The Videogamer, Vol. V

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (Wii)

Joaj and you other XBox 360/PS3 owners shouldn't feel bad about not getting the new Indy game. It's riddled with the sorts of videogame problems you never notice until faced with them. Inconvenient checkpoints, shoddy controls, and general bugginess are far more dangerous than the Germans (calling them Nazis is apparently verboten) Indy is up against.

A good, old-fashioned Indiana Jones adventure (Indy's after Moses' Staff of Kings), decent production values (voice actor John Armstrong is spot-on vocally), and some creative game play are wasted. I enjoyed the on a rail shootouts, but I wouldn't have made it past the 2nd (of 6) levels if not for the Indiana Jones license. 

Staff of Kings is just another fine example of how ill-fitting motion controls are for most games. The whip motions seemed to default to the feet (the least devastating attack) and the motorcycle finale is the most creatively awful control scheme ever devised (you hold the Wiimote and the Nunchuk at 10 and 2 and turn). I didn't care for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess's controls, and they were tight and well-designed. Microsoft's Project Natal scares the crap out of me. For most games, I just want to mash buttons on a regular controller.

I give Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings 3 whips out of 10. It's only worth fighting through the flaws if you're a diehard Indy fan. (I am excited about playing Indy's classic adventure, Fate of Atlantis, which is a nice unlockable.) 

Bonus WiiWare coverage:

Swords and Soldiers. Play as cartoon Vikings, Mayans, or Chinese and conquer your opponents in silly, engaging real-time strategy. Emphasis on the fun but no pushover.

Lit. The scariest $8 game I've ever played. In this intriguing puzzle-action hybrid, you play as a high school student searching for his girlfriend in a dark-infested school. Chilly and original.