It was good to note that the Wii 3rd party games present at the media summit seemed to have time and care behind them. There was pretty much a mixed genre bag which I found surprising, but refreshing considering the amount of games I was going through during the day.
Disney Guilty Party (Wii)
Release Date: Q2
Developer: Wideload Games
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Rating: Pending
I know as soon as I heard about Guilty Party I inwardly sighed at yet another party game for the Wii. After I got comfortable on the couch and had a decent look, it became clear that this wasn’t simply another party game for the Wii with little to no production value. This had a bit of charm and dare I say, character.
The basis for the game is a “who done it?” scenario. Players will get to pick from one of six characters from the world-famous Dicken’s Detective Agency. These characters range in stereotype from the hefty Max who’s always wearing a trench coat, to the shaft lookalike Butch. Once a character has been selected, it’s time to pick a scenario. There’s the normal story mode, but the more interesting feature is the random function. This means that even if you’ve played through the entire game, it wouldn’t help you much as these cases will be completely random.
Getting to the case, you’re presented with rooms where you can examine objects and talk to witnesses who may eventually become pivitol in your investigations. Once a clue is found, your notebook can be updated to reflect this. From there you’ll be able to put together a suspect profile from the available information. Once you have everything you’ll need to confront whomever committed the crime and make sure you have the evidence to back it up.
This is a multi-player game, so that means everyone can get involved. The great design here is that each player can choose their own difficulty so it’s suited to their level of play. Players will be able to play head to head or work together to solve a case.
For a family looking for a party game that’s a bit different and has a quirky sense of humor, Guilty Party might be an option. The ease of use and the customizable features make it a versatile mystery game that’s well suited for a family environment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii)
Release Date: May
Developer: Ubisoft Quebec City
Publisher: Ubisoft Entertainment
Rating: T for Teen
Unfortunately I didn’t get any hands-on time with this title. Instead it was demonstrated for me, so my impressions will reflect this.
When I walked up and started checking out The Forgotten Sands, I was impressed with how it looked. That’s one of the first points that the demonstrator was sure to note, that while it looks great they didn’t want to compromise on either looks or frame rate. I was also informed they are aiming for a constant 60FPS, though a few jitters here and there hit home the fact it was a beta build of the game.
Going back to the roots of what made the Prince of Persia games so successful is the goal for The Forgotten sands. Players are now free to wander the environments and find different ways to solve puzzles than simply one path. On one level I was shown, there was a main gate that was opened, but instead the demonstrator went around the side of the building to discover a secret way in.
The weapons seemed to help with the discovery aspect of the title as well. First up were sand rings which could be placed on the wall by pointing with the Wii Remote at any location. Next was a rope pillar that came up from the ground that could damage and slow enemies as well as be climbed to reach certain heights. Lastly was a bubble that allowed the Prince to float briefly and also protected him from an attack.
I will say that the co-op confused me slightly, but seems to be interesting. While the second player doesn’t actually have a character on screen, they are controlling the other aspect that would throw special abilities such as the sand rings if I understood it correctly. This allows you to use the second player to help you get past certain parts by slowing enemies or activating switches while the first player controls the Prince. According to the demonstrator it can be turned on at any time as well which means pick up and play for friends who happen to visit you.
I’ve never played more than five minutes of the previous Prince of Persia games, but this one is on my radar for now. Although this build of the game looked to have a few bugs, I’m hopeful the retail version of it will provide some 3-D platforming exploration action for my husband and I. It’s also great to see Ubisoft developing this exclusively for Wii.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monster Hunter Tri (Wii)
Release Date: April 20th
Developer: Capcom Production Studio 1
Publisher: Capcom
Rating: T for Teen
Having been an avid World of Warcraft player, I wasn’t sure what to think of Monster Hunter Tri when I saw videos of it. I’ve never touched any of the games previous to this title since they didn’t appeal to me. With that mindset I grabbed the controller and started in. I was informed I’d be trying out the online mode and would be partied with both demonstrators from Capcom next to me.
The interface to a complete novice is a tad bit overwhelming. None of the options were explained to me, but I’m sure there’s something in the manual or a tutorial that will bring everything to light. As we wandered around town I was amused by the actions you could do with simply sitting at a table to eat. You could feed others or wait for others to feed you. There was also the cheering option for when a round of drinks needs to be had by all.
Our leader had us grab a quest and run off to kill a huge monster. The armor we were wandering around admittedly looked a bit silly and cumbersome, but it didn’t stop my character from charging forward onto the boss. Once we got there it was time to hack and slash it apart. Unfortunately I felt as if I was the third wheel since I wasn’t sure what all the buttons did. When I did discover what they did I kept hitting the wrong ones for some reason. I was told after the battle that the button configurations can be customized to your own liking. While we were fighting the big underwater monster I asked about hit points and how did they know if we were even hurting it.
Visual cues are a key to this game and how you’ll be able to tell if something is being affected by your actions or not. The clue while fighting the boss here was the fact it was looking beat up and a limb got removed. When we achieved victory, the skinning of the body commenced, which can be used for upgrades to your armor and presumably weapons. When we got our quest reward for defeating the huge creature, I came out on top in comparison to the other two. This confused me slightly because all I did was go to the beast and pound on it while the others used traps and such.
All of this looked beautiful while playing too. I’m not just saying it looks good for a Wii title either, it looks wonderful period. Capcom did a bang up job with the visuals as well as their flow. While playing I didn’t notice any slowing while fighting or wandering around. It was eye candy to be sure.
It’s the little touches that make a game such as this fun and wanting you to come back for more. Not that I’m saying the hunting itself is boring or the other aspects of the game aren’t up to par, but for me the social interaction is a big plus and what would keep me chomping at the bit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
