Hell yeah I wanna level up my dolphin!

While I've been suffering from the cold that is doing the rounds in these parts I've also been playing on the second incarnation of Endless Ocean from Arika. The first game had a very low key release two years ago but quickly gained a positive reputation among fans of swim 'em ups. The simple yet effective control system returns for this second outing but instead of another almost plot-free environment this time there is a much greater sense of involvement and theatre as you chase around the globe trying to solve the mystery behind the Song of Dragons.

The improvements over the original release are many. The graphics are slightly more polished, the variety of diving locations has increased, the partners you find along the way to dive with are greater in number (and you no longer have to decide which animal partner to keep if you befriend another), the underwater communication when diving with a friend is vastly superior, the list is a long one.

Unlike the first instalment of the series, which was much more free roaming, the single player game has many different tasks for you to complete to unlock new features, more tasks, and rewards. One of them is to meet, befriend, and then train nearly a dozen dolphins.



There are a wide range of animals for you to see on your journey. As well as the dolphins there are sharks, whales, rays, sea cucumbers, starfish, seals, penguins, crabs, and unsurprisingly a wide variety of fish. The marine encyclopaedia which stores all of the information on the species you see runs to 81 pages. I'm off to find the last few elusive coral reef dwellers so that I can complete that task and gain a new title.

A new title? Oh yes. There are 155 titles by which you can choose to be known in the game. Each one is awarded for completing an achievement. Some achievements like, for example, diving at night are easier to complete than others such as swim 1000km. When you reach 60,90,120 and 150 titles you unlock a special gift. So far I've received the first three of them and they are quite nice additions to my underwater attire .. .. ..

Water Warfare

Water Warfare is a different beast to Onslaught. They might both be FPS Wiiware downloads released by Hudson and their controls are very similar, they may even use a great deal of the same code for all I know, but the tactics of the game are very different indeed.

Where to start?

Before you can begin you have to create your own avatar by selecting, gender, hair styles, clothes and facial expressions from the selection on offer and then on to the tutorial levels which are reasonably simple to complete. Learn how to jump (Z), shoot (B), use an item (C), pick up new weapons (B), run around (nunchuk), use the rifle zoom (A) in a safe learning zone before going out into the one player game.

The one player options are mission, where you have to complete set tasks against the clock, or battle royale which can be either a single player deathmatch or a team deathmatch. The reviews I've read suggest that completing the missions unlocks new items for your avatar, a subtle way to brag of your achievements. But all of this is really just a warm up for the main reason you spent 800 Wii Points on this game - the online battles. Compete in either single player deathmatches or team events (CTF or Deathmatch) against random other players or, if you've exchanged friend codes, a room full of your mates. Up to 8 people at any time can play in each of the 4 different arenas and in the few games I played online so far that had up to 6 players the smaller maps can feel quite crowded and frenetic.

Graphically Water Warfare is worlds apart from Onslaught. No grim barren alien biosphere for this game; instead a cutesy playpark and a Delfino Square style harbour area are joined by two others to make up the different play areas. But don't be fooled into thinking this is a shovelware title because of it's appearance. Underneath the childish graphics lies a competent game that rewards the brave and tactically astute and punishes the timid or foolish player. The controls are well executed and the frame rate didn't falter even in the most frantic moments online. If I was being picky then the camera angle is a little too high but not so much that it spoils the game.

The weapons are scattered around the area and you pick them up by pointing your target at them and pressing B. Each one has it's own characteristics from the basic water pistol that you start with through to the water bazooka and sniper rifle. You can even, by finding a second identical weapon to the one that you are using, double up and have two water pistols at the same time! Each weapon has a water gauge that is displayed at the bottom right of the screen. When it is empty you need to find a new weapon or fill up the one you are holding from one of the water sources that are scattered around. Filling your weapon takes time so keep an eye out for other players who might ambush you while you do it! I lost track of the number of times I tried to refill my weapons by shaking the wiimote. At the top of the screen you have a t-shirt that gets wetter when other players squirt you. If it is totally soaked you lose a life and respawn although in most games you are limited to 2 respawns and then when you get soaked the third time you are out.

Here's a video of the game to help you visualise the action



Overall then?

I like this game. It might be cutesy but it's tough because of the way that the weapons are designed. Just like in a real water fight you are constantly thinking about where the next refill will come from as someone bears down on you trying to soak you to the core. Mirroring my performance with Onslaught I've already hit the top 20 ranked players in the country (top 500 in the world) because of the low uptake of this title. I think that many people won't buy into it as they wait for The Conduit to be released which is a shame because this is a lot of fun for £5.60

If you like the look of the game why not come and splash around on the Gameov3r Forum

Opoona: First Thoughts

With my £6 credit from trading in NiGHTS burning a hole in my pocket I grabbed Opoona from the shelf of Blockbuster. Not cheap at £30 but I needed another gaming fix. I've played for a couple of hours and my first impressions of this quirky RPG?

Buy it.

It's strange. The graphics for the characters are very stylised and some of the backgrounds are visually rather pretty. The game world is a mix of science fiction technology and untouched nature. The accompanying music is electro-dancey and sets the mood well, encouraging you to progress at pace. The progression is as you would expect from any RPG .. .. .. a bit of story followed by learning the basics and acquiring new weapons, skills, abilities and friends .. .. .. battles to earn money and experience points. It all gels well together into an enjoyable experience that makes you want to see what will happen next.

The game can be controlled purely by using the nunchuk (a feature that was promoted when the game was first announced) and that's what I've been doing. It took me about 20 mins to become comfortable with the controls but at the moment I think they work really well.

The only negative point for me is that the battles are random battles. I'm not a fan. Apart from that though the battles are really rather fun! Once it starts there is no my turn / your turn .. .. .. it's real time action so quick responses are needed. Use the analogue stick to fire your bonbon at the enemies either underhand or overhand, with slice or fade.. .. .. you choose the strength of shot by the length of time you hold the stick before releasing it. You can add powerups to your bonbon to increase it's effectiveness in defeating the enemies as well as increasing your defense.

The objectives within the game are set by your career options. Each career has a license which you must complete before moving to the next grade, from trainee, through 1*, 2* etc. I'm not far enough in to have begun more than the first career path but I'm assuming, from the room where the new licenses are issued, that there's at least 20 different choices. The tasks that I've completed so far are "survive 10 battles" and "collect 5 eggs", my current assignment is to head somewhere and kill all of the baddies there .. .. .. .. I may be some time.

Throw your bonbons around on the Gameov3r Forum

MKWii Battle Tips

I've been discussing with other forum members how to improve their skills in the Mario Kart Wii battles. Sometimes a picture can express a thousand words far more clearly. Hopefully it will make the regular Monday night session even more exciting than it already is.

Want to burst our bubble? Head over to the Gameov3r Forum

Wii Firmware Update 4.0

Finally, after Miyamoto and Reggie hinted at a storage solution around E3 time last year, the expected firmware update has arrived that allows Wii Channels to be stored on an SD card. It integrates well into the existing Wii Menu and once accessed follows a similar format to the data maintenance screens. The new features allow access to channels stored on the SD card, letting you play them without having to copy them first to your Wii memory. Like this



Need help with your storage solutions? Ask us on the Gameov3r Forum

Battalion Wars II

A few nights ago I met up with another forum member for some post work online fun with the Wiiware game Onslaught but it was not to be. It felt like the Nintendo server was making horn shapes with its thumbs in its ears and a loud raspberry emanating from its tongue, not allowing us to connect together for a game. Instead we decided, and I can’t remember whether it was Myrrhman or myself who suggested it, that we should try Battalion Wars 2 instead. We’ve played the game many times together across Nintendo’s Wifi but the last time was over a year ago.


BW2 has three different online options – co-op, assault and skirmish – and as we had been looking forward to the cooperative action in Onslaught that is what we chose.
I think the point that I realised just how rusty we both were came as my units got caught in the crossfire between an enemy light tank and helicopter gunship. I have no idea what my team mate was up to but I assume that it was similar to my pitiful experience.

How do I?

aaarrrggghh

NO I don’t want you to attack

erm

I want to control that unit

what’s the right button?

By the third attempt at the mission the old familiarity was back again and we cruised through, attaining an ‘S’ Rank for a perfect 100% score. On then to the next co-op mission and another ‘S’ rank, this time at the first attempt!


Have you ever assumed that you’ve remembered the controls for a game only to realise too late that you haven’t?



If you need to confess you should visit the Gameov3r Forum

Nearly a year old and

It’s been 10 months since Mario Kart Wii was released in Europe and I thought I’d get in a personal early first birthday retrospective. One of the first major titles to hit shelves in Europe before North America there was much comment, much excitement, and much trepidation from the gaming community prior to release. After the success of MKDS, which has just passed 14 million sales, many found it hard to see how Nintendo could improve on the franchise.

I was one of the many that descended on the 24-hour supermarkets to pick up a copy at midnight, driving furiously home so that I could play the game while most gamers were in bed dreaming of red shells. I got home, unpacked my wheel and began to re-learn how to play Mario Kart. Since then it has barely left my Wii.

Many people couldn’t adjust to the updated control scheme. I recall one blogger likening the Wii Wheel to “strapping a biscuit tin to your wiimote”; many complained about a lack of accuracy. Me? I just plugged away at it getting better with every hour of track time.

Then there were, and still are, those who complain “it isn’t fair” or that the game is “a whole lot of luck and very little skill”. These whining voices are from a generation of gamers who want instant gratification, easy wins and no learning curve. They aren’t prepared to accept that their shortcomings as gamers are to blame as it must be the game’s fault.

Then there are those, like myself, who aren’t naturally brilliant but have learned how to play the game; learned the tricks, the techniques that allow us to improve our scores. We’ve played endlessly online (which is by far the best Nintendo online interface) and been beaten by some of the best out there, but always learning and always getting that little bit better.

I’ve set myself the challenge of hitting a ** rating by the end of the month, a step up from my current * rating. So far out of the 5 revisited Grand Prix I have achieved my goal on the first attempt. Only 8 more to go until that second star is mine!

Mario Kart Wii. You have provided me with many laughs, many tears and more than the occasional swear word. Nearly Happy First Birthday to you.

Why not join in the regular races arranged on the Gameov3r FORUM

Mad World Wii

Because it's nearly Christmas Platinum Games have released a new trailer of their excellent looking Wii exclusive Mad World. Wow! Erm, it's not a particularly festive trailer but Platinum Games have allegedly promised to post their interpretation of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer next week. Apparently Rudolf will be delivering parcels in Varrigan City. Good luck to him. Here's the trailer...



This game is looking better and better every time I see it. I suspect my Wii will be getting a lot of use again in the not too distant future.....

Thankfully Gary Jules has nothing to do with this game. Although I wouldn't mind seeing him behind one a yellow censored panels in the trailer. There are bright yellow patches on the Gameov3r FORUM