Wii system a great invention, but games disappoint
Many of us critics are disappointed in the rotten lineup of Wii titles. The Wii machine itself is revolutionary as an interactive toy. But if you go to the store and browse the Wii wall of games, you'll be browsing a wall of stink.
This week, I thought: "Hey, maybe we're all wrong. Maybe Wii games are terrific fun for casual gamers who don't get paid to be critical." I then asked my friends Ched Whitney and Samantha Clemens to Wii at my house. They were very excited when they arrived for "game day."
First, they chose "Marble Saga Kororinpa," a solid if standard marble game: You force a virtual marble to roll across a board, controlled by the laws of physics, then trick the ball into dropping into a hole.
"What's the point?" Sam asked. "All you do is roll around?"
Verdict: Sam gave it two stars out of four. Ched gave it two and one-half stars. I'd give it two stars. They were losing their excitement.
Next came "Mario Power Tennis." It looks like a cartoon sendup of a tennis match, with superpowered overhead shots and such. Sam beat Ched. They both gave the game three stars but weren't emotionally tied to the game. I'd give it two stars.
Sam did say "Power Tennis" was her kind of game, because she can play its "versus" multiplayer. It comes with minigames: little tennis ball-swatting challenges that are much different from full tennis matches. And she can earn bonus items, like, unlocking other tennis characters to inhabit.
Sam, therefore, fits a certain female demographic of Wii gamers. She has played Wii before. She loves the multiplayer, party minigames of "Wii Sports" and "Rayman Raving Rabbids." Sometimes, she likes "Wii Play." But watching her brother conquer battle games gives her a headache.
"I can watch roller coasters on TV. But I can't watch my brother spinning around in a cave in a war game," Sam said.
Ched fits a certain male demographic. He prefers the complex, online war game of "Frontlines: Fuel of War" for Xbox 360 and the offline shoot-'em-ups of "Grand Theft Auto" games.
So he wasn't a fan of the next experiment, "Big League Sports" for Wii. It features simplistic, sports minigames. The football minigame made Ched slowly drop back in set formation, as cardboard cutouts of defenders slowly moved toward him, and he slowly passed to a cardboard receiver.
"This is Little League sports, not 'Big League Sports,' " Ched said.
Sam was aggravated by the minigame where she swung one arm up high to simulate a field-goal kick.
"That almost ripped my arm off. That's ridiculous. This is such a guy game," she said.
Yet, she gave it two stars, pretty forgiving. Ched gave it one star. I'd give it a half-star.
"Have we liked any of these games?" Sam asked at the end of the day, without prodding from Ched or me. "Pretty disappointing."
Ched agreed. I agreed. The Wii, it turns out, is a remarkable, exciting invention. But when, oh when, will there ever be more than a handful of good games to play on it?
("Big League Sports" retails for $40 for Wii -- Plays slow, too simple and boring. Looks poor. Moderately easy. Rated "E." One-half star out of four.)
("Marble Saga Kororinpa" retails for $30 for Wii -- Plays as fun as a marble game could be: fairly well but not great. Looks good enough. Challenging. Rated "E." Two stars.)
("Mario Power Tennis" retails for $30 for Wii -- Plays rather flat, despite appearing cute. Looks pretty good. Moderately easy. Rated "E" for mild cartoon violence. Two stars.)
What do you think? Tell me at delfman@ reviewjournal.com, or post your reviews and rants at reviewjournal.com/elfman. My column appears Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
NEW IN STORES
"I Love Horses" shows just how popular horse simulators are. Seriously. It's almost a little cottage industry. In this one, you can play 20 minigames where you groom and train your champion horse to race, play hide-and-seek, strengthen its agility, compete in a tournament and you can even inspire your horse to sing. The game retails for $20 for DS. It's rated "E."
"My Horse & Me: Riding for Gold" is, oh look, a horse simulator. Groom the horse, make it trust you, feed it and compete in dressage, jumping and cross country. The Tuesday release retails for $20 for Wii. It's rated "E."
"Backyard Baseball 2010" turns real-life stars, from David Ortiz to Ichiro and beyond, into kids playing on backyard diamonds. It's already available for Wii ($30) and DS ($30). On those systems, it has earned mediocre reviews, although some critics say it's good for kids, despite the poor graphics and slow play. The Tuesday PS 2 release retails for $20. It's rated "E."
"Touch Mechanic" is a niche game for car enthusiasts. You play as an apprentice mechanic in a garage. You earn money by fixing and pimping out rides, working on tires, bumpers, paint, the exhaust system, spoilers and other parts. Then you spend the money to glam up your own coupe, SUV, racer or classic car. The game retails for $30 for DS. It's rated "E" for mild language and violent references.
"Pop Star" plays into the fantasies of aspiring music stars, letting you sing into the Nintendo DS microphone, and pound drum simulators and tickle the keyboards with the DS stylus-on-touchscreen. The game retails for $20 for DS. It's rated "E."
-- By DOUG ELFMAN
