DazzeL

Pretty much agree with your entire post!

You have got to be kidding, right? That is just not how games are made - or for that matter how any company makes big decisions. Let's get real here. Twilight Princess was essentially a fan service game that Miyamoto designed because he wanted to make it but also because he felt the audience wanted it. He clearly wasn't satisified with it as he has made comments himself that Zelda needs to evolve/change and that's what the Wii version will do. And the Mario deep story thing is a joke. It's a platforming game in a universe that does not, by any stretch, suit deep storytelling. Mario platformers are a pure form of gaming - that's why they're loved, they're just sheer fun and (hopefully) challenge.

I did get Woods '09 and I would normally pick this up without hesitation. However, I think I'm going to pass this year. I'm simply having too much fun with Grand Slam Tennis (hasn't left my Wii since release) so don't see myself playing this very much. Especially since The Conduit is out the following week and I'm definitely getting that.

Without "any" lag at all, yes it's impossible. But you can have a lag time that's so small it doesn't make any realy difference (like 50ms or so). I'm sure that sort of ping is even beatable tbh. Want some proof that motion plus can be fun online? Play Grand Slam Tennis.

I lost any sort of respect or faith for 1up's Wii reviews a long, long time ago. They're the epitomy of games reviewers just not "getting" the console.

I've still not played the original. I really should pick it u, it's only a tenner now at gameplay! http://shop.gameplay.co.uk/webstore/productpage.asp?productcode=NW0155&title=no_more_heroes

Well done to EG. I've said it before and I'll say it many times again - I still think they're the most trustworthy reviewers on the internet and hopefully Monday's review will fix their rare mistake.

I'm going to start my charge as soon as I hit 5 stars with my character! Dazzy - I've invited you as a friend again, you haven't replied - is this because you can't see the request? And yes, I'm on easy and that's the default setting so I'm sure you are too RedShell! I kept it like that intentionally anyway, I figure the quicker I can get to 5 stars the better.

I'll post a shot of my career stats when I've finished, on 4 stars atm! Currently have 65-1 wins with a 45 streak. Wow, seems that last star might take another 50 games!!! I really hope not!

New gameplay videos up on IGN: http://uk.wii.ign.com/dor/objects/14350710/gladiator-ad/videos/gladiwii_061209_1.html;jsessionid=6ujktjmd4u5o I'm not sure about this one tbh. The combat looks almost turnbased, I know the aim was to ensure it was tactical and not a waggle fest but this really seems to lack fluidity atm.

How many stars strong is your own character RedShell? I've played and won 6 Grand Slams now and have hit 3.5 stars... Just played for 3 hours straight, really want a 5 star character!

Just "alright", crazy talk! Has anyone else played much single player? The ai isn't amazing and online is a lot better but I'm just trying to level my character up before I start my online charge up the leaderboards. It takes forever though! Won 5/5 Grand Slams and still only three stars!

8.5 from IGN and an 8 from the tough reviewers of Eurogamer... this game must be doing something right!

No, you misunderstand me. I have nothing against classes. That's just a substitute for buying guns like in CS. My problem is with flashy extras that require no skill to use, ala helicopters in CoD4 or unlocks gained through levelling up (essentially grinding) that gives access to better guns than are available at the start.

And 4 does not equal "massively" in my book!

Why does lack of features mean no popularity, a step backwards and make them "arcade shooters"? Counterstrike Source is the most played online FPS in the world. More people play this than CoD4 which is available on 3 formats. It doesn't have extra abilities and it is just arenas, made to an incredibly high standard, and guns that feel awesome to use.

The single player FPS is incredibly stale imo. Bioshock, Fallout, Deus Ex are NOT FPS's in the same way that Oblivion is also not. They're RPG's through and through but just use a first person perspective - that's a completely different thing that's being confused here. I'm not sure about Prime, maybe sits somewhere in the middle although the lock on does lean towards the RPG genre. An FPS true shouldn't really have a look on - the main hook of the genre is the aiming. So let's talk about the games that actually are FPS's. Half Life 1 and 2 deserve praise, for me they're the pinnacle of the single player FPS. I did enjoy CoD4 especially but the "set piece" story in your face style is getting a little tired. CoD is so damn scripted it's almost on rails! Even games that have tried to change this trend and go more "openworld" have failed to hook me in recent years. Crysis looked nice but I didn't think it was anything special and Far Cry 2 did a good job and felt different but I was still never addicted. I think the genre has changed in recent years, in a fundamental way. The focus now is on multiplayer and targetting either a mass-market casual user base or the hardcore teams and clans scene. The best examples have always been able to attract both - CS, Battlefield 2, CoD 2 and CoD 4 and to an extent also TF2. For me, the sheer competitiveness of a good, team based online FPS playing in ladders and leagues is still awesome, even if I don't have the time to do it any more. The PC still does this amazingly well but the consoles have watered this down and leaned towards the larger casual user base. As a result there's a lot of "shit" in modern FPS's that has put me off of them. Things like crappy airstrikes and helicopters in CoD 4 and levelling up features that undermine a fair playing field. The real appeal, for actual hardcore gamers and not those 360 and ps3 players that have this label applied to them because they play Call of Duty and Halo, the experience of recent years is a real shame. The fact that we now need a third party mod just to play a competitive match of CoD4 and get rid of all this unfair crap put in to appeal to the mainstream is a step backwards. This, for me, is where the Wii presents an opportunity. The onus is on gameplay and not on flashy features. This raw and fair player on player gameplay - that is being used in The Conduit, using an interface that relies entirely on player skill, is exactly what I want. In some ways then, a focus on solid core gameplay and less features sometimes provides a better gaming experience.

Man, finding games would be much easier if everyone just used the online forum for it!

Disappointing... Ah well, I might get King's Story for the meantime then!

For me, the Wii has been FAR better than the GC. Galaxy > Sunshine, Prime 3 > Prime 1or 2, SSBB > SSBM, MK Wii >>>>> MK:DD etc, etc. On top of this third party support has been much, much better and I'm really happy with at least some sort of online component even if Nintendo are still behind on this. The online play makes good games like Grand Slam Tennis great for me and also has rejuvinated MK

You're right but I think that's why Daft doesn't like it. The Metroid experience isn't for everyone!

Incredibly true. Don't give up on this one as I guarantee you that it does indeed get MUCH better. Anyway, don't we want games with harder learning curves again anyway? All the new guys who got the game in here - get into the online forums and on people's friends lists! The more the better and this is fantastic online.

Here, here!

I need to try out the slice a bit more tbh before I can comment on that, interesting points though. My experience so far is extremely positive - I have no idea what game EG were playing because those comments do not apply. At first I wasn't quick to see the difference between my memories of Wii Sports Tennis and this. It just felt quite similar to me. But after an hour or so it began to click. The level of control is far superior. It's little things mostly that make a huge difference added up. You can really gauge just how hard your hitting the ball from your own strokes, you can kind of tap and caress the ball over the net to draw the opposition into the net and I feel comfortable not simply hitting a "hard" shot or a "soft" shot but levels of power in the middle too. Direction is still largely timing based but then it also is in real life. I am confidently using both backhand and forearm with reliable results in terms of direction of shot. This is another area that just feels so much better than Wii Sports. So far then, I am a fan of motion plus. But also remember the nunchuck - this made a huge difference for me and using the stick to move the player you really do feel in complete control. I really would recommend playing with it plugged in - feels a lot better to me than mote only.

And who would of thought you would be able to legitimately make that claim about third parties on a Nintendo console!