How About A Wii

Super Smash Bros. was a classic fighting game on the Nintendo 64 that has been re-released on the Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console. The first game in the series was groundbreaking in that it was the first game to include most of Nintendo’s greatest characters in one game. It is currently on sale on the Virtual Console channel for 1000 Nintendo Points.

Super Smash Bros. features eight of Nintendo’s most famous characters in its history including, Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, Fox McCloud, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, and Pikachu. Four additional characters can be unlocked through various achievements including Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, and Jigglypuff.

The presentation in Super Smash Bros. is good but inundated. The graphics hold up decently but are borderline obsolete due to the Wii’s graphical engine. As for the sound, the music takes songs and themes from the various games the characters have starred in, creating a brilliant soundtrack. The sound effects also borrow from the original games to create a sense of nostalgia. Retro gaming sounds never get old…

The controls were simple on the N64 and they still are on the Wii. There are simple button presses to do each action, which is preferable to the twelve buttons it takes to throw a punch in almost every other fighting game. Essentially, controls for each character are quick to learn and master, creating a great gaming experience. However, movement on the Wii Classic remote is incredibly difficult. You will find yourself jumping when you want to run ,and running when you want to jump, a trait that will cost you numerous lives. This game is one of the few times I can recommend bringing the old Gamecube remote out of retirement.

Super Smash Bros. is essentially a 2D fighting game that allows you to determine who the most powerful Nintendo character is. There is a single player mode for each character with several ways to customize the game including difficulty and number of lives. The single player mode is enjoyable and provides a good challenge with higher levels of difficulty, but it is mostly played to unlock the other characters, or to train for playing against your friends in multiplayer mode.

The bread and butter of this game is the multiplayer mode. The Super Smash Bros. series is famous for its awesome multiplayer and the first game is no exception to the rule. There are a few different multiplayer modes including time battle free for all, stock battle free for all, team battle stock, and team battle time attack modes. Each mode is fun and exhilarating, and holds up phenomenally well ten years later.

Super Smash Brothers is still a pretty good game is well worth the $10 download. However, there is little doubt that the newer Smash Bros are superior to the original in almost every way. If you own any of the newer games, I’d recommend skipping this download but if you don’t, the original Super Smash Bros. is a great way to learn the series.

Game review by Anthony Lifrieri.

Read more Wii game reviews by Anthony @ examiner.com

Anthony’s reviews on howaboutawii.com here

Wii Fit Plus Bundles are currently in short supply with most retailers. The price has also shot up since Christmas.

But, I’ve just stumbled across a great deal at the online department store - Very.co.uk.

They have the Wii Fit Plus and the Balance Board in stock priced at £89.00, and the Wii Console with Wii Sports Resort is available for £179.00. This is a total price of £268.00 with £3.95 for delivery. Go to Very.co.uk here.

Retailer	Description	Price	Link
	Wii Console with Wii Sports Resort	£179.00
	Wii Fit Plus with Wii Balance Board	£89.00

Nintendo recently re-released its Super Nintendo classic Super Return of the Jedi on the Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console. This games appearance on the Virtual Console completes the re-release of the Super Star Wars Trilogy and brings us all back to what gaming was all about in the early 1990’s. It is currently on sale for 800 Nintendo Points, a fairly cheap price for a game, but does it hold up to the standards of the original movies?

Super Return of the Jedi follows the plot of the film. The rebels begin the game with their search for Han Solo, held captive in carbonite by Jabba the Hutt on Luke’s Home world of Tatooine. After rescuing Han, Luke Leia, Chewie and Han are off to Endor to destroy the shield generator protecting the second Death Star so the rebels can destroy it in a desperate assault. Luke also sets about his final confrontation with Darth Vader and the Emperor.

The presentation of the Super Star Wars Series peaks in this chapter of the saga. All of the graphics are refined further to the point of possibly the greatest accuracy of any Star Wars game. Take for example the stages with the Ewok. The Ewok looks and moves exactly like it does in the film, right down to the wobbly walk. The score and sound effects are also great as always. I dare say the Super Star Wars series has the best sound for any video game series ever made.

The controls are also fine tuned with each character’s controls well done to the point of near perfection. There’s still some problems with jumps but the controls are as good as any action Star Wars game.

The gameplay is still a big time challenge, but this time can actually be beaten with practice. The cheat mode is not necessary and the enemies are a bit more forgiving. The game is mostly made up of side scrolling platforming levels with melee and shooting attacking styles. There are also a few vehicle levels that mimic key scenes like the swoop bike chase and the Death Star assault.

Most levels give you a choice of who you wish to play as including Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie, and Wicket the Ewok. Each character has their own special strengths and weaknesses which adds a certain strategic element to the game over who to choose. Choose the right character and you can breeze through a level, choose the wrong one and you’re doomed.

Super Return of the Jedi is easily the best game of the Super Star Wars series. The game is polished with few blunders and provides a steep challenge to most gamers. There’s lots to do with a grand story, pretty fun gameplay, and an awesome presentation. While the games were great back in the day, none but Jedi have held up. It’s not as fun as the KOTOR series or the Force Unleashed, but Super Return of the JedI still provides a fun and inexpensive Star Wars experience that in some ways truer to the universe than any of the other Star Wars video games.

Game review by Anthony Lifrieri.

Read more Wii game reviews by Anthony @ examiner.com

Anthony’s reviews on howaboutawii.com here

Recently, Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back was re-released on the Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console for 800 Nintendo Points.  Known for it’s platforming and action, the game is the second of the Super Star Wars series released in the early to mid 1990’s  on the Super Nintendo and received a lot of play back in the day.   While the game was acclaimed 15 years ago, can it still hold up to today’s standards?

Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back continues on the story of Super Star Wars.  It follows the plot of the first film fairly closely with second film of the series.  Luke goes to Dagobah to learn the ways of the force from Yoda.   Meanwhile, Han Solo, Leia, Chewie and C3PO go through the Asteroid Field and to Cloud City there they are betrayed by Lando.  Luke must face Vader at the end of the game in the climatic battle.

The presentation is similar to the Super Star Wars but a little improved.   The graphics are a bit more polished than the last game which were brilliant to begin with.  The sound is the same from the last game.  The sound effects are perfectly ported from the series.  The music is ported extremely well from the movie onto the SNES’ capabilities and is really a treat.  There are some voices in this game, but very few and not done well.  Darth Vader’s “Impressive” sounds nothing like James Earl Jones.

The controls are improved over the last game thanks to a reworked double jump.  The new double jump makes jumping much easier than the last game and the light saber workings with Luke are also better.  Each character also gets a secondary weapon in the game.  Luke gets force powers while Han and Chewbacca get grenades.  Needless to say Luke’s game is easier.

As for the gameplay, Lucasarts determined that the first game, while already difficult, wasn’t hard enough so they cranked up the difficulty further.  The enemies are harder to defeat and the platforming elements, a weakness form the first game, is even worse.  This game is impossible to play without cheating.   The game is so hard, the annoyance created is unbearable.  Even on easy it’s tough to get through a single level without dying.  I can’t understand why anyone would make a game this difficult. The average gamer could never enjoy this game.

All in All, Super Empire Strikes Back is ruined by its impossible difficulty.  Some games are enhanced by a challenge while others are ruined by it.  This happens to be one of those games.  If I had to choose between playing Super Empire Strikes Back and watching continuous clips of Jar Jar Binks, I’d seriously consider Jar Jar…

Game review by Anthony Lifrieri.

Read more Wii game reviews by Anthony @ examiner.com

Anthony’s reviews on howaboutawii.com here