Just got this month’s Nintendo Power in the mail and there’s a really cool 6-7 page Mario Kart Wii writeup complete with some new screens and pics of the pack-in wheel and it’s looking quite awesome. I have to be honest, I had worried about the motorcycles being added and if the wheel would be too gimmicky but it appears the cycles are alot of fun and the wheel looks to be slightly more than just a shell as it’s got a trigger on the back that you can use for powersliding. I’m actually interested in playing the game with the wheel attachment thingymajig.

In other news in this issue, the reviews for the Wii games were all over the place with a few that I had hoped would score well ending up scoring not so hot. Here’s a quick rundown of them:

Worms: A Space Oddity: 6.0
Nuts.. I had hoped this would be better as I love me some Worms action. No online play and “questionable design choices” led to the negative mark. They apparently cut out about half of the usual weapons which would suck. Eh, I’ll Gamefly it maybe.

Sega Superstars Tennis: 8.0
Hey now we’re talking. I had hoped this game would end up being fun and NP sure thought it was. They claim it reminds them of Super Smash Bros and the game offers a choice in it’s gameplay; you can play it Wii Tennis style where you just swing the Wiimote, or choose to control the character and swing at the same time. The game also supports the classic controller. Nice!

Bully: Scholarship Edition: 8.5
The open ended gameplay and how “alive” everything feels garnered high marks from NP as did the new controls and content. I’ve never given Bully a shot so perhaps this is my chance to enjoy it in all its glory?

House of the Dead 2 &3 Return: 7.0
Nuts, a 7.0 but they did like the game, they only rated it low due to the fact it brought nothing overly new to the table besides upgraded graphics over it’s previous renditions. I’m still getting it.

Opoona: 7.0
An RPG for beginners is what they refer to it as. Nice backgrounds and music, and fundamentally solid, they just didn’t like how rough around the edges the game is. Minigames that don’t take advantage of the Wii controls, instead you choose dance moves from a list for example. Inadequate maps and overall sometimes confusing, clunky environmental collisons, static dungeon cameras, the list goes on and on. A shame as it definitely has style.

Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed: 7.0
Full of puns that start with the title of the game, it feels like it’s “beating you over the head with it’s juvenile humor” at points. Low draw distance and generally poor AI were marks against the game as was the fact it didn’t really feel like a third installment, just a slight revamping of the previous iterations.

Sega Bass Fishing: 5.0
Noooooo! Well, it is a port of a nine year old arcade game, but man I was looking forward to this for some goofy reason. If you’re looking to relive this game with motion controls that work well, give it a go. Otherwise, it’s going to feel very dated with little to no upgrades going on in terms of graphics.

MLB2k8: 6.5
Good at being a fundamental baseball sim, solid batting and pitching, and even things stat junkies will enjoy but no online play or any other features the other consoles were treated to. “Last years edition with Wii controls tacked on”. To many nuances to list but if this is your only console and you are a baseball fan you will enjoy it on a decent level.

Obscure: The Aftermath: 7.0
Not too many survival horror games on the Wii so if you’re into those, this may be a must buy for you. It is no RE4 though. And it’s not even all that scary really so they claim. Campy characters and cheesy dialog, but you can play it coop and it makes good use of the Wii controls. I’d pay $30 for it.

Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection: 7.5
Being a fan of pinball video games, I just might have to pick this one up. Perhaps not the game for those not interested in pinball games at all. Makes great use of the Wii controls given how basic it is.

Baroque: 3.0
Popular Japanese series hitting other areas now, but they could have kept it according to NP. Slow dungeon crawler game that nearly feels turn based and grows boring rather quickly. No real explanation of what is going on just, “Here you go now play!” Not a game for me.

And that covers it. Some good, some very bad, but mainly a mix of some good titles. I’ll have to check out Sega’s tennis offering and of course get the HotD pack. Anything you guys were looking forward to?