New Games With The Wiimote

Chris Kohler a la Wired looks at some of the recent Wii offerings:

f it weren't for the Wii, the snowboarding game SSX Blur would have no reason to exist. Most of the content is cobbled together from previous games in the series, and the new cartoony approach looks good but not amazing. But this is the Wii, and everything old is brand spanking new again because of that funky controller.

Sadly, the controls in SSX Blur are all over the damn place. The steering, an interesting mix of the analog stick and the nunchuk, feels good. The tricks are a little unintuitive, but you get to wave your arms around like a maniac. The problem comes with the ubertricks, which are essential for progressing past the first third of the game.

-- New Wii Games Have Control Issues

I'd insert a pretty standard bearing "what if the Wii controller became a liability instead of an asset" argument here - but I'm tired of predicting doom and gloom for Nintendo's recent designs and getting proven wrong. Instead, I'd say it will just be interesting to see how 2007 plays out and whether Nintendo can really capitalize on a successful launch or if the honeymoon will be brief.