E3 Watchlist (Wii)

Every year at E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), dozens of new games are announced, but that doesn't mean we won't be getting a good deal of information on some of the games that have already been announced. Each day until the start of E3 (June 2), I will be take a look at the games to watch out for on each console.

Wii: This innovative new console is still all the rage among casual gamers, but Nintendo's old school fans have been clamoring for a good hardcore game; unfortunately, Nintendo has cooperated. But although Nintendo might not be giving us the games we want, some other developers have taken it into their hands to solve this problem, and these are likely to be the highlights of this year's Expo.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks: I've already stated my problem with the entire concept of this new cel-shaded Zelda game, but this game is

sure to please fans, just like every other Zelda game in the past. Most players have gotten over their dislike of the (now not-so-new) graphics, so this will likely be just as successful as previous games in the series.

Seeing as this game as only been announced recently, we have very little information on it - so that's why so many people are expecting a good deal of information on this installment at this year's E3. But, if you look at Nintendo's track record, we may not receive much information, and this game might not even be released until 2010 (remember the delays with Super Smash Bros. Brawl?).

Dead Space Extraction: While I've covered this in a previous post, I feel it necessary to stress how important this game is to the Wii. The Grinder (covered in the same post) is similarly gory and mature, but Dead Space: Extraction is a prequel to the original game, which won many awards, and also delivers a great deal of horror with a hardcore shooting experience.

This is sure to be a great game, and we can only hope that Visceral Games will be giving us as much information as possible on this exciting new game.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - The Crystal Bearers: A good RPG is nearly just as rare on the Wii as a good shooting game is. Fortunately, Square Enix (the master of RPGs) will be taking care of this problem as they release Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The

Crystal Bearers. This game will take a major shift from the previous games in the series - the creators have said it is set in a time period when "swords have changed to guns", and that magic will be "forgotten".

The story takes place many years after it's predecessor, and the Lilty race is experiencing a time of prosperity, along with the age of science and reason. Amongst this prosperity exists powerful beings known as "crystal bearers", or are feared and scorned by the public. Keep watch as we get more information on this game, which is likely to be one of the greatest RPGs to hit in the year (though the release date is still TBA).

Wii Preview Pack

E3 hasn't started yet, but that hasn't stopped the flow of new games being announced. The Wii, which has had some trouble in the past regarding third party games, has some particularly exciting games that have been announced.

Dead Space Extraction: The original Dead Space game, released last year for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, received overwhelming positive reviews for it's dark theme and intense shooting action. But fans were a bit skeptical when a prequel was announced for the Wii - and were particularly harsh towards the fact that it is an on-rails shooter (meaning that you don't control your characters movement, and you move "on-rails"). However, these fans were proved wrong when more information was released, and many gaming news outlets got a hold of the game, and described it as the greatest light-gun game on the Wii!


The game's controls are quite simple - point the Wii remote at enemies to aim, twist the remote to activate your weapons secondary firing mode, and swing the Wii remote to perform a melee attack. The developers have promised that the game will include the darkness and horror of the original, so it will be interesting to see if this game is as successful as well.

Gladiator A.D.: A game that is clearly influenced on the movie 300 has got to be great, but there's more behind this game that makes it exciting. While it may seem like an epic RTS (real-time strategy) game at first glance, it is actually an intricate and violent fighting game. Not much has been revealed on this recently announced fighter, but we do know that the each of the gladiators in the game will have unique fighting styles, and the game will support Wii Motion Plus (a Wii remote extension that enables very accurate motion).


The game includes a large amount of gore, violence, and brutality - with the added bonus of promised finishers that are gorier than the rest of the game, which will hopefully be reminiscent of Mortal Kombat.

The Grinder: While a lot of Wii gamers enjoy the casual games that have flooded the console, many gamers are craving for an intense, dark shooter. That's where The Grinder comes in. Inspired by horror movies, the studio's own Hunter: The Reckoning, and the recent Left4Dead, this game has promised intense shooting battles against some of the most horrific creatures in history: zombies, werewolves, vampires, and more.


The game uses the new Quantum 3 engine, which allows for an incredible amount of characters on-screen at one time. This will hopefully lead to some exciting battles, in which you can co-operate online with friends to win. The game is made even better with the support of Wii Speak and Wii Motion Plus.

And those are just three of the many games that will be released in the upcoming season for Wii. Stay tuned for E3, where we will learn about dozens of new games set for release, and receive more information on these three titles!

Credit goes to IGN for the images.