Over at GameSetWatch there’s an article today from game designer Brice Morrison, who takes a look at the Wii and its successes and failures. It’s the second of a two part series. The first part focused on what the Wii did right, and the second part takes it to task for its shortcomings. The initial article is your typical pro-Wii fare you’ve read before, but the second piece is more evocative.

From the article:

I remember teaching my cousin how to play Wii Tennis, and when he went to serve the ball, he lifted his left hand, the one not holding the Wii remote, to toss. At that moment, he didn’t understand how the Wii worked.

All he knew was that it was some sort of magical machine that mimicked your real life movements. It was a joyous occasion and a incredible exploratory experience.

But the innocence did not last long. Upon further experimentation, he learned how the controller worked, discovering that a quick snap of the wrist gave the same forehand as a loopy swing of his whole upper body. As the initial amazement wore off, Wii Tennis became simply another video game.

When the public imagined what was possible with the Wii, we imagined complete, full-on physical experiences akin to backyard football. Perhaps, we thought, you may even get a little bruised up in a game on the Wii, playing with competitive friends.

The article should be of interest to any readers looking for a designer’s point of view on the most influential games console in some time.

Source: GameSetWatch