“Even though the Wii allows different controllers, note how it never allows it with Miyamoto directed games.”
With the NES you could almost plug-in any controller you wanted, not any more. Of course all controllers then had a directional pad and two buttons. You could play with the Advantage, Standard, Max, Powerglove(sucks), etc. most games would allow you to use either. Advantage tried to replicate the arcade controls and is an awesome controller for those types of games.
“It is outrageous that Super Mario Brothers 5 or Donkey Kong Country doesn’t allow any controller options.”
How much fun would it have been to play NSMB with the balance board: Lean left and right to move and lift up for jump. A button to throw fireballs, etc. Difficult but fun for sure.
“The Wii-remote turned sideways is more uncomfortable than the original NES controller.”
Never found the NES controller uncomfortable, even to this day. I consider it the greatest controller ever for its precision and quickness. Wii remote sucks when sideways… it makes old-school games (VC games) unplayable. You cannot press right and down at the same time – I mean, you can press them at the same time but it is very difficult to get it to register. This restricts precise movements in 2D games. The run, duck, slide from SMB is practically undo-able. The d-pad is too small and the buttons are too small. Wii remote is too narrow for reliable use.
On the analog sticks… they are terrible, I think the circle pad trounces them. All analog sticks have a massive dead-spot anytime you move through the center (especially on the Dual-Shock). this has always made FPSs unplayable for me – they are far too imprecise unless you want to play for years getting used to them and I don’t. Analogs are also way too long and allow for over-adjustments. Circle pad has eliminated these issues and is a massive improvement on the stick. I’m with Nintendo on this move – Good riddance to that piece of garbage. Circle pad can also more accurately replicate the d-pad, although still lacks. They really just need to update the NES Max to give a combo d-pad/circle-pad in one. Wii-remote itself obsoleted the analog stick – for aiming anyway. As far as I am concerned, it set the standard and eliminated the divide between inverted, non-inverted since it is both – depending on how you look at it.
The issue isn’t the circle pad or inverted interface. The issue is control.
Who should be in control of the game? Who should be in control of the product?
It should be the consumer. The consumer is smarter than the developer on what his or her needs are. Miyamoto is intentionally taking gaming in a direction that is giving gamers less control. That is the issue.
And while the issue of the player configuring his or her control scheme is accepted by many gamers, why stop there? Take the issue of the story. Why do developers think they get to control the story of a video game? That is as absurd as trying to force a certain control scheme. Imagine Sid Meir remaking Civilization so players can only play in the ‘proper way’ which would be peaceful means and building up their towns. Going to war and razing cities early on would no longer be an option. The game wouldn’t be Civilization.
A game that used to be said to be very ‘heavily storied’ was something like Final Fantasy IV. But even then, you could rename your characters, change the order they were in the party. The characters only had minimal personality which was at certain plot points. And in that day and age, that was ‘unique’ among the universe of games. Today, every game simulates such a ‘story path’ and gives you far less control than even Final Fantasy IV.
The ever useful example is Metroid: Other M. Instead of allowing the player to have control of the story, Sakamoto decided to ram his ‘vision’ down your throat. You cannot skip the cutscenes. You MUST watch it. The Zelda series is another good example.
On what precedent, on what premise, do developers believe they have the right to take control away from the gamer? The only result is the gamer will be pissed off. But the developers don’t see it that way. As that Miyamoto quote suggests, it as if the developers expect to be praised for such action.
I can understand why the Game Industry began marketing that placed their developers as rock stars, as visionaries, as Game Gods. But over the years, this Game God has gotten out of control. Children throw themselves at the Game Industry and even suffering abusive employment just for the chance of becoming a Game God. We’re finding these ‘Game Gods’ are believing their own marketing and do actually believe they are gods of gaming.
Six years ago when it became clear that console game prices were going up, gamers naturally complained. The big game companies trotted out their community ‘managers’ to message forums and websites and responded, “But think of the developers,” as if they all lived in garages and ate Ramen Noodles. More recently, this line is used as an argument against ‘used game sales’. “Think of the developers.” I know that is rubbish because in the book industry, authors love used book stores. It is the publishers that hate them. Good developers know they are good, and they expect someone buying their used game to go, “Wow! This is good. I will buy the next game from these people!”
The most destructive thing to the video game medium has to be the myth of the Game God. So in order to help save gaming, we must destroy the legend of the Game God. The only true game gods are the consumers. It is they who ultimately shape and control the future and direction of gaming.
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