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Opoona Nintendo Wii

Format:
Nintendo Wii

Genre:
Adventuring

Buy/Support:
Support Sinan, click to buy via us...

This one has been around for a while, but not in the UK. Released in Europe during September of 2008 this title has been available for a year or so in Japan and around 6 months in the states at the time of writing.

This is a titular role player with the gamer mostly taking charge of the main character Opoona. Picture the scene, Opoona is a descendant of cosmo guards (ensure that bravery is in his genetics). Whilst on a trip to the planet Landroll, the spaceship Opoona and his family are travelling in crashes. Opoona awakens to find himself in a strange and unfamiliar but friendly World. The game is then largely centred around Opoona trying to discern what happened to his parents, Brother (Copoona) and Sister (Coleena). The latter two are also controllable for parts of the game. In order to to locate his family, various tasks and battles must be performed.

The controls are pretty simple, both the nunchuk and controller are used. Bon-Bon Battles (I kid you not) are fought simply by flicking down and releasing the nunchuk stick. This is overly simplistic and there really isn't anything particularly interesting about battles in general. By completing tasks (such as fishing, restaurant duty etc) you will be assigned particular licenses, these then open up new areas. The inventory screen used for browsing items accumulated along the way is rather complex and intimidating at first, but after a few hours it gradually sinks in. Throughout the game there is an undercurrent of being in a civil service establishment where everything is rigorously controlled by the various suited officials. Credit must be given to the creators for the diversity of tasks involved, but a bit less officialdom please.

After a while you start to question the nomenclature of the various characters, all names seem to be quite childlike and basic. This made me think, were they dreamt up in 5 minutes? Or am I missing the bigger picture?

In terms of graphics and scenery, Opoona and family resemble duplo toys, which is very cute, but lacking in emotion. When assessing the general graphics one word keeps springing to mind - pleasant. There is a blocky feel to the various buildings and you keep thinking that you could put them together with lego.

Modern role play games have taken a turn for the worst in that they now rely on the gamer clicking through endless dialogue, and this title is no exception. The endless talking and narrative is incredibly time consuming and frustrating. Repeatedly clicking to view sentence after sentence of mind numbing tosh. After clicking through dialogue you must then wander around trying to figure out what or where your next mission is. This wandering can be interminable at times, going up and down in lifts, through various doors, chatting to characters. It needs a bit more instantaneous delving into your next mission, along with a reminder to display your next mission. The in game map does nothing to enhance the experience, it is lacking detail and this makes navigation cumbersome.

In summary this story is rather elongated and although it takes a long time to complete, it is lacking in depth. However there is a feeling of heartwarming pleasantness throughout. It comes across as geared more for the under 7's but players under 7 would need constant assistance by an adult. The characters are pleasant, light and airy, but emtionless and controls are basic. My bet is that you won't stick it until the end.

Written by Sinan Kubba

You can support Sinan by buying Opoona



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Sinan Kubba writes the Returning Gamer column.

"As an 80s kid I was obsessed with gaming. But university, stress and life relegated my hobby to the backseat. After years in the wilderness, I'm back into video games. I don't just want to play games that remind of a happy youth though. I'm just as excited about games that take things forward, experiences that re-ignite that curiosity and fascination I had years ago."

Here are the games I've been playing recently:

• Dark Souls
• Metal Gear Solid
• Portal
• Tiger Woods 11
• Home