Kotaku 
Enter your username and password.
Denver, 7:53 AM
Sun Nov 15
20 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip us: tips@kotaku.com
Editor-In-Chief:
Brian Crecente
Email | AIM | Twitter
Deputy Editor:
Stephen Totilo
Email | AIM | Twitter
Senior Editor:
Michael McWhertor
Email | AIM | Twitter
Senior Contributing Editor, Japan:
Brian Ashcraft
Email | AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, East Coast:
Michael Fahey
Email | AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, Oceania:
Luke Plunkett
Email | AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, Weekends:
Owen Good
Email | AIM | Twitter
Correspondent, San Francisco:
AJ Glasser
Email | AIM | Twitter
Columnist:
Leigh Alexander
Columnist:
Tim Rogers
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
07/24/09
07/24/09
Hey Stephen, just wanted to start with I love your articles and your attention to detail. However, it's not true that Wii Sports Resort asks you to recalibrate by setting the controller down any time a new game is played. I've been playing the game for the past month and switch games during sessions all the time--aside from the very start of the game, it asks for a recalibration maybe once an hour (that's just an estimate).
I do know that if you take frequent breaks, the Wii Remote will turn itself off, in which case it will need to be recalibrated upon being turned back on; perhaps that's what you experienced?
07/25/09
07/24/09
My experience has been on and off, for Grand Slam Tennis I couldn't make the Motionplus feel good or useful...it never calibrated well and I had patience to try all the things I could read on 'how to play' with motion plus for 2 hours...nothing. It never calibrated for me to do what I wanted (and as you can figure I lost way to many times.)
PGA tour 10 was completly different and Motionplus felt great on it, of course the calibration was seamless (cause of the whole point down and press B, which is the moment it calibrates) so it felt great...I just suck at golf personally xP But it was really good.
Then now with Wii Sports Resort (japaness version though) it only ask for the 'down on the table' calibration the first time and I never had to do it again. I tested various of the games (Basketball, cycling, sword, Water Surfing and Table Tennis). They all played great, never had problems and everything I did work...of course 'point at screen' calibration was always there.
They all had some some calibration (continous) and the only 'long' parts that don't need calibration where the sword part (where you walk foward attacking a mob of Miis) and the basketball (3-on-3 that is 3 minutes). The basketball one is the only one (IMO) that can be use as measuring cause that one doesn't ask for calibration when you start (that I recall) and you do various moves (dunking, shooting and dribble).
Most likely it might be continously recalibrating and might not need to be calibrated always IF the game is program well for it...either that or developers will add parts to make the calibration not noticible (I believe Red Steel 2 might do this when you shoot, since you have to point at the middle of the screen to shoot, this might be it's way of calibrating motionplus)
07/24/09
All I can say is that it has limits. The Nintendo's "gimmick" isn't for fun or adding gameplay, it is purely because the device need to be recalibrated a lot. The device adds a lot to the developing of new gameplay, but at the same time, it is really dependent of the accelerometers and the IR. However, if designers can find way to fit the recalibration in the gameplay itself, it's a win-win situation.
07/24/09
07/24/09
07/23/09
Regarding the general lack of positive portrayal of cannabis in video games, I think this comes down to the fact that, for the most part, games tend to shy away from anything controversial. Political issues where public opinion is largely mixed are avoided by most developers.
07/23/09
07/23/09
I have Crohn's disease and pot helps me maintain my appetite plus some pain alleviation. Unfortunately, I don't live in a state thats legalized Marijuana for medicinal purposes. Sometimes I go a couple days without wanting to eat because it makes me nauseous. Of course, the getting high part is nice too.
Still, I get a little self conscious and annoyed when pot references invade entertainment. Even though drinking plays a heavy part in media and almost always in a positive light I hate when people throw out 420 or some other stoner culture reference. Its like...yeah I like to smoke pot...but that doesn't mean I have to talk about it like we're part of some cool dudes club.
At the same time, I know that if pot smokers don't speak out then we'll go back to popular culture believing pot causes people to jump out windows and commit random acts of rape.
07/23/09
Also, it all sounds kinda low-brow. They're making a GTA clone and saying "yeah...huh-huh...weed!" I haven't played it, but from the art, shots, and stuff like this, it sounds like some suit is sitting in a room watching rap videos and yelling "Pot! The kids love the pot!"
It just seems stupid and there just because they can, which makes it hardly worth mentioning in passing, let alone a story on this site.
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
Prohibition just doesn't work, and the USA of all countries should know this. People should be educated, not controlled. If people knew beforehand the effects of these drugs, we'd have a lot less addicts.
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
It is not that hard at all. Just go to any heavy drinking party or concert.
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
Keighley's the worst though. He has a forum in which to promote this cause at least twice a week on GT Yet he just sits there baked and yet does nothing to help promote our cause.
We all do it, just come out and admit it gamers.
07/23/09
07/23/09
Then at least we all know someone who does it. At least one person we care about has probably used it and no one wants anyone they care about to go to jail for that reason.
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
When you start place getting off ahead of moving ahead you lose your right to cope and I hit you with my car.
Still, we need to legalize the bloody thing and make the potheads shut the hell up.
07/23/09
Actually marijuana is one of those drugs/medications that can have very different effects depending upon the biology of the user. For some it's an appetite stimulant, for others an appetitie depressant. For some it eases nausea and for others it causes nausea. For SOME it can increase depression, for others it CAN alleviate depression.
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
And no, we don't all do it, gamers are as diverse as any other group.
07/23/09
You can't really believe that. Alcohol is legal (and highly addictive) and not everyone drinks. Tobacco is legal (and highly addictive) and not everyone smokes. Marijuana is not addictive, so why would everyone start doing it just because it's legal? And why would that be ALL everyone would do?
The only reason I want it to be legal is because I don't think that people should go to jail or have a ciminal record for doing something that is no worse for you than taking an asprin. It has nothing to do with the availabilty of it. You want weed? Just go to any high school parking lot at lunch.
If it were legal it would not be sold in schools or back alleys. It could be regulated and it could be controlled. And it could be taxed to hell to fund programs to try to keep kids from getting into other kinds of worse drugs like crack, meth or alcohol.
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
So true. I can't think of the last time I saw a stoned person get into a fight or even suffer a hangover.
Getting high once in a while, especially using a substance that isn't physically addictive, should be the least of everyone's worries. Everything in moderation, kiddies. For god's sake, regular consumption of junk food and red bull have more profound physical effects on the human body.
I haven't taken anything more than advil in years aside from the odd glass of red wine, but even I know that full-on drug prohibition is a crock.
No one needs a criminal record because they smoke pot. No one.
07/23/09
Marijuana should be legalized, but the pseudo-religious "legalize it" crowd needs to go away. So annoying.
07/23/09
lmao. I think that says more about you than the world at large.
07/23/09
07/23/09
and you probably don't understand how it helps them, I'm an artist, and love to draw, but have no desire to draw unless I'm stoned, it doesn't make me draw better! just have no desire to put concentration into it.
07/23/09
07/23/09
07/23/09
Now, I'm not trying to discourage the usage of weed (it probably should be legal), but you can't make ignorant comments like that and expect weed to be legalized. Remember, you're trying to convince the government, so be smart about it. To argue that weed has no negatives like the ones he pointed out is naive. You're arguing against people who will provide proof that those negatives exist. The strongest argument is to disprove the opposition in that those negatives are null and non-detrimental to society.
07/23/09
07/23/09
Don't get me wrong, while I don't smoke, I do support it's legalization. I just get really annoyed by all the "pot culture". 420 and such, it's all silly if you ask me.
People are going to smoke pot, that doesn't bother me. Just don't act like you're being all noble fighting the establishment. I don't play video games to prove a point or fight the government, I play them because I enjoy them.
07/23/09
07/23/09
But the point of adding it into games, I guess, is to further press it into the mainstream. Besides, whats wrong with putting something you like into a game you made? :)