Top 5 Fighting Games For Wii

In the past couple years the Wii has seen a good amount of fighting games, and quite varying in quality; some atrocious, some gems. Here is list of the top five games that fall into the latter category.

#5: Guilty Gear XX Accent Core

The Guilty Gear series is well-known for it’s wild, twitch-based 2D fighting action. Though the game’s anime-style characters can be over-the-top in appearance and nature, the goofiness only adds to the fun. Just be sure to hook up a Gamecube or Classic controller. The action is just too frantic and fast-paced to be handled with waggle without injuring yourself.

#4: Naruto: Clash of Ninja: Revolution 2

The Naruto: Clash of Ninja franchise originated on the Gamecube but has quickly found a home on Nintendo’s new console, the Wii. The sequel to Naruto’s initial venture on the Wii acts as more of an expansion than an entirely new game. Revolution 2 features an expansive, more balanced character roster, new forms and abilities, new stages, and an all-new story mode.

The ability to use use hand signs to built up energy without even attacking, as well as being able to wrap a exploding spell scroll around a kunai knife before throwing it (resulting in a successful “letter bomb”) are very welcome additions, although partly because they simply should have been there in the first place.

In any case, it’s certainly a worthy installment in the series, and deserves to be checked out, especially if one has not played the first, and even more so if one is a fan of Naruto.

#3: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon

Above all else, Mortal Kombat is so well-known because of it’s extremely violent battles. The aftermath of every fight is a bloody, gory mess. Not only that, but the kills invoked at the end of each match often involve dismemberment, decapitation, and other such bloody techniques.

In a way, Armageddon serves as a definitive installment. It’s a collection of almost everything fans have experienced up until now. The character roster boasts over 60 playable characters, most all recycled from Mortal Kombat games over the years. Online play and a vast amount of content make this a worthy fighting game, and an especially good chance for those who have never played a Mortal Kombat game up until now.

#2: DragonBall Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

The latest and best Tenkaichi game also happens to be simply one of the best fighting games on the Wii yet. The reason for this becomes clear when you understand the nature of the gameplay.

The multiplayer battles are splitscreen. Each player maneuvers his character over the open landscape, flying, swimming, and blasting their way into and through each other. There are practically dozens and dozens of types of powerful techniques, many unique to certain particular characters, which is quite feat when you see that are almost 200 playable fighters.

The 3-dimensionallness of the open-stage battles make this the future of fighting. There are so many things to do and places to be in each stage, (not to mention the amount of characters you can be) it’s highly improbable for the exact same thing to happen twice. Talk about replayability!

1#: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Some have called Smash Bros. a button-masher’s game. But the truth is far from that. Smash Bros. has one of the deepest combat systems in any fighting game yet.

The latest game in the series, Brawl, takes the fight to a whole new level with “Final Smash”. Each character has one, an ultimate attack which can be activated by breaking the “Smash Ball” when it floats onstage. Brawl could be compared to Guilty Gear, only with slightly more realistic visual effects and attacks. But what really makes Smash Bros. so unique is it’s fighters, which are based on renowned videogame characters. Only in a fighting game like Brawl can you see characters like Sonic the Hedgehog, Snake from Metal Gear Solid, Ike from Fire Emblem, and Mario himself all head-to-head.

With more characters, stages, and items than ever before, this is a fighting game not to be missed.

Top 3 Xbox 360 Games Released In 2009

The Xbox 360 has been around for a long time now, but it has not run out of steam yet. In many ways this will be the year of sweet, sweet sequels, like Bioshock 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. And yet, out of all the games coming to the Xbox this year, I wanted to bring to your attention 3 games that people have looked forward to the most.

#3: Chronicles of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena

Assault On Dark Athena isn’t so much a sequel as it is a sort of expansion. Though the main attraction is the new singleplayer campaign, it also comes with a port of Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, as well as some new multiplayer modes. And anyone who played the original Escape From Butcher Bay and was saddened at the lack of multiplayer will know just how exciting that last addition is. Riddick’s back, folks.

#2: Halo Wars

Just when we thought things would die down for awhile in the Halo department, Bungie said they weren’t done. So here comes Halo Wars, a real time strategy game based on the Halo universe, intent on proving to the world(and probably alot of Halo fans) that strategy games ARE cool. From what I’ve seen of the game it’s art style is unique, it’s combat is intriguingly diverse, and it’s singleplayer campaign should be pretty interesting as well for fans of the series looking for answers. What’s more, it’s just cool.

#1: Star Ocean: The Last Hope

And now we come to what is maybe the most eagerly awaited Xbox 360 game right now; Star Ocean: The Last Hope. In a way, you could say this latest Star Ocean installment IS “The Last Hope”, simply because the series has gone into a sort of decline with it’s later installments on the PS2 and PSP. Nevertheless, the fans remain faithful, and await Star Ocean’s return to greatness. And since the developers have made all kinds of changes in an attempt to make combat deeper and gameplay more diverse, I wouldn’t doubt that this may indeed be Star Ocean’s return to the greatness it once knew.

So, there it is. Chronicles Of Riddick: Assault On Dark was released in April, Halo Wars this March, and Star Ocean: The Last Hope this February.

Top 3 WiiWare Games

WiiWare is Nintendo’s equivalent to Microsoft’s Xbox Live Marketplace and Sony’s Playstation Network. It is a means through which developers can easily distribute cheap games over an internet connection. And while it’s much earlier in its life cycle than its counterparts, some true gems are already available that are unlike anything you’ll find on the other networks. Here are three:

#3: Gyrostarr

Gyrostarr is a racing game unlike anything you have probably ever played before. Simple yet engaging, while providing up to 50 levels of gameplay, it is a worthwhile addition to anyones WiiWare library.

In essence, it is a space-shooter and racer wrapped up in one. Select your ship and prepare to be blown away as you are sent blasting down a tunnel of space tubing. The objective is to use your ship’s grapple arm to seize power orbs before you reach the tunnel’s gate, to open it. As you fly through each tunnel, you’ll see plenty of power ups that can also be grabbed with your grapple, and enemies that you will need to shoot down.

Gyrostarr includes both single-player and local multiplayer options. The multiplayer is rather best described as cooperative play, because even though each player is competing for a high score, both are assisting each other to power the gate. Gyrostarr is a worthwhile game that should not be missed.

#2: Lostwinds

WiiWare games are unique because the motion controls provide new ways to play. LostWinds is no different. The simple story involves a boy named Toku, who meets a wind god name Enril. Together they set out to save their village from impending darkness and doom. But what stands out is that you control Toku with the Nunchuk, and Enril with the Wii Remote. Using swishes of the Wii Remote, Enril can produce blasts of wind that contribute greatly to the platformer aspects of the game. It is often that there is a ledge that you cannot reach, and the only way to do so is to jump with Toku, then create a blast of wind with Enril that will launch you up to your destination.

Many puzzles await surrounding this mechanic. And besides that, the gorgeous graphics and scenery are sure to suck you in.

#1: World of Goo

World of Goo is possibly the wierdest and most addictive game available on WiiWare. The basic objective is stick together blobs of living goo in each level to form a path to pipes that suck them in. The remaining blobs roll over the makeshift path to their destination. The gameplay I find very reminiscent of Lemmings, but it holds it’s own very well with a cute, quirky style and bizarre humor.

Being an instant-classic of a puzzler, this is one WiiWare you should get above all others.

Top 3 Wii Virtual Console Games

The Wii’s Shop Channel features many NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx 16, NEOGEO, and N64 games that are available to be bought and downloaded. Many are classics, while others just have not aged too well. With all the games that are available, it can be hard to distinguish between what you are looking for at what just is not worth your time. I cannot point out every single good game and bad one. But I will point out three of the very best.

#3: Paper Mario

Paper Mario is a classic RPG that was originally released in 2001 on the N64. It may have a somewhat dated look in terms of the technical proficiency of the graphics, but the visuals themselves remain as absolutely beautiful as ever. Not to mention unique.

The reason for this is that the characters and environments are portrayed in 3D, yet they themselves are 2D. Like paper cut-outs on a rich, detailed page of a book. As Mario, you explore a diverse overworld whilst getting people to join your party and fighting off monsters. And while Paper Mario adopts many aspects of RPG conventions, the mechanic that really stands out is the timed button presses in battle that increase the damage you do to your opponent, as well as decrease the amount of damage he does to you.

Overall, Paper Mario is an amazing and memorable accomplishment, both as a Mario game and as an RPG.

#2: Super Metroid

Of all the games in the renowned franchise, perhaps it is Super Metroid that is the most spoken of. It was the last Metroid game to be released for a total of eight years. Eight years gamers waited, until Metroid Prime came along on the Gamecube; arguably the best Metroid ever, and that should say something because without Super Metroid, there would be no argument. Without Super Metroid, Prime would be without a doubt the best game in the series.

Super Metroid is a side-scrolling shooter that relies heavily on exploration and discovery, as well as the adrenaline-pumping action that each boss battle presents. As in any other Metroid, bounty hunter Samus crashlands on an alien planet. Now, she struggles to reach the last surviving Metroid.

Samus is equipped with many abilities. She can morph into a small ball for rolling through tight tunnels, she can fire a cannon beam attached to her arm, and perform a double flip-jump whilst flying through the air.

Many of the things the game is so well known for, such as it’s exploration and atmosphere, have to be seen to be believed. All you need to know is that Super Metroid is a classic game that is definitely worth the $8 and download.

#1: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Ocarina of Time has been called the greatest game yet, repeatedly over the years. And it probably is, in a way. No game has aged as well as this one.

It may look like your typical action adventure at first. You begin playing as Link, a child living in Kokiri Forest, where there is no pain or suffering. Or at least, it used to be that way. The guardian of the forest, the Great Deku Tree, is under a curse cast by the infamous villain Ganondorf. Link is chosen to journey inside the tree and kill the curse within. Link destroys the monster and breaks the curse, but it is too late, and the Tree dies. With his dying words, the tree tells Link to find Zelda. Only once you find Zelda can you save Hyrule from falling under Ganondorf’s evil reign.

And so it begins. Ocarina of Time was the first Zelda game to be played from a third-person perspective. The land of Hyrule is a vast place filled with many characters, places and things to do. Combat is very friendly and simple to execute, but what the game truly strives at is the storyline, exploration, and the atmosphere. It’s what Nintendo does best. For example, the musical score is perhaps the most widely recognized in gaming history.

There have been many Zelda games since then, none of which have recaptured what Ocarina of Time accomplished. It recommended that if you check this game out, especially if you never got a chance to play it on the N64.

Top 3 Wii Racing Games

Racing games on the Wii are few and far between, proper ones even more so. Shortly after the Wiis launch, many developers jumped onto the bandwagon, but rather inconveniently forgot to bring forward some actually appealing games. Issues such as difficulty utilizing motion control, and other issues, held back most racers from fully embracing the Wii as a platform for good racing game enjoyment.

If you own a Wii and want some good racing games, do not despair. Here displayed in order from least to greatest are three racing games for Wii that are well worth your time and money. Though there are others worth consideration, these are widely considered to be the best the console currently has to offer.

First up is Excite Truck. Excite Truck is, in fact, a Wii launch title. It does not offer either local or online racing. But what it does offer is a sheer sense of speed, the likes of which few other racing games have seen.

The game, as with most other Wii racing titles, is played with the Wii remote. The remote is held in a horizontal position in front of the player and tilted from side to side to steer. Pressing the D-pad engages your boost, which can be activated at any time but will overheat and slow down your engine if overused.

The visuals are breathtaking, even if the gameplay itself is somewhat shallow. Overall, its a game that at least deserves a rent.

Next is Need For Speed Carbon.

Need For Speed Carbon is a street-racing game, and all that that implies. Car shop and customization options, street car races, and police car chases make this game. Being able to customize your cars paint job, engine, etc. alone make this a very replayable game, and the races themselves are everything weve come to expect from the Need For Speed series.

Lastly, Mario Kart Wii is currently the very best racing game for Wii.

The first aspect that sets Mario Cart above the rest is the game features a total of four different control schemes. The first is the aforementioned Wii remote. The game comes with a Wii Wheel, for inserting the remote inside for easier handling. The second is the Wii remote & nunchuk scheme, where the game is controlled as you would normally play a game after inserting the nunchuk into the remote. Also, the game is compatible with both Gamecube and Classic Controllers.

Secondly, Mario Kart Wii features online multiplayer support; some of the best and most convenient Nintendo has ever achieved.

Mario Kart Wii is also the first Mario Kart game to introduce motorcycle racing, a fresh spin on the classic kart-racing gameplay.

Some may say that the current best racers are on the Xbox 360 and PS3, but I wouldnt count out the Wii yet.

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