As great as New Super Mario Bros. Wii is, it's on a console, requiring a TV, and thus cannot fill every leisure moment I may have to spare. Since the review copy Konami sent arrived yesterday, I've been squeezing WireWay into those spaces.
WireWay is a neat little idea for a game that I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't heard of—it's been a pretty low-key release, an odd fit for its hyperactive attitude. I personally spotted it months ago, but apart from one preview and the usual ship announcements, nobody's talking about it. As such, you probably don't know (though you may be able to guess from the screens) that it's a game built around slingshotting a little guy—Wiley's his name—around levels.
Doing this intelligently not only gets you to the end of the level, it lets you collect a bunch of little stars called Elan; these are both health (the meter on the upper screen) and score. When you fill up your gauge, you get to access "wired up" mode, which turns all the slingshot wires in the level into super wires, sending Wiley flying far and fast. It's not terribly useful in the beginning (particularly considering that it empties your gauge and thus leaves you vulnerable to a death if you make a wrong move) but as the levels get more and more complicated it's proved useful—even required for certain goals. I've seen a bit of this already in the second world, which I completed last night.
There's a score-attack component at work here; it doesn't take much to clear the levels, but collecting all the Elan and getting it done quickly is necessary if you want to achieve higher ranks and medals. There's also hidden ticket pieces in each level stuffed out of the way that unlock various customization options for Wiley, from looks to the sounds he makes when bouncing off walls. Fun and creative boss battles—something I've begun to expect from Konami titles lately—cap off each world.
I'll bring you a full review in the near future, but in the meantime, if you'd like to pick up WireWay for yourself, it's been on shelves for a couple weeks.
Doing this intelligently not only gets you to the end of the level, it lets you collect a bunch of little stars called Elan; these are both health (the meter on the upper screen) and score. When you fill up your gauge, you get to access "wired up" mode, which turns all the slingshot wires in the level into super wires, sending Wiley flying far and fast. It's not terribly useful in the beginning (particularly considering that it empties your gauge and thus leaves you vulnerable to a death if you make a wrong move) but as the levels get more and more complicated it's proved useful—even required for certain goals. I've seen a bit of this already in the second world, which I completed last night.
There's a score-attack component at work here; it doesn't take much to clear the levels, but collecting all the Elan and getting it done quickly is necessary if you want to achieve higher ranks and medals. There's also hidden ticket pieces in each level stuffed out of the way that unlock various customization options for Wiley, from looks to the sounds he makes when bouncing off walls. Fun and creative boss battles—something I've begun to expect from Konami titles lately—cap off each world.
I'll bring you a full review in the near future, but in the meantime, if you'd like to pick up WireWay for yourself, it's been on shelves for a couple weeks.