Top 5 WiiBlog Posts Of 2008

Today’s WiiBlog Top 5 list could be considered conceited, and you’d probably be right. I’ve had such a blast writing for WiiBlog since I took over the reins back in March. There have been some up and down moments to be sure. I like to think there has been more good then bad to write about though. So, in that spirit, let’s take a look at the Top 5 WiiBlog Posts Of 2008.

5. WiiWare Launches Today – 05/12/2008

Excerpt From The Post:: “With this change in landscape; it’s good for us gamers as well. If there’s one thing that’s been constant in the video game world, it’s repetitiveness. The larger publishers, and developers don’t like to take very many risks. If there’s anything that’s risky in the video game world, it’s a new title. Back in the early days of video gaming, everything was new. So when something was released, the anticipation of delving into a new world was exciting and fresh. Nowadays it seems everything just keeps being rehashed and re-packaged, and a lot of times just a direct sequel is given.”

Why I Liked This Post: For me the release of WiiWare was one of my favorite announcements in 2008. I knew that if pulled off correctly, that it would be a great service. Getting to try out games from smaller, independent companies is a real treat. With the release of Lost Winds, and World Of Goo it’s easy to say that WiiWare definitely hasn’t disappointed.

4. Top 5 Nintendo Wii Game Port Ideas – 08/15/2008

Excerpt From The Post:: “The word “port” can be a very risky thing to say around gamers. There’s always this thought in the back of the mind, “Oh no, Oh no, Oh no”. There are definitely games out there that get ported over that become successful. Probably one of the greatest examples is Resident Evil 4 for the Nintendo Wii. This game had absolutely everything you wanted from a port. It looked as good if not better than the original, it had great additional content, and wonderfully fresh motion controls.”

Why I Liked This Post: Making my Top 5 lists on Fridays is one of my favorite things to do during the work week. It’s generally when I get to be at my most creative, and can at times bring up some good discussion. This particular post, “Top 5 Nintendo Wii Game Port Ideas” gets a spot on today’s Top 5 because it was featured on N4G. Not only did it get posted there, it moved all the way up to the featured section of the site. Hopefully it’s the one of many to be submitted to N4G in the future.

3. LostWinds Review – My First WiiBlog.net Review – 05/19/2008

Excerpt From The Post: “If you have 1000 Wii points, then you’ll be hard pressed to find a better way to spend it on than LostWinds. While it’s short, and takes a patient mind to appreciate, there’s just so much fun to be found here. The intuitive controls alone are worth the purchase. Not to mention the amazing artistic style, and amazing puzzle platforming gameplay. It’s my hope that games take some kind of inspiration from LostWinds, as this is a game that shows the true spirit of the the Nintendo Wii.”

Why I Liked This Post: Even more so than making Top 5 Lists, I love to write game reviews. The main reason being is that it means that I’ve fully accomplished everything I set out to do with the game. That means that I got through the game to the very end.

I’ve written a few reviews this year, but for me LostWinds was by far my favorite to write. I absolutely adored this game, and to me is one of the greatest games of the year. This is the kind of game that makes writing reviews fun, and engaging. I can’t wait to write the review for the sequel.

I like to think of reviews as a means to share what makes a game great or doesn’t. I’m not too big on adding numeric values to things, but since some people do like that I try and oblige them. It has been along while since I’ve written a review for WiiBlog, which will hopefully change over Christmas break.

2. Obama: Put Down The Wii Remote And Go Vote – 10/29/2008

Excerpt & Comments From The Post: “I won’t even get into the ludicrousness of the ad (apparently we need to take off an entire day to go vote). My big question is, why do you need to put a Wii Remote in your video to prove your point? Does Obama really not give the American people enough credit, that he thinks they’ll be playing video games all day and not exercise their right to vote? Are we led to believe that people have really gotten that addicted to electronic media?”

Comment – Teddy: “OK, first of all, it’s an ad to get out the vote… how is that a bad thing? Voting IS important, and this ad is just part of what both candidates are doing to get their supporters to the voting booths. The point is, a lot of people mean to vote and just don’t bother… or they use having to work as an excuse.

The ad isn’t telling us to play less games (or do less work, or not sit on a couch). It’s just saying that voting is simple…. you just need to get off your ass and do it…”

Comment – Step: “Wow. Most commented post ever on Wiiblog.net is about …. Politics? Where are all you commenters the rest of the time?!”

Why I Liked This Post: I’ve mentioned about how I love to be creative, and how I love to write reviews. What I like even better than those two things is to get a reaction out of people with my writing. I don’t like to write for the sole purpose of garnering a reaction, but when people do voice their opinion it really makes me happy.

During the heated Presidential campaign, I wrote this post as a reaction to Obama’s commercial about people needing to get out and vote. When I wrote it, I didn’t really think that people would have such a strong opinion towards the post. I guess I underestimated the power of people’s political beliefs.

I’ve never taken politics personally, so I didn’t really understand why people were becoming so heated in the debate over the advertisement. The discussion never got out of hand though, and I like to think we’re all better people because of it (might be taking it a bit far).

1. Nintendo Wii Not For The Hardcore?…Maybe You’re Not Hardcore – 08/04/2008

Excerpts From The Post: “Personally, I’ve been an avid gamer since around the late 1980’s. I received a NES for my 5th Christmas, and haven’t looked back since. I’ve put more hours into gaming then probably any other electronic media, or hobby. I’ve either owned, or played on every console that’s been released. Now that I have enough of my own money to spend, I have all three of the current gen consoles.”

“Most people that have been venting about Nintendo’s lack of “hardcore releases” has stemmed from Nintendo’s lack of presence at E3. To these people I say that I was disappointed myself when I saw no Punch Out, Kid Icarus or any other first party announcement besides Wii Music, and Animal Crossing. But I blame E3 for this, not Nintendo. E3 is but a shadow of what it used to be, and Nintendo knows that most hardcore gamers will be keeping an eye on the other gaming conferences. Perhaps Nintendo decided it was best to save some of their bigger news for a later time. I mean just look at what Nintendo has released in the past 8-9 months, what else could they be working on that would be near ready for a conference display? For gamers out there disgruntled by E3, I say be patient and wait for a more valid conference to surface.

I went on a rant today, but I just wanted to put my two cents out there on this whole “hardcore vs. casual” dichotomy that has sprouted its ugly head of late. I hate to get nostalgic, but I miss the good ol’ days when the separation was between ‘fun and not fun’. It’s like the gaming world has gotten so in love with itself that someone won’t give a game a chance because it doesn’t give into their “hardcore” image, which is pretty sad.”

Why I Liked This Post: My #1 WiiBlog post for this year is on the list for a few reasons. First, I got opportunity to rant which is always fun. I was able to be creative, at least in my mind for presenting an argument against something that I really disagree with. Just like my #2 spot on today’s list it received great reactions from other people. The post being strictly about video games, and not about politics was a factor for it being #1 as well.

I’ve been against the hardcore vs. casual idea ever since I first heard of it. I’ve never been a huge fan classification, and I really don’t want to see it coming to my beloved media of video games. I guess you can call me a simple person, but with video games they’ll always be either ‘fun’ or ‘not fun’. If I’m decapitating zombie heads with a chainsaw, or gyrating my hips on balance board to hula-hoop it doesn’t matter. All that truly matters is that gamers are receiving a truly engaging experience.

Being able to voice my opinion on the matter was a treat, and was easily my favorite post to write this year.

I want to take time to say thank you to everyone that has made WiiBlog so fun to write for this year. Thanks to the developers who’ve made some awesome titles to waggle my way through. I want to thank the readers, and commenters that have made it such a treat to come on here and write up posts. Even if you haven’t joined in on the discussion, thanks for reading and taking some time out of your day to check-in. Here’s hoping that WiiBlog can keep going strong into 2009.