Scribblenauts Unlimited

Time for a little update on the games I’ve been playing.

As for Superfly DX, I have recently completed the game. Here is a gameplay video and my review of the game.

I have not been playing New Super Mario Bros. U a whole lot. I did record a gameplay video of one level, and that will be uploaded to my Youtube channel soon. But the main thing I’ve been playing lately is Scribblenauts Unlimited. In fact, I beat the game. You only need 60 out of 106 starites to beat the game, and I currently have 67. I will continue playing until I get them all.

The game has some pop culture references. In an underwater level, I spotted a pineapple. When I “used” the pineapple, a sponge came out (a reference to SpongeBob SquarePants). And here, I competed in a reality show, which is obviously based on Survivor. Each contestant gets their torch snuffed out when they are eliminated.

Scribblenauts Unlimited - SurvivorIn that same level, there are a couple of volleyball players. They want to play the game differently though; they want to play with something other than a ball. The first time, I gave them an orange, and that did the trick. They bounced the orange back and forth, and I got credit for helping them. But then I wondered…what else would work? So I gave them an axe…

Scribblenauts Unlimited - Axe VolleyballIt also worked. That’s what I like about this game: You can often be creative with how you solve tasks, and the results can be pretty funny. I gave them a dead bunny, and sure enough, they bounced it back and forth. A giant watermelon also worked.

Scribblenauts Unlimited - Watermelon VolleyballI’m still having a lot of fun with this game, so I think I’ll be playing it for a while.

New Super Mario Bros. U First Impressions

I got New Super Mario Bros. U a couple days ago, and I’m now most of the way through the third world. A lot of people are talking about the map screen and how it’s a lot like the map in Super Mario World. And that’s true…the worlds run together and you can see the full map as opposed to separate maps for each world. It also has mushroom houses, which give you items you can store for later use. That’s straight out of Super Mario Bros. 3.

nsmbu-1The graphics look better than New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but not by much. As for the gameplay, it really seems equivalent to the Wii game. It has good platforming, but nothing has really wowed me so far. Up to this point, I’d have to say it’s in the good-but-not-great range. But I am only in the third world, and I’ve heard the game gets better later on, so I’m not ready to make a final determination just yet.

New Super Mario Bros. U screenshotAs for the new flying squirrel power-up, it’s just alright. It doesn’t really allow you to fly, it just lets you glide. It’s helpful, but I don’t like it as much as I liked the penguin suit and propeller hat from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. On a more positive note, I am glad to see the ghost houses return.New Super Mario Bros. U screenshot - ghost houseI will have a review and a gameplay video in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Wii U and Transferring Data From Wii

Yesterday I got my Wii U system.

Nintendo Wii U system - whiteI got the basic (white) set, along with Scribblenauts: Unlimited and Batman: Arkham City: Armored Edition. I also have New Super Mario Bros. U on the way (I should have it by Monday).

After charging the gamepad (2.5 hours), I set up the system and downloaded the day-one system update, which took just over an hour. I then played some Scribblenauts: Unlimited for a little bit. I don’t fully know how to use the object editor quite yet, but this is my first attempt at making a banana stand from Arrested Development.

Scribblenauts Unlimited - Banana StandLater, I played some Batman (B:AC:AE is too long of a title, so I’m just going to call it Batman). I have not played the game on PS3/360, so it’s all new to me. After that, I decided to look into doing the system transfer, to move my Wii data to my Wii U. These screens detail what will and will not be transferred:

Transfer Wii data to Wii UTransfer data from Wii to Wii UAnd then you are treated to a scene in which Pikmin pick up and carry your data from your Wii to a rocket ship, and then from their rocket to your Wii U. In my case, the transfer took about 45 minutes. Of course this will vary depending on how much data you are moving.

Pikmin moving data from Wii to Wii UPikmin moving data from Wii to Wii UOnline data does transfer. So your game friend rosters will still be intact and you can still play online.* But any features that use WiiConnect24 (such as the Mario Kart Channel for Mario Kart Wii) will no longer work. Also, remember that the Wii U does not have GameCube controller ports. So if you exclusively used GameCube controllers in games like Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros. Brawl, you might want to think long and hard about whether or not you want to transfer your data. Remember, you can’t selectively choose what to transfer or what not to transfer. It’s basically all or nothing.

There are things that don’t transfer though. Things like the weather channel, news channel, your message board posts, and so on. Thankfully, things that don’t transfer remain on the Wii. They are not deleted. This is contrary to what some sites previously reported, some of which said the Wii is basically formatted. That caused me some alarm at the time, but fortunately it’s not the case.

Also, your Miis are moved from Wii to Wii U. If you want to keep some of your Miis on your Wii, there is a way! Most people probably forgot about this, but a Wii remote has the ability to store up to ten Miis. Copy those Miis to a Wii remote before doing the Wii-to-Wii U transfer. Then after you’re done, move them back from the Wii remote to your Mii plaza. These Miis will have also been moved to the Wii U, so you will have those Miis on both systems.

*Update/reminder: This entry was written in 2012, and Nintendo no longer supports online play for regular Wii games.