[HEADING=1]Preview: Wii Third-Party 2010 Lineup[/HEADING]
When it comes to first-party software, Nintendo rarely disappoints. With many of their games getting high praise from both fans and critics, it's little wonder why so many people continue to support them nearly 30 years after their debut in the market. However, the same cannot be said for the third-party companies that develop games for the Mario factory's consoles. One of the factors that led to the Gamecube's lackluster sales was the severe lack of magnificent third-party titles, save for the occasional gem like Resident Evil 4 and Tales of Symphonia. This trend of poor support unfortunately followed onto the Wii. For every Zack & Wiki and MadWorld available on Nintendo's latest system, there are at least 2 hastily thrown together minigame collections made to capitalize on uninformed parents and gullible children. Couple this with the 3-to-4-year lengths between AAA Nintendo titles, and you'll often find future lineups to be a veritable desert.
But to Wii-owners who have been patiently waiting after 2008's small offerings (Super Smash Bros. Brawl aside), I am confident when I say your patience is about to be rewarded, and then some. Now that E3 is over for the year, it's safe to assume that more and more third-party developers are starting to understand how to make good games for Nintendo's system. While the end of 2009 will hold up well with games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, 2010 is quickly shaping up to be the Wii's best year yet, with both Nintendo and other companies releasing a good deal of high-profile games. It is for this reason that I have decided to write an article highlighting some of the third-party Wii exclusives due out in 2010. Here are seven (yes, seven) games that might be stuck in your Wii for a good while.
Up first is a brawler that couldn't take place in the setting the developers chose without being bloody.
[HEADING=2]Gladiator A.D.[/HEADING]
A brutal fighting game set in Ancient Rome, Gladiator A.D. is the first of two games coming in 2010 from High Voltage Software, the team behind the recent Wii-shooter The Conduit. While Gladiatorial battles are not uncommon in the gaming world, Gladiator A.D hopes to change things up through adding a bit of strategy in the combat. Each of the playable characters will have a different fighting style to learn, as well as their own story in the game's narrative, which promises to have multiple paths depending on the decisions the player makes. Gladiator A.D. will also support the Wii MotionPlus, and if it's used correctly, it will add even more depth to the combat, which, as stated earlier, is brutal. Judging from the trailers, this game appears to be one of the bloodiest Wii-exclusive titles yet, containing large amounts of blood and even a few decapitations to be had, and it all looks satisfying thanks to the impressive graphics. Gladiator A.D. is set for release sometime early next year, so it won't be too long before you can carve up a gory win in the Roman Coliseum.
But if you don't prefer realistic blood and gore in your fighting, Capcom is offering a more arcadey alternative.
[HEADING=2]Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars[/HEADING]
Also coming out in early 2010 (or possibly holiday 2009!), Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom is the latest installment in Capcom's Versus series. Originally a Japan-exclusive title released in 2008, it seemed highly unlikely that it would ever find its way to the rest of the world due to conflicting licensing issues of the Tatsunoko characters. However, thanks to Capcom's hard work, the impossible is happening, and although one character (Hakushon Daimao, the genie) will not be crossing over, the American and European versions will see 4 new characters who will be revealed at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show. The character roster is unique, containing both well-known characters such as Megaman and Chun-Li to lesser-known fighters like Viewtiful Joe and Ippatsuman. Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom's arcade-style fighting system has already earned a good deal of praise, including the official award for Best Fighting Game at this year's E3 convention. With a combination of decent character variety and old-school arcade fighting action, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom is shaping up to be the Wii's answer to games like Street Fighter IV and Blazblue: Calamity Trigger.
While early 2010 is covered pretty well, one game hopes to keep things alive in the later parts of the year.
[HEADING=2]The Grinder[/HEADING]
The second game coming from High Voltage Software next year, The Grinder is a first-person shooter set in a world filled with vampires, werewolves, and other classic monsters to kill. Inspired by Valve's Left4Dead, The Grinder will feature 4 different characters to play as, each with their own skills and abilities to use and upgrade as the game progresses. These 4 characters have been hired by a shifty contact to hunt for monsters in an alternate-reality version of the world. One of the biggest draws of the game is it will support 4-player online co-op with WiiSpeak compatability, something that was unheard of on the Wii until now. This isn't all The Grinder has to offer, however; after showing what is capable in a Wii shooter with The Conduit, High Voltage looks to further build upon their unique Quantum3 engine. The Grinder will feature large amounts of enemies onscreen, fully-customizable controls, Wii MotionPlus support, and some very impressive graphics, and with the developing team striving to have no load times in the game, it looks like they plan to push the Wii's graphical capabilities to the limit. The Grinder may not be out for a good while, but if High Voltage Software can deliver on what they promise, it should be well worth the wait.
But if you can't wait for The Grinder to satisfy your first-person shooter needs, then Ubisoft has a game you might want to check out.
[HEADING=2]Red Steel 2[/HEADING]
Originally planned for a November 2009 release, Red Steel 2 was pushed back into early 2010 so the developing team could have more time refining the gameplay. The first Red Steel met with mediocre reviews at best, but there's reason to be hopeful for the second installment. For one, it appears to be a radical departure from the original's realistic settings and mechanics; gone are the realistic art style and iffy shooting of the first Red Steel, and in their place is a cel-shaded first-person brawler that takes place in a neo-Western world. The big feature of Red Steel 2 is it will require the Wii MotionPlus for enhanced swordfighting, which you can now switch freely to and from at any time in the game. The protagonist, a mysterious stranger known only as The Swordsman, has a decent variety of sword techniques and finishing moves to pull off, and he can learn more as his quest for revenge continues, as well as purchase new swords and guns. Another noticeable improvement is in the graphics. Red Steel 2 opts for a cartoony cel-shaded look rather than a realistic style, and it looks great. There won't be any multiplayer this time around, but if the single-player mode is as sharp as the presentation, then Red Steel 2 could end up being another welcome addition to the Wii's gaming library.
Ironically, Red Steel 2 has no blood in it, but this next title guarantees to have lots of it.
[HEADING=2]No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle[/HEADING]
The latest game from the mad game designer Suda51, No More Heroes 2 will take gamers back to Santa Destroy, California, for more crazy, over-the-top beam-katana action. Travis Touchdown is back, and he's once again fighting to become the number one assassin. This may sound like you'll only be getting more of the same thing that the first No More Heroes offered, but don't be worried. From the trailers that have already been shown (one of which shows just how crazy Suda51 is), it's clear that the gameplay will be beefed up from the original. One of the newest additions is Travis can now switch between different beam katanas for different fighting styles, including wielding two katanas at once and an extra-long katana. The combat itself is also getting an improvement, with noticeable tweaks including an improved camera, faster gameplay, and smarter enemies. Of course, it wouldn't exactly be a No More Heroes game without a bizarre cast and crazy sense of humor, and Desperate Struggle looks to outdo its predecessor in this aspect. The bosses have even wackier personalities, the side-jobs are now 8-bit 2D games, charging the beam katanas are even more suggestive, and Travis still has to use the bathroom to save the game. Suda51 promises No More Heroes 2 to be out sometime in the first quarter of next year, which means the wait for the sequel to arguably one of the best mature Wii titles is almost over.
Most of the games I've listed are action-heavy, if not gory, so to mix things up a bit, here's a more puzzle-oriented game for the thinking types.
[HEADING=2]Lost in Shadow[/HEADING]
Formerly named Tower of Shadow, little is known about this curious puzzle/platforming game from Hudson. You play as a boy who only exists as a shadow, and must climb a tower filled with rooms, switches, and traps. Since you are only a shadow, you must run and jump across the shadows of pillars, pipes, and other objects to climb the tower. It sounds simple, but there appears to be a puzzle-solving aspect underlying the platforming. The player can manipulate objects in the real world using the Wii Remote's pointer to alter their shadows. For example, you can hit a suspended light-bulb to make it swing, causing the shadows to move with the light to make certain gaps easier to leap over. There are also switches to pull and items to find, which will hopefully lead to some cleverly thought-out platforming puzzles. Also lending to the game's unique premise is the art style. Reminiscent of games like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, Lost in Shadow looks to be another classic example of games as a form of art. With a tentative release date of mid-2010, Lost in Shadow is a ways off, but what is already known is more than enough to begin anticipating its release.
While any of these games, although highly unlikely, could end up a disappointment, this next game is all but guaranteed to be good.
[HEADING=2]Monster Hunter 3 (Tri)[/HEADING]
The latest game in the acclaimed Monster Hunter franchise, Monster Hunter Tri is the most ambitious title yet. Monster Hunter Tri is all about hunting monsters, like the title says, but this is far easier said than done. There's a lot you have to learn before you grab your sword and head out to kill gigantic creatures: You have to decide what type of hunter you will be and what weapon you will primarily use (and there's a lot to choose from), prepare your inventory and gear, level up your weapons and armor, locate the actual monster, provoke it out of hiding, and then do battle with it, which requires a good amount of strategy to win against. You needn't fight alone, however; the game will support online play so you can team up with 3 other hunters to bring down or capture your target, and Capcom is even hinting at possible WiiSpeak functionality. Monster Hunter Tri has received lots of praise in Japan, including a rare perfect score of 40/40 from Famitsu magazine, and is currently Japan's best-selling Wii third-party game. If this wasn't enough, Monster Hunter Tri also gave Eiji Aonuma and the rest of the Zelda team a good scare when they saw the graphics, and they are now working on improving the graphics of the upcoming Wii Zelda. It's easy to see why they were scared, as the visuals are beautiful, if a little dated, from the lush endless landscapes to the brilliant monster design. Literally everything about the game suggests that it will suck you in for hours on end. Monster Hunter Tri is planned to hit American shelves in March of 2010, with a European release sometime that same year.
So there you have it, seven third-party games coming out only for Wii next year. I understand that there are more third-party games other than the ones I listed coming out in 2010, but even if there weren't, I would still say it's looking like the Wii's best year yet. And of course, none of this is to mention Nintendo's planned 2010 lineup of Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M, and maybe even Wii Zelda. Yes, it looks like Wii-owners are going to have a hard time deciding which games to buy next year, and this isn't a bad thing at all.
End of article
Kirby Super Star Ultra [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.129129]
MadWorld [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.104389]
Virtual Console Picks - SNES Edition [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.131192]
MadWorld [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.104389]
Virtual Console Picks - SNES Edition [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.131192]
I know this isn't a review, per se, but I still posted this here because I am looking for criticism on my works, and I felt this was the best place on The Escapist to post it. Please keep your criticism targeted on my actual work, not on the games I picked or mentioned. Also, please do not turn this topic into an argument on console-superiority or Nintendo's business strategies. This is not the place for that kind of discussion.
