wii thoughts

While we cool down and head into the slow season for games, many of us are clamoring for all the big spring titles. And while everybody is bitching about Splinter Cell and Super Street Fighter 4 getting pushed back, chances are that you've overlooked at least a few solid gaming experiences in the past few months or are so focused on the big action titles coming out, that you're going to end up missing some of the smaller releases. Now is the time to catch up!

If you own a Wii, bust that shit out. I'm sure a lot of you look at the Wii like some sort of board game that you only take out when you've got friends or family over, while you rely on your PS3/360 for your "hardcore" games. If you're convinced that there aren't any single player experiences worth having on the Wii, you're not paying attention. No More Heroes 2 is out next week and if you like anime, hack-n-slash games, insane gore, or absurd humor, this game is for you. Chances are you didn't play the first one and missed out on one of the most unique titles of this generation. Then again, you probably also didn't play Madworld, Nights, Muramusa, Zack and Wiki or any other great Wii game that got lost under piles of 1st party Nintendo titles and 3rd party shovelware.

Unique gaming experiences clearly have nothing to do with technology so do yourself a favor and FINALLY play Okami if you haven't. Looking for an RPG? Get the new Phantom Brave. As I mentioned in my last blog, Nintendo are essentially the reason you've never heard of some of the best Wii titles. Even I forgot that Little King's Story came out last year and was apparently really, really good. Nintendo only cares about how well Mario, Zelda, and Metroid sell. They tend to treat the Wii as nothing more than a vessel for updates to their tried-and-true classics. That's why the Gamecube went under, and that's why the Wii is going under. Until it does though, there are plenty of overlooked gems on the console.

Also keep in mind that Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is out here in the U.S. next week and after spending a couple of days with the Japanese release I can definitely say this is a must-own for any fighting fan. I'm not familiar with 90% of the Tatsunoko characters, but this only made the game feel fresher. Plus the Tatsunoko side ended up being awesome (I'm looking at you, Yatterman). If you enjoy Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for more than just it's roster, you MUST own TvC. MvC2 is fun, and despite the high level of play potential, it is unbalanced and essentially feels less like a fighter than Capcom's previous vs. efforts. While TvC definitely has plenty of moments of insanity, the action is slightly slower then MvC2 and fans of traditional 1 on 1 fighters will find a perfect balance.While I'm still on the topic of upcoming Wii games, a reader mentioned Monster Hunter Tri. Both Brian R. and I have been looking into the Monster Hunter series after a co-worker started playing it nonstop on his PSP. I've been keeping an eye on Monster Hunter Tri since Capcom announced in 2007 that it was being moved from the PS3 to the Wii. Monster Hunter is a craze of Pokemon proportions sweeping Japan on the PSP, and while the original U.S. PS2 release of the first title was marred by poor online PS2 support, Capcom may very well strike gold and create a legitimate console MMORPG for the Wii.

The Wii has obviously been the biggest disappointment for a lot of hardcore gamers expecting a revolution in the way we play games. Hell, the fact that Nintendo changed the name from Revolution to "Wii" should have been our first warning that things weren't going to go smoothly. Still, like so many others, I stood in line on launch day, bought a Wii, played it a lot, and then...stopped. Luckily, because of Cheap Ass Gamer, I've been able to start catching up on some great titles for super cheap. Madworld for $13 shipped is a steal. Start there.

-Brian T.