Nintendo Wii Fanboy

This week, graphics professionals and enthusiasts flocked to SIGGRAPH to share and discuss the latest technologies and techniques for making gorgeous computer graphics. The focus of the convention is mainly offline rendering (the stuff that we see in print, movies, and television that's too complex to be rendered in real time), but as computers and game consoles become more powerful, many of these methods and effects make their way into the realm of realtime rendering. Ten years ago, the opening cutscene for Super Mario Galaxy would have needed to be rendered by a cluster of computers and converted into full motion video.

Even though the Wii is not pushing graphical fidelity the way this generation's HD consoles are, we've still come a long way and there's much to be appreciated. There are all sorts of graphical effects that, over the years, have been added to the game artist's palette, and in this edition of Revolutionary, I'd like to draw your attention to a few of them.

When games like Super Mario Galaxy come along, we find ourselves questioning how it's possible for them to look so good, while most other Wii wares have the appearance of games designed for a much weaker platform. It's easy to forget that the Wii's hardware comes from the strong pedigree of Gamecube when much of what we're looking at reeks of Playstation number two.

With multi-platform shovelware, and even a few high profile titles that didn't get any special consideration on the Wii (Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band, I'm lookin' at you!), developers often drop assets and effects to a lowest common denominator. In the class which Wii is placed, the Playstation 2 has the lowest and most common specs, so our Wii graphics are brought down to its level. The PS2 has had its share of beautiful games, but the methods for making them so beautiful are uncommon enough that they're largely ignored when making games that will have to be replicated on another console in the same class.

It's often the first and second party games or that rare, exclusive third-party effort that is given the budget and time to explore the depths of the Wii's fixed-function graphics hardware and pull off something it wasn't expressly designed for. And considering that the core technologies in the Wii were designed nearly a decade ago, there's a lot of "new tricks" that artists and programmers have had to teach the "old dog."

When playing a game, what do you look for most? Is it good visuals or tight controls? Do you think in-game events dictate the worth of a title? Is it the source material and story? When checking out a game, what has to be good for you to stick around? What's the most important feature you look for in a title?

Chances are, you already know how we feel about Mega Man 9's appearance, but in case we haven't sufficiently conveyed our reaction: DOCTOR WOWEE. For us, it isn't about nostalgia. It's about the fact that, done properly, 8-bit is a beautiful art style that shouldn't be abandoned. And few games did it better than the Mega Man series. As nice as Mega Man 8 looked, the style of the NES games is much more distinctive.

Do you agree? Is the NES-esque presentation a wonderfully bold visual choice, or pandering to retrogamers?

We recently got the chance to pick some of the brightest minds at High Voltage about their upcoming game, The Conduit. Wii fans have been liking what they've seen from the game, but there are still many questions left unanswered. That was, until we asked the folks at High Voltage those questions, which cover everything from the game's plot on down to multiplayer. So, read on and find out more about upcoming Wii FPS, The Conduit.

It's been a while since we discussed one of the proverbial elephant-in-the-room issues for some Wii owners: graphics. It's hard to deny the beauty of some of the console's recent releases, but that doesn't mean that all the games hanging out in the Wii section of your favorite retailers escape being cringeworthy.

One of the biggest problems remains the number of remakes and ports on the system. Most of these just don't look that great. It's hard to get a handle on just what the system can do, since we're consistently seeing last generation -- or older -- graphics!

What's managed to impress you? Anything besides Super Smash Bros Brawl? And have you tried anything lately that was just so horrifically bad it made you want to smack some of these third part devs around? We're in favor of the violence if it gets results.

Although the Wii had many good games this year, it's clear that some developers noticed the Wii's hype and have put out some unsatisfactory products in an attempt to ride the popularity wave. We're often critical of such games, "tsk, tsking" at them to our hearts' content, but it makes us feel better when developers notice this trend since they're the ones with the power. It's up to the developers to really push themselves and the machine they're working with, and as time goes on, the process becomes easier and more efficient.

Tancred Dyke-Wells, the creative director of Kuju (the company behind the Wii's Battalion Wars 2), recently criticized many Wii developers for "under-exploiting" the little white console. We tend to take his word seriously, since we think that BWII "has just about everything that fans of first-party Nintendo games are looking for," as you can see in our review of the game.

Dyke-Wells' main beef with developers is with the way in which graphics are handled on the system. While the Nintendo Wii can't compete in the graphics department with Sony's Playstation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360, he believes that the Wii is a "pretty good piece of kit" that overpowers the GameCube "by a factor of two."

In the end, Dyke-Wells thinks it comes down to how much respect these developers have for their companies, their products, and their consumers, and we can't help but agree. The possibility of making a quick and easy buck is tempting, but we expect developers to make good games simply because they can.

[Via Aussie-Nintendo]

We've shown you trailers of nice looking games recently, so now it's time for one that's ... not so nice. In fact, Midway's Cruis'n is looking downright gross.

Many Nintendo fans have developed a "gameplay over graphics" mantra, but this "effort" by Midway just seems insulting. There's no reason that a Wii game should resemble an N64 game, unless it's on the Virtual Console.

Check out the official Cruis'n trailer above if you want to have your mind blown, in a bad way.

Well, here's a change. Instead of putting the Wii on the level of last-gen consoles, which some developers have done recently, Will Wright believes that the Wii is the only console deserving of a "next-gen" title.

The Spore creator recently told CVG, "Somebody asked me what I thought next generation meant and what about the PlayStation 3 was next generation. The only next gen system I've seen is the Wii - the PS3 and Xbox 360 feel like better versions of the last, but pretty much the same game with incremental improvement." To Wright, next-gen consoles must reach a new demographic, which the Wii has done. Furthermore, it's Wright's Xbox 360 that sits unused, collecting dust, while his Wii gets played constantly.

We don't completely agree with Wright's assessment, since we think that the Xbox 360 and PS3 bring more than graphics to the table. Still, it's nice to hear a well-known developer praising the merits of the Wii rather than dismissing it because of its weaker graphics.

We don't often try to fan the flames of rampant fanboyism around here, despite the name. Oh, sure, we may sometimes poke a little fun at other epic titles, but for the most part, we're all about letting everyone do their own thing, and we're even behind owning multiple systems! Loyalty is great and all, but so are options, amirite?

But sometimes, we get a little tired of the remarks about the Wii's graphics, games, and output. We complain sometimes, but honestly, we've got it pretty good. Our system doesn't break once a month, and our flagship games are looking pretty sweet, unlike certain other super-hyped titles that failed to deliver (in all fairness, we're mostly dealing with long-running franchises, but still). We don't usually end up with a game that doesn't live up to certain promises, either. On top of that, our console is pretty affordable, and you can usually get just about anyone to play with you! All in all, we'd say Nintendo fans actually have it pretty good right now. How about you guys? Do you feel pretty good to be Wii owners?

We're not sure about the idea that everything in Deca Sporta is controlled through simply shaking the remote -- maybe that's a shaky translation? -- but we do know that the screens from the title are looking pretty spiffy. It's all about the details here: the depressions in the sand, the clarity of the audience members in the closer basketball shots, and the rippling ad-banners. For such a simple style, things are shaping up quite nicely. You'll have to head over to Nintendic to check out the shots for yourself (and mind those enormous watermarks clogging up the works), but we think it might be worth the trip.

[Via NeoGAF]

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

Nintendo still hasn't confirmed any of the technical specs of the Wii hardware in detail, and we wouldn't recommend you hold your breath until they do. They don't want people making assumptions of what the system can or can't do based on arbitrary numbers and jargon. We do know that the Wii is much more than "two Gamecubes taped together." In addition to the revolutionary controllers, we get integrated Wi-Fi, 2 USB 2.0 ports, 48 MB more RAM, internal flash storage, an SD card slot, full-sized DVD disc capacity, and a new operating system and GUI that brings us software like Mii Channel, Photo Channel, Forecast Channel, and Internet Channel. Wii Shop and Virtual Console could not have been done on Gamecube, and with support for component output reintegrated, we can enjoy our old and new games in glorious 480p. That's a pretty long list of upgrades over the Gamecube, and it's in a smaller, more attractive package.

Turns out it's just one Gamecube! Either that or Capcom is lazy. The evidence to support either conclusion is found in this Gametrailers video, which compares the Gamecube and Wii versions of Resident Evil 4 side-by-side. Major spoiler: they look exactly the same.

The sad part is, we actually don't know if the Wii can do better graphics than the original Resident Evil 4, because nobody has tried. Well, at least this version of RE4 has waggling. And it's not like the graphics were bad on the Cube or anything.

In honor of our spankin' new featured gallery box -- just check it out over there to the right -- we thought we'd ask what game you're most looking forward to for the visuals alone. Whatever the reason, be it powerful pictures or the simple quality of omg-kawaii, we all usually have some game whose screenshots just make our hearts go pitter-pat. So what does it for you?

We have to admit, games like Dewy's Adventure and MySims really get the ol' cuteness motor revved, but beyond the aww-factor, Super Mario Galaxy and No More Heroes get us hot and bothered. Let's hope they're both as awesome as they look!

Mobile Suit Gundam MS Front 0079 looks better with every screen and scan that we see, particularly considering what we have to compare it to. But looks aren't everything, and though we've been rough on Wii graphics lately (it's only because we love you, Wii!), the fact remains that Gundam games tend to be a love-it or hate-it proposition.

Of course, it all may be a moot issue until or unless the game heads out of Japan, but that doesn't mean we can't look! See for yourself after the jump.

No wonder Spider-Man 3 got such mixed reviews on the Wii version of the game -- someone forgot to finish the graphics. We can't think of any other possible explanation for something this atrocious.

What's going on here? How can this be considered acceptable ... and how can anyone bestow even a middling-good score on such a sight? We love us some Spider-Man and all, but this game would have to be the best thing ever (moreso even than sliced bread) to wrangle an 83%. Maybe we're just pickier than most, but this looks like a sign that not only is there something wrong with how some third-party Wii games are being handled, but maybe the review system isn't all it's cracked up to be, either.

[Via Digg]