Nintendo Wii Fanboy

We were holding out hope that The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels would be a competent fighter, as we're a fan of the genre, as well as Star Wars. But, you know, the good Star Wars. Which, we suppose, this isn't, based on the reviews below. So, without further delay, let's get to it!

• GamePro (70/100) says this one is for the younger fans: "The shallow fighting system, the teenage snark and animation won't impress older fans of the series, but it's good fun for younger Jedis in training."

• GameSpy (60/100) is of the mind that this is a good prequel to the inevitable MotionPlus-enabled sequel: "Lightsaber Duels may not be exactly what fans were clamoring for when Nintendo unveiled the Wii's lightsaber-esque controllers, but it's still quite enjoyable. The single-player experience won't last you long, though, so you might not want to invest in the game unless you plan on playing with a buddy. If nothing else, it's a good sneak preview for the inevitable 1:1 sequel when the MotionPlus is released."

• Variety (50/100) thinks the game failed in the multiplayer: "The biggest potential for "Lightsaber Duels" lies in multiplayer -- which is also were the game is at it's worst. Fighting a friend in the same room is fun enough, but there are no options besides one-on-one combat until one person gets knocked down for the count. The lack of different competitive modes, as well as any options for online play, keeps "Lightsaber Duels" from becoming the awesome sci-fi fighting game it has the potential to be."

There's a lot of goodies available to Wii gamers this week, both on the retail shelf and via download. Of course, we would expect as much, what with it being the second week of November and everything. Planning on picking up something for yourself, or perhaps a gift for that special someone? Head on past the break for the details and let us know what you'll be grabbing!

Okay, we must admit that we're kind of surprised at the clip Entertainment Weekly has for the upcoming The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels game. It looks kind of decent, actually, with all of the stuff going on in the background and the lightsaber battle shown being kind of action-packed. Our first glimpse of the game looked nothing like this. There's some polish now, it would seem. Of course, it is based on that movie that supposedly wasn't very good, but if the gameplay is as fun as this clip would make it seem, we can overlook that. Maybe it doesn't need MotionPlus after all?

We'd like to embed the video for you, but EW won't allow it. To see the clip, click here.


[Via Go Nintendo]

In this edition of Point/Counterpoint, we're tackling the issue of MotionPlus and Lucasarts' upcoming Star Wars game, The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels. Sure, there's a rumor of another game in the works that will utilize the tech, but nothing is confirmed yet. Does a Star Wars game need MotionPlus? Read on for the debate, then cast your vote in our poll.

Never really watched The Clone Wars show, so obviously, the art style for the games is a little, uh, striking. Okay, let's be honest -- if you're not accustomed to it, it's ugly. But now that we're seeing some screens from the game, the look is starting to seem normal. Maybe even sort of okay. By next month, we'll probably be digging it. We're fickle.

There's just one thing dampening the ol' enthusiasm, though. Now that we've seen the swordplay in Wii Sports Resort with Wii MotionPlus, it's hard to get excited about a pre-accessory game like this. We want lightsaber duels, and we were told first to look to The Force Unleashed, and then to Star Wars: The Clone Wars -- Lightsaber Duels. Look, it's even in the name. And yet, now it seems somewhat diminished by a dude slicing at a block of wood in a beach-themed mini-game collection.

If nothing else, the two (or three) will make for great comparisons when they're all released. But somehow, we think we might not be alone in hoping, for once, for a delay.

While most debut trailers are full of pre-rendered cutscenes and CG, we're glad to report that the first glimpse at Star Wars Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels actually has quite a bit of gameplay in it. And, based on what we saw, it looks like the action is going to be spot-on. The timing looks good and the speed of combat seems intense enough to warrant our attention. We're still not crazy about the game's look, though.

What do you all think? Looking forward to taking out the Sith trash? Going to crush the Jedi order?

[Via Joystiq]