Wii Game Video

Sonic and the Secret Rings

2007-03-03T01:38:00.001-08:00

Published by: SEGA

Developed by: SEGA

Genre: Platformer
Number of Players: 1-4
Release Date:
US: February 20, 2007
Japan: March 15, 2007
Europe: March 3, 2007

MSRP: $49.95

Well, it had to happen really. The law of averages suggests quite strongly that, whether by design or through sheer, ill-considered whoopsie-daisy, there'd be a good 3D Sonic game eventually. So, if you're one of the poor unfortunates that endured Sonic the Hedgehog on Xbox 360 - and, if you forked fifty quid out for you, we don't blame your dogged attempts at feeling like less of a plum - rejoice: your salvation is here.
Back-tracking slightly though, here's a quick history of Sonic the Hedgehog in three dimensions. Well, actually, let's just stick to Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast and pretend that none of the other unmitigated polygonal atrocities ever happened. It's no coincidence that Sonic's first high-speed 3D jaunt across tropical blue waters, careening through rock-carved hoops and dodging gigantic blue whales is firmly, joyously lodged in the memory banks of any gamer around at the time. That first level promised so much - a genuinely faithful transition from the sprites of yore into a new technological age, magnificently capturing the fast-paced, blistering excitement of the hedgehog's early MegaDrive appearances.

To this day, it's still a mystery then how Sonic Team managed to convince itself that those tedious fetch-quests hampering the rest of Sonic Adventure should be the bed-rock of all future Sonic games. It happened though - culminating, quite spectacularly, in one of the blandest, downright awful games ever to pop out of SEGA's sphincter. Yes, hello Sonic Xbox 360 and PS3.
Key to the success of Sonic and the Secret Rings is its development team understood what Sonic Adventure got so right all those years back and - cannily - designed an entire game around those singular, basic principles: speed and spectacle. As you're no doubt already aware, Secret Rings eschews the hackneyed, kitchen-sink approach to game design favoured in recent 3D Sonic titles, pairing the action right back to the hedgehog's roots. With the camera, finally, lodged firmly behind Sonic, Secret Rings is almost entirely an on-rails experience. At its simplest, you're given freedom to weave Sonic left and right as he careens along each level's set path, with jump and attack abilities thrown in to navigate obstacles and annihilate enemies.

Control-wise, Secret Rings plays a lot like Excite Truck. Holding the Wii Remote in horizontal position, tilting the controller left and right steers Sonic, while '2' performs a jump and '1' brings him to a screeching halt. In fact, similarities in set-up belie just how much closer to a racer Secret Rings plays, than a traditional platformer. A sensible move really, given that both racing and Sonic are all about speed, assessing and reacting to the route ahead and, obviously, reaching the finish line as fast as possible.
Initially, at least, that's all you're tasked with doing in Secret Rings. Each of the eight unlockable levels (including a boring but reluctantly useful tutorial), starts off with a frantic bout of sightseeing, designed to familiarise you with your surroundings and general layout of the course. Here, your goal is to get to the end as quickly as possible, experimenting with your various abilities in order to shave as many precious seconds off as possible. From there on in, you're constantly asked to return to each level to perform a range of different tasks - some easy, like killing 10 enemies, some hard, like racing against an AI opponent for first place - in order to progress though the game. While this might sound tedious, monotony is averted through some brilliant track design.

Open Season

2007-03-02T04:21:00.001-08:00

Published by: Ubisoft

Developed by: Ubisoft Montreal

Genre: Action Adventure
Number of Players: 1-2
Release Date:
US: November 30, 2006
Europe: December 31, 2006
MSRP: $49.99

For whatever reason, children's movies are starting to take a serious plunge lately. Maybe it's the lack of Disney masterpieces like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, or maybe it has to do with the conversion from traditional to 3D animation. But what if maybe - just maybe - it has to do with the fact that today's cinema-epics are amazingly uninspired, insultingly formulaic, and downright pathetic compared to the classics of old. When A Bug's Life hit theaters, Antz was close to follow. Finding Nemo came next, followed by the putrid "vision" Shark's Tale, and it's happening over and over again. This summer's bout: Over the Hedge and Open Season, two movies that have the same furry design, the same racial stereotypes (the skunk is black, so we'll get a black voice actor! Genius…), and the same uninspired character designs we've seen in year's past. Still, when a licensed movie hits the big screen, an interactive counterpart seems to inevitably follow.
Amazingly enough though, we're starting to see that while the designs are formulaic and based on a license that's nothing short of cookie-cutter, a few of these games manage to deliver some awesome gameplay that hits their demographic right on the head. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown delivered some great play during its release, and while Over the Hedge wasn't quite up to Ice Age's level, it still had some solid gameplay elements as well. With Open Season, Ubisoft Montreal (makers of the Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell franchises) attempted to bring a very straightforward design that mixed a bit of exploration, a hint of mini-games, and very minimal platforming for this very straightforward adventure game. While the overall experience isn't breathtaking in any way, the team did manage to deliver an escapade that's sure to keep young gamers busy, while still throwing in a few hints of more mature gameplay mechanics to usher the little tikes into more complex play styles in the future.
Open Season focuses around the two main characters from the movie, Boog the bear and Eliot the deer as they try to traverse the land of Timberline defeating human hunters and eventually ridding the forest of its unnatural threat. The overall story is nearly a 50/50 mix of scripted story and gameplay, and while the constant stoppage can get extremely annoying for more mature gamers, the combination of storytelling and amazingly linear world design will be great as an introductory adventure.

To keep things fresh, the game constantly adds new quests for players, having them chase down rabbits and huck them into holes, sneak up on unsuspecting hunters to surprise them with a horrendous roar, or tease the shotgun toting rednecks into running into animal traps. Top it off with a ton of off-the-wall mini adventures such as downhill racing, mine cart roller-coasters, and foot races with competing animals and you've got a game that puts an obvious emphasis in variety and simplicity above all else.
That being said, it's also apparent that Open Season is more concerned with variety than it was overall polish, as many of the in-game challenges seem to sit at about 75% on a control basis. The camera is often very wonky, and the world suffers from a ton of overly conservative collisions, giving off the appearance that there's far more open land to traverse than there really is. We can't tell you how many times we tried to walk between a wall and a tree or step up a ledge only to be stopped abruptly in an awkward animation freeze. There's one main path, and if you aren't hiking down the middle of the road, you may just go insane from the amount of invisible walls that line the more complex landscapes.
Even still, the overall experience of the game is still entertaining, and the lighthearted feel is definitely felt. There's no way to fully die in the game, rather you'll become "stunned" after being hit too many times, and must rapidly mash buttons to get up. The amount of on-screen prompts are also very abundant, as players will constantly be receiving instructions (with voice acting, which helps the youngins nicely) and an on-screen controller to help novice gamers get the hang of the next challenge ahead. The gameplay may feel a bit weak compared to the polish of more mature games, but when it comes to simple and entertaining fun, Open Season is validated.
When it comes to the overall presentation, Open Season is very hit and miss depending on what you're looking for, and which platform you're looking to play it on. For starters, the game's menu interface is some of the most basic we've seen, as it's basically a vertical list of all the different choices the game offers. No immense icons or artwork, just a simple selection tree that offers options, gameplay choices, multiplayer mini-games, and a store to purchase in-game upgrades. It's a bit too simple for our liking, and really gives off an initial impression that the game was either rushed or very low-budget.
As for in-game graphical appearance, Open Season is very average, showing the basic design of nearly every licensed product before it. It's obvious that the original game was created for the 360 version and then scaled down for each of the current-gen incarnations, as the 360 pushes a few solid visual effects and lighting that is simply wasted on the less-powerful consoles. In addition, the lower-poly characters don't seem as optimized as they could have been, and while the animation is nearly identical the character models truly look like they received very little specific attention after being downsized. It isn't that Open Season looks bad, it's simply average in nearly every way, and with the exception of the 360 version the game doesn't show off the license as much as it could have. CG movies have an opportunity to go hand-in-hand with their gaming counterparts very well, and that is definitely something that is going to be more realized in leaps and bounds with every console generation. On the side of audio presentation, Open Season runs at a completely average pace as well, using the same soundtrack as the movie but swapping on sound-alikes for the actual in-game dialogue. Like the graphical elements, the game seems to have its home on the 360, utilizing some strong surround sound to go with the more polished look. Even still, the soundtrack is very generic, and the lack of the true voices is missed.
Bringing it to Wii
Open Season, like so many of the other Wii launch titles, is a double-dip attempt based off an original GameCube game. You're getting the same story mode, the same missions, the same VO, the same graphical presentation, and the same basic experience. Where the game differs, obviously, is the motion control. Open Season takes the original controls from GameCube and moves them around a bit, having players still control Boog with the analog stick and navigate menus with the A and B buttons, but instead uses motion control in place of the original aiming and action set-up. Instead of pressing a button to pick up items, you'll swing the control like a bear arm. Rather than moving an aiming reticule around on the screen with the analog stick, you'll point with the Wii controller's IR. It's basic, but it works.
Even the mini-games follow a basic transition over to Wii, using the controller to tilt, spin, or aim for each of the multiplayer events. There's no real difference, aside from making the game a bit more action-oriented for younger players, and while the controls don't necessarily get in the way of gameplay, they don't improve the experience in any huge way either. The problem with the Wii version - as with the Wii version of Barnyard as well - is that while the Wii controls are simply "take it or leave it" based on user preference, the price of the game is back to its original release cost, and while Wii would be an easy choice if it came out at the same time as all the other versions, there's no way the added functionality is worth even a penny more. Players will be better off going with GameCube and using the Wii for its backward compatibility. The price difference in the two versions makes up for the cost of a GCN controller, and in the end you'll have essentially the same game, as well as a fully-functional Virtual Console controller too.

Closing Comments
As a children’s title that’s meant to compliment the theatrical release of Open Season, the game fulfills its mission of snagging shelf space, while still managing to throw in some entertaining moments into the mix. The comedy, while basic, actually had us laughing a few times through the game, and even though the story and character designs from the film are amazingly cookie-cutter, the game offers a few high points for anyone with little tikes in desperate need of some gaming goodness to go with the afternoon flick. Still, the game doesn’t have the polish necessary to really recommend it to anyone aside from Open Season fanatics, and we’d still stand by a rental as opposed to dropping full price for the game, especially when considering the Wii version, as all other console copies are dropping in price already. With a few multiplayer events and some decent gameplay mechanics, the game should last a younger player anywhere from 10-15 hours. Just don’t expect too much more than the single player adventure.

Technorati tags: Wii, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Wii Game, Gameplay, Video Game, Game Video, Open Season Video Review, Open Season Controls, Open Season

SSX Blur

2007-03-01T04:47:00.001-08:00

Published by: Electronic Arts

Developed by: EA Montreal

Genre: Extreme Sports
Release Date:
US: February 27, 2007
Japan: December 31, 2007
Europe: March 30, 2007

MSRP: $49.99

What a great game =)

Technorati tags: Wii, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Wii Game, Gameplay, Video Game, Game Video, SSX Blur Video Review, SSX Blur Controls, SSX Blur

Excite Truck

2007-02-28T03:49:00.001-08:00

Published by: Nintendo

Developed by: Monster Games, Inc.

Genre: Racing
Number of Players: 1-2
Release Date:
US: November 19, 2006
Japan: January 18, 2007
Europe: February 16, 2007

MSRP: $48.99

ESRB Content Descriptors: Mild Violence

Technorati tags: Wii, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Wii Game, Gameplay, Video Game, Game Video, Excite Truck Video Review

Wario Ware: Smooth Moves

2007-01-11T02:24:00.001-08:00

Published by: Nintendo

Developed by: Nintendo

Genre: Action
Number of Players: 1-12
Release Date:
US: January 17, 2007
Japan: December 2, 2006
Europe: January 12, 2006

MSRP: $48.99

Technorati tags: Wii, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Wii Game, Gameplay, Video Game, Game Video, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves

Rayman Raving Rabbids

2007-01-09T04:58:00.001-08:00

Published by: Ubisoft

Developed by: Ubisoft Montpellier (France)

Genre: Platformer
Number of Players: 1-4
Release Date:
US: November 19, 2006
Japan: December 14, 2006
Europe: December 8, 2006

MSRP: $49.99

ESRB Content Descriptors: Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief

Technorati tags: Wii Game, Wii, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo, Video Game, Video Games, Games, Game Video

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

2007-01-08T03:43:00.001-08:00

Published by: Midway Games

Developed by: Midway Games

Genre: Fighting
Number of Players: 1-2
Release Date:
US: November 19, 2006

MSRP: $49.99

ESRB Content Descriptors: Animated Violence

Technorati tags: Wii Game, Wii, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Video Game, Video Games, Game Video, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

Call of Duty 3

2007-01-07T09:16:00.001-08:00

Published by: Activision

Developed by: Treyarch / EXAKT Entertainment

Genre: First-Person Shooter
Number of Players: 1
Release Date:
US: November 14, 2006
Japan: December 1, 2006
Europe: December 8, 2006
Australia: December 7, 2006

MSRP: $59.99

ESRB Content Descriptors: Blood, Language, Violence

Technorati tags: Nintendo Wii, Wii Game, Wii, Video Game, Video Games, Game Video, Call Of Duty 3

Elebits

2007-01-06T04:27:00.001-08:00

Published by: Konami

Developed by: Konami

Genre: Action
Number of Players: 1-4
Release Date:
US: December 12, 2006
Japan: December 2, 2006

MSRP: $49.99

ESRB Content Descriptors: Cartoon Violence

Technorati tags: Wii, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Video Games, Games, Game Video, Elebits

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

2007-01-06T04:22:00.001-08:00

Published by: Nintendo

Developed by: Nintendo

Genre: Action Adventure
Number of Players: 1
Release Date:
US: November 19, 2006
Japan: December 2, 2006
Europe: December 8, 2006

MSRP: $48.99

ESRB Content Descriptors: Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence

Technorati tags: Wii, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Wii Game, Video Games, Game Video