Wii-valanche

written by Blain Newport on Thursday, 26 August, 2010

For no good reason, I got caught up on some "core games" on the Wii recently. Time for some mini-reviews!

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No More Heroes 2

3 of 5

Let's look at my thoughts on the first game...

Hmm. No plot to speak of. Amusing mini-games that quickly become a waste of time. A fun ride, but not worth the grind.

I'd say that also pretty much sums of the sequel as well. It has a tiny bit more plot, but not so you'd notice / care. The mini-games are a bit better, but still get old, largely because the first one you open is the most effective way to get cash. Luckily you don't need to grind unless you're committed to buying every new piece of clothing available in each chapter. I actually did buy all the clothes for a few levels, trying to be true to Travis' superficial character, before I got bored.

While No More Heroes 2 improved a bit, it isn't enough. The combat is still mediocre, often ineffectively communicating what it wants from the player. The mini-games don't hold up. The story, even as a metaphor for gaming culture, made its point in the first game. It's still fun to see some of the crazy stuff, but I feel pretty done with No More Heroes as a franchise.

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Mad World

4 of 5

I'd heard horrible things about Mad World being repetitive. And it can be. The game tells you up front that if you want to get the most points from killing a guy you should trap him (usually in a spare tire or garbage can), impale him with a street sign, and kill him at one of the many environmental killamajigs in the level. While all this is true, the game isn't about points per kill. It's about points within a certain amount of time, so as long as your mindful of opportunities to get more points by hurling a guy into a passing train or stuffing him into a burning barrel, you'll do fine.

The plot is a waste of time, and the mini-games / driving segments are pretty weak, but the combat was just enough to keep me entertained and punched up a notch with the occasional waggle fest. Mad World is my favorite action game on the Wii.

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Red Steel 2

3 of 5

I had to buy a Wii Motion Plus for this? Even if sword strikes didn't simply fail to work occasionally, the combat would be pretty lackluster. Most fights boiled down to block, counter; finishing move. They moves feel and look okay, but outside from learning a new finisher once in a while, there wasn't enough variety to keep the game interesting. NecroVision's combo mechanic puts this game to shame.

The story and other activities in the game are so worthless that by the time this sentence is over I'll have spent too much effort talking about them.