Wii

You Don’t Know Jack

February 16, 2011

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

It’s been eight years since gamers last saw You Don’t Know Jack, Jellyvision’s “Irreverent Trivia Party Game” series. What began on PCs in the early ’90s has now arrived on home consoles, with some slight gameplay tweaks to make the experience more competitive. Most of the series’s classic features remain intact, and there are some new additions to keep things interesting. 

For those unfamiliar with YDKJ, the series is known for its off-the wall humor and unusual approach to traditional game show-style pop culture trivia games. Rather than simply ask, say, “What is the second stage in the Kubler-Ross model of grief?”, YDKJ asks you “If the creators of ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter’ decided to come out with an entire line of products, what would the next product be called?” and offer you the choices of “I’m Angry It’s Not Butter”, “I Accept the Fact That It’s Not Butter,” “I’ll Do Anything to Make It Be Butter”, and “I’m So Bummed That It’s Not Butter”. In an upgrade to previous versions, now each player gets a chance to answer each question but hitting the corresponding direction on the remote’s D-pad (older editions had more traditional a buzz-in system); how quickly you select your answer determined how much money you win if correct — or lose if wrong. There are special versions of the normal multiple choice questions hidden along the way, as well as the YDKJ-trademarked DisOrDat questions; DisOrDats present you with a list of seven terms and/or phrases that you need to sort into one of two seemingly unrelated (yet disturbingly similar) categories, like “Name of a Pope” vs. “Britney Spears Song” (sometimes “both” is a valid option, and the host will tell you so ahead of time). Only the player in last place gets to participate in a DisOrDat, although other players are encouraged to enter their responses anyway; if they lock in the correct answer before the active player and the active player is incorrect, they can steal that cash.

Another YDKJ trademark is the ability to “screw” an opponent. Each player receives a single screw; if at some point during the game you believe that one of your opponents has absolutely no clue, you can force them to answer by hitting the B button and then selecting them. The screwed player then has five seconds to submit an answer. If they are wrong (or fail to answer), they lose cash and you gain that much, then the question is reopened to all remaining players; if they’re right, on the other hand, they gain cash and you lose it. Screwing can pay off in a big way, but is obviously not without its risks.

The game contains 73 episodes, each with ten questions broken up into two rounds of five each. Scores in the second round are doubled, so it’s really easy to make up lost ground — or to lose it. Naturally, the end of each episode is the infamous Jack Attack, which has players participating in some word association according to a specific clue; for example, if the clue is “The Hair Up There” and the current word is “Ghost Rider”, you’ll want to buzz in when the word “Fire” appears on the screen. Correct guesses in the Jack Attack are worth $4,000 each, and only the first to buzz in correctly can earn that huge bonus; the $4,000 penalty for an incorrect buzz-in is not so restricted, so be careful. Often the entire game can be determined by the Jack Attack, so you’re never truly out of contention until the game is officially over.

There’s one final twist that is new to this edition: The Wrong Answer of the Game. Each episode has its own guest sponsor, like “Granny’s Roach Butter”. Each host has placed a specific wrong answer somewhere in their episode. Determining which one that is can be both easy and tricky; it will usually be a reference to the sponsor’s name, but some references are more direct than others. If you correctly identify and select the sponsor’s answer you are awarded $4,000 (or $8,000 in the second round) and earn a special prize… which is why I am the proud owner of a year’s supply of Granny’s Roach Butter, for instance. Joy. I really like the way this feature rewards players for not just diving on the correct answer as soon as they recognize it, which subtly pulls scores down over time. It takes some adjusting to get used to looking for a specific incorrect answer, but you can certainly play without doing so at all.

What is also new to this edition is online play, downloadable content, and achievements… as long as you’re not playing the Wii version (or the PC version, which is unbelievably even more limited). Despite the Wii being perfectly capable of playing online (Super Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, Monster Hunter Tri) and implementing DLC (some editions of Rock Band offer it, as do both WiiWare Mega Man games), for some reason somebody decided that it wasn’t worth the effort to put those features into the Wii version. Wii owners are stuck having to actually have real friends come over to their homes to play — which is undoubtedly a lot more fun, but having the option to play online with non-local friends and family would have been nice.

YDKJ supports up to four players (previous PC versions capped at three; the current PC version only allows two, so Wii owners can’t complain too loudly) and retails at a crazy bargain $30. At that price the only reason to not own this game is because you actually don’t have at least one other human being to play with — and the off-the-wall humor and zany presentation is so well done that even solo play isn’t that terrible. If you have past YDKJ experience picking this up is almost a no-brainer. If you haven’t had the pleasure yet, then You Don’t Know Jack.

 

Jam City Rollergirls

February 8, 2011

Reviews / Wii / by Mike Clark Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Roller derby is sport where two teams of roller-skating athletes attempt to score points by having the point-gaining player, the jammer, pass members of the opposite team while the three defending teammates attempt to block the enemy jammer. A match lasts for ten minutes and is divided into two-minute segments called jams. When a jam begins, the first jammer to pass the six defenders becomes the lead jammer and can end the jam early if they wish. This all is the core of Jam City Rollergirls, the first roller derby video game.

The sport converts into a game well, and feels like a racing game at times. Unlike the actual sport, the player has access to a selection of powerups not unlike those found in a Mario Kart game. A single boost, a trio of boosts, the invincibility-granting fireball, the homing water balloon and the ultimate Pink Reaper are all part of the player’s arsenal.

The main mode of the game is a single-player career mode where one of five real roller derby teams is chosen by the player, who then creates a character to play as the jammer in all matches. Winning matches and performing tricks works up money to be spent in the game’s store. All the items in the store are appearance-changing, and many adjust the player character’s stats.

Beyond that, the game falls flat. It does have quick match and two-player modes, but you will essentially be doing nothing but playing with the same five teams on the same five stages over and over. The matches themselves feel a bit too long at ten minutes and having the ability to either adjust the time or just have them shorter would have been a reprieve. As it stands, this does nothing but pad the length of the modes, especially the career mode wherein once you finish 11 matches and become the champion, the game will infinitely loop seasons under the guise of having you “defend yourself as champion.”

And that’s not the worst of it. The visual presentation of Jam City Rollergirls looks like something out of a late PS1 or early PS2 game. The character models are fluid in their movements, but they and the stages just seem to fall flat and feel devoid of emotion. The audio presentation in its entirety is nothing more than one short song put on repeat throughout the entire game. Menus, matches, everywhere you will hear this short series of guitar riffs and shouts ad nauseum. 

While it creates a foundation for future potential roller derby games, Jam City Rollergirls falls far from the $10 asking price. Within two hours, you will accomplish everything the game has to offer and more.

Pros: Controls are user-friendly, gameplay is easy to pick up

Cons: Game is very short, visuals are bland, audio just hurts

Lost in Shadow

January 21, 2011

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

Lost in Shadow is perhaps the most literal interpretation of the phrase “2D platformer” since the Paper Mario series, as most of the action takes place in the background. You play as the shadow of a young boy that has been mystically ripped from its host body and thrown to the base of a mysterious tower. Your task is to ascend said tower, but since shadows are stuck on one plane that might prove difficult. Fortunately the tower is filled with enough light to cast a wide variety of shadows on which you can climb, jump, and otherwise treat as if they were real objects — even if those shadows are arranged somewhat differently than the structures that cast them in the real world. 

It is the discrepancy between the real world and the shadows that gives Lost in Shadow most of its trademark gameplay. The boy’s shadow is accompanied by a fairy-like Spangle that you can point at and charge with light certain locations using the Wii Remote. Once charged, you can shift or rotate that object, which changes the shape of the shadows it casts and opening up new opportunities for exploration. Other areas of the tower have sources of light that can be shifted right/left or up/down and dramatically change the shadowy landscape accordingly. There is also one final way to interact with the real world, but you’ll have to climb the tower to find out about that.

Sadly, other than the light-based tricks the action in Lost in Shadow is mostly pedestrian plaftforming, along with some rudimentary combat. Early on in your travels you will come across a rusty sword and equip yourself with its shadow (which causes the real object to vanish for some mystical reason). This sword will come in handy when you begin encountering the various shadow monsters that inhabit the tower. Monsters with red eyes can be dispatched via your simple blade skills, but ones with blue eyes must be eliminated by luring them into the various spikes, arrows, buzz saws, or other traps that also litter the layout for no good reason (especially in the “residential district”) other than “platformer logic”. Defeating enemies will allow you to regain some lost health (measured in grams and increased by collecting the ninety “memories” that are scattered throughout the levels) and earn experience; gaining levels doesn’t do anything for you except allow you to hit harder, but that will be enough once you start running into tougher enemies.

The tower is broken up into several areas, usually about ten floors each. Individual floors (or sometimes groups of about three) serve as individual levels; the game automatically saves your progress whenever you move from one level to another, as well as when you enter/leave a “shadow corridor” — very light-trick intensive areas, often featuring the ability to rotate your view at specific locations in order to significantly alter the layout — or die due to running out of weight. The game keeps a running count of how many times you’ve perished, so obsessive completionists might find themselves resetting a lot to avoid the “suck counter”; you’re going to have to start from the last save either way, which can be incredibly annoying for particularly tricky areas (especially early on when you don’t have a lot of weight). Fortunately, falling into a shadowless pit isn’t an instant death; you merely lose a portion of your weight and restart back near where you fell.

The boy’s shadow is fairly agile, with its most redeeming feature being the ability to cling to ledges and pull itself up (it certainly doesn’t weigh much…), although the control to do so (push up on the nunchuk’s control stick) can be awkward at times. The only other control issue I experienced was the fact that the B button functions for both attacking and interacting with various structures, which will occasionally cause some confusion but not usually much actual trouble. By far the most difficult part of Lost in Shadow outside of its puzzles is simply playing. It takes some adjusting to train yourself to watch the 2D background and not the 3D foreground; it’s a little like learning how to view a Magic Eye puzzle, since you have to train yourself to look past your usual focus point.

Lost in Shadow will keep you thinking, and at times will frustrate you with particularly tricky jumps or other obstacles. It’s not a significantly long adventure, as a non-obsessive run-through on normal difficulty (easy and hard are also available) took me around 15 hours (acquiring 70 of 90 memories). It will seem longer than that, however, as the game has an odd structure that keeps moving the goal posts every time you think you’ve reached the conclusion. I counted at least four times where I thought the game was over but then something new was thrown at me; had I not been aware of some impending backtracking (and it will be obvious to any experienced gamer that pays attention) that count would have been five times. There is also probably a special ending for those who track down all 90 memories, but I couldn’t be bothered. Still, the game has some neat tricks and has an Ico-like visual charm. Ultimately, however, it’s hardly an essential addition to the average Wii owner’s library. If you do decide to get lost in Lost in Shadow, you should be able to find it for an MSRP bargain $40 at most retailers.

 

Ghost Mania

January 20, 2011

Reviews / Wii / by Shawn Vermette Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Ghost Mania is a tile-dropping puzzle game that, while presenting a somewhat novel concept, drops the ball in all areas of execution and enjoyment. 

In Ghost Mania, you’ll play as Tim or Becky, two ghost guardians who failed in their jobs and let loose a whole bunch of ghosts. These ghosts are now trapped in ghost blocks that you must use to clear the Tetris-like board of blocks. This is as far as the story goes, which is good because it’s already a fairly ridiculous plot device even at this early stage of development.

There are three single-player game modes, Arcade, Puzzle and Endless for you to choose from, though the gameplay in Arcade and Endless is exactly the same. In those modes, you are tasked with dropping pairs of blocks into the board. Only special ghost blocks will allow you to clear a matching colored set of blocks though, so placement is, theoretically, a strategic endeavor. Unfortunately, there’s no rhyme or reason to the appearance of ghost blocks, leaving you with no recourse at times to get rid of a massive set of blocks. Most of the time, when you lose it feels more as if it is the game’s fault, which isn’t a pleasant way to end a game. Puzzle mode is slightly better at this, simply because of its format. You are given a set of blocks on the board that you must clear in a set amount of tile drops. While this starts out easy enough, the difficulty is extremely uneven, and there’s not really any way to clear most of the puzzles other than by trying different solutions over and over again until one works. There are 30 stages to play through in both Arcade and Puzzle mode, though it’s almost a chore to sit through that many stages.

Ghost Mania also includes a multiplayer mode, though it has the exact same problems as the single player game. Unfortunately, this leads to a lack of competitive motivation, which is usually the driving force of multiplayer in puzzle games. It’s kind of a shame that the gameplay isn’t enjoyable, as the graphics and sound seem fairly good for a WiiWare title.

In the end, Ghost Mania is a 500-point title, so if you love puzzle games, it’s probably worth your money. Otherwise I’d recommend skipping it and waiting for a better puzzle game to come out.

Pros: Puzzle mode is all right for a short time; graphics and sound are good for a WiiWare title

Cons: Gameplay just isn’t fun for periods over 30 minutes; difficulty is uneven in puzzle mode

 

Michael Jackson: The Experience

January 18, 2011

Reviews / Wii / by Andrew Passafiume Make a comment! / Tweet it!

I’m not much of a dancer, and yet dancing games can be a lot of fun. I have very little experience with Ubisoft’s immensely popular Just Dance series, but even what I have played doesn’t help show the appeal. Michael Jackson: The Experience is basically Just Dance: Michael Jackson Edition and it shows. From the interface to the control scheme, it’s hard to deny that this is a cheap cash-in through and through. 

Let’s get the good points out of the way: the game has a nice selection of both older and newer Michael Jackson songs to choose from, and the dance choreography is pretty much spot-on with the actual moves performed by Michael in music videos and concerts. The Michael Jackson stand-ins are great as well, and you really get the sense that, in terms of presentation, they wanted to be as authentic as possible.

The gameplay works just as the Just Dance games have before them. You hold the Wii Remote in your right hand and you follow the on-screen indicators to perform the dance moves. And just like with Just Dance, this interface never really works. You never get the sense you are dancing at all. Sure, you can go along with the dancer as much as you want, but the game is only detecting the motions of your right hand and nothing more, which means it can be very easy to cheat the game and score big without even trying.

I will admit, if you are able to look past all of that, it can be fun messing around with this game with friends. You will look ridiculous, but if you actually dance along with the game, it can be enjoyable at times. That does not excuse the poor implementation of the control scheme and the fact that it is less about actual dancing and more about waggle. 

You would think a game I actually had some fun with could at least be decent, right? This is a Just Dance game that has no improvements and does nothing spectacular with the license. Maybe the Xbox 360/Kinect version of this game will work properly, emulating Dance Central, but as it stands, this fails as a dancing game in almost every respect. 

It can be fun, sure, but it’s hard to look past the one large and glaring flaw that practically ruins the entire experience. You’re better off dancing to Michael Jackson videos by yourself than wasting money on this game. 

Pros: Nice selection of classic Michael Jackson tracks; can be fun with friends

Cons: The entire structure of the game is based on the movement of your right hand, which is less dancing and more waggle

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