So, fellow autocrosser Chris K. e-mailed a review of a few Wii games for another friend. The reviews were so cool, I figured I'd post them here. I have not played all of these games, but I do agree with Chris' opinions regarding the games I have played so far.
The links take you to the IGN web site, with further reviews of the games themselves.
Don't stay up too late playing Wii!
(Here is Chris' e-mail with the reviews.)
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Wow, where to begin. I'll just list the games I think rock and the number of players, genre and then a brief description and link to read more about the game. You can take this input or leave it. :)
Games I vouche for:
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Players: 1
Genre: first-person shooter
If you like first-person shooters like Halo, Medal of Honor, etc. then I don't know why you aren't playing this game right now instead of reading this email... enough said.
Super Mario GalaxyIf you like first-person shooters like Halo, Medal of Honor, etc. then I don't know why you aren't playing this game right now instead of reading this email... enough said.
Players: 1-2
Genre: Platformer
This is hands-down the best Mario game I've ever played. Intuitive controls, beautiful graphics, and fun gameplay. Another must-have for this system. They call it a 1 or 2 player game, but really, it's 1 player. The option for the second player is to "assist" player 1 by zapping enemies and collecting star pieces, but player 1 actually controls the game and Mario, so the novelty wears off a little for player 2 in my opinion.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of RockGenre: Platformer
This is hands-down the best Mario game I've ever played. Intuitive controls, beautiful graphics, and fun gameplay. Another must-have for this system. They call it a 1 or 2 player game, but really, it's 1 player. The option for the second player is to "assist" player 1 by zapping enemies and collecting star pieces, but player 1 actually controls the game and Mario, so the novelty wears off a little for player 2 in my opinion.
Players: 1-2
Genre: Music? (personally, I'd call it more of a party game)
I think you've probably already heard about this one. It's amazingly addictive. My only two complaints about the game. 1) Currently they only sell the guitars with the game (they aren't available for individual sale yet) so if you want to play 2 player, you either have to buy two games (why the hell would you do that?) or have a friend that owns the game. 2) They haven't announced online support for the Wii version yet (...why? I have no clue) so it's still up in the air as to whether us Wii-folk will have the opportunity to buy additional songs to play online or not.
Resident Evil 4: Wii EditionGenre: Music? (personally, I'd call it more of a party game)
I think you've probably already heard about this one. It's amazingly addictive. My only two complaints about the game. 1) Currently they only sell the guitars with the game (they aren't available for individual sale yet) so if you want to play 2 player, you either have to buy two games (why the hell would you do that?) or have a friend that owns the game. 2) They haven't announced online support for the Wii version yet (...why? I have no clue) so it's still up in the air as to whether us Wii-folk will have the opportunity to buy additional songs to play online or not.
Players: 1
Genre: Action
This is a Wii version of one of the best iterations of the Resident Evil series. It's an over-the-shoulder action/suspense game with small elements of RPG. You basically walk around trying to find items to solve puzzles while trying to stay alive by shooting zombies, etc. A lot of fun.
Super Paper MarioGenre: Action
This is a Wii version of one of the best iterations of the Resident Evil series. It's an over-the-shoulder action/suspense game with small elements of RPG. You basically walk around trying to find items to solve puzzles while trying to stay alive by shooting zombies, etc. A lot of fun.
Players: 1
Genre: Action/Platformer/RPG
This is basically a side-scrolling action/RPG game. A lot of puzzle solving with a very healthy mix of old-school style Mario action. Plenty of fun here, but only for 1 player. :(
Link's Crossbow TrainingGenre: Action/Platformer/RPG
This is basically a side-scrolling action/RPG game. A lot of puzzle solving with a very healthy mix of old-school style Mario action. Plenty of fun here, but only for 1 player. :(
Players: 1-4
Genre: Shooter
This didn't get the best reviews, but they can all kiss my butt! We played this on Wii night at Enrique's and nobody wanted to stop playing. Plus it's only $20 for the game and the gun attachment!! Basically you mount the Wii-mote into the gun and have some Duck Hunt-style fun on your Wii. What more can you ask for? The only downside is that multiple players cannot play simultaneously, instead you take turns trying to beat each other's scores. Still very cool and not at all boring since each player's turn only takes a couple of minutes so you don't get bored while you wait for your turn.
Mario Party 8Genre: Shooter
This didn't get the best reviews, but they can all kiss my butt! We played this on Wii night at Enrique's and nobody wanted to stop playing. Plus it's only $20 for the game and the gun attachment!! Basically you mount the Wii-mote into the gun and have some Duck Hunt-style fun on your Wii. What more can you ask for? The only downside is that multiple players cannot play simultaneously, instead you take turns trying to beat each other's scores. Still very cool and not at all boring since each player's turn only takes a couple of minutes so you don't get bored while you wait for your turn.
Players: 1-4
Genre: Party
This game is loads of fun. Like Enrique described, it's basically a video game/board game. You "roll" for a number that your piece moves and various things happen on different spots. You might get money (coins), lose coins or even play a mini-game. Each round (of everyone moving once) ends with a minigame where everyone competes in a short game for bonus coins. A great party game.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight PrincessGenre: Party
This game is loads of fun. Like Enrique described, it's basically a video game/board game. You "roll" for a number that your piece moves and various things happen on different spots. You might get money (coins), lose coins or even play a mini-game. Each round (of everyone moving once) ends with a minigame where everyone competes in a short game for bonus coins. A great party game.
Players: 1
Genre: Action Adventure
Are we even discussing this? One of the best 1-player games on the system along with Metroid Prime 3 and Mario Galaxy. If you have these three games, you should be occupied with an amazing number of hours drooling gleefully in front of the boob tube.
Resident Evil: The Umbrella ChroniclesGenre: Action Adventure
Are we even discussing this? One of the best 1-player games on the system along with Metroid Prime 3 and Mario Galaxy. If you have these three games, you should be occupied with an amazing number of hours drooling gleefully in front of the boob tube.
Players: 1
Genre: Shooter
A great game to buy if you own the Wii Zapper/Link's Crossbow Training. With the Zapper accessory, this is a great arcade shooter. Same style of game as The House of the Dead from the arcades (do you remember what those are?).
On a final note, I haven't yet played it, but Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure is supposed to be amazingly fun. If I think of any more I'll let you know!Genre: Shooter
A great game to buy if you own the Wii Zapper/Link's Crossbow Training. With the Zapper accessory, this is a great arcade shooter. Same style of game as The House of the Dead from the arcades (do you remember what those are?).
~Chris K.
