All Wii Previews

Ratatouille - first look (Ratatouille)

Mar 2, 2007

If Ratatouille weren't based on a film, its story - about a rat named Remy who wants to become a world-class French chef - would probably elevate it to weird-work-of-genius status. As it is, this platform-hopping adventure is relegated to the realm of baby games, although that doesn't mean it should be ...

Rayman Raving Rabbids - more minigames (Rayman Raving Rabbids)

Nov 15, 2006

About a month ago we walked you through five of Rayman Raving Rabbids' whacked-out minigames. Now, just days before the game's release, we've prepared a final, quick look at three other games that'll make you wonder what the developers were smoking when they thought up this maniacal scenario. In case you've missed the basic setup, the limbless hero Rayman has been captured by insane rabbids. They're either too scared or too stupid to do a lot of things on their own, so they put Rayman through ...

Rayman Raving Rabbids - hands on (Rayman Raving Rabbids)

Oct 18, 2006

From the very beginning, Wii has been billed as a console that'll bring in people from all walks of life. This lofty goal is the very reason we're seeing so many simple titles coming out at launch - Wii Sports, Super Monkey Ball and Wario Ware: Smooth Moves all ask the player to perform the most basic of gestures in an effort to lure them in. Rayman Raving Rabbids does the exact same thing, but wraps the introductory-style gameplay around such a surreal world that you can't help but bite. The ...

Rayman Raving Rabbids - hands-on (Rayman Raving Rabbids)

Aug 25, 2006

We weren't entirely sure what to expect from Rayman's Wii debut, but after working up a considerable sweat during a lengthy hands-on with the game we can tell you that it's a light-hearted, minigame-style collection that pits the like-him-or-loathe-him character against the wonky-eyed rabbids. Was it worth suffering through all those damn rabbids videos? Hm... just maybe. In fact, if you're really down with Rayman, you can catch another video right here. The demo we sampled had four minigame ...

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 - hands-on (Rayman Raving Rabbids 2)

Sep 24, 2007

Love them or loathe them, if you were even remotely interested in Wii this time last year there was no way you could have ignored Rayman and his terrifying Rabbid chums. The original game was probably the most high profile Wii launch title except for Wii Sports and Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and although we weren't all that taken with it at the time, it proved to be a big success for Ubisoft. The sequel, we're happy to report, fixes practically everything we found annoying about the ...

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 - hands-on (Rayman Raving Rabbids 2)

May 23, 2007

Outside of Nintendo, not many developers seem to understand the power of the Wii. In fact, most of the system's games last year were nothing more than greedy afterthoughts - titles clearly designed for another console, but then married clumsily to some motion sensitive controls and re-released to sell more copies. One of the rare exceptions to that trend was Rayman Raving Rabbids, a non-Nintendo party game so bizarre and so interactive that it could only work on the Wii. Indeed, when Ubisoft ...

Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party (Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party)

Jul 7, 2008

They were there when Wii launched, stealing the show from Rayman in their first bizarre adventure, before receiving a significant upgrade in what was probably the best minigame compilation on a console renowned for its party games. And although Rayman’s name remains attached to the series, the real stars of the show are most definitely those mutant bunnies. With each new installment, they’re becoming highly recognisable ...

E3 06: Red Steel: Hands-on (Red Steel )

May 10, 2006

It's the game that Nintendo is keen to hold up as an example that Wii can handle mature action games, so we got hands-on with Ubisoft's Red Steel to see if it can live up to expectations. As expected the controls were mapped on the new Wii controller with the analogue stick on the nunchaku used for strafing and movement, and the remote handling the aiming and shooting. Putting the two elements together took some time - not only because this was the first time we'd played an FPS in such a way, ...

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (Resident Evil 4)

Apr 13, 2007

Well here's a game that needs no introduction. After being nominated for every possible award ever (we think it might have even walked away with a Golden Globe or something), Resident Evil 4 is appearing on one final platform: the Wii. Yes, the system is backwards compatible with the GameCube, which does play a fantastic version of RE4, but for those who have yet to experience this magnificent piece of technology, now's the time. Hell, even if you have beaten the crap out this already, it's ...

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles)

Sep 24, 2007

Sept 24, 2007 E3 brought us Resident Evil 2's Racoon City and Leipzig debuts Zero's Ecliptic Express - a train-based slog featuring escaped convict Billy Coen, co-star of RE0. While eerie in its odd state of abandonment, seeing a level from one of the graphically enhanced chapters of the franchise couldn't match the visual freshness of RE 2's PS1 sights pumped through ...

E3 07: Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles)

Jul 12, 2007

Even though every other Resident Evil lightgun game has been ill received, Umbrella Chronicles keeps getting a ton of positive press. We've certainly sung its praises a few times, but perhaps the most immersive part of the gameplay has only just now been experienced - playing the game with the Wii Zapper. Using only the remote and Nunchuk was fine, but the locked-in feeling and perfect hand placement of the zapper make spraying hot lead at zombie heads all the more enticing. One hand is placed ...

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles)

Apr 16, 2007

Even though we've handed countless zombies their rotting asses, there's still something oh so special about getting to ditch all other worries and focus entirely on filling those mindless goons with hot lead. Combine this blissful sensation with new takes on Resident Evil's storied history and you've got a game that people were lining up to play at Capcom's press conference - we were first in that line, and now we're gonna tell you everything you want to know about the on-rails shooter The ...

Rock Revolution (Rock Revolution)

May 15, 2008

Last night, Konami unveiled Rock Revolution, their newest music title for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and DS, which is scheduled for a fall release. In Rock Revolution, a drummer, bassist, and guitar player jam together much as they do in a certain other high-profile music game about forming a band that rocks.

Lets just get the sell-sheet info out of the way, so we can get on with our impressions. The game will ship with 40 songs, ...

Rockstar's Table Tennis - hands-on (Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis)

Aug 24, 2007

24 Aug 2007 Rockstar Presents Table Tennis on the Xbox 360 was in many ways one of Rockstar's boldest offerings to date: it certainly raised eyebrows when it was revealed that the mega-publisher's first title for a next-gen console was going to be a sports game. Rockstar? Doing a sports game? You gotta be kidding... The result, however, was for many the table tennis equivalent of Virtua Tennis. Simplistic, tactile controls that allowed players to express themselves at the table with ease, ...

Romance of the 3 Kingdoms XI [import] - hands-on (Romance of the 3 Kingdoms XI [import])

May 1, 2007

Romance Of The Three Kingdoms XI - originally a PC/PS2 strategy-em-up - is a bewilderingly complex game in anyones native language. Playing it in Japanese, we spent the first half hour trying to find out how to move the camera. But If youve got a Japanese Wii, a translation guide and a real taste for proper synapse-fizzing strategy, this will satisfy you like a seven-course meal. A meal made out of horses and men. Imagine Advance Wars or Final Fantasy Tactics given a mug full of IQ juice and ...