A Wii Bit O' WiiWare
If you have a Wii, you've probably noticed that the WiiWare game service started up. I'm really excited about some of the potential this has, as Nintendo has worked really hard at reaching out to small, independent game studios. I know proof of this - in the form of one of my friends who actually got a dev kit. He's has had a game in the works for literally years, but never released anything - the fact that Nintendo is willing to work with groups this small (one main guy that does almost everything except the art & music) speaks volumes. Xbox Live arcade has festered in recent times, with the only interesting things on the horizon being Capcom's remakes - Bionic Commando and Super Street Figher HD. Sony... well, their online store still feels so "young" that I don't think it's really amounted to much yet.
But I digress. WiiWare is here, and there's two games on it you should really look at: Lost Winds and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King. Lost Winds is an amazingly cool platformer with a lot of puzzles. It feels a lot like a 2D platformer version of Okami - the "wind" controls work much like some of Okami's painting moves. It's from a tiny studio called Frontier, who will hopefully grow up to do big things. The game is really, really good. Oh, and they've apparently announced a sequel to the game already... So they're learning quickly. ;p
FFCC:MLAAK (how's that for a long name?) seems really odd and kinda dull for about 30 mins... and then it turns cracktastic. I played the game for like four hours today. I'm SUPPOSED to be studying for finals... but no, I'm watching my minions (read: adventurers) run off and explore for me while I build up my happy little town. And I talk to everyone CONSTANTLY to make sure they stay very, very happy. If you like simulation games much, this is definitely worth a play. (And for reference, yes, I did buy most of the add-on content... but I'm not high enough level to really do anything with it yet. This will hopefully change soon).
So open up those wallets and support WiiWare! You'll be happy you did. :D
But I digress. WiiWare is here, and there's two games on it you should really look at: Lost Winds and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King. Lost Winds is an amazingly cool platformer with a lot of puzzles. It feels a lot like a 2D platformer version of Okami - the "wind" controls work much like some of Okami's painting moves. It's from a tiny studio called Frontier, who will hopefully grow up to do big things. The game is really, really good. Oh, and they've apparently announced a sequel to the game already... So they're learning quickly. ;p
FFCC:MLAAK (how's that for a long name?) seems really odd and kinda dull for about 30 mins... and then it turns cracktastic. I played the game for like four hours today. I'm SUPPOSED to be studying for finals... but no, I'm watching my minions (read: adventurers) run off and explore for me while I build up my happy little town. And I talk to everyone CONSTANTLY to make sure they stay very, very happy. If you like simulation games much, this is definitely worth a play. (And for reference, yes, I did buy most of the add-on content... but I'm not high enough level to really do anything with it yet. This will hopefully change soon).
So open up those wallets and support WiiWare! You'll be happy you did. :D