There's Something About Motion Controls: Part 2 -- The Wii

The Wii was my first console of the current generation. I first got my hands on it when my college's library got one and let the students play around with it. My girlfriend (now my wife) and I actually rented MarioParty 8 and smuggled it into the library just to try something other than Wii Sports. I, as a gamer, was VERY intrigued by the motion controls. I could tell they weren't perfect, yet I thought they were close enough for typical gaming. My imagination went wild with the possibilities.

Then we got one. We were pretty hard pressed to find great games to play on it that weren't just a collection of minigames. Mario Party is fun and all, but I don't want a console for just that. Besides, aside from pointing at the screen for aiming or tilting the Wiimote for steering, there wasn't much motion control to that game. We did, however, find a few gems. We found out that we liked Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn so much we even played it's prequel on the GameCube. We also played and beat Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy, and Twilight Princess. Super Smash Bros. Brawl was also excellent. Beyond that, however, was a mire of minigame collection discs that utterly pointless and annoying.

To this day, few games have been added to the Wii that really stand out. Now we have New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Galaxy 2. There was The Conduit, but I doubt many people really played that. (In my opinion, the people who wanted to play hardcore FPS titles already had PS3 or 360 and didn't want to lose the visual quality just to play with motion controls.) Then there is Wii Sports Resort and Wii Motion Plus.

I have a big problem with Wii Motion Plus. It's great. It's great, but this level of motion control accuracy should have been integral with the system from the start. This should not have been added years after launch. However, I'm glad its here, relatively cheap to upgrade, and it seems that it is adding a new depth to what the console can do. Red Steel 2 got some good praise for its use of the new motion contols, and Skyward Sword shows some great potential.

While the Wii may not the prettiest girl at the ball, it certainly was the first to break ground on motion controls. It may not lead this field for much longer, but it just goes to show one thing: Nintendo, to this day, is always finding a way to change gaming. They may not always get it right the first time, but they always have new ideas. For that, I say kudos.

Gnome, out.