Video Game Review: Lego Pirates of the Caribbean for Wii

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Fun way to play through the Pirates of the Caribbean films

Cons: Nothing much new for the Lego games franchise

The Bottom Line: 

Become a pirate

Familiar Lego style game

Still fun game, Matey

Why Be There No Lego Rum?

I have become quite addicted to the Lego video games, and my latest game is Lego Pirates of the Caribbean for Wii.  It’s a fun addition to this video game franchise.

In fact, if you are familiar with the franchise already, I’m going to make this short and sweet.  It’s more of the same.  If that sounds good to you, get the game.  If you were hoping for something different, you’ll be disappointed.  You get five levels for each of the four movies in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.  Other then a couple of small variations on the theme, you’ve seen it before.

Looking for more detail?  Keep reading.

The Lego video game franchise takes popular movie franchises and recreates the movies using Lego characters and settings.  This game features all four Pirates movies, and five levels for each movie, so all told there are 20 levels of play here.  The first time you play through each level, you play in Story Mode, doing your best to get through that part of the story with the assigned characters.  Once you’ve done that, you can start playing in Freeplay.  In this mode, you can bring other characters who weren’t in that scene with you.  You can also bring villains you’ve unlocked along.  There are some areas you can only unlock and explore in Freeplay, so you'll definitely want to do that.

Along with just completing the level, you have several missions.  You need to collect Lego studs.  Quite a few of them are sitting on the ground, but you can find more by building and/or destroying things.  When you hit a certain threshold (different on every level) you reach “Real Pirate” status.  The points from the studs you collect carry over, and you use them to unlock certain characters for Freeplay or helps that you’ve unlocked.  You also need to collect 10 "bottles" in each level to complete a minikit.

Really, it usually takes more than once through Story and Freeplay to unlock everything I need to from a level.  That means you get lots of play time from this game.

There are always at least two characters you can play on the screen at a time since this game is designed for one or two players.  I’ve only played by myself, and it’s easy to switch between characters as you need to.  In fact, they’ve added a wheel, so if there are multiple characters on the screen, you can choose which one in particular you want to play as.  When enemies attack, the computer won’t defeat them, just keep them at bay.  But if a puzzle requires two players to solve, the computer will do its part.

When an enemy or something else kills you, you lose some of the studs you’ve collected.  Even if you get down to zero, you can keep playing.  This is one feature I like since there are no more frustrating parts of getting to a certain point and dying.  As long as you keep moving forward, you will finish all of the level.

The game uses the Wiimote and the Nunchuck controllers, and frankly everything becomes second nature after a little bit of game play.  It does seem a bit more finicky about picking things up than other Lego games have been, but once you know that, it’s okay.

Graphic?  They won’t blow you away.  This game is on the cartoony side of animation.  The graphics are certainly good enough that you can tell what is happening and what you should be doing.  But this is a Lego video game, and I wouldn’t expect anything realistic from a game with plastic characters as the main characters.

The sound effects are good.  They’ve got swords clashing and other fun things like that.  And the background music includes the soundtracks from the films, so it’s great.

The Lego games always have fun cut scenes taken from the film to bridge the various stages of the level.  This one is no exception; however, I feel they overwhelm the game play at times.  This is especially true of the opening, which takes a couple of minutes to recreate the first scene of the first movie.  You can’t skip it but must watch every time you turn the game on.

Still, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean for Wii is another fun installment.  Fans of either franchise will have hours of enjoyment before them.

Pass the rum!

Video Game Review: Lego Batman for Wii

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Lots of fun as Batman and Robin save Gotham City

Cons: Vehicles levels not so easy to control

The Bottom Line: 

Classic comic book

Characters with Lego twist

Makes for tons of fun

Keep the Lego Bricks of Gotham City Safe

I have become addicted to the Lego Wii games.  They are so fun and rather addicting.  If I'm not careful, I'll play by the hour.  I'm also way behind on these releases, so the latest one I've been playing is Lego Batman, which was released several years ago.  (The sequel has just come out in fact.)  It's another fun entry in the series.

Unlike the other games in the Lego series, this one isn't based on one or move movies.  Instead, it tells it's own story (or really stories) as things progress.

There's been a massive break from Arkham Asylum.  (As Alfred points out in the booklet that comes with the game, that place is more porous than a tea strainer.)  All of Batman's most famous foes have managed to get out, and it's up to Batman and Robin to track them down and put them away again.

There are really three stories here, each with its own ultimate villain, Riddler, Penguin, or Joker.  Each story is broken down into 5 levels, and in each of those levels, the main villain of the story teams up with another classic villain to cause mayhem.  As you play through the level, you might defeat one villain or they might both escape to the next level, but eventually you'll round them all up and save the day.

The first time you play through a level, you play in story mode.  You're Batman and Robin (either one person switching off characters as needed or two players cooperating).  To get through the level, you have to defeat any bad guys that come your way (villain or henchman) and solve puzzles to get further in the level.  To help you out, our heroes get various suits that allow them to glide or walk up metal walls, for example.  And, of course, you'll need to collect Lego studs, which earn you points that you can use to redeem for various upgrades in the game.

Once you've beaten a story, you aren't done.  That unlocks the ability to play as the villains.  It's the same story and similar levels, but from the other side.  It's a fun twist to things, and once again you get to collect as many studs as you can as you try to put your evil plot into motion.

So, you've finished all 30 levels (15 as hero and 15 as villain) in story mode?  Great, but you're just getting warmed up.  Now, you can go back through in Free Play and collect power bricks (which give you special abilities) and canisters that are hidden in each level.  You can find some of these in story mode, but to unlock all of them, you need to go through in Free Play and really take the time to explore.  In Free Play, you can switch between any character you've unlocked, and sometimes you need the super strength of mind control ability of one of the villains to reach something, even in the hero levels.  Plus, you have to reach a certain Lego stud point level in each level to achieve true Superhero or Supervillain status.

As you can see, there is lots of do, so you really can play by the hour.  You'll go through each level several times, and with 30 levels, there's more than enough to keep you busy for a while.  That makes the game a great value.

Plus it's just fun to get through the levels.  I love the fact that you can smash and destroy much of what's around you to collect studs.  The puzzles are fun to figure out, although a couple of them can be a little tricky.

The controls are also fairly easy.  You use the Wiimote and the Nunchuk to control the characters.  The joystick on the Nunchuk is how you control the characters, and various buttons make the characters jump of smash or attack and other such things.  Even when I haven't played for a while, it's easy to jump back in because the controls are so easy.  In a fun touch, by pointing the Wiimote at the screen, you can aim where Batman and Robin through their Batarangs.

I also like the fact that you get unlimited lives to complete a level.  You do lose stud points from the Lego studs you've collected along the way, but that's the only penalty.  This means you will get through every level.  You might not do it well, but there is no getting stuck at a certain point and never finishing things.

The graphics are not going to blow away serious gamers, but then again, they shouldn't be expecting that.  Really, we are dealing with animation for a game aimed at kids, and for that the graphics look great.  Likewise, the sound is good for that the game is.  There's background music that can cue you to approaching danger and sound effects as you do things.  Both fit the game well, and that's all that matters.

There are animated cut scenes that help tell the story in each level, and they are a riot.  They make Robin out to be a klutz, and you just can't help but laugh as how much he fails and how Batman reacts.  These scenes just use movement, facial expressions, and grunts to tell the story, but they get the job done.

This is the first time I've played a Lego game with some (before I've played with just one person).  My roommate, who loves Batman, joined me in defeating the villains (or being them).  I loved it.  It gave me someone to talk through the puzzles with. (Which is partially why I found the levels easier than before.  I also knew what I was looking for.)  It's also easier to defeat a band of henchmen since both of you are truly attacking (unlike in solo mode where you have to do it yourself).  I highly recommend playing with a friend if you can.

If there's one frustration in this game for me, it's the vehicles levels.  Each story has one, and I hate them because it's so hard to control the vehicles.  You have to move just right to get them to do what you want.  I must prefer the control I have of moving actual characters around.

But solo or with a friend, I do recommend Lego Batman for Wii.  It's a fun game that you will play for hours on end.

Video Game Review: Lego Star Wars - The Complete Saga for Wii

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun, creative levels built around Star Wars

Cons: A few overly hard levels, a few issues with characters

The Bottom Line: 

Collect Lego studs

In galaxy far away

Through all six movies

Work Your Way Through the Entire Star Wars Saga Lego Brick by Lego Brick

I normally don’t do movie based video games, but I am hooked on the Lego series.  They are way too much fun and contain so many levels you can spend hours playing them.  And that’s one reason why I don’t get through them very fast since my time spent playing the Wii is sporadic at best.  Recently, I’ve been making my way through Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, and I’ve been enjoying it.

For those who aren’t familiar with the Lego series, they recreate movies, but with Lego characters and sets.  So in this case, you are playing through all six movies from the Star Wars franchise.  Each of the six movies gets six different levels.  The game is designed for one or two players, and you must work your way through collecting Lego pieces (called studs) and solving puzzles by building or destroying things.  Occasionally, one part will require a certain character to get through (some doors can only be opened by R2-D2 or C-3PO, for example, while other places require a Jedi).  You can switch to that character or your partner can do that part, depending on whether you are playing by yourself or with someone.

There are multiple goals to the game, which requires playing each level multiple times.  The first time through, you play in story mode, and you play as characters who were in that scene.  Once you have done that, you can go back and play in freeplay, which allows you a greater variety of characters that you’ve unlocked from other levels or bought with the Lego studs you’ve collected along the way.  Why would you do this?  Because there are 10 Lego canisters hidden in each level, and it often takes all the types of characters to find them.  There are also red power blocks hidden in each level that give you cheats to get through the levels faster - once you've unlocked them with the studs you've collected.

Some of the levels do involve vehicles.  These are my least favorites because I have more trouble using the controls.  However, actually defeating the Death Star more than makes up for that.

Frankly, one reason I love this game is how much fun it is to play as these characters I love from the movies.  I’ve got to admit I do see the appeal of the movie based video game after playing this game.

The controls are fairly straightforward.  You use the normal Wiimote plus the Nunchuck.  The joystick on the Nunchuck moves your character, and the various buttons do other things.  Within a couple of minutes, my fingers are moving on their own, and I’m not even thinking about what they are doing as I try to work my way to safety.  In a fun use of the remote, you can wave it around to activate and swing a light saber if you are playing with a character that carries one.

The graphics are fine, although they won’t impress the serious gamer.  They are a bit on the cartoony side, but then again, you are controlling and fighting Lego characters.  It’s hardly a surprise.  I never find the graphics a distraction as I play.

The music and sound effects pull stuff from the movie soundtracks, so any fan of the movies will love them right away.  And there are special cues to help you notice approaching danger.

Of course, these games aren’t just a walk in the park.  You can be killed by the bad guys you have to fight.  Most of the time, the only real consequence is losing studs you’ve collected.  You come back where you were and continue.  And, in a detail I love about these games, you get as many lives as it takes to complete the level.  So there’s no almost finishing and then being destroyed by the final enemy no matter how many times you play.

Of course, a few of the levels are harder than they need to be.  Despite having infinite lives, trying to get through them can still be an exercise in frustration.

I’ve played through the game solo.  What I’ve noticed is the overabundance of characters who follow you around.  Sometimes there can be four or five members of your party, and that means they get in the way as you are trying to do something, especially fight a group of bad guys.  Also, when switching characters, you have to be right next to them, and that creates problems with the large group of characters around you.  On the other hand, I have noticed a couple of levels where the second player would get bored since the only character they could play with doesn’t have much they can do.  Irritants?  Yes, but minor ones.

All told, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is another fun game for Wii.  May the force be with you as you play.

Video Game Review: Tetris Party Deluxe for Wii

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Addicting game play that is fun as always, lots of new puzzles

Cons: Let me puzzle that one out - none I can think of

The Bottom Line:
Align falling blocks

To clear lines.  Simple concept

That's still addicting




Just Keep Clearing Those Lines of Blocks

I have been addicted to Tetris since the first time I played it.  While I hate trying to pack stuff in real life, I seem to be able to fit those blocks into just the right spot.  So, naturally, I wanted to get Tetris Party Deluxe when I found out it was available for the Wii.

The idea behind the game is still pretty basic.  Blocks made up of four squares connected in some manner drop from the top of the screen and you have to rotate them and move them left to right to make them fit with each other.  When you completely fill in a line, it goes away.

Since the game is simple, the game controls are fairly simple.  You just need the Wiimote for this one.  The plus pad controls the left and right direction of the block and to drop it fast and faster.  You use the 1 and 2 buttons to rotate it clockwise or counterclockwise.  You can use the A button to take a falling block and save it for later.  Just hit A again, and the block you saved will switch with the currently falling block.  That's a new to me feature that I love.

And it can really be that simple.  You can go in and play by yourself for hours trying to rack up the highest score by clearing lines (clearing multiple lines at once gives you a higher score).  They even have a simpler version they call Beginner Tetris that has simpler pieces and a smaller play field.  But it can also get much more complicated than that.

Before I move on, I should mention you can play this game with your Wii Balance Board.  I don't have one, so I don't know how that works.

Now, let's discussion the variations and puzzles.  For the single player, there are all kinds of options.  You can play against the computer (although it seemed a little easy to me).  You can take the challenge to fill in a certain area or get a climber through a series of gates as you fill in the pieces.  You can race to clear 40 lines.  And they have Bombliss, which is the puzzle modes from the Gameboy Tetris Blast.  In this mode, you have to clear lines with bombs in them and blow up the bombs to actually clear the lines.  I loved Tetris Blast and wish they included the free play version here, but I'll certainly take this.

So, you want to play with your friends?  Great, you can have up to four people playing at one time.  The big change here is that when you clear multiple lines, your opponent gets those lines, but if you only clear one line it goes away.  That's always a challenge to me because I'm more of a clear lines as quickly as possible guy instead of building to multiple lines at once.  It's a very different mindset, but if you can get into it, you'll do well.  You can actually play many of the single player games in multiplayer versions as well.  There's also a co-op version where you work with a friend to clear lines on one screen.

Then there are items.  When you are playing against someone, you can chose to have items involved.  These range from speeding up your opponents blocks to hiding someone's queue to sending random squares to your opponents pieces or clearing a bunch of your own lines.  These items hide in blocks that fall, and when you clear the line with the item in it, you get the chance to use it.  Just press the B button to cause all kinds of extra mayhem.  It can be frustrating at times when you are struggling and someone hits you with smoke, for example, but it's fun to do that yourself.  It makes it an extra challenge.

Still not enough?  You can go on-line and play against up to 5 opponents from around the world (or your friends if they have the game and are signed in).  For the Wi-Fi version, you only have the option of playing the traditional building and clearing lines version, although you can play with the items.  I must admit, I am sad at this game on-line.  I tend to lose almost all the time.  But it's still fun to play and try to do better.

There was a version of Tetris Party you could buy over WiiWare that includes the items and original game play.  You could play it against friends or over Wi-Fi.  Yes, I have that, and I enjoy it, but I like all the additional variations this game offers.  Yes, I tend to play traditional Tetris the most, but those variations are fun for something different, and just as addicting.

And let me tell you, this game is a couple decades old and still addicting.  I can start playing, and an hour has passed without me even realizing it.  Just one more game becomes my mantra until I finally give in and turn it off.  It's really that much fun.

The graphics are.  There isn't much more to say about them.  There is some nice detail in the background, but I am always focusing on the falling blocks of squares.  Since those blocks are the real focus of the game, it's fairly basic.  I never find the graphics an issue for game play.

Likewise, the sound is simple.  You get some music on the menus, but when playing, you get a few game play noises, but that's about it.  Since I always turned off the music in the older Tetris games I have, that's a good thing in my eyes.

Tetris is a classic, and I've loved many of the variations over the years.  Tetris Party Deluxe is another winner in that very long line.

Video Game Review: Epic Mickey for Wii

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great use of familiar and obscure Disney makes it fun

Cons: Poor camera adds to some frustration with certain levels

The Bottom Line: 

Mickey's epic quest

Has some flaws to the magic

But still mostly fun

Mickey Takes an Epic Wii Journey through a Nightmare Wasteland

I’m not much of a gamer, and when I do play a video game, I prefer the simpler games like I grew up playing.  As a result, the quest games that follow a long story through a created world aren’t normally my thing.  But I quickly made an exception when Epic Mickey was released for Wii.  You expected this Disnerd to do any differently?

The game is a dream for those of us who love all things Disney.  Once upon a time, the wizard Yensid (from the movie Fantasia) created a world for all the forgotten Disney characters to retire to.  However, during its construction, Mickey accidentally stumbles into the studio and spills paint and thinner on it.  Now, years later, the place is in disrepair and Mickey is kidnapped and drawn into the world, now known as Wasteland.  In order to get out, he must make his way through a bunch of quests.  He is helped along the way by Gus, a Gremlin who helps guide you through the game.  You also have a paint brush filled with paint and thinner you can use to create or erase things and even enemies in the world.

I’ve got to confess that I have had multiple geek out moments as I’ve played this game.  You spend parts of it chasing Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and you meet up with Clarabelle and Horace.  Plus you are playing through levels that resemble various places in Disneyland (some say Disney World, but I think of Disneyland).  While most people will recognize the places, few will probably get the characters.  I’m enough of a Disnerd that I not only get them but I absolutely love seeing them.

The game looks impressive.  As my brother was the first say what I was thinking when we started playing it together, it’s Disney with a Gotham City make over.  You’ll recognize much of what you are playing through, but it looks darker, sadder, and run down.  Okay, so it’s still cartoony rather than realistic looking, but since we are living in a cartoon world, that’s not that surprising.

Likewise, the music is good.  It sounds like the soundtrack from some epic movie.  Yes, at times they mix in classic Disney songs, but at other times it is all completely brand new.

The majority of the game is made up of various quests, and you have to explore your current level to find what you want, then bring it back to your starting point.  It gets repetitive, and it would be nice if they mixed it up a bit more.  I also don’t like the fact that once you move through an area, you can’t get back there easily.  So make sure you have explored everything there is to see before you move on.

Much has been said of the “camera” for the game, and with good reason.  That is the weakest flaw by far.  It can be hard at times to get things to the angle you really need to see.  Yes, you can use some buttons on your controller to tilt the camera and you can hit one button to recenter the camera from Mickey’s viewpoint, both things I do regularly.  But still, it manages to mess me up and kill me more often than I would like.

Then again, that’s also part of my non-gamer nature coming to the forefront.  I get frustrated after two or three tries at an area if I can’t move on, and there are a few points in the game that have really frustrated me.  This game will probably be too complex for those under late elementary school age, and just at the time when Disney will no long be cool.  Then again, with all the obscure Disney history in this game, maybe the real target is adults after all.

The games uses not only the Wiimote but all the Nunchuck as well.  You use the little joystick to move and the buttons to jump and spray the paint and thinner.  You shake the Wiimote to do an attack spin.  I found these controls very easy to grasp, and they were second nature to me almost right away.  I struggled a bit more with aiming the paintbrush when I shoot the paint and thinner.  There is a target on the screen that reads off your Wiimote and where it is currently pointing.  I kept firing and wondering why Mickey was shooting the paint in a different direction until I remembered to watching where I was aiming that thing.

There are lots of times where your actions determine the outcome of the game.  If you aren’t careful, you can make characters mad at you who won’t help you later.  Or, if you free them from a prison, they’ll save you a lot of work later.  That’s definitely an interesting feature.

As you transition from one world to another, you do it through 2D levels based on classic Mickey shorts.  Most everyone will have at least heard of the shorts we play through, things like “Steamboat Willie” or “Mickey and the Beanstalk.”  All of that is very fun as well, although these levels don’t add too much to the overall game.

This is a game I enjoy in spurts.  I’ll pay it several times for a week and get a little frustrated with a level.  Then I’ll walk away for a while and come back and enjoy it again later.  Okay, some of my breaks are also because I don't have the time to play it much.  People who more regularly play these games will probably find it easier than I do, however.  I know my sister-in-law breezed through it.

But I do enjoy Epic Mickey.  It’s not an easy game, made harder by a the poor camera, but it is a blast for Disney fans of all stripes with the almost constant nods to the Disney we already know or might have forgotten.

Video Game Review: Sports for Wii

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Five fun sports games that will entertain you and friends

Cons: Not all games appeal to everyone

The Bottom Line:
Get up and moving

With a better sports game you

And your friends will love

What Better Way to Show Off the New Wii System Than with Wii Sports?

Usually, when Nintendo releases a new video game system, they bundle their newest Mario game with it.  That's why I was shocked to learn that the bundled game for the Wii was Wii Sports.  The first time I played it, however, I understood why.  This game really shows off what the Wii can do.

In case you've missed it, the Wii's controllers, called a Wiimote, are unlike anything you've seen before.  Yes, they do have buttons and a control pad area to move players around traditionally.  But they are motion sensitive.  The whole idea of this system is that you can swing the remote and affect what happens on the screen.  Considering I've been trying to do that unsuccessfully for years, is it any wonder I love this system?

So, for Wii Sports, instead of sitting down and hitting buttons, you are up on your feet swinging your arm to get the characters move.  And yes, you can tell the machine you are left handed, and it responds accordingly.  It's surprisingly fun.  There are five games here, although I tend to stick to three of them.

Tennis - This is the first game I ever played on a Wii, and it's a blast.  You're playing doubles, so you can play with up to four people at a time.  Or, if you've got less than that, the computer will fill in for the missing players.  You don't have any control over the movement of your characters.  The only thing you control is your swing.  By timing it correctly, you can hit the ball back to your opponent or just by him.  Personally, I like the fact that I just have to concentrate on when to swing and let the computer move me around.  Only rarely does it fail me.  Usually, when I mess up, it's because I miss timed a swing or my opponent returned it to a spot I'd have no hope of reaching no matter who controlled the movement.  You can play a match of 1, 3, or 5 sets, so it never takes too long.

Bowling - I love to bowl, so it's no surprise that I love this game; in fact, it's my favorite.  And it's really simple.  Just swing the Wiimote and let go of the B button to release the ball.  Here's where the game gets fun, however.  The Wiimote senses any curve of spin you put on the ball as well as how quickly you were going when you released it.  While I tend to throw it straight like I do in real life, you can get some wicket spin on it.  Again, you can play with any number of people from one to four, but since you bowl one at a time, you can all share one Wiimote for this game.

Golf - There's nothing like a nice day on the greens, right?  Well, if it's raining out, you can play 3 or 9 holes on the comfort of your living room.  This time around, press and hold the A button and then swing the golf club like a bowling ball.  You only need one Wiimote no matter how many people are playing, and you can play by yourself or with up to three friends.  When it comes time to putt, this one can get frustrating because it doesn't recognize small swings.  I often find the small putts are the hardest because no matter how I swing I hit them too hard.

My brother and I had Golf for the original Nintendo.  He pointed out to me that the holes here are identical to the ones from that old game.  Just a fun bit of trivia for you for free.

Baseball - It's you versus one friend or the computer as you battle it out over three innings.  When it's your turn to bat, you swing your Wiimote just like a bat.  Pitching?  Hit a button on the plus pad of the Wiimote and then swing it down.  Once the ball is in the air, however, you can't do anything but cheer on your fielders to make an out or your runners to get on base.  I find this one fun if I'm playing it with a friend, but against the computer it gets boring quickly.  I have had roommates who will play this one by themselves by the hour, however.

Boxing - This is the only sport in this game that requires the Nunchuck, an additional controller for the Wii.  Don't worry, you don't have to learn to control anything.  Instead, you hold the Wiimote in one hand and the Nunchuck in the other and go to town swinging at your computer opponent or your friend.  You can jab, punch, or block.  While I can break a sweat playing Tennis, you are pretty much guaranteed to start sweating if you play this for any length of time.  Who says you can't get a go workout playing a video game?

While this game is most fun when you play it against someone, they give you a challenge by yourself as well.  After each round, you are given a ranking based on how well you did.  If you did better than last time, you climb.  If you did worse, you fall.  The goal is to reach 1000 points and become a pro.  Sadly, you can lose that status if your ranking slips below 1000.  It's amazing how quickly you can lose any skill you have with the game.  After not playing it for a while, I find I start losing status quickly.  Bowling and Golf update your status any time since those are truly solo endeavors.  The others won't update if you are playing against or with your friends.  And your computer opponent keeps getting harder the higher your ranking climbs, too.

Those looking for highly realistic graphics should look elsewhere.  The graphics are cartoony by design.  In fact, you use the Mii you can create on the machine.  This cartoon version of yourself is the character you actually control for all these games.  The environments do look nice, but even they won't blow you away with their detail.

Likewise, the sound isn't going to blow you away.  There is minimal music; it's mostly sound effects of you grunting or the ball being wacked.  It gets the point across, and it matches the game.  Frankly, that's all I'm looking for.

The games themselves getting tiring?  There are some fun minigames that let you "train" for the big games.  My favorite of these is in bowling where they start you with the traditional 10 pins but keep adding a row of pins for every frame after that.  A precursor to the 100 pin bowling in Wii Sports Resort, I guess.

Wii Sports will get you up and moving, showing what this new system can do.  And it is a great game to play with any number of friends.  It's the anti-video game.

Video Game Review: Namco Museum Remix for Wii

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: The nine classic games are as fun as I remember them being

Cons: The "Remix" games are too simple and boring

The Bottom Line:

Lesser known classics

Are only reason to buy

Boring remixes

The Classics Are Great.  The Remixes are Only Okay.

I love the classic arcade games I grew up with, so one of the first purchases I made for my Wii was the Namco Museum Remix.  This game for the Wii has 5 updates of classic games (called remixes) and 9 games from the 80's video arcade.  While the new games aren't all that great, the classics are fun to play again.

Remix Titles

The remixes are all attempts to update some classics, take advantage of the Wii's unique controllers, and give us more of their best known star, Pac-Man.  He appears in all 5 of the games.

Galaga Remix is the weirdest of the bunch only because I don't see how it applies to the original.  Pac-Man is rolling down a track in space, and we have to keep invading aliens from hurting him.  We've got a target on the screen that we move by moving the Wii controller, and we hit the aliens when we fire when they are in the cross hairs.  We have no real control over Pac-Man, and there are times we're shooting at aliens without any sight of our hero.  The video is pretty impressive as it zooms through the various levels.

Pac'N Roll Remix finds Pac-Man eating his way through various 3D levels as he tries to pick up enough energy pellets to leave the level while avoiding the ghosts.  The levels are actually pretty simple, it's not that hard to finish them.

Remember those machines where you have a mallet and are trying to hit gators as they come out from a hole?  That's the premise of Gator Panic Remix.  You are Pac-Man and are trying to hit the gators before they bite your friend the turtle.  It's amusing for a game or two, however, the gators will still bite the turtle even if you've hit them, so by the end when all four are out at once, it gets hard to keep him from being bitten.

Pac-Motos finds us as Pac-Man trying to knock other objects off the playing field without falling off ourselves.  Most of the levels are pretty basic until you get to the boss level.  Even with the power ups, they're almost impossible to defeat.

The final Remix is my favorite.  Then again, I always loved the original Rally-X.  This time around, Pac-Man is driving and we steer him as he tries to collect all the flags on a course without crashing into the cars chasing him or the rocks on the maze.  Some levels require us to collect them in a certain order, while others are the traditional collect in any order you can.  The controls on this one are a little hard, but I remember that on the original as well.

Remix Thoughts

A large part of me wonders if this part of the game is aimed at kids instead of adults.  Most of the games seems remarkably easy.  You start each level with three lives and just start that level over if you lose them all.  Usually, I can move on with only dying once.  Twice means I really wasn't trying that hard.

The graphics are another thing that makes me thing these are aimed at kids.  They are very cartoony in nature.  Now I know the classics they are based on weren't the best in the way of graphics, especially by today's standards.  But they seem pretty childish.

The sounds are pretty basic as well.  There are sound effects and music, but nothing super impressive.  Since the games are simple, that actually works for me.

Most of these games require the use of the Wii remote and the Nunchuk.  The controls are easy to intuitive, however, they aren't always easy to master.  I mentioned how finicky they can be on the Rally-X Remix already.  On Pac'N Roll, it takes a lot of work to get Pac-Man to roll where you want him to in the 3D environment.

Several of these games do include multi-player versions, but I haven't subjected any of my friends to them.

If the game stopped here, I would probably recommending you miss this game.  But the classics.  Ah, my old friends.

Carnival Arcade (The Classics)

I should start out by pointing out what you will not find here.  They don't include the original Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man.  But I do enjoy the games included.

My favorite is a little known game called Mappy.  You are a mouse detective trying to recover stolen items from some cats.  You have to bounce from level to level collection the items without being touched.  For the simple premise, it is remarkably addicting.

Right up there is Dig Dug.  Here, you are a guy trying to either plow up monsters or squash them in their under ground lair.  Simple yet so addictive.  I would play this by the hour on my Atari 2600, and here it is no different.

While we don't get the original Pac-Man, we do get three different versions.  My favorite is Super Pac-Man.  Here, we're eating food on a maze with doors we have to unlock before we can get to the food.  That adds an extra level because sometimes you can get trapped by just one ghost.  In addition to the power pellets, we get two super pellets that let us crash through barriers and fly over the ghosts.

Easily as addicting is Pac-Mania, an early 3D version of the classic that lets us jump over ghosts.

Rounding out the Pac-Man games is Pac&Pal.  We're trying to eat fruit after matching it, and we have some different ways to harm the ghosts.  To be perfectly honest, I haven't quite figured this one out completely.  I usually play the other two instead.

We've got two Space Invader clones here.  The more well known is Galaxian.  It and Gaplus are fairly similar as the aliens not only shoot but dive bomb us.  They're fun, although we probably really only needed one of them.

Cutie-Q is a cross between pinball and Breakout.  You've got a pad you use to keep a ball on the play field as it rolls over stuff and clears the area at the top.

Rounding out this section is Xevious, an early mission game where we have to shoot planes and tanks as we fly through enemy territory.

Carnival Arcade Thoughts

These are the games I actually play.  They are pretty much imports from the arcade version, so if you are already familiar with the game, you can still beat it here.  My Mappy skills are just as good as ever, for example.  The games I wasn't familiar with before I started, I do poorly at.  But the harder I work, the better I get.

If you need your joystick to make this work, you can use the Nunchuk to control things.  Or you can turn the Wii Remote around the use the buttons and plus pad to control things.  I use both, depending on the game and what feels natural to me.  The controls in this part are surprisingly responsive.  As much as I'd like to blame things on them, usually my deaths are the result of my poor decisions and lack of skill.

The graphics are faithful to the original arcade versions.  That means they definitely look dated, especially the "3D" of Pac-Mania.  However, I love them because they remind me of the games I loved to play.  Likewise, the sound is the familiar arcade music and effects.  Honestly, you could turn the volume down and not miss much.

Final Thoughts

I bought this game for the classic games, and on that front I am not disappointed.  When I pull this game out, they are what I play almost exclusively.  I had hoped the new versions would be fun, and they left Rally-X alone enough that it is still fun.  The others are just too easy to be much fun.

So if you like the lesser known classics mentioned here or classics in general, it is worth it to get Namco Museum Remix.  Otherwise, don't let the lower price trick you into buying a game you won't spend much time playing.

Video Game Review: Lego Indiana Jones for Wii

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Very forgiving game that is tons of fun

Cons: A few of the levels are hard to figure out at first

The Bottom Line:

Definitely fun

And completely addicting

Indiana rocks!

I Never Thought I Would Love Lego Indiana Jones as Much as I Do

The first time I saw one of the Lego video games, I thought it had to be stupid.  Who would play Lego versions of movie video games?  Granted, I'm not a video game based on movie person anyway, so that didn't help my perception.  Anyway, my brother raved about the games, and talked me into trying the first level of Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures for Wii.  In no time flat, I was hooked.

Game Play

As I expected, this is a game very much based on the movies.  In this case, we get levels based on the three movies in the original trilogy.  Each movie gets six levels, to be exact, that pretty much walk you through the stories.

And you play each level at least twice.  The first time through is always in Story Mode.  Here, the level is augmented by several bits of animation.  Between the animation and the game play, I was pretty much able to remember where we were in the movie and how the story progressed.  But these aren't straight translations of the story and the animation often made me grin if not laugh out loud.  When it is time to play, you have two or three "good guy" characters to help you solve puzzles, collect Lego studs for points, and defend yourself from the "bad guys."  This is either a one or two player game.  I've played most of the time by myself, and the computer is very good as keeping the other character nearby or helping you if the puzzle you have to solve to move on requires more than one character doing something.

After you have played Story Mode, you can go back in Free Play to play the level again.  This time around, you can choose from any character that you've unlocked, good or bad.  In fact, the computer will then select the rest of your team, usually giving you between 8 and 10 characters.  You can then go back through that level.  You don't have the animation, but the actual game play is still there.

Why go through a level a second time?  Because, in addition to just surviving, you have to collect things along the way.  You need to collect enough of the Lego studs to earn True Adventurer status.  Each level has 10 treasure chests, some in plain sight, others harder to find.  Finally, there is a parcel along the way that will help make the game easier for you.  To find all of these things, you sometimes need to use the bad guy characters.  In Free Play, you can easily switch between the characters you've brought with you.  While the computer usually does a good job of selecting all the characters you need, occasionally, it doesn't.  In fact, a couple times I had to restart the level because it didn't give me someone with the ability needed to just complete the level.

See, every character has their own unique abilities.  Indiana Jones has the whip, for example, and sometimes you need to whip from one place to another.  The female characters can jump higher than the men.  And the list goes on.  Fortunately, there are visual clues to help you figure out what abilities are needed.

But here's my favorite part of the game.  You can't die!  Okay, so that's not quite true.  If enough bad guys hit you or you walk over a cliff, you will break apart, losing points you've collected.  But you immediately come back to the same area and can keep going.  Even if your points hit zero, you can keep moving forward and complete the level.

Controls

This game uses both the Wii remote and the Nunchuck.  Since you control the characters with the joystick on the Nunchuck, game play is actually pretty straight forward.  And the game is fairly forgiving, meaning you just need to be in the neighborhood, and the game will allow you to do whatever function you need to be doing.

Look and Sound

This game isn't for the graphics obsessed.  Don't get me wrong, it looks good, but it remembers that it is based on plastic blocks.  It isn't realistic looking at all, but is perfectly appropriate for a Lego game.

The game is filled with music.  There is background music in each level that I am assuming is based on the movies (I really need to rewatch them).  And you can always tell when bad guys are approaching since the music grows ominous.  The animated sequences don't have any dialogue.  They manage to tell the story with gestures and grunts quite effectively.  The characters will grunt as you are playing with them as well.

Who Will Enjoy the Game?

The game is rated Everyone 10 and over, and I would say that's about right for two reasons.  First, the level of violence is in keeping with the movies.  Yes, we are dealing with plastic blocks, but at times the animation is just a bit disturbing for the young.  Or at least for me.  (However, I will confess to having laughed at those same scenes myself.)

Additionally, some of the puzzles in various levels are hard to figure out.  I'm sure this is one point where playing with someone would have helped me tremendously.  I would have had someone to brainstorm ideas to help me get past whatever the obstacle was.  Personally, I found a couple of good on-line guides that really helped me when I got stuck.  I was actually very thankful for them.  I will confess that the first few levels were the hardest for me, but once I got the hang of the game, the controls, and the visual clues, it got easier and much more fun.

And It Is Fun!

If I had nothing else I needed to do, I would play this game by the hour.  Okay, even at times when I had stuff I should have been doing.  There are a total of 18 levels in this game (six for each of the three movies).  Each level takes anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour to play through once, so as you can imagine, this game takes quite a bit of time to beat.

And to show you just how much I enjoyed this game, I have finally actually beaten it.  I can't think of another video game I can say that about, even the Super Mario games.  It does help that you keep playing when you die, which means you will eventually finish the level and collect all the stuff you need to collect.  That's a huge plus.

Now that I've beaten it, I must admit I'm not anxious to sit down and play it again.  Part of that is because I have more Lego games waiting for me.  I could see myself pulling it back out in a year or two and enjoying the adventures all over again.

Conclusion

Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures for Wii was a lot more fun than I ever thought it would be.  I'm glad my brother proved me wrong.  I will be digging into the other Lego games I have very soon.

Video Game Review: Toy Story Mania! for Wii

Stars: 3 out of 5
Pros: Great in groups; fun shooting galleries

Cons: Other games often boring; too much repeated dialogue

The Bottom Line:

Not the attraction

Does still provide some fun but

Mostly for the kids

Toy Story Mania! Leaps from the Theme Parks to the Wii

The first time I rode Toy Story Midway Mania! at California Adventure, I thought to myself, this would make an awesome Wii game.  Someone else must have had that same thought because a year later, I was holding Toy Story Mania! in my hot little hands.  While the game is fun, I think it is aimed a bit more at kids than the adult fans of the ride.

Premise

Just like the attraction, this video game consists of a wide variety of games you might find at a boardwalk or carnival.  Well over half of them are shooting games of one kind or another.

The games are broken up into five categories based on the ride.  And each area is hosted by a different Toy Story character.  You've got an egg toss at animals who pop up or travel across the screen.  You throw darts to pop balloons.  You throw balls to break plates.  You toss rings around aliens or space ships.  Finally, you shoot suction darts at targets in a Western setting.  Playing these games is pretty simple, you point your remote at the screen and press the A button to fire.  You can fire as often as your finger will allow.

Each of the areas has multiple levels with slight variations of those five themes.  But each area also has other games to play.  Some of them are pretty clever.  At one point you are controlling a marble trying to get from one part of a maze to the other by tilting your remote.  Buzz Lightyear hosts a game where you try to get a ball through various moving hoops.  Others are rather lame.  Bo Peep puts a marble under a cup and then mixes it up with several others and we need to find it.  It's very easy to do (and always winds up in the same spot).  They tried to recreate those "How strong are you" challenges where you swing a hammer down and try to hit a bell.  Sound lame?  It is.  There are two different levels that are nothing but you swinging the remote to follow the characters on the screen.  The one with Hamm, the piggy bank, is fairly easy, but all I ever get when I try to twirl my rope like Woody is Jessie yelling at me to "Hold 'er steady!"

Game Play

The shooting gallery games include goals other than just racking up a high score.  You might be asked to shoot a certain kind of target a certain number of times or hit things in a certain order.  These added goals really do help liven up the game and make it more challenging.  This is especially true when some of the items aren't in plain sight.  Something you hit will trigger that part of the mini-game to appear, making it harder to complete your objectives.  Frankly, a couple of these levels are too hard because I still haven't figure out how to unlock everything.

Almost every level ends with a bonus stage which requires you to shake or twirl the remote for bonus points.  Those get old in a big hurry.

Story Mode

Pretty much when you first start the game, you must play Story Mode.  In this mode, you can either have randomly chosen levels or play everything from one part of the five larger themes.  To pass the level and move on the next, you must meet three of the five objectives.  If you meet all five objectives, that level is unlocked in Free Play.  There really is no "story" to it, so why this are is called Story Mode is beyond me.

Free Play

This is the way to play if you want to choose your own level.  All of the unlocked levels appear here, allowing you to select them.  You can just choose one at a time, choose to play all the games from one of the five areas, or choose to mix and match to suit your mood at the moment.

As you play here and in Story Mode, you earn tickets.  These tickets can be used to unlock levels for Free Play.  So if one has got you especially stuck, there is hope of getting to play it again.  After about 5 hours of play, I had everything unlocked in Free Play either through winning the level or by tickets.  And, yes, even after you've unlocked all the levels, you keep earning tickets.  These are used for virtual stickers and prizes that the game tracks for you.

Controls

Before every level, you are told what your objectives are and what controls you will need to use to accomplish your mission.  Frankly, the repetition is only useful for the few games where it might not be obvious.  Most of the time, you just point and shoot.  You are also reminded of the objectives.  Fortunately, you can skip that part by hitting the B button repeatedly since if you just played the level or are playing multi player, you really don't need to hear it all again.  All the games react well to the controls, so there's really no frustration getting it to do what you want it to do.

Multi Player

You can play with up to 4 people.  Most of the additional games are only one player at a time, so you take turns.  However, all the shooting galleries allow you to play two people at a time.  If you've got more than two people, you take turns.  And they mix it up some, so you never quite know who you will be playing against at that moment.

It can get a little confusing when you've got two people battling it out on screen.  Just keep shooting, and you'll figure out where you are again.

One definite advantage of multi player is the fact that anyone can achieve a goal, and it counts for everyone.  For example, if you've got three people playing and the first two hit four of the five objectives, that last person can get the final objective for a perfect record for the entire team.

3-D Play

Since the original attraction was in 3-D, I wasn't too surprised to find out they incorporated some of that into this game.  There are five 3-D levels, all shooting galleries.  These are only available in Free Play mode and can only be unlocked by using tickets you've earned elsewhere in the game.  All five of these levels are also available in 2-D mode, but the 3-D provides just a little extra fun.  You get two pairs of glasses with the game.  Since you can't play with more than two people at a time, that's more than enough.

Graphics

This isn't a game that will blow you away with the graphics.  However, it doesn't need to.  There's nothing confusing about the graphics.  And they fit with in the world of Toy Story.

Sound

Now here's a serious strike against the game.  The music and sound effects are fine.  The problem comes from the Toy Story characters themselves.  Most of them are voiced by their original voice actors or a close enough equivalent that it's hard to tell the difference.  The one exception is the Little Green Men.  I love those aliens in the movies, and they just don't sound right here.

Additionally, the characters needed to be given more to say.  They try to encourage you as you play the various games.  However, they only have five or six phrases each, so if you play for very long, it gets annoying rapidly.

Conclusion

Okay, I must admit.  I'm enough of a fan of the ride that I have played this quite a bit since I got it.  But it doesn't have quite the replay value I had hoped it would have.  And it is missing something from the attraction.  I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but it's missing that level of fun.

Frankly, part of the problem is that the game is quite obviously targeted at kids.  I can see kids who enjoy the attraction or the characters playing it by the hour.

And I think it would be a good game for groups.  In fact, I think it would spark some fun competition.

I am certainly enjoying my copy of Toy Story Mania! and am glad I got it.  But a more casual fan might want to get it for their kids or rent it before they buy it.

Video Game Review: Mario Kart for Wii

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Inventive and fun addition to the franchise.

Cons: There aren't enough hours in the day to play.

The Bottom Line:

If you buy this game

You will be wanting to race

In three, two, one go!

The Reason I Bought a Wii

So, a couple weeks ago, I was over at a friend's house. When I found out he had Mario Kart Wii, I had to give it a try. The result? I was hooked on the spot and spent the next two days tracking down a Wii system and a copy of the game. It is quite addicting, and I'm sure my roommate would love me to stop playing so he could have access to the TV.

Mario Kart has become a staple of the Nintendo family of video games. It started with the Super Nintendo (the last video game system I bought). Yep, I've got a copy of that incarnation as well. And I played it by the hour, too. Every subsequent system has had their own version with the graphics improving (some) and new courses being added.

The premise of the game is fairly simple. You are racing on various courses as one of the many characters from the Mario family of games. You can be heroes like Mario, Luigi, Toad, Princess Peach, or Donkey Kong (when did he become a hero again?) or villains like Wario and Bowser.

You can either race by yourself (against 11 computer opponents) or up to four friends in your own home (each with their own controller). Even then, you'll still have 8 computer opponents, too.

But if it were a simple case of racing around the track, you might get board quickly. Instead, the game provides question mark boxes every so often around the course. These randomly give you something to help you along the way. They might be offensive, like turtle shells or banana peels that will flip your opponent or defensive like a limited time invisibility to other's attacks. They've even got items that give you a short burst of speed or, if you are really far behind, a chance to catch back up to the competition.

There are a total of 32 courses you can race on here. You start out with 16 of them being visible and then need to unlock the rest by beating the computer at them in one person races. Not only have they created some fun new courses for this version, but they've also brought back some classics from the other systems to challenge you anew.

While I'm on the unlocking thing, there are all kinds of things you can unlock, like new characters or new karts and bikes. Some of these are rather hard to find and identify. But you don't need all of them to have a good time.

You can race in several ways. As a single player, you can go to the grand prix and race the computer on a predetermined set of courses. Or you can race the fastest times for a course. As a single or double player, you can do a "Vs." race. You'll compete on four races for the ultimate winner, but you can pick from any of the 32 layouts (or at least the ones that you've unlocked.) Finally, there's the battle mode, where you are racing around layouts to pop your opponent's balloons or collect coins.

Think that's enough options? Well, you'd be wrong. They've got three levels of game play, too. Basically, it just determines how fast you can go around the tracks. 50cc is the slowest (and therefore easiest to control). Here, you race with karts. The 100cc gets faster and means you race with bikes. The fastest class, the 150cc, lets you race with karts or bikes.  And once you've gotten gold in all of those, you can unlock the mirror courses where everything left is right and right is left.  Trust me, that one will mess with your brain.

But we still aren't done! This is a Wii Wi-fi game, which means you can play on line, either by joining tournaments or just racing whoever is on line. If you know someone's game code, you can join up with them and play over the connection as well. I've had lots of fun playing with my friends already.

But what really makes this game is the controls. Each game sold comes with one steering wheel (and you can buy others for around $10). The Wii controller fits right in the wheel. You use one button to go, but to steer your kart, you use turn the wheel just like driving a real car. The good news is you don't have to have the wheel, however. You can just hold the remote sideways and turn it like a steering wheel. Or you can always attach your nunchuk controller to the Wii remote and use the joystick to steer as well. No matter how you do it, the cars seem to respond reasonably well. I haven't noticed any significant issues getting it to do what I want it to do. And, since I used to twist the controller on my Super Nintendo version, I like the fact that turning the remote actually does something now.

This game sounds pretty much like the older versions. You've got various background music playing while you race through the courses. And the items you pick up along the way make noise as well. It's not an important part of the game. In fact, I have been known to play with the sound off. You do get sound if you crash or something is about to hit you on your remote, which is a fun touch.

The graphics are a mixed bag. None of them will blow you away, but most of them look pretty nice. Just keep in mind that you are playing in a world of cartoon characters and you'll be fine. The courses imported from the various older systems were imported graphics and all. They look their age, but that adds to the fun. At least for me.

The difficulty level of the game varies quite a bit. Some of the courses are easy, some are very hard. I have a hard time staying on the course, so any with lots of chances to fall off are a personal challenge. (Rainbow Road, I'm looking straight at you!) And the slower levels are easier than the 150cc level as well. As a result, you can make this as easy or challenging as your skill level and desire dictate.

I'm just scratching the surface of the fun of this game. And I love the fact that I can play with my friends no matter where they are. I am sure I will be playing Mario Kart Wii for quite some time to come.