A Star is Born...

Welcome to Frank’s Wii Reviews: Prologue!

I’ve been an avid video game player since I was 1, according to my parents, at which time I picked up an NES controller and haphazardly steered Mario around Mushroom Kingdom. Since then I've played a countless number of video games, my favorites among those of Nintendo consoles and handhelds. Hence, I thought it would be a fun idea to conduct weekly Wii reviews. Why the Wii, you ask? Well, as my dear friends have come to know, I love Nintendo. Always have, always will. I don’t know what it is about Nintendo that I find so alluring. Maybe it’s the timeless and charming characters. Maybe it’s the dazzling Resident Evil series that the GameCube boasts. When it comes down to it, no matter what gimmicky rubbish Nintendo decides to release to the public, no matter what ghastly sins Nintendo commits, I always come crawling back repentantly to my cherished roots.

Really, though, I think Wii is unjustly overshadowed by the alleged greatness and popularity of the Xbox 360. Sure, the Xbox 360 is undoubtedly a tremendous monster capable of one day ruling the universe with a flick of its mighty finger, but one can partake in the equal greatness of the Wii. My primary goal is to uncover these gems and shed some light on games that have yet to receive their moment in the industry's spotlight. Concomitantly, I hope to forever condemn the games that should NEVER have made it past the scratch-paper stages of development.

I’ll try to eliminate the brilliant from the bullshit so you don’t have to waste any of your precious time and money. Because, as we all know, there’s an alarmingly high rate of bullshit out there. And very little money in your pocket. So read my reviews and thank me later.

So now many of you are probably inquiring, “OK, so Frank loves Nintendo. He will probably go on a long, drawn-out tirade about the merit of virtually every Wii game solely because they’re on the Wii and assign them an inexcusably high score.” Well, you’re wrong. I will make an earnest attempt to leave my bias out of every review to deliver truthful and accurate evaluations of games.

I will assign games a score from 1-10 (1 being incomplete, 10 being an exceptional must-have) that will encompass six categories: Concept, Graphics, Sound, Gameplay, Fun Factor, and Lasting Appeal. From these scores I will derive an average Overall score…

• Concept: Is the idea new, fresh, and exciting? Or is it a dull and hackneyed experience that conveys that all-too-familiar feeling?
  
• Graphics: Does the game boast up-to-date graphics (by Wii's standards)? Or those of the N64 days (not that the N64 is a bad system, but come on, it’s 2009)?
  
• Sound: Does the game's music and sound effects complement the gameplay? Does it have a memorable or moving musical score? Does the music add that extra emotional punch to the game? Or are the music and/or sound effects trite and insufferable?
  
• Gameplay: What are my experiences playing the game? Are the controls efficient and suitable for the game, and do those controls affect the difficulty of the game? Are the levels, characters, and plotline elements unique and interesting? Are the maps or environments realistic, thrilling, and inventive? How does the AI interact with the player? Etc. etc...
  
• Fun Factor: Was my experience playing this game fun and unique? Or would I have rather played ten straight hours of Guitar Hero? *oh snap*
  
• Lasting Appeal: Will I reserve deep within my heart a special place for the game? Or will I curse myself for ever laying eyes on it?

In addition to reviews, I will bring you the latest Wii news to keep you in tune to significant happenings in the Wii universe.

I hope you decide to share in my Wii reviews! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions! Thanks!