Y’know what I hate more than press releases that seriously overhype Wii games months in advance, because the publisher knows the game will be a sack of sh*t? (Remember MySims Party’s press release bigging up how you can “shake your groovy thing with DJ Candy”, and shudder.) A press release that, with a gentle whimper, announces that a Wii game exists on the day that it’s released, because the publisher knows the game will be a sack of sh*t. That’s exactly what toy company Tomy has done with their new WiiWare release, Pop-Up Pirate!
The child in me is weeping and calling Nintendo a big smelly doo doo head, for ruining the childhoods of everyone, for generations for come. As for me, I’m ready to rant, click on over for more.
Pop-Up Pirate! is, as you maaay be aware, a wonderful children’s game. I mean a physical game, before you ask. It involved the titular pirate, who you’d stick in the middle of an oversized barrel and proceed to stab with lots of plastic swords through slots in the barrel. Whoever makes the pirate pop-up out of the barrel (and straight into somebody’s face) with their sword was the loser. The TV advert, which proclaimed (ho ho ho) barrels of fun, lives on in my metaphorical safe of childhood memories.
Or did, until it was shattered by the surprise announcement yesterday, that Pop-Up Pirate! was appearing on WiiWare, yesterday! I coulda sworn I’d seen this somewhere before, lemme check my Oxford dictionary…
Aha, there we go. I knew I’d seen it somewhere.
Pop-Up Pirate!, in between making me hate exclamation marks, is little more than an unnecessary dilution of a kids’ game. What’s the point in making a virtual version of a game that will, to be frank, cost probably about the same as the WiiWare version and be infinitely more fun as well. Same thing applies to choosing between the Transformers game and a bunch of action figures.
For one, the hilarity of throwing yourself away from the barrel every time someone slots a sword in can’t be emulated in the Wii version. The entire element of ‘having fun’ isn’t something the Wii does well either.
It really does make you wonder why developers bother with shovelware at all. I really feel sorry for the developers who have to sit and work on this crap. And, time and time again, I wonder why the executives at company X or publisher Y think people will buy this crap, and I’m even more surprised at why people actually do buy it.
Seriously, how many more awesome kids’ games are they gonna kill off? I’m waiting for Tomy to start releasing digital-only board games and the like, and then I’ll be really sad. The Wii is destroying childhoods!
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Of course, there are tons of crap games, because this console is just freakin successful.
But this year starts pretty good for the Wii with games like MadWorld, Deadly Creatures and House of the Dead Overkill.
The last one mentioned is really amazing, every wii owner should at least give it a rent, you´ll absolutely LOVE the coop mode
“The comment above presented by Gin, is sponsored by Nintendo Company Ltd.”
But in all seriousness, we all saw this coming when Nintendo announced the use of motion sensors, right?
Im honestly going to back Gin….
….and then ask why the HELL no one can get the rights to translate Arkham Asylum to the damn console (or ANY video game platform, for all I care). Are you telling me they can get this which has NO point in being in video game form when they cant get HOBBIST board games (which generally require alot more people to play, are more complex, and everyone would be ALOT happier with if they didnt have to clean up the pieces afterwards)? Seriously?
Someone needs to knock a few heads together.
@Strandli:
Lol, is that the standard reaction, when someone posts something positive about a wiigame?
Nintendo would(no, the DID!) comment that they have Mario Sluggers or Mario Olympic Wintergames comin for the coregamer, THATS sad.
But talking about a few good 3rd Partygames
is fanboiish?
Thats ridiculous^^”
tomy toke their own board game and pooed on it. So dumb, it’s like the idea that all the old board games need to be remade to require batteries, the only people who will buy this are little kids, casual gamers and morons. All of which can be catogerised into one group NOOBS.
I wonder how long we can wait till we find games such as golden balls on the wii, wait! we already do? AMAZING! (it’s a UK show so it’s only in england or do you get have the USA version?)
*Sigh*
Whenever a Wii fanboy tells you that the Wii has good games, they just quote the same games…
Standard reaction:
OMG How can u say that we ave LOZ, mEtroid, and Mario gAlaxy, mario …… and don’t forget mario….. . to top it of we have mario . …… and don’t even get me started on mario …..
(replace ‘……’ with title of countless mario spinoffs)
There is no more real NEW games for the Wii.
Survival horror kicks ass on the Wii though!!!