Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam Review

By John Walker Published 15 December, 2006

A wiimote chance of this matching Project 8.

Version tested: Wii

The potential of the Wiimote, as I will forever insist on calling it, is enormous, and for many excited developer puppies it will be overwhelming. While the new Monkey Ball wasted some opportunities with the crappy party games, the natural and instinctive use of a motion sensitive controller for the regular levels feels like this is how the series was always designed to be played. A skateboarding sim, however, does not.

Skateboards are long and thin, and point forward. Wii controllers are long and thin, and point forward. We have synergy. So the first surprise comes, in this first console Hawk game not to come from Neversoft, as you are instructed to turn the Wii controller sideways and hold on with both hands. The second surprise comes when the menus require you to scroll through with the d-pad, including when entering your name from the on-screen keyboard. It's only been a week, and this already feels like the antiquated way your grandmother entered her initials into videogames when she was young and the war was on. You've got a pointer in your hands, and it won't let you point.

So this is downhill skating, like the recent DS game of the same name, in a variety of competitive formats, in locations around the world. Think SSX on skateboards. The designers certainly were.

There's a cast of cartoon stereotypes - a goth, a jock, a bimbo, a Brit, a stoner, etc. These, in a bid to mimic SSX, are sassy and full of asides and remarks, each interviewed before a race to voice some inane drivel you'll quickly learn to skip past. Tony is there too, but in this crowd and context he's only showing up to give the game the shop-friendly boost of his name. This has little to do with the Tony Hawk games we love, and as such his involvement is reflectively perfunctory. As one character declares, "Why does this get to be called Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam? Why can't it be Armondo Ootbagh's Downhill Jam?" He makes a good point.

'Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam' Screenshot 1

Leaping through the rings puts things into the now obligatory slowmo, so you can cram in more tricks. But no Nail The Trick, very sadly.

You'll have noticed by now that the Wiimote doesn't have very many buttons. Tony Hawk games have traditionally used forty-seven buttons. Oddly, rather than streamline it for a racing game, the choice here has been to stack things up. The 2 button, on the right side of the controller, is for crouch and ollie. The 1 button for grind. Makes sense. Then there's grab tricks, which are on the, um, 2 button. And flip tricks on the - is this right? - 1 button. And then there's the combat. (Combat?!). Which is on the... hang on... yes, which is on the 1 button. And manual? They've taken that out. Why?! So if you're the sort who holds down the ollie before landing, to ensure speed is maintained, you'll be grab tricking your descent like a loony, or punching a passer-by in the face.

But no, you don't bail as a result. Bailing a trick in Downhill Jam is very difficult indeed. It requires hitting an object to have any good chance, somersaults always miraculously completed before you meet concrete. In fact, falling off your board, in a deviation with every Hawk game before, involves crashing into walls, cars, poles, etc. This to the uninitiated may appear to make sense, but for a Hawk game fan, it will be a striking difference. Objects are traditionally bounced off, meaning you can enjoy high speeds without constantly stopping your game. So in Downhill Jam - a game all about high speeds - it's the strangest design decision imaginable. In levels that are mostly blind corners, putting massive objects in the middle of the course, and indeed in the path of grinds, causes far too many unfair stoppages. Shake the controller to get back up, and it will place you back on the course, too often facing the wall. Or even more often, half a mile from where you fell over, even on a different route. It just doesn't make sense to have done this.

(Those replacing moments aren't all bad, however. Fall off a cliff in the more exotic locations and the game will often generously plonk you into first place, leagues ahead of your opponents. Thanks game! Are you sure?)

The Wii-based innovation is the steering. You steer by tipping the Wiimote left and right, and you accelerate or decelerate with forward and backward. But try telling my left thumb that. No matter how long I play, my digit is all too aware that it would all work a lot more effectively if I could only steer with the d-pad. There's nothing horrifically wrong with the leaning control, but it just doesn't feel instinctive in the same way as tipping a Monkey Ball track might, or reaching for a backhand in Wii Tennis does. It works, although struggles on the tightest bends, but it's not quite a revolution in skateboard gaming.

'Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam' Screenshot 2

The split-screen two-player can be very confusing on the tight corners.

Rather than the traditional requirement to finish a number of challenges in a location to unlock the next, Downhill Jam has random tasks in random places, presented in higgledy-piggledy pyramids. It's enormously disjointed, and seems to offer nothing beneficial. But it sure won't make you feel bad at the game for a while! It was 19 challenges before I failed one. And another 15 before I failed another.

However, once you're past this first couple of hours, the difficulty does rise enough, and on the longer challenges (the majority are exceptionally brief, as quick as 30 seconds), discovering the shortcuts and mastering the routes to reach them becomes occasionally entertaining. The opponents get tough, and will use every sneaky route available. And there's an awful lot to do. Dozens and dozens of challenges, and a big bunch of characters with which to complete them. There's constant ranking up, new boards, and new costumes for the Barbie fans. Grinds become the key to success, and perhaps the most distinguishing feature between this and SSX. You can discover the best shortcuts, and the most interesting routes this way, and each level is crammed with secrets.

The trouble is, it's just too flaky. I've crossed the finish line with "1st" at the top of the screen and been declared 2nd on the scoreboard at least three times now, and even more confusing is midway through a race when the indicator starts flashing manically between "1st" and "Last", or announcing you in last place after you've just overtaken a group of skaters. It's possibly struggling to keep up, especially with the multiple routes, but in the elimination rounds most of all, this is just rubbish. Then there's getting stuck on scenery, cars screeching to a halt in front of you for no reason and taking you out of a race, or the crazed track-replacing after the game knocks you over. It stops feeling fair.

Spins and tricks are a bit of a fiddle to pull off with the Wiimote, when simply letting us add in the nunchuck would have provided the necessary analogue stick. The plastic bar is rolled around in your hands to do somersaults, waved back and forth for spinning, etc. You can see that steering in driving games has potential with the side-on controller, but not for those that require three times as many buttons as are on offer. This is everything Project 8 did something about - replacing button-mashing with a trick system of sheer, undiluted majesty. DJ is a mash-fest of the highest order, and as such (and especially without manuals) feels like a giant backward step.

'Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam' Screenshot 3

Don't skate in the dark, kids. Or indeed on vertical streets.

But worse, far worse, Downhill Jam makes me feel clumsy. I am clumsy, but Tony Hawk games have always made me feel svelte and nimble. That's absent here. I want to feel nimble! The awkwardness of the controls combined with the idiotic collision punishment removes the fluidity that makes the series so pleasant.

And so what we have here is an average SSX copy, which wouldn't receive half the disappointment it deserves if it had just called itself Super Wii Downhill Ultra Skateboard Mega Challenge, and left Tony out of it. Despite the ploppy nature of some of the post Pro Skater games, the series still deserves a strong reputation, underlined by last month's completely stunning Tony Hawk's Project 8. Downhill Jam fails to meet those standards, and so, while a middling gnarly-o-tricks-a-thon, should have been so much more.

There's multiplayer for up to four players at least, but you're going to need a giant TV. Anything less than widescreen and it's very hard to make out the course once the screen's split in two. Unfortunately, the same clumsy feel and lack of fairness hinders this too, and it won't be the party game to push Wii Sports out of your machine.

Well then, it took lots of complaining to get here, didn't it? In the end (this is the end), Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is a mild downhill racer with too many glitches, and beyond the grinding, nothing to do with its licence. The Wiimote controls don't ruin it, despite the madness of the button use, but they don't add anything a regular analogue stick couldn't have made easier. I'd say stick to Project 8 on the Xbox 360 if you can. If you can't, just know that this isn't the Wii equivalent, and it doesn't feel like a proper member of the franchise.

5 / 10

P.S. I owe the people at Vicarious Visions an apology. In reviewing their DS version, I was very surprised by the drop in quality after their sequence of excellent handheld ports. Having seen the materials with which they began, I've now a lot more respect for the game (although of course it still earns the same mediocre mark). They had the good sense to undo a lot of the mistakes Toys For Bob have made. They put manuals back in, made bails related to tricks, and made many of the modes more interesting. Kudos guys.

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About John Walker

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Comments (59) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • petebritish #1 5 years ago

    The review i have been waiting for thanks EG think i will stick to TP 8. good review though
    Edited by 1 at 15/12/06 @ 13:07

  • rashes #2 5 years ago

    seems to be a lot of low scores for Wii games. (aside from the obvious exceptions)

  • elvenearth #3 5 years ago

    A cheap cash-in game methinks.

  • Darren #4 5 years ago

    *sigh*

    Yet another rubbish/mediocre Wii game. :(

    I'm struggling to find any games worth buying on the platform despite it boasting 20+ launch games. Out of the ones I own, Zelda Twilight Princess is awesome (obviously), Super Monkey Banana Blitz is good and Rayman Raving Rabbids isn't too bad. Oh and Wii Sports is fun but that was free.

    Apart from those, the rest of the launch games are pretty awful and I'd have to say that if it wasn't for Zelda TP, the Wii would go down as having the poorest selection of launch games since the PS2.

  • Darren #5 5 years ago

    "So the first surprise comes, in this first console Hawk game not to come from Neversoft..." - EG

    That's not true actually... the Xbox and PS2 versions of Tony Hawk's Project 8 were written by Shabba Games (who wrote Wakeboarding Unleashed) and not Neversoft and they came out a week or two back.

  • Dizzy #6 5 years ago

    Lets hope Nintendo will focus a bit more on quality. I have not bought a Wii for myself because I want to see where the platform will go next half year. I expect good things... but right now the quality of the games is below par.
    Edited by 1 at 15/12/06 @ 13:31

  • gizmo #7 5 years ago

    This reminds me, I must buy my dad a shoehorn for Christmas.

  • patchbox360 #8 5 years ago



    Wii is gimmick

    wake up

  • botherer #9 5 years ago

    Good spot Darren.

    The Wii launch games remind me, disappointingly, of the DS's. But at the same time gives me the same hope that in six months time it will have sprung into life in the same way. I felt almost silly for owning a DS for that first half year, wondering exactly when I'd ever buy another game for it. Looking at the Wii line-up now, it's familiar.

    However, I'm fallen in love with a Zelda game for the first time (be shocked), and I think the main game of Monkey Ball is great. Wii Sports is entertaining any who come near my flat, and that should see me past Christmas.
    Edited by 1 at 15/12/06 @ 13:37

  • JediMasterMalik #10 5 years ago

    One long minigame then?

  • samk #11 5 years ago

    Shock horror, yet another duff Wii game. Unfortunately "throw enough shit at it and some will stick" seems to be the common theme with the initial batch of games. :(

  • Rambaldi #12 5 years ago

    @disc

    So this glorious, innovatice, next-gen input gives devs an excuse to screw things up for a while?

    Pft.

  • JediMasterMalik #13 5 years ago

    Tbh, I don't think the DS comparison is really fair. What worked on the DS, a portable device, will most likely not lend itself well to a home console.

  • Wobble #14 5 years ago

    in other news, project 8 is fucking great.

  • lambtron #15 5 years ago

    People are talking like shit launch games are some kind of surprise on any format?

    Is surprised.

  • gizmo #16 5 years ago

    PDZ was poor, but you could hardly compare it to this.

  • Muddtallica #17 5 years ago

    I am a little confused by a lot of the comments...as far as I can tell, the Wii launch lineup seems to consist of one AAA killer app, a few decent-to-good games, and then a load of dross, either of the "cheap cash-in" variety, or the "confused first effort" variety. Like, well, every other launch ever. Although having said that, I'm struggling to recall other launch lineups to compare...which ones were generally considered to be very good?

    That said, I am disappointed by some of the reviews; we could all tell how Zelda would turn out, and likewise, the turkeys could be seen a mile off (Rapala Tournament Fishing, anyone?) but it seems like a lot of the games I thought might qualify as good are turning out mediocre. Call of Duty, Tony Hawk, Red Steel, Excite Truck, Monkey Ball (says EG, at least)...well, I usually give new consoles about six months or so to warm up before starting to judge their libararies, so we'll see what happens.

  • skillian #18 5 years ago

    5/10 seems generous. It sounds like a truly awful game.

  • onyxbox #19 5 years ago

    it is dissapointing to see how the Wii launch games are so poor but like others have said... all console launches are pretty piss poor for software.

    developers need to start thinking out of the box a bit before we see the wii shine. it's no use thinking of existing games and wondering how they can adapt the wii controlls to existing formulas.

    the wii demands some imagination from developers! IMHO!

  • magicpanda #20 5 years ago

    I personally think an awful lot of people subscribed to the gimmick camp including developers (or at the least "lets wait and see";), Its becoming fairly obvious now that this isnt the case so hopefully we should see some new and decent announcements soon.

    Im just glad its backwards compatable with the Gamecube, theres an awful lot of cracking games I missed out on that are now really really cheap.
    Edited by 2 at 15/12/06 @ 15:09

  • samk #21 5 years ago

    "Im just glad its backwards compatable with the Gamecube, theres an awful lot of cracking games I missed out on that are now really really cheap."

    Yeah, one of the bonuses of the new "next-Gen" consoles being released is that the arse has completely fallen out of prices for last-Gen consoles games on Ebay. I recently raided Ebay and got lots of great PS2, GC and Xbox games for a fiver each at most, inc postage.

  • MasterControlProgram #22 5 years ago

    Question: how long will we be seeing Tony Hawk'a name around in game after game after game? When he reaches fifty or more, will he continue to be the star of the franchise, like John Madden? :D

  • skillian #23 5 years ago

    Answer: for as long as he's the most well-known skateboarder.

  • kincaide #24 5 years ago

    Darren - Madden is very good

  • oerhoert #25 5 years ago

    I think it's interesting that you disliked Downhill Jam so much, John. Seems to me you are comparing it with typical Tony Hawk games rather than judging it by comparing it to its actual rivals - i.e., Trackmania, SSX, Outrun, Burnout and the like.

    It's a perfection racer, and a very good one at that - easy to get into, hard to master, and with more or less -instant- restart, which is a large plus. It's also mostly blessed by a decent framerate, where Project 8 on the 360 gave me headaches.

    One of the very best games on the Wii so far? I'd say so, as long as you're able to appreciate a perfection racer for being just that, and not some shoddy Tony Hawk light.

  • lambtron #26 5 years ago

    That's an interesting viewpoint oerhört. I think in todays uber-intolerant gaming world where games get marked down 2 or 3 points because the framerate isn't perfect, or you can't save at any time, or - oh noes - the camera isn't perfect 100% of the time I wonder if there is an audience for such a game. Its a shame because I like such games (although I can't comment on this one not having played it).

  • chupachups #27 5 years ago

    "In a way I though the DS launched with better stuff even though it probably didn't."

    It didn't, loads of reviews at the DS launch complained about games being too short and more like tech demos than full titles.

    Gotta give it time, same goes for the other new 'uns.

  • gizmo #28 5 years ago

    Blimey, just checked out the screenshots.

    Very PS2 looking, IMHO.

  • botherer #29 5 years ago

    oerhört - I was playing SSX Tricky on my GC the other day, and it's still a damn site better than this.

    My criticisms are on two levels. First that it IS a Tony Hawk game, but abandons what makes that series so good (and I don't mean the exploration or parks, etc, but the mechanics). And second that it's so very flawed at being a downhill racer for all the downhill racing-specific reasons I give. So no, I don't think your claim as to why I gave it a middling mark is valid.

    That Tricky kicks it into a black hole is a big problem. And I'd never in a million years compare it to Trackmania. Oh boy, is that not an instant restart! Load screen, then camera drift, then countdown?!

    Lambtron - since I never mentioned framerates, the camera or saving, I'm not quite sure where you're going with that. It's not a case of intolerance of a specific genre. It's a specific genre being poorly made. (The camera's a pain in the arse, by the way).



    Edited by 2 at 15/12/06 @ 17:17

  • nickthegun #30 5 years ago

    "Grinds become the key to success, and perhaps the most distinguishing feature between this and SSX."

    So, not a distinguishing feature at all, unless the snowboarding game that encourages you to grind to find shortcuts and skip huge chunks of the level im playing isnt called SSX?

  • lambtron #31 5 years ago

    I wasn't making reference to you or your review just stating that often games are marked down for such things when for some people they're not the reason why they play them ^_^.

    If you're one of these people who play games in order to feel "immersed" in a storyline then I can see these things might be critical but that isn't nor has it ever been why I play games. I don't take issue with your review as I have not played the game therefore its a little impossible for me to comment on that!

  • Psi #32 5 years ago

    franchise cashin title, never expected it to be good, hope we get some surprise games out for the wii soon, but it could be 6 months or so before there's enough decent titles.

    i love wii play btw! tanks and moocow riding for the win!

  • Mr_Brown #33 5 years ago

    Meh, give the Wii some time. Launchs aren't always great. The DS launch line up wasn't that great, but that turned out good. As someones already said, it'll take time for developers to come up with the goods. But it'll happen.

  • Serpiko #34 5 years ago

    YES! Give us more crappy games for the wiiiii. I feel that i want to buy the wii soooo bad right now..

  • smelly #35 5 years ago

    >Yet another rubbish/mediocre Wii game.

    Off fucking course, the 360 didnt have ANY mediocre games on its launch did it? In fact they were ALL AAA games. Same as the ps3 launch.

    I do find it amazing the number of fanboys who insist on posting tripe like this in a desperate attempt to get people to buy their machines.

  • smelly #36 5 years ago

    " hope you're not referring to Zelda TP as an AAA killer app? Surely such a title would have to be system specific?"


    Like oblivion (the only AAA killer app the 360 had.. even though i think it's rubbish) WASNT you mean?

  • Aretak #37 5 years ago

    Whereas you could never be accused of occaisionally seemingly utterly desperate to defend Nintendo at all costs, smelly.

    Obviously.

  • smelly #38 5 years ago

    Not at all.. look back to original xbox launch when everyone was slagging that off, desperately wanting that to fail.. I was backing that up and being called a msoft fanboy.

    At every launch we get this.. A couple of shit games.. and OH NO!! All games on that console are shit.. apparently.

    We got it at 360 launch, we'll get it at ps3 launch (more so if the dire american launch line up is anything to go by), etc etc.

    Consoles get bad games.. it doesnt mean the console is bad, or is doomed to failure. If having lots of bad games meant a console was doomed, then explain the ps2.


    PS : Just in case the oblivion post went over peoples heads.. If zelda TP isnt allowed to be a "great launch title" due to it coming out in a crapper (imho) form on another machine. Then Oblivion cant be a great launch title, as it came out in a better form on the pc. Not that it matters.


    Edited by 1 at 15/12/06 @ 20:02

  • Darren #39 5 years ago

    @Smelly - I own an Xbox 360, Xbox, GameCube and Wii and plan on buying a PS3 so I'm no fan boy, thank you very much! Odd as it may sound to you I buy the consoles because I like playing games regardless of what format they're on.

    The Xbox 360 had a far better launch lineup in my opinion led by great games like PGR 3, Call of Duty 2 and Condemned plus solid support from Kameo, Amped 3 and NFS: Most Wanted. Most of them were exclusives too. I still own all of those and still play them, in fact.

    The Wii on the other hand has ONE first party exclusive, a couple of good games like Madden and Super Monkey Ball BB and a whole load of so-so ones including several terrible ones (albeit at a budget price) from Ubi Soft. Admittedly Zelda is superb but one great game does not a good console launch maketh. 360 games generally got better reviews than most Wii games seem to be getting at the moment and I had no trouble picking up ten at launch. The Wii on the other hand is a different matter and I'm struggling to find more than three.

    Zelda will keep me busy for several more weeks and then we'll have Elebits and Warioware but it doesn't alter the fact that in my opinion, Zelda aside (which is really a GameCube title with Wii controls crowbarred in) the Wii has a very poor lineup of launch games that makes the 360's look like classics!

    Believe me, I'm a huge fan of Nintendo's games and it really hurts me to say that because I remember when I bought my GameCube, how great its launch was despite not having a Mario or Zelda game. The Wii is a good machine with plenty of potential but ironically its best game by far, Zelda TP, is a game that makes the least effective use of its controller. That's more than a little disappointing really but the rest of the launch lineup at least explains why Nintendo delayed Zelda TP for the Wii - without it the Wii's launch would have been pitiful.

  • smelly #40 5 years ago

    Erm.. But zelda isnt allowed to be listed as it's a port of a game originally developed for the gamecube?

    But kameo is?

    Strange. :-)

    I do get what you're saying though.. But all this "omgodzwiisuxors due to it having a few bad launch titles.." is a nonsense.

    People have always complained that nintendo platforms like the cube didnt have enough 3rd party games, and that the ps2 was therefor superior (despite being technically inferior) because it had many many many games.

    So in the past it's been okay to have a console with lots of games (with a vast majority of them being crap), but to have a console with a smaller selection of games (with majority of them being above average) was apparently a bad thing.

    Now they're getting the quantity regardless of quality.. People are moaning about that now!

    (trying specifically not to point out specific machines, games etc.. as it'll only upset someone)

  • JediMasterMalik #41 5 years ago

    Geez guys, calm down.

    The only way to judge a console games wise really, is a year or two into it's life. That doesn't mean you have to wait 2 years to buy a console if you see it worth it though. What's all the bickering for? Thexbox, afaik, had the only AAA game at launch, Halo. And we all know that a single game is not enough to make a winning console. Launches mean zilch most of the time.

    Summary : Chill the fuck out.

  • ClansOfIntrigue #42 5 years ago

    Sounds like a 2 or a 3 from the word-things...

  • smelly #43 5 years ago

    >Nintendo need that gay old plumber’s magic & quick.


    Nah.. they need lots and lots and lots and lots of mediocre rubbish.. with a handful of classics.. That's the EXACT same thing which sold the ps1 & ps2.

  • onyxbox #44 5 years ago

    "Summary : Chill the fuck out."

    couldn't have said it better. I've got all the consoles out at the moment (except PS3) and the Wii is fine, give it time.

    I remember when I got my 360 everyone was telling me it's the new Dreamcast. I still get people telling me my PSP is utter rubish and you know what... I like stuff on my DS and PSP, it's not a problem.

    :-)

  • smelly #45 5 years ago

    yeah.. 360, wii, ds, psp.. they're all good.

    shame about the p..

    erm nope.. i wont say that :-)

  • botherer #46 5 years ago

    I'm glad things became more moderated, because I was about to post a furious rant about how utterly sick I am of the willy-waving bullshit over whose console is best. And most because of the "whose" part of that. That people align themselves to a console or company makes me want to hit them with a shovel. I am a GAMER. I play GAMES. It seems that when one has invested money in one of the three, they want to validate that purchase by feeling secure in their choice by bad-mouthing everything else, but that's an irrational and, frankly, deeply stupid way to behave.

    Every machine has a weak launch line-up, and for goodness sake, the 360's was just as bad. The 360 is now a fine machine with plenty of games worth buying one for. As will be the PS3, and indeed the Wii.

    This website is excellent, making the majority of gaming sites look an embarrassment, and yet every other review is dragged down by a comments thread full of idiotic dick-measuring contests. It marrs the site, and that's a pretty pathetic state of affairs. As a reader of EG, I ask those who insist on their childish point scoring: give it up. Move on.
    Edited by 1 at 16/12/06 @ 00:23

  • MORBO #47 5 years ago

    nintendo should just release a f****** public dev kit for the wii. give it a homebrew software channel, at all will be good, because anybody could programm a neat little game for the wii, and i bet you, some would get it right and those games would be more fun than any game with a normal controller could ever be.... and as such would be inspiring for serious developers in making full games... (ok, they won't do it, because they are in the business of selling games)

    the lack of decent games right now is of course very disappointing, but it'll get better, and until then you might just play some on the virtual console.... or get to some of the 20 best games for gamecube sites, and buy a few you haven't played and have fun with them... the graphics won't let you too much down, as they aren't exceptional on the wii itself.


    btw. what if sony and ms just copy the remote within one year, and make it even better ? will you then still buy wii games, or switch to the bigger and better thing, the others have going.... i mean in two years time, the differnce in graphic performance will be dramatic....
    Edited by 2 at 16/12/06 @ 00:50

  • smelly #48 5 years ago

    >because anybody could programm a neat little game for the wii,

    Lol.. No.. they'd be shit.

    >btw. what if sony and ms just copy the remote within one year

    Little thing called patents.
    Edited by 1 at 16/12/06 @ 02:29

  • Genji #49 5 years ago

    "It seems that when one has invested money in one of the three, they want to validate that purchase by feeling secure in their choice by bad-mouthing everything else, but that's an irrational and, frankly, deeply stupid way to behave."

    It is a stupid way to behave, but I would think that a lot of people buy only one console because they can't afford to have all three. Personally, I'm finding myself in that boat now.

    :(

  • Daikon #50 5 years ago

    Right. So all Wii games except Sports and Zelda suck, and the latter is also available for the cube.

    Since the tiny splash wave of Wii units available in my city in Japan (the largest retailer only got 50 units, all spoken for, and no idea when any "second wave" of new stock comes in) none have been available.

    I can forgive Sony the current shortage of PS3s because of the difficulties in manufacturing Blu-ray drives.
    In Nintendo's case their console is nothing more than a Gamecube on steroids with a novel controller. There is no reason why there should be any shortages for more than a week after launch, but I'm still empty handed.

    Nintendo is using this artificial shortage of Wiis to create market buzz, just like they did with the DS in Japan. I'm sick and tired of this. Nintendo can stick their Wii where the sun doesn't shine.

    The Wii has been scrapped from my Xmas wishlist. I'll be getting an X360 and will be playing Blue Dragon over the holidays.

    Edit PS: Just read on Wired News that someone managed to get the Wiimote working on his PC and was playing HalfLife 2 with it.
    Edited by 1 at 16/12/06 @ 03:08

  • Genji #51 5 years ago

    "Nintendo is using this artificial shortage of Wiis to create market buzz, just like they did with the DS in Japan."

    "Artificial shortage"? You mean, like a fake shortage? Please elaborate - I can't see how it is good business sense to produce consoles and just store them away in a warehouse somewhere.

    And yeah, this is a poor launch line-up. There's nothing that particularly piques my interest apart from Zelda, Wii Sports, Monkey Ball, and Rayman. Thankfully, those are good enough to keep me going for some time. As a party console, those games will keep me and my friends entertained at least until Wario Ware comes out.

    Sucks to be a loner, I guess.
    Edited by 1 at 16/12/06 @ 04:45

  • MORBO #52 5 years ago

    > Little thing called patents.

    hmm shoulder buttons, rumble pack, analog controller, ps3 motion sensitive control... also lightguns have been around for a while...

    i don't think there are any nintendo patents that can prevent ms and sony do copy off the wiimote

  • manic_mouse #53 5 years ago

    "Erm.. But zelda isnt allowed to be listed as it's a port of a game originally developed for the gamecube?

    But kameo is? "

    Smelly, please engage your brain before typing and think about what you wrote. Was Kameo ever RELEASED for another console, as Zelda TP is? See why your comparison is utterly moronic?

    The simple fact is that if you own a Cube, and can therefore already get the Wii's best game, there is little reason to splash out on one. Sports is pretty good (but by no means fantastic) and everyting else is mediocre. The Wii's launch has been fairly uninspiring, especially considering it's a Nintendo console.

  • secombe #54 5 years ago

    I don't get it, if the Wii only comes out with it's key titles (Wii Sports, Wii Play, Zelda, maybe Rayman and Monkey Ball as well) people would complain that there isn't enough choice. As it is it comes out with 20 odd games, and people moan that the good/average/crap ratio isn't good enough.

    Madden is a fantastic effort although understandably not hugely popular in the UK (although I would urge anyone to try it), Red Steel has its fans whilst not generally being regarded as a great title, and Wii Sports & Play have surprised a lot of people...in fact most people I know have spent more time on these than anything else.

    Games are waiting in the background, Mario, Excite Truck, Elebits, Wario Ware etc, and as I understand it these are ready but there was little point in releasing them here at launch with so few hardware units available, may as well (understandably) hang on and release them when more people are ready to buy more games.

    If the initial releases can't keep you occupied until Christmas and beyond then maybe the Wii isn't what you're after, I've put 12 hours in on Wii Sports and 6 on Wii Play so far (a mix of multiplayer and high score gaming) and I've barely got going yet.
    Edited by 1 at 16/12/06 @ 12:38

  • foxy2006 #55 5 years ago

    Wii are not amused

  • Daikon #56 5 years ago

    @Genji

    Quote from article on CNN Money:

    Retailers were told by Nintendo that there would be three major waves of product," said Taylor. "The first wave was at launch, then there was one immediately thereafter, which was in Nintendo's warehouse, and a final wave is due the week before Christmas. ...

    In order to make these "waves" they have to have stock held back waiting to be released in time for a "wave", no point in waiting for them to trickle out of the factories.

  • smelly #57 5 years ago

    Its not nintendo's fault if the console are selling out quicker than they can stock them.. 4 million is a hell of a lot of units. (neither the xbox nor the cube managed to sell much more than 20 million in their ENTIRE lifetime!).

    And I still dont buy all this "all the launch titles are shite" stuff.. SOME of the launch titles are shite.. but that's going to happen when you launch with a lot of games. As far as I can see there's been a LOT of games released at launch getting 7 and over with review scores (excite truck, madden, rayman, etc etc) and to me that DOES fair well against what the 360 launched with.... And INFINITELY better than the ps3 launch titles .. hopefully there MIGHT be something worth owning by euro-launch.

    Look again at ALL the reviews.. There are a LOT of Launch titles (a good thing IMHO as it promotes choice), and there are a LOT of above average games.

    Just because they dont have lots of dull boring racing car games and endless fps games which we've all seen before - but with prettier graphics.. doesnt mean they're all crap.




    @manic_mouse :

    Okay, sorry .. I forgot the 360 launched with kong, gun, far cry, cod, etc.. all of which were available on the xbox. And it's best game (oblvion) was available on pc.

    So therefor (using your logic) the 360 launch games were shite too.

    I dont believe that personally.. I'm just applying your logic...

    Edited by 2 at 16/12/06 @ 18:11

  • Daikon #58 5 years ago

    @smelly

    Of course I'm happy for Nintendo, but of course they shouldn't be talking about "waves" which are apparently not coming.

    Anyway, the best titles for the Wii at the moment (except for Zelda) are Gamecube games, which is great for folks who got a Wii but missed out on the Gamecube.

    My list of favourite Gamecube games - get 3 extra controllers, some friends and six packs and you're all set:

    Super Monkey Ball (the first one)
    Zelda: The Wind Waker
    Resident Evil 4
    Super Mario Kart
    Super Mario Tennis
    1080 Avalanche
    Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time
    Viewtiful Joe
    Pikmin 2

    Edit: Totally forgot: Paper Mario RPG!
    Edited by 1 at 17/12/06 @ 02:10

  • Wash #59 5 years ago

    Eww... Wii smells.

    Another not so good review.. stacking up aint they, can anyone outside of the big N make a pertinent case for this apparent innovation.

    Zelda doesnt count.