2008 Wii holiday guide part 2

November 18, 5:04 PMLA Video Game ExaminerKenneth Wesley

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Top Five Wii Games

1.Super Mario Galaxy - Quite possibly, the best Mario game ever made. It takes the groundbreaking 3D game play of Super Mario 64 and puts it in the focused design of Super Mario Bros. 3 and adds some impressive variety, incredible music, and some of the best controls on the Wii to give gamers one of the most remarkable experiences on any console.  BONUS HOLIDAY GIFT!: Super Mario Galaxy Plush Dolls-Clicking on the link will take you to Play Asia.com, a big website dedicated to gamers and any Mario fan would love a plush doll of the ubiquitous plumber in a variety of the transformations from the game.

2.Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - While it doesn't come close to matching Ocarina, Wind Waker or Majora's Mask in terms of emotional depth, Twilight Princess does have a stellar control scheme (especially compared to the GC version) and is one of the biggest quests for Link that never gets tedious.

 
3.Metroid Prime 3 - Again the controls are the main star as Samus proves that first person shooters can be done really well on the Wii. And it shows that the Metroid series sets the standard at creating worlds that just seem to expand and hide secrets.

4.Boom Blox - With a deep level editor and a simple control scheme, EA & Steven Spielberg have created an addictive masterpiece around a simple concept of throwing ball at blocks, with enough content and challenge to keep players busy for months.

 
5.Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Online? Yeah, its quite lacking. But it proves that this game is meant to be played in the company of other fanbo...I mean, fans. There's so much content packed around a simple game play concept, the new characters (Sonic and Snake especially), new stages, level creator, an awesome soundtrack and deeper single-player modes keeps it a step ahead of the GC classic.

Top Wii Games of 2008

1.No More Heroes - Bloody, funny, crude, shocking - terms rarely used to describe a game on a Nintendo system, but No More Heroes delivers the goods with great action, incredible music and a script that has the nerve to never take itself, or video games for that matter, too seriously. Considering the outcry for the supposed lack of third party games, the fact that this game exists and executes so effortlessly makes its one of the top games for the Wii in 2008. BONUS HOLIDAY GIFT!: No More Heroes Original Soundtrack-A three disc collection of the diverse and thumping music that gives this bizarre game some extra life.

2.Super Smash Bros. Brawl - The giant sales numbers in March aren't deceiving: the action and game play is too addictive to put down. Consider this the ultimate love letter/fan service/nostalgia game for all Nintendo fans.

3.Okami - The Zelda influence is hard to deny in its design. But it terms of characters, presentation, and game play, it outpaces Zelda in some regards. The stellar art style never fails to impress and the game play is never repetitive and always gives you so much to discover.

4.Boom Blox - In addition to its great level editor, Boom Blox also contains one of the most addictive multiplayer modes found on the Wii. A perfect game to anyone who enjoys fun.

5.Blast Works: Build Trade & Destroy - The 2D Shmups have been a rarity in today's market and this one isn't awesome because it exists. It's awesome because it adds Katamari-like game play and the chance to create your own shooter. A good shot of freshness for a near-dead genre. 

6.de Blob - A solid platformer based around making cities more colorful, it has enough depth and charm to last for ages.

7.Bully - Not the GTA for kids that Jack Thompson made it out to be, this 3D school adventure has the trademark Rockstar humor and variety that made Liberty City such a happy playground for adults. It also packs an awesome story and excellent controls. 

8.Mario Sluggers Baseball - It takes the intuitive pitching and swinging mechanics of Wii Sports baseball and puts it through the Mario aesthetic. The result is a fun, arcade-like baseball game that is instantly enjoyable and satisfying. 

9.Wii Fit - Exercise has never been more intriguing thanks to the Balance Board and the multitude of challenges and games packed into this bundle. Not really a game, but it’s not boring at all. 

10.Mario Kart Wii - Compared to its past efforts, this is one of the weakest editions of Mario Kart. The rubber band AI is back, the depth & balance of Double Dash and Mario Kart DS is gone and this is one of Nintendo's most blandest efforts. But even a bland Mario Kart is still excellent compared to other Kart games and this version finally brings Mario Kart online on the consoles. 

 Best online games*

1.World of Goo - Unbelievable design, great controls and stellar attention to physics and style makes this one of the best and most original games on the Wii, online or off.

2.Lost Winds - The very first instant classic for WiiWare, this 2D platformer uses the Wii Remote to great effect in a game that shows that some of the best games doesn't need giant budgets, graphics, or marketing. They need heart and Lost Winds is full of heart.

3.Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People - This episodic game brings the trademark brand of humor from the Homestar Runner website and wraps around one of the simplest games on the WiiWare.

4.Mega Man 9 - A seemingly lost relic from the late 80s, this game is decidedly old-school with killer level design and an even more killer difficulty. The selling ticket is the retro look, sound and feel. 

5.Art Style: Cubello - The Art Style series was a collection of simplistic, yet addicting puzzlers with a charming art design. Choosing one isn't easy, but I’m going to give the nod to Cubello over Rotohex and Orbient (both are excellent) due to it being made for the Wii and the simple shooter-like mechanic.

 *Only WiiWare games were considered because trying to list Virtual Console games would be to exhausting because there's way, way too many classic games available. 

 Best Wii games that shouldn't be ignored (these are games that are actually really good, but in some ways, got ignored at retail).

1.Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure-One of the most inventive and clever puzzle games ever made and it makes great use of the Wii Remote so far. Don't let the graphics fool you - this is an incredible brain buster from beginning to end.

2. Wii Music-It may not be made like other games, but it doesn't stop it from being satisfying and utterly charming. And it helps that you can make to music you want to make with some simple remote waggling.

 
3.Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam-Like most launch games, it's was mainly sold around a novel use of the new hardware, namely the tilt controls in the remote and then it was ignored. Unlike most launch games, it had the deep level design, simple control scheme and great game play that’s found in games with bigger Tony Hawk titles.

4.Geometry Wars: Galaxies-One of the most addictive 2D shooters ever created found a temporary home on the Wii with numerous stages, AI helpers and the intense shooting originally discovered on 360. Great for short gaming burst or long marathons. 

5.Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn-Fire Emblem has been the game Nintendo doesn't want people to know about. Maybe it's the hardcore game play or the complex stories, but this series is one of the deepest and best strategy RPGs around. The Wii version doesn't let up and adds prettier graphics this time around.

Best games for the holidays

Animal Crossing: City Folk-Publisher: Nintendo, Developer: Nintendo, Release Date: Out now - A hardcore game with no hardcore game design, this Wii addition brings new bells and whistles for your house and town and best of all, voice chat!

Mushroom Men: Spore Wars-Publisher: Gamecock Media Group Developer: Red Fly, Release Date: 12/02/08-A very promising platformer with nice motion controls for combat and a highly imaginative (and new) setting. 

Sonic Unleashed-Publisher: Sega,Developer: Sonic Team, Release Date: 11/19/0-From the look of many previews, Sonic may be a better fit on the on the Wii than the other 'more powerful' consoles with a stable framerate, fluid controls, and awesome visuals.

Rock Band 2-Publisher: EA/MTV Games,Developer: Harmonix/Pi Studios-The other ultimate music party game finally shows up to the Wii and it doesn’t appear to be gimped like Rock Band 1 was earlier this year as it comes with DLC, a feature sorely lacking in the first edition.

 
Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip-Publisher: Ubisoft, Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Release Date: Out now - Now here's a refreshing thought: porting a multiplatform game and designing it to the strengths of the system. Shaun White Snowboarding isn’t a stripped down port of a 360 and PS3 game with tacked on motion controls. This comes with Balance Board support and remote, classic and nunchuck/remote combo support.

Call of Duty: World at War, Publisher: Activision Developer: Treyarch Release Date: Out now - For some reason, third-party developers have yet to come up with a FPS that can hang with a PS3 or Xbox 360 title, even though the Wii has proven it offers great controls. This version... Won’t be as visually attractive and have all the online goodies as the 360/PS3 version, but it does bring the incredible online ranking system from COD4, giving the Wii an actual marquee online shooter.

 
Skate It, Publisher: EA Developer: EA Montreal Release Date: 11/19/08 - The skateboarding series that put the Tony Hawk franchise on ice comes to the Wii with multiple control options and all are awesome.

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009-Pub.: THQ Dev.: Yukes Release Date: Out now-Talk about a yearly update that works, this venerable yearly franchise has finally turned into to the top-level contender it was in the last generation of consoles with fast action, an improved story mode, downloadable rosters, and online gameplay for the Wii. 

Go back to Part 1