The eShop Report #1 – 2012-2013

To kick off Jordan’s new monthly article discussing what comes to the Wii U’s eShop every month, he takes a look at the back catalogue up until now, and gives you a rundown on the games currently on the store worth purchasing.

Ah the Wii U. In some people’s eyes it is an abomination while in others it is a bastion for the older days of gaming and that Nintendo patented cuteness. Whatever your stance is, if you’re a gamer that has one you’ll want to be playing the best games and at the best value. This series will give you a monthly rundown on the newest titles that are added to the eShop each month – with a specific focus on the digital-only games. (Retail titles will be mentioned in passing, but are not the main focus). To kick this off, I’m going to take a look at at the titles that have graced the Wii U over it’s first year and a half – let’s do this! Along the way I’ll use a simple rating for each game – Ignore, Watch or Buy. Ignore are games that aren’t worth your time or money – give them a miss. Watch means to put this game down on your watch list, and pick it up when the price comes down to something you agree with, or you get some extra money in your pocket. Buy should be the things you head straight for!

Virtual Console – Prices SNES: £5.49, NES: £3.49

One of the neatest things about the Wii and Wii U is the virtual console. However, the Wii U’s virtual console is nowhere near the standard the Wii one was – whereas the Wii had a bonafide library, the Wii U’s is bordering on anaemic. There are currently just 57 virtual console titles available as of the time of writing. However, that’s not to say there is nothing worth your time. Some of the best games of all time are already on it – Super Mario World, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Megaman X, Street Fighter 2 and Gradius all make an appearance. However, if you’re looking for something new, you’re unlikely to find it here. The selection at the moment is just passable – useful for those perhaps too young to have ever played these titles before, but for those that have played these a million times already, this isn’t going to draw you in.

Wii Sports Club – Price: £8.99 each – Watch

Every gamer on the planet knows what Wii Sports is about, and this is a refresh on the series, updated with HD graphics and a pricing model that lets you pick what sports you want to pay for. The conversions are done well, and it does have some added features, however the core gameplay remains as simple as ever, so unless you really love the series, I’d say give it a miss for now.

Dungeons and Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara – Price: £11.99 – Watch

HD Re-masterings of classic arcade games are something I wholeheartedly approve of. This kind of button mashing arcade brawler was all the rage in the 90’s, and frankly I miss games like this. D&D:CoM adds to this formula by requiring you to perform certain combos and special moves to really progress in the game, and it is a welcome addition that helps keep it relevant in a more complex gaming world. There are almost no Wii U specific uses except – as usual – off-tv play, however that’s something to be expected in this kind of conversion. Overall, it’s a nice little compilation of two arcade classics that are great fun even today.

Spot the Differences: Party! – Price: £4.49 – Ignore

‘The most complete spot the difference game on Wii U’. Well, that’s certainly true! However, you can also get the same experience by going to any browser based game on the web. The only reason to get this, is if you are some kind of shovelware connoisseur.

TNT Racers – Nitro Machines Edition – Price: £6.99 – Watch

TNT Racers was originally a WiiWare game, that has been ported to the Wii U with some hiccups. It uses the same classic gameplay style Micro Machines uses – having to go fast enough to cause your opponent to fall off the bottom of the screen, using various weapons to help you accomplish this. There are other modes too, like missions which have you dodging cones and picking up items, as well as challenge and points events. However, in spite of being a game that is clearly far more fun as a multiplayer title, there is no online play, meaning that this game will be doing nothing if your friends aren’t over. The graphics and music are cute enough, however they are not going to blow you away. A fun little racer that is a laugh with friends, get this one depending on your situation.

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams – Price: £12.99 – Watch

Giana sisters is known for the original being a knock-off of Super Mario, however in recent years it’s been carving out its own identity. It’s a platformer with tight and responsive controls, and a few neat features. Giana can transform into a fireball, spin in the air and switch between two different versions of herself which in turn change the world from vibrant and happy to dark and gloomy. One issue that does arise is that the world is actually a little bit too populated, often the background seems to get in the way of the platforming, making things a little confusing. However, for what it is it’s a fun platformer that you won’t be able to play on any other console.

DuckTales: Remastered – Price: £11.99 – Watch

Duck-tales, Woohoo! Who can forget that classic theme right? This game attempts to build on the NES game it is based on, however it isn’t quite as well done as some other retro game re-imaginings in the past few years. The first issue, is that its feet seem to be rested fully in nostalgia. If you loved this game when you were little then you’ll love it now, but a newcomer may be more wary. The graphics and sound are clearly beautiful, however it will not leave much of a mark on history due to its fun but average gameplay.

Pokemon Rumble U – Price: £13.49 – Ignore

Pokemon is such a powerful franchise that it’s presence is almost necessary for any Nintendo console. The Rumble series however is not one people would particularly clamour for, featuring wind-up toys battling each other. The combat is bland, mashing buttons and occasionally using a super-attack to mix things up a little bit. Four player co-op can however be a bit of a laugh, though it’s not worth the price. Interestingly, it’s one of the only games to use the GamePads built in NFC technology – the tech that powers the skylanders toys. So if you’re into that sort of thing, go wild.

Art Academy: SketchPad – Price £3.59 -Ignore/Buy (Depending on preference)

It’s an app that lets you make pictures using the GamePad and stylus with a range of tools. That’s literally all there is to say, if you enjoy making pictures then this app does it as well as you can imagine featuring many kinds of brushes and colours to use, and works well enough. If you’re not, then this isn’t for you.

Spin the Bottle: Bumpie’s Party – Price: £5.99 – Buy

Back in the days of the Gamecube, I thought WarioWare was the weirdest mini game compilation I would ever play. I was wrong. This is an absolute must-have if you plan on using the Wii U as a party console – the game has you doing some truly ridiculous stuff, and it mixes up the selection depending on the amount of controllers and players you have, but never once fails to give you a laugh. Definitely download this one for something different.

Cloudberry Kingdom – Price: £7.99 – Watch

A 2D sidescrolling platformer with a twist – it uses procedurally generated levels. This is a feature rarely seen in platformers due to the genre generally needing to be a more controlled and tighter experience than RPG’s which often use it, however here it works very well. You never get a broken or unplayable level, and most of the time wouldn’t know it’s been generated by an algorithm. Cloudberry can have some bloody hard levels, and includes a story mode with different characters that have different traits, such as one that can double-jump and one that can’t stop. It’s a fun, different platformer that is worth your money, but you’ll have to judge it up against the plethora of other platformers out there to see if it is worth your time.

Star Wars Pinball – Price: £7.99 – Buy

As far as pinball games, this is probably the cream of the crop. Not only are the physics spot on, the graphics are great and of course, it features Star Wars themed tables; any pinball fan would be mad not to pick this one up.

Kung Fu Rabbit – Price: £4.49 – Buy

Kung Fu Rabbit often takes two steps forward, one step back. On one hand, the controls are absolutely tight, which is very important in any platformer, and the graphics are very HD and smooth. On the other hand, it’s light on content, and the menus lack text making it feel like an ipad game most of the time, which really lets it down. As you progress in the game you collect carrots which can be used for upgrades, and you face various obstacles which do add variety. A bit more of a push could have made this game great – and I really hope the development team gets to expand on this premise in a sequel.

BIT.TRIP Presents: Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien – Price: £9.99 – Buy

Runner 2 is essentially a crazy hurdling event. You have a long course, having to slide under, jump over and break through obstacles, making it feel essentially like a rhythm game as the title suggests. However, the difference comes from being able to navigate the courses at this speed to try and find treasures, secret levels and alternative exits, and having 125 levels there are a lot to find. It features a bit of a learning curve which means you’ll constantly be discovering new elements of the gameplay, a truly excellent downloadable title. Of course, one of the main selling points for this series has always been the music, and Runner 2 does not dissapoint, the chiptune themes pulse through the game and will give you a real buzz.

Toki Tori 2+ Price: £12.99 – Buy

Toki Tori 2 does what few games seem to be able to do – reinvent the core gameplay from its prequel, but keep intact what made people love it. Toki Tori 2 is a puzzle game at its heart, and you go through the world with your little yellow bird solving some pretty tough challenges with naught but a whistle and a ground stomp. Your limited abilities however are put to great use, moving blocks and pounding on blocks and pegs, attracting/repelling the creatures, and trying to many of these different things all at once. Somehow Toki Tori 2 manages to breakthrough the repetition that so many puzzle games suffer from and each puzzle genuinely manages to feel different each time – if you are a stickler for a puzzle game that will truly test you, buy this now!

Fist of the North Star: Kens Rage 2 Price £39.99 – Ignore

It is rare for a game like this to be released as eShop only on the Wii U, however Tecmo Koei seem to have wanted this game to be played by as few people as possible, and rightly so. As a Dynasty Warriors fan myself, even I have to call this one lazy and repetitious. It tries nothing new, and instead of giving you large interesting maps filled with weird stories and elements like in the Warriors series, you are restricted to much smaller areas, far less enemy variety and a story mode that can’t even maintain a stable frame-rate. Warriors players are still waiting for a good entry in the series to be made on the Wii U – and this is no substitute.

Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition – Price: £8.99 – Buy

A better version of the 3DS eShop title. Enhanced with HD visuals and remixed stages, this is the version of the game to pick-up. Great animation adds to the beautiful 2D action the game provides, and the tight controls make it wonderful to play. A must-have for 2D action game fans.

Mighty Switch Force! 2 – Price: £5.00 – Watch

Whilst MSF2 is just as fun on the Wii U as It was on the 3DS, it suffers from ‘more of the same’ syndrome. In fact, this version doesn’t look quite as good on the Wii U as the first one did, not receiving the same attention given to the original port. Despite this, the 16 bit nature of the game is still fun and frantic, and will give any action gamer a good pump.

Chasing Aurora – Price: £5.99 – Watch

Aurora is the type of game you play at six in the morning when you can’t sleep. It’s calm, serene, and often verges on beautiful – however it is very short and limited. You play as birdlike paper creatures and glide on the wind through the levels, however be warned that most of the game is cut-off to you unless you are playing in multiplayer mode, so try this one out with a mate.

Little Inferno – Price: £8.99 – Buy

Games that are both truly unique, and relatively obscure almost never come along, however Little Inferno seems to occupy that space. Half sandbox half game, you are set in front of a fireplace and charged with well, burning things. Burning things gets you coins, which you can use to get more things to burn from the charming catalogue the game provides. It does have a light puzzle element, in the form of needing certain combos to unlock more catalogues to burn more things. The real fun in this game comes from the physics engine and the sheer amount of things to burn, and the light narrative the evolves over the few hours of gameplay make this a game experience that will burn itself into your mind, occupying a space in it unlikely to be challenged by anything else for a while to come.

Nano Assault Neo – Price: £8.99 – Buy

Nano Assault Neo is one of those games that is perfect to be a digital game. It’s not very long, but it is well made, and is visceral action-based fun. You control your ship with the left analogue, and the direction you shoot with the right, and along the way pick up power-ups and ‘satellites’ which add smaller ships that accompany yours. You fight on weird shaped cells that are meant to be inside a body, and it works well enough. The only issue you’ll find is the camera tends to lag behind and not be able to keep up with the action – and in the heat of the moment this can be a problem. This is a pulse-pounding pick up and play game, that is somewhat let down by its length. Worth a pickup.

Puddle – Price: £8.99 – Watch

Ah, physics based game play! It’s a sub-genre that has exploded with the indie gaming market, and rightly so – the very basis of it means the game will play out slightly different every time. In Puddle, you control various liquid substances, and use the gyrometer on your Gamepad to guide you throughout the levels. As a physics game, it’s fairly run-of the mill, and whilst interesting at times, it’s not a must-have by any means. Pick this one up only if you’re especially in love with the genre, or have run out of other titles to try.

Trine 2: Directors Cut – Price: £13.99 – Buy

Trine is an Indie series that has gained a polish that puts it up there with triple-A releases – and for good reason. The colourful graphics, the tight gameplay and the interesting, funny characters make it worthwhile – and this is one of the best editions, only slightly outshined by the resolution in the PS4 edition, however content-wise it’s exactly the same. For a Wii U owner looking to jump on the eShop bandwagon, this should be your first port of call.

The Cave – Price: £9.99 – Watch

The Cave is a decent platform puzzle game, however its great presentation values often mask what is in actuality a fairly standard game. The use of character switching gameplay is much better done in Trine, and the frustrations with having to traipse around the levels back and forward often pull what could have been a great game down to simply adequate. You may get a kick out of it thanks to its look and atmosphere, but it is somewhat flawed at a gameplay level.

So that’s it! The eShop is currently not the paradise it should be, however with Nintendo’s latest efforts to push the console, we can only hope that it grows into the unique and innovative place it should be. Certain aspects such as generally higher pricing than we are accustomed to should with consumer pressure come down, and I personally think the future is bright. Catch the next eShop report on the 1st January, and expect it on the 1st of every month after that!

Article by Jordan Lloyd