Too Much Information

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July 29th, 2009

Too Much Information

RayThe fact that Wii Sports Resort opens up with this unskippable video for your first time is pure torture. Was the included manual not enough? It seems like just yesterday Nintendo dropped us into their video games without any help at all….


69 Comments

  1. Noodle says:

    I love twitter updates.

    NCG

  2. Noodle says:

    Also, that video is PAINFUL.

  3. Dithre says:

    Funny, but I actually never got stuck watching that video. Possibly because I attached MotionPlus beforehand?

  4. BvrBoy says:

    Haven’t had a chance to play WiiSports Resort yet, but I heard the intro is killer. I loved the last panel: “Why not take a break? Oh right, you can’t.” as well as the text behind it. (Counting Nintendo’s Money) Keep up with the small details, Ray!

    Also, if you’re watching the video, why are they explaining how to turn the TV on? Wouldn’t it already be on? Well, I guess Nintendo does baby their customers.

    Thanks for yet another great comic guys.

    Also, my grave has been risen! Been reading since #53, first hearing of it from GoNintendo. I enjoyed the comics and showed it off to my friends, who all loved it. Thanks for the 129 wonderful comics so far. Let’s hope that the death of 2P Start! never arrives.

  5. blaster says:

    Can’t you just take your wiiremote to do other things and just keep pressing A?
    Nice comic done, anyway.

  6. Pieninja14 says:

    Wow, that video… Nintendo, we can all play games without having a 2 minute 30 second instruction video. It’s not like Wii Sports Resort is ultra complicated and confusing.

    I hope they don’t do this kind of thing again…

    Great comic, somebody show this to people that work for Nintendo.

  7. D3vin says:

    Thanks for the heads up, Now I will remember not to leave my Wiimote on a table near an open window, because a Hawk will swoop in on the unsuspecting Wii remote.

  8. I think what happened in that last panel was not the “Take a break” screen, but the player jumping out the nearest window because he couldn’t stand waiting for the video to end.

    This is a classic. I can’t stand unskippable videos.

  9. TAYREL713 says:

    I hated that video, and to think before the update those poor Japanese gamers would have to re-watch it under specific circumstances. Great comic, great game. “Everything’s coming up Milhouse”.

  10. elah says:

    You really hit home here, guys. Excellent comic. Nintendo’s reasoning: “It would seem like anyone in this modern society could turn a TV on, but no, perhaps casual gamers were completely technophobic before they sprung for a Wii. And decided to shell out another fifty for Wii Sports Resort. And got the thing set up properly.”

  11. sheppy says:

    Nintendo gave you help, alright. In their magazine, 800 number, trading cards, licensed nose rings, etc.

  12. skideh says:

    I never got that video. I voluntarily watched it for Grand Slam Tennis, so maybe my Wii knew I already fully understood the complexities of the Wii MotionPlus accessory.
    Funny comic guys 🙂 Keep up the good work!

  13. Gadoink says:

    The thing is, since you’d be turning away from it in pure disgust, would it be talking to the back of your head?

  14. Snifit says:

    Very nice comic. I haven’t played Wii Sports Resort yet, but now I feel sufficiently prepared, I’ll bring a book to read. I think what might make it so long is that “Counting Nintendo’s Money” segment though.

  15. ultimateDK says:

    I’m sorry guys, and nothing personal, but I actually don’t like this weeks comic. The issue is about Nintendo using this mandatory video that wastes our time…honestly, there are many more things that video games, and Nintendo included, do that waste our time. This video is only 3 minutes long. I think I went to the bathroom and cleaned my room in that time span to skip the vid. The mandatory install times on the PS3 take like 10-15 minutes, and those are on just about EVERY game it seems! Nintendo wastes my time by releasing time-wasting channels (read: Nintendo Channel) and by allowing crappy 3rd party ‘casual-gamer’ games to be published, forcing me to spend more time sifting through the plethora of horrible games for the Wii just to find the good ones. I don’t feel the intro video in Wii Sports Resort was worth the comic; I would have rather seen you tackle some other issue (maybe a comic on moon-jumping Megaman in Megaman II for iPhone?)

    Of course the art and everything is nice, but it just feels like a redone version of your older comics, particularly the Wiik Band comic.

  16. Nebula427 says:

    Hopefully there is a video at the end to tell me how to turn my TV (short for television apparently) off?

  17. freeplay says:

    vsaincg(very super awesome incredible nice comic guys), i HATE long intro movies that you can’t skip. Is there even a reason for them? Will I ever fix my microphone so i can call in on the podcast. Does me having dreams about 2pstart have anything to do with me listening to the podcast as i fall asleep? Do i have a life?

    These are the questions that haunt me.

  18. CKcheeseboy says:

    Haha, awesome. I love the begats.

    Thanks for the heads up, Now I will remember not to leave my Wiimote on a table near an open window, because a Hawk will swoop in on the unsuspecting Wii remote.

    Close, but actually the Baba Jaga comes to steal your firstborn baby.

  19. CKcheeseboy says:

    I’m sorry guys, and nothing personal, but I actually have a long comment…

    While I agree that the video isn’t something to TRULY complain about, I disagree that it’s not worth a comic. For me, it’s more about whether the comic is “they make you watch this dumb video LOL” or if it adds something beyond the obvious, and for me this comic definitely does that. To use your example of moon-jumping in Mega Man (no clue what that means btw), if it was simply “LOL I’m moon-jumping, whee!”, it’s not worth “tackling the issue” (really?) because it doesn’t add anything. A great comic doesn’t just point something out, it expands on it (IMO).

    I mean, how many times has 2P Start! done a variation of “new Sonic game stink”, yet most people here love those. I’m not saying those don’t usually go deeper (e.g. the Facebook one was a unique idea with more to it), but there’s only so many ways to make that joke before it gets old. Something like this that’s fresh, unique, and more than just the obvious joke is vastly better in my opinion.

    Also, I don’t see why it’s Nintendo’s fault you downloaded a channel you feel is a waste of time, and as far as 3rd party crap, I’d blame the 3rd parties for making crappy games, not Nintendo for allowing companies to run their own businesses. And if you don’t want to sift through the crap, just ask around; most people would gladly recommend a good game for you so you don’t even have to look.

    Wagh, didn’t mean to go into such a long rant/analysis (rantalysis?) about comic humor there. You’re certainly entitled to not like it anyway, but that’s my two cents of why you’re wrong 😛

    PS @Tim’s Twitter, “Come on Tim, what’s the hold up for threaded comments?” 😛
    PPS There should be a dedicated blog post for people who don’t have Twitter to respond to your posts. Not only would it keep people from having to register just to mention something, it would be fun to read through after a couple months because everything would be out of context.
    PPPS Isn’t the preview button going to break whenever we actually get to comment #20000?

  20. Ryman says:

    Why not analyze this comic? Oh right, you can’t.

  21. BadnikHunter says:

    I couldnt sit through watching that video… And i dont own a wii. NCG, nothing like a cup of coffe, errrr a COMIC to wake up to in the morning!

  22. DrOswald says:

    I really like the Lineage of Shigeru Miyamoto part. Good comic.

    You know, if Nintendo actually released a documentary on the history of the company I would probably be interested in seeing it.

  23. roadjcat says:

    This video is only 3 minutes long. I think I went to the bathroom and cleaned my room in that time span to skip the vid.

    That’s really not the point. I’m sure that 90% of the people already were smart enough to attach Wii Motion Plus before they even started the game. There was no intro video on how to attach the nunchuk or how to use the normal Wii Remote Jacket (at least not that I’m aware of. XD). Even my mother thought the intro video was stupid.

    Anyway, I happened to really like the comic this week, especially the last panel. SSCG!

  24. roadjcat says:

    Oh and how many times have we seen some variation of panel 2 now? haha

    And what’s actually behind the “Take a break” notice is very funny as well.

  25. roadjcat says:

    Also, if you’re watching the video, why are they explaining how to turn the TV on? Wouldn’t it already be on? Well, I guess Nintendo does baby their customers.

    I once played a board game that in the instructions, told you to take out the instructions.

  26. ultimateDK says:

    I don’t see why it’s Nintendo’s fault you downloaded a channel you feel is a waste of time

    I downloaded it to try it out when it first came out, not knowing exactly what it was. Now that I know, I can look back and say that the channel was a waste of time, and the blame doesn’t go to me for being curious IMO

    I’m sure that 90% of the people already were smart enough to attach Wii Motion Plus before they even started the game.

    Absolutely, I agree. The video should have been deemed unnecessary but for some reason Nintendo felt it was necessary. I’m just saying that it’s a problem that’s easily remedied. It’s a short, one-time video. If Nintendo used that mandatory video on ALL games that use WiiMotion Plus, then I would feel the comic would have more validity. Do they? I haven’t played any other MotionPlus games…

  27. ultimateDK says:

    crap, last 2 paragraphs got reverse-quoted…

  28. CKcheeseboy says:

    I don’t see why it’s Nintendo’s fault you downloaded a channel you feel is a waste of time

    I downloaded it to try it out when it first came out, not knowing exactly what it was. Now that I know, I can look back and say that the channel was a waste of time, and the blame doesn’t go to me for being curious IMO

    Well, it’s your fault you don’t look at things before you download them. If they came out with a “Everybody Jumps Off a Bridge” channel, would you download that? 😛

    But w/e, I actually kind of like the channel, mostly because Stephen Totilo (sp?) has been doing monthly articles where he takes all of the play data from that channel and compiles it into graphs and stuff so you can see what games people play more, what games are steadily increasing in play time (and which stay stagnant) and stuff like that. So I like that aspect of it, which is why the new Japanese features where you can look at your personal stats sound cool to me. That’s kind of a nerdy reason, though, so I could see other people not caring.

    DS demos are nice, too, although Wii demos would be sweet.

  29. roadjcat says:

    Absolutely, I agree. The video should have been deemed unnecessary but for some reason Nintendo felt it was necessary.

    And that’s how I took the comic. It was exaggerating something that was stupidly done. That’s what comics do. 😀 I don’t really feel like the comic was saying it was super long, just that they gave you a bunch of pointless info. But maybe that’s just me.

  30. DrOswald says:

    Well, it’s your fault you don’t look at things before you download them. If they came out with a “Everybody Jumps Off a Bridge” channel, would you download that?

    Yes! I imagine the “Everybody Jumps Off a Bridge” channel would be something like lemmings, except instead of lemmings you have everyone’s Mii’s. That is a game I would pay for. Of course, I have completely ignored the original intent of your comment, but as soon as a read “’Everybody Jumps Off a Bridge’ channel” I had this wonderful vision of lemmings meets Mii’s.

  31. Dark_Devin says:

    Sadly, this is for those people who played wario ware and needed instructions all across the game. “Put the remote up to your mouth and pretend to drink” 0-0 oh god that doesn’t look like a glass…..

  32. MetaRidleyR27 says:

    Excellent Comic Guys! I actually sat through the entirety of the video, but it was pretty unnecessary. I especially loved the last panel. “Counting Nintendo’s Money: One dollar at a time.” 😀

  33. ultimateDK says:

    Well, it’s your fault you don’t look at things before you download them.

    Not really. Do you read the entire instruction booklet to a newly purchased game? If you didn’t, would it be fair if someone penalized you for not knowing the controls on your very first time playing the game? Of course not, you pick it up as you go along. If you DO read the entire booklet then…I don’t know what to tell you except congratulations for not using your own time wisely lol.

    If they came out with a “Everybody Jumps Off a Bridge” channel, would you download that?

    …maybe >_>
    But only if I didn’t read about it first 😀

  34. CKcheeseboy says:

    Yes! I imagine the “Everybody Jumps Off a Bridge” channel would be something like lemmings, except instead of lemmings you have everyone’s Mii’s. That is a game I would pay for.

    Haha, I would totally buy that too!

    Well, it’s your fault you don’t look at things before you download them.

    Not really. Do you read the entire instruction booklet to a newly purchased game? If you didn’t, would it be fair if someone penalized you for not knowing the controls on your very first time playing the game? Of course not, you pick it up as you go along. If you DO read the entire booklet then…I don’t know what to tell you except congratulations for not using your own time wisely lol.

    First off, look at the part you quoted and your response. “It’s your fault you don’t look at things.” “Not really.” Really? I’m honestly confused why it would be somebody else’s fault you didn’t inform yourself of something.

    Anyway, I actually do read the manuals (usually in the car on the way back from the store or while my brother is playing it)…whatcha gonna do about it? Either way, though, the manual would be something you get after buying the game. The original statements were about downloading something you don’t know anything about. Nobody’s going to “penalize” you for not liking the channel, but it’s still your fault you went “Oh look, a new channel that I know nothing about, I’ll spend time downloading it now without looking up what it actually does”. That’s like buying a random song in iTunes and blaming the artist for wasting your money when you don’t like the song. You chose not to read information on the channel, you chose to download it, and it’s not Nintendo’s fault you made those decisions and wasted your own time.

  35. BulimicKoala says:

    5th panel was the only one that made me laugh. But its still not as bad as some of the other comics.

  36. DrOswald says:

    Not really. Do you read the entire instruction booklet to a newly purchased game? If you didn’t, would it be fair if someone penalized you for not knowing the controls on your very first time playing the game? Of course not, you pick it up as you go along. If you DO read the entire booklet then…I don’t know what to tell you except congratulations for not using your own time wisely lol.

    Why yes, yes I do. Do you know why? Because they are there to tell you about the game and how to play it! Yes, it would be fair to be penalized for not reading the Instruction Booklet first, because it is made for the reason of relaying all the information you need to know in order to play the game, including story, characters, game-play and controls, among other things. It is not a waste of my time to read the instructions, because what I need to know, it tells me!
    ~ Obilink

    I usually start playing the game and if I feel like I need the help that the manual would afford, I go to gamefaqs and see what they have to say. People usually start their guides with a basic explanation of the game (what you would normally find in a manual) with the information presented in a much clearer way that you usually find in a manual. If there are no guides written yet in gamefaqs, I will then read the manual.

    Most games nowadays are designed to be played without any reference to an instruction manual. There are a few reasons for this, but the biggest one is that it just isn’t necessary. It is far more effective to communicate that information in game through tutorials, menus, and help prompts than an out of context manual. Manuals are included because gamers expect them to be there, but they are, for 90% of well designed games, unnecessary.

  37. Airknight says:

    Any hackers out there want to get started on a “Skip the Instructional Video” hack?

  38. D3vin says:

    Since it only appears once, I suggest you use this time to prepare snacks/ use the toilet facilities before hand.

  39. Faybl3 says:

    Hey, it’s still faster than a PS3 install time 😀

  40. JD Fedule says:

    I think game manuals are, in this day and age, largely unnecessary, though that doesn’t stop me from reading them cover to cover every time I buy a new game. It’s like a ritual, along with trying to take off the shrink wrap without ripping it or opening the case and just spending five seconds basking in that new game smell.

    Anyone on this website who claims not to consciously do at least one of these three things where applicable is a goddamned liar.

  41. Dominator_101 says:

    Any hackers out there want to get started on a “Skip the Instructional Video” hack?

    Cause it’s totally worth the 3+ minutes it would take to hack a way past the videos.

    I do like how not only do they show you how to connect the WMP, and the nunchuck once that’s attached, but they show you how to remove the Wii motion plus. They totally could have saved time and played the video backwards. Or just, you know, not assumed we are all idiots.

    But wait! What do I do! I attached the nunchuck to my WMP controller, and now I can’t get it off! I guess I’m stuck with archery, biking, and jet-skiing…

  42. roadjcat says:

    But wait! What do I do! I attached the nunchuck to my WMP controller, and now I can’t get it off! I guess I’m stuck with archery, biking, and jet-skiing…

    Exactly! We attached a nunchuk before, what’s the difference with Wii Motion Plus, except for the fact that it’s in a jacket?

  43. Wyrm says:

    Hey, it’s still faster than a PS3 install time

    Yes, but the PS3 install time is the perfect time to read the manual.

    To be honest, I haven’t really seen many manuals worth reading nowerdays. Now I remember back when manuals were well drawn, and meaningful. I mean seriously, even NES games… sometimes the manuals were more fun to read than the actual game. It gives you a sense of what the game would be like if it weren’t in 8 bit. Hillariously, this also lead to those funky Box Arts, most notably Megaman.

    Then again, some developers just don’t learn. (Konami… Konami’s best Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow)

  44. Kvb says:

    Final panel would’ve been way better without that second line.
    The last part just turns a fairly funny joke about the cutscene’s length into a dumb “neener neener.”

    I just now noticed the Ray logo wasn’t always on Ray’s shirt, by the way. (I’m slow sometimes.)
    It was clever to make that logo first appear in the Brawl comic, where the style was so different that a small addition to the design was far less noticeable.

  45. DrOswald says:

    I think game manuals are, in this day and age, largely unnecessary, though that doesn’t stop me from reading them cover to cover every time I buy a new game. It’s like a ritual, along with trying to take off the shrink wrap without ripping it or opening the case and just spending five seconds basking in that new game smell.
    Anyone on this website who claims not to consciously do at least one of these three things where applicable is a goddamned liar.

    I don’t do any of those 3 things. I do, however, go to extreme pains to avoid damaging the case in any way when I remove the shrink wrap and any stickers that might have been put on the case.

    Also, we generally discourage profanity on this site, so if you could avoid swearing in the future that would be great.

    I don’t mind the PS3 installs very much. but then again, I have a really sweet setup where I can use my computer at the same time I am using my PS3, so I just play a game on there or something while I wait. The only game it bothered me in so far is MGS4, because it stops the game several times to do an install, and as far as I know there is no way to just install the whole game and not deal with it.

    As I see it, the problem with the video is not so much that it is long or that it stops you from playing the game immediately. The problem is that it is completely useless. We forgive installing a PS3 game because it performs a useful and often necessary function. This video is not useful or necessary, and that is what really makes people annoyed.

    If ever there was a case for including an instruction manual, this is it. Put the mundane and boring details out of the game, or at least allow us to skip them if we don’t need it.

  46. ultimateDK says:

    Yes, it would be fair to be penalized for not reading the Instruction Booklet first, because it is made for the reason of relaying all the information you need to know

    By that logic, I am then unfairly penalized for being forced to watch the video in-game, since the MotionPlus controller came with two instruction booklets, and by your statement, Nintendo should then assume that if they packaged the instructions with the controller, I would have read them by the time I got to the video.

    Nobody’s going to win here except for Nintendo. So go ahead and count Nintendo’s money. One dollar at a time.

  47. Evan says:

    As I was watching the video, I knew someone had to make a comic about it. Well done, sirs.

  48. D3vin (the light one) says:

    So go ahead and count Nintendo’s money. One dollar at a time.

    One
    Two
    Three
    Four
    Five
    Six
    Seven
    Eight
    Nine
    Ten
    Eleven
    Twelve

    You were being sarcastic, weren’t you…

  49. blaster says:

    thirteen
    fourteen
    fifteen
    sixteen
    seventeen
    eighteen
    nineteen
    twenty
    twenty-one
    twenty-tw0
    twenty-three
    twenty-four
    twenty-five

    I think I’m going insane, anyone else to continue?

  50. ultimateDK says:

    c-c-c-Combo Breaker!

  51. tustin2121 says:

    The video is horrible. I thought they were going to go through disconnecting the nunchuck for a moment there….

    Also, why would the Wii Motion Plus become unstable? Are you selling us a DEFECTIVE PRODUCT?!

    Oh yes, and NCG. Now, money counting… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10….

  52. roadjcat says:

    c-c-c-Combo Breaker!

    It was two posts. I wouldn’t really consider that a combo, but okie dokie. 😛

  53. Dominator_101 says:

    c-c-c-Combo Breaker!

    It was two posts. I wouldn’t really consider that a combo, but okie dokie.

    Well, according to that one Prince of Persia game, isn’t one considered a combo?

  54. roadjcat says:

    c-c-c-Combo Breaker!

    It was two posts. I wouldn’t really consider that a combo, but okie dokie.

    Well, according to that one Prince of Persia game, isn’t one considered a combo?

    HAHA! I was thinking the exact same thing when I posted that! And that game considers one button a combo if I remember correctly.

  55. ultimateDK says:

    c-c-c-Combo Breaker!

    It was two posts. I wouldn’t really consider that a combo, but okie dokie.

    …I couldn’t resist ^_^

  56. D3vin says:

    c-c-c-Combo Breaker!

    Dang, you made me lose count…
    One
    Two
    Three
    Four
    Five
    Six
    Seven
    Eight
    Nine
    Ten
    Eleven
    Twelve
    Thirteen
    Fourteen
    Fifteen
    Sixteen
    Seventeen
    Righteen
    Nineteen
    Twenty
    Twenty-one
    Twenty-two
    Twenty-three
    Twenty-four
    Twenty-five
    Twenty-six
    Twenty-seven
    Twenty-Eight
    Twenty-nine
    Thirty…
    *inhales*

  57. Snifit says:

    Thirty-one

    Aww, nuts to this

    *footsteps*
    *door opens and closes*
    *car starts and drives off*

  58. AlmightyK says:

    just a thought
    maybe they expect you to read the manual while the vid is playing
    and there is two, one for each maybe?

    and what is the changes with WiiMotion plus?

  59. PkmnTrainerJ says:

    NCG but…not as good as the last one, maybe that’s the Lost fan within me though.

    Still good though, like how Nintendo does have to cater to the general public now who are all obese and stupid as a generality.

  60. PkmnTrainerJ says:

    I was also a little disappointed not to hear any Lost theories from either of you in the previous podcast, though I do understand that’s not why people listen, it would have been nice.

  61. Gadoink says:

    Thirty-two
    Thirty-three
    Thir… oh look, a penny!

  62. Cheeseball701 says:

    Is that the actual lineage of Sir Miyamoto?

    If so, excellent attention to detail! Stalkers.

  63. Bob says:

    Counting Nintendo’s Money… One dollar at a time.
    It’s made even better by the fact I just got Wii Sports Resort. XD

  64. D364000 says:

    doop de doo doo doo doop de doo doo dooX 1,000,000
    ^background music^

  65. DrFirefox says:

    I just went away and left it playing while I got a drink

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