While the Wii continues its crusade of offering to anyone with some spare cash and the know-how to find one easy fun, the games themselves still seem to be trying to achieve some level of "innovation legitimacy" by using the Wii-mote in all manners possible. The mini-game has been overdone and we're quite aware how easy it is to morph the Wii-mote into a make shift firearm, the final obvious controller surrogate is as a fishing pole Sega Bass Fishing tries to offer what seems like a straightforward idea with an aquatic twist
Having had some uncertain experiences with some of Nintendo's long-lived franchises as of late, my one constant was the thrill of a new Mario Kart. I've been with the series for some 15 years now, and that kind of longevity is hard to shake. While I was lucky enough always to have a new console, whichever one I ended up owning, my friend had its rival. In this way during the 16-bit era, I never found the kind of split-screen chaos that resonated with me on the Sega Genesis (though there were a few games that came close) as on my friends Super Nintendo with Super Mario Kart. One after another, Mario Kart's come, and it's added to my repertoire of boomerang game experiences that always make me come right on back no matter how many other video games may distance me. So the time has finally arrived: did Mario Kart survive the ringer to come out clean and recognizable?
EA Playground harkens back to a less litigious time in our American history — when dodgeball and tetherball were played freely on our nation’s playgrounds. Well, you won’t find those games on a public playground anytime soon, so you may as well pop in the disk to EA Playground and enjoy these games and more — all without risk of lawsuit, lost teeth, bruising or road rash.
Furu Furu Park is a collection of 30 Japanese-style mini-games. While there are Japanese movies I appreciate - such as the works of Hayao Miyazaki, this is not my typical gaming genre. Keep that in mind as you read my take on this collection.
The titles that are released on the Wii never cease to amaze me. The titles that are released on the Wii that are fun amaze me even more. When NamcoBandai announced We Cheer, a cheerleading simulation game at Gamer Day, I was one of several in the audience who sat silent and dumbfounded. Cheerleading?
I had a bit of a surprise the other day. When checking my mail, I found a package from Hudson Software. Opening it, I found a Wii game, plus some extra stuff such as a headband! What could this be for?
"Watching a bowling game is like watching fish [reproduce]," said a fellow reviewer. "It's the most boring thing on earth." I must be the most boring person on the face of this earth then. Have you ever seen the courting dance of a Siamese fighting fish? I find it totally fascinating! What does this have to do with Brunswick Pro Bowling? Well, you wouldn't believe the hoops I threw myself through to review this game. I previewed it at E3 last year and was very impressed by the simulation. In the short time I had, I threw a hook, a curve and regular straight deliveries. Then I waxed poetic over it to my brother — who was a 200 average amateur bowler and bowling coach for high school students in his glory days.
Media tie-ins are as common a vice as any in the gaming world, and any franchise highly regarded or well-respected will be sure to get the treatment. While it's true such tie-ins with movies, TV or anime may not fare as well in quality because of the unconscious emphasis by the developers on the tie-in part rather than the game, some instances like Dragon Ball Z have such an established formula that performing a less-than-admirable job on the source material would be downright difficult. With the series powering up to its third installment, does the game land enough direct hits to merit a worthy opponent?
I'm aware that when a new game comes out, I have to be careful not to get caught up in post-launch blindness. It's a common trap that many can fall into, largely associated with the tremendous hype that builds before launch, promising a kick-ass experience. The hype-induced blindness follows soon after the game is frantically opened and provides a few sleepless days, followed by gigantic chunks lost in the later weeks - it is never enough. This blindness I refer to is the sub-conscious denial of flaws or a complete lack of acknowledgement regarding anything negative. I know that I've done it; I've seen my friends do it - that's the nature of the hype-machine excitement. It could be the post-launch blindness of a long awaited title; or it could just be that Super Smash Brothers Brawl is just damn good.
My editor hadn't told me what games I'd be seeing at EIEIO's 2008 game preview event, so several of the titles were new to me. One of these was Mushroom Men, a title I'd hear little about but I definitely liked what I saw.
After time, most characters in the gaming world who achieve a certain level of buzz and popularity will be blessed with a variety of spin offs to commemorate their status. This also tends to continue the momentum in the hope to prove just how entertaining the source material is. This go around, Sonic has been given the star treatment with Sonic Riders Zero Gravity in an attempt to rectify the spotty history of Sonic's racing titles, and try to improve on the failings of the first Sonic Riders as well.
Game Party for the Wii is a small set of casual games, some of which you'll play on your own, while others are best played with friends. You'll find Table Hockey, Darts, Trivia, Hoop Shoot, Skill Ball, Ping Cup and Shuffleboard. All of the games are played using the Wii Remote only. Typically you'd be playing the real-world versions in venues stuffed with screaming children or with air soaked with the aroma of brewed beverages and cigarettes. If you like these games but want a little more control over your environment, let's take a closer look.
Not even Bram Stoker could have dreamed up the Uncanny Valley. Four (4!) scientists, mad with power, creating unspeakable monsters - a recipe for disaster found in even the most basic cookbook. One scientist had to become rather... unbalanced... and upset the delicate nature of the alliance. Of course the Mad Scientist Alliance was going to call on you to apprentice, become the fourth, clear the village of the evil Baron Mharti and set things to rights again. These are the stories the best RPGs are... uh, pieced together from... yeah.
Link's Crossbow Training is really two things in one. It introduces the new Wii accessory, the Wii Zapper, and gives you a fantasy target shooting game starring Link. If you haven't previously made the acquaintance of Link, he's the young hero of the Legend of Zelda series. He looks like a blonde elf-boy (he has pointy ears — to me that says elf or Vulcan, and he doesn't look like a Vulcan) with a serious look on his face and wears the traditional Robin Hood looking garb of a green tunic over a shirt and man-tights. You'll actually get to pick one of your Miis to hold your game stats, but within the game, you are Link all the way.
There are some genres I'm just too old to "get" when they translate to 1s and 0s - pinball is one of them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it can't be done well; I'm just saying that for me pinball will always be a time of feathered hair, hot pants, your beer on the machine precariously balanced as you slammed your hips to try and nudge the ball - and there was none of these bleepy bloopy sounds either. I was out of the pinball scene long before The Addams Family or Terminator 2 became hot commodities. (Ugh, I even know which ones were big in electronic pinball.) That being said, Dream Pinball 3D for the Wii is the best of the pinball simulations I've seen to date and it almost made me nostalgic.
If you like your pirates cute, animated and scrappy have a look at Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure. Zack is a young boy that wants to be the best pirate ever. Everybody knows that pirates have treasure, so treasure is Zack's chosen road to success. Wiki is Zack's little, gold, flying sidekick. Wiki has a wicked sense of humor and some of the funniest dialogue I've read in a game.
Winter Sports 2008 allows you to compete in many of the staple winter sports from the Olympic games. Of course, the word 'Olympic' is never mentioned in the game, but in some of the modes of play you'll hear the commentators talking about Olympic records or famous competitors in that event — if they're not talking about the recipes of one of their grandmothers.
The first thing I noticed when looking at CSI: Hard Evidence at the game store was the M 17+ rating on the box. The game is based on "CSI in Las Vegas," which is one of the few shows I really love to watch, so I decided to take a chance and pick it up, even if it meant that my play time would be limited to when my daughter is safely asleep. Boy, am I glad I went ahead and got this.
I think it's fair to say I've been a fan of Lara Croft for a good many years, even though I've never played a single Tomb Raider game in my life. I do own both Tomb Raider movies, but my main incentive for buying them was Angelina Jolie. I've never really cared for side-scrollers or run-jump-climb games, you see, and the siren song of polygonal pulchritude has never quite been strong enough to overcome that basic dislike of the genre.
One thing is for certain with Nintendo; when they find a successful gaming formula, they capitalize on it. You can always be certain that the big N's flagship franchises will deliver on proven gameplay time and time again. This is especially true with the Nintendo's biggest pride and joy, the Mario series. It has survived decades. Super Mario Galaxy is a shinning example of the awesome we have come to love and know and carries little baggage from history.
I loved bowling in Wii Sports from the first day I pulled my Wii out of the box and hooked it up. My parents bowled in leagues for years and years, and I bowled in leagues for several years myself. I can't tell you how excited I was to hear there was going to be an official Brunswick bowling game for the Wii. Unfortunately, for me at least, the game did not at all live up to its promise.
Sandwiched between the GPS-cum-iPod lampshades and the horseback riding machine with attached 105" flatpanel screen and energy drink dispenser, I found a plethora of Wii accessories. I know what you're thinking, "Way to add insult to injury there, Ophelea. Like anyone reading this could even find a Wii!" Ok, well the controllers are moderately available and these accessories are great! So, you can practice your strum, punch, shot or backswing while you wait for the actual system. Uh, yeah.
Barbie as The Island Princess is based upon the movie of the same name. It's definitely aimed at the "young girl who loves Barbie" market. The minigames themselves aren't necessarily unfriendly to boys, but in the single-player game, the only option is to play a female character. Many boys are likely not to care much about accessorizing Barbie.
Just by the name of this title, we can tell exactly what Namco Museum Remix is: a collection of titles from Namco's retro library with a few "remixed" titles. There are 14 games in all: five remixed titles and nine classic ones. I'll touch on each briefly, but first, the menu interface. Well, if you can call it a menu. It's actually a repurposing of the Pac'n Roll Remix game to allow you to roll the old Pacster about a central hub, ringed by the entrances to the various remixed games and the arcade filled with the classic ones, not to mention participate in a few diversionary activities within the hub itself. And since the remixed Pac'n Roll is obviously the focus of this collection, let's dive right in.
In a world where all electrical power comes from unnatural little critters known as Elebits, things are bound to go wrong. Very, very wrong — but in a disturbingly cute sort of way.
I will confess up front, I've never watched "Dancing with the Stars." I hear my mom and her friends talk about it at lunch, but I've not tuned in myself. I spend my precious "me" time on games, not television. (OK, I do record and watch "Survivor," "Amazing Race," "Heroes" and "CSI Las Vegas.")
The Trauma Center series is a perfect way to utilize the DS and the Wii controls. Trauma Center: New Blood is the third game in the series. Trauma Center: Under the Knife was on the DS and it was so difficult, that when it was exported onto the Wii as Trauma Center: Second Opinion, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go through all that stress and aggravation again. However, Trauma Center: New Blood allows you to bring a friend, making it an intense multiplayer experience worth playing.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is the third installment of the Metroid Prime trilogy and the first Metroid game to grace the Wii. Using the Wii-mote and nunchuk, the controls are very intuitive, making the transition to the system a welcome one. Not technically classified as a first-person shooter, this first-person adventure is a fun combination of exploration and shooting aliens.
Disney Princess — Enchanted Journey by Papaya Studios is truly an enchanted journey. You are a little girl with a magic wand (your Wii-mote), and you travel the lands of the various Disney Princesses, helping them recover lost magic or thwart evil. All through that, you free butterflies that have been captured and subverted by evil witches into Bogs that surround and harass you. This is a title written for very young children — ages 4–8 — and kudos to Papaya Studios for a truly marvelous job.
He's a big green lizard. Or dinosaur. Or iguana - which comes from one of those families. When not destroying Tokyo for the sheer joy of destruction, he's destroying Tokyo to save it. Godzilla. Cult classic and pro(an)tangonist of oh so many excellent fighting games. GamersInfo friends and favorites, Heavy Melody Music, were tagged with the awesome opportunity to create music for the Wii version of this season's Godzilla Unleashed. We just had to ask Executive Producer Chris Peterson what it felt like to work with the big green guy.
