Wii Rally

Sonic Unleashed had my attention when I read ‘Sonic.’ Having played my fair share of Sonic titles, I can’t help but to love this fast, adorable hedgehog. But Sonic Unleashed looked to be a different beast(no pun intended!) than the other Sonic titles I cherished. Would this new game mechanic add or deter from the whole Sonic game experience? Yes and no. I’ll explain.

But first the premise of Sonic Unleashed is pretty simple. Sonic and Eggman are battling it out when Eggman sets off an explosion that knocks Sonic to a world that has been torn apart. It’s all Eggman’s fault that Sonic has these two ‘personalities’ and the world is literally ripped apart. Sonic sets out in search of answers and for help. He visits town folk and to gather the lost chaos emeralds to set everything right again.

First Sonic Unleashed is really two games in one. During the day you have regular fast Sonic but at night you have Sonic the werewolf. At night you fight creatures and are much slower. It must be all the extra fur slowing Sonic down. During the day it’s the Sonic I know and love as he rushes through streets collecting rings and knocking down obstacles in his way. At night Sonic is slower and the game definitely seems more platform as you roam around searching for the chaos emeralds that will advance you in the game.

The scenery in Sonic Unleashed is much more rich and vibrant that I remember in previous Sonic worlds. The added storytelling and limited role playing elements add to the fun of the game. Learning to control Sonic will take a few minutes since you will have to play through basically two tutorials - one for day time and one for night time. It’s a little tedious but necessary and could be a turnoff for true Sonic fans who just like to run and jump(like me).

Overall, Sonic Unleashed was entertaining and if you can rent it then do so. It’s definitely one to rent and then decide if it’s worth buying.

After having my Nintendo Wii for over a year, I finally bought a rechargeable docking station. Since we now have four Wiimotes, I spent more and bought a four docking station. It’s from React. Each charge is suppose to last about 12 hours playing time. The base is lit up blue and is red when a pack is charging. When it’s done, the base is once again fully blue. It’s a small docking station and won’t take up much room. The blue lights do make it interesting.

I immediately notice how much lighter the Wiimote is with the battery pack in it instead of two AA batteries. Amazing. I was hesitant to spend $50 on this but knew it was something we needed. We are having guests later this week and have four fully charged Wiimotes will be a must. To buy good batteries would be around $10. We play enough of the Wii to get our money’s worth from rechargeable packs.

The battery packs are suppose to be good for thousands of charges and last on average 7 years. The way consoles hit the market, it might outlast the vitality of the Wii.

This is the only four rechargeable dock I’ve seen locally and thought that it would save us money. Time will tell if we made the right buying choice but for now we are very pleased with the Reacto charging dock.

Samba de Amigo was one of my favorite games to the Sega Dreamcast. I was so excited when it was made for the Nintendo Wii and have enjoyed playing it. I do find the controls to be a little hard to control and frantic. Thinking that my game experience could be improved with a set of maraca controllers, I finally bought a pair last weekend.

You place the Wiimote and Nunchuk into the maracas. When you shake the maracas, they rattle like maracas. They are a fun accessory especially if you really like Samba de Amigo. Have they improved my game? Possibly.

I still have some problems hitting those bottom colors but I think that might be more of my technique than anything else. Having the maracas does feel more authentic and therefore does add some fun to game play.

So if you enjoy Samba de Amigo, you may really enjoy having a set of maracas.

Cooking Mama is one of those games that seems tailor made for the Nintendo Wii. Your Wiimote is transformed into one of many cooking utensils from knives to spatulas to bowls. While Cooking Mama is a good choice for the Nintendo Wii, does it deliver a fun and wonderful game experience?

For me, the answer is no. I enjoyed Cooking Mama for the DS much better as it is way easier to control it. With the Wiimote, it is harder to carry out the tasks in the game.

The premise of the game is to make a recipe from Mama’s cookbook. You’ll do various tasks during the cooking process from peeling the vegetables to stirring the food to serving it on dishes. What was most frustrating is that these tasks were not easily carried out with the Wiimote. Maybe I was at an awkward position to the sensor bar but it just seemed like it registered my movements slowly - if at all.

If you don’t complete a task, Mama will fix it so that you can move on. Some tasks you might even do better than Mama. That’s always comforting and makes me feel that I might actually get the hang of this game one day.

There are special Wiimote kitchen tools you can buy. I’m not sure if having a spatula and other Wiimotes will improve game play. For right now, though, I think I will stick to the DS version as the controls are really solid on it. There will be another Cooking Mama title released for the Wii in the near future that hopefully will have better controls. This is a fun franchise and definitely worth a second look.

One game that was made for the Nintendo Wii long before it was ever created was the Samba de Amigo for the Sega Dreamcast. It’s games like this one that make me sad that the Dreamcast did not take off in popularity as well as some other console systems. This classic rhythm game challenged players to shake their maracas in the direction of falling balls. The Wii version of Samba de Amgio continues to offer the classic game play and throws in a few twists of its own to deliver a fun game that makes good use of the Wiimote and Nunchuk.

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Wario is back in a new adventure for the Nintendo Wii. For those expecting something similar to Smooth Moves, then prepare to be surprised. In this game rounds last longer than a few seconds as Wario sets out to save Queen Merelda - or more appropriately the Queen’s never-ending sack of coins.

Wario agrees to rescue Queen Merelda who has been captured by the Shake King. He only agrees after he learns about a magic bag that has endless coins in it that has also been stolen. Now Wario must travel through several different stages collecting coins and freeing Merfles- denizens of the Shake Kingdom.

This side-scrolling action/adventure is a far cry from Smooth Moves with its manic 3 second mini-games. You will hold the Wiimote sideways to play this game, using the control pad to move Wario through the various scenes. You use the Wiimote to shake coins out of bags along the way as well as stomp the ground and pull off other maneuvers that are covered in the first level tutorial. Once you’ve gone through a level and freed the Merfle, it’s time to race back to the start before you are detected by the Shake King’s minions.

Wario Land Shake It with it’s cell shaded graphics and whimsical music makes for fun game play. It’s rated E for Everyone and is for just one player. While the game is fun, it would be better if more players could join in. Every game for the Wii should be multi-player. Still Wario Land Shake It is a lot of fun for one player and is entertaining to watch as well.

When Boom Blox for first announced, I have to admit I was excited. Anything that Steven Spielberg comes up with is usually entertaining. But after learning that it was a puzzle game, all anticipation for it left and wrote it off as just another puzzle game. For this, I owe Steven Spielberg an apology for writing off this oh so fun game before I even played it.

After reading rave reviews about Boom Blox, I figured I had to give it a try. After all, it was just a puzzle game. How can it score so high for a genre that really hasn’t seen anything new in a long time? So, I rented it and am now hooked.

The basic idea of this game is to blow things up. You do this by throwing baseballs(even bowling balls!) to targets. Some levels have bombs on them to help you out while others have unstable liquids that when they touch go boom. You do this to regain stolen gems. The fewer throws it takes you to recover all gems on a level, the better your score will be.

There are also different modes of play. You can play through the story line or you can play through the challenges. You can also build your own levels with items you unlock along the way.

Boom Blox is definitely just not another puzzle game as it’s pretty eye catching and has fun game play. Different modes of play and even a free style level creator makes for many fun hours in front of the Wii.

Lessons learned for me is to never judge a game solely based on genre as Boom Blox delivers a very fun adventure puzzle game.

I have to admit that when I first heard about Mario Super Sluggers, I couldn’t be less excited. Great. Another.baseball.game. How exciting is that? Don’t get me wrong as I do love the game but come on. There are plenty of baseball games out there. Can Mario really bring anything new to America’s pastime?

In a word - yes. This game is much more than baseball as there are several modes of play. One mode you have to gather your team by completing baseball-related tasks. It’s a good way to learn more about how to play the game and goes further in-depth than a tutorial. There is a mini-game mode and the regular game mode where you choose your stadium and team. Play against the CPU or challenge friends. Each player has special abilities that can be very useful in the game. It might help them get on base easier after a short hit or climb the fence to snatch away the winning homerun from the other team. So get to know your players’ skills and how they can work the best for the game.

Each field has it’s own theme. Mario’s field is the only one that is plain - that is devoid of any extras on the field. Use the Wiimote and Nunchuk to pitch and swing the bat. The Nunchuk can be used to adjust where you throw the ball or swing the bat. It’s pretty easy to catch on to using it for this purpose.

So while I had written this game off a yet another baseball game, Mario Super Sluggers does have that Mario flair to it - which means fun mini-games, colorful characters, and fun game play.

Do you love trivia? Well then TV Show King will be one WiiWare game to check out. Up to four people can play in this trivia game done as a TV show.

Your Mii will represent your during the game. After each round of trivia you have a chance to increase your earnings if you are willing to spin the wheel. You would double your money or lose it all. Trivia questions range in subject and scope. The faster you answer correctly, the more points you score. The final round consists of the final two contestants who will duke it our to see who will become the TV show king.

TV Show King makes for a fun party game to play with friends. The game show story keeps it moving and lively. As far as game play, it is a cross between Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Even the lowest scoring contestant can make a triumphant comeback with one good spin of the wheel and the right wager. This dynamic can keep one trivia buff player from running away with the game early on and keep all players vying to become the king.

While it’s a lot of fun with friends, the one player game lacks the excitement. You’re playing against other Miis, so there’s really nothing at stake - no bragging rights or demands for rematches.

The WiiWare game costs 1000 Wii points and carries a PEGI(Pan European Game Information) rating of 3+. You will use the Wiimote to play TV Show King, so charge those batteries, invite some friends over, and prepare to have some fun.

TV Show King is available for the Nintendo Wii through the Wii Shop. This WiiWare title casts you as a contestant on a game show. It’s trivia meets Wheel of Fortune.

You can choose how many trivia rounds you would like to play. Each round consists of so many questions that are worth points. The faster your answer, the higher the point value. There are also bonus questions in the round that are worth more points if answered correctly.

After each round, contestants will have the option to spinning the wheel that could earn them more money or lose it all. It’s a risky proposition but with the right spin could put you in the lead.

Up to four people can playing using their own Wiimote. You point and click to select your answer. Each question has four possible answers. Some rounds you might have to use the Wiimote to scratch off to reveal the answers or some will have you using the Wiimote as a flashlight to reveal each answer. Once you’ve locked in your choice, you can change your answer as long as there is time left on the clock.

Once the final round and final spin are over, the top two players square off in a trivia match. The first player to answer five questions correctly wins have the other player’s money.

Aside from the main game that is the tv show, players can play a lightning round that lasts until they answer a trivia question incorrectly.

TV Show King is a fun game especially for those who love trivia games. The game delivers some fun TV show game experiences with a host whose smile is as wide as the set and his lovely sidekick who reveals the game leaders after each round.

TV Show King is rated E and costs 1000 Wii Points.

Harness the power of the wind in this innovative platform adventure game released through WiiWare. You play the game as a young boy named Toku who is recruited to help to release the curse placed on Mistralis by evil Balasar. You use Enril’s elemental powers as you travel through the game.

Lostwinds is a platform game that embraces the functions of the Wiimote and Nunchuk controller. You will use the wind jump, glide, move objects, etc. First you have to guide the wind with the Wiimote, drawing the direction on screen you want it to go. Then you use the Nunchuck to move Toku. It’s a bit of a learning curve but shouldn’t take too long to get the hang of it. The first level of the game is basically a tutorial, so you have ample opportunity to get these skills down pat.

What is most impressive about Lostwinds is that it is only 1000 Wii points. Lostwinds has stunning game with beautiful graphics, soothing music, and fun game play.

Mario Kart for the Wii brings all the fun of this classic Mario and friends game to the next gen console. There are old favorites, new ones, and a few Wii twists sprinkled in here and there.

There are new tracks as well as ones from Mario Kart games of the past. Some characters have returned but others haven’t. They have been replaced with new faces like Rosalina, from Super Mario Galaxy. Also you can unlock the Mii character that puts your Mii in the driver’s seat.

You can either race in karts or bikes. Both have more powerful, un-lockable upgrades throughout the game.

There will be some familiar tracks in the game from Mario Kart past like Delfino Square from the DS version, but there are also new ones to explore. The eight racing cups remain the same as in past Mario Karts and feature four tracks each. Finish first and get a good grade to unlock characters, karts, and bikes.

This is a must have for fans of Mario Kart and who doesn’t love that game? Mario Kart comes with one wheel. Additional wheels can be purchased separately for around $10. Playing with the Wii Wheel does take getting used to and is easier with certain well-rounded characters like Mario and Peach.

Mario Kart is hours of fun at our house. For us, all is fair in love and racing. What happens on the race circuit, stays on the race circuit. II never try to take it personally when my husband throws a fatal tortoise shell that costs me the victory or bumps me off the track into oblivion. I just think of the words of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt would say, “That’s racing.”

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast is one of those titles that shows that Nintendo really knows how to make a fun racing game. We all knew Mario Kart was great but now Nintendo has another shining jewel in their racing series.

Up to four people can race using both the Nunchuk and Wiimote controllers. You move the controller to bang on the drum that builds up your speed. The Nuchuk is held in the left hand and the Wiimote in the right. Once you are at top speed, you do not need to keep alternating hitting the drums. If you need to move to a side of the track, then move the appropriate controller. There are plenty of tutorials in the game that help you become accustomed to movement and other game play.

You can play either an individual race or race for in a cup event that includes several races. By coming in first, you open up more events as well as more characters. Once you have won a few cups in rookie mode, pro mode will then become unlocked. More characters will also be unlocked as you race through more of the game. Each race you will receive a grade. To unlock some items in the game you must score a good grade.

You will have a chance to pick up objects on each track to use to either help yourself or hinder your nearest opponent. My favorite would have to be the huge barrel. Just where do the racers keep it until they need it?

The tracks are interesting and entertaining. Plus the background music is very nice to listen to. Very enjoyable game for one or more players that makes good use of the Wii controllers. Donkey Kong Barrel Blast was a blast to play and loads of fun.

Being a huge Mario and Sonic fan, I couldn’t wait to play Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. I finally got my chance to play when the game was available for rent at the local Blockbuster. I couldn’t wait to get home and give it a shot.

My first impression of the game is ‘boy that is hard.’ It seems to be a steep learning curve to use the controls properly in what are basically a set of mini-games with an Olympic twist. It was disheartening because on some games it took longer to read the instructions than to play it.

Still it was fun to compete in Olympic games like swimming, shooting, and track. Even though my first experience playing it wasn’t that great, I hope to give it another shot in the future. Maybe the price will drop in a few months, and I’ll pick it up then.

If there ever was a franchise game that was made for the Wii, Mario Party would have to be it. This party game veteran title is a perfect choice for the Wii because of the mini-games and multi-player mode. Plus it’s Mario. ‘Nuff said.

Mario Party 8 continues to do this title proud with fun games that make great use of the Wiimote. It’s also a great title to bring out when your friends come over. Gamers and non-gamers can enjoy this one.

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