Not everyone likes everything, and you can't expect 'em to. Gamers have a wide variety of tastes and play styles, and sometimes that means a few raised eyebrows at the success of a particular game or franchise. Have any recent successes on the Wii surprised you? Is there anything big in the system's catalogue that everyone seems to love -- except you? There are always a few people who just aren't enthused by the generally accepted latest and greatest. So maybe you're mystified by the sales racked up by Carnival Games, or you're just not into Super Mario Galaxy. Tell us all about it.Wii Warm Up: The spice of life
Not everyone likes everything, and you can't expect 'em to. Gamers have a wide variety of tastes and play styles, and sometimes that means a few raised eyebrows at the success of a particular game or franchise. Have any recent successes on the Wii surprised you? Is there anything big in the system's catalogue that everyone seems to love -- except you? There are always a few people who just aren't enthused by the generally accepted latest and greatest. So maybe you're mystified by the sales racked up by Carnival Games, or you're just not into Super Mario Galaxy. Tell us all about it.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-14-2008 @ 9:19AM
Mr Khan said...
Guitar Hero, i've never really held any love for that franchise
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4-14-2008 @ 10:32AM
Timerider said...
Me too.
I tried it at stores and I always sucked.
4-14-2008 @ 7:26PM
TheOverlord#2(Toon Link FTW)(1461-5875-9923) said...
Its one of those games where you will suck in the stores but taking it home and finding it's ins and outs you'll enjoy it.
4-14-2008 @ 9:21AM
fco. said...
ssbb
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4-14-2008 @ 9:24AM
Roto13 said...
It's not a surprise, but Metroid Prime 3. I can never get into Metroid games.
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4-14-2008 @ 10:56AM
Charles said...
I somewhat liked that game compared to the other Metroids, but I also have some difficulty getting into these games very deeply
4-14-2008 @ 9:45AM
Daniel said...
Never liked Zelda, Metroid, or Smash Brothers (never actually played an SB game though)...but I'm a huge fan of Mario and Mario Kart games. Just don't care for the other franchises.
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4-14-2008 @ 9:47AM
Tony said...
Metroid 3.
I played the first level through, fought the first boss once (lost) and never felt any reason to go back and try again. Even though it looked good, I found it to be a very "meh" experience.
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4-14-2008 @ 9:47AM
Chad Martin said...
I'd never played the Super Smash Brothers series before, but with all the good ratings, it sounded like a game I just had to get for the Wii. I've played it a few times now, but it has yet to win me over. I feel like I must be missing something.
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4-14-2008 @ 3:19PM
SoshiKitai said...
local battles with up to 6 people. (4 playing, 2 watching) ...that's what made it so famous during the N64 years. It's always exciting with a lot of friends. :) (but if it ain't your cup of tea, it just ain't your cup of tea)
4-14-2008 @ 7:25PM
flo said...
youre missing friends that's what
4-14-2008 @ 8:54PM
SpinachConvention said...
I disagree with you Flo. I've played Super Smash Brothers Melee with lots of friends and I never got into it... I just can't understand the appeal of the game at all
4-14-2008 @ 9:49AM
Andy said...
Mine would have to be Zelda. I used to be a fan. It was fun doing that dungeon crawling. Twilight Princess was fun at first...but it became a drag for me. Then my cousin-in-law ruined it for me by telling me the ending. Spoiled! So I sold it at Gamestop, and picked up a second guitar for GHIII.
The other game I just couldn't stand was Super Paper Mario. What is the deal with that game? It was like 20 minutes before I could actually play. The "RPG element" was hideous. Why couldn't it have just been a platformer without the dialog? The clunky gameplay reminds me of Super Mario Bros 2. I downloaded the VC for my wife, and yet Luigi's jump with the shaky legs reminded me of being in 5th grade again and hating every bit of it. The game. Not 5th grade.
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4-14-2008 @ 10:28AM
danny. said...
Super Paper Mario for me too.
4-14-2008 @ 10:58AM
Charles said...
Oh yeah...I didn't even bother buying that one...Way too frustrating and almost no fun or charm brought about by the other Paper Mario games. The one on GC was a blast!
4-14-2008 @ 3:23PM
SoshiKitai said...
:P I don't think it was supposed to be completely like the other Paper Mario games. If that were the case, then the first Paper Mario FAILS!
Seeing that the first Paper Mario was originally called Super Mario RPG 2 when it was first being created, it practically had no real comparison to Super Mario RPG (SNES). Both of them were very different games.
And I think Super Paper Mario for the Wii just wasn't meant to be the same like the other Paper Marios.
4-14-2008 @ 10:13AM
sorensilk said...
I hate to say it but Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I bought it and so far I'm just not impressed. It's fun to see all the characters but outside of that it's just a mediocre fight game. And yes I've tried the campaign, multiplayer, online, all of it.
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4-14-2008 @ 3:24PM
SoshiKitai said...
multiplayer- how many? 4 ain't enough, IMO.
There has to be people watching behind you for the thrill to fully take hold.
The mayhem ensued and applauded, is what the game's most known for.
4-14-2008 @ 3:43PM
sorensilk said...
I've played with 8 or so people. The problem was no one got all that excited because the gameplay just isn't that exciting. I've had tons of sessions playing other games with yelling and screaming and people jumping all over the place, I know the scenario.
SSBB just isn't a very exciting game (IMHO) so the group never gets to that level of excitement. But that's just me and my friends. If other people enjoy it, then great!
4-14-2008 @ 3:46PM
SoshiKitai said...
No one gets excited = Game Buzzkill.
:( Sorry it wasn't your guys cup o' tea.
4-14-2008 @ 3:48PM
sorensilk said...
No biggie. I've been playing video games for about 20 years, I know how it works. I've got plenty of other games to enjoy.
4-14-2008 @ 10:29AM
Timerider said...
Zelda.
Everyone bought Twilight Princess on launch day except me.
Sorry Miyamoto, I love Mario and Pikmin, but not Zelda. Is a new Pikmin game gonna be released for Wii anytime? Or Luigi's Mansion?
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4-14-2008 @ 10:40AM
Sisyphus said...
Definately SSBB. Just holds no appeal for me at all.
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4-14-2008 @ 10:44AM
TheWarlock said...
Probably NMH, I mean, I can sorta see where they got their success from but to me, thats not reason for the whole gaming community to go bannanas for. But, thats just me.
[phew! Been wanting to get that out for a while but had been afraid to get beat and electric shocked for it]
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4-14-2008 @ 11:25AM
Nigeria: Cody ChesnuTT Defense Force said...
*warms up cattle prods and waits for Warlock to exit the building...
4-14-2008 @ 3:26PM
SoshiKitai said...
I think we went bananas for it just for the light-saber-extreme-action (rather than the much slower Star Wars fashion)...
:P Since day 1, Wii users have been waiting to feel the swing of a sword.
4-14-2008 @ 11:06AM
RowdyReptile said...
Metroid: I liked the original way back when, but I'm not a fan of the new FPS format. (I rented it.)
SSBB: I bought it and have enjoyed it a bit, but not to nearly the extent that other people have, apparently. I'm new to the franchise.
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4-14-2008 @ 11:08AM
Joe Cart said...
I never followed Pikmin... but even worse: being the HUGE Mario fan that I am, and i've beaten most of them, I never really played Super Mario World 2 on SNES.... :(
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4-14-2008 @ 11:20AM
terronthesnake said...
I think there is way to much hype about SSBB, or any other SS for that matter. I love fighting games and easily master most fighters, but smash has the stupidest most uninstictual setup. I just can't get into it. I've played melee many times, as well as SSBB. I love Mario Kart with an uncontainable, feverish passion though.
Reply
4-14-2008 @ 11:44AM
terronthesnake said...
Sorry to the smash fans, I was insulting the game not you guys.
4-14-2008 @ 3:27PM
SoshiKitai said...
It wasn't really meant to be a serious fighting game, y'know.
With a game with the word "Smash" in it, you'd think we'd all be clonking items at each other's heads all day:
And we do. And it's funny. :P
4-14-2008 @ 11:24AM
blueduck08 said...
Can I go off topic slightly and say a non Nintendo franchise? I really don't get all the hype over Grand Theft Auto IV. I've never been a fan of that series or any of it's many clones that have popped up. It's much more fun for me to watch someone else play it than play it myself.
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4-14-2008 @ 11:33AM
terronthesnake said...
Have you ever played through any actuall mission on GTA? They are intense! I'm not really trying to argue about it. I just figured I would show you a fan. I absolutely love the GTA series since it first came out on playstation. I played the originals too, but because of the P.O.V. never enjoyed it to much.
4-14-2008 @ 12:56PM
Mc=Mii said...
Same here. I loved the original and played it to death on the pc and psx. I skipped gta2, because that basically was the same game with prettier graphics. Gta3 was great again and a lot of fun for a long time, but I couldn't get into any of the many later addition. Even though gta4 will probably be provide a more realistic and bigger city I don't really see what else is new. But maybe I just haven't looked into it enough. Don't own a ps3, rrod360 or top notch pc anyway...
4-14-2008 @ 12:59PM
Mc=Mii said...
Apologies for the many typos. I should really proofread my comments :(
4-14-2008 @ 3:29PM
SoshiKitai said...
Play the game halfway through. HALFWAY.
Most GTA's get you hooked halfway.
Not always on the gun-part. Some people play like crazy for the storyline, or even to just mod their car to awesomeness.
4-14-2008 @ 11:46AM
Richard said...
Where to start?
Metroid Prime 3 was disappointing. The wii controller just didn't work as well as a mouse and I found myself getting bored after about 20 minutes. Halflife (1 and 2) in the other hand, hooked you instantly.
WarioWare was felt cobbled together. My friends and I generally click on things until stuff happened and then played the mini games and then back to the map with random clicking. Yawn.
Lego Star Wars could have been so much better, but in fact it was just a straight port from a PS2. The only Wii unique bit was shaking the nunchuck and the controller to build things. Whoopie doo. Mind you, still wasn't a bad game.
Geometry Wars Galaxies was just plain dull after the first couple of levels. Also people would constantly ask what they were supposed to be doing.
Mario Strikers Charged became tedious quickly. The powerups completely distracted from the game and after a while you just felt that mashing the buttons would have been easier.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Bliz has a rubbish multiplayer option. I'm still playing Kororinpa and Mercury Meltdown Revolution - when I finish them, I'll look into the single player - but I'll avoid the multi.
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary has a stupidly complicated shooting system which means I always die when I first meet the bats. Yes, I suck - but it's hardly intuitive.
Sega Superstars Tennis is just polish over substance. Playing two player is hard because you have to cope with a view of the player which is wrong (why not splitscreen?) and the actual physics is wonky meaning that you just tend to swing and hope for the best.
COD 3 should never have got 69% on Metacritic. It's really hard to control and frustrating. Proof that a mouse for these sort of games is best. Shame because COD2 and COD4 on the PC are brilliant.
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree has only one multiplayer game which is worth playing. For all of 30 minutes. After that, you'll never want to go back.
Reply
4-14-2008 @ 3:35PM
SoshiKitai said...
Geometry Wars- You're supposed to shoot the other things that aren't you. :P That's all you gotta' tell them. (Classic Arcade)
...y-you didn't ... didn't like W-w-WarioWARE?!!
WHAT?!!
...
Do your friends take each other too seriously?
The whole point of the game is to make yourself look like a buffoon or play ridiculous games that can decimate everyone when it goes too fast, and in the end, just laugh at each other for how stupid the other was!
...and by friends, do you mean 1-2 friends? Or you mean like 3-4 friends?
If it's 1-2 friends, that's understandable. It's hard to make yourself vulnerable amongst that small of a crowd.
3-4? Are you all guys? ...yeah, that'll make it a bit awkward.
If you have more than 4, or if you have 4 and there's either a not-so-gamer girl or a jester-esque boy, it should be a lot more fun.
4-14-2008 @ 4:07PM
TheWarlock said...
You know, instead of whining tediously about the smallest [and biggest] errors of a game, you could just not buy them. People WORSHIP a lot of the games you just put down, you jerk. That comment you posted was probably the biggest pile of bullcrap I've read all day. Just because a game is hard and frustrating doesn't make it bad or terrible.
4-16-2008 @ 8:42AM
Richard said...
I love the fact that I get flamed for disliking games that lots of other people like.
Duh.
THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT OF THE ARTICLE!!
(Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to Super Mario Galaxy, Pro Evo Soccer 2008 and Mercury Meltdown Revolution which I do think are good games)
4-14-2008 @ 12:31PM
Oneiroi said...
I bought Super Mario Galaxy, played it, but it doesn't keep me coming back for more.
I get annoyed by how long Zelda gets without anything really happening, so I usually stop playing somewhere along the line.
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4-14-2008 @ 1:03PM
Memo said...
Super Mario Galaxy was the best game I played all year last year. SSBB is the most overhyped and overrated game that has come out on the Wii. I must not understand the game enough, but I only rented it and I was bored out of my mind. But I am surprised that Carnival Games has done well. I haven't played it but I just might. What about Mario and Sonic at the Olympics? Possibly the best game with local multiplayer. But Mario Kart will be the best game of the year for online mulitplayer! I can't wait!
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4-14-2008 @ 3:36PM
SoshiKitai said...
Glad someone liked Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. :)
4-14-2008 @ 2:37PM
Max Headroom said...
For me, the Wii has really brought back a lot of the fun that I used to have playing games. I was disappointed with so much of the GameCube library (and some of the N64 library) that I didn't plan on buying the next Nintendo console at all. What has surprised me the most this generation is how fantastic the games have been so far. Metroid Prime 3 was beautiful and showed what the pointer was all about. Excite Truck was intense and fun with great controls. Super Mario Galaxy is mindbending - certainly one of the most creative games I've played in a while. Brawl is some of the finest fanservice I've ever seen. I've also been happy about the third party contributions this time around. Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles was a lot of fun and Ghost Squad is a blast. There are others, but I'll stop there for now.
So yeah, the most surprising thing about the Wii for me is just how fun games are again. I was really burnt out on Nintendo for a few years there, but not anymore.
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4-14-2008 @ 3:44PM
SoshiKitai said...
Ummm... I'm not that big of a Zelda fan...
Or a Mario fan for that matter...
*hands up in pacifist surrender* WHAT! I just don't! I'm sorry!
I love Mario Kart, I love SSB, I love Mario Party, I love Super Mario RPG, I love Paper Mario, and all those other spin-offs! But plain ol' Mario was never a big thing for me!
Don't get me wrong, the games are fun. But I just was never that big of a fan!
Super Mario Bros. was cool and all... but I just never really got into it.
Call it.
Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy... I just... never got into them.
I'll play them like an expensive arcade: Play them for a round, then walk away... not looking back.
And Zelda... well, to be honest, the only one I liked was Zelda, A Link to the Past. That was fun, but I guess I just lost my interest after that game. It's just "okay" now.
And Metroid? Honestly, I don't really have an opinion for Metroid. ...er... she's... cool? ...blasting is cool? ...I dunno, never got into any of the Metroid games.
So... for some reason, I'm not much for Nintendo's All-Stars.
Other than Kirby of course. (KIRBY ROCKS)
I tend to like the spin-offs and 3rd party games more. :/ I'm sorry.
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4-14-2008 @ 3:56PM
sorensilk said...
Wow, I don't think I've ever met a video game fan that wasn't that into the Mario games. Super Mario 1 & 3 on the NES are like a part of me. I still play Super Mario 1 on my original NES every once in a while. And Mario 64 and Mario Galaxy both blew me away.
Anyway, different strokes for different folks. What 3rd party games are you into right now?
4-14-2008 @ 4:16PM
SoshiKitai said...
Currently? :
Wii -
Mario And Sonic at the Olympic Games
Ghost Squad
Zack & Wiki
Resident Evil games
Opoona (Strange, I know)
Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 & 3 (they're both really different from each other, surprisingly)
Endless Ocean (I'm one of the few that like it)
No More Heroes (not as crazy about it as other people, but I like it)
(I play these games randomly nowadays... but I've been stuck with SSBB, especially with the tournament coming up..... there's also VC games, but the only one I'm playing nowadays is Bomberman and sometimes Donkey Kong)
DS-
Advance Wars
Harvest Moon
EcoCreatures (yeah, I'm a bit strange)
Geometry Wars
Touch Detective 2 1/2 (loved the first one)
(the DS is a blessing to those who wait for the bus... especially for Metro.... $62 for a month pass, sigh)
And then there's a ton of Xbox 360 games as well. Culdcept Saga is on the top of that list.
I got the Xbox360 during the year of slow Wii games. And I gotta' say, both systems balance each other pretty well.
In the end, I'm pretty different from most gamers... especially since I'm willing to play cutesy-wootsy games like Catz... I'm a jack-of-all-trades player. Used to be an RPG-fanatic, now an all-games supporter.
:/ I get a lot of criticism.
4-14-2008 @ 4:27PM
Eleniel said...
I realize this is borderline blasphemy, but as much as I love nintendo, I've never really been into mario. Probably because I'm so bad at them.
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4-14-2008 @ 5:07PM
MidnightScott said...
I really only liked Metroid Prime 3, which I still need to sit down and finish.
I've never finished a Zelda game. I either always get stuck or bored or both and never finish. I should stop buying Zelda games.
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4-14-2008 @ 6:17PM
michael said...
Hmm.... where do I start?
I'm an odd gamer. I'm hardcore at times, completely casual at others. I get easily distracted with personal projects, and also school and work get in the way so I find it hard to sit down to play a game I know will require a few hours attention at a time.
Zelda - Twilight Princess. I LOVE the game, I love the whole series. I'm just at the part, after the first three dungeons, where I'm carrying Midna back as a wolf to the bar to get healed. I assume this is where I get the ability to transform at will - I assume that because I've been at that part for the past year. It's funny that I adore Zelda so much. I've only ever played through to completion Zelda, Links's Adventure, and A Link to the Past. I've never finished Ocarina, Majora or Windwaker either - DESPITE getting all at release, and playing feverishly for the first few days/weeks.
Same thing with Mario. Well, Mario 64 I completed, and I can still go back and finish. Sunshine, and Galaxy - love em, but have yet to complete. In fact, I played Galaxy constantly for the first week or two. I think it's an excellent game.
Maybe my perspective on gaming has changed. I like my gaming in short bursts that don't require a lot of setup. Smash Bros has been perfect for this. The online play with friends has only added to that as well. I actually never really "GOT" Smash Bros. I eventually got Melee as I worked at Blockbuster at the time, and could pick it up used for $15, and make sure my copy was like new. And I unlocked the characters, but afterwards, it just sat there. I guess because I didn't have any gaming friends to play it with. Maybe that's why online gaming on the Wii has made it easier for me to pick up and stay enthralled with a game. I'm practically wetting my pants over Mario Kart Wii. Double-Dash let me down. I don't know what it is, but the level's just didn't feel like Mario Kart to me. They didn't seem as interesting, or genius. The Wii tracks are completely compelling to me tho.
Other than that long personal story, Metroid. I never got it. I mean, I understood it, I watched the retrospective on gametrailers, and it made me download the original. But I dunno. .. just ends up boring me. Prime never did much either, as I don't care much for anything resembling first person shooter.
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