An incredibly ingenious game with too little attention

Inserted disc, and start playing losgespielt. The presentation looks great. But it takes place ... strange ... imprecise. And then to get even more people chaos emerged. The combat system? Total messy, hard to manage, nothing works as it should. In short, a very, very big pile of crap! Up to a certain point ... a point where the game feeling a little passes into flesh and blood. Suddenly chaos gets structure ... the combat system works suddenly. And from this point on was The Wonderful 101 one of the best games of the year for me.

Story: The Wonderful 100 are a hero troop as we imagine them in American cartoons. In an emergency, all the heroes work together to ward off threats. In the city where everything happens, Wonder Red is the hero. During a school trip, there is an alien invasion. Wonder Red, students trying to save. He quickly gets the support of many other heroes and the city's defense begins against the aliens. Simple story, but really great told. Here actually all seems a bit like a modern cartoon, which is also suitable for adults. They range from the truly great action to crazy characters as the French, Burger-eating, easy bisexual Wonder Green, who has a certain attraction for male Wonder-Blue, but is also not averse whipped by the female Wonder Pink to will.
But the whole setting combined the slightly older generation series. Who is then up early in the morning to look for Power Rangers, is with The Wonderful 101 have a huge joy. Anyone who has played Viewtiful Joe, can imagine how the entire character design fails. This is not surprising, after all the designers next Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Okami and Bayonetta was responsible just for Viewtiful Joe.

Technology: The sound effects and music are great! They contribute to the Epic of game action for a lot. The (only English dubbing with German subtitles) is excellent. Technically the game is not a milestone, but has an absolutely harmonious design on. The textures are sharp, the great lighting effects, the models all handsomely. Everything looks a bit like a model city. This is full of detail. Everything looks great and consistent. Here there is absolutely nothing to complain about!

Gameplay: The developer, Platinum Games are known for non-stop non stop action. With Bayonetta, Vanquish and Metal Gear Rising, they have extensively proved that they can. Wonderful 101 is similar to this, brisk action games combined with Pikmin. It controls up to 100 heroes simultaneously, one of the leaders is. There are 2 basic attacks: attach hero to the enemy that they are making slow damage and Unite morphs. The latter are the most interesting aspect of the game. The hero can merge into large elements: fists, Schwärter, whips ... everything is possible. To switch the weapon has to be drawn. Either on the touch screen, or with the right stick. Both need a little practice, but both doing well out of hand. The number of heroes, which I carry with me has influence on how to deal with his weapons. Several small swords or a huge? This is different in how many heroes are used for the morph. In addition there are Morphs for dodging and defending. The management of the hero along with the combat system takes practice. At the beginning everything looks really messy. But once you get everything that you get a really great battle system here. Each weapon also has a few more combos, the same one Beat'em'Up.
Damage conceded one only if the leader of the group is taken. Will help others taken this fly aside and are stunned. The affected with how I can use my arms. If all the heroes are stunned at the edge, sits not a big sword more indoors. After a short time this broken back into the team. In order to expedite this, I can the hero through "drüberlaufen" reawaken and integrate.
Items are also available. Simple healing items, rockets, anything your heart desires. Often opponents also leave special weapons that can be used. Huge blades or huge metal fists are possible, for example.
The combat system works so great, because each weapon has different strengths and weaknesses. Opponents combinations require a meaningful exchange and use of weapons. But that you can not do any of this, there is a corresponding energy bar. A degree of tactics is therefore asked, otherwise there is not enough energy for a sufficiently large sword as if it is necessary.
The problem of many action games is a relatively short season. The games of Platinum Games join these three. It is usually after 4-6 hours to end. The reason for this is that you do not want to stretch the Games and will offer an intense experience over the period. If alternation is lost and a little feel stretched, it is turned away. The season of Wonderful 101 is lush! 15 hours if you start at the highest level of difficulty, can be quite realistic. Secret missions and collecting statues are not included! So we have an example that the game stretched and there is no change? No! I have long since ceased to get offered so much variety in one game. With a huge hockey helmet pass through a racket Bomba Dement, steer a battleship and save another ship, huge and long boss fights over several phases with different game elements, fighting while standing on a vehicle and direct this same need and and and ... The Ding has a tremendous amount of variety here! Simply sow good!

The second screen is often used differently. On entering various buildings, so the camera stays on the TV to the exterior of the building attached. The game now takes place on the gamepad. Here it is then usually to solve small puzzles. For example, opening a door requires a pin. On the gamepad, I must now turn to the wheels. On TV is in this case visible on the building, which number you have selected.
Also very cool: It is located in a spaceship with socializing for moving to the left or right, a jump or a shot. This is enabled by simply entering. These are used to control a spaceship that you fly on TV. But that is even more dynamic in the game, find the same fighting in the area on the gamepad instead. So we are fighting against numerous enemies and navigate at the same time a spacecraft to homes over and destroy enemy spaceships. Really, really good!

There are 3 levels of difficulty: Very Easy, Easy and Normal. How? No heavy? No. And that's good! For "normal" is not easy. General Wonderful 101 is not a simple game. However, it is never frustrating, because it is about scoring and leaderboards. You die, you can directly back into play at the same location. The cost but massively points. So you always and steadily advancing in the game, even if one often dies. For good scores you should avoid but all costs. Certain items, such as a temporary invulnerability, also some cases lead to deduction of points. The Balancing seems almost perfect for me thus solved.

To collect, there is also plentiful. All heroes want to be found (otherwise you temporarily increased his team with normal people, which temporarily by the Wonderful 100 superpowers get), statues want to be found and there are also some secret missions. For this, the hunt for points. The part so here not only offers a good season with this much variety, no, the replay value is also very large!

So much praise makes the game because even something wrong? A gripe there: The camera is often not perfect and in some, albeit few, places really bad. I remember a place where the game was on the gamepad and the hallways were very narrow and labyrinthine. There they had to defeat opponents under pressure. That was not easy, because you have seen often by unfavorable camera angles simply nothing. But such extreme cases are limited.

Conclusion: Wonderful 101 is fast, exciting, fun, and from start to finish a great action game and hardly afford mistakes. For me, it has good chances of winning the title "Game of the Year". Of course there are other huge titles such as The Last of Us on the PS3. But The Wonderful 101 is just so refreshingly different, so full of variety and there is just nothing like it. And it affords hardly any significant errors.
Producer Atushi Inaba said on Twitter again: "But I can say that everyone is working incredibly hard, that you will say two things about The Wonderful 101 First. 'I am happy to habenIch a Wii U bought'm happy , The Wonderful to have pity bought 101 is simply that this incredibly great title gets so little attention. He deserves it definitely. Very strong buy recommendation!