Mr. Green's Field of Nothingness

Wii Music Drives The 'Hardcore' Crazy

2008-07-19T12:17:00.005-04:00

I believe I'm witnessing one of the most amusing temper-tantrums to ever play itself out on the Internet.

Wii Music, since its re-unveiling at E3 on Tuesday, has sent many video game fans into a tizzy. They seem to decry its very "simple" form of play, which is for some reason very offensive to their sensibilities. They demand and hope that it fails at retail because it is not even a game, by their definition, and therefore it apparently is a product not fit for retail. Why they don't merely politely express their disinterest and disappointment, elect not to purchase it, and continue on their lives, I'm not sure. For some reason, though, they feel they need to turn up the drama level and moan and groan about how Nintendo doesn't love them, how Nintendo's purported "casual" audience is going to turn on Nintendo, how Nintendo is going to regret ignoring the 'hardcore,' etc.

Essentially, it makes the mind liquidate.

Oh, and they're also infuriated over Shigeru Miyamoto's off-hand comment about Wii Music being better than a video game because it is a toy. Read the comments there. Seriously. I read up to 265 yesterday, but as of this writing there are now exactly 300 comments.

Reading the overly dramatic commentary on this situation is quite aggravating, and yet it is also quite humorous. It shows that the shift is occurring, and that the battered 'hardcore' are flipping out over a game that exists with the goal of allowing users to play music with their Mii's. And like Wii Sports and Wii Fit before it, Wii Music is being dumped on. Whoop-de-doo. The negative reaction that Wii Music is stirring up amongst the 'hardcore' is nothing new, but this mass hysteria the product is currently generating merely shows, to me, that it is headed in the right direction. Wii Music cannot stir up a profound change without rubbing some people the wrong way, and if these are the people it will rub, then so be it.

I can understand the 'hardcore' not liking the game, but why they feel the need to whine and moan like two year olds and use Wii Music as 'evidence' that Nintendo isn't creating games for the core audience is beyond me. I can't remember the last time I've seen such a complete and utter lack of logical thinking.

As for Miyamoto's words, I believe he absolutely has a point. The linear definition of video game provides for a potentially limited experience depending on any individual game's structure. For example, Super Mario Bros.' levels and game structure doesn't change every time it's played. The player primarily uses the game's tools in order to complete the game from beginning to end, and after that, he/she may play it again, or he/she may not.

But if Wii Music can create an environment where the player uses the game's tools in order to create games for him/herself, to create his/her own fun, to entertain him/herself, then that is incredibly powerful.

Of course, even Super Mario Bros.' mechanics allows players to create their own fun, and Super Mario Bros. mechanics also provide for replayability in that the game is easy to pick up, its convenient, and it simply strikes an excellent balance between difficulty, challenge, simplicity, playability, fun, and entertainment.

But I believe something like Wii Music allows for many more opportunities for this creation of fun to happen within its open-ended structure. I also feel that it is essential to explore the concept of play, and not just in the context of a traditional video game, but instead as a form of human behavior. By then taking that information and applying it to video game products that are designed around both human behavior and jobs that consumers must get done, I think we can create many new, rich, successful experiences for people.

But that's just my two cents.

Regardless, it is quite clear that Miyamoto's comments were a semi-snooty response to a semi-snooty question, but the positive discussion they can generate is incredibly useful.

As you can probably tell, I'm personally incredibly excited about Wii Music. I'm not sure if that results in me being biased in this situation, but I wish the 'hardcore' of today realized that the games that a good chunk of them grew up on, such as Super Mario Bros., were the 'casual' games of yester-year. Games like Wii Music, ultimately, are experimental, and they will push the boundries, definitions, and uses of the video game to new places, and these places can only bring new and healthy industry growth.

I don't see what's wrong with that.

UPDATE: Joystiq hands-on and more angry comments here.

The Postcard Says It All

2008-06-08T22:06:00.001-04:00

"In The Great Hall Of The Justice League!"

2008-06-08T21:57:00.003-04:00

Every once in awhile, you run into something from your childhood that brings you infinite joy. I think I ran into something quite amazing yesterday.

It's "That Time Is Now" by Michael Kohler. It's one of the Cartoon Network Groovies that used to air several years ago, and it's basically a really awesome remix of the Superfriends theme with some really awesome extra components.

Have a looksie:

Allergies

2008-05-30T22:56:00.004-04:00

So, it's that time of the year again. My friends have been suffering from allergies for weeks, but today it was finally time for them to prey on me.

But you know, those kinds of allergies aren't really that important.

With everything that's happened today and this past week, it's more clear than ever to me the dangers of mental allergies. The allergies of stupidity and ignorance. The allergies of intolerance and hatred. The allergies of arrogance and excessive pride. The allergy that causes an acute lack of understanding and loving other people.

Perhaps more important, however, is being allergic to yourself. The act of self hatred, the act of mental punishment, the act of not trusting oneself, the act of being a recluse, the act of growing ugly inside, and the act of giving up. The cycles of human growth and development, cycles that are both natural and unnatural. Life, growth, prosperity, and most importantly, true happiness are essential to living. Good people, good friends, and good times are ways to cope with being allergic to oneself; that is, if you're not so sick that you can't or won't take advantage of them.

Being allergic to oneself certainly isn't desirable, but it is something that is very much a reality for many people. And it hurts. The lack of personal acceptance coupled with the lack of acceptance from peers hurts. And like an allergy, being in the dumps in that kind of a way is difficult to get out of. It requires a reworking of the mind and soul of both you and the people in your life who matter to you.

Mostly, though, it requires a new relationship that is positive and new. A relationship built in the image of happiness, passion, wonder, amazement, and understanding. And it requires the courage to start such a relationship and see it through.

Perhaps, then, with some understanding, some courage, and a whole lot of luck, it may be possible to beat being allergic to oneself. But there are some people whom this will not affect, because they are so immensely bogged down.

To them, I apologize. If any of you are reading, perhaps it is aggravating that you're reading the same things you've heard people tell you for years. I wish I could say something, but I don't think I can, because I'm in your boat, too.

Until next time, I try to remain hopeful that we'll find a solution to this problematic allergy. Until that day, hopefully we can stick together. Hopefully, strength can be grown by numbers. Hopefully, our love and passion can bring us forward. Hopefully, we'll be better people when this is all over.

It's 11:20 PM, and it is time for bed. I hope to wake up tomorrow with a sense of vitality and motivation so that I may hunt for an answer. Please join me.

Yo Dawgs.

2008-05-26T22:11:00.004-04:00

Whoops, brain lapse. Please excuse that.

I'm writing because one of my favorite people has started up his own blog. And it has an incredible name.

He's a good, smart kid, and I'm sure his stuff will be of value. Not to mention that he's hot.

So, please, if you see this and have a moment, check him out:

Coffee and T.V.

Tomorrow Begins "Write 'Love' On Your Arm" Week

2008-05-24T19:59:00.004-04:00

Beginning at 6 AM tomorrow and ending at 9 PM on Saturday, May 31, "Write 'Love' On Your Arm" Week is incredibly important to me.

If you have Facebook, you can see the event here. For everyone else that wants to participate or at least know what the event is about, I've taken the liberty of copying and pasting a snippet from the event description:

"[This event is] In Honor of:
18 out of 274,000 teens kill themselves
1 in 5 teens consider (think) suicide.
1 in 6 made plans
1 in 12 had attempted suicide
8 out of 10 ask for help before the commit suicide"

Depression and suicide are both very real problems that affect a great number of children, teenagers, and adults every year. Being depressed makes it difficult to be a contributing member of your school or your job, it makes it difficult to be involved in social situations, and it destroys your self-esteem. Thankfully, depression is both preventable and treatable. For more information about Depression, please go here. For more information regarding suicide and suicide prevention, please visit this site. Finally, if you or someone you know is suicidal and needs help, please head here.

Above is a graph that displays data regarding teen depression and dysthmia.

It is my sincerest hope that most people will participate in this event. Although the action of writing love on your arm does little to solve the problems of depression and suicide, it does help bond people together and raise awareness of the serious issues that are depression and suicide.

Friends, random visitors, and readers (all two of you), as someone who has lived with depression for several years, I ask you to take part in this event. The simple act of writing love on your arm can and will mean the world to me and many other people whose lives have been affected by depression and suicide.

Thank you.

Newspapers and Disruption: School Edition - Part 1

2008-05-22T19:32:00.006-04:00

Having read a lot about disruption in the video game industry over the past few months, I've begun to think about disruption in other industries, and how disruption can fix problems that schools such as my own are having.

At my high school, we have a small and under-noticed newspaper called The Buzz. In my first two years of high school, I commonly attended weekly Buzz meetings and tried to write for the paper. I found, however, that I tired of writing the types of articles I was expected to put out.

Sometime near the beginning of my second year, mostly due to my own personal issues coupled with a lack of motivation, I decided to quit writing for The Buzz. Ever since then, however, I began to question many things about The Buzz and my experience there.

Before I can begin to talk about these things, however, some additional background must be given. First, in Graphic Design in Freshman year, I attempted to construct a web-site for The Buzz using Dreamweaver, a program that I had absolutely no experience with. Obviously, this web-site did not work out.

Second, at the same time that I was writing for The Buzz, I was also (and still am) volunteering my time editing, organizing, and putting together my town's intermediate school's newspaper, The WISard. Yes, the name is a terrible pun that is only partially understandable without knowing the school's name.

Even after I quit The Buzz, I continued to work on The WISard. Even now, as a junior, I spent a good chunk of time today creating the latest edition of The WISard using Microsoft Publisher.

Before we continue, please allow me to compare the environment and set-up of these two newspapers, for they are significantly different from one another.

The Buzz has an extremely small staff, and the paper itself is generally around four-pages. Perhaps, then, it can be more accurately described as a newsletter. Additionally, being that it is a high school newspaper, The Buzz is a lot more serious than The WISard. Importantly, The Buzz's layout is quite consistent, and it looks relatively clean. Additionally, only a few issues of The Buzz are printed every year because it is merely a club, and its members have so many other obligations that producing content is difficult for them.

The WISard is essentially the opposite of The Buzz. It has a 30+ person staff, which includes a panel of editors and me. Its length also greatly fluctuates from paper to paper; one issue, the paper will be 24 pages, and another issue it will be only six pages. Completely unlike The Buzz, not only is The WISard has an inconsistent layout that is often relatively messy, it generally has a good amount of content to be edited, the content generally has extreme quality issues, and the content may consist of poems, stories, reviews, and other topics, but it is very rarely current events-related.

This lack of current events articles is largely due to The WISard's irregular publishing schedule; there are generally around four to five issues published each year, each with a different length, and all of these issues are being worked on for months at a time. Since each issue takes several months to be completed, formerly current events are now old news, and so, in this sense, The WISard can hardly be called a newspaper in the conventional sense.

As I took control of the desktop publishing for the last issue of The WISard, I really began to ponder ways that I might be able to change how the paper is run and published. Then I began to wonder if The WISard needed to be delivered in the form of a newspaper at all.

One major commonality and flaw that both The Buzz and The WISard share is a lack of readers. No one seems to want to read these newspapers. The Buzz's advisor, a very smart English teacher who has worked with this newspaper for many years, continuously advocated the use of quotes and interviews with students; she believes that interest will arise out of students seeing their friends appear in the paper. I believe that she's right.

However, I also believe that a more major problem is the method of delivery for The Buzz. Distributing papers is difficult in the high school, and The WISard is also difficult to circulate in the intermediate school.

How do we develop, organize, and deliver our content to children and teenagers, our primary audience? I believe that Disruption is the answer.

According to this article, which was published at the beginning of May 2005, newspaper circulation is declining. Rupert Murdoch is reported to have admitted that young people harness the Internet for their news fix.

And of course, that makes total sense to anyone who uses the Internet frequently, like me. The instant gratification the Internet grants users is incredibly important. Whereas someone has to pay for a newspaper every day to get his or her news, or someone has to watch the news on TV or listen to it on the radio at a specific time of the day, anyone can access the Internet at any time of the day and find articles and news pieces that he or she is interested in.

Most importantly, using the Internet allows for infinite customization of the type of content the user can see; there are plenty of news feeds and news sites that people can access, and there are many sites that allow users to search or filter news based on a multitude of categories.

Then there are applications like the News Channel on Nintendo's Wii console, which allows the user to sit comfortably at home and flick through the news using his or her TV and interacting with a very simple and attractive user interface.

Many newspapers have merely published a good deal of their print content on their websites. But this simply is not good enough. Using the Internet to look for news is a worlds different than sitting down and reading a newspaper. Reading long articles on a computer isn't attractive to a good chunk of people, especially if its presented in a boring format. A major problem caused by simply replicating a newspaper on the Internet is that the whole set up lacks convenience, something that is incredibly important to people in the 21st century, and importantly, it's something that people can find at many other Internet locales. It's far more important to create a news experience that is tuned to take advantage of the Internet's capabilities, while at the same time matches user behavior, remains simple, remains attractive, and remains convenient. My original intent with the website I was unsuccessfully designing for The Buzz was to merely copy and paste our newspaper content onto this site and archive it. Clearly, this would have failed.

My town's public school system has a web-site set up for each of its schools, but all of these sites lack detail and content. Some of them are rarely updated, and all of them have extreme grammar and professionality issues on various pages. Every student and teacher has an email address, and many students and teachers check their email quite frequently, but the school does not make adequate use of the services it has provided. Even more aggravating is the school's and the state's approach to the Internet, which is essentially to "block first, ask questions later." Legitimate news sources and educational sources of all types and spanning several industries are unnecessarily blocked because of the minority of students that abuse them. YouTube being blocked and feared rather than embraced and incorporated into lessons is a prime example of the educational system's reluctance to change and morph with the times. The school's use of the Internet is so restrictive, in fact, that it hinders the productivity of the computer classes that the school offers; oftentimes, many sites featuring tutorials, resources, and how-to videos for topics students are studying and practicing are blocked for reasons that are unknown to me.

How can we disrupt the newspapers in our schools if such needless blocks are placed on students? And should the term "newspaper" even be associated with our disruption? After all, as we've established, newspapers are quite inadequate for students' needs. What's more important is to name several goals and to create an experience around them. An experience that is tuned to the needs of students, an experience that matches student behavior, an experience that works with the educational system, and an experience that works with students' daily in-school and out-of-school computer usage. Perhaps using computers isn't the correct direction to move in in order to disrupt these school newspapers. Regardless, extensive research and planning will need to be done in order to successfully plan for a disruption of The WISard and The Buzz, and perhaps, in the process, perhaps even cause change in our schools' educational policies.

For now, I will continue to ponder and pursue potential methods for fixing this situation, first with The WISard, and then, maybe, with The Buzz. Part 2 will come when and if I manage to find a disruptive or even non-disruptive solution. Thank you for reading this lengthy piece.

Sean Malstrom. Again.

2008-05-22T19:28:00.003-04:00

The man is brilliant.

If you haven't been checking out Malstrom's new articles and commentary, you're missing out on some excellent and important stuff. I'd personally consider Malstrom to be the most important and most consistently correct person regarding the video game industry.

It's nice to see someone with law and business experience studying the market and actually making sense, unlike the flamers/idiots on the multitude of forums, comment boxes, and chats all around the intarwebs.

Check Malstrom out at http://malstrom.50webs.com. Enjoy every second of it.

And Mr. Malstrom? I know you're a very busy man, but if you see this and have a moment, please leave me a comment. I'm incredibly eager to talk to you. Thank you so much.

Ouch. It has been quite awhile.

2008-05-22T19:26:00.001-04:00

After a huge delay, I'm back to update again.

Yay.

Let's begin, shall we?

Hands-On Super Mario Galaxy

2007-11-04T08:30:00.000-05:00

Not expecting to see Super Mario Galaxy in my particular GameStop, I figured I'd just be waltzing in, taking a quick peek around, seeing that it wasn't there, and then heading right out the door.

Well, I'm quite happy to say that I was entirely wrong. After fighting with the beautiful TV set up for the Wii display, I was able to play Super Mario Galaxy for over an hour. Unfortunately for me, the Wii unit is placed in front of a huge window in my GameStop, so my cursor was flying about the screen; taming it was quite difficult. Thankfully, I was able to get a handle on it, and it didn't impede my play-time too much.

So here I am, standing before this Wii unit that, two weeks previous to this, was not even in the store. In my hands are a Wii Remote and Nunchuk, with both being relatively beat-up. I began a new file, turning the barren planet that once existed on the file select screen into Mario's head.

The intro, as seen just about everywhere awhile back, was quite beautiful. I played around during the points where Mario was able to run around, but eventually I became impatient, Wii Menued out, and went into the save file already present on the system.

Here is where the fun began. I headed into the first Galaxy and selected the already-completed "Egg Dino" Star. By the time I finished playing, I had played through the first two Stars of the first Galaxy, the first two Stars of the Honeybee Galaxy (although I probably ruined its name), and successfully completed the Loopdeloop Galaxy.

First off, it's necessary to say that just moving Mario around is fun; Super Mario Galaxy is one of few games where just playing around with the controls yields satisfaction. Mario hops around very responsively, the cursor is quite as a dime and is very satisfying to use, and the camera works splendidly.

Shaking the Wii Remote to make Mario spin is definitely the most satisfying action to perform in Super Mario Galaxy. Not only is it quick and easy to perform, but it also serves a variety of purposes, and using it is simply a joyous experience.

Each of the planets is definitely very different from the next. On many planets, one can notice a definite change in gravity. One planet I was on in particular initially looked easy and seemed to only have a few easy jumps to make. However, upon jumping around, I found that the gravity on this planet was tighter, so jumping around was definitely a bit harder than expected. The sheer amount of variety present in this game is astounding.

The variety does not end with the various planets one will be landing on, however; many of the activities and galaxies players will be visiting are entirely different from one another. As shown previously, some galaxies, such as the Loopdeloop Galaxy, require that players use the motion sensitive properties of the Wii Remote to complete unique challenges. The Loopdeloop Galaxy required me to tilt the Wii Remote as I rode a Manta Ray across a gigantic, beautiful, water track suspended in space. Needless to say, I was very impressed.

The difficulty level in this game is another interesting point of discussion. The boss of the "Egg Dino" Star, as shown in previous videos, is a seemingly prehistoric Piranha Plant. One simply has to spin into the ball of its tail in order to deal damage, but this is easier said than done. After being chased by this creature (which moves quite fast, I might add), I ended up having to pursue its tail. After the first two hits, reaching the plant's tail proved to be no easy task, and with only a three-point health gauge, I almost died. In other instances throughout the time I spent with the game, there were also harder-than-expected areas to progress through.

With that said, however, the difficulty is definitely very fine-tuned, and being damaged and/or killed is never the game's fault; you definitely place the blame squarely upon yourself when you fail, because the game is so well made that you know it was your fault. This says a lot about the quality of Super Mario Galaxy; every piece of it is so fine-tuned that it is continuously enjoyable whether you live or die.

Additionally, it should also be known that Super Mario Galaxy is the first game in years that I've played where I honestly felt that I could go back and complete objectives I already successfully completed just for fun. There is something so gratifying about simply being Mario and exploring each planet.

I don't think I need to talk about graphics. Quite simply, they're the best Wii has to offer so far, and there is plenty of variety and color in each area you visit. I wish I could comment more about the sound, but someone working in the store kept turning my TV's volume down until it was muted, for some reason that I don't understand. However, I do know that the times where sound comes out of the Wii Remote speaker (such as when Star Bits are collected or when Mario blasts off to another planet) are handled well. The game doesn't overdo it with the the Wii Remote speaker, and for this I am thankful.

To sum things up, Super Mario Galaxy looked, sounded (from what I could hear), and ultimately played like a dream. I can't even begin to explain how excited I am for it, and how difficult it is forcing myself not to return to GameStop so that I don't spoil any more of the experience for myself.

That's right: as much as Super Mario Galaxy is a game, it is also an experience. All Wii users owe it to themselves to pick up this gem of a game for themselves; it truly is the best game that Wii has to offer, and based on my time with it, it is definitely on its way to being one fo the best Mario games ever created.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl: WOW

2007-11-04T08:16:00.001-05:00

October was pretty crazy with big updates at the DOJO!!, wasn't it? We got new characters, new arenas, a Stage Builder with online stage trading, the return of Target Test! (with its new name, Target Smash!), an online Home Run Contest, Sonic, Subspace Emissary Co-Op, the ability to save replays of Brawl matches and Target Smash! rounds and share them, and so much more.

And then of course, there was that delay to February 10, 2008.

Regardless, there looks to be a ridiculous amount of content within Brawl, and with the advent of the Stage Builder and that fact that all Smash users will receive a new stage every day from a giant selection of user-generated content, it's quite clear that Nintendo is pulling out all the stops.

We are definitely in for a treat when Smash Bros. launches next year. The end of this year continuing into 2008 is going to be a huge year for Wii users.

But we'll talk about that more in a little bit.

Oh, and as a little side note, can people please stop comparing Brawl to Halo 3, Guitar Hero 3, and everything else on the market (Disney's Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse, anyone?)? It's like comparing apples to a pile of dead bugs! Geez!

Another Hiatus, Hmm?

2007-11-04T08:13:00.000-05:00

Yet again, I disappeared for over a month. What else is new?

So here I am, and I'm going to try and get back into the swing of things...again.

It should also be mentioned that I recognize that the layout of this blog is horrifying, and rest assured, it will be redone quite soon.

September Surprise - Where Are You?

2007-09-29T07:09:00.000-04:00

So, it is now Saturday the 29th. September ends tomorrow, and still, nothing, not even Check Mii Out.

I'm still holding out hope, even though isn't saying much. After all, Everybody Votes gets updated on Saturdays, so doesn't that mean we have a chance of getting it today?

Nah. But I'd gladly be proven wrong with the flash of a blue lamp.

2007-09-13T08:49:00.001-04:00

Sean Malstrom Speaks...

2007-09-03T11:47:00.001-04:00

...You read.

I don't care how long ago it was posted, I'm posting it again, because it is essential that everyone reads it.

So, go here and read Malstrom's holy words now.

You won't be sorry.

Oh, and while you're at it, read this article by Malstrom, too.

Read those two? Good. Now read these.

Reading these will increase your understanding of the videogame industry so much. They're really brilliant pieces of work. So read them.

Read them now.

Educational Games On Wii

2007-09-03T09:36:00.000-04:00

With Wii and the Wii Remote, there is simplicity and accessibility. To play Tennis, you simply swing the Wii Remote as a racket; likewise, to play Bowling, you swing the Wii Remote as if you were actually throwing a bowling ball.

As we all know, people of all ages have been playing Wii, whether it be your grandma, or, in some cases, really little kids.

But that got me to thinking. And when I think, it generally means I become obsessed with some fleeting idea that emerges within my skull for but a second.

It all kind of clicked when Go, Diego, Go! popped up on Nick Jr. the other day.

Wii really does have a lot of potential for educational games, and due to the console having a low price-point when compared to Xbox 360 and PS3 (although, when compared to certain SKU's of Xbox 360, isn't that much of a difference), not to mention that the Wii Remote makes games easier and simpler to play, I think it's a perfect fit.

Today then, I give you my concept for Dora the Explorer Wii.

Dora the Explorer, in case you don't know, happens to follow a "7-year-old Latina girl" on her adventures. The program "is highly interactive," and thus, I believe it can translate well into a Wii title.

Unlike most educational games based on franchises such as Dora, I don't want to have separate, detached educational mini-games. No, no, no. I think it would be great if we used either existing episodes of the show, or entirely new ones created just for this title. Around 3-5 (most likely three) episodes would be included on the disk, and they'd be easily selectable from a colorful main menu.

Your cursor would be the mouse that appears periodically to "click" on items to get Dora's attention. This would be the way in which the player interacts with the episodes present on disk.

You see, I don't want the graphics in this game to be anything different than the actual cartoon; no scarily re-creating Dora in 3D like they did with the Rugrats.

Essentially, the game would be an interactive cartoon. Dora would go about her business as she always does during her show, along with her friends the Map and Backpack. In fact, there would be a number of areas where the player has to speak or sing, as done on the show, and thus no using of the Wii Remote is required at these points.

However, the episodes contained on the disk should be ones that do make use of the Wii Remote quite often. There could be points where the player must click on Swiper, or points where the player must help Dora choose the correct item from Backpack, or maybe even points where the player must make motions with the Wii Remote just as Dora and Co. are doing on-screen (rowing a boat, climbing, etc.).

Although the last suggestion may be a bit difficult for younger players, not to mention that the motions required of the player must give a lot of leeway and be built carefully, even perhaps including on-screen instruction if the player is having exceptional problems, they could work really well. If the player is having way too much trouble, then the episode can just continue as if he or she had done it correctly.

At the end of each episode, there can be the credits sequences from the show, which involves finding a character from the show hidden about the on-screen landscape, which players can do by clicking on him or her.

The series' theme song would be in, as well, as it is a staple of the show and it would be quite odd if it was left out. Perhaps the game would allow players to interact with the theme song by clicking on characters, but otherwise, I believe it'd be suitable to simply leave it alone.

Essentially, what this package is is an interactive DVD, but with Wii Remote control functionality and simplicity to make it more interesting and fun for the little guy. As such, I consider its main competition to be DVD's, and so it is for this reason that the game should cost between $20 and $30, with $20 being the goal.

As I said earlier, I frown upon adding educational mini-games to the mix. Mini-games are there to "sweeten the deal," but I suppose they may be permitted in this instance, but only to supplement the episodes. This means that they would not be as detached as they usually are, as they would be related to the episodes included on the disk.

The other additional "mode" I might suggest is an area where the player can interact with Dora and friends by clicking around and exploring, perhaps even engaging in simple activities within the play environment. I feel that this feature would be more interesting and valuable to the package than a couple of educational mini-games.

Finally, I do believe there should be a "Parents" section included on the DVD with pointers and suggestions for parents regarding their kids, this title, other content, and "fun activities' related to the show for them and the kids to do together. Sure, it may advertise other Dora the Explorer content, or perhaps even sister (brother?) shows like Go, Diego, Go!, but hey, the whole game is based on a TV show to begin with, so why not?

Hopefully, this will happen in some form at some point. Wii is continuously gaining steam and support, and it has the potential to be a great educational device. Perhaps after applications of the Wii hardware like this are created, the world may begin to see videogames for the educational tools that they have the potential to be. It has been a wish of Nolan Bushnell since the beginning for videogames to be educational, and I think Wii is a great step forward for educational games. With Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree already available, educational titles on Wii have a long way to go, and with everything from My Word Coach to a Wii adaptation of the popular board-game Cranium coming, I'd say the future looks pretty good.

WOO! New Surprise Preview Channel!

2007-08-10T13:18:00.000-04:00

It's nice to wake up in the morning and have a lovely surprise waiting for you.

I love the Metroid Prime 3 Preview Channel. I don't care that it's a giant advertisement for Metroid Prime 3, I just love getting Channels.

That new trailer is hot. And so is the bridge fight. Holy @%$%%!$@, Super Metroid is hitting Virtual Console August 20th? I'm so there.

I'd have absolutely no problem getting more Preview Channels, like with Mario Galaxy and Smash Bros Brawl and other future titles. They'd be welcome on my Wii. I just wonder if the Channel will take on any functionality once its time is up.

And did anyone else notice the 1 Block save file that the Channel made? You know, the one that says "Safe to Delete"? Why is it there, exactly?

Oh, and one thing that's kind of "meh" with the channel? The really tiny video buttons. Seriously. The text is really small, the buttons are really small, and there's a ton of empty space that could have been used to make them larger.

But besides that? It's better than sex, baby.

Although I wouldn't know that.

*sigh*

Wii Menu 3.0: An Excited One Is Me

2007-08-08T10:10:00.000-04:00

So yesterday, we received a lovely Wii Menu update, bringing our firmware to 3.0.

Thankfully, we now have a clock (which was sorely missing), faster load times between Channels, a renovated Shop Channel (which was needed, and badly), display of current weather conditions in the Forecast Channel icon, scrolling headlines for the News Channel, revisions to the Address Book, Calendar, Blue Light, Message Board icon, and tons of other little tiny things.

Like USB keyboard support. Say what? Apparently, this functionality is now available for the Shop Channel, Message Board, and Wii Settings menu. Hopefully, we'll be seeing an update for the Internet Channel soon that allows this functionality there, too.

Oh, and Nintendo decided to show some hate for mod-chips. And Freeloader doesn't work anymore.

Oops. Doesn't look like that's getting fixed.

What do ya'll think about this update (assuming anyone is reading this)? And am I the only one who has noticed that, although returning to the Wii Menu is faster, the Message Board takes some time to detect already existing letters?

O Hai.

2007-08-08T10:08:00.000-04:00

It's certainly been awhile...a couple of months to be exact.

So perhaps it would be a good idea to start updating this thing again.

Here goes nothing.

I Officially Hate Ironknuckles

2007-06-18T15:55:00.000-04:00

Look at that. I'm at the end of the first Palace in Zelda II, and I'm on my way to the boss.

Hmm...it's another one of those orange things...ah yes, those Ironknuckles.

Link has suffered many deaths because of my failure to defeat these things.

Why are these guys so difficult? Actually, here's a better question. Why are they in Palace 1? Do I really suck at Zelda this badly?

Don't answer that.

And you're telling me that I'm going to be encountering their closely related cousins, the Darknuts, in Twilight Princess (once I finish the third temple)?

Sweet Jesus. Help me now.

Wait a minute, I fought those Darknut guys in Wind Waker. Why did I dispose of them easily there when I can't defeat their twin brothers back in 1980?

Damn you Zelda. Damn you Link. I hope Ganon annihilates the both of you and your cursed kingdom.

*cries*

So Much Chaos...

2007-06-04T10:08:00.001-04:00

After the zoo that was last weekend, hopefully I can update this thing a little more frequently. In the midst of birthday shopping and being Confirmed, I managed to randomly find a couple of great titles being sold for ridiculously low prices.

At my local FYE, to lo and behold, a set of brand-new Viewtiful Joe 2's were sitting in a lovely row - for 10 bucks. Obviously, I bought one for me, and later, for another.

R.I.P. Clover Studio

The other title I randomly found was at a GameStop, also brand new, and also for $10. Oddly enough, it was Battalion Wars, which is to receive a Wii version this September 24th. It's a bit rough aruond the edges, but I'm still in the beginning, so I suppose anyone who happens to read this may expect a review of some kind in the future.

And, of course, today is the day that the 100th Virtual Console title, Zelda II, becomes available, so obviously I'm downloading that as soon as I get home.

Damn the educational process. Ah well.

Oh. Mario Party 8 is around too. Me gots it yesterday. I didn't open it yet. That's something else to do. I'm scared.

Hold me.

On second thought, don't.

Tag Sales Are Awesome

2007-05-26T08:54:00.000-04:00

So it was yet another Saturday morning, with this one being especially hot. Despite the heat, Saturday morning meant one thing to me: tag sale time.

One of the tag sales I come across has this wonderful box of SNES games. There were seven titles within the box, and I could either get them $1 each or buy the whole damn box for $5. Obviously, I did the latter.

Although I had a couple of the games already, I didn't care. I figure I can just give them away to someone who wants them. The games in the box were:

1. Super Mario World
2. Final Fight
3. F-Zero (which I downloaded off of Virtual Console at Wii's launch, so I'm mad)
4. HyperZone (apparently created by HAL)
5. Mortal Kombat II (Hey Ma', there's blood!)
6. Radical Psycho Machine Racing (apparently handled by Interplay)
7. Street Fighter II

Obviously, I was about ready to click my heels in delight. But I didn't.

Then, later on my adventure through people's junk, I came across a box of Pokemon Cards, or more specifically, cards that were sold to promote The First Movie. The whole box was 50 cents, and all of the cards are still in their original packages. That's right, these people never opened them. There are, as I count now, 17 packs of eight cards, with each package containing "1 foil card."

As I fumbled through my pocket to grab a second quarter, the deal was sweetened. A man who was watching me find my quarter held one out to me. So that means I basicaly just got 136 cards in unopened packages for 25 cents.

Amazing. Now I have things to keep me busy until some more Wii titles become available.

That doesn't change the fact, however, that Matt over at IGN better be right when he says Super Metroid is coming soon.

I Stand Disappointed.

2007-05-25T19:31:00.001-04:00

So, apparently Nintendo's media event was only meant to show off their upcoming summer titles.

Damn.

Ah well, at least we're getting daily Smash Bros updates from smashbros.com, and we'll be seeing all of the heavy hitters at E3 in July, I'm sure.

Only 46 days to go until Nintendo's E3 Press Conference.

Wonderful.

Finally! A New DS Download Station Update!

2007-05-17T19:28:00.000-04:00

And guess what people?

It contains something from Picross DS, most likely a playable demo, I reckon. That makes Picross DS's US release official.

Also, as I must also state several times to keep me from wetting myself...

...It also contains Planet Puzzle League! You know, the DS version of Panel de Pon (i.e. Tetris Attack). You know, the version that's online. And amazing. And stuff.

Ooooh, It's Time To Get Excited

2007-05-17T17:18:00.000-04:00

Now that we're aware that Nintendo is going to be hosting their media event on May 22nd, i.e. next Tuesday, it is definitely time to get excited.

So far, Super Smash Bros.: Brawl, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and an unknown Wii title that uses the DS as a controller in unique ways and is a "user expansion" title will be on-hand.

I'm crossing my fingers for Super Mario Galaxy news. Nintendo, make it so...please?

Video Games Live Is Amazing

2007-04-15T14:36:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a Video Games Live concert at Yale University's Woolsey Hall. Of course, as others know, it was nothing short of fantastic.

For those who are not familiar with Video Games Live, here's a quick explanation. Founders Tommy Tallarico and Jack Hall tour all over the place, having orchestras play famous (and not so famous) pieces of video game music as a premade video showing footage from the original game or games that the music came from plays above them, with lighting effects and sometimes even a stage performance is mixed in. The end result is something that is absolutely amazing, to the point where someone who has never played a video game in his or her life can go to one of these shows and get a heck of a lot of enjoyment out of it.

So what music is played? Well of course, there are the obligatory Mario and Zelda pieces (with the Mario presentation in particular being really well done, in my opinion), but there are also more obscure pieces, such as music from Advent Rising and even some PC presence in the form of Myst and Sid Meier's Civilization. There's also a really well done opening piece in the form of an Arcade complilation, which features everything from Tetris to Donkey Kong to Dragon's Lair.

And, of course, there is also a heck of a lot of Final Fantasy. But it's all good, because Final Fantasy music is amazing.

There are also some nice diversions that actually include audience participation. One of these is a competition between two players in the Plug & Play version of Frogger for a $2500 laptop, and instead of having the standard music come out of the speakers, Mr. Hall has the orchestra play the music for the game, changing it on the fly as the audience member dies or succeeds at Frogger. It really is a sight to behold.

In the concert I ventured to, and apparently in several other concerts as well, the YouTube star, who is now referred to as the "Video Game Pianist," Martin Leung performed several pieces, ranging from Super Mario Bros. to Final Fantasy. He is nothing short of amazing, and it really is exciting to see him perform in person. At Woolsey Hall, the site of the concert that I attended, there is a large, 104-year-old organ, and what could Mr. Leung possibly play on it?

That's right. A Castlevania piece. And it was fantastic.

No matter where one is seated in the concert, the energy in the room and the absolute enjoyment one feels is amazing. There is a ton of screaming and clapping between each piece, and you know you're truly in a room of game fans and even some non-gamers who recognize impressive work.

Beforehand, there was a two-hour pre-show event, with Guitar Hero and Halo competitions, as well as the costume contest. I think I can say that my friends, i.e. the two hottest Link ladies I've ever seen in my life, were the most popular people in room; everyone kept asking them if they could get a picture with them!

The charisma in the fans was amazing, and there were so many different people there. I saw everyone from family to Rawmeat Cowboy at GoNintendo to my old middle-school principal and his kids were there.

It really was a gathering to remember, and I'd go again in a heartbeat if presented the opportunity. To everyone who even remotely likes video games, and even those who don't, your attendance is highly recommended.

Super Paper Mario Rocks My Socks

2007-04-14T14:53:00.000-04:00

I am absolutely loving Super Paper Mario. In fact, I'm not sure who doesn't love this amazing game. It is easily one of the funniest games I've ever played; Treehouse has really outdone themselves this time.

In fact, there are so many Nintendo jokes and jokes of all kind that it's almost ridiculous. It's part of what makes Super Paper Mario's worlds come to life. That is, outside of their vibrant and stylistic art style and techno-boppy music.

Super Paper Mario seems to be similar to an old-school, 2D Mario platformer in the beginning (especially since the player holds the Wii Remote NES style to play it), but it really is something quite different. It incorporates 2D, classic Mario action with a hilarious storyline, numerous puzzles, multiple playable characters, RPG elements (such as HP and the use of items), and most notably, the ability to flip between 2D and 3D with a press of the A button.

This flipping ability allows for the clever hiding of items and some interesting puzzles. For example, when it seems you've reached a dead end while in the 2D view, flipping to 3D reveals a hidden pathway that was previously unaccessible. Or perhaps you're having trouble making it past large enemies in 2D, but when you flip into 3D, you find that the enemies are paper thin at your new angle, and so you can run right by them.

It is this type of ingenuity that really makes Super Paper Mario special. The game is divided into "Chapters," which each consist of four areas. Basically, the game's levels are numbered just as they were in the original Super Mario Bros.: from 1-1 to 8-4.

After the player completes a set of four levels, he or she earns a Pure Heart, all of which are key to the storyline and will save the worlds from the game's villain, Count Bleck. The Count humorously marries Princess Peach and Bowser in the game's opening video in order to fulfill a prophecy that allows him to destroy the existing worlds and become the ruler of the new by spreading "The Void." In order to stop this, Mario and company must find the Pure Hearts hidden in said worlds and place them in "Heart Pillars" littered about the game's hub world, Flipside.

Count Bleck himself is quite an interesting character, as he often refers to himself in the third-person. His goons, especially Nastasia, are also quite entertaining. The characters in Super Paper Mario are what really keep you coming back for more; they all have such personality and they're all so hilarious that the story is really gratifying.

Any Wii user who has not considered this game at this point is truly making a huge mistake. Super Paper Mario is quite possibly the best Wii title to come since The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and any individual who misses it will really be missing one of the most entertaining experiences that has graced a console in awhile.

The game is absolutely ridiculous, and that is exactly its biggest strength. For example, in one of the game's chapters, Mario is slapped with a gigantic debt that he is forced to pay off; that is, by hard labor, which includes hitting his head on blocks and running around excessively in a hamster wheel. The game is so full of charm that it is absolutely irresistable, and there truly is nothing else like it available.

Super Paper Mario is an absolute must buy, no questions asked.

StarFox 2D? Like What?!

2007-04-14T13:28:00.000-04:00

Okay, so let's make a long story short; a friend of mine showed me a demo of a side-project that he has been working on with a small team of people. Of course, I let of a squee like a fan-girl because it's called StarFox 2D.

This project is why I love fan-games. Even in its early state, StarFox 2D easily the best StarFox fan-game I have ever played.

So how surprised and pleased I was when this friend, Ravi, decided to make me an Admin on the game's site's forums. So perhaps I cannot talk about the game without a bias anymore now that I'm almost kind of slightly maybe involved, but I still heavily recommend that any sad soul who ventures here goes to the site and downloads the latest demo (Demo 1.0.3). It is little more than a build demo at this point, but is a pretty impressive one.

The final game will have multiple characters and levels, as well as both aerial and ground-based missions and combat. I will be mentioning it from time to time as things progress, so this is just the beginning of my self-centered ranting.

Do enjoy.

Whoa, Long Absence Thar

2007-04-14T13:21:00.000-04:00

Sheesh...I've been lazy for awhile, haven't I been?

I guess it's just that I haven't had much of a will to write this blog since it doesn't seem that anybody reads it. But I shall press on anyway.

So! Here's to writing! And by writing I mean ranting!

Oh, My Unplayed Love...

2007-03-20T16:12:00.000-04:00

Dear NiGHTS,

I want you so badly in my life...I mean, look at you! You're so...beautiful.

I'm waiting for you. Please come to Wii, honey! I want those rumors about you appearing on my beloved Wii to be true! Perhaps we will finally be together in harmony, my sweetheart!

I need you so much....

Love,
Mr. Green

GDC: Super Mario Galaxy = Very Yes.

2007-03-09T19:42:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited.

If you haven't heard by now, Nintendo released a new Super Mario Galaxy trailer at Shigeru Miyamoto's keynote.

I remembered why I'm so excited for this one.

The video can be seen here.

This game is looking to be the perfect blend of 2D and 3D Mario, along with new element of interactivity and fun with the Wii Remote.

I think this is it, fellas. I'm really feeling that this will be the game that is the spiritual successor to Super Mario 64.

But the best part of the trailer for me?

At 1:18, there's a coin wall.

If any of you remember, there weren't that many coins in the other 3D Mario titles. In fact, there were so few that, in Super Mario 64, collecting 50 granted the player and extra life, and 100 granted the player a Power Star.

This is why I am both impressed and amazed that a wall of coins like in the original Super Mario Bros. has appeared in Super Mario Galaxy.

It's nice to see old, loved elements returning. I'm loving Nintendo EAD Tokyo more and more by the second.

GDC: Mr. Miyamoto = Win.

2007-03-09T19:19:00.000-05:00

I've just got to say, Mr. Miyamoto's keynote was really well done.

If you have not seen this excellent, insightful presentation yet, please watch it as soon as humanly possible.

It is that good.

And plus, there's a new clip of Super Mario Galaxy at the end, i.e. a game that is looking to be the best Mario title since Super Mario 64.

I'll be ranting about Super Mario Galaxy in a moment...

To My Love Gone Sour...

2007-02-26T09:51:00.000-05:00

Dear Ocarina of Time,

My beloved, I keep looking at you every day.

After all of the years we've known each other, damn baby, you're still hot.

Oh man, I've tried to love you. Don't you understand that? I've tried to love you for years. But ever since your little friend the Deku Tree (read: more appropriately known as the Duke Tree) belittled me so, I've found it hard to come back.

Yes ma'am, I am telling you that you are way too hard for me. Why can everyone else beat you but me? I've always wanted to see everything you offer, you know. Your vast, large world. Yes, that amazing kingdom of Hyrule that everyone always tells me about! I nod my head and smile when people tell me about it, but I don't know how awesome you truly are!

Why can't I enjoy you? After all, you are the highest rated game of all time. Shouldn't I love you and all of your greatness? Should I not want to play you all the time, day and night?

Why do I get such a quick enjoyment out of your sisters, like Link's Awakening? At least she's good for some quick fun. Or your little cousin, Wind Waker. You know, that's how I got so into you again; Wind Waker made me happy and showed me some love, and she didn't even mind that I cheated the entire time! Heck, even Twilight Princess is somewhat nice to me even after I did her entire family and gave up on them. And hey, at least the Original Zelda gives me a lot of action.

But I don't just want action, baby! I want you! I want your action! You and your action and moves are amazing! I need to play with YOU again!

But you're just too hard Ocarina of Time. You intimidate me! How can I ever live up to your expectations? Because I can't complete you, I feel like I'm a failure. It's so bad that I've been hiding, my love. You scared me so, and I thought that it would be fitting to play around with your family. I am so sorry.

Your dungeons are too clever, your world too large, your villains too maniacal, and your puzzles too tough for my weak mind. Why can't you just make things a little easier so I shan't be tempted to play with your family?

Last I visited you, I conquered the Deku Tree with assistance. We had a little fun together! And then I defeated King Dodongo! But then you left me hanging, baby! I got desperate; I found some help! And then what? Nothing! You left me cold again in Zora's Domain!

I just don't know what to do! We need to work together, don't we? How can I fix this if you don't cooperate?

Is there anything that I can do to fix this?

I eagerly await your reply. I need you in my life, my dear.

With more love than Ganondorf has hatred,
Mr. Green

P.S. I really want to rub this Lon Lon Milk all over you again. Don't you want the same?

The Follow Up: New Virtual Console Developments

2007-02-23T13:51:00.000-05:00

So look at that, things are getting better already.

NEOGEO and MSX are heading the Japan's Virtual Console, along with Ocarina of Time and the first submission by Square-Enix, Actraiser, among other titles.

Very nice. NEOGEO is home to series like METAL SLUG (which was compiled in Metal Slug Anthology, but hopefully will turn out better released on Virtual Console), King of Fighters, and others. It will certainly be nice for those long-running franchises to be featured here.

And, of course, the highest rated game of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. That's always a nice asset.

Game Boy, Game + Watch, And More: The Virtual Console Rant

2007-02-20T10:29:00.000-05:00

Virtual Console currently offers Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, SEGA Genesis, and NEC TurboGrafx-16 titles.

But wouldn't it be great if Nintendo released Game Boy and Game & Watch titles on Virtual Console?

GoNintendo's RawMeat Cowboy sure seems to think so. And so do I.

(Quotes from the comment I left on that article)

"GameBoy games could really help fill the gap between big, AAA Nintendo classics. For example, while the US waits for Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, wouldn’t it be great to see Virtual Console updated with Link’s Awakening for $4?"

Either of the Link's Awakening titles would be great (original or DX for the Game Boy Color) to see on Virtual Console. So many gamers today who love Zelda haven't been able to ever experience the excellent Game Boy installments, including the aforementioned Link's Awakening and Oracle of Ages and Seasons.

"If Nintendo released GameBoy games on Virtual Console, I think it’d be in their best interest to keep price points very flexible and below $5. For example, the original Super Mario Land? No more than $3. Donkey Kong ‘94? Perhaps $4."

This would be excellent. So many classic titles were released on Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Donkey Kong '94, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Tetris, Kirby's Dream Land 2, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, you name it, the Game Boy had it. And so many people missed out on these amazing titles. Since Game Boy games have a reputation for being simple, why not offer these titles and more to a new audience that would appreciate them, especially at a budget price?

"Another idea I’d love to see happen is the release of Game & Watch titles on Virtual Console. So many gamers only got a taste of that simple series through the Game & Watch Gallery series, and if they missed that, then they didn’t get to play around 60 Nintendo games. Since Wii is about simplicity, Game & Watch could really be opened up to a new type of consumer. Furthermore, the games would be extremely cheap, which would be extremely attractive as an impulse buy. Who wouldn’t drop between 50 and 100 points on the Game & Watch version of Super Mario Bros? Or Climber? How about The Legend of Zelda?"

Several Game & Watch versions of key Nintendo franchises were created years ago and only released in Japan. Nintendo can make a pretty penny off of these titles if they release them at the correct price point. With the Zelda craze going on right now after the stellar sales of the Wii version of Twilight Princess, the US in particular would be a great time to re-release old Zelda titles. There's even a market for other Game & Watch games, like Ball or Fire, because they're so simple that anyone can play them. In Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten, released only in Japan, Nintendo put Ball on the card, and in Shaberu! DS Oryouri Navi, Chef was thrown on the game card. Heck, Club Nintendo even got Game & Watch Collection as a promo. It's obvious that Nintendo can see some use in Game & Watch games, so why not offer them to the public? For a dollar or less, each of the games would be an impulse buy in the highest.

"Nintendo could provide a number of options with how people would buy Game & Watch games. People could pick out games individually, or perhaps Nintendo could offer “Value Paks” with 10 games for 400 points or less. Each game would have to feature a virtually recreated model of the Game & Watch itself, as well. I would also hope that Nintendo provides a system update to allow Game & Watch titles to be grouped so that they don’t flood the Wii Channel Menu."

It's obvious that all shoppers love bargains. In the grocery store, people will stock up on milk or anything if it's on sale. It's be great if Nintendo capitalized on this by offering "Value Paks" where people can purchase several Game & Watch games at once for slightly less than if they bought them individually. A recreation of the original Game & Watch on-screen is important as well, if nothing else then for control lay-out and nostalgia factor. And, of course, Nintendo would need to expand the Wii Channel Menu's capacity by providing a system update that allows for the simplistic grouping of Virtual Console Channels and/or more than 48 slots on the menu, since the way things are going for Virtual Console and the additional channels available in the Wii Ware section of the Wii Shop Channel, this extra capacity will be needed. External hard-drive support and the ability to back up entire channels on SD cards or other external storage devices would also be important once that 512 megabytes of internal memory runs out.

"Another interesting way Nintendo could present Game & Watch games is through a “Game & Watch Channel.” The navigation of this channel would work excellently with the Wii Remote, and it could take on the museum feel of the Game & Watch Gallery series. Imagine seeing a giant gallery of Game & Watches on your screen. Then, using the Wii Remote, hovering over each Game& Watch would reveal its name and perhaps a little description of the game itself. Clicking on the Game & Watch would bring it up to the screen and allow for play. Perhaps scores and win-loss records on multiplayer Game & Watch games could be stored to individual Miis. The Channel could be released at a price anywhere between 1000-2000 points and added to the Wii Ware section. Perhaps it could be priced even less than these price points and give the player about 10 Game & Watch games, and then the rest could be bought through a catalog system within the Channel."

I always love new Wii Channels, as everyone does. I really think that a "Game & Watch Channel" of some kind would be great as something for Nintendo fans, as a contribution to Gunpei Yokoi, and as a market opportunity. The Channel could be an all or nothing affair, where the consumer would buy all of the Game & Watch games by buying the channel, but I think it'd be more popular if the Channel itself had 10 or so titles initially available, pushing the cost of the actual channel down, and then giving the user the ability to add more Game & Watch games by spending additional Wii Points. This spending of points of Game & Watch titles would be handled within the "Game & Watch Channel" itself, so as to not make the user head back to Virtual Console to download additional content. By allowing scores and records to be tied to individual Miis, new life can be brought into games that were previously thought long gone.

Another option for Game & Watch titles on the Wii is to release a be-all end-all installment of the Game & Watch Gallery series on the Wii. Place every Game & Watch game possible on the disk and add in "modern" modes of play like the Game Boy installments do with Wii Remote control, and I'm sold, especially if it's released at a budget price with an online component. Being able to connect in an instant and play Judge with a casual gamer in Europe would scream old-school and could really attract a different kind of online audience.

"The possibilities are really endless with both Game Boy and Game & Watch games. Hell, I’d love to see a Virtual Console version of Hanafuda, Color TV Game 6 and 15, Racing 112, and all sorts of other Nintendo classics that most people haven’t heard of, all for a bargain price. Games with dials llike Color TV Game 6 could utilize Wii Remote control much like WarioWare: Smooth Moves accomplished it."

Nintendo has a lot of other software that they've produced over the years that is simply a perfect fit for Virtual Console. Offering a virtual recreation of Color TV Game 6, Color TV Game 15, and Racing 112 for extremely small prices (using the Wii Remote to substitute for dials and steering wheels), honoring Nintendo's card-making history through a Virtual Console version of Hanafuda (with full instructions, single-player, local-multiplayer, and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support). How about Computer Othello? Or maybe some of Nintendo's other old arcade games, like Sheriff or Donkey Kong, which is clearly superior to the NES version in every way? Heck, it's even a possiblity that old Nintendo Power issues and freebies can appear on Virtual Console. All of these old titles and giveaways now have new found potential on Virtual Console.

"What about Virtual Boy? Obviously, the console did horrifically in stores and was a complete and utter failure for Nintendo. But there were a few gems found on the console that so many people never got to play, such as VB Wario Land, which I myself have never been able to play. Obviously, technology has improved since the time that Virtual Boy was released, so certainly there must be someway to emulate the pop-out 3D effect that the Virtual Boy produced without making it as painful to view. Yes, I know that Virtual Boy content on Virtual Console would never happen, but I can certainly dream."

Yes, many think I'm out of my mind suggesting this, but I don't care. There were some real gems in the Virtual Boy collection, most notibly Virtual Boy Wario Land. Yes, the game system was literally a pain to use, giving those who put the headset on headaches due the the channels of black and red color swarming their eyeballs. But if Nintendo emulates the 3D effect of Virtual Boy on Virtual Console, maybe slaps a warning on each title to take a break due to the potential of headaches, and sold them for 500 points or less, these titles which never had a chance when originally released can finally get the appreciation they deserve.

"There’s just so much potential for Virtual Console and the Wii Ware sections of the Wii Shop Channel, both for Nintendo games new and old, as well as indie titles. I’m really hoping that Nintendo sees the value of allowing us to play Game Boy and even Game & Watch titles on our Wiis, and even give us the option to beam them to our DSes. Virtual Console is a celebration of Nintendo’s past and the past of other console developers, and so to leave Game Boy and Game & Watch games out is, in my opinion, horrible."

Virtual Console has some of the biggest potential out of any feature of the Wii. Nintendo has a lot of money that it can make and a huge amount of old content to potentially bring to the service. With that said, Virtual Console can also be a showcase for connectivity. By allowing users to beam NES, SNES, SEGA Genesis, and TurboGrafx-16 titles to their Nintendo DSes for portable play, as well as adding Game Boy, Game & Watch, and maybe even Virtual Boy titles with the same capabilities would also be excellent. Even better would be seeing "new" NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, TG-16, Game Boy, Game & Watch, and Virtual Boy titles up for download, where Nintendo and other developers (including indie) can use older tools to create a new, original game for Virtual Console.

Speaking of these indie developers, if Nintendo aggressively goes after indie support as many are suspecting, then Virtual Console can and will be flooded with content if Nintendo handles the delivery of the kits, technical support, and the actual approval and uploading process correctly.

Bringing over formerly Japanese-only content to North America is also important. How about the totally localized and ready-to-go Mother 1? The first installments of the Nintendo Wars series anyone? How about all of those Japan-only Fire Emblem games? It is important for Nintendo to translate and localize these titles for regions other than Japan and let them loose on fans in other territories. Just as importantly, cancelled Nintendo games, such as the basically completed Star Fox 2 also have a new opportunity to make it out of Nintendo's vault and onto the Wii consoles of fans around the world. Does the Mario Artist series have a chance? What about some other cancelled Nintendo 64 Dynamic Drive projects? Would it be possible to see some Broadcast Satellaview-X content on Virtual Console? Wii's internal clock could be the key to making it work.

Let's not forget third-parties. Many third-parties are beginning to support Virtual Console, with the ESRB now listing ratings for Virtual Console versions of Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and others. These companies are important to Virtual Console's success, as not all of the classics on these old systems were developed by Nintendo. Third-parties deserve to see as much success with re-released Virtual Console versions of their back-catalog of games as Nintendo does.

Finally, what about new, original titles from Nintendo and its partners? For starters, the Wii Sports Airplane demo from E3, as well as even the Obstacle Course demo from the same event would be great to see as Virtual Console games that take advantage of the Wii Remote, have a certain amount of charm, and are fun and easy to play. Maybe we could see some new, small Virtual Console games, games that are on the level of depth of those found in Wii Play? Perhaps even "toys" like those found in the WarioWare series of titles would be markettable on Virtual Console for budget prices.

It would be in Nintendo's best interest to create games like these with both Miis as the stars and popular faces from Mario, Zelda, and other Nintendo series. How about a Yoshi breeding game? What about a Metroid-themed Morph Ball maze game using the Wii remote to tilt the environment? What about an full-fledged, stand-alone version of the long-loved Zelda fishing mini-game with Wii control?

What about remakes of older games already on Virtual Console? What Nintendo fan wouldn't download a cheap, modified version of Super Mario Bros. that features Mario running through levels and moving the remote upwards to jump (as seen in WarioWare: Smooth Moves)? Or an SNES Star Fox remake with the graphical and control updates presented in WarioWare: Smooth Moves? A motion-sensitive version of PilotWings or PilotWings 64, anyone?

The reason why I keep using examples from WarioWare is because the mini-games (NOT the four-second Microgames the series is famous for) and toys found within the games in the series are the kinds of things that would be great for Virtual Console; software that is fun to mess around with for a small amount of time, takes up little internal memory, and costs little money.

Virtual Console is shaping up to be an impressive service that Nintendo needs to take full advantage of. It would be a shame for the service to not be used to its full potential, because it makes it even easier for developers to make a profit off of the Wii, as well as satisfy gamers. The service will also be important in getting the next generation of game developers into the industry if it is handled correctly.

Nintendo has its own plans for the Virtual Console service, obviously. I'll just hope that some of our ideas match.

Violent Games Causing Aggressive Behaviors: Debunked?

2007-02-19T12:57:00.000-05:00

An article at GamePolitics shows off Dr. Christopher Ferguson's new research on the affects of video game violence.

According to Dr. Ferguson:

Despite the relatively young and sparse nature of the research on violent video game effects, some researchers have claimed that the evidence is conclusive…
Yet a close read of the literature reveals that many of the studies used to support this link provide only questionable or inconsistent evidence.

Part of the problem may be that video game researchers have adopted unreliable methodologies from media violence research in general… Most of the research (particularly laboratory research) employs unvalidated ad-hoc measures of “aggression”.

Hmm...I'm not too sure that Jack Thompson will like that.

Random And Amazing

2007-02-18T18:31:00.000-05:00

Nothing says "wow" like this:

More Kirby Goodness

2007-02-18T18:19:00.000-05:00

While on my search for Kirby's Pinball Land pictures for that last post, I came across this little beauty:

Score one for German advertising, although that overly masculine Kirby scares the bejesus out of me.

Impulse Buys Are Fun

2007-02-18T16:47:00.000-05:00

A GameStop opened in my area the other day, so I went to check it out yesterday.

Let me be clear; I do not like GameStop. But even I have to admit that the people who work at this particular GameStop are quite nice, and the prices on the games available mostly aren't as unreasonable as ones found at other GameStops. Hell, there was even a large number of games and accessories available there already.

And then what do I see? Why, it's the case filled with original GameBoy and GameBoy Color games. And what do I find upon further inspection?

Kirby's Pinball Land.

I bought it. For $10. I'm nuts. I know. I don't care.

This game is hard. Don't tell me it isn't. I realize it's Kirby. Kirby is never hard. Until now. Yeah, you heard me. Kirby is hard here.

Or maybe I just suck at pinball.

Kirby's Pinball Land's story is...well, see for yourself:

Kirby, your pudgy buddy from Dream Land, is back again on Game Boy! This time the game is Pinball, and Kirby will have to face King Dedede and his bosses who guard the three Pinball Lands. In order to defeat King Dedede and his three bosses, Kirby becomes a pinball. This allows him to fight effectively in the Pinball Lands -- each a magical land with all kinds of tricks and bonuses! How high can you score? Can Kirby defeat King Dedede again? Let's find out! Okay Kirby, turn into a pinball and get ready for a wacky
pinball battle!

Straight from the instruction booklet, people. Yeah, it's cheesy. But Kirby has never been about story, so it isn't exactly surprising.

At the outset of the game, Kirby has three areas to choose from, each featuring a boss. Wispy, Krako, and Poppy challenge Kirby before he fights King Dedede. But i order to reach each of them, Kirby must bounce his way up through areas filled with obstacles, enemies, mini-bosses, and the occasional Warp Star.

So, essentially, Kirby's Pinball Land is a "Pinball Adventure Game." Or something like that. Kirby must get to the top level of each pinball area, and then make a Warp Star appear that he can ride to challenge the area's boss. After beating the three bosses, Kirby must challenge the villainous King Dedede:

Sexy, no?

The game controls well and borrows many graphical elements, enemies, and sounds from Kirby's Dreamland.

Hey, it made my weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T16:23:00.000-05:00

Even though I can't personally stand it, Happy Valentine's Day to all!

It is a little late in the day...but...

Check out these hilarious Nintendo valentines.

Or how about you take a look at the best Nintendo couples?

Oh...look what just came in the mail. It's a A Valentine's Day greeting from the Rabbids.

How sweet.

Everybody Votes Channel: Wha?

2007-02-14T15:24:00.000-05:00

I love surprises like this.

Yesterday's surprise launch of Nintendo's "Everybody Votes Channel" baffled just about every Wii owner. This bizarre little channel allows Wii users to register their Miis for voting, and then can take a number of polls and predict their outcomes, as well as submit their own suggestions for polls.

Users can see their voter's history and prediction accuracy as well as the results for the last 12 polls that he or she has voted in.

In terms of design, this Channel is, in my opinion, the best looking of all the Wii Channels thus far. The "Everybody Votes Channel" features a slick design that is functional as well as attractive.

Experiments like these are exactly what are unique to the Wii; with applications like these, users are more engaged and willing to experiment with these ideas due to the interactivity offered by the Wii Remote.

My one gripe? There are only three national polls at any given time, and currently, there is only one worldwide poll.

Minor complaints aside, the Everybody Votes Channel is definitely a very welcome surprise, and it marks only the beginning of the potential for the Wii Channel Menu and applications of the Wii hardware.

Please see this video for your Everybody Votes Channel fix. If you are a Wii user and haven't downloaded the Channel yet, head to the Wii Ware section of the Wii Shop Channel, download it for free, and then perform a system update!

Tomb Raider: Legend DS Demo = Ouch.

2007-02-10T12:13:00.000-05:00

This is the second time I've downloaded the Tomb Raider: Legend demo onto my lovely DS Lite at my local Walmart. No, the demo isn't that amazing. In fact, it's horrible. That's the exact reason I keep on playing it. I suppose I'm a glutton for punishment.

In the demo, you, yes you, play as the famous, beautiful heroine, Lara Croft. Unfortunately, she isn't very beautiful. You see my friends, Lara is a 2D sprite. This sprite appears on top of the game's environments, which are rendered in 3D.

It doesn't look great.

Lara is very jaggy and ugly, and she only appears in shades of tan, apparently. Her animation is somewhat clunky, particularly when she shoots out her rope, which, by the way, appears as a white line. Upon viewing Lara the first time I played the demo, I had a bad feeling that things would not progress well.

I was right.

In Tomb Raider: Legend, the action takes place on the top, while your inventory is displayed on the touch screen. Players move Lara Croft with the D-Pad, jump with the B button, take out her gun and fire it with the the A button, pick up items with the Y button, and shoot out her rope (if that's what it's supposed to be) with the X button. Oddly, Lara's gun cannot be equipped while moving, and for some odd reason, Lara can launch her rope if she's facing right or left, but not if she's facing north or south.

Of course, this being a DS game, developers simply have to use the touch screen for something. In the demo of Tomb Raider: Legend, this usage is quite clunky. Although selecting items on the touch screen isn't horrific, some of the screen's other uses are.

When the demo first begins (after language selection), it appears we're outside of a tomb or temple of some kind. On the touch screen we have our guns and a device that seems to be inactive in the demo. Upon entering the tomb, we meet Generic Bad Guy #1. This is where the demo's problems start to appear, as when you approach that bad man, the inventory display disappears and shows a very ugly close-up of our friend. Actually hitting him is done by tapping on his body on the touch screen, which causes Lara to fire her gun. At this point, the game forbids you from using left and right on the D-Pad, deciding that, instead, to move Lara left and right, you'll need to use up and down on the D-Pad.

Odd.

After the ugly enemy is defeated, the games allows for normal movement again, and so we continue onward to our dismay. First, however, Lara must grab the gun that our assailant left her, although the only improvement over the other gun is that it's automatic, which, honestly, isn't really that useful in the demo.

Proceeding down a ramp, there is a wonderful bridge that allows us to pass over the, um, spikey things that lie below. Of course, just as Lara is about to use said bridge, it retracts. In the upper-right hand corner of our top screen, we see an "X." I did not realize what this symbol meant until this very second, which is to press the X button. Jumping straight up and pressing X begins our swing across, until Lara hits the left ledge and falls, resulting in instant death.

...

Upon reaching the area again, diagonally jumping to the right before pressing X is obviously a better choice. Lara swings to the other edge successfully, although the animation of the rope is, well...bad. For some odd reason, the player can always use the rope when standing still on the ground, but when jumping in the air, it only deploys when that one target is near.

As we continue onward up a ramp, we come across another object that is around a corner. I have my lady pick it up, but I'm given no indication as to what it does. At this point, I've noticed how ugly the environment is. Oddly, it appears as if the area is twitching with all of the jaggies and graphical glitches. The music at this point is very grating, as it is the same, short, generic clip that has been playing throughout the entire demo. Lara's jumping grunt and generic weapon noises aren't too bad, but they don't exactly improve this mediocre experience.

Continuing down the path, there is a whole lot of nothing until Lara reaches an odd contraption. The first time I played this demo, I had no idea what to do. Apparently, Lara is supposed to climb this thing by jumping directly into it. As I prepare to do this, I notice that Lara's top half is twitching in place.

How attractive.

After I figure out how to climb upwards with the D-Pad, my inventory disappears to let me know how to do what I've just figured out. Thank you, Tomb Raider: Legend, thank you. Holding left, I jump off to the other rope, climb up some more, jump back to the other one, and jump onto the ledge. It's simple, really.

As Lara continue around the ugly corner, it is clear that there is a pool of water for us to swim in. Upon landing in the water, another use of the DS's touch screen is revealed. The underwater portions of the game appear on the bottom screen, kicking my inventory out and moving all of my meters and things. Gimmicky and useless, but at least it doesn't really have a negative impact in the demo.

...

Apparently, Lara hold her breath for long.

Ah, sweet water, I have reached you again at last! Thankfully, water control isn't horrible, but it doesn't exactly feel perfect, either. Moving Lara in any...

...death...

...and...more...death...

...

Multi-tasking and making Lara swim doesn't work too well, especially since the demo lacks a pause function.

Swimming control in Legend's demo is quite simple. Push any direction on the D-Pad, and Lara will swim in this direction. Lara's swimming animation is bad, but not quite as bad as her other animations.

Amusingly, as I just fell into the water, I accidentally grabbed the left ledge, which causes the game's camera to freak out on the top screen. Very nice. The normal, non-glitchy shifting between land and water is somewhat odd, as the camera seems to jerk around quite a bit.

At this point, I realize how unreadable and indistinguishable Lara's two, generic life meters are. The meter on top of Lara's current screen shows her health. When the meter is completely blue, Lara is perfectly unharmed. However, upon taking damage, Lara's meter begins turning into a shade of grey that is so similar to the healthy blue color that one must almost squint his or her eyes to see the difference. Upon swimming under water, a new meter appears below it that shows Lara's oxygen, with the problem being that it. looks. exactly. the. same. as. the. other. one.

Anyway, upon continuing, I take the time to jump out to grab another useless item. How exciting. Diving back in, I continue to the right until I reach the next portion of our journey.

Oh no! Another generic enemy! Upon disposing him with the power of the Nintendo DS's touch screen, Lara picks up what he has dropped...a grenade!

There isn't much to throwing grenades. Tapping the grenades icon on the touch screen inventory equips it, and upon getting close enough to the next generic baddie, pressing A throws it. It explodes on contact with an ugly explosion, as expected. He drops a med-kit of some kind, which appears on the touch screen inventory as an ugly red box with a cross on it, while everything else is yellowish/orangy.

As I take a few more steps to the right...oh, the demo has ended! Why was I just given a med-kit at the end of the demo? Oye...

The screen is telling me that the game is available in Fall 2006! Hey...that's already passed, hasn't it? Hmmm...

Upon pressing a button, the demo has restarted itself. I would not like to play it again, thank you.

Nevermind the fact that the boxart with Lara Croft on it is misleading (since she barely resembles Lara Croft within the game). Nevermind the generic environments. Nevermind the the continuously looping demo music. Is the final game any good? After all, I only played a short and unpolished demo. Certainly, the final product must be good.

Well, if this is any indication, I think not.

Upon seeing the IGN review of the final game, the two screens shown inside prove that there have been a few improvements to the game graphic-wise. Lara appears in her normal colors, and the rope almost looks like a rope in one of the screens.

I am overjoyed.

As IGN sums it up:

It's the puzzle elements and the collection portion that gives Tomb Raider: Legend its challenge, not the weapon combat, but it certainly would have been nice to have a bit of focus in the latter segment of the game design. The entire product is solid enough and shows that the development studio's getting a grasp on DS game production, but the little loose ends scattered around the product are a little too obvious to ignore. If you haven't experienced the Tomb Raider: Legend story on the console yet this game's a way to check out the tale...but the DS product is no substitution for the bigger product from Crystal Dynamics.

IGN rated gave the game a 6.1 out of 10, or "Passable."

Even though the demo and the final product weren't amazing on the DS, the console versions of Tomb Raider: Legend fare much better, particularly the PlayStation 2 version, according to Game Rankings.

I suppose that, even though the DS version is horrific, at least it isn't as bad as Ping Pals.

Be afraid, be very afraid...

Oooooh...More Star Fox 2...

2007-02-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

Wow...no sooner do I rant about Star Fox 2 and post a video, Codename Revolution posts a video from the Japanese beta and 1Up features it in its Vapor Trails special.

It's reassuring to see that people haven't forgotten this potentially amazing game. Check it out, yo.

Freddy Krueger Loves The Power Glove

2007-02-09T21:24:00.000-05:00

Wow.

I was going through videos from the "A Nightmare On Elm Street" series, and I find this beautiful gem from Part 6:

Looks like someone actually liked the power glove!

If it fails here, then try the direct link.

Jack Thompson Makes Me Weep For Humanity

2007-02-07T15:46:00.000-05:00

So I finally decide to go back to my old friend Game Politics. And what does he do? He exposes me to this:

About a dozen audience members questioned the speakers about their views, and although most were antagonistic toward Mr. Thompson, he got the most applause of the night when he criticized today’s generation, calling them “the most self-absorbed, egocentric generation he’s ever seen…

“Your generation has got to get over itself,” he said.

This coming from the most egocentric man I have ever seen in my entire life, not to mention that he's also pretty damn rude, too. Hell, he even wrote a long, preachy letter to U2's Bono to try and sway him to his way of thinking. On top of all of that, he even wrote a Judge a nasty letter.

Even though Jack Thompson's comments are as vomit-inducing as normal, at least a bunch of the comments on the article are good, like this snippet from "Black Manta":

As I said here earlier, Jack Thompson is a fine example of someone suffering from an acute case of Old Fartism. He, like some old people, live under the delusion that the time they grew up in was “better” and that the world is inexorably going to hell in a handbasket, getting worse every day. The problem with Jack is that he takes it out on everyone else, mostly because he feels that because he’s a lawyer and thus believes as a public figure it’s his obligation to (which is why it ought to be taken away as that’s an abuse of his profession). Newsflash, there were no “Good Old Days.” It’s the same crap over and over, the times and the context just keep chainging. Bad stuff keeps happening, but so does good stuff. It’s the way of the world.

So true, so true, which is why I want to cry when this petition was overlooked by tons of gamers. Sure, it's old, but it's still as valid as it was when it first was written.

Complete Run Through StarFox 2

2007-02-03T11:30:00.000-05:00

This makes me happy, and it's perfect for the weekend. If you've got some time to blow and you're a Nintendo fan, this is your ticket.

There is seldom an unreleased game more infamous than Nintendo's StarFox 2 for the SNES. Featuring some of the best 3D graphics on the SNES, the game was canned after it was essentially completed.

StarFox 2 marks the first appearance of multi-player, all-range mode, and the Star Wolf Team.

What makes the game so special is how different it is from other titles in the StarFox series. Although people talk all the time about how similar StarFox Command and StarFox 2 are, it'll be apparent after seeing this video that they are actually quite different.

So, without further ado, a complete speed-run through Star Fox 2's Hard Mode.

Dell Creating A Hand-Held Console

2007-02-03T10:41:00.000-05:00

According to Nintendojo:

At a recent Dell's European Innovations event, UK Magazine PC Plus asked Abizar Vakharia, a senior executive and Dell's Global Gaming Chief, whether the company was looking towards releasing a handheld gaming device in the future. Vakharia's response was "You know, that's definitely one that's on the radar screen, but we have no plans to talk about anything today." While his response added no further details, the statement, if accurate, does confirm that Dell is seriously looking towards entering the gaming market.

This many prove to be an interesting development. All I know is that if, in the end, it goes the way of Game Gear or Gizmondo, I will have quite the laugh.

What's Up With Wii Online?

2007-02-03T10:28:00.000-05:00

Okay, so Nintendo was supposed to start sharing details with developers about how to get their Wii titles online in 2007, and now, at this point, we're hearing about developers still being clueless on the matter.

What on Earth is the hold up?

Sure, we have Wii Channels and Virtual Console, but no online games is absolute rubbish at this point. The closest we've gotten is Elebits' sharing of data through WiiConnect24.

Nintendo has promised online titles for the US in Q2 2007. Many third-party developers appear to be very interested in adding online components to their titles and Nintendo is doing nothing.

Take Majesco, for example. The developer is apparently interested in online play with their upcoming Wii title Cooking Mama: Cook Off. This title is extremely important as a casual game, and an online mode would be invaluable to the game's longevity. However, it is a no-go because Majesco has no idea how to implement the mode.

This is inexcusable.

Is Nintendo really still finalizing the service? If so, how much longer is it going to take, Nintendo?

After the wild popularity of the Nintendo DS version of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, I would think that Nintendo would want to capitalize on it on Wii.

For a console trying to not be like the Nintendo GAMECUBE in terms of online gaming, Nintendo sure isn't doing too well with Wii.

Clean-Cut Link

2007-01-31T21:38:00.000-05:00

If you like Zelda, Nintendo, and/or videogames, or if you're just a random person who is absolutely infatuated with Link, then you must go here and view this amazing ice sculpture of our hero.

Yes, it is awesome. Behold it. Adore it. Love it.

Shadow. Silver. Why, Why, Why?

2007-01-31T19:58:00.000-05:00

I was so happy. Sonic and the Secret Rings (formerly titled Sonic Wild Fire) did not feature Shadow the Hedgehog. I was also quite happy that it did not feature Silver the Hedgehog, or anyone else besides Sonic.

But what is this I saw at Sonic News?

Okay, yeah, I know, it's multiplayer. But still. Why do these morons need to be in this title? Heck, it's not only this game. They're in Sonic Rivals. They're in Sonic the Hedgehog on the 360/PS3. Shadow had his own (disastrous) game, and he was in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes. How do these characters always manage to make it into Sonic titles?

Silver is the latest in this strange phenomenon. Ever since his creation for Sonic the Hedgehog on X360/PS3, he has been thrown into Sonic Rivals and, now, Sonic and the Secret Rings. Just like Shadow, he is being shoved down Sonic fans' throats. Does SEGA even understand that taking the focus off of Sonic has been alienating fans for years now?

Yeah, I know, I know. It's multiplayer, it's the place where all of the random characters that have been created can randomly do battle against one another.

But there's one problem here. There are many more classic and popular characters that can be used for this component of the game. Wouldn't it be a treat if fans finally got to play as Ray the Squirrel again? Or how about the long-missed Nack/Fang the Weasel? Heck, maybe even the more well-known Chaotix gang, Vector, Charmy, the long-forgotten Mighty, and Espio, would be suitable.

It's obvious through this rant that I cannot stand Shadow or Silver. You may have noticed that I didn't mention how Blaze has been appearing a lot more lately, or that Cream has needlessly been thrown into this title, as well.

Maybe Cream is part of the problem. She has been rather useless for a long time. But Blaze certainly gathered quite a number of fans, and her inclusion at least feels a lot more appropriate than Silver.

At least they didn't include Mephiles...

Kelly Has Stolen My Life

2007-01-31T19:36:00.000-05:00

It should be a crime if you're not familiar with Kelly at this point.

Who's Kelly? Why, this is she:

I have listened to her music far too much these past few days. Of course, I was into it awhile ago, but now, I have to say I'm totally into it again.

Do yourself a favor: If you haven't seen Shoes or Text Message Break Up, watch them. They are absolutely vulgar and absolutely hilarious.

Why not check out Kelly's fansite while you're at it? Or add her on MySpace?

Oh Kelly...

News Channel FTW!!

2007-01-26T23:37:00.000-05:00

If you're one of the many lucky Wii owners out there who has connected to the internet and WiiConnect24, you should have enjoyed playing around with the just-released "News Channel" today.

I have to say that I'm extremely impressed. Not only is the interface slick and the music great, but the "News Channel" is simply fun to use. The cat from the "Photo Channel makes a cameo, news articles can be found by category, the ever-popular Globe from the "Forecast Channel" has returned and is better than ever, and the Slide Show mode just ingenius.

Information is easy to acquire and there is already a lot of content available. There is a nice spectrum of font sizes for easy reading, and there's even a nifty underlining feature that's accessible by holding down the "1" button.

Very nice, Nintendo. Keep up the good work, and I hope to hear some channel announcements soon!

Quick Public Service Announcement

2007-01-26T23:34:00.000-05:00

I will explode if I do not say this.

Nintendo's new home console is not called "Nintendo Wii." It is called "Wii."

k.
thx.
bai.

Rosie vs. Trump

2007-01-13T14:30:00.000-05:00

If you've been paying any sort of attention to the scary land of celebrity relationships at all lately, then you must be aware of the feud going on between Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump.

The video below is perfect for the weekend. It's a hilarious satire about the feud, and it not only features the two stars, but it even has Satan!

(Warning: Extremely Suggestive Material Ahead)

Direct Link

The 1980's Strike Back

2007-01-13T14:22:00.000-05:00

That explains it all. Kind of.

Apparently "Guitar Hero: 1980's Edition" is coming, according to Kotaku.

I've never played Guitar Hero, but I would like to. Maybe this'll be my entrance to the series.

The Hall of Justice's LEGO Reconstruction

2007-01-13T13:29:00.000-05:00

So, what do you talk about with your best friends? Odds are, it isn't LEGOs. However, with one of my best friends, LEGOs are a very common topic, even though I can't make anything with them.

Today, he shows me what I'm convinced is one of the funniest LEGO creations I've ever seen.

Remember "Super Friends," and how Batman and Co.'s lair was the Hall of Justice?

Introducing the new and improved Hall of Justice, the:

"Hall Of A Good Time"

It is necesary that all "Super Friends" fans see this, and it is even more essential that all Batman fans look at this.

(Warning: Suggestive Themes Ahead)

iPhone = Sexy

2007-01-13T09:17:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry, I can't resist anymore. I need to squeel over iPhone.

For some reason I'm more excited about the motion sensors, the multi-touch screen, and a more efficient voice mail system than the built-in iPod and other features. Wow.

But still, I'm very impressed with iPhone's style and features. Call me a tech whore, but I'm looking forward to seeing more of this baby.

As for the worry that iPhone will steal DS's thunder or something, I don't personally think that will happen. Not only is the iPhone priced like the PLAYSTATION 3 and more focused on multimedia features and internet connectivity, but more importantly, it doesn't have a single game announced for it yet.

All I know is that I'm liking it so far, we'll have to see how the final product ends up working.

Head here to see all of the juicy, luscious features of iPhone.

Browsing...

2007-01-13T09:06:00.000-05:00

I noticed that the Super Smash Blog had, at long last, been updated again, and so I checked out a few threads on the Smash World Forums that it directed me to. I came across this wonderful gem in Destruction_King's signature:

"Everytime you say Cloud, Sephiroth, or Master Chief should be in SSBB, the average intelligence of the human race drops by 1."

So true, especially in regards to Master Chief. Microsoft's star character appearing on a competing home console? I say no. Maybe he can appear on the DS, but certainly not on the Wii.

As some would say, kthxbai.

Import Review Of Pokemon Battle Revolution: It's Hot!

2007-01-12T20:50:00.000-05:00

Wow.

I am very impressed.

I didn't expect Pokemon Battle Revolution to turn out as well as it seems to have. This import review for the game by Mr. Sephiroth is extremely positive, giving the game a 91/100.

This game is certainly looking like a winner, and it seems to have a strong online component as well.

Very nice.

Elite Beat Agents Is My Anti-Drug

2007-01-12T18:51:00.000-05:00

This game has so much personality...I absolutely love it. It is such a shame that it has essentially bombed at retail in the US.

Elite Beat Agents is one of the funniest games I own for DS, and playing it is one of the most euphoric rhythm games you'll ever get on any console, even if you don't care for the song selection present in E.B.A..

Just marvel at its beauty in the video below. If you see it, buy it up instantly. There is absolutely no way you can go wrong with Elite Beat Agents. It is the perfect game to just pull out and blow a few minutes with, and many times you'll get hooked and you'll be sucked in for hours.

Note: It's recommended that you go take the direct link because it looks a lot better resized to its appropriate proportions.

Wow...It's Almost 2007

2006-12-30T17:50:00.000-05:00

As we all know, 2007 will be a very important year in the console wars. After all of the initial launch hype is gone, we will begin to see how hardware sales fall. The PS3, Wii, and the XBox 360 are going to need a steady stream of quality titles and downloadable titles to maintain momentum. What surprises will be unveiled? Will Microsoft finally manage to earn somewhat respectable sales for the XBox 360 in Japan? Will the PLAYSTATION 3 gain more exclusives and outsell its older brother? Will the Wii hype last as Nintendo releases more software?

Then there's the handheld war between Nintendo DS and Sony's PSP. If this rumored 60GB HDD add-on for the PSP is a reality, how will it impact handheld sales? What is next for the DS's Touch Generations brand? Will a next-generation GameBoy be revealed?

Your guess is as good as mine, but all I know is that I'm sure looking forward to seeing how the video game industry will expand and how the definition of a video game will change.

Multiple Friend Codes?

2006-12-15T10:08:00.000-05:00

Apparently, Japan's Pokemon Battle Revolution is sporting friend codes for online play that are seperate from each Wii console's Wii Number.

This aggrivates us all to no end, for the most part.

Hopefully, Nintendo has taken to heart the complaints about the DS's friend code system, and perhaps will offer a way to exchange the numbers more freely and easily.

Sure, we can use the message board to send our codes for individual games to other registered Wii consoles, but that is extremely clunky, in my opinion. Of course, it is better than nothing, but I was really hoping that Nintendo had taken the Wii version of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in a different direction.

At the same time, this news has just broke and Nintendo really hasn't even talked about their online gaming plans at this point. So, perhaps then, in the future, there will be a different way of handling this. Or maybe this really is a one time deal. But I severely doubt that this is the only time this system will rear its head on Wii, as Nintendo would have included Pokemon in the standardized Wii version of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection...

...right?

Old News. But Still Worth Wowing Over.

2006-12-14T21:20:00.000-05:00

Dragon Quest IX is on DS.

Wow.

This is really bad for Sony...I mean, the "numbered" Dragon Quest series is a enormous cash cow for their platforms. Nintendo has just scored BIG here. DS sales are already through the roof in Japan, selling what the XBox 360 sells in a year in a single week.

When this Dragon Quest launches, not only will DS continue to annihilate the PSP's sales, but it will most likely propell sales to Godly high levels. Perhaps the Wii will also see some more Dragon Quest content. Dragon Quest Swords is already being developed for the console, but will Dragon Quest X be a Wii exclusive? Only time will tell, but if so, then perhaps Wii will be able to jettison very far ahead.

Of course, in this era, one game won't cause a console to "win." However, having Dragon Quest on your side really would help. And as far as the DS is concerned, it has some of Japan's most popular series: Pokemon, Final Fantasy, Brain Training, and now, Dragon Quest. No wonder why it "prints money."

Kudos to Mr. Iwata, Nintendo and Square-Enix for patching up relations, because Square-Enix's recently renewed support for Nintendo platforms looks like it's really about to start paying off for both companies.

Am I The Only One Who's Interested In Forever Blue?

2006-12-14T18:12:00.000-05:00

Absolutely no one is talking about this game. Forever Blue, to me, appears to be a kind of game that we need to see more of based on the limited knowledge we have of it right now. Basically, using the Wii Remote, you explore the ocean, and via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, you and others can explore together.

This is the kind of game I've personally always hoped would come out correctly. A game that's just totally based on exploring things at your leisure, without any form of direction...operating off of the pure joy of discovering something new. Of course, many games have these elements in them, but there aren't many titles that focus on this one element alone and make the game itself easily accessible.

Titles like these, in my opinion, are what Wii is about. Titles where people can interact with games differently and in new ways than before for as long or as short of a time as they please. So then, this could really be a user-expansion title. Since the game is online, as well, it'd serve as a great introduction to online console play for new gamer.

Forever Blue has a lot of potential, and I think we should really pay attention to it as time goes on and new details are learned. I simply hope that there isn't much direction to the game at all so that it can be that title I've been so desperately wanting.

Two Million Wii's Sold?

2006-12-14T17:56:00.000-05:00

Wow. Simply wow. Yeah, this is kind of old, I know. But the official sales numbers haven't come out yet, and so I'll still wowing until I see them.

It hasn't even been a month and the Wii has apparently sold through two million units worldwide. That is astounding. I think it's clear now that the hype surrounding Wii has jettisoned to a level that not many people thought possible, especially with PLAYSTATION 3 biting at its heels.

Of course, this being launch, nothing is for certain. However, once things calm down, if Wii continues at a pace that's about in line with DS, PS3 may not be able to stand a chance. Sure, there are production problems at the moment, and that situation will probably improve. However, if Wii gets enough of a lead on PS3 before that happens, then maybe that gap between total units sold may be a little bit tighter.

Regardless, this would be excellent news for Nintendo and Wii. Once Brain Training/Big Brain Academy and some more user-expansion titles such as Wii Music launch, as well as Mario and Animal Crossing, we'll see a sales explosion, not to mention Pokemon Battle Revolution.

Perhaps Nintendo will finally become number one console manufacturer again. From my point of view, that would be a huge win for the industry.

Okay, Okay

2006-12-10T10:22:00.000-05:00

I dropped the ball. I know. Not like I had any fans to begin with, but I still messed up. So I just deleted some junk that threw off the formatting, and now I'm ready to push this thing forward.

So this blog should hopefully get on track very soon.

Maybe I'll get a reader. >__>

Rumors make Green SQUEE

2006-09-10T14:30:00.000-04:00

Well, more Wii rumors are flying around.

The latest and juiciest as of late is one that originates on the IGN Insider boards.

Apparently, someone by the name of IheartNintendo has claimed that the Wii will ship with 2 Wiimotes and Nunchaku attachments, as well as Wii Sports and maybe even a 512MB SD Card.

I would love for this to happen, but who knows. Perhaps we'll find out at those press events in the coming days. Regardless, it sounds like it'd be a great value, especially with the price point being $250 or less...and as the latest rumor goes, potentially $150.

I'm sure looking forward to Twilight Princess's story...

2006-09-10T14:12:00.000-04:00

I just saw this quote from Wind Waker again:

My country lay within a vast desert. When the sun rose into the sky, a burning wind punished my lands, searing the world. And when the moon climbed into the dark of night, a frigid gale pierced our homes. No matter when it came, the wind carried the same thing... Death. But the winds that blew across the green fields of Hyrule brought something other than suffering and ruin. I coveted that wind, I suppose. - Ganondorf

I love how Ganondorf is finally being fleshed out. With Twilight Princess on the way and Ganon appearing in some form...I just hope we can get some real character development going on. Maybe we'll even get an explanation of what happened that caused Hyrule to submerge.

Miyamoto, Aonuma.....I'm waiting....we all are....

Oh God, it's a blog!

2006-09-09T14:14:00.000-04:00

Wow. This whole blogging thing is interesting.

*yawn*

Well uh, I guess if you're interested in my video-game ramblings, you could check back here. Or not.

More soon...