Perhaps trying to make up for an abysmal E3, Nintendo rolled out many of their big guns in time for PAX '08. Yes, Wii Music was there, but so were several other of Nintendo's first-party games for 2008, and I played all of them.

Wario Land: Shake It! (Release date: Sept. 22, 2008)

Wario's newest adventure is not only eye candy for Wii owners, but it's also a wonderful return to the way Wario Land games used to be. Shaking off a so-so release on the Gamecube and a disappointing entry on the DS, Wario Land: Shake It! brings back the big-bellied Wario in all of his greediness. It also brings the return of Captain Syrup, Wario's former nemesis-turned-shopkeeper, which makes me very happy. The story itself is pretty simple: the evil Shake King has taken over the Shake Dimension, kidnapping Queen Merelda and imprisoning the Merfles in the process. Of course, none of this matters one single bit to Wario, who in typical fashion, is only after the Bottomless Coin Bag the Shake King now has in his possession.

The game is fully rendered in 2-D, making use of cel-shading. In doing so, Nintendo has allowed Wario Land: Shake It! to have crisp animations, amazingly detailed backgrounds, and an old school feel to it. Don't worry about the game being in 4:3 resolution, either - yes, there are bars on the side of the screen, but Nintendo does put them to use to hold some of the heads-up display that would otherwise clutter the action on-screen.

On top of looking great, Wario Land: Shake It! also makes good use of the Wii remote. For the most part, you'll be holding it as if you were holding a NES controller, using the motion-sensing capabilities for a few fun features. Shaking the Wii remote when you have something in your grasp can do many things, from freeing captured Merfles to collecting coins to acquiring items from enemies. It can also be used to build momentum when you're hanging on to bars or to do a quick ground pound that flips enemies. Tilting the controller is generally used when controlling machines like submarines, mine carts or cannons. The rest of the game play is pretty standard Wario Land game play, including the fact that Wario will have to interact with his surroundings to move on in the level, which sometimes means being set on fire or rolled up by a giant boulder. All that matters is that Wario Land: Shake It! nails what this franchise is all about; it looks great, is very funny and plays incredibly smoothly. Wii owners would be stupid to pass this game up.

Animal Crossing: City Folk (Release date: Nov. 16, 2008)