Necro-Nesia

Written by Chris Reiter  on September 19, 2006

First Impressions: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but only a can of Raid can kill me.

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For Nintendo to follow-up on repeating the software successes the GameCube saw, survival-horror is one of those genres that should be at the top of the priority list. Nintendo must be mindful of the genre's draw so as not to disappoint their fan base. What Resident Evil 4 did for the GameCube was monumental and developers shouldn't lose focus of that. There is one such company that has its sights set on guiding the Wii back into the dimming of lights. Game maker Spike, more recently known for its Dragon Ball Z fighting titles, will be embarking on a journey to bring one of the first-known horror titles to the Wii system, a little title called Necro-Nesia.

The word is mum behind the story details on Necro as of yet. However, it's clear that for some reason or another an alien insect invasion is taking place. Extermination, anybody? You'll be playing the part of some would-be hero type, having only his camping outfit on and a rock, a stick and flashlight for protection. And if the batteries die on the flashlight, the rock gets lost, the stick breaks, and the clothes collect ketchup stains, then what? The selection of battle gear is nothing to get excited over, but it's evident what Spike has in mind with Necro-Nesia from the playable demo from E3 earlier this year.

A couple of key details to be known about the demo start with the unknown protagonist being cast inside a brooding forest setting, surrounded by untraceable numbers of small crawling insects. More like a hack and slash adventure, in Necro you'll use the stick to fend off the likes of overgrown praying mantis' while also having the option of tossing a stone for renged attacks. However, the bigger issue is how poorly the controls are shaping up. You'll need to hold down on A or B to aim your attacks and jerk the remote downward to act. You'll shake the remote to dodge enemies. You'll hold down on the nunchuck's control stick while lifting the nunchuck and remote toward yourself just to get the character moving backwards. In some ways, this is all sounding like an unwanted headache.

When it comes to all the forthcoming games managed under the underwhelming graphical performance of the Wii, Necro-Nesia perhaps takes the throne as its schlocky ruler. Grainy and dated, Necro's early visuals are coming off as nothing more than substantial evidence that the Wii needs for developers to quit catering to GameCube copies, or in this game, quality you'd find on the Nintendo 64. Ugly and dulled colors and cruddy character models complete an early sign that just maybe this will be one game you needn't pay any mind to.