User Reviews

The game delivers in a big way and unlike all the other Call of Duty: World at War titles the action in the game moves from place to place in sleek cinematic videos. This is a first person shooter brings with it all the characteristics that the other World at War games, such as the green/brown /gray color set, but as you come to the end there is pure cinematic flair and on screen action that is lacking in many of the other FPS.

The character Miller is on the US side at a time when there were attacks on the Japanese in the Pacific, following Pearl Harbour and America's entry into the war. Emphasis is put on this hard fought Pacific theatre of war but it also has action in Europe. In the Pacific oriented part of the game the action is at its most vicious and so in that part of the game you will be invading islands leading up to Japan and fighting very different jungle battles, not the usual type of warfare.

Unlike moving from building to building as is the case in Call of Duty 3 and 2, the combat in this game is about pushing through thick forests and impenetrable jungles fighting against enemies better trained for the terrain and almost suicidal in their will to win. When you locate them you will have to force them out of their caves and bunkers with the use of grenades and flamethrowers. This unusual sort of action adds to the appeal of the game. The European campaigns are equally action filled but lack the brutal and somehow claustrophobic edge of the Pacific campaign. The style and locations of the game is supposed to be based loosely on real actions and real places, and the pre-level cinemas actually show real footage of World War II combat. Missions in all scenarios are many and varied.

The controls on Wii of the World War are perfect for the game, which overall is a little slow moving for my liking, but don't let that put you off. The game is simply brutal with intense cinematic actions. No game delivers everything but this one delivers more than most with its almost worldwide actions.

Like all great things that don’t last forever, Mickey Mouse just isn’t the same icon he once was anymore. Mickey’s fame and popularity slowly waned and has become more of a corporate symbol rather than the vivacious character capable of sustaining grand adventures.

Epic Mickey was created by Warren Spector and his Junction Point team in an exceptional manner to pay tribute to Mickey Mouse and bring him back to the spotlight as an icon in films and games. Mickey Mouse was already gradually being forgotten, but with this new game it can be said that Mickey Mouse is back in action. The game was made to showcase the traits that all people love about Mickey Mouse. Playing the game can lead players and fans alike to think that Mickey is still one of the best out there and given the right break, can still hold up to among and against any Disney characters.

The concept of the game is all about Mickey needing to destroy Phantom Blot to save wasteland. Mickey was the culprit in unleashing the hideous creature when he destroyed a magical world with powerful paint and thinner chemicals. He eventually realizes that he needs to redeem himself and save Wasteland from total demise. Thus, when he was pulled back to Wasteland, courtesy of Phantom Blot, Mickey discovers the reality behind Wasteland and the presence of Oswald, the Rabbit adds to the element of excitement as the game unfolds and really portrays the goodness and the best of Mickey Mouse that appeals to all, whether young or old.

The game is loaded with full CG sequences but lacks in-game voice acting. It was made into 2D visual to depict the Mickey we all love. With such retro technology, Mickey can easily convey and relay his emotions that make him as charming as ever.

However, the game is not perfect and has too many loopholes; such as the failure to show and give way to permanence in the game, which is kind of disturbing. The game ultimately becomes a choice and consequence type, but fails in the aspect where you’re supposed to create something in a certain place, only to find it gone when you come back for it. Your work disappears and the place is back to its normal appearance when you first came. With this problem, the choice and consequence mode of the game is not completely enhanced and may be deemed a failure as a result.

The most annoying aspects of Epic Mickey are the control setup of the game and even more so with the camera views. It’s like the camera has a mind on its own. It brings a lot of stress as I couldn’t even control the unnecessary movement of the camera in the game. This problem has resulted in several “untimely demise”, which was quite irksome as the camera issue aggravates the setup. It was very hard for me to concentrate on my character especially in fighting scenes because of the quirky and constant movement of the camera.

With all the problems that besieged the controls and the camera views and angles, the game is saved by its very impressive graphics. This, at least has made me feel like it’s a wonderful gaming experience, after all. In the same breath, the creators likewise made an effort to portray and show the history of the relationship of Oswald and Mickey in the game so as to give variety rather than concentrate on one aspect, which is to kill the Blot.

It’s kind of funny how Spector and his team can create an exceedingly impressive base to make Mickey Mouse get counted again; yet the small stuff that they’re not supposed to sweat are so flawed, they could pull down to the ground and damage the larger, more significant experience. Don’t fret, though. Epic Mickey and its positive elements do manage to ultimately make this move worth the shot. Although you could say, I was guilty of losing my patience, if you keep your expectations a bit lower and manage to keep your frustrations under control, there shouldn’t be any reason for throwing the Wii Remote – or at least keep the throwing episodes to a minimum. Watch out that the wrist strap is wrapped tight.

No More Heroes 2 Desperate Struggle is back and this time Travis Touchdown is ready to return with ranked assassin battles. He humbly walked away last year after being at the #1 spot a couple years ago. After that Santa Destroy and the others that call it home have went through a great deal of changes. It is more than just getting into the number one spot again and this time Travis is out for blood.

It almost seems like the same game as No More Heros. You will not have any control over the camera and are going to have to roll with the punches, the core game plays actually like its' previous game did. Don't get me wrong because you are going to want to play this game until you beat it though, one of the few games with lots of style. Just when you think something shouldn't happen it does.

I love this game because of the fact that you can rip through the city with a badass bike and do crazy donuts at intersections, but more importantly everything is streamlined, as you can just go out of your apartment and find what you are searching for. There are some small load times, but not as many as there were in the previous release of this game.

The city seems to be EXACTLY the same game, same coconut mini-game and everything. You don't have to worry if you mess up in a mission anymore now you can use the menu to travel. Believe me if you hated the cash system before you are going to be crazy about it now. You can now enter ranked missions for free. The cut scenes are amazing and you would have to be out of your mind to skip over them.

This game does pack a lot of customization and personality. Like the previous release of No More Heros you are going to get all that and more. The mini-games are freakin awesome. They are old school and there is nothing better than old school games for me and my mate! This game just seems to have a lot of style and they really strive to be unique. I guess it was a big risk in the first game, but since it was so successful why not do it again!

Transformer Revenge of the Fallen is a game for the young children and adults who love the transformers. The characters are movie accurate models. The short campaign switches between the Autobot and Decepticon like the movie did. It has humorous dialogues that add a slight excitement to the game. The player can only play a single Transformer on each level.

It has a very short campaign and you will hurt your wrists with the waggling of the controls. Your power can be added by killing enemies and using the same power to refill your health bar and give double impact attack to the enemies which is the only way you see your Transformer officially transform. You can transform into vehicle form only on limited levels of the game other than that you have to be a humanoid to attack your enemies.

The game is very repetitive in a way that you always do the same thing every time you attack the enemies. There’s no challenge because you can always use your powers earned by killing your enemies to regain your health bar and give blasting attacks to your opponents.

In the later part of the game where you will encounter big foes, using the nunchuk and remote to punch and dodge needs a lot of waggling in the remote where you will really feel pain and bored at the same time. This game is an entertaining game for the Transformer fanatics but will feel bored before even finishing the game. You will always take a pause to rest your wrists not knowing that the game is already finished.

The Transformer Revenge of the Fallen also includes unlock-able episodes in the Transformers cartoon. Transformers are pretty cool indeed but the game shows the coolest thing a Transformer can do, to punch and lumber around other Transformers. This game can destroy your Wii because of the very reason that you need to waggle your controls a lot to overcome the actions in the game. To the Transformer fanatics, you will definitely enjoy the game….for a while.

The story hasn’t changed much, but the levels are basically all new. The feel of the game captures that of the the Bond movie style and the game again incorporates the innovative difficulty system which doesn’t just mean more abundant and harder to beat enemies, it also means additional objectives to complete, which lead you into areas of levels you might otherwise ignore. With four difficulty levels there is opportunity for significant replay value. You can even go to the ultimate retro approach with “007 Classic” which removes regenerating health. There is one problem with this difficulty system; the rules of its workings are not obvious.

The first mission begins with some classic Bond stealth play and then ramps things up with a scripted, exciting truck chase. Explosions, truck collisions, and guys getting whacked by car doors all happen in rapid succession. Then, the game returns to stealth for a while and then back to action. That is the general flow of the action followed throughout, but the best parts of the game are the really sneaky parts and the violent action parts. The inbetween bits, of which the majority of the game is made up, are a bit less interesting.

The complex, exciting set pieces, like the truck chase in the first mission, don't actually happen that often. There is plenty of opportunity to be sneaky, and vital to stealth are accurate headshots with your trademark silenced P99. The problem is they don’t work half the time. You sneak up on someone, line up the head shot, which then fails to kill them. Its sometimes best to change tactics and to assume your headshot will not be fatal, and instead of pulling off sharp one shot kills, to blast the target several times quickly to ensure fatality. The other problem with stealth is that enemies sometimes detect you when there’s no way they should be able to see you, and then shoot you through whatever you were hiding behind.

There is not much more to say, the story follows the usual Bond movie pattern, but of course there are variations on the theme in all games in the series. It is on a par with previous offerings and is perfectly playable and entertaining, but of course nothing can capture the magic of the movies.

Big Beach Sports offers tons of games to be played on the sands. Really a lot more fun than the basic Wii Sports, so you can expect a lot of sun, sand and sea. All your favorite beach games are included here; volleyball, boules, American football, soccer, disc golf, and cricket. Of course you don’t need to be a beach bum or even enjoy sport to play this in your home. I am not a great lover of any of the games but a quick go at each proved reasonably enjoyable. As with any compilation, some games are more fun than others, but these are all pretty well done, being playable either in single or multi player mode.

But among the six games, the American football is the most exciting as you are tossing the ball like a Frisbee. You can start off simply by playing non demanding single games and, eventually, when more practiced, you can join tournaments. Your career will be monitored and you can level up your games for more challenges. With tournaments, you will experience longevity which will make you want to play more. As you take on different levels in the tournament, you get different levels of difficulties and eventually get trophies if you play well and come out as the winner. I got a ton of them!

Big Beach Sports lets you create your own character, whose appearance you can alter. The graphics and audio are fine but not the best I have ever come across. It is also affordable compared to other games, giving you six games for the price of one. And, like a lot of simpler sports games its more fun after a few beers. Its not a game you want to play continuously but fills a gap.

Another compilation of family games composed of several mini games including basketball, tennis, and others drawn from the better known simple sports to the more extreme games. Big Family Games makes access to these mini games easier and faster; now you do not have to purchase these mini games separately, everything is packed in this one title. These mini games, although short are extremely entertaining and the whole family will enjoy playing them either with or against each other. These mini games vary from sports and fitness to puzzle games.

There are actually a total of 24 mini games in Big Family Games. These games vary in their challenges, intensity, difficulty and excitement, and their fun value depends on your personal preferences. Most of the games can be played in single or multi player mode allowing interaction with others, up to maximum of four depending on which game you are playing. Games included apart from the more usual sports are water wars, RC trucks and planes, horseshoe throwing and many others.

The graphics are more than adequate and the overall presentation is good. Though the designs are simple the screens are filled with colors and realistic effects. The sounds and music are also well chosen and of real quality. Good family fun.

Shake those maracas and get into the grove with Samba de Amigo on Wii. There is no need to get that expensive game equipment that costs you about $8. With its built–in maraca functionality, dance enthusiasts can now enjoy every rhythm and jive with Samba de Amigo.

Having six target areas in a hexagon, you have to literally shake your “maracas” along different beats. Once the note appears and is centered on a target area, you have to shake your “maracas” to play it. Also, there are times when you have to show your flexibility by rolling the controllers furiously to match poses on the screen and…hold that pose right there for a few seconds! A total dance floor showdown – every shake you make turns out to be the perfect dance move.

Once you play Samba de Amigo right, the fun is endless. Having enough room space is a must for you to enjoy your dance routines. Hit the right notes and you surely enjoy every minute of the game. A pulsing rainbow, which is a bit distracting at times, comes out of the screen as your shaking goes well through the rhythm – another attraction in Samba de Amigo.

Song choices ranges from mambo, tango, marimba, and other famous songs like Rihanna’s Pon de Replay and Ricky Martin’s songs. Downloadable songs via Nintendo Wi-Fi connection are also possible for a more personalized touch.

But once you finish the easy and normal levels, the game starts to be a pain in the ass. The hard and super-hard difficulties are literally that – DIFFICULT! There are problems regarding consistency and precision. High, middle, and low levels are registered in your Wii. Problems cause notes to appear in rapid succession and you find that most your shakes are not hitting any notes or they are hitting the wrong ones. The fluidity of your dance moves comes to halt as you transform into a robotic danseur you struggling to make your movements as precise as possible. The fuzziness of the Wii is sure to bring you down. Good things unlocking new songs to play other levels in Career mode are made possible – a great way for you to calm your nerves after having troubles getting through the super-hard difficulties. You don’t have to really play hard in unlocking these songs – they’re almost like giveaways.

If you are someone who enjoys dancing and being stupid at it, Samba de Amigo suits you right. You do not need to be a pro on this game. Precision problems may hit you at times, but who cares! As long as you are having fun with the rhythm, then go for it. Samba de Amigo is the best and most inexpensive rhythm game you can buy.

Create a New World has still maintained the core features of Anno’s city building, resource management, explorations and high seas swash buckling. The objective of the game hasn’t changed at all: search for an island, set up your town, and gradually develop your town’s economic status, population and infrastructures. To do this right, you have to carefully study what your people need – food, clothing, materials and many more things – then find resources that can sustain these needs. By successfully providing these “needs”, you are then able to move into the next level and unlock other resources that are essential for the succeeding levels.

Compared to Anno’s huge trail of island, Create New World takes advantage of the smaller islands drifting in the ocean. Due to the limitations, you have to put on more effort to get a balance between the needs of your estates vis-à-vis your production and expansion. Your townspeople need to be in designated areas to reach maximum efficiency.

With simple dragging movements to move your vessels, navigating through sea explorations is pretty much a breeze. Though there are demands and distractions like picky settlers, trade routes, maps, and goal-oriented achievements to unlock, the fast and immediate actions are rewarding.

Astonishingly, Create a New World has two modes for you to enjoy. The Story Mode which gives the users a ten-hour tutorial about everything that you have to know regarding the game is a bit of a bore – no challenge there, that’s for sure. The free-form Continuous Play where all upgrades are possible and where you’re now on your own to develop your populace is something to look forward to.

Anno is proud of its interface, which is clear, has concise menus, and has a control system that is easy to navigate. Clicking and dragging are easy – a perfect accessible package one shouldn’t miss. Though there are minor problems, these are not so discouraging and disappointing when you become engrossed in the game. Anno is visually appealing despite some of its glitches. Music is equally great as it perfectly blends with actions on the game.

Anno: Create a New World the Wii platform offers a new face to the term fun, as you work through its familiar (yet with a slight twist) strategy and techniques. Though some remain speculative about the switch, especially the Anno players that are addicted to the PC version, Anno is still one hell of a game that’s a try. Be delighted and charmed; check out its bright and beautifully designed interface on Wii.

This is not the first Scooby Doo video game that has been created. All past Scooby Doo video games were just plain mediocre. Given the history of past Scooby Doo games, it’s entry to the Wii video games market certainly faces a steep challenge – what could be a better chance to make a mark and be a success for once? Unfortunately, this new game has a different formula for success, it seems; and its acceptance rate on the market doesn’t look too good.

The video game has four episodes. The player can control two characters of the Scooby Doo team. It is like a version of Lego games that is built to be played with family members. The characters have their own special abilities, although some abilities are not as useful as the others; there are even a few that are downright useless.

When playing the game, you can encounter some bizarre and awkward moments such as Velma dressing up as a sumo wrestler, which has no connection to the scene and the game as a whole. Speaking of scenes, there are viewable cutscenes from the cartoon versions. I guess, they’re trying to establish that missing link between the cartoons and the video game.

First Frights is designed mainly for small kids but can also be played by older players. It is apparently created to highlight the importance of team effort in the game. The very core of this game is to solve the mysteries; which, needless to say, requires team work.

The gameplay is all about the team searching for clues to solve the mystery. The only loophole with this concept is when there are cutscenes that show some clues, taking away what meager challenge the game has. Of course, it makes the game a little less exciting. Another perplexing thing is the lack of explanation as to what the mystery is all about. I don’t know about you but I find it ridiculous going through a lot of clue searching for something I don’t have a clue about. Talk about being left hanging! Or is it lolling?

The video game has no clear storyline because the four episodes are as disconnected as anything can be. It gets pretty boring with nothing but running around with the enemies chasing and attacking you all the time. This is as repetitive as all other versions of the game have been.

It’s almost like getting involved in some kind of Lego games. You search for clues that reveal secrets and presumably solve the mystery. Guess what the secrets are…Scooby Doo snacks that you can use to buy some weird costumes for some of the characters, that’s what! Useless piece of crap, I tell you. There’s no fun; no excitement that you can even look forward to. There’s really a lot needed to be done to improve at the concept level. What’s even worse is, it’s not even an authentic Scooby Doo story; which is really sad as it could detract from the kids’ real perception of the lovable dog in the cartoon version. Better think twice about buying this game.