Power Tennis
While Nintendo has made great use of an innovative and refreshing take on gaming by implementing the Wii’s motion-sensitive control system, there is little argument that there is much room for improvement as it relates to much of the software available for the console. Anyone who has suffered through the lazy and frustrating controls in the boxing portion of Wii Sports or tried playing the Wii motion-sensitive revamp of Gamecube Network’s Mario Power Tennis can attest to a need for an improvement in motion recognition.
No MotionPlus Support
Thus the MotionPlus project was announced mid-2008 and set to release in June of this year for $20. MotionPlus, an attachment that connects to the bottom of the Wii remote where a nunchuck would usually be inserted, is said to expand the capabilities of the system significantly by adding a more detailed and accurate Z dimension to the already spot-on X and Y axes. If done well, the potential here is pretty vast. The fencing game in the upcoming MotionPlus-supporting Wii Sports Resort could prove to be quite fun with an added sensor that can actually feel your thrusting and retreating movements, perhaps making for a much more fun and realistic experience.
MotionPlus
Still, there is some reason to fear that MotionPlus is yet another in long a line of Wii gimmick devices. It was recently announced that the technology would be absent from The Conduit, a first person shooter set to release a day after the MotionPlus. Leaving it out of perhaps the most highly-anticipated game in the history of the Wii when being released so close together is certainly enough to give one pause. High Voltage Software, the game’s developers, should be given credit, however, for not including something they felt would be a gimmick (at least in their game) only for the sake of being able to say it is there. Hopefully other developers will follow suit and use MotionPlus if it adds to what they are truly trying to accomplish and leave it be if it ends up distracting from the game itself.
The Conduit: No MotionPlus Support
Aside from The Conduit, the most noticeable absence of MotionPlus in an upcoming release is in Punch-Out!!, the motion-controlled revamp of the NES classic precision-based boxing game. If the gameplay of the Wii Sports attempt at boxing is any indication, Punch-Out!! will be a much more enjoyable experience using the classic controller setup that was wisely implemented in the game options. Still, as fans of both the original and Super Nintendo versions of the game, we’re holding out hope here that both control options will be amazing… but we’ll let you know for sure when we review the game upon its release.
Wii Sports Resort: With MotionPlus Support
So far only three upcoming games have officially been announced to implement MotionPlus. These are Wii Sports Resort, EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. Rumor has it, however, that sword-and-gunplay-featuring Red Steel 2 will use MotionPlus when it is released this November.
We’ll be sure to keep you up to date on any new developments with MotionPlus as well as provide reviews for how it is (or is not) implemented when the aforementioned games become available.
Welcome to GIZHQ your primary source of tech news, gadget reviews, consumer electronics news and everything technology related. Find out the latest technology trends, the coolest gadgets, your new favourite electronic toy and much more only at GIZHQ
“Rumor has it, however, that sword-and-gunplay-featuring Red Steel 2 will use motion-plus when it is released this November.”
Have you NOT seen the Red Steel 2 trailer? EXCLUSIVE WII-MOTION PLUS CONTROLS. You won't even be able to play it without the addon! (And it hasn't been a rumor for over a week, now)
@ nick
ah yes, thanks for pointing that out. i did see the trailer you are talking about last week but described it here as “rumor” because it is still so far away from its release date and barely shows gameplay footage. the conduit, for example, was actually initially announced to support motion plus but after the developers tested it, they abandoned the idea. i'm not counting on this happening with red steel 2 but i'd rather be overly cautious than put out information that i'm personally not convinced will hold up later. it just wouldn't shock me if motion-plus turns out to be a dud gimmick in resort, tiger pga, and ea tennis and this influences the direction of red steel 2's development, making it less likely to be tailored to a failed add-on that consumers won't buy. not saying i think this is going to happen but i don't want this article to look a year from now like those in 2008 hailing the conduit's use of motion-plus.
[...] This post was Twitted by wiigamesforfree – Real-url.org [...]
[...] Continued here: Wii Motion-Plus: Will it work and which games will use it? | gizHQ [...]
“Rumor has it, however, that sword-and-gunplay-featuring Red Steel 2 will use motion-plus when it is released this November.”
Have you NOT seen the Red Steel 2 trailer? EXCLUSIVE WII-MOTION PLUS CONTROLS. You won't even be able to play it without the addon! (And it hasn't been a rumor for over a week, now)
@ nick
ah yes, thanks for pointing that out. i did see the trailer you are talking about last week but described it here as “rumor” because it is still so far away from its release date and barely shows gameplay footage. the conduit, for example, was actually initially announced to support motion plus but after the developers tested it, they abandoned the idea. i'm not counting on this happening with red steel 2 but i'd rather be overly cautious than put out information that i'm personally not convinced will hold up later. it just wouldn't shock me if motion-plus turns out to be a dud gimmick in resort, tiger pga, and ea tennis and this influences the direction of red steel 2's development, making it less likely to be tailored to a failed add-on that consumers won't buy. not saying i think this is going to happen but i don't want this article to look a year from now like those in 2008 hailing the conduit's use of motion-plus.
Umm, how did you forget to mention that Virtua Tennis 2009 includes MotionPlus support?
Umm, how did you forget to mention that Virtua Tennis 2009 includes MotionPlus support?
Nintendo’s also been hinting that the next Legend of Zelda game might end up featuring Wii Motion Plus functionality..
Jack
http://www.motionplus-wii.com