CaptainD's WII Games Review Blog

WiiWare Demos

2010-01-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

I've been checking out some of the demos on WiiWare... but am rather disappointed that there are only five available at the moment! I mean, surely they'd sell more games if they put demos up? I'm certainly wanting to get My Life as a Darklord now - I'd never have thought of it before I played the demo. Ah well, maybe more will be available soon...

On another note, from having downloaded a couple that were 250 blocks or so, it would seem that WiiWare has increased the maximum file size - this is a very positive development if I'm right.

SnakeByte Premium Component Cable Review

2009-12-22T14:39:00.000-08:00

One of the things the Nintendo Wii is most criticised for is its poor graphics - and to an extent this is deserved. Not that it was ever intended to be able to compete with the PS3 or Xbox 360 in terms of visuals, but sometimes the graphics look just awful. However, it came to my notice a while back that much of this is due, not to the console itself, but the standard connection between the Wii and the TV.

The TV I use for the Wii is fairly new and is high-def ready, and I knew the Wii had some capabilities to use this. It wasn’t until I’d done some experimenting however that I fully realised that what I actually needed was a new connector (a bit slow of me, I’ll grant you), so we started looking around. At first we thought an HDMI lead was going to be the answer so we got one – but... um... we found that the Wii hadn’t got a socket for it. (Okay, that was very slow of us!) After doing what we should have done first – a little online research – salvation came in the form of the SnakeByte Premium Component Cable.

Coming in a minimalist but sturdy clear plastic casing, this cable cost £15 on Amazon (around $25 at current exchange rates). It came with no instructions to speak of, but since it’s simply a cable that wasn’t a problem really. Fitting it into the Wii was a doddle, but we had a slight problem with the TV fittings – finding the right place to plug it in was easy and the cables and sockets are all colour-coded, but... there are 5 plugs and 6 sockets. I still have no explanation for why this is the case; in the end it was simply a matter of trial and error finding which socket to leave empty (we got some strange colour displays with some of the combinations, but finding the right combo only took a couple of minutes).

There’s really nothing more to say about installation or use – after that first little issue was solved, everything worked fine. The effect was immediately noticeable on the menu screen – text, previously rather difficult to read due to fuzziness, was now crystal clear. The colours and overall image quality seemed a lot sharper.

Now I don’t want you to think that you’re going to be blown away by the quality of graphics, but in some games it really does make a massive difference. Other games show little improvement, and a very small number of games seem to actually look worse – Wii Sports is the main example of this. I’m guessing that the earlier Wii games were actually made with the blurry image that the normal connector gave you in mind, so that when the picture is sharpened up, it looks rather blocky.

That said I would estimate that over 80% of games look a little or significantly better, and the image traversing menu screens, browsing the internet or watching TV online are much, much better. However the most outstanding improvement is in games where the graphics are reasonably detailed. The difference in the display of Guitar Hero III is absolutely incredible, LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Batman look nicer, and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and Crash of the Titans both look really good.

Overall, it’s a sturdy cable that looks like it will last you a long time; for simply a cable I thought it was a little pricey but for the resultant increase in picture quality on the Wii it’s well worth it. Don’t expect every game to look twice as good, but almost every game will look better - and some will be a whole new visual experience!

Wii Games Review Index

2009-12-19T11:01:00.000-08:00

WiiWare Games

Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH
Manic Monkey Mayhem

Sports Games

Mario & Sonic at the Olympics
WII Sports
Big Beach Sports
Surf's Up

LEGO Games

LEGO Batman
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Racing Games

Mario Kart WII

Music Games

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith

Platform Games

Wall-E
Ratatouille
Nights: Journey of Dreams
Crash of the Titans

Other Games

Worms: Space Oddity
WII Play

Wii Fitness

EA Active
WII Fit

Wii Game Review - Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH

2009-12-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

This game, available on WiiWare for only 600 points, this is a very good puzzle game based around that famous multi-coloured cube that, frankly, I could never understand. The game involves you getting all the coloured blocks to their respective exits of the same colour. Sounds easy? Well it isn't... though the tutorial and Easy levels won't take much doing, the Medium and particularly Hard levels will give your grey matter some serious exercise.

Each level is a different shape and naturally there are always obstacles between you and your goal. There are usually several different colours of cube coming from different directions to different destinations, and not only are your blocks not allowed to fall off the edge, they can't bump into each other either. When coming against a wall the cubes will always act in a predictable fashion - turn right if possible, double back if not - and this is very important to solving many of the puzzles. Even some of the Easy levels will take you a few minutes to work out, and as for the Hard ones...

Using the Wiimote you select an available token and place it on the level. Some tokens make the cubes travel in a particular direction, mode them to one side, stop them for a moment, speed them up or slow them down, etc. You always have to use every available token on a level to complete it, which sometimes makes working it out a little easier... but sometimes the reverse seems true!

The controls are good, though selecting the area to place a token with the Wiimote can sometimes be fiddly, especially when you get to the truly three dimensional levels. Still, view that as part of the added challenge of the tougher levels and you should be okay. Using the nunchuk (though you can set it to use just the Wiimiote, I find that using the nunchuk as well is preferable), you can change the viewpoint at any time. At first this seems like just a gimmick, but once you get onto the harder levels which have more depth, you'll realise just how vital it is to be able to view the level from different angles.

The aesthetics are nice - the music (slightly techno in nature) is very good, and the 3D effect is simple but satisfyingly solid-looking. My only real complaint about the graphics is that they seemed rather too bright - even with my monitor's britghtmess level turned down quite low. On the later levels it can be quite difficult to grasp quite what's going on with multiple levels to contend with, but again that adds to the challenge. The sight of all your cubes following their paths towards the exits (if you've done it right, anyway) can be quite mesmeric - and certainly when you manage to complete tricky levels you get a great feeling of accomplishment.

In addition to the main game, you can also find out how to complete actual Rubik's cubes of various sizes - study these well and impress your friends! Well... maybe I still can't get my head round that bit properly, but I've managed to work out the main game... not that I've managed to beat every single level yet...

There is also a 2-player mode based around making the identified patterns in the Rubik's Cube itself - this tends to start up easy and ends in utter confusion for both players. A fun addition to the game.

Overall Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: Rush is a very good puzzle game and, with over 70 levels, will keep you playing for quite some time. At just 600 Wii Points, it's very good value for money for puzzle fans.

Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy Official Website

First Thoughts - Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH

2009-12-17T13:56:00.000-08:00

I had my first sight of Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH today and was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps best described as a sort of Lemmings meets Tetris cross, this puzzle game is basically about getting the coloured cubes to their respective exits by laying "road signs" for them - a lot tougher than it sounds! The tutorial mode makes it easy to pick up, the controls became surprisingly intuitive after only a few minutes, and the puzzles are very well set out. The graphics are clear though I did find them rather excessively bright at times; the music is very good.

My one concern is that there may not be all that much length of game play, but I'll only be able to ascertain that after further play-testing. Looks good so far!

WII Game Review - Wall-E

2009-12-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

Wall-E for the Nintendo Wii is the official game of the PIXAR movie. I've come to realise after playing several conversions of PIXAR movies that most end up being rather average platform games; just because the film is great, that doesn't necessarily mean the game will be. Unfortunately this is also true of Wall-E, though for slightly different reasons than are usually the case. This came assumes you've seen the movie (and so does my review), but even if you haven't, I'm sure it won't take you too long to pick up what's happening.)

The problem is not, on the whole, with the actual game. Featuring numerous levels starring Wall-E and Eve, there are quite a large number of levels connected by clips from the movie (don't believe the GameSpot reviewer who said these scenes are not from the actual film, they patently are!). While the levels vary dramatically in length and challenge, they are sufficiently different to maintain interest. They normally revolve around getting to the target destination without getting demolished, of course, but there are varied enough challenges to keep this interesting.

The graphics are pretty good for the Wii, though it's a little difficult to be entirely objective as I've only recently got an HDMI cable for my Wii, which makes a big difference to some games' appearance. What I can say though is that the graphics here are fairly detailed and nicely evocative of the movie; the 3D looks solid though a bit on the chunky side. Character animation is smooth, nicely done. There are a lot of different areas in the game, and each has a unique look.

The real problem with this game is the sound - though the cut scenes are fine and the effects / music taken from the film are decent enough quality, in some parts of the games the music and effects loop every few seconds - this gets annoying to the point of turning the sound off sometimes. This can be a real problem, more than just a niggle.

The controls are okay, using the Wiimote and nunchuck works fine and there's a fair amount you can do - Wall-E can not only move and jump around but at times can build / pick up / throw objects. In some levels you control Eve - to be honest I found the controls rather annoying in those sections, but they're in the minority - and sometimes you control both. This works by you controlling Wall-E but when you jump, Eve can carry you for a while and fly about a bit. This actually works quite well once you get used to it, and adds a little variety to the game. In some stages you're armed with Eve's laser arm.

In terms of the main game it's all pretty good, not outstanding but have been much better had the music / effects not been so mind-numbingly repetitious. Completing levels and collecting things in the main game will open up extras - there are galleries, videos, and multi-player games to be unlocked. These are nice additions, but not exactly brilliant. They don't add enough to the game to make it more than average.

Wall-E is a bit of a missed opportunity really - with better music and SFX and better unlockable multi-player games, this could really have been a quality release. As it is, it's about what you'd expect from an animated movie game conversion - okay but that's it.

See also: my Ratatouille review

Screenshots from The Mystery of Whiterock Castle

2009-12-15T09:50:00.001-08:00

More information on The Mystery of Whiterock Castle

Press Release - The Mystery of Whiterock Castle is available for WiiWare™ on 25th December

2009-12-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

Hours of fairy-tale fun with Playtainment:

The Mystery of Whiterock Castle is available for WiiWare™ on 25th December

Cologne, Germany, December 15th, 2009 – By releasing The Mystery of Whiterock Castle today, Playtainment became the first German publisher to make their debut on WiiWare™. The hidden object game, coming on 25th December 2009, lets players of all ages embark on an enchanting medieval adventure.

The charming story of The Mystery of Whiterock Castle tells the tale of the desperate search of a young squire for his favorite playmate. The little princess has mysteriously vanished from her chambers. Among lovingly designed, hand-painted settings, players take on the role of the young squire, rummaging through numerous chambers and gloomy dungeons, equipped with a sword, a lantern, and a magnifying glass. While searching, the player will receive helpful hints from many peculiar characters featured in the amusing story. From cook to castle ghost – everyone is on our young hero's side, showing him the way through the royal residence.

The game principle of The Mystery of Whiterock Castle is deliberately designed to be suitable for children, and especially suited for young players and families. Hidden objects must be found and collected using the Wii Remote in ten different scenarios, alone, together, or competing against each other. The hand-painted objects are randomly shown and positioned in the levels, allowing for ever new challenging game constellations. Secret hiding places, bonus items, plus various multi-player modes and highscore lists help make the game a thoroughly entertaining pastime for the whole family.

‘The Mystery of Whiterock Castle’ is available for download on 25th December 2009 through Nintendo WiiWare - UK and Europe. In US 'The Mystery of Whiterock Castle' will be available for download in 1st Quarter 2010.

High Definition TV Owner?

2009-12-07T14:55:00.000-08:00

Just got our HDMI cable and (after a couple of false starts - 5 plugs but 6 sockets??!), got our Wii set up with the high def display. The cable only cost £15 from Amazon and seriously, the difference in the quality of the display is amazing. Guitar Hero 3 looks like a whole new game with this thing!

So if you have a high def ready TV, it's definitely worth the investment to get an HDMI cable for your Wii. You'll wonder how you coped with the blurry graphics you had before.

Interview with The Code Monkeys

2009-12-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

Recently I caught up with The Code Monkeys, the team behind Manic Monkey Mayhem. I asked them a few questions about their game and WiiWare...

When did the idea for Manic Monkey Mayhem first arise? (Was it during an office Worms marathon by any chance? Or did Monkey Combat in Monkey Island 4 have anything to do with it?!)
One lunchtime a dispute between the artists and programmers got out of hand. A designer caught in the crossfire ended up with a banana lodged in a nostril and had a "eureka" moment. Seriously though the concept was at least 6 years old when we began development so it’s hard to remember how it came about.

Okay, so probably everyone mentions MMM being a similar concept to Worms. Is there a connection or is it coincidental?
We don't really see that much of a similarity. I think that the closest game people can allude to is Worms, so it’s a little like being a car like the Volkswagen as the TV ad goes! Worms is 2d, turn based and more strategy based, ours is 3d, real time and more reaction based. However both studios are within a few miles of each other.

How long did it take to design and code the game, from first concept to finished product?
Well, there was quite a long period between the first concept and then progressing this to the full design and coding. We were waiting for Nintendo to invent the Wii so we could make full use of the motion controls. We'd been suggesting it to Mr Miyamoto for months and eventually he listened to us. LOL. If my memory serves me well the game was initially for the DS but by the time we got around to developing it ourselves the Wii had come along.

How is a Wii game coded – is it cross-assembled from a PC running Nintendo software, or does it work some other way?
Well, without divulging too much confidential Nintendo information, we have a game engine that runs on a number of hardware platforms allowing for easier development. This allows for game logic to be written on multiple systems simultaneously whilst the platform specific stuff (such as controls) can then be tested and tuned in isolation to the other systems.

Was WiiWare always the intended distribution medium for MMM?
Once we had decided to develop the game yes. We believe that electronic distribution is the future for video games.

How have sales gone so far?
They are exceeding our expectations.

How big is WiiWare these days in terms of the global video game market? How big do you think it’s going to get?
That depends a lot on what Nintendo plan to do to promote and encourage it further. I think that in the next generation of console hardware, electronic distribution titles will be a lot more prominent than they currently are with more full titles being available for download. Beyond that, games consoles will eventually only work with electronic distribution.

How many people make up The Code Monkeys?
In house - 13

What do The Code Monkeys have in mind for their next game?
We're not ready to make any announcements at this time. But it will be good :-)

I really like the banana office fight version of how the game concept came about... I think I'll try to spread it as a new urban legend! Thanks Janet and the rest of The Code Monkeys for agreeing to be interviewed for my humble blog.

WII Game Review - Manic Monkey Mayhem

2009-12-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

Available on Wiiware from The Code Monkeys, this mad game has a lot going for it. You play a monkey who has to battle it out with other monkeys by throwing bananas and possibly other objects at them. It's a simple idea but pretty well executed.

There are single player, local multiplayer and wi-fi multiplayer modes. Naturally this is a game that really lends itself to multiple human opponents, with up to 4 on a single Wii and 8 online. Playing against other people is obviously better, because:

It's much more fun pulverising friends than AI opponents
The controls can be tricky, but playing against other people, at least you know they have the same problem
People are more unpredictable

The controls take quite some getting used to, but the fact that getting things to work feels like quite a good achievement mostly offsets this. While multiplayer is more fun, a lot of effort has gone into trying to make the single-player mode enjoyable and a lasting challenge. There is a tutorial mode and three mission groups, for beginner, intermediate and veteran players. Even the tutorial is no pushover - it works well though and does a good job of getting you used to the controls. Some of the missions seem just too annoyingly difficult, I'd have to applaud anyone who managed to complete every single one, but there is more variety in what you do than you'd realise. We are basically talking, after all, about throwing bananas and trying not to be hit by bananas - not exactly a recipe for complex gameplay, it would seem. Some levels are about accuracy, some survival, some speed, some cunning, and some a combination of those attributes.

The controls are a bit fiddly at first, though with practice you do get used to them. The main problem is that the controls to sense the direction you're facing seem rather inconsistent, making the game harder than it should be at times. You can use the balance board if you want, though again this seems a little too sensitive.

Graphically this is pretty good for a Wii game with nice backgrounds and some funny animations, for instance when your monkey has been knocked off the game area, you reappear wearing a crash helmet. (See these Manic Monkey Mayhem Screenshots. That link also has instructions on purchasing the game through Wiiware.) The sound effects are likewise quite funny, a little mad in places (in a good way), and the music is good. Unfortunately due to restrictions in file size on Wiiware there was only space for one tune with a few variations, so it does get a little repetitive after a while.

Clearly best enjoyed with a group of friends, Manic Monkey Mayhem is a fun game and the single-player mode will keep you playing for a while. It's a game that will inevitably be compared with Worms, and since the only game of that series that I've played on the Wii is the massively disappointing Worms: Space Oddity, Manic Monkey Mayhem is a good bet for Worms fans wanting to wreak havoc with their Wiimotes.

Final Fantasy - My Life as a Dark Lord

2009-11-26T16:00:00.000-08:00

I tried out the demo of this mad game recently, it's great fun - will definitely be looking to buy the full version sometime (1,000 Wii Points). It's a tower defence game with RPG elements where you play a cute little princess who has an army of cute green monsters and, of course, wants to rule the world with an iron fist and become a dark lord. She has a bit of learning to do, but still... she's willing to find out how to be really evil.

It's a little slow at first but once it gets going, it's really fun - and of course that's where the demo ends, just as it's starting to get really enjoyable. Damn those effective marketing techniques!

Galaxy Remotes - Red and Blue!

2009-11-25T08:58:00.000-08:00

Fed up with your old Wiimote? Tired of everything being white? Well apart from Nintendo releasing black and pink (ugh) Wii consoles, a company called UltraSaves has released their own range called Galaxy Wiimotes in different colours, with backlit A buttons.

The Wiimotes come very well packaged in a sturdy cardboard box, with the Wiimotes themselves being housed inside antistatic bags and then packed inside brown paper. There is almost no risk of even very rough baggage handling damaging these controllers.

I've always been a little skeptical of non-Nintendo controllers since past experience indicates that they are either very fragile or don't work very well. However the Galaxy Wiimotes worked perfectly from the start - will post an update after they've had some serious work to do. They come ready with batteries.

Though it might seem only a gimmick to have them coloured, if you're looking for a new Wiimote anyway the price is very reasonable. The unit is made of tough, precision-engineered plastics and looks very good. For the non-technically minded there are some simple instructions on syncing the Wiimote with the Wii. (I'm ashamed to say that I actually needed this, though in my defence I've not had to sync a Wiimote for over a year!)

Overall I have a very positive impression of the Galaxy remote so far, will keep you posted on its performance in the future.

For more information visit the UltraSaves Website.

First Impressions - Manic Monkey Mayhem (Wiiware)

2009-11-24T09:21:00.000-08:00

I was sent this game for review recently, and gave it a pretty thorough testing yesterday. Basically you play a monkey who, for reason or reasons unknown, is battling with a number of other monkeys. This is achieved by throwing bananas and possibly other items at them. Well, how else? (What were you expecting - Mega Monkey Combat?!?)

Anyway, this game by The Code Monkeys is a lot of fun, considerably more so in multi-player mode (which can be local multiplayer or over a wifi connection). The controls are a little tricky to get used to and it's definitely a difficult game to master, but quite rewarding when you can get it right.

I'll be doing a full review of Manic Monkey Mayhem soon, but for now it's enough to say that the game is rather reminiscent of Worms (a game I'm very fond of), is a lot of fun and has a lot of nice touches.

If you don't want to wait a day or two for my full review (whether I can actually get to the point of feeling comfortable with the controls will definitely have a bearing on my final rating), here's how to get it:

* In the Wii menu, select the Wii Shop Channel.
* Press the "Start" button.
* Wait for the Wii Shop Channel to load.
* Press the "Start Shopping" button.
* If you do not have enough Wii points, choose "Add Wii Points" now.
* If you do have enough points, access "WiiWare".
* Choose "Search by Publisher" and select "Code Monkeys".
* Manic Monkey Mayhem will appear and you can now buy it.

(It will cost 1,000 Wii Points.)

How to find your WII System Code

2009-11-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

I had call to do this recently and had to look up how to do it, so in case anyone else needs to know...

Goto the WII Message Board (bottom right-hand corner)
Click on Create Message (second icon on bottom left)
Click on Address Book (right of screen)

This will give you your console's WII number, a 16-digit code.

Press Release - Two Tribes and The Game Factory Announce New Series of Rubik-Inspired WiiWare Games

2009-11-03T08:03:00.000-08:00

Harderwijk, Netherlands – November 3rd, 2009 – Two Tribes, an independent developer and digital publisher and The Game Factory, an International publisher of family-friendly and casual video and computer games, are pleased to announce a new series of Rubik inspired WiiWare™ puzzle games. The first game of the series, Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH, will be made available on WiiWare to gamers throughout Europe this autumn.

Puzzle video game fans now have every need to be excited with the upcoming launch of Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH. Developed by puzzle game professionals Two Tribes, the creators behind the critically acclaimed Toki Tori (Wii and iPhone) and Worms: Open Warfare 2 (Nintendo DS™"), Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH is an original 3D puzzle game that provides hours of puzzling fun and excitement across more than 70 brain-busting levels. Utilizing the intuitive Wii controls, players ‘herd’ coloured cubes to their exit points across stylish environments using a crazy mix of tools including conveyer belts, warps and stop signs.

“We are very excited to be releasing our second WiiWare title”, said Martijn Reuvers, Managing Director of Two Tribes, “Inspired by the cult classic from the eighties, Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH is a totally fresh and unique 3D puzzle game experience which we can’t wait to show to Wii gamers”.

In addition to the 70-plus levels included, Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH also features the original Rubik’s Cube gameplay as a bonus. Players can try to solve one of the four sizes available, play the unique pattern matching score mode, learn how to solve the original Rubik’s Cube and even compete in the two player mode. Rounding out the package are the online leader boards, with the potential to host tournaments, with prizes awarded to those players who achieve the best scores.

Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH Highlights:

· Original 3D puzzle solving gameplay

· More than 70 brain-busting levels

· Tailor-made Wii Remote™ control scheme

· Conveyer Belts, Warps, Stop Signs, Directional Signs, Splits, and more.

· Stylish environments

· Classic Rubik's Cube in four sizes

· Tutorial on how to solve the original Rubik's Cube

· Unique score mode

· Online leaderboards

Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH is rated PEGI 3+ (4+ in Portugal) and will be available on the Wii Shop Channel. For additional information please visit the official site at: http://www.rubikspuzzlegalaxy.com/

About the Rubik's Cube
In 1980, the Rubik's Cube, was launched on an unsuspecting world with a Hollywood party hosted by the "other" famous Hungarian Zsa Zsa Gabor little did anyone know it would become the world's biggest-selling puzzle. Today it looks the same, it works the same and it's still incredibly popular. So iconic did the puzzle become that it earned a place in New York's Museum of Modern Art, and its own entry in the Oxford English Dictionary; not to mention worldwide sales exceeding 300 million copies. Rubik's Cube has featured in major movies, ad campaigns, generated huge sales of T-shirts and apparel, been used as an iconic image for lottery games and scratch cards and along with the brand's other 3D twisting puzzles still generates a huge amount of public interest, recognition and affection.

About THE GAME FACTORY
The Game Factory, trading as The American Game Factory, Inc. in North America, is an international publisher of family-friendly and casual video and computer games, many based on leading international children's characters. It is a subsidiary of the K.E. Mathiasen Group A/S, the largest Nordic company within children's licenses and spanning many different product categories such as: Apparel, toys, candy, home furnishing and games. For more corporate and product information, please visit www.gamefactorygames.com.

About TWO TRIBES
Two Tribes B.V. is a privately owned company focusing on the development of games for portable devices and downloadable game services. Since 2000 Two Tribes has been operating from their offices in the center of the Netherlands. Over the years, Two Tribes has created games for a wide range of game devices. They developed games for Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance and countless mobile phones. With the advent of downloadable game services, such as WiiWare and XBox Live Arcade, Two Tribes has entered home-console development as well. For more information, visit www.twotribes.com.

First Thoughts on WII Fit Plus

2009-10-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

Very positive so far - lots of new features (tracking features and exercise-programmes as well as simply new exercises and games), and some of the games really are a lot of fun - circus juggling and snowball fights are probably my favourites after a quick tryout, with some crazy extras like flapping your wings (er, sorry - arms) to guide a bird onto scoring platforms. There are some enhanced versions of games already in WII Fit, too.

Full review sooner or later, but from first impressions, at £15 from Amazon this looks like a very good buy.

WII Fit Plus

2009-10-30T05:16:00.000-07:00

Despite the postal strike, our copy of WII Fit Plus has arrived today. Will post more about it when I've had the chance to try it out.

Also a mate will be bringing round Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympics soon (largely because he's played it and we haven't, so he expects to beat us hollow at every event) - providing I can persuade him to part company with it for a while, I'll be able to review that soon as well.

Oops...

2009-10-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

... failed spectacularly at the single leg balance test on WII Fit today and it gave me a WII Fit age of 45 - I'm only 32 and had consistently been getting a WII Fit age of 26 or thereabouts!

I'm not sure I like WII Fit any more... :-D

Play Deal of the Day

2009-09-28T08:24:00.001-07:00

FIFA 10 for the WII. Can't give any personal opinion as I haven't played it, but here's the official blurb:

On the heels of winning 25 international gaming awards with FIFA 09, the top-selling football franchise from EA Sports is surpassed with FIFA 10. Responding to consumer feedback from more than 275 million online games played, FIFA 10 refines an already potent game engine, focusing on what matter most to fans.

Interested? Click here.

WII Game Review - Mario Kart WII

2009-09-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

Mario Kart WII is one of the Nintendo WII's best-selling titles* and, well over a year after its release, still one of the games that generates most interest in the console. Having enjoyed Mario Kart Super Circuit on the GBA, I was looking forward to this game and wasn't disappointed by it at all.

A fun and often crazy racing game, Mario Kart WII features a host of familiar Nintendo characters - Mario, Luigo, Wario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, etc - as they battle for supremacy amongst a large selection of tracks. There is a single-played championship mode, which is fine in itself, but the game really comes alive in multiplayer mode. You can have up to four players on a single WII (though without a big screen this can be a little confusing!), and typically race in a tournament of 4 trakcs, each of which can be selected separately.

The game looks great; we all know that the WII's graphical capabilities aren't the most impressive, but the bright, bold, colourful cartoon-style graphics suit the game (and the console) down to the ground. There are some very nice touches, lots of attention to detail, and good animation (some of it very funny). The tracks have a lot of variety in terms of difficulty and aesthetic style. Crucially, there is a good impression of speed as you zoom round the tracks. The sound also is great - fun music, insane sound effects and speech samples. It looks and sounds great, and plays just as well.

You can play the game with a classic controller or a Wiimote turned on its side. As standard the game comes with a steering wheel that you can slip the Wiimote into for a more authentic driving experience. It takes a while to feel comfortable with the Wiimote alone and it's definitely easier (but less fun) with a classic controller.

Apart from simply driving (which can be challenging enough, with some tricky courses and various parts of the track that will affect your car - speed0up lanes, creatures that wonder onto the track and can slow you down (or worse!), mushrooms to bounce on - with a tumble to the bottom of a deep canyon as the alternative. All of this is great and makes the game a lot of fun, but what seals it is the power ups (and power downs). No just that there are loads of different things to collect to help or hinder you winning the race, but all of the AI opponents use theirs too. All too often in games like this the AI racers rarely if ever use a power up, but here they're fully used by each competitor. This makes the races very unpredictable since you might be winning and suddenly find your car shrunk to the size of a hedgehog with a similar loss of power; someone turning into a rocket and zooming past you as if you're not moving; a could shooting lightening suddenly appears above your car and won't go away; your windscreen is squirted with ink and you can't see the track properly for a while.

This can be a bit of a mixed blessing since it sometimes detracts from the skill needed to win; often skilful use or avoidance of particular power ups / downs is more important than actual driving skill. However after a while it became clear to me that, while this part of the game certainly introduces a random element into the races, overall your skill in the game is what counts most.

The key strength of this title is its variety - there are loads of tracks to race on, a good number of different characters to choose from, and many different vehicles to race in. Both single and multiplayer modes have a good number of options, and there are several different game modes - standard racing, battle mode where you can blow each other up (well actually you can do this in race mode too, but maybe not as much!) and collecting coins. In these games you can act individually or as part of a team, with 6 on each side (though I've tended to find that whoever's in the same team as me automatically becomes useless!). There is also online play to challenge up to 11 of your friends, and a variety of online challenge modes which are constantly updated and added to.

Naturally it's the multi-player mode that offers the most enjoyment for this game, but whichever way you look at it, Mario Kart WII is a very strong title. Some might feel that there is a bit too much randomness to the races, but if you persevere you'll learn just what to use and when to get the biggest advantage against your competitors.

Overall Mario Kart WII is great fun, and with the excellent online multiplayer plus the huge (and expanding) variety of courses, challenges etc means that you're never likely to get bored of it. If you liked racing games and aren't looking for a pure simulation, Mario Kart WII should suit you right down to the ground.

* Mario Kart WII is 4th in the WII best-seller lists with 17.39 million sold; only WII Fit (21.82m), WII Play (22.98m) and WII Sports (47.62m) have sold more. Figures taken from Wikipedia on 1st September 2009.

The Nintendo WII and Autism

2009-09-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

I've known for a long time that the physio department in the hospital I work at has a Nintendo WII with WII Fit and WII Sports to help older people get mobile again or just to gently introduce exercise into their lives again after an operation or other hospital admission. However recently someone pointed my attention to the benefits that the WII has had with her autistic child - in fact the positive results have been quite staggering.

Here are both articles if you're interested:

Consider the Nintendo Wii for Kids with Autism
I'm a Believer in WII Therapy!

I know Mary online as, like me, she is a long-time Epinions member. Visit her profile page there for more of her excellent writing.

EA Active Review

2009-06-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

EA Active is the latest way to use your WII to get fit. It has a different emphasis to WII Fit, which focuses a lot on balance, and offers you a variety of track, sports, and muscle-building exercises to help fight the flab. I've seen it described as a "Western" workout programme as opposed to WII Fit's "Oriental" style workout plan, which is probably a pretty fair assessment. For developing muscle strength and burning calories I'd rate it very highly and rarely use WII Fit anymore (though I still feel that WII Fit is a good product, EA Active is better suited to my needs).

The real key to EA Active is the resistance band - this makes it possible to do muscle and resistance training. You can shorten or lengthen the band's position relative to the hand grips if you need to make your work-out harder / easier (be very careful to tie the band tightly onto the grips though). This works much better than I was expecting it to and you can definitely use the exercises to build muscle as well as burn calories.

EA Active certainly gives you a good workout, and because it features a large number of different, short workouts, it doesn't get boring. Some are quite undemanding while others are very challenging indeed.

While it's a very good product overall, EA Active does have a few problems. With some of the exercises you really could do with having a wireless nunchuck, as if you perform the tasks with any enthusiasm it's easy for the connecting cable between the Wiimote and nunchuck to get tangled up and / or in the way. The resistance band can work itself loose if you're not careful, and the thigh strap frequently starts slipping down. The problem with the resistance band only really persists until you've worked out exactly where you want it and tie a really strong knot there... the thigh strap continues to be a bit of a pain even after weeks of trying to get it to stay put.

The trainers can get very annoying, though they can be turned off to an extent and it's strangely therapeutic to hurl abuse at them while you're exercising! The female trainer does have a certain "I want to have your babies" quality to her voice when you're doing well, which is frankly quite disturbing. On odd occasions the game tells you you're doing it wrong at the same time that the trainer's praising you for doing it right - though this is only a slight and un-troubling inconsistency.

One of the good things about this program is that it automatically schedules rest days (after 2 or 3 days of working out), and if you skip a day you should have been working out, it simply reschedules that as a rest day. In the 30-Day Challenge, you work out 20 of the days with the others scheduled as rest. Of course you can do extra workouts if you want on any of the days.

While the pre-programmed workouts are good and quite fun, the option to create your own custom workouts is definitely a strong selling point. With a huge number of exercises based around circuit training, resistance training and sports exercises, in addition to being able to vary the intensity of the workouts, gives you great freedom to make up a workout of exercises you enjoy, focus on a particular muscle group, etc.

The game tracks the calories you've burned based on your profile, and how much effort you put into an exercise genuinely does make a difference - it's not simply tracking each rep as a set value of cals. There are various trophies you can earn as you complete certain objectives - i.e. 100 / 1,000 / 10,000 calories burnt, 25 laps of the running track, 200 tennis swings completed, etc. There are 30 such trophies and some you'll earn quickly, others will take a fair amount of time. It's a nice additional motivation for you as you keep working out.

You can use the game with or without the balance board - certain exercises can be done with it in a slightly different way. It doesn't really matter if you don't have a balance board, but it does give you a little extra variety if you have one. In-line skating, for instance, is completely different using the balance board (and a lot less painful!).

The graphics are nice, nothing amazing but give you a good sense of the outdoors or sports area you're supposed to be in. The backgrounds have a slightly surreal quality, looking more like an oil painting really than a game, but it works well. Player animation is fluid and realistic - though the graceful onscreen movements do not always accurately reflect what you're managing to do in real life! Setting up your profile includes creating an avatar for yourself, and it's easy to create a character who looks very similar to yourself. There is a decent range of music in various styles available throughout the game, and all of the music is very good (though I don't always agree with the category it's described as being!).

To give you some idea of what you will end up doing in EA Active, here are some examples:

Circuit-training - walking, running, high knees, kick-backs
Volleyball exercises - bump, set, smash
Tennis - forehand & backhand swings / volleys, overhead smash
Basketball - hoop shooting, target shooting
Muscle exercises - bicep curls, upright rowing, shoulder raises, lateral shoulder raises; squats, lunges, lunge jumps
Boxing - target punching, knee bag

Another good thing about the game is that it combines exercises after you've done them a couple of times, for instance upright rows with tricep extensions or more complex combinations of tennis shots etc. This helps to keep things interesting and motivates you to push yourself further. This really is a very well thought-out exercise programme, especially if you use the 30-Day Challenge mode.

Other good things about this game (well, I suppose "program" or "package" would be a more appropriate description) is that you can set targets for yourself in terms of calories burned, workouts completed or time spent working out. The slight problem with this is that if you change anything, it resets completely - very annoying the first time you change it only to find that day's workout doesn't count. Still now that you've read that, maybe you won't make the same mistake that we did!

Overall EA Active isn't a perfect product, but it is very good at what it does - I can definitely feel the difference in my muscles compared to before I started using it. The way it combines a large number of short activities helps to keep things interested, and certainly has kept this reviewer (whose attention span would often be beaten by a goldfish) interested. If the thigh strap wasn't so problematic, I would have said that this was a truly excellent package.

What will be interesting in the near future will be to see how EA Active compares to WII Fit Plus...

WII Game Review - Worms: Space Oddity

2009-06-21T05:03:00.001-07:00

Worms: Space Oddity is a game that you'd really expect to port perfectly to the Nintendo WII. In case you've been living on Mars for the last couple of decades, the Worms series of games is a turn-based strategy game where two or more teams of worms try to blow the others up and be the last team standing. (Surprisingly, a lot of the best friendships are created by games involving blowing each other up... strange but true.) There are a number of weapons at hand, some unlimited in use but tricky to use accurately (i.e. bazooka), some amazingly powerful but rarely found (i.e. banana bomb), and many in between. You play on randomly-generated landscapes - it's easy to have a completely different landscape each time so no-one gets too much of an advantage due to always being in the best position - and some items on the landscape can help or hinder you. An overhang of the rock-face can provide one of your worms with some useful protection, though it can also hinder their ability to fire their weapons. Barrels of oil will explode if a weapon lands too close to them. That sort of thing.

While there have been many worms games and many variations on the theme, the basic game has remained that outlined above, and Space Oddity is no different. Though set in space and featuring different weapons, it is to all intents and purposes exactly the same game - it looks a little different but it plays the same and the weapons are largely just renamed, not genuinely different. Okay, there are actually a few genuinely different weapons, but these are very much in the minority. The key selling point to the game was the use of the Wiimote - you use it to aim the bazooka (very fiddly!), shake it up and down like a mad thing to make your flying saucer attack, hold it horizontally and "push" down to push the plunger on a bomb's detonator, etc. Some of these work well enough and some are too fussy. The idea had a lot more apparent potential than has been realised here.

There are two main weaknesses to the game that really hinder it. Firstly setting up your teams, editing names etc using the Wiimote is a real pain. Much worse is the fact that the graphics are absolutely atrocious. Even given that the WII is not a graphical powerhouse, there is no excuse for graphics that look as bad as this game. Everything on-screen is so fuzzy and blurred that you really have to strain to see what you're doing at times. Perhaps with a signal booster for the WII (I haven't got one but I know they do exist) it would look better, but as it is, the game looks terrible. Thankfully the sound is okay, decent music and speech (you have several "voice packs" to choose from for your team of worms, who make different comments depending on what's just happened in the game).

As you'd expect from a Worms game, on the whole it's still fun to play, especially in 2, 3 or 4-player mode of course. The controls are so-so, some work and some are practically impossible to use, but mostly it's still enjoyable trying to outsmart your opponent / opponents. The console's AI is okay and with the adjustable difficulty level you should be able to find a challenging but not unbeatable opponent (or, indeed, opponents) when no are no human adversaries around. This version of Worms unable to have as many worms per team as the PC versions I've played, though you can still have a respectable number.

All in all, Worms: Space Oddity is definitely a missed opportunity. Virtually nothing significant has been added to previous incarnations of the games, the Space theme was really nothing more than a change of scenery, and only about half of the game mechanics work well enough. Combined with the terrible graphics, I can't really recommend this at all, unless you're desperate to have a version of Worms to play and don't have anything other than a WII in the house.

Other games in the Worms series:

Worms Armageddon (PC)
Worms 3D (PC)

First Impression - EA Active

2009-06-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Wow... I tried the "low intensity" workout and was sweating cobs... whatever is the high intensity workout going to be like?!?!

Looks like EA have gone for loads of variety, the workouts are good, the equipment that comes with it... not so sure, seems a bit flimsy to me! The trainers are a bit annoying but then that's to be expected.

Day 1 of my 30 day challenge down... 29 to go...