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Filed under: Features, Channels, Revolutionary

As the New Year approaches and some of you are making your resolutions, it’s a natural time to reflect on who you are and who you would like to be. Two years ago when I brought home my Wii and was sculpting a likeness of myself in Mii form, I was doing just that sort of reflecting.

Recently, Sony opened up their new Playstation Home service to public beta and Microsoft unrolled the New Xbox Experience. With these additions, it has become possible to create an effigy of ourselves across each platform, so I’d like to give you my impressions of my own three representations. I can tell you right now, a couple of these ain’t pretty.

Mii
On the first day, I created my Mii, and it was good. Nintendo keeps the customization interface for its avatars simple and just lets you detail your head with only rough settings for height and body shape. Beyond that, the only clothes options come in the choice of what color shirt you’ll be wearing in every game. It may seem extremely limited by description, but in my opinion, my cartoony Mii does a terrific job at representing me.

The customization here is deceptively robust. Think of playing Mr. Potato Head with a 20-gallon bucket of parts that can be stuck just about anywhere. Then imagine being able to pick up a controller, move it around and have your Mr. Potato Head do what you’re doing. The artist in me was truly awakened after creating my own Mii, because I went on to create my family members, friends, and celebrities, then filled the empty spaces in my Mii Plaza with parading Miis from friends. The greatest achievement of the Wii is that they are distinctly recognizable, and as caricatures, they practically explode with personality.

Xbox 360 Avatar
The team responsible for coming up with a catchy and highly-marketable name for the Xbox 360’s avatars must have gotten huge bonus checks for all their hard work. Not only do they have a cartoon and all its associated merchandise to help promote the name, but a big budget movie from the maker of Titanic is in the works with a corresponding video game being developed in parallel. Avatars will be on the minds and lips of everyone soon, and that’s naturally going to draw in legions of new Xbox patrons! Riiiight.

If the Avatar name does nothing else, it hints at a plan to put you inside a virtual world experiencing things that perhaps wouldn’t be possible (or morally acceptable?) in the real world. As there’s not yet any content to judge their functionality, we can only discuss the appearance of Avatars and how well it complements our true selves. If your experience with Avatars has been anything like mine or that of my friends, it does a terrible job.

For starters, the parts for sculpting your face aren’t distinct enough to show noteworthy differences when changed. Apart from clothing and hairstyles, most Avatars have a homogenous appearance, and I thought that kind of dull sameness was what we were trying to get away from. The most noticeable difference between my Avatar’s appearance and my real visage is the hair. I tried to select a dark brown color, but the rim lighting effect of the NXE’s rendering engine goes haywire on dark hair. If I choose one of the shorter coifs, my Avatar looks as if it’s been given a swirly in a toilet bowl full of peroxide.

Foregoing an accurate depiction of my current self, I selected the Whoopie Goldberg dreadlocks. People that know me won’t think this too strange because I actually used to have dreadlocks … three years ago. And that’s how I’ve come to think of Microsoft’s implementation of gamer avatars. It’s so three years ago. It seems like something conceived in the pre-Wii era when the stereotypical gamer would be described as a sort of sunlight-fearing miserly morlock, secretly coveting the looks and lifestyle of the beautiful and super-social surface dwellers. The newly-expanded gaming market is more cosmopolitan, and I believe they’d be proud to have avatars that really look like themselves. It makes no sense to allow so little variance in features, even if these indistinguishable representations have trendy threads and big smiles to cover up their lack of true and singular identity.

Home Boys/Girls
After spending several years crafting the Home engine, interface, and world there was no money to pay a team to come up with a clever name. I’ll refer to my creation here as a Home Boy, and the ladies may call theirs’ “Home Girls.” Go ahead, royalty free, that’s my gift to you.

Home has the most best tools for sculpting a photorealistic likeness of yourself, but even so, I can’t make my Home Boy look anything like me. The result of an hour’s worth of tinkering was a creation that looks more like my uncle than me or even anyone more closely related to me. I’d write it off as my own ineptitude, but a similar amount of time spent in The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion’s character creator gave me an avatar that was convincing enough to fool friends and family into thinking it was made from photos or scans of my real face.

Ready for the battlefield / Ready for bowling alley

I suppose for being built into a Second Life clone, it doesn’t look too shabby. But the chilling stare of this soulless stranger is a bit off-putting, even when setting him loose to wander amongst crowds of other undead Home-dwellers. The clothing options are purposely limited, because Home has a mall where I’m expected to spend real money to clothe my Home Boy. Beyond that, there are a few mini-games that you have to stand waiting in virtual lines to play, a movie theater that only shows ads and trailers, and your own personal condo to furnish with Ikea-crafted adornments (again, paid for with real money). As if your first life didn’t have enough of this.

A mall full of zombies and me without a weapon

To be fair, it is just a beta release. The final product may bound over the hurdles of meh-ness and achieve unforeseen heights of glorious innovation. Being that the Home service is already free, content producers may follow in the spirit of charity building Home into something of value before starting to charge. We have seen freebies and discounted items appearing in Sony’s Playstation Store from time to time, and it doesn’t take a marketing expert to know that that’s good business.

Am I over-analyzing these gaming avatars? Consider for a moment that Miis, Avatars, and Home boys/girls are representative of not only you as an integrated and immersed being in a game environment, but they also represent their respective platform proprietors’ ambitions for designing and building new content and worlds in which to immerse yourself. If the avatar creation tools are any indication, taking attention away from facial characteristics and focusing on wardrobe, Sony and Microsoft intend to get you hooked on outfitting your digital incarnation, in turn building a market for virtual haberdashers. Like they say in the drug biz, “Only the first hit is free.”

Currently, outside of tacked-on Scene It? integration, Xbox 360 Avatars aren’t good for much more than playing dolly dress-up (apparently, a long overlooked pot o’ gold for the 17-35-year old male demographic primarily targeted). There are games on the horizon that will feature Avatars in a similar fashion to what we’re accustomed with our Miis.

The Playstation Home Boys and Girls are restricted to the Home world, so unless more sports and games are built into the Home service, we won’t be seeing them swinging bats and rounding bases, punching each other senseless, or karting around tracks.

It’s a bit early to give a ruling on usage of Sony and Microsoft’s avatars, but on the matter of aesthetics, Nintendo stands unrivaled. As I stated in the beginning, these are my personal impressions of the my consoles’ clones. If you have a different take, please tell us about it in the comments.

Revolutionary: It Ain’t Mii originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Mods, Peripherals, Tech stuff, Controller, Features, Revolutionary

Game controllers have come a long way since we were holding a box with a protruding stick and tapping a single button. Now they’re so packed full of cutting edge (yet inexpensive) tech, I’d half expect to see a Wii Remote and Nunchuk in the cockpit of the space shuttle* as a cost-cutting measure. As advanced as the Wiimote is, a lot of us have found a thing or two that could be revised about its design. I’ve gone to the most extreme reaches of my imagination, and come up with a design concept that I believe is about as radical a step beyond our current Wiimote, as that controller is beyond every console controller that came before it. And just like Nintendo’s own design, my perfect controller would be based around technology that is already being used today in different applications.

*Warning: The Wii Remote and Nunchuk’s accelerometers will not work in space. NASA engineers, be advised to wait for the MotionPlus.

Do you realize that a complete set of Wii controllers for a single player can total out to around $100? That’s the Remote, a Nunchuk, a Classic Controller, and a Gamecube controller for your Gamecube games. Then on top of that, you’ve got to pay extra for batteries or a recharging kit. Street Fighter fanatics like myself are in grave risk of spraining our fingers on the Classic Controller, so that’s more money for a fighting game stick or gamepad. Figure in the costs for building an addition to your house to store all this gear, and you’ve spent a small fortune on what’s thought to be one of the most affordable consoles of this generation. There’s no getting around the fact that all of those features can’t be crammed into a single controller for free, but it would be worth a little money just to not have so many controllers and attachments cluttering up the place.

If you can manage to get underneath your pile of Wii accessories to dig out your old Xbox and Dreamcast stuff, take a look at their controllers. Microsoft seemed to borrow heavily from the styling of Sega’s swan song controller, but skipped over what was probably the most revolutionary feature the Dreamcast pioneered — Visual Memory. Sony dabbled in it with their own PocketStation VMU, and Nintendo took the concept in a different direction with Gamecube-to-GBA and Wii-to-DS connectivity. But not since the Dreamcast have we had screens inside our standard game controllers. Before the motion-sensing abilities were revealed, many people believed the Wii’s controllers would feature a touch screen for input, and I still believe that that idea has potential.

Just think of what could be possible with a screen in your modern controller. Using Bluetooth for data transmission wouldn’t provide enough bandwidth for streaming video or anything like that (it’s already strained with your control data and the speaker’s audio, plus you wouldn’t want to drain your batteries with such a resource-hogging task), but images could be uploaded to the revised Remote’s increased internal storage during the wait while your Wii loads up a game level. A thumbnail pre-rendering of your Mii could have a few frames of animation showing it wincing with every blow landed in Wii Sports Boxing, or beam with pride while your on-TV avatar does a victory dance around the ring.

Such a simplified usage of the touch screens would mean that they don’t require heavy processing, a high refresh rate, or high resolutions. 64×64 pixels would be a sufficient resolution, but for a full color screen with controller-fitting low power requirements (Dreamcast VMUs were 48×32 and monochrome) , OLED screens might be the way to go. The thin screen, self-illuminated technology is already gaining popularity in cell phones, and Art Lebedev has designed some novel computer interface devices incorporating OLED screens. Even though the geek chic gadgets come with high price tags, it hasn’t done much to spoil their appeal.

Dual analog sticks are old ‘n’ busted. Dual touch screens are the new hotness.

I had a Windows Mobile PDA before I got my Nintendo DS, and I’ve gotten an iPhone since then, so I’ve seen touch screens used in a wide variety of ways over the years. My dream controller’s touch screens are used similarly to how the Nintendo DS touch screen works for playing Metroid Prime Hunters. Instead of using a stylus, you’d run your thumbs across the screens for analog-precise joystick controls. This required a thumb stylus on the DS, but my vision incorporates capacitive touch-sensing, like on the iPhone. A light touch would register just fine.

As it is, the Wiimote loses a big chunk of its functionality when you turn it sideways to use like a NES controller. With the controller’s IR sensor pointing away from the Sensor Bar, there’s no way to smoothly and accurately control an on-screen pointer with the fluidity of a mouse. I think of that ability as a key piece that’s missing from the perfect-control puzzle, so I’ve added some redundancy with a second IR sensor on the side of the Remote. The Nunchuk portion retains backward compatibility with digital buttons opposite the analog-stick-replacing touch screen. Flipping the Nunchuk around would also allow its new analog trigger and six face buttons to be used in conjunction with accelerometer and integrated MotionPlus gyroscope. Yes, my perfect controller has a gyroscope.

MiniUSB ports supply power and data connections for charging batteries and linking attachments.

Data between controllers would travel across a short USB cable when connected in the gamepad/extended remote configuration, and a longer cable would bridge the gap when you need to ‘chuk like Bruce Lee. Like the two halves of the Motus Darwin, my perfect controller should be able to slide together with minimal effort, after you’ve connected that USB cable. Remember how the Dreamcast’s VMUs could be connected to each other to share data and play games? Why not connect two Remotes together in a similar fashion. Think of the force that could be unleashed with a double-sided, Darth Maul Wii-saber!

Gaming in stereo!

A built-in USB-rechargeable battery, rumble motor in the Nunchuk, dual touchscreens, analog triggers with a Gamecube-like “digital click,” more flash memory for saves and graphics, Wiimote-to-Wiimote connectivity, MotionPlus integration, six face buttons for fighting games, and full backward compatibility with Wii, Virtual Console, and Gamecube games, crammed into a tiny little package is my idea of perfection. I’d be willing to pay over $100 for such a controller, but I’m not the average consumer, and Nintendo has to cater to a wider demographic. Whatever revisions may be coming this generation, or if Nintendo has a plan to completely change the way we interact with games is anybody’s guess. But for now, feel free to share your ideas for the future of gaming input in the comments.

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Filed under: Tech stuff, Controller, Video, Homebrew, Features, Revolutionary

In the year 1996, with Sylvester Stallone’s Demolition Man still fairly fresh on our minds, developer Shiny took the opportunity to name one of their games after an abbreviated phrase that was mentioned several times in that film. Under the assumption that MDK stood for “Murder, Death, Kill” and the fact that you run around as a guy whose head is a sniper rifle, the Playstation generation couldn’t wait to get their hands on it. As it turned out, the game was not the gruesome murder simulator many people expected, but a humorously quirky action title like most of the prior games Shiny was known for. In the sequel, the main character from the first game, Kurt Hectic, would share the duty of saving the earth with Doctor Fluke Hawkins and the four-armed, gun-toting, cigar-chomping robotic dog, Max, the other members of the game’s titular trio. It’s the crazy sort of stuff that keeps gaming fresh, and with its recently-announced comeback in the making, I can think of no better place for the franchise to make a killing than on the Wii.I’m writing this script for MDK 2, primarily because it’s more modern and easier to get running on a modern computer than the original MDK. Though the first game was arguably more fun, Bioware’s sequel is a worthwhile follow-up because it made Doc and Max controllable characters. Playing as Kurt alone would be a blast, but Doc and Max’s inclusion provide the kind of variety and assorted gameplay that would make it a perfect match for the Wii audience.

The first level puts you in Kurt’s prototypical “coil suit,” and has you free-falling into an alien minecrawler on a mission to eliminate every creature on board. A freely deployable ribbon chute slows your descent, and then it’s onward to the green bloodletting.

In the next stage, you’ll play as Max, who can equip different weapons in each of his 4 paws/hands, and do a bit of flying with a jet pack. It’s more straightforward shooting against lots of baddies, but sometimes that’s all you need in a gaming session. There is still a place in the world for that sort of thing, right?

The frail Dr. Hawkins has to use his wits to MacGuyver various apparatus for dispatching the alien threat from his orbiting space ship, the Jim Dandy, in the third level. From there on you’ll cycle through each level with a different one of the three characters. The levels are expansive and don’t have auto-saving checkpoints, but that ought to be re-considered for Wii gamers-on-the-move, who don’t have the time to sit through and replay long missions.

MDK2 uses OpenGL for graphics, but Direct X’s DirectInput is used for mouse controls, so I adapted Carl Kenner’s first person shooter script for aiming and looking around. This requires an IR source, such as a Sensor Bar, for aiming, but if you the IR source falls out of the Wiimote’s view, the view will continue moving in the same direction until you point back at the Sensor Bar.

PIE.FrameRate = 60Hz
var.BoxSize = 60%
var.BoxSpeed = 700 Mickeys //per half screen of movement
var.ScrollSpeed = 800 Mickeys per second
var.X = MapRange(Wiimote.PointerX, 0,1, -1,1)
var.Y = MapRange(Wiimote.PointerY, 0,1, -1,1)
/*Use a different system when the cursor is visible. Also, stop scrolling when the Wiimote moves significantly while it is not pointing at the screen */
If Mouse.CursorVisible
var.BeingUsed = False
If Wiimote.PointerVisible
Mouse.X = Wiimote.PointerX
Mouse.Y = Wiimote.PointerY
EndIf
ElseIf Wiimote.PointerVisible
var.BeingUsed = True
ElseIf |Wiimote.RelAcc| > 7
Var.BeingUsed = False
EndIf
If var.BeingUsed
If |var.X| < var.BoxSize
//pointer is inside the box (horizontally), so move based on change in pointer position
Mouse.DirectInputX += delta(var.X)*var.BoxSpeed
Else
//pointer is outside the box (horizontally), so scroll based on fixed rate and sign of x (+/-)
Mouse.DirectInputX += var.ScrollSpeed*sign(var.X)
EndIf
If |var.y| < var.BoxSize
Mouse.DirectInputY += delta(var.y)*var.BoxSpeed
ElseIf var.BeingUsed
Mouse.DirectInputY += var.ScrollSpeed*sign(var.Y)
EndIf
EndIf

When I used to play this game with a game pad or keyboard and mouse back in the day, I’d get a little confused switching between characters. With GlovePIE, I can map functions to multiple buttons and/or motions, so it’s a little easier to transition between characters.

Equals = Wiimote.Up //Use, Equip, Right Hand
Minus = Wiimote.Down or Nunchuk.CButton //Unequip, Left Hand
ArrowKeys = Nunchuk.Joy //Move, Zoom
Mouse.LeftButton = Wiimote.B //Shoot, Combine
Space = Nunchuk.Zbutton //Sniper Mode
Mouse.RightButton = (Nunchuk.GY < .5) //Jump, Jet Pack Throttle
LeftBracket = Wiimote.Minus //Inventory Left
RightBracket = Wiimote.Plus //Inventory Right
Shift + P + I + E = Wiimote.Home //Stop script

This is just a rough and basic port of the controls that anyone who’s experienced with playing first or third person shooters on the Wii should have no difficulty getting right into. But in a built-for-Wii version of MDK, I’d hope for more inventive controls. The Nunchuk has 2 buttons and the Wiimote has more than that, so you should be given independent control of each of Max’s weapons. Selecting and combining objects in Doc’s levels should also have independent controls for both hands, perhaps using gestures and motions to assemble the gadgets or use them. Kurt can be done with typical shooter controls as in the video, just so long as you don’t have to move the Wiimote in and out to control zooming in sniper mode. Does anyone realize how much we hate having to do that? It’s not realistic and nine times out of then, it just doesn’t work.

Playing MDK2 again after all these years, it kind of leaves something to be desired. There’s not much variety in enemies and the level design isn’t quite as captivating as I remembered. It’s still a brilliantly conceived premise that should be warmly received by the hardcore Wii fanbase, just so long as it is brought up to the standards of today’s games.

MDK may not have been my first choice among Interplay classics I’d like to see ported to the Wii, but I still desire it greatly. If you’ve got some Interplay favorites that deserve waggle-ification, feel free to tell us in the comments.

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Filed under: Features

Every (other) Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.

In this first year since Nintendo unleashed the Wii upon the masses, we've gotten a better understanding of how it plans to change the way the world feels about gaming. In this edition of Revolutionary, we'll examine some of the strides they've made and what they can do to make year two even more spectacular.

The Wii has turned out to be the sleeper hit of the gaming world, following in the footsteps of its portable predecessor the DS. In the face of heavier spec'ed competitors with multimedia features up the wazzoo, Nintendo stood firm on its plan to deliver something different and focus on the fun. It has obviously paid off, with the Wii having done the unimaginable and plucking the #1 spot away from the Xbox 360 which had a 1-year head start into the now-gen.

Not only is Wii taking the top spot in console sales, but as everyone knows, it's nigh impossible to walk into a store and buy one on impulse. It may take the planning skills of General Patton or the beguiling charms of Danny Ocean to coordinate a Wii Get. And even now, it's going to cost you roughly the same amount of dough it cost at launch. Having a bottomless demand meant that Nintendo never had to cut the price for the Wii. Competitors have strategically dropped prices to boost sales, while the Wii has never known what it feels like to collect dust on a store shelf, and it has always been priced to move. With things going as they are, we don't foresee a price drop happening any time soon.

Just a week before the Wii's first birthday, Nintendo turned the system into a proper plumber box. This is the second console cycle where Mario missed a home console's launch, but its #1 rated status goes to show that it was worth the wait. And Super Mario Galaxy seems to be the prototypical title for Nintendo to model their development strategies after. It's got tremendous appeal for nostalgics and hardcore gamers (--I bet you wish you were playing it right now), but it also incorporates family-drawing features. Co-star mode gives your mom something to do while she's waiting for you to put Wii Sports back in, and the increased number of save slots will allow her to start up her own game once you've gotten her hooked.

Iwata & Co. were right on the money when they targeted non-gamers as a means to expand the market. Whether they're just casual gamers now or have become callous-thumbed geeks, they can be thanked for helping to rocket the industry to a $1.1 billion peak last month. Even before the Writer's Guild strike, the movie industry was starting to feel a bit envious of its up-and-coming entertainment competitor. This is evidenced by the syphoning of game IPs such as Hitman, Onimusha, and Tekken. Let's hope they don't fix their attention on Mario again.

In the beginning, we didn't know what to really expect when it came to feature updates and new downloadable Channels, but Nintendo has done a great job of adding value to their system. It has come to be expected these days that console manufacturers will make a continued effort to increase the functionality of their platforms with system updates, but what we've gotten in the way of Channels and new systems on the Virtual Console is especially unique. Wii Ware has been scarce in this first year, but to their credit, it was only formally announced a few months ago.

As good a year as it has been, there are still a few rough spots that Nintendo and 3rd parties need to work on to keep the positivity flowing steadily through year two.

Marketing
The Metroid Prime 3 Preview Channel was a great way to show off the game before it hit the stores, but in a way it was like preaching to the choir. There wasn't much done to promote the game in mainstream media, and if you saw the Channel, chances are you already owned a Wii and were planning on getting the game. Though we'd like to see more promotion of games done through Channels, it doesn't make much sense to have that be the only promotional tool. Commercials have worked fine for ages -- when handled properly.

It's hard to get excited about games like The Godfather, Scarface, or Call of Duty 3 when their publishers act as if they are barely deserving of a Wii badge on the tail end of the commercials. I've seen Microsoft-funded commercials for Guitar Hero games that not only drove home the point that they were on the Xbox 360, but they almost made it seem like that was the series exclusive home. Take notes, Nintendo! If 3rd parties aren't going to spend a little to promote their critically-acclaimed games, you could take on a bit of the burden.

It also fails to stir up enthusiasm when titles like those mentioned hit the bargain bin within a month or two of release. Instead of thinking, "Score!" it leaves the impression that it's not good enough to sell at the standard price. You'd never think the Wii version of The Godfather was the one to get when its PS3 and Xbox 360 counterparts are carrying a price tag that's 200% higher.

The key piece in the marketing puzzle is the product. If publishers continue to line the shelves with shovelware, the Wii will fail. It's as simple as that. Historically, the console with the largest installed userbase was the one that got the most developer attention. That trend went out the window with the Wii, which gets games featuring assets from PS2 ports, or spend too little time in QC before release. We can do our part by not buying those games, and telling our friends and families to stay away from subpar offerings.

On a side note, the Wii has what is widely regarded as the best standard controller for FPS games this side of a mouse and keyboard, yet the Xbox 360 is considered the platform to get for FPS junkies. If EA markets it right, they could turn things around with Medal of Honor: Heroes 2. Keep your fingers crossed that they don't put too much emphasis on the arcade mode.

Online gaming
The browser is great. The VC is better. The potential of WiiWare is enormous! We're all very happy Nintendo decided to integrate online functionality in their latest console, but it's fails on one crucial level: the games. Yes, you can play footy with a pal across the pond, but the selection of games supporting online play is still really slim at the moment. Comparing Nintendo's WiFi Connection to Microsoft's original launch of Xbox Live last generation makes it seem as though Nintendo or 3rd parties aren't giving the service any serious consideration. We need lots more games, and lots more features like a unified interface, voice chat (and a headset attachment for the Wiimote), and some way to add people you've met in a game onto your friends list.

Expansion and patching
Then there's support for downloadable add-ons. While some might say it's a good thing to not support patching of games, few would claim that being unable to download new tracks for Guitar Hero III suits them just fine. This fanboy can't help fuming while watch a friend shred to the Foo Fighters' This is a Call on his PS3. Also, it remains to be seen how they'll address the surround sound issues without resorting to a downloadable patch.

Ultimately, it's been a good year for us all, thanks largely in part to Mario. Collecting 120 stars twice may hold us over until Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and then we have WiiWare and plenty more Virtual Console classics to look forward to. But what more would you like to see done to make year two even better than the first? Leave a comment for discussion.

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Every (other) Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.

Within a few days of Guitar Hero III's release, the scripting community was already at work picking apart the Les Paul guitar shell that came bundled with it. What they discovered was that it basically functions as a remolded and remapped Classic Controller. The obvious application of this new-found knowledge would be to write scripts for Guitar Hero clones on the PC, or to even use the controller with the soon-to-be-released PC version of Guitar Hero III.

With script in hand, courtesy of Mario Valenzuela, I thought I'd introduce a friend to my old favorite GH clone, Frets on Fire.

My friend, Masayver, grew up an impassioned gamer, but in years of late he'd seemingly lost interest in favor of other hobbies. Occasionally, he'd dabble in console gaming, but only long enough to play through the latest Halo or Gran Turismo, afterwards he'd sell his system to someone more apt to enjoy it for the long term. After surveying the wares -- existing and forthcoming -- of the now-gen of consoles, he bought himself a monolith (despite this fanboy's efforts to recruit him into the Wii-side). He's been disappointed in his purchase, often citing lack of "anything worth buying for it," but with me lending him all the new games I buy (but don't have time to play) for my own Blu-raystation, he's slowly turning back into a gamer.

Seeing his dedication to games of skill like Super Stardust HD, where he's ranked in the top 100, I felt it was high time to introduce him to something that gamers flock to. I have to admit, my intentions were not entirely benevolent. You see, I wanted someone to take my place in the shooting of this week's videos, because last time I played this game in front of a YouTube audience, I took a lot of flak for my inability to "pick the strings" like a rock god. I've apologized in advance to my buddy for subjecting him to the heckles he's in line for, regardless of his novice abilities.

Frets on Fire is an open source game that copies the basic "strum while holding fret buttons" formula of Guitar Hero, and little else. There's no Star Power or whammy bar tremolo, and the behind-the-fret-board theatrical presentation of the Guitar Hero franchise is also absent. What it does have is an importing feature, which lets you rip tracks from the PS2 discs for Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II (and possibly Guitar Hero III) and play them without having to unlock or buy them through career earnings. It was conceived for play with an inverted PC keyboard, using the F1 through F5 keys as the fret buttons and the Enter key to strum notes. It's also possible to play with a PS2 guitar controller using a PS2 to USB adapter, or the Xbox 360 guitar. As you'll see below, the Wii guitar works just as well, and sweetens the deal with wireless connectivity.

After a 30 minute crash course in both Guitar Hero III for the Wii, and Frets on Fire on my PC, my friend felt ready to perform as the cameras rolled.

And with that, a self-confessed Guitar Hero addict was born. Immediately after shooting these videos he was off to the store to pick up a copy of Guitar Hero III for his PS3. This week's Revolutionary may have come across as light on Wii and what makes it so terrific, but in an indirect way this story is exactly what the Wii is all about. A special controller and a non-traditional game have revitalized a gamer's spirit. Non-gamers can be affected in a similar way, being converted to gamers, as I've seen happen with plenty of people who have been introduced to Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution games. There was little involvement of the Wii itself, but the "Wii Effect" was at work.

The Wii Guitar functions as a Classic Controller, but it does not identify itself to the Wii as one, so there's no playing of Super Mario 64 with it. The limitation is strictly on the console end, so GlovePIE scripters are free to do play whatever games they want with it. If you have any suggestions for PC games you'd be interested in seeing the Wii Guitar scripted for, let me know in the comments.

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Filed under: Fan stuff, Video, Homebrew, Features

Every Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.

Metroid Prime 3 has proven indeed that a Wii Remote and Nunchuk is the next best thing to a keyboard and mouse for first person shooting and action. Although we have few FPS titles being developed and released on the Wii (relative to party games and family-friendly content, or the main attraction of a certain other platform), the genre is among the most popular in the scripting community. This is naturally so with FPS being a favored genre among hardcore PC gamers and hardware enthusiasts.

With the recent release of the demo version of Call of Duty 4 and its imminent final release, I felt it was time to pick up arms and serve you a script for this spectacular shooter.

Infinity Ward, founded by former members of the team that developed the acclaimed Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, developed the first Call of Duty exclusively for PC. The game was a big hit, and helped establish the WWII FPS sub-genre as a category of its own. Activision followed up on it by using the IP to make spinoff games for other platforms. After some time, Infinity Ward was once again at the reigns, shipping Call of Duty 2 simultaneously on PC and the Xbox 360 - just in time to make the console's launch window. More advanced graphics, a solid framerate, and even more epic battles were enough to keep PC fans entertained, despite the series starting to feel more "consolized."

The 3rd time around, Treyarch was at the helm, and Call of Duty 3 made it onto all three now-gen platforms, but sadly (or perhaps fortuitously, depending on your perspective) the PC was overlooked for that one. The Wii version was fairly well-received for its intuitive controls, though the graphics were not up to par with even old gen fare.

Now Call of Duty 4 is near release, and even though our favorite console isn't getting blessed with a taste of modern warfare, it doesn't mean we can't waggle our way to victory on a contemporary battlefield. If you wonder why I write so often about GlovePIE, wonder no more. It's only right for a Wiimote to be our interface for firing a javelin at enemy tanks.

It's been many months since I've tried playing a PC first person shooter with my Wiimote. Back then, my enthusiasm was high, and I took a stab at creating my own script based on VKapadia's IR mousing script included in the GlovePIE download. The results weren't very good, as I wasn't mature enough in my understanding of mousing code and what I needed to do to make motion smooth instead of puke-inducingly spastic. After that, I didn't give FPS scripting much more thought, all the while fellow scripters were working feverishly to create "The Ultimate FPS Script." Well, tastes vary, so there could never be one that exists as the favorite of everyone. With my revisiting of this genre, I decided to try out a script that is held in high regard amongst the community.

It's important to note that not all games respond to the same mouse input commands. Call of Duty 4 (like prior installments in the series) uses GlovePIE's Mouse.CursorPos commands to track mouse movement, while Unreal Tournament 3 uses Mouse.X and Mouse.Y, while other games may use Mouse.DirectInput commands. If you want to tackle writing your own scripts for mouse controls, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with how each of those works, because the functions change in addition to the names.

The script was built for the original Call of Duty, which was developed primarily for PCs. It has a few more controls than are found in the multiplatform sequels, and different mapping of keys, so I had to modify the button mapping a bit to fit Call of Duty 4. I didn't have to do any fiddling with the aiming code, as it tracked quite nicely already. I must say Arianol, the original script's author, did a terrific job!

This time around, I didn't try so hard to get my hands in view of the camera. It's just really uncomfortable to play this game that way, and it's much harder to keep a steady aim when you've got your hand extended way out in front of you as opposed to resting on your lap. But you can trust that the gameplay is entirely controlled by the Wiimote and Nunchuk alone.

As you can see, the Wii Remote worked great for strafing and sniping. Accuracy was spot on, and the experience felt overall more realistic, with precision shots requiring a steady hand. Using a mouse almost feels like a cheat in that regard, which is why games like this often have some swaying built-in when aiming through iron sights or scope views. With a grounded mouse, you don't naturally experience the tremulous wavering of an object in an outstretched hand.

With this script, a bluetooth adapter, GlovePIE, and a Wii Remote and Nunchuk (which you undoubtedly already own), you're armed for modern warfare. Are you ready to enlist, or are you holding out for an announcement of a Wii port or spinoff? Or are you simply sitting out this tour and waiting for a return to the golden age of battle? Let us know down in the comments.

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Filed under: Features

Every Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.

Thought of by many as the "Disney of video gaming," Nintendo has crafted themselves an image of family-friendly entertainment. But to certain generations and classes of gamers, the term "family-friendly" is synonymous with "kiddy," and immediately sparks disinterest. But ever since publishing Rare's Killer Instinct, they've been working on broadening the public's perspective. Trying to appeal to the bloodlust of the Mortal Kombat crowd didn't give them any headway, and as generations progressed and they've garnered more "mature-themed" titles, they still haven't been able to shake the "kiddy console" stigma.

Even after snagging the exclusivity to the Resident Evil series for a generation, Nintendo was largely overlooked by the Playstation-bred gamers that were brought up on the series. How much more will it take for Wii to be regarded as a platform that can satisfy the tastes of mature gamers?

We're still waiting on the official lab results, but it's commonly accepted as fact that with advancement in age, the ability to appreciate bright colors diminishes. Or at least, that's the impression you'd get from listening to the ramblings of Mario-haters. In some circles, liking a game with muted tones such as Gears of War precludes enjoying something more vibrant like Kameo. Nevermind the mature themes and violent gameplay of the latter title, which distinguish it from other games that are similarly colorful and cartoony. It's written off as kid's stuff and passed over. This predilection for prejudgment may be what led Rare to drastically change the themes and gameplay of their first Conker game, but kept the vivid style to catch a few people off guard.

Definitely NOT kid's stuff

Why do some people believe the cartoonish settings of a Mario game make the sci-fi worlds in Mass Effect or the fantastic multiverses of Final Fantasy seem real in contrast? A gamer looking for realistic gameplay scenarios that adults are used to living out should logically be attracted to Nintendo exclusives like Trauma Center, Cooking Mama, or the upcoming Disaster: Day of Crisis. Why is it that violence, sex, and profanity are the brightest beacons for attracting people in search of "mature" content?

Regardless of whether your interests involve chainsawing rival drug dealers, turning zombies into swiss cheese, flipping burgers, or swimming alongside dolphins, Nintendo likely has something to offer you. They've worked hard to change consumers' perceptions of them, but it takes fanboys like us to get the message out and convert others.

With a new focus on expanding the market rather than overtaking competitors for existing marketshare, does Nintendo even need to change their image? Leave a comment to tell us how you'd run things if you were heading up Nintendo's marketing departments. I hear they have some openings.

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Every Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.

We are all aware that the Wii prints money, but while it's filling Nintendo's coffers, it's also spitting out greenbacks for game publishers and peripheral manufacturers. The expansion aspects of the Wii extend beyond anything we've seen before in a Nintendo console, and some companies are making a killing by exploiting that.

Will the creativity of these peripheral companies be put to use in creating innovative products for enhancing our Wii gaming experiences, or will we be stacking up more R.O.B.s in the closet to collect dust?

I'll be the first to admit that my homemade balance board wasn't the most practical add-on imaginable, but then again, I wasn't trying to sell the thing. The design of Nintendo's official Balance Board is far better conceived and looks to be versatile enough that it won't immediately become a giant paper - uh, carpet weight. Of course, there's never any guarantee of longevity, even with a versatile peripheral, or else we might still be playing with our Super Scope 6s.

The Wii followed the pattern of the Nintendo 64 in that it was designed with a focus on defiance of convention. But where the two differ is in how the Nintendo 64 made its then-novel 3D visuals the main attraction, while the Wii puts emphasis on input devices and social interaction off-screen. The Nintendo 64 had its share of controller add-ons like the Memory Pak, Rumble Pak, Gameboy Transfer Pak, and the Hey You, Pikachu! mic, but those were relatively small, and unintrusive, and beyond them the system wasn't taking up tons of space with accessories. Taking Gamecube backward compatibility into consideration, the extreme number of devices that can be attached to and used with the Wii can be overwhelming to anyone that doesn't have a dedicated games room or storage closet.

Back in the 80s, Nintendo claimed large amounts of real estate inside our houses for the storage of all the non-essential inputs devices that we as children couldn't resist. But even with a controller as flexible as the Wii's, we're bombarded with a selection of even-less-essential gear with which we can "enhance" its functionality. I didn't know I needed a laser sight on my lightgun shell in order to blast the undead into an eternal slumber. Well, considering that my Wiimote doesn't even aim directly where I'm pointing it, I guess I don't!

It may all boil down to Nintendo's quest to expand the gaming market getting out of hand. With an increasing number of people willing to spend money on home entertainment, they also bring with them the popular desire to adorn their electronics with fancy clothing, jewelry, and accessories. What used to be a desire to improve functions or ergonomics has become little more than "Pimp my Wiimote." Or maybe I'm wrong, and your backhand really does improve when you augment your controller to more closely resemble a racket.

We all had a laugh when the WiiHelm made its debut at ThinkGeek, but there are discussions in the Wiimote scripting community that suggest such a device might be in demand, at least for a niche market. Head tracking is considered by some to be the next frontier in the pursuit of the ultimate immersive gaming experience. Basically, wherever you turn your head to look, the game's camera would follow (albeit at a faster rate, so that you don't have to be turned completely away from the screen in order to swing the camera around 180 degrees). Sticking a Wiimote on your head, while making you look like a hopeless dork, would fit that role. Yet, the WiiHelm is meant as a joke, and products like this are a marketed reality.

Does your support for everything Wii include the purchasing of cosmetic add-ons? Which shells, skins, husks, or attachments have you found to be so cheesy, it makes you feel ashamed to confess your interest? Scroll down and leave a comment for discussion.

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Filed under: How-tos, Controller, Video, Homebrew, Features

Every Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.

Ever since the motion sensing ability of the Wiimote was revealed, Star Wars fans have been pleading for a game that would let them live out their Jedi fantasies, swinging the Wiimote in command of an onscreen light saber. Well, Lucasarts recently announced that the Wii will be getting a version of the multiplatform title, The Force Unleashed, a game that's expected to fulfill all your fantasies of being an power-infused enforcer with a luminous sword.

But Lucas & Co. haven't always given us just what we want. In 1999 they released the first chapter of the long-awaited Star Wars prequel trilogy, The Phantom Menace, to an audience that was expecting something more, well ... Star Wars-y. Jar Jar, midichlorians, and a pre-pubescent, mop-topped future-fascist didn't quite make for the hit we were hoping for, and the most exciting moment in the film was not a war or a fight scene, but a race. Lucasarts seemed to agree and developed a game based around that scene (albeit, filled out with more tracks and worlds). In this week's Revolutionary, we'll be using GlovePIE to see if the Wiimote and Nunchuk can keep up with the Jedi-like reflexes you'll need to stay in the lead in Star Wars: Episode I Racer.

A game that was a somewhat impressive on the N64 seemed half-hearted and underwhelming on the PC. Episode I Racer didn't exactly set PCs on fire with its low resolution textures, simplified geometry, and 30 frame-per-second ceiling. But gamers that could overlook the graphical shortfalls found a surprisingly deep racing game that featured a rich upgrading system and the ability to win the pods of other racers after defeating them on their "home" tracks.

As you progress through the game, buying parts to upgrade the pods in your possession, the game will get faster and faster. In time, you'll be blazing along tracks so fast, F-Zero GX will need to dump NOS in its G-diffuser to keep up, and you'll need to rely on the tingling of your Jedi senses to keep from colliding with obstacles in your path. Like GoldenEye 007, Episode I Racer worked great as a supplement to its corresponding film, further enhancing the intensity of the scene (or in GoldenEye's case - scenes).

In the movie, pod steering was controlled by the jet engines tethered to the front of it. More thrust on the right engine would cause the pod to turn left, and thrust on the left turned it right. The N64 offered the option of connecting a second controller and using both analog joysticks to imitate li'l Ani's setup. With this week's script, we aim to surpass that control scheme's coolness and authenticity.

The way this will work is to average the Roll of the Remote with the Roll of the Nunchuk into a variable. The value created will be the variable used to affect how hard we turn.

If Wiimote.Left
Key.Up = True
Else
Key.Up = False
EndIf
If Wiimote.Right
Key.Down = True
Else
Key.Down = False
EndIf

Key.Space = Nunchuk.Zbutton //Slide
Key.R = Nunchuk.Cbutton //Repair
Key.Alt + Key.F4 = Wiimote.Home //Quit
Key.Escape = Wiimote.Minus
Key.Enter = Wiimote.Plus

To cycle the camera views we're going to modify some code that we used in the Descent Trilogy script. We're only cycling through four camera views here, so we can simplify things, as we don't have to assign and run two variables concurrently, and there are only four values to cycle. Also, we'll move the camera cycling controls to the Wiimote's 1 and 2 buttons.

If !var.Init
Wiimote.LEDs = 1
var.View = 1
var.Init = True
EndIf

If pressed(Wiimote.1)
If var.View <= 1
var.View = 4
Else
var.View--
EndIf
var.CycleView = True
ElseIf pressed(Wiimote.2)
If var.View >= 4
var.View = 1
Else
var.View++
EndIf
var.CycleView = True
EndIf

The next part will check the value of the cycled variable and press the corresponding function key for that number. We'll also set the Wiimote's LEDs as a visual indicator of which view it should be in. Of course, if the script is working, you'll have a visual indication of it by the obviously changed view, but flourishes don't hurt, and this sort of thing can act as a debug outside of running the game.

If var.CycleView
If var.View = 1
Wiimote.LEDs = 1
press(Key.F1)
wait 30ms
release(Key.F1)
ElseIf var.View = 2
Wiimote.LEDs = 2
press(Key.F2)
wait 30ms
release(Key.F2)
ElseIf var.View = 3
Wiimote.LEDs = 4
press(Key.F3)
wait 30ms
release(Key.F3)
Else
Wiimote.LEDs = 8
press(Key.F4)
wait 30ms
release(Key.F4)
EndIf
var.CycleView = False
EndIf

Now we'll tackle the steering. If the variable we're going to create returns a negative value, the pod will steer right. Positive values will steer it left. We'll set the dead zone at 20 degrees. If the averaged roll of the Remote and Nunchuk is less than 20 degrees, the steering will stay on center.

If var.AvgSteer < -10 and > -20
Key.Right = True
wait 1ms
Key.Right = False
wait 1ms
ElseIf var.AvgSteer < -20 and > -30
Key.Right = True
wait 25ms
Key.Right = False
wait 1ms
ElseIf var.AvgSteer < -30 and > -40
Key.Right = True
wait 50ms
Key.Right = False
wait 1ms
ElseIf var.AvgSteer < -40
Key.Right = True
wait 100ms
Key.Right = False
wait 1ms
ElseIf var.AvgSteer > 10 and < 20
Key.Left = True
wait 1ms
Key.Left = False
wait 1ms
ElseIf var.AvgSteer > 20 and < 30
Key.Left = True
wait 25ms
Key.Left = False
wait 1ms
ElseIf var.AvgSteer > 30 and < 40
Key.Left = True
wait 50ms
Key.Left = False
wait 1ms
ElseIf var.AvgSteer > 40
Key.Left = True
wait 100ms
Key.Left = False
wait 1ms
Else
Key.Right = False
Key.Left = False
EndIf

The game has a function for rolling the pod left or right to squeeze through tight spaces. I figure this would be ideally mapped to tilting the controllers. Since we're oriented horizontally, I'll map this to Pitch and use averaged input again.

var.PodRoll = ((Wiimote.SmoothPitch - Nunchuk.SmoothPitch)/2)
If var.PodRoll < -40
Key.A = True
ElseIf var.PodRoll > 40
Key.D = True
Else
Key.A = False
Key.D = False
EndIf

With steering and the other controls in place, it's time to turn our attention towards making our pod go. Since the movie pods had acceleration working with the same controls as steering, we'll do the same.

If Wiimote.SmoothRoll and Nunchuk.SmoothRoll < abs(40)
Key.LeftShift = True //Boost
Wiimote.Rumble = 1
wait 1ms
Wiimote.Rumble = 0
wait 10ms
ElseIf Wiimote.SmoothRoll > abs(110) and Nunchuk.SmoothRoll > abs(110)
Key.S = True //Braking
Key.W = False
Else
Key.S = False
Key.W = True
Key.Space = False
Wiimote.Rumble = 0
EndIf

It's working! It's working!

I actually had a lot of fun playing the game with this script. Of course, it's more enjoyable when I don't have to hold my hands way up in the air for the camera to capture. But what do you think? Is the force strong with this one, or should it be dropped into the Sarlacc pit? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

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Filed under: Tech stuff, Homebrew, Features

Every Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.

Traditionally, consoles have had to carry over hardware from previous generations in order to offer backward compatibility. This can be thought of as a burden, as the costs of including that hardware might be better used increasing the specs and features of the system for the benefit of new games.

This generation marks a change in the method of operations in providing backward compatibility. The Xbox 360, Playstation 3 (in select models and territories), and Wii use a process known as software emulation to provide backward compatibility with their predecessors, so that they don't have to include that old hardware. What emulation does is allow one set of hardware to mimic the functions of another set of hardware. Emulation isn't a new technique, and it isn't exclusive to consoles. In fact, many people have been using it for years to play games on hardware other than for which it was developed.

Emulation has made it possible to play some games that were never mass produced on physical media. You may not have been aware that before the release of the Nintendo 64, a Super FX-powered sequel to Starfox was in development for the Super Nintendo. Chances are you'll never get to play the nearly-completed Starfox 2, but plenty of people have launched upgraded, transformable Arwings without flight clearance. A late build of the game was leaked, and some emulators are able to run it in all the splendor imaginable (with a budget of a few hundred unfiltered polygons).

Some traces of this are apparent in Starfox 64

Despite it being an astonishing achievement, the legality of running a game that hasn't been and is not intended to be released is questionable. The IP and game are still the property of Nintendo, and they can choose to release it at any time. Though the chances of this game coming out on the Virtual Console are slim to none, it remains within Nintendo's rights to market the product and profit from its distribution. Of course, that won't be happening if it's making its way through pirate channels.

And that's where emulation gets its stigma. Many people running emulators are doing so to play games they didn't pay for. Older, less complex consoles are more likely to have emulators that support all of their features and provide glitch-free gaming, and with time, the copy protection becomes easier and easier to circumvent. Consoles as recent as the Dreamcast and Playstation have games that are able to run flawlessly in emulation on PCs with average specs. It's even possible to play Playstation games on Dreamcast with software that was briefly distributed in retail. Moreover, there are upgraded Xbox hard drives filled with NES, SNES, Neo Geo and countless other consoles' games. It's no wonder console manufacturers try so hard to make sure that their closed platforms remain closed. (Though it should be stated that Nintendo doesn't seem to be trying as hard as the other guys.)

The inclusion of backward compatibility helps reduce the attractiveness of running unsanctioned emulators. "Acquiring" game ROMs and disc images, and then getting them to run is a hassle that most consumers would rather avoid, but there's no accounting for the value of something that may be perceived as being free. Conversely, there's something to be said for keeping your conscience clear. Piracy is theft, no matter how it's spun.

Now, if you've bought a game and want to run it on something other than a licensed console, there's some debate on the legality of that. Naturally, you can't slot an N64 cart into your computer and play away, so the ROM would have to be "ripped" to another physical medium. That process could involve the circumvention of copy prevention methods, and that may bring the DMCA into the equation. I'm no Johnny Cochran, but I know enough to tell you you don't want to be charged with violating the DMCA.

Seriously, don't try this at home!

So what do you do if you can't afford a game, but have a burning desire to experience it? Well, you could try and find a clone. You'd be surprised how many games have had elements of their gameplay "borrowed." Some clones come dangerously close to violating copyrights, and some blatantly cross the line. It's not always easy to tell what's okay to play, but if you're going to take a chance, you might as well throw in some Wiimote while you're at it. Some clones expand on the features established in the games they're imitating, and customization and modability may even make them more appealing.

As someone who is constantly extolling the virtues of arcade games and the arcade experience, I understand the yearning to have those games brought home, and the frustration in waiting in vain for them to be ported. Times are changing, though. Arcade games that weren't even considered for porting in their heyday are now making their way onto compilation discs and download services. Most of the Neo Geo catalog of console games had arcade counterparts, and are on schedule for VC release. And although we've yet to see a similar service in the Wii Shop, the Xbox Live Arcade is steadily bringing home classics.

A few companies have freely shared their old games after their marketability has run dry, but for the most part, if you're playing a game that hasn't been paid for and isn't expressly labelled as freeware - you're pirating. We must respect the rights of developers and publishers to make money with their products, and pirates are taking food off their dinner tables. Is official emulation and backward compatibility support solid enough to keep you from the dark side? Or are there games that you can't live without but don't foresee getting official support? Leave a comment for discussion.

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