KEY POINTS:
It's full-on summer still and hard to get back into the swing of work.
So as we cope with the dazzling summer heat, I'm loving swimming through the Endless Ocean (Nintendo: rated G), a hypnotic new chill-out Wii game that kind of reminds me of last year's chill-out online PS3 game flOw. And then there was Ecco the Dolphin.
You don the wetsuit of a deep sea diver and explore the colourful ocean floor, making friends with dolphins, discovering underwater ruins and admiring the coral formations. There are hidden treasures to be found on the ocean floor.
What, no shooting? Not unless you have an underwater camera. But hey it's summer and sometimes its good to give the gun a breather and the RSI inducing intensity of hardcore shootouts a welcome rest.
So what's in the storyline? Hmmm.. pass. This is from a Japanese studio and often such titles are rather obscure when it comes to describing an objective.
You dive and explore. And do a lot of fish observing whilst you swim.
This is not so much a game in that you can't win or lose. Observation and time spent chilling out is key - like watching a fish bowl with exotic fishes swimming about. No animal, mammals or humans are harmed in the making of this engrossing game.
With beautiful graphics and relaxing music, it's strangely absorbing. Grab a preview here (with New Zealand's own Hayley Westenra in full voice - if you like her songs).
The diving log is at load screens which is cool because you get to see the area you've just swum around and interface a bit by zooming in on the map.
Says one comment under the YouTube Video: "This would be great.........if you could go around killing sharks with guns and blowing up ships......"
Well, maybe in the middle of winter as mid-year stress sets in. Thoroughly therapeutic this thing is.
For now, I'm spending hours diving and prodding tiny fish and not having to worry about coming up for air like in real life.
MadGamer rating: 8.5 / 10
Those of you struggling with feeling bloated and unhealthy post-Christmas holidays may be eagerly awaiting the local release of Wii's new Fit game and balance board to give you an easy workout (check out the video here ).
Not everyone thinks this is the best solution though - check out the parody here.
But during the holiday season, Wii released yet another add-on called the Wii Zapper.
Those with long console memories will remember the orange zapper Nintendo brought out for the NES.
This plastic tommy gun-shaped contraption holds the Wii remote and Nunchuk and when you pull the trigger it pushes the B button on the Wii remote. The idea is you feel as if you are holding a light gun when playing the game and using the targeting reticle on-screen like in so many Capcom games before it.
Two games have appeared for the gun so far - the much-awaited Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (rated MA15) and Links Crossbow Training (PG).
The crossbow game was one designed to show off the zapper, it comes packaged with it and works very well. It's a shooting game set to the popular Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess using the game's landmarks and guiding Links to find enemies and shoot some sharp arrows into those beasts lurking around corners and atop roofs.
There are only 10 quick easy levels but it is fun. There are three modes: score attack (single-player), multiplayer (up to four players) and practice (using stages unlocked from score attack).
Each mode offers three game types: target shooting with bullseyes popping up all over the place in rapid-fire succession; defender which involves facing down baddies from all angles and ranger (closer to a Zelda game; you have a set number of enemies to wipe out or fight a boss using the nunchuk).
Accepting that it is a short shooting game used to show off the Zapper, its entertaining enough.
As for the zapper, you can play it without and some people may find using the remote and nunchuk directly enables more accurate shooting and feels more comfortable.
MadGamer's rating: 7 / 10
The Resident Evil Wii action/shooter tells the back story behind the fall of the evil Umbrella Corporation through exploration of location from the earlier Resident Evil games and new stuff like Umbrella's stronghold.
Shootup Resident Evils have not always been the most successful in the franchise but the secret to this is its simplicity - chill out fun - chill out except that you are shooting zombies, dogs, spiders, grubs and so on.
It's simple because it's an on rails shooter in which you just point the cursor over the enemy and keep pulling the trigger and don't have to control where your character moves only react when an enemy charges or an item appears.
It's simply an entertaining point and shoot game that's short and sometimes that's all you feel like.
As for the zapper, it's a mixed blessing. Check out this video
This isn't Time Crisis. Calibration is a bit of an issue. Also a problem with having to shake the remote to reload your weapon or worse - hold down the A-button and attack whilst shaking to use your knife - if you shake the zapper too briskly the remote may fall out! It's a matter of personal preference but I ended up using the remote and nunchuk directly. It also pays to check the angle of your sensor bar and get the positioning alignment for this type of game.
MadGamer's rating: 7.5 / 10
