The release of the Famicom is often regarded as one of the biggest moments in gaming history, as it not only brought Nintendo into the home console arena, but it also introduced the world to a plumber named Mario. The console, as we know, proved to be an incredible success and has helped create the industry we have today, but there was a more important factor in its success that is often overlooked – the Famicom gamepad. The simplistic design of a D-Pad and two face buttons may seem archaic today, but when the Famicom launched it was a revolutionary idea, especially given the dominance of joysticks in arcades. The success of the original design is evident in the fact that we still think of gamepads as the main gaming controller today, and despite cosmetic changes the heart of the Famicom original lives within every single controller.
Over the years the faces and buttons have changed, and in 2001 Nintendo released the GameCube, along with one of the most comfortable and user-friendly controllers it's ever made. With gamers almost taking the gamepad for granted, Nintendo decided to move away from tradition and focus on a new control medium – motion control. The dawn of the Wii and the Wii Remote heralded in a new age for gaming; an age where the boundaries had changed and the method of control was completely new and unique. But looking back, it hasn’t been entirely a comfortable ride, and the vision of Nintendo’s motion revolution is only now becoming a reality.
The development of the Wii Remote itself was rumoured to have begun shortly after GameCube launched, with the original vision of motion control being a peripheral add-on for that console. But with the purple box failing to prove as big a commercial success as Nintendo hoped, the idea became the figurehead of Nintendo’s next big home console, and at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show we were introduced to the Wii Remote for the first time. And then the speculation began.
Fan mock-ups showed the Remote acting as an extension of your limb, making you a part of the game, with the most famous being the Star Wars lightsaber trailer showing the potential to make you truly feel like a Jedi. At E3 2006 Nintendo bought into this hype, showcasing games being controlled by physical movements around the room. The trailer for Red Steel showed off gamers really getting into the whole movement idea, and who can forget the over-eager demonstrator that played Metroid Prime 3: Corruption by leaping across his room, emulating Samus’ on-screen actions? Along with glowing reports of motion control really working from the show floor, this led to a situation where it was expected to be absolutely perfect at launch.
Only it wasn’t. No-one will ever forget the first time they played Wii Sports and that adrenaline rush that accompanied actually hitting the ball back in tennis by swinging your arm, and for many of you, actually returning it in court for the first time. But no Wii owner will also ever forget the time when they realised that they actually didn’t have to swing for the ball like a maniac to replicate the same effect: waggle was born.
It’s clear now that the fundamental problem the Wii Remote had at launch was that the axis by which it obtained information only told it which way you were swinging rather than strength, position, or any of the other factors that you need to create 1:1 control. Simply put, the Wii Remote replaced traditional button presses with a wave in a given direction, something which is proven by the existence of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, a game that was ported late in development to Wii. The swordplay was stripped away from buttons and placed onto the motion axis of the Remote, attempting to replicate swordplay but ultimately creating a waggle-heavy game.
But that’s not to say that the Wii Remote at launch was a complete disaster, and it was Twilight Princess itself that actually showcased perhaps Nintendo’s most successful creation in the motion control field – the pointer. It’s hard to believe now that the pointer had never been used in this way before in mainstream gaming, but back in 2006 allowing you to select items just by pointing was completely revolutionary. Twilight Princess showcased exactly how powerful it was through the bow and arrow, and later Metroid Prime 3 showed how the Wii Remote could revolutionise shooters. It’s little wonder then that throughout the Wii’s lifespan the most successful implementation of motion control has typically been through the use of the pointer, with even Super Mario Galaxy using it to great effect.
The big problem motion control had was that the relative inaccuracy for anything other than large motions meant that it developed a waggle-heavy aura.
The big problem motion control had was that the relative inaccuracy for anything other than large motions meant that it developed a waggle-heavy aura around it, and coupled with the sudden influx of the more casual gaming market thanks to Wii Sports, led to a decline in its popularity. Games such as Carnival Games and the Mario & Sonic entries dominated the charts thanks to their simple, yet completely inaccurate, use of motions, arguably leading to many developers simply ceasing production on the Wii.
By 2008 many were beginning to question Nintendo’s logic behind the push to motion control, as the ambitious visions of 2006 faded and waggle became the standard. Despite claims to the contrary, Nintendo was clearly listening and aware of the situation, which led to the reveal of MotionPlus at E3 2008, releasing a year later. MotionPlus was the first step to achieving the true vision Nintendo had at the beginning.
It was clear right from the start that MotionPlus was the realisation of Nintendo’s vision, with Wii Sports Resort, essentially Wii Sports+, showing exactly how the Wii was always meant to control. This was followed up by Red Steel 2 adding a layer of finesse that was simply missing in the original, and sports titles such as Grand Slam Tennis and Tiger Woods PGA Your 10 proved just how much more accurate motion control was with MotionPlus. It was finally back on the path that Nintendo had envisioned for it, but it wasn’t until 2011, arguably, that the full scale of this vision became a reality.
The release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will most likely be remembered as Wii MotionPlus’ finest hour, as instead of being a game that had motions bolted on, it had these controls at its heart and was built around it: the result was one of the most engrossing and critically acclaimed games ever created. Swordplay was naturally the big feature here, with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck nicely filling in the roles of sword and shield respectively. The level of control and precision afforded to gamers by MotionPlus was unlike anything anyone had seen before, and beyond the combat aspect, it allowed the developer's minds to explore puzzles in new and never before seen directions. The beetle, the whip and even flying your Loftwing are all things that have come from the new avenues opened up by motion control, and as a mark of its ability to be a real game changer, Nintendo even added it in for mundane tasks such as menu navigation. The fact that the pointer also got an upgrade allowing you to aim anywhere in the room and be centred on screen was the perfect finishing touch to the motion controlled masterpiece.
Five years after its inception, Skyward Sword is arguably the prime example of how motion control can change gaming for the better. But does Skyward Sword’s success prove that it's the future? Perhaps, but when looked at alongside the other MotionPlus titles, it's clear that motion control occupies a particular place in the gaming world. The common factor between many of the MotionPlus titles is that they are replicating a real-world motion, be it swordplay in Red Steel 2 and Skyward Sword, or racquet sports in the form of Grand Slam Tennis. The success of motion control through MotionPlus with these titles and the comparative failure of it in titles such as FlingSmash give a clear indication that while the technology is now at the level it needs to be, the ideas have to fit the controls, and not the other way around.
It would be easy to say now that Nintendo should never have released the Wii Remote in such a limited form back in 2006, but that’s not how evolution of design works. The perfection and crafting of the gamepad arguably took the best part of 20 years to get absolutely right, and even now work goes on to make them as comfortable and as user-friendly as possible. The Wii Remote and motion control in general have only been under public testing for five years, a mere quarter of what the gamepad has been. It would therefore be unreasonable for us to expect perfection in such a short time span, but after five years the concept has managed to find its place in the gaming world, with Nintendo's competitors also joining the scene.
Wii U is the next big step for Nintendo, and with it comes a move back to a more traditional controller, despite its other innovations. But that’s not to say motion control is dead: it's more likely that Nintendo has come to the same conclusion as many others have done — motion control is ideal in certain scenarios, but other times it is not. With Skyward Sword and others from which to draw, MotionPlus still has a bright future ahead of it, and with the 3DS already showing how subtle gyro controls can enhance varied gaming experiences, it is clear that motion-based gaming is here to stay. It appears that finally, after all this time, Nintendo’s motion revolution is becoming a reality, and with Wii U coming later this year its evolution will continue onwards.
Comments 62
I liked Twilight Princess more then Skyward Sword because of the inaccurate controls. Playing Skyward Sword while sitting on your bed is impossible to me! I just want to sit back, relax and waggle the controls a bit, but not swinging around like an idiot...
I know it's stupid to complain about the Wii now, but I feel like if it had graphics at least 70% of the 360 and the features of MotionPlus at launch, it could have had much better games from third party developers and an even better system overall. I mean, when your 100 dollar camera has better resolution than your dedicated gaming console... 480p for the launch price of 250 dollars is ridiculous. I'm by no means complaining, just contemplating on lost potential.
Now that you mention it I can't remember the first time I played Wii Sports.
And you can still waggle in skyward sword, just waggle it in certain directions.
Zelda <3
I like motion controls...i agree it doesn`t exactly replaces the gamepad, but it doesn`t have to, it's different, it suits certain genres better than others. Especially with the motion plus i thing motion controls are inx fact closer to what originally nintendo wanted in the first place, so... i'm absolutely ok with motion controls,when i think they aren't suited i plug in the classic controller ormy gamecube controller
Tilt controls and pointer controls work well. Swinging motion controls not so much I think. They give you a unique experience, but it's nothing like virtual reality so just becomes a bit of a chore imo.
The Wii remote is a neat idea and very relaxing to use when you're using the nunchuck and not swinging it about. However it lacked certain things that have become standard for a lot of games these days. If I could re design it, I would have a small diamond button layout on the remote, a second stick (or thumbpad) instead of the D-pad, and I would rename all the buttons so they make more sense and give them colours.
Also I'd make sure each remote comes WITH a nunchuck. No more of this forced sideways remote crap.
I like the simple motion controls, that is pretty much an extra button, like in New Super Mario Bros, where shaking is used for twirling, the Sonic series also has good ideas for motion, however Sonic and the Black Knight Is so simple to waggle.
nice story Gaz Plant.
I personally have only owned just a gb, gba. ds, wii and a 3ds. since the wii is the only home console on this list, i just used motion gaming as a part of nintendo, not as an addition. Motion gaming is here to stay, because people have finally begun to accept it as a part of videogames, rather than an accesory.
The fact that the current motion-plus Wii remotes will be compatible with the Wii U is significant and something that I'm looking forward to seeing in combination with that tablet.
It is too bad though that the Wavebird won't be usable with the U. The old GCN controller is by far the most comfortable, easiest to use controller my hands ever came across.
I love the wii and hope they continue to make motion gaming there thing. Sitting with a old, boring controller makes me wanna fall asleep, especially since we have games now that make u feel like the character (swinging links sword in skyward sword).
I never wanna go back to the boring "push a button" thing. I played games like that since the NES days, I'm done with it lol
They should add at least one gamecube controller port to the Wii U, or an integrated Wavebird receiver The Wii classic controllers suck.
I to be honest hate the motion controls,i mean it's great for shooting games,Point and Click games and Zelda,but i find it useless,it wastes batteries and whenever i see a game that is Gamecube controller compatible i switch almost right away to it,especially for fighting games.
It's just not my cup of tea.
Still love Wii Sports it never gets old
Skyward Sword was five years too late. If it had been a launch title, then the Wii's game catalog would be very different than the sup-par majority of tacked-on motion control games that we've seen throughout the years.
Wii was and still is an awesome machine that revolutionized the entire gaming industry, but its limitations also easily handed the ball to Microsoft to run away with controller-less motion control gaming (Kinect) too, which is still today the new Wow factor in motion control gaming.
Very good article and I agree that the Wii would've been even better than it already was had there been motion plus at the start but it still had so many great first and third party games and is still my favourite game console.
The article stated that Skyward Sword had improved pointer controls, but in reality you just use the Motion+ to choose menus and such. There is no pointer in that game.
@GanonDorf #1
You no have profile pic, I no even read your text
@JuLeDoS #2
All that camera does it take pictures and maybe capture, you can't compare those two things, a better comparison might be a cell phone screen.
@SkywardLink98 #3
Yeah, but now it measures strength, and you can't cut up that big brutes shield by simply waggling, you'll just bounce off. Unless of course you are waggling hard but then it's not rally waggling anymore, just considered short strokes.
@Slapshot #15
You mean if the Motion Plus had been a launch product? Skyward Sword would have been the same as Twilight Princess without the Motion Plus
@HeroOfWaffles #17
Yeah, that's kinda why you could point anywhere in the room.
The motion controls are great for sword games and games like fling smash (use the same concept) but a lot of games would have been better if they could use the GC remote, like FPS and fighting games.
They should make the Wii U GC remote compatible or make a new controller to play fighting, RPG, FPS, and other non-sword or party-like games (there are a lot of games that just use the pointer as a pointer and you don't even use the motion controls anyway) Or they could just make a wireless attachment that go's on the end of the GC remote cord and communicates wirelessly. (or go back to my second suggestion and make a new remote that can also be used as a pointer, and it's wireless)
@grimbldoo Yeah, that wasn't a great comparison. But something like a itouch or a kindle fire has better resolution and they're both less than the Wii was at launch.
I think it's funny how people can be so negative about Nintendo and their ideas when it was Nintendo that made things like the iPhone possible. DS popularized touch-screen so Apple started to cash in on that and then Nintendo used motion controls and now I don't think you can find an iPhone, or any other smart phone, without a gyro and accelerometer. It isn't just smartphones either, Sony in particular slapped on Sixaxis almost immediately after Nintendo announced motion controls and now they have their very own Wiimote copies (Move). Microsoft went a different route by finding a different technology to get the job done in Kinect.
Seriously, people want Nintendo to die? If Nintendo died, the industry would probably kill itself out of pure stagnation. Nintendo does all the best things first, and I plan to be there for it all.
I dont know about anyone else but I enjoyed Wii Sports a whole lot more than Wii Sports Resort.
I am kinda surprised that Punch Out!! wasn't mentioned at all. The motion controls were just perfect for the game after going a few rounds my arms were killing me as if I was in the ring myself lol.
@Tasuki I totally forgot about Punch Out. It was great, the balance board controls could have had some improvement.
I'm sorry but people who think that Skyward Sword has great motion controls haven't played many Wii games. Skyward Sword has terrible controls and the whole game is riddled with baffling design choices. Some of the best gaming experiences I've ever had were because of the Wii (and some of the worst too.) What baffles me about so many Wii games is how so many games seem to get the controls right or they completely fail at the controls. How many good games were ruined by awful controls? (Okami anyone?) On the up side there were a few bad games I played that nailed the controls. Yeah, sometimes these just boiled down to bad design choices (waggle to jump in De Blob for example.) There were some games that were just a mixed bag (Manhunt 2 has way too much IR flicker, camera was mapped to the nunchuck gyro!? WTF?) I'm willing to bet that if most of the developers go their controls right, then the Wii would be looked on more favorably be the larger gaming community.
@JuLeDoS: 1 megapixel=1 million pixels. Under your argument camera of yours even outpaces the highest end PC. Digital Still Cameras have long outpaced Digital Video cameras for one simple reason: storage. As far as the Kindle Fire and the other tables go, the screens may be higher resolution but the processors are made to run simple apps, and surf the internet not render and play complex video games.
I think for the most part, Nintendo has done well with the wii, apart from the lack of 'Hardcore' games, I just hope they can combine traditional, motion, IR, and touch controls with superior graphic to create something fantastic.
@Alienfish I completely agree with you, It's not being fanboy when I say that Nintendo is the one that moves the industry... It's FACTS that say it, everyone from iOS users to Kinect and Move should be grateful if they like to play the way nintendo established FIRST =)
@TheDarkness
Sorry but Skyward Sword does have great motion controls. Some people just aren't very skilled at using them.
I enjoyed my Gamecube more than the Wii in almost every possible way......
I had a lot of fun with it in the beginning... but as a novelty. They should have just had a wii controller in addition to the existing Gamecube and controller, for those motion specific games. It should have NEVER been it's own console... IMO Nintendo quit being Nintendo at that point....
@Alienfish #20
Which means that Sony and Microsoft can't say anything against Nintendo because they had time to observe and develop while Nintendo goes through a lot more trial and error. I respect Nintendo for being bold, so all of you that wine excessively can shut up.
@TheDarkness #23
If you had played Skyward Sword (you can't possibly expect us believe you did with what you wrote) you would know that the controls are a lot better, I have better things to do than feed a troll.
@Alienfish: I can guarantee to you that Apple most certainly did not copy Nintendo. What a silly statement to make. Nintendo didn't invent touch screen technology, it was around for years and years before the DS. Nintendo didn't invest motion sensors. The technology in Apple products that powers the touch screen technology and motion sensors is ENTIRELY DIFFERENT.
And most importantly: Steve Jobs hated gaming. The idea that he would copy ideas from a gaming company is just silly, when the guy was making products largely for work.
Honestly, you'd think Nintendo fanboys credit Nintendo with inventing everything, and every other company that uses technology in any way similar to Nintendo must be coping OMFG!
I reckon if Apple developed a weight scale, you would claim Apple copied the balance board. Lol.
@TheDarkness That's true. I don't like either for games so I won't defend them.
Regarding the statement "with Nintendo's competitors also joining the scene" and to some commenters who are claiming that the Wii invented motion controls (and seemingly that Nintendo invented every piece of technology in history...), there have been many motion control devices before the Wii. Sony for instance had a motion control device on the market before the Wii was even announced; the PS2 EyeToy (may be a different kind, but by accusing Kinect of copying the Wii, then you've dug yourself a hole there). Many video game companies (including Nintendo) have done motion controls before the Wii. Nintendo are indeed highly innovative, but it's annoying how fanboys completely re-write history...
It's not just that though. The trend is the way that Nintendo uses technology, while it still being relevantly new, but not inventing it...competitors do intent to follow suit.
I agree with Nintendo not inventing the technology itself, but how it was put to innovative use in the mainstream market.
As for motion controls in general, I'm not too keen.
I can totally see why people like the pointer functionality, but generally I find all the miming and flailing to be quite annoying and tiresome. I don't find them more intuitive because to perform a quick, simple action in a video game it's more intuitive to do a quick, simple button press than having to do some clunky charade. I don't find them more immersive because motion controls put the focus on actions you're performing outside of the game environment, rather than the actions taking place within the game environment. When you can see your arm flailing about in front of you with a bit of white plastic you're not immersed in the game world, in fact you're very much taken out of it. Also, whereas button controls are exact and precise and reliable, motion controls are just too vague and ambiguous and inconsistent. It's like you have to perform every action twice because it didn't register the first time.
I can't deny that I've certainly had fun with them and they definately have their place in video games. But generally I'm not really a big fan of motion controls being tacked on to everything. When I get home at the end of the day I just want to relax, don't really care for wacky, zany controls all the time, but they're good fun in certain situations.
As Itagaki said "The reason video games are fun is because you get a big output from a small input. You push a single button and the character does something amazing on screen, but the Wii philosophy is to make input as big a part of the experience itself... The output is reduced... It could potentially be disastrous."
@ChocoGoldfish #29
Just because they didn't copy doesn't mean that they were not influenced. But we can kick Apple out of the copycat pile.
@Haywired #31
The EyeToy was not used for extensive gaming, only small mini-games, which knocks it out. The Move does not use the same motion sensing that the Wii does (camera instead of gyro) but the controller looks pretty similar to the Wii remote, so there's that. The Kintect uses both camera and Infrared (Its a half-breed mutt! Just kidding) to capture motion, and it is usable for extensive game play. And they both came after the Wii, so sorry but that statement is correct
Sorry Bro, Alienfish said Nintendo, not just the Wii.
#33
Sometimes a regular remote is better than motion control.
@Swiket #34
He stated his opinion was a fact. Fact: The Motion Plus was made to and does pick up motion better than the Wii remote by itself. Fact: I have played many Wii games and yet my opinion is different. Fact: It is against the guidelines to call others stupid
nintendo should make a wireless gcn remote w/ built in rumble and motion
The Wii was a failure in my eyes... The processing power was horrible so it missed out on the greatest games of this generation, like Red Dead Redemption...
@ Grimbidoo: Sorry but anyone who's played Red Steel 2, or Wii Sports Resort knows that Skyward Sword has terrible controls. I've played non-motion plus games that had better sword fighting controls than SS. SS has slow unresponsive controls, that is a fact. It also has motion conflicts that screw up the controls, that is a fact. Maybe for some people this doesn't equate to terrible controls. I also never called anyone stupid. Any yes I do own SS and have played several hours into it.
@Haywired: If you are miming and flailing, then you are playing the wrong games. You shouldn't see your arms flailing about in front of you any more than you should see your thumbs pressing buttons. I've played a few games where reliability was not an issue. Though I've probably played more games where it was an issue. As I stated earlier, if developers had gotten the controls right, more "core" gamers would have looked at the Wii in a favorable light.
Also nobody said Nintendo invented motion controls, they just made them popular. They were putting gyro censors in GBA games long before the Wii. And who could forget the Power Glove?
i feel like super mario galaxy had the best use of the wii remote. perfect control
@TheDarkness #38
There you go, stating your opinion is fact again. I own Red Steel 2, Wii Sports Resort, and Skyward Sword (I guess I must exist then) and I can personally say that I find that RS 2 and SS equally easy to control. I have not experienced motion conflict, Link's swings were on match with mine (given the obvious delay), and it responded to my movements very well. I did not imply that you called me stupid, so...
wow, somebody is certainly filled with "darkness". If you played SS for any amount of time and feel it has terrible controls than clearly your spending way more time in actual sword battles in the nearby forests protecting your home. I wish you luck with that.
For the other scores of fans who've played that game through and gushed about it as one of the most immersive and fun motion controlled experiences on the Wii, well.... I guess we're just a bunch of pampered gamer babies. Someone bring me my milk bottle.
@Ren #41
(in southern accent) Here you go. Be careful 'cause I heated it up so don't burn yourself and don't spill.
@grimbidoo: Motion conflict happens when you have bombs equipped and you try to throw one and Link slashes his sword instead. You yourself have called out "the obvious delay." While every motion controlled game has delay, it shouldn't be as obvious and noticeable as in Skyward Sword.
@Ren: Nope, I use guns to protect my home from mogoblins, octorocs, and the like. If I'm feeling lazy I just send my dog after them.
As far as SS goes I have too say it been the most disappointing Zelda game I've ever played. It did not live up to the hype. And I get really tired of people saying how great the controls are.
Games like DCKR were wrecked in a way because of motion controls, for DKCR, I wouldve preferred the classic controller as at least a separate option, I know the motion control is alright, but after a while, it gets slightly annoying.
@43 You're absolutely right!
I can't even roll the bombs in SS because my bed is in the way. Nintendo should have realized that a lot of gamers play games when sitting on their bed or hanging in a couch. I'm not gonna stand up or take a chair to play a game...
Why did they ever change the pointer from IR to motion+? It worked way better before. In SS I have to point more than a meter away from my tv to get the cursor to the side.
@grimbldoo
"The EyeToy was not used for extensive gaming, only small mini-games, which knocks it out." I don't see why it should (in fact some cheeky wags might say that makes it exactly like the Wii! But I wouldn't of course). As I said it's "a different kind", but it (and all the motion controls that came before the Wii) is still motion control regardless of whether we move the parameters to favor Nintendo.
@TheDarkness
A lot of Nintendo fans say that "Nintendo introduced motion controls to video games with the Wii", even execs like Reggie have said that without ever getting pulled up on it. Also, as I said "many video game companies (including Nintendo) have done motion controls before the Wii". The GBA gyro games were among the sort of things I was referring to with Nintendo. Though the Power Glove was actually made by Mattel and PAX, not Nintendo.
@GanonDorf: Yeah, bombs gave me too much trouble for a simple little thing. I've only played the game sitting on my couch and the coffee table often go in the way while trying to roll bombs. Often times I made throwing motions that registered as rolls. And those stupid bird statue menus... whose bright idea was it to ditch IR and use motion flicks instead? Like I said some baffling design choices. I just getting tired of all the people that say "Nintendo finally fulfilled the promise of the Wii with Skayward Sword" and other crap like that. As I stated some games that I own have better motion controls than Skayward Sword without the motion plus (Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands comes to mind.)
@siddharthbandhu That's irrelevant, but that's good news, and very ironic as well.
@TheDarkness #43
Now that you mention it, Link does sometimes swing his sword while I am using the net. Sorry but the delay would be obvious regardless, Link won't swing unless you do so he is always going to behind you, but still close (in my experience, milliseconds) You may be tired of people saying how good the controls were but you are almost on a one sided battle because the controls really work great for them.
@GanonDorf#45
They do realize it and that's why they made the motion plus. If it wasn't already obvious enough, Nintendo is in favor of being active. They made the Pokewalker, they made Wii Fit, and you have to take 100 steps for a single coin on the 3DS (which can be exploited but at least you have to work out your arms).
For some reason, I don't experience the same difficulty as you with cursor, maybe it's just your Motion Plus.
@Haywired #46
I am not arguing with you on the fact that both Nintendo and Sony have made motion controls before the Wii, but the Wii was the first system to utilize motion controls for extensive gaming, and I may be wrong but I think that that was Gaz Plant's argument.
@TheDarkness #47
That's actually quite strange, I also sit on the couch but it still works fine for me. And "motion flicks"? Maybe something is wrong with your Motion Plus because I can tilt my controller as slowly as I want and the option I am moving towards is highlighted.
I play Skyward Sword on my couch(and standing up during an intense sword fight) and I have a coffee table in the way and I'm about 99.9% problem free. Some people just suck at playing Skyward Sword and that's a fact. Now I said "some" people. It's also possible that the sensor bar is in a bad position or that you tv is too high or too low or that the wii mote calibration is off. In any case, it's not an issue with game design, it's a human issue. I tested putting my sensor bar above and below the tv and the game worked perfectly so....
I have a laundry list of things that bugged me about Skyward Sword, but the accuracy of the motion controls weren't one of them.
@TheDarkness Dude, you have to press the B button to ready a bomb before you throw it. Otherwise you'll just swing your sword. That's the trouble you're having.
@Grimbidoo: There is a difference between delay and obvious delay. Learn the difference then try and make your argument. As far as the motion flicks go... What's the point? Why not just stick to the IR? It's faster, smoother, more accurate and they use it for the main menus.
@Ben_Rage_V2: I've never had a problem with my set up, so unless SS requires a different set up than the rest of the Wii catalog, it's an issue with game design.
@gamesake: Link was holding the damn bomb overhead when I made the throw motion and he swiped his sword. He did this several times when trying to fight that second boss in the game. I kept getting killed because of it. There was another part of the game where I had to throw the bomb into a cage, and every time I made a throw motion he rolled the damn bomb instead. It took me like 30 tries to get it right. For a game that moves at a glacial pace things like this only serve to slow the game down and make it even more boring.
@siddharthbandhu Unrelated, but... Angry Birds Space? Really? Rio was stretching it... I like the game, but four iterations is enough. Original is best, Seasons is cute, Rio is pointless and I'm probably not getting Space...
As for the Skyward Sword controls... I seriously need to move my sensor. It won't work for me. sigh And the flicking is annoying.
@TheDarkness It's impossible to swing the sword with a bomb in Link's hands. I've tried it. Either you're pressing A and putting the bomb at Link's feet, or you're squeezing the B button and putting the bomb away when you try to flick the Wii remote to throw it. You may not like the controls but that doesn't mean they don't work.
@TheDarkness #53
You are right, there is. Delay just means that there was a delay, obvious delay means that it is apparent (it being so is different for different people) or, in my case, common sense. Go back to English class then make your argument. In my house, the only place for the sensor bar makes it awkward to use the cursor, so I prefer it sensing the tilt instead of capturing the IR. They also did it to show what the Motion Plus is capable of.
Why did I have to use the motion controls for the boring loftwing flying parts in SS, that I want to know.
Setting the boss key was a fun little gimmick, but setting the same controls for skydiving was just a timid idea.
More often than not, the controls began as a gimmicky and confusing set that would drive the player's fun away. My friend, a fan of Zelda games, didn't want to play SS after about two hours of gameplay. Instead, he started playing my copy of Windwaker. He finished the game during the next few days, saying that SS just felt like it drove him away ever since he had to fly the Loftwing and swing the sword. Windwaker felt deep, calm and fined, like a good story whom you follow with your ears and eyes while you play thru it.
SS simply could not reach a depth, calmness or finesse with its controls. It is not properly balanced.
I say, the game with the best depth and finesse in controls gained the best sales last year. That's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Call of Duty series beat Battlefield series easily since Battlefield doesn't run at a constant 60 fps and it lacks the amount of finesse involved.
@Altrix I didn't like the loftwing portions either. I'd much rather have an overworld to walk around. At least the skydiving was fun.
Spoiler
There's a part later in the game when you need to get to an adjacent island to grab some Goddess treasure and the only way over to it is to swan dive off Skyloft and crash onto it.
End Spoiler
It's a great moment.
@Altrix #58
It's not that they couldn't reach that depth, it's just that your friend does not enjoy playing with motion controls. I on the other had thought that the controls were fine and did bring a new sorta depth to the game. So you see it depends on the person
@Gamesake #59
If I'm about the leave Skyloft, I always do that.
Feel like there's a lot of hate in the comments :/ The Zelda series is always controversial I suppose. ANYWAYS, I'm surprised there was no mention of BLOOM BLOX! In comparison to Flingsmah being a flop I would counterpoint with what a great game Boom Blox is, and it was at least successful enough to warrant a sequel right? I'm still waiting on an improved and expanded version using MotionPlus. Haven't researched too much but I hope they haven't put the final nail in the coffin of that series.
Also, has there been any game that utilizes two Wiimotes, one in each hand? I know Playstation's Move has done that so what's stopping Nintendo?
I have yet to get a Wii Motion Plus. I know I need to, so I can grab Red Steel 2 and Skyward Sword as well as a few Wiiware games. It's just kind of annoying that after buying 4 controls at launch, a few years later, boom, new control piece/redesign.
@kdognumba1#62
It is worth it though.
@TheDarkness You're not supposed to sit just a meter in front of the TV set. Nintendo has warned about sitting too close or too far away even before MotionPlus came out. Sit back further, and the pointer should work better for you.
Some kinds of TVs increase the motion delay. Playing on an old-fashioned CRT, I find no problem with sword delay in Skyward Sword. It may be just a hair slower than Red Steel 2, which would then push into an uncomfortable delay compared to a still reasonable delay when both delays are increased on your TV, although this is just a theory.
As for rolling bombs while sitting on a couch or bed, it's not that much more uncomfortable just to raise to raise your shoulder and arm higher to roll them. You don't need to have to hand below your knees to get it to work.
@LucasArts I'm STILL waiting for a MotionPlus lightsaber combat game.
Some of the best experiences I've had in gaming - and I've been gaming since the SNES era. Thank you Nintendo.
WioMotionPlus is awesome too. Beats the pants of all other motion gaming imo.
No problems with Skyward Sword over here and I'm no gaming ninja.
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