Phil on Wii Games

Bullet Bill 2

2007-06-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

PLAY GAME NOW!
GENRE: Arcade
TIME TO COMPLETE: ~2 minutes per level

Everyone loves Mario, but what about poor Bullet Bill? He’s been in Mario games since first getting shot out of a cannon in the original Super Mario Bros. game, but he just “can’t get no respect”. Leave it to the homebrew community to give Bullet Bill a proper tribute in the form of Bullet Bill 2.

Each level begins with Bullet Bill getting fired from a cannon, flying from left to right through a scrolling environment, and it’s up to the player to guide him to the end of the level without hitting any solid walls. Rack up points along the way by smashing bricks and classic Mario Bros. enemies, complete with the original sound effects from Super Mario Bros. This gameplay description may sound nothing like a traditional Mario game, but after playing a couple of levels, you’ll forget that it’s not a mini-game on an official Mario product.

The game appears to be using borrowed sprites from Super Mario All-Stars (SNES) for the character and background graphics, but offers an original remix of various classic Mario Bros. music. The care taken to make sure the game looks like an authentic Nintendo product really pays off, and added to my enjoyment of the game.

Wii CONTROLS
- Point the Wiimote at the screen to guide Bullet Bill around/into objects.

PC CONTROLS
- Use the mouse to guide Bullet Bill around/into objects.

KNOWN ISSUES
- The background image doesn’t stretch all the way across the screen. It’s not very noticeable on the PC, but is on the Wii. It didn’t ruin the enjoyment of the game for me, though.
- Was much easier to control Bullet Bill with the Wiimote than with a mouse.

CODES
- Level 1-1 = No code necessary
- Level 1-2 = ?
- Level 1-3 = ?

RETURN TO GAME LIST

Bush Shoot-Out

2007-06-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

PLAY GAME NOW!
GENRE: Shooter
TIME TO COMPLETE: ~10 minutes

A hilarious take on the Bush administrations cowboy attitude, Bush Shoot-Out is an action-packed romp from start to finish. Terrorists have infiltrated the White House, and it’s up to “Dubya”, with a little help from a dual-uzi wielding Condi, to fight back! The opening cinematic, followed by a firefight in the Oval Office, is a classic gaming moment. I’m assuming the terrorists were able to get past White House security team since it was made up of Bush Administration loyalists, and not necessarily those with the best skills for the job.

The gameplay itself is very good, and doesn’t rely on the subject material to keep the player engaged. You could re-skin this game with any given theme, and it would still be just as fun. Much like other Flash shooting gallery games, you simply guide the crosshair around the screen and press the button to shoot the bad-guys. A very cool twist is the ability to take cover behind objects by simply moving the cursor down toward the bottom of the screen; this results in a great feeling “pop’n’shoot” mechanic, where you really get the sensation of ducking behind objects and popping up to take pot-shots at enemies when they aren’t sending a hail of bullets your direction.

The game gets the little details down right, more-so than a lot of big-budget console action games. Almost every object in the environment reacts to being shot, lighting will dim when the lights are shot out, bullet holes are left in the walls, the enemies will actually take cover properly and mostly don’t expose their entire bodies to the player when firing. The enemies also seem to have a relatively decent amount of actions they perform, from basic shooting, ducking and shooting, rolling, running, shooting around corners, etc… They aren’t just static cardboard-like cutouts. Sound effects and music are pretty good too!

Wii CONTROLS
- Point the Wiimote at the screen to aim.
- Move the cursor toward the bottom of the screen to duck behind objects.
- Press the A Button to fire short bursts, or hold it down for full-auto action!

PC CONTROLS
- Use the mouse to aim with the cursor.
- Move the cursor toward the bottom of the screen to duck behind objects.
- Press the Left Mouse Button to fire short bursts, or hold it down for full-auto action!
- Press the ‘R’ key to reload (game auto-reloads when you’ve emptied a clip).
- Press the Space Bar when prompted to continue to the next level

KNOWN ISSUES
- As it was not designed with the Wiimote in mind, Wii players can’t actually pass any levels once they are completed, since you are required to tap the non-existing Space Bar on your non-existing keyboard. However, you can quit after receiving the code for the next level, reload the game, then enter the level code on the main menu to continue on with the game.
- It can be a bit tough to know when you're taking damage from incoming fire. Basically, if your character is ducking automatically while being shot at, but your cursor isn't toward the bottom of the screen making them duck, then you'll see your health meter begin to deplete. I would have preferred some sort of direct "you got hit" reaction animation, but it's a minor gripe that doesn't really get in the way of the fun.

CODES
- Level 1 = no code necessary
- Level 2 = RICE
- Level 3 = FOUNTAIN

RETURN TO GAME LIST

Tanrei Stadium

2007-06-19T16:36:00.001-07:00

PLAY GAME NOW!
GENRE: Arcade
TIME TO COMPLETE: ~3 minutes

In this simple game of Home Run Derby, Tanrei Stadium sets itself apart with enjoyable graphics, sound, and an invaluable sponsorship by Kirin beer! I’m pretty sure that this is a promotional flash game aimed directly at Japanese Kirin beer drinkers, but it’s just as enjoyable and easy to play for the rest of the world.

Seriously, how could a Home Run Derby game that rewards the player with virtual beer NOT be cool?

Wii CONTROLS
- Point the Wiimote at the screen to position your hitter within the batting box.
- Press the A Button to swing at the ball after it’s thrown.

PC CONTROLS
- Use the mouse to position your hitter within the batting box.
- Press the Left Mouse Button to swing at the ball after it’s thrown.

KNOWN ISSUES
- Most of the text is in Japanese, but you don’t really need to read any of it to know what’s going on.

RETURN TO GAME LIST

Quadrato

2007-06-19T16:18:00.001-07:00

PLAY GAME NOW!
GENRE: Arcade
TIME TO COMPLETE: Infinite, if you’re awesome

In Quadrato, you must circle all the white cubes that appear on screen, turning them red. When a cube is red, touch it with the cursor to destroy it. Don’t touch a white cube, or it’s game over!

The game starts out easy, with only 1 cube to circle and eliminate. As you eliminate cubes, more appear on-screen at once, making it harder to draw circles around them without touching a white cube accidentally.

This is a very simple game that is surprisingly more difficult than it sounds. It’s very enjoyable, with a minimal, yet solid looking interface and great audio. The audio design is well done too, with chimes you’re rewarded with for every cube elimination complimenting the background beat nicely. The additional game mode with power-ups adds some nice variety to the gameplay, which is already strong on its own.

How many cubes can you eliminate?

Wii CONTROLS
- Point the Wiimote at the screen to guide the cursor.
- Circle white cubes to turn them red, then hit the red cube with your cursor to eliminate it.

PC CONTROLS
- Use the mouse to guide the cursor.
- Circle white cubes to turn them red, then hit the red cube with your cursor to eliminate it.

KNOWN ISSUES
- The game doesn’t always detect that you’ve successfully circled a white cube properly, but not enough to ruin the fun of the gameplay. I find that making smaller circles, as opposed to large sweeping circles, produces the best results.

RETURN TO GAME LIST

Spank the Monkey

2007-06-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

PLAY GAME NOW!
GENRE: Arcade
TIME TO COMPLETE: Less than 1 second per spank

In Spank the Monkey, you must swipe the on-screen palm from right to left as fast as you can, spanking the monkey off of the screen. You are given a speed rating at the end of your spank to inform you just how hard you spanked the monkey.

This is about as basic as a game can get. Can you spank the monkey harder than your friends?

Wii CONTROLS
- Point the Wiimote at the screen to guide the palm.
- Swipe the palm from right to left across the screen as fast as you can, spanking the monkey.

PC CONTROLS
- Use the mouse to guide the palm.
- Swipe the palm from right to left across the screen as fast as you can, spanking the monkey.

KNOWN ISSUES
- Wii gamers take note: you can spank it way faster with a Wiimote than those mouse-loving PC users.

RETURN TO GAME LIST

Oshidama

2007-06-18T17:33:00.001-07:00

PLAY GAME NOW!
GENRE: Arcade/Puzzle
TIME TO COMPLETE: ~30 seconds to 3 minutes per round

An interesting little game, Oshidama (pronounced “Oh-shee-dom-ah”) tasks the player with bumping the ball into the goal by tapping it with your cursor.

The ball moves a set distance every time the on-screen cursor touches its sides. The player is given a limited number of Pushes (more like ‘taps’) to get the ball into the goal; use up all your Pushes, and it’s game over. The challenge is presented in the form of various obstacles, from black holes that send the ball back to the start of the level, to walls that block the direct path, or even bounce your ball in an undesired direction if you come into contact with them.

The overall look of the game is very clean, taking the decidedly Japanese approach to minimalist design and layout (less is more). The interface feels very polished, and the gameplay has a very surreal feel about it. The music and sound effects are treated much like the art, remaining subtle yet contributing greatly to the overall experience.

Wii CONTROLS
- Point the Wiimote at the screen to guide the cursor.
- Bump the cursor into the ball to ‘tap’ the ball in the desired direction
- Note: The ball always moves the exact same distance no matter how hard or soft you slam the cursor into it.

PC CONTROLS
- Use the mouse to guide the cursor.
- Bump the cursor into the ball to ‘tap’ the ball in the desired direction
- Note: The ball always moves the exact same distance no matter how hard or soft you slam the cursor into it.

KNOWN ISSUES
- While playing on PC, I ran into an odd display issue that put black squares over the white background near the top of the screen. Looks fine on the Wii.
- Of what little text there is, most is in Japanese (though you don’t need the text to enjoy the game at all).

RETURN TO GAME LIST

Dice Wars

2007-06-17T14:04:00.001-07:00

PLAY GAME NOW!
GENRE: Strategy
TIME TO COMPLETE: 5 to 20 minutes per game

One of the most addictive games I’ve played, Dice Wars is incredibly easy to learn and tough to stop playing. You’ll be hooked within 5 minutes of your first game.

In what is essentially a streamlined version of the classic board game RISK, you are given a set number of territories, with the goal of capturing neighboring territories through a series of dice rolls. You must capture all the territories to win the game.

To capture territory, move your dice into a bordering hostile territory. If you roll a higher number than the enemy, then you capture the territory. With every territory you win, you get more dice stacked into your territories at the end of each turn, which makes it easier for you to roll higher numbers. For example, if you have a stack of 4 dice, you can roll a maximum of 24 (4 x 6 sided-dice = 24 possible points). So if you move your stack of 4 dice into an enemy territory that only has 2 dice defending, the chances that you’ll roll a higher number than your enemy are greatly increased.

If you capture a territory, you leave one piece of dice behind to defend the territory you just moved your stack from. This means that every time you press forward with a stack of dice and win, your stack becomes smaller with every victory. You don’t want to bumrush your opponent all the time, otherwise you’ll be left with a lot of territory and only 1 piece of dice to defend each one, and the enemy will most likely sweep through and recapture all his land.

If you attack a territory, but the defenders roll a higher number, you don’t capture the territory and your stack of dice that you just tried to attack with is reduced back down to 1.

If I try to explain any more, I’ll just make it sound more complex than it really is. Give the game a shot, and see if you can figure out your own strategy for success!

Wii CONTROLS
- To capture a territory, select the stack of dice you wish to attack with by pointing at it with the Wiimote, then press the A Button. Now select a bordering enemy territory to attack by pointing at it with the Wiimote, then press the A Button.

PC CONTROLS
- To capture a territory, select the stack of dice you wish to attack with by pointing at it with mouse cursor, then press the Left Mouse Button. Now select a bordering enemy territory to attack by pointing at it with the mouse cursor, then press the Left Mouse Button.

KNOWN ISSUES
- No multiplayer! WTF? For you PC gamers, a non-Wii compatible online multiplayer version is available called kDice.

RETURN TO GAME LIST

Tactical Assassin

2007-06-15T18:18:00.000-07:00

PLAY GAME NOW!
GENRE: Shooter
TIME TO COMPLETE: ~10 minutes

Picking the first game to highlight from the growing list of games on this site was a tough decision. I picked Tactical Assassin because it’s just too damn cool.

You’re a government sniper who must assassinate enemies... tactically. Each mission briefing tells you who the target is, and sometimes presents you with secondary targets. Though the first 3 missions are relatively easy, the true meat of the gameplay comes through in later levels that force you to think about the order or location in which you take out your targets, or else an alarm will sound and you fail the mission.

The production values are top notch, with a very stylized menu, creative level design, smooth animation, and wonderful music and sound effects. The creator of this game obviously drew inspiration from Metal Gear Solid for the overall look of the interface (and the background music is ripped from one of the Metal Gear games, if I’m not mistaken). It’s also worth noting he used sound effects from Counter-Strike for the weapons, which was a nice touch. The game is a bit on the short side, and can be passed in less than 10 minutes of playtime depending on how well you play. That’s not necessarily bad; it’s just so much fun that I want more!

Wii CONTROLS
- Aim: Point your Wiimote at the screen to guide the scope around the environment.
- Shoot: Press the A Button.

PC CONTROLS
- Aim: Move your mouse to guide the scope around the environment.
- Shoot: Click the Left Mouse Button.

KNOWN ISSUES
- Occasionally shots aren’t registered as hits, despite having perfect aim. Not really much of an issue except in the first Middle East mission, which can cause a bit of frustration.

RETURN TO GAME LIST

Flash games on your Wii

2007-06-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

This is a sister site to my main blog, Phil on Games. I started this page to help organize my favorite Nintendo Wii compatible Flash games that are floating around the web, which are generally found on poorly organized web pages, and/or buried underneath a bunch of sub-par games that I'd rather not sift through every time I want to play.

To play any of the games listed on this page with your Wii, do the following simple steps:
1. Connect your Wii to the internet.
2. Turn on your Wii, then navigate to the Wii Shop option on the main menu.
3. Download the Opera web browser onto your Wii (it's free).
4. Start the Opera web browser on your Wii.
5. Navigate to this webpage, select a game, then play!

All of these games are totally free, and can also be played on your PC using your mouse (and sometimes keyboard). Most of these are very simple games in terms of gameplay and design. They are the ultimate "time wasters". If you know of any other good Flash games that I haven't listed, please post a comment and let me know, even if you're not sure if they would work okay with the Wii interface! I will verify that it works properly with the Wii, and post a link to the game if it does.

I'll post my thoughts for the various games featured on this site in the future.

Enjoy!