JU-ON: The Grudge

The Wii has a variety of titles coming to it these days.  Even so, there are many gaps in the lineup, and even worse, holes to dodge when it comes to finding a decent experience. JU-ON is an attempt to fill the thriller genre hole on the Wii with a game that borrows from the original movie property and tries to crank it up another notch.

The gameplay was pretty brief for the demo, but we were able to see the game in full operation.  The only difference was for the demo, we had unlimited battery life on the in-game flashlight, because when the Wiimote (acting as your light) batteries lose charge it becomes a game over situation. As such, some moments that we caught were not as intense as they might have been if it was dark with the flashlight on the verge of shorting out.  Although for the others it proved effective even without it, something about a child with blacked out eyes peering right over the top of your head does strike a nerve to say the least.

The progression of the game is very much maze-based, finding items and paths to complete objectives and proceed on.  As a result, the game comes off as promising but may lose your interest after a while.  A friend can join in as second player, and the game randomly drops visitors into the screen for great shock value. Overall the game looks like a decent way to kill time on a weekend with friends or solo. The game is due out in October of 2009, though if you can hold out until the holidays, it may drop a bit in price by then.

Fragile

Another title for those looking to get some mystery in on the Wii, Fragile takes place in an apocalyptic world.  Seto may just be the last person alive, and players jump into the world with a flashlight and explore abandoned cities in search of any human contact.  The demo was brief enough, touching on the topic that while you are alone, you're not the only one out there, as another survivor is encountered but doesn't care to help you.  Given that the world has fallen into darkness, and ghosts and demons essentially haunt the planet it makes sense that they might be less than happy to join up.

The game features a simple play mechanic.  It's an 3D action title with multiple rooms and areas to explore, with challenges presenting themselves in various ways.  Players may get stuck in a ghost room and can only escape by beating all of the ghosts around to reach freedom; minions may respawn, however, when you backtrack into that room. The objectives in that case vary by area and much of the timed respawns aren't an issue since those moments aren't designed to be that frequent.

Overall the design and art for the game is unique.  It looks like a fantasy in a decimated world with so much attention to light and environment over all other elements.  The game is worth considering if you're looking for a change of pace on the Wii.

Arc Rise Fantasia

A JPRG designed to strike a weak area on the Wii these days, the game introduces turn-based mechanics using the same action points gauge so that players can better focus their energy use depending on their play style.  If players like to buff up a heavy striker or mage they can use it in an effective manner or go all out with a full team blast of attacks using the gauge.  The flexibility is there to hopefully introduce a newer method of team turn-battles. The mechanics also include summon abilities during battle and other features known to the genre. Overall it strikes for smooth play over huge amounts of grinding.

The story is pretty decent from what I caught.  The world is on the edge of destruction as creatures from outside threaten to destroy the order of the land.  The enemies approaching are powerful and have the ability to increase their numbers using "crystalization," so all current fights have proven futile.  When killed, the creatures also give off a poison that harms the land.

The game looks to be a classic approach to RPG gaming but it presents a visually impressive scenario.  Arc Rise is packed with enemies, and the images of the Contaminant Dragons look to take it to a different level of fantasy in a more medieval sense.