RSS
Home
Q3 2009 gaming report – Wii and DS
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
SquareEnix
A great multi-platform release in Q3 really helped the PS3 and Xbox 360 in Q3 but what about the Big N? How did Nintendo fare in the ramp-up to the holiday season on both the DS and Wii? The short answer is not too bad and while there are very casual, Wii-ish titles the hardcore gamers of old also have been serviced fairly well. What games for Wii and DS owner pay attention to, lets take a look …
Nintendo Wii – Even with limited graphical power when compared to the next-gen systems the Wii is actually doing quite well. EA seems to be a company that really gets it with unique offerings of known franchises. Wii offers up a bit of everything in Q3.
- Dead Space Extraction – The first of those EA titles. Not a port but a fully unique story and gameplay elements for what should be a great horror franchise for years to come. The source material seen in the comics hints at this.
- MySims Agents – Cute and fun, an interesting twist on the Sims franchise that is ever expanding on Wii, a life of it’s own one would say.
- Spyborgs – Fun gameplay and a game that feels like an old-school 3D gaming adventure. A decent rental.
- Muramasa: The Demon Blade – While not a refined as Odin’s Sphere on PS3, this title is beautiful to look at and fun to play but it just misses on being on same level as Okami on Wii.
- Metroid Prime Trilogy – Not a new game but a great collection for gamers who may have missed on the GameCube entries.
- Spectrobes: Origins – It was never going to compete with Pokémon, and really it was not supposed to but what Spectrobes has done is re-create itself on the Wii with unique gameplay and monster finding/raising. At this point better than any Pokémon on Wii.
- Phantom Brave: We Meet Again – A port, remake, whatever gamers choose to call it, it’s a link back to traditional Japanese role-playing games. A truly unique, good gaming experience for a weak genre on the Wii.
- Daisy Fuentes Pilates – Unlike EA Active or most any other fitness game this one is targeted only at Pilates and is not so much a game as a way to get in shape. One of the better fitness game entries due to it’s picking a category and nailing it.
- Wii Sports Resort – Best for last? Possibly as this new offering expands on the simple, motion controlled offerings which made the Wii so addictive. If you bought a Wii for bowling, boxing, tennis, golf then stop reading and go buy Resort.
Nintendo DS – Another three months, another bundle of games, mostly sub-par, some outstanding. Here are the outstanding … and Bleach.
- Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days – More Kingdom Hearts is always a great thing and learning more about Organization 13 and Roxas is more than reason enough for any fan to make the purchase. For those new to the franchise there is a nice recap of prior games and it’s worth the learning as this is some refined gameplay, it’s really good.
- Scribblenauts – A simple game with simple, vibrant looks and gameplay that sucks a gamer in. There are going to be a slew of puzzle games that try to imitate Scribblenauts.
- Bleach: The 3rd Phantom – Yes, said above ‘and Bleach’ because not all gamers will dig the story and characters (fans will, no doubt) but for strategy role-playing gamers it’s a nice change of pace from the, mainly, SquareEnix offerings.
- Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box – First game rocked, second offers more addictive puzzle solving and mystery. Like the second chapter of a great novel series.
Dis-Honorable Mention – Oh Naruto, your Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 just left fans flat. A great license and with tons of titles out in Japan it’s easy to make the ports, but with Ninja Council offering solid, old-school gameplay why bother with what is a stiff, broken fighter?
Overall Grades – B+ for the Wii with a great offering of varied titles. The collection for Metroid is solid and it would be great to see Link and Mario follow with collections. DS does offer some great puzzle titles and unique apps but a B- is the best grade to offer at this point. Next up a look at the PSP and PC and sad, final, demise of PS2 (seems I say this every quarter).
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
