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A Closer Look at WiiWare

posted by nikki at 11:27 am.

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You may have heard me mention something about today’s launch of WiiWare (four or five times over the last week or so…). Well, since it’s finally available, how about we take a closer look at what it is and what it has to offer at launch?

First of all, you may ask (if you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months), what is WiiWare, anyway? WiiWare is a new addition to the Wii Shop Channel. Much like the Virtual Console, it lets you download games directly to your Wii in exchange for Wii Points.

Unlike the Virtual Console, though, WiiWare games are not simply ports of older games for older systems. WiiWare games are games designed specifically for the Wii as downloadable content. Some of them are entirely new IP (like LostWinds), and some of them are simply new renditions of older ideas (like Dr. Mario RX, which unfortunately didn’t make the starting lineup).

So… now that we all know what it is, lets take a look at what’s available.

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Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King

Developed by Square-Enix (as if the Final Fantasy in the title didn’t give that away), My Life as a King is civilization sim in which you play as a king who must rebuild his kingdom. The game takes place in the Crystal Chronicles timeline, and by using the power of a great Crystal you find in your realm, you can place buildings and attract new residents. To use the Crystal you will have to amass Spirit Power, which can be replenished by sending out troops to explore dungeons and the surrounding lands and collect smaller crystals.

My Life as a King also makes use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play feature, which allows you to download additional content (for a price) in the form of bonus stages, specialty items, costumes, buildings, and recruitable races.

Price: 1500 Wii Points
Rated: E
Players: 1

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Lostwinds

From Frontier Development, Lostwinds is a platformer in which you control a boy named Toku who can wield the power of the wind. You must use this unique ability to control Toku’s jumps and glides, attack you enemies, and solve puzzles in order to release the curse placed upon the world of Mistralis and its people by evil Elemental, Balasar.

In LostWinds, you not only control Toku, but you must simultaneously control the speed and direction of the wind, making the game a challenging addition to the WiiWare launch lineup.

Price: 1000 Wii Points
Rated: E
Players: 1-2

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TV Show King

TV Show King comes from developer GameLoft and is a game show-style trivia game. You can play by yourself or against friends and family. The title is a little misleading, in that you are supposedly on a TV Show… not necessarily answering TV-based trivia. Topics includes geography, literature, science, sports, entertainment, and history, and there are more than 3000 questions.

Players must answer timed multiple choice questions by selecting the correct answer on their screen with the Wii-Remote (faster selections get you more prize money), and can also take their chances for greater rewards by spinning a wheel between rounds.

Price: 1000 Wii Points
Rated: E
Players: 1-4

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Pop

Courtesy of Nnooo, in Pop, you must pop bubbles to score points. The more bubbles you pop, the more time you have to pop more bubbles. The game has both a Casual level and an Advanced level and can be enjoyed solo or with up to four players.

In the end, Pop is all about popping bubbles as fast and accurately as you can. In multiplayer mode, items can be collected to hinder the other players, to add that extra level of aggravation to family fun night.

Price: 700 Wii Points
Rated: E
Players: 1-4

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V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack

As the title implies, High Voltage Software brings a Blackjack title to the table (oy, that was a lame pun, wasn’t it…). The developer’s own description of the game labels it as “the most realistic blackjack game ever made”. I’m sure they’re just being modest.

V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack has both single player and multiplayer modes, as well as tournament play. So if you’ve ever wanted to bankrupt your older brother at the card tables, here’s your chance.

Price: 700 Wii Points
Rated: T
Players: 1-4

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Defend Your Castle

From X-Gen Studios comes Defend Your Castle. The object of the game is to… well… defend you castle. You are in command, and you must stop the invading hoards from descending upon you and taking your castle for themselves.

There are several methods of accomplishing this task, including picking them up and throwing them, and attacking them with magic spells and arrows. Over time, power-ups and new weapons become available in the hopes that you’ll be able to hold the enemies off just a little longer.

This game is based on the original Flash game by X-Gen Studios, which you can try out here for free before you pay good money for the WiiWare version.

Price: 500 Wii Points
Rated: E
Players: 1-4

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So there you have it. Personally, I’m looking forward to trying out that Final Fantasy title, along with LostWinds (which, naturally, are two of the most expensive titles on the list…).

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