High Voltage - we're proving that the Wii isn't underpowered

[ameratsu]

Kenology said:

I don't understand how an FPS on the Wii is automatically not able to compete with an FPS on one or both of the HD Twins.  If we're using graphics as a metric, then sure, I agree.  But gameplay is fair game.

 

Well, with a game like The Grinder that has an emphasis on cooperative play, the ability to communicate with your teammates is vital. That doesn't mean each player needs a headset, but you need some way to inform your teammates of certain things. On the PC players without headsets can type out things to tell the team, but even in the incredibly unlikely event that everyone has a WiiSpeak, Nintendo's restrictive online chat policies mean that you can only chat with those on your friends list. This means there is going be a communication barrier for people playing The Grinder online. From a communication prespective, which really stems from Nintendo's attitude surrounding online play, the Wii is definately going to be lacking compared to its rivals.

The point is where the PS3, X360 and especially PC are at with regards to online functionality isn't anywhere near the that of the Wii. Nintendo simply didn't focus on online, and ended up with something resembling the PS2's online system. Many things now taken for granted were implemented on a game by game basis with no unified structure, providing a convoluted but functional online system.