I hope everyone’s in the mood for another hidden-object game, because that’s the only new title Nintendo’s offering Wii owners this week.
To be clear, I’m glad Wiiware exists. It’s a great concept. When the service first launched, I bought every one of the debut week’s games. All were fun, but none held my interest for long. Now, many months later, my enthusiasm has dwindled to thrifty caution. There are some gems in the library, but we all know by now that great games are as rare in the Wiiware shop as in the bargain rack at Target. These days, if I have Wii points to spare, I’ll probably spend them on new songs for my favorite music game instead of trying out Family Poker Pirate Paintball Party.
I’m sure many of you have reached this conclusion: I’d rather save the money toward the next good disc or cartridge release. The five or ten bucks I don’t spend on Wiiware can go toward Professor Layton, DK Country Returns or Kirby’s Epic Yarn.
I’ll still buy some Wiiware. I’ll pay special attention to any first-party Nintendo releases (Gameloft as well; I’m actually looking forward to the sequel to Wild West Guns. On that note, why hasn’t Point Blank come out for Wii?) But I’m through nickel-and-diming my way through a parade of mediocre time killers.
Now, maybe I’m missing out on a good game, here. Maybe Lost Island is actually brilliant. Maybe it’s the Citizen Kane of hidden object games. If it is, word will get out, but I’m not going to be the first penguin to check for predators.
In this age of instant wallet-draining via Wiiware, Apple’s App Store and Kindle, it pays to remember: Buyer beware”¦and check reviews before handing over your credit card number.