Nintendo Summit 2008

Pop

The concept of Pop is simple: Pop bubbles to increase your time and score. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. So why is it so much fun to play?

Well, first off it’s a pretty casual and soothing experience. This is not meant to be an intense whirlwind of action, just a laid-back romp through a world of bubbles. Up to four people can play and anyone is free to hop in or out at any time.

A few power-ups are thrown in for good measure, such as giving your opponents electro-static so they can’t pop anything or blacking out the entire screen except for a spotlight that follows you around. Another nice touch is a mode where combos, instead of being based on the number of same-color bubbles you pop, are based on the number of same-shape bubbles. It might not seem like much, but it's great to see a game that pays attention to people who are color-blind.

If you’re looking for a casual game that’s not horribly time-consuming, give Pop a try when it finally hits Wii-Ware. - Blake_Morse

Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People

Let’s face it. If you’ve been on the internet enough, odds are you’ve heard of homestarrunner.com. Perhaps you’ve even frequented the site. It's pretty damn funny most of the time, especially the Strong Bad emails, and the game is no exception. It takes the humor of the web series and turns it into an adventure game that is not too far from TellTale’s Sam and Max series. Mini-games like Trogdor abound as you attempt to solve the episodic mysteries of the Strong Bad universe. If you like cool games and are undeniably attractive keep a look out for this on Wii-Ware. - Blake_Morse

World of Goo (Linux, Mac, PC, Wii)

We saw this game first on the relatively lonely end of the GDC show floor, stuck somewhere within the “indie games” coagulation…and now here it is, making its American Idol run for fame on Nintendo’s cute white console. It's a “physics-based puzzle/construction game” where players build gloppy, gooey, sticky structures of Goo, with the goal of reaching up to a pipe that will suck up said Goo.

Since the structures you’re building are made of this sticky glop, the idea is to somehow strike a balance between how many ‘points’ you consume in the construction process and the physical stability of the gooey lattice-works you slap together. Sparse in visuals and control, and difficult to describe but easy to grasp, World of Goo evokes a physical simplicity that's just right, a sort of Worms-without-combat, a sort of Lemmings-without-pathfinding. Probably not a drinking game, but possibly a ‘smoking’ game, if you follow. - Chris_Hudak 

 

Major League Eating: The Game

After a full day of checking out what Nintendo had to offer, there was one event left. Major League Eater Tim “Eater X” Janus was going to set a record for "Most Sushi Eaten in 6 Minutes" (which was 141, apparently), and we were going to check out Mastiff’s new game based on the M.L.E. I had the opportunity to play the game with X himself and subsequently got my ass handed to me twice in a row.

You play as one of several real-life competitive eaters, each with their own specialty. One could be better at stuffing down burgers, another at gorging hot dogs. Not surprisingly, the whole point is to eat more than your opponent. With a gesture of the Wii-mote, you throw food down your character’s gullet. There’s a mouth meter above you with a moving column that fills up with food as you eat. Make sure there’s food in your row before you chomp, though, or you’ll bite your tongue and loose some feedin’ time.

You have one more meter to keep an eye on as well, a stomach that fills up with bile as you digest. If it gets too full, you blow chunks everywhere and lose, so you must make sure to suppress the urge to vomit by shaking the Wii-mote back and forth in a style similar to a technique used by professional eaters.

Like Pop, some power-ups are thrown in here and there as well, such as a toxic burp that stuns your opponent and (perhaps) some fire breath. The concept itself is extremely quirky and, much like the M.L.E., piques a curiosity that makes you want to see it for yourself. Look for Major League Eating: The Game to hit WiiWare later this year. - Blake_Morse