Reviews

Wii Game Reviews

  • Review The King of Fighters '99 (Wii / Neo Geo)

    Different, but still impressive

    The King of Fighters is a series that's long been a staple of the Neo Geo platform. But with a few new twists and added bells and whistles, the developers have kicked things up a notch. While not as revered as its predecessor, considered by many to be the pinnacle of the series, King of Fighters '99 still adds enough...

  • Review Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (Wii)

    Golly gosh, Mickey

    When Disney Epic Mickey arrived on Wii in time for the Holiday season in 2010, it attracted a lot of attention due to its concept and the development leadership of Warren Spector, one of the industry's most respected figures. Its relatively late arrival in the system's lifespan meant it pushed attractive visuals "for a Wii game",...

  • Review We Sing 80s (Wii)

    Tonight we're going to party like it's 1989

    Ah, the eighties: a time of dodgy haircuts, peculiar outfits and synthesizers dominating the airwaves. In truth, the Nintendo Life office is still a bit like that, but never mind. What we have here with We Sing 80s is a singing game dedicated to that decade, making oldies or retro-minded youngsters all the...

  • Review Skylanders Giants (Wii)

    Big friendly giant

    Fe, fi, fo, fum, we smell the coins of dads and mums. Since its first release on consoles last year, Skylanders has exploded into a multi-million dollar franchise and a children's favourite. What would have been a fairly standard hack-and-slash game by itself was taken to new heights thanks to a clever reliance on collectable...

  • Review Inazuma Eleven Strikers (Wii)

    Crazy super-duper Strikers!

    When it comes to Inazuma Eleven Strikers, don't let any references to football (soccer if you're of the North America persuasion) or the snazzy kits fool you, this isn't a football game. It's a ball game with football-style rules, infused with extravagant special moves and buckets of charm, which is guaranteed to raise an...

  • Review Just Dance 4 (Wii)

    Sweat baby, sweat

    The video games industry is currently inundated with a plethora of fitness games promising to give you abs like Schwarzenegger - if you're willing to pay the price. But how many of these titles actually perform? While the Just Dance franchise might be categorised into the silly party genre, Just Dance 4 in fact provides a fun...

  • Review Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition (Wii)

    Sweet dreams

    The Kirby series has been a staple of Nintendo game systems since the pink fluff first appeared on the original Game Boy back in 1992. While the games have always been known more for their charm and unique gameplay than their difficulty, they've become some of the best selling video games in history. Now Nintendo has released Kirby's...

  • Review Project Zero 2: Wii Edition (Wii)

    Poltergeist snap

    If you're more than a little wary when it comes to bumps in the night, it might be best to stay away from Project Zero 2: Wii Edition. Tecmo Koei's ghastly survival horror series, also known as Fatal Frame, throws you within the clutches of dozens of malicious apparitions with only a camera for protection. A proton pack it ain't...

  • Review We Sing Pop (Wii)

    Get by with a little help…

    Here at Nintendo Life we're used to reviewing a lot of franchise sequels, as developers and publishers quite rightly give gamers more of what they want. We're not talking Super Mario, however, but rather the We Sing series, a franchise of karaoke games exclusive to Wii. Unfortunately we aren't well-known for angelic...

  • Review Pandora's Tower (Wii)

    A difficult feast

    Wii owners who enjoy Japanese RPGs have been spoiled recently, especially those that live in Europe: Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story provide two very different flavours of Japanese gaming, and the trio of originally Japan-exclusive titles is complete with Pandora’s Tower. If you like challenging concepts, demons and...

  • Review PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond (Wii)

    Pikachu's vacation

    While the main Pokémon games have rigidly stuck to their tried-and-true formula, the spin-offs have gone into some pretty interesting territory. Rather than focus on the life and tribulations of being a Pokémon trainer, PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond once again lets you step into the shoes of the franchise's lovable mascot Pikachu,...

  • Review Mario Party 9 (Wii)

    Life and soul

    Nintendo's never been afraid to capitalise on the success of its franchises or, as some would say, beat its successful games to within an inch of their lives. Who knew when the very first Mario Party hit N64 in 1998 that, 14 years later, we'd be staring at the 11th — 12th if you count Mario Party-e — instalment in the series? After...

  • Review The Last Story (Wii)

    A memorable tale

    As the Wii prepares to be usurped by its successor, you could argue the console's getting some exceptional adventures in its twilight. European gamers had the pleasure of working through epics such as The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Xenoblade Chronicles in 2011, with North America due to receive the latter soon. For those...

  • Review Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii)

    Fever pitch

    Rhythm Heaven games are the kind whose sole purpose is to make you smile. You might even say that it's a lot like a not-terrifying clown at a kid's party, actually: colourful and light, uncomplicated and wacky yet determined in its mission to entertain the masses. With Rhythm Heaven Fever marking the series' home console debut, Rhythm...

  • Review Back to the Future: The Game (Wii)

    Make like a tree and read this review

    They say that if you were to travel back a million years and step on a butterfly, you could wipe out an entire species and change the world forever with that one seemingly infinitesimal move. When Marty McFly took a shorter excursion, back three decades to 1955, he almost erased his own existence in a similar...

  • Review Wicked Monsters Blast (Wii)

    Monster mash

    Cute cartoon creatures; simplistic shooting; a mixture of mini-games. Wicked Monsters Blast is a kids game by-the-numbers, but its charm and heavy nods towards arcade classics such as Point Blank could have youngsters going crackers for these animals despite a slim number of levels. Wicked Monsters Blast is easy to pick up, with scant...

  • Review Winter Sports 2012: Feel the Spirit (Wii)

    Winter blunderland

    Another month, and yet another collection of motion controlled recreations of various sports rears its head on Wii, a console that already has sports-based minigame collections in unparalleled abundance. The latest contender to make a foolish bid to overthrow Wii Sports Resort as the undisputed champion of must-have titles for...

  • Review LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Wii)

    Let's finish this the way we started it... together

    Legend has it that every time Billy Joel drives to a holiday party that has a piano, he knows that he's going to end up playing Piano Man by request. He's played it countless times before, but when he plays it again, people will like it. It won't be surprising or innovative, but it will be...

  • Review The Kore Gang (Wii)

    The bore gang

    The Kore Gang has been a long time in the making, a fact reflected in the final result. At its best, it’s colourfully innocuous and fun, while at its worst it can be frustrating and infuriating. It’s likely to be divisive as a result, so we’ll do our best to break it down. You know what everyone likes, though? Good intentions,...

  • Review Fortune Street (Wii)

    A sound investment

    Mario and friends are no strangers to the board game scene: the Mario Party series is a perennial favorite, and rightly so. Those games are colourful, exciting and, most of all, fun. But it may come as something of a surprise to find our favorite denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom sharing a board with characters from the Dragon...

  • Review Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii)

    Olympic shames

    It was four years ago that the old 16-bit rivals teamed up for the first time: Sonic appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and the two took their tussle to the track in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. It wasn't exactly a high watermark for either mascot, but it felt right at home on the Wii at the time: motion gaming was taking...

  • Review We Sing Rock (Wii)

    Wii salutes you

    Some things in life never change. When you're in a rush in your lunch hour, there will always be a massive queue outside the bakery. If you trip on a loose bit of pavement, you will always attempt to turn it into a jog to appear completely in control to the strangers around you. Failed sneezes are forever disappointing, there's never...

  • Review Rayman Origins (Wii)

    This platformer's got legs (even if Rayman doesn't)

    As the gaming industry moves onwards and upwards and each genre evolves, it's interesting to observe how the platformer has come around full circle since its debut. Whereas the rest of the industry strives for more expansive and photorealistic environments or interactive storytelling, the...

  • Review Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Wii)

    Tried and true

    By the time you read this, Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has already sold millions upon millions of copies to a worldwide fanbase and been touted as the biggest entertainment launch of all time. To keep its unprecedented growth up, the franchise has continued to top itself year after year with increasingly elaborate...

  • Review The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)

    A legend redefined

    In a way The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has very little riding on it: the Wii has already enjoyed huge success, with a library of critically acclaimed Nintendo games selling millions around the world. Its motion controls — dubbed a 'revolution' back in 2005 — have arguably inspired competitor formats to adopt their own...

  • Review Go Vacation (Wii)

    Be prepared for economy class... if you're lucky

    Since the launch of the Wii and the success of its pack-in title Wii Sports, it seems that there isn't a major publisher or developer that hasn't had their finger in the mini-game collection pie. Most of these copycats have either been inoffensively average or outright terrible. In fact, when it comes...

  • Review Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Wii)

    Gotta buy 'em all

    There's something magical about a good toy. Be it an action figure, doll, transforming truck, projectile-spitting dragon or a wooden block, it doesn't matter how many removable parts or points of articulation they have once burrowed into your imagination and destined for Great Adventure along with the rest of the toy chest. Your...

  • Review Disney Universe (Wii)

    A dull new world

    Disney Universe holds a great deal of promise. A game in which you can play as a large number of characters spanning Disney's rich and impressive history? Levels designed in honour of some of its most classic films? Multiplayer for up to four people simultaneously? Yes, yes, and yes. Which is why it's so disappointing that the...

  • Review Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii)

    A dream come true

    To say that long-time Kirby fans have been clamouring for Nintendo to release a good old-fashioned Kirby title would be a gross understatement. While Nintendo has released several instalments in the series over the past few years, the majority of them, such as Kirby's Epic Yarn and Kirby Mass Attack, have been fairly radical...

  • Review Just Dance 3 (Wii)

    It's evolution, baby

    The world is not lacking in Just Dance games. Since that original perfect storm of pop style, goofy fun and lack of inhibition crashed the Wii party near the tail end of 2009, Ubisoft's dance factory has put out an additional eight releases of varying quality in a short two years. It would thus be easy to dismiss Just Dance 3...