Articles - Japanese Plastic
"Onslaught"
by Matthew C.
2008.02.28
Well, I guess there hasn't been an onslaught of Wii awesomeness, but there are enough things to get me excited. I can't play everything, so one
or two great games at the same time monopolize my free time anyway.
Yes, you heard me right. I admit it. No current video game console is the be-all-and-end-all. Not even my current Japanese obsession. Even though
keeping up with the current pace of quality Wii titles is putting a cramp on my pocketbook, I couldn't afford everything if it were awesome. My wallet
needs some time to cool off. :D
Plus I'm a big fan of some of the stuff on the Virtual Console. So I lump that in as well.
In response to comments about Nintendo's "target audience"... Yes, they're trying to cater/attract an audience other than the "hardcore
gamer". BUT, Nintendo has always done that. I can't think of a system that didn't skew towards "family". The biggest difference is that
the people I was running around with were all younger at the time. So while other game companies have grown up and forgotten about the younger
gamers, Nintendo hasn't.
Historically, video game systems (and video game companies) tend to be geared toward a single audience or a single experience. I can't think of one
that has changed that dramatically. Systems and companies get primarily known for "their thing".
- Activision = puzzle games
- Atari = arcade games
- Capcom = action/horror games
- Electronic Arts = sports games
- Enix = Japanese RPGs
- LucasArts = point-and-click adventures (and Star Wars games)
- Microsoft = RTS/FPS
- Midway = arcade games
- NeoGeo = fighters
- Namco = arcade games
- Nintendo = family games
- Sega = action/platformers
- Sierra = point-and-click adventures
- SNK = fighting games
- Sony = action/driving games
- Square = Japanese RPGs
- Taito = puzzle games
- TurboGrafx-16 = shooters
- Working Designs = Japanese RPGs
Some companies are too new or too small to really have made their mark historically. Are my impressions off? Feel free to tell me I'm wrong. :)
Overall, while there are a slew of party games and mini-game collections on the Wii and almost 75% of all Wii games are "crap", there are
enough quality titles to keep me entertained. Here are just a few of the quality titles that keep me occupied.
And I know I'm forgetting some... plus we have plenty of fun to look forward to:
Whew. I'd just like to wrap this up by saying that I'm just writing this off the top of my head and I'm bound to forget one or two things (probably obvious ones). So
don't be afraid to tell me that I'm way off or that I'm absolutely crazy or anything like that.
2008.02.29
As for the games that consistently take advantage of the Wii's strengths... I would say... ''Metroid Prime 3: Corruption'' for one. No game before it has utilized the control
scheme of the wiimote and made gameplay feel really slick. ''Call of Duty 3'' came close, but cranked up to 'advanced', no game has beaten MP3:C for FPS control on a
console.
Another game that really takes advantage of the wiimote and its motion sensing capabilities is ''Zack & Wiki''. It's friggin' awesome. The game definitely isn't for everyone,
but it's great none-the-less.
''Excite Truck'' while not a really deep game is still a hell of a lot of fun. I played it recently and had a good time sitting around with two other people trying to unlock extra paint
jobs and vehicles. And of course ''Mario Party 8'', ''Super Paper Mario'', and ''Super Mario Galaxy'' are great games. So I guess there isn't a slew of games to SPEND
MONEY ON, but there are a handful of quality games to SPEND TIME WITH. And that suits me just fine.
