84 MARIO KART Wii (Nintendo, April 26, 2008)
Like other Mario Kart games before this before you can still use special weapons like turtle shells, banana peels, and the DS ink shots against your rival drivers but since there are 12 characters on the track at once you'll be attacked much more often now. It can very, very annoying and you have to pray your enemies don't get certain cheap weapons like that stupid Blue Turtle shell! You can even go online with this game too but surprisingly you have play in teams which is still fun but why can't I just do any free for alls? It's not perfect but Mario Kart Wii is still as a lot going for it like cool stages (the new Rainbow Road is very trippy), the music is good, and the multi-player battles are always fun at parties.
For 1 to 16 players
Rated (E) for Everyone
graphics: 8
sound: 7
gameplay: 8
Look for MARIO KART Wii on eBay , or Half.com
86
RAYMAN Raving Rabbids (Ubi Soft, November 19, 2006)*Wii-mote and Nun Chuck required
Those expecting this Rayman game here to play like the older platformer games of the past may be disappointed to find that this edition is just a collection of mini games here. Good thing for us though it is still damn fun to play. In it Rayman and his friends are just minding their own business at a picnic but suddenly they get captured by a huge group of evil bunny rabbits (or rabbids). Now he is forced to compete in several events with the wacky rabbids themselves to find a way to escape. The events range simple tests like tilting a ball through a obstacle course (disgustedly in an rabbid's brain no less), dancing games where you hit the beat at the right moment, and even shooting galleries where you blast away the bunnies with toilet plungers. Some of the games are too short and the controls can be too sensitive at times but with it's solid graphics, cool sounds, funny theme, and tons events here makes Raving Rabbids a great buy.
For 1 to 4 players
Rated (E) for Everyone
graphics: 7
sound: 7
gameplay: 8
Look for RAYMAN Raving Rabbids on eBay , or Half.com
46
RED STEEL (Ubi Soft, November 19, 2006)*Wii-mote and Nun Chuck required
Red Steel was definitely one of the most hyped Nintendo Wii games out there before the system launched but did it live up to it? Sorry, it didn't. In it you play as a man that was just about to marry a beautiful young Japanese girl but the problem is she is the daughter of Yakuza family and she gets kidnapped by rival crime origanizations and it's up to you to save her. Red Steel is pretty much your typical first person shooter but now you have to hold your hands up in the air all the time like a complete moron just to play. To make matters worse aiming on the fly is very difficult here and you'll be shooting at the air a lot when you first start out and the awkward controls while sniping are not much help either. The sword fighting here is pretty cool but you're also forced to put away your guns at this points which seems stupid if these guys have my girlfriend. Red Steel had promise and the slightly bland graphics and sounds are still above average but in the end the game is just a pain in the neck to play.
For 1 to 4 players
Rated (T) for Teen
graphics: 6
sound: 6
gameplay: 5
Look for REDSTEEL on eBay , or Half.com
84 RESIDENT EVIL 4 (Capcom, 2007)
There is a lot to like and a lot to hate with this game. The new controls really help speed up the intense zombie killing action, there is true widescreen support for owners of those fancy TV's, and the budget price are all great reasons to either play it again or try this huge adventure for the first time. Yeah, it really sucks there is nothing new content-wise for a last generation title but there is no denying Resident Evil 4 is still one of the greatest games ever made and an absolute must play for anyone looking for thrilling action title on the Wii.
For 1 player only
Rated (M) for Mature
graphics: 8
sound: 8
gameplay: 9
Look for RESIDENT EVIL 4 on eBay , or Half.com
39 SPIDERMAN 3 (Activision, 2007)
I wanted to like Spiderman 3 the game on the Wii here but the glitchy graphics, boring missions, and fussy camera makes me believe this one was unfinished and released anyway so it can out at the same time with the movie. Just like in other games of the series like Spiderman 2 and Ultimate Spiderman you can swing freely building to building to get to one of the missions but you'll be swinging the Wii-mote and Nun-chuck around and they are not the most accurate. The camera can be a pain as well since it can fly all over the place and it gets very annoying. If you thought Peter's dancing in the film was lame wait till you play this.
For 1 player only
Rated (T) for Teen
graphics: 5
sound: 6
gameplay: 7
Look for SPIDERMAN 3 on eBay
NEW!
97 SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL (Nintendo, March 2008)
The popular Nintendo franchise bashing fighting game returns and it comes with tons of new characters (including Sonic the Hedgehog and Solid Snake) and features. If you played the other SSB before you'll fell right at home here. The goal in the game is to smack around your rival(s) so they become lighter and lighter and therefore become easier to knock in the air and once you completely sent them flying out of the stage you win (hopefully). The glitchy online play isn't perfect but at least it's there and are a bunch of different other insane modes that will easily have you clued to the TV for months or even years. Its video game crack! If you liked the previous ones then you'll love Super Smash Bros. Brawl, baby!
For 1 to 4 players
Rated (T) for Teen
graphics: 9
sound: 9
gameplay: 10
Look for SUPER SAMSH BROS. BRAWL on eBay
80 WARIO WARE Smooth Moves (Nintendo, February 2007)
All right, I knew a lot of gamers were looking forward to this one, eh? The game that became famous on the gameboy advance (Mega Mirco Games) and other consoles now arrives here on the Wii with 200 plus all new interactive second long mini games and more next gen goodies. The game isn't perfect but see why this WW might worth looking like a complete goof over. In the story Wario discovers a ancient Wii-mote and this gets him and the other residents of Diamond City into trouble. Although some events don't seem the most responsive and it can cause you to lose at times, overall the game isn't hard at all and you can unlock everything in one day. Another problem with the game is the graphics and sounds are not that impressive. As soon as you turn it on you'll be greeted with some low budget cinemas with cardboard art and the occasional and generic grunt, hey, laugh and that's pretty much it. This would have been OK on the GBA but here on the Wii it just looks outdated. It isn't all bad because the each mini game has it own cool style and there are no major loading screen either so the game still moves at a frantic pace. Wario Ware SM is way too short but it is still a lot of crazy fun.
For 1 to 8 players
Rated (E) for Everyone
graphics: 5
sound: 5
gameplay: 8
Look for WARIO WARE Smooth Moves on eBay , or Half.com
82
Wii SPORTS (Nintendo, November 19, 2006)*Nun Chuck controller required for Boxing
If somehow you got your Nintendo Wii without the pack in game Wii Sports here is a review just to see if it even worth your time. The Wii Sports game is a collection of Baseball, Bowling, Boxing, Golf, and Tennis all in one grand disc here. What makes the games so different from anything you ever played before is that you would hold the Wii-mote like the in real life sport. In Baseball for example you actually have to swing the Wii-mote like a real bat to hit the ball believe it or not and the another player can throw the ball anyway they want and that includes moving the Wii-mote just right to make a curve ball. Another thing worth mentioning is some of these games really got me sweating here and you may just burn some calories just from playing especially with that boxing one. Just be sure you have enough room to move around so you don't hit anybody, you don't want to damage the Wii-mote, eh? You can even create your own character on the console (called a Mii) and move that figure right on the game here if you don't want a generic character. Wii Sports is a lot of fun but extended plays here do get very repetitive. In Tennis you actually have no control of the players on the court and in Bowling you only have 2 tries per turn instead of the usual three. Another problem with the game is that the graphics are not that great especially with those ugly fisher price-like character models here. This is no Gears of War. The games definitely lacks the depth you would expect from most of the sport games of today but I guess that's what Nintendo wanted so most players can just jump right into the games. In the end though Wii Sports is a great pack in game because it introduces the player to the advantages of the Wii-mote but you'll still glad you're getting this collection free because chances are you wouldn't want to buy any of these limited titles separately.
For 1 to 4 players
Rated (E) for Everyone
graphics: 6
sound: 6
gameplay: 9
Look for Wii SPORTS on eBay , or Half.com
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