Behind The Nihon Review

Continuing on from the last post. (Source of above image.)

Wii Sports Resort
Like Wii Sports, this is best as a party game. But, it’s a more advanced version of Wii Sports, and the MotionPlus add on is what makes it work so well. Games like Basketball, Swordplay and Ping Pong are fun as hell, and there’s a good number of different variations to all the sports on offer. But, it even has value as a single-player game thanks to the stamp system. There are a couple of bum games: the controls for the Cycling weren’t well conceived and Canoeing is placid, but has no lasting appeal. But, overall, it’s definitely the better Wii Sports game, and an outstanding demonstration of what MotionPlus can do (and I’m really hoping it gets picked up by more games in the future).
The Rating: 7

LostWinds
This was the first WiiWare game I checked out, and I was really impressed. Graphically, it’s phenomenal, especially considering it’s a ~30MB download. It’s also a very creative game, a 2.5D side-scroller with a control scheme that (if I didn’t know better) I’d say was taking cues from Okami. It’s a short game (3 or 4 hours), but that’s all your paying for with WiiWare games, and for the most part, it’s extremely well executed (with both a great soundtrack and exquisite visuals), especially considering the innate limitations that games designed for WiiWare have to deal with. There’s a couple of little things I didn’t like, for example, sometimes it’s a bit of a bitch to make the wind blow in the exact direction you want, and if you’re a little bit off, you can easily fall right down to the bottom of a level, and have to climb all the way up again.
The Rating: 8

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Since the N64, this is the only console Zelda game which I haven’t owned (IIRC you could only play this with the Expansion Pak, which I think was why I never got it). So there was no way I was passing up the chance to play this for just 1000 Nintendo Points. Wow! I mean, I’m not quite prepared to say this is as good as Ocarina of Time, but it’s about as close as any Zelda console game has come. Forget Twilight Princess, this is a much darker and, if you want to think about it too much, depressing game. There’s only four dungeons (which is one of the few reasons why I can’t call it the best Zelda game ever), but the level design is brilliant. I was simply awestruck when I walked into the Stone Tower Temple and realized what was going to happen later on. Even the soundtrack, something which I wouldn’t say is a traditionally strength of Zelda games, is amazing.
The Rating: 10

Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories
A point-and-click adventure game/visual novel, Another Code R is an interesting game that’s a little inconsistent. This game was actually never released in Australia, so I had to buy a PAL version that I assume was imported from Europe. But, I’m glad I did, since there’s enough there to make it a worthwhile story, despite its flaws. The game follows a teenage girl (there were times where it greatly concerned me how comfortable I was playing a visual novel from this point of view) who is trying to piece together vignettes of her memory about her deceased mother. Visually it’s very pristine with a rather subdued cel-shaded look and there’s a lot of variety and polish in the character designs. The gameplay basically involves walking from one long-winded conversation to the next with a few puzzles in between, so if this isn’t your cup of tea… The soundtrack is also very good, and you can stop and listen to any unlocked song in-game. I intend to write a full written review for this sometime in the future.
The Rating: 7

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord
I got sucked in by the free demo they put up. I mean, it was just so ironically adorable. The main character, Mira, is supposedly evil, but she’s a cute as a button. It’s the old tsundere thing, isn’t it…? Nonetheless, it’s a very well conceived game. It’s tower defense, except it takes place inside the tower, and you have to build floors and populate them with monsters to ward off invading crusaders. The heart of the game mechanics is a rock-paper-scissors system, but the levels are genuinely hard and you do need a good deal of strategizing to get past them. (Especially levels with thieves… oh god, they are my bane, and they always come at the worst time). There’s been a lot of controversy about the amount (and price) of the available DLC, and while I do agree that it’s a bit much, the beauty of DLC is that you don’t need it. I still haven’t finished this game, so this rating is a bit presumptuous, but I appreciate the challenge level.
The Rating: 8

Metroid Prime: Trilogy
Metriod Prime is a 10/10 game, and the best game of the GCN (that I played). The first time I walked into Phendrana Drifts I was just awestruck, and I got a chance to relive that experience here. The other two games are 9/10 games, but are brilliant in their own right, and unless you already have all three Prime games, this is a must own. The games are so meticulous. It’s amazing how much detail they’ve put into the worlds, the backstories which you slowly piece together through the scannable lore and data, etc. The games simply have a mastery over immersion. The levels are designed extremely well, the puzzles are well through out (although they do become a tad predictable as you play more), and there’s a decent amount of customization to the controls. These are three outstanding games, and having all of them packaged onto the same disc is, well, a blessing. (The rating might seem harsh, but that’s the calibre a game needs to be before I consider giving it the highest rating).
The Rating: 9

Guitar Hero 5
Not really my sort of game. I mean, it’s fun to play occasionally, but there’s not much to it that compels me to keep playing and unlock secrets and bonuses and whatnot. It’s probably more fun as a party game, except that you actually need an instrument for each player, which costs more money for a game that I’m not really all that in to, as it is. The DLC is pretty neat, and there are some interesting and obscure songs available for download. And, as you can probably guess, I haven’t really explored every facet of what this game offers… but I just haven’t felt compelled to, when I have all these other much more interesting games on offer that I haven’t yet finished.
The Rating: 6

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Super Cool Story Bros. They’ve really done a good job at getting the balance right between it being a single player and multiplayer game. Counter to how it’s marketed, single player is where it’s at. I mean, multiplayer is a lot of fun, but I think you can only get the best multiplayer experience when you’re playing with people who are of a similar skill level to you. The single player is fairly challenging, but counter to what I was lead to believe, this isn’t the hardest Mario Bros. game around. But this is the sort of game that’s been deliberately made to push nostalgia buttons, and if you, like me, grew up with these sort of games, you’ll get a thrill out of stomping goombas, ingesting mushrooms and riding Yoshi, who needed to appear in this game far more (speaking of Yoshi, Yoshi’s Island mightn’t be the hardest 2D Mario platformer, but it is the best).
The Rating: 8

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So yeah, after spending a couple of years away from gaming, I’ve been quite happy with the Wii. I’ve still got a crapload to explore in the games I currently do own, and I’m incredibly psyched about games like Monster Hunter Tri and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories which are due out here later this year (as well as Mario Galaxy 2 and the new Metroid game, neither of which I expect until either late this year or early next). I’m also very interested in currently released games like Madworld and Muramasa: The Demon Blade, the latter of which hasn’t been released here. Needless to say, the Wii isn’t the perfect console, and a lot of its flaws are a consequence of commercial realities and Nintendo’s desire to have the dominant console this generation (and, yes, while it might be little more than a consequence of profit motivation, after following Nintendo since the original Game Boy, it’s nice to be on the winning team for once). The fact of the matter is (and I’m sure Nintendo realize this), the most powerful console never wins its generation.

So while things like DVD playback, 720p and HDMI would be really nice, the reality is that Nintendo probably aren’t interested in these things until the next generation forces their hand. But I do like that one of the recent firmware updates enabled SDHC support with the ability to run channels directly from your card. (It’s basically what compelled me to check out what was available on the virtual console and WiiWare.) It might not be a 250GB hard-drive, but as far as I’m concerned, hot-swappable flash memory is the next best thing. It also gives me hope that future updates might add on a few more features, an all-encompassing in-game screenshot tool being the type of thing I’d like (share game screens with your friends, how is that not a good thing?) However, one thing you’ll never hear me complain about is the control set up. The ground work is there, especially now with MotionPlus, and it’s up to game developers to really take advantage of it. I think I’ve been fairly lucky with my game choices, since I’ve only occasionally encountered overtly bad control schemes. At it’s best, though, it’s the centrepiece of some very creative games.

One last thing that would stomp numerous colons: Rare’s entire N64 line up available for download on the virtual console. Goldeneye, Banjo-Kazooie, these games were simply classics, and were a sink for many hours of my impressionable teenage years. And one game that I missed at the time that I’ve decided I must play before I die (or the end of the year, which ever is sooner): Conker’s Bad Fur Day. Classy.