Feature | Cubed3's Most Anticipated Nintendo Wii Games of 2010

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo)

It would not be a top Wii games list without the appearance of a Mario game, and as predictably as ever Super Mario Galaxy 2 takes the golden crown of must-haves this year in light of the new Legend of Zelda Wii game possibly only scraping into Japan by the year's end. However, the game itself is less than predictable: it is the first time Nintendo has pumped out a second 3D Mario in the same generation, and also promises to have a whole lot of new content not seen in the first. Super Mario Galaxy 2, coming hot on the heels of New Super Mario Bros., is said to be bigger, far more difficult and even includes the plumber's lifetime companion Yoshi in a ridable dinosaur mode.

Just simply watching snippets of the game in motion can make the hardest man melt on the spot due to sheer excitement - and with a whole burst of colour, frame after frame, who could blame them? The game is by no means childishly sickening, but is in fact an awe-inspiring collection of ideas and designs that are literally out of this world. Each of these new levels may bear similar touches to the much loved planets of the original Super Mario Galaxy, but they promise to be grander and more inventive than ever before. Our protagonist also dons new outfits and has access to new items, including a drill to power underground, whirling to the other side of the world, the ability to manipulate time to get past the trickiest spots and even forcing Yoshi to enter Jar-Jar Binks mode and swing about like a mad man. Or should we say 'dotty dinosaur'? Throw in classic enemies, a bigger focus on hair-wrenching platforming and what will expectedly be a gorgeous orchestral score and Nintendo is set to deliver a lot of promising fresh aspects to play with.

It will merely be 'Super Mario Galaxy Plus' then, you may say. Well, it is hard to tell based on very tiny snippets of footage, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 does look a lot like its predecessor at first glance - with the same overall theme, Bowser, gravity and so on. However, with the original game being incredibly successful amongst critics and fans alike, more of what is good can surely not be a bad thing. Thankfully Nintendo has had a solid track record with direct sequels in the past, particularly the Super Mario Bros. platformers of old, and even Nintendo's new 2D effort on the Wii, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which boasts a lot of recycled elements whilst still offering an overall solid experience. With Mario's first trip into outer space being a magical one indeed, his follow-up adventure for Super Mario Galaxy 2 is sure to excite your Wii catalogue this year!
Jorge Ba-oh, Cubed3 Founder

Metroid: Other M (Nintendo)

When Metroid: Other M was unveiled at E3 2009 everyone got excited. When it was revealed that Team Ninja (of Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden fame) were working alongside Nintendo on the project, everyone got a little over-excited. Heck, I even contemplated falling off my chair due to the impact of this brilliant news...

Set between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion, the game is due to further explore the expansive Metroid universe. From what has been shown so far, there will be some trademark Team Ninja action sequences and monumental boss battles. Thankfully, promises have also been made that whilst Metroid: Other M will pack more of a punch, the exploration aspect will remain intact. Being a massive fan of the Metroid series, this is something I personally cannot wait to try out. You may commence your expectant salivation starting...now!
- James Temperton, Features Editor.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (Rising Star Games)

If the words "No More Heroes" do not instantly drip off your tongue when talking about the best that Nintendo Wii has to offer, please put your system on eBay right now. Goichi Suda's fanboy-mocking action game proved a welcome injection to the mature end of the Wii market. Sure, it went about it in the most immature fashion possible, but I would like to think a game about an otaku murdering hundreds for the sake of his erection is worthy of the 'suitable for adults' tag. Now look what we have here: a sequel, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle.

No More Heroes 2 carries over everything that made the first one great. Combat stances are still determined by the position of the Wii Remote, finishing moves are activated by motion and you are still balancing the assassination of other assassins with regular, mundane jobs. Now, though, Travis Touchdown will be slicing and dicing with two blades, the jobs have been replaced with NES-styled mini-games and the cumbersome overworld is out of the window. Then there is the promise of additional playable characters, a darker storyline based around revenge, no doubt some sequel mockery, and a whopping 50 assassins to beat.

It sounds like No More Heroes 2 is going to be bigger in scope, but can it hope to be better? I have no doubt it will at least match up to its predecessor. My main concern is when it is going to come out, after the news of Rising Star Games' sale. Will the ex-Marvelous company still be publishing, or will the game end up in European publication hell until somebody thrashes a deal out? With the game already on the streets in the US and Rising Star set to make an announcement regarding the game soon, hopefully the former will be a reality.
- Mike Mason, Reviews Editor.

Red Steel 2 (Ubisoft)

The follow-up to Ubisoft's luke-warm Wii launch title, Red Steel 2 is due out early this year, and by the looks of things the studio has learnt from its mistakes back in 2006. It now boasts solid 60 frames-per-second, and beautiful cel-shaded animation that takes the best of Japanese and Western cultures and fusing them together for a unique, stand-out look over fellow war-driven shooters. Looks are clearly not everything, though, and with the first game being heavily criticised for weak controls, all eyes are on how Red Steel 2 will fare in that department. Swordplay and shooting were tricky, painful and not so responsive affairs, and it is looking promising that these elements have definitely been fixed this time round.

Red Steel 2 has players controlling a silent "Protector" protagonist with what appears to be near-flawless accuracy, seemingly bending primary sword slicing with a quick pop of your pistol for the final touch. Throw in a wider variety of customisation with MotionPlus, a stronger focus on the single player campaign in a beautifully presented package and Red Steel 2 is a hard Wii first-person shooter to beat and one to look out for on 26th March in Europe.
- Jorge Ba-oh, Cubed3 Founder.

Arc Rise Fantasia (Rising Star Games)

People may know imageepoch mainly for its Luminous Arc series. However, the relatively new developer (starting up in 2005) has also been the driving force behind SEGA’s 7th Dragon and Sands of Destruction. Now it is set to unleash its talented team on Wii for the release of its first home console RPG, Arc Rise Fantasia, enlisting the help of Hiroyuki Kanemaru as Director, the former Namco Tales Studio man that worked on Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube, plus Yasunori Mitsuda on the soundtrack front (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Xenosaga).

Whilst taking on a somewhat traditional turn-based battle mechanic, there are also summon creatures and special combination attacks that can be carried out during the adventure that sees a makeshift army that includes a mercenary named L’Arc and his friend Prince Alf, second in line to the throne, attempting to stem the threat of Contaminant Dragons on the capital of the Meridian Empire, Diamant. Given the track record of imageepoch and the help from a former Tales Studio veteran, Arc Rise Fantasia is most certainly a hot prospect for the RPG-starved Wii crowd.
- Adam Riley, Senior Editor.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Square Enix)

I have never played the original Crystal Chronicles. Sorry. Nor have I played the DS prequel Ring of Fates, nor Wii/DS dual release Echoes of Time. Again, please accept my apologies. However, something about the way Square-Enix has been willing to experiment with the Nintendo exclusive Crystal Chronicles sub-series of Final Fantasy has struck a chord with me on a couple of the series' games. I loved WiiWare's My Life as a King, which was more like an RPG/strategy-lite game than anything else. It was certainly a refreshing change. I get the same glint of promise from The Crystal Bearers, except this one is an action game.

Maybe it is the way we had nothing revealed about the game for what felt like millennia, prompting many to assume its cancellation, that has me hyped up - it is a relief to see it actually coming out. Maybe it is the frankly bizarre online marketing campaign Square-Enix started on its Japanese website months back, where it released nothing but strange video clips with no context or explanation whatsoever. Maybe it is just that it looks like a whole lot of fun and is a proper original third party Wii effort. Whatever the reason, I want The Crystal Bearers.

It has had a mixed reaction, but I am just going to ignore all that and make my own mind up, thanks. A Final Fantasy action game where you play as a superhero-like character from the off and fling things around with telekinesis? Sign me up.
- Mike Mason, Reviews Editor.

Zangeki no Reginleiv (Nintendo)

A couple of years ago, Nintendo released a montage trailer with game’s supposedly coming out for the Wii, in this trailer, there was one seven-second glimpse of a game known as Dynamic Slash (or Dynamic Zen) that was supposed to be released in 2009, and many were left wondering what the game was. Early this year, that game was revealed under a new name, with a new trailer and a stack of hype.

Now known as Zangeki no Reginleiv, the game is action-oriented with two main characters that are young Deities fighting against a race of giants. Definitely a good start for a story! In Reginleiv, players can pinpoint a part of a giant’s body they want to attack, and slash its limbs off with blood and gore everywhere, and if that did not sound intriguing enough, there is a four-player online co-operative mode to enjoy over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, completely free of charge! There is also Wii MotionPlus and Classic Controller support, so you can either have super accurate slashing, or for those that do not like to waggle, you can just simply tap away at buttons to your heart's content. Additionally, with 300 customisable weapons available, including swords and bows, there is a lot of depth added to the game to keep gamers occupied for months to come.
- Stuart Lawrence, News Writer.

Tales of Graces (Namco Bandai)

After Namco’s previous Tales entry on Wii, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of a New World, left much to be desired, RPG fans will be happy to hear that one of the highest-rated Tales RPGs in Famitsu magazine for a long while, Tales of Graces, could well be hitting European shores later this year. In what Namco is calling “possibly the longest Tales adventure yet”, Tales of Graces sees players taking control of Asbel Lhant, a young knight who loves to help others, along with a colourful cast of friends and companions.

As well as being one of the Wii’s prettiest titles, the animation is some of the strongest in the series so far, showing a lot of promise to Wii owners hoping for something big. With a very strong critical reception and moderate sales since its Japanese release late last year, it seems like Namco's Tales Studio has finally cooked up something that many Wii fans can really look forward to.
- Joshua Jeffrey, General Writer.

Epic Mickey (Disney Interactive)

When we were putting together this list I sort of insisted that the helium-dosed mouse make it into the top ten. Why? Well, because I am awkward and wanted to wind people up. No, but seriously, I am super-duper excited about this game. For one, it is trying to do something different, which is always nice. For two, it promises to be ‘epic’ (heck, it is even in the title) and I like epic games every now and again. For three (clumsy syntax...), it actually seems to be shaping up rather well. Shocking times.

Set in a Cartoon Wasteland, the game not only promises to be dark, brooding and mysterious, it also promises to not be annoying and full of irksome Disney-ness. What is known about the plot so far makes it sound suitably...well, stupid, but I will let that slide as the whole package just seems so appealing. Epic Mickey is a game of huge potential and epic, mouse-related possibilities. Such a strong franchise, such an ambitious project and it has fricking Disney in it. What more could you want?
- James Temperton, Features Editor.

The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces (Namco Bandai)

When the Wii was first revealed, many believed the motion controls would be ideal for flight-oriented titles such as Star Fox or Bandai Namco’s Ace Combat series. When Project Aces announced it was working on Wii, people jumped to the obvious conclusion. However, instead the development group revealed that whilst it would be a flight game, it was to be based on the anime film adaptation of Hiroshi Mori’s novel series ‘The Sky Crawlers.’ The basic story revolves around a group of young fighter pilots involved in aerial dog-fighting using propeller-driven fighter planes.

The motion control of both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk is used for tilt, roll, pitch, yaw and the throttle, but the GameCube pad and Classic Controller are also available as options for those hoping for a more traditional experience. Europeans only have to wait until 26th February to get their hands on The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, a potential tactical masterpiece that is lavished with gorgeous animated cut-scenes from Production IG (Tales series, Wario Land: The Shake Dimension).
- Adam Riley, Senior Editor.