Now Playing: Week of April 14-20

Welcome to another edition of Now Playing! Let's dive right into the games of the week:

Holly
As a recent First Impressions post would tell you, I finally received and have been playing the Wii game Xenoblade Chronicles. This week, I also hope to break back into Okami for Wii. I'm finding it somewhat difficult to do so, but I must! Metroid Prime rounds out this week's Wii line-up. It's pretty ambitious, I know! In the handheld realm, I will still be playing Kid Icarus: Uprising, but, having beaten it, it'll be more of an afterthought to GBA games Golden Sun and Metroid: Zero Mission. In addition to all of the above games, I may sprinkle in some of the following during the week: Rhythm Heaven Fever, Super Mario Galaxy (1 and 2), Final Fantasy III, Super Mario 64, and Wii Sports Resort. How 'bout you all?

Favorite Wii games countdown #4: Wii Sports

For those of you who don't know, the game Wii Sports was the original pack-in game for Nintendo's brand-new Wii console. I don't know about anyone else, but this game had me pumped. It was the way Nintendo would show the world how motion control could be integrated into video games.

And I'll never forget the first time I played it.

It was a feeling unlike any I had ever felt. Here was a piece of content in my favorite medium that actually responded to my movement. It did so with polish, for that matter! Wii was a success! And the funny thing is, Wii Sports remains to this day one of the best examples of motion controlled gaming out there. I still play it once in a while, and I'm always surprised at how well it holds up. Long live Wii Sports!

Honorable Mention: Kirby's Return to Dreamland

To at least rent this game was a no-brainer for me. And that's just what I did. I had Mary over on the day that it came. I thought to myself, "What better time to break it out than while I'm playing video games with Mary anyway?" So I played Kirby's Return to Dreamland with Mary and my little sister, Ivy. It wasn't long before I knew I had to use Gamefly's "Keep" feature on this one. Kirby's Return to Dreamland is a great little platformer that is fun for anyone, but will especially charm the young 'uns.

A Game I Should Have Played: Super Paper Mario
The unfortunate thing is that I've never so much as laid eyes on a Paper Mario game before. I have, however, taken the first step towards playing these mysteries Mario RPG things: I have downloaded the game Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars onto my Wii console. I'm on my way!

Favorite Wii games countdown #6: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

If you've been keeping track of my list of favorite Wii games, perhaps you've realized that today's game, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, has officially trumped another great Super Mario game from yesterday, Super Mario Galaxy. I have to say that I do love NSMBW just a smidgeon more than SMG. You see, the classic, side-scrolling Mario style holds a special place in my heart. Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo is one of my childhood (and all-time) favorites. NSMBW is everything great about that classic formula all rolled into one.

And dare I forget to mention the multiplayer! Up to four people can gather for local multiplayer in NSMBW. You wouldn't think it could work, but it does in this game! Players can interact with each other any way they want. You can help your friends by picking them up or giving them jump boosts. Or you can hinder your friends by throwing them at enemies or into lava pits. New Super Mario Bros. Wii has served as a great little social tool for me and my friends on countless occasions. Simply put, it is a must-have for any Wii owner.

Honorable Mention: Wii Sports Resort
This game turned out to be a superb showcase of what Wii MotionPlus could do. Personally, I grew to love sword play and archery as great examples. After playing this game, I feel it's a shame that Wii MotionPlus has gone largely unused since.

A Game I Should Have Played: Wario Ware: Smooth Moves
I gotta tell you the story of my first go at a Wario Ware game. I had this friend in Junior High who had Wario Ware on her GameCube. Well, we played it one day. She let me go through a series of what are called "micro games", and I was phenomenal! I wasn't making any mistakes at all. I kept glancing back at her in between games, hoping to see that she was awestruck at my incredible gaming skills. Before long, however, I began to get suspicious. Something wasn't right about this. Finally I found out that this friend of mine had swapped the controllers while I wasn't looking: she had been controlling the game the whole time.

That and about fifteen minutes of Wario Ware on GBA have been my sole experience with the Wario Ware series. I would love to try out Smooth Moves for Wii some time.