Wii Rally

Let the engines roar, the nitro spray and the trucks fly. I recently spent some time with ExciteTruck and I must say I have been having a blast. ExciteTruck is nowhere near as deep as say Burnout or Need For Speed but who cares. Sure there’s not much to unlock and realists won’t appreciate the trucks flying 200 feet through the air and the terrain morphing right before your eyes but therein lies the fun. Taken at face value ExciteTruck is probably the Wiis finest driving title to date. Anybody can enjoy this title all you have to do is hit the gas tilt the WiiMote to steer and away you go.

Even casual gamers can achieve an “S” rank on the first course with only one try. Not to say that the game is lacking in challenge once you get past the Bronze Cup races the game progresses nicely. There is a slight learning curve, it will take you about two or three races before you’re launching yourself high into the air. While playing the later tracks I realized the only way to gain ground on the race leader was to launch off jumps and land perfectly gaining a small boost. Master this technique and you will unlock “Super Excite” mode before you can say “Waaaaahooo!”

Now don’t get me wrong I love the virtual console, and I am in no way against the classic controller. My only problem is that my not having a CC is effecting my virtual console experience. At first I shyed away from Mario Kart 64, but I decided to throw caution into the wind by scooping up Super Mario World. Now I have already noticed that SNES games control lousy using the GameCube controller. Street Fighter II feels very wrong; the game is still playable and I can get by the “Man I wish I had a CC” thoughts with ease least until I came to Super Mario World. Am I alone or does anyone else feel that SMW played with the GC controller is complete trash? Due to the mapping and position of the ABXY buttons I can’t seems to be able to run and jump at the same time, it’s an either or situation. I feel like I am being forced into buying the add on. I know Nintendo made it very clear from the start that to get ther most out of your VC experience you should invest in a classic controller but come on. You should be able to re-map the buttons however you like. Something that is possible with SFII but not Super Mario World. What are your thoughts how are you coping with the lack of a CC or do you prefer the Game Cube controller?

Here it is as promised inspired by the Top 5 Most Wanted Wii Games of 2007 here is the Top 5 Most Wanted Virtual Console games. Originally Super Mario World was on this list but Nintendo went and ruined that by releasing the game today. Enjoy!

NUMBER 5
Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
The classic Zelda that everyone wants to get their hands on seems to be Ocarina of Time, didn’t you just play that on the GameCube? I’ve noticed that Majora’s Mask is most often ignored. One of the titles that required the N64 Expansion Pack, Majora’s Mask is one of Link’s more unique adventures. The debut of Tingle, a challenging 3 day time span mechanic and the ability to change in to a Zora, a Goron and even a Deku Shrub are just some of the trails of Link while adventuring through the land of Termainia. We all know that Ocarina of Time looks beautiful but let’s not forget that Majora’s Mask looked even better before Nintendo went with the cell shaded look for Wind Waker.

NUMBER 4
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
A joint venture between Nintendo and SquareSoft (Now Square Enix) this was a very different undertaking for any Mario fan. Suddenly you had to worry about Hit-points and Magic spells. This was also the first game in which Mario and Bowser formed albeit temporary alliance. With several new characters and some amazing sprite work, this is a must have for any fan of the Mario series.

see the rest after the jump (more…)

As soon as the Wii was announced people were speculating about one game that would truly showcase the console’s unique controls, that game was Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. As the game debuted around the world it shot up the software sales charts before finally landing in the number 2 spot right behind Capcom’s sci-fi shooter Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. Yes I must admit even I was anxious to try out its quirky gameplay for myself. Well after spending just over a week with it I’m going to say that I am incredibly thankful I didn’t shell out 59.99 CDN$ for this “fun for five minutes� micro game-a-palooza.

Wario Ware: Smooth Moves is exactly that, fun for about five minutes after which it becomes repetitive, insignificant and just plain dull. I completed the main story mode in about two hours, without even breaking a sweat. To be honest I found Brain Age to be more of a challenge than any of the micro games found in WW: SM. There is some redemption to be found in the multiplayer but after playing with my friends they were asking for Wii Sports after about 20 minutes. I did spend a bit of time playing darts with my buddy but after a couple games we began to look for ways to change the settings, trying to add more difficult mechanics like, doubling out or increasing the score, alas there was none to be found; just straight up 301 first to 0 wins….. “Yawn�.

Yes it is a good effort to showcase the fun of playing the Wii but defiantly not worth the full retail price even for a party game. I recommend giving it a go but save some money and give it a rent, trust me you will see everything that WW: SM has to offer before it’s even due back at the rental store.

Yesterday was “Virtual Console Monday” the one day a week that Nintendo updates the Wii Shop channel with new software to download for your virtual console. Normally there are a few games released each Monday; last week three games were made available. A rather disappointing number but I thought to myself “Three is better than one” well that was confirmed yesterday. I thought that there would be at least three or four titles released but I woke up to find only one available for download. Then I came across this press release from yesterday.

Wii-kly Update: Classic Zelda Game Announced For Wii Shop Channel

Jan. 22, 2007

Today Nintendo adds one of the most popular games in its library of classics to the Wiiâ„¢ video game system’s Wii Shop Channel. The Legend of Zeldaâ„¢: A Link to the Pastâ„¢ goes live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Super NES®, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): Return to an age of magic and heroes. When an evil magician named Agahnim begins kidnapping young maidens in Hyrule in a quest to break the imprisoning seal on Ganon, a young boy named Link is called upon to stop him. Link must venture into twisting mazes, dungeons, palaces and shadowy forests as he searches for the maidens and Princess Zelda. Traversing both Light and Dark Worlds, he must navigate eight dark dungeons, fighting evil enemies and huge bosses. Help our hero prevent Ganon and Agahnim from shattering Hyrule forever.

Is this how it’s going to be? Nintendo puts three third party games up one week but when it’s a first party game we only get one. If that’s Nintendo’s plan than I am sorry but Wii Rally does not approve. Yes “A Link to the Past” is a great game, but to be honest I played it recently on my GameBoy Advance and am in no rush to grab it. I feel the same way about “Ocarina of Time” I played it on my GameCube about a month ago. Now give me “Majora’s Mask” and I’ll be happy but as long as there are at least two other games available at the same time.

I think the real shaft here is given to Sega who had three games slated for release yesterday but they were never put online, now what’s up with that? My message to Nintendo is get your act together or it won’t be worth the ridiculous 29.99$ they charge for Wii Points cards up here in Canada.

Earlier this week I and many other gaming news websites reported on a story about a women in California who died from suspected “water intoxication” while participating in the “Hold you wee for a Wii” contest well according to a post I found on Kotaku 10 employees of radio station 107.9 “The End” have been let go by the station. Kotaku commenters have already weighed in on the news of the dismissals and the reaction is mixed. Some readers feel that it was a dumb idea for a contest and they should get fired. Others feel it is unfair to terminate employees when the women’s official CoD (Cause of Death) is still under investigation. What do you think? Is 107.9’s reaction 100% right? Should the employees be blamed for the women’s untimely death? Or is 107.9 a little premature in their actions. I throw this one into the court of public opinion.

Everyone is also entitled to my opinion.

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Wiis in Canada are sold out everywhere…still?

I drove by my local Best Buy last week, Friday morning to be exact. I was intrigued by what I found… a line at 7:00 in the morning. Now all the Boxing Day brouhaha was over and done with most sales only last two days anyway but I digress. As it so happens these people were in line to purchase this particular Best Buy’s shipment of Nintendo Wii’s. The store confirmed that they had 27 available for purchase and most people had been in line since the night before. I counted more that 27 in line by the way, good thing there were no children. I would hate to see a little gamer disappointed for reasons he can not understand.

Why are people still lining up to for hours to get a Wii? There should be plenty of them in the stores by now. The console launched back in November. Now, I know that Nintendo has seen some very impressive sales over the holiday season, but this is after Christmas and Boxing Day. I have not heard about any of this happening in the U.S. My understanding is that Wii’s are plentiful there. I really can’t imagine lining up to purchase a console or game on any day other than launch. I contacted Nintendo for comment but they were unavailable (Holiday) but the second they get back to me I will post an update.