WiiNintendo

• Dull, unengaging combat
• Blurry, sad visuals
• Makes being a wealthy playboy genius in a superpowered flight suit seem boring.

5.0 = Mediocre

SOURCE

Held captive in a cave by soldiers armed to the teeth with weapons of his own design, Tony Stark ponders his fate. Faced with the ugly truth about the world he has helped create, he resolves to turn his genius to other purposes. Stark constructs a high-tech suit of armor and becomes Iron Man, embarking on a quest to ferret out the evil fueled by his creations and salvage his shameful family legacy. Iron Man, a game recently released in conjunction with the feature film, parallels Tony Stark’s plight. Born in the dark, dismal cave of movie-based video games, Iron Man tries to construct an armored suit of exciting third-person action that will capture the speed and power of being Iron Man. Unfortunately, it’s all the game can do to muster a few low-altitude thrills over the course of this ho-hum adventure.

Iron Man begins in the cave where Tony Stark constructs the rudimentary rough draft of what will evolve into the iconic hot-rod red and gold suit. After his escape, the plot diverges from that of the movie, following similar themes while pitting Iron Man against a host of enemies that fans may recognize from the comics. Levels are bookended by cinematic cutscenes that generally show a little bit of character interaction and then a lot of Iron Man flying hither and yon. Only Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Howard have lent their voices and likenesses to the game, and their performances, like the cutscenes themselves, are adequate.

Actual combat is a different story. Iron Man’s foes, though quite numerous, are not very mobile, skilled, or motivated. Soldiers, trucks, tanks, and helicopters alike are quite content to hang out in one spot while shooting at you until you’ve got a moment to pop over and blast them. Your repulsors and rockets will get you through most of the game, but you’ll want to bust out your Gatling gun on any and all soldiers and mow them down while resisting the urge to cackle with glee. On the few occasions that you do succumb to enemy fire, you’ll have the chance to self-defibrillate with a brief, timed button-press challenge. If you succeed, you’re back in the battle with no consequence; if you fail, you’ll lose one backup power cell. Losing all your backup cells will result in failure of the mission, but Iron Man is so hardy and the self-defibrillation is so easy that you’ll have a tough time dying. (more…)

Review By Trist
Wiiware (700 Wii Points)- Developed by: Nooooooo!
Puzzle- Rated E for Everyone (ESRB)

A debut Wiiware title, does it have what it takes to be worth its weight in gold?

Pop is definitely one of my favorite games of late as it is madly addictive. Who knew that popping bubbles could turn into hours upon hours of madness?

Pop is a simple game that revolves around players pointing their Wii cursor at the screen and pressing the A or B button in an attempt to pop as many bubbles as possible. The player can tackle through several modes of gameplay (Normal, Advanced, Chill, and multiplayer versions of these modes), and compete for their mark on the Worldwide Leadership Boards.

Pop is a simple game to grasp and will truly be enjoyable to people of all ages. Although it is simple, there are several complex elements within. The first is the bubble chaining system in which the player can choose to pop bubbles of the same color in order to score a multiplayer and gain tons of points. There are power-ups as well that can affect the gameplay. Power-ups can affect the time that is required to survive. The takes place through a series of waves. Each wave usually will feature a different color of bubbles, background, music, speed, and direction of bubbles. Players lose when the clock reaches 0 or a negative number (for example if the timer is low and there is a chain of “nukes” and “skulls” then the skulls will continue to deduct time and even go to negative time, which is weird).

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First of all I’m going to break the number one rule of reviewing games and give you my final word on this game right off the bat… it’s a great game. If you own a Wii go start the download and then come back and read the rest of this review, It’s worth the 1000 points. With that being said (and not to mention losing half my readers) I’ll proceed to a slightly more detailed explanation of the game.

Lostwinds takes place in the land of Mistralis and focuses on the adventures of Toku and Enril; a boy with an exceptionally large noggin and a wind spirit, respectively. The game is based around the mechanic of controlling a separate character with the Nunchuk and Wiimote in a sort of single player co-op. Toku moving through the world and Enril aiding him with strategic gusts. I’m happy to report that the mechanic works great. After a short learning curve (30 seconds to 5 minutes depending on whether or not you know what a power glove is) you’ll be flying through the levels with ease — literally.

When you first begin your adventure Enril has been stripped of her power, reduced to making flowers wave gently in the wind. However, as you find “lostwinds” the broken wind spirit’s power will be restored and by the end of the game you’ll be chucking boulders around, hurling your enemies to their doom and carrying Toku into the wild blue.

The art and sound design in Lostwinds is incredible, so much so that it’s enough reason for anyone to go and buy the game right now. The music captures the essence of the world with laconic woodwind melodies and the art style, reminiscent of both Aztec and Oriental cultures (like some wonder fusion of Wind Waker and The Road to El Dorado) gives the world a charm all of its own. It’s one of the few games on the Wii that feels full of life, not a graphical powerhouse by any means but the world reacts to your presence and trees bend softly in the wind as you pass Enril over them with the Wiimote.

I could only find two faults in the otherwise perfect purchase; the first is the difficulty level. A newly indoctrinated “casual” gamer may find some of the puzzles hard enough to bring them to a head-scratching stop for a few minutes but for most players they’re just too easy. The game feels like the intro levels to a much larger experience which brings me neatly to my next point; length. Just a little over two hours of gameplay and I was looking at the tantalizing “to be continued…” on the final screen. It was two hours I don’t regret spending but it’s still only two hours.

Frontier is already working on the next episode in the Lostwinds tale and from what I could gather from the opening and closing cinematic it’s a safe bet we’ll be seeing the elemental powers of Earth, Fire and Water make an appearance alongside Wind which could bring a much needed depth and complexity to the game.

Visually, the game looks great. Small touches like the changing weather, as well as the unit variations, come together to make a very visually appealing package. The game has a lot of charm here and looks like the imagination of a 4-year-old child. If there’s any landscape we wanted to pay home to our exploits of defending a castle from countless hordes of enemies, it’s here.

For a 500 Wii Point game, you’d be insane not to give Defend Your Castle a download. The game is fun, very accessible and has almost no learning curve. We can’t comment on the mutliplayer, but if the single-player is any indication, it will deliver there, too. XGen Studios have created a great WiiWare offering and we’re sure your life will be better for having downloaded Defend Your Castle.

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I just finished playing the demo version of CrossworDS for the Nintendo DS.  I downloaded it from the new Nintendo Channel, just released a couple days ago.  I’ve got to say that it is very addictive.  I’m not a crossword fan at all, but I totally got into this game.  The easy and medium puzzles were not too bad, but the hard level kept me busy.  Because I’m not a crossword person, I had to go online to get some help with the clues, but I finally finished it with only one letter wrong.  If the full version of this game only expands on the addictive qualities of the demo, I am definitely recommending you pick this game up.  Not to mention, it is only $20, which is a great deal for a game that will keep you busy for many hours.  Bottom line — If you have a Wii, DS, and an online connection, I recommend you at least give the demo a try!

I’ll keep it simple. Much like this game. If you are looking for a game that is fun and easy to pick while still maintaining that in-depth, mind mashing, just-one-more-game-feeling, this is that game. Think of it this way: Single player mode lures you into the game by starting you off with simple puzzles. Puzzles that many people will not only find easy to do, but rewarding to see solved as pieces go flying about in a spectacular true physical display of awesomeness. You’ll feel good about your success. You’ll love the little gold medal. And you’ll want to play more. And that’s where it gets you. The challenges increase. The puzzles get harder and soon you’ll find yourself judging each puzzle with a strict eye, analyzing each structure for the weakest point or the perfect spot where the nice gentle lob of a bowling ball with bring the whole structure down with an elegant explosion. You will want that gold medal–and trust me, this game in later levels will make you work for it.

That aside–the shear number of levels for single player is astounding. You’ll be at this for a while. And the best part is–you won’t mind. You’ll find yourself every day going back to this game just to finish off more and more of this monster. Honing your skills. Perfecting your shots. Like an addict of crossword puzzles, you’ll desire the gratification of “beating” the puzzle. It’s fantastic feeling.

As for multi-player. Well, get ready to gather with some friends. Play against each other. Strike with strategy in mind. Or play together. Your choice. But the number of options in this mode will lend itself to hours upon hours of unpredictable play. And that my friends is one of the main reasons to own a Wii. Nothing says Wii like friends gathered around vying for ultimate victory at the expense of their peers. Every move by your opponents, even those made by you, can lead to ultimate victory or you giving the game away to the lucky mug who will take advantage of you smashing the structure “just enough” to let him/her bring it down with a gentle toss.

So here is the bottom line. Buy it. Play it. Thank me.

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See the MetaCritic Reviews

Watch my first 40 minutes with Boom Blox and see for yourself what it’s like

It seems that everywhere we turn lately, we are bombarded by advertisements, reviews, and everything else to do with Wii Fit.  I’m still not sure I’m going to purchase the game yet, but I am pretty sure I want a Wii balance board (for games like We Ski).  I am hoping that Nintendo decides to sell them separately.  All this excitement for Wii Fit and the Wii Balance Board got me interested.

So, as I was looking around, I see an eBay auction for the Joyboard.  According to this Wiki article,

“The Joyboard is a balance board peripheral for the Atari 2600 video game console. It was released in 1982 and was used by standing on top of it and leaning in a certain direction.”

Is Miyamoto only copying off a previous attempt by Atari and Amiga?  Now, while it is true that history repeats itself, and that there is nothing new under the sun, I still think this is quite odd.  However, as I continued to delve deeper into this, I realized that there has been a thing called the “balance board” for quite some time.  So it seems that Miyamoto and Nintendo are merely capturing the essence of fun that many people have enjoyed ever since someone put their first piece of wood on a small rock.

Above: WiiNintendo takes Wii Fit for a 2 hour test run last month

MetaScore: 81/100

(as of May 8th, 2008)

Official Nintendo Magazine UK, 91/100
Assuming you can afford it, Wii Fit is a great way to stay in shape. The Balance Board is top-notch technology and as a package the whole thing works tremendously well. [May 2008, p.66]

Cubed3, 90/100
Simply put, this is one of the best packages on the Wii and something that everyone should at least try out, whether you are a fitness fanatic or not.

Ferrago, 90/100
Wii Fit is going to make Nintendo money by the bucket load. But rest assured there is some pretty impressive substance behind the hype.

Maxi Consolas (Portugal), 90/100
If all of Nintendo’s efforts to reinvent the interaction with player produce such great results as Wii Fit, they are more than welcome. You can say that this a new kind of social game that will bring you closer to friends but, above all, motivate you to healthy habits and burn those “extra” pound that have been bothering you for a while. [May 2008]

Console Monster, 88/100
Whether you are working on a Yoga pose, stretching your thighs, or going for that perfect down hill run, there is a quality and a depth to each of the activities. This speaks volumes about the investment (and commitment) Nintendo has to their causal gaming approach.

IGN AU, 83/100
Parents will love it; it gets their kids off their butts and into sports – even if it’s still in front of the tube. Kids will go for the micro-games and competitive elements. Stay-at-home mums can work out pent-up anger and health-nuts might use this as the excuse they need to buy a Wii. Old people will still scratch their heads, though.

Games Master UK, 83/100
Impressive. But games won’t get much from it and it’s unlikely to get you trim on its own. [May 2008, p.66]

n-Revolution Magazine UK, 82/100
Every bit as good at its job as “Wii Sports” was, Wii Fit has enough gameplay in there to please nearly everyone. [JPN Import; Issue#18, p.72]

NTSC-uk, 80/100
Wii Fit is already flying out of the shop doors in Japan and the same will happen when it arrives in the West too, not because it’s a gimmick that’s easily bought into, but because it’s a great product.

Total Video Games, 80/100
Wii Fit is a “game” that excels at everything it sets out to achieve.

IGN UK, 80/100
On the understanding that you’re signing up for either casual use or a supplementary exercise regime, then Wii Fit is undeniably great value. It’s beautifully presented, joyfully accessible and effortlessly entertaining.

VideoGamer, 80/100
It’s not a solution to weight problems, but it’s definitely a good addition to your fitness routine. The mini-games are really just the icing on the cake, opening Wii Fit up to everyone. People of all ages will love how you control the games using nothing but your balance and competing for new high scores is great fun.

EuroGamer, 80/100
It’s produced a superbly made peripheral and a piece of software that offers both entertainment and a sense of achievement. It’s all very slick and lifestyle, with plenty of white everywhere, but there are the bold shapes, bright colours and moments of sheer charm you’d expect from Nintendo.

Level7.nu, 70/100
There are a lot of workout tools that claim to make working out fun, but Wii Fit actually pulls it off. Using your weight and balance to control the game is both fun and healthy, but the absence of online play and a party mode combined with a steep price tag puts a damper on the experience.

games(TM), 70/100
You need to know before paying out for (and therefore committing to) Wii Fit that it has to become part of your daily life for it to mean anything. And if you are willing to commit to it then Wii Fit is a loyal and multitalented trainer. [Feb 2008, p.136]

NGamer UK, 68/100
You can look at Wii Fit in two ways. On one hand it’s a pretty comprehensive selection of exercises, cleanly presented and given a novel twist thanks to the board. Alternatively, you can see it as a series of lacklustre tasks that beautifully demonstrate the technical abilities of the board, decorated with the silly lifestyle trappings we’re willing to overlook as long as Ninty keep delivering the proper gaming goods.

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Order Wii Fit & tons of Wii workout accessories from WiiNintendo’s Online Store

A unique racing game experience developed for the Wii in part by the movie directing duo, the Wachowski brothers. The game is designed as a game that players can build their own racing track, and it also has a “choose-your-own-adventure” aspect that presents the experience as a series of choices that the player must make in gameplay.

In Speed Racer, players take on the role of the characters from the film, getting behind the wheels of each character’s signature vehicles to experience firsthand the film’s high adrenaline, combative racing style. The car-fu style of action within the game closely represents the action style designed by the Wachowski brothers for the film.

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Reviews:

NintendoWorldReport, 75/100
Speed Racer at its core is an amazing game, with great depth, control, and nice difficulty progression. Perhaps Sidhe Interactive will use this great engine (and maybe even the Speed Racer license) for another title with more inspired track design, better graphics, and a more fully-featured package overall.

GamePro, 75/100
For what it is, with voiceovers from the actors, what I imagine is probably movie soundtrack, and some excellent-looking, swift racing with seriously fun combat stunts, Speed Racer: The Videogame is awesome.

GameTap, 60/100Speed Racer is a decent racing game, but it never gets your adrenaline pumping. Even the movie connection doesn’t juice up the show. Also, unlike most racing for Nintendo systems, only two players can race in split screen mode, and there’s no online mode at all.

Watch my first 40 minutes with Boom Blox and see for yourself what it’s like

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MetaScore: 84/100

(as of 5/7/08)

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1UP, 100/100
Boom Blox may not be the best Wii game, depending on your proclivities, but it’s definitely the best use of the Wii yet. It’s immensely accessible, wonderfully tactile, and stands as one of the best treatments of gaming in a 3D space.
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Yahoo! Games, 100/100
BOOM BLOX is so simple and its appeal so universal that we’re hard pressed to think of another Wii game that can so effectively bring a room together… [it's] one of the most gratifying jump-in-and-play games you can get on the Nintendo Wii.
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G4 TV, 100/100
Boom Blox delivers so much content, that it would be hard not to find something to love in this title. Give it a try. What looks to be rather simple is actually complex and will keep you playing for hours.
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GamePro, 85/100
Boom Blox offers a great gaming experience with a ton replayability; you’ll have to excuse the pun but this is one title that truly does qualify as a “summer blockbuster.”
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IGN, 81/100
Boom Blox is one of freshest and most enjoyable puzzle games you can this generation and it is an especially good multiplayer title.
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GameTap, 80/100
It’s one of those rare family games that doesn’t fall into the genres of minigame collection or rhythm title, and your seven-year-old kid will have as much fun as you do.
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Nintendo Power, 80/100
The production values aren’t going to win any awards, and some of the mechanics work better than others(the hose is pretty lame), but Bloom Blox is an innovative and amusing piece of entertainment worthy of the Spielberg name. [June 2008, p.87]

Wired, 80/100
Boom Blox does what so many Wii titles wish they could, by splitting the difference between casual players and lifelong gamers. You can pass the Wiimote to your grandma or a 5-year-old and they’ll have a ball with its clever mix of brainy puzzles and satisfying explosions. But hard-core players like me will find a surprising amount of depth to the gameplay and a satisfying, addictive challenge.
Read full review

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Watch my first 40 minutes with Boom Blox and see for yourself what it’s like