Yeah, we heard. Also, they seem to have forgotten the fact that stuff like a sequel for
Sin and Punishment came out solely on Wii. As did a follow up to Punch Out. Oh, and a bloody incredible
Kirby game in the shape of
Epic Yarn. And
Muramasa: Demon Blade. And we should probably mention
New Super Mario Brothers. And
Resident Evil 4 (the best version). And we haven’t even mentioned any WiiWare stuff.
Stupid hardcore and their selective memories.
Nintendo will still be producing the Wii, albeit in a stripped down kind of format, for another couple of years. Taking a leaf out of Sony’s book, when the new console comes out the old one will invariably be demoted to the kids’ room, and they’ll have a library of games available to them that will be perfect.
Inazuma Eleven Strikers is going to be pretty much the last ‘major’ release specifically for the Wii and it’s actually rather fitting.
Based on the ludicrously popular football-based anime, this is a follow up of sorts to the two DS games put out under the same
Inazuma Eleven brand. A curious hybrid of RPG and football management sim, the series has gathered fans from around the world. Now it’s making the jump to the home console and things are slightly different.
The role playing elements of the game are now pretty much gone. Aside from the ability to hunt down and unlock new players,
Strikers has transformed itself into an arcade football extravaganza that – despite being totally different to the original games – still manages to capture the
Inazuma Eleven spirit.
If you’ve ever experienced the early
ISS Pro games, you’ll immediately understand what I’m getting at. It’s got a real arcade feel with none of the po-faced realism that bogs down
FIFA and
PES. Sure, they all share the same roots, but
Strikers throws in a healthy dash of ridiculousness. All players have their own special moves which, when triggered at the right time, pull off the usual overblown cut-scene and inevitably result in a goal. Tiny little dudes can take down immense aliens who seem to think they can conquer the world through the power of football. Nothing in
Inazuma Eleven Strikers makes much sense.
Really, that’s what makes it fun. You don’t have to worry about some 12-year-old howling down the mic at you on Live just before they rage quit because you’ve managed to go three up against them. It’s a quick, dumb blast of a game, an over the top experience that – like so many Wii titles before it – is ideal for kids.
And what’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with Nintendo courting the area of the market that has the largest potential to make them money? They’re a business, not some benevolent uncle. They owe you nothing. Like I said, critics have been digging into the Wii pretty much from the minute it hit the shelves. “It’s a console for kids!” they cried. “Nintendo don’t care about gamers any more!” came the laments.
My response to that is simple. So. Fucking. What.
The hardcore aren’t where the money is and yet Nintendo has still put out plenty to satisfy them. Alongside that, making games that will appeal to the widest audience possible has seen Nintendo walk through one of the toughest worldwide economic slumps since of the past hundred years with barely a scratch on them. It’s allowed them to push yet further and try to innovate even more with the upcoming Wii U. Sure, the early games come across as a bit confused (especially the third party offerings) but that’s always the way with a new console release.
It’ll take time to find its feet, so in the meantime don’t disregard the little white box. Blow the dust off, fire it up and have a bit of fun again. And if you fancy a laugh over a game of football
without having to head back to the early nineties to find an ISS machine in a chip shop, chuck in
Inazuma Eleven Strikers – it’s about as deep as a puddle, but is still one of the most fun sports games out there.
Pros:
+ Straightforward gameplay
+ Looks like you’re playing the cartoon
+ Utterly mental
Cons
- Where’s the cool RPG stuff?
- Not much outside the single player experience
- Three / Four player mode is a bit messy
SPOnG Score: 7/10
