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Games of the Decade: Expansion Pass #25/Blog a Day #6

Hello everyone, how are you?

Ever since I was a kid I have always wanted to visit an amusement park. Not just any amusement park, but a Nintendo themed amusement park. I always dreamed about what it would be like, the rides and attractions it would have. That is actually becoming a reality! But before Super Nintendo World was a thing, Nintendo tackled this very idea almost a decade ago in the form of a game. A game that was a launch title for their then new console, the Wii U. Today we are going to take a ride with Nintendo Land.

                                     This game had such fun sounding music

I remember when they first showed this game at E3, they were using it to show off what the Gamepad could do. Basically a tech demo. I was really excited to try it out for myself since it looked really fun. I got a Wii U for Xmas the year it launched among other games. My brothers and I decided to try out Nintendo Land first, that way we could all try out the Wii U at the same time. But how was the game? 

Nintendo Land is pretty much a mini-game compilation at first glance. These mini-games are based on Nintendo's iconic, as well as some of their most forgotten and obscure franchises. But they aren't just simple mini-games. Think of the as bite-sized or simplified versions of the games they are based off.

The attractions/mini-games are divided into 3 catergories: Team Attractions, Competitive Attractions, and Solo Attractions. Team Attractions are The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, Metroid Blast, and Pikmin Adventure. These involve teaming up with more players and working together to clear stages. Competitive Attractions are Mario Chase, Luigi's Ghost Mansion, and Animal Crossing: Sweet Day These attractions has you going against 2-4 players. And lastly, Solo Attractions include Takamaru's Ninja Castle, Donkey Kong's Crash Course, Captain Falcon's Twister Race, Balloon Trip Breeze, Yoshi's Fruit Cart, and Octpus Dance. As you can guess, these are for 1 player only.

            It's a fail when Battle Quest has better Motion Controls than Skyward Sword

As you can guess, some games are great while others aren't as good. The best ones are the ones that you can play with others naturally since Nintendo has always been good with the local multiplayer side of things. Games like Luigi's Ghost Mansion really makes great use of the Gamepad while also being really fun. It reminds of Pac-man VS. on the Gamecube, Mario Chase even uses the same concept as well.

One thing I loved about it is that the game really nails the idea of a Nintendo themed amusement park. The game is just full of charm and I really loved the textures that they used for the overall game. I was really amazed since this was the first Nintendo game in HD that I have ever played and I thought I was in for a treat seeing my favorite games in HD if this was a sign of things to come.

"But Captain N, where can I play this game?" On the Wii U but this might be one of the most expensive games in a way. If you already have a Wii U, chances are Nintendo Land came bundled with it so you are pretty much set. If you don't well the Wii U went out of production ages ago but you can get a used one for a fairly cheap price. Plus Nintendo re-released Nintendo Land as part of their budget friendly Nintendo Selects line back when the Wii U was still in production. So it should still be possible to get Nintendo Land at an affordable price.

                 Pikmin Adventure feels like a dungeon crawler. Now there's an idea

Final Thoughts: Nintendo Land was the only game that I could think of that made great use of the Gamepad. To be honest it's the only game that truly made use of the Gamepad itself. Nintendo Land was made to highlight the uses of the Gamepad as well as attract the crowd that bought the Wii for Wii Sports. Thing is Wii Sports was so simple yet so intuitive, it was a game anyone could pick up and play with controls that were easy to understand. Nintendo Land however wasn't as simple as Wii Sports. Sure the mini-games themselves were simple to understand but at the same time they weren't from a casual player's point of view.

But then you start getting into games like Metroid Blast. Not only do you need a Wiimote, but a Wiimote with Motion Plus and a Nunchuk. For each person that wants to play. You could say Wii Boxing used the same controls minus Motion Plus. But there's so much involved in a game of Metroid Blast for your casual player. Plus I feel the Gamepad just wasn't casual friendly as a Wiimote.

Nintendo Land could of used more games. It's a crime that a colorful game like this didn't feature a Kirby attraction. I imagine something like Kirby's Gourmet Race would of been cool since there are a lack of racing attractions. But I supose the concept would of been too similar to the Animal Crossing: Sweet Day. Star Fox would of probably been similar to Metroid Blast.

That's not to say the game is bad, far from it. This game was really well crafted. You can play most of these games solo but Nintendo Land truly shines when you are playing with more people. This is one area that Nintendo has always excelled at, local multiplayer/co-op. Try playing Luigi's Ghost Mansion with more people I can asure you that you'll have tons of fun. Pikmin Adventure is really fantastic as well with more people. My brothers and I had a ton if fun and a lot of laughs playing this game, so I say the game at least succeeds in that. If Nintendo Land didn't sell you on the Wii U, nothing did. But try the game out if you can, it's really good.

          This was Luigi's Mansion 2 before Dark Moon was a thing. Better than it too.

Remember to have fun every now and then to take some time to yourself and clear our mind. Especially with the way the state of the world is at the moment. Find something that makes you laugh and smile.

That's it for this one. For this next one we are going to get a wish granted after patiently waiting to do so for a year. See you then and remember...