N-Europe's Top 50 Wii Games: #40-#31
Posted 12 Oct 2012 at 18:00 by Dean Jones
Our Top 50 Wii Games countdown continues with the next 10 games on our list. Will you agree with our results or will it be a complete disaster?
Disaster does shooting. Disaster does jumping. Disaster does driving. Disaster does humanitarian rescue. Disaster: Day of Crisis does a lot of things and it doesn’t do them all phenomenally well, but what it does is string together wildly different sections that make sure you’re never bored. With a popcorn disaster flick plot and an arcade-like gameplay style with surprising depth and replay value, Disaster is one hell of a ride.
"Quite possibly one of the most dramatic gaming experiences of all time with its movie like, disaster themed storyline, Disaster : Day of Crisis offers one of the most diverse and innovative styles of gameplay that I can think of." - JamieDaCosta
"It had me on the edge of my seat and had some great use of the Wii remote, please...do yourselves a favour, get this game before it's too late. You will not be disappointed!" - Darren
Following on from the praise of the daytime sections in Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colours finally did what Sonic fans have wanted for a while - a game with just Sonic sections and no extra bloat. Even without the usual extra baggage, Sonic Colours remained a very decent length, with many varied missions and the unique wisp power-ups. Add to that some new writers with an entertaining plot which didn’t shy from insulting the franchise and recent games, you have the best Sonic has been in a while.
"Sonic Colours takes a different approach. It keeps the extra characters well away and it tries a new trick of giving extra playtime by giving you extra content… content that you want - the same content that got you to sign up in the first place." - Captain Falcon
After Kirby’s Epic Yarn took Kirby in a new direction, Nintendo went back to the Kirby game that was announced for the GameCube way back in 2005. With the much-loved classic Kirby gameplay and added chaotic 4-player co-op, it gave us a second great dumping of Kirby after we were left hungry from the GameCube.
“It brought in the optional companions, offered 4-player simultaneous drop in/drop out, and was beautifully vibrant with good sound and in places nice challenge” - Rummy
“Now, this game is quite cool single player wise, but holy s*** is the multiplayer fun.” - killer kirby
Super Paper Mario is a game cursed to have an unfair reception due to its mixed lineage. People expecting a classic Paper Mario will not get a “pure” RPG experience and people expecting classic Super Mario won’t get that tight platforming. Yet, Super Paper Mario offers hilarious dialog and characters, beautiful, inventive levels and a very original system where you switch the view from 2D to 3D that makes for quite the clever puzzles and platforming. The key to enjoying Super Paper Mario might be to realize that it’s a spin off, not a sequel and there’s a lot to enjoy here.
“This game is a masterpiece and could've been the best in the series if it wasn't for the battle system. Different dimensions ensured lots of artstyles, Bowser, Peach, Luigi and Mario coming together, and the story was as intriguing as it was witty." - Fused King
A sadly overlooked game that perfectly marries tight jumps with puzzles that make use of the enemies and environment, Wario Land is a platformer that highly rewards those who learn the levels and the game to squeeze the most out of it. The gorgeous graphics also help, especially due to the fact that every frame of animation is hand drawn instead of using the now common skeletal animations. If you haven’t played it yet, it’s a mistake you should fix.
"This game is an absolute gem. It really is. The wonderful 2D sprites were a joy to behold and it was nice to nice a developer not giving up on the 2d platforming genre. The gameplay was frantic as ever when dealing with Wario, as it was one mad dash through the level after the next. The game really kept you on your toes as you tried to work out the best way to get the treasure and then get the hell out of there in time." - Hero-of-Time
If we could look at it in a vacuum, Animal Crossing: Let’s Go to the City is quite the game. Loads to collect, fish, capture, plant, buy, sell and all the other relaxing activities you might expect from Animal Crossing. But therein lies the rub, all it does is not only what we expect from it, but also what we’ve already done at least twice before. Still, with a much improved online mode and a few additions and upgrades, Let’s Go to the City proved itself an addictive, albeit very familiar Animal Crossing.
"My second most played Wii game and I only played it for about six weeks, clocking up 122h! AC is such a basic concept yet it is completely addictive when you get into it. Add the online aspect with the community on here and there were many a good night of fishing and hide and seek had." - Darksnowman
While it was initially a disappointment that the Wii ended up getting a on-rails version of the horror game Dead Space, Visceral and Eurocom created a wonderful experience filled with plenty of scares, action and a great plot set before the first game with interesting characters. The on-rails gameplay also allowed for extra oomph to go into the graphics - Dead Space Extraction looked gorgeous with some amazing lighting.
“It shocked me. So good, so incredibly difficult to put down. Tense, but action packed in the right moments” - Fierce_Link
Guitar Hero is a well behaved music student playing the notes laid out on the tab before him. No deviation is allowed, everything outside of what the teacher wrote cannot exist and is not in fact music. Wii Music is a self taught Jazz musician toying with the notes, experimenting with the instruments and playing with sound to see what he can create. The problem is that he went on stage too soon, his skills weren’t sharp and the instruments weren’t tuned. But the soul is still there and sometimes it’s more fun to play free Jazz with your friends than Simon Says.
“In the words of Nicki Minaj, Ke$ha and any other whore-like celebrity, haters can go [censored] themselves. Wii Music was misunderstood. I've had so much fun on this game, especially back in my old college days having jam sessions with friends.” - Josh64
The only WiiWare title to make our Top 50 and it is well deserved. Made by only two guys, World of Goo shines brightly among the underlooked WiiWare catalog due to its ingenious physics puzzles that make fantastic use of the Wii Remote complemented with an impeccable presentation, beautiful soundtrack and some minimalistic but very witty text. It might not be an exaggeration to say that with World of Goo, 2D Boy might have been one of the driving forces behind the indie gaming explosion we’re seeing right now.
“Showed perfectly that just because it's a downloadable title doesn't mean it can't hang with the big boys. Puts many a retail title to shame.” - Ganepark32
Shoot hundreds of monsters flying around you while a war breaks out in the back, that enemy in the distance fires at you but you dodge, while a soldier on the opposite of the screen fires a rocket at you. You counter it, send it back to him with a kick for a big explosion when suddenly a gigantic ship appears above you, you lock-on to all its weapons, charge and let go a barrage of lasers that brings down the ship.
This isn’t a boss, a mini-boss or even a special event, this is just a regular part of a regular level. Sin & Punishment 2 is Arcade shooting at its finest, chaotic action, a screen filled with endless enemies and a need for fast reflexes and precision that only the Wii Remote allows.
“I'm not usually into hardcore arcade-style shooters, but this one is special. I was really disappointed when the original S&P never made it over to PAL N64s. Its re-release on Virtual Console helped to heal some wounds. Nintendo further impressed me even more with Star Successor. Fast-paced and a huge challenge with chunky and loud graphics.” - SirToastaLot
Tune in next week as we charge through the next ten games in our Top 50.
