The Fellowship Of The Lego Ring

Lego Lord of the Rings is a great game. How can i say it any clearer? You should all play this game, no matter what console you play it on. I personally play it on the Wii, which probably is the "worst" of the available consoles, but i still really love the game. The Wii version features HD compatibility, so the picture is actually a lot clearer than most Wii games adapted from PS3/Xbox titles from the past. My only issue with the Wii version, however, is that the frame-rate is quite bad sometimes when playing multiplayer (and watch out, 'cos the Wii version is full of glitches). Nevertheless i love this game, and every time i leave it, i start missing it about 1 hour later.

One of the really great sides of the Lego game series (Star Wars, Batman, Pirates and so on...), is that they all have very nice multiplay accessible gameplay. The battle sequences are thrilling, the puzzles creative and challenging, and the team-work in multiplay is really rewarding and it feels awesome to achieve a goal with your friend. I also like the minor PvP element in this game where you can either race through the re-playable levels for the highest point score, or simply try to kill one another (friendly fire is constantly on in this game). When playing, me and my friend usually at some point end up just fighting for like 10 minutes.

Another great detail that makes this game good is the humour that is so classically Lego styled. From Gandalf hiding Saruman's orb under his beard to riding goats through the shire, this game is packed with laughter and fun. And fun is what its all about in the end, right? I also laughed pretty hard at several occasions where i was able to literarily buy people off the street. Bilbo would come walking up to me, and i'd be all "Buy Bilbo? Sweet, i love buying folks!". No, but seriously! I mean, yeah, i'm a terrible person, and human trade is WRONG... in the real world. But for all of us who know the difference between a game and reality, this detail is just plain funny.

Game-play wise this game is good. The reason why i'm not saying great is that there are some off-putting features that could have been avoided. The dynamic split screen is often confusing, and although you get used to it in time, it often forces you to jump off ledges to see what you need to find (yes i know that the dynamic split is optional, but i don't feel like i'm fully embracing the game if i disable it). Another point is that during split screen, you can't aim at your teammate's screen. This is understandable when the two players are far away from each other, but when the distance is a couple of metres it just annoys me a bit. But despite all that i still love the game, don't get me wrong.

I could go into detail about how the story is great, but... come on! It's Lord of the Rings, of course the story is amazing. Technically it might be one of the worlds best game stories, but as it is based of a film based on a book, i don't really think it counts. Anyways i had a lot of fun with this game, and i highly suggest anyone who reads this to try it out!

My Personal Top 6 Wii U Launch Games

I just want to say two things before i begin this post: 1. I have not played all those games, and for said games i will base my reasons on impressions, screenshots and gameplay footage I have seen on YouTube and such. 2. These are my personal favourites, so they will probably differ for yours. Ok, lets get started with some geeky, gamer goodness.

6. Trine 2

 This game is just beautiful. The visual style and charming character design is just amazingly well done, and the game has a real hook to it; you simply want to play this game. I have only gotten around to a PC demo of the game, but i imagine playing it on the U to be pretty damn amazing. I really like the side-scrolling platformer element added to an otherwise quite normal RPG, which also pretty much brings together my two favourite game genres.

5. Nintendo Land

The reason this game isn't higher (which, believe me, it could've been) is that it is so dependent on the players. If the attitude is bad in your group, the game is bad too. On the other hand, if your group is open for the idea of a "childish-ish" party game joy ride then the game will be absolutely mind-blowing. I had such low expectations for this game, but the first time i got together a full five person game and played Mario chase... Instantly hooked! I also like that there are multiple single player minis in the game that are multi-playable through the tour train mode, which is the ultimate party mode of the game. All in all i love this game, although it is not better that the next titles to come.

4. Assassin's Creed 3
Do i really need to tell you why this game kicks ass? I mean come on! You got historical precision, visual brilliance, wonderfully beautiful gameplay, great open-world exploration, long story, good story, intuitive objectives and so on. I must admit i haven't gotten around to this title yet, but i've seen plenty of footage and reviews and so on, and it is just mind-blowing. Why is it not on the top? I have simply not played this, and as this is my personal favourites, i guess that wouldn't be quite right. Moving on.

3. ZombiU
This game terrified me in many ways, but my main problem is that the game is soo fun, yet soo scary. This is probably the reason why its not on a higher ranking, simply the fact that i couldn't play it for too long because the fear made me exhausted. Nevertheless i loved this title. It fulfils its purpose as a survival horror game by being truly scary and stressful and with plenty of obstacles that require a bit of brain-cracking. I also love the perma-death system where you have to kill your infected, former self when you die to get your gear back... Another great point is the multiplay on ZombiU. The gameplay is so addicting, and it has depth to it so you can build strategies and become a better shooter/ zombie king.

2. New Mario Bros U
Oh Mario... You never seem to disappoint me, and nor you did this time around. New Mario Bros U has everything the previous titles in the series but with several additions. These include Baby Yoshi with special powers, such as granting light to a pitch black cavern or spraying bubbles to jump higher or trap enemies within, and an acorn power-up that allows Mario to glide through the air and do an extra jump mid air. In my opinion, Mario Bros U is more creative, the level design bolder and the story line finally with a twist (in stead of fighting towards bowsers lair, you now fight towards Peach's castle that has be overrun by Bowser and his gang). Also the GamePad mirroring mode brings flexibility to the game, as it can be brought into the next room or continued while others use the TV screen.

1. Batman Arkham City: Armoured Edition
I could not stop playing once i started. During christmas holidays (I got the game for christmas) i would stay up to eight in the morning just hiding under my blanket in my bedroom with the GamePad only mode activated. I legitimately completed the game in a matter of 4-6 days, and when the story was over i almost cried. The story was amazing, graphics really sweet, characters memorable and powerful, but one thing stood out the most for me... The boss fights. Bosses in this game were so amazingly complex, fun to play yet strategically difficult to beat. The difficulty progression was not parallel with the story (the final boss was very easy), but it usually isn't in this type of game. The trial of the demon also spoke to me, as i love seeing fantasy impulses in these sorts of games. The Catwoman stealth sequences were also extremely intuitive and fun, in addition to the bonus of her being super hot of course. Altogether i would rate this game 10/10, and as for console games i have played before, only the Zelda franchise beats this game. I only wish they would make a "Arkham Asylum: Armoured Edition" as well...

The Wii Games you Must Have

The Wii U is out now, and a lot of players probably got it without ever having a Wii. For those people or simply for people who love hearing about great Nintendo titles of the past, here is my list of the top ten games for the Wii you MUST play.

10. Mario Party 8
This game is great in many ways. It's the classic Nintendo party game that everyone loves, but now with better visuals, interesting gameplay including wii-mote pointers and motion and some really memorable tunes to make it all feel right. If i had to describe this game with one word, i think feel-good or bright would be good choices. This game, however is only worth its slot on this list in 3-4 player games. The single-player is not at all worth buying the game for, but that is never necessarily too important in the party-game genre. Get your friends over and you will have an amazing time playing this game!

9. Donkey Kong Country Returns
For all of you platformer-fans out there, this is a must-have. It is not developed by rare, which is a bummer, but it catches the essence of the earty DK Country games and wraps it up in nice visual design, thrilling gameplay and an awesome variety of levels to conquer. This game is, in my opinion, also a bit more challenging than the old Snes games, which is always nice in a game (unless you're a rage-quitter like me...) There are not a lot of controls to master, as per usual in a platformer, and the game is therefor easy to understand, yet difficult to master. All in all, you simply need to play this game.

8. Metroid Prime Corruption
Nintendo's first person shooter Metroid returned to the Wii in the third part of the "Prime" series, and it is a great game to play. Its got nice visuals and the gameplay is great, and you get all the exploring and re-exploring that has made the Metroid series so awesome. It might look, feel and play very similarly to the other two titles in the triology, but that is not necessarily a bad thing as the concept and the design is really good. The cutscenes in MP Corruption is amazing, and is one of the things that make this cinematic adventure so great. If you're main reason for buying an FPS is to shoot things at random, this game is not for you. This game is about exploring and conquering foreign land and has more in common with The Legend of Zelda than it has with Call of Duty.

7. Epic Mickey
I know there's a 2nd game in this franchise, but i haven't played it yet. However it is said to be way worse that the original game, and i will simply go with the popular opinion on that one. Anyways, the first game was great. It lets you wander through disney classics from decades before, add or remove content to the levels to proceed and fight goons with a magic paintbrush. Too much about this game is awesome for it not to be on a list like this, and when the game was so fun to play and the gameplay was so well designed, there was no doubt. Story-wise this game is neither great nor horrible, and since the focus always leans towards the nostalgia of the classic disney heroes the game introduces, it makes no huge difference in this thrilling adventure-puzzle-platformer.

6. Mario Kart Wii
This is not a deep game with a great story and a heartbreaking ending. This game is pure fun, thrilling gameplay and the best Mario Kart game yet. The graphics are beautiful, the level-design is stunning (check out Wario's gold mine and Kopa Cape). As with the previous Mario Kart game for the DS, this game features 16 new tracks and 16 retro ones. I love this concept so much, but i must admit it makes me angry too. Why didn't you give me Wario Colosseum or Waluigi Pinball for MK Wii!? Anyways, this is the 2nd best party game for the Wii and probably the 2nd best party game out there, so if you wanna have some great amounts of fun with your friends, get this game in your collection. Why did this game beat, for instance, Mario Party 8? It can be played as a single-player game! The online gameplay is awesome, and you fight for glory against up to 12 people on the inter-webs. How cool is that? In 2008 Mario Kart Wii was fifth on the list of most played online games, where games like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and Battlefield have a regular spot.

5. Super Mario Galaxy
This game is so great i don't even know where to start... It has planets you can explore, level-design that beats all the games above and the coolest game-physics i've seen in a long time: All the small planets have individual gravity fields. Another great thing about this game is that it doesn't feel like the result of years and years trying to drain money out of a franchise that was popular years ago; This game is an instant classic, and it feels fresh. Nintendo is better than most when it comes to actually delivering really good sequels, and this is a prime example. At its release, it was the greatest Mario game ever made, although it has been beaten by its sequel that was even better (I'll talk about that one later).

4. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
This is the oldest title on this list, and was also released for the Game Cube (R.I.P.). It features a darker Hyrule than we're used to, which is a fresh approach in the Zelda series (especially after the more cartoony (yet really amazing) Wind Waker). The Zelda games never disappoint me, and this one blew me away. The story is great, and features a world that has gone under to darkness, and a young Link who must restore the light. To do this, he must become one with the shadow, and he takes the shape of a wolf. Together with the quirky, yet mystical sidekick, Midna, you fight to defeat the master of twilight, Zant, and to restore the light and the peace in Hyrule. Parallel to this story, there is also a moving story about links friend that is kidnapped by crooks. Next to saving the world, you also have to look for clues leading to your long lost friend. All in all this is a great game, but i have some criticism towards it too. There weren't too many side-quests for me to explore, and the world felt kinda empty and lonely. I also felt that the wii-mote motion controls were a bit awkward this time around, and aside from the bow (which was awesome with the wii pointer), i preferred the Game Cube version in terms of controls. I mean seriously the Wii has Game Cube controller ports... Why can i not play Twilight Princess for the wii with a GC-controller? I guess i'll never know... But despite all that, this is still an amazing game that you shouldn't pass on.

3.  Super Mario Galaxy 2
You heard me before, the original Galaxy was good, this one better. It has a lot of the same mechanics, but the levels are better, the design bolder, and you get to unite with Mario's classic sidekick, Yoshi. This game is more intense, more interesting, and more fun that the original, but they are both really well made games.

2. Super Smash Brothers: Brawl
This game... This game... Where to start. Ok: Stunning visuals, amazing level design, exhilarating gameplay, wildly amusing use of items, a fun new adventure mode, all the great modes from the previous games and so fourth. This game is so much fun it could easily won 1st place on this list one and a half year ago. At the end of 2011, the only one Wii game that deserved to win over this game came along, and that tells a story on its own. The game is simple: Choose your character from a huge array of classic nintendo heroes from Link, Pikachu, Mario, Sonic, Snake, Olimar, Samus, and even Mr. Game and Watch. Every character has their own skill set and their own ultimate smash move. The plot of the game is to send your enemies (a.k.a. your friends) flying of the map. AND: The game features online matches with friends or just random matchmaking. This game is to date the best party game available for the Wii, and probably all together. Playstation All-Stars can go and cry in a corner.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
I might say that this game changed my life. I might say that. I wouldn't be lying. This is by far the best game i've ever played, and while that might be a personal opinion, i still will say that this is the best Wii game of all time. It has a beautiful visual style that really captures all the complex emotions of the characters in the long and moving story. This game is the latest game in this list, and its apparent that the developers had a lot of time to analyse what did and did not work for the Wii system. Another great side to this game is the controls. Remember how i said the controls in Twilight Princess was awkward? Well i wasn't the only one who thought so, and Nintendo rectified their mistake by making the best wii-mote controlled game ever. With the wii motion plus, the sword gestures are 1-1, and you see Links sword move as you move your hand. Never before in a Zelda game have you felt so connected to what's happening on the screen. The characters from all around the world, the inhabitants of Skyloft, the Kikwis, the Mogmas, the Goron explorers, the Dragons and the bad guys are all very memorable. After playing the game you feel like you've gotten to know a whole bunch of people, which is a great video-game accomplishment. When i played Twilight Princess, i was concerned that they would not be able to make an even better game. They were able to do that. I am concerned again now. This game made me feel like Zelda had reached its peak, as there are simply very few bad things to say about this game. But to get back to the earth, if you were getting a Wii or Wii U and were to get ONE Wii game, get Skyward Sword. You'll be doing yourself a favour.