A motion control revolution landed in the mailbag today – the long awaited MotionPlus which could bring Wii gamers the precision control that they might have thought they were buying into back in December 2006. So how does the finished product fare?
MotionPlus was accompanied by EA’s new IP Grand Slam Tennis, and being first generation software for essentially first generation hardware I was a little apprehensive (remember Tiger Woods ‘07 for Wii?). The burning question would be whether we would have to wait until “Grand Slam Tennis ‘11” before we had a playable game in the new franchise.
It’s too early to deliver a verdict (full review will of course follow), but I can say that without any onscreen feedback to tell me how well the software was reading my input, it seemed to register my intended actions reasonably accurately – most of the time. As we Wii gamers become accustomed to, at least 10-20% of strokes produced the “did I really do that?” effect, which improved slightly as I learned more about the nuances of the new control scheme.
Swinging towards the left should aim the shot to the left, swinging to the right should aim the shot the right. This, if the MotionPlus accessory is attached, replaces the game’s default aiming which is timing based like Wii Sports (early shots aim left, late shots right, for a right handed player). Twisting the wrist clockwise or anti-clockwise controls spin, but it almost seems easier to register the spin using the standard control system – swing low to high for topspin, or high to low for slice, much like you would a real tennis racquet.
MotionPlus could make or break how seriously self-professed gamers take the Wii and its motion-sensing. Many have dismissed motion-control due to inaccurate and inconsistent input. Hopefully the problems I experienced tonight can be put down to the learning curve and live up to the high hopes that MotionPlus holds on its shoulders.
Tags: Games