Nintendo Fusion Tour

[Saist]

alright, I just got back from attending Nintendo's Fusion Tour in Atlanta. For those who haven't heard of the Fusion Tour, and if you are in the US, you may want to go to http://www.nintendofusiontour.com and see if you can pick up tickets for a city near you.

Nintendo's Fusion Tour is supposed to set the Wii and the DS systems in a more casual and intimate atmosphere than a normal consumer event or games conference. The idea is Nintendo tries to get several different recording artists who will draw fans that aren't gamers. Since the likelyhood that everybody coming to concert is going to dislike at least one of the bands, they'll find something else to do during the time the band that isn't liked is up on stage. Ergo, have Wii and DS units on hand to play with.

Dedicated gamers, on the other go, and maybe they'll hear a band that they wind up liking and buying stuff from. Generally Win Win. Cross Exposure, all of that.

The Atlanta stop had the playable games of Excite Truck, Wii Sports Tennis, Wii Sports Baseball, Wii Sports Bowling, Wario Ware Smooth Moves, Wii Play (Duck Hunt), and Zelda.  Right now you are probably thinking what I'm thinking, that's an anemic line up. Mario, Metroid, Far Cry, SSX, GodFather, Harry Potter, Blazing Angels, and several other Launch-time period games weren't there at all, save for some video.

The reason why because a little clearer later, after Nintendo shut the consoles down when Hawthorne Heights took the stage above. Due to the construction of The Tabernacle in Atlanta, the Wii systems were put down below the concert stage. To get down into the pit you have to walk in the front down and down some steps. Above the pit and over the restrooms were two balcony type areas, where Nintendo was storing boxes and other items... on one side. The other side, wasn't being used and we were not removed from the balcony. The result is that wii got to watch the dissambly.

Now, those who have been following the Wii probably remember the use of Gen2 and Gen3 development kits during the Final E3 convention. On this tour stop though, there weren't any dev kits being used. And while my eyes may be mistaken, it looked like the discs that were removed from the consoles were final retail prints.

There was additional evidence backing the notion that the games where final copies. When some players got over-anxious and zipped forward in the games, the staff had to reset, and go back through completed menus. In the case of Excite Truck, all the maps, models, and trucks seemed to be in place, a far cry from the single truck E3 demo.

The only title I saw that had the typical "thank you for playing this demo" screen was Zelda... and unfornantly, I wasn't willing to wait 2 hours to lay hands on it for 10 minutes.

Personally, I betted my E3 Excite Truck score, earning an S ranking over the previous E3 earned A ranking. And yes, I still sucked at Wii Baseball.

so, if you mange to attend one, what did you see? and what did you do?

[RJ]

Sounds like it was some fun! Wish I could have gone  They don't really have any of those sorts of things here.

[Nikki]

poor RJ...next year i'm getting my own house...Wanna come live with me? ^w^ then you can experience those things!!

[RJ]

X3 Love to, but when you've got as crazy a life as me (and have no money...), then it's a little hard. But one day I shall get out and see the world! One daaay!

[Darkmoon]

Oh sure, you mention this NOW, AFTER they've already been through Indiana... grrrrrr...

1 Billion smites for you.

[DigitalMan]

Ooh! Ooh! Dood! Tell me this, because it's been a rumor for a few weeks. Is the Wii version of Zelda really a complete mirror of the original version, to make him right-handed?

37 more days...

[Saist]

Ooh! Ooh! Dood! Tell me this, because it's been a rumor for a few weeks. Is the Wii version of Zelda really a complete mirror of the original version, to make him right-handed?

37 more days...

It is not a rumor that Zelda is right handed in the Wii version, however the world itself is not mirrored.

For those who haven't heard, most people are right handed. After the public game demonstrations (or semi-public in some case) at E3 and Leipzig, and after in-house tests, the Wii version of Zelda underwent a few changes from the Gamecube version. The first is that the sword has been moved to the right hand to make the control scheme more natural for the majority of players. Supposedly there is an option in the Wii version to use either Right Handed or Left Handed Link. However, Nintendo didn't have anyone on hand last night who could comment on that. The second is that at E3 you hit the A button I believe to attack. Now sword attacks are motion controlled, a change that appearently makes the learning curve a little more natural. Unfortantly, as already stated, I didn't have the opportunity to play for myself...     


Darkmoon : yeeeeouuuch! 

* je.saist smarts from the smites

[insanekaosx]

I'd heard of a few of the bands, none of them seemed interesting, and the rest didn't look interesting from my info searchs.

They generally went for more mainstream music, which is excellent for them for what they're trying to do, so I don't scold them or anything. It seems like it'd be a really cool even tto go to nonetheless, I just didn't... or, at least I think it was around here already... >> Yeah, was earlier this summer. *tries to remember*

[Saist]

I'd heard of a few of the bands, none of them seemed interesting, and the rest didn't look interesting from my info searchs.

They generally went for more mainstream music, which is excellent for them for what they're trying to do, so I don't scold them or anything. It seems like it'd be a really cool even tto go to nonetheless, I just didn't... or, at least I think it was around here already... >> Yeah, was earlier this summer. *tries to remember*

can't comment on the bands really. The only one I actually like is Relient K. However, the problem was really the location of the tour. The Tabernacle is a relatively older building and wasn't designed with rock bands in mind. It's more of a PlayHouse or Theater setup. Most people are probably more familiar with Grauman's Chinese Theater and the extremly "Tall" interior. The Tabernacle is also built in a "Tall" manner. The result was, well, painful. On the concert stage level the bass drummed painfully in the ears. On the second story line, sounds were muddled and echo'd... well, horribly.  On the top level all the bass was lost and you got overpowered by screeching treble. There really wasn't a place in the building to conviently listen to the music. The bands might have been good, but the building itself didn't lend to being able to judge them.

[Supercheese]

The first is that the sword has been moved to the right hand to make the control scheme more natural for the majority of players.

Gah, noooo! Link must be left-handed!

Supposedly there is an option in the Wii version to use either Right Handed or Left Handed Link.

There darn better be...

In case it wasn't obvious, I'm left-handed too.

The only one I actually like is Relient K.

Ooh, nice, I like Reliant K. I probably can't make any of the events, though.

[Nikki]

X3 Love to, but when you've got as crazy a life as me (and have no money...), then it's a little hard. But one day I shall get out and see the world! One daaay!

mwahahahahahaaaa...

On topic now..

Is it coming to Colorado?

[Saist]

X3 Love to, but when you've got as crazy a life as me (and have no money...), then it's a little hard. But one day I shall get out and see the world! One daaay!

mwahahahahahaaaa...

On topic now..

Is it coming to Colorado?

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1E003D01004AF4E7?artistid=949561&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1

[ninjannihilator]

I was planning on going but I just quit my job so I'm strapped on cash at the moment.