It's neither as good nor as difficult as the original 3, but it's still a wonderful addition to the series. It's one of the few recent revivals I've seen Nintendo do properly, and it's definitely leagues better than that atrocious Super Mario Wii. The multiplayer works well, the bosses are cleverly designed, the art and graphics are colorful, and the levels are really well made. It's a little soulless at times, but it feels very polished. There's no doubt that this game is the most old school styled fun you'll find in this day and age. Definitely worthy of being on this list.
Surprised? Don't be. Prime 3: Echoes is legitimately a great game and definitely one of the Wii's best titles. The graphics are excellent and the art is too, but that's expected from Retro Studios. What I didn't expect was for the game to actually be so good. Retro pretty much went out of its way to rectify everything that was wrong with the original Prime and with Prime 2: Echoes, adding a real targeting system, adding an interesting story, cutting back some on the backtracking, and making the environments even more varied. The beginning alone is better than both of the previous Prime games combined.
I never was much of a fan of Retro, but I must say that they thoroughly impressed me. Any developer that takes new hardware as an opportunity to fix the problems of their previous titles deserves a lot of praise. Retro really went for it with the last installment in the series and I was very pleased with the results. Corruption is, in a very personal sense, a lot like Portal: a game that completely changed my mind on a previously disliked developer of mine.
No More Heroes 2 is what you would get if you mixed Shenmue with Kill Bill, to great success. There is something incredibly charming about a game so over-the-top as this one is. Everything about it is fun, even the way you use the Wiimote to battle. I'm one who has a tendency to really dislike Nintendo's new, discombobulated controller, but I never even thought about it while playing this game. The humor is excellent and all the nerdy goodness just feels incredible to me, right down to the presentation (like eight-bit styled icons). The money making mini-games are actually a highlight, going as far as to keeping me entertained for hours. Sometimes I was so focused on the really well made 2D mini-games that I forgot I was even playing a completely different game.
No More Heroes 2 is basically a love letter to gaming and anime nerds everywhere and it just hits the nail on the head.
I heard the Wii had a point-and-click adventure, and being a big fan of Monkey Island, Sam and Max, and King's Quest, I decided to give it a try. I was not expecting the game to be so damned good. It sort of came out of nowhere for me, and what really got me was that even though it was obviously inspired by its PC predecessors, it still managed to be a game all its own. It's very original, the challenges are all excellent, the graphics and art are beautiful, and even a great amount of humor is included. I can't begin to number the amount of times I smiled, whether because something hilarious happened (fuck you, snake totem, for blowing out my torch!) or because I figured out a particularly difficult challenge. There is nothing this game doesn't do, and minus a few flaws here and there, it's become one of my absolute favorite experiences this generation.
It's a shame it didn't sell too well and more so that it's been ignored by the gaming community in general. It's an incredible game, and fairly cheap to buy now. So go get it!
This is a difficult one for me because every time I bring it up I just get a slew of snide comments from most Metroid fans. Look, I get it, the story is laughably bad at times! I mean, really Samus? Really? You're going to jump into the lava pit and not use your protective suit until Adam says so? Okay. But what Other M messes up story wise it more than makes up gameplay wise. Other M is pretty much flawless in that department, nailing the speed, combat, and overall action that I always wanted from a 3D Metroid. The enemies are all incredibly smart, the battle system is robust with many options, the level design is spectacular, and the boss fights are glorious. The best part is how smooth the game feels; even switching from third to first person is instantaneous and intuitive.
Take Other M and pretend the story doesn't happen. Focus only on the gameplay, which is the core of what makes a game a game, and you'll find one of the greatest gaming experiences of all time. The packaging it's wrapped in may not be the most appealing, but what's inside is definitely worth it. I remember picking this game up and not being really sure what to expect, but I finished it in two days. As I age, it gets harder and harder for games to keep my attention, so that's a hell of an achievement. I simply couldn't put this masterpiece down.
Hands down the best thing on the Nintendo Wii.
- Kharlo -
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