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Gamecube Controllers on the Wii: Good or Bad?
Two Roads Diverge in a Glowing Blue Wood
by Coop
More titles have been announced that will offer gamers the chance to use the Gamecube controller for Wii titles, and it made me wonder if this is actually a good thing. Personally, I believe the option was needed in Super Smash Bros. Brawl due to the hardcore following the game has. Gamers didn’t want an entirely different experience with Brawl, they just wanted more. However, now that Nintendo has confirmed that Mario Kart for the Wii will also allow players to use the Gamecube controller, it has me worried.
The ONLY thing the Wii has going for it is motion controls. Compared to the other systems it is very weak in every aspect, from graphics to online support. The ace up Nintendo’s sleeve was always that the system was different, with it becoming acceptable for developers not to use motion controls it doesn’t even have that.
Mario Kart should have been the next example of Nintendo showing how racing games can incorporate motion controls seamlessly. The Gamecube Mario Kart title wasn’t nearly as popular as the previous versions and had a fairly small following compared to even the DS version, so the defense of the title having a rabid fan base doesn’t even have merit. It sort of feels…cheap. Excite Truck had fantastic controls and was developed, in part, by Nintendo, so the fact that they couldn’t get it working well enough to make it the proprietary control for Mario Kart is embarrassing. Now other developers are following them, with Hudson announcing that the new Bomberman for the Wii will allow for players to use the Gamecube controller in lieu of the remote.
This is an extremely slippery slope, Nintendo. Early in this generation you were able to convince gamers that we should be willing to sacrifice what we are used to for a new way of playing. Even games like Super Mario Galaxy showed us new ways to play and were a perfect example of how games can be played with the new input methods. If you are backing out, why should we support you? If the system is really more then two Gamecubes taped together don’t make using the old controller an option. It is not too late, and if Nintendo announces its “surprise” E3 games will allow for Gamecube support they may lose mine.
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Comments
I agree with this. I loved using the Wiimote and nunchuck to play through Twilight Princess, Metroid, Wii Sports, and even Spiderman 3. But with Smash Bros. and Mario Kart letting people use any controller they want, I feel ripped off. Sure the motion control isn't perfect, but its fun.
Like I said way back when, motion control is a novelty that will go away. The true test of the Wii will be making great games, which it looks like it is starting to.
It doesn't have to be!