Racing Games On The Wii Console
Racing games are not everybodys favorite but they can be great fun to play. There is not a huge selection on the wii console and after the Wii was launched a few developers jumped onto the bandwagon without really getting thebest out of the wii and it's motion sensing control system so some of the games were not the best.
However, if you are looking for some good racing games there are some choice picks of three racing games for Wii that are well worth your time and money. You might like some of the others available but these are widely considered to be the best the wii console currently has to offer.
Excite Truck.
Excite Truck was a Wii launch title and doesn't offer either local or online racing but it does give you a terrific sense of speed which few other racing games can match.
Like most other Wii racing titles this one is played with the Wii remote which is held in a horizontal position in front of the player and tilted from side to side to steer as if it were a steering wheel. Pressing the D-pad engages your boost, which can be activated at any time but will overheat and slow down your engine if overused. You'll find the visuals are breathtaking even if the gameplay itself is a little on the shallow side but overall, it’s a good game that well worth playing.
The next racing game we look at is Need For Speed Carbon which is a street-racing game and comes with all the features that implies. Car shop and customization options, street car races, and police car chases make this game and the ability to customize your car’s paint job, engine, etc. all makes for a very replayable game. The actual races themselves are everything we have come to expect from the Need For Speed series.
Finally we come to Mario Kart Wii which is currently the very best racing game for Wii. One of the things that sets Mario Cart above the rest is the way the game features a total of four different control schemes. The first one is using the wii remote like a steering wheel and the game comes with a “Wii Wheel”, where you can insert the remote inside for easier handling. The second option is the Wii “remote & nunchuk” scheme, where the game is controlled as you would normally play a game after inserting the nunchuk into the remote but there is another option and that is that the game is compatible with both Gamecube and Classic Controllers if you have those already.
Mario Kart Wii was designed with online multiplayer support as part of the package and features some of the best and most convenient options Nintendo has ever achieved.
There is another fun feature and that is a Mario Kart Wii game of motorcycle racing which gives a whole different feel to the game. Some may say that the current best racers are on the Xbox 360 and PS3 and if you are a hard core racing game player you might look elsewhere but the developers are starting to get the features and abilities of the wii console so don't count out the Wii just yet.
Graphics The Wii And The Amiga
The arguments about the graphic power of Wiiconsole compared to other current systems will continue and people will have their favorite systems and want to defend their choice but there is no doubt that the most important feature of any system is what games are available and how good the gameplay is.
To demonstrate the point here is a video which briefly shows 100 games that were available for the Amiga home computer and many of them date back to the 1980's. The graphics were good in their day but now look a little basic but these games had oodles of gameplay and gamesplayers were enthralled.
You don't need incredible graphics to have superb gameplay which is why the wii console is so good with it's motion sensing controllers which give you the feeling that you are a part of the game instead of simply watching.
Wii Console Tops Ebay Sales In 2008
The online auction site eBay has released a list of the most popular items sold in 2008. In what they term the pop culture obsessions, the wii console bundles and related items is in first place followed by the Xbox. Here are the top three listings and sales numbers.
- Nintendo Wii - 2,056,866 related items sold
- Xbox 360 - 1,297,903 related items sold
- Apple's iPod Touch - 281,361 related items sold
The Best Ported Games For The Wii Console
You often see games ported from one console to another and the publishers choose to do this for varying reasons. For the Wii console porting is most usually done because the game is very popular and people can enjoy the benefits of playing using the Wii control systems. Games that felt outdated previously can have new life breathed into them by making use of the wii consoles interactivity. Here are three best Wii ports available right now:-
At number 3 we choose Prince of Persia - Rival Swords
Rival Swords is a port of the third game in the Prince of Persia series that is known as the Sands of Time Trilogy, titled, Prince of Persia: Two Thrones. It was one of the first Wii ports to effectively implement the Wii motion controls.
Two Thrones chronicles the newest adventure of "Prince", the main character. Besides being able to manipulate time, run up and across walls, kill using stealth, and pull off crazy combat combos, the main hook in the gameplay is being able to turn into Prince's alter ego, Dark Prince, at certain intervals.
Dark Prince is a more powerful, agile version of Prince. The downside is that there is a sand meter constantly going while you're Dark Prince, and in order to keep it full and avoid dying, you have to keep on the move, killing monsters and absorbing their sand.
The Wii consoles version is identical to the original in terms of content but whereas the original version would have you simply press the attack button to come up behind an enemy and perform a stealth kill, in the Wii version you tilt downward with the Nunchuk, as an exapmle. The new controls provided a fresh, more exciting way to play the game.
In position 2 we have: Okami
Okami is an action-adventure which was first released in 2006. It starred the sun goddess Amataresu, who journeys in the form of a white wolf. The game boasts a long, japanese myth-driven story, plenty of characters and side-quests, and a whole lot of style.
The Wii version incorperates the use of motion controls in all the usual areas such as combat, but also in the area of the main character's "Celestial Brush".
The Celestial Brush is a magical paintbrush the sun goddess uses to manipulate the world around her. Using the Wii remote, players could now wield the brush themselves, making the proper motions to solve certain puzzles and launch attacks. Okami has become just as much(if not more so) an intriguing and beautiful game as it was two years ago.
And finally, our number one choice is: Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 is a modern classic. It steered the entire series into a totally new and unfamilar direction. And yet, it worked.
The game's story involves a european religious cult that has kidnapped the United States President's daughter. But what really counts in this kind of game is the gameplay, and the Wii did for it what no other console could.
The shooting action that RE4 is all about has been perfected, with extremely accurate pointer control and motion controls, and has been heralded as the best way to play Resident Evil.
One of the reasons the game is so intense is that in RE4, you can't shoot while moving. Instead, you must stand still and position yourself, hold down a button to raise your gun, and fire once your enemy is in your sights. With the Wii Remote, the shooting is dramatically more accurate, and the time it takes to aim your weapon much shorter. All this makes for a much more satisfying and enjoyable experience thanks to the wii consoles superior control system.
Which Extras Should You Buy For Your Wii Console?
So, after all the difficulties of finding wii bundles in the stores because of the Nintendo Wii shortages you finally got your hands on one so you want to get the most out of it and here are a few ways to do just that.
You will probably want to get some rechargable batteries and a battery charger or an alternative solution is to get yourself a charging station for directly restoring power to the batteries through the Wii Remotes. So why is that so important? The WiiMote's battery power runs dry at about 60 hours of use and maybe less than half that time if you use a Nunchuk. If you can recharge your own batteries it will save you a lot of time and effort running to your local store and having to buy fresh batteries every few days. You can be sure that running out of battery power will happen at the most inconvenient time. A good recharger and a couple of sets of rechargeable batteries will also save you money in the long run too.
Another thing you might want to treat yourself to is some component connector cables for the wii console. You may be surprised to know that replacing the original cords will significantly improve your image quality. Animprovement like this is definitely worth the twenty bucks or so it will cost.
One more worthwhile investment is for a wireless sensor bar which will cost you around $15. The standard cord for the initial sensor bar is weak and flimsy and it can gets in the way and can get tangled in other cords so with these drawbacks of the original sensor bar you may find it all interferes with your playing experience.
You would do well to plan on getting yourself a Wii SD memory card. The Wii's internal memory is quite roomy, but there will come a time when you will need to start storing files on an external drive and this definitely applies if you want to download classic games on the Wii's Virtual Console.
Keeping all your wii accessories organized and tidy can be a problem so you may want to think about getting youself one or two organizing cases for your Wii. These are great for keeping all of your Wii gear together in one place and if ever you travel with your wii you will be so glad of these wii organizing cases.
Not everyone is aware that the Wii controllers come in several different colors and that might be interesting to you. So if you fancy a pink controller and Nunchuck combination go ahead and treat yourself and you can match the color to your room color if you wish.
Finally there are numerous specialty controllers available that have been designed to enhance your enjoyment and playing experience with many of the games available. If you are into the boxing game you can buy a pair of boxing gloves. There are ping pong paddles, racing car steering wheels, the sport pack (which includes a tennis racquet, golf club, and baseball bat), laser swords, numerous guns and rifles, guitars, fishing rod, dance pad, drum pads, as well as upgrade or specialty versions of the WiiMotes or classic controllers.
Wow! There is a lot of gear out there that can make a great games console even better to play. Investing a little extra time and money into getting the best Wii hardware suited to what you like to play and how you like to play it will really pay off bigtime in your enjoyment of your Nintendo Wii games console.
