Bit.Trip Runner

Developer: Gaijin Games

Publisher: Aksys Games

Release Date: May 17, 2010

System: Wii

ESRB Rating: E

Official Web site

In a nutshell: Trippy retro rhythm platform timing jumping action GO!

0:00 I've liked the Bit.Trip games in the past, but I absolutely loved this rhythm/platform game hybrid when I tried it out briefly at this year's Game Developers Conference. The guy running the booth said I was a natural when I blazed through a few levels on the first try. Aw, shucks.

0:01 I spend a few minutes clearing off enough space on my Wii's internal memory to host the 319 blocks this game needs to run. I'm sure I'll ignore the Mario Kart channel just as much on the SD card as on the main menu screen...

0:04 I'm watching my sister down in Maryland this week, which means I get to play this game on my dad's 1,000,000 inch flat screen TV. OK, it's really only 70 inches or so, but it's still a bit disconcerting to see the games blocky, retro graphics on such a huge screen.

0:05 A bunch of logos, then the title appears with some bouncy chiptunes and a very strong backbeat. Commander Video -- an black obelisk with arms, legs and a white slit for eyes -- runs in place on the main menu screen, with an early '80s rainbow trail behind him. Zone 1, named Impetus, is the only one available. Level 1-1 is named First Contact, appropriately enough.

***-->CONTINUE READING AT<--***

***-->JOYSTICK DIVISION<-***

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BIT.TRIP VOID

Developer: Gaijin Games
Publisher: Aksys Games
Release Date: Nov. 23, 2009
System: Wii
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web site

In a nutshell: "Or play the game, existence, to the end ... of the beginning."

0:00 I loved the first two Bit.Trip games, even though I couldn't even come close to beating either one. Despite my well-developed rhythm-game skills, these punishing games pushed me past my limit. But I loved every second of their trippy gameplay. I somehow missed Void's release during the hectic holiday season, but it's never too late to dive on in.

0:01 Even though the game is on an SD card, I still need 286 blocks of memory on the Wii itself to play. So off to memory management we go.

0:03 So long, Wii Fit Plus Channel. Your constant reminders that it's been "more than a week" since my last check will not be missed. I still need 71 more blocks...

0:04 I don't Check Miis Out enough, and that will continue to be true now that the Check Mii Out Channel is gone.

0:05 And we're off. "The Nunchuk or Classic controller is required," I'm told, which surprises me, since the previous games just used the Remote like an NES controller.

0:06 The menu screen puts me in control of a large, pixilated black dot (the titular Void?) which I can move to select from three game modes: Id, Ego and Super-Ego. Id is the only one available, so let's go!

0:07 Commander Video stands in a red circle and does a little dance. The red circle grows bigger as two more Commander Videos watch from their own blue circles. They're getting shorter and stouter as the dance continues, then they fly off the screen. What the hell was that?

***-->CONTINUE READING AT CRISPY GAMER<--***

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Bit.Trip Core

Developer: Gaijin Games
Publisher: Aksys Games
Release Date: July 6, 2009
System: Wii
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web site

In a nutshell: If Atari games kept getting harder and harder for three decades...

0:00 Even though I never managed to get through the third stage in the punishing Bit.Trip Beat, the techno rhythms and old-school aesthetic stuck with me. I'm looking forward to another blistering, musical challenge here.

0:01 Even the menu is kind of challenging to figure out... I have to hit up, then time my button-press as a yellow dot is crossing the "Discovery" options.

0:02 A little black figure with a white screen for a face looks up at three much taller, similar-looking guys. They're in a red room with no doors or windows. The taller guys warp and bend to the insistent synth in the background; then everything goes dark but their faces. Mommy!

0:03 Starts out simple enough. Little pixilated dots come in from the sides, on a path to hit one of four lines emanating from the center of the screen. I have to choose a beam with the d-pad, then hit the 2 button with perfect timing to collect them. Already there are some tough patterns, with balls flying in at different speeds but hitting the beam at the same time. Switching between beams quickly is a workout for my thumb, and I'm an experienced gamer!

0:06 OK, now dots are stopping and changing directions before they hit a beam. Other dots are moving in undulating sine waves before reaching the beams, and still others bounce around in a circle after hitting their first beam. Well, that got hard fast! I'm keeping up pretty well ... even got a streak to go into Hyper mode, which adds a backbeat and more color.

***-->CONTINUE READING AT CRISPY GAMER<--***

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