Nintendo Wii

We Ski for the Nintendo Wii is a skiing game (I version with skiing and snowboarding is coming out in March 2009, I think).  I rented it mostly because it is a Wii balance board compatible game and I thought it would be fun to do something besides Wii Fit with the balance board.  The controls (at least when you use the balance board) are not too hard to get used to with you mostly leaning right and left to stear.  It does sometimes get confusing and the responsiveness of the turns and such can be frustrating.  However, being a game released around the same time as the balance board came out for places outside of Japan it is some what understandable that it jumped the gun at trying to be a balance board compatible game and did not really develop the integration fully.

The game certainly can be interesting with you skiing around and doing different challenges, but it really leaves a lot to be desired.  The graphics are kind of blah.  Sure I usually do not care too much about graphics, but I do when there is not anything to look at and all you are doing is standing there leaning left and right going down a path.  Basically the graphic quality is something that I could care less about and actually is not even that bad for this game.  This particular type of game really needs more interesting environments to make it not get boring so quickly.  It seems a rather slow and relaxing paced game for the most part and without interesting graphics that aspect of it becomes boring.  There are some more fast paced racing and beat the clock challenges, but for the most part you are still moving rather slowly on the paths.

Overall I would not really even recommend this as a rent worthy game.  I do think the new version coming out next month has potential, but I certainly do not expect it to really impress me.  For now the short ski aspects of Wii Fit are much more enertaining and in the right amount of shortness to not make it boring.

Nitrobike for Nintendo Wii is a racing game.  The controls work like most other Wii racing games with you holding the Wii remote sideways and tilting it to control the turning.  The controls work pretty well for this game, although I found it not very responsive when trying to do tight turns.  The other main control is pressing the arrow button any direction do use the boost.  You have to be careful with the boost because if it reaches the end of the meter you blow up.  Thus you need to let off before you reach the top unless of course you want to blow up and likely ruin your chances of winning the race.

Overall I enjoyed trying this racing game, but it is not all that interesting because there are too many tight turns in the second race making it too hard to do well enough to unlock more.

Octomania is an unique puzzle style game for the Nintendo Wii.  I like the whole puzzle concept of the game, but as a Wii game it ends up being somewhat frustrating because of the pointing controls being too sensitive.  Basically you just get the number of octopuses of the same color noted in the middle of a grid and that starts a chain.  You can then continue the chain by connecting more of the same color.  The way you move then is by pressing a and pointing.  It moves them in a four square area and this is the part that gets hard and often frustrating.  The screen just does not have the area to move them around without constantly being redirected to the wrong area by accident.  Also, it can get frustrating to try to get the number of the same color to where there is a grid, which end up randomly appearing.

Overall I kind of liked this game, but after a while it just got more frustrating.  At first I did not know what I was doing and I still won in easy by randomly moving around the octopuses (or is it octopi?).  Once I knew what I had to do and not being able to get it to do it how I wanted the game just became too frustrating and I could not even get through the second difficulty level.  If you can get it to work well for you, then it might be fun, especially since this is a WiFi battle game, but personally I just got frustrated with it, as even with an hour of playing I could not get any better at managing the pointing, and mailed it back.

Shrek Carnival Craze Party Games for Nintendo Wii is a party game that I have wanted to try since it was released back in October.  I really liked the Shrek Super Party game for Gamecube, so I wanted to try the newer version for the Wii.  I was a little afraid it would be too similar, but it actually is quite different and to some extent I do not like that.  The main thing I do not like is that there is not a board game style party mode like Shrek Super Party had.

Despite it not being exactly as I expected, it has other new things and formats that make it a good Wii game.  This game has a story mode that includes well animated Shrek sequences that give it a good plot about trying to become the king or queen of the carnival.  To beat story mode you have to beat all the games in each area.  After you beat each area you get a crown or jewels for the crown.  After you beat the first five areas the final six area in Shrek’s Swamp is unlocked.  Beating every game in this area completes the story mode.  As you compete in story mode you are competing against computer players, but the nice thing is that you just have to get 500 points in the game and it counts as beating it even if you lose to the computer players.

I found most of the mini games to be pretty easy to beat.  Some of my favorites included Gingy’s Crazy Cookie Conveyor in which you selected the right piece to complete gingerbread men and Mud Slide Madness in which you  went on a mud surfing ride.  A few of the games I found almost impossible to get the needed score, such as the Melon Toss and the final Shrekpalooza level.  Mostly though it only took one or two tries to get the needed score.

Overall this is a fun game to play.  I enjoyed it on my own against the computer in both Story Mode and Tourament Mode (you play 5 games).  I did not play Quick Play, but it could be a fun way to play if you want to just play one game at a time.  I imagine this would also be a fun party game much like Shrek Super Party is for the Wii, but I did not get a chance to try it as multiplayer.  The graphics are great, especially the short video parts of story mode.

Endless Ocean for the Nintendo Wii is an underwater diving game.  In the game you get to swim around an Manaurai (Manoa Lai) sea, which is a fictional sea.  It does have real life animals, though.  The fictional part is made more as a smaller scale area that combines species that do not normally coexist so close together that effectively makes it more interesting.  Because these are real animals and the game gives information on them as you interact with them more, this game can be somewhat educational.

You swim using just the Wii remote, which is an issue I have with the game.  I really wish you used the nunchuck to control how you move around, but instead you just point at the screen in the direction you want to move, which is not too hard to get used to, however it would be way better with nunchuck controls.  You swim around just by holding the B button and you press A to interact with the fish.  Overall the controls end up being pretty simple, which works good for making this a kid friendly game.

The game has a pretty free form plot with you being able to go on certain missions or just dive and discover at your own pace and switch between the two ways as you please.  This allows for the game to be appealing to a larger audience including those that want a more relaxing paced game and kids that may not usually be able to do missions in games (by the way the missions are usually easy enough they can do them, too).   It does not, however, have any major action aspects to make it interesting for those that want a fast paced action game.

Overall, though, I love this as a good relaxing simulation like game.  I kind of think of it as an underwater Animal Crossing like game because my favorite parts of Animal Crossing are fishing and getting insects.  Thus the aspect of discovering new fish in this game is similar to that.   Of course, this is also a much more simplistic game with not as much other activities, but it suits the game well.  I hear you can add your own favorite music to swim around to by putting MP3 files on  an SD card, but I have not personally tried that.  Sounds like it adds some interesting depth to the relaxation aspect of this game.

Just yesterday when I was browsing Amazon I realized that Nintendo is going to start releasing a few Gamecube games as Wii games.  Instead of making whole new versions it looks like they are releasing the same exact version that was on the Gamecube, but now you can play them using the Wii remote and nunchuck.  Sure, I know that is kind of what they did for Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, which was meant to be a Gamecube release, but they ended up releasing it on the Wii instead.  That was a good game, but then again it would have been better if it had stayed a Gamecube game and you could use the Donkey Kong drums.

The two games I noticed that are getting this transfer to Wii controls treatment are Mario Power Tennis and Pikmin.  They are scheduled to come out on March 9, 2009.  Both were good games for the Gamecube, but I think both deserve whole new versions built kind of from the ground up for the Wii.  I think there might be news out there about there being at least a Pikmin 3 for the Wii, but until then these releases seem silly.

Personally I prefer to play games on the platform they were originally made for, as long as I own them.  I own all the Nintendo systems, thus I do not even buy virtual console games because I would rather go find an original version and play it on the appropriate console.  For the Gamecube games it is even easier because the Wii plays the Gamecube games and anyone with a Wii can play the original version.  Perhaps they will be fun with the Wii controls, but I am thinking the remakes will not be the same as a game built specifically for Wii controls.  At least the games start at only $29.99 compared to most games that start at $49.99.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Neighborhood Games - This game includes 24 twists on different neighborhood games including Football, Basketball, Baseball, Golf, Tennis, Ladder Golf, Lawn Darts, Horseshoes, Bocce, Squirt Guns, Slingshots, RC Planes, and RC Cars.  It includes backyard bosses to try and beat to become champion of the neighborhood.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Deal or No Deal - This is a Wii version of the televison game show of the same name.  It even lets you play as a Mii character.   There are over 20 awards to unlock as you play.  There are also different modes like Banker’s Challenge, Variety Ladder, and Risky Business.

This is part 12 of a 12 part series wrapping up the 2008 releases for the Nintendo Wii. I am trying to make the lists as extensive as possible, but I may have missed a few or accidentally placed some in the wrong months. Also, I am basing it all on US release dates. The ones with links are linked to the review of the game I have posted on this blog. I will continue month by month with posts on Wednesdays and Fridays until I post this months wrap up on January 9, 2009.

Action/Adventure Games:
Mushroom Men
Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek
The Tale of Despereaux

Fighting Games:
The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga

Music Games:
Rock Band 2

Puzzle Games:
Neopets Puzzle Adventure
Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure
Word Jong Party

Simulation Games:
Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine
My Fitness Coach

Sports Games:
Ski and Shoot

This is part 11 of a 12 part series wrapping up the 2008 releases for the Nintendo Wii. I am trying to make the lists as extensive as possible, but I may have missed a few or accidentally placed some in the wrong months. Also, I am basing it all on US release dates. The ones with links are linked to the review of the game I have posted on this blog. I will continue month by month with posts on Wednesdays and Fridays until I post this months wrap up on January 9, 2009.

Action/Adventure Games:
Bratz Kidz: Slumber Party
Disney’s Bolt
Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Quantum of Solace
Sonic Unleashed
Spray
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Lightsaber Duels
Tomb Raider: Underworld

Music Games:
AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack
Rock Band Track Pack Volume 2
Rock Revolution
Ultimate Band

Party Games:
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party

Puzzle Games:
Luxor 3
Merv Griffin’s Crosswords

Racing Games:
Need for Speed: Undercover

Role Playing Games:
Monster Lab
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World

Shooter Games:
Call of Duty: World at War

Simulation Games:
Animal Crossing: City Folk
Cake Mania: In the Mix!
Cooking Mama: World Kitchen
Pet Pals: Animal Doctor

Sports Games:
AMF Bowling World Lanes
FaceBreaker KO Party
MLB Superstars
NPPL Championship Paintball 2009
Skate It
Shaun White Snowboarding
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Paws and Claws Pet Resort - This is a simulation game in which you care for kittens, horses, dogs, and more.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Fishing Master World Tour - This is a sequel to Fishing Master in which you fish throughout Japan. In this version you get to fish around the world at over 40 locations in 7 regions. Even more interesting us that this one has online capability that includes a WiFi ladder.  I really enjoyed the first one and plan to try this one out as soon as I can. It sounds like there are some good locations including Hawaii and Eadter Island.