Posted December 16, 2008 Its that time of year again where all the games have now been released, the dust has settled and its time to take a look back at 2008 and what the Wii had to offer. While looking at my picks for these ( I will post mine later ) I realised what a good year the Wii had, despite what people may think. Heres a refresher for those looking for some inspiration *takes in Ace Ventura style breath* No More Heroes, Zack & Wiki, Ghost Squad, NiGHTS, Pro Evolution, Battalion Wars 2, Geometry Wars, Mario Kart Wii, Sega Superstar Tennis, Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, Wii Fit, Boom Blox, Fire Emblem, House of the Dead, Dragon Quest Swords, Okami, Bully, Smash Bros Brawl, We Love Golf, Family Ski, Opoona, Sam and Max, Wario Land: Shake Dimension, DeBlob, Call of Duty:WaW, Medal of Honour, Order Up, Samba De Amigo, Disaster: Day of Crisis, Star Wars: Force Unleashed, Animal Crossing, Final Fantasy: Chocobo Fables, Wii Music, Trauma Centre 2, Rayman Raving Rabbids 3, Shawn White, Sonic Unleashed and Lego Jones/Batman. Phew, anyway with that out of the way lets see what the catagories are. I have layed them out so you can just copy and paste them into your replies. Oh and yeah I called the thread Wii awards but I have thrown in a DS catagory aswell. Feel free to just give the name of the game or a brief description on why you chose that game.Enjoy! The Best Visuals In A Game The Best Online Game Of The Year Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Best Soundtrack In A Game Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Most Underrated Game Of The Year Suprise Game Of The Year WiiWare Game Of The Year Virtual Console Game Of The Year Best Wii Game Of The Year Best DS Game Of The Year Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 Most Innovative Wii Game Most Innovative DS Game Best Single-Player Experience Worst Game of the Year Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 16, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure The Best Online Game Of The Year Call of Duty: World at War Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure Best Soundtrack In A Game Super Smash Bros. Brawl Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Super Smash Bros Brawl Most Underrated Game Of The Year Battalion Wars 2 Suprise Game Of The Year I'm not one for impulse buys, but I'd say No More Heroes WiiWare Game Of The Year LostWinds Virtual Console Game Of The Year Super Mario RPG Best Wii Game Of The Year Super Smash Bros. Brawl Best DS Game Of The Year The World Ends With You Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year Oct 2nd Conference breaks the 2009 bank before it ever was. Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 Sin and Punishment 2 Most Innovative Wii Game Smack and Ziki Most Innovative DS Game The World Ends With You (for redefining the RPG genre.) Best Single-Player Experience No More Heroes Worst Game of the Year N/A Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 16, 2008 Ooo excellent idea, was gonna post something about this in the staff board. Can I suggest a few more categories? Most Innovative Wii Game Most Innovative DS Game Best Single-Player Experience Worst Game of the Year Best Use of Tacked-On Waggle Best Peripheral Take your pick, you don't have to use them all, just some more suggestions. The Best Visuals In A Game TBA The Best Online Game Of The Year I would go for Mario Kart, but my recent fun with Animal Crossing: Let's Go To The City with my fellow forumers has made me lean towards that. Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game TBA (I've asked for Zack and Wiki for Christmas, so I may postpone this one till late December to test the controls for myself.) Best Soundtrack In A Game Super Smash Bros. Brawl Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Super Smash Bros. Brawl Most Underrated Game Of The Year Wii Music Suprise Game Of The Year Surprising as in surprisingly good, or surprising as in we didn't see the announcement coming? WiiWare Game Of The Year Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People (My favourite episode was Episode 4: Dangeresque 3.) Virtual Console Game Of The Year Super Mario RPG Best Wii Game Of The Year Super Smash Bros. Brawl Best DS Game Of The Year TBA Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year Nintendo Media Summit 2008 Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 Hogs of War 2, providing they have Rik Mayall doing the voices again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 16, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure The Best Online Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Pro Evolution Soccer Best Soundtrack In A Game Super Smash Bros. Brawl Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii Most Underrated Game Of The Year Wii Music Suprise Game Of The Year Zack and Wicki WiiWare Game Of The Year LostWinds Virtual Console Game Of The Year Sin and Punishment Best Wii Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii Best DS Game Of The Year Professor Layton Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year Mario Kart selling over 10 million copies in half a year! Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 The Conduit Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 16, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game - Okami, with Zack and Wiki taking runner up. Okami was just sublime in it's visuals. Kinda hard to describe how awesome it is to look at. You really need to see them to understand. The Best Online Game Of The Year - Mario Kart Wii, with Medal of Honor Heroes 2 getting runner up. It was just the most prolific and fleshed out of the online modes on the Wii. Only the inclusion of voice chat would have made it better. Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game - Zack and Wiki (can't think of anything for a runner up). Best use of the controls in a Wii game period. Best Soundtrack In A Game - Okami, with NiGHTS as runner up. The score complemented the graphics beautifully. Again, you really need to hear it to get its beauty. Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year - Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Really no competition. The online wasn't up to much but this was to game to play if you had 3 friends round. Just brilliant. Most Underrated Game Of The Year - Quite a few games that could easily get this. It's basically a tie between Zack and Wiki and de Blob. Both should have sold well but didn't, and while I didn't like de Blob, it really deserved to do much better. Suprise Game Of The Year - For me, No More Heroes. I honestly didn't expect much from it and it really took me by surprise how good it turned out. Glad it's receiving a sequel. It really deserves it. WiiWare Game Of The Year - I haven't tried much in the way of WiiWare as I'd have like, unfortunately, however I'd say LostWinds. Short, yet beautiful, with a fantastic score, graphics and controls. Looking forward to the sequel. Virtual Console Game Of The Year - N/A. I didn't download any VC titles this year. Haven't had the points to get any as I had to use mine for reviewing the first lot of WiiWare titles. Best Wii Game Of The Year - This seems like a tough choice but really it's not. It's really only between two games in my mind. And I give it to Okami which narrowly beats Zack and Wiki. Best DS Game Of The Year - I haven't played many DS games either this year (god what have I been playing) but it has to go to The World Ends With You. Looked great, played great, sounded great. Just wished I had played it some more. Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year - The Business Summit in October and the announcement of Sin and Punishment 2. Was literally left speechless after that announcement. Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 - Sin and Punishment 2. There are loads of Wii games I'm looking forward to but this is the one I'm really, really looking forward to. Lets hope NoE announce that they'll be releasing it here as nothing has been said about a European release. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 16, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game Zack And Wiki The Best Online Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Zack And Wiki Best Soundtrack In A Game Brawl Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Brawl Most Underrated Game Of The Year NIGHTS Suprise Game Of The Year Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of The New World WiiWare Game Of The Year World of Goo Virtual Console Game Of The Year Super Mario RPG Best Wii Game Of The Year Brawl Best DS Game Of The Year Haven't bought any DS games this year. Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year Probably when Cammie Dunway (SP) stepped onto the stage at E3 and someone on here was like "OMG, Reggie got a sex change" Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 The Conduit Most Innovative Wii Game Zack And Wiki Most Innovative DS Game Haven't bought any DS games this year Best Single-Player Experience Tales of Symphonia Dawn Of The New World Worst Game of the Year *Insert the name of some random ubisoft game here* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 16, 2008 Cheers Tellyn. I have added a few. D-Prodigy Surprise GOTY is a game that you played not expecting much but then totally blew you away. Thanks for the replys guys, keep em coming! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 16, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game Super Smash Brothers Brawl The Best Online Game Of The Year Medal of Honor : Heroes 2 Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game tba Best Soundtrack In A Game Super Smash Brothers Brawl Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii Most Underrated Game Of The Year Medal of Honor : Heroes 2 Suprise Game Of The Year Wario Land : The Shake Dimension WiiWare Game Of The Year Tetris Party Virtual Console Game Of The Year Super Mario RPG Best Wii Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii Best DS Game Of The Year Lego Indiana Jones Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year tba Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 The Conduit Most Innovative Wii Game Wii Fit Most Innovative DS Game Guitar Hero On Tour Best Single-Player Experience Wario Land : The Shake Dimension Worst Game of the Year No More Heroes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 16, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game De Blob - Filling a greysale world with colour was loads of fun. The Best Online Game Of The Year Mario Kart - Lagless online play, always someone to go up against, and notices of when friends are online. All online Wii games should at least have this. Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Zack and Wiki - Lots of innovative uses of the controller. Best Soundtrack In A Game Super Smash Bros Brawl - So many great remixes of classic tracks. Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii - Only because noone else I know has Brawl, and so they give up quickly after me constantly beating them when we play my copy! Most Underrated Game Of The Year Wii Music - People expected to make masterpieces straight away - you need to practice! Suprise Game Of The Year Wii Music - Up until a few weeks before the game's release I was dead against buying it (following the disastrous E3), but I'm so glad I gave it a try. WiiWare Game Of The Year World of Goo Virtual Console Game Of The Year Pass, I haven't downloaded any VC games this year.. Best Wii Game Of The Year Super Smash Bros Brawl - Hours and hours of fun, and so much to unlock. A great successor to Melee. Best DS Game Of The Year Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations - A perfect end to a fantastic trilogy. Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year October conference - Finally, proof that Nintendo hasn't given up entirely on the core gamer! (Although I'd still like to see more 1st party stuff) Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 Another Code R - I loved the original. Most Innovative Wii Game Zack and Wiki - Loads of great uses for the remote. Most Innovative DS Game Soul Bubbes - Only played the demo, but it looked like it had a great control system. Best Single-Player Experience Phoenix Wright - Trials and Tribulations - Just a great story to relax with at the end of the day. Worst Game of the Year From what I've played (albeit not much), Wii Fit was probably my least favourite, as it got old quickly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 16, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game Okami The Best Online Game Of The Year SSBB Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year SSBB Most Underrated Game Of The Year Zack and Wiki Suprise Game Of The Year Boom Blox WiiWare Game Of The Year Mega Man 9 Best Wii Game Of The Year No More Heroes Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year Announcement of S&P2 Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 Can't choose between S&P2, MH3, NMH2, and Mad World Best Single-Player Experience Okami Worst Game of the Year Alone in the Dark Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 16, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game - Okami The Best Online Game Of The Year - Animal Crossing - City Folk Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game - PES 2008 Best Soundtrack In A Game - Smash Bros Brawl Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year - Mario Kart Wii Most Underrated Game Of The Year - No More Heroes Suprise Game Of The Year - Boom Blox WiiWare Game Of The Year - Lostwinds Virtual Console Game Of The Year - Super Mario Bros 3 Best Wii Game Of The Year - Super Smash Bros Brawl Best DS Game Of The Year - N/A Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year - Super Smash Bros. Brawl, purely for the nostalgia Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 - The Conduit Most Innovative Wii Game - Boom Blox Most Innovative DS Game - N/A Best Single-Player Experience - No More Heroes Worst Game of the Year I haven't played anything poor on Wii this year so can't comment Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 16, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game Wario Land The Best Online Game Of The Year Mario Kart Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Boom Blox Best Soundtrack In A Game Super Smash Bros Brawl Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Super Smash Bros Brawl Most Underrated Game Of The Year Wii Music Suprise Game Of The Year Shaun White maybe? Dunno WiiWare Game Of The Year Lost Winds Virtual Console Game Of The Year Super Mario RPG Best Wii Game Of The Year Super Smash Bros Brawl Best DS Game Of The Year Chrono Trigger DS Yes I know it's a port, as far as originals go probably OoE but meh :P Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year October 2nd Conference Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 Mad World Most Innovative Wii Game Wii Music Most Innovative DS Game Soul Bubbles Best Single-Player Experience Super Smash Bros Brawl (yeah yeah I know :P) Worst Game of the Year Dunno Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 16, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game Smash Bros. Brawl The Final Destination stage alone is enough to win it for this category, seriously beautiful stuff. The Best Online Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii By a long way too, the incredibly successful weekly N-E sessions are testament to just how good it is. Only thing that needed to be improved was the chat system, everything else, spot on. Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Zack & Wiki Completely ingenious use of the Wii Remote, I bet even Nintendo themselves were surprised by some of it. Best Soundtrack In A Game De Blob Sublime Latin and Funk soundtrack that is just out of this world, listen to it all the time on my MP3 player. One of the best video game soundtracks ever in my opinion. Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii Online or off, it's just pure class. Most Underrated Game Of The Year Wii Music Groundbreaking game, it really is. An experience like no other. Can't believe the negativity, shows just how much the industry still needs to mature. Really feel sorry for Miyamoto, as he put his heart and soul in to it. Suprise Game Of The Year Disaster Not perfect by any means but still a very enjoyable game with some great game play ideas and variation. The surprise is more that I wasn't expecting to ever play it. WiiWare Game Of The Year Megaman 9 Unadulterated old school fun. Ballsy move by Capcom too which I'm glad paid off for them. Virtual Console Game Of The Year - No VC games for me this year, plenty of space left in the fridge! Best Wii Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii SNES Mario Kart is my favourite game of all time, and due to nostalgia as much as anything still is, but in reality this is probably the best MK out there. Everything is pretty much perfect. Just lose the bikes next time. Best DS Game Of The Year Rhythm Tengoku Gold Wow, just wow. Pure happiness in a cart. As good as, if not better than the GBA original. Played it religiously until I perfected every single mini-game. And continue to enjoy the soundtrack on a regular basis. Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year October conference Mainly because it introduced me to... Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 Warioware: Made in Ore Warioware + Mario Paint = AWESOME!! Yeah, I need this game, a lot. Most Innovative Wii Game Wii Fit A game that you play 99% of with your feet and body movement? Doesn't get much more innovative than that. Most Innovative DS Game Soul Bubbles Played the demo, then bought the full game. It's an absolute gem and features some of the most amazing game play mechanics, just watching the way the bubbles bend and twist in between the paths is fantastic and so relaxing too. Best Single-Player Experience Wii Music Awesome fun in multi-player, but in single-player the game becomes serious business. The overdubbing system is one of the most addictive things I've ever experienced, you just can't help but keep playing it over and over to try and create the perfect song. Hours literally turn in to seconds for me while engrossed in Wii Music, I have to be careful now not to lose all track of time! Worst Game of the Year - I sure as hell didn't play it. So yeah, another great year of gaming on Wii and DS, when you take the time to really look back on everything you realise just how excellent it has been. And next year is looking just as promising, if not more so. Good times! : peace: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 And so I give my thoughts... The Best Visuals In A Game Endless Ocean (NTSC) PAL = Lost Winds. "Likeee aaa Glooove" The surreal hazy-ness of Lost Winds amidst cherry blossoms and dank caves really got under my skin. Furthermore, the graphics put many retail titles to shame. The Best Online Game Of The Year Mario Kart - As close as online Nirvana Wii has got. 2009 1st party titles 'should' be great... Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Wii Fit Board - Un-fracking-real. (Traditional remote = Zack & Wiki) Best Soundtrack In A Game Soul Bubbles. This music could stop wars. Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Guitar Hero - World Tour. Instant Multiplayer hit! Most Underrated Game Of The Year Boom Blox - Astounding title which should be in EVERYONE's collection! (There are too many underrated titles on Wii!) Suprise Game Of The Year We Ski - Came just in time for the BBoard. Fun times on the slopes with a 16bit charm! WiiWare Game Of The Year LostWinds. Not only did it breathe new life into the 2D format, it set the bar for what Wiiware could offer. Virtual Console Game Of The Year Sin & Punishment. A landmark in gaming as Nintendo released this incredible title in Europe! Best Wii Game Of The Year Mario Kart. Not only did Nintendo give us an online Mario Kart, they also gave us a superb peripheral which not only hammered most 'arcade' cabinets into submission with it's genuine fun factor and precision, but also made racing fun for all ages. The king of the kart racer matured and even brought grandma along for the ride. Sublime. Best DS Game Of The Year Soul Bubbles. A blinder of a title which shone out in a sea of 'me-too' DS clones. The refreshing, relaxing and sedate pace showed that the DS is still one of the freshest platforms available. Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year Miyamoto visting school children to promote Wii Music and Nintendo being seen as an educator. Nintendo as a whole being seen by the media as a company that offers general health and welfare for gamers. Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 Endless Ocean 2. If it goes a bit deeper than the original (chortle) and offers more co-op diving moments, this could be a stellar title. Most Innovative Wii Game Zack and Wiki - With more ideas than Warioware and more motions than Michael Jacksons legs, Z&W showed that CAPCOM are STILL one of the most inventive and creative companies out there. Most Innovative DS Game Guitar Hero: On Tour. For the peripheral alone..I mean...c'mon! Best Single-Player Experience Boom Blox. This is Kiddie Cocaine. If you think the Olympics are good, getting gold medals here makes you feel like Einstein! Worst Game of the Year FIFA 09. Why EA? Why did you ruin the good work made on FIFA 08? With more control options than ever before, FIFA looked great on paper. In our hands it just broke. The graphics were a step backwards and without the major innovations seen in other versions (yes, even the DS!) FIFA 09 was a mess of a title. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 Tapedeck, if you love Mario Kart so much how come you never play with us? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 Here are mine, going through the list it's actually been quite hard to find games to fit in some areas. Pretty poor year bar a few exceptional highlights for me. I'm hoping 2009 will be much better. The Best Visuals In A Game SUPER SMASH BROS: BRAWL Not much competition to be honest. The Best Online Game Of The Year MARIO KART WII Not played anything else online, still the game I play the most across all platforms. Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game WII FIT I'm still not convinced it's actually a game but I do love it. It's hardware like the Wii Board that is keeping Wii in the public eye. Best Soundtrack In A Game NIGHTS: JOURNEY OF DREAMS The prequel has the best soundtrack ever imo, this comes close and doesn't stray too far from the theme. Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year MARIO KART WII Very easy choice. Most Underrated Game Of The Year NO MORE HEROES Best single player game of the year imo, sales figures sadly don't reflect that. Suprise Game Of The Year - Can't say anything has surprised me this year. WiiWare Game Of The Year TV Show King Decent fun in multiplayer and I didn't think too much of the others. Virtual Console Game Of The Year - Not interested. Best Wii Game Of The Year MARIO KART WII Easy winner for me. Best DS Game Of The Year PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE CURIOUS VILLAGE Classic puzzles wrapped in a great game. Very pleased to see it getting the success it deserves. Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year The end of it Doing this has made me realise that on the whole it's been a pretty poor year, bring on 2009 I say. Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 House of the Dead: Overkill Looks great and lightgun games really suit the Wii. One of my favourite series getting a new title. Most Innovative Wii Game WII FIT Probably the only Innovative thing I've seen on the Wii this year. Most Innovative DS Game - I don't think the DS has had any innovation this year. Best Single-Player Experience NO MORE HEROES Probably my only one of the year. Worst Game of the Year STAR WARS CLONE WARS: LIGHTSABER DUELS Only basing this on games I've actually spent time with, this is just awful. Glad I didn't pay for it myself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 Tapedeck, if you love Mario Kart so much how come you never play with us? I can't get my gran off it Seriously, when I have the time I will start playing it again. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to do anything other than university work at the moment Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game Wario Land - The Shake Dimension Gorgeous animation. The Best Online Game Of The Year Animal Crossing I've only had it for a week but I'm having so much fun visiting other people towns and messing about. Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Zak & Wiki Genius use of the Wii Remote to solve puzzles. Best Soundtrack In A Game Smash Bros Brawl An amazing and expansive soundtrack. Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Smash Bros Brawl I have spent many a night with mates having a great time brawling. Most Underrated Game Of The Year Zak & Wiki Should have sold SO much more. Suprise Game Of The Year Animal Crossing I thought it would be just the same as Wild World but there really is so much more and I find myself playing it longer and going back to it more often than I did with the DS game. WiiWare Game Of The Year StrongBad's Cool Game For Attractive People A very funny and well thought out point and click adventure. Virtual Console Game Of The Year Super Mario RPG We finally get to play it and it's as good as everyone says it is. A top RPG with great characters and fun gameplay. Best Wii Game Of The Year Smash Bros Brawl How do you follow one of the greatest games? By making it bigger and better! With more characters, a huge story mode, plus hundreds of collectables and a large achievements list, this game has given me SO many hours of gameplay and I have no doubt I will be coming back for more. Best DS Game Of The Year Professor Layton It has EVERYTHING I could ask for, a great story, amazing animation and brain scratching puzzles, a real gem that for once is receiving the praise it deserves. Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year Importing Smash Bros Brawl. I couldn't contain my excitement, I ripped open the packaging, loaded the free loader (keeping my fingers crossed it would work), inserted the Brawl disc and gazed in awe at the intro, I knew this was going to be something special. Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 The Conduit, Endless Ocean 2 and Another Code Next year the Wii has such a large amount of games which look promising. It's going to be a good year for Nintendo. Most Innovative Wii Game Wii Fit A game that is completely different to anything else out there and the balance board has as much potential as the Wii Remote. Most Innovative DS Game There have been good games, but nothing stands out to me as being innovative or genre defining on the DS this year. Best Single-Player Experience Fire Emblem - Radiant Dawn It was my first Fire Emblem game and I didn't knw the game play would be this engrossing. Worst Game of the Year (Not including shovelware) Nights Major disappointment. The charm and magic the original had was gone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game Zack & Wiki Great game all round but really shone with its stylised cel shaded graphics. The game was truly brought to life through the graphics as well as the animation. The Best Online Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii We are still playing it and long may it continue. Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Pro Evo Refreshed and renewed the tried and tested footy formula. It was difficult to adapt at first, but once you get a feel for the controls there is no going back, honestly. Best Soundtrack In A Game de Blob Splash the buildings with different colours to add extra instrumental layers to the background music! It helps that the music suits the game really well. Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii Most Underrated Game Of The Year SimCity Creator There might be some strange feeling camera control, but in general its a really solid first SimCity effort on the Wii with motion controlled disasters- nuff said. :awesome: Suprise Game Of The Year Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City I didn't think I could be bothered doing it all again after pumping months of play into Wild World, yet here I am, back at it and addicted. WiiWare Game Of The Year Toki Tori I've waxed lyrical about this one a fair bit, but its genuinely a fantastic little puzzle game. You simply have to collect all the eggs in each level, using a limited number of items. Uncomplicated concept, but like any classic puzzler, your own mind will overcomplicate every situation until you suddenly "see" the solution. Eureka! Virtual Console Game Of The Year Alex Kidd Mario RPG is the obvious answer, but I'll go for nostalgia. Having not played Mario RPG before, it was like a new game, however Alex Kidd is one from way back in my childhood. Its great to hear the music again and replay the opening levels which I found so epic as a kid, lol. Its a pity that Alex never really did much beyond this first title- Sonic swept him aside. Best Wii Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii Wii wheel, the addition of bikes, Funky Kong, retro cups... maybe its not your fathers Mario Kart, but its still damn good with tracks like Maple Treeway and Koopa Cape. Best DS Game Of The Year Shiren the Wanderer Come on! Another game I've tried to hype and hype and atleast a few picked it up. It may be a port of a Snes game, but its still the DS game I've had the most fun and frustration with this year. More people should pick it up- the rescue feature makes it a perfect community game. Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year Revealing Punch Out!!, Another Code: R, Endless Ocean 2, etc. Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 Dragon Quest 9 At this point I'm not hugely anticipating anything on Wii or DS as theres already so much to be getting on with, but I know there will be plenty of top games coming out. DQ 9 will be fantastic but there will also be the new Pro Evo on Wii and a bunch of other stuff, it'll be another action packed year of gaming! Most Innovative Wii Game Pro Evo The controls- point to where you want men to run, where you want to pass, theres so much depth to it and it does make conventional Pro Evo seem boring in comparison. Most Innovative DS Game Etrian Odyssey Its old school however where the innovation comes in is with the touch screen map making. Superb stuff and it feels good to map out each floor for yourself. Best Single-Player Experience Fire Emblem Wii Tough as old nails but it'll draw you in with the formulaic yet addictive and compulsory grid based battling. You can even bring over data from Path of Radiance. Worst Game of the Year Nothing that I can remember having played this year springs to mind! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 Its time for HoTs list. The Best Visuals In A Game Wario Land: Shake Dimension:- Im a sucker for 2D games and this just looked fantastic, very cartoony. The Best Online Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii:- Easily the best online game for me especially around the launch period as lots of us were playing it constantly. Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Wii Music:- Playing each instrument using the wiimote in different ways was a genius move. Best Soundtrack In A Game Smash Bros Brawl:- An amazing soundtrack that remixed classic Nintendo themes. Outstanding! Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii:- Just check my comments further up Most Underrated Game Of The Year DeBlob:- What a little gem this turned out to be, shame not many people picked it up Surprise Game Of The Year Animal Crossing:- If I had done this a few weeks ago I would have said DeBlob but then AC came out and it has consumed my life. I didnt think I would get hooked on it at all but for me it really has become a killer ap for the Wii this Christmas. WiiWare Game Of The Year LostWinds:- This little title put to shame alot of retail games, heres hoping for a sequel. Virtual Console Game Of The Year Super Mario RPG:- What a surprise release this turned out to be! I still havent finished the game but it wins the award just because I never got to play it back in SNES era. Best Wii Game Of The Year DeBlob:- It was a tough choice between this and Wario Land but Deblob won it as its such a unique game that deserved all the praise that it was given. A great soundtrack, colourful graphics and addictive gameplay made this my Wii game of the year. Best DS Game Of The Year The World Ends With You:- Its been a slow year for me where the DS has been concerned but this S-E title was amazing. Great graphics, a B.A soundtrack, awesome story and inspiring use of the dual screens made this my DS GOTY. Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year October Conference:- After the pitiful E3 showing Nintendo came out guns ablazing with their October conference. Gone were the cries of " Where are all the games!!?? " and replacing them were the cries of " How the hell am I gonna afford all of them!!!??? " Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 Monster Hunter 3:- I cannot put into words how excited am I for this game. For those who have yet to experience MH online be prepared to lose sleep, weight ( due to lack of eating ) and friends and family in one of my favourite game series to date. BRING.IT.ON! Most Innovative Wii Game DeBlob:- How can DeBlob be classed as innovative you say? I reply with the soundtrack. As you start to colour the world the music changes and starts to get louder, change your colour and the music adapts again. Fantastic. Most Innovative DS Game The World Ends With You:- The use of the 2 screens for battling was fantastic. Sure it took a while to master but once you did you chained attacks together to unleash massive damage. Best Single-Player Experience DeBlob:- Already said enough about it Worst Game of the Year Fire Emblem:- I wont say that its a bad game but it is was very disappointing. I just couldnt get into it which was weird considering I loved the Cube FE game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 I think I will have a lot of trouble coming up with games for each category.. I have played through a lot of games this year but the majority was catching up with games I got in previous years on Wii, DS, GC, N64, SNES, GBA, Dreamcast and PS1! I can barely even remember what was released this year.. but here goes The Best Visuals In A Game Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure This was probably the nicest looking Wii game I played this year with a nice style.. and when I look through my collection I don't see any other games that I have that could match it this year. I have Okami.. but it is still sealed so I haven't yet got the chance to experience what would probably have taken this award for me.. The Best Online Game Of The Year Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 The game has its flaws and when lag is the order of the day it can completely ruin the enjoyment of playing online.. but when it was running smoothly, this game probably gave me the best online experience in 2008. Mario Kart Wii was a contender, but the game can often boil down to luck and frustration which is a shame.. I loved it for the first few weeks I hope it will make a happy return to my Wii in 2009 Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 It's December and I still can't defend very well.. but apart from a few difficulties and issues which should be addressed for 2009, PES 2008 provided the best football experience of the year thanks to the excellent controls. To be honest, in the last few years PES has felt basically the same with each iteration to the point where you weren't even sure if the game felt better or worse than last year. On recent play of the latest PS3 and XBOX 360 football games I didn't feel much joy when playing either FIFA 2009 or PES 2009 and if those are going to be the basis for this generation of football games then I'll go back to ISS 98, thanks.. but for me, PES 2008 on the Wii has introduced that much needed innovation to the genre. If all goes to plan, PES 2009 could be taking this award next year with even more praise.. Best Soundtrack In A Game Super Smash Bros. Brawl An abundance of classic tunes that bring back fantastic memories make this game the runaway winner of this award in 2008.. a real treat for the ears of any Nintendo fan Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii Considering the amount of fun I had with this in the early days of owning it, this has to take the award.. particularly considering I have been unable to play much of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 in local multiplayer. If your friends don't enjoy those games then there isn't much you can do really ..but that is what online is for, right Most Underrated Game Of The Year No More Heroes I'm actually surprised by how few games I can see in my collection that I can include in these awards.. and even more surprised by how many I actually feel are underrated! Disaster will be mine at Christmas thanks to my girlfriend so I can't make any judgement on it yet as I haven't played it, obviously.. and I almost feel a need to talk more about games I have found to be overrated such as Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword.. however, if there was one game I really enjoyed it that perhaps not everyone did then it was No More Heroes. The A button may have took a hell of a battering throughout, but it was good fun to play ..not as good as killer7 I don't think.. but still great Suprise Game Of The Year Wii Fit With the price point and the idea of a fitness game, I was actually a little surprised that this has done so well.. but having picked it up myself with the help of my brother a few days after it's release there is certainly something about it that encourages you to try to lose weight! Having said that, I haven't been surprised by an awful lot this year.. WiiWare Game Of The Year Dr. Mario Basically the only Wii Ware game I have played all year (I haven't even felt the urge to download any of my own..) this, by default, takes the award.. but that isn't to say it wasn't good fun It has been one of the few games in 2008 that my girlfriend and I have enjoyed to play together.. and one where she often kicks my ass Virtual Console Game Of The Year 1080 Snowboarding I haven't actually downloaded this myself as I have no need to.. I have it on the N64 ..but it is one of my favourite games ever so there is no way I couldn't put it as my best VC game of 2008! Wonderful snowy greatness Best Wii Game Of The Year No More Heroes Surprisingly little to choose from.. with the huge variety of games I played this year I guess I didn't really notice that there hasn't been an overload of standout Wii titles in 2008 that i have played! There have been quiote a few good games though but for some reason it is proving difficult for me to remember how I felt about the games at the time and how I feel about them now! I got a lot of fun out of No More Heroes, perhaps more than the often brilliant but sometimes frustrating Mario Kart Wii.. Best DS Game Of The Year Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword To my amazement I seem to have completed a total of 9 DS games this year.. I didn't expect the number to be that high, but only one of those games was relased in 2008! With this being the case, I had to vote for Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword but I'm not sure if my heart really wants me to. I completed the game within a few days, so I guess it kept me hooked until the end.. but I'm not sure how The controls were cool in many ways, but the game was very repetitive and I although it was decent I didn't feel it was as good as it could've been! The DS hasn't gave me an awful lot of reason to be excited in recent weeks for some reason and the only game that I could really see myself purchasing at the moment is one that is sold out eveywhere it seems.. Professor Layton! ..and I'm not even dying to play that either! Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year Classic Games For me, the best Nintendo Related Moment of 2008 has been playing through loads of classic games on the SNES, N64 and GC and still having an amazing amount of fun with them ..you can't beat that Nintendo Magic Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 Sin & Punishment 2 I'm at a strange place with games at the moment.. I almost find myself being content with what I have and am having a good time playing all the great games I have collected over the last couple of years. Nothing instantly came to mind when I saw the name of this award which may suggest I'm not anticipating anything greatly, but when I think about it I'll be looking forward to Sin & Punishment 2, Another Code R, Mad World, House of the Dead: Overkill and PES 2009! I'm sure there is more.. but at least there are games to look forward to Most Innovative Wii Game Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 This reinvention of the football game may not be to everyone's taste but it certainly has a lot to offer.. and incredible potential to be expanded on for future iterations! Most Innovative DS Game Guitar Hero: On Tour I haven't played it.. heck, I haven't played any Guitar Hero game for any console.. but this game wins the award for me simply because of the peripheral that slips into the GBA slot Best Single-Player Experience No More Heroes Most of my best Single-Player Experiences of 2008 have come from games that didn't come out this year.. but No More Heroes was definitely a highlight! Super Smash Bros. Brawl actually provided a fun single player game aswell and I enjoyed it a lot too Worst Game of the Year The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night The worst game I played on Wii or DS this year was probably one I played at my girlfriend's house very briefly before it was promptly returned! The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night just didn't really do much for either of us.. especially when that toot Elijah Wood started talking! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 Sin & Punishment and SMB3 came out on VC in 2007... The Best Visuals In A Game Okami The Best Online Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure Best Soundtrack In A Game Super Smash Bros. Brawl Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Most Underrated Game Of The Year Wario Land: Shake It! Suprise Game Of The Year Boom Blox WiiWare Game Of The Year Bomberman Blast Virtual Console Game Of The Year Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Best Wii Game Of The Year Super Smash Bros. Brawl Best DS Game Of The Year The World Ends With You Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year Nintendo Media Summit - October 2008 Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 Red Steel 2 Most Innovative Wii Game Wii Fit Most Innovative DS Game Guitar Hero On Tour Best Single-Player Experience Okami Worst Game of the Year Wii Music I also bought Disaster: Day of Crisis (mediocre), Lost Winds (above average), Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09 (above average), deBlob (pretty good), No More Heroes (pretty good), Medal of Honor: World At War (pretty good), Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (good) and Mega Man 9 (good) this year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game Okami The Best Online Game Of The Year Mario Kart Wii Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game Wii Music Best Soundtrack In A Game Animal Crossing: Let's Go To The City Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Super Smash Bros. Brawl Most Underrated Game Of The Year Wii Music Suprise Game Of The Year Boom Blox WiiWare Game Of The Year ----- Virtual Console Game Of The Year 1080 Snowboarding Best Wii Game Of The Year Super Smash Bros. Brawl Best DS Game Of The Year KORG DS-10 Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 Sin And Punishment 2 Most Innovative Wii Game Wii Fit Most Innovative DS Game KORG DS-10 Best Single-Player Experience Animal Crossing: Let's Go To The City Worst Game of the Year Disaster: Day Of Crisis Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 20, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game Mario Kart The Best Online Game Of The Year Mario Kart Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game zack wiki Best Soundtrack In A Game Smash bros Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year Mario Kart Most Underrated Game Of The Year disaster day of crisis Suprise Game Of The Year boom blox WiiWare Game Of The Year bomberman Virtual Console Game Of The Year Mario rpg Best Wii Game Of The Year Mario Kart Best DS Game Of The Year fire emblem Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year reggie playing wii sports wave race thing Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 punchout Most Innovative Wii Game wii fit Most Innovative DS Game soul bubbles Best Single-Player Experience zack wiki Worst Game of the Year not that ive played it but im saying need for speed as that always sucks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 21, 2008 The Best Visuals In A Game - No More Heroes Technical issues not with standing, the artistic style raises this above everything else. Smash is super slick for sure, but we've seen it before. Yes, the gore was removed from our version and the cut scenes took a hammering as a result, but it's still something special to look at. The Best Online Game Of The Year - Super Smash Bros. Brawl Only online game I have is this so it's wins by default (though it also holds the more dubious title of worst online game too by that token...) and I don't find it too troublesome an experience. Best Use Of Wii Controls In A Game - Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Not played it, but from my understanding, it's a much needed shake up to a genre thats biggest claim to innovation was the introduction of 3D graphics. Best Soundtrack In A Game - Super Smash Bros. Brawl How can a game featuring over 20yrs worth of classic gaming tunes not walk away with this title. Special props goes to NMH for which I would probably award a best original soundtrack gong. Best Multiplayer Game Of The Year - Tie Super Smash Bros Brawl & Mario Kart Wii SSBB is at it's best in multiplayer, and with the right group of people, the game is peerless. So why a tie? MKWii does something SSBB doesn't. The evolution of the MK series as brought in an automatic balancing feature through the apportionment of weapons. When I played this round my mates house, he was clearly better than me, but the weapons always kept it close and victory was never far out of reach (except Rainbow Road...). When we played Smash, it wasn't the same. Fiddling with the handicap makes little difference if the opponent can't touch you in the first place. Most Underrated Game Of The Year - Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn I know this was released last year in Japan and the US, but this is N-Europe so I'm having it. As a series, FE is criminally overlooked in europe by virtually all - the biggest culprit being Nintendo themselves. Sure it doesn't look much better than PoR for the GC, which wasn't anything to write home about either, but the animation is good (in game and CGI), the soundtrack is stellar, it's quite long, and it's not a push over in terms of difficulty, but the hard save option helps you out if you want to use it. Surprise Game Of The Year - No More Heroes IGN had been banging on about this for yonks and then when it arrived, they were quite dissapointed and I know I'm going to get shot for this, but on the whole, I think the review's on the Nintendo channels are pretty good. So I was a bit cautious when I picked this up - even at a reduced price. I won't go into detail, but lets just say I'll be preordering the sequel with no hesitation. WiiWare Game Of The Year - Mega Man 9 Like there could be another option - sorry Lostwind fans. Innovative? Not in the slighest. Fun? More than you could have imagined. Virtual Console Game Of The Year Not purchased one all year so the only thing that could take this place is the Christmas day title - come on Secret of Mana... Best Wii Game Of The Year - Super Smash Bros Brawl I wasn't too sure what to pick here, but in the end, it came down to the game clock and no other title will even come close to matching the hours I've put into this game (I still suck though) and I'm sure that number is only going to get higher. Best DS Game Of The Year - Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon Given it's the only title I've bought this year and the first since Zelda: PH (which left me somewhat underwhelmed), this takes the crown. No other game has made me want to purchase it. Had Castlevania got a UK release this year, it might be fighting for this slot, but the US cases are awful, even if they are smaller, so I'll wait for it to reach these shores officially. Best Nintendo Related Moment Of The Year - October's Media Summit After a poor showing at E3 (IMHO), this helped to lift the spirits of a gamer questioning what Nintendo titles I'm even supposed to be looking forward to. And for a Nintendo console that is in the prime of it's life, that is a very, very scary thought. Most Anticipated Game Of 2009 -Sin & Punishment 2 I can't think of that many titles that are coming out that I'm really looking forward to. There's the new Sonic game, as well as the Pal release of ToS2, but I think this edges it. The worst part of S&P was the control scheme, it just felt too complicated for a shooter of that intensity - the Wiimote should fix all that and make it something even more special. Most Innovative Wii Game - Wii Fit It's funny really, the most innovative software on the system isn't really a game at all. I've not "played" it and have no desire to either, but I can still recognize what it's trying to do. Most Innovative DS Game - Korg Just like Wii Fit, I'll never play this game or rather experiment with this software, but I appreciate the effort. Best Single-Player Experience No More Heroes At about 10 - 15 (first time through), it's a good length for an action game an certainly doesn't out stay it's welcome. Waggle confined solely to highly satisfying finishing moves(in combat at least), interesting story, unique cast of well defined characters (shame some weren't given more air time), and a New Game + feature allows you to replay through the game at a much quicker pace (with extra goodies to find) thus encouraging repeated plays. Worst Game of the Year I've not played that many titles that would allow me to cast judgment for this particular category. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
