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[Joeshabadoo]

good one

 

[AlphaTwo00]

Just left the Wii U Tour demo in Toronto. They had:

Scribblenauts Unlimited
2x Nintendoland (DK, Luigi, AC, Zelda, Takamaru Castle)
2x NSMBU
Sing
Just Dance 4

Tried bits and pieces of everything but Just Dance 4. Will have more impressions later when I get home.

 

[CrashPrime]

This thread is useless without pics/videos!!!! That being said, I can't wait to get my trembling hands on one to up the hype factor.

Very positive impressions from you guys so far! I'm shocked GAF isn't hating on this a little more.

 

[Joeshabadoo]

hard to hate on stuff that's just plain fun to play, and with such obvious potential

 

[KojiKnight]

This thread is useless without pics/videos!!!! That being said, I can't wait to get my trembling hands on one to up the hype factor.

Very positive impressions from you guys so far! I'm shocked GAF isn't hating on this a little more.

Not true... while pics/vids would be appreciated (going to try and see if I can bring my good HD camcorder into best buy, I have a feeling I'll get turned down, but at least I can use my phone I guess) you can still get a better general consensus at least from other people's impressions.

 

[HeySeuss]

Very positive impressions from you guys so far! I'm shocked GAF isn't hating on this a little more.

If you build it, they will come.

 

[Karsticles]

This thread is useless without pics/videos!!!! That being said, I can't wait to get my trembling hands on one to up the hype factor.

Very positive impressions from you guys so far! I'm shocked GAF isn't hating on this a little more.

The people who hate the Wii U have no intention of ever playing it. It was a judgment they came to even before the system was announced.

 

[Dusk Golem]

I liked the Wii-U from what I played at PAX. Learning Curve took a lot shorter than I imagined it would, controller was surprisingly light and it all felt very natural, which was good. I think Nintendo might be the best at making controllers feel the most natural, to me at least.

I played the Wonderful 101, ZombiU, Rayman Legends, Super Mario Bross Wii-U, and Pikmin 3, I should mention.

 

[WillyFive]

Rayman Legends is pretty much a core title pretty much.

This is how I go

Casual = games that don't need that much thinking, example Fitness games, Dance games, etc
Core = Normal difficulty, requires thinking, Mario, Zelda, Uncharted, Halo, etc
Hardcore = Grand Theft Auto type games, really gory games, etc.

Brain Age is a casual game, and very much requires thinking. I don't really agree with your other two either.

Hardcore would be something really hard and complex; whether a game is gory or not is irrelevant, and GTA games were extremely mainstream.

 

[Joeshabadoo]

The people who hate the Wii U have no intention of ever playing it. It was a judgment they came to even before the system was announced.

Pretty much this.

At NYCC last weekend one of the random women who was hired to work the Wii U booth, just looking for some quick weekend work and not familiar at all with the console or very much into videogames, joined me in getting downright obsessed with DK crash course among several other attractions in NL (but especially crash course). We went beyond trying to beat the stages and started to look for shortcuts and beat eachother's times. She said it quickly stopped feeling like work, and she went from not knowing about the console to searching out the remaining pre-order options.

Her experience speaks to the effect it can have on many who play it, and the general positive attitude and good nature of the Nintendo faithful. We are largely a pleasant bunch to be around . I'm hoping that mall tours and retailer demo kiosks can do enough of the work here, long-term. This will in no way be some ultimate gaming platform which satisfies the needs of all types of players (nothing will ever be that), but it is a fun and interesting one, capable of delivering freshness while simultaneously providing something more traditional.

 

[Tmdean]

Brain Age is a casual game, and very much requires thinking. I don't really agree with your other two either.

Hardcore would be something really hard and complex; whether a game is gory or not is irrelevant, and GTA games were extremely mainstream.

Yeah - GTA was almost casual. My definition goes like this.

Casual: intended for people who otherwise don't play games.
Core: intended for people who play a lot of games.
Hardcore: meaningless distinction.

Of course if you go by these criteria the types of games that qualify for "casual" and "core" will shift over time.

 

[HyperCubed4]

Wii U Canadian tour for Toronto:

I'd imagine it's held outside of the store itself.

Definitely going to that. I don't like the Wii U I'm not looking forward to the Wii U that much, but any chance to get my hands on it for free is gonna be good.

 

[kitsuneyo]

Me and Mrs kitsuneyo tried out the WiiU at Westfield Shopping Centre in Derby yesterday. The games on show were Nintendo Land, NSMBU, ZombiU, Rayman Legends and Just Dance 4. I played them all except Just Dance 4... nobody but Nintendo's staff were playing that one.

(Note I also posted this in another forum)

First off, I really liked the pad. It was really comfortable to hold in two hands or one. Maybe the size of the player's hands will make a difference, but it was a good fit for mine. The touch screen is great - it feels much nicer and more responsive than the one on my DS Lite. I used the touch screen for Rayman, ZombiU and Nintendo Land (the throwing stars game) and it worked perfectly.

The dual sticks on the pad are a bit different. Playing ZombiU, even after inverting the Y-axis... something about the right stick felt very weird. It was probably the positioning being different from the 360 pad, and I found myself getting more used to as I went along, but I didn't play long enough to get comfortable with it. Don't see any problems in the long run.

ZombiU was pretty good. Using the pad does make it a more immersive experience and I definitely want to pick this game up. The graphics didn't impress me much though. The word that sprang to mind was grainy. (The only game that really looked great graphically was Rayman. These games would benefit a lot from anti-aliasing, hopefully it shows up in retail versions.) It was cool to walk past Tower Bridge though, love the London setting.

Mario was exactly what you'd expect, so I don't have much to say about it. Tried all three demo stages in two-player with the missus and we enjoyed it. Hopefully the full game will have more depth to it. I'd say Rayman has the edge over Mario based on the demos. Bit more challenging, better looking. Mrs k enjoyed playing as Murphy.

Finally, Nintendo Land. The first game we played was Luigi's Ghost Mansion. Three Nintendo staff joined us for a couple of 5-player games (the stand really wasn't very busy!), and I was the ghost chasing the other players with the GamePad. Unfortunately all the other players were rubbish at it and I caught them all straight away... with decent players it might be more fun.

Second NL game we tried was Takamaru's Ninja Castle. This is the one where you hold the pad in your left hand and use your right hand to throw ninja stars at enemies. Aiming with the pad and sliding the screen worked really well. This was probably the most immediately enjoyable game, and the one that is most like Wii Sports in that anyone could pick it up and have a good time with it.

Finally we played Zelda Battle Quest. I had the pad again, which meant I was aiming and shooting a bow and arrow. It took a while to get used the controls, which have you pulling back the bow with the right-stick and aiming by moving the pad around. The other two players had Wii M+ swords like in Skyward Sword. To be honest I wasn't too impressed with this one... the use of Miis in the game is pretty ugly and the game itself was a bit boring. But maybe there's more to it, we only played for 5 mins or so.

 

[WillyFive]

Yeah - GTA was almost casual. My definition goes like this.

Casual: intended for people who otherwise don't play games.
Core: intended for people who play a lot of games.
Hardcore: meaningless distinction.

Of course if you go by these criteria the types of games that qualify for "casual" and "core" will shift over time.

I think the people that challenge the Donkey Kong high score world records and actively try to top the leaderboards deserve to be called hardcore, since they are a very different type of gamers than those that simply play a lot of games.

 

[zroid]

My impressions from this morning's event in Toronto


Wii U Console

Holy crap this thing is LONG! I'm not sure if it was just the circumstances fooling me, but the console looked as long as the fat PS3 is wide. It's ridiculous. I'm sure it will look sharp when stuffed in a home theatre stand, but it's quite alarming at first glance.​

Wii U GamePad

Just as everyone else who's held it indicates, the GamePad feels very good in your hands. The ergonomics are excellent, and all the buttons and inputs feel great. The Control Pad is very much like the Classic Controller Pro's -- not clicky, but responsive, and a good size. The positions of the L and R buttons (bumpers) are somewhat unusual. I would say unlike most controllers I've used with two on each side, the natural position is sitting above the ZR and ZL. It's fine, but feels slightly unwieldy to move your fingers back up to L and R. The analogue sticks are solid, nothing to complain about. I honestly didn't even have to think about the flipped position of the face buttons and right stick compared to other pads -- you pretty much get used to it instantly. Finally, as for the touchscreen, I think you can definitely see its resistive roots, but it seemed to be more responsive than the screens of the DS and 3DS hardware. It's noticeable, but not gamechanging. The stylus is still the best way to manage purely touch-based gameplay. The screen itself looked sharp. I really had no complaints; looking up and down between TV and GamePad, the image quality stayed constant, which is actually what I'd hope for, as opposed to the GamePad being remarkably better.​

Scribblenauts Unlimited

Didn't seem like there was much to this demo, or at least, I didn't see much of it. What I did play was alright; not too impressive, but mildly entertaining nonetheless. More importantly, I didn't feel the two screens were really leveraged all that interestingly. The TV just displayed a larger version of the GamePad's screen and didn't seem to add anything. I noticed I could pan the camera on the TV with the analogue sticks, but this feature didn't appear too compelling, at least not in the demo I played. The art was very nice -- probably the most impressive part of the game for me. I'd like to try more but at this point I'm not exactly frothing at the mouth.​

New Super Mario Bros. U

Didn't want to spend too much time with this as it's the game I'm looking forward to most at launch, but I can confirm the demo didn't do anything to dissipate my excitement. Firstly, it's a gorgeous game. The vibrant colours are backgrounds are fantastic, while the animations are cute and effective. The controls are tight and responsive, and while it's hard to get a good feel for the level design at a crowded demo station, I was constantly noticing things that I passed by or fell through. There seems to be a good deal of verticality, and the levels are quite densely packed with things to discover. The squirrel suit is interesting; I think moreso than gliding, which is a pretty standard ability at this point, the power to cling to walls has a lot of potential to pave the way for some neat level design concepts.

I only got the chance to play Boost Rush Mode (which is the one where it's timed and the only way to speed up progress is by collecting tons of coins -- and not dying). I was surprised how fast the levels scrolled as you collected a few coins. It was not that easy, especially to continue grabbing coins while the scrolling accelerated. I think it remains to be seen how this will compare to NSMB2's Coin Rush in terms of "skill building", but having a good partnership between Mario and the GamePad player will no doubt be crucial. It was self-evident just how much of an impact that ability can have if you both know what you're doing (either positively or negatively). In a way I worry it could fracture the dynamics of the game, but if executed properly, it's quite a marvel. I'm not entirely convinced how well this will stand up to other 2D Mario games of "New" and old, but I can definitely say this is the richest multiplayer Mario experience to-date, and it's certainly the prettiest.​

Nintendo Land: Luigi's Ghost Mansion

I had the chance to play four Nintendo Land mini-games, and this was the first. It was also the best in terms of "pure fun". I managed to fit in about three 5-player games, and all three were frantic and a blast. I never personally got to use the GamePad here, but I got the gist of it while on the team of Miis anyway. It's a simple game, but visually it has the same hauntingly silly charm of Luigi's Mansion, which is very much a good thing. The point of the game is to attempt to corner the ghost -- whom you can't see (most of the time) -- while the ghost tries to split you guys up and steal you away one-by-one. There's tons of potential for effective teamwork, but it's a tradeoff to not give away your intentions to the player with the GamePad, who's standing adjacent. I won't go into all the details on how the game works, but rest assured, it is highly entertaining, at least when you have 5 players going at it. We had a couple close calls as a team, where it was down to one of us left and the ghost had just a few points of health remaining. No doubt that added to the intensity/fun. With a well-matched group this one's gonna be good, for sure.​

Nintendo Land: Animal Crossing Sweet Day

Didn't play this one for a long, and again didn't get the chance to be the GamePad player, but it's another clever game. From earlier previews I hadn't considered the impetus for the Wiimote players to work together, but it's important. I'd figured that splitting up would be the most effective way to keep the guards off your tails, but you have to stay close at times in order to release the biggest candy stashes. Definitely some risk/reward going on, and it's all wrapped up in a very charming, colourful package. I was really hoping to use the GamePad here as I've heard awesome things about the challenge of multi-tasking presented by controlling the two guards. Alas, it will have to wait. This should be another brilliant party game, much like Luigi's Ghost Mansion.​

Nintendo Land: Zelda Battle Quest

This one was a bit of a disappointment, to be honest, and being on-rails did not help it in this regard. I'd expect when you're playing with friends, this one's likely to be somewhat more entertaining, but for me and a couple strangers, we kind of just did our own thing and it wasn't too interesting. I did play with the GamePad here, and it was OK. I found myself having to spin around in circles sometimes for no apparent reason, as we never actually changed directions to such a degree. It was like the gyro didn't always pick up on my motion so it ended up getting more and more offset as I played. Aiming worked but was a little finicky; I did like the mechanic of pulling back on the stick to shoot the arrows though. That was a smart design, both intuitive and felt good to pull off. Overall the game was just too chaotic and in the circumstances I played them in, it did not really invite players to work together. Visually, however, it was fantastic. I'd certainly like to see more, but this was easily the least impressive of the four games I played.​

Nintendo Land: Donkey Kong's Crash Course

WOW! This game is crazy hard, and just crazy in general too. I wish I had more time with it, as I needed to get going and just managed to fit in a few quick runs. The game quite simply decimated me. Played it for about 7 minutes, and I didn't come close to finishing the first stage. I'll say that I probably should have taken advantage of the two screens, instead of staring down at the GamePad the entire time -- this may have led to a number of gaffes that could have otherwise been avoided. Anyway, the gyro controls were responsive and intuitive. I can image it being designed where you simply push the analogue stick to tilt the course, but I doubt it would work anywhere near as smoothly as the gyro. I'm not sure about the longevity of Crash Couse, but for high score chasers it will no doubt prove challenging and alluring for quite some time. Can't wait to get a chance to dig more deeply into it, and hopefully actually redeem myself by completing the stage.​

swag:

 

[PunjabiPlaya]

I went to a Best Buy around my house (South-East Michigan) to check out if they had the display up this morning and to my surprise the Nintendo rep. was there setting it up. I let him finish up his business and jumped on the Wii U as soon as he was all set and I was surprised how good the controller felt. The screen was better than I had expected and it just feels good in your hands and a lot lighter than you'd imagine, I had no problem holding the controller with one hand and using the other on the touchscreen. The display only had the Rayman Legends demo and it's everything I expected. Looks great in person and the controller is flawless when it comes to latency.

I shot the shit with the rep. for a few minutes, just talking about the launch and whatnot. I asked him if he knew when Nintendo would kick up the advertising and he said that they're rolling these demo units asap and that ads should start by the end of the month. I asked him a bit about the range of the controller, he said 15ft. is what Nintendo says, but he things that's just the safe range to say and it can probably go further than that, obviously factoring whats in the way (walls, etc.). I asked whether the component cables from the Wii would work with the Wii U and he said he doesn't think so, but he had no idea what ports would be on the final model so he couldn't say for sure. I tried to get some info about the os and online for the system, but he was as clueless as everyone else is about how Nintnedo is handling it, he just told me about Miiverse and stuff we already know.

 

[AlphaTwo00]

Aright, now at a computer, let's put a few thoughts together:

GamePad

Weight/Comfort - Pleasantly surprised by how light it is: Playing Zelda/Donkey Kong, which required gyro manipulation of the screen, it felt efforless, which is a good though. I'd venture to say the weight is around a 360 Controller + Battery. However, for something like NSMBU's boost mode, one handing the controller was definitely going to feel heavier and somewhat straining for long periods of play. I'd say it's somewhat comparable to holding something like the iPad 2 one handed and using your finger to swipe at stuff.

Buttons/Sticks - Everything felt responsive, even the D-Pad felt right. Sticks have a good amount of travel and give, and was definitely in a good position. The ZL/ZR buttons are definitely the primary triggers (no, they don't feel analog and don't have that travel), and I'm really not sure whether the L/Rs will be heavily used (they definitely can't be quick toggles buttons like PS3/360's Bumpers/1s)

Touch Screen - Wow. The screen looks brilliant, and at times, seems to be more colour correct than the HDTV screens. If all the Wii U does is enable HD gaming on that screen, then I'm all in. Stylus usage (in Scribblenauts and NSMBU) are responsive as you'd expect (similar to experience on 3DS), and using fingers to just select menu items in NSMBU/Nintendoland seems to be responsive enough. Sing, interestingly, uses a coverflow like menu system for song selection, and this is where the resistive screen seems to be a bit weak: not sure if it's their API implementation of drag and swipe, but as my finger leaves the screen, the menu just stopped dead/bounced back one item. It could be due to the cold(?), but yeah, inconclusive in whether it can come close to doing capacitive like controls.

Scribblenauts
Yup. It's Scribblenauts in HD. It probably wasn't a good showing as it's just left in as a random stage with things to do, and I was kinda lost as to what I'm doing other than just coming up with words to solve things that was on the stage at the point. The stylus input on the touchscreen is definitely welcomed (and expected), but as Zeer0id as mentioned above, there's not a whole lot to the two screen usage other than mirroring what's going on.

NintendoLand - Donkey Kong's Crash Course
I've been pretty pessimistic about this game from the start, but it's definitely a well put mechanic into a game. Let's start with the obvious: No, the TV screen really isn't needed, all the gameplay is on the Gamepad. Tilting the machine and using the button input for manipulating gears and levers was interesting enough, and could be a good puzzle/high score minigame like Tank! in Wii Play.

NintendoLand - The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest
I had tried this from the Gamepad side (didn't try the Wiimote only option), and it's an average on-rails experience. From the gamepad, you're in charge of shooting the arrows, which is critical in taking out unreachable enemies. For the bulk of the game, I felt like I wasn't making much of a dent as the other two players just charged in and killed everything.

One odd thing to note: during one run of the game, the Gamepad slowly drifted away from center, and my calibration for facing forward slowly drifted away from the TV. It's not a big deal, but it's somewhat odd that at the end of the game, everyone was facing the TV but me.

NintendoLand - Luigi's Ghost Mansion
Going in I was expecting this to basically be a rebranded Pac Man Vs experience, and I was definitely wrong on that. This game, unlike Pac Man, actually encouraged players to work together and hunt the ghost down before the time expires, and leaving people stranded is a bad idea (allowing the ghost to capture them). Human players gets the full view of the screen, and their controller vibrates more as the ghost is near them. Humans can use their limited flashlight to revive down players/reveal and hurt the ghost. The Ghost on the gamepad gets the full screen and sees everyone. Certain rooms/outdoor lightning flashes can also reveal the ghost locations. This was definitely the highlight and I can see lots of replay with a good group.

NintendoLand - Animal Crossing: Sweet Day
This, on the other hand, felt like the Pac Man Vs experience. Human players get a personalized view of their screen, and they're suppose to inform each other to stay away from the two guards (controlled by the Gamepad player). Since the human players don't have a full view of what's going on, it's more hectic and unorganized chaos, and leads to pretty lobsided games (in the two games I've played, it was either a quick Gamepad player victory or a quick human player victory).

NSMBU
It's New Super Mario Brothers, and it's in HD. Big whoop...

Oh, yes, there's the Boost mode. Boost mode is definitely an interesting addition to the game. I definitely made certain blocks that made reaching platforms possible, I'd also been able to save from certain deaths too. Yet it also lets be be a complete dick and trap everyone in a pit and blocking them from walljumping out. It also looks like I could tap on bubbled players, turtles, and other assortment of game objects that all does different things. It can definitely be the new high score run challenge, and it can also be the party mode where people take turns to be jerks to each other.

Sing
No, I didn't sing. Song selection is definitely "Play it safe", top 40s spanning the few decades (newest in there seems to be your Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen song. The gamepad screen seems to be a personalized lyrics sheet, and both the TV/Gamepad provides "acting suggestions" for party play (like telling the singer to look at someone, clapping, etc). It's a very stylized look, and seems to forgo all the traditional scoring, singing assistant stuff that you find in singing games.

 

[Hero of Legend]

Do you get a free shirt in the Canadian demo stations? I thought you had to bring friends or something?

 

[AlphaTwo00]

Do you get a free shirt in the Canadian demo stations? I thought you had to bring friends or something?

Yes. But I brought a friend (and an e-mail that told me to bring a friend)!

 

[Hero of Legend]

Yes. But I brought a friend (and an e-mail that told me to bring a friend)!

I never got an email, but I can try bringing a friend.

Or I`ll just call one of you guys who happen to be there a friend, hey, we are fellow GAFfers are we not? So we are friends virtually.

 

[Lenardo]

checked 3 ebgames and the best buy today, none have the demo's out yet.

 

[Joeshabadoo]

Aright, now at a computer, let's put a few thoughts together:

GamePad

Weight/Comfort - However, for something like NSMBU's boost mode, one handing the controller was definitely going to feel heavier and somewhat straining for long periods of play. I'd say it's somewhat comparable to holding something like the iPad 2 one handed and using your finger to swipe at stuff.

In cases such as these, might I suggest cradling the gamepad as you would a baby, keeping your other hand free? When doing stuff like NSMB U Boost mode there is no need to have either hand on either stick.

 

[GiantEnemyGoomba]

Just got back from the Nintendo World Store. Digital triggers aside, all my concerns about the controller have been eased. The buttons aren't mushy, the sticks feel good and the screen is responsive and nice looking.

One thing that irks me, though, is that I could only play Rayman. It's the Nintendo World Store. Most games should be playable!

 

[AlphaTwo00]

In cases such as these, might I suggest cradling the gamepad as you would a baby, keeping your other hand free? When doing stuff like NSMB U Boost mode there is no need to have either hand on either stick.

Good point. I really wasn't thinking about that.

 

[zroid]

In cases such as these, might I suggest cradling the gamepad as you would a baby, keeping your other hand free? When doing stuff like NSMB U Boost mode there is no need to have either hand on either stick.

I imagine it probably wouldn't even be an issue if you're seated, which I figure is like 95% of cases. You'd be plopping it on your lap anyway.

 

[JordanN]

Went to the Toronto Best Buy preview event. Impressions:

Gamepad:
Very good. Fits in my hand nice and comfortably.

Takamaru's Ninja Castle:
First game I tried. The use of the controller was interesting. The crosshair didn't re-align itself so I found myself throwing stars from slighty off positions. My right shoulder also got tired from flicking the stars (although I was wearing a backpack while playing). Graphically, it was meh. It felt low poly and there was noticeable aliasing.

DK's Crash Course:
Was kind of difficult but the concept was nice. Graphically, it was ok.

Zelda Battle Quest:
This was good. The same skill based sword swinging mechanics from skyward sword are back. Graphics were much better here compared to the previous games I played. Textures were definitely a step up from PS3/360. Polygons still felt current gen. The lighting around the shield reminded me of the Leo demo. I'll also have to give props that the game is being rendered twice. Now if this game wasn't on rails, the potential for this game could be huge!

Animal Crossing:
The best graphics showcase at the event. Similar to the above, it is being rendered twice. Textures are very high res. The lighting is next gen. Again, similar to what AMD showed off in the Leo demo. The use of the gamepad was great here. I loved using the two sticks to control some guys with pitchforks who have to chase after the players eating candy.

Luigi's Ghost Mansion:
Apart from the flashlight, everything looked very shitty. The game was alright but kinda confusing for the flashlight players to find the ghost.

New Super Mario Brothers U:
Mario is disgustingly low poly. The backgrounds looked amazing however. The lighting in the star hopping level was done well. The game could of benefited from being at a higher resolution. The bluriness around Mario's eyes was kind of distracting. The game plays like every other New Super Mario Bros. To some, this is great. For me, it got old fast.

Scribblenauts Unlimited:
Didn't play it, only watched. The 1080p resolution was nice although I noticed there was alot of frame rate stuttering at times. I'm not sure if this is an intentional effect or if it's based on old build.

Miscellaneous:
-Taking pictures of the games shown on the TV were not allowed. You can take a picture while the gamepad is in view or a wide angle shot that shows more than just the TV in the picture.
-The Representatives do not know technical specs. I was told if you want to know the power, you have go to Nintendo's website.
-No ZombiU was present due to violent content.

Pictures of the event:

 

[Gahiggidy]

I'm turning down any chance to play the wii u early at at demo station. I'm saving myself for launch-day.

 

[Haunted]

I'm turning down any chance to play the wii u early at at demo station. I'm saving myself for launch-day.

Do you have one preordered at the Gamecube Hut?

 

[Gahiggidy]

Do you have one preordered at the Gamecube Hut?

I'm not going to own a Nintendo console from my own family's store. That's gross!

 

[snowdog1971]

Interesting. I figured the Black Betty level could only be played single player as Murphy, due to what we'd read before. Maybe UBI reacted to the complaints already and will give players the option of who to control in "Murphy stages."

Thanks for the other impressions as well. Good to hear that the pad feels comfortable.

Yup, I reckon they must be doing some sort of fundamental change somewhere to delay the launch of the title for a few months. Normally a delay of a few days/weeks is likely to be caused by a QA Technician finding a Class A bug at the last minute or a title failing Submission for some reason. Going to be interesting to see/hear what they're changing. I used to love it when titles got delayed, guaranteed overtime lol.

 

[ipukespiders]

No Wii U impressions to list, as I've not seen a demo unit, but I just wanted to offer some weight examples. According to the Iwata asks, I believe the Wii U gamepad was set at a max of 500 grams?

Here are some other weights according to my scale

Sixaxis : 136 gms
Dualshock 3 : 180 gms
XBOX 360 pad with 2 rechargeable AAs : 271 gms

 

[Agent Unknown]

So how does the Dpad feel? Is it a lot like the GBA SP/DS style they've been going with for years now or a bit different?

Both our Gamestops here have no idea (of course) when they're getting their demo stations, fortunately our Best Buy is hoping to have theirs set up sometime next week.

 

[AlphaTwo00]

So how does the Dpad feel? Is it a lot like the GBA SP/DS style they've been going with for years now or a bit different?

Both our Gamestops here have no idea (of course) when they're getting their demo stations, fortunately our Best Buy is hoping to have theirs set up sometime next week.

its pretty similar to how the classic controller dpad feels, I guess.

 

[adroit]

One odd thing to note: during one run of the game, the Gamepad slowly drifted away from center, and my calibration for facing forward slowly drifted away from the TV.

The crosshair didn't re-align itself so I found myself throwing stars from slighty off positions.

Ultrasigh. So motion sensing hasn't gotten any better since the Wii? I wish companies would either figure it out or give up on it.

IR pointing (or equivalent technology) is awesome. Motion sensing is crap (until fixed to work as reliably as IR pointing).

 

[jacksrb]

I called one of the Best Buys in Nashville on Thursday.

Christy at Best Buy: Hello, this is Best Buy, Home of the Geek Squad. This is Christy, how can I help you?

Me: Christy, do y'all have the Wii U demo station in or setup yet?

Christy at Best Buy: Yes we do.

Me: Thanks.

I showed up in store, and they just had a Wii demo station. Christy did not know what she was talking about. Sad pandas.

Enjoying reading the impressions.

 

[jacksrb]

Ultrasigh. So motion sensing hasn't gotten any better since the Wii? I wish companies would either figure it out or give up on it.

IR pointing (or equivalent technology) is awesome. Motion sensing is crap (until fixed to work as reliably as IR pointing).

I think you can re-center by hitting a direction on the D-pad, at least for Takumura's Ninja Castle, like Wii Motion +.

 

[Agent Unknown]

its pretty similar to how the classic controller dpad feels, I guess.

Cool, that's fine by me because I love the classic controller's Dpad.

 

[PapaEmeritus]

Is there a way to see if the stores have them without calling? Like a database listing or something, or is it just a crap shoot

 

[qizah]

My impressions from this morning's event in Toronto

*impressions*

Enjoyed reading that. Can't wait to try it out tomorrow for myself. Also can't wait for my t-shirt .

Was it busy when you went? I plan on being there an hour early tomorrow (I've got a midterm to study for). I'd like to be home as quick as possible.

Also - I wish we could've met and Street Passed, would've been cool. I'm gonna take my 3DS tomorrow lol.

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

its pretty similar to how the classic controller dpad feels, I guess.

I hope so the classic controller had the best dpad Ive ever played with. I was hoping it felt like that.

 

[PhoenixDawn]

Still no luck at the local Best Buy, although today I saw them setting up Wii U signs/board displays all around the gaming section and entrance so it must be getting close to appearing.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

How U Will Play Next <--- is this what they are going with?

I'm not going to own a Nintendo console from my own family's store. That's gross!

fess up, pops sold out of them before he remembered to save you one?

 

[zroid]

Enjoyed reading that. Can't wait to try it out tomorrow for myself. Also can't wait for my t-shirt .

Was it busy when you went? I plan on being there an hour early tomorrow (I've got a midterm to study for). I'd like to be home as quick as possible.

Also - I wish we could've met and Street Passed, would've been cool. I'm gonna take my 3DS tomorrow lol.

Heh, it actually wasn't too busy at all, but to be fair I went on a Friday at 11 am, and it was the sure to be less crowded of the two venues.

I'd love to StreetPass more GAFfers, I'm seriously missing out. Somehow I always seem to end up getting AlphaTwo lol. I think between my two systems I've passed him like 6 times.

I got a bunch anyway though, and it wasn't even crowded, so you'll likely get tons tomorrow! Have fun!

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

Went to the Toronto Best Buy preview event. Impressions:

Gamepad:
Very good. Fits in my hand nice and comfortably.

Takamaru's Ninja Castle:
First game I tried. The use of the controller was interesting. The crosshair didn't re-align itself so I found myself throwing stars from slighty off positions. My right shoulder also got tired from flicking the stars (although I was wearing a backpack while playing). Graphically, it was meh. It felt low poly and there was noticeable aliasing.

DK's Crash Course:
Was kind of difficult but the concept was nice. Graphically, it was ok.

Zelda Battle Quest:
This was good. The same skill based sword swinging mechanics from skyward sword are back. Graphics were much better here compared to the previous games I played. Textures were definitely a step up from PS3/360. Polygons still felt current gen. The lighting around the shield reminded me of the Leo demo. I'll also have to give props that the game is being rendered twice. Now if this game wasn't on rails, the potential for this game could be huge!

Animal Crossing:
The best graphics showcase at the event. Similar to the above, it is being rendered twice. Textures are very high res. The lighting is next gen. Again, similar to what AMD showed off in the Leo demo. The use of the gamepad was great here. I loved using the two sticks to control some guys with pitchforks who have to chase after the players eating candy.

Luigi's Ghost Mansion:
Apart from the flashlight, everything looked very shitty. The game was alright but kinda confusing for the flashlight players to find the ghost.

New Super Mario Brothers U:
Mario is disgustingly low poly. The backgrounds looked amazing however. The lighting in the star hopping level was done well. The game could of benefited from being at a higher resolution. The bluriness around Mario's eyes was kind of distracting. The game plays like every other New Super Mario Bros. To some, this is great. For me, it got old fast.

Scribblenauts Unlimited:
Didn't play it, only watched. The 1080p resolution was nice although I noticed there was alot of frame rate stuttering at times. I'm not sure if this is an intentional effect or if it's based on old build.

Miscellaneous:
-Taking pictures of the games shown on the TV were not allowed. You can take a picture while the gamepad is in view or a wide angle shot that shows more than just the TV in the picture.
-The Representatives do not know technical specs. I was told if you want to know the power, you have go to Nintendo's website.
-No ZombiU was present due to violent content.

Pictures of the event:

I like how you say the animal crossing game has next gen lighting. Ive seen it in videos but what makes you say that, now that you have seen it in person?

 

[not_so_special]

Pretty much this.

.

ok let me see if you dont like some things on the wiiu or you dont are ubberpositive with the system you are a hater?

way to go people

 

[JordanN]

I like how you say the animal crossing game has next gen lighting. Ive seen it in videos but what makes you say that, now that you have seen it in person?

The way the helmets were distorting light around it was amazing. There was also this "glow" that surrounded the characters. It looked way more advance than the HDR bloom I'm use to seeing in PS3/360 games. It really gave the impression the characters were in a very well lit/sunny setting.

 

[not_so_special]

The way the helmets were distorting light around it was amazing. There was also this "glow" that surrounded the characters. It looked way more advance than the HDR bloom I'm use to seeing in PS3/360 games. It really gave the impression the characters were in a very well lit/sunny setting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ONnwteGf_s this helmets? i dont see anything here more advanced that the current gen,well i havent tried the game just zombie u and rayman

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

The way the helmets were distorting light around it was amazing. There was also this "glow" that surrounded the characters. It looked way more advance than the HDR bloom I'm use to seeing in PS3/360 games. It really gave the impression the characters were in a very well lit/sunny setting.

Man I really cant wait to play it. The lighting in Nintendoland..I still cannot find a game to compare to it.

 

[VariantX]

The problem with that vid is that the build used for E3 could be different from what people are playing now at the showcase events.

 

[Durante]

So, has anyone gone to these demo stations with a DSLR and taken a 12 MP picture of the screen? Would be interesting to see what the games are really rendering.