My Aquarium 2 review

November 19th, 2010

Not long ago I reviewed the PlayStation 3 edition of My Aquarium. With it’s High Definition visuals and scrumptious animation I couldn’t help but find it an attractive piece of software, but as a game I didn’t really feel hooked to it for any real length of time. So let’s see if the sequel improves things or sinks to the bottom of the tank.

Many of you may believe that keeping fish as pets is a very simple and hassle free thing to do. After all they don’t need to be taken for a walk like a dog and they don’t use your legs as scratching posts as would a cat. However if you really want to keep fish properly you’re going to actually need more care, skill, money and patience than you’d ever expect – keeping a solitary goldfish in a bowl of water just doesn’t count (and it’s cruel).

For one thing; before you even think of buying any fish you’ll need a good size tank, an air pump, gravel, water plants and possibly even a water filter. That’s just for cold water fish! Marine and Tropical fish require a water heater, water treatment and a 24hour backup power supply to prevent the water from getting too cold if the power cuts out. All in all it’s a tough business and not one that you want to jump right into without any preparation.

Well Hudson Software say they have the answer; My Aquarium 2 for Wii is a fully interactive piece of WiiWare software that places a virtual fish tank on your television screen. I don’t know about you but it sounds a whole lot easier, safer and less ethically troubling to me. My Aquarium 2 differs slightly over the original with it’s theme. This time out rather than have a collection of random fish we’re given a more unusual selection of Deep Sea fish and crustaceans, some of which live as deep as 4000m in the real ocean.

Just like before; you’re free to have several aquariums running at once and switching from one to another is as simple as clicking on it’s icon. The reason you’d want more aquariums is because just like real life, if you mix fish of uneven sizes together then they may very well eat start eating each other. Cannibalism may be fun when you watch a Zombie movie but it’s totally different when your Wii tells you that some huge ugly fish has just eaten all the other little fish in the tank for breakfast. Whilst we’re on that topic, no fish simulation would be complete without the ability to feed the little buggers. Thankfully you have an infinite supple of fish biscuits and fresh worms (yummy) to keep the inhabitants of the tank well fed, don’t feed them too much though – fish obesity can be a real problem and could cost a fortune in therapist fees.

Of course there’s no forgetting about the ability to customize your tank; everything from the style, lighting, features and plant-life can be customised. If you want a gloomy looking tank then that’s no problem, those with design skills on the other hand can use the Wii Remote to place objects like rocks, coral and novelty ships and air pumps into position. Each sized tank has a capacity level which you can’t exceed so don’t go trying to shove too much into your first tank, spread the stuff around nicely and keep things interesting.

Last time out My Aquarium for Wii featured WiiConnect24 and Forecast Channel integration and once again they’re both back. Real time weather changes occur in sync with the Wii’s weather app and if you have any My Aquarium 2 owning friends then the ability to view each-others online tanks could get you both really excited.

When it comes to the pinch My Aquarium 2 for Wii does what it promises but no more than that. There is still little fun to be had with a virtual aquarium unless you are a real fish lover. Aside from the small description of each fish there is also not too much to report on in terms of education either. The graphics and sound of My Aquarium 2 for Wii are average to say the least, perhaps I’ve been spoilt by the HD version on the PS3 but for whatever reason things look muddy, blurry and very pixelated on a high-resolution screen. Those with standard definition TV’s may fare better but don’t go expecting too much.

Sadly I can only really recommend My Aquarium 2 for WiiWare to those who really did enjoy the original or those with passion with virtual fish. Even with 5 DLC packs available for download by the end of the year I can’t see it being enough to keep my excitement level up. 2 out of 5.

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Top Wii games for Christmas 2010 for young kids

September 21st, 2010

At Wiigamereview we realise that many of you are unsure of what games will make great Christmas Gifts for the younger kids, fear not because here are our recommendations for the upcoming holiday season.

PokéPark

PokePark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure for Wii is the latest adventure for everyone’s favourite yellow Pokémon; Pikachu. Join Pikachu and friend on an adventure like never before, that’s right a Pokémon theme park full of fun games and challenges. If you know a child that loves Pokémon then they’ll love PokéPark for Wii.

Just Dance Kids

Just Dance Kids for Wii is the latest game in the series and this time you won’t find any music here for old fogies like me and you. 40+ hit picked and choreographed especially for younger gamers; any children that love to boogie will really enjoy Just Dance Kids Wii.

Babysitting Mama

Yes Babysitting Mama is the stereotypical game for young girls who love dolls and who already have been cajoled into thinking that they want babies. Damn you television! Babysitting Mama for Wii is from the same people who brought us Cooking Mama, expect lots of fun little minigames with a babysitting theme.

Bakugan Battle Brawlers

Bakugan Battle Brawlers: Defenders of the Core for Wii is just the title for the robot and dragon loving kid in your life. Why? Well because it’s full of giant Robotic Dragon machines that battle eachother. What more could they possibly want?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter, that’s another thing that kids love. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for Wii is the brand new video game adaptation of the latest Harry Potter movie. Fun for every little Wizard or Witch in your family.

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Jett Rocket review

July 26th, 2010

How would you react if I told you that an unofficial sequel or tribute to Super Mario Sunshine appeared on WiiWare for just 1000 Nintendo Points?

Well get ready to react in that very manner because Jett Rocket for Wii is a 3D Platform Adventure game which takes great inspiration from Nintendo’s Gamecube classic. Before things get too silly I’ll point out right away; Jett Rocket is not as good a game than Sunshine – but that doesn’t mean it’s bad either, let’s find out more in this Jett Rocket WiiWare review.

Jett Rocket is a peaceful ecological superhero who looks a bit like Ben 10 crossed with GI Joe. Not everyone cares about the environment and it appears that the evil Power Plant Posse have invaded a peaceful planet called Yoroppa. Not only have they installed horrible fossil fuelled power plants all over the once beautiful planet; they’ve left lots of horrid robots guarding them all too. Just as you or I would, Mr Rocket vows to clean up this mess once and for all and promptly gets down to the planet’s surface to sort matters pronto.

So far you’re probably wondering about the afforementioned similarities to Super Mario Sunshine; well wonder no more. You may remember that in Sunshine Mario had a three function water pack called Fludd? Well Jett Rocket can’t quite afford expensive tech like that but don’t worry, he does at least have a standard jet rocket pack and if it means he can float about the place does it really matter what fuel it uses?

Ok so both games feature a rocket pack but what else do they have in common? Well each of the three world locations (Tropical Island, Snowy Artic and Toxic Swamps) are distinctively themed and split into levels. At the start of each level you’re given a quick scan of the horizon in a mini cut-scene which usually (in combination with the level name) gives you a clue of what your goal is. From here on it’s down to you and Mr Rocket to get the job done.

Completing a level is usually a simple case of running around solving some basic puzzles such as hitting switches, throwing bombs into containers or finding hidden batteries to power a stone cannon (weird eh?). On your way you need to collect as many Solar Panels as possible because these are your ‘Power Stars’ to unlocking the next world. Jett’s ship needs as much power as possible and the only way to power the transporter is to install those solar panels pronto. Now Jett doesn’t quite have the move set or aerobatic fluidity of Mario so you can forget about cartwheels, backflips and what not because you’ll mainly be running around doing the odd bit of jumping, smashing and floating with your jet pack. Nevertheless apart from the stiff robotic feel to Jett and his movements (even though he’s human), exploring the area does trigger that 3D Mario feel much more than you’d expect. Of course at the end of each world is a boss, none of ‘em are super tough but not they’ll not be walk in the park for you either.

Now let’s not get over ourselves here; Jett Rocket will not worry Shigeru Miyamoto and the Mario legacy but for once this is an example of a non-Nintendo developed 3D platformer that doesn’t just fall flat on its face.

If you just give the game a chance then Jett Rocket will give you that nice warm Super Mario Sunshine glow for a few hours, probably enough to whet your appetite for finishing off those missions you’re stuck on in Super Mario Galaxy 2. The control system is a basic Wiimote and Nunchuck affair, Jett is controlled with the analogue stick and jumps with a press of the A button (and floats with A held down), attacking comes in the form of swishing the Wiimote motion style and it works well. I’m no Wii Waggle advocate but this is very inoffensive and suits me just fine.

Jett Rocket features fairly decent graphics and audio; neither will stun you into a fiery oblivion but don’t forget that squeezing anything gorgeous into the 40MB WiiWare storage limit is a tough task for anyone. The levels are pretty enough and the special effects are good enough for any self-respecting game lover, it’s all crisp, smooth and does the job. For me a game with no slowdown and a half decent game camera goes a long way to being playable, Jett Rocket easily manages this and more.

For just 1000 Nintendo Points you can have a good dose of retro 3D platforming action. Gamerscore junkies will be pleased to see that there are plenty of achievements to earn as well. Of course being a Wii title they don’t really mean anything (they’ll not appear on your Xbox 360) but it’s certainly nice to see some effort towards WiiChievements, especially when Nintendo aren’t bothering. Fun stuff indeed! 4 out of 5.

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Donkey Kong Country Returns release date

July 2nd, 2010

Now this I did not expect. Retro Studio’s the developer of the Metroid Prime trilogy pull a surprise punch with the return of my favourite Nintendo Platformer (sorry Mario); Donkey Kong Country. After Microsoft’s acquisition of Rare Software I thought there would be no chance of a true sequel to the superb Super Nintendo game series. Yes we had Donkey Kong Jungle Beat which was an interesting rhythm based platformer that came boxed with plastic bongos, but it wasn’t a true DKC game. Donkey Kong Country Returns for Wii is an awesome looking platforming side-scroller that promises to bring back the tricky retro action we’ve all missed but give us a modern real time 2 player cooperative mode and gorgeous multi-layered real time 3D graphics. The Donkey Kong Country Returns release date is Christmas 2010 and is going to be a great holiday title.

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