THIS is why I have such high hopes for the Wii controls

[MJ4H]

...in sports games.



When I first played the Wii, I very quickly started thinking of how it could enhance play in sports games. This is very similar to what I was envisioning. I pictured moving the player with the left thumb, and using the remote to aim your passes (via a pass aiming reticle and the pointer functionality). PES 2008 Wii seems to have taken this concept and added a whole bunch of stuff that is even cooler to it. This is basically what I have been dreaming about for this console. I can't wait.

[DeToxRox]

My only problem with wii is it seems like everyone is just waiting for games. Their hit to miss ratio seems astronomically high

[Big Fo]

It looks pretty cool but I'm worried that the shooting looks too simple. The passing, off the ball movement, and even calling for the offside trap look good though.

When thinking of sports that would be improved with the Wii's controller baseball, tennis, and golf immediately came to mind with basketball, football, and soccer not seeming ideal IMO, but I'll give this a shot when it comes out.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

My only problem with wii is it seems like everyone is just waiting for games. Their hit to miss ratio seems astronomically high

QFT. I have a Wii, but there is no "must-have" game unless you count Wii Sports which comes with it.

[MJ4H]

OK, but does anyone (besides, Big Fo, thank you) have any comments on the game or the controls in it? I think this will be a major step forward in sports gaming, personally.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

OK, but does anyone (besides, Big Fo, thank you) have any comments on the game or the controls in it? I think this will be a major step forward in sports gaming, personally.

my first thought was "this is either a preprogrammed demo or this guy practiced for days to be able to pull off all those perfect passing moves"


so basically, my thougts were that it looked awesome, but i would be skeptical about my ability to be able to do all the things they were doing in the video without months of gameplay (which i never have)

[oliegirl]

That is cool, but I'm hoping for something even more advanced...ankle controls. I'm picturing something that straps on like an ankle weight, and has the sensor in it so that in the baseball game (for example), you hit the ball and then have to "run" the bases. Soccer is where I think this would be awesome, but I have NO idea if it's something that's even possible.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

QFT. I have a Wii, but there is no "must-have" game unless you count Wii Sports which comes with it.

I'd recommend:

Super Paper Mario
Loads of old SNES games (bomberman is a must imho)
Wii Play
Wario Ware : Smooth Moves

My kids would recommend:

Cooking Mama
Trauma Center
Mario Party
Mario Strikers
Sonic and the Secret Rings
My Sims

[MJ4H]

No recommendation for Metroid Prime 3 huh

[oliegirl]

I rented Super Paper Mario for my son, and he hated it...first of all there is WAY too much stuff at the beginning to read and get through...and then he just didn't get into the game at all, and the graphics (or lack thereof) drove him crazy.

[MJ4H]

I found SPM to be graphically beautiful.

[Passacaglia]

That's the weirdest looking game of football I've ever seen.

[nilodor]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

QFT. I have a Wii, but there is no "must-have" game unless you count Wii Sports which comes with it.

I think MLB Power Pros is great, if you can get past the mii like characters. However it doesn't really use many of the motion features, but I like the controls in the wii version more than in the PS2 version.

It seems like developers got caught with their pants down, they thought it'd be the third system so they didn't really think that they'd support it, now it's the number 1 system and still a really hot item and they are scrambling to bring games out for it. Unfortunately that means many owners are going to become bored with the system and by the time good games come out, they may not be as interested as they were before.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

No recommendation for Metroid Prime 3 huh

Not my style of game I'm afraid ..

[Fidatelo]

I'll second the vote for MLB Power Pros, really fun game.

Super Paper Mario was a disappointment for me. I had fun at first, but I quickly got tired of flipping into 3D all the time. It seemed to really bog the game down. But I did enjoy the graphics and storyline.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by nilodor

It seems like developers got caught with their pants down, they thought it'd be the third system so they didn't really think that they'd support it, now it's the number 1 system and still a really hot item and they are scrambling to bring games out for it. Unfortunately that means many owners are going to become bored with the system and by the time good games come out, they may not be as interested as they were before.

It's an interesting situation in the long term for Nintendo. Is the Wii a one time thing or is there something they can build off of for next generation? Developers, like everyone, are slow to embrace change. The only difference is that this generation, consumers were actually ok with changing. However, are studios going to start dedicating large teams to developing just for the Wii and capitalize on this market or just sit back and wait until the next generation, putting out some token games but with no real commitment?

SI

[sachmo71]

I have not bought any extra games for WII yet, mostly because they are so expensive that I have to be sure it's worth it.

[Huckleberry]

MJ4H -

Those controls are exactly what I've been looking for as well. With the remote you are not constrained to looking directly at teammates or the goal. You can aim at open space. This is a great step forward.

And unlike what was stated before, I think this can be applied to football and basketball, as well. Just watch any game and look how important leading your teammate with a pass is in either sport. I have NBA Live '08 for the Wii (got it for free, thank you) and it is simply a terrible game. You simply can't throw an outlet pass or lead a cutting teammate toward the hoop. Station-to-station may work with the right players as a baseball strategy, but it's not basketball.

Think about being able to control how well your QB leads his receivers in football. Sure in real life you look at the receiver and make a mental adjustment, but that can't be done in games. The game has to decide how well the QB leads. Now his accuracy rating can determine how close he comes to hitting the spot you select but at least you are responsible for that selection. Is the MLB breaking on your TE's button hook from the inside? Throw the ball a hair over his outside shoulder and set him up to break the tackle.

I agree with you 100%. This control scheme is the best thing to happen to sports games in a long, long time. Now it's up to developers to run with it.

[MJ4H]

Finally, someone gets it!

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

I have not bought any extra games for WII yet, mostly because they are so expensive that I have to be sure it's worth it.

Off-topic but...

You should try renting which of the following games looks most interesting to you:

Super Paper Mario
Zelda: Twilight Princess
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
Metroid Prime 3
Excite Truck
Trauma Center
Mario Strikers Charged
MLB Power Pros

People who say the Wii doesn't have a good library of games for it's first year either aren't paying attention or have very specific tastes.

[IMetTrentGreen]

Power Pros is freaking awesome. I just got it.

Smash Bros and Mario Galaxy are out soon, too.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by IMetTrentGreen

Power Pros is freaking awesome. I just got it.

Smash Bros and Mario Galaxy are out soon, too.

Smash delayed until next year.

[Fidatelo]

I'm still playing the poop out of Power Pros. I've played through Success mode 6 times and only twice gotten a guy to the minors, and one of those guys had absolutely atrocious stats so I deleted him. Definitely a challenge.

I'm about a dozen games into a season as well, lots of fun although I'm not really paying attention to most of the stuff, just trying to get a handle for what difficulty settings I want when I re-start and make a 'for real' one.

[Big Fo]

Yeah I recommend getting comfortable with a set of difficulty settings. Once in season mode, you can only change the difficulty in the offseason, although things like batter lock-on can be switched. But yes, the game rocks. Sim stats and not quite enough walks are my only issues, but I love the hit physics and how the games only take 25 minutes to play.

I know the game doesn't use motion controls, but I even like games with traditional controls on the Wii, I don't have to keep both of my hands together in a fixed position. I tried using my Wavebird for a few games then switched back.

[Fidatelo]

I just bought a Classic Controller last night to use with Power Pros. There are some things I like better (base running and throwing is far far easier), but having my hands cramped on that little controller is a definite downside. What you mention is probably an under-rated side-effect of the Remote/Nunchuk combo, it does make a difference.

[Big Fo]

Yeah, I'm still not good at running the bases. I wound up putting it on semi-auto where I only control the lead runner.

[MrDNA]

Disappointed to hear Power Pros underutilizes the motion controls; this seems to be the story of almost every game after Wii Sports!