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28 March 2024

Remember the good old days?

Published
By Lou Kesten

One of the best features of Nintendo's Wii is the Virtual Console, a downloadable library of more than 200 classic games. It is a great resource for young gamers to see what they missed, and for people wondering if old favourites were as great as they remember.

WiiWare is Nintendo's attempt to deliver new games online. None of the games in the launch line-up is as addictive as, say, Puzzle Quest or Geometry Wars, but many more are on the way.

—Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (Square Enix, $15): For all the baroque mythology around Final Fantasy, the games share one essential: fighting monsters. Without that, you get My Life As A King, a flat management sim where a very young ruler attempts to rebuild his kingdom. You can build a few houses, but then you must send your subjects out to gather resources. They do the exploring while you stay home and chat.

—LostWinds (Frontier, $10): In this 2D adventure, you wave the Wii remote to control gusts of wind that help your character jump higher and farther, or can be used to solve puzzles or trap enemies. LostWinds looks prettier than many full-priced Wii games, although it only takes three hours to finish. The controls are innovative but frustratingly imprecise.

—TV Show King (Gameloft, $10): Up to four players compete to answer multiple-choice questions, with everyone responding at the same time. Gameloft says 3,000 questions are included, and there is enough variety to balance out different players' strengths. Each round ends with a spin of a roulette wheel that can add or subtract money.

—Pop (Nnooo, $7): Who doesn't love popping bubble wrap? That is the inspiration behind Pop: bubbles float across the screen, and you point the remote at the screen to burst them.

To download the games log on to www.nintendo.com/wii/wiiware.