Nintendo Wii Reviews

James Bond 007 Quantum of Solace

Can you be the next James Bond? Coldly efficient dangerous the new Bond is the ultimate weapon in today’s ruthless world of international espionage. Blending first person shooting and third person action, Quantum of Solace puts you in control of Bond’s greatest weapon his mind. You must think like Bond and intelligently use the map and situation to your advantage. Confront enemies in a variety of ways: take them head on, fire from behind cover or sneak up silently and eliminate them with a variety of special takedown moves. Based on Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace the Game puts you in the dangerous world of international espionage and intrigue.

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars Don’t bother
As a long-time EA bond game fan, I’m disappointed in this game for the Wii. There isn’t much interaction with non-human objects and it gets boring just shooting people.

3 Stars Fun, yet flawed
About two weeks ago, I watched Quantum of Solace for the first time. I loved the movie and thought it was a worthy follow-up to Casino Royale. I hadn’t played a new Bond game since Everything or Nothing, but this movie really got me in the mood. The next day, I headed down to the store and picked up a fresh copy for the Wii and was anxious to settle in for some great 007 action.

So, I get home, boot up the game, and with Wii Zapper at the ready, I make my way through the first level of the single player game (on the 3rd easiest of four difficulty settings). My first thought: What’s up with the blurry textures on everything, not to mention the lack of polygons on the objects? Next thought: why do my bullets not leave holes in the walls or break glasses, vases, etc. that are lying around? Once I get past those annoyances, I start tweaking the controls, as the default setting is just not fast enough for my tastes. Unfortunately, this is no Metroid Prime 3, and I found myself adjusting bounding boxes and such through most of the game in my efforts to adjust the controls to my liking. They’re really not bad, but after the perfection of Metroid’s advanced setting with no extra setup, I would’ve appreciated a similar experience here. Regardless, the controls are fairly solid, just not perfect.

Anyway, I continued through that first level becoming befuddled by the paradoxical graphics; there are some structures in this game that look absolutely stunning and actually do have some destructible parts, but then you get inside them and see some awful looking accessories that fill the buildings. And, don’t get me started on the fire effects, which kind of remind me of N64 or PS1 fire, not Wii or Gamecube. Finally, at the end of the level I encounter a glitch that prevents me from moving, thereby causing my character to die and making me restart from that point. I’ve tested this glitch on subsequent play-throughs of that level, and it’s always the same. It always has the glitch on the first try, and then everything’s fine after that. The good news is that I haven’t seen any similar glitches in the entire game. Still, as you might imagine I’m somewhat disappointed after finishing this stage of the game.

Don’t be disheartened, as I found that it just took me longer to really get into Quantum of Solace than with other games I’ve played. The overall experience is astonishingly satisfying, considering those early issues I had. There’s a sophisticated life system, where you can hide and recovery energy, plus the cover system is great. It’s similar to the one in Everything or Nothing, for those of you who’ve had the chance to play that game. There are also nice 3rd person action sequences that are transitioned to pretty well from the 1st person parts. The game even employs optional stealth elements, which are fun to attempt. This also a pretty challenging game, and I intend to try the higher difficulties at some point.

I’ve spent a little time in the online mode, and it’s about what you would probably expect from a Nintendo WiFi game. It’s got rankings, a couple different modes (team-based and free for all), and it can be pretty addictive. Just don’t expect a lot of extra features. I should note that there is a mission-based “rush” mode that seems pretty unique. The players are all competing to complete objectives quickest, and it can be pretty intense.

Honestly, the biggest problem with Quantum of Solace is that it lacks polish. The Wii can handle better graphics, and there is some disappointing slowdown during some of the large explosions, which I think could have probably been fixed. This seems to be a case of a Publisher/Developer hurrying to get a game out in time for the movie, rather than perfecting the game at the risk of fans of the movie losing interest. People need to take a cue from what Rare did with Goldeneye. That game wasn’t released at the time of the movie, and it was one of the N64’s best games and a hit. Then again, I think EA had it right when they abandoned the Bond movie-based games, and started developing entirely original games with their own storylines. Unfortunately, I suppose that would be harder to do with this reestablished Bond franchise.

If you’re looking for the next great 1st person shooter of this generation, I’d wait for The Conduit. I personally envision that game as this generation’s Goldeneye. Otherwise, if you just want a new Bond game and are willing to overlook the flaws that come from a game being rushed to market, there is fun to be had here. Just keep your expectations in check.

5 Stars Great FPS For The Wii
This was a great first person shooter for the Wii. Until The Conduit comes out I think that this game is the best FPS on the Wii if you are looking for a great game to start out your Wii game collection. However, this is more of a hardcore gamers game. If you are a novice player you may find this game a little confusing. If you are more of a hardcore gamer then this game will work great for you. Definitely a buy!

5 Stars GREAT ONLINE MODE!
Quantum of Solace is probably one of the best first person shooters for the wii. The two things that make this game great is the online mode and the mode in which you play against your friends.

Online Mode

Online is the best part of the game, you play up to 4 people in rush(complete objectives) or conflict (amount of kills) You can also play in teams or just a free for all. 4 is the perfect number because it is a good mix for the type of gameplay.

4 player mode

You can play 3 of your friends in the same room! It is the same as online mode except the splitscreens (obviously) Also another pro is the stages, they are well developed and how you maneuver is the key.

Even though the story mode is a bit lacking the online mode makes the game and it is one of the best games on the wii.

3 Stars it’s not much fun
The game is really not that much fun, but the online play is much better, it’s really fun.

Buy/More Info

Popularity: 3% [?]

Metroid Prime Trilogy

. All three games in the trilogy have been crafted into one unbelievable package, with a newly implemented exclusive title menu with direct access to any of the three titles. Not only that, but players can also earn awards by collecting tokens through their progress across the trilogy, making for an ideal award system. Both Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes games have been updated with the refined control system of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Moving is done with the Control Stick and the Nunchuk™ controller, while the Wii Remote™ controller controls the Arm Cannon’s crosshairs, allowing the player to smoothly and more accurately aim by pointing at the screen. The camera will move where the player points, making for more intuitive control, and allowing players to look around and attack while moving. Three different sensitivity settings allow everyone from beginners to FPS veterans to find a response speed to their liking. In addition to the new control, the Nintendo GameCube™ games have new features and improvements such as 16×9 wide-screen presentation, and improved HUD system to accommodate the new pointer control, some graphic improvements, and newly added new difficulty levels.

Buy/More Info

Popularity: 3% [?]

Metroid Prime 3 Corruption

The Galactic Federation’s Base Sector Zero is under attack by Space Pirates. As Samus you must boot up the generator to restore the defense systems. But at the end of her path, someone awaits you. If you think you knew what it felt like to be the bounty hunter behind the visor, think again. Take aim at evil with Nintendo’s revolutionary controller. You control Samus by moving with the Nunchuk controller and aiming with the pointer, allowing for a level of immersion unlike anything you have ever experienced before. Through the eyes of Samus, you experience a quantum leap in first-person control as you wield the Wii Remote. Samus will employ well-known power-ups like the Grapple Beam and Morph Ball on top of new surprises to help her survive her coming trials.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Amazing Game
i have not played the first 2 prime games but even if you have not played the first two this game is still amazing. the wii controls are the best part of the game using the wii and nunchuck make you fell like your really in the game. one thing about the game that people may not like is that some parts of the game are difficult and you have to find some things that can be hard to find using a walkthrough makes the game easier and more fun. like super smash bros brawl and super mario galaxy metroid prime 3 is one of the best wii games ever.

4 Stars All about the gameplay
MP3 is all about the gameplay. It makes really great use of the Wii’s unique capabilities. In fact, this could well be the best Wii title in terms of pure overall gameplay. The only thing I missed was the capability to swing around a cylindrical object (ie a sword or something like that), which to me is one of the funnest things you can do with your Wiimote (and the reason that I would rate the final boss battle in Zelda Twilight Princess to be one of my top 5 gaming experiences of all time).

But alas, I digress… playing MP3 was a great experience, and Im usually not that into first person shooters. The combination of unique Wiimote interactions, action sequences, and some very well thought-out tools and puzzles make this a truly top-shelf title, and one that any Wii owner should undertake at some point.

The only caveat is that it really is all about the gameplay, as in the story is secondary at best, and a pretty lame excuse to frame everything together at worst. I’ve never played any of the other Metroids, so I didn’t know any of the background coming in, and after completing this I still don’t know much. In fact, in hindsight I still don’t even truly get what “Phazon” is supposed to be, despite the fact that it’s apparently pretty central to the story here. It would have been nice if they could have at least provided a little bit of expository info about the universe you’re working in.

In the end, though, the excellent gameplay more than makes up for the lack of story in this case, to the point where you’ll almost certainly end up getting sucked in and immersed into it all. So yeah, it’s all about the gameplay. Keep that in mind, and you’ll definitely enjoy yourself.

4 Stars Check it Out!
Very entertaining game! I struggle with the camera angles at times, though. Although it has come a long way since the original Metroid game, the exploration needed in this game certainly reminds me of it. Worth purchasing!

2 Stars Repetitive gameplay
In the interest of disclosure, I bought this game for a friend; I did play it a bit, but mostly watched. We’d both recently been playing more on the PS3, and switching back to Metroid Prime 3 was disappointing. The controls were difficult to adjust to, the gameplay seemed fairly repetitive, and the story wasn’t engaging. We wound up selling it to someone else after about a week.

5 Stars Metroid Prime 3: Corruption…Buy this game NOW!
Genre: First person adventure/shooter

Number of Players: 1

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Brief overview: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is a first person adventure/shooter. The game has three difficulty settings: Normal, Veteran, and Hyper Mode. The difficulty settings Normal and Veteran are available at the start of a new game, but Hyper Mode has to be unlocked. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is the third entry into the Metroid Prime series and the first Metroid Prime game to be on the Wii.

Controls: 9 out of 10 The controls in the game are really good, for the most part. You move forward and backward using the joystick on the Nunchuck and you turn left/right and look up/down by pointing the Wii Remote in those directions. You can increase or decrease how fast you turn under the options menu. I highly suggest setting the look sensitivity to “Advanced” as it allows you to turn and look the fastest. Shooting and jumping is set by default to the A and B buttons. You press the C button to change into the morph ball and Z is used for targeting and grappling enemies or for using the grapple to swing in certain locations.

My one little control issue I had with the game was jumping when as the morph ball. The game has it set up where you do a quick flick of the Wii Remote UP causing you to jump when in the morph ball phase. This works most of the time, but sometimes I would flick the Wii Remote and it wouldn’t seem to register in the game. It’s not a huge issue, but may be a little aggravating to some people.

The – button is used to bring up your visors screen, the + button is used to go into Hyper Mode. If you press the 1 button, it will open up your map screen and allow you to change control settings and see your inventory and current objectives.

Game Play: 10 out of 10 I classified this as a first person adventure/shooter in the brief overview. In the game, you are trying to stop the spread of the enemy. There are four main planets in the game where most of the game play will happen. You will travel to the different planets to stop the spread of the enemy. You will find out you sometimes can’t accomplish goals without a proper suit/weapon upgrade, and that upgrade may be on a planet you visited earlier in the game. This is where I consider Metroid Prime 3 to be more of the adventure/exploration type game than a first person shooter type. It forces you to explore the different sections of each planet and get suit/weapon upgrades to complete parts of the game. The game was well paced in the fact of keeping the adventure/shooting going. Many times you will work your way through an area on the map, get a suit/weapon expansion, and then almost immediately find yourself in a situation to use the new expansion in battle.

The enemies in Corruption are varied. Some enemies walk/jump around, other enemies are clinging to walls/ceilings, other enemies fly around. The variety of enemies really allows the player to see the capabilities of the Wii Remote in a “first person shooter” setting.

Each planet has at least one “Main Boss” to defeat. The strategies to defeat the bosses are almost identical in my opinion, the strategy being mainly: “move and shoot, move and shoot, move and shoot”. While I would have liked to have seen some different ways to defeating the bosses, the boss battles are great in the fact of keeping you on the offense and defense the entire time and making sure you are concentrating on what you are doing. No lazy gaming here!

Graphics: 10 out of 10 I’ve played many Wii games and I thought the graphics in Metroid Prime 3 were really great and the art style was a great choice. I hope that other developers see what Retro did and take notes. I would like to see more FPS type games on the Wii with Metroid’s type graphics. The Wii may be only slightly upgraded from the GC, but that shouldn’t give developers a reason to not push the hardware. I thought the animations of death scenes of different bosses were done really well.

Level Design: 9 out of 10 I thought that the levels were pretty well thought out, especially Elysia and Bryyo. Elysia is a sky town (think Cloud City from Star Wars). I thought one of Bryyo’s puzzles was extremely difficult to figure out when trying to get 100% of the items, but it made me think(and appreciate how much effort Retro put into making the game with quality play time).

Again, a minor complaint with level design is the boss battles. Almost all of the boss battles are set up and designed the same way:

Circular/Square type arena. The boss is usually in the center of the room, attacking outwards. Samus(you) are usually around the outside of the arena. As I said earlier, the boss battles are “move and shoot, move and shoot, move and shoot”, usually with Samus(you) running and jumping around the edge of the arena while concentrating weapon fire at the boss in the middle.

I would have liked to see some arenas with different multiple level platforms being used during the fights or even environmental objects (i.e. stone pillars, fuel gel pools, etc.) used as strategic ways in the battles. The boss battles definitely keep you moving and keep your finger hitting the weapon fire button. If you try the game on Hyper Mode, be prepared for some long boss battles as it takes a lot more to damage them.

Sound:10 out of 10 The sound in the game was a varied assortment. I really enjoyed how the music changed according to what parts of the planets you were on and I really thought that the music did a great job with setting the correct moods for the game. The voice acting was really good and the sound effects of your ship, weapons, and enemies were all done properly, adding to the game, not taking anything away or being annoying in anyway.

Replay Value:10 out of 10 Again, this was my first Metroid Prime game to play. That being said, my first time playing it on Normal I logged right over 25 hours of game play on the game clock. I thought that I would play through the game on Normal and then put it away, but the game really did draw me in and I enjoyed the game so much and had so much fun, that as soon as I beat the game on Normal, I started another game on Veteran and logged right over 16 hours of game play. Then I decided after Veteran to go ahead and just TRY the game on Hyper Mode, because I had heard how hard it was and wanted to see if what I heard was true. After seeing how much harder the enemies were on just the first level in Hyper Mode, I knew I had to try and beat the game on Hyper Mode and I did in just over 14 hours. My total game play time for all three difficulties so far has been 55 hours.

Adding to the replay value of the game is the fact that they included two bonus endings. If you beat the game with less than 75% of the pickups, you will get just the normal ending. If you beat the game with more than 75% of the pickups, you will get the normal ending plus one bonus ending. If you beat the game with 100% of the pickups, you get the normal plus two bonus endings (the previous ending for collecting 75% of the pickups and a new one).

The game also includes different unlockable items you obtain by spending “tokens” you collect while playing the game. You get tokens a variety of ways: scanning items with your visor, beating bosses, getting different number of kills(100, 200, etc.), killing enemies in certain ways, etc. One thing that Retro did was to include something called “Friend Vouchers”. The difference with the Friend Vouchers and regular tokens, is that you can’t spend the Friend Vouchers. The only way to unlock everything(from what I know) is to have another person that has played Corruption send you their very own Friend Vouchers. When you receive their Friend Vouchers, they are then converted to Friend Tokens and can be spent on some unlockable items.

Issues or Problems: I have already listed several small complaints in the review. Here is a summary of them and one or two added:

1) Almost identical strategies to defeat bosses and almost identical boss arenas.

2) Jumping while in the morph ball didn’t always seem to register.

3) When trying to grapple onto either enemies or items, sometimes it wouldn’t seem to register my motions in time (sometimes allowing a boss to get back up, which was really aggravating).

4) Load times. While you won’t see the screen actually say, “Loading”, the game disguises it different ways. You may walk up to a door, shoot it to open it, and have to wait 10-20 seconds for the door to actually open. During my first time playing the game, it wasn’t a big issue. After I knew where items were and what I was supposed to be doing, it was sometimes aggravating to have to wait for a door to open. Also, traveling between planets consists of using your ship to fly to the planets. When flying between planets, the game uses in-game cut scenes of the ship flying to disguise the load times between planets. Again, this is something that I don’t see as a HUGE issue, but something that may aggravate you a little.

Money’s worth: 10 out of 10 Is it worth your money? Being that I’ve gotten 50+ hours of game play out of the game and I haven’t even unlocked everything yet, the game is definitely worth $49.99. Many people may be skeptical to play it, because they have never played a Metroid PRIME game…DON’T BE! This was my first Metroid Prime game of the series to play. This game is staying in my collection and I HIGHLY recommend it! Buy it; rent it; whatever you do, just make sure you play this game!

The overall score of the game is the average of scores from the:

Controls: 9 out of 10

Game Play: 10 out of 10

Graphics: 10 out of 10

Level Design: 9 out of 10

Sound: 10 out of 10

Replay Value: 10 out of 10

Money’s Worth: 10 out of 10

Overall Score: 9.7

Buy/More Info

Popularity: 4% [?]

WalMart.com now has a nice selection of Nintendo Wii Games marked down to just $40 each, or two for $70. Available titles include Wii Music, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wario Land Shake It, Mario Party 8, Metroid Prime 3, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and more. Shipping starts at $2.97 with sales tax charged in most states.

Metroid Prime 3 Corruption

The Galactic Federation’s Base Sector Zero is under attack by Space Pirates. As Samus you must boot up the generator to restore the defense systems. But at the end of her path, someone awaits you. If you think you knew what it felt like to be the bounty hunter behind the visor, think again. Take aim at evil with Nintendo’s revolutionary controller. You control Samus by moving with the Nunchuk controller and aiming with the pointer, allowing for a level of immersion unlike anything you have ever experienced before. Through the eyes of Samus, you experience a quantum leap in first-person control as you wield the Wii Remote. Samus will employ well-known power-ups like the Grapple Beam and Morph Ball on top of new surprises to help her survive her coming trials.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars The best the wii has to offer.
This game is amazing! I am a huge metroid fan and this game is the best of the three prime games (not including prime hunters). It beats the last games in controlls, gameplay, graphics, and fun. Now to the people who have never played metroid before this is not a shoot all the bad guys game or series. It is centered around solving puzzles and exploration but it does have alot more action and storyline than the other three.I will break it down for you.

Graphics: A+ some of the best on the system. better than all the gamecube graphics and PS2 graphics even some xbox and 360 games(not all but some).

Fun:A+ For a metroid fan or a non metroid fan this game is loads of fun.

Controlls:A+ It was a little awkward at first but once you get used to them its a breeze to controll samus.

Speedrunning:F- The metroid series made speedrunning (trying to win a game in a certain amount of time) popular. The metroid prime series is a bust when it comes to speedrunning. I mean you can do it but you don’t get a better ending so why try.

Storyline:A+ Alot more story than the last two installments by far. And all in great looking cutscenes.

Action:A+.Some people might want more but i think it is just enough.

Puzzles:A+. I have nearly every metroid game and have played them many times over and the puzzles in this game stump me. But if you stand back and think about them for a minute anyone can figure them out.

Bosses:A+. Nothing to rival Flaghhra in MP1 but still very good.

Boss and enemy AI:A. The AI ranges from very good to running on a predictable but hard to beat cycle

The one problem i have is the fact the game series is getting to popular. Usually when a series gets popular they stop making good sequels and start making remakes with a different name. But if nintendo can keep metroid games coming like this, fresh and new, it might one day rival mario in sales.

All in all a wonderful game.

4 Stars A Great Update to a Well-Loved Series
My review in a nutshell: I love this game, and I recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good, deep action-adventure game, or those who are ready to take the jump into more serious Wii games.

In a slightly larger shell:

MP3 is the first foray for Samus Aran into the world of Wii controls, and I have to say, it is a very successful one. The new controls are more than just a button reassignment, something that the latest Legend of Zelda had a hard time escaping. Unlike that title, though, MP3 was designed from the ground up as a Wii game. There are rumors that Nintendo added the Nunchuck peripheral to the Wii just because the developers of this game asked for it. I believe it. Motion-sensitive and IR tracking tasks are sprinkled throughout the game, and rather than feeling tacked on, the controls feel unique and pull you in. Instead of pressing A to remove that power cell, you pull the sucker out and twist it free. The first time you see your movements doing that, or pulling a shield off of a bad guy, you know you’re experiencing something special. IR tracking for the main look movement (moving your helmet) is incredibly accurate and welcome, too. Red Steel is an example of how this can go bad. MP3 is an example of how it can go incredibly good. Do yourself a favor and set the look sensitivity to Advanced, though. It makes all the difference.

On to the story. MP3 is the first Samus game I’ve felt the need to finish. I played MP1 until about half-way, and got lost among the dozens of arm cannon powers and specially locked rooms. I’m sure if I tried again, I could get through it, but I didn’t feel that need to play on. In this game, that need is strong. I loved the story, even if it isn’t quite up to par with recent hits like Mass Effect and Bioshock. The whole game is mapped out more clearly, without sacrificing the puzzles that made the first game good. I’m also a fan of the new upgrade scheme. Instead of having a bunch of different attacks, every new upgrade supersedes the last one. It makes playing the game much less stressful. Also, I just want to add that voice-overs (for everybody but Samus) are very well done, and add so much to the game. This game feels alive, instead of the lonely, sterile feeling I got out of MP1. Overall, it is a much more mature, large attempt at storytelling, and it is Retro Studios best effort yet.

Just a quick word about the graphics: They are awesome! I’m talking XBOX at its best, here. I put it on the level of Halo 2. Bloom lighting, beautiful texture work, and expansive worlds work to make the whole experience feel bigger and better. Sure, there are annoying side effects to this beauty: doors that you shoot open may take 10 or more seconds to open in extreme cases, as the huge rooms behind them load. I think it is totally worth it, though, and I am not willing to go back to MP1 graphics just for quick loading.

All in all, this is easily in the top five Wii games to date. A solid story and presentation, along with beautiful, imaginative graphics and a mindblowing control scheme, make this a no-brainer for fans of the series, and a serious contender for any Wii gamer that bought there system for more than Wii Sports. If you are expecting a first-person shooter, you might be mildly disappointed, as this game is equal parts of action, puzzle, and exploration. I think it’s a winning formula, though, and my opinion is that all competent gamers should try it out.

5 Stars GREAT GAME!
This is my 2nd Metroid, (1st one was prime hunters for ds) and I loved it. It was long lasting (more than 20 hours, without loosing much time) and the gameplay is just INCREDIBLE! Nothing more to say, one of my favorites for wii!

5 Stars An elite title for the Wii.
I am a casual gamer who usually spends most of his time tied up in sports games and rhythm games, like DDR and Rock Band. I almost never extend my gaming exploits into titles with story arches or complicated controls. That being said, the first two Metroid Primes for Gamecube were two games that I played regularly, with simple controls, good AI, and a difficulty that was easy enough to keep playing but also tough enough to make the game rewarding.

The third Metroid Prime, this time for the Wii, does not disappoint. It’s intuitive controls using the Wii-mote and nunchuck make gameplay enjoyable, not frustrating. It has a great story which is set up very nicely, allowing you to save in places where you can pick it back up a few days later and not forget where you were in the game, one of the criticisms I have of many of the games that have come out recently. Metroid is a game you’ll want to continue to play, but one that you don’t have to play every day to remember where you were and what you were doing. It is in the upper echelon of Wii titles and I give it my highest recommendation.

1 Star Metroid Prime 3 Corruption Review: Wii
The game totally sucks. It is way too difficult in an absurd sense. I mean the puzzles are really mindless sometimes. Example: There will be a small piece of rock lying in some corner that you need to blast to find your way out.

Now how on earth can you figure that out apart from hit and trial and missing it out several times.

I gave up the game then found out this link: http://www.nextgenwalkthroughs.com/systems/wii/metroid3/index.php

which has a complete walk through of the game, so continued playing but then gave up again as it was not as much fun.

I have played RE4 for several hours and it was just awesome, the puzzles lent special life to the game. These puzzles are just mindless.

Buy/More Info

Popularity: 3% [?]

Although the Nintendo Wii is lacking in some strong titles like Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, there are several solid titles that will keep fans busy throughout the season. Here are the top five Nintendo Wii games in the fall.

The exceptional control system that was used in Metroid Prime 3 has prompted the latest news from Nintendo.