Sunday, October 26, 2008
World of Goo
Games: Despite my hesitation to comply with the $15 price point that's been occurring more frequently on the various download services, I've been hearing nothing but good about World of Goo via WiiWare and decided to take the plunge-- thankfully, the word on the ‘net was correct.
the art style is great
I really didn't have any idea what to expect, but after a short period of trial and error, the gist of the game is that the player starts each level with a big pile of Goo balls that can be used to build structures. Grasp one of the balls with the Wiimote, and little lines appear showing where structural supports will connect it to the Gooballs that have already been placed. The goal is to get a certain number of balls to a pipe (inconveniently, always placed far away) and the only way to do this is to build bridges, towers, and other sorts of large support structures. In essence, it's a big physics simulation asking players to indulge in a little creative architecture.
the white lines near the blob at the top indicate where the supports will go when you release it
Honestly, it reminds me quite a bit of the PSN’s Elefunk, although I will say that World of Goo is the better game by far-- it's more elegant and cohesive, and the mechanics are easier to grasp and more transparent.
fun, but not as good as Goo
I'm about halfway (just completed the second world as I write this) but my impressions so far are enormously positive; the intelligent gameplay feels perfectly dialed-in, the art style is quite stylish and appealing, and the writing is clever and self-aware. Looks like another absolute winner for WiiWare.
yes, it does
(… and if you haven't tried Art Style: Orbient or Art Style: Cubello yet, what the heck are you waiting for?)
Posts
Would you reckon buying a Wii (as opposed to, say, a 360) is worth it, overall? You seemed negative about this a while ago, I wonder if you still feel that way.
hey John.
It's a hard question to answer, but I will be honest in saying that if the Wii was my only console right now, I'd be a pretty unhappy gamer.
I like to play a lot of games, and I like a lot of variety in my games, and the Wii is just really hurting in this area right now. Granted,they do have some true gems on WiiWare which i'm ecstatic about, but considering that each one is roughly a couple of hours long, I wouldn't recommend the console just on that basis.
Additionally, I think it's worth mentioning that in the vast majority of times I find the motion control to be gimmicky or tacked-on, and I'm not a fan of Wii Sports and the like.
which all that said so that it's clear where I'm coming from, if I had between just one of the current consoles, i would go with a 360, without a doubt. the variety and quality of games is there, and Live more than holds its own in terms of DL games in addition to the great functionality it provides.
however, if you're just thinking of a Wii as a supplement to a 360 or PS3, then i'd say go for it. it's nice do have it, but I wouldn't want it to be my only console.