| In an interview with Newsweek magazine, Larry LaPierre, senior producer for Need for Speed: Carbon, revealed that the game will have four control schemes that are designed to use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers in different ways to appeal to the different types of gamers who will be playing the game on Wii. "People like options, and we felt motivated to provide them," LaPierre said. "We found three that worked and 20 that didn't." The game's default control system will be similar to the Nintendo-developed Excite Truck, in that gamers will only use the Wii Remote to control their cars. Gamers will turn the Wii Remote sideways and, in conjunction with its built-in accelerometers, steer the car by tilting the ends of the controller up and down. The Wii Remote's 1 and 2 buttons will handle the car's brake and throttle, respectively. The directional pad will be used to activate various secondary functions, like controlling the camera, using the handbrake, and employing nitrous-powered speed boosts.  "The Wii target market is more casual, so that's why this is the default control," said LaPierre. "Non-gamers had no trouble picking it up. The longest it takes to get the hang of it is 30 minutes. But experienced gamers didn't like it as much. So we have alternatives," all of which use both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers. Using the first alternative, gamers tilt the Nunchuk controller to steer their cars. Speed control is maintained by holding the Wii Remote in one hand at a 45-degree angle. Tilting the Wii Remote forward accelerates the car, and tilting it backward brakes.  For both the second and third alternatives, you hold the Wii remote at a 90 degree angle and tilt it forward to accelerate, while using the Nunchuk's Z-button to brake. The difference between the two is that gamers steer by tilting the Nunchuk in the former, and steer with the Nunchuk's analog stick in the latter.   Versions of Need For Speed: Carbon are scheduled to be on a whopping 10 gaming platforms, from PCs to mobile phones, by the end of 2007. According to LaPierre, the game's testers prefer the Wii version to its PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 competition because of the unique control options provided on Wii. "When they were in control, they felt like they were in control, and when they were out of control, they felt like they were out of control," said LaPierre. Need for Speed: Carbon is a Wii launch title, set to debut with the console in the Americas on November 19 The Newsweek interview can be read here. The Wiire will have more on this game as it becomes available. | |
