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  • Well, you gotta give this game one thing. The title doesn't lie. Two words, one number,

  • three digits, 101 meanings. There's 101 heroes in this game. There's 101 ideas, in this game.

  • There's 101 mechanics, 101 transformations and 101 things that make, this game...wonderful.

  • There's just one problem.

  • There's also 101 problems.

  • Which is kind of a big problem for The Wonderful 101.

  • Of course, if there's one thing that's not a problem for this game, it's the talent of

  • its creators. The Wonderful 101 comes from Platinum Games, the visionary developers behind

  • games like Bayonetta, MadWorld andonce upon a time—a pair of games called Okami,

  • and Viewtiful Joe. So obviously, if Platinum has a calling card, it's creativity. Jarring,

  • uncompromising creativity, at all costs.

  • With The Wonderful 101, there are certainly costs.

  • So this is a game about...something. Honestly, it makes as much cents as a broken change

  • machine. There's a group of 100 heroes...each one with a black mask, a fun gimmick and a

  • Space Ghost obsession. And there's also a story...something about terrorists from outer

  • space, and that sounds more logical than it actually is.

  • Anyway, the point is...when you get these heroes together?

  • You're gonna see some serious sh*t.

  • The Wonderful 101 is a strange, complex and...overwhelming explosion of unique gameplay ideas and Japanese

  • weirdness. But if you peel away some of those layers, you can strip this thing down to a

  • few primary ingredients. I mean, this is really just a Viewtiful Joe and Pikmin salad, with

  • some Okami croutons. And Power Rangers vinaigrette. It's a very cool design, and there's really

  • nothing like it.

  • At least, not on this planet.

  • So, like Pikmin, you control this entire group. And you have direct control over the designated

  • leader, whom the others follow. The more, the merrier, too. Because with more heroes

  • comes way more powerful attacks. They all sort of just...come together, transforming

  • into the very same weapons and gizmos you're drawing on the touch screen. Hence the Okami

  • croutons.

  • Which are delicious, by the way. Little bit salty.

  • So you're drawing up weapons, building up an army, going all Megazord...it's just an

  • incredibly cool and frantic experience. It's the kind of game you want to love. Which is

  • why I was so disappointed to find that...the concept is a lot better than the game. The

  • Wonderful 101's ambitions far exceed its capabilities, which often struggle to realize them. I mean,

  • it's awesome to have a hundred heroes, but less awesome when controlling themand even

  • seeing themcan be such a pain in the ass.

  • And you know, it's not just a bad camera and some awkward controls. There are some glitches,

  • and technical issues. And most of all, the game just has a ridiculous learning curve.

  • It takes a lot of patience to figure out, and given all the game's problems, a lot of

  • players won't have it. And you know, The Wonderful 101 doesn't really explain anything, either.

  • It just throws you in the water and forces you to sink or swim.

  • And as much as some players might like that...for most players? It's just another frustration.

  • On top of a hundred others.

  • Then again, frustration has never been this cool. And there are just as many reasons to

  • love this game. Even when it pisses you off, and it gives you a headache...you still want

  • to go back. You know, it's kinda sad we live in this black and white world, where games

  • can only be amazing or awful. Because black and white doesn't really apply to The Wonderful

  • 101. This game exists in its own world. And in that world?

  • Drawing circles summons giant people fists.

  • Fat Frenchmen wear green spandex.

  • And even a flawed video game...can still be wonderful.

Well, you gotta give this game one thing. The title doesn't lie. Two words, one number,

Subtitles and vocabulary

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B1 wonderful drawing platinum wii frustration nintendo

CGR Undertow - THE WONDERFUL 101 review for Nintendo Wii U

  • 18 0
    阿多賓 posted on 2013/10/08
Video vocabulary

Keywords

game

US /ɡem/

UK /ɡeɪm/

  • noun
  • Activity with rules that people play to have fun
  • Birds and animals people hunt to kill and eat
  • Match between two teams
drawing

US /ˈdrɔɪŋ/

UK /ˈdrɔ:ɪŋ/

  • other
  • To get closer to or approach something or someone
  • verb
  • To attract attention to someone or something
  • To get closer to or approach something or someone
  • To influence a person's involvement in something
  • To move an object by pulling
  • To create an image using pen or pencil and paper
  • To take one thing out of a container, etc.
  • (Of 2 teams) to finish a game with the same score
  • noun
  • Image made of pencil lines, or on a screen
black

US /blæk/

UK /blæk/

  • verb
  • To fill in something to make it a very dark color
  • adjective
  • Color of the sky on a dark night
  • noun
  • A person with dark skin, often of African origin
  • Person's name
problem

US /ˈprɑbləm/

UK /ˈprɒbləm/

  • adjective
  • Causing trouble
  • noun
  • Something difficult to deal with or causes trouble
  • An issue or fault in a computer system or software.
  • A situation that is unwelcome or harmful; a difficulty.
  • Question to show understanding of a math concept
  • A person who causes difficulties or is hard to control
group

US /ɡrup/

UK /ɡru:p/

  • other
  • Put together; form into a group.
  • noun
  • Two or more musicians who play music together
  • A set of things that are similar or related in some way.
  • An atom or group of atoms that replace another atom or group of atoms in a molecule.
  • A number of military personnel under a single command.
  • A band of musicians who perform together.
  • Number of people or things gathered together
  • An organization or set of people working together, especially one with a particular purpose.
  • A number of people or things that are located close together or are considered or classed together.
  • A number of people or things that are located close together or are considered or classed together.
  • A number of things that are located close together or are considered or classed together.
  • verb
  • To combine or collect objects or people together
white

US /hwaɪt, waɪt/

UK /waɪt/

  • noun
  • Lightest color; The color of fresh snow.
  • Person's name
  • adjective
  • Belonging to a race of people with light skin
  • Of the color of fresh snow and milk
lot

US /lɑt/

UK /lɒt/

  • noun
  • What happens to a person in life from chance; fate
  • A group of people seen together
  • Item for sale at an auction
  • Small area of land used for a purpose e.g. parking
world

US /wɜrld /

UK /wɜ:ld/

  • noun
  • All the humans, events, activities on the earth
  • A particular area of human life or activity.
  • The earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features.
  • A person's experience, environment, and way of life.
  • A great deal; very much.
  • All the people living on earth and their activities.
  • Political division due to some kind of similarity
  • The universe or cosmos.
swim

US /swɪm/

UK /swɪm/

  • noun
  • Act of swimming in a pool or ocean
  • verb
  • To move through water by moving parts of the body
pair

US /per/

UK /peə(r)/

  • noun
  • Two of the same thing, e.g. socks
  • Two people viewed together for some reason; couple
  • verb
  • To put two things or people together