Too Cool for Internet Explorer

Born for Wii: Metal Arms

December 9th, 2008 by Wesley Fenlon

Filed under:

In an industry perpetuated by sequels, we see plenty of gamers rabidly demanding new installments in their favorite series, whether it be the predictable Madden: Year Edition, Medal of Honor: Kill Some More Nazis, or Metal Gear Solid: Even Longer Cutscenes. Of course, there’s also a vocal community crying out against the terrible process of franchise-milking, demanding fresh characters and fresher concepts. Every year there are a few surprisingly original titles from the big studios. This year EA has been surpringly generous with new IPs, publishing heavy-hitters like Mirror’s Edge and Dead Space. In the past, we’ve gotten gems like Beyond Good & Evil and Zack & Wiki. Unfortunately, as we all know, new franchises mean new risks, and they don’t always sell as well as they deserve.

Last generation, few games exemplified this tragic situation more than Metal Arms: Glitch in the System. Created by Swingin’ Ape Studios, this wonderfully charming and surprisingly deep third-person shooter would be the developer’s only project — though they started work on the infamous Starcraft Ghost, they were eventually absorbed by Blizzard, and the game eventually disappeared. For whatever reason — poor advertising, unappealing box art, or bad timing — Metal Arms was overlooked by many a gamer. Those who gave it a chance discovered a lengthy quest chock full of hilarious characters, a genuinely original world, and a veritable ton of weapons, and that’s why Glitch in the System is this week’s game that’s Born for Wii.

NEXT >>

Gallery: Born for Wii: Metal Arms

Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming’s sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week’s entry in the series, Wario’s Woods, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.

Born for Wii: Metal Arms originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in , joystiqfeatures, sierra, shooter, vivendi, port, born-for-wii, metal-arms, metal-arms-glitch-in-the-system, swingin-ape, third-person-shooter | No Comments »

Wii Fanboy Review: The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night

October 29th, 2007 by David Hinkle

Filed under:


I'm going to be honest with you: this is the first Spyro game I've actually completed. I remember playing a friend's copy of the original Spyro back on the original Playstation in bits and pieces, here and there, but never sitting down to actually play through the entire title. Platformers were never my favorite genre, so at a time where my age limited my game selection (developers didn't want to send me copies for review when I was a teenager, sadly), I often overlooked titles that were considered good or great by the mainstream.

And, based on what I've read and heard of past Spyro games, I can confidently say that The Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night fails to fill the shoes left by its predecessors.

From a control standpoint, the game really doesn't present effective use of the Wii's control scheme. The little motion-based controls in the game are often handled better using the buttons on the Wiimote and nunchuk themselves, such as in combat and stringing attacks together. You can double jump, glide, and use different elemental abilities. Everything here is pretty much run-of-the-mill and, because of that, becomes fairly mundane and tired early on in the game. Combined with the overall ease of the title, this makes for one jaunt that is without any kind of challenge.

Developed by Krome Studios, The Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night has a real problem letting go of the player's hand. Throughout the entire title, the game seems to have this kind of attitude for the player that an over-protective mother might have for her child. It coddles you, making sure you have plenty of health and magic by situating small crystal structures that may be destroyed for several meter's worth of filling in just about every room or area you traverse in the game. And, there are also crystals that allow you to beef up Spyro's elemental attacks and powers, generously spread out as the others. Combine this with the abundance of crystals defeated enemies drop and you'll find an experience that is easily best by most.

Then, there are the times when this coddling mother seems to be out on a smoke break, as you're forced to navigate these odd platforming segments where your failure to get from point A to point B results in death after death after death. It's this stark contrast between the usual segments of gameplay that see you entering a room or area, clearing it of enemies and moving on to rinse and repeat that make it incredibly frustrating to play at points.


But, that's not to say that The Eternal Night doesn't have some value within. The combo of Frodo and Fry Elijah Wood and Billy West are a welcome addition to the otherwise boring voice work of "sounds like Ian McKellen" guy and "generic teenage girl". Oh, Gary Oldman also lends his voice talent, but sadly you'll spend more time playing the game than listening to its expensive cast of voices.

Overall, it's not enough to save the title from falling to the bottom of the sea. A sea called Mediocrity, as The Eternal Night fails to validate itself beyond the slew of other cookie-cutter action platformers out there. While they may not all be on the Wii, the lack of compelling titles surely doesn't make this one any better. Unless you're a Spyro junkie, we feel you'd be better off avoiding this game.

Final Score: 5.5/10
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in , wiimote, sierra, vivendi, spyro, spyro-eternal-night | No Comments »

Fanswag reminder: You only have hours left

October 25th, 2007 by David Hinkle

Filed under:


You like free stuff, right? Well, then maybe you would like to enter our giveaway we have running right now. Today is your last day to do so. And we're dying to give this stuff away, because our closet is too full of the corpses of fallen comrades, who gave their lives for a very good cause.

So, be sure to head on over to the contest post (we'll link it again for you) and get your entry in before 11:59pm EST tonight. Oh, and remember: one entry per person. We'd hate for you to be disqualified.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in , skins, crash, crash-of-the-titans, vivendi, fanswag | No Comments »

Wii Fanswag: Crash of the Titans and Wii skins

October 22nd, 2007 by David Hinkle

Filed under:


We don't get to do this as often as we'd like, but when we do, oh how much we love it. This week, we're giving away Crash of the Titans (valued at $50) for the Wii, along with two sets (each valued at $15) of Wii skins from Red Beard. The two different skins are the Fiery Red Beard and Warrior designs (you can check those out here). So, here's the prize breakdown:
  • Grand prize winner will receive our review copy of Crash of the Titans (this means it lacks shrinkwrap) and the Fiery Red Beard Wii skin
  • Runner-up will receive the Warrior Wii skin
So, how do you enter? Well, leave us a comment telling us what your favorite Crash Bandicoot game is and you're in. You can only enter once, so don't try and post more than one comment or else you'll be disqualified. Also, you've got to be 18 years of age and a resident of the United States (sorry, International readers!). The contest will be open from now until Thursday, October 25th at 11:59PM EST. Comments after then will be disqualified and we'll notify you all as to who the winners are come Friday.

Winners will be chosen at random. Please read the official rules before entering. Good luck and thanks for reading Wii Fanboy!
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in , skins, crashofthetitans, sierra, vivendi, fanswag, redbeard | No Comments »

Wii Fanboy Review: Crash of the Titans

October 15th, 2007 by David Hinkle

Filed under:

For Crash of the Titans, a lot is on the line. It is looked to by some as the title that will bring the franchise back to its roots to bask once again in the glory of the entries of old. And, in a lot of ways, Crash of the Titans does just that. But, as a title on the Wii, it can also be seen as a failure to capitalize on the best aspect the console has to offer: controls.

While it's quite comical when the cursor is changed during cutscenes to funny shapes such as a mustache, allowing you to make a few jokes at the game's characters' expense, none of the game's controls feel suited to the Wii. They don't feel as if they were set with the Wii in mind, lovingly crafted to take advantage of a console feature so rich that it's the very reason for the existence of said console. But, that doesn't mean the controls are flawed, it just means that you aren't getting anything particularly better or special in your choice to play this game on the Wii above its competitors.

%Gallery-3294%

The story of Crash of the Titans starts like many games. Good guys are hanging out, having a good time. Bad guy shows up and crashes the party, kidnapping the damsel (who is now in distress, natch). Evil dude hopes to use a substance to turn all of the island's inhabitants into mutants. Player takes over the role of hero. There isn't anything new here and considering it is a Crash Bandicoot game, we're not too phased by it.

Shortly after, you're thrust into the meat and potatoes of the game: platforming and kicking the crap out of your enemies. And, much like your daily shower, it very much becomes a rinse and repeat affair, with some fun sprinkled in for good measure in the form of jacking. Here is where the combat system, and really, the game itself, gets most of its depth.


Oh, why does everything have to be Grand Theft Auto nowadays? Jacking involves beating down select enemies until they're stunned, allowing you to piggy back on them (or, jack them of course), which then lets you employ their specific characteristics for your needs. This is where the most fun can be derived in Crash of the Titans and, at times, makes for a downright great experience.

Crash himself has received quite the overall. He can now utilize a variety of different fighting maneuvers, such as charged attacks and a variety of combos. He can also interact with his environment in new ways, allowing him to run on walls and use Aku Aku as a skateboard/surfboard. And, including the jacking aspect, this ensures that Crash is always active and tasking the player with the job of keeping him moving. It lends a nice pace to the game and promises that the player is never stuck, scratching their head and wondering what to do next.

The game's graphics are a collection of bright palettes and lush, tropical environments. If you've played one of the other 13 games in the Crash Bandicoot series of titles, you'll know what to expect here. There isn't anything groundbreaking in the graphical department, which ensures that you're never pausing from the action to gape at a wonderfully-crafted character or piece of environment. While they aren't bland or lacking in any sort of way, the game's graphics do carry a heavy overtone of satisfactory.

Overall, Crash of the Titans is very much a game you played before, just with better combat. In a lot of ways it's Crash Bandicoot, which is likely to cause many of you to thrust your fists into the air rather violently, quickly followed by inspired screams of "yes!" If it ain't broke, don't fix it, they say. And, we find that Crash of the Titans isn't broke, it's just a Wii port of a good game.

Final score: 7.5/10
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in , REVIEW, crashofthetitans, sierra, vivendi | No Comments »