Why do people think FPS are better with Wiimote/Move?

[nuckles87]

Man, I'm about to make myself feel like an old man, but I need to make a point.

I remember back in the day when console first person shooters were considered vastly inferior to their PC counterparts. I had talks with PC fanboys who more or less stated that Halo was nothing new on the PC and first person shooters were light years ahead on the PC. He wasn't just talking about graphics though, he was talking about controls.

Mouse controls were basically considered the definitive way to play first person shooters. This was because this point and click interface of the mouse is so much better then the sliding of a reticule with an analog pad. Turning was much faster, and most importantly the aiming from using the mouse was second to none.

In this age of Call of Duty and Halo Reach, it seems people have largely forgotten that, and not only accept the dual analog as the way to play first person shooters, but PREFER it in many cases. I can understand that, as back in the day I loved Halo, and found it difficult to play anything with a mouse and keyboard. But in the end, it has less to do with what works better, and more to do with simply what we're used to.

I think that's the case with these new fangled motion controls as well, as people have been slow to adopt them outside of stuff like Wii Sports. I don't think this has anything to do with the standard control scheme being "better" though.

Pointer controls are, honestly, the next best thing to a mouse and keyboard. They don't provide quite the same amount of precision as a mouse, by directly moving a cursor along a screen rather then sliding the cursor like analog. Using pointer controls, I've been able to shoot with precision that I struggle with on an analog. On Halo I often struggle to line up a headshot, because it requires very precise movement of the analog stick. Push it too hard and you overshoot your target, don't hard enough and I don't get the reticule over the target. It can be very frustrating, especially in the heat of the moment when I only have a split second to make the shot.

Motion control provides a more direct input. Rather then moving a reticule with a stick, I'm moving my wrist. I have a much easier time lining up shots. I'm able to shoot smaller targets with much more precision, and I'm able to line up my shot with much more finesse then I can with an analog stick. I do have problems with shaking in a few games, but I usually rectify that by simply resting my hands on my legs. I find it to be a minor problem that doesn't come up with every shooter, and is made up for in the benefits of more precise aiming.

Understand, I've been using analog control since 2002. However, I've played plenty of Wii first person shooters over the years and I have a lot of experience with motion controls in FPS. Having had plenty of experience with both methods, I find motion control to be a more precise style of control, and one I prefer when given the option.