WiiNintendo

You know, and I know, that 99% of Wii owners will be the proud owners of at least one of the three big titles this fall: Super Smash Brothers: Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, and Metroid Prime: Corruption. I mean, is anything else even being released this year? Fortunately, for those of you that will finish each of those titles in a matter of days, there are plenty of other games with none of the hype, but all of the potential. Here’s the top five games you should watch for as we enter the latter half of 2007.

5. Forever Blue (Nintendo)

With loads of details recently surfacing, Forever Blue has become a blip to watch on some gamers radars. A more open ended game that is loosely based on a series of Japanese PS2 games, Everblue and Everblue 2, Forever Blue finds the gamer sliding into a wet suit and diving into a vast, expansive world.

Why this game has potential
+ Open-ended exploration of the ocean, which happens to cover 2/3 of the world.
+ Players have the ability to take pictures for magazines, give underwater tours, and search for buried treasure and hidden ruins, all while interacting with aquatic critters.
+ Wifi will allow for co-op exploration, and user MP3’s via SD Card take this game to another dimension (Explosions in the Sky while you explore the ocean, anyone?)

Why this game will most likely fly under the radar
- No Pokemon, Mario, or Donkey Kong plastered on the cover.
- Linear games seem to fair much better with the casual crowd.
- Exploring the ocean probably has limited appeal.

With a release date of August 21st in Japan (unannounced here, so far), some kind of import review should help us know whether the game is good or not. Regardless of how good it is, though, this one’s flying (or swimming rather) under the radar.

4. NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Sega)

The long awaited (for some) sequel to the undisputed champion of the Sega Saturn, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams was highly lauded by the gaming community when announced, but being an 11-year old game, many current gamers hadn’t even heard of the series. Will this title get the audience it deserves?

Why this game has potential
+ Early details mentioned the game’s environment would be affected by the weather channel.
+ Choosing between two different characters will take you on completely different paths.
+ Boss battles won’t see the player hitting the boss over and over, but will feature more puzzle-like defeats.
+ The original was an amazing game in nearly every area.

Why this game will most likely fly under the radar
- Even though the original was a hit, the Saturn itself wasn’t. There weren’t any other options.
- Again, 11 years is a long time, and games don’t have the same star power movies do.
- The premise is a little esoteric for a game.

Slated for a fall release in the states, NiGHTS will surely deliver a unique gaming experience. Unfortunately, I think it won’t be on many gamers radars. Don’t make the same mistake, take a journey into Nightopia this fall.

3. Dewy’s Adventure (Konami)

A dewdrop…named Dewy? Okay so maybe the cheese factor is high name-wise, but as far gameplay goes, Dewy is doing things we’ve never seen. New IP’s apparently have a higher failing rate than Xbox 360’s, but there’s something about this game that’s irresistible.

Why this game has potential
+ With wiimote-only controls, the game has the potential to be extremely intuitive.
+ From the same makers of Elebits: a game that used the Wiimote to its full potential.
+ Manipulate the weather to change Dewy into a mini-rain cloud or a block of ice, allowing for uber-creative puzzling.
+ 4 player multiplayer with wiiconnect24 support and a level editor.
+ One of the prettiest 3rd-party Wii titles we’ve seen.

Why this game will most likely fly under the radar
- I don’t know how many kids have dreamt of taking on the role of a dewdrop.
- Another original IP, but…
- The main reason this game will get overlooked are the cutesy graphics.

That’s the most frustrating part. It does have a cutesy feel to it but the gameplay should not be ignored because of that. I think more people than just me are excited about this title, but its undeniably under the radar. In the style of Elebits, I can see this doing well critically but not reaching much success commercially. If you can overlook the cutesy feel, and overcome your ego, check out Dewy’s Adventure on 09/04/2007.

2. Battalion Wars II (Nintendo)

Battallion Wars made its debut on the cube of games late in its life, and was something of a sleeper hit among hardcore gamers. VERY loosely created out of the advanced wars series, and self-dubbed a Real-Time Tactical Strateshooter, BW was a blast to play, albeit extremely challenging at times. The general consensus was, “This would make a great multiplayer experience!” Nintendo delivered in every way with BWii.

Why this game has potential
+ Online multiplayer. Co-op or head to head. This game was begging for it.
+ Introduction of naval units. Land, Air, and Sea are now all under your control.
+ The characters and story were awesome in the first title, not to mention hilarious.

Why this game will most likely fly under the radar
- A cartoonish style turns off some gamers, no matter how good the game is.
- The first iteration’s difficulty level turned off some people.
- It’s not necessarily a tried and true genre.

In case you couldn’t tell, this list is in order and its no mistake that Battalion Wars II is #2 on the list. This game shows tremendous potential, even with scarce details. A tentative date of 10/29/2007 listed on Gamestop’s website will hopefully hold true, as the title has been pushed back several times. If the single player is as strong as the first title, and the multiplayer experience is true to the single player, this could be on all kinds of critic’s lists at the end of the year, even if its absent from all kinds of Christmas lists.

1. Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure (Capcom)

I can’t imagine who thinks this is a good name, but the support for Zack and Wiki has been overwhelming. Cassamasina has even started a campaign to get people purchasing this title. I guess making this title #1 on the list is our entrance into that campaign as well.

Why this game has potential
+ Point and click play, ala Monkey Island, was HUGE when it first came out, and is the perfect type of game for the Wii.
+ It’s just fun, according to IGN.
+ Tons of quests, with some taking up to 2 hours long.
+ Beautiful graphics (as far as we can tell).
+ Something fresh in an FPS laden market.

Why this game will most likely fly under the radar
- Long quests seem to worry some gamers
- Cartoonish graphics are (again) a put-off to some
- Point and click might not be fast paced or interactive enough for today’s gamers.

Obviously this is shaping up to be a great game; it was hailed as the most exciting title at Capcom’s press event. Unfortunately, its also obvious to most that this game is in serious danger of floundering, with an entire campaign to purchase it starting. If all those people that loved Maniac Mansion and Zak McKracken come out of the woodwork, this game could succeed.

Therein lies the problem with all these titles. If they aren’t super successful on the commercial side, we’ll be stuck with barnyard 2, Ant Bully 2, Bratz: the movie, and other titles that do sell well, but obviously suck. As gamers, its almost our duty to not just pick up the Gears of Wars and the smash brothers’, but also the Okami’s and the Katamari’s. Do me a favor and do your part this fall.

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