Eye On The Future 01.01.09: The Wii in 2009

Posted by Todd Vote on 01.01.2009

In the final edition of Eye on The Future, 411’s Todd Vote takes aim at the Nintendo Wii! What does the Wii have in store for gamers in the New Year? They appear to be offering up a little something for everybody, but can the releases previewed here help Nintendo win back some of the hardcore gamers that have apparently abandoned the system? Check out the full column to find out!

Hello everybody. Welcome to the holiday hangover edition of Eye on The Future. This week in the final installment, we will be taking a look at what the Wii has in store for us in 2009. If you missed the first installment covering some upcoming Xbox exclusives, you can find that here. As such, if you missed the second part covering the PS3, that can be viewed right here.

Without further ado, let's go ahead and peer into the EOTF crystal ball and see what's on tap as far as Wii exclusives for 2009.



The biggest underdog story of this console generation, the Nintendo Wii has been selling like wildfire since its launch date late in 2006. They little buggers have been virtually MIA during the past holiday seasons, due in part to retailer's inability to keep the console in stock. I mentioned in a recent FoF that I felt the Wii's sales would have to slow down eventually. At that point the Wii would have to rely on kick ass games to keep people interested.

If the games we look at here are any indication, Wii-fans have nothing to worry about. With games like The Conduit, and House of the Dead: Overkill on the horizon, Nintendo looks to win back some of the hardcore gamers who have denounced the machine, claiming it to be only for the casual gamer. While games like Punch-Out!! On the other side of the court, Wii Sports Resort looks to continue the support for the casual gamer.


MadWorld
Release Date: March 10, 2009

Stylized Violence? Yes, Please!!

MadWorld is for all intents and purposes a take on Running Man, or more recently Steve Austin vehicle The Condemned. A crime syndicate known as "The Organizers" have taken control of Varrigan City, and have turned it into a fight for your life game show called Death Watch You take control of Jack, a mechanic with a chainsaw on one arm, as he battles to survive and to get a piece of the 100 million dollar prize that awaits the winner. Fight your way through hundreds of unique enemies, using some of the most creative melee attacks I've ever been witness to.

Grab a caution sign and stick it in that guy’s eye? No problem! It appears the limitation on creative killing is only hindered by the players mind. The game offers over the top violence in an almost Tom and Jerry style, and has been stated by game designer Shigenori Nishikawa to be taken in a comedic tone even though the game is dark in nature. Offering amusing commentary and stylized, almost cartoon like visuals only serve to echo his statements.

MadWorld will play out as a 3rd person action game, that looks to be making more conventional use of the Wii's unique control scheme, as from what I can find the title will not be implementing the Wii's motion sensor technology. Movement looks to be mapped to the nunchuk, while attacks will primarily be performed with the B button. The better the kill, the higher score the player will receive, and presumably move on that much faster.

The Verdict
A little God of War here, some Final Fight there, throw in a bit of Mortal Kombat, add some Running Man, and wrap it up in a nice black & white graphic novel like package and this spells success for me. I simply cannot wait to play this game. My only problem lies in the replay factor. Once you get through the game, what is there to compel you to play it again? I could not find anything about a time trial mode, or any reason to continue playing through the game once you finish it the first time. I could not find any info about a time trial mode or multiplayer. Oh yeah, I got it. What better way to wind down after a hard day at the office than to go home and maim some people? Yeah, there's the replay value.


The Conduit
Release Date: 2nd quarter 2009

Time to answer the call to kick some alien ass

The Conduit is a FPS title that puts the player in the shoes of Agent Ford, who works for a secretive organization known as Trust. After an alien invasion on Washington DC, Ford is sent to investigate. As he Investigates, Mr. Ford will find himself overwhelmed with reanimated corpses of soldiers, as well as a whole slew of alien attackers. Fight your way through the alien hordes and find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.

The game utilizes a new Wii specific engine known as Quantum3, which developer High Voltage has built from the ground up for the Wii. The engine is designed to make Wii titles appear visually on par with the PS3 and the 360. The game further pushes the envelope by offering extremely deep control customization and configurations through The Conduit's real-time control alteration setup.

The Verdict
While I can admit that I knew very little about this game before doing the research for this column. That being said, doing the research has me slightly anticipating this one. The game looks to offer a different take on the old tried and true alien invasion formula. That alone makes this one worth checking out. Yes, I am an admitted story whore when it comes to video games; sue me.



Punch-Out!!
Release date: Spring or Summer 2009

Mac is back! It's about damn time

Players once again take control of Lil' Mac, as he fights his way up the ladder trying to make ends meet in the world of video game boxing. Familiar foes like Glass Joe, King Hippo, and Von Kaiser look to join a host of new pugilists to try and keep Mac down.

The game is offering updated visuals, as well as Wii Motion Controls, thus adding a new element to the game play of this title. With Mike Tyson being featured in Fight Night Round 4, you got to wonder if Mr. Dream will make a return as the final battle, or will the folks at Nintendo think up a new boss for this game?

The Verdict
Let's face it, if you don't know what Punch-Out!! is, you were either born after 1994, or have been living under a rock for the last two decades. This game being made is an old school Nintendo fan's wet dream, and proof that a God exists somewhere. While I originally thought this game to be a direct remake of the old NES classic, all research points to this being a sequel, which makes it even more of a must have for me. Unfortunately at the time of this writing, not much else is known about this title. But f*ck it, it's Punch-Out!!


House of the Dead Overkill
Release Date: February 10, 2009

Just remember to aim for the head, and you should be fine.

House of the Dead: Overkill is a rail shooter that serves as a prequel to the first game in the series. Players take control of Special Agent G, the series main protagonist, as he is given his first assignment, circa 1991. Tasked with his first assignment, G is sent to investigate a series of disappearances in a small town in Louisiana. Soon he is faces with all sorts of Mutated goodies in his hunt for the big bad, Papa Ceasar. Blast your way through the streets and swamps of Bayou City, oh and there is some circus fun as well.

The game is looking to add some new features including an ability dubbed "Slow Mofo Time". As implied by the name this ability gives the player a chance to slow down time and enhance the opportunity for headshots. Slow Mofo time will also make use of the motion sensing of the Wii-mote to initiate melee attacks. HOTD: Overkill offers up slightly upgraded graphics that offer a gritty feel reminiscent of the old Grindhouse films of the 70's. Of course returning is the series staple, buckets of blood.

The Verdict:
Nostalgia, nostalgia, nostalgia. Rail shooters, with a grindhouse feel, and the ability to shoot zombies and mutations? Sign me up. Personally, I am a fan of rail shooters. Reminds me of my younger days visiting the arcade. Add in a co-op mode, and this one could be one to watch for when it drops in early 2009.

Wii Sports Resort
Release Date: Spring 2009

More muscle aching fun, oh joy!

Wii Sports Resort is a sequel to the Nintendo Wii launch title, Wii Sports. Offering up a plethora of new sports to try your hand at, this game looks to be a kick off point for the much-lauded Wii MotionPlus. The game will release bundled with Wii MotionPlus, and a new Wii-mote sleeve, each also sold separately. This new version of Wii Sports will include several new games such as: Powercruising (Think Wave using your Mii's), Disc Dog in which the object is to play fetch for points...really? Fetch for points? Okay... moving on, the other new event that has been on display recently is the Swordplay.

From what I have read and seen Swordplay could be the proof that the Wii MotionPlus is finally ready to deliver the ultimate sword fighting game. I know a lot of fans have been waiting for this to be delivered, and it looks like it has finally arrived. The game looks to be about the same technologically as its predecessor was, with nothing new visually to offer, other than the background change and a few aesthetics.

The Verdict
While I have played the original Wii Sports, this title looks to serve MotionPlus technology the same way the original game showed off the Wii Motion sensing technology. Not that that is a bad thing. I did enjoy my time with Wii Sports, and if a friend picked this up, I can see it being a nice party game. Only offering three new game modes, and the MotionPlus technology, I cannot see myself wanting to pay $40-$50 just for that. Given that you can pick up MotionPlus separately without buying this game, it seems that may be the way to go.

That brings to a close the third and final edition of Eye On The Future. I hope you enjoyed looking ahead to 2009 as much as I did. I know I learned a few things in doing the research for these features. It seems no matter which console you support, 2009 is already looking good for all three systems. With more great games sure to be announced as the New Year progresses, it is a good time to be a gamer.

Some of you may notice I did away with the reader sound off for this week. The reasons I did away with it, you might be asking. You, the readers apparently did not want to participate. Of course it might have been easier for you to do so, had I actually included a question in last weeks edition. I had a real doozy too. Oh well, hindsight and all that.

Starting next Thursday, I will be switching over to my regularly scheduled format of a news report. Hopefully all of you will take time to check that out when it drops next week. Keep an eye out for the inaugural edition of The Ultra Combo News Report. Till then, I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Years Eve celebration. Take care.

Screenshots
All 14 Eye on The Future Screenshots