The last year was a very painful one for both Nintendo and Wii owners. There WERE some high-profile third-party titles released this year, but a lot of them didn't get the audience they deserved. That there wasn't any major blockbuster from Nintendo until NSMBWii made it all the more frustrating. But I don't wanna talk about that stuff. I want to share my thoughts on the 2009 Wii games I played, and what I think of them.
HOUSE OF THE DEAD: OVERKILL -- I'm not really into rail-shooters that much, so this title didn't really captivate me all that much. It did strike me as a very polished, carefully put together game, but the constant F-bombs and annoying rock soundtrack killed it for me. I'm not saying it's a bad game, but it's just not my favorite.
MADWORLD -- Voice work is excellent, graphic style is interesting and well-suited, but the gameplay itself gets pretty old quickly. No offense to MADWORLD fans, but I found this one to be a rental, at best. N/A
RUNE FACTORY FRONTIER -- Quite entertaining, although I do admit that I go to pieces over games which don't have a linear direction, as I don't know what to do where there's no direct route. I did enjoy it though. 8/10
DEADLY CREATURES -- Rental, but this game was really quite good. The graphics are rendered well, the controls interesting, and Billy Bob Thornton and Dennis Hopper's voice work was a nice plus. (Whoever would've thought we'd get names like those two for a videogame?) I liked it a lot, but not so much to own it. 7/10
TENCHU: SHADOW ASSASSINS -- Surprisingly great! I had read mixed reviews about this, but it turned out to be better than I thought. It IS quite a frustrating game at times, though. Even still, it was quite refreshing to play a game where you literally have to walk in shadows and not be spotted. 8/10
JU-ON—THE GRUDGE -- Probably the only game I played which disappointed me this year; the concept of exploring a haunted house is solid, but the game itself felt half-polished. A mixed bag, at best. 5/10
LITTLE KING'S STORY -- Excellent! I'll have to play more of this. 9/10
NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII -- Of course, how can I NOT include this one? It's Mario, it's classic gameplay, it's a whole lotta fun. 'Nuff said. 10/10
MURAMASA—THE DEMON BLADE -- Excellent again. Graphics are stunning, gameplay is top-notch, and the music is great. 9/10
SILENT HILL—SHATTERED MEMORIES -- Probably my favorite game for this year, and arguably one of the better 3rd party titles on the system. It's short, true, but the replay value of getting more than one ending cancels that out. The therapy sessions are a nice touch as well. 10/10
FINAL FANTASY—CRYSTAL BEARERS -- I really, really liked playing this game a lot. Truly I did. However, only two things hold it back -- glitchy camera controls and surprisingly short length. Still, I had a blast playing this one, and it's above the mediocre DQS by far. It's one of the better Square-Enix games for Wii, although it may not be for everyone. 8/10
A BOY AND HIS BLOB -- Absolutely adorable, and quite enjoyable as a game. 10/10
CURSED MOUNTAIN -- How did THIS title slip through the cracks? It's an imaginative, well-crafted thriller, with some spooky yet ethnic settings and an interesting style of presenting its story. The references to real-life locations like the Dege Gonchen Monastery and the Bardo was a nice touch as well. One catch--those damn combat controls and especially the meditation sequences. 8/10
RE-DARKSIDE CHRONICLES -- More of the same from RE: UC, albeit with higher production values. A rental, at best. 7/10
BROKEN SWORD -- Awesome! I really love adventure games that rely on puzzles, and this one really had my attention. 8/10
Those are my thoughts.
