Nanaki

Ah Prosody, you're the monocle of wit!

Prosody, another Shining Farce of witticism

Great caption there!

I sometimes wonder if this 'bad press' is really bad press at all. Take Manhunt for example: when it was banned the demand for it became insane, and its sales picked up once the 'ban' was lifted. I find it all reminisce of these celebrity love stories - all designed to increase hype. Could be the cynic in me, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sega were happy at the Sun's 'bad press'.

Looks like it's Hats off to EA! (I can't believe I am first to come up with that- I assumed we were all from the same school of witty thought here!)

Well, can't say I didn't expect this score. I never really was into Sonic, even is his 2D days - I know, sinful - so these 3D incarnations are even less appealing to me. Plus, ever since reading Bernard Cornwell's Arthur Trilogy, I can never enjoy any other rendition of the story- even with hedgehogs and akidnas involved!

Looks like another game that doesn't live up to the, er, shining example of great gaming that is Shining Force... apparently. (Now all I need to do is fit in a mushroom joke...)

Definitley not better than Shining Force, then?

/sigh

ANOTHER game added to my ever increasing wish-list. I really need to graduate and get some decent money!

At risk of death, I must confess that I have never played a Shining Force game- Sega pretty much passed me by in childhood.

Well, if you take it from the perspective of the people who have played both games already, you can see some justification for new content.

Pikmin 2 will be fantastic on the Wii. I'm eagerly anticipating reviewing it.

In a couple of years I reckon there will be room for Pikmin 3, with some extra gameplay elements, hopefully!

@Sean,
I certainly agree with you on the front that Nintendo should focus on making new and interesting titles. Sometimes though, if done well, a series can have continual innovations in each iteration.

I'm interested to see if Nintendo release a 3rd Pikmin game- one specifically designed for the WII, rather than a GameCube port. The potential there is pretty awesome.

I think Nintendo have to find a nice balance between milking the cash cow and creating new IPs. As long as Miyamoto is on board, I have no real worries.

It's a shame really, but the games which try to be a bit more detailed with music either fall flat on their face or appeal to a niche audience, despite their quality. Electro Plankton on the DS is a classic example.

Commercialisation seems to be the only real way for developers to get a return on their products.

I've always heard high praise about this game, but never really had a proper look at it. I think that I will get myself a copy of this soonish.

Great review btw.

Totally agree with you there Damo. The visuals look brilliant. Here's to hoping the gameplay matches!

I play video games, I watch TV, and I read. I can also run two miles within army time, and lift more than my bodyweight- I also have a healthy ego. I never eat fast food.

Instead of having a go at the games industry, the government should think of the things it does to encourage kids to be lazy. A classic example is here in London where the kids get free bus passes- this means they will get on a bus to go the most trivial of distances. And, for crying out loud, stop pumping them full of crap in the school canteen!

Thanks guys.

And you're right Corbie, these Wiimakes are weakened by the fact they are not original. It would have been nicer to see new games with new controls, but Nintendo must have realised that they've got a much larger target audience nowadays, to whom these games are 'new'.

They will certainly be worthwhile when they drop further in price.

Huzzah!

This is what we need, sales for the adult genre!

Luigi's mansion II may well have flesh eating zombies now...

The real irony is that this will sell to small children. The very children who suffer at the hands of the development of such a game.

I think we had the same robot then. Ours certainly resembled a turtle. I'm very tempted to get one off eBay...

Also, I used to make the robot go down the corridor and into the other classrooms- that was my crowning accomplishment.

Now now Damo, this is not a game of 1-UPmanship. And, remember, there's probably much spore to come!

I wish I was 20 years younger and could start school by playing the Wii. Seriously, the best we ever got was a robot that you could programme to wander about on a linear path. Actually, come to think of it, that was pretty darned awesome.

I hope you know a veggie. Otherwise, that makes no sense!

That's such a quorny joke!

One question: who came up with that screenshot caption? Has someone been seeking inspiration from Ant's joke book?

Shame really. I am trying to find a reason to justify buying the balance board. Looks like it'll be a little while yet!

Bar Barbie's horse adventure, surely?

@Prosody, that's a good point. Although I'm still worried about the long-term sustainability of the adult genre on the Wii- what comes after these releases?

Guy Ritchie would love this game!

Nice review. I'll certainly be giving this one a whirl once I've finished its Wii counterpart (funnily enough, I am writing a review for that as we speak).

I think it's great that Ninty are reviving the old games of the series. I have always wanted to play through those titles that never saw a release outside of Japan.

Yeah, the 360 version did get a bit stale. It's only really good for a laugh with mates who haven't seen it before.

Shame about the Wii version, though. The machine needs some decent adult titles.

@Damo,
Yeah, the Cube versions are cheaper, but with the Wii controls enhance the gameplay. I would certainly advise getting the Wii version over the Cube one.

I'll definitely be getting this one. Loved the Wii port of the first one, and this promises a lot more!

@Terranigma, I know what you mean there. It seems that the Wii has opened up the floodgates for ports- an unfortunate side effect of putting new controls on what is essentially a spruced up GameCube, compounded by the vastly expanded user-base who have never played these games before.

But here's to hoping we will see more originality soon!

I'd wear lingerie for a chance to win $500...

After playing Mario Tennis for the review, I can see the need for this control enhancement. I just hope it works as well as it has been hyped up to.

First and last pun, my arse!

Good review, but not my cup of tea. I seem to enjoy these things for a short while and then they just gather dust. I wish they would make a compendium of such games- if there were more than one on a cartridge I would be inclined to buy a copy.

Looks like he has 1-up on most Ninty fans

Hm, not sure on this one. I seem to always get the GTA games and never finish them. Looks good though.

Poor Sonic, he's really found the 3D generation hard. I hope it's decent, but expect it not to be.

I must admit, I am tempted.

I never played any of the previous Harvest Moon games, yet I was always interested in them. Plus, I love RPGs and all the statistics that come with them. I might give this one a shot once I stop being a tax-sponging student.

I can understand that in games where continual online maintenance is required that a subscription fee is needed, but it usually does act as a major limiting factor as to whether or not I buy something.

Gone are the days when I could simply waste my time away playing games all the time, and when I do play, I want to experience a bit of variety. By paying for something monthly, you feel obligated to get your moneys worth. It would be great if they had two payment options: pay monthly (for the hardcore) and pay per play (for the casual). If there was a pricing model like that, I would consider giving the game a crack.

I really need to open my launch copy of Red Steel sometime soon...

Hi krafty,

Just click on the blue text in my last post. It is a link to the GameFAQs page for Lego Batman. All you need to do then is click on one of the walkthroughs.

HI kq76,

I'm Tom, one of the guys who writes here.

It's great to see that you read through the reviews, and it's always good to get feedback about the reviews- whether negative or positive.

With regards to how the reviews are written: we're a by the gamers, for the gamers site here. Some of us are not writers by profession, so we learn by the mistakes we make. We do, however, put a good amount of time into playing the game, certainly enough to give a firm view on the score. Unfortunately, it becomes very hard to write a substantial review on games that lack depth, and sometimes our full-time jobs can get in the way. But, reasons asides, I will point your post out to the boss-man and see what he says.

Also, If you have any further feedback, don't hesitate to get in contact with us.

Have you tried looking at the GameFAQs for Lego Batman?

@mogleum: Yeah, I relaise that emulation is practically impossible. That's why I suggested a compendium disc- port the games everyone wants to a Wii format. I realise I was a bit unclear in the last post there- my bad!

It's an arduous process, granted, but there might be some titles that justify it.

We can't totally rule out the Dreamcast possibility. After all, the games could just be slapped on a compendium disc. We've seen CD to GC conversions with Skies of Arcadia. But I must admit, it does seem an unlikely solution.

This game looks awful. So awful that I lack the necessary adjectives to put it down further!

Lloyd Grossman, the main character in Halo, right?

Opinions are welcome, arrogance is irritating. Show due respect, and get due respect in turn.

Oi, cheeky sod!

Rugby is fast catching sport considering the 12 or so years Union has had a professional league here. Soon, soon, we will have a Rugby game on the Wii... I hope!