Topic: WiiWare's Second Anniversary Feature

[NWR_Neal]

Nintendo dove into the world of original downloadable games on May 12, 2008 as they launched the WiiWare service to complement their Virtual Console service for classic games.
It's been a pretty wild ride, and some very notable games have come out for the rapidly evolving downloadable service. Hang out with us for the next few days as we go over our favorite WiiWare games.

Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Is this where we say World of Goo "wasn't that great" and start a big fight?

[KDR_11k]

I was bored by Defend Your Castle very quickly.

[TJ Spyke]

I liked Defend Your Castle, it was pretty fun and more than worth $5.

I do agree that World of Goo is good, but also over-rated.

[NWR_pap64]

Is this where we say World of Goo "wasn't that great" and start a big fight?

It wouldn't be a games retrospective without it!

[broodwars]

Is this where we say World of Goo "wasn't that great" and start a big fight?

Considering it doesn't look like it's even in the feature yet, no.

[Shaymin]

Strong Bad made the feature day 1. Coach Z approves.

[LittleIrves]

Wondering....   will You, Me, and the Cubes get a mention? 
Me hopes so.

[NWR_Neal]

Day Two is up! (Hint: World of Goo is in it)

[TJ Spyke]

Is the Strong Bad referring to the first game, or are you lumping all five games into one entry?

[NWR_pap64]

Is the Strong Bad referring to the first game, or are you lumping all five games into one entry?

Note what I wrote...

"The storylines are winners thanks to both their hilarity factor as well as playability. In other words, you can play the episodes in any order without feeling lost; creating a gameplay experience that is fun, funny, and very accessible."

I decided to put all of the episodes together. While the storylines are different the gameplay is largely the same and they are considered to be part of the same game.

[NWR_Neal]

Day Three is up!

[Louieturkey]

I didn't know Crystal Defenders was so expensive.  1600 points for the whole game whereas on the PS3, it's $10 for the whole game. SE certainly likes to gouge their Nintendo fans for all they are worth.

[ejamer]

It's great to see some love shown to "less popular" WiiWare titles in this feature.  Games like Mobashi, LIT, and Bonsai Barber were all largely overlooked - and while they might have some flaws they are still gems worth exploring.


Also, the description of Let's Catch has definitely piqued my interest...

[TJ Spyke]

I didn't know Crystal Defenders was so expensive.  1600 points for the whole game whereas on the PS3, it's $10 for the whole game. SE certainly likes to gouge their Nintendo fans for all they are worth.

WiiWare publishers may request pricepoints, but Nintendo has the final decision on what each WiiWare game costs.

[KDR_11k]

I don't believe they really had to break it into two games though.

[Stratos]

Nintendo's funky shop policy also barred them from offering a 'bundle' that included both games for a discount like on the other systems.

Though Activision has sure found a way to get around it with Guitar Hero song packs.

I'm liking it so far. Between my sister and I we own almost all of the games mentioned so far. How many days will there be total? And will there be an 'honorable mentions' section to plug other games worth checking out or will all of the noteworthy games get a spot?

[NWR_Neal]

It's going to run for five days (taking a weekend hiatus. it'll resume on Monday and finish up on Tuesday). The criteria for this was "if a member of the site wrote about it, it went in."

If anyone feels passionately about a game that was missed, I'm open to having user submissions a la the DSiWare feature.

[Stratos]

That would be cool to have a 'forum member top picks' portion where we get to shout out any that were missed.

[NWR_Neal]

That would be cool to have a 'forum member top picks' portion where we get to shout out any that were missed.

I'm down for that. At the conclusion of this feature (or now, since it's going chronologically more or less), just hit up this forum and be like "You jerks missed Pong Toss: Frat Party Games. How could you?!? Pong Toss Pro is coming out soon, too!"

[broodwars]

It's going to run for five days (taking a weekend hiatus. it'll resume on Monday and finish up on Tuesday). The criteria for this was "if a member of the site wrote about it, it went in."

If anyone feels passionately about a game that was missed, I'm open to having user submissions a la the DSiWare feature.

Umm...didn't you guys already ask for user submissions for this feature here?   

[NWR_Neal]

That was for a list of possible ones to write up. We might have picked up games that we're mentioned there to check them out, but they might not have been written up by staff members.

[NWR_insanolord]

Needs more Chew Man Fu.

[NWR_Neal]

Needs more Chew Man Fu.

That's a VC game, dude. But a totally awesome one.

[Mop it up]

I never got into WiiWare until over a year later after it launched. There wasn't anything I had interest in, at least, not over retail games. The only reason I tried out some of the games is because I got a few thousand Wii Points for cheap through a Pepsi promotion last summer.

The concept is the only interesting part about LostWinds, the game itself is plain, empty, and boring.
It's a little disappointing that Dr. Mario Online RX doesn't take a page from the Nintendo 64 version and offer four player matches, but the co-op of Virus Buster is a neat new mode that my sister and I enjoy.
Mega Man 9 was a letdown. I'm surprised the level design was mentioned as one of its good points, the game has some of the most terrible designs I've ever seen. Mega Man 10 is much better in this aspect. The music is okay, not as good as the original series, but I've come to appreciate it more after listening to some remixes. A couple weapons have some interesting uses, such as the cement shot being used as stepping stones and the hornet weapon can collect items, though both are weak as actual attack weapons.
I played the demo of Bit.Trip.Beat. I can see the appeal to retro game fans, but I'm not one, so the game bored me.
No comment on World of Goo.

[ThePerm]

hehe, it feels like yesterday you posted the one year anniversary

[NWR_insanolord]

Needs more Chew Man Fu.

That's a VC game, dude. But a totally awesome one.

I know it's a VC game. "Needs more Chew Man Fu" is a general criticism that can be applied to any situation, since you can never have enough. Also, we've gotten so many retro-style remake/sequels, it's about time we got a new Chew Man Fu on WiiWare and DSiWare, and a gritty, brown, HD re-imagining of it on the 360.

[NWR_Neal]

Needs more Chew Man Fu.

That's a VC game, dude. But a totally awesome one.

I know it's a VC game. "Needs more Chew Man Fu" is a general criticism that can be applied to any situation, since you can never have enough. Also, we've gotten so many retro-style remake/sequels, it's about time we got a new Chew Man Fu on WiiWare and DSiWare, and a gritty, brown, HD re-imagining of it on the 360.

I think I'm going to start using that in my everyday speech.

[Stratos]

The News Cast needs more Chew Man Fu.

[NWR_Neal]

The News Cast needs more Chew Man Fu.

I'll see what I can do this week...

[NWR_Neal]

I'm back from Redmond and Day Four is up!

[NWR_Neal]

Day Five is up!

[Mop it up]

Who cares if it is relevant? Chew Man Fu is simply fun to say.

Anyways, ExciteBike World Rally is my most-played WiiWare game. It has some nice new features like being able to share tracks, though the core game could have used some more improvement and content. It's a shame that few other people here on NWR were into the game.

Mega Man 10 is definitely better than Mega Man 9, but it still lacks the overall greatness of the NES series. The robots are unsurpassed in ridiculousness, finally besting Mega Man 4. Pump Man still cracks me up. I noticed there was no mention of the music or weapons, probably because both are some of the worst the series has seen.

[TJ Spyke]

Just a minor quibble, but it's ReBirth (not Rebirth). I won't mention the other minor ones. Other than that, nice feature.

It would be interesting to see what the staff thinks are some of the worst WiiWare/DSiWare too.

[Stratos]

It would be interesting to see what the staff thinks are some of the worst WiiWare/DSiWare too.

The problem is that I'll bet few of the worst have actually been d/l'd by staff.

I get the feeling something is missing but I can't pick out what it is...

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

If you're allowing for reader submissions like with the DSiWare feature, I've got a couple of things in mind. The feature was very well put together though, and it's great that more members of the staff could contribute.

[KDR_11k]

Considering the number of questionable games that made it in how come none of you suggested Toki Tori?

[NWR_Neal]

Considering the number of questionable games that made it in how come none of you suggested Toki Tori?

Toki Tori was a game that just dangled there, waiting for someone to write about it, but no one ever did. I've heard nothing but good things, but I don't think anyone who was involved in this feature played it.

[Stratos]

Considering the number of questionable games that made it in how come none of you suggested Toki Tori?

That's it! I love Toki Tori. From its charming characters and atmosphere to it's devilishly challenging puzzles, it is a blast to play. It drips of classic shareware/freeware DOS games in the style and gameplay.

I've yet to beat the later levels because of how hard they are. But it feels so good when you finally solve a puzzle.

[vudu]

Mega Man 10 is definitely better than Mega Man 9

I couldn't disagree more.

[Pale]

Just a minor quibble, but it's ReBirth (not Rebirth). I won't mention the other minor ones. Other than that, nice feature.

It would be interesting to see what the staff thinks are some of the worst WiiWare/DSiWare too.

Is that a gameboy game?

[broodwars]

What, no love for Phoenix Wright when we have stuff like Pokemon frickin' Rumble up there, especially when one of you (and you know who you are) uses a Phoenix Wright character as your avatar?  For shame!  :

[vudu]

especially when one of you (and you know who you are) uses a Phoenix Wright character as your avatar?  For shame!  :

Me?  I ain't got no say in this.

[Stratos]

Yes, the Phoenix Wright games need to be included too.

[Mop it up]

I forgot about Toki Tori too! It's a pretty good puzzle game, it's like a side-scrolling Adventures of Lolo. I didn't finish it though, I can't remember if it is because I couldn't figure out a level or because I got distracted by another game.

I disagree that Phoenix Wright should have been included. They aren't technically WiiWare games. I see this feature as spotlighting the more original stuff on the service.

[Stratos]

But, but...pointing the Wiimote at the screen to object is awesome! I even shout objection sometimes.