Topic: One Year Later: Block Breaker Deluxe and Cocoto Fishing Master

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Well, I promised to release this one as well, today, and here it is! Alas, I noticed that there was ONE more release for June, so I won't have a chart shown until next week. It still won't be pretty, though, thanks to Pokemon Ranch Domination! Anyways, here goes!

One Year Later 006: (6/16/08) Block Breaker Deluxe and Cocoto Fishing Master

14) Block Breaker Deluxe (Gameloft, 800pts)
This title’s release marked the first time a third party published its second game on WiiWare, and this time, Gameloft took some pointers from its mobile staff. Block Breaker Deluxe was originally a cell phone game, and the assets used to develop it were revised and “prettied up” for the Wii release. BBD is a jazzed up version of Breakout, similar to Arkanoid in that as the player moves the paddle left to right, powerups may arrive to help or hinder the paddle's movement and abilities. Each level is a challenge in which the player must destroy certain blocks or collect certain items, all for a chance to face off in a grand Block Breaker championship. Items that are collected, from sunglasses to flowers, can be looked over and sold for more money if need be. It even has a two-player mode if players have friends who share the love for the ol’ paddle games of yore. Toss in a snazzy style of music and non-irritant sound effects, and you have a decent mix of what BBD is.
Reception: Critical reception was actually quite positive, having seen a ball-and-paddle game released after quite a long while. IGN gave the title a good 7.7, and NintendoLife gave a similar score of 7, citing that the game was good but failed to use the Wii Remote in a very useful way (even noting that the other option of control was convoluted to use). Sales-wise, the game faired only so well. It peaked a couple weeks from launch at Rank 7, but despite a second wind, it dwindled down steadily and surely from the Top 20 charts.
Outlook: Gameloft’s future with WiiWare would be mostly positive, with Midnight Bowling and Midnight Pool rounding out the same style as BBD. Most recently, the company released DSiWare Asphalt 4 which was taken quite well by reviewers and gamers alike. As for a sequel to BBD, there was a cellphone release of a sequel around the release of the WiiWare version of the first, but no word has arisen yet of a WiiWare sequel in the works.

15) Cocoto Fishing Master (Neko Entertainment, 700pts)
European gamers would be the first ones to know what this game was about, as it originally released on the PS2 in PAL territories. French company Neko Entertainment was one developer who released a large variety of titles staring a cute red devil creature named Cocoto who starred in games ranging from racing to platforming to shooting to fishing in genre. The titles were barred from release in America by Sony, but when the Wii was released, Neko was able to bring a variety of titles to Wii retail thanks to such publishers as Conspiracy Entertainment (erk). The company, however, decided to bring over a title to WiiWare themselves, after a number of titles were launched in retail. Cocoto Fishing Master is what it sounds like: a fishing game staring the red devil Cocoto. A magical pot begins to shoot lava everywhere, and, fearing the end of the world, Cocoto is selected to capture five special fish to awaken the fish king and save the world from an pot-induced demise. And so, over the five worlds, players must use specific lores to coax and then catch a number of fish before facing the big boss fish at the end of each world (or sea, I guess). The trick of the game is to make sure the movements made to fish are not too weak or too strong, but with no guide to tell players how they are doing, it becomes very difficult to play for most.
Reception: Cocoto Fishing Master was given mostly negative reviews from critics, most noting the game’s unclear directions and lack of any form of feedback, which was very poor considering that the game’s controls were not explained that well. IGN gave the title a 4.0 (a tie with My Pokemon Ranch), and NintendoLife, despite noting that the game was not broken and just enjoyable after a long commitment, gave it a 5. It oddly performed better than Block Breaker Deluxe, even out-doing next week’s OYL title, Gyrostarr. I blame it on IGN’s lack of review for weeks after release and the cute style of the main character.
Outlook: Neko Entertainment has not ended its relationship with WiiWare, nor has Cocoto, himself. Cocoto Platform Jumper was released not too long ago, but it did not fare nearly as well on the charts (but note that the Top 20 had not been filled yet with the release of CFM, so perhaps it sold similarly). In the future, Neko will be releasing Heracles Chariot Racing to WiiWare as well; I just wonder when Neko will have to start releasing new titles instead of ports.

There we go! So if you have either title, I recommend going back and having a few minutes to try em out again. Maybe you'll actually catch something!