Zoned in

Wii First-Person Shooters: Good Idea, Bad Idea?
by Louis Bedigian

“…The Wii control scheme can seem like a nightmare initially, and you will have to remain glued to the screen, no roving eyes in order to maintain any sense of direction within the game.”—Michael Lafferty in his review of Call of Duty 3 for Nintendo Wii 

“If you tilt the remote too far away from the screen in any direction, the game will stop moving.”—Myself in my review of Chicken Little: Ace in Action for Nintendo Wii

These are not the comments of satisfied gamers.

I love Wii’s motion controls and want to see more games take advantage of this unique feature. I want more games like Trauma Center, Rayman Raving Rabbids, and Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam.

But when it comes to genres, sub-genres, and gameplay styles that existed before Wii’s arrival, developers have to consider what will happen when they conform to motion controls. Thus far, most have found a way to produce innovation. In addition to the aforementioned titles, the Wii version of Madden 07 is unlike any other available. With Zelda, Nintendo didn’t change the game too drastically – they added to it.

The problem with shooters is that there doesn’t appear to be much room for innovation. You run around and shoot enemies and/or objects. No one’s blown away by that concept.

 
A far cry from innovation.

However, I think that before the Wii launch, we all kind of went to the same place: if you’re going to make a Wii FPS, it must have motion controls. It must function as a mouse and keyboard replacement. 

I have no problem extending my arm for long periods to play a video game. But as my colleague pointed out at last year’s E3, “That’s just you.” That said, the initial Wii shooters have been tiring. Gamers are used to moving analog sticks with their thumbs. PC shooters are slightly more active – our arms have to move the mouse, but it’s rested on a desk at all times.

Unless you’re used to holding things in front of your chest, your first experience with a Wii shooter will not be mind-blowing. That’s partially due to the jarring controls – Red Steel is one of the better titles available, and it doesn’t have the capacity to move as fast as the player. It’s faster than analog stick controls have ever been – a definite plus.

The problem I have with it and other Wii shooters is that I can’t lay my right hand down, not for one second, without the camera flying up or down. The consequence is disorienting, frustrating, and after getting used to it, just plain annoying.

Is there hope? Is there a solution? Many are doubtful, but I believe there is a way to make a top-notch Wii shooter.

Key Ingredient: Stabilizer

Many moons ago, the creators of Skippy peanut butter came up with an ingredient that could keep the oil from separating from the creamy contents. This additive is referred to as a stabilizer.

For the first few years of Wii’s life (possibly longer), first-person shooters will need the same kind of thing. The best way to prevent the camera from flying all across the screen is to stabilize it.

How might that be accomplished? Instead of having a control system where the game detects every action, developers should consider a fixed system where players influence (but do not completely force) its direction.

The fixed camera would be just as it sounds: a default view focused on the front of the screen. At any time the player can move the Wii remote to change the angle, just as you can in the current Wii shooters. The difference is that now when you set your hand down to pause the game, it will – after one or two seconds of being stuck in an awkward position – re-center itself. In essence, you’d be pushing and pulling the camera wherever desired. But it could still exist without your presence, and that’s key.

Response time and motion accuracy are the two most important things that need to be perfected for this system to work. The game must be certain that you have lowered your arm before the internal clock starts ticking. Otherwise it could misinterpret a player who uses very subtle movements (like a former U.S. Navy SEAL) as being no movement at all. The game needs to know the difference. Then a one or two-second limit (before resetting) would be perfect.


The exciting-but-flawed Red Steel.

Mini-Games That Make Sense, To Make Sense

Nintendo’s Perrin Kaplan (spokeswoman) told the Wall Street Journal that to combat muscle issues that may arise from playing Wii games, players “may need to exercise more.”

Alternatively, developers could look to the wacky world of mini-games to “train” gamers to play more effectively.

Developers could design a host of brief challenges that are separate (but included with) the full game. They’d need to be fun, simple, and short games that involve a lot of camera work. While the main game is a shooter, this does not mean the mini-games can’t be something else. They could be more adventurous and have beautiful landscapes that make you want to look around. To look, you have to move the remote.

Each mini-game would be slightly longer than the previous, extending the amount of time of time that your arm is extended. If the mini-games are really fun – and believe me, it’s a must that they are – the replay value will be unconditionally high. We’ll play these games, re-play them, and slowly become more skilled at wielding our Wii remotes.

That way, when we’re playing the main game, we won’t be so eager to leave after 30 - 60 minutes. Soon we’ll be going for two hours without breaking a sweat. Then and only then can Wii shooters reach their full potential.


The Godfather is one of many shooters headed to Wii this year.

It’s going to be a lot of work for developers, but that’s the price of being in our beloved industry – every generation requires you to do more. Developers are appreciative of the Wii’s lower development costs (when compared to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3). They need to understand that that benefit – lower costs – has to be paid for by innovation and perseverance. Players have come to Wii with that precise expectation. If FPS developers don’t act fast, sales figures will start to show just how high our expectations really are.


Help me Metroid-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope!