As we move closer to the Holiday 2007 season, I can't help but feel a little apprehensive about some of the great games coming out for the Wii. Initially, I banked on purchasing, Metroid, Mario and Smash Bros. and that would be the gambit of my Holiday game shopping. Yet, almost weekly, I'm reminded of many other great games targeting the Holiday buy window.
So, to collect my own thoughts and perhaps spur on others, I decided to create a list of games that are getting great reviews and building some good buzz. You may not agree that these are "must-haves" (probably some rentals in here) and I certainly might miss a few, so by all means, correct where I'm wrong and add where I missed!
Wii Games Due Out Before Christmas (US North America)
IGN: Mario Strikers Charged (July 30, 2007) - First "real" online game for the US. It's been well received thus far by our European counter-parts, both on and off-line. A great pickup and enjoy sports game.
IGN: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (August 27, 2007) - Obviously one of the most anticipated titles for the Wii. What's gotten me even more pumped for this game is a recent accolade from Matt after playing it at E3. He described it as, "It plays better than any first-person console game ever... really. And it's one of Wii's best lookers, too." I'm sure there was a collective roll of the eyes after reading that, but even if he IS just being a bit over the top and fanboish, you at least have to expect MP3 to be a great game in its own right. I haven't played Metroid since before it went 3D, so I'm really looking forward to this one.
IGN: Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure Preview (Fall 2007) - I recently heard about this one, but again, it's getting pretty decent reviews and I'm not sure I can pass it up. Depth and difficulty make it a gamers game, so those that are finding some of the early Wii titles boring or un-challenging, this one might be the one.
IGN: Madden NFL 08 (August 14, 2007) - I'm not sure it's a must have, but it's Madden. There's enough rabbid Madden on a console fans to add this one to the list. EA is doing an interesting thing with their Wii titles. They're adding a family mode that leaves the basics in the hands of the players, of course there's the mini-games that were a big hit in 07. Football's not my thing, but I figured it's a worthy pick-it-up title.
IGN: Dewy's Adventure (September 4, 2007) - I can recall this game being one that I "might" pick up. Just because of it's originality. The same people that brought Elebits, made this one. It's been well-received thus far, so I can see at least a rental out of it.
IGN: Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party (Dance Pad Bundle) (October 16, 2007) - I had a blast with different "dancing" mini-games from various titles thus far (Wario Ware and Rayman come to mind) so when I heard DDR was coming out for the Wii, I thought, "Wow! Feet AND Hands!" I haven't heard too much, but hey, it's a DDR game. Should be lots of fun, my sister-in-law is really looking forward to it and playing it with the family should prove hours of fun out of this title.
IGN: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Fall 2007) - I haven't been a part of this phenomenom, but everyone else has, so it's good enough for me to assume the third iteration will be loads of fun and will most certainly raise the bar for the series.
IGN: Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (Fall 2007) - Recently announced and most likely a "cheap" title. A lot of people enjoyed the technique of such a simple game on other consoles. The addition of motion based control should be able to give the title a bit of freshness for those that have played it. For those that haven't, it should be a great game at a decent price. I think it retailed for $20 or $30 on the Xbox.
IGN: FIFA Soccer 08 (October 9, 2007) - EA has really made a shift (as have a lot of developers) to not simply port games over and add some swats of the Wii-mote. They've started to make Wii games, which is good. Since I like soccer, I will probably pick this one up. I kinda fought with the fact that I am getting Strikers as well this, which is kinda doubling up. But I think Strikers is a different enough style/arcade type game which will distance itself from traditional sports games. FIFA 08 is also expected to have online and a "Family" mode which leaves passing and shooting in the hands of the player, while the AI does the rest.
IGN: EA Playground (October 22, 2007) - Another EA title. If you liked Wii Sports, you'll probably like this one. Another easy to get into, easy to play not too much depth game that should be a good time for friends/family parties on front of the Wii. Most contorls use simply the Wii-mote. Dodgeball looked cool enough be itself. Go Balls Deep!
IGN: Battalion Wars 2 (October 29, 2007) - Looks like a pretty awesome title. Tanks, Vehicles, Planes, Shooting.. what's not to like? The original Gamecube title was pretty fun and so far this one is getting good reviews. They did have this game LAN'd at E3, so hopefully that means it'll have online play. It's just nice that finally we can get games for the Wii and play them online. Adds so much more playability to a title and added value.
IGN: Wii Music (October 2007) - The game (or atleast a demo of it) that revealed Nintendo's console to the world. A unique title worth a look. Haven't heard much about this, I'll have to await a few previews to be sure, but nonetheless, another original title going outside the box.
IGN: Geometry Wars: Galaxies (November 6, 2007) - A huge success on Live, coming to the Wii. Again, I've never played Geometry Wars, but the hype and critical acclaim it's garnered on other systems and the expected relative low price makes it a buy for me. An original title with a unique play style, I'm really looking forward to it.
IGN: Harvest Moon Heroes (November 2007) - A big enough following to mention, Harvest Moon is a farm sim. It stays pretty true to other sim games. Your basic build up from scratch. Getting more and more complex as you progress. I haven't played these much, but I'm thinking this one will probably get a rental. I've been making a good attempt to play games I normally wouldn't since owning a Wii. So far it has proven a decent strategy I've enjoyed games I didn't think I would and learned to appreciate that there's enjoyment in just about every game out there if you give it an honest effort.
IGN: Manhunt 2 (October 2007) - I probably won't buy this (Wife would go Manhunt 2 on my ass) but it does look like a rental. I mean, you gotta see what all the buzz is about, right?
IGN: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (November 20, 2007) - In Wii Sports footsteps, another game I think a lot of people would enjoy. We can relate to sports and especially olympics, so a title featuring just that with motion based control is a win-win. Plus, Mario and Sonic, there placement in the title and on the cover practically sells the game itself. From what I've seen and hear though, should be a great party game. I haven't heard about online, of which is always a huge plus to any game.
IGN: Nitrobike (Holiday 2007) - I love, love, love, love racing games. I think Excite Bike 64 was one of my favorite racing games of all time. Anyone play the 4 player soccer mini-game they had on that? We played on a projector screen everyday for lunch for weeks.. fuckin loved it! Anyway, the same people that made that and Excite Truck are making this one. That's enough for me to buy it, especially since it'll have online play! w00t!
IGN: Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (November 13, 2007) - I recently finished playing the first one. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a dull moment, it absolutely rocked. I hear the second one thus far is expected to be even bigger and better (of course). 4 player simulataneous.. that's really all anyone needed to hear. The games look a bit more varied and deeper thus far, with the humor taking it up a notch. Another can't wait title for me!
IGN: Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (October 2007) - Another franchise title that fans are clamouring for. I personally have NEVER played any of the RE series (/me runs). I'm looking to rent RE 4 as soon as EVERYONE ELSE stops renting it from Gamefly, been at the top for weeks..
. Anyway, my brother also likes this title, so I may get it for him. Maybe even a rental. I'm not big on buying single player games like this.. Mario and Zelda are ok, but I generally like to get games with lots of replay value. Rent fo sho.
IGN: Super Mario Galaxy (November 12, 2007) - Duh? Not just anticipated, but maintaining high reviews from those lucky enough to get some hands on. Visually to me, it's hard to even imagine playing it. It really doesn't look like Mario.. I mean, where's the flat ground?? Alas, I will be picking up, those that do try it out are amazed, so I'll gladly take the chance.
IGN: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (December 3, 2007) - I'm ashamed to admit I haven't experienced the joy that is Super Smash Bros. I didn't buy a Gamecube and I stopped playing my 64 early on in it's release. So there's some goodies that I get to enjoy first hand on the Wii. With it's online nature, it makes it a great purchase.. replay, replay replay. I can pick it up, call a buddy and duke it out whenever I want. That makes for a great title on any platform.
Ok, so SOME of these are not must-haves.. but it's a long list of quality titles. From now until Christmas all of these games will have been released. That's a HUGE library of titles. These are just the ones I'm interested in. I'm sure there's many more that would appease the masses.
At the very least, I was able to rationale, strategize and prioritize my purchasing schedule. It seemed every time I turned around, some game was being announced or a new hands-on was released. I felt as if the Wii release schedule was getting away from me and I'd miss something. I feel much better now.
Cliffs:
Games I think are worth buying from now until Christmas for the Wii..
Mario Strikers Charged
Metroid Prime 3: Hunters
Zak & Wiki
Madden 08
Dewey's Adventure
DDR: Hottest Party
Guitar Hero III
Rockstar Presents Table Tennis
FIFA 08
EA Playground
Battalion Wars 2
Wii Music
Geometry Wars: Galaxies
Harvest Moon Heroes
Manhunt 2
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games
Nitro Bike
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Smash Bros Brawl
Feel free to add your own thought or redicule mine.
So, to collect my own thoughts and perhaps spur on others, I decided to create a list of games that are getting great reviews and building some good buzz. You may not agree that these are "must-haves" (probably some rentals in here) and I certainly might miss a few, so by all means, correct where I'm wrong and add where I missed!
Wii Games Due Out Before Christmas (US North America)
IGN: Mario Strikers Charged (July 30, 2007) - First "real" online game for the US. It's been well received thus far by our European counter-parts, both on and off-line. A great pickup and enjoy sports game.
IGN: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (August 27, 2007) - Obviously one of the most anticipated titles for the Wii. What's gotten me even more pumped for this game is a recent accolade from Matt after playing it at E3. He described it as, "It plays better than any first-person console game ever... really. And it's one of Wii's best lookers, too." I'm sure there was a collective roll of the eyes after reading that, but even if he IS just being a bit over the top and fanboish, you at least have to expect MP3 to be a great game in its own right. I haven't played Metroid since before it went 3D, so I'm really looking forward to this one.
IGN: Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure Preview (Fall 2007) - I recently heard about this one, but again, it's getting pretty decent reviews and I'm not sure I can pass it up. Depth and difficulty make it a gamers game, so those that are finding some of the early Wii titles boring or un-challenging, this one might be the one.
IGN: Madden NFL 08 (August 14, 2007) - I'm not sure it's a must have, but it's Madden. There's enough rabbid Madden on a console fans to add this one to the list. EA is doing an interesting thing with their Wii titles. They're adding a family mode that leaves the basics in the hands of the players, of course there's the mini-games that were a big hit in 07. Football's not my thing, but I figured it's a worthy pick-it-up title.
IGN: Dewy's Adventure (September 4, 2007) - I can recall this game being one that I "might" pick up. Just because of it's originality. The same people that brought Elebits, made this one. It's been well-received thus far, so I can see at least a rental out of it.
IGN: Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party (Dance Pad Bundle) (October 16, 2007) - I had a blast with different "dancing" mini-games from various titles thus far (Wario Ware and Rayman come to mind) so when I heard DDR was coming out for the Wii, I thought, "Wow! Feet AND Hands!" I haven't heard too much, but hey, it's a DDR game. Should be lots of fun, my sister-in-law is really looking forward to it and playing it with the family should prove hours of fun out of this title.
IGN: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Fall 2007) - I haven't been a part of this phenomenom, but everyone else has, so it's good enough for me to assume the third iteration will be loads of fun and will most certainly raise the bar for the series.
IGN: Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (Fall 2007) - Recently announced and most likely a "cheap" title. A lot of people enjoyed the technique of such a simple game on other consoles. The addition of motion based control should be able to give the title a bit of freshness for those that have played it. For those that haven't, it should be a great game at a decent price. I think it retailed for $20 or $30 on the Xbox.
IGN: FIFA Soccer 08 (October 9, 2007) - EA has really made a shift (as have a lot of developers) to not simply port games over and add some swats of the Wii-mote. They've started to make Wii games, which is good. Since I like soccer, I will probably pick this one up. I kinda fought with the fact that I am getting Strikers as well this, which is kinda doubling up. But I think Strikers is a different enough style/arcade type game which will distance itself from traditional sports games. FIFA 08 is also expected to have online and a "Family" mode which leaves passing and shooting in the hands of the player, while the AI does the rest.
IGN: EA Playground (October 22, 2007) - Another EA title. If you liked Wii Sports, you'll probably like this one. Another easy to get into, easy to play not too much depth game that should be a good time for friends/family parties on front of the Wii. Most contorls use simply the Wii-mote. Dodgeball looked cool enough be itself. Go Balls Deep!
IGN: Battalion Wars 2 (October 29, 2007) - Looks like a pretty awesome title. Tanks, Vehicles, Planes, Shooting.. what's not to like? The original Gamecube title was pretty fun and so far this one is getting good reviews. They did have this game LAN'd at E3, so hopefully that means it'll have online play. It's just nice that finally we can get games for the Wii and play them online. Adds so much more playability to a title and added value.
IGN: Wii Music (October 2007) - The game (or atleast a demo of it) that revealed Nintendo's console to the world. A unique title worth a look. Haven't heard much about this, I'll have to await a few previews to be sure, but nonetheless, another original title going outside the box.
IGN: Geometry Wars: Galaxies (November 6, 2007) - A huge success on Live, coming to the Wii. Again, I've never played Geometry Wars, but the hype and critical acclaim it's garnered on other systems and the expected relative low price makes it a buy for me. An original title with a unique play style, I'm really looking forward to it.
IGN: Harvest Moon Heroes (November 2007) - A big enough following to mention, Harvest Moon is a farm sim. It stays pretty true to other sim games. Your basic build up from scratch. Getting more and more complex as you progress. I haven't played these much, but I'm thinking this one will probably get a rental. I've been making a good attempt to play games I normally wouldn't since owning a Wii. So far it has proven a decent strategy I've enjoyed games I didn't think I would and learned to appreciate that there's enjoyment in just about every game out there if you give it an honest effort.
IGN: Manhunt 2 (October 2007) - I probably won't buy this (Wife would go Manhunt 2 on my ass) but it does look like a rental. I mean, you gotta see what all the buzz is about, right?
IGN: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (November 20, 2007) - In Wii Sports footsteps, another game I think a lot of people would enjoy. We can relate to sports and especially olympics, so a title featuring just that with motion based control is a win-win. Plus, Mario and Sonic, there placement in the title and on the cover practically sells the game itself. From what I've seen and hear though, should be a great party game. I haven't heard about online, of which is always a huge plus to any game.
IGN: Nitrobike (Holiday 2007) - I love, love, love, love racing games. I think Excite Bike 64 was one of my favorite racing games of all time. Anyone play the 4 player soccer mini-game they had on that? We played on a projector screen everyday for lunch for weeks.. fuckin loved it! Anyway, the same people that made that and Excite Truck are making this one. That's enough for me to buy it, especially since it'll have online play! w00t!
IGN: Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (November 13, 2007) - I recently finished playing the first one. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a dull moment, it absolutely rocked. I hear the second one thus far is expected to be even bigger and better (of course). 4 player simulataneous.. that's really all anyone needed to hear. The games look a bit more varied and deeper thus far, with the humor taking it up a notch. Another can't wait title for me!
IGN: Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (October 2007) - Another franchise title that fans are clamouring for. I personally have NEVER played any of the RE series (/me runs). I'm looking to rent RE 4 as soon as EVERYONE ELSE stops renting it from Gamefly, been at the top for weeks..
. Anyway, my brother also likes this title, so I may get it for him. Maybe even a rental. I'm not big on buying single player games like this.. Mario and Zelda are ok, but I generally like to get games with lots of replay value. Rent fo sho.IGN: Super Mario Galaxy (November 12, 2007) - Duh? Not just anticipated, but maintaining high reviews from those lucky enough to get some hands on. Visually to me, it's hard to even imagine playing it. It really doesn't look like Mario.. I mean, where's the flat ground?? Alas, I will be picking up, those that do try it out are amazed, so I'll gladly take the chance.
IGN: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (December 3, 2007) - I'm ashamed to admit I haven't experienced the joy that is Super Smash Bros. I didn't buy a Gamecube and I stopped playing my 64 early on in it's release. So there's some goodies that I get to enjoy first hand on the Wii. With it's online nature, it makes it a great purchase.. replay, replay replay. I can pick it up, call a buddy and duke it out whenever I want. That makes for a great title on any platform.
Ok, so SOME of these are not must-haves.. but it's a long list of quality titles. From now until Christmas all of these games will have been released. That's a HUGE library of titles. These are just the ones I'm interested in. I'm sure there's many more that would appease the masses.
At the very least, I was able to rationale, strategize and prioritize my purchasing schedule. It seemed every time I turned around, some game was being announced or a new hands-on was released. I felt as if the Wii release schedule was getting away from me and I'd miss something. I feel much better now.
Cliffs:
Games I think are worth buying from now until Christmas for the Wii..
Mario Strikers Charged
Metroid Prime 3: Hunters
Zak & Wiki
Madden 08
Dewey's Adventure
DDR: Hottest Party
Guitar Hero III
Rockstar Presents Table Tennis
FIFA 08
EA Playground
Battalion Wars 2
Wii Music
Geometry Wars: Galaxies
Harvest Moon Heroes
Manhunt 2
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games
Nitro Bike
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Smash Bros Brawl
Feel free to add your own thought or redicule mine.
