Reviews: January 2008 Archives

Here's a quick introduction to the game for those who didn't read our first article on the Wii edition (naughty!):

You fly around in 2D space as a small spaceship and other ships come at you.  Shoot them & collect the gems they drop.  That's the simple beauty of Geometry Wars as a concept, like arcade games of old.  Simple and addictive - all about the high score. The ships are all represented as small, geometric shapes such as diamonds, triangles and circles. The music is high energy and repetitive, not that we think you'll notice nor care.  It suits the mood of the game perfectly and should only annoy the most fussy gamer. (cont...)

I'm not quite sure how they've done it, but the creators of Geometry Wars: Galaxies have crammed the adrenaline surge and buzz from a roller coaster into a game. You have to focus so hard, be aware constantly of your surroundings and react perfectly each and every time.  The game just sucks you in more and more ... and more.

It's a challenge for sure, but a rewarding one; one that tells you that if you try one more time ... get it just right ... one more time ... push yourself that little bit harder, that elusive gold can be yours. In fact it will be yours.  Just once more.

I feel like I'm 10 and back in the arcades of my youth. Just. One. More. Go!

At least it does if I'm using the Wii Classic Pad option.  With the Wiimote controlling the direction I shoot and the nunchuk where my ship goes, I'm not as sold. But perhaps I just need more time with it. Or I'm just old...

 

The Internet is a funny place sometimes, peoples opinion can quickly become fact and vice versa. One case in particular is the new NiGHTS game for the Wii.  Much talk has been made of the control system, how unwieldy it is and how it ruins the game.

I can only presume those having said such things were at the end of a long day, didn't bother to read the manual and were already on their third Stella of the evening, because in my experience, the control system is fine. The Wiimote on its own is certainly usable, though perhaps not quite as precise as you might like. Add the nunchuk and all is well; NiGHTs being perfectly controllable with the analogue stick, allowing you the freedom to enjoy the world that Segas Sonic team have created for you.

That's not to say getting to grips with how NiGHTs flies is easy; it takes a certain amount of practice to fully master the tricks at your disposal, but rather then being a frustrating attack of control frustration, the finesse is in there for you to find ...

It's been out in the arcades since 2004 (with Ghost Squad Evolution appearing in 2007). Launched firstly in Japan, followed by the US and then Europe & the UK, Ghost Squad has come to the Wii, which can only be seen as a positive thing for the more mature gamer.  Rated 16 by ELPSA and making full use of the Wii Zapper unit, could this be part of the answer for gamers wanting more 'punch' on their Wii at home?  We look to see if that's the case.

The first observation worth talking about is the arcade nature of the title, which may be alien to some not raised in the arcade environment, pushing 10p coins into slots.  In short, the game is exactly that - short.  Don't expect a lot of levels that takes you days to complete, the entire game playing field is only three levels long.  Sounds terrible, doesn't it?  But ask any arcade gamer and they'll quickly tell you that in arcade titles, the learning curve within the levels is very stern; there's plenty of variety in tasks to do and different ways that you can go ...