Virus

To paraphrase -TR:
Best Fugging Idea Ever

Hmmm...people have the right to complain about the games...people have the right to complain about complainers...and people have the right to complain about complainers complaining about complainers...god, doesn't the First Amendment stop us Americans at one point?

Concerning the two-game release week, this happened approximately the same time last year, even getting as bad as one game for a week (1080 Snowboarding). It seemed like we'd never get three games a week again, but sure enough we did. Perhaps we just have to wait it out.

In other news, Kirby's Dream Land 3 was reclassified by the ESRB about a year ago too. Wow, long time right?

@DEADCELL and Ferret75
Exactly what I was thinking.

Anyway, despite the bumming two-game release week, both games look good, and I'm looking forward to the review. If this game is remotely as good as DYC, I might get it. Still, I wonder if two-game releases will become the norm.

Well, personally, I'm happy with the VC release, but still, this week concerns even me. Three games a week should be a standard, one Nintendo set up themselves. If they are running out of games momentarily, perhaps it would be best that they release a small statement saying that so were aren't waiting hopefully at our Wii systems each week. And by god, if this is because of the economic depression, screw them. (But that's probably just a highly improbable reason.)

Another case in which I'm amazed how well the Europeans and Austrailians are taking this. Boy, us Americans sure are whiners.

I'm pretty surprised both that one hockey game (Hockey Allstar Shootout? I'm too lazy to check) and The Incredible Maze fell off the charts this week. Being five dollars each, I imagined they would stay for a long time. Perhaps the casual crowd is evolving? Gasp...I sense an editorial.

Well, just from Daniel's cryptic comments, the sole picture, and the description, the game seems actually pretty cool and quirky. I hope to goodness it's good because we need a quality game like this on WiiWare.

SIGE would be such a greater contender for my favorite WiiWare game if it hadn't been split into four parts. Like I said on its page, even if the inital package included Get Even and the first mission pack, I would enjoy it more. Yeah, some say memory and money don't matter, but that's just not the case with me.

I'm glad to see Star Parodier on the list because it was by far my favorite downloadable game this year. The list seems pretty fine too (since I'm looking to possibly buying Lords of Thunder), but I would have to strongly disagree with SMRPG possibly being the best VC game. It was good, but nowhere near deserving of that title. Oh well, lists and lists, and lists are arguable.

Hmm, looking at this past year, overall my best games would be LostWinds, Orbient, Bomberman Blast, Kirby 64, and Star Parodier.

Well, gosh darn it; I was looking forward to some mysterious extra stages.

I have two out of five, not bad...While I would say this year hasn't been bad in terms of WiiWare games, I hope next year's releases blow this year's out of the water.

@ness
Where are these last five stages? I collected all the moons on my first run through, but after the "Final" stages, no additional levels popped up. Are you positive there are 55 stages, and if so, where would I find them/what are they called?

While I usually ignore the problems the VC experiences from time to time, one has been troubling me increasingly: the absense of third-party games in the Nintendo 64 catalogue. I know most of the good games were developed/published by Nintendo, but looking at your guys' wish lists, I'm missing some of those third-party games (Silicon Valley in particular...). I'd be happy for a N64 for game to come finally (thank you, SSB), but I still hope Nintendo starts working on that.

I might just get MaBoShi, but even if I don't, this seems like a pretty good week for everyone else.

After weeks of hearing about it from him, I only came on to see what Stuffgamer1's reaction was to this week, and I couldn't be happier for him. As for me, I'm shoving off towards WiiWare.

Besides SIGE's method for switching weapons (it's a bother to cycle only one way through them, especially when you're surrounded by enemies) and the occasional shooting problems, the game itself is incredibly fun. The graphics are pretty darn nice, the voicework is funny, and generally the missions are varied enough to be entertaining. The online scoring also prolongs this game's longevity considerably (despite the overall ranking being skewed towards those who buy all the packs).

With all that being said, the games loses much of its appeal since it's divided into four purchases. I have only downloaded one mission pack, so I don't know what it's like to have all the packages, but with just the original and the pack I have, it leaves more to be desired. I will probably buy the others down the road, but I wish they at least offered the original and the first mission pack for the initial game. Although overall it would only be 500 points cheaper, I for one would be more willing to buy all the packs then.

Concerning the storage dilemma, I would advise those who squander their memory to not get this game. I personally don't have a great problem with the memory, but I could certainly see how others would.

Well, it's good news, but I think we're still waiting for that first game, Mr. Bernard.

Hmmm, seems kinda stupid to me, but if they offer GOOD free shows, I won't complain. Still, it all appears pointless considering Wii doesn't support HD. Oh well, who knows what Nintendo knows?

Well, this is extremely pleasing news to me. Can't wait for SSB.

And, sorry for my ignorance, but where is this rumor about Hudson dropping support for the VC outside of Japan coming from? I apologize if this is old news, but man, I'm sorely out of the loop and not happy with this.

I'm loving de Blob, but so far it's definitely not deserving of best game...especially with its controls...

Huge surprise for you guys, right? Heh, well, I can at least say Secret of Mana is a good gift. I'm not that far in it, but I'm definitely not regreting my purchase.

@Stuffgamer1
I somewhat see your perspective; I just don't quite agree with it. Two things mainly bother me. One, while you are entirely correct that a glowing review doesn't mean a game is necessarily good, the opposite is true also (as seen with Plattchen, some people hate it, others absolutely love it). Strangely, this is why many of the games on the VC do so well; they may not do well critically, but nostalgia drives their sales.

And two, while I understand some people may simply dislike WiiWare for its genres of games, this seems like unfair bias to me. Sure, they can say they dislike the games, but to call them crap seems unwarranted. With that perspective, I could say all VC games suck (which they certainly don't) because they aren't updated like the games on other download services. Again, I see your position; it just doesn't sit well with me.

Oh well..I'll agree to disagree if you are willing to also. Heck, this is your guys' Christmas; don't spoil it arguing.

Ah, Stuffgamer1, somehow I knew you would get me for that comment!

To begin, thanks for being polite and logical with you reply. It seems these comments boards, on this site and on others, are steadily becoming more offensive.

Anyway, while I won't argue the credibility of Metacritic, I will argue the majority of WiiWare isn't crap. According to this site, 40 out of 56 games released on WiiWare in America (Tiki Towers excluded) warrant a review of 6 or higher. If we only focus on 7 or higher ratings, 31 games meet the qualifications. I know you may be using a hyperbole, but technically, according to this site, the majority of WiiWare games are not crap. Personally, I do not have the time or money to say the majority of WiiWare games are not crap, but for the most part, I think this site's reviewers are credible enough to be believed.

And to end on an agreeable note, Olimar on Brawl is awesome. Still, it was a pity they didn't give Ganondorf a sword to actually fight with...

Bah, Brawl is a great game, but it feels wrong at #1. Perhaps it just doesn't compare to last year's best Wii game, but I still don't get the vibe from it that it's the best, or at least should be.

The funny thing about all this is how many people over at VC-Reviews say WiiWare is crap and then these charts show up.

Maybe Nintendo is just in the spirit of Chanukah and is planning on giving us a present each night...except they mistook "night" for "week."

Sorry, couldn't help it...

While not a mind-blowing week, it sure doesn't seem like a disappointment. I look forward to hearing how these games did. With Tiki Tower's price point, I might actually get it if it gets good reviews despite it being a puzzle game.

No kidding. Oh well, for now, I'm not pissed at Club Nintendo because none of its products interest me. GW Collection, however cool it is, is not worth 800 dollars. Heh, there's a reason Nintendo uses "coins" instead of dollars.

@Captain_Konami
I don't believe Adamant is right because I emailed Nintendo and their response was less than enjoyable. While it was a general reply, it hinted that earlier VC and WiiWare games would not net you coins (although this contradicts what their site says). I am hesitant to say we'll never get coins for our past games, but seeing that my account now says I have registered my VC games but hasn't given me coins, I don't see me getting any.

This actually looks really enjoyable. The only thing is this better have really tight control considering how fast the gameplay seems.

Bah, plagarism is a cardinal sin to me and pirating games is close enough to piss me off. Shame on those who do it.

As for Europe, congrats guys! It great to see you guys not only get great games but also get lots of them!

"He may not have made it as a Transformer, but to his credit, he could still roll out..."

And now excuse me while I puke up my insides due to the cheesiness.

Well, major bummer for me since none of my VC or WiiWare games came out after October or I would've had 400 extra points! Oh well.

@Sharecrow
It's a collection of three Game & Watch games: Donkey Kong, Oil Panic, and Greenhhouse. They are pretty much exact ports. Game & Watch games were Nintendo's (I think) earliest handhelds to come out and featured a very, very basic LCD screen with pre-printed graphics.

As for Club Nintendo, this is awesome considering I have so many games to register. I think 800 coins will be easy to get considering I have bought 40 Wii Shop Channel games and several Wii and DS games (only problem is you have to email Nintendo if you want to register Wii Shop Channel games that were purchased before Club Nintendo launched). I don't think I'll buy the G&W Collection, but hopefully (hopefully!) they'll come out with the Super Mario Galaxy Soundtrack!

How many coins do you guys from VC Reviews have considering you guys have probably bought a ton of Wii Shop Channel games? You guys are probably bathing in coins!

This actually doesn't look terrible. The only thing that's still getting to me is the control. Couldn't they have just controlled the character by making the player hold the Wiimote like a steering wheel?

Once again, I don't think I'll step in and say the week was good despite the VC release because this time it really isn't. Unless you like SBCG4AP, you might be screwed for this week. Bummer.

Although I'm not betting anything, I predict we may get Castlevania 3 and Phantasy Star IV and Europe will get Mario Golf 64 and Secret of Mana...or at least hopefully.

@Bass X0
I'm almost agree with you entirely. I like Strong Bad and have nothing against the games; I'm just ready for something else. BKP doesn't look that promising either although I'm hesitant to call it shovelware.

Boo. I shun any port. They waste development time that can be used to make other, newer, better games.

In other news, that "Play on the Wii" series looks incredible!

Although I enjoyed the game, I'd probably give it half a star less than Corbie. For what it is, it's very good, but compared to Paper Mario (a game I consider the best on the VC as of now), it seems outdated. I didn't like the humor as much; I felt Paper Mario improved the battle system; and I essentially just enjoyed the format of Paper Mario over SMRPG. I like SMRPG--I even consider it one of my best purchases--it just doesn't stack up to Paper Mario.

Thank god I don't celebrate Christmas because this game looks unappealing to me. What do we get for Chanukah?

Now the Australians really do have something to complain about. Geez that downright sucks. Still, I'm skeptical of these C64 games. Just from what I've seen, the games do not look that fun at all--even the "best" ones--but again, I have only seen them. Hopefully the console will find its way to America's VC so I can test out a game.

Hmmm...complainers complaining about complainers who complain about complainers...interesting. But wait, what does that make me then?

Gah, the sadness finally gets to me...LostWinds...I didn't think it was stellar, but it was my first WiiWare game. Oh, the memories... sniff

Err...the control looks iffy to me...I'm not hoping for too much with this one.

I might just break my rule of not buying anymore of these games.

I'll probably take a pass on these games since neither genre really appeals to me.

Boy, IGN is really disliked on this site and not just from this comment board. I'll admit they have some bias, but I would assert they have no more than any other site. Oh well, each person appreciates their own reviewer.

As for those who are a bit cynical towards WiiWare, I question why so many of you consider most of the games on it crap. According to this site, 39 of the games released so far in both regions are worthy of a six or higher rating, 19 of those scoring an eight or higher. While I admit I haven't played pratically any of these games and don't know the caliber of games on the other gaming services offered on the other consoles, I still am confused to why WiiWare's services are awful. Yes, it could use better games, but is it really awful?

Well, I already have the amazing Sonic Gems Collection, so I'll pass up on this one. I have to admit this seems like a rather disappointing week. Two obscure (and for me, unappealing) WiiWare games are the major pain this week.

To just get it out immediately, Orbient is a pretty good game, and I would agree with the score the reviewer gave it. The gameplay is unique; the music is not painful; and the difficulty grows steadily and fairly (the game gets pretty challenging towards the end, but it's nothing too awful).

However, there are two things problematic with the game that are worth mentioning and both have to do with level design. One, while some levels are a joy to play (some even provide those "wow" moments), some levels are severely uninspired to the point where it seems the developers just threw a bunch of meteorites and planets on the level. These, sadly, make up about a quarter of the levels, but only about two or three levels are painful to play.

The other problem is sometimes it feels like you have no control over your planet. A good portion of the time, the control works well (or at least according to the positions of the other planets), but sometimes a stray planet has more influence on you than a larger mass of planets even when you're closer to that larger mass. Other times it seems like your frantic button-mashing (or sustained smashing) is doing absolutelty nothing. Some levels are set up to force you to stay in a small area so you have control over your planet, and I'm fine with these stages; there are just some stages that seem to have some problems.

Again, Orbient is a good game, but it must be noted its gameplay isn't necessarily award-winning or ridiculously addictive. It's just a fun diversion. Finally, it took me about ten hours to complete the whole game with all the moons.

@Luke
SPOILER WARNING TO ALL THE OTHERS
You may have figured this out already, but to my knowledge, getting all the moons just unlocks extra stages and different versions of the credits. I don't know exactly what the moons do because I always got the moon on each level before proceeding, but 50 stages and three endings are unlocked by the end of the game.

If it makes it a better game, then by all means let the game be delayed. I'd hate to see this one rushed.

Awesome news to hear from over there. I would be jealous, but then again, you guys get the weird alternating WiiWare and VC weeks.

Hmmm...to kill a tree or get it virtually...I don't know if the second option goes with my sense of being an American...