Seven key titles poised to make or break Nintendo's new year
What’s got us so motivated? Why, a series of console-exclusive games that could finally convince us to reintroduce the Wii into our regular gaming habits. Trouble is, are they enough? Will seven amazing, Wii-exclusive games be enough to spur further development that isn’t baby-wrangling or horseshoe tossing? And what if some of them are duds, nothing but a lot of promises and hype that ultimately amount to yet another so-so attempt? Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that, and that the following titles live up to the desperate, lofty goals we’ve set for them.
The game:
Muramasa: The Demon Blade
What is it?
A side-scrolling hack-and-slasher drenched in Japanese mythology.
Why you should care:
Developer Vanillaware is responsible for two of the decade’s most visually stunning games, Odin Sphere and GrimGrimoire. Despite the limitations of PS2 hardware, they cranked out lavish backgrounds and towering enemy sprites that had GR editors stopping in their tracks just to watch them flow across the screen. If those two games looked that good in 2006, we assume a 2009 release will be even more impressive.
Why it might fizzle:
Highly intelligent readers such as yourself probably know about Odin Sphere or Grim, but do you think the typical Wii owner cares about painstakingly crafted sprites or reinterpretations of Japanese lore? Maybe if they called it Demon Bladez…
What about motion controls?
The waggle plague seems to have missed Murasama, as the SNES-standard Classic Controller setup takes center stage any time the game’s on display – a damn welcome option.
The game:
Fatal Frame 4: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
What is it?
Another unsettling, creepy-as-shit horrorfest starring weak teenage girls and their magical camera.
Why you should care:
Fatal Frame has always been a lingering shadow trapped behind Resident Evil and Silent Hill, yet all three previous entries are highly ranked and consistently deliver shocking, menacing gameplay. Not sure if part four will live up to the pedigree? Japanese mega-magazine Weekly Famitsu rated it 34/40, declaring it to be every bit as terrifying as its predecessors.
Why it might fizzle:
Survival horror is, ironically, barely surviving on Wii. Aside from an RE4 port, Obscure II and the frankly insulting Escape from Bug Island, nothing comes to mind at all. Who’s to say the audience interested in this franchise migrated to Wii in the first place? Will new users be willing to hop into the third sequel of a (relatively) unknown series? The lack of a US release date doesn’t bode well either…
What about motion control?
The girls use the Camera Obscura to battle evil spirits – point the camera with the remote and snap away. As long as the rest of the experience plays down motion, things should be fine.
The game:
The Conduit
What is it?
Highly anticipated FPS with claims of delivering a 360/PS3-quality experience.
Why you should care:
The Conduit aspires to prove Wii can handle a game built around graphics and online play. It’ll feature all manner of visual trickery and support 16-player matches of varying types – all things we take for granted on the other platforms. Essentially, High Voltage wants to make the game that proves Wii can still compete with PS3 and Xbox 360. Quote their chief creative officer, “we are trying to make a Wii game that looks like a 360 title.” Tall order, guys.
Why it might fizzle:
If any one aspect of The Conduit falls flat, be it the allegedly amazing control or the proprietary graphics engine, the whole package could be compromised. This is a delicate situation, trying to court serious fraggers over to a system that’s borderline shunned by the game’s target audience. Then again, with such a large install base, The Conduit could successfully activate a sleeper cell of FPS fans that didn’t yet realize they love the genre. Best of luck, High Voltage.
What about motion control?
In addition to its seemingly impossible task of making “pretty for a Wii game” a slur of the past, Conduit plans to out-perform every other Wii FPS in the control department too. Wii MotionPlus will be supported, wrapping even tighter scrutiny around a game that’s already got a lot to live up to.
The game:
The House of the Dead: Overkill
What is it?
Latest in a long line of on-rails shooters you’ve played to death
Why you should care:
Seriously, that’s it. “The hardcore you’ve been waiting for,” people.
Why it might fizzle:
There’s a damn good chance Overkill will be the same thing we’ve played over and over again. It’s equally likely the super slick trailer is nothing but a genius move by Sega’s American PR (so well-received we gave it a special award). However, House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return was a modest hit, so we have to assume the new game, made just for Wii and carrying some new gameplay features, will perform as well or better.
What about motion control?
You point and shoot. As long as they get that right, there’s no problem at all.
The game:
MadWorld
What is it?
A guy with a chainsaw arm beats the shit out of everyone.
Why you should care:
The most obvious point of interest is the presentation – totally black and white graphics a la Sin City, with red splotches of spurting blood spraying across the screen after a particularly gruesome finisher. It also has the distinction of being a new, M-rated property made just for Wii, which goes a long way on a system starved for attention.
Why it might fizzle:
Well, there’s the argument that Mature-minded gamers have already left the system, but even if they haven’t and initial response is strong, we worry the gameplay might wear thin. Though the over-the-top killsprees and striking visuals will impress, beat ‘em ups have a tendency to run out of steam halfway through.
What about motion controls?
Our latest hands-on praises the gesture-based chainsaw-slaughtering and throwing motion used for hurling corpses at spiky walls. Again, sounds fun for 20 minutes spurts, but is all that waving and twirling necessary for beating someone’s skull into paste?
The game:
Sin and Punishment 2
What is it?
Sequel to an action-soaked N64 shooter that never saw wide release.
Why should you care?
Treasure knows how to build intense gameplay, so even an on-rails shooter can elicit excitement if it’s constructed by the masters. It’s a little pricey, but the original is now on Virtual Console in all its missile-dodging, laser-blasting glory. The enthusiastic, vocal fanbase is stoked at the prospect of playing a non-fuzzy sequel, so for the time being we’re piqued too.
Why it might fizzle:
In-the-know gamers will buy this for its historical relevance and (probably) excellent blasting, but a Wii game labeled “Sin and Punishment” puts it right in between “The Sims 2: Pets” and “Six Flags Fun Park” on the sales rack. Sigh…
What about motion controls?
We know next to nothing about S&P2, so there’s no telling. Part of us hopes Treasure sticks to its guns and goes for Classic Controller first and cramp-inducing aiming only under duress.
The game:
Punch-Out!!
What is it?
Nintendo’s “here you go” game of the first quarter, developed by the guys behind the Mario Strikers series.
Why you should care:
Never played the series before? It’s kind of the best boxing game ever, the immaculate template that Black and Bruised, Facebreaker and Ready to Rumble failed to follow. Beating the hugely stereotyped, grossly oversized pugilists is more about pattern memorization and lightning quick counterattacks than a deep knowledge of the sport. In essence, a “hardcore casual” game that could bridge this software gap quite easily.
Why it might fizzle:
We loved Prime 3, Galaxy and Brawl, but Mario Kart Wii and Animal Crossing: City Folk left us thinking Nintendo spends more time flexing its Wii Fit/Sports/Music muscles than developing “gamer” games. Also, developer Next Level Games brought us Spider-Man Friend or Foe, not the brightest moment in comic book crossovers.
What about motion controls?
Details are anemic at this point (go Nintendo!), though it’s fair to assume it’ll be something like Wii Boxing with a bit more variation. We’re also holding out hope for the assumed Balance Board support – this is the one game where we want to lean, juke and stretch to win. Motion controls warmly accepted.
