The first thing that struck me about Frozen Codebase’s new WiiWare title, Jam City Rollergirls, is that they crammed a lot into the restrictive file size of the Wii Shop Channel. For a game that combines Mario Kart [racing and power up items], Tony Hawk [skating and tricks], and roller derby action, they also managed to implement a rudimentary character generator for customization. Sure, it’s obvious that the same song plays over and over throughout the game, but you generally won’t notice it. Character animations are never jittery and the 3D environments stream by smoothly. Overall, it’s a very fun title.
On the downside, I think the game would’ve benefitted from the inclusion of a “classic” mode that would forgo the power up items and instead focus on the jams and scoring. That said, it’s still an impressive WiiWare title that is highly recommended for fans of the games that inspired it. Also, Frozen Codebase is a developer to keep an eye on.
When Nintendo sets out to make a Zelda title, there are always high expectations even before a single line of code is written. There are few games that have the legacy of the Zelda franchise, and even fewer still outside of Nintendo. Because of this, The Legend of Zelda is always in the limelight and is always held to a higher standard than any other video game around. With the release of Skyward Sword coming five years after the previous console iteration and two years after Spirit Tracks, gamers have been vociferating there demands for another adventure, and after finishing the game in its entirety I can say that Nintendo has once again delivered. (more…)
