Deadly Creatures

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Rainbow Studios

Deadly Creatures seemingly flew under the radar of a lot of folks, but it delivered a surprisingly solid experience. Controlling a tarantula and/or a scorpion, Deadly Creatures isn't your typical game where the animal that you control is cartoony. Instead, all animals in the game appear realistic and they don't talk or anything that would make them different than what you would see in real life…Yet through body movements and the like, the developers managed to almost make these creepy crawlers show human emotions. It’s odd to make the comment that you can relate to a tarantula or a scorpion, but in this game you honestly can. Beyond that, the gameplay is solid and this is definitely one of the better and unique adventure games not just on the Wii, but of that hardware generation. Deadly Creatures really is a surprisingly good game. If you’ve got the means to play a Wii, track down a copy and see for yourself.

Review added: 05/28/2021

Dewy's Adventure

Also known as:  Dewy's Adventure: Suishou Dewy no Daibouken!! (Japan)

Developer: Konami

Dewy’s Adventure is a so-so game where your goal is to hold the Wiimote flat, then tilt it front and back, or side to side, to control a little drop of water named Dewy. There’s a little more to it than that, though – Dewy can jump and attack and increase/decrease his temperature for different attacks, but all actual movements are controlled by tilting the Wiimote. As a result, the game can feel pretty frustrating at times…especially if you happen to be sitting in a chair that can rock when you play. Or, I suppose, if you’re someone with shaky hands, you may find a lot of frustration here. Anyway, once you get used to the controls, and you’re able to keep the Wiimote steady, the gameplay mechanics here aren’t awful…but the gameplay still isn’t anything special and it tends to get pretty boring pretty quickly. If you want an action game for your Wii that makes use of the motion controls, then you may enjoy Dewy’s Adventure. I think it’s passable for what it is, but there are several other games in the Wii library that I’d put in front of this one instead.

Review added: 02/15/2021

Domino Rally

Also known as:  Go! Go! Minon (Japan), Minon: Everyday Hero (Europe)

Developer: RED Entertainment

I absolutely love the quirkiness of Domino Rally – it’s got the oddball Japanese comedy that I enjoy so much. Unfortunately, that’s mostly just the cut scenes. Once the gameplay starts there’s a little bit of personality, but I couldn’t help but feel I was playing a so-so game just so I could watch another enjoyable cutscene. The concept of Domino Rally is that you’re walking on various objects. If you shake the Wiimote in rhythm with your walking, you’ll gain points which are used to create “dominos” where there is nothing for you to walk on. The goal is to use those dominos sparingly and focus on the actual objects, picking up memories along the way, and helping out the person in distress from the cutscene that played before the level. It takes some getting used to, but once you’ve got it, it is a mildly enjoyable game…plus, I also give it credit for being unique. I’m always a fan of games that try something new and different, even if the end results aren’t as great as I’d like. I honestly can’t say that I’ve played anything else quite like it. If you’re up for playing something unique and enjoy bizarre, oddball Japanese humor like I do, then Domino Rally may be a good game to try.

Review added: 12/26/2021

Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast

Also known as:  Donkey Kong: Jet Race (Europe), Donkey Kong Taru Jet Race (Japan)

Developer: Paon Corporation

To be honest with you, I like the concept of DK: Barrel Blast...it sounds like an interesting premise, and it tries something new. I always appreciate attempts at something new. Unfortunately, this attempt ended in a mess. Barrel Blast requires the player to rapidly move their Wiimotes like they were beating on a drum. That is the whole control scheme. Move the controllers fast to go fast and get up to speed. To turn left, shake the left controller. To go right, shake the right controller. The problem here, like with many of the games I've complained about on the Wii, the motion controls aren't always accurate...So when your entire control scheme revolves around the motion controls, you're setting yourself up for disaster...And unfortunately, that's exactly what happened here. Interesting concept, poor results.

Review added: 08/19/2019