Review Shooter: Nintendo Select August 2011

This morning Nintendo announced the addition of four more titles to their Nintendo Select line. All of these titles were released, many years before this site was active, and really wouldn’t want to bore you with reviews of games 3-4 years old. That said, we did want to offer up our thoughts on the four games added to the collection, and if it is worth an investment.

Super Paper Mario (2007)- The 3rd entry in the Paper Mario series has a lot to live up to. The game is more platformer than RPG unlike its predecessors. The change in dynamic has an odd effect on the player’s experience. As I felt the game broke up the action too much to further the story, which is fine in an RPG but seems jarring in a platformer. Also the platforming isn’t as solid as one would expect in a Mario game.

Also the trademark Paper Mario side characters are replaced by some generic Pixls characters. The plot does have some fun twists and turns, and introduces my favorite character in Mr. L (see my Twitter icon)!

Recommendation: Rent It Not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, but the original Paper Mario is available on the Virtual Console. And there are 3 other games on this list….

Mario Strikers Charged (2007) The sequel to one of Mario’s more radical spin-off titles. The Mario Strikers series is known for giving an attitude to the entire Mushroom Kingdom. Characters talk trash and dance in celebration and are even given re-designs as far as their costumes go.

Mario Strikers Charged continues the legacy of the original with the words “More=Better” attached on the development documents some where. You get more characters, more stages, more chances at a Super Strike, more side kicks and more modes. For the most part, all of these add to the package. Though the idea of giving every character their own special move does tend to break the game as folks tend to favor those with near insta-goal abilities. Stages are bought to life with more Mario trademark gimmicky as electrified walls, quick sand and Thwomps enter the fold.

This is also one of the first Wii games to feature online, and perhaps one of Nintendo’s better titles. With leaderboards, weekly events, friend invites and more, it really is a solid package.

Recommendation: Buy It– Perhaps, one of the most underrated titles on the console. It is fun, fast-paced, chaotic and a blast to play with friends in person or online.

Punch-Out!! (2009)- Hands down, one of the most underrated titles of the generation in my opinion. The Punch-Out!! series is an interesting bland of boxing and puzzle/pattern finding. This modern incarnation of the title shines brighter than any before it (Except for the lack of Mike Tyson). The cool and colorful graphics fit right at home with the Wii, but more impressively give life to some of gaming’s more eccentric characters. Each challenge offers a fun and unique character and interesting patterns for our hero to overcome.

And once you beat the game, they come back for 2nds as Little Mac now has to successful defend his title against opponents who know all his original tricks. And if that isn’t enough, once you complete that tour another surprise awaits you!

Recommendation: Buy It– It is a fun game, that offers a ton of challenge. It was made during an interesting time for Nintendo so it also offers balance board support if you want to try that out!

Super Mario Galaxy (2007)- I will say up front, this is a no-brainer. If you don’t already own this title, shame on you! Now that it’s 20 bucks, there’s no reason for you NOT to own this game.

Words can’t do this game justice, and trust me they would all be shining words. I will say for my money, this (and its sequel) are the two finest crafted games of this generation. The game offers up more variety in one room than most games do for an entire series! The game oozes charm, and wit and variety and just awesome controls that work. The way they play with gravity shall leave you breathless.

But like I said words can’t do it justice, just check out this awesome video.

[youtube]wOh968qao74[/youtube]

Recommendation: BUY IT!– Don’t worry about a reasoning, if you are still reading this, you are wasting good time. Go, run now! Well August 28th.

There you go, Nintendo has added 4 new games to their Nintendo Selects line. All are pretty damn good games and in one case an exceptional experience. So I hope you have fun rounding out your Wii library come August 28th!

Earl Rufus

The owner of this little chunk of the internet. Enjoys having a good time and being rather snarky!

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *