A lot of really nice video games seem to have bubbled up lately, especially for Nintendo systems. There's the obvious new Mario game, and this Zak & Wiki thing for Wii seems to have gotten a lot of praise. The one game I have been playing and enjoying, though, is The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass on my DS. (Mostly because it's Amy's copy. Free money!)
The game has pulled one trick particular to the DS hardware that I can't recall seeing a game do before. It's most similar to the meta-parody one finds in the first Metal Gear Solid game, but without the self-consciousness of it, and therefore with a bit more subtlety. It was a delight to see, in a game that's been generally delightful from the start.
One regret I do have is that only after I gave my character a typically sophomoric name did I realize that the best possible player-character name in these sorts of games is "Dammit". This would lead to all sorts of excellent dialog. "Only you can save the kingdom, Dammit!" "Dammit, hit the switches in order!" I'll have to remember for next time.
I don't remember whether I've ranted at you about Zack & Wiki but I enjoyed it a great deal. There's an annoying startup sequence you have to wade through, but after that the puzzles were clever and entertaining, and the visual design was just beautiful. Let me know if you'd like to borrow it; I've finished it (with some web hints).
-Bill/Ahkond@LJ
I would love to borrow it! I really have to do another Wii throwdown soon...