Japanese legends
look good on Wii

by ERIK LEIJON

The football-field-length front-runner for best Nintendo Wii game of 2009, Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii/Ignition, Vanillaware), is like the proverbial flower growing from a pot of dirt. Emerging from an unconscionable pile of abhorrent mini-game compilations that look like sheer hell and play even worse, the ninja action-slasher set in feudal Japan is the Wii game that won’t remind you every second that you’re playing a Wii game.

In an industry where Japanese games used to dominate gamers’ libraries, the Japanese-centric game has become something of a rarer gem in recent years. Muramasa harkens back to those days when insanely difficult, reflex-heavy action games from the Orient were the norm, yet feels like a new, modern interpretation of those classics. Fans of Shinobi, Ninja Gaiden,

Goemon and other 2D side-scrollers will find some familiarity with Muramasa’s sword-slashing gameplay, the screen-filling monsters, ass-kicking schoolgirls and choppy subtitles.

The 2D graphics might also suggest an old-fashioned look, but the vibrant colours, gorgeous animation and dazzling special attacks owe a greater debt to the visually stunning animated works of Hayao Miyazaki rather than your old Strider cartridge. Wii games that try to emulate the polygonal might of the other major consoles typically end up looking like GameCube or N64 cast-offs, but as a youth wing of independent designers working on even less potent formats (Flash, cellphones) has proven, it is possible to create something aesthetically beautiful with limited resources. Muramasa is one of the best looking games of the year, period. And it doesn’t look like anything more than carefully hand-drawn manga.

The sword combat also isn’t that much more complicated than your typical hack and slash, although mastering even a few simple moves becomes incredibly challenging and complex when facing one of the game’s epic bosses. Both main characters (who have their own separate single-player campaigns) can carry three swords and must constantly alternate between them as to not cause any breaks from incurring too much damage.

At first, you’ll change blades in mid-combat simply to take advantage of the screen-clearing attack that comes from doing so, but in the later stages, switching swords will become a necessity just to stay alive. Combine shifting between weapons, using healing items and saving up soul power for special moves mid-fight, and dodging even the most familiar of enemy patterns suddenly becomes a tall order. The RPG elements, such as a forge system for creating new blades and strategic item organization, are lean yet utterly essential.

The game’s two storylines are based on Japanese legends, and the developers were clearly as in love with their culture and history as they were with making a solid game. It’s a thoroughly Japanese experience, and proof positive the old ways of game design can still pack a punch.

Forza of nature

No surprises here, Forza Motorsport 3 (X360/Microsoft, Turn 10) is the most comprehensive racing sim in all the land. Sporting a bajillion (err…400) real-life roadsters, each with their own unique physics and customization features, there’s no doubt the gearhead in your life will froth and convulse accordingly. It’s not entirely a smooth ride: the racing itself can feel slightly dry if you’re used to more action (the AI is particularly un-creative).

But what about the bus-riding, emission-hating folks looking to tag along for the ride? The career mode is as user-friendly as it gets, and the flashy, iStore-sleek menu screens are pleasing to the eye. If you caught the last season of Top Gear and suddenly felt high-end racing cars might be up your alley, Forza 3 is a good entry point into the cult of racing sim enthusiasts.