There are some high profile names on the Wii and DSi this week, but I foresee some people objecting to the shoddy port of the second chapter in the Phoenix Wright saga. Or maybe they’ll be too distracted by yet another Sonic the Hedgehog Virtual Console release. Hey, it’s better than a Master System moldy oldie. And while I remain baffled as to why anyone would bring Titus’ Prehistorik Man to the DSi, at least Spotto! is another first-party success.
Once again, not enough hours in the week and bucks in the wallet to play everything, but Scrabble on the DSi sounds potentially awesome, depending on the multiplayer options. Let us know in the comments if you decide to pick this one up. Ditto for the DSi’s Spaceball, the Wii’s Art of Balance and whatever the hell this is supposed to be. While I’m willing to take the brunt of the damage, I think this column might work well as a collaboration.
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All
WiiWare/Capcom
1,000 Points
This is the height of laziness, but I bought it anyway. Clearly, Capcom’s timing these to raise interest in Edgeworth’s spin-off, but I’m not sure that a DS port with the barest of bones is the way to do that. The game doesn’t look so hot when you blow it up onto an HDTV, and the lack of motion support is embarrassing at this point. That said, I originally lost track of the series after the first game, so it’s nice to play catch-up. Given that DS game’s price tag is obscene pretty, this is the most accessible version to newcomers. The script is still funny and the dreaded psyche-locks haven’t annoyed me yet – only a case-and-a-half in, admittedly – so I’m pretty pleased with this purchase, regardless of the circumstances. Oh, and Nick really loved it, too.
Spotto!
DSiWare/Nintendo
200 Points
Remember Trajectile from a couple weeks ago? This is basically a babied-up version of that. In this very solid 200 point puzzler, you must rescue the chicken president’s daughter, Chikkie Wowwow, from a gang of ghosts. As President Wowwow’s top “bombirdier,” your job is to toss bombs into the mouths of these slack-jawed specters that populate the game’s 50 stages. Also, when you get special power-ups when you successfully blow up toilets. (Did I actually type all of that?) Yeah, it’s a odd little game, but arcing and bouncing your shots over, around and into floating furniture is addictive for the two hours it takes to reach the end. Recommended if you’re looking for a DSi game for your kids…or your shameless self.
Prehistorik Man
DSiWare/Interplay
800 Points
As Tom Sheppard put it, “It’s the poor man’s Chuck Rock.” There’s simply no reason to spend the bucks on this generic platformer when you have access to dozens of others on this very platform. (If you own a Wii, there are even more viable alternatives to add to the list.) Forgive me for not downloading this DS port, which I’m assuming is just the GBA port, but the nicest thing I can say about the original SNES game is that the hang gliding was an OK gimmick for a stage or two. It’s tolerable but in no way should you spend actual money on it. Not condoning magic VCRs, though.
Sonic & Knuckles
Virtual Console/Sega
800 Points
This is still a great game, but don’t you own 30 copies of it by now? If you own Sonic 3 on the Virtual Console, you might as well pick this up as well, but I suggest you dig through your library first to make sure you don’t already have it on a compilation or three. Man, I wish they would have released Knuckles Chaotix instead. It may not be a great game, but it’s still a highly sought-after commodity. Now that Sega’s exhausted its Genesis Sonic catalog, maybe we’ll see the more obscure Sega CD and 32X stuff? (No.)
Is this column helpful to you? Am I missing out on games that deserve some attention. Please let me know in the comments. If readers appreciate these roundups, I may take on other services as well. After all, Microsoft’s Game Room starts up next month…
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