Reloaded Review: Super Smash Brothers Brawl (Wii)

Publisher: Nintendo
Developer(s): Sora, Game Arts
Player(s): Offline 1-4, Online 1-4
Genre: Fighting
Release Date: (NA) March 9, 2008 (EU) June 27, 2008 (JP) January 31, 2008
Platform(s): Wii
Rated: Teen

Super Smash Brothers: Brawl takes everything that made the first two entries in the series great and multiplies them several times over in one of gaming's most entertaining fighting games.

What exactly makes "Brawl" one of the best fighting games of any generation? Well name any other title in history where you can see Sonic the Hedgehog battle it out against Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series. You can't think of one can you?

The character selection has been vastly improved over the previous Smash Brothers game with old classics like Mario, Link, Samus, Pikachu and Kirby making comebacks but they also include newcomers like Sonic the Hedgehog, Wario, Solid Snake, Pit, Pokemon Trainer and Zero-Suit Samus and when you see her outfit, you'll see why the game has a T rating. With a roster like that, how could you possibly go wrong?

The amount of stages in the game is also so vast that it nearly shames the character roster. You have newly designed stages like a pirate ship from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Shadow Moses Island from Metal Gear Solid, Angel Island from Sonic the Hedgehog as well as classics from the previous game. I can't even describe how awesome all of this really is but to top it all off, "SSBB" also features a level creator with plenty of options to create some pretty insane maps.

The gameplay modes from the previous games return such as Classic Mode where you fight through an arcade-style lineup of foes, All-Star Mode where you have to battle the entire game's roster with a single life, and even the mini game style modes like theHome run and Survival modes. But unlike the previous games, " SSBB" features a full-length story mode called The Subspace Emissary that is complete with bosses and CGI cutscenes. Is that not enough to convince you? Well the game also features online multiplayer for the first time. Yeah, I fainted the first time too you'll get used to it.

How the developers managed to fit so much incredible content onto a single disc is beyond me but I can easily say hands down that Super Smash Brothers Brawl is the must-own Wii game. Addicting gameplay whether it be single or multiplayer, an absolute ton of content and endless replay value make this one of this generation's great games in my opinion and if you call yourself a fan of Nintendo then this game better be on your shelf.

Pros:
- Loads of content
- Addicting gameplay
- Very large character roster
- Huge amount of stage and item variety
- Epic musical score showcasing every era in Nintendo's history
- Limitless replay value

Cons:
- Online play can be a bit laggy

10 / 10

Reloaded Review: Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)

Publisher: Capcom
Developer(s): Cavia, Capcom
Player(s): Offline 2
Genre: Rail Shooter
Release Date: (NA) November 13, 2007 (JP) November 15, 2007 (EU) November 30, 2007
Platform(s): Nintendo Wii
Rated: Mature

Capcom decides to take another chance in taking the Resident Evil franchise over to FPS territory like they did in the past with Resident Evil: Survivor and Resident Evil: Dead Aim.

Does it ultimately infect us with it's gameplay or is it something we should be vaccinated against?

Story:
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles' story takes place over a long timeline throughout the Resident Evil saga. Basically, the game is a re-telling of the stories from the main games such as Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and what each character was doing on the side of each story.

For example, how did Ada Wong get out of Raccoon City before it was destroyed in Resident Evil 2 and where was Wesker during all of this? The Umbrella Chronicles explains these scenarios.

It also tells the story of what happened when Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield attempt to take down Umbrella's stronghold in Russia.

Presentation:
Umbrella Chronicles isn't much of a powerhouse when it comes to it's graphics but that's because of the Wii's limit in graphical capability. The gamecube Resident Evil games looked better because of their pre-rendered backgrounds but what shocks me is that Resident Evil 4 actually looks better and that was a last generation game.

A lot of the textures have a tendency to look murky and bland, especially the explosion and fire effects. The cutscenes aren't really all that special either. They look alright but definitely seem rushed and not nearly on par with the cutscenes from the older games in the series.

The settings you explore are all recycled (with the exception of the final stage) from Resident Evil 0, Remake, and Outbreak which is okay because it's nice to see some of the areas close-up but for the chapter in the game that takes place during Resident Evil 3, they don't have any new environments since it's all taken from areas in Resident Evil: Outbreak. It would have been nice to have been able to explore areas like the clock tower or hospital.

Enemies are also taken directly from the previous games ranging from the zombies to the 'Hunters' and the way the enemies look directly relates to what chapter you are playing. Playing in Resident Evil 0's story will have all the zombies looking exactly like they did in that game and same goes for the rest of the chapters.

Gameplay:
The biggest difference between this game and the other games in the series including 'Survivor' and 'Dead Aim' is that it is an on-rails shooter, meaning you cannot freely move your character on your own; the game does it for you.

There are a total of 4 main chapters with around 3 or more sub-chapters within it, each based on one of the games in the main timeline of the series. Throughout each chapter, you collect points that can be used to upgrade the weapons that you collect in each stage.

Every time you find a weapon on a stage, it gets stored in a type of inventory for you to choose before each level but sadly, you can only choose one weapon to take with you and have to rely on finding more when you play a stage if you want ammo. You can also find items such as first-aid sprays which revive you one time when you time, herbs that heal your health and grenades which I think are self-explanatory.

Certain elements of the stages are destructible and when you destroy them, you get points which all leads up to your rank at the end of the level but files can also be found in the props which give you more back-story.

The cross-hair on screen has a tendency to get stuck on occasion due to remote movements being too fast for the game to handle but it doesn't affect gameplay much. The game also suffers from frame rate issues, even when not a lot is going on on-screen. There might also be an issue with people beating the game far too fast andre-playability is a little lacking.

Sound:
Voice acting is pretty cheesy and not very well done in my opinion. It would have been better if they had gotten the same voice actors from the previous games.

The script was also not very well written which is only made worse by the sometimes annoying voice acting. The music is also not well constructed and it would have been nice to see music from the original games make a comeback in either their original form or in a remixed fashion. Instead, we get a very generic soundtrack which is disappointing.

The sound effects also have a tendency to get kind of scratchy when too much is happening on screen at once.

Overall:
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles was a game made for fans of the Resident Evil series and that is it. The game seems kind of rushed but for fans of the games it's nice to replay some of those memories giving it a bit of a nostalgic feel.

People looking for a first-person shooter are going to be highly disappointed because this game isn't that type of game, it's a rail shooter. Fans will enjoy it, casual gamers won't, that simple.

Pros:
- Great nostalgia factor for fans
- Nice to see what other characters were doing
- Satisfying gameplay if you're into rail shooters

Cons:
- Average graphics
- Not a lot of re-playability
- Cheesy voice acting
- Unresponsive controls on occasion

6/10

12/15/09 Colton West

Dead Space 2 is officially in production!

With spin-offs being released like the fantastic straight-to-DVD motion picture 'Dead Space: Downfall' and the on-rails shooter 'Dead Space: Extraction' released for the Nintendo Wii, it was obvious that Electronic Arts had big plans for Dead Space and the fact that mention of a sequel was already coming up just weeks after the release of the first Dead Space definitely had fans of this highly praised game anxiously awaiting Isaac Clarke's next dive into madness.

Well fellow Dead Space fans, rejoice! Dead Space 2 has been officially confirmed by EA, yet no mention of any solid release date was made which is a bit of a disappointment.

EA has also been very secretive regarding what the game will contain. The only things they confirmed is that you will once again step into the shoes of series' protagonist Isaac Clarke and that the sequel will feature new weapons, characters, enemies, and environments and will be available for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 when it is eventually released.

12/08/09 Colton West

Wii sells 6 million in UK

And the hardware sales winner is.... It's the Wii, again. I sometimes wonder who are the people on God's earth buying those things? Seriously, the hardcore gamers say they're not the ones, so it must be the casual market? Darn big market it is. Anyways...

The Wii has just passed the 6 million units sold mark in the United Kingdom according to Chart Track, one week shy of three years after it launched. Talking up the system's rise to MCV, Chart Track director Dorian Bloch said "In calender year 2007, it sold 1.81 million - but really took off in 2008, with 2.73 million sold. So far in 2009 it's hit 1.31 million but we have few weeks to build on that before Christmas."

The Wii has been a sales success not doubt about it, but gamers from around the globe are up to this day complaining about Nintendo's neglect towards the hardcore. Maybe next time they'll take care of us. The Wii has made the company very wealthy you know.

12/04/09 Ernice Gilbert

Smooth Criminal invades your Wii

For a bit more retro news, it is being reported that Michael Jackson's Moonwalker is hitting the Wii virtual console this week. If you're old enough to remeber the Genesis then you'll probably remember the whole Smooth Criminal tie in and either loved it or hated it.

Seems like Nintendo and Sega have timed the release to take advantage of Mr. Jacksons recent passing. Like Tupac and Elvis before him, Michael looks set to make more money in death than he did in the last 10yrs.

As for the game, I look forward to revisit the Genesis days of MoonWalker. Although not one of the best games ever released on that console, it surely was not one of the worst. Despite several reviews stating that it sucked, let me tell you it was far better than 90% of the other movie tie in games of the era and if the price is right, it's definately worth a re-visit. Check it out soon on the Virtual Console to get your fill of all the 2D hat throwing and crotch grabing action.

Oh and lets not forget Bubbles the Chimp.

Get the full thing at Nintendolife

11/09/2009 David Allison

Video Thirst: Newest Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles Trailer

With the anticipated release of 'Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles' next month readily approaching, Capcom has graced us with a brand new trailer.

Quench your thirst.