[Wii] New Play Control! - GC Games With Wii Controls

The Dude With Herpes

Didn't see a thread on this, so I thought I'd make one.

Nintendo is re-releasing some of its GC games that were pretty popular on the Gamecube, with Wii packaging and new Wii controls.

Currently in the US we only have 2 of these games just released; Pikmin and Mario Power Tennis.

Pikmin

game info in spoiler

With all-new Wii controls, commanding an army of Pikmin has never been easier.

KEY INFORMATION

Captain Olimar has crash landed on a strange, alien world. With the pieces of his ship scattered across the planet, his only hope for survival lies with curious creatures he calls Pikmin. The captain must rally his newfound Pikmin friends and find the missing pieces of his ship ... before it's too late.

* With newly added Wii motion controls, players simply point the Wii Remote controller at the screen to wrangle an army of Pikmin and put them to work.
* The New Play Control! features open this highly rated Nintendo GameCube game to a new generation of players while giving players who loved it the first time a new way to experience it.
* Players take command of up to 100 Pikmin and order them to swarm dangerous predators, demolish barriers and haul critical parts back to their ship. The game combines action and strategy with fun characters.

Game storyline: Everything is going smoothly for Captain Olimar until a comet collides with this spaceship and forces him to crash land on a strange, alien world. After the rough landing, he quickly learns that his ship has broken apart while entering the atmosphere -not to mention the fact that his spacesuit is the only thing between him and a deadly poisonous atmosphere. He enlists the help of the Pikmin, small, indigenous plant-like creatures that inhabit the world, to search out the missing pieces of his ship before he succumbs to the noxious atmosphere. With a horde of Pikmin at his command, he just might have a chance.

How to progress through the game: In Pikmin, players must set out and explore the strange, lush planet and enlist the help of the indigenous Pikmin creatures to find the missing ship parts. Olimar has just 30 days to find all the parts before his air supply runs out. During the adventure, players encounter new types of Pikmin, each with its own special abilities. As players find more parts, new areas of the world are opened up, filled with dangerous native species and other hazards.

Characters: Captain Olimar, Pikmin

Controls: With new Wii controls, commanding an army of Pikmin is easy and fun. Players simply point the Wii Remote controller at the screen and use it as a cursor, making it easy to select a single Pikmin or an entire army. The cursor also makes it much easier to hurl Pikmin intuitively - they fly wherever the cursor is pointing.

Special powers/weapons/moves/features: Captain Olimar doesn't have any special weapons or super powers. Instead, he has an army of helpful Pikmin. Players can control up to 100 Pikmin at a time. There are several different kinds of Pikmin, each with its own special ability. For example, red Pikmin are immune to heat and fire, while blue Pikmin can survive in water. Players need to use strategy and command their Pikmin well to defeat predators and solve puzzles.

Mario Power Tennis

game info in spoiler

Power up your tennis game!

KEY INFORMATION

The wild multiplayer action of the Nintendo GameCube hit, Mario Power Tennis, returns with added Wii controls and widescreen presentation.

* With Wii controls, players simply swing the Wii Remote controller to hit forehands and backhands and to apply spin. The motion controls open this classic game to new gamers and offers experienced gamers the option to attach a Nunchuk controller for additional precision.
* Players can play as familiar characters from the Mario universe. Every character has a defensive and offensive Power Shot that can send opponents reeling or return out-of-reach balls.
* Players can be as crazy as they like. Play traditional tournaments, or hit the Gimmick Courts for wild matches not possible in the real world.
* This game was originally released for the Nintendo GameCube system. The ability to use Wii controllers has been added to this version.

Game storyline: The stars of the Mushroom Kingdom are gathering for a tennis tournament, and the competition is going to be fierce. Using New Play Control!, players actually become their Mushroom Kingdom heroes on the tennis courts. Every lob and smash a player makes is translated into motions by their characters on the court.

How to progress through the game: Play multiplayer games with friends or progress through tougher and tougher tournaments in singles and doubles play. As players win tournaments, clear minigames or challenge Gimmick Courts, they unlock new characters, courts and challenges.

Characters: Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong, Bowser, Bowser Jr., Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Shy Guy, Koopa Troopa and other Mushroom Kingdom characters.

Special powers/weapons/moves/features: With simple swing movements, players can hit topspin, backspin and smashes, and by charging up, they can hit with varying degrees of power or perform other character-specific moves that make even crazier things happen on the court.

The list of upcoming games that are being remade are (aside from those already released):
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat - May 9 2009
Metroid Prime - TBA
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - TBA
Pikmin 2 - TBA
Chibi Robo! - TBA

The major changes for these releases will be standard: Wii Remote controls, 16:9 widescreen, various (likely minor) graphical improvements.

Ideally the controls will be game appropriate and not just tacked on. Word is MP2 already had a tech demo that had MP3 controls incorporated, so hopefully MP and MP2 have those controls.

Currently the standard price for all the games has been said to be $29.99 and the games out reflect this.

So what do people think. Good idea? Bad Idea? Has anyone picked up any of the rereleases and can comment on the changes in controls and such?

Personally, if I can get MP and MP2 with widescreen graphics and MP3 controls...I would pay full price...again.

If these sell well enough maybe we'll see Wind Waker or maybe even other companies rereleasing some of the quality GC games that might have gotten ignored due to the small install-base of the GC.

EDIT: Looks like MP was already released in Japan. Anyone have any word or links related to that?

Glenn565

The Dude With Herpes wrote: »

Personally, if I can get MP and MP2 with widescreen graphics and MP3 controls...I would pay full price...again.

Better get your wallet ready, since It's been confirmed they use the MP3 controls. And I think widescreen too, but that's not as important.

Idoliside

I played Pikmin on this New Play Control for the first time. Im really enjoying it. Quite relaxing at the moment but i'm only on the first few levels.

The Dude With Herpes

That's cool.

I wonder how "easy" Mario Tennis is to play. If it is pretty straight forward as like Wii Sports Tennis it might be a good one to pick up to play with the wife. Obviously it would be more complex, but as long as it's not some technical game, Wii controls could make it really fun.

Mr_Grinch

Mario Tennis is really good fun, it's been slated a bit saying the controls don't work that well but I had a fair few people over and we had no problems. It's much more involved than Wii Sports, there are back hands and lobs that you can pull off. It doesn't recognise what you're doing 100% of the time but i've yet to find it frustrating.

Overall I'd say it's worth the price if you fancy a tennis game and don't own the original (I'm in two minds as to if i prefer this or Sega's offering though).

el_vicio

I made the mistake of buying Mario Tennis (thank god I could return it).

The controls are horrible compared to the precise (guess what, you need precision, it's a fast-paced arcade-like game) Cube version.

If they had at least included an option to still play it with a Gamecube controller, I would have been content (as I could save on the Wii without juggling Cube Memory Cards), but nooo....

Really just terrible.

I'm super-excited for the Prime Wiimakes though, And I guess I'll get Pikmin when 2 comes out (I've got both of the Cube originals) I guess

maximumzero

$30 is a steal for both of these games.

And luckily for me I kinda skipped over the entire PS2/GC/Xbox generation, so these are all new to me.

I expect to pick up every single one.

EddieDean

I only just got into the Metroid franchise, and have been wanting to play through all the games in chronological order for ages. This announcement has basically sealed the deal.

Could someone who's played all three Primes give a brief summary as to the differences between Prime 2 and Prime 3 in terms of control, and an indication as to how well they think the new control scheme will translate?

Xagarath

The Primes and Pikmin 2 have my interest, and maybe Chibi Robo since the original is so scarce.

Darlan

I'll be piking up Metroid Prime 2 and Pikmin 2 eventually, so this is nice. Funny how we all hated the idea of the RE0 port, but stick a specific label on the box and...

Djiem

So, Mr.Grinch and El_Vicio have made completely different posts one right after the other... WHO TO TRUST?

SirUltimos

When the Prime games come out I'm gonna buy them so hard.

Lunker

I was originally really excited for the Mario Tennis NPC, but shaky impressions and the unveiling of EA's tennis game with MotionPlus may make me wait a bit.

Also, Stephen Totilo at MTV Multiplayer posted a really detailed set of impressions on the Pikmin Wiimake, and apparently he loved the shit out of Pikmin 2. Some of the finer points went over my head, as I'm not a Pikmin fan, but essentially he says anyone who missed them on GC should definitely grab it, but series vets may find some of the control changes better and worse:

Nintendo’s first port of a GameCube game to the Wii left me with mixed feelings. This is a case of pros and cons.

***

I tried two game-days of “New Play Control Pikmin” on Saturday. That’s the Wii port of the 2001 GameCube game that mixed real-time-strategy with gardening and vegatable-vs-insect combat. It’s out this week. Then, failing to find my GameCube copy of “Pikmin,” I popped in my GameCube copy of “Pikmin 2,” the 2004 sequel that added more Pikmin, more levels, more characters but left the core mechanics of the series unchanged.

I wanted to compare the games and test whether the change from GameCube controls to Wii controls was for the better, the worse or just different. I’m going with: just different.

The GameCube and Wii games both had the player moving their hero, Captain Olimar, with a left thumbstick and both plucking and tossing little Pikmin with the A button under the player’s right thumb. This allowed OIimar to amass and lead an army of up to 100 Pikmin, all scurrying behind him until he tossed them at flowers to harvest or enemies to peck.

The controls differ in that the GameCube version forced the player to deal with some tight control constraints. The Wii loosens those limits.

With the GameCube, Olimar could call scattered Pikmin to his side with a blow of his whistle, a summoning that would manifest itself as a circle emanating from Olimar. The player would only rope in those wandering Pikmin who stood within the small radius of Olimar’s circle (about a quarter of the visible playing field, at most).

The Wii version of the game lets the player put a cursor anywhere on the screen and blow the whistle there. The Pikmin at your target run back to Olimar. The result: it’s easier to summon distant Pikmin to your side. That’s an improvement.

The same control changes that improve the summoning of the Pikmin make tossing a Pikmin harder.

The GameCube version of that action forced all Pikmin to land on a purple reticule that always stayed a fixed distance in front of Olimar. This made a Pikmin’s jumps predictable, a key quality when trying to get a Pikmin to land on a giant enemy’s back for an attack — rather than into its mouth to serve as a snack.

The Wii version of those controls allows the player to point at any spot where they want the Pikmin to land. This might seem like an improvement, as it gives the player more control, but I found that it made precise attacks more difficult. If I have 100 Pikmin to hurl at a rampaging enemy, I benefit from being able to launch them in a pre-determined arc, rather than worrying that a shake of my hand might cause ruin for half of my group.

Camera movement is improved in the Wii version. While little appears to have changed, I find that holding the camera behind Olimar (by pressing the left shoulder button on the GameCube controller or Z-button on the Wii nunchuk) works better when my right hand can then be freely used to point at the next area of interest. Using the Wii remote pointer, I point my targeting reticule at the next thing I want to interact with and, because I’m holding Z down and moving forward, the perspective swivels to what I am pointing at.

In the original GameCube game, the camera could lock behind my character and then turn when I made him start walking. Technically that’s the same as the Wii version, but the Wii version directs your eye to where you’re pointing, not where Olimar is standing. The distinction is subtle, but it feels like the difference between the camera following where I want my character to look (Wii) rather than where I want my character to walk (GameCube).

Button accessibility is a wash, surprisingly. I found the control scheme of the Wii game no more complex or ergonomic than that of the GameCube game. What did change was my playing posture. For the GameCube game, I found myself sitting forward on my couch, elbows on my knees, controller reaching toward the TV. That position put my physically closer to the screen. For the Wii game I found myself sitting back, further from the set, feeling less directly engaged but also more relaxed.

Graphically, I couldn’t compare the two. “Pikmin 2″ was designed to play at 480p and benefitted from Nintendo’s developers having three more years of famliarity with the GameCube hardware. The original “Pikmin” understanadably looks worse. While it was made widescreen for its Wii port, its graphics do not appear to have been improved.

One other touch: the sound of Olimar’s rally horn comes from the Wii remote speaker in the “New Play Control” game, instead of from the TV. That’s a change.

The big achievement of “Pikmin” when it launched in 2001 was that it’s developers took a typically mouse-driven PC genre, the real-time-strategy game, and make it playable using the controller. Olimar himself was a mouse pointer turned into a controllable game character. That design worked.

One promise of the Wii remote was that it would allow mouse-pointer style controls to games that needed them. “Pikmin” isn’t ruined by such controls, but it proves, again with the release of “New Play Control Pikmin,” that the game didn’t need them.

The Wii port is well worth getting for those who missed the very good original, but I’m hard-pressed to recommend it as an improvement. It’s just different.

(And, hey, I’ve preferred “Pikmin 2″ to the first GameCube game for five years now, so don’t forget that game as an option if you’ve yet to discover this low-key Nintendo franchise.)

Ohtsam

I'm surprised they aren't doing super mario sunshine, especially since aiming fluud will be that much easier

Brainiac 8

maximumzero wrote: »

$30 is a steal for both of these games.

And luckily for me I kinda skipped over the entire PS2/GC/Xbox generation, so these are all new to me.

I expect to pick up every single one.

This is me also...I never owned a Gamecube, and have only played some of these games since getting a Wii, so I'm quite excited to get these with the Wii's better controls.

Metroid Prime 1 & 2 with MP3 controls is worth it all its own.

el_vicio

Djiem wrote: »

So, Mr.Grinch and El_Vicio have made completely different posts one right after the other... WHO TO TRUST?

Well, if I understand correctly, Grinch recommends this if you don't own the original AND states that the controls, although deeper than Wii Sports, DON'T get your moves right 100% of the time, which he was ok with as he was able to have fun with ppl (who might not have played the original).

I said that the controls are no match at all to the Gamecube controls, and hate them.

not that much of a difference there, I guess I would have tried to enjoy it too if I hadn't played the original...

As it is, the controls feel forced and dumbed down (because they are not even remotely as precise), maybe fun as a casual experience, but that's not why I play Mario Tennis, I want arcady, fast-paced action, where precision and timing are crucial to win - and I want to have total control over wtf my Char is doing.

If you find a copy of the GC Mario Tennis for the same price or less, I'd recommend you buy that, if you really want to play Mario Tennis (or wait for a VC release of Mario Tennis for the N64)

SyphonBlue

I wonder how they are going to handle changing beams with the Wiimote. Hopefully they change the game to be stacking instead of adding beams to the point and click circle along with the visors.

SageinaRage

I'm kind of confused by the inclusion of Chibi Robo. It didn't really seem like a game that would be improved by Wii controls, it controlled just fine.

I'll definitely be picking up the Pikmins, since I didn't get them last gen. I may also be coerced into getting Metroid Prime again. Except for I don't even have MP3 yet.

Brainiac 8

I'll be getting Chibi Robo, since I have always wanted to play it but never had the chance.

elkatas

SyphonBlue wrote: »

I wonder how they are going to handle changing beams with the Wiimote. Hopefully they change the game to be stacking instead of adding beams to the point and click circle along with the visors.

Point and click circle, unfortunately.

SyphonBlue

elkatas wrote: »

SyphonBlue wrote: »

I wonder how they are going to handle changing beams with the Wiimote. Hopefully they change the game to be stacking instead of adding beams to the point and click circle along with the visors.

Point and click circle, unfortunately.

elkatas

SyphonBlue wrote: »

I really wonder why they didn't put them to d-pad.

SyphonBlue

elkatas wrote: »

SyphonBlue wrote: »

I really wonder why they didn't put them to d-pad.

Cause that would be even worse. It's hard enough hitting down to fire missiles, I can't even imagine trying to hit the other 3.

Darlan

SyphonBlue wrote: »

elkatas wrote: »

SyphonBlue wrote: »

I really wonder why they didn't put them to d-pad.

Cause that would be even worse. It's hard enough hitting down to fire missiles, I can't even imagine trying to hit the other 3.

I can see it now: "Metroid Prime 1: Wii Edition: Supports Gamecube controller!"

Dodge Aspen

Pikmin 2 is basically Pikmin one but with way more of everything good (Pikmin, collectible junk, levels), and way less of everything bad (The time limit). I understand that some people liked the Timed nature of the first game, but not me. Something about Pikmin makes me want to chill out and relax as I collect my moniez and amass my army.

The best thing about these New Play Control re-releases is greater exposure for these underappreciated titles. Pikmin 2 and Chibi Robo are two of my favourite games all time, so if these versions do well, that means sequels. I loved Chibi Robo Park Patrol for the DS, but I understand it sold like garbage, so my hopes for a Wii version were slim. Now the hope is reborn!

Renzo

The point and click circle worked extremely well in MP3. I don't see why it would be any different in the MP1 remake.

SyphonBlue

Because you change weapons a lot more than you change visors.

Renzo

I was able to use the "point and click circle" (which isn't very accurate, by the way) really quickly in MP3. Not as simple as the C stick of course, but since that's not an option, I can't think of a better solution than the circle. The d-pad is a horrible idea.

SyphonBlue

Okay, click point and release circle

elkatas

SyphonBlue wrote: »

Cause that would be even worse. It's hard enough hitting down to fire missiles, I can't even imagine trying to hit the other 3.

Hmh, and people say that I'm the clumsy one. I personally would prefer that way, as you don't switch weapons too often.

Brainiac 8

I never had any troube shooting missils.

Djiem

So, it seems that Mario Power Tennis isn't as great as it was supposed to be. This saddens me. If it had at least the precision of Wii Sports or the GCN version of Mario Power Tennis, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Now, I'm hesitating. I think I'll still pick it up to play "casually" with friends that aren't all that much into gaming, as well as family members at parties, since it'll have more depth than Wii Sports (in the sense that it's a complete game, not just some tech demo).

The New Play Control! game I'm really excited about is Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.
I don't know how popular it was, but it couldn't possibly be popular enough.
That game was awesome fun (though it destroyed your hands).

el_vicio

Never played Jungle Beat, but I still have the bongos - I should ebay the game, probably ?

Lunker

As a hard-core Jungle Beat fan, I can't possibly see the new game being nearly as enjoyable without the big, plastic bongos. That was most of the fun of the game: Controlling DK through repeated beats, slamming them both down to jump, tapping the sides to clap, pummelling bosses by wailing on the drums as fast as you could. The new game, as rebalanced as it may be, would be like playing Guitar Hero with the controller for me, or DDR with the D-pad.

If you still have bongos from Donkey Konga, definitely check out the GC game—I don't think it can be that expensive nowadays, and it's a blast.

Djiem

Lunker wrote: »

As a hard-core Jungle Beat fan, I can't possibly see the new game being nearly as enjoyable without the big, plastic bongos. That was most of the fun of the game: Controlling DK through repeated beats, slamming them both down to jump, tapping the sides to clap, pummelling bosses by wailing on the drums as fast as you could. The new game, as rebalanced as it may be, would be like playing Guitar Hero with the controller for me, or DDR with the D-pad.

If you still have bongos from Donkey Konga, definitely check out the GC game—I don't think it can be that expensive nowadays, and it's a blast.

I don't know, it was annoying not having your claps register with perfect accuracy when you're trying to beat a high score or have a huge combo. I understand what you mean about the tactile feeling of controlling DK with the bongos, but I think that the Wii controls look fun in their own way. You control DK more accurately, but for all bashing sequences, you just swing the remote and nunchuk as fast as you can. That's the part where you just "vent" it all out.

In fact this is something I like about Wii games that use the waggle correctly. Waggle should be for two things in my opinions:

- Making games that couldn't be achieved with normal controllers.
- Making games like what I expect MadWorld to be, a game that COULD be done on another system but where the waggle just adds a very fun layer of doing the act on screen yourself, an act of immersion if you will.

EDIT: I'd also like being able to play DKJB for extended periods of time without having my palms become burning red masses of pain.

The Dude With Herpes

That's too bad about Tennis. Oh wells, I'll wait for a better game I suppose.

And for the MP controls, I think the solution, if it's like MP3, is fine. Having only one stick makes there not really be any better option.

Anyway, what I've read on Jungle Beat is that they're actually changing the game significantly making it more focused on platforming play since there are no bongos. There will still be use of the wii controls in relation to bongo movements for some controls.

I'll try to find the article I read stating this.

EDIT: Here we go, initial impressions: http://wii.ign.com/articles/938/938119p1.html

slash000

el_vicio wrote: »

If they had at least included an option to still play it with a Gamecube controller, I would have been content (as I could save on the Wii without juggling Cube Memory Cards), but nooo....

So you would have bought literally the same game twice simply to avoid memory cards?

Mr_Grinch

Djiem wrote: »

So, it seems that Mario Power Tennis isn't as great as it was supposed to be. This saddens me. If it had at least the precision of Wii Sports or the GCN version of Mario Power Tennis, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Now, I'm hesitating. I think I'll still pick it up to play "casually" with friends that aren't all that much into gaming, as well as family members at parties, since it'll have more depth than Wii Sports (in the sense that it's a complete game, not just some tech demo).

The New Play Control! game I'm really excited about is Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.
I don't know how popular it was, but it couldn't possibly be popular enough.
That game was awesome fun (though it destroyed your hands).

It's fun, but I'll admit after some time that I think Sega Superstars Tennis is the better game if you want a more "in depth" Wii Tennis game that's fun to play with friends. It should also be cheaper by now.

el_vicio

slash000 wrote: »

el_vicio wrote: »

If they had at least included an option to still play it with a Gamecube controller, I would have been content (as I could save on the Wii without juggling Cube Memory Cards), but nooo....

So you would have bought literally the same game twice simply to avoid memory cards?

I hate juggling memory cards when unnecessary, and am still mad at Nintendo for not giving an option to save Gamecube files on the Wii.

To answer your question, yes - the main reason being though, that I carry my Wii over to friends pretty often, and small shitty things like memory cards are often forgotten at home.
It'd be just more convenient, and I like convenience.

Plus, then I'd have ebayed my cube version - which basically would have payed for the Wii version.

tsmvengy

Mr_Grinch wrote: »

Djiem wrote: »

So, it seems that Mario Power Tennis isn't as great as it was supposed to be. This saddens me. If it had at least the precision of Wii Sports or the GCN version of Mario Power Tennis, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Now, I'm hesitating. I think I'll still pick it up to play "casually" with friends that aren't all that much into gaming, as well as family members at parties, since it'll have more depth than Wii Sports (in the sense that it's a complete game, not just some tech demo).

The New Play Control! game I'm really excited about is Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.
I don't know how popular it was, but it couldn't possibly be popular enough.
That game was awesome fun (though it destroyed your hands).

It's fun, but I'll admit after some time that I think Sega Superstars Tennis is the better game if you want a more "in depth" Wii Tennis game that's fun to play with friends. It should also be cheaper by now.

This does not bode well for Mario Tennis because Sega Superstars sucks.

slash000

Sega SuperStars sucks horrible ass. Not because of the basic design of the game, but because they horribly fucked up on the controls.

The fuckup isn't in the concept behind the motion controls - It's that they didn't implement them at all.

That is in spite of express representations made on the case and in the manual. It's a fucking lie. Various motion based moves do not affect the shots; they only ever result in the same basic return no matter how you swing the remote.


The people that ported Superstars Tennis to Wii need to be fired for totally screwing up one of the most potentially awesome and much-needed types of titles for the system.