I just played the Wii at ebGames...

[Winstonp]

I played the new Wii at the cambridgeside galleria mall in cambridge, ma. It was fantastic. I played the game "excitetruck". If you are in the area, I highly suggest you get down there. I am a beleiver...it's as good as they say.


They require your ID in order to play, because they physically hand you a loose wiimote.

[lexus]

They require your ID in order to play, because they physically hand you a loose wiimote.

Wow that is going to be such a resource waster in shops worldwide if they dont come up with a tethered solution.

[Eidorian]

Wow that is going to be such a resource waster in shops worldwide if they dont come up with a tethered solution.I thought the demo stations did have a tether...

[therevolution]

Wow that is going to be such a resource waster in shops worldwide if they dont come up with a tethered solution.

I don't know. A tether seems like it could prevent you from getting the full wiimote experience. What's the point of putting out demo units that don't let players get a feel for how different this console really is?

[jimsowden]

Dude, I was there yesterday and they had nothing. That exact one. There aren't two in that mall, are there?

[jsw]

Dude, I was there yesterday and they had nothing. That exact one. There aren't two in that mall, are there?
Other sites report just getting the systems in today, so I wouldn't be surprised that there was nothing there yesterday.

[mac-er]

I don't know. A tether seems like it could prevent you from getting the full wiimote experience. What's the point of putting out demo units that don't let players get a feel for how different this console really is?

Well, there won't be a Wii to play in Target, Wal-Mart, CompUSA, Best Buy, Circuit City, Kmart, Sears..shall I go on.

Asking a customer for an ID to play in the store a size of broom closet, like EB, will work..but not in most stores, so it will need to be tethered.

[viccles]

What was the gameplay like?

[Winstonp]

What was the gameplay like?

It was as good as everyone said it is. The controls were natural, and they were very responsive.

The graphics kind of looked like a regular X-box graphics with some noticable differences. For instance, water shimmer certainly looked like X-Box 360 grade water. However, the truck itself lacked fine detail....

Dude, I was there yesterday and they had nothing. That exact one. There aren't two in that mall, are there?
Go back.

[howard]

to bad I don't live in boston anymore...

can't wait to here more about the wii

[MacNut]

I was at EB today as well and they said the demo came in yesterday, The Wiimote is so cool, while the graphics might not be the best the game play is great.

for the record the demos are hooked up to a wide screen lcd and it looked clean while not maybe as crisp as a 360 it was playable.

[viccles]

Can you play the Wii remote like a 'normal' controller?

[MacNut]

Can you play the Wii remote like a 'normal' controller?its not really setup to be a normal controller but they will sell an old fashion Wiimote.

[GFLPraxis]

Can you play the Wii remote like a 'normal' controller?

Depends on the game. If you're using it for NES games, for example, yeah. If the developer adds support for it, you can, yeah. If you're playing a game that uses the VC controller attachment (like Smash Bros Brawl or Fire Emblem, both games have been confirmed to use the retro controller), yeah.

But why would you want to?

[viccles]

Depends on the game. If you're using it for NES games, for example, yeah. If the developer adds support for it, you can, yeah. If you're playing a game that uses the VC controller attachment (like Smash Bros Brawl or Fire Emblem, both games have been confirmed to use the retro controller), yeah.

But why would you want to?

I kind of like the old jabbing and smashing of buttons :D

[Ja Di ksw]

Is this with all ebGames (and maybe other retailers) or just the one in your location?

The Wii is getting a lot of attention. The Super Wal-Mart I was at a couple nights ago had a tv just showing demos of it and some woman talking about it.

[Counterfit]

Figures, I was just in an EBGames yesterday (er, Thursday). :rolleyes:
Here's what I learned: NFS: Carbon is pretty damn similar to Most Wanted.

[ReanimationLP]

There has to be some way of having the wiimote tethered as we're getting the console over the weekend setup. And if not, I'm sure there will be some kind of alarm on the thing.

[kaylee]

The demo units I've seen here (Brisbane, Australia) had tethered wiimotes with a few metres of cable so it wasn't too restrictive. They were in EB (Zelda, Wario Ware and Excite Truck), Toys R Us (Wii Sports) and Kmart (Wii Play).

[GFLPraxis]

There has to be some way of having the wiimote tethered as we're getting the console over the weekend setup. And if not, I'm sure there will be some kind of alarm on the thing.

Nope, I've known how the Wii setups will work for a while (guys at the local GameStop let me read the company emails, hehe).

GameStop's stations will NOT be tethered. Each GameStop will decide how to deal with it; some may make their own tethers, some may trade ID for Wiimote, etc.

[Dagless]

Echoes and whispers are spreading around the GAME where I knew a few people that they've been toying with a Wii. Frankly I wouldn't have thought they would have them yet! Everyones being so cryptic about it.

[MacRumorUser]

Here's what I learned: NFS: Carbon is pretty damn similar to Most Wanted.

In the sense they both suck ? :D

[Sky Blue]

I was in CSG yesterday too!

[ghall]

Nope, I've known how the Wii setups will work for a while (guys at the local GameStop let me read the company emails, hehe).

GameStop's stations will NOT be tethered. Each GameStop will decide how to deal with it; some may make their own tethers, some may trade ID for Wiimote, etc.

Do they have them set up yet? I have a GameStop like 5 minutes away from me, I have to check it out!

[GFLPraxis]

Do they have them set up yet? I have a GameStop like 5 minutes away from me, I have to check it out!


No, but they should have them any day now.

[GFLPraxis]

Excite Truck is the first Nintendo Wii game to support custom soundtracks. If you stick an SD card filled with MP3s, you can pull up the list of songs by pressing the "plus" key on the Wii Remote. The list can be 100 songs big; any more and the list will be cut off at a hundred. You can enable and disable the song tracks for the playlist.


Sweet!

[Winstonp]

Sweet!


Nice!

[Dagless]

* very nice. I'm glad I stocked up on SD cards. First they were used in my Pocket PC, then digital camera, then M3 Adapter for my GBA/DS now the Wii! Smashing!

[iMetroid]

Is ANYBODY still taking pre-orders? I just checked in at my local GameStop, and they told me no. I even checked Toys R Us!

[zap2]

Is ANYBODY still taking pre-orders? I just checked in at my local GameStop, and they told me no. I even checked Toys R Us!

Some Toys R Us are doing tomorrow again(NOT all of them, yours might not be)...get there early!

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/toys-r-us/toys-r-us-taking-more-wii-preorders-tomorrow-214154.php

[2nyRiggz]

Hey anybody seen gamespot video of them playing the wii?
I'm not saying this to rally you guys up but that machine seemed light and cheap. The machine seem like it had no weight to it and anything could just rip it apart...like the insides was missing.



Bless

[GFLPraxis]

Hey anybody seen gamespot video of them playing the wii?
I'm not saying this to rally you guys up but that machine seemed light and cheap. The machine seem like it had no weight to it and anything could just rip it apart...like the insides was missing.



Bless

Yeah, Nintendo has done some incredible engineering with that thing. I've seen people carrying it in person. It's extremely light (no hard drive, probably mostly laptop components, flash memory), with a miniaturized GPU and CPU and incredibly low power consumption.

The GameCube actually feels somewhat hollow too when you pick it up, but its the most durable of all the systems.

[mrgreen4242]

Is ANYBODY still taking pre-orders? I just checked in at my local GameStop, and they told me no. I even checked Toys R Us!

Just go to Walmart or Target the morning of release and you should be able to snag one (go to a Super WalMart at 12:01 and then Target at 7am or wahtever if you strikeout there). There's a minimum of 24 going to every Target in the country on launch day - many getting 60+ as well. I'm betting Walmart will have more than that.

[seenew]

the eb here requires you to leave your ID and a credit card with them at the counter. I think that would keep most people from stealing it...

[Foxglove9]

I work right next door to a Gamestop. I'll have to stop there on my lunch break tomorrow and check out the Wii! I walked by it when they were closed and all I saw was a giant Zelda Wii coming soon setup.

[LethalWolfe]

Hey anybody seen gamespot video of them playing the wii?
I'm not saying this to rally you guys up but that machine seemed light and cheap. The machine seem like it had no weight to it and anything could just rip it apart...like the insides was missing.



Bless

We got a Wii at the office on Friday (I'm working for gametrailers.com currently) and I was surprised at how small it was (about the size of an external DVD drive). It's also the only next-gen console that won't make you reorganize your home set up if you want more than 1 console hooked up. We all know how big the 360 is and the PS3 is a beast that weighs a ton. At GT we got our PS3 a week before our Wii, but the Wii has gotten the most attention when people have some down time. After the novelty of the Wii's UI wears off we'll see if it has lasting appeal but right now more people in our office want to play the Wii than the PS3.


Lethal

[Oofie]

I just played the wii at my local gamestop. They had Excite Truck for the demo, I was hoping for Wii sports though.

[Abulia]

Went to BB on Saturday where they had a Wii kiosk but no Wiimote. I ask a salesperson where the Wiimote is. He had no clue and had to ask two other salespersons, none of which knew what the hell I was talking about.

Couple this with the zero amount of marketing and advertising that Nintendo has done with the Wii -- no one beyond the hard core crowd even knows that Nintendo has a new console coming out -- and I'm frustrated that no one wants to sell me one of these damn things! :mad:

/rant off

Sorry, had to get that out of my system. :) I'm curious about the Wii for my family and friends, but between this board and the inability to try the darn thing I'm sick of the Wii.

[jdechko]

[QUOTE=Abulia;3049577]Couple this with the zero amount of marketing and advertising that Nintendo has done with the Wii -- no one beyond the hard core crowd even knows that Nintendo has a new console coming out -- and I'm frustrated that no one wants to sell me one of these damn things! :mad:/QUOTE]

Good, that just means that I'll be more likely to get one on launch day. :D

Yeah, but I agree with you that it sucks that there is no advertising. I'd have thought that there'd definitely be some by now. I think there's like 2 places in the local Wal-Marts that even mention them. The banner that they hang over the security sensors at the front and then some at the back. They even had a PS3 on display (not playable) but no Wii.

[DEXTERITY]

There won't be a tethered interactive unit due to saftey concerns. The tether cable whips all over the place and it is a huge saftey concern. thats the reason only Eb/Game Stop and Circuit City (they were at one point, not sure if that changed) stores are getting playable units. Circuit Cities controller was basically going to be on the floor live with no tether (good luck with that one).

They were working on a way to have a tether unit in the future..

[SilversunStreak]

Am I the only one here who wasn't blown away by the Wii. Last week I played 2 races in Excite Truck and wasn't that entertained. In fact it kind of annoyed me that my truck was in the air all the time and bouncin around :/ Got XBox 360 last week and couldn't be happier so far. D/l lots of fun demos and got Viva Pinata which is addictive as hell!

[coffey7]

Even if the game play was bad people would still buy one. Its all part of the image.

[viccles]

Am I the only one here who wasn't blown away by the Wii. Last week I played 2 races in Excite Truck and wasn't that entertained. In fact it kind of annoyed me that my truck was in the air all the time and bouncin around :/ Got XBox 360 last week and couldn't be happier so far. D/l lots of fun demos and got Viva Pinata which is addictive as hell!

Viva Pinata I was thinking about getting that one

[GFLPraxis]

Am I the only one here who wasn't blown away by the Wii. Last week I played 2 races in Excite Truck and wasn't that entertained. In fact it kind of annoyed me that my truck was in the air all the time and bouncin around :/ Got XBox 360 last week and couldn't be happier so far. D/l lots of fun demos and got Viva Pinata which is addictive as hell!

Excite Truck isn't the best demo game. It doesn't use the Wiimote to its fullest.

Wait till you play Metroid, Mario, and Zelda. :D

[sarcosis]

I've been looking to play one for a while, but I can't find one to play. From the media, it looks encouraging. For those of you complaining because of the lack for ads, you arn't looking in the right places.

The media has become so saturated by crap commercials, people don't look anymore. At least I don't. They are doing something different. They are giving it to mainstream journalists for them to talk about it. This gains credibility because it's someones opinion that many many Americans read everyday. It's also a heck of alot cheaper. Spend 300 bucks for coverage all over America vs the 500K to get their ad on Sunday Night Football. It's like Apple think different.

[rockthecasbah]

I just got back from running into 2 different gamestops and an EB games (they're all within a mile of each other so it wasn't a biggie).. They all had the kiosks set up but not functional, all with hand written notes on them that say "DO NOT TOUCH!" I asked one of the guys about it because my friend had said last week that they were working and he told me that the Nintendo representative that has to hook it up was taking his "jolly ol' time" getting to them but it should be up and running soon...

I was so disapointed. Oh well, i just hope the local Best Buy is doing a midnight launch, i want to play the Wii so badly!!!

[Foxglove9]

I finally got to play the Wii Wednesday at Gamestop. It was set up right next to the PS3. Unfortunately because there was no sign posted most everyone played the PS3 since the control pads were mounted right on the kiosk. If you wanted to play the Wii you had to leave your drivers license at the front desk. But no one knew that, not even the employees (I had to ask the manager). So yeah, people just thought it was a running unplayable demo.

Excite Truck was on, and my opinions on everything. For one the graphics really pale in comparison to the PS3 and Xbox 360. Just didn't look no where near as crisp and sharp as the other 2 machines. It looked like a 3 year old Gamecube game. Second the Wii controller is nice. It's also very responsive too. Excite truck takes full advantage of the XYZ axis of the controller and in just minutes I had the controls down quicker than I did when I first used an analog stick in Mario 64.

However my overall impression was just so-so. As was most of the guys watching me play, they kept asking me to put Zelda on because Excite Truck was too boring. The game itself wasn't very exciting and I really felt the Wiimote concept to be annoying. I wish it had some other things on demo to try out because I was bored with the Wii really fast.

The PS3 was even worse. They had some car off road game on that was just awful. Graphics were so sharp and detailed, but there was crazy clipping, and glitches all over the screen. Also the graphics didn't blow me away like I thought it would. To me it looked no better than the 360, and just slightly better than a really good PS2 game. I know that's only one game to judge a console but I was 100% unimpressed by it, especially considering how much it costs.

The Xbox 360 is tops on my system list right now.
Followed by Wii and PS3.

[MacRumorUser]

Excite Truck was on, and my opinions on everything. For one the graphics really pale in comparison to the PS3 and Xbox 360. Just didn't look no where near as crisp and sharp as the other 2 machines. It looked like a 3 year old Gamecube game. Second the Wii controller is nice. It's also very responsive too. Excite truck takes full advantage of the XYZ axis of the controller and in just minutes I had the controls down quicker than I did when I first used an analog stick in Mario 64.

However my overall impression was just so-so. As was most of the guys watching me play, they kept asking me to put Zelda on because Excite Truck was too boring. The game itself wasn't very exciting and I really felt the Wiimote concept to be annoying. I wish it had some other things on demo to try out because I was bored with the Wii really fast.

i'm starting to get pre-orderer's remorse :o

and the last part is the thing I feared the most :(

[Winstonp]

i'm starting to get pre-orderer's remorse :o

and the last part is the thing I feared the most :(



Just think TP!!!

[Haoshiro]

i'm starting to get pre-orderer's remorse :o

and the last part is the thing I feared the most :(

My thinking is that for any machine you are going to need the software.

I just recently sold my Xbox and I was pretty surprised... my game collection for that was so small. 4 games. I had sold 3 or 4 previously, but that was because I didn't play them. Of the 4 I still had, I really only played Halo 1 and Halo 2 to any extent.

I haven't even touched my 360 in quite awhile, and have mostly been playing GameCube (finally finished up Wind Waker, picked up Beyond Good & Evil, and still have Paper Mario sealed). It's what I'm playing more then anything and being able to get such great software for low prices ($5-$20) just makes it better. Hopefully GoW perks my 360 usage, getting that today if it's in stock.

Point is, you'd get bored very quick with any system that didn't have at least one game to really hold your interest. Everything I've read says Zelda:TP on Wii is the best experience, that the Wii controller only makes the game better. So I'm not going to bother playing it on GameCube if the better experience is on Wii anyway.

Excite Truck actually interests me, but really just for the multiplayer, it looks like a fun and refreshing racer that would be good in multiplayer. Right now I've been playing quite a bit of Mario Kart: Double Dash in multiplayer, otherwise I might not consider a race title.

Nintendo systems have always treated me the best, I started off buying both the N64 and GameCube for just Zelda, and later my collection grew with some of my favorite games across any platform, I think the Wii will be like this too, personally.

[mkaake]

our local gamestop got theirs in yesterday, and it's all set up.

problem?

They don't have a Wii setup disc.

So it sits...

[zap2]

I played it last night...it was SO fun. My friend and I played excite trucks and made Miis.