IGN - 73/100
Real Networks is new to the Nintendo casual gaming scene, but both of its initial titles (this and Tropix! on DS) have surprised me with their quality.
WiiWare World - 70/100
Tiki’s world of bamboo is an entertaining game with bags of personality. Some of the later levels will take you quite some time to solve so there is easily enough gameplay on offer here.
WiiWare
Rotate these shapes to match the colors and clear the board.
GameSpot:
Fun Fun Minigolf looks surprisingly good. The three themed courses cover three continents (America, Asia, and Europe) and three difficulty levels (easy, medium, and advanced). Each course is vibrantly colored and attractively landscaped. When it’s your turn to putt, you can aim your shot or change the camera angle with the D pad. You flick the Remote to practice your swing, then hold down A and swing to take a shot. When shooting, you’ll have to time your swing correctly to hit the center of the ball if you want your ball to go straight; otherwise, it will veer off to the side. The controls are simple and intuitive, especially to anyone who has played Wii Sports golf before.
Despite a few missteps and the occasionally too-vigorous ball ricochet, Fun Fun Minigolf is actually fun (note the lack of exclamation point). Like real minigolf, it is best enjoyed with a group of people who won’t take it too seriously. It’s not all it could be, but 27 holes for 900 Wii points ($9) isn’t a bad deal for Wii owners looking to hit the minilinks.
GameSpot Score 7.0
IGN: So Eduardo the Samurai Toaster came out of nowhere this morning.
Daniel Coleman, Semnat Studios: Actually we had planned on sending out a press release earlier but things didn’t go through. We forgot about the ESRB. So this was the earliest we could get it out.
IGN: What’s the story with Semnat Studios?
Coleman: It started out just me and my friend Robert DeMaria and we just started making games casually five years ago. We decided this was something we could make something out of. I guess we officially formed it in 2005. We did several versions of Eduardo for PC and finally for the Wii late last year.
IGN: What brought you to working on WiiWare?
Coleman: Well, the guy that made Roboblitz (XBLA/PC game) actually suggested I get in contact with Nintendo. This was, like, April 2007. I probably can’t talk much about it, but I talked to Nintendo and they were really helpful. Eventually we were able to get status as officially licensed developers which was a huge break for us. I never thought it would be possible for a tiny, tiny developer like us.
IGN: How have you found developing for the Wii?
Coleman: Well, I’m not the programmer, but on the technical side you always want more space and more power. But working with Nintendo has been kind of amazing. They don’t get in your way at all, they’re helpful. It’s kinda crazy, actually.
IGN: Tell us about Eduardo the Samurai Toaster. We know it’s a 2D side-scrolling action game…
Coleman: Yeah, it’s a run-and-gun game in the vein of Metal Slug or Gunstar Heroes. Basically, one to four players go around cooperating and shooting enemies and such. We put everything in there that we thought was fun about the genre and took out everything we thought wasn’t necessary. One thing that we liked, for instance, from Gunstar Heroes was the grab mechanic. We really expand upon that. You can grab enemy projectiles, throw them at enemies or each other, throw enemies around, stuff like that. We just wanted to try and get something as fast and action packed and fun as possible, without sounding too cheesy.
IGN: Can you give us an example of something you left out because it felt unnecessary?
Coleman: Yeah, the score system. I understand the appeal of having scores, and it was necessary back during the arcade days in order to get people to play the game over and over again and get higher and higher scores. But we didn’t think it really added anything. It was just more development time that wasn’t necessary.
IGN: Does each player control a different appliance?
Coleman: No, they’re all toasters. The original version of the game was going to use different appliances. That was when it was a platformer. But, no, they’re all toasters, now.
IGN: Does Eduardo use any of the Wii’s unique controls?
Coleman: It does not. We didn’t want to add any unnecessary motion control. Since this is a side-scrolling run-and-gun action game you basically hold the Wii remote like an NES controller. You just have the D-pad and three buttons for shooting, jumping, and throwing/grabbing.
IGN: Does it support the Classic Controller?
Coleman: Yes.
[More]
WiiWare
Sandy Beach (Konami, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 500 Wii Points): Enjoy a fun day at Sandy Beach as you build elaborate sand castles. You can work peacefully on your sand castle or enter into a battle with invading crabs in Crab Battle mode. Players will strategically build their sand castle and use cannons to defend it against an army of destructive crabs. After successfully defending your sand castle, discover beach treasures and additional cannons with your metal detector to customize your castle even more.
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Virtual Console
Kirby’s Dream Land 3 (Super NES™, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Kirby, Dream Land’s resident hero (and everyone’s favorite puffball), must once again save the day when the mischievous King Dedede starts causing trouble. Kirby must travel through an assortment of levels, battling an exotic array of enemies (both new and familiar) determined to stop him from completing his mission. Always armed with his trusty ability to swallow enemies and gain special attacks, Kirby can also unite with some of his animal friends and make use of their particular talents. Featuring detailed graphics, challenging boss battles and the distinct charm of a Kirby game, it’s no wonder this title is considered a classic.
One of my favorite sites dedicated to WiiWare games lists their top five WiiWare titles of 2008:
5. Art Style: Orbient (Nintendo)
4. Toki Tori (Two Tribes)
3. Lost Winds (Frontier)
2. Mega Man 9 (Capcom)
1. World of Goo (2D Boy)
Read More over at WiiWare World
Wii-KLY UPDATE: TWO WiiWARE GAMES AND ONE VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAME ADDED TO Wii SHOP CHANNEL
Dec. 29, 2008 - Champagne? Check. Confetti? Got it. But you’re not fully prepared for New Year’s revelry unless your Nintendo game library is stocked with games to please everyone under the sun. As always, the Wii™ Shop Channel is open 24 hours a day for your downloading pleasure. The final slate of new game offerings for 2008 includes a couple of wild multiplayer titles on WiiWare™, plus an enthralling sci-fi title for the Virtual Console™. Load up and enjoy!
Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
WiiWare
Maboshi’s Arcade™ (Nintendo, 1-3 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Featuring three distinct modes and simultaneous play across three game windows, the constantly changing environment of Maboshi’s Arcade creates an atmosphere unlike any other. Each of the modes is based on one of three familiar shapes (circle, stick and square) and offers the same goal: score a million points. Use the intuitive controls to bash enemies in Circle mode, weave your way through Stick mode or burn a path around obstacles in Square mode-all while dealing with power-up items and keeping watch on which effects the other game windows may have on your own. Also featuring Mii™ characters, action replays that you can send to your Wii™ Friends via WiiConnect24™, and the ability to download a version to a Nintendo DS™, you may never want to leave this arcade.
Cue Sports – Pool Revolution (Hudson Entertainment, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Grab your Wii Remote™ controller and take a shot at this virtual billiard game. Enjoy match-ups, playing classic favorites such as 9 Ball, 8 Ball, Rotation and Snooker, as well as walk-through trick shots in Puzzle mode. Connect to Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection (Nintendo WFC) to go head-to-head with your friends, or even hustle opponents across the world in Nintendo WFC match-ups. This game offers two types of controls, allowing you to virtually strike the cue ball with your Wii Remote controller or use the buttons to adjust the strength of your shot and then strike. Hone your skills in Practice mode, learning all the cool techniques you need to be a true hustler. Use the edit feature to create your own challenge and nail the trick shot you’ve always dreamed of sinking. Pull off an amazing shot and show everyone who’s the biggest shark in the pool.
Virtual Console
Zoda’s Revenge™: StarTropics II™ (NES™, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Cartoon Violence, 500 Wii Points): Take on the role of Mike Jones, intrepid hero of the StarTropics universe, and once again battle the evil alien Zoda to control the fate of the Argonian people. In this journey, the island hopping of Mike’s original adventure gives way to traveling through time and visiting locations around the world. And you never know what famous historical figures may appear along the way, giving Mike helpful advice or useful items. Luckily, Mike also has a wider range of weapons and improved play control on his side, so he may yet stand a chance against Zoda. Can you help Mike stand the test of time and save the world again?
For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.
Nintendo grabs 3 spots in Gameasutra’s “Top 10 of 2008″:
10. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (Konami, Nintendo DS)
Order of Ecclesia isn’t dramatically different from any of producer Koji Igarashi’s other Castlevania titles — almost every release follows Symphony of the Night’s template — but it adds and changes enough to make this latest refinement of the “Metroidvania” formula an easy addition to our year-end list.
Ecclesia thankfully casts out the juvenile and generic anime character designs that blighted the previous two DS games, in favor of Hirooka Masaki’s more fitting “Gothic” art direction. The game also replaces Portrait of Ruin’s clumsy two-character gameplay with a strong, graceful heroine, Shanoa, who takes on Dracula and his minions just fine without the help of a Vampire Killer whip.
Adding to our enjoyment, Ecclesia is probably the hardest Castlevania title since the franchise’s NES years, requiring quick wits and a lot of boss pattern memorization, much to the appreciation of series faithfuls (and the chagrin of softer gamers). As a fan once succinctly described the game’s difficulty, “This ain’t no Casualvania.”
4. No More Heroes (Grasshopper Manufacture, Wii)
At first blush, it’s a bizarre and comic-bookish send-up of the American otaku. But No More Heroes quickly reveals its charm — amid the mashed-up game homages and lewd humor is a surprisingly classy and vaguely disturbing allegory for the video game hero.
Travis Touchdown, of the fluorescent-lamp lightsaber and implausible fantasy motorbike, isn’t nearly the smooth operator he thinks he is.
This makes his strikeouts in love just as weirdly poignant as his confrontations with unlikely assassins — including a viciously intoxicated teen queen, a batty old lady with a shopping cart, and a crooner with a handlebar moustache.
Of course, famed director Goichi Suda’s savvy act of holding up a mirror to his audience and his industry might just be a bit of forgettable cleverness if not for how brilliantly it uses its controls.
No More Heroes is that rare title that aptly leverages the Wii remote appropriately at every madly joyful, blood-spurting, coin-jangling turn.
2. World of Goo (2D Boy, Wii Ware)
After leaving their jobs at Electronic Arts, Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel founded development studio 2D Boy (it’s just them, and there’s not really a physical studio) and spent two years making World of Goo, a physics-driven puzzle game for PC and WiiWare.
The risk paid off — World of Goo was adored by gamers and the press, and was seen as an inspiring indie success story in a year that has not wanted for inspiring indie success stories.
World of Goo works by marrying gameplay that is outwardly simple in scope with an underlying physics system that allows for solutions to challenges that are neither random nor overly restrictive in approach — a rarity in the puzzle genre. And it’s all wrapped in a clean, coherent visual theme and accompanied by a lovingly handmade score that is epic and nutty in equal measure.
[ Gamasutra ]
Fun! Fun! Minigolf provides a satisfying first time play through on the easy difficulty holes and will frustrate you to no end if you are up to the challenge of figuring out all of the harder 18 holes. Minigolf fans will enjoy the challenge, but for everyone else this game is of average entertainment value. Fun! Fun! Minigolf is, in many ways, just another puzzle game for WiiWare. There are only one or two ‘solutions’ to each hole, and your challenge is to figure them out. Once you have done so, the game has little in the way of repeat play value. The problem solving aspect of the game isn’t a bad thing; if anything, it’s the only reason to keep coming back. We just wish the game offered more of a reason to encourage repeat play than high difficulty level.
[ WiiwareWorld ]
LIT is a 3D horror action puzzler that follows Jake, a typical, apathetic, slightly emo teenager, who’s trapped in his high school when it’s overrun by dark creatures. Players must guide Jake through 30 classrooms, using the available light sources to create paths to each exit. The goal is to reunite Jake with his girlfriend Rachael, who’s also trapped in the school and calls Jake from time to time on the school’s phone system. Stay in the light and Jake’s safe. Step into the darkness and he’s pulled under.
In addition to light puzzling, the game features 5 boss battles against dark faculty members, an unlockable challenge mode, multiple endings, level select mode, and a second playable character.
