Wii games

[wilson]

Surely there's already been a discussion of this in some thread somewhere, but here goes...

My mom and brother bestowed a sweet, sweet score upon me on Saturday by giving me a Wii for my birthday. I am already loving the system (loved it even before I had one), but I don't know a dadgum thing about video games. I rented Super Mario Galaxy today, and have really enjoyed it (for an embarrassing amount of time). I'm definitely getting Mario Kart as soon as possible, and I'm highly intrigued by Super Smash Bros. But I'm also curious about some other titles like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Marvel Alliance game, etc.
Thoughts? Suggestions?

[Cavlaw]

I think the Wii has more "keeper" games than any other system (I have traded back most games on my other systems), but you can still end up with stinkers if you buy on impulse. Also, multiplatform games are often better on the other platforms unless the wiimote function makes a big difference (in Tiger Woods Golf, for example).

- Super Mario Galaxy is probably the best game of all time.
- Mario Kart is an excellent pickup.
- Super Smash Brothers is also a lot of fun if you have people to play with (alone is not much fun).
- Zelda: Twilight Princess is solid (but can drag if you go for a complete win).
- I think the price is right on the zapper w/ crossbow training, and recommend it.
- Wii Fit is also a lot of fun if you can find it.
- I really like Tiger Woods 2008
- Trauma Center games are also fun

A couple things I don't recommend:

- Marvel Alliance: the graphics and controls are superior on the other systems, and still aren't very good. Online multiplayer might redeem it (marginally) on the other systems, but on the Wii there is no voice support yet (coming holiday 2008)

- Mario Party 8: the mini games make mediocre use of the wiimote controls, and the way they are framed in the larger board game-style platform is obnoxious. Kids might like it.

I'm torn on Ravin Rabbids. I loved the first one initially, but the novelty wore off. It had a lot of fun games, but not enough supported 4 players simultaneously. The sequel had more 4-player support, but the games were kind of rubbish. The upcoming version uses the balance board and looks like it goes back to more solitary games.

Uhm, that's it, really. Thanks to Gamespot.com and some other websites I've avoided most of the stinkers.

[bjornolf]

I would agree with everything Cavlaw says, except about Mario Party and Raving Rabbids. My kids ADORE both of these, and adults at parties have loved them. They're both definitely better with groups of people, or at least two. Playing alone to unlock stuff is a pain, but worth it in the long run. Go to a site like gameinformer.com and read the reviews. I got a subscription to the magazine, cause, as I told my wife, the $14 subscription saves money if it keeps me from blowing the money on even one bad game a year, and their reviews and articles are actually very insightful. If you want to get into wii ware, there are SEVERAL good games on there that game informer has reviews of. I also love the Lego games, as do my kids. Also, a lot depends on your game style. If you like shooters/horror games, RE4 is AWESOME.

Check here for more stuff that I'm too lazy to type for the third time:
http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/...game+recommend

[devil84]

What Cavlaw and bjornolf said...

I love Raving Rabbids 1 (don't have 2, and looking forward to 3). Makes a great party game once you play through the whole game. We've had people ages 8-73 playing it and had a blast. Same with Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz -- lots of mini games that keeps family holidays from being boring!

I got a WiiFit for my birthday (I asked for it!), and it's quite nice. I like it, but I wish there was a way to easily switch between Miis so a group of us can do the fitness activities together. I got it just before the Olympics, and I'm too into the Olympic coverage to play it regularly. Maybe they need an interface to "play" along with the athletes????

Mario Kart is fun, though I'm REALLY awful at that.

Guitar Hero is fun, too, though it has way too many songs that my teenagers know that I've never heard of. We need an '80s version to level the playing field! I liked it so much, I got Guitar Hero for my DS, which a little nicer that I can make all my mistakes on a much smaller scale, without comment from the peanut gallery!

My son (then 16) spent the bulk of a winter break playing Zelda, which looked interesting to me, but I've never played it.

We've rented a bunch from Blockbuster to see if we're remotely interested. The $7ish rental of Trauma Center was worth the summer week, but we didn't miss it when we returned it. Ditto the fishing games. My son positively needed Need for Speed Carbon (I'm not a racing/driving, shoot'em up or sports fan). I really recommend this "try before you buy" option!

[wilson]

Thanks for the recs. Super Mario Galaxy indeed might be my favorite game ever (though I'm frankly not a huge gamer). I'm gonna have to buy it, becasue I won't come close to finishing everything before returning it.

I also appreciate the Marvel review. It certainly looked interesting, but apparently isn't...

Next questions:

-Has anyone played the Ninja Turtles game?
-My family apparently acquired my (still boxed and unused) Wii through a non-retail channel, so it didn't have Wii Sports. I enjoy Wii Tennis by far the most of the Wii Sports games. Should I track down Wii Sports and pony up the $25 or so it would cost me, or should I get a tennis-only game (I eventually intend to get Tiger Woods and probably Mario Baseball, so I don't necessarily need those sports either)? The main thing that intrigues me is the ability to improve the skill level of one's Mii. Is this worth it?