Kayden said:
This is why I have gone back to the PC and become very cross when games like C2 come out and insult the platform that made them great in the first place.
I have to agree with this. The first night I loaded up Crysis 2, I played for about 15 minutes and was
really impressed. But it seems those first 15 minutes are when you see the best of what the game has to offer, because as I played through the game for a couple of more hours, the consolitis became super-apparent. The graphics are still
good, but ot at all great.
The most console-like problem in Crysis 2 is the reflections on the buildings... what's being reflected never matches up with what's actually behind you. This was noticeable to me because buildings like these are all over the place, so they're impossible to ignore. Small problem, yes, but after seeing how Crysis pushed the boundaries of graphics on the PC, Crysis 2 being little more than a console port was as Jamie worded, disheartening.
Kayden said:
Also games like FONV have so much more content because of the MODS that allow it to live well past the $50 value. This is another point that makes it so hard for me to jump on the console bandwagon because they don't allow such content.
I admit I don't recall the last time I played through a mod (I tend to jump from game to game rather frequently), but they are one of those things that make PC gaming so damn great. I couldn't even count the number of mods I dealt with for Duke Nukem 3D, for example, and it resulted in hundreds of hours of gameplay.
Past mods, take Borderlands for example... an epic game if there ever was one. I am not sure if it was built for the consoles first and then the PC or not, but it sure doesn't feel like it. It -feels- like a PC game, and I couldn't imagine playing it on a console. Plus, there has been so much content released for it that even if you ended up paying full-price ($90), you still likely found it worth your money. After all, a game like Mafia II is 10 hours... Borderlands? I am nearly at 130 and I know others who have played it for double that and more.
The Wii needs games like THAT, that play to its strengths and make people want to play over and over. I agree with Brett wholeheartedly in the article, though I admit I have never been much of a Wii fan. I purchased the console within a week of its release, gamed it up with Zelda and Mario, and after that I didn't touch it again. I quite literally haven't touched it in about three years.
I ended up going so long without playing it that I lent the console to a family member. What game? Wii Fit ;-) Hey, at least it's a "game" that's designed FOR the Wii, not ported over to it!
The problem with me and the Wii was threefold though. First, few games interested me. Two, the focus on motion got to me... I didn't -want- it, and in most games there was no option to -not- use it, even in parts where you know that it isn't needed. Three, the resolution. I am 100% fine with the graphics, because I am a true believer that graphics don't make a game, but being forced to use 480p on a 1080p-capable display is a little ridiculous. I seem to be one of the few whiners there, though.
Like Brett and others have said, the Wii / Wii U -needs- better games. What should they be? I don't know... it's not my job to figure that out. Just please stop shipping games better-suited for -other- consoles and put them on the Wii. It kind of reminds me of back when we transitioned from the PSone to PS2. There were -some- games that were available on both, and on the original, it really felt like it shouldn't have been tried, because the overall effect is muchless (Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3, as one example).
Meh. I'm not excited. I saw the "amazing graphics revamp" for it and it's STILL sub-par to the PS3 and 360's mid-range graphics capabilities.
I don't think many people expected more to be honest. The Wii just isn't a typical game console. Back in the day, the goal WAS to outshine the other console in the technical capabilities department, but for the Wii, the focus is on games (ironically given this subject) and the social aspect. -Most- people do not care about having the best graphics possible. We just happen to because we're PC enthusiasts.
As a side note, I downloaded inFAMOUS the other night on the PS3, which was released in 2009. The graphics limitations really began to show from the very first level... and here we are getting a Wii U in 2012 with graphics less than -that-. Also, it's a little interesting to note that Microsoft announced Halo 4 to be released late next year. At that point, the Xbox 360 will have been seven-years-old. I think the last time we saw a console endure so long was with the SNES!
Well things are getting worse on the Nintendo front. I just found out that the Wii U is only going to support 1 tablet controller. This is going to limit the options for making games like clue, strategy or etc where a player could hide specific information or pieces. This to me just made this console fail.
That's again of little surprise given the technical capabilities of the GPU being used, and perhaps also the wireless performance. It's unfortunate though... I could see it being a ton of fun for two of those controllers to be used outside of the console for some 2P action.
