WiiWare launched, impressions rounded up
by Eric Caoili 
{ Mar 25th 2008 at 9:45AM }
While most of us were sleeping -- like a bunch of chumps -- Nintendo launched its WiiWare service in Japan early this morning. As expected, the WiiWare servers are taking a beating from thousands of gamers hoping to try out the new downloadable releases, but Siliconera's Spencer Yip and Wired's Chris Kohler were still able to grab a few games and write up their impressions, all of which you can peruse below.
A few surprises revealed themselves with the service's launch:
- My Life as a King is rife with microtransactions, offering additional costumes, dungeons, and races (Yukes, Selkies, and Lilties) for 100-300 Wii Points.
- Star Soldier R features three light modes -- a two-minute mode in which you play through a quick stage for a high score, a similar 5-minute mode with two levels and boss encounters, and a "Fast Shot" mode for testing your button-tapping skills.
- Saku Saku Animal Panic, the only WiiWare launch title from a US developer and a game we haven't paid any attention to at all, is apparently "pretty fun!" Judging by Chris Kohler's impressions, it sounds a lot like Jezzball, minus the balls ... And the Jezz.
Read - The WiiWare Shopping experience
Read - WiiWare Impressions: Lonpos
Read - WiiWare Impressions: Angel's Solitaire
Read - WiiWare Impressions: Saku Saku Animal Panic
Read - WiiWare Impressions: Star Soldier R
Read - Extra content in My Life as a King explained
Read - Lonpos has pay-to-play content too
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nigeria: Cody ChesnuTT Defense Force @ Mar 25th 2008 9:59AM
I don't think I'm going to buy My Life as a King, in fact, I don't think I was ever going to buy it. But the microtransactions were the dealbreaker. It just seems the version you initially pay for is inferior and the only way to get the full game is to shell out another £5. I'm not comfortable with that. That's the reason, amongst others, why I don't have a 360.
After seeing Eternity's Child in motion I've lost interest in WiiWare. I have a feeling it might turn out like the VC: chock full of blandness.
Shadow31 @ Mar 25th 2008 10:10AM
It's not meant to be that way. The point of DLC is to have the full game, and then, if you want more, more can be added on. Basically you customize your gaming experience. I am sure that the game is a full, enjoyable game by itself.
Already you're getting the game much cheaper than most anyways, so if you feel obligated to download the content, you could always think of it being included in the price (which should still make it cheaper than the average Wii game).
SoshiKitai @ Mar 25th 2008 1:58PM
I agree with Shadow31...
I've played lots of MMOs with payable-playable-content... I've seen the "needs" that they strike a low blow to you as all the lazy-rich-kids get all the great things while you need to drudge through the deadly swamps, I've seen the "wants" that they dish out as you see a bunch of poor people getting poor-er but highly more fashionable.
I know what it's like to feel as if an MMO squeezed EVERY COIN OUT OF MY COLLEGE POCKETS, so I know how you must feel towards these...
But with a game as simple as that Final Fantasy game, one thing is for certain:
The only thing you'd REALLY NEED is the extra dungeons.
The extra race just seems like a "if you've got the cash, spend it"-option, and the costumes are for those of us who LOVE to find the right outfit for the right mood.
So just try it out.
And don't ditch out on Xbox Live or VC...
Xbox has games that don't need downloadable content to be fun ( I mean, do you REALLY need that extra stage? Or REALLY need that extra ammo clip? ), just don't fall for their tricks of "low prices"...... they always get gamers that way.
And the VC is for the old-school gamers. Things that are dear to our hearts and our past: We love to keep. My family's past had a lot of video games, and so I bought every game that my family played and loved. And I haven't regretted it. Everytime they want to play an old game they used to play: I've got it, and they enjoy it as much as they did then.
Not to mention one thing: Some games transcend time and popularity.
Bland?
Galaga ain't bland. Bubble Bobble (not the puzzle ones) ain't bland. And as far as I'm concerned: Gunstar Heroes ain't bland.
...but I suppose if you're not into old games or simple games: Then we can't help you.
Nigeria: Cody ChesnuTT Defense Force @ Mar 25th 2008 3:00PM
Yeah, Gunstar Heroes is awesome - one of the best on the VC - but you have to admit that quality has slowed down in recent weeks. We used to get 4-5 games a week and at least one was of undeniable quality. Well now, the VC gets one or two measly games. And it's usually dross. Monday Madness has turned into Monday Meh. Are you really excited for King's Night, Turrican, or another shooter? Oh god, always with the shooters.
My point is that the VC isn't quite what I expected, in terms of quality. Once Kirby Superstar is released I don't think I'll visit there again.
SoshiKitai @ Mar 25th 2008 3:45PM
Oooh... Kirby Super Star.
Yeah, if that came out I'm not sure if I'd go back either.
...unless they came out with Chrono Trigger or Super Mario RPG.
AND WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR EARTHBOUND.
I don't mind that it has slowed down, it gives me time to save up money for other games and Wii accessories.
Mr Khan @ Mar 25th 2008 10:31AM
Costumes are pointless, extra dungeons would be worth it, but paying for more races seems like a bit of a low blow
Calvin @ Mar 25th 2008 10:34AM
If buying the races gives you more to do in the game, then I'll buy it. Costumes are a no, unless one is awesome and I need it.
Shadow31 @ Mar 25th 2008 11:03AM
Yeah, to be honest. I would probably eventually pay for all the dungeons. Races, unless it's multiplayer, I would only get the race I like the most, which I think was always the Selkies or whatever. Costumes, MAYBE I'll buy one that I really like, but don't need more than one.
SirSloppyMoose @ Mar 25th 2008 11:11AM
I was on the fence about My Life as a King and the fact that it's full of DLC is pushing me towards not buying. Although, Final Fantasy games are my weakness....
Carlos @ Mar 25th 2008 11:31AM
people say EA and Ubisoft are evil.... fuck that, Square is evil. EEEEVIL i tell you!!!!
SoshiKitai @ Mar 25th 2008 2:00PM
It took you that long to notice?
They have been since day one.
It just depends if you see them as a "lesser evil"... like they were when Chrono Trigger came out.
clif @ Mar 25th 2008 12:52PM
Do you guys notice the size the games themsevles?
301 Blocks for Animal Panic
281 blocks for FF: My Life as a King
187 for Star Solider
So it was true that the games were going to be oversized. Nintendo hopefully add SD card support soon cause that's painful.
If wiiware lunched today I would have to delete most of my vc games, back up my game saves to even able to play three wiiware titles.
I hope Nintendo has a hard-drive planned.
Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Mar 25th 2008 2:00PM
They have already mentioned several times that no hard drive is planned.
I too hope for best - but still the fact remains fact N doesn't want us to have it.
N just waits for universal mod to add support for USB drives and playing games right from ISOs. Then few years later battling modders they would release their own solution. At least that what's happening with DS and R4/M3.
SoshiKitai @ Mar 25th 2008 2:03PM
At this point, yes a hard-drive is NEEDED.
But I'm not so sure you need to DELETE all your VC games.
In all-honesty, just save all the ones you don't "play everyday" onto an SD and keep the rest in your Wii.
And ANYTHING that can be saved and loaded to and from the SD IN THE GAME, save it to the SD... much easier.
I mean, if I got all those games I just have to save all my Mario and Zelda VCs into an SD card... afterall I'm not playing every Mario and Zelda games EVERYDAY.
Sonic_13 @ Mar 25th 2008 3:50PM
Enabling channels and games to run from the SD card slot would be the best option. It would be simple to use and it would require no additional or bulky hardware - just a tiny SD card. Perhaps the initial loading time would be a little longer, but I would bet that its a compromise people would be willing to make.
An additional 2 gigabytes (the largest acceptable SD card size) of space would go a significant way for many people. I'm not sure how much space is equal to one block, but I do know that the 512mb has provided over 2000 blocks of usable space (not to mention all the space required for the firmware and channels that cannot be deleted), so a 2gig card would presumably provide at least 8000 more blocks of space - more than enough for anyone in the foreseeable future.
James @ Mar 28th 2008 9:21AM
I think the question is do they mean "No hard drive is planned" as in no hard drive is planned, or "No hard drive is planned" the same way they meant it when they announced "We absolutely will not be updating the DS hardware" the day before they formally revealed the DS Lite?
I think they don't see it as an outright lie if they're protecting their product development process from the press.
Jhongerkong @ Mar 25th 2008 4:04PM
What the hell did they do to my Star Soldier!?
2 and 5 minute challenges were only a side option to the main game, not the main game itself.
Seriously, I saw the ENTIRE game on youtube. Definitely do not want.
SoshiKitai @ Mar 25th 2008 4:45PM
I thought it was still the entire game.
From the vid, it looked like there were three options:
-Game Start
-2 Minute Game
-5 Minute Game
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Jhongerkong @ Mar 25th 2008 6:29PM
The Game Start option branches to the 2 and 5 minute modes.
Im still pretty pissed. Especially since this costs 800 points while Soldier Blade is 600 and it has the exact same stuff.
v @ Mar 25th 2008 9:40PM
this game looks AWESOME!!!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JUq4Ia62Fc0
hvnlysoldr @ Mar 25th 2008 11:48PM
Should probably add some Wii points for FFCC DLC.
James @ Mar 28th 2008 6:45PM
I'm kind of pissed about the DLC thing as well. I think the Penny Arcade guys handled it pretty well last week (on an unrelated matter) when they predicted an increasingly disgusting torrent of pay-to-play addons -- I'd link the comment, but the side is hosed today.
I have a hard time articulating it, but buying the game knowing they intentionally left some of the content out so they could charge me extra for it really makes me feel... icky. Maybe it's that deep down I know that they wouldn't dare try to sell only the complete game, for the price I'd have to pay to buy all the content, but they think they can get away with chunking it up and selling it piecemeal. You wouldn't sell a book where you have to buy chapters out of the middle in installments, and you wouldn't sell a song where the chorus costs and extra buck. I realize games are a different medium, but it still sticks in my craw.
XionPH @ May 3rd 2008 6:23AM
I was really REALLY looking forward to My Life as a King. But now I will definitely not be playing it. I despise microtransactions and I will usually instantly delete from my PC any game that has them. Now if the game was free, or five bucks, and you could buy extra stuff, that might be different but I still would not play it.
If I buy a game then I want the full version thank you, downloadable or not. I understand microtransactions in mmo's where the companies use them to keep the cost of subscription down (or free in the case of Trickster Online). I think they have their place in the PC world, when used appropriately. But not on a Nintendo system thank you. And honestly I am surprised that Nintendo would be so willing to allow for them when they are so stubborn about adopting so many other things that actually make sense. Like more then 512 storage to name one of them.
Being able to buy other races is like a kick in the face. When I think FFC, I think about all of those races being included, not buyable. If they are not included then what the hell is the point? Being able to buy extra dungeons makes me think that I didn't get the full game in the first place.
I don't like things being left out of games so they can be sold to me later. And don't think they are developing these things after they make the game to offer continued support. No. I'm sure they are indeed selling half a finished product to milk as much money out of us as they can. I really am very upset by this. Hopefully the microtransactions side of it will fail, while the game itself does well so that Sqenix learn a lesson and release the full finished complete product on their next Wii Ware game.
James, said he could not articulate it well, but he did it much better then I did. To paraphrase, it sticks in my craw. Indeed.