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Nintendo Land!


Austin

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Well, last week I figured it was time to finally sit down and put some time into my Wii-U games. Yeah, up to this point I've played the occasional Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed, New Super Mario Bros U, Nano Assault Neo, and Tank Tank Tank, but I've yet to exploit any of these games to their fullest. Actually, now that I think of it, I've yet to even become addicted to any of them. I might load them up and play a round or two, but I haven't experienced anything that keeps me glued to the TV (or Wii-U gamepad!). That was, at least, until I decided to give Nintendo Land a second shot.

 

I tried Nintendo Land when I first got my Wii-U, and I put it away pretty quickly thinking it was a neat tech demo. However, there is actually a lot more to this game than meets the eye. Despite it consisting of 12 "mini" games, many of the games are actually fairly involved to one degree or another. For instance, some feature a hefty amount of stages (the Pikmin, Zelda, and Metroid-themed ones, specifically). Some of these also offer multiple gameplay modes that considerably change up how the game is played. For instance, in the Metroid one, you can do third-person ground missions where you use the Wiimote and Nunchuk to move and fire, or you can do the whole set of flight missions, where you attack from the air using the Wii-U gamepad. In the Zelda one, you can play the bow and arrow mode, playing strictly from the Wii-U gamepad (this works great!), or you can play the hand-to-hand sword combat mode with a Nunchuk/Wiimote combination. Each mode feels very different from one-another, like each is its own game.

 

Other games Nintendo Land offers are much more simplistic in nature, but are an excellent challenge from a difficulty standpoint (not that the previous ones mentioned aren't difficult--because they are!). These other games--like Balloon Trip Breeze, Donkey Kong's Crash Course, Takamaru's Ninja Castle, and Captain Falcon's Twister Race--will require a good bit of practice in order to complete.

 

Factor in the multiplayer functionality of many of these games, there is a LOT more meat to Nintendo Land than it initially seems.

 

The extensive amount of content doesn't stop there though. As you play, you earn coins based on the amount of time spent on a game, what sort of achievements you accomplish, and any other awards you unlock in your play session. These coins can be put to use at the main Nintendo Land central tower, where you can play a retro-themed pachinko-like game. Completing each level in this mini game allows you to unlock "Gifts", which are then tossed out onto your virtual world/theme park after you finish. Many of these are statues of characters and objects you will experience throughout the varying mini-games. Others can come in the form of jukebox tunes that you can select and play while you're wandering your park, and some are ground-based switches that have different effects when pressed. For instance, one changes the time of day to dusk, then to night, then back again.

 

Speaking of which, the idea of a Nintendo "theme park" is great. When I first played the game, it was just me, a bare circular park, and gates for each game. Nothing terribly special. But now, with all of the gifts I have won that were placed on the playfield, to the random Mii's stopping by my park, it feels bustling with activity now. I often times find myself picking a tune I like on the jukebox, and running around clicking on each statue placed in my park (it animates, makes a sound, then provides you with an often humorous description of it).

 

From a visual perspective, I find Nintendo Land to be extremely pleasing. Everything runs at 60 frames per second without a single ounce of slowdown (something Nintendo seems to get that most other companies these days do not!), and there is a nice, glossy sheen/polish to the visual assets. It might not be the Unreal Engine 4, but if this is Nintendo in HD, then all I will say is, "more, please!". From an artistic standpoint, the game also has a nice mixture of retro and modern visuals, with obviously clean 3D polygons, but also a great amount of retro-inspired pixel art. And of course, speaking of aesthetics, like any recent in-house Nintendo title, the audio is fantastic through-and-through, with high production values and great classic remixes.

 

I don't know how to explain this game much further, other than each "mini" game is reminiscent of something like Link's Crossbow Training on the Wii in terms of length and production value. That was one game I put off for years, but was pleasantly surprised with when I actually played it recently. It offered hours of entertainment with many stages, addictive gameplay, and reasons to play it again (Why not try to beat your best your time, or perfect each stage to achieve that "Master" ranking?). That was really a solid little game that offered several hours worth of play at a bare minimum, but I'd go as far to say that many of the games in Nintendo Land is more involved than that, when you factor in the different control styles, the varying gameplay modes, unlockable options, and more.

 

Needless to say, Nintendo Land has a ton of content to offer, and I really feel it's a fully-fledged package, not just another "Wii Sports for the Wii-U". If you've had this perception of the game or if you haven't given it more than a few minutes worth of your time, I highly recommend really sitting down with it and unlocking what it has to offer. I am also curious to know what others think about it that have put some time into it!

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With each passing moment, I come close to thinking I need to pick up a wii u.. Nice review man! Thanks!

 

If you asked me, I wouldn't say to buy the system right now. But down the road when the library is a little more fleshed out and you do, definitely try this game out (or pick up a Deluxe unit if this is still bundled in the future--I hope it is!). It's a lot of fun.

 

Must. Not. Buy. Wii. U.

Need. Money. For. Retro. Junk.

 

Haha! Like I suggested to Doomwaves, it's probably not worth buying a Wii-U just for Nintendo Land, but whenever you do get the system, definitely check it out. Pretty much all of the games are of a simplistic, arcade-style nature, and are addictive as they should be. Perfect for fans of retro-styled games. :)

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I agree.. Nintendoland is not a system seller for me... But The possibility of Greatness, and the fact that it still plays Wii games, may be enough.. I have only had a Wii for about 6 months, and only recently fell in love.. But I'm not sure about the other next-gen consoles coming out just yet, so I think the Wii U might be my future console... I need to get a 3DS & a Vita too... I may avoid ps4 & the new xbox for a few years, let them cool down..

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NintendoLand is the most played game in my house actually.. But then again it's my 4 year old who's playing it. :lol: I really do have a good time with him though playing Zelda & Pikmin. We finished Pikmin but are now on level 9 of Zelda. He enjoys playing all the games though and has won so many prizes for outside.. it's great.

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Great review!! Thanks for posting it.

 

I haven't played NintendoLand at all since the day I first tried out the Wii U my wife gave me for Christmas. Since then, all of my time has been devoted to other games for the system: Monster Hunter, Lego City, Black Op's II, Assassin's Creed III, Mario, and Darksiders II.

 

From my small try out of the game, I did like Donkey Kong, Pikmin, and Metroid but didn't care at all for Link.

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Great review!! Thanks for posting it.

 

Thanks! I wasn't intending it to be a review, more as a "Hey, Wii-U people! You probably have this game, and you should probably play it, because it's good!" sort of post. Once I was finished with it though, well.. yeah, I guess it turned out to be a review, haha! :lol:

 

From my small try out of the game, I did like Donkey Kong, Pikmin, and Metroid but didn't care at all for Link.

 

Link is actually one of my favorites in the collection! But I have only rolled through all the levels on the bow & arrow play style. Once I finish some of the other games, such as Pikmin and Metroid (I'm on the final boss fight for that one right now), I will go back to the Link game and run through the whole thing in the sword mode. Hopefully it's just as fun.

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