video games: i play them

LostWinds by Frontier Developments, Screens

Though they’re a developer with a heavy background in the theme park tycoon genre, Frontier Developments has brought about one of the most atmospheric title’s the Wii has seen in LostWinds. Combine that with intuitive Wii controls, you’ve got yourself a steal for $10 (1,000 Wii Points.)

The story in LostWinds begins with your protagonist, Toku, waking up to a bit of wind. Soon thereafter he falls off a cliff and picks up a stone that holds the world’s Wind Spirit inside. That’s all fantastic, but sadly this is about as exciting as the story gets. The Wind Spirit tells you the story of how it’s hard out there for a Spirit, and what peril the world is about to face due to the escape of the most diabolical insect looking thing ever. Very generic, which is really unfortunate, as the organic setting could have benefited from having some kind of emotional attachment to Toku.

Speaking of the setting, the atmosphere this game creates is second-to-none in my book. It’s not just the calming music, the way the world reacts to your gusts, the natural wind audio, or the games art: It’s how every piece of the atmosphere’s puzzle compliments the others. Now let’s get something straight: this game does not create the conventional atmosphere that a BioShock fashions, as seeing the protagonist from the third person fundamentally removes you from the environment. Still, the rural Japanese tone is something to behold.

To control Toku’s movement you will be using both the Nunchuck and Wii Remote. Move left or right with the analog stick, and when jumping use the remote to control the winds to control Toku in the air. You’ll also be solving puzzles with the wind, which range from simply drawing a line to drawing lines, opening doors, pulling levers, and watering plants in hopes of obtaining a ball with holes in it. The controls are solid from start to finish, and they achieve something very few Wii games have yet to sniff: the player doesn’t realize they’re controlling the game with flicks of the wrist. As such, this game could only be successful on the Wii.

There is however one not-so-minor problem. This game needs a FREAKING MAP. There are points in the game (and by points in the game, I mean for the entirety of the three to four hours LostWinds lasts) where you will be told to go to a specific location to find a certain something. While that’s not at all unexpected given the genre of game this is, there are simply not enough hints to inform you of where in Chris Hansen’s name you are while exploring. Actually, Frontier Developments are to the successful middle-aged men on To Catch a Predator as video game critics are to Chris Hansen: Frontier KNOWS their game isn’t scum, but when Sir Hansen asks “So what exactly are you doing here [without a map]?” all they can say is “We were just going t-… I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Even so, LostWinds is a must-play for Wii owners that enjoy either puzzle-dusted 2D platformers, or games with ambiance. 4/5.

What does a review mean if you haven’t an idea of what games the reviewer normally enjoys? Nothing. So here I give you my top 5 games of 2007 joined by snippets saying why they made the list.

#5 - Super Mario Galaxy

Mario games hold a dear place in my heart; My first ever video game experience came when I was three years old playing Super Mario Bros. for the NES with my family. Although I couldn’t jump over the first hole in the ground at that point, I have Mario to thank for instilling in me a life-long (so far) passion for video games. So for me, having the words Super and Mario in the title made this game a must-own. However, the inclusion of the word Galaxy and the mechanics derived from that word are what made the game special.

#4 - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Again, a series that tugs heart strings. I played the original Call of Duty for the PC online like a crazy person for at least a year (word to my team [Judge] brethren.) When the next few COD’s came out, my computer was in no shape to perform colonics with the butts of guns, and their console versions just did not control tightly enough for my pin-point-PC standards. Now comes Call of Duty 4, and it feels nice. That’s really all that’s needed to be one of my top games of any year: a Call of Duty game that feels nice.

#3 - WarioWare: Smooth Moves

Smooth Moves is crazy in a way only something from Japan can be. I still play it at least once a month.

#2 - The Orange Box

Again, not a lot that I can add to the mountain of drool created by critics. This is a disc containing five different works by Valve. Portal is one of them. How could a disc be more easily recommendable?

The Bestest: Rock Band

…By being accompanied by a set of electronic drums. With the best in-room multiplayer experience ever, a great track list, and an always-expanding library of downloadable songs; Rock Band continues to amaze me.

And just because I’m gutless…

Honorable Mention: Picross DS

If you like puzzle games, play Picross. The only way I’ve been able to (insufficiently) describe how Picross works is “Un-Sudoku.” If that at all sounds interesting to you, buy it immediately.

I realized while watching all the video from my “Early Impressions” that the use of the Wii Wheel makes for funny time-lapse videos. Funny for 12 seconds atleast.

I could write these impressions out, but what more than “It is/isn’t fun.” can you ask for in a first impression? I’ll critique the game later, but I think a time-lapse video of some of my early hours with the game gives you an idea of how much/little I’m enjoying it. I like this idea, so expect more of these for “Early Impressions.”

I just ordered Mario Kart Wii for store pickup from Best Buy. For some reason I felt like I was making a mistake while I was making the purchase. Maybe I’m just afraid Nintendo is going to trip up like they did with Mario Kart 64. Review for this game confirmed; It will certainly be up before I leave for Baltimore on Thursday.