"Play on the Wii" titles

The Play on the Wii titles (known as Wii de Asobu in Japan) are an interesting concept that I really like. Since I never had the privilege of owning a GameCube, I missed out on some of the great titles it offered. This is what Nintendo had in mind as some gamers (especially those new to the industry) might not have played a lot of the hits from the Gamecube.

There are several things that really interest me. First off, if news/rumors from GoNintendo are to be believed, we'll see them released with a $30 price tag. Which is nice, seeing as they're not new games. Well, that's not exactly true. Another thing that has me interested is the addition of more levels and Wii specific controls, making the game feel new and fresh. For example, Pikmin, will be coming to this selection and with it IR for controlling the Pikmin, which is nice and shows the potential of the inevitable Pikmin 3. The only title that's been confirmed with new content so far is Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, but I can expect some of the others will have new levels too.

I don't really get why people complain about them, particularly the people who've already played them. It's not like Nintendo is forcing you to buy them. And for those of you who say Nintendo should spend their time and resources on bigger projects like Pikmin 3 and Punch-Out!!, I really don't think Nintendo's using very much of the development teams to make these. I mean even with the new controls and content, they're basically ports from the GameCube.

The games that have been confirmed so far are Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Pikmin, Chibi-Robo!, Pikmin 2, Mario Power Tennis, Metroid Prime, and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. The control options for all are pretty obvious, and have potential. Take Metroid Prime, now imagine Metroid Prime 3's awesome controls built in. For Mario Tennis? A Wii Sports style of control. There's still a few other titles I feel Nintendo should add to the list, and probably will sometime. The two I can think of off the top of my head are Super Mario Sunshine and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Super Mario Sunshine wouldn't use the Wii's controls a whole lot, but the game would still be a nice addition. And for Wind Waker, I could see Twilight Princess controls, which worked great.

As I've said in previous posts, 2009 is going to be a great year for the Wii, both first- and third party. Plus we also have the Play on the Wii titles to look forward to too! (At least I hope they'll get released sometime in '09)

Comments or questions? Drop an email to kylehogg@gmail.com or leave a comment below...