WiiWare Game Reviews
Review Violin Paradise (WiiWare)
Oy vey Maria
Hey, kids! Have you ever dreamed of being a professional violinist? Of feeling the stagnant air of a concert hall in your hair as you perform selections from Swan Lake with a string quartet composed entirely of your closest friends? Of screeching your way thanklessly through Ave Maria before an audience of nearly a dozen, most of...
These tubes are fit to be tied
Tower defense games have enough in common that one pretty much knows how much he will or won't enjoy the game before he even plays it. The core concept is addictive and appealing to a certain subset of gamers, and a complete turnoff to others. This is not a bad thing; in fact, it saves both parties a lot of time...
It's dy-no-mite!
It's been a fairly long wait for Fugazo's first WiiWare offering – the game was announced over a year and a half ago – and while Frobot initially looked extremely simplistic and basic, it's now evolved into quite a polished and well-designed release for the service. Craftily combining both shooting and puzzle-solving elements,...
Meet Commander Video's less-confident little brother
There's a reason Gaijin Games, as young as it is as a developer, already has a strong and devoted following, having taken addictively throbbing beats and married them to some of the most intense gameplay we've ever seen. It takes periodic trips to a sunnier, much simpler era of gaming, and...
Toilet paper edition
A pen and a sheet of paper. Are there any two instruments on the face of the planet more conducive to unrestrained creativity? Think about it. Take a moment to consider all of the things you can do with either one. Think about the worlds that you can sketch out, or write about; think of the games you can play, think about...
A tidal wave of fun
WiiWare is no stranger to quirky, innovative games, with the platform delivering such wonderful titles as World of Goo, Lost Winds and the BIT.TRIP series. These titles all take full advantage of the Wii Remote, pairing novel gameplay concepts with smooth, accessible motion controls. Yet such stellar releases don't come along all...
Something to sneeze at
iPhone ports are happening so often these days that they should barely come as a surprise anymore. Sneezies is yet another one of these titles, and like many other games, we can't say the transition has really been all that useful. Sneezies is pretty much yet another arcade-esque highscore game. There are four different game...
Own goal
Icon Games haven't had a good track record with WiiWare games so far, with poor attempts in the form of Stunt Cars and Arcade Sports. This time around, they've attempted to combine one of the world's biggest sports, football (or soccer), with the classic brick-breaking arcade game Breakout, resulting in Soccer Bashi. So is this third time...
IT BURNS!
At last, the do-nothing, poorly-constructed, mindless fireplace simulator of your dreams has come to WiiWare. The only explanation: we've all been very bad boys and girls this year, and Santa's relying on digital download services to distribute his coal. Let's face facts: if you're reading this review, you already know full well whether...
Review HB Arcade Disc Golf (WiiWare)
A discontenting discappointment
The sport of "disc golf" (so named here to subtract the more well known trademark, “Frisbee”) is perhaps played more often on the Wii than in real life. Even so, the sport itself is an obvious good fit for Wii owners as the entire sport essentially boils down to players standing in place and taking turns...
Review Airport Mania: First Flight (WiiWare)
First class, or terminal illness?
Air travel is well known for many things: overbooking, lost luggage, expensive food, cramped quarters and, most recently, a choice between having your crotch grabbed or letting airport security take naked pictures of you. It's not really the sort of experience that you'd expect to lend itself to a positive gaming...
Review Snowpack Park (WiiWare)
An ice game or a total flake-out? You get the drift.
A massive snowstorm has struck Snowpack Park, blocking off roads, causing damage and isolating the poor, poor penguins from each other. Only one person can bring them back: you! Or your Mum! Or Dr. Zoidberg, any Mii stored on your Wii. But, still, you get the idea. Snowpack Park is a game of...
Reward this hound or send it to the pound?
For all of those gamers out there who are looking for a shallow, average dog racing simulator, Derby Dogs is the WiiWare game for you. Stripped down to the bare minimum, this game will allow you to train your dog to be the top racer, but that’s about all that’s offered here. Disguising itself as a pet...
Review Triple Running Sports (WiiWare)
Run! No, seriously. RUN.
Every once in a great while, an already great series gets a new entry that not only renews the enthusiasm of fans worldwide, it reinvents and reinvigorates a classic formula. It raises the bar not only for its own series, but for gaming in general. It's the sort of event that has even non-gamers talking, nodding in...
Review Mix Superstar (WiiWare)
SCRATCH-ficky-ficky....Wii-mix!
Lately the DSiWare service has received several musical creation tools: Music On series has provided us with a means to play musical instruments on the go, and the excellent Rytmik titles have shown exactly how awesome creating tunes on your DSi can be. Well, now it's WiiWare's turn in the form of Mix Superstar. If...
Genetics has never been so dull
Have you ever dreamed about being a mad scientist? Well, how about being a disappointed gamer? The recent release of Gene Labs on WiiWare will finally give you the chance to feel a little bit of both. Just like its DSiWare counterpart which was also released this week, this self-proclaimed “arcade puzzle game”...
Review chick chick BOOM (WiiWare)
Bursting with goodness
Most people may not know it, but this little game has a bit of history behind it. Around Christmas of 2006, Nintendo of Europe launched a website with a Christmas-themed platform game that could only be played for a limited amount of time. It was quite well liked, so a few months later, developer tons of bits created another...
Review My Starry Night (WiiWare)
Star quality
Hudson's My Starry Night (or My Planetarium in North America) is very much the celestial cousin to their earlier WiiWare effort My Aquarium. It’s surprisingly informative, moderately entertaining and at a low enough price that it might entice you to take a trip through the heavens. The game contains three modes: Observation, Celestial...
Review BIT.TRIP FATE (WiiWare)
You can't fight fate
If we've learned anything from the BIT.TRIP series, it's that you don't need a lot of flashy visuals or complicated mechanics to make a great game. The unique combination of old school arcade elements blended together with a host of musical rhythm overtones have given the series a look and feel all its own and made the titles...
Review Racers' Islands: Crazy Arenas (WiiWare)
Racers' Islands is back to drive you mad
Crazy Arenas is the second in the Racers’ Island series of WiiWare games, and this time around, it takes the form of five multiplayer battle mini-games for you to compete in with your friends and enemies. Even the most cold-hearted person, however, wouldn’t wish this much tedium on another human being...
A charming little hole in the wall
WiiWare is no stranger to the puzzle genre, offering up classic experiences like Tetris Party and Dr. Mario alongside more unconventional titles like the Art Style series. Nintendo's latest title, ThruSpace, hopes to try something new to stand out in the sizable crowd. How does it do it? By combining the shape...
Review Miffy's World (WiiWare)
Bunny business
Some of you may already be familiar with Miffy. Originally starting off as a children's book by Dutch author Dick Bruna in 1955, the story is based around the small, female rabbit called Miffy and has since spawned a very successful children's series of books and cartoons. So, in a similar fashion to The Very Hungry Caterpillar's...
Review Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (WiiWare)
After 15 years, 16-bit is back
The drums are perfect. That's the second thing you notice about Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, right after Sonic runs past the Sega logo to the classic 16-bit "Say-gah!" sample. Anyone who's ever played a Sonic game will start to smile: it's off to a perfect start. That start builds momentum quickly. Splash...
Review Triple Jumping Sports (WiiWare)
Jumping? In a video game?! Now we've seen everything!
Wading in to review this third entry in an already less than impressive series, it's fair to say that our expectations were not very high. Therefore it could be seen as some kind of accomplishment that Triple Jumping Sports still managed to not live up to them. If you've played either of the...
Review Learning with the PooYoos - Episode 3 (WiiWare)
You can never have too many PooYoos!
Because two episodes of Learning with the PooYoos just weren't enough, Lexis Numerique has finally released the highly anticipated third entry in the series. Retaining all of its colourful and engaging charm, Learning with the Pooyoos: Episode 3 is a welcome addition to the series. Though the fan base consists...
Review Gods vs. Humans (WiiWare)
Nobody wins?
So far, games priced at 1500 Wii Points have either been at the top or at the bottom of the spectrum; none of them have been anywhere in between. The fifth title to receive this price tag, Gods vs. Humans, might be the first game to fill in that empty space. One of the few strategy games on WiiWare, the title says it all. The humans are...
Review Astro Bugz Revenge (WiiWare)
Revenge is sweet
It's a tale that's old as time: a puzzle game is released that requires you to match up three of the same colour in order to clear the screen and advance through levels. It is inevitably compared to Bubble Bobble and Bejeweled, and usually labelled as a clone of one or the other. Astro Bugz Revenge can safely be added to the list of...
Review Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts (WiiWare)
Flying Wii Remotes: less likely to cause injury than flying lawn darts
A sequel to Target Toss Pro: Bags, released on WiiWare in 2008, Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts brings the same style of play to a different variety of games, this time using lawn darts. We thought the previous release was good but needed some work – did Incredible Technologies hit...
Should you square off with this?
From the first screens released, developer Dreambox Games’s first WiiWare title looked set for stardom. Robox is a 2D side-scrolling platforming adventure that has a beguiling beauty, utilising an art style that's full of character and reminiscent of the pages of classic children’s books like Where the Wild...
Review Triple Throwing Sports (WiiWare)
It’s not hammer time and it never will be
Please have your Wii Remote and Nunchuk handy. You’ll need them to read this review. Ready? Okay, first, begin by spinning the Nunchuk around in a circular motion. Any direction will do, just spin it really fast, then faster still. Then, when the time is right, press the B button. Are you with us so far?...
