Pre-E3: Time Magazine Reports On Nintendo Wii

Ahead of Tuesday's pre-E3 Nintendo press conference, the latest issue of Time Magazine has discussed new details of the Nintendo Wii game experience, confirming both in-development game titles and the Wii play experience, as part of a hands-on Wii demo given to Time in the days leading up to the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Time's Lev Grossman firstly had a chance to try a new version of Wario Ware for the Wii, and he explains: "In one hot minute, I use the controller to swat a fly, do squat-thrusts as a weight lifter, turn a key in a lock, catch a fish, drive a car, sauté some vegetables, balance a broom on my outstretched hand, color in a circle and fence with a foil. And yes, dance the hula." Also demonstrated were the Wii-compatible sections of Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which is presumably still also a Gamecube title (though this is not explicitly noted in the story.) It's explained of the gameplay: "Now I’m Errol Flynn, sword fighting with the controller, then aiming a bow and arrow, then using it as a fishing rod, reeling in a stubborn virtual fish." Finally, an un-named tennis game for the Wii is also described, with the gameplay being described as follows: "The controller becomes a racket, and I’m smacking forehands and stroking backhands. The sensors are fine enough that you can scoop under the ball to lob it, or slice it for spin. At the end, I don’t so much put the controller down as have it pried from my hands." The Time piece on Wii ends with a fascinating quote from Nintendo's Satoru Iwata regarding Wii customers in general, and the 'hardcore gamer' in particular: "[Wii] was unimaginable for them... And because it was unimaginable, they could not say that they wanted it. If you are simply listening to requests from the customer, you can satisfy their needs, but you can never surprise them." Further information regarding Nintendo Wii will be available at Nintendo's pre-E3 conference on Tuesday, which Gamasutra will be be providing live updates from at 9.30am PST, as part of our extended E3 coverage.