Reviews: November 2007 Archives

Some of us are die hard Guitar Hero fans, so it wasn't any surprise that when we learnt Guitar Hero III was heading to the Wii, excitement filled the air.  We asked one of our plucking gurus to give the game his famous once over, and DDR was only too happy to oblige.

First impressions ...

The slight change in graphics is taking a while to get used to. I think it's a good change, and it's certainly something that's growing on me. But what on earth have they done to the lead singer? The facial design looks embarrassingly bad, and with proper lip synching, the camera focuses on the singer almost as much as your chosen Hero - not good. The better news is that Heroes (and the huge amount of unlockable stuff for them) are very well designed. Thumbs up!

I really like the innovation for the arena designs, but the whole point of GH to me is that I want to be that guy rocking out on stage, and rocking out to an erm, video set, really didn't do it for me. Some of the arenas, like the British one, are brilliantly done.

Careers n' battles?

The career mode is much more interesting than before, and the storyline that accompanies it is quite amusing. Love the animated cut scenes ...

The 'must have' game of the Wii has arrived, at least that's how it is being billed.  Last night, hundreds of people lined up at several stores nationwide across the UK to get a chance to win goodie bags and prizes - but most importantly get their hands on a copy of the game 24 hours before the official launch (which is today).

So let's assume that you've just got your copy today and that straight after work, school or college/uni, you slip it into your Wii and away you go.  You're faced with ... ?

One of the darkest and most potentially upsetting intros to any Mario game, ever!  Hah hah - we love it already!  Keep going!

The Simpsons are a family icon in almost every western world household these days, appealing to several generations and offering everything from oral care dental packs to a big screen movie, to old video games you used to play. Whether you love them, like them or just plain hate them - the Simpsons are certainly here to stay for the time being. So it's no surprise then, that they're also on the Wii (and every other format under the sun too).

Licence titles (games coming off the back of a non-gaming success, like a movie) tend to be frowned upon by the traditional gaming community. It's rare to get a diamond in the rough and you'll actually be lucky to find a half decent movie licence title most of the time. But that's not entirely fair, for the few which are good are often excellent and quite original. So, are the Simpsons?

It's important to look to the format of the game on the Wii first. Essentially it's a linear, 3D platform game. The levels are 3D and 'sandbox', so within the walls of the level you can roam a fair bit. However, the quests are linear - there's one pathway to follow to go forward and that's it. This format is probably the most basic and likely to turn out a stinker in the current generation of video games. I can't begin to tell you how many bad games are developed in this format...and how many more never get past the developing houses. This and puzzle games are ten a penny right now.

When you browse the HMV shelves looking for a new Wii game to buy, current sales suggest that it's very unlikely your arm will reach for Madden 08. In fact, if Amazon's current Wii rankings are anything to go buy, it'll be 97th in your top 100 list of Wii stuff to buy. There, it rubs shoulders with Telly Addicts (which, I must admit, sounds strangely tempting) and "Controller Graphix Masks 7-Pack". Yes, people would prefer to customise their Wii Remote with some brightly coloured plastic than play American football.

All of which seems a little unfair. Madden 07 was, by all accounts, one of the best Wii games released last year, taking full advantage of the console's unique controls: a flick here, a thrust there, and before you knew it you were crossing the line screaming "Touchdown!" at an embarrassingly high volume. And Madden 08 adds a number of enticing features - including online play. Don't start imagining 22 of you hooked up to a communal game, this is strictly one-on-one stuff, but it does mean you can challenge friends, family and other Madden fans to truly test your skills. There's even a friendly "rookie only" area, so you don't have to rough it with the big boys straight away.

The recent Hanabi festival saw the release of several high profile titles released in Europe that never saw the light of day outside of Japan. While many gamers will be reveling with the excellent titles of Sin and Punishment and Super Mario Brothers: The Lost Levels (sadly no longer available for download), there was another game that was made available which will have gone overlooked amongst the big hitters, and that game is Super Mario Picross.

For those who haven't encountered Picross before, the puzzle originates from Japan and goes under many names, from Picture Puzzle to Oekakai and you may have encountered those before in book stores or certain newspapers. Each puzzle is comprised of a grid not unlike that of a crossword with numbers beside each columns. These numbers tell you which squares need to be filled in and upon completion, the finished puzzle will resemble a picture. While it sounds complicated (and the mention of numbers is no doubt striking fear into maths phobics everywhere) it's incredibly simple to pick up and is more about patterns than the numbers themselves.

Super Mario Picross brings hundreds of these puzzles to your console, with the ability to use optional hints (where the computer will fill out two columns for you to show you how it's done) and sets those against the clock. Filling in an incorrect square will deplete seconds off your time (too many mistakes and it's game over) but the game eases you in gently before the difficulty ramps up. Despite the Japanese origin, the menus are in English, as is the main game, with the only Japanese link being the title screen and its query for optional hints.

In terms of presentation, Super Mario Picross is pretty lacking. The puzzles transform into coloured pictures when completed but are at times difficult to make out and they are missing any form of animation. Sound is also incredibly basic, getting on your nerves pretty quickly. And despite being linked with Mario, there is very little connection with the franchise within the actual puzzles. Yet despite the distinct lack of bells and whistles and any obvious connection with Nintendo, the puzzles are great fun to complete and have the ability to while away hours of your time. Few games offer the satisfaction of completing a difficult puzzle in quite the same way as Super Mario Picross.

While it is relatively expensive at 900 points (which still rankles considering the high prices of virtual console titles in comparison to the rest of the world but that's for another time) once you get the hang of it, Super Mario Picross is a thoroughly addictive puzzler that deserves a look and will last you some time to come.

4/5 -- Kim Wild