A Gaming Diary
Wii
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Nov 20th
Just finished this. Well, you know, not finished finished, just seen-the-credits finished. There’s still a whole set of galaxies up top I’ve not even been to yet.
Playing through this with my wife collecting stars, shooting enemies and helping me jump has been absolute, total joy.
So, so, so good.
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Nov 19th
Over the weekend I got 52 stars, reached the ToyTime galaxy and enjoyed every single second of the time I spent playing. Everything seems to have been tweaked and tested until it was perfect. All games should be like this, but very, very few are.
The graphics are great, the sound (both effects and music) are utterly exceptional. The controls take five minutes to get used to, but are then never a problem. The whole game is just so imaginative and polished it makes other games look, well, broken.
The difficulty level is perfect for me. I’ve seen the Game Over screen twice, I think, and I’ve lost a lot of lives, but nothing has frustrated me, nothing’s seemed impossible or based on luck. Even the bosses are great fun, being quite easy to kill once you’ve worked out how. A mole boss gave me a fair bit of trouble, but by the time I killed him I’d worked him out so managed to go back and get an extra star for killing him without being hit.
Of particular note is the co-op gameplay. It sounds rubbish but is, in fact, genius. And I think I really mean that. I can’t imagine who would have thought it up, but it works. My wife would probably have trouble with the main game, but this way she can play alongside me and enjoy the game. We work well as a team and the special high jump you can do by both pressing A at the same time has come in surprisingly useful at times.
I think that it’s fair to say that this is actually a better game than Mario 64. It’s taken a long, long time, but we’ve finally got it.
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Nov 17th
Incredible, glorious, joyful and, yes, triumphant.
So far.
I’d still be playing, but my hand hurts. Stupid Wiimote.
Sin & Punishment (Wii)
Oct 3rd
Bah. I spent ages last night deleting loads of games so I could fit this on to my Wii, only to find that my brain can’t handle the controls at all. Seems I can’t aim with the left sitck, for one thing – half the time my brain wants the controls inverted, the rest of the time it doesn’t, so vertical aiming is lottery for me. And moving using buttons with my right hand feels very odd. And firing with the left trigger is very uncomfortable indeed after a while.
I’ll try it again, but I’m not hopeful that I’ll be able to get anything out of this, which is very unfortunate. More of a Stretch Panic than a Gunstar Heroes for me right now.
If I used smilies I’d use a big old sad face here to show my disappointment.
MySims (Wii)
Sep 22nd
Well, today I sorted out a boutique and an ice cream parlour and got my town up to a three-star rating, which means I can unlock the desert area. I haven’t bothered yet, having far too much else to do first, but it’s nice to know it’s available.
MySims (Wii)
Sep 21st
Well, after the first couple of hours there’s never a shortage of things to do. There are always people to move in, tasks to perform for existing residents, things it would be nice to build for friends, places to go prospecting, etc. Time becomes something of an issue if you try to do everything, so I’ve been concentrating on moving people in and performing tasks for the business people of the town. When I next play I think I’m going to forget about new residents for a while and concentrate on improving my existing relationships.
Phew.
MySims (Wii)
Sep 20th
First impressions. It’s really rather good. There’s a fairly lengthy tutorial section and then you’re left to do what you want. The focus so far seems to be more on the building part of the game, rather than the relationships. This suits me fine. I’ve been very enjoying adding my own little touches to things I build and making buildings for my town, Crystal Lake. (It helps that my wife had been playing before me, so could give me a lot of helpful tips that it took her a while to find out when she played.)
So far, so good.
Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels (Wii)
Sep 14th
Not released in the UK before now (as a standalone game) because it’s too hard for us supposedly.
And, well, yes, it’s too hard for me. Not made it off 1-3 yet.
Tamagotchi Party On! (Wii)
Sep 14th
The Internet doesn’t have a kind word to say about this game, so I guess it’s up to me to lead the defence force.
Tamagotchi Party On! isn’t completely rubbish. There are annoyances, yes. Having to play with four players, two of which were controlled by the CPU when my wife and I played, is a pain. Sometimes the Wiimote doesn’t quite seem to do what you’re telling it to. And it’s all a bit random – though the fact that this is the electronic equivalent of Game of Life or Snakes and Ladders means I don’t think that’s really a problem.
What you’re left with is a deeply cynical view of the political process in incredibly cute clothing. (And odd. Don’t forget odd. You can lose popularity with the voters by pissing off a library.) Play mini games, take a chance on random event squares, meet other Tamagotchis, buy things to make your home more attractive (and thus make you more popular with the voters), etc.
I bought the game for my wife on eBay for a fraction of the high street price, not expecting to enjoy it at all, yet I suggested a second game when the first was over. And it is not the best game in the world, but it’s not a bad board game to waste time with if you can get it at a budget price and have a Tamagotchi fan in the house. Whether it beats Game of Life I don’t know, not having played that one since I was ten, but it beats the living daylights out of Snakes & Ladders.
Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition (Wii)
Jul 3rd
I had a great evening with this. Lots of villager-killing, with one big boss and one major set piece. That seige with Luis in the house is so, so good. I was a bit sad that I didn’t die, because I’d have quite liked to do it again.
