The 50 Best Nintendo Wii Games - Part Three

We've already had two weeks totaling twenty unique Wii titles that are the best the system has to offer. We continue our look back at the Wii's library with ten more games spanning various genres and franchises like Donkey Kong, Kirby, Final Fantasy, and Resident Evil. It is my hope that with this list of fifty that the mindset of the Wii having a weak library is, well, weakened. It's a console with an overwhelming amount of variety and mass diversification within its collection of games. Let us see what the next ten highlights of the Wii's library are.

Once again, I remind people that only North American releases will be listed here. Sorry, Fatal Frame, Disaster, and Pandora's Tower fans. 

Wii Sports

Not just a game but a phenomenon, Wii Sports is one of the primary reasons for the Wii system's sensational success. The game transcended gaming, showing up on TV shows, talk shows, commercials, movies, and award shows. And this is all for good reason to, Wii Sports has the gameplay to back up the hype. Containing five sports: tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing, Wii Sports introduced a majority to motion control gaming. The simplicity of the controls allowed even grandparents to get in on the action, using the Wii remote as an extension of their body as a golf club, as a baseball bat, or as a tennis racket. Each sport had three modes: a standard mode, a training mode, and a multiplayer mode. Solo players could compete for medals which were earned through satisfying certain in-game conditions. Training mode would give a player a fitness test based on their stamina, skill, and ability. By far the most popular part of the Wii Sports package, though, was the multiplayer. Parties and family functions focused on playing the game took place. Wii Sports is without a doubt one of the most revolutionary games of the generation, and its title as best-selling game of all time (bundles included) is well earned.

Donkey Kong Country Returns

It seemed with Twycross-based developer Rare's departure from Nintendo that the Donkey Kong Country series would never be returned to. That was until another Western collaborator with Nintendo, Retro Studios, was given the task to create a brand new entry in the franchise. The end result was Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii. The game featured all the throwbacks to the original trilogy that you might expect: mine cart levels, KONG letters (though these did more than just give the player an extra life this time around), secret areas, vine-swinging, and banana-nabbing. However, there were several changes made to the formula. For one, the Kremlings were nowhere to be found. Instead, a group known as the Tiki Tak Tribe were the antagonists after DK's precious banana hoard. Also new to this installment of the Donkey Kong Country franchise was the ability for two players to cooperatively play through levels simultaneously. In solo mode, Diddy Kong would ride on DK's back, giving him jet pack support. Donkey Kong Country Returns was a great *ahem* return to retro sensibilities. The game was mighty challenging and fans of the great ape can be rest assured that if the DKC line continues with Retro Studios, the series is in quite capable hands.

Kirby's Epic Yarn 

It had been ten full years since a Kirby platformer arrived on a home console (the last was Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards in 2000). Despite it being an atypical Kirby adventure, Kirby's Epic Yarn was a spectacular addition to the franchise nonetheless. I said the game was atypical, and that is most certainly true. Kirby's traditional ability to copy the powers of foes through inhaling and then digesting them was gone. Instead, his primary form of attack was unwinding his arm like a whip to lash at enemies, turn them into balls of yarn, and toss them at other baddies. Kirby could transform into a number of forms such a gliding parachute to replace his ability to float, a car which allows Kirby to traverse the ground at a faster rate than normal, a dolphin for underwater exploration, and even a toy train. This Good Feel and HAL Laboratory collaboration does not have health or lives for Kirby. The sole penalty for taking damage or falling down a bottomless pit was the loss of valuable beads that Kirby had collected. These beads unlocked new, more challenging levels as well as were used to purchase furniture for Kirby's pad in Quilty Square, so holding onto them was paramount. Finally, like Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby's Epic Yarn could be played with two players cooperatively. A charming game with one of the most interesting art styles this generation, Kirby's Epic Yarn is a terrific title that oozes with visual and gameplay delights.

Excitebots: Trick Racing

Part One of The 50 Best Nintendo Wii Games had Excite Truck being represented in the first batch of ten excellent Wii games. Now, what I consider to be the superior game as well as one of the best arcade racers this generation, Excitebots: Trick Racing gets its chance to shine. No doubt the game was overlooked by many as it was released with no fanfare whatsoever by Nintendo, was not released in PAL territories, and was only given the opportunity to be owned by Japanese gamers via Club Nintendo. Despite these mitigating factors, Excitebots: Trick Racing is worth tracking down. The game was solely controlled by tilting the Wii remote in a horizontal position. The 20+ courses offeedr plenty of opportunities for going off the beaten path, finding places to score big air and big points in the process. You see, getting first place wasn't the sole goal in Excitebots. No, getting the most points (or as they are referred to withing the game, stars) possible was the objective here. By performing tricks, spins, stunts, beating the rest of the bots across the finish line, and participating in short mini-games mid-race, players earned stars. At the end of the race the stars were tallied and the racer with the most was deemed the winner. So while one was racing they could gain stars by smashing into another racer, kicking a football through the uprights, hitting a soccer ball into the net, slamming into a set of bowling pins for a strike, throwing a pie into a clown's face, and many other tasks. The replay value of the game came from getting S ranks in every track in every difficulty, as well as online races. Excitebots: Trick Racing is not your average racer, and that is most definitely what makes it an outstanding game.

Endless Ocean: Blue World

Known as Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep in PAL territories, Endless Ocean: Blue World put players within the waters of oceans, seas, and rivers in search of aquatic life, treasure, and ancient lore with increased graphical fidelity and much grander in scale areas to explore than in the original hard-to-find 2007 game. Blue World was primarily a scuba diving adventure game with a major focus on plundering the deep, though the ability to swim in the river of a South American jungle was added, in addition to a new polar area. The waters were home to a wide variety of animals like whales, manatees, sea lions, penguins, and dolphins -- the latter of which could be rode to traverse through the waters much more quickly. However, the waters of Endless Ocean: Blue World weren't habituated by all friendly creatures. Sharks, piranha, and crocodiles also called various sectors of water their home, and while things wouldn't get violent, they would take a good portion of your oxygen away, cutting a dive short if a player wasn't careful. Aside from the single player story, Endless Ocean: Blue World also featured multiplayer functionality for two players to communicate with each other online via Wii Speak, taking pictures, and exploring the vast blue together. A soothing and relaxing experience, Endless Ocean: Blue World will pour waves of intriguing gameplay onto those that are open enough to try it.

The Munchables

No. Really. Take a trip to the planet of Star Ving as this is where The Munchables call their home. The eponymous characters are embattled with the evil space pirates known as the Tabemon. The Munchables was a game that was similar to Katamari Damacy in how levels were completed. The basic premise had either heroes Chomper or Munchy starting at a certain, predetermined size and let loose within a level. At the start, smaller enemies could be eaten up easily, but larger scale and larger level foes could not. By gulping down smaller or enemies of the size, your Munchable could grow more and more until it could chomp the previously mentioned larger leveled baddies. Every enemy devoured would give you a meal point. At the conclusion of a level, the meal points added up to reward you with a letter grade. The more your Munchable ate in succession without much of a breather, the higher your meal point total would be. There were eight worlds within The Munchables, and the game takes about five to six hours to complete the first go 'round. However, if you want to see everything there is to the game, that total amount of time could exponentially increase. Namco Bandai quietly slipped out this low-budget Wii exclusive onto stores shelves for a budget price, but if you can get over the wacky and zany look of the game, you are bound to find a title that is appetizing. 

Little King's Story

One part real-time strategy, one part life simulation, and one part role-playing game, Little King's Story was a title that encapsulated charm and ingenuity. Players took control of a young boy named Corobo who became king of a place called Alpoko. The kingdom does not look like much to begin with, but with some ordering around of the faithful denizens, Corobo could start making them create buildings and training places for new citizen types. As the little king sauntered around Alpoko, he could enlist the help of various citizens to accompany him in and around the kingdom or out into uncharted lands. The citizens of Alpoko start off weak, but Corobo could send them into various training facilities to turn them into different types of workers such as farmers, hunters, soldiers, and carpenters. Each type of worker had their own strengths and weaknesses and helpful abilities such as being able to build bridges or do well in combat. When the little king and his followers left the safety of Alpoko, they were greeted with monsters and creatures of all shapes and sizes. The main story had them trying to conquer the seven surrounding rival kingdoms, but there were also a wide breadth of side quests to partake in within Little King's Story's world. Little King's Story got new life recently as it was made available in remake form on the PlayStation Vita in New Little King's Story. Which ever version you decide upon, you are destined with greatness when you are in the presence of the little king.

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon

A roguelike game that is perfect for beginners and especially fans of the Final Fantasy franchise, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon offered a light-hearted story revolving around a town of Lostime and the city's citizens' forgotten memories. When Chocobo entered the mind of a citizen, he entered a peril-filled, multi-floor dungeon. Each dungeon was made up of a number of floors which ranged from small to large. The later dungeons in the game being the lengthiest, some of which lasted 100 floors. Each dungeon was randomly generated, so no two trips to a single dungeon were ever the same. Monsters filled the halls and rooms of each dungeon, having Chocobo participate in turn-based battles. New to this installment of the Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon series was the ability for Chocobo to join the working class and get one of ten jobs such as Thief, White Mage, Black Mage, and so forth. One of the reasons I love Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon, outside of the accessible gameplay, is the wide array of Final Fantasy touches the game has such as memorable monsters, bosses, items, and spells, as well as remixed music (some of the best Final Fantasy remixes of any spin-off). What you are left with is one tremendous Final Fantasy spin-off that is immensely enjoyable (mechanics and presentation), simple enough to learn, hard enough and deep enough to feel rewarding, and anchored by compelling gameplay.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

A rail shooter might not be your idea of an exciting genre, but the Wii made them popular once again. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is one of the deepest rail-shooting experiences on any platform. The game featured scenarios from Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil Code: Veronica, and all-new scenario starring Leon S. Kennedy and Jack Krauser, prior to their appearances in Resident Evil 4. There are a myriad of missions within Darkside Chronicles, having Resident Evil fans relive moments from past games. Pulling off head shots was much easier and much more satisfying. At the end of every mission, players were rewarded a ranking detailing how well they performed. Overall score, time taken, enemies blown away, head shots achieved, and more were taken into account. The rating system not only encouraged multiple play-throughs of missions, but it also unlocked cool costumes for player's characters. Along with rankings, gold was earned for completing missions. This could be spent on new upgrades to preexisting weaponry such as better rate of fire and strength. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles and its predecessor, The Umbrella Chronicles, would be ported and placed in glorious high-definition on the PlayStation 3 last year (Move recommended). Regardless of the version you choose, this rail shooter is one of the best on the market.

The House of the Dead: Overkill

The final game for this batch of ten Wii games is The House of the Dead: Overkill, a game that had the claim to fame of having a Guinness World Record for most expletives in a video game (the record would be beaten a year later by Mafia II). I find Overkill to most definitely be a guilty pleasure with content that is more immature than mature. Regardless, The House of the Dead: Overkill's seven chapters took players through a bayou mansion, a hospital, a carnival, a train, a swampland, a prison, and an underground lab in search of mutants to mutilate. Like Darkside Chronicles, grades were awarded for a player's performance, and money could be spent on new guns, new upgrades, and new content. A combo could be achieved through attaining multiple head shots and killing as many mutants as possible without missing a shot. Additionally, the game could also be played with a second person for double the mutant destroying fun. The House of the Dead: Overkill had a distinctive grindhouse feel to it with grainy film reel graphics, the aforementioned excessive expletives, and bizarre story. The end result is a title that is unabashedly unapologetic, full of point and shoot fun, and is entertaining from the title screen to the closing credits.

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If you missed a previous part of my list of the fifty best Nintendo Wii games, no need to panic. I have the article listed as part of my feature catalog for the site. Also, they're right here for your viewing and reading pleasure:

The 50 Best Nintendo Wii Games - Part One
The 50 Best Nintendo Wii Games - Part Two

Next week we will see ten more Wii games as Part Four of The 50 Best Nintendo Wii Games is posted.

Top Ten Under-appreciated Wii Games

Nintendo's Wii was the most dominant console this generation, but it really wasn't future-proof. Its graphical power was outperformed by both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 right out of the gates. Nonetheless, with its selection of casual titles and innovative motion control (so popular that the competition created their own solutions), the Wii sold strongly for about four or five years. Now we are at a stretch where sales have dwindled down, and the game selection is slowing to a crawl. For every Super Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros., and Mario Kart is a game that is overlooked and under-appreciated. This list is my attempt to enlighten Wii owners on games they may have missed out on. These are titles that either did not sell to their potential or were overlooked completely by nearly everyone.

10) Wario Land: Shake It!


Wario returns, but this time he's ditched the biker attire, the micro-games, and donned his familiar purple overalls for this console iteration of the popular Wario Land series. In every level there are a trio of treasures to find (entirely optional), bags of money just waiting to be shook loose-- performed through shaking the Wii remote, and a myriad of missions to attempt to complete such as reaching the goal in a set amount of time, not getting hit at all throughout a level, or collecting a certain amount of gold. The levels are cleverly designed both in how Wario reaches the treasure room to how he has to quickly race back to the goal soon after. The mellow soundtrack offers some memorable melodies as well. Wario is back, and he means business.

9) The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces


Take to the skies in one of many customizable fighter planes as you dogfight above enemy fortresses, dams, cities, and mountain ranges. Utilize motion controls to pilot your plane (the nunchuk is used as your throttle in this setting), or opt to use regular ones. The game features 20+ missions that have you protecting a friendly, taking down an enemy target or series of targets, or taking out as many fighters as possible within a given time frame. Containing massive amounts of customization, mission variety, a superb score, and intense dogfighting, The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces is great for the pilot in all of us.

8) Muramasa: The Demon Blade


Play as one of two characters in Muramasa: The Demon Blade as you venture across a perilous countryside, through forests, rough waves, and icy mountains, collecting cursed swords. This is all in an attempt to accomplish your task before the sinister Shogun has his way. Combat flows elegantly and effortlessly as you ward off soldiers, skeletons, giant krakens, and other mythical beasts. The true star of the show, however, are the gorgeous graphics. Hand-painted and never losing their luster, the worlds of Muramasa: The Demon Blade come to life with colorful backgrounds with objects such as blades of grass wafting in the wind and sensational scenery. This is one game that deserves a chance to shine in HD if only for the aforementioned visuals.

7) Go Vacation


Vacation, all I ever wanted. Vacation, had to get away. You will be able to get away with Go Vacation-- even in these cold fall and winter months. Participate in one of over fifty activities with over 100 different variants. Explore Kawawii Island's four unique resort areas: marine, mountain, snow, and city as you discover new activities, find new friends, and unlock new content. Create your own villa with furniture you collect from your various excursions on the island, and invite up to three other players to explore the island with you. Whether you're surfing, scuba diving, skydiving, hurling snowballs, riding horses, or inline skating, there's an activity for everyone in Namco Bandai's Go Vacation.

6) Endless Ocean: Blue World


Take a dive in Arctic seas, South American rivers full of piranha fish, and Caribbean oceans in this globetrotting adventure to find treasure within ancient underwater temples and tunnels. Interact with the aquatic wildlife-- just be sure to avoid those sharks! Discover buried treasure, make friends with a helpful dolphin, and hop online with a friend to explore the dank, deep depths of the ocean together. While the option to import custom soundtracks from the original Endless Ocean is gone, the Celtic Woman soundtrack is surprisingly poignant and pleasant. If deep water makes you anxious like me, then why not take a virtual tour of the many waterways of the earth with Endless Ocean: Blue World?

5) We Love Golf!


From Camelot, the makers of Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, and the Golden Sun series comes this Capcom-published take on arcade golf. With eight wacky, regular courses and three short courses, a cavalcade of characters and Mii support, online play, and the ability to unlock Capcom-related costumes such as Apollo Justice, Ryu, and Arthur from Ghost 'n Goblins, We Love Golf! is a golf bag packed full of content. The intuitive controls offered rewards for terrific timing, and the course design itself was challenging enough so the game never felt too boring. Couple all that with another sensational soundtrack by Motoi Sakuraba (Tales of, Star Ocean), and you have one mighty golfing game.

4) Klonoa


The floppy-eared wonder returns with this Wii remake of the PlayStation One classic, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile. With updated vibrant visuals and new modes, Klonoa's very first adventure shines brightly. He'll have to overcome perilous platforming challenges, grab enemies with his Wind Bullet and use them to launch himself to higher ledges, and solve intriguing puzzles to reach the final showdown with the being that threatens the very existence of Phantomile, a land made up of dreams. This all concludes with an out-of-nowhere heart-tugging ending that will touch even the most cynical with a hole in their heart.

3) Sin and Punishment: Star Successor


Taking place in a far away future, Sin and Punishment: Star Successor pits players against an increasingly more powerful enemy force. You'll point your Wii remote at the screen, picking off foes of low-level scrubs, mid-level forces, and big-time bosses taking up a sizable chunk of the screen. Up to two players can trek through the relatively short campaign, racking up multipliers to increase each others' score, and then hop online to add their scores to an online leaderboard. Those who missed having a console Star Fox this generation will find a lot to love about this substitute. It's the type of game that was a one-in-a-million shot to ever have been translated as the original S&P sold an atrociously pathetic amount of units in Japan. Regardless, Star Successor can now be found within bargain bins for less than twenty dollars.

2) The Munchables


Ranking at number two on my list comes The Munchables, a Pac-man meets Katamari Damacy type game. To progress through levels, your Munchable much gobble up lower level monsters than your character is currently at. As more monsters are munched upon, your creature grows, allowing him or her to digest larger enemies and advance to otherwise unreachable portions of levels. Boss battles have you eating a monster made up of grapes, broccoli, and chocolate, and the game features eight worlds of multiple levels to go through. For a colorful adventure that supports poor eating habits, there is no better alternative to a zany game than The Munchables on Wii.

1) Excitebots: Trick Racing


Sent out to die with no marketing whatsoever by Nintendo, this excellent arcade racer isn't so much about coming in first, but coming in first and doing so in style. At the conclusion of each race, the player with the most stars (earned by performing tricks, reaching high amounts of hang time, crashing into other vehicles, kicking field goals, catching butterflies, etc.) is the victor. Excitebots will have players purchasing new vehicle types such as squid, mice, lobster, ladybugs, frogs, and many more. The locales are numerous and have racers slogging through marshes, through dusty deserts in Mexico, and through wintry forests in Canada, to name a few. Online play has racers betting a set amount of stars and competing with up to five other players. For a game that will give you such a bang for your buck, Excitebots: Trick Racing is top of the heap.

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Hopefully the following list provided you with some ideas of games that you may have not known were available. The Wii is an interesting console as it has the most niche games on it in comparison to the competition. Whether you're teeing it up in We Love Golf, soaring the unfriendly skies in The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, or tricking out to rock music in Excitebots: Trick Racing, these under-appreciated treasures demand your attention.

Most Overlooked Wii Games - Part Six

I know what you're thinking-- Phil, just how many Wii games have been overlooked already? Well, first off, we're not on a first-name basis. Secondly, the Wii is loaded with games, and it's easy to see how so many can be overlooked. Plus apparently core games don't sell on Wii. I guess I could see that argument made without question. Regardless, let's take a check at five more forgotten Wii games. Maybe this list will allow you to scope out these games.

Red Steel 2

Strap your Wii MotionPlus in and get some action on, Wild West style. Gunplay and swordplay combine into glorious harmony as you take down rivals. Wii MotionPlus makes sword control a breeze. You can for one second be slicing down an enemy, and then quickly draw out your gun to blast them away to oblivion. A great game marred by the fact that Wii MotionPlus was required to play, leaving a lot of Wii owners in the cold.


Endless Ocean: Blue World

Beautiful ocean-diving as well as freshwater diving is what Endless Ocean: Blue Ocean is all about. Dive in and explore and uncover unique aquatic life as you solve the mystery of a forlorn whale call that brings devastation wherever it's heard. Do this all the while listening to a magnificent soundtrack made up by themes from Celtic Woman. It's a relaxing yet engaging title full of new discoveries in every dive.


MLB Power Pros

The little baseball players that could with a league of their own are out to play some ball. Customize your team with unique players with different talents and abilities and play some good old fashioned baseball. The adorable chibi players are cute to watch, and the gameplay (which does not use motion control) is as addicting as you'd expect from a bunch of big-headed baseball players. Hit home runs, steal bases, and rev up your RBI in this excellent baseball title.


Opoona

This also adorable RPG is very unique from other RPGs as it solely uses the nunchuk controller to play. Walk around cities and spaceports? Use the analog stick. Battle evil monsters and other creatures identities unknown? Use the Z button. This unique control setup is just half the fun with a whimsical story involving a hero with a ball hovering over his head which he uses for a weapon. A niche game indeed explains why this one sold poorly.


MySims Racing

Rev up your engines as it's time to race. MySims franchise fatigue is my bet as to why this creative racer didn't race off store shelves. It's a competent Mario Kart clone with some brand-new ideas with it, and all, of course, with the charm of the MySims series. The fifteen tracks are well-designed with plenty of shortcuts and alternate paths to take. For the thirty bucks or less this racing game costs, it's worth at least a rental to test her out and see how she handles.


What Wii games do you think that are overlooked and haven't been listed? Let me know in the comments section. Wanna catch up on past Most Overlooked? You can do so now:

Wii - Part One
Wii - Part Two
Wii - Part Three
Wii - Part Four
Wii - Part Five

Later, fans and fanboys!

SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs - Endless Golf, LocoRoco, and Pokemon Edition

Can you believe we're starting another brand-new week here at SuperPhillip Central? I know! Neither can I! This week, we have in store for you Endless Ocean: Blue World, Mario Golf, and Pokemon Snap to name a few. If you'd like to look and listen to past editions of the VGMs, just type SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs in the search bar. That's located at the top left corner of each page.

v551. Endless Ocean: Blue World - The Last Rose of Summer

This poignant Celtic woman theme comes from Endless Ocean: Blue World. I missed out on the original Endless Ocean, and now the game is worth sixty bucks sealed. I immediately salvaged a copy of the sequel, and it's quite an enjoyable experience. There's lots to do, lots to see, and lots to accomplish. It will take upwards of one-hundred hours!



v552. LocoRoco 2 - dadhi dado da

The lovable LocoRoco have leaped their way back onto my favorite VGMs list. This song is awkwardly titled dadhi dado da which means anything you want it to. Yes, even expletives if you so desire. The song really kicks in halfway when the LocoRoco start singing along in chorus to the theme. It fills my heart with love.



v553. Mario Golf - Mini Golf

Mini golf in Mario Golf was an intriguing experience. Each hole was a letter of the American alphabet with twists here and there such as water hazards and the like. Next to Hot Shots Golf Fore, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, and We Love Golf, Mario Golf remains one of my favorite golf games of all time. Quite a hallmark, don't you think?



v554. Hot Shots Golf 3 - Opening Theme

Let's go back to the fairway, shall we? This time, however, we're swinging it to Hot Shots Golf 3 for the PlayStation 2. A great game filled with wacky golfers, witty lines, and well-designed golf courses. While not my favorite in the series, that goes to Fore, Hot Shots Golf 3 did bring with it some charm and good times. This is the opening theme of the game.



v555. Pokemon Snap - Rainbow Cloud

This is the final of seven courses in Pokemon Snap. The objective? Easy enough, right? Take a perfect photo of the ever-elusive Mew. Pokemon Snap was an awesome game allowing players to take their game cartridge to selected Blockbuster locations and print off stickers of their photos. I remember taking my copy down in middle school, and doing just that! Thanks, Blockbuster!



That is all she wrote for this week's edition of SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs. I hope you'll look forward to next week when we have MadWorld, Punch-Out!, and Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver!

Endless Ocean: Blue World (Wii) Review

As stated, here's my review of Endless Ocean: Blue World. I didn't get to experience the first game, so now I'm curious after playing this one. I can't swim in real life, so to be able to visit the depths of the ocean virtually was quite an amazing experience. Here's my review.

Dive Into A Bounty of Blue

The original Endless Ocean is now a prized game upon collectors. The game is out of production, and it can set you back about sixty dollars on average for a new copy. For those of us who had an interest in this series late, it's a breath of fresh air to see a sequel that's much cheaper and of greater value. Packed with Wii Speak and commanding a thirty dollar price tag, is this an ocean-full of value or a deal doomed for the bottom of the dreary depths?

Endless Ocean: Blue World puts you in the shoes-- rather flippers-- of a college student on leave to investigate a phenomenon known as the Song of Dragons. It is foretold that any who hear the mysterious melody will have a curse fallen onto them. To assist in investigating is the L&L Diving Company, a grandfather and granddaughter run operation. The father lost his life searching for the treasure revolving around the sinister Song of Dragons, will your character be the next to fall?

Enter the colorful world of coral.

Starting out, you're given a basic look for your character by answering a duo of questions. This is similar to Animal Crossing except instead the questions are much more direct such as asking what your skin tone is. As you unlock certain missions, you'll be able to purchase new equipment like tubes that allow you to dive longer, new diving outfits, flippers, and colored oxygen tanks, and alter your hairstyle to make your character all the more you-like. Purchased goods are bought via money either acquired through exploration, salvaging items, and making off the game's aquarium.

You could fit inside that fish!

The basic structure of Endless Ocean: Blue World has you investigating certain underwater sights. The map is invaluable for this as the more you explore, the more money you'll receive from Oceana, the granddaughter in the L&L equation. Though for the story portion of the game, exploring is optional. Though the longer you dive, the more your diving level increases, allowing you to stay underwater for a longer period of time. Thus, it's a good idea to explore around a bit while simultaneously following the story. When your air approaches empty, you automatically get transported back to the L&L vessel. Regarding the map, a red circle will indicate where you need to go next. You follow to the point, wait for the next story element regarding the Song of Dragons to pop up, perhaps swim around for more clues, and then return the hub of the game, Nineball Island.

Meet your new home, Highball Island.

This island is where all the action really happens. There's loads to do such as training your befriended dolphins, using the journal to scope out any new quests and leads, develop photos taking via your in-game camera, talk to the island inhabitants for new jobs, look at your treasure collection, buy, sell, and appraise new items, and much more. You'll be returning to this island a lot in between your diving expeditions, and with the short loading times, venturing back to Nineball isn't as tedious as one might imagine.

Apart from following the story, there's a massive, almost daunting amount of things to do. You can literally play this game for a hundred hours and still not have seen everything there is to see. The sunken depths of the ocean, sea, and river waters are teeming with life, secret caves, and hidden treasure. One of main side quests is filling up your marine encyclopedia. By examining aquatic life, their data goes into your encyclopedia. There's hundreds of sea creatures to discover, and most only hang out in certain bodies of water or come out only at night. There's a vast variety of water organisms to find from mammoth-sized whales to bottomfeeders, legendary creatures long extinct to the common carp, dangerous animals like crocodiles and eels to jellyfish and sharks. These perilous creatures will chomp right into your flesh and bone, ripping your torso apart. No, actually they'll just strike you and make you lose a portion of your air. Same difference, right?

Crikey! Croc alert!

Then there's the various tools you have to assist you in your exploration of the dangerous deep. There's the camera that lets you take photos, develop them, and save them to an SD card to share them with friends or the internet. The pulsar is another tool. This sends a signal that ranges from dissuading sharks from attacking you to healing helpless creatures like a depressed dolphin. One tool is perfect for scanning the ocean floor for metallic treasures or hidden passageways. These treasures can be salvaged and then appraised for money and an entry in your treasure catalog. There's also a marker for drawing messages while playing online or to use like breadcrumbs to keep your bearings. Finally, the sea whistle calls animals over like a mother yelling "dinner" to her hungry kids. No matter the situation, there's a tool to be used.

Use the pulsar to soothe the savage beast.

There's about eight different venues to swim in, and most of these are quite expansive with loads of new aquatic life, treasure, and hidden passageways to discover. Your diving expedition will take you from the Red Sea to the tropical Pacific Ocean to the frigid waters of the Arctic. Each has different creatures to uncover, sights to behold, and breathtaking views. Each locale has various diving locations to start from, so reaching a particular area grows quickly convenient. If traveling by yourself gets you down, you can swim with a diving partner, each with their own specialty such as finding salvageable treasure, informing you of aquatic life, or in the case of a befriended dolphin, giving you a ride.

A game like this would not be a relaxing experience if the controls were frustrating to use. Thankfully, the pointer functionality of the Wii remote gives the game's controls a second nature to them. You won't feel like a fish out of water with them. You just point at a side of the screen to turn, much like an FPS on Wii. I would have preferred a faster way to turn around, but what we have already is serviceable. The map is "mapped" to the 1 button for easy access, and you can swim while the map is translucent instead of constantly pausing to see where you are and where you're going.

As stated, online is a component of Blue World, and the experience is quite positive. Two friends join up via friend codes and explore a vast body of water of their choosing together. Before players could only communicate with the marker tool, drawing messages, crude symbols, and stick figure porn. Now that Wii Speak is enabled, communication is all the simpler in addition to stick figure porn which rest assured, can still be performed. The only downside here is that new aquatic life discovered does not count for either player when playing cooperatively.

Aquatic life overload!

If you're more of a solo diver, there's still quite a bit of longevity to be had in Blue World. The main story will take upwards of ten hours while finding all the coins and treasures, befriending every dolphin possible, collecting all of the achievement-like titles, exploring all the locales, documenting every aquatic creature, and seeing everything there is to do in Blue World will take dozens upon dozens of hours to accomplish.

Blue World covers a lot of space, and it does so without any signs of slowdown-- something I am a stickler against. Pop-up and pop-in are kept to a minimum, and the ocean landscape is mightily marvelous. Going on land, however, there's a noticeable difference in quality graphically. It's still presentable, but it's not as rich and detailed as the underwater scenes the game has in store for the player. Many times when you visit a new area, you'll be taken out of the diving experience by a cut-scene, showcasing the area in one or two scenes. This gets irritating when you're in the middle of a dive, and you trigger a cut-scene while in the middle of doing something else. Just let me swim to myself for once, dammit! Meanwhile, the music ranges from tense orchestral music to the much more common poignant themes, some of which being lyrical. They're very calming, soothing, and they possess magnificent melodies to match. Those wanting mp3 playback from this installment of Endless Ocean will be deeply disappointed as that feature has been axed in this sequel.

Here's a game with so much water that one would have to worry about being waterlogged. Fortunately, there's enough variety in Endless Ocean: Blue World to keep things fresh. If you're willing to test the waters and play a game that's focused heavily on diving, then Blue World might just be an ocean worth diving into.

[SuperPhillip Says: 8.5/10]

Endless Ocean: Blue World (Wii) Snapshots

Tonight, I'll be posting up a review for Endless Ocean: Blue World, but first allow me to share with you some photos I took using the game's camera tool. I saved them to an SD card and uploaded them for your enjoyment. Here are some gorgeous shots from the game.