Wii game impressions

Ever wondered what titles like ´Monster Truck 4x4´, ´GT Pro´, ´Red Steel´, ´Rayman: Raving Rabbids´ or ´Splinter Cell: Double Agent´ are like? Game|Life have taken them all for a brief test drive. Here are some snippets from their respective articles:

RED STEEL

Red Steel is ultimately for the hardcore gamers. Sure, I can see a lot of non-gamers trying it out for the novelty value, and some of them might be so taken with the unique control that they stick with it. But this is still directed at longtime gamers. It's not an easy thing to play. But by the end of the first hour, I was hooked.

The question still remains, however, as it remains for Rayman: is this a novelty, and if so, what happens when it wears off? Will there be enough substance to the game design such that Red Steel lasts past the point at which aiming with a pointer is old hat? From what I played today, I submit that it very well might.

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RAYMAN: RAVING RABBIDS

Although I was only able to play about 10 of the game's 70 minigames during my play test, I am happy to say that it managed to surpass my expectations. (...)

All in all, the controls were great -- I can't remember a single moment where I struggled with them. I was a bit apprehensive about Rayman going in -- would it live up to the videos? -- but after about 45 minutes of play time, I am really impressed. Does it hold up in the long run? Who can say? But this might be the best non-Zelda game of the launch, and easily a great showpiece for the controller's abilities.

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MONSTER 4x4 & GT PRO

Slapping the controller inside their steering wheel shell -- which comes free with each game -- lets you make smaller movements more easily, and just... well, it just makes it feel more like driving. The fact that it's not a cheap piece of junk helps, too; it's very solidly constructed and has a nice rubbery textured grip. (...)

Ultimately I can't vouch for these two games as I did with Rayman and Red Steel. Those are developed from the ground up for Wii, and will be looked back on as games that truly shaped the console's image from the get-go. But Monster 4x4 and GT Pro are just old games with Wii controls shoehorned in, and how do you really get excited about that? I'll take a deeper look at both when final versions are available, though.

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SPLINTER CELL: DOUBLE AGENT

It would have be nice to see for the Wii what Xbox 360 got -- a version of Double Agent developed from the ground up. I think with the proper attention, Splinter Cell could be a great fit for Wii -- Sam Fisher could get a host of new spy gadgets that rely on pointing and motion activation.

Instead, those who want tactical espionage action on Wii will, for now, have to work with a control scheme that -- again, based on my short gameplay experience -- is going to be much more difficult to master. Will the increased accuracy of the Wii pointer make it worth the while for gamers to really put the effort in? We'll see how the Splinter Cell faithful respond when the game hits shelves on Wii launch day.

In mid-November, Nintendo will be holding Wii events in a number of big German cities, where journalists like myself will get a chance to play various titles pretty much for hours on end. So stick around for some in-depth hands-on impressions right here in about two weeks or so.

Also, check out the most recent Wii games trailer and the Red Steel multiplayer trailer, courtesy of GoNintendo and IGN, respectively.

Source: Game|Life
Thanks to: Joystiq