Age rating:

3+ (PEGI)

What is it?

A Mario game - 3D-platformer.

Is it fun?

Yes.

Is it worth the money? £29.99

Yes.

Why?

I’ve always been rather indifferent when it comes to Mario games until I played Super Mario 64, which was brilliant. Unfortunately the GameCube’s Mario extravaganza (Super Mario Sunshine) was well, total poo to be honest. However, I’m pleased to say that Super Mario Galaxy tops even the great Mario 64 for sheer enjoyment. I can’t even complain of the total lack of imagination shown by Nintendo when it churns out the same games for each generation of Nintendo console when this incarnation of Mario is just so much fun.

The graphics look great (by Wii standards) and complement the game wonderfully. Sure there are some iffy looking textures and a few jaggies, but I didn’t care as the whole game is amazing. The sound is a perfect mix of chirpyness and classic Mario sounds and themes. It also has a brilliant, brilliant music track for the Battlerock galaxy that I challenge anyone to play this galaxy and not have a giant smile on their face.

I loved the whole playfulness of Mario’s new galaxy environment. Flying, flipping, gliding, jumping and catapulting between all the planets on each of the levels is just awesome. The attention to detail that the designers have lavished on every planet, however small is a joy to behold. I loved the way that seemingly simple puzzles were brought to life by splitting them over lots of mini planets and great use of the Wii controller. This is probably the first game after Wii Sports where the control method just feels right. From rolling around on top a giant ball, to flying through the air as a little bumble bee, the Wiimote and nunchuk make controlling Mario something to be enjoyed.

Bad points. Well, swimming underwater takes a bit of getting used to. The camera has a habit of choosing the worst time to change its viewpoint, which usually happens when you’re negotiating a really nasty sequence of platforms.

It took me just over 14 hours to get to the end of the game and finally beat Bowser, but that still leaves me with another 55 power stars to collect. Then I’ll have finally completed the game. So Lordy knows how long that’s going to take with some fiendish and very dexterous puzzles lying in wait.

In summary:

A wonderful game in every way. Mario is the easily the best game on the Wii.

Screenshots:

Popularity: 13% [?]

Datel’s FreeLoader software supposedly makes any Wii multi-region. Whilst this is a very good thing, there is very little information on just how effective the FreeLoader software is. So Tikipod decided to test his collection of GameCube games (and 1 US Wii game) to find out.

Test system:

• UK Wii Console - set to 60 Hz 4:3 screen mode
• Sony CRT TV (handles 60hz mode)
• RGB SCART lead
• COMPONENT lead - For CARNIVAL game test
• Wii FreeLoader - EURO version (£9.99 from Play.com)

Games tested and results: (GameCube unless otherwise indicated)

• PIKMIN (JAP) - Works fine
• PIKMIN 2 (JAP) - Doesn’t work
• PN03 (JAP) - Works but has squashed display
• SUPER MONKEYBALL (JAP) - Works fine
• METROID PRIME (US) - Works but with some pre-game menu issues (in game ok)
• ZELDA - WINDWAKER (US) - Doesn’t work
• ZELDA - WINDWAKER BONUS DISK - OCARINA OF TIME (US) - Doesn’t work
• RESIDENT EVIL 4 (US) - Works but has squashed display
• WAVERACE: BLUE STORM (JAP) - Works but with thin flickering band near the top of the screen. Gameplay unaffected but flickering band is annoying
• VIEWTIFUL JOE (JAP) - Works but with squashed display and playback issues with pre-menu movies
• DOBUTSO BANCHO (ANIMAL LEADER) - Works but has squashed display
• CARNIVAL (US - Wii Version) - Works but need to use COMPONENT lead otherwise the colours are all screwy (red and black)

As you can see, most of the games tested worked, but a number suffered some sort of issue. Tikipod didn’t test any JAP Wii games, as he didn’t have any available. According to one of the comments on the Play.com Freeloader product page Super Smash Brothers Brawl (US) works just fine so you can all rest easy.

Oh, and the recent reports that the latest Wii firmware update (called IOS37) disables FreeLoader is a hoax. However, with all the Wii firmware updates that Nintendo rolls out there’s no guarantee that FreeLoader won’t be disabled by one of them in the future.

Update 24th Mar 08: Carnival is a Wii game, so updated the post accordingly.

Popularity: 11% [?]

In last week’s theme of Games Are Evil, the Telegraph had an article over the weekend on Bully: Scholarship Edition, an updated version of last year’s PS2 game that was known over here as Canis Canem Edit. Scholarship Edition is coming out on the Xbox 360 and Wii in March 2008. I’ve had the PS2 version for over a year. It’s good fun; a mini-GTA with bicycles and skateboards instead of cars.

Here’s Bully according to the Telegraph:

The game, called Bully, features a shaven-headed pupil who torments fellow students and teachers at his school.

Coz shaven-headed pupil = EVIL, right? Just like kids wearing hooded tops are all gangsters. Please, get over your fashion prejudice.

And no, protagonist Jimmy Hopkins doesn’t torment anyone. He’s tormented by his fellow students. Most of the plot centres around helping other kids who are being bullied. Even if you wanted to, it’s actually quite difficult to pick fights with the prefects, teachers and policemen around every corner.

Players gain extra points by terrorising other pupils with a range of physical and psychological abuse, including dunking children’s heads in lavatories and firing catapults at teachers.

Extra points? Bully doesn’t even have a points system. Unless buying candy for girls in exchange for a kiss is now considered “psychological abuse”, the authors of this article are talking crap. A lavatory-dunking scene wouldn’t surprise me but if the first half of the game is anything to go by, the other kid deserved it.

Rated for children aged 15 and above, the game is being released for the XBox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, a games console on which players have to physically act out the movements they want their character to perform.

Physically acting out the movements… Good lord, people, at least TRY the Wii before you comment. Vaguely flailing your hands about with no resistance isn’t acting out a fight, as anyone who’s played Wii Boxing will know. I haven’t played the Wii version of Bully but it wouldn’t surprise me if the closest it came to acting out real life was the Workshop class on bicycle maintenance where you “turn” the pedals using the PS2 left analog stick.

And the game is rated 15 for heaven’s sake. 15! You know why it’s rated 15? Because BBFC professionals think it’s appropriate for 15-year-olds. If, as Jimmy, you fail to attend your classes, you’ll have fewer skills and abilities to get through the game. Each class is a series of non-violent minigames. Your days are spent collecting rubber bands, solving your teachers’ personal problems, safely escorting geeks through a violent schoolyard and standing up to gangs. Your nights are spent on nefarious deeds like panty raids on the girl’s dorm.

Yeah, I can see how this might undermine a charity’s efforts to stop kids joining groups that pick on others. Showcase a kid who doesn’t conform to the herd, fights for the underdog and stands up for himself and his friends? Heaven forfend…

Sure, Bully does feature weapons like a catapult, stink bombs and firecrackers. You can start fights and throw stuff at people; the only in-game reward is the privilege of being pursued by prefects and having your gear confiscated. Fighting other kids can be an entertaining diversion but without GTA’s validation of FBI helicopters and tanks, it quickly becomes tiresome.

Read the full Telegraph article: Video game glorifies bullying, say critics

Bully: Scholarship Edition (hopefully still featuring Monkey Fling) will be released in the UK on March 7th.

Popularity: 36% [?]

Way, way back in 1989 on a little known system called the PC Engine, Hudson Soft released Dungeon Explorer. It was a brilliant game and one I loved to bits when I played it a year later on my (imported) PC Engine GT. It was a game very much in the Gauntlet mould and was pretty bloody hard, especially when you don’t read Japanese. However, after many, many hours and hacking and slashing I actually finished it. Currently you can play Dungeon Explorer on the Virtual Console, so here’s a video showing you what to expect.

But there is more (and the point of this post!). Next month sees the release of a brand new Dungeon Explorer game. Well 2 new games actually, as it’s coming out on both the PSP and Nintendo DS. Each version takes place at different times in the Dungeon Explorer universe. Actually the DS version is set immediately after the PSP version (wonder if it will contain some plot spoilers?). From the screen shots released so far it looks very much like Untold Legends on the PSP. According to Hudson Soft we can look forward to 3 player on-line co-op hacking, lots of embarking on epic journeys (in a time of heroes, no doubt) and a spot of weapon and equipment upgrading. Excellent.

Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts is released mid-Feb 2008 on the DS and PSP

Popularity: 30% [?]

Almost two weeks ago, we wrote up a preview of the Wii game Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, which will be available from Friday. Sega have put together a great video of the events. In the preview I talked about how the controls attempt to model the sports themselves; around the 20-second mark of the video, you can see people frantically flapping the Wiimote and nunchuck - that’s how you sprint and how some of the characters swim. It’s fine for the 100m sprint… a bit tiring for the forearms but over quickly. 400m hurdles is another matter entirely! Perhaps us girls just don’t have the wrist stamina required…

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Popularity: 15% [?]

Sega held another blogger’s day this week, like the one we were at in August for Sega Rally. This time we got to play Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. Despite being a real-world tie-in, this is a bloody good game.

It’s officially approved by the Olympic committee for the upcoming Beijing games. They had a lot of influence over the gameplay and their input helped ensure that this isn’t the crappy Wii Sports clone it could have been. Wii Sports is a great game but its lack of depth means that we rarely play it unless we have visitors. It’s just not that engaging compared to… well, pretty much any other game we own.

The Game

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games has over 20 different Olympic sports to play. They’ve chosen a good range of them, too. You have the basic track and field events, like hammer throw, triple jump, sprints, hurdles and relays. There’s also skeet shooting, trampoline, archery and a bunch of swimming and gymnastic events. To top it all off you can unlock Dream events which use the skills you learn from the Olympics and drop you into a more traditional Mario/Sonic fantasy setting. And yes, there is a sprint version of Mario Kart so you can get your fix of cheating flinging lightning bolts at your friends.

The proper sports event are much more detailed than Wii Sports. In general, Wii Sports only modelled a small aspect of the games - for Wii Baseball, you didn’t have to worry too much about the game. You just smack the ball with the right timing and you’re off! The game did all the running and fielding for you. In Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (or MSOG as I shall now call it) they’ve put a lot of work into properly modelling the events.
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Popularity: 21% [?]

Aww aren’t Nintendo nice? They are now giving away free jackets for your Wiimotes. Simply enter your Wii’s serial number (found on the back of the console) and personal details here. You can request up to 4 jackets per console.

It kinda looks like a silicon hoodie to me, and it makes the Wiimote look a wee bit chunky. However, I’ve ordered 4 for my Wiimotes and I’m curious to see what they feel like, so I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve tried them out.

From the 2nd October 2007 Nintendo will be including a jacket with all Wii hardware, so you’ll be able to see these jackets on the shelves from mid-Oct (according to Nintendo’s website).

Got a Wii? Then time to get protected. Get your jackets now!

Popularity: 14% [?]

Remember that post a couple of weeks back where we were told in no uncertain terms that leaving electronic devices on standby is BAD? After applying the 3.0 version of the Wii firmware on Wednesday, we tried to fire up the Wii’s Forecast Channel and News Channels with WiiConnect24 Standby disabled. Here’s the result:

That’s a bit poor. I get that you might require standby for the new feature that displays current weather and news in the Wii main menu, but that’s hardly an essential component. There’s no good reason to require standby Internet access for a weather or news channel that only displays on demand. I call it shoddy coding.

There were a whole load of other updates, including an unsubstatiated rumour that the fan will now turn on if WiiConnect24 is running. This would theoretically address the problem that we noticed last month where WiiConnect24 consoles were damaging themselves, assuming that the rampant speculation of overheating being the cause is true.

You can find a full list of the 3.0 firmware update changes over at Intendo.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Ever since we bought our Nintendo Wii, there have been problems with connectivity. It works quite happily until we leave it on standby with WiiConnect24 enabled for a few days. When we boot it up again and try to connect to any online channel, it goes into the normal black screen before loading the channel and then does nothing. It won’t respond at all.

After 5 minutes, it bursts back into life as if nothing happened. Following this, we can’t turn off the console using the console or the Wiimote power button. We have to actually pull the plug out of the power socket.

Until now, we haven’t really been that concerned. It’s easy enough to work around. I just did some research to see if anyone had similar problems and found the following bit of news published last week on computerandvideogames.com:

“A number of disgruntled gamers are hitting internet forums saying their consoles have broken after being left on standby with WiiConnect24 enabled for long periods of time.”

Allegedly, WiiConnect24 is causing their consoles to overheat, which may be damaging the CPU. Tech.co.uk and CVG only cite “internet forums” so I don’t know if these people experience the same sorts of problems that we have. I hope our symptoms aren’t signs of imminent failure.

Have you had connectivity or power control problems with your Wii? What happened?

Popularity: 16% [?]

The southern most Wii in world, according to mapwii.com.

Ok, our Wii isn’t quite as far south as Kiwii (hehe), but we are on there….somewhere in London! Have fun finding us. Oh yeah, before you get all stalker, stalker on us, the actual locations of each Wii are offset to protect everyone’s privacy.

Wow, I’ve not even finished writing this post and someone has already emailed me a friend request via the website. Speedy, speedy.

Related posts:
Wii got one!
Loads of webpages to connect Wii owners[via Joystiq]

Popularity: 16% [?]