Maybe it was an odd coincidence or somewhat planned, but this week has an unusual theme to it: all four releases are single-player only games. Considering that the Wii has usually been pushed as a multiplayer experience, it's odd that there isn't some four-player party mini-game compilation this week. Or, it would be if there wasn't a single-player party mini-game compilation instead.
This week's games are as follows:
On DSiWare, we have Puzzle League Express (Nintendo, 1 player, 500 DSi Points). A downloadable version of the popular Puzzle League series, Express features four different game modes that are pretty basic when described: Endless (survive to earn a top score), Clear (eliminate all blocks above the line), Score Attack (score as high as possible in two minutes), and Vs. COM (use items and combos to attack a computer opponent). They're pretty fun to play, but without that multiplayer component, it's not a complete title.
On WiiWare, we've got Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 2 (Telltale Games, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points) and 3-2-1, Rattle Battle! (Tecmo, 1 player, 500 Wii Points). While we all know that the Tales of Monkey Island release is simply the next chapter in Telltale's ongoing series, 3-2-1, Rattle Battle! is quite the opposite. Rattle Battle! is a collection of mini-games (huge surprise there) with some online leaderboards and a whole of Wii remote shaking. As stated above, the odd thing about it is that it's only for one player, not for multiple players like other party games. Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose?
On the Virtual Console this week is the Sega Master System's Phantasy Star (1 player, 500 Wii Points). This is the game that kicked off Sega's long-running and much beloved RPG franchise, and it's a pretty solid game for only 500 Wii Points. The only downside is that this game has been available in several Sega title compilations to date, so you might already have it. If you don't, I'd suggest considering picking it up.
Phantasy Star was released in April on the Japanese Virtual Console and earlier this month on the PAL Virtual Console. It, along with Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 2 and 3-2-1, Rattle Battle!, is available for download off the Wii Shop Channel, while Puzzle League Express is available for download off the DSi Shop Channel.
Check back next week for the latest round of digital releases for the Wii and DSi. Until then, happy gaming!
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
From what I remember, the original Phantasy Star was pretty terrible and virtually impossible to understand (as in, the in-game text) without some kind of external guide. PSIII was when it became unduly orgasmic.