The Final Countdown

I swear I didn’t intentionally start this string of post titles just so I could use this last one—but it worked out nicely, didn’t it? Here are parts one and two for reference.

Andrew’s Complete Wii Buying Guide (Part 3)

7. Elebits.

Ah, the proverbial “Quirky Japanese” genre of games. Some of my all-time favorites have come from it! But it’s also an accurate manifestation of the term “hit-or-miss.”

In this title, you are basically playing an elaborate game of hide-and-seek with tiny supernatural creatures. The primary mechanic for doing so is a sort of physics gun that is used to grab onto and maneuver physical objects from a first-person perspective. At this point you are probably either excited to hear more, or have a single eyebrow raised in puzzlement. The videos I’ve seen of Elebits show a lot of improvement from its exclusively-single-eyebrow-raising early footage, but I have yet to be convinced. Better wait for some reviews.

Honorable Mentions

“But what about Title X?” you proclaim. Well, I constructed this list to my own taste, so of course you should tweak it to your own for optimal satisfaction. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the titles that got cut from my list, and why you might want to still keep them in mind.

Wii Sports. It’s bundled with the Wii in North America, so you don’t really have a choice. Not sure it’s something I would buy separately given the option, but it’s hard to look a gift horse in the mouth. Just keep in mind you have a freebie coming when you’re deciding how many games are “enough” to buy at launch.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. This is going to be a must. But it’s not a launch title, and I’m not even sure if the release date has solidified yet.

Splinter Cell: Double Agent. Or whatever the full name is. Just not my style of game. Actually sounds pretty promising though, so if you like this genre, definitely give it a look.

Dragon Quest Swords. Important because Nintendo really needs an RPG at launch, and Dragon Quest means instant sales in Japan. Unfortunately no longer slated to be a launch title.

Okami 2. Oh, but I can dream, can’t I?