Wii Bargain Bin Reviews: Because someone had to try 'em...

DaBargainHunta · March 24, 2008

In a moment of insanity, I went on a crazy shopaholic spree and picked up two of the Wii budget games that have littered bargain bins everywhere - Counter Force and London Taxi RusHour.

IGN's review of Counter Force actually got me interested in the game. The reviewer gave it a 4, but despite the low score, he seemed to be having so much gosh darn fun with it and even confessed to wanting to play it again after he finished the review. So I took my chances.

Counter Force: This is a great on-rails shooter. The graphics aren't going to wow you, but they're well-done and pleasing to the eye (if not exactly "next-gen"). The action is non-stop as well. Lots of fun. It's basically a no-frills budget experience, but it really feels like one of those games you used to drop a few tokens in at the arcade. The only thing is the game tends to shift your character to the right side of the screen unless you keep him centered with the control stick. It's an odd design mechanic but not game-breaking by any means. Granted, you might be better off getting Sin & Punishment or Star Fox 64 on the VC, but if you're in the mood for something else, this could do the trick. I like it.

As for London Taxi RusHour, I was well-aware of the 1 given to it by IGN, but the idea of driving around London appealed me and since that site is prone to ridiculous exaggeration and flat out inaccurate review scores (see God Hand and Quantum Redshift), I decided, "how bad could it be?"

London Taxi RusHour: Basically a Crazy Taxi clone set in England. I really wanted to like this. In a way, I still can't bring myself to hate it because it is damn fun driving around jolly bloody London. Unfortunately, the Wii-style motion controls simply don't work for this type of game. The game feels too clunky, the missions are impossible to pull off (I tried about 30 or 40 and was unable to deliver anyone to their destination successfully), and running into any object (no matter what it is) brings your car to a total stop - which basically ruins any momentum you have. Too bad this doesn't have an official free drive mode, but you can basically make your own by roaming around the city and ignoring any customers. So, to come back to my earlier question: "How bad could it be?" The answer: Pretty bad. Sadly, this could've actually been quite good if the designers had tweaked the problems mentioned above.

I cannot in good conscience recommend London Taxi RusHour, but Counter Force could be a decent bargain pick-up as long as you know what (and what not) to expect.

Edited March 24, 2008 by DaBargainHunta

StanJr · March 24, 2008

Bargain titles always make me nervous. You sir are providing an invaluable service here. Thank you.

Malc74 · March 25, 2008

Bargain titles always make me nervous. You sir are providing an invaluable service here. Thank you.

Seconded. I still can't justify shelling out $20 on Counter Force, but I'll definitely pick it up if I can find it for ten.

rockman_x_2002 · March 25, 2008

I've got Counter Force. Received it as a gift. It's a decent enough bargain bin title, but I wouldn't spend a whole lot on it. It has some charm, but it's best enjoyed in short bursts at a time. Still, it's certainly not the worst bargain bin title I've ever seen. Could've been a lot worse.