QUICKLINKS:
WiiWare Reviews A - G | WiiWare Reviews H - R | WiiWare Reviews S - Z
Our WiiWare ratings system
We've given every game a 'buy' rating of 'Yes', 'Maybe', or 'No'.
Yes means this is a very high quality game, and we have no problem recommending it to anyone as long as they like the genre.
Maybe means we think the game is good, but not necessarily for everyone. If you know the game or like the sound of the description, go for it
No means that we don't recommend the title at all.
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Games listed in alphabetical order
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Adventure Island: The Beginning
Price: 1000 points
Adventure Island: The Beginning is a remake of the original Adventure Island from Hudson Soft. Players assume the role of Caveman Higgins and go on an adventure to rescue his girlfriend Tina, who has been kidnapped by the evil King Quiller. The game provides some classic platformer gameplay but is a lot easier than the original due to an added health meter. Unfortunately, there are also a few issues in relation to jaggy animations and repetitive music. With this in mind, it’s a nice trip down memory lane but it might prove a little bitterer than you remember.
Worth buying? Maybe
Bit.Trip: Beat
Price: 600 points
The WiiWare service already has a handful of rhythm games, though none are quite like Bit.Trip: Beat. The game can be described as Pong meets music, as you have to use a paddle to repel incoming blocks of varying speeds and patterns based on the music. It’s such a simple concept, yet is surprisingly addictive and should keep you entertained for a while. Coupled with vibrant retro-style visuals and a reasonably cheap price tag of 600 points, it’s worth giving this one a go.
Worth buying? Yes
Bubble Bobble Plus!
Price: 800 points
Most of you would have heard or seen imagery of the iconic bubble blowing dragons Bub and Bob. They’re the heroes of the Bubble Bobble series, where they used their powers to trap enemies in bubbles and then pop them. The WiiWare update consists of 100 new and 100 classic levels, so there’s a considerable amount of content on offer. In addition you can purchase DLC packs for 200 points each which add 50 “very hard” levels to the game. If you feel like some old-school arcade action, there’s really no need to look further.
Worth buying? Yes
Crystal Defenders R1
Price: 800 points
Crystal Defenders has been released on a handful of other formats including the Xbox Live Arcade and iPhone, but presumably due to the smaller hard drive of the Wii, the WiiWare version has been split up into separate episodes. To be quite frank, while R1 is certainly a nice introduction to the Tower Defence genre, it doesn’t offer much content compared to other versions. Fair enough, Square Enix has always maintained it’s a smaller version, but when the price tag is nearly equal to that of the full XBLA version it’s not exactly value for money. It can only be recommended to those who have no other option, otherwise stock up on some Microsoft points.
Worth buying? Maybe
Crystal Defenders R2
Price: 800 points
The second episode in the Crystal Defenders series for WiiWare. Being a continuation rather than a fully fledged sequel, R2 is slightly more challenging than R1 and features a few exclusive units and levels to warrant a second look by returning veterans. Apart from that, it’s more or less the same game.
Worth buying? Maybe
Equilibrio
Price: 500 points
A very straightforward puzzler which sees players guide a ball through a maze by tilting the stage using the Wii remote or Wii Balance Board peripheral. Despite a very basic presentation, the game is very enjoyable and features a range of different single-player modes. There’s Conquest which lets you play through each level at your leisure, Challenge which adds rules and regulations such as time limits or a specific number of lives, and Random which throws random stages at you to complete. When coupled with a multiplayer mode for up to four players and a very reasonable price of 500 points, Equilibrio should appeal to any puzzle fan.
Worth buying? Yes
Family & Friends Party
Price: 1000 points
If there’s one thing the Wii isn’t lacking it’s mini-game compilations, so we have no idea why Gammick Entertainment chose to release this monstrosity. While it lets up to eight players join in for some multiplayer action, there is only a total of six mini-games to play. There’s just a lack of content on offer, and really, it’s way over priced compared to the other titles available on the system. Give it a miss and stick to Wii Sports and Rayman Raving Rabbids.
Worth buying? No
Penguins & Friends: Hey! That’s My Fish!
Price: 800 points
Who doesn’t love penguins? Seriously, they’re so cute when they dance to music and launch missiles in Gotham City… Wait, that’s Happy Feet and Batman Returns… Regardless, Penguins & Friends: Hey! That’s My Fish! is based on the board game That’s My Fish!, where players have to hop around a board collecting fish. There are a few strategic elements involved as well, namely the fact that spaces disappear after you land on them which can potentially isolate other players. While the solo campaign is a little lacklustre due to poor AI, if you intend to play with friends then the experience is slightly better. That said, it fails at simulating the fun-factor of the table-top version.
Worth buying? No
Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure!
Price: 800 points
Square Enix has certainly been on a role with updating classic franchises on WiiWare recently. Unfortunately, they haven’t quite captured the same quality with Rainbow Islands. While the game retains the same formula of the original, it feels like a step back. There are no longer different themed worlds resulting in a repetition, and instead of taking place on a static screen, boss battles now require you to continue climbing up the tower which makes things feel tedious and uninspiring. Do yourself a favour and stick to Square Enix’s other WiiWare offerings.
Worth buying? No
Swords & Soldiers
Price: 1000 points
Swords & Soldiers is the first real-time strategy game to appear on the WiiWare service and has quite a bit going for it. Firstly, the game features side-scrolling levels and vibrant cartoon-like graphics. It also has a nice soundtrack which changes depending on what’s happening on screen, such as becoming more upbeat when enemies attack. The gameplay is also very straightforward in that units move and operate completely on their own – all you have to do is build them, cast the occasional spell to tip the battle in your favour, and watch your faction lay waste to the enemy. While it doesn’t have as much depth as other titles available on PC, Swords & Soldiers should appease any fan of the genre.
Worth buying? Yes
Texas Hold'em Tournament
Price: 500 points
It’s amazing how popular poker has become in recent years. It seems like nearly every pub we frequent has a tournament during the week, and of course there have been quite a few videogame adaptations. Texas Hold'em Tournament doesn’t really do anything new or innovative. You play online against friends if you grow tired of the lacklustre AI, play as your favourite Mii characters and submit scores to online leaderboards. Unless you have a strong urge to play poker, there’s little reason you should pick this one up.
Worth buying? No
cheers joseph
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