Blow out the candles with WiiWare’s top five
Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at 8:05pm by Derek
2. Mega Man 9
It’s fitting that the very announcement of Capcom’s retro Mega Man revival would be frustrating, hair-pulling and difficult to deal with.
To me, it seemed an obvious cash grab rather than a genuine revival.
Mixed feelings over its design aside, no one who grew up playing Capcom’s classic franchise can say the ninth installment isn’t every bit as spectacular as the Blue Bomber’s earliest NES adventures.
Mega Man 9 lives up to its legendary pedigree not by embracing modernity and accommodating the expanded video games audience, but by spitting in the face of contemporary conventions and making a conscious effort to be as deliberately old-school, unwelcoming to the uninitiated, gameplay-focused and insanely challenging as possible.
Eight new robot masters, online leaderboards, downloadable content and the return of Mega Man for only $10. Even a cynic has to ask:
What more can a fan ask for?
May 14th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
I’ve never play Bit Trip beat, so i don’t have much to say about it but otherwise a good list.
Some favorites of mine also included Artstyle: Orbient and Dr. Mario Rx.
May 14th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Great list! I haven’t played all of these, but I plan to eventually.
I’m really enjoying Bit.Trip Beat right now. I’m glad it’s getting the attention it deserves.
May 14th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I don’t know what exactly should take it’s place. But I’ve always found world of goo to be wildly overrated. The only real improvement over tower of goo is the art and music, except tower of goo was free.
May 14th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
You said it beat Mario Kart Wii on your list but it didn’t. Anyway good list I’m eager to try the games I haven’t played or own yet.
May 14th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Not a single game with Mario or Zelda in it. I’m kind of shocked there aren’t quality Nintendo products on there. Imagine how awesome a WiiWare Four Swords could be? Or maybe a Mario Party title. I don’t know, I just kind of feel like most of WiiWare is third-party, flash game crap. And I would be more willing to take a chance on something like World of Goo if they had demos.
Mega Man 9 is awesome, though.
May 14th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Lost winds doesn’t deserve to be on this list, it was terrible.
May 14th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Thanks, schmuck. Oversight on my part. Fixed!
May 14th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Are you from Pittsburgh? I couldn’t tell! Anyway, great list. I agree on all of the above!
May 15th, 2009 at 12:01 am
Where’s Strong Bad in all of this!? Everyone’s favorite cool and attractive Flash cartoon deserves some loooooove!!
But he ain’t gettin’ any…
May 15th, 2009 at 12:03 am
school is finished for the year!! wooo!
May 15th, 2009 at 12:04 am
now i can play tons of games!!!
May 15th, 2009 at 1:25 am
Of all the Wiiware games released, the only ones I really care about at all are Bomberman Blast and the soon-to-be-released Contra ReBirth. Most of them feel too much like cheap flash games. I still stick with the VC.
May 15th, 2009 at 1:48 am
Derek is obviously a very rich, talented, and scholarly man for placing World of Goo at number one.
May 15th, 2009 at 11:32 am
I agree with Lite – Strong Bad should be on this list.
Maybe it’s just me being a classic 8-bit fan, but I believe Mega Man 9 should be at the top of the list.
May 16th, 2009 at 10:30 am
I’d have to say that of this list, World of Goo, Lost Winds, and Mega Man 9 are not only the only ones from this list I’d put on a Top 5 list but they are pretty much the only WiiWare games even worth getting period. Overall I’ve been pretty unimpressed with WiiWare.
May 19th, 2009 at 7:26 am
I really enjoyed Final Fantasy Crystal Cronicles: My Life as a King.
Played it; downloaded all of the additional caves and then beat it again. I would play through it a third time but I am waiting for the My Life as a Dark Lord to come out.