person creating the platforms doens’t like to have fun when they’re playing video games.  Seriously, you’re just sitting there staring at a 6-inch version of what’s on the big screen tapping the GamePad to make platforms appear for your clearly much more talented friends.

And herein lies the problem, I believe, for the Wii U.  They need to make this thing accessible to the casual market, because they sure as hell aren’t going to be making a lot of waves with the hardcore crowd if our, and the other attendees at the event, impressions are any indication.  They’ve yet to announce a price, but I have to believe it’s going to cost more than $299 from the tech we saw with it, right?

Cheets– At least. Was this tech worth the trouble? I mean we had fun with Rayman, even with just using the pad but even there I felt there was a small problem that can become quite big. There was this odd sense of detachment while I used the pad to interact with Rayman. I mean I was a part of it but I also felt like I wasn’t at all. It’s really difficult to explain and I didn’t like it in the end.

There’s more! Oh yes, more issues! Some of the games had an odd lag on the controller screen itself. Let me say: the resolution was nice, and again, the weight was negligible so that isn’t a concern. The strange lag we saw concerns me greatly. These pads were all tethered to the system. They were clearly being powered by this tether as a demo unit is prone to do with a wireless controller. However, the systems all had the business end of the system obscured so we couldn’t see the wires attached. I attempted to take a close up picture of one of the systems that wasn’t obscured, but was warned away. Why? Why would they not want us to see what wires were back there? I think the cables running into the system were for more than power. I’m concerned they haven’t gotten the pads to run properly while being fully wireless. This thing is (supposedly) months away from release; there should be no secrets when it comes to the connections.

Brad– I will say the Batman guy mentioned to me the tethers were just there for security reasons; that the pads were actually running on a charge.  I don’t think he was lying, but I will admit the whole event had a very Apple-ish vibe to it.  By that I mean it was a very controlled experience; they very much only wanted you to see what they wanted you to see.  Even the guys managing the interactives were doing their damnedest to get you to play the games they way they wanted.

So we obviously weren’t impressed, and again, talking to many of the other attendees brought the same vibe.  I really am worried this is going to be Nintendo’s version of the Saturn after the mega-hit Genesis.  If Nintendo is honestly expecting this thing to have the success the Wii had, I just can’t see how it’s going to happen.

Cheets– So you’re calling me paranoid? Heh, I don’t trust them at this point. You’re right, that event was very controlled, and maybe that’s part of the problem I’m having with trust right now.

As for this thing taking off… I really don’t see it happening. Sure they can depend on the holiday sales rush to help it get going out the gate since it will be the new thing everyone must have. Between the pricing, which has no chance of being on level with the Wii, and the sure to be lackluster word-of-mouth, I can’t see this system being another Nintendo powerhouse.

Now we may sound overly negative here, but it’s not that we think this is a totally crap system. There’s clearly some power under the hood. It’s just rather superfluous. The third-party games are either already released or easily released on the other two consoles, and the first-party games could easily be made on the Wii. Look at Pikmin 3. It still used the Wii remote and no GamePad. All it has is prettier graphics.

What is the point of this system?

Brad– I haven’t figured that one out yet either.  And if you want to know why I’m so down on it coming out of this event, that’s the reason why: because I still can’t figure out the niche the Wii U will fill.  And to address your point on the horsepower this thing has, I’ll just say what everyone else has said ad nauseam: what’s going to happen when the PS4 and new Xbox hit the market probably next year?  We likely know the answer to that question already.

I’d love for Nintendo to make us all look in the mirror in two years time and say “damn, they got us again.”  Competition is good for the marketplace, and the kid in me never wants to see Nintendo stumble for all the crap I talk about them.  I really do hope the Wii U is the right answer; I just wish I could figure out what the question was.

Cheets– The question Nintendo is asking: “What can we do differently this time?” It’s a dumb question. Stop trying to be different and start trying to be better. Make a truly great system with Wii Remote support and you’ll be in every household pretty damn quickly. Do it cheap and lose money on the consoles for once. Please. I swear, this would put them in the black pretty soon. If they had managed to beat their competitors to market in this current generation with a true “next-gen” system that was affordable, Ninty would be back on top. This won’t cut it though. Not by a long shot.

Sorry, Brad, but our inner children might be crying this time next year when we see how the sales are going and how much true support this thing has among third parties.

Brad– Well, the good news is while my inner-child will be crying, my outer-man will be enjoying his PS4!

Cheets– And I’ll be enjoying my Smart Glass features on whatever Xbox is out (and not during my damned gameplay). That’s about as close as I may come to a Wii U in my home. Why buy a new system when my current one can do the same but better?

Initial Thoughts from the Wii U Experience Event

Cheetimus and I took ourselves a little field trip down to the nation’s capital tonight and spent some time hands on with Nintendo’s upcoming console, the Wii U.  So far, we here at VG Confab have been a little critical of Nintendo’s upcoming offering, but this is also the first chance any of us have spent hands-on time with the console.  Did tonight change our minds?  Check out my and Cheets’ initial thoughts below:

This is just an appetizer for you all, as Cheetimus and I will put our heads together and give you a proper reflection on the event this coming Sunday, including diving deeper into out thoughts about individual games.

Oh, and in case you didn’t notice, tonight marks the debut of the VG Confab YouTube channel!  Make sure you check it out, as we hope to fill it up with just as many fun video features we can muster.  If you go there now, you’ll also be able to check out some hands-on videos from a few games we played at the Wii U event.  Click that subscribe button while you’re there, and get all the latest updates when we post new videos! (see how easy that is?)

Impressions: DYAD Hurts My Eyes

What do you get when you mix Child of Eden, Wipeout and Amplitude? Not this game, yet you will see many people make those kind of comparisons. I’m a lover of puzzle games, rhythm games and racing games, and this thing is none of those yet almost is at the same time. Well, it’s not a rhythm game at all really.

I just played through five levels of the demo, and between this paragraph and the previous, I had to stop and rub my eyes a bit. The light show in this game gently puts Child of Eden to shame. The best way I can describe it is to compare it to Flower. Now imagine Flower was on a track and for some reason you really had to get to the end of it. OH! And the entire time you are fighting the Pokemon Seizures.

When you first boot this game up you have to adjust the screen size and then you have to adjust the red, green, and blue color balance with these weird scales. That really should have been my first clue that this might be rough. So as I play, I quickly get lulled into a sense of relaxation. You travel along a track and gain speed by “hooking” glowing objects. You want to hook as many as possible, as that is how the game scores you. Hooking two of the same color in a row gives you a burst of speed. Sometimes there are “enemies” in the form of shapes you don’t want to hook or run into lest you get pushed backward on the track. It’s really incredibly simple and reminded me of Flower in the sense you really are letting your subconscious take control. That would be great and fun if not for the intense light show burning my retinas as time goes by.

This severely uncomfortable light show is subtle. It didn’t really bother me until stage five where I just felt the need to turn it off. Then I turned around to write this up and had to take a break first. I’m not prone to seizures nor do I ever really have issues with nutty light shows, but this damn game has put me off from playing ever again and that was just the demo.

So if you like games that let you turn your brain off for a while you might like this. Just don’t sit too close to the screen…