Remembering WiiWare

[Hero-of-Time]

 

While the Wii Shop isn’t closing until next year, we will be losing the ability to add points/credit to the system at the end of the month. That being the case, I decided to take a look at some of the games that WiiWare has to offer. If people have been following the conversation in the Retro thread you will have seen that I specifically picked up a brand new Wii console off of Ebay in order to nab a lot of these games before the service shuts down.

The plan here is to play through a bunch of games, most of which I have never played before, and hopefully this will give people an idea about some of the games that the service offers. I’m going to try and get through at least a couple of games a day, which shouldn’t be too hard as a lot of titles on the service appear to be quite short. Who knows, maybe there will be a hidden gem among the ones I play that you’ve never played yourself?

Before I start off with my first games, let’s take a brief look at the WiiWare service.

Back in the 360/PS3/Wii era, small, downloadable games were becoming a big thing. Microsoft had pushed this service from the get go with the Xbox 360 and had found great success in allowing developers/publishers put smaller games on to Xbox Live Arcade service. Fast forward to 2008 and Nintendo decided to launch WiiWare on their own virtual shop. Like on Xbox Live Arcade, Nintendo would allow developers to put smaller games on to their service. However, the maximum size of a game could only be 40MB. This caused some developers to shy away from the service or even cancel games due to the limited space. It wasn’t all bad, though. Some of the developers who did manage to work around the limitations of the service did manage to produce some great games, some of which remain exclusive to the service.

WiiWare never got a lot of the the big hitters XBLA/PSN did (probably due to size restrictions), and was never as popular either, but the service was an important first step for Nintendo in terms of how they would go about allowing developers putting games on their online store. When the Wii U launched the file size limit was gone and you started to see more and more games appearing on Nintendo’s eShop that were also appearing on rival platforms. Just looking at the abundance of titles that the Switch has on its store, you can see that Nintendo learned lessons from the humble start that was WiiWare.

With that brief history lesson over with, let’s get into what games I have been playing.

 

• Name: 530 Ecto Shooter
• Price: 1000 points
• Developer: Intelligent Systems

From the team that brought you Paper Mario and Fire Emblem comes an on rail shooter that has you saving the world by shooting tin cans. No, seriously!

I love the on-rails shooter genre but, sadly, it’s one that has been lost in the rise of HDTVs. The Wii generation is probably the last one where we managed to get a good few of them on a console. This game is in good company, what with the likes of the House of the Dead collection and Overkill, Ghost Squad, Link’s Crossbow Training and the Resident Evil Chronicles games all being on the console.

The game consists of 3 stages, each harder than the previous one. You can’t play any of the latter ones until you have beaten the previous stage. The stages themselves last about 10-20 mins each but the second and third stages took me a few attempts to finish. There is a balancing act that needs to mastered in order to complete this levels as it’s not as simple as gunning your way to victory.

Your gun uses energy and this is displayed at the top left of the screen. Every time you take a shot your energy will deplete. Run out of this energy and the game will be over. In order to keep gun energy topped up you need to kill enemies and shoot the random cans that are littered around the levels. Once shot, these enemies and random cans will drop glowing spheres for you to collect. Getting a combo of shots on a can or enemy will mean they drop a greater amount of spheres. You then go all Luigi’s Mansion and use the Wiimote to suck them up but you need to watch the meter that will appear because holding down the Z button too long will cause the vacuum park of your weapon to overheat.

This sounds pretty simple but when things start getting really hectic on the laters stages you have to start juggling between keeping a combo going, shooting random cans and then sucking in the rewards.

At the end of each stage you will fight a boss. These are usually just masses of rubbish and cans that form up to produce a sort of giant robot/creature. These can be quite tough, especially if you are short on energy. It comes down to surviving the onslaught long enough until the enemy shows its weak spot. The bosses usually come with a few minions that need to be dealt with. While these can prove to be annoying they are in fact a valuable source of energy during these fights.

As I mentioned earlier, the game only has 3 stages and these can be done in a couple of hours, if not less. Once completed then the game will unlock and endless mode for you to play. This allows you to play through each of the stages one after the other, with your energy levels carrying over after each stage. As unlockables go it’s not exactly great but it does give the game something a little extra to play around with.

I do think the game could have been cheaper but it was certainly an interesting game to play, especially given the team that made the game have developed big games for Nintendo. Nintendo have a fair few teams/developers under their wing and it would be nice to see more of these kind of experiments hitting the eShop today.

 

 

• Name: Jett Rocket
• Price: 1000 points
• Developer: Shin’en Multimedia

Fun fact: I have never played a game made by Shin’en. Despite them having a fantastic reputation for doing amazing work on Nintendo platforms, I hadn’t played any of the games developed by them. That changed when I purchased Jett Rocket. My eyes have been opened and I can see why the developer has been getting praise for all of these years.

The game starts off with your little spaceman ( Jett ) sitting on his spaceship, just minding his own business, when the Power Plant Posse attack him. The poor little fella ends up being knocked off of his ship and lands on the island below. Here we find out from a talking Dolphin ( stay with me here ) that the PPP are draining the energy from the power generators and it’s up to you to put a stop to them. Epic stuff!

You move Jett around the 3D stages by using the control stick. The Wiimote is used for jumping by pressing the A button, with motion controls being used for attacking and filling up your jet pack. Usually I dislike motion controls in games but with this I found them to be very manageable and not intrusive. There’s no really massive motions to use, so the player can just sit back and enjoy the game without having to flail your arms all about the place

There are a total of 3 worlds to explore, each containing 4 levels. The worlds each have their own distinct look and feel. The first world has plenty of sun and grassy areas to explore. The second is filled with snow, which was quite a fitting setting given the amount the UK has received over the weekend. The third and final area is a jungle to explore, with many mazes to work your way through.

While most of the levels are about the platforming, there are a couple that add some other things into the mix. One of the levels has you speeding around a jet ski course that looks very similar to something out of Wave Race. Another stage requires you to use a parachute to glide over to a different part of the stage. You can’t help but wonder in Shin’en looked at the franchises Nintendo have abandoned and figured they would have a crack at adding Wave Race and Pilotwings into the own game.

Throughout the level there are little solar cells scattered around for the player to collect. The number to collect varies from level to level, with 100 being the maximum. I really enjoyed tracking these down and some of them do require a bit of thinking. If you are a seasoned platformer player then you will know exactly what to look out for. Enemies also drop these cells and sometimes you have to be quick in order to grab them as they can often fall off into the abyss which means you will have to start the level again.

The game has a bunch of awards/achievements to unlock and these add a bit of reply value and fun to the game. Some of them have you trying to finish a level under a certain time or without picking up a single collectible, while others will have you trying to avoid taking any damage. There’s no real reward for doing these but it is something I enjoyed going for. It took me around 4-5 hours to get 100% on the game.

This is a game that I really should have played when it was first released. I love these types of games. Yeah, they may be a little rough around the edges at times and lack the polish of Nintendo’s own platformers, but there is something very satisfying about playing them. It kind of reminds me of Poi, a 3D platformer game that was released on the Switch last year that nobody else seem to have played ( great game, pick it up! ). The fact that I really enjoyed this has now pushed me into looking into picking up other games that Shin'en have made and the sequel that was released for the 3DS. I’ve heard it’s not as good as the original but I’m eager to give it a go.

 

 

• Name: LostWinds
• Price: 1000 points
• Developer: Frontier Developments

Back when WiiWare launched this one my most anticipated game. I only bought a few WiiWare games during the whole course of me having a Wii and this was one of them. Despite loving the game back then I never did pick up the sequel.  This is something I have rectified with my purchase on a new Wii.

As soon as I fired up the game I was taken back to 2008 when the game launched. The title song brought back memories of playing the game and finishing it in one sitting. I remember coming in from work all excited that the WiiWare service had arrived and I immediately downloaded the title. Does the game still hold up? Yes it does.

You start the game playing as a little guy called Toku. He soon falls off a collapsing bridge into a cave below him. There he comes across a shard that turns out to be a wind spirit named Enril. From there the two set off on an adventure to defeat Balasar. It’s not a very deep story but it has a certain fairy tale charm to it.

Enril grants Toku the ability to use the power of the wind and this is where the game controls come into play. You use the control stick to walk around as Toku but in order to jump and fly you will need to use the motion controls. Keeping hold of the A button and then drawing a line across Toku will allow you to float in the direction you have just drawn. This mechanic is a massive part of the game and allows you to explore the world. This power, along with others, can be powered up throughout the game, allowing you to reach greater heights, set things on fire and throw boulders through doors that block you.

The game plays like a Metroid game but without a map. You will have to try and remember where everything is and where you have been. Luckily, despite the lack of the map, this is pretty easy to do because the game is nice and compact, with each area having something to do or play around with. There are also villages scattered about the place that can help break up the exploring aspect and allow for players to talk to the locals and kick back and relax.

Relaxing is a good word to use to describe this game. The colourful settings ( at least in the above ground areas ), sound of the wind blowing and chilled out music is something to really appreciate when playing the game. Even the combat is quite…breezy ( yes, I went there ) and easy going, with players simply using the Wiimote to draw a wind direction and blow them away. Soundtracks like this where they use the “less is more” kinda of method are something I usually don’t care for. This was recently the case with BOTW, but with LostWinds it really fits the setting and mood of the game.

I haven’t played this game since I finished it all those years ago but the joy that it brought me back then still remained with me during this playthrough. It was great fun hunting down all of the 24 hidden statues, playing around with the various wind mechanics and just pausing my movements for a few moments just to listen to the sounds that were coming through the TV. It’s a short game ( about 3-4 hours long ) but it certainly has its moments. With it being a launch title for the WiiWare service you can see how optimistic many were for what would be on offer. I look forward to delving into the sequel and hopefully it builds upon the fantastic foundation that they laid with the first game.

 

That's the first wave of the games i've played. Like I said at the start of this, I'm hoping to keep playing more titles during the week and give me thoughts about them in here. Feel free to discuss any WiiWare games you are playing or looking to buy before the service closes. Also, the conversation about the closure has been spread out in a few threads on the boards, so it will be nice to have everything under one roof.

Edited March 19, 2018 by Hero-of-Time

[Nicktendo]

Lostwinds was such a great game. I remember coming and downloading it immediately as well. Didn't manage to finish it one sitting but I agree with your sentiments. For me a WiiWare game never really bettered it...

[Kav]

LostWinds & LostWinds 2 were lovely games, really enjoyed them both!

[nekunando]

The Lost Winds games are great

I didn't really purchase many Wii Ware titles other than those, Sonic 4: Episode 1, FAST: Racing League (preferable to the sequel for me), Contra: Rebirth and, most recently, Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth. In fact, that may be it! I definitely focused more on the Virtual Console.

Looking forward to more updates, @Hero-of-Time! Maybe you'll convince me to pick something up before it's too late

[Hero-of-Time]

I was the same. I think the only ones I purchased were LostWinds, Pokemon Rumble, Excitebike and LiT.

I'd highly recommend picking up Jett Rocket if you fancy a short but sweet 3D platformer. There's a demo on the Wii Shopping Channel if you want to give it a go.

[nekunando]

4 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I was the same. I think the only ones I purchased were LostWinds, Pokemon Rumble, Excitebike and LiT.

I'd highly recommend picking up Jett Rocket if you fancy a short but sweet 3D platformer. There's a demo on the Wii Shopping Channel if you want to give it a go.

I think I have the demo but never played it

You just reminded me that I have Excitebike too.. and it's great, though you you can't unlock a lot of things without playing online (which obviously isn't available now)

[Mandalore]

31 minutes ago, nekunando said:

You just reminded me that I have Excitebike too.. and it's great, though you you can't unlock a lot of things without playing online (which obviously isn't available now)

As far as I remember, it was just a few bike skins you could only unlock from multiplayer. It was such a great little game and a good low budget way to make new entries in the series. I wish Nintendo would've taken that approach with more franchises. 

@Hero-of-Time I've never heard of 530 Ecto Shooter before! Very interested to try it seeing as it's from Intelligent Systems.

I might give Art Style Light Trax a go too after a recommendation from a friend.

 

[markderoos]

Lost Winds was great. I think that and Nyx Quest were my first two WiiWare purchases!

[nekunando]

1 hour ago, Mandalore said:

As far as I remember, it was just a few bike skins you could only unlock from multiplayer. It was such a great little game and a good low budget way to make new entries in the series. I wish Nintendo would've taken that approach with more franchises. 

@Hero-of-Time

 

Yeh.. it was just bikes/skins but it's a shame they're unobtainable now as it would give me a reason to play it more as I've got an S Rank in everything

I'll try the Jett Rocket demo tonight, if I get a chance!

[Jonnas]

Despite considering doing it multiple times, I don't think I've ever bought a Wiiware game. Most of the games I was considering were, since then, released elsewhere (such as Cave Story or Megaman 9), but stuff like Lost Winds hasn't been seen since.

Reading this thread, I get the impression I missed some worthy stuff. Do you think there's any chance we'll see these games on the eShop, or maybe as part of a compilation? How likely is that?

[Ike]

23 minutes ago, Jonnas said:

Despite considering doing it multiple times, I don't think I've ever bought a Wiiware game. Most of the games I was considering were, since then, released elsewhere (such as Cave Story or Megaman 9), but stuff like Lost Winds hasn't been seen since.

Reading this thread, I get the impression I missed some worthy stuff. Do you think there's any chance we'll see these games on the eShop, or maybe as part of a compilation? How likely is that?

Lost Winds got an iOS release, think it been delisted now or something. It's available on Steam along with Lost Winds 2 though.

[Hero-of-Time]

Today it’s time to take a look at some classic games that Konami brought to the WiiWare service.

 

• Name: Gradius Rebirth
• Price: 600 points
• Developer: M2

I love the shoot’em up genre. It takes me back to my childhood when I used to sit crossed legged in front of my Commodore 64 and play Nemesis, a game which I adored as a kid. Despite finishing Nemesis I’m not really good at playing these games. I often end up in a panic as I frantically try to dodge the barrage of bullets and usually end up crashing into some scenery. This doesn’t stop me from playing the games though and I’m quite happy to bang my head against the wall and keep hitting the continue button until I get my victory. This was certainly the case as I played through this.

When you start the game you get to pick from a selection of 3 ships, each of which has a different weapon setup. Not knowing any better I just selected the one with weapon type A.  You are then greeted by a very serious cutscene. Something something…aliens attacking…something something…save the planet. Yeah, I wasn’t really bothered by this and just wanted to get into the game and start blasting stuff.

The game lets you use a variety of control options but I just stuck with the good old sideways Wiimote configuration. The d-pad is used to move your ship around, with button 1 being used as the trigger for your ships guns and button 2 used to select the weapon power-ups that you will be collecting, which I’ll now explain.

There are a number of power-ups that you can obtain for your ship. These range from speeding up your movement, firing missiles below you or even gaining a shield at the front of your ship that will stop enemy bullets for a short time. You get these powers by collecting drops from the enemies that will be swarming you throughout your adventure. When you shoot certain enemies, or defeat a cluster of them, they will drop these power-ups for your ship. Now, here comes the key part.

At the bottom of the screen is a bar that shows you what power-ups are available. The first section of the bar is the speed power-up, next is missiles, after that a diagonal shot, then a laser…you get the idea. Each power up you collect will bump up the power-up bar. So, let’s say that you want to be able to fire lasers. You will have to collect 4 enemy drops and then hit the 2 button on the Wiimote. This means you will have to bypass any power-ups before that in order to reach what you are after. This adds a bit of strategy to the game. I often found myself using the drops on a couple of speed boosters straight away so that I could manoeuvre around the enemy fire. I would then go for the double power up, which is near the end of the bar, as this creates a small orange ball around your ship that also shoots when you do. I then kept saving up for more of the double power ups, eventually having a small army of orange spheres covering my ship and allowing me to have a greater range of fire power.

Like any good shoot’em up there is the anguish of having a full loaded arsenal, only for you to eventually get hit and lose it all. Oh the humanity! With this game though it isn’t as harsh as I thought it would be. There are plenty of checkpoints scattered around the game and then when you do respawn the game gives you a bunch of power-ups straight off the bat in order for you to get going again. As before, I would plow them straight into a couple of speed boosters.

The game is short ( only 5 stages long ) but it will take you a while to get through due to the difficulty of the game. That being said, I imagine seasoned veterans of the genre will make short work of the game, especially given how there are checkpoints. I think it took me around 2 hours to finish and a lot of that time was being stuck on a section just before the second boss. Strangely, I don’t think I really struggled after that. I still hit difficulty spikes but nothing as harsh as that section. If you’re not used to the genre then you may find it frustrating at places but if I can manage to finish the game I think anyone can.

There is a little bonus of sorts for finishing the game. Firstly, you will unlock a couple of extra ships. I may go back to the game at a later date and have a play around with the other ones that are on offer and see how they handle compared to the original one that I used. Secondly, if you were to finish the game on normal difficulty then you will start another loop of the game but it will be slightly harder. Apparently there is another loop to do after that one which is even harder still! Yeah, there’s no danger of me being able to tackle those.

Even though I died MANY times throughout my playthrough, I still enjoyed my time with the game. I imagine many hardcore shooter fans won’t really care for the length or the checkpoint system but it was certainly a welcome addition for someone like myself. Seeing as the game isn’t available elsewhere I would recommend Wii owners give this a download, especially as it’s at the low cost of 600 points.

 

• Name: Contra Rebirth
• Price: 1000 points
• Developer: M2

This is another classic Konami series given an update via the WiiWare service. The Contra series is well known in the gaming world but it’s not one that I’ve had much experience with. I think I played Super Probotector as a kid and a couple of years ago I did play the Arcade Archives version of Contra but only because there was a mistake on the PSN store and I nabbed it for free. Outside of those examples I don’t recall ever playing through a Contra game.

When you start the game you get an absolutely hilarious cutscene. I’m assuming that they knew exactly what they were going for when they made this ( and every other one that’s in the game ) because it comes off as a cheesy action film made in the 80s. They do look quite nice though and are certainly better looking than the ones seen in Gradius Rebirth.

You have a selection of two characters to choose from who are called Bill and Yagyu. Apparently Bill is a series veteran so I went with him. Having only played through the game a single time i'm unsure if the characters play any differently to each other. After choosing a character you are then thrown straight into the action.

The gameplay is very fast and frantic, with bullets flying all over the place and enemies charging you down at every opportunity. I used the control scheme with the Wiimote being horizontal, just like in Gradius Rebirth. The d-pad was used to move my character and the 1 and 2 buttons were used to fire my gun and jump. There was also something else that I discovered but not until I was well into the second stage. I’ll explain about that in a moment.

Your character starts off by using a standard machine gun. While it is fast firing it doesn’t really do a lot of damage or have a wide spread of bullets. Thankfully you can upgrade you weapons via pick-ups that can be found by destroying certain enemies/floating robots. These upgrades that you can pick up are a wide spread shotgun, a powerful laser or homing missiles. You can actually carry two of these different weapons, which is what I hinted at earlier. At the top of the screen you can see what gun you are using but there is also another slot for another gun. A quick movement of the Wiimote will switch your current weapon to the one in the second slot. Being able to carry two different weapons can give the game a bit of strategy. You can clear the hordes with a few blasts from the shotgun and then switch to the single firing, but more powerful laser for a more direct shot to a boss. To be honest, I often just found myself reaching for the homing missiles. Being able to jump around the screen, randomly firing my weapon and not really having to aim was so much fun.

The difficulty of the game can be a bit taxing at times. You can help yourself out by upping the number of lives you start with. I gave myself a stock of 7 lives and even then I found I would still see the continue screen. I will say this though, the game may be tough but it is fair. If you get hit a single time then you will lose a life. You will then respawn straight away in the exact place you died. If you lose all of your lives then you get to continue in the stage you were on but you will only start at the checkpoint, of which there are a few scattered about the place.

The game is pretty short as it only has 5 stages to go through but they are pretty varied and have some great boss battles to tackle. The starting stage is clearly based off of the Alien franchise, with what look like Alien eggs and Facehuggers attacking you. There were even a couple of Power Walkers to fight near the end of the stage. Yes, I said that famous Aliens line when I saw them there. Other stages have you jumping from some strange kind of mechanical purple ostrich on to a truck, while fighting a samurai looking guy who is holding on to a rocket. Yup, it’s that crazy.

Having played through the game I can see why the series is loved by many. Playing Contra Rebirth reminded me of playing these types of games as a kid back in the arcades in Blackpool, while I was on holiday with my parents. Like Gradius Rebirth there was a sense of nostalgia that this game brought, even though I’m not too familiar with the series.  The pick up and play, run and gun mechanic is one that seems to have gotten lost in an industry that constantly pushes for bigger and more open worlds to play in. Having played through this once I can honestly say I will happily play through it again. I have heard great things about the WayForward developed Contra game, so I may have to look into picking that up.

 

• Name: Tomena Sanner
• Price: 500 points
• Developer: One Button Wai Wai Action

Time to finish off the trilogy of amazing Konami games. Be honest, how many of you thought I was going to end with Castlevania Adventure Rebirth? I figured I would throw this curve ball into the mix as it’s a game I image not many people have played or even know about. A word of warning here…be prepared for one of the craziest and funniest games that is one the WiiWare service. This is as Japanese as games come.

The game has you play as a Japanese business man named Mr. Susumu. You have to guide the little man from the start of the stage all the way to the end by simply press the A button. Mr. Susumu will be constantly running towards the goal so you have to do your best to time your button presses so that you don’t hit any obstacles. Yup, it’s a runner game but it’s one that is filled with so much charm and wackiness that you can’t help but fall in love with it.

You start a stage with a timer above you. You have this amount of time to get to the goal at the end of the level. If you mistime your button press then you will fall over ( usually in a hilarious fashion ) and this will cost you time. However, if you manage to time your button press perfectly you will get a “GREAT” rating which will score some extra time. It your timing isn’t perfect but you still nail the button press then you will only get a “GOOD” rating. You still get a little bit of extra time but not as much as if you were to perfectly nail it. In this sense it’s kind of like a rhythm game.

The gameplay is incredibly basic but it is so much fun to play, especially when you see what’s going on in front of you. Nailing the button press on things like cars will have you flipping them over, pressing the button perfectly near a school girl and you end up doing a little dance with a bunch of them that appear out of nowhere, do well while running on the moon next to an astronaut and you will moonwalk right on by him. There are loads of hilarious moments like this that honestly had me laughing away as I was playing it, so much so that it was hard to keep my timing going.

The craziness doesn’t stop there either. If you manage to reach the goal you will be greeted by all the characters you encountered in the level and you will start doing a dance on the podium with all of them. This turns into a rhythm game where a bar appears underneath Mr. Susumu and you have to time your button presses so that the lines match up as they move along the screen. It’s really hard to do this, not because it is difficult, but more because you want to keep an eye on the dance moves that are being pulled off by everyone.

The game has 9 stages to get through which may seem short but with these types of games it’s about trying to get a high score. Once you complete a stage then you will unlock the next one to have a crack at.  If you manage to complete all 9 stages then you will unlock the Endless Mode. This allows you to play through all 9 stages from start to finish in one go.

The game certainly isn’t for everyone. It does require you to have a silly sense of humour about things and also requires you to appreciate the crazy side of Japanese gaming. It’s a short experience but for only 500 points I do recommend people give it a go if they want to have a laugh, even more so if you have multiple people to play it with because I can imagine the 4 player mode being an absolute riot with friends and family.

[Glen-i]

Oh man! I totallty forgot Time a Scanner (Holy crap! That auto-correct! Gonna keep that there. I meant Tomena Sanner) existed. I played that game way too much. One of the best 500 points I ever spent.

Contra Rebirth was great too, especially in co-op. I kept playing as the hidden lizard character (Because of course I did, I want to say his name was Plisken?)

Edited March 20, 2018 by Glen-i

[Sméagol]

@Hero-of-Time, you sold me on Tomena Sanner. Watched a video (perhaps that's something you could add to your reviews), and it looks hilarious. Never thought I'd be interested in a runner. Music is awesome too.

[Hero-of-Time]

30 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

Oh man! I totallty forgot Time a Scanner (Holy crap! That auto-correct! Gonna keep that there. I meant Tomena Sanner) existed. I played that game way too much. One of the best 500 points I ever spent.

Contra Rebirth was great too, especially in co-op. I kept playing as the hidden lizard character (Because of course I did, I want to say his name was Plisken?)

Not gonna lie, Glen, I thought of you when I was playing the game. I thought to myself "I bet Glen-i loves this game".  

Yeah, his name is Plisken.

1 minute ago, Sméagol said:

@Hero-of-Time, you sold me on Tomena Sanner. Watched a video (perhaps that's something you could add to your reviews), and it looks hilarious. Never thought I'd be interested in a runner. Music is awesome too.

If I had the ability to capture my own footage then I would be all for adding videos. Sadly I don't have the equipment for it. As it stands, I'd rather not use someone else's footage in my review/impressions. Hopefully my words are enough to spark an interest and then people can seek out footage for themselves. Admittedly it probably would have helped with Tomena Sanner.    

[Hero-of-Time]

After playing Tomena Sanner, I thought it would be good to take a look at some of the more quirky titles that have appeared on the WiiWare service over the years. Let’s have a look at what crazy games I’ve been playing.

 

• Name: Let’s Catch
• Price 1000 points
• Developer: Prope

Those of you who are bought and played Let’s Tap will no doubt see something familiar when looking at the title screen. This game was developed by the same team and released as part of the WiiWare service. Having never actually played Let’s Tap I’m not sure if it was part of that game and if not then I find it a bit strange, especially when they were both released around the same time. Anyway, the gameplay is very simple. All the game really consists of is playing catch. Yup, that’s it.

The game has a story mode that has you playing catch with various people. You can use your Mii if you like or an avatar can be assigned to you. It really doesn’t make much of a difference because you don’t really get to see your character much while playing. For all intents and purposes your character is just a giant pair of floating hands. I suppose it makes sense, I mean those are the parts of the body that you use to catch a ball.

To play the game of catch you have to hold press the A and B buttons on the Wiimote just as the ball is about to reach your hands. In order to score the most points you have to really time when you land the catch. If you miss the ball you will lose one of your lives/balls ( you have several ) but you can regain these by timing your catch at the exact moment and earning a “Perfect” catch. After catching the ball you then have to throw it back to the CPU you are playing with. This is done by holding both the A and B button done on the Wiimote and then you do a throwing motion to release the ball. Depending on how you throw it, or how the motion controls register, will result in either a “Miss”, “Good” or “Perfect” throw.  Again, earning the highest rating here will also award you with an extra life/ball.

This may all sound pretty bland but the game tries to draw you in by having the CPU you are playing with interact with you. Each of them will tell you a story about themselves and in order to get to know them more and get to know their full story you will have to keep playing catch with them. The first CPU you play with is a little boy and his story is pretty dark and heart breaking. He tells you the tale of how his dad doesn’t spend much time with him anymore because he is too busy with work. He goes on to say how his parents fight a lot and he hopes that it isn’t his fault. Man, I wasn’t prepared for that. You have a game that is presented with cutesy characters and colourful scenery and then you get hit with a bombshell like that! Once you get 3 stars with the little guy you then unlock the next character and move on to him…I’m sure that’s going to do wonders for the self-esteem of the little boy. There he is bearing his soul and then you scarper as soon as you have someone else to play with. Life is cruel, kid.

Once you start unlocking other characters the difficulty gets a little bump in various ways. The number of chances that you have before you fail may decrease, the character may be standing further away so you’ll have to adjust your throw or they may start doing fast or tricky throws. It’s not a huge change in the way the game plays but it does mix things up a bit, if only slightly. For the characters who do stand further away you will have to change how your throw the ball when using the Wiimote in order to get some greater distance on it.

The game has a few other modes to play other than the story mode. There are a couple of multiplayer modes, a Free Play mode that just lets you throw back and forth without any limits, Score Attack and Speed Catch. Most of these don’t really offer anything different to the main game. The multiplayer modes will probably mix things up a bit ( I didn’t play them ) but the extra single player modes aren’t really worth a look.

Honestly, I found the game to be quite relaxing in a weird sort of way. There is charming music playing in the background and the settings you’re in are bright and colourful. This certainly isn’t a game for everyone but I imagine those who enjoyed the various activities in Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort and even Carnival Games would probably get a kick out of this one.  However, a big sticking point is the price of the game. At 1000 points it is a bit steep for what is a very basic game. There are far better games on the service that would be worth your points but for those who are happy to pay the price what you will find is a quite unique and relaxing gaming experience.

 

• Name: Muscle March
• Price 500 points
• Developer: Bandai Namco

After playing Tomena Sanner I thought that WiiWare couldn’t get any crazier. Man, was I wrong. This game is off the walls ( or should that be through the wall ) nuts! I mean, the story in the game is how your protein powder has been stolen by someone and you, and the rest of your body builder friends, have to chase them down in your speedos. Yup, crazy.

Before setting off on your chasing adventure you will need to select your character. You have a fair few choices and different nationalities to choose from, one of which is a polar bear for some reason. I went with the Spanish character as I liked how he was rocking a top hat with his speedos, while holding a rose in his mouth. I don’t think there’s any difference between the characters other than what you will be staring at while you play. I gotta say, I found the wiggle that the body builders do with their butt while they are running absolutely hilarious. It reminds me of that scene in the Simpsons where Flanders is wearing that ski outfit that shows off everything. “Stupid sexy, Flanders!”

The gameplay is very simple. While chasing the thief your character will be constantly running after them, as will some of your buddies. The thief will be bursting through various walls and will leave a body shaped hole that you must pass through. To do this you have to use both the Wiimote and Nunchuck to match the pose that the thief left. There are only 4 poses to do but you have to be quick in order to make it through the wall. If you miss you will lose a life. As you go through the stage your body building buddies will trip over and leave the chase one by one until only you are left. The game will speed up once it’s just one on one and you have to be ready for any quick changes to the poses the thief will make. Once you are near the thief you then have to go crazy with the Wiimote and Nunchuck and waggle like a mad man in order for you to take the thief down.

There are 3 stages to play through, which are the City, Village and Space Station. You then have 3 levels to play through within each of these. The gameplay doesn’t really differ in any way so it’s really just about a change of scenery. With levels lasting a couple of minutes each, it’s not long until you’ve seen all the game has to offer.

The problem I have with this game is a problem I have with a lot of motion controlled games and the Wii in general. Sometimes the sensor bar just doesn’t pick up your movements correctly or fast enough and then your character is left being slammed into the wall. It can be very frustrating if you have made it all the way to the end of a level only then to be let down by the motion controls. There were times where I was doing a move perfectly but the game just didn’t register the pose. There’s a balancing act here, though. If the game was to just use control sticks then it just wouldn’t be as funny and you could make short work of the game in no time. However, if the motion controls don’t work all the time, no matter how much fun it is, then it can become annoying.

Ultimately the game isn’t meant to be taken seriously and is all about having a good laugh in short bursts, which is exactly what the game achieves. Seeing the various wacky characters and animals wiggle their behinds as they chase down a thief who has stolen protein powder ( what a sentence! ) never fails to bring a smile. I don’t think the game has been released elsewhere, so for 500 points it may be worth downloading this gem just to have it on your system. Like a few of these games, Muscle March may not be for everyone but you’ll be hard pressed to find something as silly as this on another platform.

 

• Name: Bonsai Barber
• Price 1000 points
• Developer: Zoonami

There’s some irony in a bald bloke playing a game where you have to cut and style hair. Sure, I shave my head every Sunday but I don’t have to worry about matching a certain style and then making sure every hair is combed into the correct position. With this game I do have to worry about those things...even if they are just bits of fruit and veg. This is another wacky game that is on the WiiWare service but instead of endlessly running as a Japanese business man or flexing your muscles in a space station, you are now a barber who has been hired by a carrot to cut the hair of his customers, who are also just as weird as he is. 

The customer in the barbers chair will ask you to cut their hair in a certain style. The style or shape will then be placed, kind of like a stencil, on to their hair. You then have to use the Wiimote to select various items and cutting tools to create the best hair style you can. I was tempted to just shave it all off so that they may also know the pain of losing ones hair, but I figured I would like to keep my imaginary job past the tutorial.

The tools that are on offer all have a role to play. You can use the comb to brush and style the hair. This will weed out any loose ends and allow you to create a finer finish. The electric shears are a great way of clearing the thick away. If you do use these though you are usually left with a lot of twigs/roots to clear away. To clear these away you can use the trusty scissors. To be honest I usually just end up using these all the time as it clears both away pretty easily. The next item is for the barbers who make mistakes. A spray bottle can be used to grow the hair back ( this should be a thing in real life! ) if you were to make a mistake and cut too much off. After you are happy with your work then you select a giant gong and hit it to signal you have finished, just like barbers do in real life.

The customers will rate you on how well you cut and style their hair. As you cut their hair they will dish out stars. The closer you get to what they want then the more stars they will award you with. I’ve managed to get 5 stars a few times ( this is the max ) but most of my customers have only dished out a 4 star rating, so there is certainly room for me to improve. You can do this by selecting the practice pot, which is unlocked after completing your first day on the job. This will allow you to practice any styles you are struggling with without angering your customer. It’s a nice touch but I don’t think it’s really necessary due to being able to correct any mistakes you do make with the spray I mentioned earlier.

The game is connected to your Wii internal clock and asks you if the date is correct when you start up the game. This is done because you can only have 5 customers per day. Once you have cut their hair then you will have to wait until the next day to play the game again.  I suppose you could cheat and alter the Wii clock to fast forward time and continue your game when you please but I imagine you would get bored really fast if you were to do that. It only takes 10 minutes or so to get through the 5 customers, so having the player pace the game over numerous days was a smart move.

It’s another unique title for the WiiWare service and one that I would recommend. The 5 customer per day limit allows for players to just dip in and out of it on a daily basis without getting bogged down for hours on end. If you’re willing to go the distance and see all the different customers, cut all of the different hairstyles and unlock the various awards, then I imagine you will get a lot of time out of this game.

[S.C.G]

Remembering WiiWare #1

Written by Hero-of-Time

Because it was so well made that it had to go on the main site.

Thank you again to @Hero-of-Time for letting us make a feature out of your excellent reviews of WiiWare titles.

It was a pleasure to put them up on the front page for all to see and I'll continue to do so for as long as you feel like writing about them.

Hopefully we'll have a few more up before the points addition cut-off date as well, the next two are almost ready to go.

[RedShell]

Muscle March. That game was hilarious. Really loved Tomena Sanner too. It's a shame the old threads we had for these games on here no longer exist.

I'll tell you what's more of a shame though, the fact my Wii is dead. Yeah, it just doesn't want to power on for some reason. I still have my second Wii console (that I picked up second-hand for homebrew) which still works fine, but obviously all of my saves, VC and WiiWare stuff is now trapped on the other console.

Anyone know if it's possible/easy to swap the system storage from one Wii to another? Already opened up my dead console once to get a disk out of it, so might try again, see if I can get my original Wii going on the other console somehow.

[Hero-of-Time]

Just the 2 games today. I finish off the Konami Rebirth trilogy and then get ready to rumble, Pokemon style.

• Name: Castlevania Adventure Rebirth
• Price: 1000 Points
• Developer: M2

I have a weird history/relationship with the Castlevania series. I played the original game many years ago on the NES and enjoyed it. I skipped 2 and 3 but then played Super Castlevania 4 and really loved that entry. I tried playing Symphony of the Night a fair few years back now but it never clicked with me, the same goes for the DS games. I then played Lords of Shadow and absolutely loved it. Finally, I played through Mirror of Fate on the 3DS are really enjoyed that, as well. It appears that the ones I enjoyed are the ones most hardcore Castlevania fans dislike. This mirrors the way I feel about certain Metroid games, such as loving Other M and Fusion but disliking the Prime series and Super Metroid. I suppose it’s quite fitting seeing as both series now have a lot in common.

The game starts off with a cutscene that gives a brief history of Dracula and the Belmont family. In this game you play as Christopher Belmont and you have to whip your way through 6 stages in order to face Dracula himself. After the scene has been set, it’s off to tackle skeletons, bats and all manner of undead creatures.

The game plays like the classic, side scrolling Castlevania games that were seen on the NES and SNES. None of that Metroid style backtracking is found here. It’s a nice and simple get from point A to B style game that was so common back then. Just like when I played the other Rebirth games, I used the Wiimote horizontally and played the game as if using an NES controller. The d-pad is used for moving Christopher, while the 1 and 2 buttons are used for attacking and jumping.

Other than your normal attack you can also fire a special weapon by pressing up and the attack button at the same time. These range from axes and knives to holy water and crosses. I favoured the cross purely because it acts like a boomerang. You don’t have an unlimited supply of these special weapons but stocking up on them is quite easy. While walking through the various levels you can use your whip to destroy bits of scenery. These will sometimes drop hearts for you to collect. These hearts are the amount of special weapon uses you have. I’ve always found it strange that a heart was used like this in the early Castlevania games.  Surely the heart should be a health pick-up, right? Very weird.

Your standard weapon, the whip, can be powered up a couple of times. Again, destroying various bits of scenery will sometimes drop these power-ups. The first stage of power-up will allow you to do more damage with your whip attacks and also lengthen the whip. The second time you power your whip up it will do more damage but also fire out a fireball. This comes in really handy when you want to take out some enemies that are a distance away and you don’t want to use any of your special weapons to defeat it. However, this power-up is time based and will only last a minute or so, so you have to make good use of it while you have it.

The overall presentation of the game is lovely. The sprite work does look like something out of the SNES era and the music is fantastic. I found myself bopping away to the catchy tunes throughout all of the game. Apparently these are remixes from other Castlevania games but seeing as I haven’t played a lot of them the nostalgic value was completely lost on me. Still, it didn’t stop me from enjoying them.

Sadly, the game as a whole didn’t really resonate with me. Out of all of the Rebirth games I think this is the one that I had the least amount of fun with. Sure, the soundtrack is great but I honestly found the gameplay a little boring and slow, especially when you compare it to the crazy, frantic action that is in both Gradius and Contra. While I used to love the old style Castlevania games maybe the simple gameplay just isn’t enough for me anymore? In recent years I have learned to appreciate the Metroidvania style of games thanks to things like Shantae and Blaster Master Zero, so maybe the Castlevania games that didn’t appeal to me years ago will now have a place in my gaming heart? I may have to fire up Symphony of the Night at some point and see if that is the case.

Castlevania Adventures Rebirth is a game that is very polished and sounds great but if you’re not a fan of the older Castlevania games then this will do nothing to change your mind. However, if you are looking for a 2D, gothic style side-scroller then you could do far worse than this. With 6 stages to play through, hidden bosses to fight and multiple difficulties to tackle, the game offers a lot for 1000 points and will certainly please fans of these types of games.

 

• Name: Pokemon Rumble
• Price: 1500 Points
• Developer: Ambrella

This is a game I ADORED back when it was released in 2009. The simple style gameplay, mixed with the nostalgia of the original set of Pokemon from Red and Blue ( as well as the addition of Pokemon from Pearl and Diamond later in the game ) had me hooked from start to finish. I think I spent around 20 hours playing and unlocking all of the Pokemon in the game. Does it still have a special place in my heart after all of this time? Let’s find out!

The game starts off with a little cutscene showing a toy Rattata. The game explains that these toy Pokemon love to battle and there is no greater stage than fighting in the Battle Royale. Usually you have to be a high levelled Pokemon to enter such tournaments but Rattata finds a crack in the door and sneaks his way in. The player is then thrust into battle against a host of different Pokemon. At this point you are severely out matched and you are expected to fail in this fight. That still didn’t stop me from having a good crack at it though!

Once you have been defeated the game will throw you back into the lobby area and tell you that you will need to recruit higher level Pokemon in order for you to stand a chance in the Battle Royale. This opens up the first stage, the Silent Forest, where your adventure will really start.

You work your way through the various stages and take on the spawning Pokemon by using the 1 and 2 buttons on the Wiimote to attack them. They will drop coins for you to spend or, if you are lucky, the Pokemon will fall to the floor and allow you to collect them. This is how you build your collection up. At the end of each level you will get the chance to capture an evolved version of one of the Pokemon you have seen in the stage. This will be a boss fight and have a much larger amount of health than the regular Pokemon you encounter.

As you start collecting Pokemon and building your team you will unlock more stages. These are usually themed in some way, whether it be a grass themed park or a fire filled volcano, there will still be plenty of Pokemon to catch along the way. Deciding on what stage you tackle should also get you  thinking about what Pokemon you will take with you. Just like the regular Pokemon series, this game also has type advantages. Heading to a beach stage that is filled with water Pokemon? Better bring grass and electric types. It adds a little something extra to the game and encourages players to use a variety of Pokemon.

After you have cleared the stages, and built up a killer team, you can head back into the Battle Royale arena and take another swing at it. Complete that and you will be promoted a level and then it’s up to you to go through the stages again and collect an even more powerful team. This kind of repetition may put a lot of gamers offer but I really enjoyed back when I originally played it and I enjoyed it just as much doing it again this time through. I will admit though that it’s not for everyone.

The game features a Pokedex that shows which Pokemon who have seen, caught or are missing. The games reply value comes in trying to catch them all. Due to how random it can be to catch a Pokemon it will require players to go through stages multiple times. Once you have progressed enough in the game then the Diamond and Pearl Pokedex will open up and a whole new generation will be available to catch. This certainly gives the game some legs.

For me, the WiiWare version of the game is still the best one in the series. Sure, sequels have been released since this original version came out but I find that this one just nailed it first time around. The other games may have more Pokemon, more features and be a little more polished but sometimes a game is better when it keeps things simple and that’s what this game does.

It may be a bit pricey at 1500 points, especially when compared to other WiiWare software, but you will definitely get your monies worth if you aim to capture all the Pokemon in the game. This is where the Rumble series started and I think it’s worth a look at how the series began if you can spare the points, especially if you are a Pokemon fan.

Edited March 22, 2018 by Hero-of-Time

[Dufniall]

I just read the Rumble section and it mentions Battle Royale. Now I want a 100 player Pokémon Rumble Battle Royale game!

Verstuurd vanaf mijn Moto G (5S) Plus met Tapatalk

[Hero-of-Time]

No update today as I didn't have the energy to play anything last night.  

Yesterday, on my lunch break, I noticed that Sainsburys were selling the old style eShop cards that work on the Wii. I thought all of them had been replaced by the ones that only work with 3DS/Wii U and Switch.  I picked a few up and will be doing the same again today before the deadline hits on Monday. I think i've got the list of remaining WiiWare games ( and VC  games ) sorted now. It's just a matter of pouring a stupid amount of cash into the system and nabbing them all before Monday.

I was having a nightmare trying to download a bunch of games via wifi. I kept getting server error messages popping up. I figured lots of people would be doing the same as me and grabbing what they can before the service goes down. Getting sick of seeing the error messages, I plugged in the trusty old ethernet adaptor and that sorted the problem out straight away.

As the final day looms, what's on everyone else's shopping list?

[nekunando]

4 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

As the final day looms, what's on everyone else's shopping list?

To be honest, I think I'm done!

There are plenty of games I could buy but when I barely have time to play all the great games I already own, what's the point..?

The list of games I currently have on Wii are:

Nintendo
Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels

Super Nintendo
Chrono Trigger
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Donkey Kong Country 3: Double Trouble
F-Zero
Mega Man X
Pilotwings
Super Castlevania IV
Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts
Super Mario Kart
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Super Mario World
Super Metroid
Super Probotector: Alien Rebels
Super Punch-Out!!
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Wild Guns

Nintendo 64
1080 Snowboarding
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Mario Kart 64
Paper Mario
Sin & Punishment
Super Mario 64
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Wave Race 64

Sega Mega Drive
Golden Axe
Gunstar Heroes
Kid Chameleon
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Sonic
Sonic 2
Sonic 3
Sonic & Knuckles
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 3
The Revenge of Shinobi
Wonder Boy: Monster Lair

TurboGrafx 16
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

NEO GEO
Metal Slug 3

Virtual Console Arcade
Super Hang-On

Wii Ware
Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth
Contra Rebirth
Excitebike: World Challenge
FAST: Racing League
Lost Winds
Lost Winds: Winter of the Melodias
Sonic 4: Episode I

If there's anything that I'm missing that I simply must buy, please let me know NOW

Edited March 23, 2018 by nekunando

[Hero-of-Time]

1 hour ago, nekunando said:

If there's anything that I'm missing that I simply must buy, please let me know NOW

Jett Rocket! Seriously, give the demo a go.

[S.C.G]

I haven't even had a chance to fire up my Wii yet...

When Nintendo stated the cut off date being 26/03/2018 did they actually mean as soon as it turns midnight going from Sunday into Monday is the cut off time or is it the case of, we have up to and including Monday 26th March 2018?

I am hoping to have downloaded everything by the time the weekend is out but it would be nice to know just in case.

Also, I've ordered some Wii Points from someone on eBay nearly a week ago who still hasn't sent them... I did politely message them asking if they could just scratch the code off, message me it and keep the box and the postage money (I've already paid for it all) because the cut-off date is pretty damn close.

As of yet though, no reply or confirmation of postage... looks like I'll have to get PayPal involved with that one.

At least I have two points cards to redeem and if it comes down to it, I take it that I can still just use my credit card?

[Hero-of-Time]

2 minutes ago, S.C.G said:

I haven't even had a chance to fire up my Wii yet...

When Nintendo stated the cut off date being 26/03/2018 did they actually mean as soon as it turns midnight going from Sunday into Monday is the cut off time or is it the case of, we have up to and including Monday 26th March 2018?

I am hoping to have downloaded everything by the time the weekend is out but it would be nice to know just in case.

Also, I've ordered some Wii Points from someone on eBay nearly a week ago who still hasn't sent them... I did politely message them asking if they could just scratch the code off, message me it and keep the box and the postage money (I've already paid for it all) because the cut-off date is pretty damn close.

As of yet though, no reply or confirmation of postage... looks like I'll have to get PayPal involved with that one.

At least I have two points cards to redeem and if it comes down to it, I take it that I can still just use my credit card?

From the Nintendo UK site.

Quote

It will no longer be possible to add Nintendo Points with either a credit card, a Nintendo Points Card or a Nintendo eShop Card after 20:59 UK time on 26th March 2018. If you’d like to purchase Nintendo Points or redeem a Nintendo Points Card or Nintendo eShop Card, please do so before this time.

Yeah, you can use your credit card to add some points if push comes to shove.