Everyone knows about the incredible Wii games made by Nintendo themselves. By the end of the year, we’ll have stellar titles from the Big N, like Super Mario Galaxy, Battalion Wars 2, and Fire Emblem. However, what will the Wii be able to offer us in terms of 3rd-party support before ’08? Let’s run through my Top 5 to see what games we should be buying from other companies this year.
Number 5
Manhunt 2 –- Rockstar Games -– (October, 29)
Oh Rockstar, what would we do without you? Well, we’d probably have a lot less crime and theft, according to our government. But even while you corrupt our young and degrade our old, we love your games anyway. Manhunt 2 hasn’t even been released yet, though it still has more press than almost any 3rd-party Wii game so far. It’s been banned in the UK for being too violent and the MSRP delivered an original rating of A for Adult. Although it’s been reworked to snag a shelf-legal M rating, it still retains an incredible amount of gore, profanity, and stomach-turning human abuse that can only be rivaled by snuff VHS films found in Cuba. (Or so they tell me.)
But I’m not here to judge you. Some part of all of us wants to give this game a try, and you know why? It’s probably going to be really fun, in that dark, sick, Saw sort of way. Even though the first Manhunt wasn’t the greatest game to hit the PS2, it did have a strong cult following behind it. Manhunt 2 takes the concepts of the original title and pushes it way past its limits. Using the motion-controlled Wiimote-Nunchuk combo, you’ll be able to physically tear your way through enemy after enemy using gestures that are sure to put an evil grin on your face. Rockstar, while controversial, is responsible for some simply incredible titles, like Grand Theft Auto, and they’ve certainly applied their game-making skills to the latest edition in the Manhunt series.
Number 4
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games –- Sega –- (November, 8)
Alright, this one may be a bit of an obvious purchase to even the average gamer, but it’s still technically a 3rd-party title. Developed by Sega, we have history in the making. Sonic… and Mario!? In one game? Fanboys and old-school gamers alike certainly performed a double-take when first reading about this game. Ever since 1991, our beloved pudgy plumber and blue blur have had an epic rivalry that could tear even the best of friends apart. If you were a Sega man, you’d argue until you were as blue as your hero that his speed, spikes, and coolness are what made him far superior to Mario. Of course, if you supported the Big N, you were all about stating how your games stood the test of time, and Sonic was simply a fad that would never translate well into a 3D game.
This is an epic year, my friends. For the first time in the history of video games, we’ll be able to find out just which franchise wins, finally ending the 17-year competition. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games will feature a plethora of official Olympic events that will have specific characters from the two series featured. Admittedly, the game looks a bit gimmicky, using the Wiimote to control the action throughout the various mini-games, but that almost ensures it will be a great pick-up-and-play title for the casual gamer. If that’s not reason enough to grab a copy, then I’ll simply leave you with this. It’s freaking Sonic and Mario on screen at the same time! And you don’t have to wait for Smash Bros.!
Number 3
Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 –- EA –- (November, 13)
Remember when the Wii launched, and everyone initially decided that the Wiimotes were going to be simply the best controls for the first-person-shooter genre? Then remember playing Red Steel? Nintendo’s credibility had seen some better days than that, that’s for sure. Of course, something amazing happened August 27th, 2007. Metroid Prime 3 was released. Sure, Prime 3 is an awesome game, but it did more than just entertain us. It showed us that Wii can have astonishing FPS controls that even rival the keyboard and mouse.
It seems that EA has taken note of Nintendo’s recent first-person success and decided to implement the same style of controls into their latest big-league title, Medal of Honor 2. Prime 3 gave us a taste of the future, but Medal of Honor is that future. Other systems, like the 360, have already peaked out their control styles, which is ironically why a game like this would slip far under the radar on any other console. The Wii, however, hasn’t seen any awe-inspiring war shooter thus far, so Medal of Honor 2 is just what the doctor ordered. Of course, on top of marvelous controls, EA is providing a deep online multiplayer experience which will allow you to join matches that have up to 32 players, something even the Halo franchise isn’t familiar with.
Number 2
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles -– Capcom -– (November, 13)
Ever since Resident Evil 4 hit shelves on the GameCube, Capcom has been steadily gaining more and more RE fans to add on top of their already-huge fanbase. After the Wii was announced, we were quickly given information that a Resident Evil game would be released in 2007 for Nintendo’s innovative system. Most of us assumed it would be RE5, but ended up being disappointed to find out that it was only going to hit the 360 and PS3. Luckily, Capcom decided not to abandon Nintendo, by announcing a separate RE title that would take full advantage of the Wii controls.
Umbrella Chronicles, at the heart, is an arcade shooter game. No, not “shooter” as in first-person-shooter. Think more along the lines of Duck Hunt, except minus ducks, and plus zombies. The game will take you through an unknown history of the Umbrella Corporation, all while you character is blasting through hordes of undead creatures appearing on the screen. In my personal experience, when visiting arcades, the best games to throw quarters into are the shooters. Up until this point, the only way to bring that experience home was to purchase additional console lightguns on top of the game, itself. Luckily, the Wiimote makes the perfect virtual pistol, so come November 13th, we’ll be completely set to play Capcom’s latest zombie-killing title.
Number 1
NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams -– Sega -– (December, 18)
If you were one of the few gamers who actually owned a Sega Saturn, chances are you also owned a little game called NiGHTS to go with it. NiGHTS was fantasy title about two children who would escape reality, simply by going to sleep. In their dream world, they could master the art of free-form flight, zipping around the sky like a super-hero. To this day, it’s remembered as a fascinating world of colors, full of innovation and simple pleasures. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and many others, was once quoted saying that NiGHTS was the only game he wished he had helped develop.
More than a decade later, we are finally graced with a sequel to the legendary game. NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams takes all of the aspects of the first title and revamps them to fit the Wii. With heavily updated graphics and motion controls, Journey of Dreams is sure to be the fantasy title of the year. If you still don’t know what I’m talking about, I’d recommend trying to track down an old copy of the Saturn title, or at the very least browsing gameplay videos on YouTube. NiGHTS is a game that cannot be explained; it can only be experienced. Make absolutely sure to keep an extra 50 dollars aside for yourself come December 18, because this is one title that will certainly be worth owning.
There you have my Top 5 3rd-party Wii games yet to come out in 2007. What are yours?
