tomhudson's Journal: [WII] Mario Kart, Far Cry, Ultimate Board Game Collection

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Earlier this week, I picked up the Ultimate Board Game Collection, so we have 3 reviews.

Mario Kart

Just go out and buy it. Really. It's got everything you're looking for in a game - the "Grab it and play" factor, up 4 players at a time (or more if you go on the net), decent graphics, interesting racing circuits, choices of different cars or motorcycles, a single-player mode, and unpredictable bonus stuff.

When I mentioned to one of my daughters that I had bought 4 steering wheels, she said "That's nuts. You just have to hold the controller sideways!" It's NOT the same. There are a few other racing games out there, so it's not like you're buying a single-use steering wheel - and from what I've seen with my friends' kids, kids get the hang of the wheel really quickly.

Note: You can have up to 4 "drivers licenses", each one associated with a Mii. As you get points, you unlock new race tracks.

Summary: It's worth every penny, No wonder it's been so hard to find in stores until recently.

Far Cry - Vengence

Point the controller left, you look left. Point it right, you look right. Point it up, you look up, Point it down ... well, you get the picture. The problem is that if you're used to moving by using the arrows or something else, it takes getting used to. Fortunately, the nunchuk is also useful - it lets you step sideways, which is a lot easier than remembering keyboard combinations on a PC.

It's pretty much a single-player game. There is a two-player mode, but lets face it - the other player is going to "screen peak" to see where you are, so the advantage goes to whoever has played the game the most, and remembers the terrain.

I'm not into first-person shooters, but I watched as a friend of mine who likes them got into it ... so I'd have to say that, if you ARE into FPS games, this can help you let off a bit of steam.

Summary: Only for solitary play, and only if you're into FPS games.

Ultimate Board Game Collection

I picked this up this week at Bureau en Gros (Staples to the rest of you) while waiting for my car to get a wheel alignment at Crappy Tire (Canadian Tire). It was on my original list of games to pick up, and at $20, why not?

Sudoku, Chess, Checkers, Reversi, Chinese Checkers, Mah Jong, Backgammon, Word Find, Battleship, Quattro, Gunaku, and a Jigsaw Puzzle. It sounds simplistic, but I still managed to waste over an hour just playing around with the Word Find, and a bit more with a round of Battleship and a jigsaw puzzle.

Depending on the game, you can play with up to 4 players, or against up to 3 virtual opponents. There's no integration with your Mii (pity), but it's certainly something that you can pop in your Wii if you just want to pass some time without getting involved in a long game session.

Summary: Why not?

post codes

[gmhowell]

I'll have to dig around at home for mine, but posting friend codes is always a good thing.

Re:

[tomhudson]

That's something I haven't had time to look into that aspect of it yet ... and I *still* have about 10 games that I bought that I haven't tried out yet (I'll work through the stack as friends come to visit) - but I will :-) Maybe you could give a 100-word-or-less on how that works, for the benefit of dummies like me ...

Re:

[gmhowell]

I give you my code. You give me yours. We can then exchange Mii's and mail. For most games (Animal Crossing, Wii Kart) you exchange other codes to be able to play them online.

I don't feel like pasting this into wc, so I'll assume it's less than 100 words.

Re:

[tomhudson]

Thanks. I was thinking of eventually picking up the animal crossing+wii speak bundle (after I've finished evaluating the games I've already bought). What's Animal Crossing like, anyway?

Re:

[gmhowell]

My brother likened it to the Sims (although neither of us has ever played it).

I view it as a Tamagotchi like thing. You tend your town. Plant flower, find stuff for the museum. You build/decorate your house/room. You talk to neighbors. It's... Kinda hard to describe.

Re:

[tomhudson]

Believe it or not, but I've never played the Sims (*gasp* *horror*). Just never had the time, I guess. SimCity, on the other hand ... so it sounds interesting, especially if you say it's "kinda hard to describe."

It's got to be better than Wii Music.

FarCry

[FortKnox]

If you want to play a FPS with great story and playability, I'd suggest Metroid:Prime3. Of course, I'd say go get the first two gamecube games and play them so you are entirely into the story and everything in the game, but I'm a metroid fan since the original NES version, so I think its completely and entirely worth it...

Re:

[Zeriel]

This. Metroid Prime 3 is entirely too awesome.

(for that matter Prime and Prime 2 were the first console FPS I've ever actually been able to play without wanting to punch myself in the wang.)

Re:

[gmhowell]

I've started it three times, but never get very far. Something about the headaches that start after a mere 30 minutes of play time.