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  • Don�t be

  • a wise guy. Don�t say, �Oh, look at this! More crap for the Wii U.� The thing is this

  • is actually a good thing for the Wii U. I mean, think about it. People look for games

  • like this...games about crap they recognize. This stuff sells. So as much as the Wii U

  • needs good games, it also needs...these games.

  • Helps when theyre actually kind of decent.

  • So Disney�s Planes landed on my desk earlier this week. Actually, two of themboth the

  • Wii U and 3DS versions. It�s also available for the original DS and the Wii, but that�s

  • it. Planes is exclusive to Nintendo platforms, an interesting trend more licensed games seem

  • to be following. And again, it�s actually not bad, but...I mean, there are only two

  • console versions. The Wii and Wii U. So you�d expect this version, the one for the current

  • platform, to be the version, right? Or at least to get the effort.

  • Some nice graphics, some interesting GamePad use...then you water it down for the older

  • system, right? I mean, you don�t just...upscale the Wii version for Wii U, right?

  • Or maybe you do.

  • Actually, when the Wii is outselling the Wii U, that�s exactly what you do.

  • So listen, I�m going to say plenty of nice things about this game, but before we get

  • to that, it is disappointing to play a game with one HD versionthe Wii U versionand

  • to see that...it didn�t seem to be the focus of development. Remember when the Wii was

  • getting all those slightly better looking PS2 games? Well, guys, here�s a slightly

  • upscaled Wii game for your Wii U.

  • You know, just to make you feel at home.

  • All that aside, though...Planes is actually a pretty decent movie game. I mean, I�m

  • always saying thatdecent movie gameis a relative term, which is again true. As

  • a standalone original game, this would be forgettable. As a game based on a film, it�s

  • really not that bad. You could do a lot worse than Planes on the Wii U...and even without

  • much specific focus, this is still the better game.

  • So what is the game? Well, it�s basically Pilotwings for kids. You get to play as several

  • characters from the movie, and each one has their own set of missions...spread across

  • ten different locations. And the missions all fall into certain categories. There are

  • ones where youre smashing things, like dams or piles of snow. You also have some

  • straightforward races, with lots of rings and...Pilotwings things.

  • You even have to take pictures. How Pilotwings is that?

  • So that�s the so-called story mode, but...there�s also a free flight mode, which is also very

  • Pilotwings, as well as standalone racing and balloon-popping modes. So there�s actually

  • a lot of different modes here, but the problem is...theyre all very short, and even more

  • shallow. So don�t expect anything thatll hold your interest. These are definitely kid-focused

  • games, in terms of both their simplicity and depth.

  • Fortunately, they all play great. That�s the one thing Planes does really well. The

  • controls are super tight and responsive. You steer with the left stick, and you can do

  • barrel rolls and things like that with the right. Simple, perfect, really fun to play.

  • I just wish there were some GamePad use here. I mean, it does support off-TV play, which

  • is always a useful feature. But beyond that?

  • Nothing interesting at all, and that�s always a disappointment.

  • Disney�s Planes sets out to be nothing more than a really solid kids game. And it does

  • that better than you might expect. Again, it�s like a licensed version of Pilotwings

  • for the younger pilots, with multiplayer. That�s awesome. But if you expect more from

  • what is really the only HD version of a game...Planes doesn�t have it.

  • It�s a good kids game, but nothing more.

Don�t be

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