GamesRadar - Wii Reviews

Balloon Pop (Review)

4/03/2008

On most consoles, a simple, casual puzzler like Balloon Pop might not seem like a good deal for $20. But, when compared to the usual Wii dreck that goes for a pair of Hamiltons, this unassuming little game feels like a revolution of sorts. It isn't literally revolutionary in any discernable way, but it doesn't suck horribly, and in today's budget Wii lineup that's rare enough to vault it high above the pack. As "match three colored things" ...

Balls of Fury (Review)

14/11/2007

Nov 14, 2007 Plick, plock, plick, plock, plick, plock, "Tell grandma to bring the car around". Plick, plock, plick, plock, "Tell grandma to bring the car around". Plick, plock, plick, plock, plick, plock "Tell grandma to bring the car arou - mwaaaaaaaah!" That last sound, in case you're wondering, is the noise of a normally happy-go-lucky gamer being pushed over the edge and having to commit a heinous act of physical violence upon a random hapless victim within reach. What preceded said sound ...

Band Hero (Review)

20/11/2009

Let’s get this out of the way up-front: Band Hero essentially IS Guitar Hero 5, but for tweens. There are really no substantive changes made in terms of the core gameplay, features, and extras found between the two. As a result, it’s still very much an expertly-crafted game – it’s just that it’s an expertly-crafted game with a set list designed for pre-pubescent players. ...

Barnyard (Review)

9/02/2007

Here's a refreshing entry into the games-based-on-movies fad: instead of simulating a movie's plot, THQ's Barnyard offers up an open-ended Grand Theft Auto-style experience (minus the sex and violence, of course). In fact, Grand Theft Bovine would have been a fitting subtitle. Upon first glance, the open-ended elements are simply a vehicle to take you from one minigame to the next with little to do in-between. But then something unexpected happens: the game slowly transforms into a fairly ...

Baroque (Review)

21/04/2008

If you’re hardcore enough to derive happiness instead of pain from the Roguelike convention of starting from scratch when you die, but not quite hardcore enough to have imported this dungeon crawler ten years ago for your Sega Saturn, we recommend this terrific remake of Baroque.

Baroque’s death mechanic dovetails neatly with the narrative - it’s by dying and revisiting that you start to piece together the intriguing ...

Battalion Wars 2 (Review)

1/11/2007

Nov 1, 2007 Like its predecessor, Battalion Wars 2 is an action/RTS hybrid, similar to PC titles such as Savage. Instead of players assuming the role of General from a bird's-eye view, they are able to control their grunts, flamethrowers, anti-air tanks, bazookas or a number of other units that roam the field of battle. Controlling units, as well as performing other actions such as attacking, issuing orders and raising flags to assume control of mission objectives would require an elegant ...

Battle of the Bands (Review)

28/04/2008

Any rhythm game that compiles the likes of Electric Six, Tenacious D, and Tag Team – yes, of "Whoomp! (There It Is)" fame – deserves some serious props, and we gladly send them in the direction of Battle of the Bands. Offering five distinct renditions (rock, country, Latin, hip-hop, and marching band) of each full song further sweetens the pot, but when the most interesting aspect of your game (by a wide margin) is the ...

The Beatles: Rock Band (Review)

24/09/2009

Finally, a game based on the most popular band of all time! And not only the most popular but also the most critically revered, the most historically significant, and so on… It’s a 3D platformer, right? And, after all the hype, it must be so much more than a simple tie-in like the Aerosmith and Metallica versions of Guitar Hero, right? Ahh, about that hype… ...

Bee Movie Game (Review)

5/11/2007

Nov 5, 2007 For all of the hubbub over shovelware and uninspired Wii ports of last-gen games, it's somewhat refreshing to see a Wii-specific version of a multiplatform release that significantly pales in comparison to the other iterations. Wait, did we say refreshing? We meant ...

Ben 10: Protector of Earth (Review)

30/10/2007

Oct 30, 2007 Following in the cel-shaded footsteps of Dragon Ball Z and Naruto comes another cartoon-turned-game, Ben 10. And like those, this is an all out beat 'em-up featuring cartoon children. Playing as Ben Tennyson, you own an alien device called an Omnitrix - a watch-like object that when activated can transform Ben into all manner of interesting beings, each with their own unique abilities. Among his repertoire of alter-egos is a four-armed beast that's strong as a box of bears. ...

Big Beach Sports (Review)

24/06/2008

Last month we had Deca Sports (Sports Island in the UK), this month it’s Big Beach Sports. Curious. It’s almost as if third-party publishers are trying to cash in on some hugely popular sports game collection that Nintendo bundles with the Wii. This time around the collection features six sports - cricket, soccer, bocce, volleyball, frisbee golf and football – and they’re all played on the beach, would you believe. ...

Big Brain Academy (Review)

27/06/2007

On the surface, Wii Degree looks like a total cash-in for brain training and multiplayer minigames. It's an understandable blend though, as they're two of Nintendo's most profitable concepts these days - why not mix them into one title and sell a frillion copies of it? Even though the premise is an obvious grab for lots more casual-player cash, the game remains a fun, frantic and family-friendly piece of software. Challenges come in five flavors, each with three minigames apiece to test your ...

The Bigs 2 (Review)

16/07/2009

Your typical baseball game doesn’t come packed with fireballs, explosions, power-ups, and character-building, but chances are you already knew The Bigs 2 isn’t your average hardballer. In fact, it celebrates not being a staid old sim; yes, it sports MLB licensed-players, stadiums, and teams, but in reality it’s got more in common with a good ol’ action RPG than anything else. ...

Billy the Wizard: Rocket Broomstick Racing (Review)

27/11/2007

Nov 27, 2007 The umpteenth Data Design attempt at "throw and see if it sticks" is the most grueling. From rehashes of platforming monstrosities we're thrust into JK Rowling-troubling broomstick racing. Actually, 'racing' is a tad generous, implying some sense of control and pacing. This is more like a careening simulator, plonking a hideous piece of knock-off Harry Potter character art on a stick and asking you to steer by twisting the nunchuk. Watching your glitchy avatar rotate in thin air ...

Bionicle Heroes (Review)

22/06/2007

Developer Traveller's Tales has had an almost unreasonable amount of success translating LEGO blocks into successful game franchises. Despite what some would say, the much beloved blocks even gave the ailing Star Wars franchise a much needed shot in the arm. So it's a sad thing indeed that they've failed to provide the same treatment for LEGO's original property Bionicles, on a system desperate for solid ...

Bit.Trip Beat - Wii Software (Review)

9/07/2009

“My eyes! My poor eyes!” This is what you’ll be crying after ten minutes of playing this superb reinvention of Pong. It’s unashamedly retro in all departments, from concept to sound and graphics, but the sheer speed of play and required concentration once you get a few levels in, coupled with the explosions of primary colours, issues you a one-way ticket to Migraine City. ...

Bit.Trip Core (Review)

17/09/2009

Remember Bit.Trip Beat melting our eyes a while back? Gaijin Games’ retro homage continues in Core, where the up/down Pong-alike evolves another axis. You’re the core, a stationary gun turret amid waves of pixel blips. As blips pass above, below or to the sides, you hold the respective D-pad direction and snag them with a 2-button laser jolt. ...

Blast Works: Build, Fuse and Destroy (Review)

20/06/2008

We'll admit we were skeptical of Blast Works: Build, Fuse and Destroy the first time we saw it - but probably not for the reasons you'd think. The problem wasn't that Blast Works is a side-scrolling, 2D shooter - we like the old school stuff. And it wasn't that the graphics are so primitive and blocky that it looks like everything is made of LEGO bricks. No, the big problem we had was that it's basically a port of a PC indie ...

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII (Review)

26/03/2007

War is hell, but Blazing Angels war is closer to annoying. You battle through war-torn versions of all your favorite postcards - Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower and Pearl Harbor - offing Nazis and pals in a mix of aerial dogfights and some of the worst special objectives ever conceived for a ...

Bleach: Shattered Blade (Review)

15/10/2007

Oct 15, 2007 While it's easy to dismiss games based on popular animated series as lip service to fans, it would be a mistake to overlook Bleach: Shattered Blade. While it definitely appeals to fans of the show, there are many unique and entertaining aspects to this fighting game that make it worth a look for anyone that's into fighters or anyone that's looking for some good old fashioned mindless violence that's easy for any gamer to pick ...