Hands-On | Nintendo Wii Games Preview
Wii Delights
Continued…
I moved onto Kirby’s Epic Yarn: possibly the most fun I had the whole time I was there. With only two rather simple levels on offer, it didn’t take long to complete the demo but from what I saw of it, I really want to play the full game. Again, using the Wii remote sideways, the controls are ridiculously simple to pick up. While Kirby can now no longer swallow his foes, he can whip them with a piece of yarn as well as fling them back at other foes. Along the way, Kirby can also grab onto various things and propel himself across obstacles. It’s a simple affair but it’s fun. Lots of fun. The graphical style is charming. Using a knitted design throughout, it’s hard not to smile at the innocence of the game. A two player co-op mode is also available which looks like it could be excellent fun.
Reliving my youth followed with a game of NBA Jam and a hefty dose of Goldeneye multiplayer. In both cases it feels a little like time has stood still. Whether this is a bad thing or not depends on how much you loved them both the first time round. NBA Jam uses the Wii remote and nunchuk combination with controls being simple yet satisfying. A flick of the Wii remote enables players to dunk which feels that teensy bit more satisfying than just tapping a button. It doesn’t however feel like a game that I’d see any point in playing in solo play. The fun is clearly to be had when playing against friends with some drinks thrown in too.
I’ve got crosshairs for eyes
So we come to Goldeneye. A game that I spent countless hours playing as a young teenager. I’ve got a lot of love for it even if from a critical point of view, I’ll rightfully accept that its acclaim is more due to being the first big console FPS rather than perhaps the best. Nintendo only had Goldeneye’s Multiplayer on offer which was a shame as I was more intrigued by the single player. Multiplayer was as I expected, exactly the same as the N64 classic. It’s fun of course and playing with a classic controller feels as natural as the N64 controller did once upon a time. As someone who still owns a fully working N64 and copy of Goldeneye, I’m not sure yet why I should buy it again. Hopefully it’ll be clearer why it’s worth another purchase in months to come. It’s the single player that really fascinates me.
The other game that intrigued me before this event was Epic Mickey. It’s Warren Spector after all and I loved Deus Ex far too much. Throw in a love for Mickey Mania and this should be my idea of heaven. Unfortunately, while I loved the graphical style and the promise it still holds, I wasn’t blown away. The control system irritated me, reminding me of the many 3D platformer clones that emerged after Super Mario 64. I felt like I had to adjust the camera far too many times to be comfortable. Having said that, its potential is huge. The idea of a morality system of sorts – and actually having to make choices along the way that can change Mickey’s appearance and reputation – is brilliant. Mickey uses a magical paintbrush to make enemies his friends, or he can use paint thinner and destroy them. Televisions can also be used to distract enemies. There are some great ideas here and ones that I look forward to seeing being explored further. I remain to be convinced with the controls though as they just didn’t feel as solid as I’d have liked.
That was it for the Wii side of things. While Just Dance 2 was on display, I didn’t quite have the nerve to show off my dance skills without copious amounts of alcohol. Instead I went over to see just what all the fuss was about with the 3DS.
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