NGamer Issue 22

Introduction

Okami featured on the cover of issue 22, as the team managed to get their hands on one of the Wii’s more understated games - which was lovingly ported from the PS2. The news this month looked at the reveal of WiiWare, as well as giving the Wii Fit balance board a date. Another preview of note was Samba De Amigo, making full use of the Wii Remote as maraccas. 

The feature this month looked at the Evil side of Kiddy Gaming, and how things that shouldn't happen on a Nintendo console, happened, for example gory games like Manhunt, Resi 4 and No more Heroes as well as other things that probably need to be censored like the great mighty poo and the sword through the head of Ganondorf in the Wind Waker.

Mario Kart Wii was reviewed this issue, with Matthew taking a full look at every aspect of the game, including all the courses and all the weapons on offer. He scored it a slightly disappointing 88%, praising the general gameplay, as well as the innovation on offer from the online mode. He was disappointed at the offline multiplayer however as the Wii seemed to struggle. 

The House of the Dead 2 & 3 return was reviewed on Wii, with the Wii remote providing a good alternative to the lightgun games of previous generations. Matthew Pellett scored it at 79%, with the main issue being the lack of graphical improvement compared to the original games - at this point HOTD 2 was 10 years old. There was a courtroom showdown, with the latest Phoenix Wright facing off against Apollo Justice, Phoenix was the slight victor, scoring 82% against Apollo’s 80%. Pro Evo 2008 was the only other big hitter this month, as Nick scored Konami’s Wii conversion 89%, with praise for the gameplay and use of controls, but as usual the commentary and audio generally put a bit of a downer on things.

World of Nintendo brought a number of interesting articles, including some of their previous comments about earlier Mario Kart titles, including many of the good and bad features of the games. This was one of the few times they would print portions of their magazine back catalogue. There was also a map guide to the elusive rubber bands in Bully, a showcase to some of the puzzles in Professor Layton, and a look at some of the Japanese Puzzle games that never saw the light of day in the west. On page 89 the team drew their very own fantasy Mario Karts.

Within Download this month, the history lesson looked at the Mother franchise, with details on all three parts of the franchise and the unreleased Earthbound 64. There was also a look at the mansion from Eternal Darkness, showcasing a map of the area and some of the common features of the psychological horror game. The commodore 64 was also launched on Virtual Console this month and they looked at the games released, and some of the key attributes of the 80s console. In the Meanwhile section, it was almost time for GTA 4, and as always it was very much anticipated.