Wii need originality (From Swindon Advertiser)

Why Nintendo’s console is being sadly misunderstood.

4:34pm Monday 16th March 2009 in Gaming

The Wii is full of great games; all modern consoles are. But unfortunately, people who are new to gaming are short changed into buying titles that are sub-standard, but sell by the truckload.

These titles are professionally known as “shovelware”, which means a game that is developed quickly and without any effort for a mass audience.

As a game journalist I am charged with the responsibility of being fair to all titles, and there obviously is an appeal to these games if they sell so well, but often this is just because of a lack of knowledge from the buyer, someone who doesn’t know whether a title will be enjoyable or not.

This is perfectly fine and natural of course, the point of the Wii is to bring everyone into gaming, but if quality has to be sacrificed to sell then it’s a rather shallow mission Truth is, is that often there are decent fun alternatives to the slop that is offered at the top of a counter in a gaming shop.

The game “Big Beach Sports” is a compilation of sports mini games with tacked on controls and limited play value. It is shovelware at its most generic.

The game itself has received a combined review score of 44%, which is a very low score in the gaming world (Generally anything below 70% is a chore.) However, its alternative, Wii sports, follows the exact same concept except its solid design and fun factor obtained the game a score of 76%.

The funny thing is, is that the better game, Wii sports, comes free with the console.

So here is a list of titles to look out for; titles that didn’t sell well, but are packed with originality, quality and playability.

Battalion wars 2 Battalion wars is very similar to the fantastically crafted Advance Wars games on the DS and GBA. The idea is to move a cartoon-styled army across a battlefield using the Wii controller as a pointer for your troops. The game offers deep strategy, and although it might scare away some people with the amount of thought that goes into it, it is a rich and vibrant experience with some gorgeous visuals. It is also one of the first Wii games with online capabilities.

De Blob De blob received consistently good reviews due to the charm that oozes out of the games every pore. De Blob has you play as a colourful Blob, bouncing around a city that has been turned black and white by mischievous enemies. As you complete platforming challenges in the De Blob world, the world responds by filling with colour and sound. It is an original idea, and one that is worth trying out.

No More Heroes No More Heroes is the brainchild of the most insane game designer in Japan: Suda 51. As with their other games, there is a distinct Anime style, and therefore the game is filled with ultra hyped violence and profanity. This game is an 18 for a reason. However, Travis Touchdowns quest to become number one assassin in Santa Destroy is filled with some truly memorable boss fights. Be warned; it doesn’t get much weirder then this.

Okami Okami is actually a PS2 game that was re-ported onto the Wii, which often is a blight of Wii gaming, as it bogs the software market down with lazy ports of old games that couldn’t cut it years ago. However, Okami deserves a second chance. The visual style is just gorgeous; the game looks like it was drawn masterfully on a scroll. You play as a goddess in the form as a wolf, travelling to bring life back to a land covered in darkness. Using the Wiimote you perform special moves by drawing on the screen like you would a paintbrush. It’s a clever idea that definitely pays off. If you enjoyed Zelda, you will love this.

Boom Blox The most curious thing about Boom Blox is that the games designed was created or shall I say, directed by Steven Spielberg. The concept of the game is to collapse towers of Blocks in different means using Physics. It’s a simple concept, but one that plays exceedingly well. It also has a wealth of different options to play through, so it’s hard to get tired of its simple and colourful mechanics.

Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barboros’s treasure While this list seems to be full of games with a cartoon style, it really nails it in Zack and Wiki. The title and the box art may seem generic, but the wonderfully challenging puzzles sets this game apart from other puzzlers on the system. Its smart, its wonderfully animated, and the Wiimote is used in thousands of different ways, so you wont get bored of doing repetitive tasks.

So there you go. Don’t reach for Ninjabread Man, Carnival Games or Alien Syndrome, pick a game that will make the most of your Wii experience Oh, and if the game is based upon a movie, 99% of the time it will be awful. Avoid at all costs.

By Sam Kearns