Monday 19 February 2007

Excite Truck

If you like driving games and have a Wii then this has to be a 'Must Buy' for you!

If you thought tilting your Wii Controller left/right to turn the car in GT Pro Series or Monster 4x4 was innovative then you will be even more pleasantly surprised when you play this game!

This makes full use of the Wii Controller (minus the nun-chuck that is) as not only do you have to turn the controller left and and right, when you take off on a jump you have to rotate it forwards and backwards as well to ensure that you land correctly!
If you take a look at the image below (that I have found on the net), you will see what I mean.

Now if the innovative use of the controller wasn't enough, this game is not all about going across the finish line in 1st place. It's all about stars...

At the start of each race you are told the time limit, number of laps and the minimum number of stars required to move on to the next level.

You get stars for landing correctly after jumping in the air from the raised terrain, for going through 'rings' whilst in the air on certain jumps, for ramming in to your opponents at high speed, for performing 360, 720, 1080 or even 1800 degree turns in the air, for doing 'tree runs' and even for crashing spectacularly!!!

At the bottom-right of the screenshot you can see the temparature gauge. When you activate the turbo-boost (by pressing any direction on the digi-pad) the temparature gauge goes up. When it reaches maximum you must stop using it and let the engine cool down.

The fastest way to cool the engine down is either via jumping through the air or to drive through shallow water.

Overall this a fantastic game which makes full use of the Wii Controller! The graphics may not be outstanding but the game-play more than makes up for it!

One thing I would recommend you think about buying (if you dont already have one) is a Joytech Controller as shown in the image on the right.

I found that it helped me to hold the controller in a more comfortable manor and reduced the aching wrists!

One last thing is that there is now a proper use for the SD card that most of us seem to have brought (and then couldn't find a real use for them)! Any MP3s stored on an SD card in your Wii system will be used during the game - this is why the music rating below is 10/10 as its your own music so you must like it...

Wii Mans Game Rating

Fun Factor: 8/10 - If you like fun car games then you'll enjoy this!
Playability: 9/10 - The only feature that isn't used is the nun-chuck!
Gameplay: 9/10 - Great fun, great game.
Graphics: 8/10 - Reasonable graphics with good weather effects.
Sound/Music: 10/10 - If you have an SD card then it's music of your choosing!

Overall 44/50

*** A Wii Man Recommended Title ***

Joytech Controller Grip

The Joytech Controller Grip for the Wii basically turns your Wii controller into the traditional type of controller you find on other games consoles.

I have only found one use for this Controller Grip and that is for playing Excite Truck where after an hour or so's gaming my wrists began to ache a bit - but with this accessory the aching is no more!

A nice simple product that does what it says on the tin.

Some places seem to be charging up to £12.99 for this piece of plastic but if you shop around you can get it for £7.99 or less.

Personally I think it is a bit over-priced for what it is and should be no more than £4.99. But then hey, what do I know? I paid £7.99 for it - go figure!

:)

Friday 16 February 2007

Hypnogogic & Hypnopompic Hallucinations

You know that feeling when you are just dropping off to sleep, when you're not quite asleep but not quite awake? This is what is known as a hypnogogic state.

A similar feeling can occur when you are just waking up and this is known as a hypnopompic state.

During these states it is not uncommon for certain 'sensations' or 'experiences' to occur including the feeling of another presence next to your or even temporary paralysis!

Some may say that some of the reported 'experiences' are down to ghostly and paranormal goings on, others simply that it is a hypnogogic or hypnopompic hallucination, you decide...

Monday 5 February 2007

WarioWare: Smooth Moves

Oh My God! What a bizarre, strange and funny game!

The game is nothing more than a complete compilation of what seems like hundreds and hundreds of mini-games that are over in the blink of an eyelid!

It makes full use of the Wii Controller with you having to perform such tasks as turning key to open a door to holding the controller on your head whilst you squat on the ground and then stand straight back up again!!!

The images below show just some of the mini-games that you have to complete in (quite literally) a matter of seconds! Just before the mini game begins you are shown how to hold the remote and in the few seconds that the game lasts, not only do you have to complete the task but you have to actually work out what the task is and how to move the controller!!! Mad I tell you , mad!!!

The image on the left shows someone holding the remote in the 'mohican' stance squatting etc. the image above shows you using a saw with the remaining image showing how you can weight-lift!!!

This game is a great party game as everyone can take part! I'm not sure which is more fun, taking part playing the game or watching someone playing the game!!!

Wii Man's Reviews

Fun Factor: 9/10 - On your own 0/10 with a load of mates 9/10
Playability: 10/10 - Full use of the Wii controller
Gameplay: 9/10 - That's all there is with this game, not much skill involved!
Graphics: 5/10 - Graphics are not what this game is about!!!
Sound/Music: 7/10 - Fun sounding music for a fun game.

Overall 40/50