The 2007 Wii and DS Buyer's Guide: Part 4

Filed in archive Features on December 7, 2007

Despite average reviews, SSX Blur is a superb game on Wii, and deserves much better than it got. Smooth controls, great challenge, and beautiful wintery graphics are married to a fantastic soundtrack in this snowboarding sim.

Selling Points:

Challenge. This is one Wii game that isn't for babies!

Controls. The motion controls in Blur make sense and work great. Uber Tricks in particular are well implemented.

Great Soundtrack. Instead of the usual dopey licensed junk, EA hired a single musician to develop an interactive score that changes based on how you play. It works great, and sounds great!

Potential Drawbacks:

Challenge. Some people, well, like to play games as if they are babies!

Some may actually prefer EA's "jukebox" approach to music (I certainly don't...)




Nanostray is a shooter made for people who hate shooters. I say this because many of the genre's drawbacks, such as one hit death, overcrowded screens, and impossible difficulty don't exist in Nanostray. Yet, amazingly, the game retains all that which makes shooters so charming. The challenge is there if you want it, and the graphics are actually some of the finest you'll see on DS. Like SSX Blur for Wii, this one didn't get the credit it deserved, but it must have had success, as Nanostray II is on the way for the future.

Selling Points:

No one hit deaths, and the screen isn't crowded with flying bits. It's a reasonable shooter, not one of those crazy hard, bang your head against the wall shooters.

Graphics are gorgeous, recalling such PS1 era classics like Einhander.

It is cheap to buy used.

Potential Drawbacks:

If you really hate shooters, you may not like this, even with the more frustrating elements removed.

Some of the more insane among us might want something harder.

Click here to read The Video Game Critic's review of Nanostray.