Understanding The Four Types of Wii Controllers

It is understandable that newcomers to the Nintendo Wii console may be confused by the variety of controllers available. The reason for this happening was, in part, because the motion-sensing technology the console excels in is not so well suited for some games.

For example, the Wii’s initial “Wii Remote”(or “WiiMote”) may be excellent for first-person shooters and racing games, but does not handle so well with genres such as fighting, where the player is often forced to quickly pull off a series of complex actions in a short amount of time.

So, in total, there are four controller setups: WiiMote, WiiMote & Nunchuk, GameCube Controller, and Classic Controller.

The WiiMote was the original setup. Its a one-hand motion-sensing controller that is often used for puzzle and party games, as well as racing games and some sports. For each of these, the controller is held in a different position.

In racing games, the controller is held sideways with both hands and twisted back and forth to control the racing vehicle onscreen. In sports, the controller is held in various positions which mimic real life. For example, in bowling, the controller movement is very similar to the movement of one’s hand and arm while bowling at the lanes. The tennis game requires holding the controller upright to serve the ball, and flicking the wrist to return the ball.

The Nunchuk is a control stick attachment that also features motion-sensing. An example of its features is in that of the common first-person shooter: you look, aim, and fire using the WiiMote in your right hand, while you steer with the Nunchuk in your left hand, and lift the Nunchuk slightly to reload your weapon. The Nunchuk is also used in boxing, manipulating the left hand punches while the WiiMote controller manipulates the right hand punches.

Some Wii games are compatible with the GameCube controller. Some examples include Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Mario Kart. These are traditional type games that do not lend themselves well to the new Wii controller. The GameCube controller is not wireless as are the WiiMote and Nunchuk.

Yet another option in a Wii controller is the “Classic Controller”. The Classic does not feature motion-sensing, but does have dual control sticks (rather like that of the Playstation) as well as basically all the button configurations that the Gamecube controller features. As with the GameCube controller, the Classic is not wireless.

However, this is going to change very soon because the Nyko company will very soon be releasing their wireless version of the Classic Controller. Reviewers with preview models have generally praised this new edition to the Wii controller family.

The Nintendo’s variety of controllers insure there are many ways to play and enjoy games on the Wii.

The “missing” elements in the latest Mario and Zelda Wii Games

In a recent interview, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto stated that he believed something was “missing” in the latest installments of his two most popular series: Zelda and Mario. That’s right; Miyamoto said that both Super Mario Galaxy and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess were lacking. In what he did not say, but he feels that other leading games have something his do not. He made it clear that Twilight Princess was not a bad game, just missing something he couldn’t put his finger on.

About Super Mario Galaxy, he mentioned, “And while, personally, I feel like Super Mario Galaxy was able to do some things that were very new and were very unique, at the same time, from another perspective, certain elements of it do feel somewhat conservative in terms of how far we branched out with design. And so this is something I’ve been talking to both of those teams about.”

I agree that it does feel like there is a certain lack of a specific kind of depth in those games that we do see in other franchises. On the part of Mario Galaxy, it’s true that design is in many ways responsible, but there’s something else, too. And I have a pretty good idea of what it is. It’s the aspect of each series that has failed to evolve with almost every other major franchise: characters and story structure.

In terms of the depth-of-character, it’s understandable that they haven’t acted until now. Nintendo’s characters are well-known almost world-wide. What if they give Link from Legend of Zelda a personality, and large groups of people say, “That is not how I imagined him!” Besides, it is true, as Nintendo once said, that Link acts as the “Link” between the player and the character onscreen, and if Link had a specific personality people could not project themselves onto him as well.

However, if Link was truly the “Link”, shouldn’t we be able to customize his looks, or at least clothing? Choose in what manner he talks with people, and the kinds of weapons and abilities he uses? No, the games do not attempt to do this at all. Instead, (in the case of Twilight Princess) they give us a world full of characters, bursting with back-story and, in some cases, inner struggles. But when the main character has no voice or personality, the character dynamics needed to effectively portray these events and character aspects are inconveniently absent. The decision Nintendo has made is not like choosing “this” instead of “that”, it’s a complete absence of both.

The “characters” aspect may not apply so much to Super Mario Galaxy, but the “story structure” aspect does. Searching for star after star and unlocking new worlds is a heck of a lot of fun, but it does start to drag. People just aren’t as driven to beat the game as the case with other franchises any more.

Again, they are both great games, but they are missing the kind of depth that other games have. Shigeru Miyamoto is apparently putting a lot of thought into this, so let’s hope he’ll be able to make the right choice, and lead both series in the right direction.

Top 3 Wii Racing Games

Racing games on the Wii are few and far between, proper ones even more so. Shortly after the Wii’s launch, many developers jumped onto the bandwagon, but rather inconveniently forgot to bring forward some actually appealing games. Issues such as difficulty utilizing motion control, and other issues, held back most racers from fully embracing the Wii as a platform for good racing game enjoyment.

If you own a Wii and want some good racing games, do not despair. Here displayed in order from least to greatest are three racing games for Wii that are well worth your time and money. Though there are others worth consideration, these are widely considered to be the best the console currently has to offer.

First up is Excite Truck. Excite Truck is, in fact, a Wii launch title. It does not offer either local or online racing. But what it does offer is a sheer sense of speed, the likes of which few other racing games have seen.

The game, as with most other Wii racing titles, is played with the Wii remote. The remote is held in a horizontal position in front of the player and tilted from side to side to steer. Pressing the D-pad engages your boost, which can be activated at any time but will overheat and slow down your engine if overused.

The visuals are breathtaking, even if the gameplay itself is somewhat shallow. Overall, it’s a game that at least deserves a rent.

Next is Need For Speed Carbon.

Need For Speed Carbon is a street-racing game, and all that that implies. Car shop and customization options, street car races, and police car chases make this game. Being able to customize your car’s paint job, engine, etc. alone make this a very replayable game, and the races themselves are everything we’ve come to expect from the Need For Speed series.

Lastly, Mario Kart Wii is currently the very best racing game for Wii.

The first aspect that sets Mario Cart above the rest is the game features a total of four different control schemes. The first is the aforementioned Wii remote. The game comes with a “Wii Wheel”, for inserting the remote inside for easier handling. The second is the Wii “remote & nunchuk” scheme, where the game is controlled as you would normally play a game after inserting the nunchuk into the remote. Also, the game is compatible with both Gamecube and Classic Controllers.

Secondly, Mario Kart Wii features online multiplayer support; some of the best and most convenient Nintendo has ever achieved.

Mario Kart Wii is also the first Mario Kart game to introduce motorcycle racing, a fresh spin on the classic kart-racing gameplay.

Some may say that the current best racers are on the Xbox 360 and PS3, but I wouldn’t count out the Wii yet.