Gamers are buzzing about the
Wii launch on Sunday:
- System seller The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is getting high marks from reviewers, but it's getting knocks as well - including reports that graphics are inferior to GameCube and the Wii-mote control feels tacked on
- Elebits has slipped past launch to December
- Custom soundtracks are enabled on a per-title basis, similar to the original Xbox, and at least one game will support them: Excite Truck. Since there's no hard drive in the Wii, you'll need a big SD memory card for your music
- Unlike Friends codes on the DS, you'll have a unique number for your Wii to pass to friends who want to find you online. A small improvement but not as friendly as an Xbox Live gamertag, and what happens if you grab an extra controller at a buddy's house? Or you own more than one Wii? Or if your console dies and has to be replaced? The good news is that once added, you'll see your friend's chosen username
- Setting up the Wii-mote requires you to place a sensor bar on top of your TV and calibrate
- N64 titles downloaded to the Virtual Console won't support rumble
- GameCube controllers work with all types of Virtual Console games as well as GameCube discs and Wii titles that use the new "classic" controller
- Once you've started a GameCube game, you'll have to reboot the console to get back to the Wii system menu
- Reports suggest that am enhanced version of the Wii console that can play DVDs will ship in late 2007
Oh, and Nintendo will be spending a record $200 million to market the Wii, so expect to see and hear about it everywhere starting, well, just about any minute now...
