Most Wanted Wii Games of 2009
By 1UP Staff
While you might consider the Wii to be that "baby game system," both developers and gamers can't ignore its phenomenal success. What's encouraging is that this year especially looks good for gamers who want to play more than bubbly party games on the system. Also, while we'd love to put down titles like "the next Zelda" or the long-rumored Kid Icarus remake on this list, we know too little about them to put them on the list. Other games we like, and would have put on if this list extended to 13, include Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop, House of the Dead Overkill, and the Play on Wii version of Pikmin.
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Sega | High Voltage Software
In the ocean of Wii Remote-flicking sports games and family-oriented minigame collections, The Conduit stands out for being an unabashed attempt to make a Wii title for core gamers. While its alien-blasting action may draw comparisons to Metroid Prime 3, from the demos we've seen, The Conduit seems to feature more of the moment-to-moment shootouts you'd find in, say, Perfect Dark. The developers at High Voltage take getting everything right so seriously, that they implemented options to customize just about every possible aspect of the controls, and you can even completely rearrange the display. With that degree of attention to detail, they might just be up to the challenge.
Nintendo | Grasshopper Manufacture Studio
Two words: Grasshopper Manufacture. For the fourth installment in Tecmo's horror franchise, it contracted the No More Heroes studio to handle the development duties. So what is Grasshopper bringing to the series? While you still fight spirits using your camera, this time around you use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to aim your camera and flashlight, offering a far more immersive experience. So does it work? Well, the game's already received high marks in Japan, so that's a good sign. While it hasn't been formally confirmed for an American release, Nintendo published it in Japan, and we're optimistic that Nintendo of America is going to start talking about the U.S. release soon.
Square Enix | Square Enix
The plot to this latest loot/gear-fest isn't the most compelling (you're finding the cure for a young villager's "crystal sickness"), but it brings a ton of great improvements. Whether you're playing on Wii or DS (both versions are identical, though Wii players can import their Miis), you can now take your multiplayer sessions online. Conversely, you can now add up to three A.I. controlled (and customizable) CPU bots for your single-player adventures. Naturally, even more items and recipes have been added, as well as a 3D world map, and "New Game+" quests to undertake after completing the main story. If these additions add up to a game that's even more addicting than the first Crystal Chronicles on DS, then we've got many long nights ahead of us.
Sega | Platinum Games
On another console, MadWorld might look like any other fun, hyper-stylized brawler. But on the Wii, this bloody trip through a black-and-white city is one of the few games focused on an adult audience. Its über-violent moves give you plenty of ways to kill your opponents, and the controls are a little more sophisticated than just simple Wii Remote waggling. The game is unapologetically gory; whether you're tearing out a parking meter to jam through some brute's head or just punching someone, blood flies out of your enemy's bodies like candy from a piñata. It's definitely a mad world.
Capcom | Capcom
Monster Hunter is kind of like the classic rock band Cheap Trick: big in Japan, "whatever" everywhere else. But after what seems like dozens of semi-sequels and upgrades for PSP in Japan, Capcom is bringing the proper third title to the Wii. This experiment should reveal whether a franchise can sway its entire fanbase over to a different console, or if the console determines the franchises' success. Our money goes to the franchise (see also: Final Fantasy), and with so many Wiis out there, chances are, a lot of Japanese gamers will find themselves swinging their Wii Remotes like a broadsword at crazy monsters with their friends online. Whether that success is replicated over here remains to be seen, but the game already looks great, and plays quite nimbly with the Wii's controls.
Marvelous Entertainment USA/XSeed Games | Vanillaware
Certainly one of the stylistically-elite Wii titles, Vanillaware's action game takes the developer's distinctive visual panache, and combines it with a mythological Japanese theme and crazy-fast sword slashing. One concern coming out of Tokyo Game Show 2008 was that the combat felt a bit too simplified when compared to the developer's recent action-RPG, Odin Sphere, and we're definitely anxious to see how reflective the 10-minute demo is of the final game. Regardless, what little we've played so far was fun and undeniably beautiful.
Marvelous Interactive | Grasshopper Manufacture Studio
After all the death and destruction left in the wake of protagonist Travis Touchdown in last year's breakout hit No More Heroes, it seemed like it was wrapped up as well as it could be -- after all, what do you do once you reach the top of the assassin rankings? But developer Grasshopper Manufacture has apparently found a way, and will be bringing a sequel later this year, if all goes well. Reportedly, Desperate Struggle will take on a grittier tone that's centered on revenge and more reflective of its title. That sounds quite all right with us.
Nintendo | Nintendo
Nintendo's "Blue Ocean" philosophy means its most hardcore fans have to settle for revisiting the classics -- classic like Punch-Out!! This timeless boxing series has been practically forgotten since the Super NES days, so the fact that this Wii rendition looks to be a simple 3D remake of the NES hit probably won't dampen anyone's enthusiasm about Little Mac's return. Especially when said remake looks this faithful (we'll be disappointed if a 3D Doc doesn't urge us to join the Fun Club, though).
Nintendo | Treasure
For years North American gamers had no idea how cool Treasure's N64 action shooter was -- they'd only hear from their Japanese counterparts or lucky importers about what a great game they were missing out on. That all changed when the game finally saw a western release on Virtual Console (if you haven't checked it out yet, do so now!). Of course, Sin and Punishment 2 isn't just a N64 port -- it's a full-on Wii sequel. That means in addition to better visuals and bigger enemies to fight, you now use the Wii Remote to aim your firepower. Cool.
Nintendo | Nintendo
Now, now. Before you storm off in a huff, seriously think about Nintendo's sequel to its original pack-in minigame collection for a second. People around the globe are still playing Wii Sports two years after its launch, and we fully expect Wii Sports Resort to be a repeat performance. And it's not a lost cause for hardcore gamers either, since Resort will come with Wii Motion Plus packed-in, an intriguing little add-on device that's billed as the bringer of more accurate Wii Remote swinging. What that spells for the future of Wii games is unknown, but we're excited to test things out with this minigame sports sequel.
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