Three Wii sequels to look out for in 2010
2009 was a disappointing year for Wii games. Next year, though, things are already looking up. I’m not usually a fan of getting sequels just for the sake of getting sequels, but by coincidence, the games I’m most excited about next year all have titles ending with a 2.
No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle
Okay, I lied. This game thinks it’s too clever to have ay numbers in its title. I can forgive it, though, because bizarre, esoteric dialogue was the biggest draw of the original No More Heroes. As much fun as that game was (I’ve played it three times), I always felt there was a lot of unrealized potential. The open world mechanic clearly had its scope cut to get the game done either on a tight budget or tight deadline, the overall visuals made the game look as though it was built on PS2 dev kits, and the amount of new powers obtained throughout the course of the game didn’t seem as extensive as it is in many other games.
The sequel looks to fix many of these shortcomings. Visuals are reportedly sharper, there are many more sword upgrades, and players will be able to take control of some of the original game’s villains. Footage of the swordplay looks a lot more fluid than in the first game, too. And when the plot of the game centers around Travis Touchdown on an epic quest to avenge the death of the guy who worked at the video store, you know the game will offer a lot more of the outlandish, over theatrical dialogue that made the first game so lovable. The game is a must buy for Quentin Tarantino fans.
Red Steel 2
Like No More Heroes, I felt Red Steel had a lot of unfulfilled potential. I really didn’t think it was that bad, though. Red Steel was one of the prettiest Wii launch games, the gunplay was solid, and the level design didn’t suck (unlike some other first person shooter for the Wii); it’s just that it felt like you were playing through an interactive Steven Segal movie. The plot (rescue your fiancé from Japanese gangsters) was so cliché, it would have worked better as a deliberate tribute to franchises like Double Dragon or Final Fight.
Red Steel 2 will be a completely different game, set in a different world, created by a different team. Really, the only thing the sequel will have in common is that it’s a first person shooter that also lets you use swords. It will have a visual style that looks a lot like Borderlands, swordplay will be greatly enhanced by the game’s requirement of Wii Motion Plus, and the characters – like the art style – look far more colorful than the stale, cookie cutter characters from the original. There’s nothing else out there like it on the Wii.
Sin and Punishment 2
If you’ve bought Virtual Console games, and you don’t own the original Sin and Punishment for N64, I have one question for you: Why do you hate videogames? Developed by Treasure, masters of old-school arcade-style shooting, this game managed to combine elements from franchises like Contra and Time Crisis. To compensate for the fact that controlling a targeting reticule with a joystick is more frustrating than pointing with a light gun, Treasure allowed gamers to lock on to targets to fire normal bullets, or enter a free-aim mode with stronger bullets. They turned a hardware shortcoming into a risk-reward curve.
But I always wanted to be able to play this game aiming with the Wii Remote. And next year, I’ll get my wish! Screens and video of next year’s sequel look to provide the same fast-paced shooting action style, with precise aiming, and updated visuals. Beyond that, it doesn’t need to change much: the original game was such an awesome experiment in blending old-school gameplay with new technology, all they have to do is keep the spirit of that original experiment, and I’ll be one happy camper.
The fun starts in January
As fantastic as New Super Mario Bros. Wii looks to be, it’s not enough to salvage the Wii’s disappointing 2009 lineup. When its competition enjoyed fantastic titles like Batman: Arkham Assylum, Borderlands, Assassin’s Creed II, as well as console-exclusive titles like the sublime Uncharted 2, 2009 was undeniably a slow year for the Wii. Thankfully, if comments like some from Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemont are any indication, executives are figuring out that cheap, bad games won’t sell – even on the Wii.