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VC Friday: Gooey goodness
Save the best 'til last, as ... somebody ... probably once said, and that's exactly what Nintendo has done for the PAL WiiWare service. On the last "WiiWare Friday" of 2008, World of Goo leads a pack of four games. It is quite possibly the most wizard WiiWare release of 2008, and if you wish to know why, head here. Then go and buy it, and make 2D Boy the million bucks they so richly deserve.That's not to say you have to ignore the rest. Art Style: Orbient is an excellent little puzzler, Niki - Rock'n' Ball is an unknown quantity until somebody braver than us downloads it, and Sudoku Challenge! -- okay, you probably should ignore Sudoku Challenge!. World of Goo -- WiiWare -- 1500 Wii Points Sudoku Challenge! -- WiiWare -- 500 Wii Points Niki - Rock 'n' Ball -- WiiWare -- 500 Wii Points Art Style: Orbient -- WiiWare -- 600 Wii Points Build a gooey bridge past the jump for footage of all four.%Gallery-16000%
Wii Warm Up: Your style
Nintendo announced three Art Style games at once for Europe, treating them as a set. Statements made by developer Skip also indicate that there may not be more Art Style for a while. Nintendo may have already proved us wrong this morning -- as of the time of writing, they haven't announced the releases yet. But we'll discuss these three now anyway, since some of us have had plenty of time to play some or all of them. Which has become more of a staple in your gaming life? The chilled-out Orbient? The brand new, slightly action-oriented Cubello? The intensely frustrating Rotohex?
Nintendo confirms Art Style games for Europe
Though we always expected this, Nintendo has confirmed that it will bring the stylish Art Style games to Europe's (and, we assume, Australia's) WiiWare service from November 21st. Art Style: Rotohex, Art Style: Cubello, and Art Style: Orbient are a trio of minimalist puzzle games, two of which are remakes of Bit Generations games from the GBA, and all of which we loved. Disaster: Day of Crisis, Space Invaders Get Even!, and now this? Whisper it, but it's beginning to feel like Europe actually exists in Nintendo's thoughts these days.
Wii Warm Up: bit Regenerations
Two of the three Art Style games out on WiiWare are remakes of Game Boy Advance bit Generations games (possibly more; at the time this post is being written, today's games have yet to be announced, so forgive us if we neglect a fourth Art Style). The GBA games were characterized by simple gameplay and even simpler graphical styles. The Wii versions have redone graphics, but the gameplay is pretty much the same as ever. For those of you familiar with the bit Generations games, have the Wii remakes been satisfying? Do you consider them good representations of the original? If you're not familiar with bit Gen, do you like the Art Style games? Can you tell them apart from other WiiWare puzzle games?
Wii Fanboy Review: Orbient
In 2006, Nintendo and developers Skip and Q-Games released a series of Game Boy Advance games in Japan called "bit Generations." These lower-costs GBA games emphasized simplistic gameplay and minimalist, abstract graphics. They were very cool. But Nintendo of America, for some reason, decided not to release graphically simplistic Game Boy Advance games two years after the release of the DS. Now, however, Nintendo has a system for which tiny, simple games make financial sense, and out of nowhere they've resurrected bit Generations as "Art Style." The first game to be remade is Orbital, which, if they had to give one game a visual upgrade, is the best choice. As it turns out, Orbital (or Orbient, as it's now called) is still cool in 3D, and it's still shockingly original even if it is a remake.
Wii Warm Up: WiiWare revival
The release of Art Style: Orbient yesterday got us thinking about WiiWare and how it's a great means to deliver gaming content that may otherwise not be able to reach us. The Virtual Console gets the occasional import game and Nintendo can even deliver remakes of titles that were previously Japan-only. So, what would you like to see release on the service next?Is there a Flash game or a title that is only available in a certain region you'd like to see hit WiiWare? What would be a dream title you'd like remade for WiiWare?
What is Art Style: Orbient? Watch and find out
The Nintendo Channel updated with fresh videos today, most important of which is a gameplay video showing off Nintendo's new WiiWare title, Art Style: Orbient. Our own JC noted that the title looked a lot like Orbital, a Bit Generations game for the GBA. Sure enough, it is! Head past the break for some gameplay footage of Nintendo's new game.
