RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘reviews’

Need For Speed (NFS) Carbon

08 Mar

Just when you thought the NFS series couldn’t get anybetter, along comes the Wii to prove you wrong…

The last NFS game I played on was NFS Underground 2 on the PC and this game on the Wii is exactly the same, only better!!!  The graphics and in-game music and sound effects are of the high standard we have come to expect with the NFS series of games.  The premise is pretty much the same as before, you have to drive around winning races so you can upgrade you car to be able to win even more races!

When you are fed up with drifting, race wars, sprinting and racing through checkpoints you can simply drive around the places that you have unlocked and annoy the police and see how many cars you can destroy and how many road blocks you can evade!

How can you win a race but pass the finish line in 2nd place??? Crew racing, that’s how!  No longer are you racing alone, as you progress through the game you find yourself recruiting different crew members which you can hire for particular races.

The crew members come in 3 different varieties:

1) Drafters – as the name suggests, these crew members speed off ahead of you and allow you to make use of their slipstream.

2) Pathfinders – the name says it all really, these crew members will find all the shortcuts that you can take so make sure you follow them!

3) Blockers – these guys will take out your opponents that you see coming up close in your rear view mirror.

What really makes this game on the Wii standout is the gameplay, more importantly the unique way this game has made use of your Controller & Nunchuck!  Just when you thought playing Excite Truck by tilting your Controller was innovative, NFS Carbon goes one step further and offers you 5 different ways of controlling your car!

This is the standard way of controlling a car on the Wii and is just like the way you would do so if you were playing Excite Truck of GT Pro etc.

When I first started playing this game, this was the only control method I was using as I hadn’t realised I had another 4 more options to choose from!

The only thing I don’t like about this control set is that to turn round sharp corners you have to hold down the A button which is for over steering.

The method shown here on the right is the one I am currently using and it is absolutely awesome!

You tilt the nunchuck left and right for the analogue steering and (quite literally) use the controller as the excellerator pedal!

Without a doubt the control methods in this game make it stand out from the rest!

If you were umming and arring over this game and GT Pro then forget GT Pro and get yourself Carbon – you won’t regret it!

Wii Mans Game Rating

Fun Factor: 9/10 – If you like car racing games then buy this NOW!
Playability: 10/10 – With 5 different control methods you are bound to find one to suit.
Gameplay: 10/10 – Carbon makes full use of the Controller & Nunchuck!
Graphics: 8/10 – Fantastic graphics that we have come to expect on the NFS series of games.
Sound/Music: 8/10 – Nothing fancy but still quite good. I would have liked to see MP3s from your SD card being used in this game though…

Overall 45/50

*** A Wii Man Recommended Title For Car Racing Fans!***

 
 

Excite Truck

19 Feb

If you like driving games and have a Wii then this has to be a ‘Must Buy’ for you!

If you thought tilting your Wii Controller left/right to turn the car in GT Pro Series or Monster 4×4 was innovative then you will be even more pleasantly surprised when you play this game!

This makes full use of the Wii Controller (minus the nunchuck that is) as not only do you have to turn the controller left and and right, when you take off on a jump you have to rotate it forwards and backwards as well to ensure that you land correctly!

If you take a look at the image below (that I have found on the net), you will see what I mean.

Now if the innovative use of the controller wasn’t enough, this game is not all about going across the finish line in 1st place. It’s all about stars…

At the start of each race you are told the time limit, number of laps and the minimum number of stars required to move on to the next level.

You get stars for landing correctly after jumping in the air from the raised terrain, for going through ‘rings’ whilst in the air on certain jumps, for ramming in to your opponents at high speed, for performing 360, 720, 1080 or even 1800 degree turns in the air, for doing ‘tree runs’ and even for crashing spectacularly!!!

At the bottom-right of the screenshot you can see the temparature gauge. When you activate the turbo-boost (by pressing any direction on the digi-pad) the temparature gauge goes up. When it reaches maximum you must stop using it and let the engine cool down.

The fastest way to cool the engine down is either via jumping through the air or to drive through shallow water.

Overall this a fantastic game which makes full use of the Wii Controller! The graphics may not be outstanding but the gameplay more than makes up for it!

One thing I would recommend you think about buying (if you dont already have one) is a Joytech Controller as shown in the image on the right.

I found that it helped me to hold the controller in a more comfortable mannor and reduced the aching wrists!

One last thing is that there is now a proper use for the SD card that most of us seem to have brought (and then couldn’t find a real use for them)! Any MP3s stored on an SD card in your Wii system will be used during the game – this is why the music rating below is 10/10 as its your own music so you must like it…

Wii Mans Game Rating

Fun Factor: 8/10 – If you like fun car games then you’ll enjoy this!
Playability: 9/10 – The only feature that isn’t used is the nunchuck!
Gameplay: 9/10 – Great fun, great game.
Graphics: 8/10 – Reasonable graphics with good weather effects.
Sound/Music: 10/10 – If you have an SD card then it’s music of your choosing!

Overall 44/50

*** A Wii Man Recommended Title ***

 
 

WarioWare: Smooth Moves

05 Feb

Oh My God! What a bizzare, strange and funny game!

The game is nothing more than a complete compilation of what seems like hundreds and hundreds of minigames that are over in the blink of an eyelid!

It makes full use of the Wii Controller with you having to perform such tasks as turning key to open a door to holding the controller on your head whilst you squat on the ground and then stand straight back up again!!!

The images below show just some of the minigames that you have to complete in (quite litterally) a matter of seconds! Just before the mini game begins you are shown how to hold the remote and in the few seconds that the game lasts, not only do you have to complete the task but you have to actually work out what the task is and how to move the controller!!! Mad I tell you , mad!!!

The image on the left shows someone holding the remote in the ‘mohican’ stance squating etc. the image above shows you using a saw with the remainging image showing how you can weightlift!!!

This game is a great party game as everyone can take part! I’m not sure which is more fun, taking part playing the game or watching someone playing the game!!!

Wii Man’s Reviews

Fun Factor: 9/10 – On your own 0/10 with a load of mates 9/10
Playability: 10/10 – Full use of the Wii controller
Gameplay: 9/10 – That’s all there is with this game, not much skill involved!
Graphics: 5/10 – Graphics are not what this game is about!!!
Sound/Music: 7/10 – Fun sounding music for a fun game.

Overall 40/50