WiiNintendo

It has been a little over a year since the Wii released in ‘06. There has been a ton of games to hit the Wii’s market. There has been such ground braking games to hit the such as Super Mario Galaxy, Metriod Prime 3 and Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barboros Treasure. I put together a list (You might not all agree with) of my must have games.

So here are 4 Wii games you can’t miss out on in 2007.

Mercury Meltdown Revolution:

I thoroughly enjoyed the game Kororinpa: Marble Mania which came out some months before this one, and the action in this game is pretty similar. However, it feels different enough that it’s definitely not just a level pack for that game. The blob physics add a new dimension, as does the focus on solving puzzles by changing your blob different colors, mixing different color blobs to make secondary colors, etc. It’s neat stuff. For 20 bucks this game is an absolute steal, and it’s got a lot of levels and stuff to unlock. Each level has various ways to excel and try to get a top score — beating par time, collecting all bonuses, and losing as little mercury as possible.

On the downside, so far the “party games” don’t seem to me to be truly multiplayer. But I’ve only unlocked one; I don’t know if later ones involve multiple players. Also, the tilting motions used to steer your blob around are much more constrained than in Kororinpa — no flipping the world upside down! Oh, well. Still a great game and an absolute bargain.

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Zack and Wiki Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure:

This game went widely unnoticed by gamers, myself included. One you first look at it, the title makes it out to be some cartoon type of sloppily put together platform. It’s anything but that. What it is, is Capcom’s throw to old school gamers. Those that enjoyed classicsUsing the wii remote, you point to where you want Zack to go, and with his companion Wiki, he travels accross 8 distinct worlds. Varying from tropical Islands to Lava filled caves. The characters are colorful and enjoyable. Zack for is always chewing a chocolate bar, his favorite food. Even when he’s falling to his likely death. This humor is a welcome addition compared to the serious and gory games of late on competing systems (The endless slue of shooters).

There is actually a bit of puzzle solving in this game the further you get. As you have to tinker with your inventory and find out what combines with what. And how to use the wii remote uniquely to solve the next puzzle. The Wii remotes use in the solving of puzzles is great. As it uses the sensor and gyro in many different ways.

Taking that all in brings me to this conclusion. Zack and Wiki is one of the top games on the Wii. And deserves a slot in any gamer’s collection.

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Resident Evil 4:

I originally owned Resident Evil 4 for Gamecube and I was very frustrated with the cumbersome sights and aiming mechanism and poor reaction time limited by the controller.

Obviously you’re able to aim with the Wii remote as the ubiquitous laser sight is replaced with an ever-present cross hair. This allows for considerably better accuracy and reaction time. My first time through my accuracy was around 75% and my reaction time was more then sorry. With the Wii edition my accuracy went up to 90% and better reaction time. The downside is the cross hair is always there and can be slightly annoying; I think the laser sighting would’ve been more appropriate and only present when aiming. Another downside is you cannot aim scoped weapons (rifles and launchers) with the Wii remote, but with the nunchuck. It might be better to have allowed aiming with the Wii remote similar to Call of Duty 3 but that’s my preference.

Pertaining to the gameplay and graphics they’re almost no different than the PS2 or Gamecube version; if there is a difference I certainly didn’t notice it. Don’t let this deter you as the gameplay makes up for that and if you’re like me and started with the Gamecube version, you get all the bonuses of the PS2 version only you can aim much better.

Lastly, there’s one Wii exclusive element and that is the trailer for Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles… and there was much rejoicing. The release price, however, sets it apart from other Wii titles to the point where it’s cheaper than most to purchase.

Overall RE4 for Wii is worth purchasing if you’re a Wii owner; it improves your game and you can still enjoy the classic arcade blowing heads off spree.

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Super Mario Galaxy:

It has been well over 20 years since the red-capped plumber started his adventures. But even after several console and handheld systems later, he is still proving that he is the most recognizable character in the video game world. in 1996, Mario made his 3D debut with Super Mario 64, which revolutionized 3D gaming and platforming as we now know it. Super Mario Sunshine on the GameCube further (Let’s not talk about it). And now comes his triumphant return on Nintendo’s Wii with Super Mario Galaxy. Skepticism came about when first hearing about playing Mario on the Wii. But any previous doubts will be pushed aside the moment you start playing. In the end, it is pure fun and this is a game that progresses the series while still staying true to its roots.

It will be the Star Festival soon, and Princess Peach has invited Mario back to her castle to enjoy the festivities. However, Bowser and his minions foil the event by once again kidnapping the princess. It will be up to you as Mario to not only rescue Peach, but to also recover the power stars to restore the galaxies. The minute you start up the game, you are almost instantly placed right into the action. You’ll soar through dreamy worlds, starry skies, and alien planets throughout outer space while defying gravity and meeting all sorts of characters. You can tell Nintendo really let their imagination run wild here. Mario also has more transformations in this game than any other game since, being able to become Fire Mario, Ice Mario, and Rainbow Mario just to name a few. Familiar faces including Goombas, Piranha Plants, and Boos all make a return here as well.

With the controls of the gameplay, Nintendo has once again proved that no one knows their own hardware better. Using both the Wiimote and the Nunchuk to control is done in an almost flawless fashion. Anyone familiar with the controls of Mario 64 or Sunshine will certainly feel at home here, but newcomers should have no problem getting accustomed. The gameplay stays responsive and intuitive even while controlling Mario from various directions (sideways, upside down, etc.). The camera is also one of the best in a 3D platformer, and is a vast improvement over the previous 3D Mario games where your view often gets stuck or is simply in the way. There is also a 2-player option called Co-Star Mode in which one player controls Mario and another collects star bits. It just further adds to what cooperative fun a single-player game could be.

The graphics, despite how simplistic they may be, fit the game’s overall image very well. It stays in the tradition of the Mario series while not looking completely backward by today’s visual standards. These are among the most creative worlds yet imaginable. The music is also very appropriate for the game’s atmosphere which perfectly accents the action, and longtime Mario fans will be happy to know that a few tunes from the older games make a comeback here. Even the classic sound effects can be heard and all these nostalgic elements make the game even more enjoyable for the player. Everything about it makes you feel comfortable while you’re exploring each world and it all comes together as a well-rounded interactive experience.

Any fan of the Mario series or Nintendo’s games should be able to enjoy Super Mario Galaxy, as well as newbies. But I would also recommend it to anyone who just wants a straight-up title that fuses together the best elements of exploration and action. It isn’t overly lengthy and nor is it made to be extremely difficult, which means players of many ages can easily get into it. The only problem would be getting used to the sensitivity of the controls, but one should adjust quite quickly enough that it won’t hinder gameplay. Also, if you’re playing the game around other people, it might be dizzying or disorienting for those who are watching Mario running upside down. These minor issues aside, it still remains simple, enjoyable, and you can pick it up and just play. As one of the best games to come out in a long while, Super Mario Galaxy fully reinforces Nintendo’s philosophy of just simply putting the fun back in gaming.

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Now there are many games that aren’t on my must have such as Zelda, Strikers and Metroid Prime 3 etc that are great games. The reason these and others did not make it are because I felt some were made for Gamecube and had been pushed to the Wii and others aren’t on here for many reasons some I just weren’t interested in(Not that there not good I just didn’t get into them).

So what are your must have titles?