@Wiiloveit: re. Plattchen: No thank you, I don't want to play it simply because I foresaw the very issues that many reviewers said plagued the game well before it hit out shores. And no, you favourable opinion will not change my mind when you take into account that I personally believe that one out of every nine WiiWare games is actually worth the money asked for.
As for Niki, I agree it does have a very unique, ugly and unmemorable style. Thankfully and hopefully it's the last we'll see of it.
I agree totally there Adam. Whilst I approached Niki with a lot more enthusiasm than I did with Plattchen, it quickly disappeared. It's an ugly game with repetitive game play based on ill-conceived objectives and throws some awful level design and sloppy controls in to boot.
In fact the only saving grace is that the game costs 500 points, but for that I'd suggest people pick up Bubble Bobble on the Virtual Console - infinitely more playable and a hell of a lot more fun for the same price. Certainly to compare Niki to games likes of Bubble Bobble is an insult of the highest degree.
My appreciation for Bplus' capabilities as a game designer remain as ever at rock bottom.
@MarkyVigoroth: You really do like throwing your notoriety around. Personally I wouldn't have even mentioned your popularity status - at least then people would have just seen you as another commenter.
I appreciate the fact that you like to live your life the way you do. But that gives you no right to provide a link to a subject which a) is extremely controversial and I'd hate to see this page turn into a war-zone like all the other sites you've gained notoriety on. b) has nothing at all to do with WiiWare or the VC and hence the interests of this site.
Therefore I'd like the admins to remove MarkyVigoroth's account and any comments he's made from this page. I don't particularly care if people don't like me for my comments but at least they are relevant to the subject this site's made for.
I can cope with another Toki Tori game. I'd like to see one with a level editor built in so people can pass their creations on.
Actual tournaments (ala Tetris Party) would be nice - best times to complete a level would be the most obvious and DLC levels would have be a must simply because once you know your way around a level on Toki Tori you can do it with your eyes shut.
I'd like to think Toki Tori did pretty well on sales. It's obvious that WiiWare isn't a big sales platform but non-the-less, Toki Tori's been around a while and seems to be on many people's purchased lists. I'd buy it 10 times if I could - and no that doesn't mean that I want to gift it!
Regardless, I'd love to see another title from Two Tribes on WiiWare - Toki Tori or otherwise. I'd be very sceptical about developing anything for DSiWare until the console has been out for a few months in all regions simply because as far as I've heard many DS lite users aren't that interested in buying the DSi and most of what I've seen on the service looks to be in the form of money-grabbing tie-ins from existing DS software.
I'm guessing Animales = vaporware. When and if HVS pull their head out their ass and get European distribution going,HRS will definitely be my first HVS purchase - nothing else they've done is even remotely interesting imho.
@RoyOfTheRovers: Bomberman Blast is a great game and well worth the points, LostWinds is good but you might feel short-changed like the rest of us.
Super Mario RPG is over-rated imho - buy Secret of Mana or Breath of Fire II is you're really after a good RPG. Avoid Phantasy Star II at all costs, PS IV's is an ok if uninspired romp. Paper Mario is a much better game than Super Mario RPG imo - hell even Y's is better..
Mega Man 2 is awesome and definitely the best game to get you into the series if you haven't played MM games before. Punch Out is also good but I'd recommend waiting for Super Punchout which should be out sooner rather than later.
As for Lonpos ... I'll pass. I'd rather spend £35+ to get a proper full game (which includes effort) rather than on another junk puzzler.
I have every respect for the work that High Voltage have put into their graphics engine. I wouldn't mind playing this game either as it's about the only HV game that looks like fun (other than Animales) Plus it has the added advantage of a graphics palette and (for once) sensible use of neon and lens-flare effects that don't make me want to puke.
I'd say it's the worst week for along while. Not only do we get a crud mini-golf game but we also get Strong Bad. At least we can celebrate the end of one of the least interesting point-and-click series ever.
I agree with you there KDR_11K and I also think FFCC: MLaaK is over-rated too.
My top 5 list would be:
5.) Mega Man 9 4.) Star Soldier R 3.) Toki Tori 2.) Tetris Party 1.) World of Goo
Despite the price tag, I spent many more hours playing Star Solider R.than Lost Winds which I played twice (once to completion and the second time for about 1/2 hour before becoming completely disinterested) My 6-10 listing would probably be:
10.) Brain Challenge 9.) Space Invaders Get Even 8.) Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King 7.) Actionloop Twist 6.) Bomberman Blast
@PalGamer (19) - Because it'd take both Bang! and Niki: Rock and Ball combined to equal anything like the entertainment value of either MaBoShi or Cue Sports. Niki in particular is completely unspectacular repetitive tat.
Sounds good but it also sounds quite complicated too (I like the way he talks about building things freely rather than with triangles, yet all the structures in the screen shots make use of triangles for structural stability) I question whether they're trying to be too clever with this one. The graphics do look like ass (certainly sub N64 quality) but the 500 points price point is definitely a sweetener if the game play holds up.
I'll wait for the review on this one. I've now got World of Goo to keep my obscure building habits happy for a while. That 500 point price does seem a little suspect though... I truly do hope its for the right reasons
Now for my smart arse point: Surely if you're sticking poles in a rounded object like a coconut, which presents very little area for grip on an opposing surface (unless that surface is shaped to hold it in place) they'd keep sliding away under the additional forces being applied by the structure's weight pushing down on them at an angle? Hence, nothing substantial could be built because the foundation beams would keep slipping away making the structure collapse
Totally agree on waiting for a review on Niki - Rock 'n Ball.
In all honesty I'm going to wait until after Christmas to purchase Orbient as it doesn't really light my fire in terms of gameplay. More than likely I'll end up purchasing it when we have another few weeks of poor releases.
World of Goo is much more fun on WiiWare. The PC version feels nowhere near as good imho and whilst I condone piracy in any form, I'm also laughing my ass of at the loosers who copied an inferior version of the game.
Everyone start a witch hunt on GameKing. I reckon we'll all know if he works for High Voltage by Christmas
The game certainly looks more fun when played by someone who knows how to control the ship properly so I'm edging this game up the mediocrity-o-meter to '"Interesting. That is all." Unfortunately, the ugly art style which is all glow and show with very little creative substance means I also still feel the pressing need to put this into the category "Tech Demo"
I also hope that the game doesn't just rely on IR pointer control simply because that control method can be really twitchy for no good reason.
I only complain because most of the stuff on WiiWare is nothing more than average unremarkable junk - a constant barrage of mediocrity that is only encouraged by the fact that people seem to rate average as good and poor as average, which of course means excellent actually means 'good but un-exceptional'.
The only exceptions to my point are World of Goo, Toki Tori and Tetris Party - the rest as far as I'm concerned can swim the quagmire of mediocrity regardless of license ties. I look forward to the odd WiiWare title (such as Cave Story and High Voltage's racer) but until the service removes the aroma of half-arsed effortless waffle, I'm more than happy to maintain my disdain for the majority of what it offers.
Take me as I am or request for my account to be canceled if you like - but be certain that I won't change for anyone.
Looks like the sort of crap you'd type out from of a Linux magazine tutorial. Now which issue should I look for?
This is exactly the kind of junk (and the kind of scoring) that encourages this sort of garbage to keep appearing on the service. As long as someone gives these games an easy ride, they'll just keep coming. If it were down to me I'd start taking SERIOUS points off of any game like this simply for its lack of imagination.
What the hell, I really don't care anymore - keep 'em coming - these games are doing a bang up job of improving people's perception of the service. That's why I'm heading for the Homebrew Channel - I get the same sort of thing for free.
Whilst I agree this one doesn't look terrible it doesn't look very exciting either. 6/10 at best I reckon and that's just because of the cheapo price point.
Huzzah! The last SB game for a looooong time I hope. Well, I guess it's back to enjoying more of the usual obscure, less-than-average quality puzzle games and half-baked remakes that make the WiiWare service so memorable.
I personally don't really care if World of Goo does come out this year, nor next year for that matter. I downloaded the demo on Steam and thought it was ok. But in the end - regardless of its production values - a puzzle game is still just a puzzle game and I'm getting tired of constantly working what little grey matter is left in my brain.
My only hope is that High Voltage's racer will appear sooner rather than later. That way the less sensible (i.e. fun) side of my brain can get some exercise too.
Like I said when I first saw it, this game looks fun. I'm a bit worried about the frame rate though - almost as choppy as trying to get out of deep rough with a wood.
@shadows262 - Yes, I have put up my online codes for nearly all the online games I've got (I'll be putting up Cue Sports & Dr Mario soon) on my VC Forums profile page (look for wii-c-kid)
@Shadows262 - Not at all. There's been plenty of games appear in the past 20-odd years that I've never played but would have liked to.
@Wiilovei - Yes, there are several WiiWare titles that I like but no more than I can count on one hand. The same goes for future releases - Animales, Hod Rod Show and World of Goo are of definite interest but the the most part I find what WiiWare offers is all to often depressingly familiar.
To give you an idea of what I've bought: Space Invaders Get Even, Brain Challenge, Alien Crush Returns, Mega Man 9, Bomberman Blast, Mashobi, My Aquarium, Strong Bad Ep. 1, Pop, Cotoco Fishing Master, Actionloop Twist, Star Soldier R, Dr Mario & Germ Buster, Final Fantasy CC: My Life as a King, Lost Winds, Toki Tori, Cue Sports: Snooker & Pool, Tetris Party, Art Style: Cubello
I might come across as overly critical of the WiiWare service but that's just because I'm of the mind that some of the indie developers represent part of the masses who complain about the state of Wii gaming in general. If that's the case, surely these guys should be more like Luc Bernard and Two Tribes and work on games that make people take notice of the service - i.e. games that make a difference rather than odd random efforts or blatant cash-ins that make the service feel cheap and single-minded.
For me it's not a matter of quantity but quality and variety that matter. My only concern is that a lot of what's come to WiiWare so far has just been an excuse to try and make a quick buck or simply to retrieve revenue from a project that just wouldn't sell in retail. Perhaps this will change by the service gets into its second year, but somehow I think what's been is largely what's to come.
I agree on Cave Story. IGN said Evasive Space was "fun but not mind-blowing" and then gave a grunt of - "it's fun" which didn't really sound very enthusiastic.
From what I've seen of the videos and those comments I'm not holding out much hope. Most of the game play elements seem pointless, from the mind-numbing levels of collection not seen since Banjo Kazooie/Tooie to the gun turrets that really don't seem to do much other than fire cheap shots at you from off-screen as you approach. The lazer fire doesn't even really seem to have much of a negative effect - I'd have preferred at least for the laser fire to knock the ship about or at least cause a considerable reduction in the ship's shield/health meter.
As it stands, the only real threat is the time-limit to complete each objective in which case I think the game will get very boring very quickly.
I'm anticipating a rating of maybe 6/10 (or 7/10 for the more generous minded) which isn't bad in itself, it just doesn't drag the game out of the quagmire of average games already on the service.
I suggest you all download four videos from the IGN website and watch them consecutively. Yes it looks shiny (read: gaudy as hell with lots of duplicate assets) but it also looks slow, boring, repetitive and cheap in terms of game play.
And what the hell is that crap about "When darkness falls, a hero must rise?" Did they accidentally splice two trailers (one from a decent sounding game) together? What a crock.
@Comment 38 (Ren): SatSR was a much better game that the set-peice fest that was the original Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast. Whilst I agree non of the 3D Sonic games are much to write home about, Secret Rings is still the best of them by far.
As for Strong Bad being funny. I'd rather just go and laugh at the Flash stuff on the website and get what little entertainment the creators are willing to prescribe for free. Modern point and click adventures are fine as long as they're not bland, ugly and slow and suffering from largely forgettable characters - sadly, Strong Bad suffers from all of those.
I also am not prepared to write Sonic Unleashed off completely. Not in the same sense that I've been prepared to write-off practically everything on WiiWare outside of the odd remake, simply because the whole service just reminds me of one big Flash fest. Out of all the games on WiiWare at the moment, I can probably count the games that make me proud of the service on one hand (and no - no-one in their right mind would be proud of the Strong Bad games).
What's worse is that most of the games that don't come across as browser-based crap-taculars suffer from exactly the same lack of imagination. Pretty graphics do nothing to cover up the fact that they suck. Period. All I can imagine is that the excuse must be something along the lines of being on a budget because everyone knows budget development teams have no imagination.
Even Nintendo is making it worse by releasing the Art style games which - let's face it - are about as challenging as picking your nose and just about as pretty too.
All in all, outside of the odd "wonder-game" that makes people sit up and look for all of five hours I doubt much will really come of the service. I'm actually more interested what state the service will be in on its anniversary.
As for this week's line line-up: I'd say no thanks to either of the above, but I'm sure Nintendo of Europe will seriously consider 'surprising' us with this tripe in 10 days time.
Looks and sounds as dull as ditch water, so yes - I can see where people might make references to LostWinds. It'll probably be shorter too. Where the hell is the danger in any of these screens (other than the fear of dieing before seeing anything remotely threatening?)
I'm going for sub-par on this one - maybe 5/10 at best (with 3 of those points going to visuals)
You forgot to mention that the d-pad does not allow for enough precision to make accurate long-distance shots, meaning many frustratingly wasted attempts. Like I said before this review came out, the table/aiming rotation needed to be mapped to the nunchuck analog controller. Waiting for worldwide matches is simply a waste of time - period.
6-7/10 is about right for the game, 7 being quite generous.
Cue Sports, is an ok, fairly solid implementation of the game. It's also completely uninspired and dull as ditch water. As usual I'd suggest looking for a local pool/snooker hall if you want to experience the sports.
The controls are also just ok, with awfully slow and steppy controls for rotating and aiming around the table. If there was ever one game that needed the table movement controls mapped to the nunchuck analog stick this is it. Luckily, you can set the power of your shots using an optional power meter (shot strength is set via the d-pad) rather than just rely on the god-awful forward/backward motion sensitivity of the wiimote.
The graphics just about do the job and music and sound effects are equally unremarkable (which I imagine won't matter too much) As a social game, I doubt many people will take up the Wifi aspect because the controls are just too fiddly and slow -it's definitely a game to get your mates around for.
One final gripe - you can't zoom the camera out to fine tune your shots. Whilst pressing the 1 button presents a fully zoomed out (you can see the whole table) top-down view, the rotational controls tend to make adjusting the angle for long distance shots very difficult meaning timed shots are going to get very frustrating for some.
On the plus side there's plenty of game types and challenges and the differing areas and table styles add some much needed variety. Oh, you can also save replays of your winning shot, although I think most of the time it'll be used to record wonderful flukes - you can't send replays to other people though by the looks of things.
My Overall Rating: 6/10 (broken down below - not an average) Graphics: 6/10 Presentation: 6/10 Audio: 6/10 Controls: 6/10 Playability: 7/10
I've just downloaded Cue Sports: Snooker vs Billiards. Hope it's good, but for a fiver I won't mind too much. I'll post back with some impressions later if I can.
@KDR_11k - With the quality of Wiiware releases recently I agree entirely on your 4 per week wish.
@lockelocke - where in the update message did Nintendo refer to this update being any sort of solution to the storage problems we all complain about?
It's a step towards a better storage solution and a significant one at that. SD transfer times were my main concern about the whole idea, but now they're being resolved I'm quite looking forward to it. I'm sure when the complete solution arrives, transfers will be even faster than the 3.4 update (likely 1.5 - 2x but no faster) and SDHC will be supported.
My eyes! My beautiful eyes! i thought bloom lighting and lens flare could never be THAT overdone but damn that's one hell of a lot of neon.
I'm not sure about this game. For a starter whilst it looks kinda retro the art style is also really ugly and the colour scheme is gaudy. Maybe once I see it in motion I'll be more excited.
Transferring to SD is definately faster Darren - I'm getting around 4x. Transfer speed to Wii doesn't seem to have had a major impact though - just a few seconds quicker. I'm curious as to whether or not the update allows us to use bigger cards too. Shame I've formatted my 16Gb card to NTFS.....
I thought you were going to say something interesting like "They've also included something revolutionary called gameplay" instead of the mention of video and screenshots. Oh well, here's hoping Telltale move onto a series that's worth a damn.
Got rid of my last post after checking out more photos. Looking at it properly, Snowboard Riot definitely sounds like it could be fun, mixing 1080 with Mario Kart game play mechanics.
Apologies for my £15 comment AlexSays, I thought you were referring to the financial gains you mentioned in comment 24, rather than storage issues.
I don't have a problem with the Wi's storage for the most part but occasionally (like this week) I've bought so much new content from VC and WiiWare that I now do not have enough storage to cover requirements for Guitar Hero On Tour. The funny thing is that I play each game on and off, along with Toki Tori and Bomberman Blast and I enjoy the freedom to do that. Even with a faster SD card, I really don't want to keep moving games around.
The whole direct transfer from SD card is just a horrible solution considering the painfully slow transfer rates. It's just a convenient solution because Nintendo have realised that the SD card slot is an absolute waste of space otherwise. In a lot of ways, it could make the system feel more laughable: Are people really going to be willing to wait for anything between 1-12 minutes (depending on SD card speed and content size) in game whilst the DLC for SIGE transfers to main storage? Personally I'd rather transfer the data across manually outside of the game and have the game access the data instantly.
Comments 377
Re: USA WiiWare Update: Niki - Rock 'n' Ball
@Wiiloveit: re. Plattchen: No thank you, I don't want to play it simply because I foresaw the very issues that many reviewers said plagued the game well before it hit out shores. And no, you favourable opinion will not change my mind when you take into account that I personally believe that one out of every nine WiiWare games is actually worth the money asked for.
As for Niki, I agree it does have a very unique, ugly and unmemorable style. Thankfully and hopefully it's the last we'll see of it.
Re: USA WiiWare Update: Niki - Rock 'n' Ball
I agree totally there Adam. Whilst I approached Niki with a lot more enthusiasm than I did with Plattchen, it quickly disappeared. It's an ugly game with repetitive game play based on ill-conceived objectives and throws some awful level design and sloppy controls in to boot.
In fact the only saving grace is that the game costs 500 points, but for that I'd suggest people pick up Bubble Bobble on the Virtual Console - infinitely more playable and a hell of a lot more fun for the same price. Certainly to compare Niki to games likes of Bubble Bobble is an insult of the highest degree.
My appreciation for Bplus' capabilities as a game designer remain as ever at rock bottom.
Re: Super Meat Boy Slides Onto WiiWare Later This Year
@MarkyVigoroth: You really do like throwing your notoriety around. Personally I wouldn't have even mentioned your popularity status - at least then people would have just seen you as another commenter.
I appreciate the fact that you like to live your life the way you do. But that gives you no right to provide a link to a subject which
a) is extremely controversial and I'd hate to see this page turn into a war-zone like all the other sites you've gained notoriety on.
b) has nothing at all to do with WiiWare or the VC and hence the interests of this site.
Therefore I'd like the admins to remove MarkyVigoroth's account and any comments he's made from this page. I don't particularly care if people don't like me for my comments but at least they are relevant to the subject this site's made for.
Re: Super Meat Boy Slides Onto WiiWare Later This Year
I've played it and I'll pass.
Re: Two Tribes Opens Toki Tori Blog And Releases New Videos
I can cope with another Toki Tori game. I'd like to see one with a level editor built in so people can pass their creations on.
Actual tournaments (ala Tetris Party) would be nice - best times to complete a level would be the most obvious and DLC levels would have be a must simply because once you know your way around a level on Toki Tori you can do it with your eyes shut.
I'd like to think Toki Tori did pretty well on sales. It's obvious that WiiWare isn't a big sales platform but non-the-less, Toki Tori's been around a while and seems to be on many people's purchased lists. I'd buy it 10 times if I could - and no that doesn't mean that I want to gift it!
Regardless, I'd love to see another title from Two Tribes on WiiWare - Toki Tori or otherwise. I'd be very sceptical about developing anything for DSiWare until the console has been out for a few months in all regions simply because as far as I've heard many DS lite users aren't that interested in buying the DSi and most of what I've seen on the service looks to be in the form of money-grabbing tie-ins from existing DS software.
Re: Review: High Voltage Hot Rod Show (WiiWare)
I'm guessing Animales = vaporware. When and if HVS pull their head out their ass and get European distribution going,HRS will definitely be my first HVS purchase - nothing else they've done is even remotely interesting imho.
Re: Review: Family Glide Hockey (WiiWare)
Another game for NoE to add to their blacklist - which means it'll be released next week. Hopefully alongside Snowboard Riot (yay!)
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Lonpos
@RoyOfTheRovers: Bomberman Blast is a great game and well worth the points, LostWinds is good but you might feel short-changed like the rest of us.
Super Mario RPG is over-rated imho - buy Secret of Mana or Breath of Fire II is you're really after a good RPG. Avoid Phantasy Star II at all costs, PS IV's is an ok if uninspired romp. Paper Mario is a much better game than Super Mario RPG imo - hell even Y's is better..
Mega Man 2 is awesome and definitely the best game to get you into the series if you haven't played MM games before. Punch Out is also good but I'd recommend waiting for Super Punchout which should be out sooner rather than later.
As for Lonpos ... I'll pass. I'd rather spend £35+ to get a proper full game (which includes effort) rather than on another junk puzzler.
Re: High Voltage Voltage Hot Rod Show Dated For 19th Jan
I have every respect for the work that High Voltage have put into their graphics engine. I wouldn't mind playing this game either as it's about the only HV game that looks like fun (other than Animales) Plus it has the added advantage of a graphics palette and (for once) sensible use of neon and lens-flare effects that don't make me want to puke.
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Fun! Fun! Minigolf and Strong Bad Episode 5
I'd say it's the worst week for along while. Not only do we get a crud mini-golf game but we also get Strong Bad. At least we can celebrate the end of one of the least interesting point-and-click series ever.
Re: WiiWare World - Best of 2008
I agree with you there KDR_11K and I also think FFCC: MLaaK is over-rated too.
My top 5 list would be:
5.) Mega Man 9
4.) Star Soldier R
3.) Toki Tori
2.) Tetris Party
1.) World of Goo
Despite the price tag, I spent many more hours playing Star Solider R.than Lost Winds which I played twice (once to completion and the second time for about 1/2 hour before becoming completely disinterested) My 6-10 listing would probably be:
10.) Brain Challenge
9.) Space Invaders Get Even
8.) Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
7.) Actionloop Twist
6.) Bomberman Blast
Re: USA WiiWare Update: Maboshi's Arcade and Pool Revolution: Cue Sports
@PalGamer (19) - Because it'd take both Bang! and Niki: Rock and Ball combined to equal anything like the entertainment value of either MaBoShi or Cue Sports. Niki in particular is completely unspectacular repetitive tat.
Re: EU WiiWare Update: World Of Goo And Lots More!
Europe = France. That will keep me laughing for weeks
Re: RealArcade Interview - Tiki Towers
Sounds good but it also sounds quite complicated too (I like the way he talks about building things freely rather than with triangles, yet all the structures in the screen shots make use of triangles for structural stability) I question whether they're trying to be too clever with this one. The graphics do look like ass (certainly sub N64 quality) but the 500 points price point is definitely a sweetener if the game play holds up.
I'll wait for the review on this one. I've now got World of Goo to keep my obscure building habits happy for a while. That 500 point price does seem a little suspect though... I truly do hope its for the right reasons
Now for my smart arse point: Surely if you're sticking poles in a rounded object like a coconut, which presents very little area for grip on an opposing surface (unless that surface is shaped to hold it in place) they'd keep sliding away under the additional forces being applied by the structure's weight pushing down on them at an angle? Hence, nothing substantial could be built because the foundation beams would keep slipping away making the structure collapse
Re: EU WiiWare Update: World Of Goo And Lots More!
Totally agree on waiting for a review on Niki - Rock 'n Ball.
In all honesty I'm going to wait until after Christmas to purchase Orbient as it doesn't really light my fire in terms of gameplay. More than likely I'll end up purchasing it when we have another few weeks of poor releases.
World of Goo is much more fun on WiiWare. The PC version feels nowhere near as good imho and whilst I condone piracy in any form, I'm also laughing my ass of at the loosers who copied an inferior version of the game.
Re: Europe to Get World of Goo This Friday
@EJD: Sorry, I meant left over from the games that RGVEDA said looked like were coming this week. Orbient would be cool
Re: Behold The All New Swords & Soldiers Trailer
Looking good. Definitely a purchase for me next year.
Re: Europe to Get World of Goo This Friday
World of Goo - Nice!!! Now all we need to catch up with the US is MadStone and Gyrostarr. They can keep the rest.
Re: Evasive Space Website Launched Today With New Trailer
Everyone start a witch hunt on GameKing. I reckon we'll all know if he works for High Voltage by Christmas
The game certainly looks more fun when played by someone who knows how to control the ship properly so I'm edging this game up the mediocrity-o-meter to '"Interesting. That is all." Unfortunately, the ugly art style which is all glow and show with very little creative substance means I also still feel the pressing need to put this into the category "Tech Demo"
I also hope that the game doesn't just rely on IR pointer control simply because that control method can be really twitchy for no good reason.
Re: Review: Big Kahuna Party (WiiWare)
Not even Cheryl Cole - and Santa already knows about the hounds around my house
Re: Review: Big Kahuna Party (WiiWare)
I only complain because most of the stuff on WiiWare is nothing more than average unremarkable junk - a constant barrage of mediocrity that is only encouraged by the fact that people seem to rate average as good and poor as average, which of course means excellent actually means 'good but un-exceptional'.
The only exceptions to my point are World of Goo, Toki Tori and Tetris Party - the rest as far as I'm concerned can swim the quagmire of mediocrity regardless of license ties. I look forward to the odd WiiWare title (such as Cave Story and High Voltage's racer) but until the service removes the aroma of half-arsed effortless waffle, I'm more than happy to maintain my disdain for the majority of what it offers.
Take me as I am or request for my account to be canceled if you like - but be certain that I won't change for anyone.
Re: Review: Big Kahuna Party (WiiWare)
Looks like the sort of crap you'd type out from of a Linux magazine tutorial. Now which issue should I look for?
This is exactly the kind of junk (and the kind of scoring) that encourages this sort of garbage to keep appearing on the service. As long as someone gives these games an easy ride, they'll just keep coming. If it were down to me I'd start taking SERIOUS points off of any game like this simply for its lack of imagination.
What the hell, I really don't care anymore - keep 'em coming - these games are doing a bang up job of improving people's perception of the service. That's why I'm heading for the Homebrew Channel - I get the same sort of thing for free.
Re: Niki - Rock 'n' Ball Coming To European WiiWare This Friday
Whilst I agree this one doesn't look terrible it doesn't look very exciting either. 6/10 at best I reckon and that's just because of the cheapo price point.
Re: Review: Strong Bad Episode 5 - 8-Bit is Enough (WiiWare)
Huzzah! The last SB game for a looooong time I hope. Well, I guess it's back to enjoying more of the usual obscure, less-than-average quality puzzle games and half-baked remakes that make the WiiWare service so memorable.
I personally don't really care if World of Goo does come out this year, nor next year for that matter. I downloaded the demo on Steam and thought it was ok. But in the end - regardless of its production values - a puzzle game is still just a puzzle game and I'm getting tired of constantly working what little grey matter is left in my brain.
My only hope is that High Voltage's racer will appear sooner rather than later. That way the less sensible (i.e. fun) side of my brain can get some exercise too.
Re: Fun! Fun! Minigolf Wants To Be In Your Christmas Stocking!
Thanks for the heads up on Niki Rock 'n Ball RGVEDA, at least now I know I'll need to purchase 1000(ish) less Wii points over Christmas
Re: Fun! Fun! Minigolf Wants To Be In Your Christmas Stocking!
@bboy2970: Gamespot reviewers are morons at best.
Like I said when I first saw it, this game looks fun. I'm a bit worried about the frame rate though - almost as choppy as trying to get out of deep rough with a wood.
Re: Evasive Space - New Screens & Trailer
@shadows262 - Yes, I have put up my online codes for nearly all the online games I've got (I'll be putting up Cue Sports & Dr Mario soon) on my VC Forums profile page (look for wii-c-kid)
Re: Evasive Space - New Screens & Trailer
@Shadows262 - Not at all. There's been plenty of games appear in the past 20-odd years that I've never played but would have liked to.
@Wiilovei - Yes, there are several WiiWare titles that I like but no more than I can count on one hand. The same goes for future releases - Animales, Hod Rod Show and World of Goo are of definite interest but the the most part I find what WiiWare offers is all to often depressingly familiar.
To give you an idea of what I've bought: Space Invaders Get Even, Brain Challenge, Alien Crush Returns, Mega Man 9, Bomberman Blast, Mashobi, My Aquarium, Strong Bad Ep. 1, Pop, Cotoco Fishing Master, Actionloop Twist, Star Soldier R, Dr Mario & Germ Buster, Final Fantasy CC: My Life as a King, Lost Winds, Toki Tori, Cue Sports: Snooker & Pool, Tetris Party, Art Style: Cubello
I might come across as overly critical of the WiiWare service but that's just because I'm of the mind that some of the indie developers represent part of the masses who complain about the state of Wii gaming in general. If that's the case, surely these guys should be more like Luc Bernard and Two Tribes and work on games that make people take notice of the service - i.e. games that make a difference rather than odd random efforts or blatant cash-ins that make the service feel cheap and single-minded.
For me it's not a matter of quantity but quality and variety that matter. My only concern is that a lot of what's come to WiiWare so far has just been an excuse to try and make a quick buck or simply to retrieve revenue from a project that just wouldn't sell in retail. Perhaps this will change by the service gets into its second year, but somehow I think what's been is largely what's to come.
Re: Evasive Space - New Screens & Trailer
I agree on Cave Story. IGN said Evasive Space was "fun but not mind-blowing" and then gave a grunt of - "it's fun" which didn't really sound very enthusiastic.
From what I've seen of the videos and those comments I'm not holding out much hope. Most of the game play elements seem pointless, from the mind-numbing levels of collection not seen since Banjo Kazooie/Tooie to the gun turrets that really don't seem to do much other than fire cheap shots at you from off-screen as you approach. The lazer fire doesn't even really seem to have much of a negative effect - I'd have preferred at least for the laser fire to knock the ship about or at least cause a considerable reduction in the ship's shield/health meter.
As it stands, the only real threat is the time-limit to complete each objective in which case I think the game will get very boring very quickly.
I'm anticipating a rating of maybe 6/10 (or 7/10 for the more generous minded) which isn't bad in itself, it just doesn't drag the game out of the quagmire of average games already on the service.
Re: Evasive Space - New Screens & Trailer
I suggest you all download four videos from the IGN website and watch them consecutively. Yes it looks shiny (read: gaudy as hell with lots of duplicate assets) but it also looks slow, boring, repetitive and cheap in terms of game play.
And what the hell is that crap about "When darkness falls, a hero must rise?" Did they accidentally splice two trailers (one from a decent sounding game) together? What a crock.
Re: USA WiiWare Update: Bruiser & Scratch, Hockey Allstar Shootout
@Comment 38 (Ren): SatSR was a much better game that the set-peice fest that was the original Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast. Whilst I agree non of the 3D Sonic games are much to write home about, Secret Rings is still the best of them by far.
As for Strong Bad being funny. I'd rather just go and laugh at the Flash stuff on the website and get what little entertainment the creators are willing to prescribe for free. Modern point and click adventures are fine as long as they're not bland, ugly and slow and suffering from largely forgettable characters - sadly, Strong Bad suffers from all of those.
Re: USA WiiWare Update: Bruiser & Scratch, Hockey Allstar Shootout
I also am not prepared to write Sonic Unleashed off completely. Not in the same sense that I've been prepared to write-off practically everything on WiiWare outside of the odd remake, simply because the whole service just reminds me of one big Flash fest. Out of all the games on WiiWare at the moment, I can probably count the games that make me proud of the service on one hand (and no - no-one in their right mind would be proud of the Strong Bad games).
What's worse is that most of the games that don't come across as browser-based crap-taculars suffer from exactly the same lack of imagination. Pretty graphics do nothing to cover up the fact that they suck. Period. All I can imagine is that the excuse must be something along the lines of being on a budget because everyone knows budget development teams have no imagination.
Even Nintendo is making it worse by releasing the Art style games which - let's face it - are about as challenging as picking your nose and just about as pretty too.
All in all, outside of the odd "wonder-game" that makes people sit up and look for all of five hours I doubt much will really come of the service. I'm actually more interested what state the service will be in on its anniversary.
As for this week's line line-up: I'd say no thanks to either of the above, but I'm sure Nintendo of Europe will seriously consider 'surprising' us with this tripe in 10 days time.
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Art Style: Rotohex, Bang!, Pit Crew Panic!, and Strong Bad Episode 4: Dangeresque 3
The next big step for NIntendo would be to release four good WiiWare games in a week rather than three 'meh' games and a seriously bad one.
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Art Style: Rotohex, Bang!, Pit Crew Panic!, and Strong Bad Episode 4: Dangeresque 3
Meh. I agree with the quatity, but man that is one big bucket of tripe Nintendo gave us this week.
At least there's some good news: Seriously Bad has nearly come to an end.
Re: Bplus Gets The Ball Rolling With Niki – Rock 'n' Ball
I'd like to leave a positive comment. I really would. I wish Bplus the best of luck with this one though.
Re: Icarian: Kindred Spirits - Kid Icarus In All But Name?
Looks and sounds as dull as ditch water, so yes - I can see where people might make references to LostWinds. It'll probably be shorter too. Where the hell is the danger in any of these screens (other than the fear of dieing before seeing anything remotely threatening?)
I'm going for sub-par on this one - maybe 5/10 at best (with 3 of those points going to visuals)
Re: Review: Cue Sports: Snooker vs Billiards (WiiWare)
In all honesty - just find somewhere to play the real deal.
Re: Review: Cue Sports: Snooker vs Billiards (WiiWare)
You forgot to mention that the d-pad does not allow for enough precision to make accurate long-distance shots, meaning many frustratingly wasted attempts. Like I said before this review came out, the table/aiming rotation needed to be mapped to the nunchuck analog controller. Waiting for worldwide matches is simply a waste of time - period.
6-7/10 is about right for the game, 7 being quite generous.
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Cubello, Cue Sports, Cooking Jam and Strong Bad 3
Cue Sports, is an ok, fairly solid implementation of the game. It's also completely uninspired and dull as ditch water. As usual I'd suggest looking for a local pool/snooker hall if you want to experience the sports.
The controls are also just ok, with awfully slow and steppy controls for rotating and aiming around the table. If there was ever one game that needed the table movement controls mapped to the nunchuck analog stick this is it. Luckily, you can set the power of your shots using an optional power meter (shot strength is set via the d-pad) rather than just rely on the god-awful forward/backward motion sensitivity of the wiimote.
The graphics just about do the job and music and sound effects are equally unremarkable (which I imagine won't matter too much) As a social game, I doubt many people will take up the Wifi aspect because the controls are just too fiddly and slow -it's definitely a game to get your mates around for.
One final gripe - you can't zoom the camera out to fine tune your shots. Whilst pressing the 1 button presents a fully zoomed out (you can see the whole table) top-down view, the rotational controls tend to make adjusting the angle for long distance shots very difficult meaning timed shots are going to get very frustrating for some.
On the plus side there's plenty of game types and challenges and the differing areas and table styles add some much needed variety. Oh, you can also save replays of your winning shot, although I think most of the time it'll be used to record wonderful flukes - you can't send replays to other people though by the looks of things.
My Overall Rating: 6/10 (broken down below - not an average)
Graphics: 6/10
Presentation: 6/10
Audio: 6/10
Controls: 6/10
Playability: 7/10
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Cubello, Cue Sports, Cooking Jam and Strong Bad 3
I've just downloaded Cue Sports: Snooker vs Billiards. Hope it's good, but for a fiver I won't mind too much. I'll post back with some impressions later if I can.
@KDR_11k - With the quality of Wiiware releases recently I agree entirely on your 4 per week wish.
Re: Wii Firmware Update Makes Transferring to SD Faster
Can someone provide a solution that will unscramble comment 37 for me?
Re: Wii Firmware Update Makes Transferring to SD Faster
There are a number of ways the speed could improve, such as pre-loading data prior to a requested transfer which could be quite easily implemented.
Re: Wii Firmware Update Makes Transferring to SD Faster
@lockelocke - where in the update message did Nintendo refer to this update being any sort of solution to the storage problems we all complain about?
It's a step towards a better storage solution and a significant one at that. SD transfer times were my main concern about the whole idea, but now they're being resolved I'm quite looking forward to it. I'm sure when the complete solution arrives, transfers will be even faster than the 3.4 update (likely 1.5 - 2x but no faster) and SDHC will be supported.
Re: Evasive Space
My eyes! My beautiful eyes! i thought bloom lighting and lens flare could never be THAT overdone but damn that's one hell of a lot of neon.
I'm not sure about this game. For a starter whilst it looks kinda retro the art style is also really ugly and the colour scheme is gaudy. Maybe once I see it in motion I'll be more excited.
Re: Wii Firmware Update Makes Transferring to SD Faster
Transferring to SD is definately faster Darren - I'm getting around 4x. Transfer speed to Wii doesn't seem to have had a major impact though - just a few seconds quicker. I'm curious as to whether or not the update allows us to use bigger cards too. Shame I've formatted my 16Gb card to NTFS.....
Re: Strong Bad Episode 4: Dangeresque 3 Coming To US WiiWare On Monday
I thought you were going to say something interesting like "They've also included something revolutionary called gameplay" instead of the mention of video and screenshots. Oh well, here's hoping Telltale move onto a series that's worth a damn.
Re: Hudson announce Pool Revolution: Cue Sports for WiiWare
Yeah, and if they include random matches you can sit imagining playing against some seedy American git hustler (I love Americans really!)
Still not sure I want a pool sim, but I'd get this over Midnight Pool for the WiFi alone.
Re: World of Goo Coming to WiiWare in Europe!
Yeah, thanks for being a good bunch 2D Boy. You know, I'm definitely going to get World of Goo on WiiWare now.
Shame about the extra content. Maybe it'll appear in an equally excellent sequel?
Re: Hudson announce Snowboard Riot for WiiWare
Got rid of my last post after checking out more photos. Looking at it properly, Snowboard Riot definitely sounds like it could be fun, mixing 1080 with Mario Kart game play mechanics.
Re: Review: Space Invaders Get Even (WiiWare)
Apologies for my £15 comment AlexSays, I thought you were referring to the financial gains you mentioned in comment 24, rather than storage issues.
I don't have a problem with the Wi's storage for the most part but occasionally (like this week) I've bought so much new content from VC and WiiWare that I now do not have enough storage to cover requirements for Guitar Hero On Tour. The funny thing is that I play each game on and off, along with Toki Tori and Bomberman Blast and I enjoy the freedom to do that. Even with a faster SD card, I really don't want to keep moving games around.
The whole direct transfer from SD card is just a horrible solution considering the painfully slow transfer rates. It's just a convenient solution because Nintendo have realised that the SD card slot is an absolute waste of space otherwise. In a lot of ways, it could make the system feel more laughable: Are people really going to be willing to wait for anything between 1-12 minutes (depending on SD card speed and content size) in game whilst the DLC for SIGE transfers to main storage? Personally I'd rather transfer the data across manually outside of the game and have the game access the data instantly.