The Plaza in NintendoLand... ummm... WTF? Mess of low-res colors. Seriously?! This is your pack-in example of what the system can do? Looks better on the Pad than on the TV.
First thing the game does is makes you use motion controls to look around and jump. Um. I miss the Wii mote already...
Tried Metroid Blast.
Save me, Super Mario. You're my only hope!
It's not really a mess at all. I am being overly picky. It's interesting technology to say the least --BUT-- when the most exciting things about the system --SO FAR-- are how it can be used as a TV Remote and the availability of the next game from the World of Goo creators (a downloadable)... that's a tiny bit of a let down.
Downloaded Little Inferno. How could I not? If the YouTube videos make it seem like all you do is burn crap... well, the videos are accurate.
That's not to say it's BAD. It's NOT. I find it VERY satisfying burning stuff to ash and cinders. Does that make me a bad person? The "point" of the game, if you can call it that, is to have fun, explore the "story" and discover what's behind the Tomorrow Corporation, I think.
You are sent a Little Inferno fireplace. You are sent a catalog by the Tomorrow Corporation. You can mail order stuff from the Catalog and burn it. Burning two things together can result in a Combo. Like an Alarm Clock and some Flower Seeds, for example. You get 'Stamps' for doing this and Coins for burning regular items. You use the coins to buy even more stuff. The Stamps can be used to expedite your Orders (maybe more, I don't know).
You get letters from other people in the World. Product and Catalog announcements from the Corporation. So far, that's it. Apparently there's a lot to discover and plot twists to experience... All this from burning crap in a fireplace.
It's unlike anything else, if you haven't gotten that impression already, but it has that "World of Goo" sarcasm and style to it too... Lot of Social Commentary going on in the background, of course. More later!
You can link your Wii U to the e-shop as normal. You can link your Shop Account to your Nintendo Network ID, as expected. Shop has a nice, vertically oriented menu. Lots of windows showing games both downloadable and full. Asks you to confirm your Zip Code. Credit Card info can be stored and accessed by a Pin. Download was relatively quick. Inferno was only a few megs though. In case no one has noticed there's now an option (universally) on the e-shop where you can pay ---JUST--- the price of what you are buying and ---NOT--- have to buy excess points. This started with the 3DS and it's nice to see it here too!
Tried Pikmin in NintendoLand. It's, well... a very simplified Pikmin. I am seeing a trend here and I don't know how I feel about it. The games that are single player in NintendoLand either give you the option of the GamePad or the original Wii Mote. If you choose the GamePad, it seems like you don't need your TV... AT ALL. Maybe this will be good news for some... I just don't get "the point" yet.
You earn coins in each NintendoLand attraction. Those coins are used to play a Pachinko / Reverse Peggle mini-game to earn prizes to display in your Plaza. Of course, you earn Stamps (achievements) for doing various actions as well.
So far, after playing two attractions, I must say Wii Sports was much more radical and accessible than NintendoLand. My GRANDMA (rest her soul) was able to Bowl in Wii Sports. This... this is... decidedly something "different." Not damning or praising yet, but it's gonna take a whole other level of getting used to!
Prolly goes without saying, but turn the GamePad on, the system turns on. Turn the System on, the GamePad turns on too. There is no one without the other!
System runs very quietly. Has a strong fan though. Drive is quick and quiet too!
Going to play Mario now.
Wish me luck!
BAH! FRIGGIN' UPDATE! AGAIN! W T F ? ! ?
ALL games need to be downloaded, then installed... that you buy from the shop, either downloadables or full. Finding the Download manager was a tiny bit harder than it should have been.
Install? That's the worst thing about the PS3, and sometimes it takes longer to install software than it took to download it! Sucks to hear Nintendo chose that crappy method.
OK. I must admit, my heart did melt ENTIRELY when experiencing New Super Mario ----FINALLY---- in HD! Putting aside the "done 3000 times over" Bowser has Kidnapped the Princess plot. Seeing the Koopa Kids, seeing the gang and the Mushroom Kingdom in HD was very, very SWEET! The colors POP. Everything is smooth and solid. Even the audio has benefitted by there being more powerful hardware! Hearing every pitter-patter of Mario's footsteps, both on the TV and on the Pad... AWESOME!!
Seeing the World scroll by gave me chills, reminding me instantly of Mario World and my first day with the SNES.
**LOVE the squirrels and the Squirrel Suit!**
Yes, I am being hard on this system, but it's only because I hold Nintendo in such high regard. Feeling the kid in me scream with glee, in spite of myself, yeah, that was the kick in the pants reminder of that! FORGET your Zombies and Assassins! Mario rules the launch day in my book!
Does everyone know that you --CAN'T-- play Mario with the Controller? Or am I the only one? ONLY choices are Wii Mote or GamePad. Not a deal breaker by any means, just seems really, really strange to me.
My only "problem" that I have with the Wii U is this: The Wii's purpose was to introduce Pointing and Basic Motion controls to gaming and beginning gamers to inspire more people to play than before. The Wii U's --THING-- is the GamePad. It takes all the simplicity and elegance and throws it out the window. Adding a second screen to watch confuses the flow of games; it doesn't make it more simple or accessible. Maybe it's just the games I am playing, but right now, I don't see the "point" to the pad at all. Either you are playing entirely on the TV or entirely on the pad, but the action is the same either way. Imagine if the DS screens were held in separate hands and you had to use the stylus to boot. Which screen do you look at? I guess the play while others are watching TV feature is nice. I can play Little Inferno on the pad with my TV turned entirely off...but I already have a 3DS for this.
Mario doesn't need the pad at all EXCEPT if I want to play without the TV. Darksiders, I haven't tried yet with the Pad. NintendoLand...? Not so motivated to play it, despite the fact that ALL of my answers to all of my questions are right there. It's just not as inviting as Sports was. I'm really hoping the Wii U pad catches on with developers, rather than discourages them due to redundancy with the TV screen or complexity in application. Right now, I don't know if it will.
More as I play more!
phantom_leo said:Does everyone know that you --CAN'T-- play Mario with the Controller? Or am I the only one? ONLY choices are Wii Mote or GamePad. Not a deal breaker by any means, just seems really, really strange to me.
That doesn't surprise me at all. I really don't see Nintendo supporting the pro controller much. I hope I'm wrong, though.
What the hell is the stupid pro for if you can't use it on anything? I'm starting to hate Nintendo in new ways. Zombie U gets a 9 at Eurogamer thats not easy to do.
So. After a days worth of tinkering, I have come to this conclusion: The Wii U is an impressive piece of technology, but I feel the same way towards it as I felt when the 3DS came out. There are a lot of intriguing bells and whistles and the main gimmick has got me --BUT-- what do I DO with all of this?
The Pad is impressive, bright, makes an awesome TV remote. It intrigues me that you can play games exclusively on it, though I don't see the practical applications for it yet. I think I am done with motion control. A DS system using my TV and the Wii U Pad is what this system really boils down to, but the motion control just feels out of place with it all now.
The Mii Verse seems like a good idea, but I haven't felt all that compelled to dive into it yet. Maybe when more of you and people I know actually have systems it will come together and click.
I am as worried about games for this system as I am the 3DS. I DON'T see any dramatic difference (yet?) in the graphical power between this and the 7 year old 360. I forsee a future of 360 ports for as long as IT'S around, but what happens after?
Downloadables and First Party Nintendo games are obviously going to be great on this system. Historically that has NOT been enough. If the system sells like mad, maybe there'll be a shift in the developers and the market, but the line for the Wii U this morning was about 148 people less than the Wii 6 years ago. Frightening!
I love the way the Pro Controller feels. I just don't like to PLAY anything with it. I should've stuck with Darksiders on the PS3.
Like I said at the start. Mixed emotions right now, but the feeling of potential is definitely there. As I explore it more, I hope it grows on me like the 3DS did... I guess there's always tomorrow!
Vader, Robio and Edge: How about some impressions from all of you? I don't want to sound all negative and just read my own words! Please comment on ANYTHING that comes to mind! I want to compare and contrast our experiences to see if what I am feeling is just me or not! Edge, I am especially interested in your ZombiU impressions! PLEASE post something here once you've played a bit. I've been searching all day and have read next to NO gamer's hands-on impressions!
G'night for now! Enjoy your evening with your new Nintendo system, All!
Honestly there's just so much going on with this thing I don't know what to think just yet. It's really overwhelming. I think I like it, but I still need to spend more time and figure it all out. It's pretty much like the first day in a really good strip club. Sensory overload.
Exploding gamepads confirmed.