Gneekman

excel_excel

People are buying the ps3 and xbox 360 because of what they are capable of doing. Online gaming, marketplace downloads, DLC, movies, achievements, blu-ray etc...

Madness

RuneX

Replica23

"OMFG!!!11!! T3h Halo Kart!!!11"

"Halo Beach Volleyball!!111!! r0X0xrZ!111!!"

Favre

Majpain007

AntiZERØ

busy

A NEW CHALLENGER APPEARS!!

thewisestfool

Screens... less than impressive. If there's a PS3 version I'd probably consider that. Well over the Wii version anyway. I dunno if I want ANY version of this game yet...

2NinjasTapedTogether

if anything tho, I'd get the 360 version over this one.

Lanhoj

No, seriously, if those screens are from a PS2 port, they're insulting to the PS2.

BtownDesignGuy

HawaiianActor

okenny :)

Teh Emo Penguin

I kid, I kid. I own a Wii, and love the Wii, but they definitely could have done a way better job. This crap looks like one of those PC games that some kid in his parents basement made for free download.

Figroti

Wyld

NoahSteam

KID-A26

cybereality

xpnet

Now can we, as a culture, move one please?

Dragonis

mariospants

Cyanotic

kingofallcosmos

dowingba

And you've got a good point about the first party stuff on Gamecube. What I was referring to more was the stuff you'll see in the initial years of a console. The first year and a half to 2 years is generally owned by first party stuff before the rest of the industry catches up (and then passes it by). Of course, this is a generalization, but it's one that has repeated itself over and over again.

roland13x

shimage

And, while this is all dependent on art direction, at the end of the day, I'm sure gamers will notice and appreciate the visual quality of whatever game it is you're working on, even if it's "not PS3 quality". If you half-ass it on the graphics, we'll smell it a mile away. But it doesn't sound like the attitude you're going into it with, so I'm sure all will be well.

Also, as for first-party advantage: sure, this has always been the case. But that never stopped third parties before and it shouldn't now. The best-looking Gamecube games, for the most part, were not Nintendo titles.

dowingba

But the facts are that there is limited resources on the Wii (as well as through the limited license-able tech that's available which we use), so we need to constantly balance between the crazy/unique AI we're building and setting aside processor time for the environments and particles and lighting. At the end of the day, the more we give to the game system components, the better the game is going to be. Will this take away some of the visuals? Maybe, but for me as a gamer and a game maker, I'd rather a solid gameplay core than an extra thousand polygons if that choice needs to be made.

And back to Galaxy....I have no doubt they had 3-4 years to create that game while having insider knowledge from the actual hardware tech that no one outside Nintendo has access too. That's the first party advantage, and that's the way it's always going to be.

roland13x

I'm guessing something better than the original GameCube, but maybe I'm wrong. The console keeps selling despite having nothing any more graphically impressive than F-Zero, Resident Evil 4, Rogue Leader or Starfox Adventures -- all GameCube games. I've finally decided it is no powerful than the GameCube, have accepted that I paid $250 for another GameCube, despite already owning 2 -- 1 that I paid $50 for -- and just have fun with the new GameCube games that are being released for the Wii.

Sloopydrew

Games should look as good as high end last gen games. If they do not, gamers know that it is not because of the limitations of the hardware. Also, if the vast majority of Mario Galaxy could have been done on the GameCube (I would not argue against that) why do you insist that you cannot reach those graphical levels? Making excuses for games that look like budget level PS2 games does not change the fact that the system is better than that.

kingofallcosmos

dowingba

dowingba

And whoever said "Xbox had 720p!!" Yeah, last I checked higher resolutions don't = better graphics. I think you might be surprised how little horsepower it takes for a computer to upscale something to 720p. Most Xbox games ran at 480p (and some not even that) and, from my experience, being an avid Xbox owner and an avid HDTV owner: most original Xbox games do not run well in high resolutions/widescreen.

Try playing San Andreas on the Xbox in 480p widescreen. Where did all the frames go?!

dowingba

Rebelphoenix83

KamuZ

roland13x

elislider

While the Xbox could run games at up to 1080i, most games were 480p. A select bunch were 720p, for the few people who could actually appreciate it at the time. Most games that ran at a higher resolution on the Xbox weren't graphically that impressive...they were running at a higher resolution because it didn't cost them much to do so. Many games sacrificed 16:9 to maintain a decent framerate. Hulk:UD was an exception, not a standard. Enter the Matrix ran at 1080i...and we all know how well THAT played out. :)

WizarDru

For every "lazy developer" out there you show me, I'll show you three budget publishers who want a game on shelves in a matter of 6 months, not caring about the quality, just wanting product out there. It's a very vicious cycle...cheaply made games sell, publisher creates more cheaply made games, etc.

Our next title is once again only going to appear on the Wii as we have chosen to focus entirely on that system's positives without handicapping ourselves. To us, this is the only viable way of creating a good game on that platform. We know we can't compete with realistic, bump-mapped, real-time lighting 360 titles, so going with a more stylized look is one possible solution.

What it comes down to is that you are not going to be seeing graphically impressive titles on the Wii. Sure, there will be the occasional exception to this rule, but for 99% of the games you'll see until Wii2, this is what you're going to get (especially when devs/pubs go for a realistic look).

And the vast majority of Mario Galaxies could have been done on the GameCube, so that's a bad example.

roland13x

FROM IGN FAQ ON WII
[wii.ign.com]

"Q: Is Wii more powerful than GameCube?

A: Yes. It is roughly twice as powerful as GameCube. Developers working on Wii games are largely in agreement that the system is more capable from a horsepower standpoint than the original Xbox. However, it does not have the computing power of either Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. "

What I'd like to know is how much processing power is eaten up by the IR Wiimote interface.

Plus I know it doesn't have the shaders built in the way the first XBOX did, so those have to be recoded and implemented.

ExistentialEgg

xgenius

"How do you people know this stuff, anyway?"

Super Mario Galaxy? Smash Brothers Brawl?

Do you see what I'm getting at?

scarshapedstar

thegunshow

WizarDru

I just feel like you don't know what you're talking about. And people who say "oh Wii is powerful, but devs are lazy." ]

How do you people know this stuff, anyway?

NPlace

That and gamecube had better looking titles than the wii. So it is the developers. I realized that when I played SMG...

Onegai

All these zealots blaming devs for Nintendo being cheap with their hardware in order to turn a profit need quit being blinded by their love of everything Nintendo. Sheep...

jynxce

NeutralFanboy

As for the graphics....yeah, they look pretty bad. Resident Evil 4 started on the Gamecube and worked back to the PS/2. Result? RE4 looks great on both systems. This is clearly a PS/2 code-base ported to the Wii, and it doesn't use most of the Wii's potential or capcity. Nintendo isn't the only company out there that can tap the Wii's power...they're just the only company to CONSISTENTLY do so. There ARE some good looking Wii games out there. But until developers begin developing FOR the Wii and not porting to it, we're going to see some weak work. I expect this year will be just like the DS' third year: when all the really good stuff starts coming out from places other than Nintendo.

Yes, it's not just about the graphics when playing on the Wii...but that shouldn't serve as an excuse for doing really substandard work and not even managing to produce stuff that lives up to the Gamecube's untapped potential, let alone that of the Wii. Games should look more like what Okami for the Wii and less like Ninjabread Man.

WizarDru

Also it has been shown that the wii controller can actually be a good thing.

The problem is that 3rd party devs are extremely lazy and arent even trying.

majortom1981

xgenius

Fabrice

Though the Wii has a plethora of great games...especially Brawl. It may not look good but it plays like butter.

I just wish more Devs would take the time to actually *try* on the wii. Hopefully Factor 5's new project won't let down...they did say they were trying to max to wii.

Onegai

liquid_kore

NeutralFanboy

steliosco

Lazy graphics often are an indicator of lazy development overall. If you saw a rust bucket drive up, you won't expect the inner works to be running perfectly. My old Cutlass looked awful and was awful on the inside. Shoddy graphics are often an indicator that they haven't really tried with anything in the game, so it will lack a lot of polish. Most people would agree that the polish is what can set a good game apart from a great game. Think of the original Halo at E3 compared to what was eventually released. (Probably a mistake to use this example given the large amount of Halo hate.)

kingofallcosmos

subnet6

Mr.SithNinja

Mr.SithNinja

DaPress

Shdwrptr

Games like this is why i own 6 360 games and 1 Wii game.

Luuey

Rebochan

Kyouryuu

risingphoenix

velvet396

Save for a few must-haves (which I believe are all first-party), Nintendo(well really, their 3rd party support, but what's new?) has really disappointed me this generation. After Mario Kart, I'm not quite sure what I have to look forward to on my little white box.

NinjaBurg3r

Dante18

Admittedly, graphics are not the most important part of the game but when you compare what a Wii game looks like that of a 360/PS3 game, it's almost embarassing.

Atleast SSBB is fun!

Tons Of Fun

ExistentialEgg

Brine

Ino

Uglysad

[kotaku.com]

hulk's thumb is clipping through the beam he is carrying!

yanthrax

DefiantBurrito

rosemachinegun

Gospel X

This is why, even though Forza 2's graphics are a serious failure in my mind I still think the game was a step in the right direction because dammit it plays so much better than Forza 1. Plus it's online functionality is miles ahead of any of the competition.

And this is why, in my eyes, Rock Band is the most "next gen experience" so far this generation. It's one of the only games I can think of that wasn't possible last generation (with it's ridiculously robust online functionality and it's first-ever-good-use of downloadable content)

But when people pump out these bad looking games, it's only a microcosm of the effort they're putting forth into the titles. If they truly cared about making a AAA title for the system, they'd try to make the game look appealing as well as play well.

Say what you will about the importance of good graphics, but they are important. If this Hulk game ends up being the most fun game ever with the best controls and best storyline and everything, it'd still get a less-than-perfect score simply because of the graphics. Sorry but that's life, publishers!

dowingba

Because it released an improved Xbox/PS with old controllers...is not classified as next gen.

Oh wait....

keiichimorisato

kw4k

ceilingFANBOY

KM91

LightStriker

You have a good point that developers can have their hands tied too.

keiichimorisato

steliosco

What you've said is so true.
People keep on blaming Nintendo for the lack of graphically pleasing games, but as with the Gamecube, it's the lazy developers who are to blame.

Look at what Factor 5 did with the Gamecube, and also later on with Capcom and Resident Evil 4....

Just like PCs, as the hardware grows faster and faster, it seems like a majority of developers are getting lazier and lazier....and it's the rare ones, that truly develop something amazing.

keiichimorisato

This doesn't explain lazy devs, of course, but every console has more than their share of those.

Fnor

Woodwater

Does anyone have a "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banner?

Hubert Humphrey Methadone

this a poor excuse for a game.

thebigxer

Struct09

henri1kk

THIS JUST IN: Fahey states graphical prowess of Wii inferior to PS3 and 360, noone in Kotakuland surprised by results
FROM OUR NEW YORK OFFICE: Fires break out throughout the whole of the internet after Kotaku article reaches Nintendo fansite stronholds, Wii zealots blamed for the violence
BREAKING NEWS: Sky is blue, fanboys are jackasses

code.monkey

roland13x

Jun581 won't give you tree fiddy!!

brent_w

The problem is, for some ridiculous reason, alot of people think the Wii is less powerful than a friggin' PS2, and so cheap developers don't have very high standards to live up to.

In actual fact, it is considerably more powerful than an Xbox. And since it uses almost the exact same architecture of the Gamecube, it shouldn't be taking anyone any time at all to "figure out" the hardware and be able to push it. We should already be seeing better than Resident Evil 4 graphics on a regular basis. You remember Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory on the Xbox? Yeah, that should be about the bottom limit for Wii graphics.

dowingba

CaptLtrl

ceilingFANBOY

I agree blocky, and a bit washed out, but I think it looks as good/better then H:UD did/does.

-EDGE-

Señor Vorpal Kickass'o

henri1kk

dowingba

roland13x

No one buys Wii games for graphics -

Limafoxtrot