Wii

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

December 26, 2007

Reviews / Wii / by Graham Russell Make a comment! / Tweet it!

The Dragon Ball Z series of games is a surprisingly long one given the length of the source story by Akira Toriyama. Thus, by the time publisher Atari released Budokai Tenkaichi 3, there’s very little that hadn’t been done.

The game’s roster of fighters numbers over 150, and though the comprehensive nature is nice, it seems a bit much to handle, and most control similarly. There are multiple versions of major characters, so fans of the series should be pleased.

The actual gameplay is nice too. It definitely isn’t a standard fighter; the aerial controls feel more like a flight combat game than a 2-D brawler. Though the two main attack buttons are fairly bland, the fun comes in the ability to outmaneuver the opponent, hide, charge up and execute flashy special moves. It feels much like the battles on the show, and for that Atari should be commended.

The control schemes are not the most Wii-intensive, but the special moves at least provide some sort of motion control for immersion’s sake. However, purists can play with the Classic Controller or a GameCube pad.

The story itself has been played out in the previous games, as well as the anime. It’s not the best writing in the world, so normal gamers won’t find it captivating, but the fans the game is marketed towards will enjoy the immersion in the story. The graphics are fairly average, but the cel-shaded style and effects are enough to make the game feel polished.

The single player modes vary from a straight event-by-event recreation of the series to special scenarios and tournaments. The multiplayer allows for one-on-one fights and team battles, as well as an intriguing point-buy team mode that makes players pay a premium for stronger fighters. This edition also features online play. It feels fairly barebones, but it works, and playing against a person on-demand helps with those who have mastered fighting the somewhat predictable AI.

All in all, this is a competent fighter with a unique combat style and a large amount of replay value. There might not be enough to entice the general public, but fans can’t help but love it. It may not have too much more than its predecessor, but if you skipped out on that one, this one is worth it.

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008

December 12, 2007

Reviews / Wii / by Chris Ingersoll Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Every year THQ rolls out a new WWE wrestling game that often is nothing more than a glorified roster update. While the other systems may be receiving more of the same this year, the Wii is at least receiving something different: a brand new control scheme. It is also receiving gameplay content that seems like it belongs on an eight-bit console rather than modern-day gaming hardware.

The best word to describe the Wii’s version of Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 (featuring ECW) is “simple,” which is both praise and damnation. Developer YUKE’S has done everything in their power to provide a WWE gaming experience that feels immersive and that would appeal to the casual wrestling fan. To this end, they have largely succeeded… although they may have left the more devoted wrestling fans out in the cold in the process.

Almost everything you do in SDvRAW is accomplished with a wave of the Wii remote, often in conjunction with holding down one or two buttons. This will execute various strikes and grapples; several grapples are also interactive and can have several different outcomes depending on which direction(s) you wave once initiated. Don’t worry about having to remember which directions do what, as an HUD appears on-screen that tells you which directions are valid for your current situation. The HUD also tells you when (and how) you can perform favorite moves, finishers, and pinfalls. In addition to being able to simulate punches, chops, and even headbutts by making the appropriate gestures (in the appropriate situations), you can also regain some stamina by hitting the C button and performing your selected superstar’s signature taunt in the same manner.

While these controls work very well, they are not without their faults. The reversal system feels too random to be reliable, for instance, and “frantic waving” has unfortunately replaced “button mashing” when it comes to kicking out of pinfalls or just getting up off the mat. Perhaps the most significant drawback to this new control scheme is that they don’t cover every situation you might encounter in (and around) the ring. I still have no idea how to shift focus when faced with multiple opponents, and you basically have to discover for yourself that the Z button will allow you to cancel certain command input situations. The ten-page instruction booklet is all but useless in this regard, and there is no tutorial mode.

In fact, “there is no” is a recurring phrase when comparing the Wii version to it’s brethren, which is where “simple” becomes a double-edged sword. There is no preview option for entrances in create-a-wrestler mode, meaning that you have to actually have a match to see what the maddeningly-unhelpful descriptions of “Music 01” or “Superstar 05” translate to in the actual entrance, then back out (after finishing the match) and return to CAW mode to make changes, enduring auto-save screens and load times every step of the way. There is no real plot or story to “Main Event” mode; everything is done via static text messages on your cellphone, with no twists and turns to provide any interest, and basically all you do is challenge opponents and/or accept their challenges ad nauseum until you’ve won enough matches to earn a title shot, training and resting to recover stamina as necessary along the way. There is no rhyme or reason as to when the remote’s pointer activates menu selections and when the nunchuk’s c-stick does the navigating.

Perhaps the most glaring omission is the fact that there are no special matches to be found anywhere in this version. The only options you have for matches are singles, tag team, triple threat, “KO” (first to lose all their stamina loses, no pinfall or submission required), and “hardcore” (if you can call two chairs and falls count anywhere “hardcore”). That’s it — no ladder match, no cage match (neither traditional, Hell in a Cell, nor Elimination Chamber), no Royal Rumble… nothing. There isn’t even an option for an “I Quit” match, despite the much-touted “struggle submission system” of this year’s edition.

Most (if not all) of these omissions are present on the Xbox360 and PS3 versions — why did the Wii receive gameplay that comes from the late 80s? The unique control scheme can’t be blamed for all of this (although it is probably the root cause of the dearth of match types), can it?

Whatever the reason(s), the Wii version simply feels half-baked. The game will be fun for casual wrestling fans who just want to pretend to be John Cena as he takes on Triple H, and there is potential in the new control scheme, but the overall shortcomings in the actual gameplay will prevent this from being anything more than a weekend rental at best. Hopefully THQ/YUKE’S will be able to provide a full WWE experience next year.

The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night

December 11, 2007

Reviews / Wii / by Justin Last Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Spyro has been around for a while, and he needs to freshen things up a bit. To do that he’ll borrow gimmicks from other popular games and tack on some unnecessary motion controls. The Eternal Night is the second chapter of Spyro’s A

Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution

November 29, 2007

Reviews / Wii / by Graham Russell Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Naruto is one of those Japanese phenomena that managed to make the leap to the United States successfully. While a blond ninja with bright orange clothing is hardly capable of stealth, he has regardless found enough of a following in America to warrant the localization of all his games.

However, in Japan, the series’ story has progressed years beyond the U.S., and developer Tomy didn’t want to spoil the plot. So, with Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution, the team took out the Japanese versions of the characters and slipped in the ones from the GameCube Clash of Ninja titles. This is done well, as it feels like a cohesive whole, but it also feels too recycled to be the true sequel the Japanese version was.

Revolution has four different control schemes. Though it presses the remote/nunchuk motion controls on the player as a way to deal more damage during special attacks, it still feels most comfortable when using the GameCube controller. Shaking the remote to attack seems cool at first, but ultimately is imprecise and tiring.

The roster of characters, even if it is transplanted from previous titles, is impressive. Most need to be unlocked, but that makes for a long and productive single-player experience. Usually such large rosters suffer from little differentiation, but Clash of Ninja manages to keep moves fresh.

The Clash of Ninja titles have frustrating two-player play, and Revolution is no different. However, it still shines when playing with four combatants. Besides Smash Bros., Clash of Ninja is as compelling a party fighting game as there is.

The presentation is a bit lacking. There is no widescreen support, and players are stuck with only the obnoxious English voices for the characters and menus. There are extra motion-controlled minigames, but these are hardly worth playing. As a result, the only polished parts of the game are the ones that existed in the GameCube games, and it’s hard to recommend a game that’s been mostly released before.

Clash of Ninja Revolution will appeal to fans of the anime, as well as party-starved fighting game lovers. For most, though, it really just serves as a stopgap solution until Super Smash Bros. Brawl hits.

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

November 28, 2007

Reviews / Wii / by Graham Russell Make a comment! / Tweet it!

The Fire Emblem series is frequently brought up in discussions of import gamers everywhere. The first six games were never released stateside because many perceived them to be “too Japanese” and unable to be successful in America. However, the series’ popularity was jump-started with two characters’ appearances in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and the seventh tactical RPG was released worldwide for the GBA to resounding success.

In Radiant Dawn, the tenth Fire Emblem title (fourth in the U.S.), Nintendo and developer Intelligent Systems decided not to mess with the game’s core formula. No motion controls were added to the title, and it feels most comfortable played with a GameCube controller. The graphics weren’t considerably upgraded, and the game feels almost identical to its predecessor, Path of Radiance. However, this seems to be the right decision for Fire Emblem. The game’s deep strategic nature doesn’t mesh well with the new control scheme, so trying to shoehorn it in would have been tough.

The game’s soundtrack is very similar, but it is designed to not get tiring after hours and hours of playing. Most of the presentation is similar too, but the trailer and interspersed cutscenes are very well done and a valid payoff for the hours of gameplay between each one. In order to make these special, the rest of the story is told in skippable text-scrolling conversations that are the norm for the series.

The story, set in the land of Tellius, begins three years after the events of Path of Radiance. While the first conflict was ethically black and white, this war is filled with valid motivations on each side. The game cuts to different sides of the story, allowing players to fight as each side.

The depth is the most different and most improved aspect of this latest release in the series. It is longer, more varied, and more worth replaying than any of its predecessors. It brings back almost all the characters from the GameCube game, and adds some more to tell the story from the other viewpoint. To cope with the long gameplay, units were given an additional promotion, adding 20 more levels to gain for each. Laguz units, beast-like fighters that attack without weapons, do not promote, but can now attain 20 more levels as well.

The difficulty is as tough as ever. With the implementation of a new “Battle Save” that allows players to start over in the middle of a game instead of restarting an entire chapter, the team was free to make the tactics more difficult. Without the limitations of the old games’ Suspend feature, players can try again and again to get things right. While initially a frustrating exercise in hitting the Reset button over and over, ultimately this is what makes completing the game satisfying and enjoyable.

The game allows players to import save files from the previous game to boost unit statistics, which is a nice feature for longtime players. One thing to watch out for, though, is trying to import a file from Path of Radiance’s U.S.-only “Easy” mode. Radiant Dawn does not support that difficulty, and will lock up the game. While this should have been caught by the QA team, it is being worked on to be fixed by a system update, and the game doesn’t lose much from not importing the file.

All in all, Fire Emblem continues to be a solid series that will captivate fans and challenge players for years to come, allowing fans of the Mother, Stafy and Kuru Kuru Kururin games everywhere to hold out hope that they’ll be given a chance to shine.

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