Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 has three major modes in its Wii incarnation: arcade, campaign, and multiplayer. The arcade mode is an on-rails shooter, much like Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles. The game shoves you along a conveyor belt through a preset path of World War 2 carnage. The area I tried in this mode was a Nazi-infested submarine port in Normandy. The gameplay was very basic but entertaining. Your character has the ability to quickly duck behind objects to hide from enemy fire (think of the cover pedal used in Time Crisis). You can shoot sprays of bullets by firing the Wii remote's trigger or zoom in on distant enemies for precision sniping. Health packs hide throughout the landscape and can be picked up by simply shooting them. The arcade mode was obviously designed for a more casual light-gun styled experience, and considering this, it was actually a lot of fun to play. Although I only had time for one level, an EA spokesperson stated that the arcade mode was a full-fledged component of the game, equal in scope and importance to the single player campaign.
The game supports the
Wii Zapper and I have to second
Colette's opinion: it's not as cool as it should be. There were no problems with this game's implementation of the zapper and thankfully, you aren't required to use it. Besides being generally clunky and awkward, my main complaint with the
Wii Zapper is that it reverses your general idea of how you would fire a gun. For pointing purposes, the
Wii remote is encased at the front of this plastic contraption, with the analogue stick holstered further back. This setup creates a major problem: you're actually pulling the trigger to fire the gun with the wrong hand. It doesn't matter if you're left handed or right handed, however you hold this thing, you'll be firing it with your finger directly under the muzzle. I kept switching my hands back and forth trying to find a way to do this comfortably, but it continued to feel counter intuitive. There aren't many ways to resolve this problem with a peripheral that doesn't already have all of the
Wii controller functions built in. If you're looking for a cheap plastic casing to replicate the sensation of holding a gun, you might be looking for a long time.
After playing the arcade mode with the gleaming white death machine, I was able to move on to the single player campaign with an unadorned
Wii remote and
nunchuk combo. I had the
time of my life with
Metroid Prime 3 last week, and I admit that I did walk up to this game with a certain amount of premature schadenfreude over it's potential failure to stack up. Well, I was wrong. Is the egg showing? Rather than an isolated pocket of success,
Metroid might prove to be the game that leads the pack in an avalanche of well-designed first person controls. EA Canada's Matt
Tomporowski told me that his team had been enjoying Corruption and really admired the controls, "We really like it. We're big fans of the
Wii, big fans of Nintendo. The controls are great on
Metroid. What we did is we really learned from other games. Not only EA Games, but non-EA games for the
Wii that really get the remote."
The aiming controls for the campaign mode are responsive and sensitive, you are no longer required to flick the controller in an epileptic seizure in order to do basic game actions, you don't need to park your reticule in the corner of the screen before the camera performs a nauseating turn; in other words, they're a complete 180 from the controls in Vanguard. Speaking of 180s, there's even a handy command for instant 180 degree turns to snag enemies sneaking up behind you. Take that Samus! Heroes 2 also employs a smattering of context sensitive Wii remote controls. If you pick up a rocket launcher, you'll actually hold the Wii remote upside down over your shoulder to fire. There are sections where you'll need to clear land mines by waving the Wii remote slowly until it begins to vibrate. These unique implementations feel organic to the game, work as they should, and are generally unobtrusive.
Tomporowski elaborated, "What we did is, we had two priorities. One was: let's really nail the controls. The second was: let's make the best game, in terms of visuals, that we can on the Wii." Playing the actual game you'll be impressed by the muscle they were able to squeeze out of the Wii. EA confirmed that the game uses anti-aliasing technology, which has been a point of contention for many Wii detractors.
The
multiplayer mode might be the most exciting feature of the game. This section wasn't available to experience at
EA's offices yet, but the details sound promising. We'll be able to compete against 31 other players online in three different challenges: capture the flag, death match, and team death match. You can select between six different maps that feature similar settings to the single player campaign, but have been customized to improve the
multiplayer experience. When EA decided they would allow up to 32 players to compete, they knew they would need to ditch the friend code system and host the game on their own servers. I asked
Tomporowski if he found there was a lack of online infrastructure from Nintendo to support the game. He responded that it "was definitely a challenge. It wasn't for lack of desire or trying. You know, the
Wii's really new hardware. There's a lot of challenges. I think, long term, it's going to be easier and easier to develop with Nintendo online and we're going to be seeing a lot more
Wii games online. You know, at Christmas and next year. I think we're probably at the front of a big wave of online [games]."
Serious gamers will definitely be spending more of their time with the single player campaign and the multiplayer mode. The split focus between the arcade mode and the more traditional modes was a brilliant decision and should go a long way toward silencing those who thought the move to EA sullied the franchise's original feel. By focusing separately on a casual arcade mode and a more traditional single player campaign--rather than creating an awkwardly fused Frankenstein game out of both-- you end up with the best of both worlds, not the worst.
It seemed like there was a general acknowledgment on EA's behalf of the mistakes that occurred with Vanguard and a serious effort has been made to rectify those problems. There was a lot of talk of recreating and paying homage to the classic Medal of Honor feel. Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 hits the street for the Wii on November 13th, which means you'll only have one day to cuddle up next to bee suit Mario before jumping in to slay the Axis forces mercilessly and mit vernugen.
-icon.gif){kind=icon}
Oh man, I really want this game now.. last medal of honor game I ever played was allied assault for the pc, and that was the first lol. But for the wii, I WILL get this game... you bet your ass 32 players, hellll yeah.
Well I sounds a ton better than I was guessing, I may just pick this up, any ideas on an EU release date ?
That sounds pretty sweet. Maybe I will play it when I get a Wii someday. Of course this is EA so the online mode will be shut down by then =<.
Wait... really?
Wow. This sounds promising. I'm looking forward to trying this game out. Good form EA. Now do not disappoint us.
Anti-aliasing? Has hell frozen over?
"Sweet miasma" is an excellent phrase. Consider it stolen.
schadenfreude???????????????????????
you damned commie-nazi!!!
call Captain America!!!
Woah woah woah. Woah. 32 player online multiplayer? No friend codes? I thought this shit was impossible on the Wii!
Kudos EA Canada.
Big ups to EA on this one. I won't be sold till it actually comes out though and I egt to see that it actually has 32 player online. I'm very excited for this and I agree that MP3 did allot for developers in terms of how to make a FPS on Wii. 2 months till I'm one very happy little boy.
Oh and one more thing. I don't want lock on like MP3 but what I do want is what happens when you hit the Lock On button with no enemies around. I really hope they use this as well because that allows for on demand uninhibited accuracy.
Whoa EA Canada is making it? Isn't that the EA BIG guys? They always make solid games, except for NFL Street....... Danro! You finally have something to play on your Wii that isn't brightly colored and gimmick ridden. Haha.
Cooking Mama.......
This game is coming out the same week as Mario Galaxy??? They should move it before or later during the release date of Mario, because most like the masses of the Wii would purchase Mario rather than a WWII shooter. Anyways, I need to buy a Wii.
C
I choose D.
I choose PB because pb crisp is fucking awesome.
i pick B
The Zapper is disapponting, do you guys really get Mario Galaxy on November 12th?
I think you meant Time Crisis, Tristero.
I was at my local GameStop today with my brother trying to find a Wii game that I was actually interested in.
He pointed out Medal of Honor: Vanguard.
"What about this?" he asked.
Suddenly I travel back to two months prior, playing the game and trying to shoot a Nazi only two feet away from my screen. He kills me with a shovel.
"Bollocks", I lament in anger.
"These unique implementations feel organic to the game, work as they should, and are generally unobtrusive."
the implementations are carbon based!? woah EA
When are they going to make a WWII shooter where you play as a SS Trooper through single player. Think about it, we've played as the Canadians, the Russians, the British, and the Americans. I think it'd be interesting to "just follow orders" in a game.
(In case you're wondering, I'm attempting some humor here, no hate mail)
@deiga-the-semivaliant: Corrected. Thank you so much for saving me further embarassment.
@sunami88: I know, I deserve it.
@orcist: I'll license the phrase to you on the cheap. We're talking "friend prices".
Holy shit, I remember playing Vanguard...and I also remember shaking violently on the floor, afraid to come near it again.
EA, don't let us down on all the hype, this looks like it's worth it finally
Meh, no splitscreen or co-op makes it a no-go for it.
Also, the low-rez textures and the lack of dynamic lighting and projection shadows makes it look ancient.
The AI doesn't look anywhere as good as Allied Assault and the bodies disappear as soon as they die.
I'm not being picky, but I keep going back to the old MOH games, Allied Assault and Pacific Assault, along with Call of Duty 2 (In dirextx 7 mode) for my WW2 fix.
I mean, I know they're trying, but we've already played better games 6 years ago.
Look, I love the original Half-Life but I would hate to have an expansion pack released for it in 2007!!!
The only games I've seen so far with decent texture work on the Wii are Twilight Princess, Need for Speed Prostreet, Super Mario Galaxy and Brawl.
What is acceptable on the PS2 is not acceptable on the Wii!!! I played Frontline and European Assault as well as Rising Sun, but I want something way more high quality on the Wii.
Halo 1 and 2 are my benchmarks what I expect in multiplayer components on the Wii - that includes split screen and co-op.
Call me back when Call of Duty 3 or 4 finally get the same level of multiplayer on the Wii as the 360 and PS3 versions!!!
Wii games are always going to be second fiddle to games PS3, 360, and PC games if this keeps up.
I feel like I'm getting the short end of the stick when playing my Wii!!!
The Wii would be nothing without its first-party titles!!!
Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 could be done the 360 and PS3 but not the other way around.
The only reason Nintendo released the Wiimote is so that they wouldn't have to make new architecture, but reuse the Gamecube, over-clock it and shovel over projects they've been working on the Gambecube (Mario 128 - Galaxy, Brawl, Metroid Prime 3, Zelda, et cetera). All the while they're making at least a $50 profit on every Wii since launch if not more by now, unlike Microsoft and Sony who lose money on hardware.
If Nintendo had done what Microsoft had done, lost at least $150 dollars on each unit at launch, the Wii would have had about $200 worth of hardware in it, making it HD capable with a hard drive of some sort and maybe even online play from the start.
Stop making excuses for Nintendo people!!!
No High-Definition, that's alright it has Mario.
No Hard-Drive, that's alright it has Mario.
No Online at launch, that's alright it has Mario.
Without the brand name Nintendo and the First-Party games, Nintendo wouldn't be selling half as well as it is now.
Don't give me this, "Oh Nintendo only makes video games and consoles, they don't have the money for that."
You know what? I don't care.
I'm a consumer. I don't care about Nintendo, I don't care about Sony, I don't care about Microsoft.
They're companies nothing more.
I want to see Nintendo offer me the same or better quality services that Microsoft and Sony offer.
If Microsoft or Sony would have done such things, people would have been pissed.
I'm sick of this shit.
I don't want to play PS2 and PSP ports or some minuscule updates when there are better, affordable alternatives available.
But people somehow eat it up.
Well someone certainly has a lot to say on the matter.
I would gobble this game up, if it had split screen. As it is, im not so sure.
And Nintendo is offering me the greater service, because they are releasing the games i want. Give me Brawl, give me Mario, give me Zelda, and I'm happy. The other things are the icing on the cupcake.
@lubczyk
yuh know the simple solution is to just ignore the wii since you don't care about nintendo.
@BigKev
To each his own.
Personally I can't stomach Zelda games anymore.
I mean I'm pretty sure in the next Zelda there's going to a forest temple, a fire temple, a water temple, et cetera, cetera with Ganan as the end boss.
I love Mario, but having only Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart Wii for the next 6 years isn't enough for me.
I never really cared for Metroid or Super Smash Bros. so those are no goes for me.
To put it simply, I'd like to have at least 3 good online multiplayer/split-screen racing games, 3 good multiplayer/split-screen shooters(Gears of War, Splinter Cell, Call of Duty 3, Medal of Honor), 3 good and different fighting games (Street Fighter, Guilty Gear, King of Fighters, maybe even Dead or Alive), an adventure game or two (Zelda is not enough), several different and good RPGs (stuff like Persona and Disgaea) which exclude any of that Final Fantasy and Xenosaga CG cutscenes borefests.
Look, the thing with Nintendo is that they'll give us a platformer, its just i'd like to have a couple to choose from. Nintendo will give us a Mario Kart racing game, its just that Mario Kart Excite Truck and Need for Speed Prostreet and Legnds of the Indy 500 is kind of slim pickings as far as racing games go.
I don't just want to have a shooter, I want a wide selection of shooters, I don't just want a racing game, I want a wide array of racing games. I don't just want an RPG, I want a couple of RPG's.
Some people might be happy with one Metroid, one Super Smash Bros, One Mario Kart, Two Zeldas, one Resident Evil light-gun game, one Residetn Evil port, and one 2 MOH spin-off games originally designed around the PSP and PS2 respectably, but I'm not.
That's just the way I feel.
I felt bad when I found out that Madden 08 on the Wii had more in common with the PS2 version than the 360/PS3 versions and that Godfather - Blackhand Edition looked more like the Xbox version than the 360 version.
Everything may change in 08, but I got this feeling that everyone except Nintendo is going to put their 4th and 5th tier teams on the Wii, will put all their AAA development team games to the 360 and PS3.
@lubcysbzjs
I think what BigKev meant is that you should probably not spend so much time online bashing Nintendo when you OBVIOUSLY don't care about Nintendo. Right?
Sheesh.
Look I bought the Wii thinking that all the 3rd parties would immediate put their top teams on it.
The motto of the Wii is "Wii would like to play" so I thought most games would have split-screen, co-op, online components. It is turning out not to be the case.
I've got 4 wiimotes and 4 nunchukes and games like this come out that don't even support splitscreen.
Half the games Nintendo releases have no true multiplayer component (Metroid, Zelda, Mario Galaxy) leaving only Mario Kart Wii, Brawl, Strikers and Excite Truck.
I think Nintendo is just using "Wii would like to play" as a sales pitch and not really looking into extending too deeply into the online territory.
Then crap like Medal of Honor Heroes 2 come out and you can only play one person per console.
I hate that at E3, Reggie spent most of his time emphasizing the casual gamer, the Wii Zapper and WiiFit.
I mean it's really sad when Halo Combat Evolved from years ago has more multiplayer features than the latest "Wii" game.
Metroid was an alright experience, but I felt kinda empty afterwards with it not having any multiplayer component.
Where's the Wii's Halo or Goldeneye, or Perfect Dark or even Gotham City Racing, or Splinter Cell (a full-featured one) or Persona?
I think I'm just experiencing buying remorse.
I think I'll pick up a 360 once all the hardware issues are sorted out at the beginning of next year.
@lubczyk:
Thanks for bringing up so many thoughtful points. While I disagree with some of them, I really like that you back up all your contentions with detailed reasons. I too am disappointed by the Wii, but unlike other haters, I truly want to see it succeed. I think that both of us serve a useful function. We need people to call Nintendo on their sh*t when they're slacking. We also need people to promote games that make a step in the right direction.
Man, you do realise that this is Wii's first year? Why is anyone surprised or disappointed with the lack of numerous amazing games so far, the first year launch period is traditionally a bland time for any console. Even the mighty DS and had a crap launch year.
Why would anyone want Metroid to have a mulitplayer component? Metroid games are all about isolation, exploration, soaking up the atmosphere and puzzle solving. How would these characteristics work in multiplayer? "You stop and explore that beautiful alien architecture, whilst I solve this puzzle, then we'll go and explore some more exotic yet haunting locations together."
Multiplayer is not suited to all games, just because it can be added doesn't mean it should be. Seems like people want every single game to offer the same thing. If I was a developer I would just add a Halo multiplayer option onto to every game I made, regardless of what genre it is, that way, everyone will be safe in the knowledge that no matter what type of game they buy, it will feature Halo online multiplayer. Everyone's happy.
@zardoz
I have to disagree with your assessment. I believe the 360 comparatively had a strong launch year.
At launch you had Perfect Dark Zero, Call of Duty 2, both good games which had online multiplayer components.
At launch, the Xbox 360 had Project Gotham Racing 3 and Ridge Racer 6 both of which were online enabled.
In the first 6 months, the Xbox 360 had Oblivion - an online MMORPG.
In the first 6 months, the Xbox 360 had F.E.A.R. with online multi along with G.R.A.W. and Quake 4.
Those were (I've played them all at a friend's house) great games and they still are.
The PS3 launch was quite weak but still quite good.
At launch the PS3 had Resistance - Fall of Man (A great single and multiplayer game) along with Ridge Racer 7, Call of Duty 3, Fight Night Round 3, along with Tiger Woods 07 all of which had multiplayer of some sort.
As you may notice I've excluded mediocre games like Need for Speed - Carbon and Most Wanted and Madden - bad games but they still had online multiplayer.
Wii had Zelda, Excite Truck, the crappy version of Call of Duty 3 and Madden.
If Metroid Prime 3 had been a launch title like originally promised we wouldn't have had to suffer through terrible games like Call of Duty 3, Red Steel and Far Cry - Vengeance.
Since the N64, Nintendo has never, and I repeat, never had a decent release schedule.
I am really pissed at Nintendo about Metroid:
Reggie "Metroid Prime 3: Corruption will be a launch title and Mario Galaxy and Brawl will be available within the next 6 months" - whoops what happened there?
Metroid Prime 3 has been delayed from launch till March, from March till June, from June till August.
I hate how Nintendo dangles the carrot right in front of our faces: "Oh, Metroid is right around the corner."
Oh, "Oh, when it's perfect, soon!!"
Stop f33king with me Nintendo!!!"
Just say "It's not done yet, it's not gonna be a launch title, right now the game is TBA 07, that's it." Stop giving us these BS release dates when sure as hell Nintendo knows it's not coming out then.
Reggie and Nintendo knew that Metroid and Smash Bros. would not be ready in the first 6 months after launch but they lied to our faces anyway!!!
In that stage of development you know whether know whether the game will be finished in less than 6 months, or more than 6 months.
That's why I'm counting on third-parties to keep me supplied with games at regular intervals like the 360 owners have been. But so far they've been shoveling out shit carried over from the PS2 and PSP.
That's what I hate most about Nintendo, they string you along with imminent game releases that take months sometimes years.
I bought the Wii because I thought that Nintendo was serious about not ever giving us a software drought with Reggie's and Miyamoto's promises that they were serious about getting the third-parties on board.
I wish that Nintendo Seal of Quality stood for something nowadays.
Stuff of Call of Duty 3 Wii, Red Steel, Spider-Man 3 Wii, and other garbage should have not been released even if it meant Nintendo themselves withholding their own seal of quality.
I mean Sony had online at launch, why shouldn't we hold Nintendo up to the same standard?
Because they're not HD? Because it's not about graphics?
We clamor for online, yet we buy sub-par shit in droves!!
Think about it, you and I want Brawl to have online, but you'll buy it even if has no online. Nintendo knows this, so why should they bother putting in online if people will buy it regardless?
I want Resident Evil 5 on the Wii and yet most Wii owners are willing to settle for less by Buying a Gamecube port and a on-rails shooter. If we boycotted Umbrella Chronicles, at least it could force Capcom to try to port Resident Evil 5 over and not be lazy about it. If Umbrella Chronicles sells well, why should Capcom even try?
If Wii owners continue to buy light-gun games, they'll keep making light-gun games.
If you keep buying PS2 and PSP ports, they're keep making PS2 and PSP ports.
Getting back on point:
If games like Medal of Honor Heroes 2 sells well on Wii, EA will continue to make its next big project for the 360, PS3, and PC while porting one of their side-projects from the PS2, PSP onto the Wii.
Heroes 2 might have a version built specifically for the Wii, but it was conceptualized around the PSP.
Mark my words, Heroes 2 began life as an idea for the PSP and then put on the Wii as an afterthought, remember that.
Nintendo purposefully strings us along, because it sells consoles to pretend they have more games coming out soon. Watch out for Christmas this year.
I'm new. Hello everybody! I had to just pop in and say a few things. I've been content with simply reading the articles and comments and watching the shit hit the fan in more ways than one, but something about lubczyk's comments just rub me the wrong way and I feel the urge to address them. The following is directing squarely at lubczyk.
I'm having trouble following your frame of mind. You state in your first post that you don't care about Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, or any of the other big game companies. They are just faceless corporations and nothing more. For someone who says he doesn't care about these companies, you certainly sound like a jilted lover who has been cheated on numerous times, each time right before your eyes on the bed you and Nintendo share. Your first post reads like a stock anti-Nintendo propaganda piece, but then your following post reads like a lament over a corrupted childhood superhero. I'm lost here... are you a Nintendo fan whose expectations haven't been met or are you a crusader against the Big N and its platoon of casual consumers? A little consistency in your tone and attitude will help me a lot.
That said, a lot of your arguments against Nintendo seem to stem from failed promises that were never given in the first place and wacky conspiracy theories. I will try to touch upon them in the order I noted them:
1. Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, according to you, is the latest in a series of half-assed efforts. Ummmm... what? I can't quite understand where this is coming from... the most robust online component in a Wii game yet, a control scheme that has been refined after careful study of past failures and current successes, but it's a lazy title that should be worked on longer? What lofty expectations YOU have, my friend! It's also odd that you should state that the lack of split-screen multiplayer is a major drawback. Multiplayer Wii games so far have been nothing but offline affairs, split-screen when applicable, and even at that, the intertubes get all in a frenzy because "the Wii has failed in delivering online yet again." So a studio actually DOES something online, and even has the courtesy to dump friend codes entirely, but lack of split-screen is a hang up? By the way, before making statements like, "The AI doesn't look anywhere as good as Allied Assault," and, "I mean, I know they're trying, but we've already played better games 6 years ago," either wait for the final reviews or actually play the game yourself. Unless you've discovered time travel or have in your possession "instant discs" similar to Spaceballs's "instant cassettes," you are in no position to make those claims.
2. Funny how call this game lacking in decent textures and then tout the textures in Twilight Princess as one of the Wii's highlights. If I'm not mistaken, even the most generous of reviews for that game said that while Zelda had magnificent art direction, a lot of textures were extremely muddy compared even to mid-life-cycle GameCube games. Are you sure there aren't other games that could have replaced that? Off the top of my head, I know that Resident Evil 4 had better textures.
3. Halo 1 and 2 are your benchmarks against which Wii multiplayer games are measured? Do you hold this standard across the board with every major console? So if a multiplayer doesn't have every single feature that Halo 2 has, you are going to downplay it? Seriously? It seems odd that someone would turn away from a potentially solid game simply because it didn't copy Halo's structure to the letter.
4. You go into Nintendo's marketing strategies. I hope you aren't a business major, because it seems like solid business to want to, you know, actually turn a profit on hardware. If anything, there should be more criticism against Sony and Microsoft for taking all those losses in the hopes that enough people will buy the things so that the money can be made back via software and peripheral sales. That's the real gamble here. There seems to be this rising segment of "teh hardcore" web rats who are demanding that companies undercut their merch just so they can feel like they are getting so much gosh-darn value per dollar. It's gotten to the point where they are dissatisfied if the companies AREN'T dumping money into a hole in the ground. Look, I won't lie to you: I would LOVE it if all the major consoles dropped to sub-100 retail price tags tomorrow, but that isn't how the market works. The more cuts you make, the more likely you won't get a dime for your efforts. There is no reason why anyone should be upset over a company making money on their investments sooner rather than some ambiguous later.
5. Regarding first-party titles, I will say just this. Regardless of many times a particular franchise is milked, Nintendo's titles consistently garner more critical acclaim than any other first-party company in the industry's history. I would expect that the people who MAKE the machine should know how to best USE the machine. That's a big "duh" right there.
6. By the way, concerning Metroid as an "alright experience" lacking multiplayer, if BioShock can get away without it and not catch any serious flack for it then this shouldn't either. I don't have to go into details concerning Metroid's legacy and its brief stints with multiplayer modes because that would take too much time. Metroid is a traidtionally single-player franchise, END OF STORY.
7. The rest of your comments can be lumped together in the "third-party blues" pool. You seem like the king of gamer who, when the Wii was first announced, assumed it was a no-brainer that third parties would flock to Nintendo like the prodigal son, asking forgiveness for not supporting the N64 and GameCube. Here's the reality: Nintendo no longer felt like it could compete in the arms race that the console business had become given declining hardware sales over the previous decade, so it decided to take the hardware in a completely different direction. The "laziness" of the Wii's design, by the way, wasn't just something slapped together with popsicle sticks and Elmer's Glue. It was carefully planned with low-cost in mind. People buy it not only for the new controller but also for the low price. A lot of detractors like to point to that as some sort of damning evidence of Nintendo's shallow attempts at hardware design, but it was a point Nintendo had been touting all along. They weren't hiding the fact that a low price would be more appealing. The bigwigs TOLD US THAT COUNTLESS TIMES.
But I digress. Third parties... they see a Nintendo that has been lagging behind for two generations. They see a little white Wii Remote that throws all conventions out the stained-glass window. Two and two equals, "No thank you, Nintendo. You guys are fuckin' NUTS! We're going to go hang with the big boys now. Happy trails!" So what are we left with? Low-budget basement coders, pretty much, who churn out tech demos because they don't have the creative capacity for anything else. When Wii becomes a hit against all odds, the bigger third parties become antsy. This probably went through their heads: "Gee... I really would like some of that Wii money, but I still think its a fad that will hit a brick wall at any moment. I don't want to invest too much money in something that could bite me in the ass... fourth-string coders! Go! Port some PS2 games and scour the PopCap site for some quick-fix ideas!"
It's only after the Wii officially became known as the fastest-selling console in history in the past few months that a lot of these fence-sitters realized that the Wii is here to stay. There are still others who can't shake the "Wii bubble" notion, but these other companies are now willing to put some damn effort into Wii software development. We are only seeing a trickle of serious labors now. Those fence-sitters just decided to get off their asses, like, a month or two ago! I'm not surprised that they haven't shown jack yet. I'm sure you heard EA recently, saying that they were wrong to show little concern for the Wii and that they were shifting resources away from other sectors in order to craft finer Wii software. Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 is just one of the first of the "Wii: Serious Business" titles that are coming down the pipeline. More will appear as the seconds tick away.
As for the casual audience... why should anyone feel concerned, huh? The PS1 and PS2 thrived on casual gamers. Look at all the licensed shovelware for those things, man! Third parties aren't stupid, you know. They know "teh hardcore" is where the real money is made. Those are the consumers who can walk into GameStop and leave with a dozen shrink-wrapped titles and return the next week because "this game drought is KILLING me!" The casuals are just around because market penetration is nifty little statistic to slap on a pie chart in order to convince game honchos to play the money-making game on the "winning team."
That's enough for now. I'm sure I've said more than I needed to say and this may come across as a general letter of damage control. Whatever.
Feel free to rain on Nintendo's parade. We all know the fault of the Wii, and the fact that by releasing a Wii hard drive, Nintendo could solve more problems, upload demos, and get more developers on board. Either way you either like ther games or not.
This MoH game is commendable. 32 players online is cool, I just hope EA shift the thing with a headset. Nice to see EA trying harder to fix previous efforts. Who cares that it isn't as hot as PS3/360, we had plenty of fun on the original Xbox, didn't we? I saw no one complaining then. Suck it up and have fun.
So yeah, a Wii headset (I know EA released one with Boogie, i think) and hard drive are two things that would change the Wii's fortunes for more games from developers, but Nintendo disappointingly fail to understand this and them being a vital part of online gaming. If there's no Wii single 3rd headset available by the time Mario Kart Online hits, the experieince is gonna loose something. How long will it take Nintendo to learn this?
@lubczyk
I hope you don't think Oblivion is an MMORPG because quite evidently you've not played it. Also your rant didn't seem to go anywhere, decent online content will turn up sooner or later I just wouldn't rely on EA providing it.
This is the comment section, all. Not the doctoral thesis section.
If you are that passionate about a topic, blog it. The button is at the top of the screen.
Thank you.
In other news, I'm excited to see another potentially great FPS for the Wii. If there is any genre this system SHOULD be able to crank out exceptional versions of one after another it's FPS games. Why it took a year to get this straight, I dunno. But I'm glad companies are making the effort and getting the results.
I personally love the doctoral thesis responses. Thanks for jumping in megaStryke.
I didn't know they let you make comments that big. I know I've tried.
I wonder if this game will be a big deal. I'm not sure if comign otu at around the same time as Mario Galaxy. A lot of Wii owners don't ev3en care about Mario. They bought the Wii for the controller and because it was cheap.
It will be interesting to see if the first onling FPS on the Wii will make waves, or if Halo will just kill it (and every other FPS for that matter). I'd like to think that MOH: Heroes 2 could make some impact, especially for the X-Mas season.
Halo is Halo, simple as that. Bungie knows how to rock an online infrastructure like nobody's business and they have transformed the inclusion of multiplayer into an art form. Would I love everyone to be able to replicate such a robust system? Most definitely! At the same time, not every company works like Bungie, and they have priorities that they'd rather address first. In any case, the only times Nintendo should be faulted in this regard is when it is THEIR software in the spotlight. This MoH game is EA's baby; get on their case if your cockles haven't been warmed. It's not the fault of the Wii hardware that EA could ONLY offer a friend code-less 32-player frag fest at a smooth 60 frames per second. Some people want to make the effort, some people are simply not gung-ho enough.
@megaStryke
When I am talking about the “faceless” corporations and that I don’t care about them, I am talking about not having a personal bias for or against any particular one. I don’t favor Nintendo products over Sony products or Microsoft products over Nintendo products. I did not buy my Wii because of the Nintendo brand name alone. I bought it of what promises Nintendo made:
1. Faster game development. Not having to force High-Definition and a Gamecube like architecture. The Xbox 360 has a very different architecture from the Xbox. The PS3 has a very different architecture from the PS2. I thought that Gamecube development would be very similar to PC development – Today’s PC are more powerful than those 8 years ago – but the way games are developed on them is still very much the same. I thought that instead of having triple 3.0 Gigahertz cores like the 360 or an 8 cpu core PS3 Cell, the Wii would have like a vary efficient 6 Gigahertz single core with an PowerPC architecture that mimics a mac or powerhouse pc. That’s what I envisioned on the Wii. I thought that the Wii would be capable of 720p and 1080p, but that Nintendo would also allow 480p games to be released on it, meaning that games wouldn’t have to be HD enforced just for the sake of it.
2. Free Online – Wow that’s amazing, I mean Microsoft charges for its online service. I wasn’t expecting Xbox Live!, but I was expecting PC like service. Voice Chat, maybe even dedicated servers, low ping times. I mean Nintendo must have been doing something in the 6 years when the Gamecube’s online service being virtually nonexistent and Xbox Live! running circles around it and the PS2 network being not too shabby. I mean I really enjoyed playing Metal Gear Solid 3 Online along with Pacific Assault on the PS2 along with Burnout.
How is it that the PS3 has a better online network than the Wii? They both launched at almost the same time with only a week apart. Every major publication and news story I’ve read lumps the Wii in with the NexGen (or CurrentGen if you wish, but I’ll use NexGen for the sake of argument) consoles of 360 and PS3. Even when lumped in with LastGen Console? The PS2, Gamecube and Xbox 1, it still falls short. Nintendo had more than 7 years to look at the PS2 and Xbox online networks, both of which sold better than the Gamecube. Shoot, they could have even looked at the Dreamcast. They had already implanted Wi-fi for the damn DS so why not the Wii. They’re not new to the online gig – they’re already doing it with the DS for some time now.
Why is it that people say that single-player is more important than single-player, that online is better than split-screen, that local Co-op is better than online play? As if all of these are mutually exclusive? Look at Gears of War by Epic, Local multiplayer, online multiplayer, great single-player, online and local co-op?
Metroid Prime 3 is great but I only paid $20 for it from a friend who after he had beaten it and saw no need for it. Spending 50 bucks for a game with almost no replay value is a hard choice to make.
The reason I care is because I bought a Wii, and 3 additional Wiimotes and Nunchukes like 7 games, and I don’t feel I’ve got my money’s worth. I feel I would have been better served buying an Xbox 360, buying 2 or 3 games that include online multi and duking it out with friends.
The Online games that do exist on the Wii suck – Mario Strikers Charged haw an awful online. If someone is losing against you, they merely have to disconnect and you don’t get the win. That kills the whole leader boards aspect. I’ve seen people do the same thing on the DS and I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be the same deal in Heroes 2 and Mario Kart Wii. Metroid Prime Hunters, Mario Kart DS and the first Medal of Honor Heroes were full of cheaters that never got banned. Is Nintendo or the 3rd parties going to address the issues on the Wii – judging from previous experience, I believe not. Sony Microsoft networks have cheaters too but at least they try to deal with them.
On the topic of EA and other third-parties:
Have you seen the games they dropped online support for recently?:
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/03/ea-to-remove-online-servers-for-49-games/
September 1, 2007 Online Service Shutdown
Arena Football for PlayStation 2
Arena Football for Xbox
FIFA Soccer 06 for Xbox 360
FIFA Soccer 06 for PC
FIFA06 for PC
FIFA Soccer 06 for PlayStation 2
FIFA Soccer 06 for PlayStation Portable
FIFA Soccer 06 for Xbox
FIFA World Cup 2006 for PC
FIFA World Cup 2006 for PlayStation 2
FIFA World Cup 2006 for PlayStation Portable
FIFA World Cup 2006 for Xbox
Fight Night Round 3 for PlayStation Portable
Fight Night Round 3 for Xbox
Madden NFL 06 for Xbox 360
Madden NFL 06 for PC
Madden NFL 06 for PlayStation 2
Madden NFL 06 for PlayStation Portable
Madden NFL 06 for Xbox
Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects for PlayStation 2
Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects for Xbox
MVP 07 NCAA Baseball for PlayStation 2
MVP 07 NCAA Baseball for Xbox
NASCAR 06 Total Team Control for PlayStation 2
NASCAR 06 Total Team Control for Xbox
NBA Live 06 for Xbox 360
NBA Live 06 for PC
NBA Live 06 for PlayStation 2
NBA Live 06 for PlayStation Portable
NCAA Football 2005 for Xbox
NCAA Football 2006 for PlayStation 2
NCAA Football 2006 for Xbox
NCAA March Madness 06 for PlayStation 2
NCAA March Madness 06 for Xbox
NFL Head Coach for PC
NFL Head Coach for Xbox
NFL Head Coach for PlayStation 2
NHL 06 for PC
NHL 06 for PlayStation 2