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Games Geek / Technical

Game Suggestions for the New Wii Owner, Part 2

If you’re like me, you recently obtained a Wii and have almost no idea what games released over the past three years are worth playing. I asked for advice from friends, family, coworkers, and Twitter followers, and I received quite a few suggestions. Yesterday I posted Part 1 in this series, featuring five games I was told I needed to play, and today I present the next five games, in no particular order.

Metroid Prime: Trilogy

Metroid Prime Trilogy Collector’s Edition (rated T) is slightly controversial. Getting three great Metroid Prime games in one collection sounds great, especially when taking advantage of the Wii controller, but apparently some people have noticed that some graphic effects involving water and beam weapons were actually worse than in the original releases. Watching a video, it seems like a shame, but when I said slightly controversial, I meant it. Most people seem to think that the difference is negligible and doesn’t detract from the series at all.

I already have the first Metroid Prime for GameCube, but I might pick up the trilogy just to get the remaining two games. It sounds like Trilogy is supposed to be the “definitive” Metroid Prime collection, and recently there was talk about how this game might be the Citizen Kane of gaming, although I personally find the choice a bit strange.

Super Paper Mario

Super Paper Mario (rated E) is another game in the role-playing Mario-based series, known for its humorous story and puzzles. This game was generally well-received by the gaming press, although some found the plot lacking. That said, the game play is relatively unique. Levels are played in the familiar 2D, side-scrolling view, but you can “flip” to a 3D view, allowing you to pass obstacles or find secrets you couldn’t otherwise. If you’ve ever played the indie game Fez, it seems the game play is similar…minus the “trixels”, of course.

The last time I played a Mario RPG, it was Super Mario RPG, the first one. I might have had a chance to watch someone play Paper Mario, and I remember hearing friends who don’t normally play video games talk about how they couldn’t wait for Super Paper Mario.

Zack & Wiki

Zack & Wiki Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure (rated E) puts you in the role of an aspiring pirate named Zack. It was a highly reviewed game that unfortunately didn’t sell well. It makes good use of the Wii remote, and the adventure involves a dead pirate’s ship and treasure. I had a number of people tell me that I needed to play this game, so it is on my list.

Wiki is Zack’s friend, a flying monkey of some sort, it looks like, and by shaking him as a bell (a flying monkey that turns into a bell?), enemies can turn into useful items, apparently. It’s definitely a quirky game.

House of the Dead:Overkill

If you’ve been in an arcade in the last decade, you’re familiar with the first-person shooter on rails zombie series. It’s B-movie voice acting and the over-the-top story are notorious among fans. House of the Dead: Overkill (rated M) is the first console-exclusive game in the series. It’s a prequel explaining the events before the first game, and it was partly inspired by the Grindhouse film Planet Terror directed by Robert Rodriguez. It’s violent, it’s gory, and apparently it is one more Guiness World Record holder on my list of suggestions, this time for being the most profane video game in history. This game is not family friendly, and it isn’t meant to be. The developers purposefully tried to recreate the feel of a class grindhouse, exploitation film, and the reviewers seem to think they managed to do it.

I’m usually not a fan of rails shooters. I prefer making choices about where to go and what to do, but House of the Dead games are still fun to play, especially with a friend. Overkill was highly recommended by a few Twitter followers, so I’ll have to look into it.

Dead Space: Extraction

Dead Space Extraction (rated M) is another prequel rails shooter. In the first Dead Space game, the story involves the crew of ship as they investigate the distress signal of a mining ship near the colony Aegis VII. The story about what may have happened gets revealed as you find digital diaries and other clues. In this Wii-exclusive prequel, you get to play as a member of the original mining colony, fighting against the always-creepy Necromorphs, mutant zombies based on the corpses of your friends.

I played the original Dead Space at a friend’s house, and while this game isn’t as open-ended, it’s apparently not a typical rails, arcade experience. It did not sell very well at all, but if you’re a fan of horor sci-fi movies, you may want to pick it up.

Thus ends Part 2

That’s the second half of the first 10 games. Make sure to come back tomorrow to see the next 5 and the rest of this series. Feel free to use one of the icons below to suggest this series to others, and make sure to leave a comment below to let me know what you think about these choices.

See the rest of the series:

6 replies on “Game Suggestions for the New Wii Owner, Part 2”

well, I missed HotD:Overkill, and Zack and Wiki, and I’ve not played any of the Dead Space games (perhaps that’s an error?)

I will say that Overkill is not the first console House of the Dead game. There was a House of the Dead for Dreamcast, as well as Typing of the Dead (for Dreamcast and PC). The latter is particularly odd, as they all have dreamcasts strapped on their backs, and a the DC typing peripheral mounted in front of them. The story is the same, though;)

Ah, you’re right. It’s not the first for a console, but it is the first HotD game released exclusively for a console. I’ll fix the text.

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