Wii Game Recommendations & Mini-Reviews

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Since we have some good recommendation topics going on in the VC section, I thought I'd open up a similar topic here. This thread will be for people to ask for quick opinions on specific Wii games, or to ask for recommendations in general based on a set of preferences, etc. If people play a great game and want to come in to recommend it to everyone, they can write a short (one-paragraph or so) review saying why it's so good (or why to avoid it!).

I'll start with a couple cheapies I saw while I was out browsing today:

Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors — My EB had a used copy of this on sale for $22.50 CDN ($18 USD). Any thoughts either way?

Similarly, EB had a brand spankin' new copy of Samurai Warriors: Katana on sale for $24.99 CDN ($20 USD). I'm a big Dynasty/Samurai Warriors fan, but not sure if I should bite on this one. The price is right.

[enigmaopoeia]

Originally Posted by Jogurt the Yogurt

Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors — My EB had a used copy of this on sale for $22.50 CDN ($18 USD). Any thoughts either way?

This game sports some nice graphics, music, and voice acting. And for those who are a fan of the Dragon Quest series, you'll definitely enjoy the nostalgic SFX they have put in. This game plays more like an on-rails first person dungeon crawler which doesn't bother me at all.

My only personal gripe about this game is the combat system. Everything is utilized by waggling your Wiimote and after a while, my arm ends up being sore from doing continuous battling from one dungeon alone since you have to swing your sword to kill the enemies in front of you. But the battles are unique because you can't just friviously swing your Wiimote around. You have to press the B button to use your shield at the right times, smack at an arrow to launch it right back at the opponent, and certain monsters can be hurt if you slash from left to right or up to down.

For $18, it'ss a good price for this game. I personally wouldn't have spent more than $20 on this game.

[digiki]

I buy both!

You should make that an option.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by digiki

I buy both!

You should make that an option.

You can't simultaneously buy both more frequently than each other... unless you buy exactly 50% of your games new and exactly 50% used. Then you can either pick whichever answer you like, or else judge by some other criterion (such as $ spent).

[digiki]

Originally Posted by Jogurt the Yogurt

You can't simultaneously buy both more frequently than each other... unless you buy exactly 50% of your games new and exactly 50% used. Then you can either pick whichever answer you like, or else judge by some other criterion (such as $ spent).

I probably spend more on new since I buy (just about) all my DS games new, and the everything else used (I don't buy Wii games anymore, but I used to buy GBA games new a few years ago, when you could).

I definitely buy more used games so I suppose I'll go with that.

[hansolo350]

I buy about 90% of my games new. As for a recommendation, I say more people should buy House of the Dead: Overkill.

[theUndead_feature]

I mostly buy new, which actually surprised me. Apparently I have more new Wii games than used.

I second that HOTD:Overkill reccomendation. It's fan-****in-tastic M rated goodness.

I'd also like to recommend Dead Rising to anyone that doesn't have a 360 at their disposal. Yes, the XBOX version is superior, but the Wii game is no slouch. Wait till it drops to 20 bucks and you won't be dissapointed.

[The shoemaker]

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Fantastic. It's a great game for all gamers. It's good for beginers if they try easy. Good for Hardcore players if they try Normal. And it's good for those willing to get their ass kick over and over again if they try Hard. The story line is very good, and not usually predictible. On my first playthrough on Normal it took me 88 hours, so it's great if you're looking for a long game. Although, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to take you an average of 50-60 hours on your first playthrough, so maybe I just went to the extream. But even if you don't have the time for long games, you wont have to worry. There's a battle save system that allows you to save inbetween battles, so it's good even if you're only playing for 10 minutes.

For $50 (Give or take) it's a great deal. The gameplay is very addictive, and there's lots of replay value, because when you play on a clear data, new things will happen on your playthrough. Not to mention if you beat Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, you can transfer your clear data for little bonuses in Radiant Dawn.

Best Wii title by far.

[Stratos]

Godfather: Blackhand Edition
Everyone who likes GTA type sandbox games should try this. I love that era and I find that and the story far more compelling or interesting that anything I've seen of GTA. I actually never watched the movies but it seems to be pretty faithful to that other than your character (who is seamlessly integrated into the story). It also gets motion controls right. I never felt the motions were unneeded or clunky whether I was shooting guns or punching people. It's a pitty it was so overlooked so go buy this game to support it and help ensure they do bring the sequel to Wii as well. Also the sequel is getting positive impressions by some I have heard.

My first major crime was rather funny too. I was walking along exploring the city when I came across a standoff between some cops and robbers. The cops had the robbers trapped at the entrance to the bank and they opened fire and killed the robbers. I saw the crooks drop the big green money bags so I spontaneously ran over and picked them up. The cops started shooting at me and I managed to escape to a safehouse. Made a good couple thousand dollars off that.



I've mentioned it before but I am big on supporting 3rd party devs by purchasing their games new. I also have a thing about wanting to open my games from the new wrapping unless it is an old game that is hard to come by.

[Tides of Chaos]

Does anybody have any opinions to make of New Play Control: Mario Power Tennis? I want to know if I'd be better off with the Wii or Gamecube version because the reviews I'm reading tend to have very mixed views.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by Tides of Chaos

Does anybody have any opinions to make of New Play Control: Mario Power Tennis? I want to know if I'd be better off with the Wii or Gamecube version because the reviews I'm reading tend to have very mixed views.

I was just coming into this thread to ask about that very same game, Tides. Anyone have any opinions on Mario Power Tennis? Has anyone here even played it...?

I'm going to crack into the newly released Wiimake of Klonoa this afternoon, and I'll post a mini-review then.

[SKTTR]

I bought the Gamecube version of Mario Power Tennis a week before it was announced for Wii. I wish I got the Wii version instead. I can only say the gameplay is very similliar to the N64 Mario Tennis with lots of minigames added and that's a great thing since Mario Tennis on the N64 was one of the best games ever.

All I can say is, Mario Power Tennis is of course better than the N64 version but I don't know how good the Wii controls work. If it has Gamecube controls selectable it's a definite must buy for 29,95.
My only complain is, they could have added Wi-Fi mode on Wii.

[LinkFanatic]

The only time I buy used is when I don't have a choice. I had to buy my replacement copy of Wind Waker used after I got my money from my insurance when my stuff got stolen...that was all I could find

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Klonoa is a competent 2.5D platformer.

The moves and controls are easy to learn and use.

The stages are fairly straight-forward, usually with only one or two branching paths to follow to collect secrets. There are a few things to collect in each stage to give the game replay value, but so far they're pretty easy to find. The game is very easy overall, even the boss fights.

It's also very kiddie, with horrendous Saturday morning cartoon voice acting and a goofy fairy tale plot, but who cares about the plots of these kinds of games anyway?

The graphics are pretty and bright, and as far as I can tell they're a nice upgrade over the original PS version. The sound is unremarkable but functional. Overall, I'd say the game is probably pretty average. I give it a couple extra marks for being cheap ($29.99 I think) and easy for platformer n00bz like me.

3.5/5

[Earl_Wiggles]

Originally Posted by Jogurt the Yogurt

I was just coming into this thread to ask about that very same game, Tides. Anyone have any opinions on Mario Power Tennis? Has anyone here even played it...?

I've heard nothing but bad things - http://www.teletext.co.uk/gamecentra...nis+(Wii).aspx
Can't recommend the website enough by the way, don't be put off by the shabby website, they produce some very good articles.

[Refa]

Refa will be sure to make a mini review of Sonic And The Secret Rings, Wii Sports (yes, Refa realizes it's useless, humor him), and (when it comes out and he has sufficiently played it) Muramasa.

[Shadesofgray]

I'm considering picking up a used copy of Baroque. I've only seen mixed reviews so far, but it seems to be a fairly competent action RPG (almost nonexistant on the Wii). Has anyone played/formed their own opinions about it.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by Shadesofgray

I'm considering picking up a used copy of Baroque. I've only seen mixed reviews so far, but it seems to be a fairly competent action RPG (almost nonexistant on the Wii). Has anyone played/formed their own opinions about it.

It's a difficult roguelike. Randomly generated areas, random drops/equipment, etc. If you die, you lose everything. Death is required in many cases to advance the plot. Very stylish and kind of creepy, but a bit animeish. If you like roguelikes, you should like it. Also, you should be able to find a copy for $20 or under, which is a plus.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

I know this is an old'un, but does anyone have any thoughts on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed? A friend of mine has this game, says he likes it well enough, but that's not enough info. I noticed they just started selling it half price or so at WalMart ($24 or so), but I still dunno if it's worth it.

[Shadesofgray]

Originally Posted by Jogurt the Yogurt

I know this is an old'un, but does anyone have any thoughts on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed? A friend of mine has this game, says he likes it well enough, but that's not enough info. I noticed they just started selling it half price or so at WalMart ($24 or so), but I still dunno if it's worth it.

I'm only halfway through the game, but I've had a pretty good taste of it. It's not terrible but it could be better. Level length varies, but there has been more than one that was way too long for its own good (20+ mins.). The map and camera are also hard to deal with, so its easy to get a little disorientated. The environments you travel through are a little monotonous, I've gotten lost more than once because I couldn't tell if I had already been to a location. Combat is waggle heavy, you can win all the fights by mindlessly shaking the wiimote back and forth. Boss fights boil down to waiting for the right opportunity to waggle. Force abilities responsive and fun to use, They're probably the best part of the entire game. The story features an upgrade system that is unnecessary and unbalanced. Many of the higher level abilities don't work well control-wise either.

Sorry if that was too wordy and unorganized (I started to ramble a little). Hopefully I was clear enough. I wouldn't recommend the game from what I've experienced thus far.

[Yossarian]

After the distinctly lacklustre presentation and rubbish collection of songs on Guitar Hero: World Tour, this game is a welcome addition to the cash cow that is Guitar Hero.

This edition is fantastic with a great selection of songs, great graphics and challenging gameplay. Given the length of an average Metallica song you're clearly getting your money's worth and even on easy the songs can be come a test of endurance and stamina as well as dexterity!

There's some nice little touches on the character animations for the band for each song too. This type of attention to detail adds polish to the game and for die hard fans there's plenty of bonus content to unlock and enjoy.

If you're a fan of Guitar Hero and Metallica this one is an obvious purchase.

5/5

[Tides of Chaos]

Little King's Story is coming out soon here in North America and I was wondering if any of you PAL gamers own the game and what you think of it. It definitely catches my attention but I'm not sure if I should buy it just yet.

[PoisonRamune]

Kororinpa...

An awesome marble racer where you tilt the world map to move a ball through the course as opposed to directly controling the ball.

It has one of the BEST implenetations of the Wii control scheme. The controls are pretty intuitive and they actually work as they should. Nothing in the game is gimmicky!

If you're a fan of racers, you'll enjoy beating course times and challenging your friends. The game is so even to learn that even your mom can prove to be some worthwhile competetion after a few matches.

[Yossarian]

Originally Posted by Tides of Chaos

Little King's Story is coming out soon here in North America and I was wondering if any of you PAL gamers own the game and what you think of it. It definitely catches my attention but I'm not sure if I should buy it just yet.

It's a fantastic game, great presentation and lots of fun. There's plenty to see and do and it keeps you coming back for more in that way where you start playing and then you get a tap on the shoulder and someone tells you it's Tuesday way. Highly recommended for fans of Pikmin.

[Tides of Chaos]

Originally Posted by Yossarian

It's a fantastic game, great presentation and lots of fun. There's plenty to see and do and it keeps you coming back for more in that way where you start playing and then you get a tap on the shoulder and someone tells you it's Tuesday way. Highly recommended for fans of Pikmin.

Well, I've placed an order for it. Hopefully it doesn't go down in price in a month like some 3rd party games. Well, at least I get the preorder Onii thingy with it this way.

[Tides of Chaos]

Hmm...how'd this great thread get untouched for so long? Well, anyways, I know there are some Xbox 360 titles here but what can you guys tell me about these games:
The Beatles: Rock Band
Tales of Vesperia
Capcom Platinum Hits Triple Pack
Fable 2
Boom Blox
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Wii Fit Plus
Punch-Out!!
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
DeBlob

A simple level of recommendation for each one would be nice but if someone can just point out, say, two must-have titles on this list, that would be fine too. I'm doing this mainly because of the "spend $80, get $40" offer on Amazon.

[Refa]

Both of the Tales games and Fable 2 come highly recommended, the Tales games both recommended over Fable 2 (but if you don't want to get 2 Tales games, then Fable 2 is a good alternative).

[SKTTR]

ANOTHER CODE: R - A JOURNEY INTO LOST MEMORIES by Cing & Nintendo

Special Price €19,99
Great point & click adventure with innovative puzzles.
Took me 25 hours to complete and will do a second run (with 100% items).
One thing though: Maybe you want to play the original (short) DS-prequel ANOTHER CODE - TRACE MEMORY first, otherwise you spoil it with this game.


DISASTER: DAY OF CRISIS by Monolith Software & Nintendo

Special Price €14,99
Linear action-adventure with many RPG elements, great rescue games, cool disasters involved in the gameplay, tons of stuff to unlock. You can always go back into earlier levels and get achievements or level up your character (in nice railshooter parts), or get experience by helping out people in needs or find hidden stuff. This is a great mix of game styles. The background story is the only thing that's nothing to write home about but adds a little more diversity and action to the game.


WING ISLAND by Hudson

Special Price €14,99
Apparently Wii Sports Resort Airplane Island Flyover minigame has its fans. Wing Island plays just the same but adds a little more diversity to it. You can buy/unlock up to 7 different planes and upgrade them with parts. These cost money you win from doing missions. You have 3 different islands (the last one being a city), each of them has 9 missions, so there's a total of 27 missions you can do throughout the game. Balloon popping is there, as well as racing games, watering fields, delivering things, taking photos, formation fly, bombarding ground targets etc. Try to get a gold rank on all.
It has some little multiplayer modes (racing, dogfight, balloonpopper) too.
It's a short game, so the bargain price of €14,99 is ok.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by Tides of Chaos

The Beatles: Rock Band

Basically, Rock Band 2 with better character models (The Beatles!), a better track list (The Beatles!), better venues (The Beatles!) and some fun new features.

The nicest additions other than The Beatles are the ability to see an individual instrument difficulty breakdown on the screen before the song starts, where you choose your instruments and difficulty levels, and the three-part harmonies. The harmonies mean that there are essentially four unique vocal tracks—one for solo vocals, and then three for harmony vocals (one for each harmony/background line). Yes, harmony vocals also track out backup vocals, so Paul and John's parts are each sung by a different person into a different mic in "A Hard Day's Night" for example.

Very highly recommended.

Originally Posted by Tides of Chaos

Boom Blox

Half-decent concept, maybe a quarter-decent execution. Some of the earlier stages are fun and original, but the game gets very boring very fast. It also suffers from some minor control annoyances. I wouldn't pay more than $15 for it.

Originally Posted by Tides of Chaos

Wii Fit Plus

Wii Fit, plus some more stuff. Fun if you're into these kinds of games (i.e. doing push-ups as a form of entertainment). If you know what you're getting into already, then you know if you'd want this or not. Most of the extra routine-building features are pretty minor; it's really the new activities that would make anyone want to buy this.

Originally Posted by Tides of Chaos

Punch-Out!!

One of the best Wii games. There's a lot of game/replay here, and the later challenges are very difficult indeed, so you won't just breeze through this. The first half of the game is accessible enough that even people who aren't good at video games will have fun with it, and it'll give you a nice balanced learning curve to get your boxing chops down. Besides all that great gameplay, the game also boasts a great sense of humour and some sweet tunes. I'd put this one right behind the Beatles on the list of games you should get.

That Batman game is awesome too—one of my candidates for Game of the Year—but it's not on Wii so I'm not mini-reviewing it here.

[Tides of Chaos]

Hmmm.....No More Heroes used at Blockbuster for $10? Yay or nay? Is that a good price? Should I even bother with this game? I've heard mixed reviews but things tend to be positive from what I can tell.

[enigmaopoeia]

Originally Posted by Tides of Chaos

Hmmm.....No More Heroes used at Blockbuster for $10? Yay or nay?

I say "Yay". I have played No More Heroes and loved every bit of it, and I'm not even a fan of action titles. It's a very bizarre and funny game [What can ya expect with Suda51?], and you really can't beat it for that price.

I love the characters, the music, and the dialogues. The only bad parts is that it lags in some areas, the overworld is done poorly, and can get repetitive with the fighting. Personally the good parts about this game outweigh the bad for me.

[SKTTR]

No More Heroes for ten bucks!! Grab it before someone else does!

[Yossarian]

I heartily recommend De Blob. Despite it's awful name it is one of my favourite games on the Wii.

If you want to have full on collection rampage and complete all of the mini challenges then you'll have plenty to do. You have a ten minute time limit on each level but completing challenges will add time. You can easily spend an hour on just one level and not even realise it.

If you want to just pootle around happily painting the city and enjoying how the music gradually builds and changes depending on the colours you use then you can do that too. There's an OK multiplayer but the single player is better.

It's pretty cheap these days so buy it and enjoy the fun and the love that has clearly gone into this beautifully crafted game.

[sulcalen]

Well, I have a little collection of wii games and in the last year of the console i´d like to complete it with the considered “must have” for you. The list of games I own:
The must have in my opinion, (Metroid Trilogy, Pro evolution 2011, New Super Mario Bros, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Galaxy, Boom Blox Bash Party, Little King´s Story, Monster hunter Tri, Punch Out, Super Smash Bros Brawl, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, Mario Strikers Charged, Muramasa, Pikmin New play control, Mario Kart Wii, Super Paper Mario)
Game that I like and own but I don’t consider a must have (Wario Land: Shake it!!, Excitebots: Trick Racing, Rock Band (The beattles and II); Resident Evil The umbrella Chronicles, just Dance 2 and Michael Jackson)
Additionally I have some Gamecube games filling some spaces of genres (FzeroGX, Paper Mario TYD, Soul Calibur II, TLOZ Windwaker)
Thanks for your ideas

[link64]

I buy used too expensive to buy every game new, also most of the games been buying lately are retro titles so.

I Don't have much choice apart from emulation.

[SKTTR]

Good bump. I recommend a game I just got a few days ago:

Sakura Wars ~So Long, My Love~
Presented by SEGA. / Created by RED Entertainment. / Published by NIS America. / Ported by Idea Factory.

Recommended for all fans of games like Phoenix Wright and Fire Emblem.

This is a steampunk dating-sim/adventure mix with RPG elements and strategic roundbased battles. It's taking place in New York in 1928 and puts you in the role of a young Japanese man who has been sent to USA to join a group of.. eh, some kind of super police squad that is disguised as a theater. The other members are 8 girls that you can build a relationship with. There's lots of text like in a visual novel, lots of anime clips (explains the dual layer disc) and lots of decisions to make. The graphics are pretty good for a PS2 port. The music underlines the atmosphere pretty well. The story, as quirky and japanese as it sounds, is saved by many interesting characters that you can interact with, and the non-linear scenes and dialogue.

Now for the cons, let's being picky: It has only English screentext and nothing on the box is telling you that it. Not a problem for me, but a textheavy game like this should have at least a warning somewhere on the box. Well, I can't blame NIS America - they absolutely need the sales to bring over more of these kind of games.
Some of the backgrounds seem a bit blurry when taking photographs. Not a biggie.
The Wii controls are clunky in scenes where you have to use both analog sticks. They're translated to Nunchuck and Digipad (which is awkward) but fortunately Classic Controller can be used.
And well, the PS2 version (not released in PAL) comes on two discs with one having Japanese voice acting. That's missing in the Wii version but fortunately the English voices are good.

It's quite a fresh experience, something I never played before and is unique on Wii. And it's a rare game in PAL territories (I only saw 2 copies ever) so I had to pick it up before it was too late. Luckily I got it sealed for 20€, but it was the last one on Amazon. I'm 10 hours in (at the end of chapter 4) and uuh... this game can bring a man to tears. It's one of those drama games, but also comedic and fun at times (that's why I was referring it to Phoenix Wright). The ton of dialogue and the strategic battles also reminded me of Fire Emblem although the strategic battles are vastly different here.

Anything else you want to know? I'd give this 8.5/10 but save a final score for when I beat it.

[Mickeymac]

Should I get Rayman Origins or Kirby's Return to Dreamland? Please not I'll be playing them solo, and Rayman Origins will cost me about $30 on Black Friday.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by Mickeymac

Should I get Rayman Origins or Kirby's Return to Dreamland? Please not I'll be playing them solo, and Rayman Origins will cost me about $30 on Black Friday.

Might as well get Kirby, since you can always get Rayman on PS3.

[Mickeymac]

Originally Posted by Jogurt the Yogurt

Might as well get Kirby, since you can always get Rayman on PS3.

True. Forgot about that, thanks.

[LinkFanatic]

I recommend TLoZ: Skyward Sword, of course! Anxiously awaiting 11am tomorrow before I can pick this up! Can't come soon enough!