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 James Wallis
WDS Article Author, Frontiers Nerd, Star Trek Geek, Console Inventer Wannabee...
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Review:
Ten Upcoming Nintendo Games You Shouldn't Miss
Dust off your Wii and charge up your DS for these ten can't-miss games.
Got a Wii or a DS? If sales figures are any indication, chances are you do. Though a few months ago they recently showed off a ton of games for both systems, proving that even a scant few months into the year, there's plenty to get excited about. Here are ten upcoming Nintendo titles you shouldn't miss.
Mario Kart Wii
Genre: Racing
Release Date: April 27
Get back on track with the latest version of Nintendo's famous racing game. Mario Kart Wii features a stable of familiar mascots powersliding around a wealth of crazy tracks, using new and classic power-ups to wreak havoc on opposing racers.
Ninten-Do: It's the most complete version of Mario Kart to date, featuring tracks culled from every past game in the series along with plenty of new ones. Motorcycles add a new twist to the franchise's typically four-wheeled fun, and the ability to race online against up to 11 other players dumps even more fuel into the gas tank. Bundled with the "Wii Wheel," it's custom-built for the new console.
Ninten-Don't: If you don't own a Classic or Gamecube controller, expect to be a little miffed at the control. The Wii Wheel isn't tethered down like a normal steering wheel; in our short time playing, holding it in mid-air while steering led to some notable cramping. And unlike the sublime Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart Wii's graphics are more Gamecube than next-gen.
Wii Fit
Genre: Exergame
Release Date: May 19
Find your balance with Nintendo's blood-pumping exergame, Wii Fit. Using an innovative balance board peripheral, you can track your health progress over time as you engage in stimulating aerobic workouts and relaxing yoga exercises.
Ninten-Do: You've shed a few pounds playing Wii Sports - why suddenly waste money on a gym now? Wii Fit's exergames will let you strengthen core muscles without wasting time looking for parking. Also, we're really impressed with the Wii Balance Board. It's an amazing piece of hardware that, if properly supported, could lead to a wealth of interesting future games.
Ninten-Don't: You're probably thinking that somewhere in here are a bunch of fun games. You should ditch that line of thought before you pull a cortex, because the few game-oriented exercises simply aren't great fun...though they will certainly help tone those abs. And the $89.99 asking price seems more likely to slim down your pocket-book than your love-handles.
Guitar Hero: On Tour
Genre: Rhythm
Release Date: June 2008
Rock it in your pocket with the first portable version of Activision's musical masterpiece. A custom-built Guitar Grip attachment, a handy guitar pick stylus and a ton of exclusive songs keeps the fret-burning fun intact.
Ninten-Do: It's Guitar Hero on the go! What part of that isn't pretty much awesome? The Guitar Grip is well-designed, works with both the DS Lite and the old "fat" DS, and while it only has four fret buttons, it functions exactly like the console games. Since you strum the DS touch screen with the included guitar pick stylus, it actually feels more like playing a guitar than the console versions despite not benefiting from the full guitar peripheral. Built-in multiplayer modes should make family road trips a blast, too.
Ninten-Don't: Much of Guitar Hero's allure is pretending like you're a metal god. But since you have to hold On Tour in the same hand as the one noodling away on the fretboard, it's essential to keep your rocking under control - and that's just no way to rock.
Boom Blox
Genre: Puzzle
Release Date: May 6
EA sets 'em up and you knock them down in this explosive puzzler developed by iconic film director Steven Spielberg. Using the Wii remote, players are challenged to blast their way through over three hundred levels of brain-busting 3D puzzles, or even create their own using a handy built-in level editor.
Ninten-Do: Boom Blox was a runaway hit at Nintendo's recent Media Summit. That's a rare feat for any game, not to mention one primarily designed to appeal to Nintendo's expanded casual audience rather than jaded game journalists. With its crossover appeal and intuitive gameplay, there's reason to believe that Spielberg's game will be a blockbuster in more ways than one.
Ninten-Don't: At its core, Boom Blox is a turn-based game and therefore might drive your ADHD-afflicted kid brother bananas. And there's something disheartening about building a level only to watch it get ceremoniously destroyed.
Rock Band
Genre: Rhythm
Release Date: June 22
The world's greatest party game finally struts its stuff on the world's greatest party console. Turn your Wii into the ultimate karaoke rock machine with up to four players simultaneously jamming on drums, guitar, bass and vocals. Five bonus on-disc tracks make this the game's biggest arena yet.
Ninten-Do: Remember how sad you felt when, after cleverly outmaneuvering throngs of antsy parents at Best Buy and snagging your very own Wii, your friend got the 360 version of Rock Band and suddenly your cool toy started gathering dust as you partied through the night at his house? Maybe it's time to even the score a little. Plus, the white drum kit hardware is super sleek.
Ninten-Don't: For one thing, you might already own it, and if that's the case, there's truly no reason to add the Wii version to your family band. Compared to the 360 and PS3 editions, it's missing some major features, not the least of which is the ability to download new tracks.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness
Genre: Action/RPG
Release Date: April 20
Stop collecting 'em and start playing as your favorite Pokemon in this pair of dungeon-crawling adventures. Players will interact with nearly 500 Pokemon as they explore a strange new land, battling other Pokemon and scouring tons of randomly generated dungeons for helpful items.
Ninten-Do: After years of terrorizing Pokemon by mercilessly collecting them, players finally get to feel what it's like to muck about as the oddly-named beasts themselves. The Mystery Dungeons series has been a hit in Japan, selling well over a million copies in a few short months.
Ninten-Don't: Pokemon? Still? Didn't this thing jump the Sharkemon back in 2002 or something? Maybe it's time to your kids onto something a little hipper, like Power Rangers or Tickle Me Elmo.
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
Genre: RPG
Release Date: Fall 2008
Sonic the Hedgehog gains serious experience points in this anticipated handheld role-playing game. Created by industry leading role-playing game developer Bioware, Sonic Chronicles lets players take a party of characters from Sonic's world through an epic adventure exclusively on the DS.
Ninten-Do: Lemme get this straight: Bioware, the legendary developer responsible for smash hit role-playing games like Baldur's Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect, are crafting a legitimate handheld RPG based on the blue blur and his furry pals complete with turn-based and real-time attacks, hand-painted visuals and deep RPG gameplay? If that doesn't pique your interest, go back to Boring Town. We don't like your kind 'round these parts.
Ninten-Don't: When's the last time you played a great Sonic game? Wrong! That game sucked, too. After countless mediocre-at-best entries, the once-proud Sonic franchise has officially fallen off the radar. We'd love it to watch it get back on course, but until this one delivers, we have a right to be skeptical.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Genre: Simulation
Release Date: Spring 2008
The vaunted role-playing game franchise hits the Wii as a Wiiware download. As the young king of a forgotten land, players must manage citizens to restore the kingdom to its former glory.
Ninten-Do: You have to admire developers who take risks, and it doesn't get much riskier than twisting a tried-and-true role-playing game into a Rollercoaster Tycoon-style simulation. Some might call that a questionable decision, but we call it a breath of fresh air. As a mighty ruler, you don't bother with the dirty, ugly business of monster slaying. Rather, you let hired adventurers risk life and limb while you simply manage all the loot they brought back in your honor. It's good to be the king.
Ninten-Don't: You don't actually fight monsters and find treasure yourself, and the simulation aspects have been simplified for the less hardcore Wii crowd. Who exactly is this game for, anyway?
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People
Genre: Simulation
Release Date: Spring 2008
Homestar Runner's evil e-mailer gets his very own game in this Wiiware exclusive. The first episodic adventure for any home console, it lets players experience the world through the decidedly awesome eyes of Strong Bad, solving puzzles, chatting up other characters and thinking very deep, very strong and very bad thoughts.
Ninten-Do: Never heard of Strong Bad? Then we'd also like to introduce you to the internet, because clearly you haven't been using it. The notoriously cranky hero of the online flash cartoon series Homestar Runner brilliantly skewers just about everything in his path, so playing him in a five-episode adventure game sounds like a blast. Best of all, it's being developed by Telltale Games, the folks behind the wonderful adventure series, Sam & Max.
Ninten-Don't: A funny website is one thing, but a great game is another thing entirely. Even with Telltale at the helm, there's no guarantee the awesomeness of Homestar Runner will translate into consistently good gameplay.
World of Goo
Platform: Wii
Release Date: Summer 2008
Rescue the sticky goo by using them to build impossible towers in this clever, physics-based construction set. Winner of two awards at the 2008 Independent Games Festival, it comes to the Wii as a Wiiware download.
Ninten-Do: World of Goo plucks at the same heartstrings as Katamari Damacy, a staggeringly brilliant idea that doesn't rely on fancy 3D graphics and confusing technical terms to deliver an impressive game. More to the point, it's simple, fun, adorable and, thanks to Wiiware distribution, probably quite affordable.
Ninten-Don't: Don't let the cute looks fool you -World of Goo is a technically challenging game that's bound to frustrate the wee ones lured in by its charming graphics. The subject matter is pretty heady, too, as 'rescuing' the unassuming goo actually absorbs them into the global World of Goo Corporation, a metaphor for developer 2D Boy's rough experience with game publishers.
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