LostWinds

LostWinds is one of the "small" games launched along side Nintendo's WiiWare service. It's similar to the Xbox Live Arcade, in that you exchange points for short games. Usually this translates into a game that would never make it as a retail game, but might still be worthwhile.

I decided to give this a shot as it appeared to have a very unique control scheme, beautiful art style, and soothing music. With that said, this is the most relaxing game I have ever played! But not in the "I...can't...stay...awake.." way. Most games today rely on photo-realistic graphics, arsenals that would make Charlton Heston proud, and explosions that belong in Michael Bay films. LostWinds takes it in an entirely different direction. Check out Nintendo's description.

The game itself is very short, only about 3 hours. But at 1000 Points ($10 USD), it is easily worth it. And there is already talk of a sequel. I think the WiiWare service in general is going to be a source of great things to come. Developers can flex their muscles without the requisite monetary commitment of a full retail release.

Gameplay and story line are reminiscent of Legend Of Zelda titles. You are the hero, a young boy, who is tasked with finding and stopping a dark force that is threatening your world. Perspective is a traditional side scroller, but all environments are rendered beautifully in 3D. The nunchuk is used for motion and context sensitive commands such as Grab and Eat. The Wiimote controls a cursor that represents the spirit of wind. Using this power, you can elevate our young hero to heights he wouldn't be able to reach before. Check out the video for more detail.



Bottom line: If you have a Wii, you NEED this game.