We’ve recently got into the habit of spending a little more on the videogames we like and buying both the Wii and DS version. There are a combination of reasons we do this that range from being able to get more of us sharing the game experience at the same time to special features that are often unlocked when you have both versions.
Some games offer more than others, but regardless of specifics our family of five has got a lot more out of each game like this. It has been particularly good for titles that offer a two player mode on the Wii — as our third child can play the DS game until its his turn.
Batman: The Brave and The Bold Wii
The best game for this has been Batman: The Brave and the Bold. “The side-on 2D platforming has a drop-in cooperative play so another player can join or leave the action at will. Partners start with Robin but soon open out to include Hawkman, Blue Beetle and the Guy Gardner version of Green Lantern.”
Firing up the Batman: The Brave and the Bold DS game though opens up a new way to play together. “The DS game can link up with the Wii game offering the chance for the third player to join in the action. This is ideal for younger siblings who can use the DS to control Bat-mite on the Wii and contribute special attacks to help the other two players progress.”
Batman: The Brave and The Bold DS
You simply go to the Batcave in the Wii game and select the Bat-Mite option (it took us a while to work out where this was because the manual isn’t that clear) then you can download the game to a DS that has the cartridge in it. You then appear in the Wii game as Bat-Mite using the DS as a controller. Bat-Mite can drop power-ups for the other players and bomb the enemies. This alongside the DS game itself has meant our family has stuck with Batman: The Brave and the Bold a lot longer than we normally do.
The other game we recently tried this on was Scooby-Doo and the Spooky Swamp. “The game is a puzzle-platformer with a good dose of brawling. This is not a million miles away from the game play of the Lego videogames. You have to select appropriately skilled characters to get past certain obstacles as well as collect and deliver a range of items to progress. It’s not quite a tight and streamlined as the Lego games, but there’s still a lot to enjoy.”
Scooby Doo and the Spooky Swamp Wii
The DS version of Scooby-Doo and the Spooky Swamp doesn’t offer any novel link up features, but unlike Batman: The Brave and the Bold, the DS game is essentially the same as the Wii version. This meant that while two of us played through the game cooperatively on the Wii, a third player could progress through the same puzzles and levels on the DS.
It was interested to see how the game had been tailored to each system’s control schemes and to use the extra information to help get through each stage. Sometimes the DS game was easier and took the lead, whereas other times the Wii players got in front. Who could solve each puzzle first developed into a competitive sub-game for us — and I think the kids had as much fun doing this as they did completing the game itself.
