eGames Expo Wii Impressions and Recap

Another Vooks staff attends the eGames Expo and shares his thoughts on the eagerly anticipated Wii console. Continue reading to see what Toby thought about his time with the Wii.

Like Sean before me, I attended the eGames Expo on Friday too, traveling some 2 hours into the city to finally get my hands on the incredibly anticipated Wii console. I went along with a few mates who were also interested in what the Wii could offer. After arriving at about 2pm and getting my media pass, I entered the exhibition and straight away proceeded to the Wii stands which were conveniently right near the entrance. There was already a strong crowd gathering around the Wii, watching strangers have their first, or perhaps second, experience with the Wii. As Sean pointed out, there were 8 playable Wiis with several games to play. I only played Wii Tennis, Zelda, and Tony Hawk, and each of those for only a brief time. However, it was enough time to convince me that the Wii is indeed the revolution Nintendo had promised for so long.

First up was Tony Hawk, which had a relatively short wait before I could play. I was able to play one course, and after having the controls explained to me by a helpful assistant, I felt confident I would perform well. Tony Hawks works by tilting the Wii-mote left and right to steer your skater. Initially, I titled the control too strongly, causing my character to career into a wall. I adjusted how much I titled the controller and soon found myself cruising down the hill only occasionally hitting a wall. Performing tricks was quite easy too, and I had no difficulty pulling of several tricks even whilst concentrating on tilting the control.

Tony Hawks Downhill Jam is in interesting game; it certainly could be argued that conventional controls work fine, and the Wii-mote is just unnecessary. However, a Tony Hawks game with conventional controls wouldnt appeal to me, and it is this reason why I have so much faith in the Wii. It offers the ability to rejuvenate interest in genres or games that are becoming outdated and dull. Though more time is needed with Tony Hawk before I could come to any clear conclusion, my short playtest was certainly a good start to my Wii experience.

The main reason for choosing Tony Hawk as my first Wii experience was merely related to convenience. There was only one person in line and I was so eager to play the Wii that I did not care which game I played. After playing Tony Hawk, I couldnt help but drag my arse to the Zelda line. Zelda was playable on two consoles, so the wait to play was not arduous. After about 10 or 15 minutes, it was my turn with Zelda. When I got up to the console, I wasnt as overwhelmed as I initially though; perhaps I realised that it was, after all, just a game. I got to play Zelda for about five or so minutes, and it was within the Dungeon demo that I got to play. I found the controls were very sensitive and quite hard to get used to. It took me some time to get my hookshot to hit the right area, as well hit my foe with an arrow. This was due to the incredibly sensitive movement detection of the Wii-mote by the sensor bar. A slight movement up caused my cross-hair to move dramatically, and I found myself unable to aim properly for the first minute or so. I did eventually hookshot myself up a ledge, and I also successfully shot the enemy, thought it wasnt as easy as I thought. The Nintendo employee reassured me that it gets easier with practice, and I felt that this was true. I have no doubts that I will have the controls figured out to perfection within an hour or so of playing the game. You cannot really appreciate the Zelda experience on the Wii in a few short minutes. I must add that using the nunchuk to move was easier, and using the two controls to attack is a cool idea, though again, I need much more time with the game to come to any conclusions. Zelda looks incredibly fun and I really cant wait to own this one. I could have played it more but I choose not to; I felt Id rather wait until it is released to truly appreciate everything it has to offer; including the adjustment needed to get used of the Wii set up. This is, after all, part of the experience, even if it may be frustrating at times.

After Zelda, I roamed the event a bit and had a look to see what else was on offer. My company and I were beginning to want to leave already, but not without a go at Wii Tennis. Wii Tennis was so easy to pick up and play, which is exacelty what Nintendo want with the Wii. I felt like a pro within seconds, and I had a lot of fun simulating the actions of a tennis game with the Wii-mote. I still believe this game would have a lot more depth if you could move your characters, but I am still happy with the final product. The controls are spot on, and all of my actions were faithfully recreated on screen. The delay between your swing and your characters if very minimal, making the game that much better. The whole Wii Sports package looks like a simple, yet very entertaining experience. It will be a highlight when you have some friends or family to play with, and it certainly will work a treat with some drinks! Wii Sports was the most enjoyable experience for me at the expo, and after multiple games I certainly only felt the days until the Wii launch would become even slower.

The Wii is shaping up to be an amazing console, and I intensely look forward to owning my own console and really experience what it has to offer. My time at the expo was minimal; it was like getting into a 307kW HSV E series GTS and only turning the ignition, but not being able to drive. I still have some qualms about the Wii, namely the price. Though $399 is good, I feel a lower price would be better for overall sales and profits. I am not convinced this price tag is mainstream or non-gamer friendly. I think a price closer to $300 would sell the console itself, regardless of what it offers. $400 is still a lot of money and I believe many people, especially those who dont play games much, will be reluctant to fork out such an amount. $300, or even $350, would be a better range.

The launch titles are pretty good, though I felt it is not as good as it was cracked up to be. However, this feeling is namely due to average reviews for Red Steel so far, which makes such a comment slightly biased to hindsight. Furthermore, the Wii should have been 100% online compatible out of the box. This means all the Wii channels plus the ability to play friends/gamers online should be ready to go. However, we know that some Wii channels are still some time of, and the online gaming aspect is still to be initialized However, despite this, I am in great anticipation of the Wii, and I think Nintendo have got a winner with this console. I have little doubt it will easily succeed the Gamecube in terms of success, and I am confident that it will compete very closely with the Xbox360 and the PS3.

Bring on December 7th