It's often easy to forget how insanely busy one can get at an industry event, and since GDC runs two days longer than E3 traditionally does, there's so much more information crammed into the week that it gets increasingly difficult to find time to play the games on display.
Luckily for you, my dear readers, I was able to devote a small portion of my day to checking out Excitebots and Punch-Out!!, the only two Wii games Nintendo had on display.
I must preface my Excitebots impressions by stating that I did not enjoy Excite Truck. I found the controls very loose and I didn't enjoy using the Wii Remote in the way it needed to be used (NES controller style), so my expectations going into my time with the game were rather low.
Guess what? I was surprised.
Excite Truck could only be controlled by tilting the controller from side to side with the buttons facing upwards. Excitebots follows Mario Kart Wii's example and allows you to steer by actually turning the controller, which means it's compatible with the Wii Wheel—making the experience much more enjoyable.
While I still believe some of the controls are a little bit loose, it's a marked improvement over the original. Some of the in-air physics seem a bit more realistic, and you've really got to calculate your trajectory before you take off, lest you be thrust into a tree and forced to shake your Wii Remote to reset your vehicle.
I had the opportunity to play as the "turtle" on the Egypt Map. The Nintendo rep said this was the easiest level and it very much showed. The course was simple and there were only a few opportunities to really screw up and ruin your chances of victory.
Some of the game's new mechanics, like spinning on the red and yellow bars, make gameplay a little more interesting. You grab onto a horizontal or vertical bar as you pass it by, and use the Wii Remote's motion controls to spin yourself around it and gain momentum. Your first instinct is to rotate the wheel very quickly, but you must follow the on-screen display to properly power up your vault off the pole into the great oblivion that is the sky.
Needless to say, Excitebots is a refreshingly new take on Excite Truck. While it's not massively different, the ability to use the wheel and grasp it in a more realistic way than just holding the remote horizontally makes a world of difference when playing and controlling your freefall from the skies above.
I liked it, and am looking forward to a more refined final version.
Speaking of refined, Punch-Out!! is back! It's exactly what you thought it'd be and that much more. Even the pink jumpsuit makes its triumphant return.
I was initially worried that Punch-Out!! would be one of two things: easy as pie, or a clone of Wii Sports Boxing. I'm happy to report that I was incorrect on both fronts. Now, it could have just been that I royally suck at boxing or boxing games in general, but I was unable to beat my CPU opponent in all three bouts I fought. I came close, I made it to the third round... I could have been a contender! But alas, it was not to be.
The controls were fairly intuitive (although it took a bit of getting used to the multiple functions of the analog stick on the Nunchuk), and the punches and dodges felt very responsive. It never felt like the game wasn't registering my punches.
The art style is pretty cool—it's a weird melding of Super Punch-Out!! and the best cel-shaded portions of Wind Waker. It's a great art style and I have no complaints whatsoever with how the game looks. The characters are quite elaborate for such a simple style, and their emotions and facial expressions are greatly exaggerated, as you'd come to expect from a Punch-Out!! title.
Aside from not being able to win any of my bouts, I enjoyed my time with the game, and I'd highly recommend it. It comes out May 18th, so keep an eye out for it.
Luckily for you, my dear readers, I was able to devote a small portion of my day to checking out Excitebots and Punch-Out!!, the only two Wii games Nintendo had on display.
I must preface my Excitebots impressions by stating that I did not enjoy Excite Truck. I found the controls very loose and I didn't enjoy using the Wii Remote in the way it needed to be used (NES controller style), so my expectations going into my time with the game were rather low.
Guess what? I was surprised.
Excite Truck could only be controlled by tilting the controller from side to side with the buttons facing upwards. Excitebots follows Mario Kart Wii's example and allows you to steer by actually turning the controller, which means it's compatible with the Wii Wheel—making the experience much more enjoyable.
While I still believe some of the controls are a little bit loose, it's a marked improvement over the original. Some of the in-air physics seem a bit more realistic, and you've really got to calculate your trajectory before you take off, lest you be thrust into a tree and forced to shake your Wii Remote to reset your vehicle.
I had the opportunity to play as the "turtle" on the Egypt Map. The Nintendo rep said this was the easiest level and it very much showed. The course was simple and there were only a few opportunities to really screw up and ruin your chances of victory.
Some of the game's new mechanics, like spinning on the red and yellow bars, make gameplay a little more interesting. You grab onto a horizontal or vertical bar as you pass it by, and use the Wii Remote's motion controls to spin yourself around it and gain momentum. Your first instinct is to rotate the wheel very quickly, but you must follow the on-screen display to properly power up your vault off the pole into the great oblivion that is the sky.
Needless to say, Excitebots is a refreshingly new take on Excite Truck. While it's not massively different, the ability to use the wheel and grasp it in a more realistic way than just holding the remote horizontally makes a world of difference when playing and controlling your freefall from the skies above.
I liked it, and am looking forward to a more refined final version.
Speaking of refined, Punch-Out!! is back! It's exactly what you thought it'd be and that much more. Even the pink jumpsuit makes its triumphant return.
I was initially worried that Punch-Out!! would be one of two things: easy as pie, or a clone of Wii Sports Boxing. I'm happy to report that I was incorrect on both fronts. Now, it could have just been that I royally suck at boxing or boxing games in general, but I was unable to beat my CPU opponent in all three bouts I fought. I came close, I made it to the third round... I could have been a contender! But alas, it was not to be.
The controls were fairly intuitive (although it took a bit of getting used to the multiple functions of the analog stick on the Nunchuk), and the punches and dodges felt very responsive. It never felt like the game wasn't registering my punches.
The art style is pretty cool—it's a weird melding of Super Punch-Out!! and the best cel-shaded portions of Wind Waker. It's a great art style and I have no complaints whatsoever with how the game looks. The characters are quite elaborate for such a simple style, and their emotions and facial expressions are greatly exaggerated, as you'd come to expect from a Punch-Out!! title.
Aside from not being able to win any of my bouts, I enjoyed my time with the game, and I'd highly recommend it. It comes out May 18th, so keep an eye out for it.