Just bought a Wii… (now with friend codes!)

[Phil]

…and Smash Bros. Brawl. I’m never sleeping again.

I also bought a bigger, nicer, flat screen TV to go with it. I pretty much had to.

Well, I didn’t HAVE to.

But I sort of had to.

Topic

[peas_and_corn]

A few of my friends have wiis. One of them created a really weird mii- black, nose on forehead, weird glasses, giant lips- and called her Woopi Spas. Hilarious.

[Zombie Jim Undead]

Oooh ooh oooh!

You need to buy: Wario Ware, Excitetruck (MASSIVELY underrated racing insanity), Eledees, Zelda and Super Mario Galaxy. Obviously.

[penny]

I like the Wiis, but I would prefer a Playstation 3 or failing that a X-box 360…due to the games of course.

Like the idea of the bigger, nicer, flat screen tv…guessing LD? Personally would go for a projection tv…yer there have big backs to them, but you don’t need to change the tv every 2 years, you just have to change the projection blub in the back of the tv instead. Great picture and a huge screen…bro has a 50″ one of those tvs. Totally awesome!

Still the flat screens do look quite nice though and save so much room.

I like the bowling game on the Wii because I was totally beating everyone else on it.

[Zombie Jim Undead]

I’ve got a really big television. Massive it is.

Well, actually the screen itself is only 14 inches but I sit REALLY close to it.

[Phil]

Today I’m going to see if my local shop carries the LAN adapter, or whatever, so’s I can go online and beat tar out of everyone.

Though this time around, my two old-standby characters (Mario and Link) seem to be less effective. I wonder if they’ve been made less powerful. In the case of Mario I’d almost guarantee it. Whose bright idea was it to give him a complicated FLUDD attack that does literally no damage? Total waste of a move.

Anyway, the odds are pretty good I’ll be picking up Mario Galaxy today as well…it’s either that or Zelda…but I tend to get pretty engrossed while playing Zelda games so I may have to opt for something lighter.

Is Galaxy a nice and long game, does anyone know? Sunshine was fun (flawed, but fun) but way too short.

Also: Who wants to battle me (read: murder me) once I get this puppy online?

[Pete Part Three]

Galaxy is a reasonably lengthy game but Zelda is far longer. Like most Mario games, once you “complete” it (ie. have the final Bowser battle), there’s still a bunch of additional stuff to get and secrets to unlock. Should keep you occupied for at least a few months. And it’s far superior to Sunshine, and possibly slightly better than 64.

[James]

You’ve just taken your first step into a wider universe.

I think the Wii is the best console out, it’s great fun, not only by yourself, but in a party situation it’s amazing.

Regarding televisions. Don’t get a rear projection if using a Wii, you spend most of your time standing, and the rear projection gives a very poor viewing angle, at any size. Flat screens do suffer from screen burn with consoles, LCD not as much as plasma, but a LCD can struggle with the delay timing at high frame rates of certain games. Plasma for cost and the way it can handle just about every game is my choice.

The Wii can also conect via wireless to your router, if you have one, but for some reason when it is connected via the port the draw light stays on all the time, so you get blinded by a blue light all the time, luckily those clever Wii people have given an on off switch in the settings.

I also like the way you can download games direct from the online shop, and any upgrades you require. Just got Mario classic for ?3.50.

[Ian Symes]

for some reason when it is connected via the port the draw light stays on all the time, so you get blinded by a blue light all the time

That means you’ve got unread messages. Just read them and the light will go.

[Ben Paddon]

Are you Brawling online yet? Giz’ ya Friend Code. Mine is 4811-6594-0070.

[Smeg4Brains]

I bought a Wii about a month or 2 ago and I’ve been on it about 5 times.

What a waste of money.

[Ian Symes]

Then you are a fool.

[John Hoare]

It’s by far the most fun console I’ve ever owned.

[Phil]

>Are you Brawling online yet?

Got it going as of this afternoon. Granted, most of my time has been spent salivating while browsing the virtual console (no more games til next month…I’ve promised myself…) but I did get in a few games of Online Smash.

And I can say this: laaaaaaaag.

Being as I have a brand new unit and an excellent internet connection (the strongest and fastest I’ve ever had!) I have to imagine this is the fault of the servers, or the something. In other words, I’d imagine that if I have the problem, EVERYONE does.

…correct me if I’m wrong. But, if I’m wrong, I will very likely cry.

It’s fun, don’t get me wrong, but it’s kind of frustrating when you’re all set to use Luigi’s firepunch, but the game slows down, your character isn’t responding, and then you leap spectacularly off the platform and into oblivion.

>Giz? ya Friend Code. Mine is 4811-6594-0070.

Nice. I don’t have a router yet so it’ll be internet connected or Wii–not both. But I do have my friend code so add me and beat the everloving fuck out of me whenever you see me on. I’m 3566-1610-3580.

Anyone else who has Smash and wants to make me so angry that I put my classic controller through the screen of my new television, feel free to post your friend codes as well.

[Ben Paddon]

Phil thrust his sword through the heart of the Demon King and cried…
And I can say this: laaaaaaaag.

It’s bad if you’re just doing random match against someone you don’t know. A lot of people are actually entirely unable to play a game online with strangers at the moment. It just kicks them out. This has happened to me a couple of times.

Fortunately games against Friends is a lot more stable, although it does depend on the connection quality of the person you’re playing against. Earlier today I played a game of Brawl against my friend in the UK who has a bit of a crap wireless network connection and the lag was excruciating.

Moments before climax, Phil exclaimed…
It?s fun, don?t get me wrong, but it?s kind of frustrating when you?re all set to use Luigi?s firepunch, but the game slows down, your character isn?t responding, and then you leap spectacularly off the platform and into oblivion.

I did that with Sonic the Hedgehog earlier on 75m. Spin-attacked right off the right edge of the screen.

To his parents’ amazement, Phil’s first words were…
Anyone else who has Smash and wants to make me so angry that I put my classic controller through the screen of my new television, feel free to post your friend codes as well.

Classic Controller? Pfft. Wavebird all the way.

[Tanya Jones]

Our number is 0934 5352 7021 5535. Add us!

[Phil]

Will do!

I’ll have to experiment with this as I’ve never before HAD a console with online functionality. I’m not even sure what you can/can’t do with it.

Other than play Smash Bros., of course.

[Ridley]

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=258

[Zombie Jim Undead]

>I?ll have to experiment with this as I?ve never before HAD a console with online functionality. I?m not even sure what you can/can?t do with it.

You can look at porn. Which is vaguely surreal and exciting on a Nintendo machine. I could hardly wank straight.

[Ridley]

Quite

[Phil]

Added you guys, Tanya. It says you have to add me in return before we can do anything, though.

My console number is 5805 4365 7484 5747. Which is different than my Smash Bros friend code in both length and content. Somehow I’d assumed that my “friend code” would be universal across all online games I choose to play on the unit…evidently that’s not the case.

Oh well. It’s a learning process. And I played some online Smash again tonight and it ran pretty well, actually. A few stutters, but not nearly as many as earlier. Also, it seems that the less “complicated” the battle stage, the better it runs. (And I mean MUCH better.)

Maybe they’d be wise to restrict the levels you can play online, since their servers can’t seem to handle long-distance data transmission when the level is so complex. Of course, that’s easy for me to say, as I much prefer the simpler levels anyway. The massive levels stay zoomed out too often to really see what’s happening, and the moving levels are preposterous…you spend all of your time surviving–fighting is the least of your worry. Part of the reason I didn’t like the Gamecube version of Smash was that it seemed like there were a disproportionate amount of levels that didn’t even encourage battle!

I like Brawl a lot, though. I think it feels more like the original Smash did. Melee was just a huge selection of experiments thrown together in the same game, and a lot of them worked, but a lot of them didn’t. This time it’s like they took the best of both games and just put it together without too much meddling. Which is exactly what should have been done.

Also: Mario Galaxy is FUCKING INCREDIBLE.

[John Hoare]

Also: Mario Galaxy is FUCKING INCREDIBLE.

It really bloody is. I prefer it to Mario 64 – Galaxy feels *far* more like a platformer converted to 3D, wheras I think Mario 64 – as incredible and ground-breaking as it was/is – doesn’t quite capture the platforming aspect enough.

My only complaint about Galaxy is that for two-thirds of it, it’s too easy. But just wait until you get to that final third…

[pfm]

Oh my god the purple coins…after the tenth attempt on one of them I genuinely considered curling into a ball and weeping silently (I probably only didn’t do it because it would look like wanking to anyone who might walk in).

[Pete Part Three]

^Ah yes.

If it wasn’t for the fact that the level design of that was so fundamentally brilliant, and the music was so amazingly good…I’d have given up very quickly.

[Zombie Jim Undead]

Ah, but Mario 64….dear, sweet Mario 64. It will always have a special place in my heart as the game which dropped my draw the mostest on initial viewing.

[Phil]

>the music was so amazingly good?

Agreed. Honestly, so far I could probably just turn on the first-person view and listen to the music for hours while Mario gazes off into a starfield. If only I were a drug-addict.

[John Hoare]

Ah, but Mario 64?.dear, sweet Mario 64. It will always have a special place in my heart as the game which dropped my draw the mostest on initial viewing.

I must admit, I was coming to Mario 64 years later – in fact, it was the Virtual Console version on the Wii. If I’d played it when it was released, I’m sure I’d feel exactly the same.

[Phil]

John/Tanya! Add my console number dammit. It won’t let me send you inappropriate/threatening messages until you do!

[Tanya Jones]

Man…talk about clingy! I’ll go and add you now…

[Phil]

I just want to bone your Mii.

[pfm]

Mario 64…oh for it to be 1997 again. I remember picking up the N64 controller and playing it for the first time. The analogue stick truly was the greatest thing to happen to console gaming…until the Wii Remote!! 64 is still an amazing game. Every star is an achievement. Sunshine annoyed me too much, even though it WAS beautiful and the water pack was cool. The ‘secret’ levels made the game because they were pure platforming. Thankfully many of Galaxy’s levels resemble them.

[Danny Stephenson]

The analogue stick truly was the greatest thing to happen to console gaming?

The Analog Controller for the Saturn made playing NiGHTS SO much BETTER!

[Ben Paddon]

That’s funny, because I thought the Saturn controller was rubbish. Well, the European one was at any rate. The Japanese controller was lovely.

[Pete Part Three]

Apparently Sony are working on a motion sensitive controller called the “waggle”.

[sigh]

[Danny Stephenson]

oh dear…

[Phil]

Sony and Microsoft: taking other people’s technology, making it flashier, eclipsing the competition, then all of a sudden realizing they have no idea what the fuck to do with it.

[Zombie Jim Undead]

I dunno….they nicked the rumble pack and did good things with it. Same goes for analogue control.

[Phil]

I am Wii-ing as I write this.

[Author]

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