Posted by Jim Avery in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off

Rock Band DLC Update: 6/30/09

Wii owners will be treated to a somewhat on-time DLC delivery this week, with the arrival of a new Pearl Jam three-pack; these three songs come off the newly re-released special edition of Ten. In addition, other tracks from the Offspring, Mission of Burma, Lacuna Coil and more will be showing up for download. All tracks cost 200 Wii Points and are downloaded in-game.

Deep Purple "Space Truckin’"
George Thorogood "Bad to the Bone"
Harvey Danger "Cream and Bastards Rise"
In This Moment "Forever"
Lacuna Coil "Closer"
Lacuna Coil "Swamped"
Mission of Burma "Mica"
Mission of Burma "That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate"
Mission of Burma "That’s When I Reach for My Revolver"
The Offspring "Gone Away"
The Offspring "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"
Panic at the Disco "She’s a Handsome Woman"
Pearl Jam "Brother"
Pearl Jam "Alive (Live: Drop in the Park)"
Pearl Jam "State of Love and Trust (Live: Drop in the Park)"
Snow Patrol "Take Back the City"

"Gone Away" is one of my all-time favorite songs, but it’s not quite as fun to play as it is to listen to. I do want to check out "State of Love and Trust" though.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off

Nintendo Download: 6/29/09

DSiWare: Sudoku Master, 500 Nintendo Points

This Sudoku collection offers 150 puzzles to test your brain with, as well as several tutorials and a Title Mode that apparently lets you work your way up the Sudoku ranks. The puzzles were created by Nikoli Co., Ltd., and the game comes with tips from Sudoku master Maki Kaji.

WiiWare: Water Warfare, 800 Wii Points

This "first person squirter" puts a water pistol in your hand instead of a more conventional firearm. There are three map themes to choose from, creating a randomized map each time you play. You can play a two-player split-screen match locally, or with up to seven other players online.

WiiWare: Reel Fishing Challenge, 500 Wii Points

This fishing simulator promises excellent environments, with realistic-looking and -moving fish and a variety of lures. Try to catch specific kinds of fish in mission mode, or just kick back and relax with free play mode.

WiiWare: Silver Star Reversi, 500 Wii Points

If you remember Silver Star Chess, this is the same deal with a new game. Play against another human or against one of five computer opponents; you can save mid-match, review moves post-match and restart a match from any point during review.

Master System: Fantasy Zone II: the Tears of Opa-Opa, 500 Wii Points

The Nenon planet forces are once again attacking the planets of the Fantasy Zone, and Opa-Opa is once again responsible for saving the day. The gameplay seems the same as before, as the press release offers no gameplay details.

I’ve heard about Water Warfare, it seems like it could be pretty good. Also I need to play more Sudoku.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off

The Return Of The Returners

If you remember the Legend of Zelda marathon that took place a while back, the same folks are back with another one. On July 10 at 6pm EDT (3pm PDT), The Returners will be holding a RPG marathon, consisting of 72 hours of role-playing games from the Nintendo 64 era and earlier; the current list of games includes Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy IX, though the list may grow as the date approaches. The marathon will be raising money for Child’s Play, a charity founded by webcomic Penny Arcade that seeks to provide entertainment to children’s hospitals in the form of video games for the patients, among other things. Donations will run from July 6 to July 20 and will go entirely to the charity; donators will need either a PayPal account or a credit card. The marathon will be streamed live at their website.

According to the Returners, "we exist as a fundraising group dedicated to raising money for various organizations through the medium of video game marathons streamed live over the Internet. We provide entertainment for our viewers, including a live commentary feed so that they can interact with the members of our group and a method to actively donate. We strive to provide a suitable and courteous environment in which to show that video games are not always as bad as the media might otherwise suggest and to provide people with a place they can come together to watch something they might enjoy while being able to donate to worthy causes and help out the community while enjoying themselves."

Child’s Play has always seemed like a worthy cause to me, and besides that, I like watching people play games over the internet. Here’s hoping they decide to add Earthbound to the list.

Posted by Jim Avery in Miscellaneous | Comments Off

Fixin’ the Wii

So as it turns out, my Wii has been malfunctioning for some time, about a month. Neither the audio or the video work, even when I try out different cables. Now that E3 is over, I decided to finally call Nintendo and work out a repair thing, so my Wii will be headed back for a fix over the next two to three weeks. This means that unfortunately I won’t be able to get to a couple of review titles until the machine returns, so I’ll be playing my 360 and my handhelds for a little while. Expect a Minis March On! review from me soon, I’ve been playing a fair bit of that recently.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News, Nintendo DS | Comments Off

New SMT: Devil Survivor Videos Escape Tokyo

To celebrate the release of the DS RPG Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, Atlus USA has unleashed five new gameplay videos upon an unsuspecting public. They’re showing off the dynamically changing battle system, demon auction and fusion, and characters named Mari Mochizuki and Midori Dolly Komaki. Devil Survivor is rated T and is currently available.

I’ve never played a SMT game before, but the rep at Atlus a couple weeks ago assured me this wasn’t a bad place to start.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off

Rock Band DLC Update: 6/23/09

While Wii owners are getting a rather hefty 16 tracks from the back catalog, including three tracks each from Nine Inch Nails, Weezer and the Dead Kennedys, Wii owners are now two weeks behind with up-to-date updates, missing out on a Warped Tour track pack, as well as new Evanescence and Spinal Tap music. Each of these tracks costs 200 Wii Points and is downloaded in-game, with the exception of "Yomp" by thenewno2, which only costs 100 Wii Points.

The Cab "One of THOSE Nights"
Dashboard Confessional "Hands Down"
Dead Kennedys "California Uber Alles"
Dead Kennedys "Holiday in Cambodia"
Dead Kennedys "Police Truck"
Free "All Right Now"
Nine Inch Nails "Burn"
Nine Inch Nails "Capital G"
Nine Inch Nails "Last"
Scars on Broadway "They Say"
Staind "This Is It"
Testament "Electric Crown"
thenewno2 "Yomp"
Weezer "Dreamin"
Weezer "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived"
Weezer "Troublemaker"

I’d like this update more if they were using the second version of Holiday in Cambodia, which is a much more intense affair. Also, Wii owners need that Warped Tour pack so they can download another great Bad Religion song.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off

Nintendo Download: 6/22/09

DSiWare: Art Style: Boxlife, 500 Nintendo Points

Like the other Art Style games, Boxlife is very simple and straightforward; using the stylus, you’ll be cutting paper into box shapes, then assembling them into boxes as fast as you can lest you be penalized. You have R&D mode where you learn new patterns and move up the ranks, or Factory mode, which is an endless paper cutting mode. As you get promoted, you’ll get more money to buy things for your character’s tiny garden.

WiiWare: Drill Sergeant Mindstrong, 800 Wii Points

You and three other worthless maggots are about to get your brains whipped into shape. Mindstrong will test your noggin with a series of brain-teasing, quick-response puzzles. The press release notes that "this game is best played with friends and family."

WiiWare: Family Mini Golf, 500 Wii Points

The family’s back with another new sport to play. As you go through several mini-golf courses, you’ll encounter bumpers, speed ramps, fans and other random obstacles. You can also head online and download new courses for you and up to seven others to tackle.

WiiWare: Neves Plus, 600 Wii Points

The popular new puzzler has arrived on WiiWare; rotate the given blocks into the correct shapes to find the solution to over 500 different block puzzles. This version of the game also includes several new multiplayer modes, including Versus, Speed, Lucky Number and Party Mode.

TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM: SimEarth: the Living Planet, 800 Wii Points

Life is slowly taking shape on the surface of the planet Earth; it’s up to you, as some sort of omnipotent deity, to carefully maintain the planet’s conditions and atmosphere so that your civilization can thrive until it branches out to other planets. You’ll have to make some very subtle changes if you want to get anywhere, as large-scale transformations will spell doom for your fledgling life forms. You can also try your hand at terraforming Mars or Venus.

I remember buying SimEarth on PC a long time ago, when I was way too young to know how to play it. I didn’t get very far.

Posted by Mark Surber in Miscellaneous | Comments Off

E3 Impressions: PDP

Squeeballs is a tech demo game being sold along with the new motion sensing controller for the Xbox 360, the Gametrak Freedom. I was able to squeeze into the PDP booth without an official appointment to grab some time with this game along with quick look at the truly remarkable charging system they’ve come up with for the Wii remote.

Playing with the Gametrak Freedom was quite interesting, and after years of playing with the Wii remote it seemed a little awkward and not quite as intuitive. During a shooting game I had quite a bit of trouble since my instinct was simply to aim by pointing at the screen, but the game was designed so that if I wanted to shoot something in the top right corner, I had to actually move my arm up and to the right. The result was that my hand had to move around in an area in front of me perhaps two feet tall and two feet wide to aim a reticule that on the Wii would simply be a movement of the wrist. From what the PR guy told me, it seemed like the Gametrak Freedom could be programmed to function more like a Wii remote, but the ability to accurately track motion like the ones I was forced to use is promising. I hope it can be put to better use later on. It seems as though PDP has jumped ahead of Nintendo by making a $35 controller that already matches closely the capability of the Wii Motion Plus.

The Wii version of Squeeballs was not playable at E3. Or maybe it was and I didn’t get a chance at it. I forget now. Either way, I didn’t actually play it. However, from the overview I got, it plays pretty much the same as the Xbox version with the Gametrak Freedom, but since it uses the normal Wii remote, it plays more like you would expect a motion control game to. Since the Wii version of Squeeballs does not come with any hardware, it will retail for $39.99, a price point that should do well for them. Because the Xbox version is packaged with one Gametrak Freedom, it will be $69.99. That’s a bit more than your average Xbox game, but it’s an awfully cheap way to give the 360 the wiggle controls.

Playing with Squeeballs was interesting, but the real reason for my interest in PDP was their lineup of charging solutions for Wii remotes. PDP makes the basic two-remote charging stand, along with a snazzy looking stand to charge four remotes, but they went much further than anyone else with their designs. First off, they make a standard charging stand that makes room for the Motion Plus to remain attached during charging. Second, they partnered up with one of the most trusted brands in batteries: Energizer. Finally, through their partnership with Energizer, PDP developed a charging stand that lets you charge your Wii remotes without any kind of direct electrical contact. The Wii 2X Induction Charge Station uses induction coils to wirelessly transfer electricity from the charging stand to the special battery that comes with the system. This means that you can not only leave the Motion Plus plugged into the remote, but you can also leave the remote in the sleeve. You could probably even leave it in the gun attachment or in the steering wheel. All it needs is to be close to the stand and it will automatically begin charging just like it should.

Several reviewers have noted that the charge time is considerably longer than it would be on a normal charger, but it turns out ’considerably longer’ is still only five to eight hours. Basically it will need to charge overnight, but once it is charged, it will last just as long as any other rechargeable battery pack. At $49.99 it is a bit expensive, but the sleek design and great convenience through impressive technology make it worth it. If I wasn’t broke I’d already have one of these. I’ll probably end up with one of these anyway.

Posted by Andrea Campton in Miscellaneous | 1 Comment

Nintendo’s Denise Kaigler Sets The Record Straight

For those who are new to the site, feel free to check out our impressions of many of the companies on this page.

Once again Denise Kaigler, VP of Corporate Affairs for Nintendo of America took time for an interview with NintendoGal.com at E3.  In the interview she discusses the E3 show floor and consumer experiences with Nintendo.

NintendoGal.com: Now that a little over a year has passed since you joined Nintendo, I think it’s about a year and a few months now.

Denise Kaigler: Yeah a year and four months, February of last year.  

NG: How are you faring?

DK: You tell me! [laughs]  I mean you tell me, I read about it in some of the online comments.  I feel really good, I’m having fun.  I enjoy talking to you guys and who doesn’t love playing Nintendo games.  I enjoy traveling, I travel a lot.

NG: To all the different offices?

DK: Yep.  I still do my work cycles.  I work out of the New York office where the internet and trend marketing team are, one week a month.  I work out of the headquarters in Redmond, three, four days a month.  Then Redwood City, my primary base, I’m there, two weeks a month.  The rest of the time, traveling to different events around the country. [I also] travel to Europe and Japan.

NG: A jet setter!

DK: I’m pretty much in a perpetual state of travel, but it is what it is.  I enjoy it.  Given what we do, you’ve got to get out and about and see how folks are responding to our games.  That’s what’s fun about traveling.  I love walking in airports and sitting in airports seeing people play the DS and when people see that I work for Nintendo, I love the stories that I hear.  All of a sudden you hear everything!  "My mother has a Wii and my brother has a Wii and my son has a DS."  I was on a plane with my DSi and the guy sitting next to me asked if it was the new DSi.  Of course he didn’t know I worked for Nintendo at the time.  And I said yep I’m playing it. 

Later on the flight, I had to do some work, of course he’s looking.  I now have a privacy screen because you’ll see people looking over [at laptops].  I never work on confidential information on an airplane because everyone can see it.  [What I was working on] wasn’t anything confidential, but it had Nintendo on it and he goes, "You work for Nintendo?"  It’s so funny too because part of me wants to go, "How would you know, why are you looking over at my screen," but then it started a fun conversation about Nintendo.  It’s so great to hear people want to share their stories with us about their experience with our games.  In that respect to get that kind of real time feedback is pretty cool.  And of course we get a lot of letters and e-mail and phone calls, it’s cool.

NG: Why weren’t you part of the media briefing presentation this year?

DK: Was there an expectation that I would be? [laughs]

Denise during last year’s Nintendo E3 media briefing.

NG: You were there last year! So I kind of noticed you weren’t up there this year.

DK: You know last year was my first E3.  It was an interesting case.  The only reason I was [on stage] was because I was at NCL (Japanese headquarters) a few months prior [with] Mr. Miyamoto’s development team and deciding what games were ready to be announced at E3.  Wii Music was one of the games they wanted me to look at and see what I thought about the game.  Next thing I know I’ve got a Wii Remote in my hand and the development team put the game in and I didn’t know anything about how the game worked.  They just said have at it and I was rocking to Wii Music and they liked the exuberance, excitement that I genuinely displayed.

NG: They didn’t have anything for you to do that with this year?

DK: Well the format was just different.  I work on overseeing that whole aspect of E3, but there’s a huge team that works to pull our whole presence together.  And so the work that I do, it’s a lot.  So to not actually be in the media briefing, it wasn’t even discussed.  Did you miss me?

NG: Yeah, you just looked like you were having so much fun up there!  I thought at least you’d come out for another demonstration or something.

DK: Yeah, no, just wasn’t anything [for me to demonstrate].  We never even talked about it.  Who knows, but thanks for missing me! [laughs]

NG: Did Nintendo feel pressured to present the media briefing in a different way than last year from all the backlash?

DK: I’m curious about your premise, that we chose a different format because of something.  So why do you ask the question?

NG: Because there were so many media outlets who were just not pleased with your presentation.  They thought that the Wii Music part was bad.  They thought that Cammie was talking down to them.  For this year they were saying she didn’t smile as much so she can’t win for losing.  It just seemed like last year you guys caught hell for the different format because you didn’t announce four different Mario games and a Metroid game all in one package.

DK: We announce games that are ready to be announced.  It’s as simple as that.  The games that we announced this year were games that were ready to be announced this year.  We certainly want to try very hard to make sure that we’re announcing games, that we’re showing games and experiences that the core will enjoy as well as the expanded audience.  And by your question I’m assuming that you guys, and by you guys I mean the core, believes that we struggled to strike that balance.  And you believe that we did give the core something we may not have given last year.  That’s a good thing right?

NG: Yep.

DK: OK so the core is happy with what we announced this year?  Then, we’re very happy about that.  So thank you for letting us know because it is important that you guys are happy with us.  Just know that we know that we got to make sure that we’re giving you guys what you want and it’s something that we talk about.  It’s something that we’re cognizant of.  We’re working hard to do it.

NG: Did the changes this year to E3 effect the way Nintendo planned for the event?  Obviously your booth is much bigger this year.

DK: Yes, that is true.  We certainly knew we were going from 6,000 to 30,000, we heard anywhere from 20,000 to 45,000 people so absolutely that went into our decision to make the booth bigger.  That was one, also we knew we had many more games that we were going to showcase last year, so we needed the space for all the interactives.  We were certainly hoping that the types of games that we were announcing this year would draw the large crowds this year and we would need the space.  And we see we’ve done exactly that.  It’s so cool to go down and walk the show floor and see all the people, not just people, but happy people, lining up to see New Super Mario Bros. Wii, huge lines.

Random happy folks getting their photo taken with the voice of Mario.

NG: With Charles Martinet.

DK: Charles is there yes, excuse me, Mario and Luigi are down there. [laughs] And Zelda [Spirit Tracks], huge lines going around the corner.  So we’re happy about that.  Wii Sports Resort has huge lines for those games.  What we do constantly is we get real time feedback from the show floor, so we see that there are long lines for certain games.  We want to make sure that folks aren’t getting frustrated with waiting in line too long.  So we turn other interactives into another game.  We did see [the need] for that. 

We only had one Archery game set up for Wii Sports Resort and there was a long line for it so we turned two more interactives into Archery, so we could help cut down the lines so people didn’t get frustrated waiting so long.  Archery was one, Zelda Spirit Tracks is another, so I think we did increase the number of game stations for that.  We already had multiple New Super Mario Bros. Wii interactives set up and I don’t think there was anymore we could do for that.  I want to say we had eight.  It’s exciting to see that we are making our consumers smile.  They’re literally having a ball with those games and that’s what it’s all about, that’s why we’re here.  That’s why you guys are here!

Zelda Spirit Tracks line on Wednesday afternoon.

NG: So much fun!

DK: Right, we want you guys to have fun, now, today, we want you to have fun.

NG: Speaking of Mario..

DK: I love Mario.

NG: Why a new Mario now instead of another game from another franchise?

DK: Don’t tell me you don’t want a lot of Mario!

NG: This was a question from one of my staffers, I enjoy Mario.

DK: We can’t imagine that anybody could have too much of Mario.  That’s our thinking.  Can anyone core, expanded alike ever have too much Mario?  Within Nintendo’s walls is a resounding no.  We can’t imagine that it can be.  I can tell you from the response and you were there, you heard it, from both Super Mario Galaxy 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, huge round of applause.  So that tells us that we did the right thing.  Then of course the DS Mario games.  We don’t think we can give our consumers too much Mario.

NG: I guess that answers my next question then: Do you think the amount of newly announced Mario games will oversaturate the market?

DK: He’s already sold 200 games.  We think there’s plenty more where that came from.  I think there’s a lot more potential because as we continue to bring in more and more gamers into this industry, then that introduce more to him.  Mario is of course one of the most iconic video game figures in the world.  There’s always someone who hasn’t experienced a Mario game.  We can continue to bring that experience that you certainly enjoyed for so long [to you].  We want other people to enjoy those experiences as well.  So we want to make sure we keep Mario very, very busy.  It’s just great to see him in 3-D, [make two appearances on the same console for the first time] in a game.  Now he’s riding a dinosaur out in space.  I mean it’s just fun!  I must have seen the trailer twenty times and I laugh each time I see that trailer.  Who can’t laugh at seeing Mario riding Yoshi into space, it’s just fun.  It’s all about having fun!

NG: How can Nintendo afford to produce four big name titles at the same time?

DK: Aren’t you guys worth it?  [laughs]  

NG: [laughs]

DK: That’s my answer.  Isn’t the video game consumer worth it?  Isn’t whatever we can do to make consumers laugh and have fun worth it?  That’s what our thinking is.  That’s our commitment to the industry is to continue to deliver fun, immersive experiences to both the core and the expanded audience.  We’re going to try to keep living up to that commitment.  

NG: Speaking of Wii Motion Plus, why did Mr. Miyamoto in the developer round table last night state that possibly a core game’s future in some regard would be determined by a seemingly casual game, Wii Sports Resort and is this commonplace for Nintendo?

DK: I can tell you that Mr. Miyamoto did confirm he is working on a Zelda Wii.  That he’s working hard for the game to hit the market sometime next year and that there’s a chance the game will be Wii Motion Plus compatible, but he did not confirm anything.  He’s working with that in mind.  I would think that would be pretty cool for all the Zelda fans out there.

NG: I’m just kind of curious though if that’s a normal thing, for something casual to affect your core game, like in the development.  Like if the casual game does well, will that effect what you do with the core game.

DK: Right.  I don’t want to speak for Mr. Miyamoto, I mean who can! [laugh] Is that something that’s normal?  I don’t know and I certainly don’t pretend to know all that goes into the decisions or how the developers decide what accessories or what peripherals will be used with the different software.  I’m sure there are a lot of factors.

NG: Is Nintendo going to allow other 3rd party companies to bundle the Wii Motion Plus attachment, or are EA and Ubisoft enough?

DK: All of our licensees are excited by the Wii Motion Plus technology.  We’re excited to see what they have in store.  The licensing department is very busy and we’re excited to see the upcoming games from EA and SEGA.  Certainly thrilled that Ubisoft has made Red Steel 2 exclusively compatible with Wii Motion Plus.  That’s certainly a great validation of the importance of using that accessory for the most precise game play experience.  We’re thrilled Ubisoft’s decision to do that.  We can’t wait to see what the other licensees come up with.

NG: Switching gears slightly, is Nintendo planning on pushing Metroid Trilogy as hard with Metroid: Other M the on horizon?

DK: Well Other M isn’t coming out until next year, 2010.  We haven’t even talked about what the marketing plans are for Metroid: Other M.  My guess is that there are so many fans of Metroid out there that I think we’ll find a fan for every single Metroid game that hits the market.  Based on the reaction to the game yesterday, yeah, there’s a huge pent up demand and excitement for that franchise.  When I walked out as soon as the media briefing was over [to the theater where it was being streamed], all I heard was, "Metroid! Metroid!"  Like screaming out in the [Club Nokia] plaza.  It was awesome to see so many people just literally screaming Metroid.  So we were happy about that.  

NG: Finally, what do you say to those fans out there who you describe as having an "insatiable appetite for everything Nintendo" who still aren’t quite satisfied with the display from Nintendo this year?

DK: You know what?  I’m so glad you asked me that question because it was Shoe [Dan Hsu] from Bitmob who did the interview and when I answered his question, he understood what I was saying and got it right away and ran it.  When I read the Kotaku piece, I didn’t quite understand, I was talking with you and GoNintendo about this last night and he [Kevin Cassidy] understood.  I didn’t understand where they were going with that, with their interpretation of what I said.  My point was that core gamers, Nintendo fanboys, love our games.  We absolutely love that the fanboys love our games.  We absolutely want to make sure that we are always making them feel that that love and appreciation for our products is appreciated.  And we’ll work hard to give them what they’re looking for because we know that they will always want more and more and more.  So when I say insatiable appetite, it means they’re always are going to want more and more Nintendo.  That’s a good thing.  We want people to continue to want, not that we don’t want to ever satisfy them.  I think that’s the way it came across on Kotaku, that we don’t want to satisfy them.

NG: I think they were spinning it a different way.

DK: Exactly!  And they were and my point was, no we know they will always want more and more Nintendo.  We certainly heard the reaction to Super Mario Galaxy 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, even Golden Sun, Metroid, that there was such a great response shows that they want these games from Nintendo.  That was my point, that we know we want these guys to want games from us.  Who doesn’t want to be wanted?

NG: Exactly.

DK: We want to be wanted, but we also want to make sure that we are giving the core consumer what they want.  We hope that what we’re showcasing here at E3 is doing exactly that.  That was certainly something that we came into this show wanting to make sure we do.  Based on what we’ve been hearing we hoped we delivered on that commitment.

We’d like to thank Denise once again for the interview!

Posted by Andrea Campton in General News, Nintendo DS | Comments Off

First US Nostalgia Trailer Released

Ignition Entertainment has released the first official US trailer for their upcoming game Nostalgia.  The trailer mixes what looks to be cut scenes or promotional video of the game with actual gameplay.  It runs a little over two minutes and has some epic feeling music as background music.  Check it out for yourself down below!

Posted by Jim Avery in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off

Rock Band DLC Update: 6/16/09

This week’s DLC update includes a flurry of back catalog tracks, 24 in total, from bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Coheed & Cambria, the Dixie Chicks, Trapt and Phish. As a bonus, some of the songs are available at the reduced price of 100 Wii Points; all others cost 200 Wii Points. All are downloaded in-game.

Avenged Sevenfold “Critical Acclaim”
Ben Harper and Relentless7 “Shimmer & Shine”
Brad Paisley “Mud on the Tires”
Brooks & Dunn “Hillbillie Deluxe”
Coheed and Cambria “A Favor House Atlantic”
Coheed and Cambria “The Running Free”
Crooked X “Rock & Roll Dream” *
Dierks Bentley “Free & Easy (Down the Road I Go)”
Dixie Chicks “Sin Wagon”
The Material “Moving to Seattle” *
Maximo Park “Girls Who Play Guitars”
Miranda Lambert “Gunpowder & Lead”
Motley Crue “Down at the Whisky”
The Myriad “A Clean Shot” *
Phish “Wilson (live)”
Rush “Closer to the Heart”
Shinedown “Devour”
Shinedown “Junkies for Fame”
Shooter Jennings “Steady at the Wheel”
Soundgarden “Jesus Christ Pose”
Soundgarden “Pretty Noose”
TV on the Radio “Wolf Like Me”
Them Terribles “Bullets & Guns” *
Trapt “Who’s Going Home With You Tonight?”

* Denotes a track available for 100 Wii Points.

We were confused for a bit, because the original press release indicated cheaper tracks with a + sign. We thought they meant to add a dollar to the price.

Posted by Andrea Campton in General News, Miscellaneous | Comments Off

Special E3 2009 Podcast!

A new podcast is available from NintendoGal.com.  As a warning, because we didn’t have the normal setup, volume levels aren’t optimal!  Check out the full details on the podcast page.

Posted by Andrea Campton in Miscellaneous | Comments Off

NintendoGal Podcast #8 (E3!)

This is our E3 2009 special, recorded down in Los Angeles while Mark, TSD, and I were in our hotel room.  It’s a bit short with a run time of about 45 minutes or so, but it’s packed with our impressions of what games we saw on the show floor.

The runtime for this episode is 47:52.

Download Podcast #8

Or stream it right on this page:

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Posted by Andrea Campton in Miscellaneous | Comments Off

E3 Impressions: Ubisoft

I was looking forward to a few games in this lineup, particularly the Rabbids Go Home game.  While that delivered exactly what I expected, I was somewhat disappointed by their other games that are trying to cater to the more seasoned gamer.

Red Steel 2 (Wii)

After sitting through the Ubisoft press conference, I was actually looking forward to giving Red Steel 2 a go.  The problem was, I wasn’t exactly ready for it and the game nearly kicked my inexperienced ass.  Then again it could be related to the control scheme, but I’ll let you be the judge.

When I grabbed the controller for the first time, the demonstrator had to keep nagging me to keep the Wii Remote pointed at the screen.  This was an annoyance through the entire playthrough to be honest because I had my camera bag on my shoulder.  Though players won’t have this, the constant need to keep the controller pointed forward is a nuisance.

As for the actual sword play, it does detect where you’re holding the controller, pretty closely to where it should be.  Swinging was a problem for me, I’m sort of used to the whole waggle deal where you sort of move your arm to perform actions.  The demonstrator was stressing to me that I needed to move more dramatically for a sword swing.  When I did do this, I was able to cut enemies down to size, but that wasn’t often.  Strangely the gun felt somewhat out of place in the game because you don’t need it, at least for the level I was on, to beat the bad guys.  In fact I only pulled it out a few times just to tinker around with it.

The main character reminds me of Alucard from Hellsing with the red trench coat and I have to wonder if they were influenced at all by that.  While the main character sports a unique look, the enemies are practically all the same besides the boss.

I was disappointed with this game, especially after my arms hurt from playing it for about 5 minutes.  This could be attributed to my wild flailing toward the end.  I’m not so sure however since you do need to keep the Wii Remote pointed forward.  If they could make the controls a bit more user friendly I think they’d have something miles beyond the first game.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up (Wii)

This game was vaguely on my radar ever since I saw screenshots of the game which reminded me of the Super Smash Bros. series.  Sadly it’s missing the depth of those fighting type games.  When I picked up the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to control the action, it felt like a waste.  This is probably due to the fact someone else was just using the Wii Remote itself to control their character.  Speaking of characters, for this demo, the selection were the four turtles, Splinter, April, and Shredder.  Unfortunately the only differences seemed to be how much tougher one character was to another.  This is due to the fact that the game seemed like a glorified button masher.  There were no ways to perform special moves that I saw, it was all a matter of attacking and blocking.  Sometimes not even the blocking was happening.

I’ll say that the game has the graphics going for it at this point.  Not much else because the gameplay was such a drag from the minor hype I had going into playing it.

Academy of Champions: Soccer (Wii)

I’m not much of a soccer fan, but Academy of Champions has me interested somewhat.  In the game you’re a kid that’s been invited to the best Soccer Academy in the world.  Pele, a legendary soccer player is the headmaster at the school and your goal is to put together a winning team.  You’ll have 4 terms to do it in with time passing with each action you perform, whether it be practice or an actual match.  Being able to customize your team is also something you’re able to do.

I will admit to skipping most of the story portions and caring mostly about playing soccer as the Rabbids.  I love those crazy rabbits and they’re hilarious on the field passing the ball back and forth.  The controls are simple, you use the Nunchuk stick to navigate while A & B on the Wii Remote are used for passing and kicking the ball toward the goal.  Each team has a special ability that gets charged through playing.  While I loved the Rabbids, Sam Fisher’s special attack of darkness while throwing on his goggles had me amused.

This is a title to keep an eye out for I think.  Even if the character design bothers you, the soccer portions are fun, especially with the themed teams.  The story mode in this case just seems like the cherry on the top of the cupcake.

Rabbids Go Home (Wii)

Every time I see a Rabbids commercial for something, they manage to at least get a smile out of me.  When I played Rabbids Go Home I can only remember myself grinning ear to ear however.  If you haven’t seen photos taken of outside the LA Convention Center, then you might not know the goal of the Rabbids is to build a junk pile all the way back to their newly decided home, the moon.  Sounds silly, but so is the execution of the game.

To collect materials for your pile, you’re in a shopping cart with another Rabbid.  You’re going around through a different levels collecting items here and there, but also defending and attacking your way through enemies who are humans wearing special green suits that they seem to think will protect them from the Rabbids.  Attack a few times and the enemy is taken care of.

Each Rabbid before the collection process can be customized to look freaky.  In the creation mode, the character is shown inside the Wii Remote and will react to your movements of the controller.  Shake it, and you’ll send the Rabbid bouncing off the walls involuntarily.  The best part here though besides the reaction is the customization.  I used an air tool that allowed me to plump up the eyes and ears, but I did so not evenly.  This has hilarious results due to the fact one eye was so huge, you might mistake it for a Rabbid sized watermelon attached to its face.

I think I spent a good 15 minutes playing the game.  It has an addictive quality and is great fun to play.  If you like a bit of craziness in your life, Rabbids Go Home may turn out to be a good match.

Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage (Wii)

This game was at the tail end of my booth tour and I was running out of time.  As such I was unable to play this as long as I’d have liked to.  With that said, it’s Shaun White, back on the Wii.  This time the crew want to go professional.  There’s also more flexibility in where you go instead of being completely linear.  Now you’re able to go where you want.  Twenty five slopes will be available with eight characters being new to the game are in it.

The controls I felt were a bit more tuned than the last version.  When I leaned around, the boarder tended more often than not to go that way.  It’s a solid feeling, but there were times it wasn’t picking up my heavy leaning to one side.  Aside from a few incidents, it was good.

I actually didn’t play much more than a few minutes of the previous game.  In a brief comparison though, this is much better than the first in terms of content and open ended play.  If you liked the first, you will want to at least check this out.

Posted by Andrea Campton in Miscellaneous | Comments Off

E3 Impressions: TOMY Corporation

At the TOMY booth I was shown two Naruto games and Pangya for the PSP.  Unfortunately due to exhaustion I was falling asleep during the Pangya section so I don’t have any real notes on it.  If you’re interested in that game I suggest visiting an outlet that covers the PSP.

NARUTO Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 (Wii)

If you’re a Naruto fan as I’ve become over the last few months, you’ve been waiting patiently for a Naruto game that finally begins to touch on the second series of the anime, Naruto Shippuden.  This game in particular however only covers the Gaara recovery arc of the story, meaning other villians from the antagonist organization Akatsuki won’t be in the game more than likely.  I wasn’t able to get a straight answer from the demonstrator on that which means they could be hidden characters.

The game itself is pretty much what Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 was except it’s set a few years later.  Naruto and company are older and their skills have improved with training.  In the game you’ll notice the characters are older and have different attacks.  Everything else seems to be intact, handicap settings, controls, and co-op.  Even the length of time in story mode is approximately the same.

One thing that has bothered me with these games however is the lack of the original Japanese voice tracks.  CONR 3 also suffers from this unfortunately and is in English only.  Aside from that however, those who did enjoy the last version as a fighting game will most likely want to check out the updated roster and newer story in this one.

NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 (DS)

This sequel to Ninja Destiny also on the Nintendo DS is a fighter that shares a bit with the first.  It’s a 3-D fighter that allows you to take the role of any one of 30 characters in the game.  Battles you fight allow you to gain experience while going through Story Mode will not yield this.  The length of Story Mode is approxiatemly 6-8 hours while Quest Mode, which does allow XP gains, is quite long with no specific clock time given.

The items are the same according to the demonstrator, though I wasn’t able to see for myself as time was short.  Items aren’t character specific so if you gain a few and decide you want to switch to another character, you’ll be able to use them with that selection.  Also the touch screen will allow you to use said items.

I’m interested to see how the RPG elements pan out in this game.  Usually I don’t care for random encounters, but perhaps this is where I can enjoy them with a franchise I can get into.

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E3 Impressions: Disney Interactive Studios

This year Disney has variety they didn’t quite have last year.  The games range from tween hits to family entertainment.  If you have kids who love Disney products, this might be worth your read.  To everyone else, there are a few games in here to give a legitimate chance before simply writing them off.

Disney Sing It Pop Hits (Wii)

It’s good to see DIS branching out a bit in the latest version of Sing It.  Instead of just Disney artists filling the track lists, there will be others.  This time they’ve also seemingly improved the vocal exercises which will test for accuracy.  The emphasis in the practice area seemed to be to learn to sing better though which is a plus for all those out there who are just as vocally challenged as I am.

If you’re wanting hear how well you did, there’s an encore mode which allows for this.  So if you’re being distracted by the actual music videos shown while it’s your turn to sing, you can relive it.  In multiplayer mode you can bid against other opponents, so distractions may be apart of a some people’s strategy, especially siblings I can imagine.

I’d say the improvements to the game from the previous version are worth at least watching Pop Hits if you bought the last game.

G-Force (Wii)

Not that I have been paying much attention to movies, but I hadn’t heard of G-Force prior to the booth visit.  It will be Jerry Bruckheimer’s first 3-D film and is about a covert government program that trains animals as spys.  The main force of this operation are guinea pigs one of whom is the leader, Darwin, which you’ll be controlling in the game.  You’ll also be able to buzz around as Mooch, a housefly.

The game is an action orientated platformer with puzzle elements.  To solve a few of these puzzles you’ll have to switch been Darwin and Mooch, depending on what the situation calls for. In your way of getting through the puzzles are evil household appliances like waffle irons and toasters.

When I got a brief chance to try out the game, Darwin was fun to control.  I was able to fly briefly with the jetpack (with A as I recall) he had equipped and shoot my gun at approaching enemies using B on the Wii Remote.  Navigation was done using the Nunchuk.  It seemed all pretty straight forward.

Graphically the game looks fine, with nothing too glaringly hideous or spectacular.  I should note that the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game will include glasses.  This is so you can play the game in 3-D as the movie will be seen in select theaters.

I was told that the game will have 15 hours of game play and will launch with the movie.  Not a bad movie game so far, especially if it builds on the movie experience with the game-only enemies, weapons, and locations.

Toy Story Mania! (Wii)

I haven’t been to a Disney park since I was young, but it’s no surprise that the company is always adding and changing the rides.  One such addition is Toy Story Mania! which has been met with praise.  Now a game with the same name hopes to capitalize on that, all while being Wii exclusive.

The game includes the games that are available to play on the ride, but also features a few that aren’t.  Playing is fairly simple and is done with a Wii Remote pointing at the screen.  If you’re expecting some sort of help with the aim, don’t be.  When I first started playing I commented on the fact there was no targeting retical.  This is because the ride offers no such aiming device and they want this to be as authentic as possible.  It wasn’t hard to adjust for this however and ring tossing at planets was a breeze.  Your goal is to amass as many points as you can muster with all objects being worth a set number of points.  If you target certain areas of a stage, you can trigger Easter eggs that will reveal even higher point objects.

One game I was able to sample that isn’t in the original ride was Ski-ball.  You simply fling your Wii Remote at the screen to make the ball go down the ramp.  It’s actually important to watch how hard you swing because you can end up flying over the hole you’re wanting to get points in.  Aiming is possible as well and allowed me to score some quick points over the demonstrator, much to his disappointment.

Something I was unable to see was the 3-D levels for which the game will ship with special glasses so you can see the effect.  Other portions I didn’t get to see in detail, but are in the game are the unlockables which are the way to reveal the 3-D levels.

I had a blast kicking the demonstrator’s butt on this title.  It’ll be fun to also play the full version of the game when it comes out in the fall.

Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (DS)

If your little girl enjoyed the last Tinker Bell game, I’m sure she’ll be ready for the next iteration.  The popular fairies are back in Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure and they’ll be following the story of the movie.

What’s back is the simplicity for kids.  You use the stylus to move your fairy around.  It’s still just as easy to navigate by simply using the touch screen.  Many new features have been implemented that build on the last game.

The ability to make and play with your own fairy will keep children busy for quite awhile since there are a few options to play with.  Also new is uploading your fairy to pixyhallow.com to display to the world your own creation.  Both these options are done in Fairy Mode which is separate from the main story mode.

I think this is a step up from the last game which seemed pretty basic, even for the DS.  DGamer support is in this just like the last, but unfortunately drops the multiplayer that the last game had.  Little girls won’t be able to share amongst themselves, but I’m sure they’ll be bugging each other regardless if they pick this up.

JONAS (DS)

This is a newer original series by Disney and stars the Jonas brothers who portray the Lucas brothers in JONAS.  A bit confusing perhaps, but it seems to work with the franchise.  The game itself is a bit of a Hannah Montana knock off of sorts, except the target demographic isn’t purely females in this case.  To play you need to strum the strings on the touch screen while pressing the buttons to generate the chords.  I tried to tackle a few songs and was completely horrible at it, but I still had fun.  The other portion of the game I wasn’t able to try because I was too busy trying to strum to a few of the catchy tunes.  It however features navigating the brothers around and getting outfits so they can sneak in places undetected by the mobs of fans.

I didn’t think going into this game that the music would be my thing.  I’ll say that I’m still not sure if it’s my type of music or not, but it’s got some gameplay that can be quite difficult if you’re not finger coordinated.

Wizards of Waverly Place (DS)

Here’s another original Disney show being turned into a videogame.  With Wizards of Waverly Place, you’re playing as Alex Russo, one of three siblings of a magic family.  Although I say magic family, this doesn’t include the father who gave up his powers to marry his wife, a mortal.  The siblings are allowed to use their power under supervision, but as kids usually tend to get into trouble, so does Alex and her brothers Justin and Max.  So they use magic whenever it seems convenient for them.  This is the premise of the show, but I didn’t see much of that while playing a bit of the game.

With the game you’re training and trying to learn magic to perform tasks for you.  For instance, there are objects that are high up that you can’t reach, with a simple spell you’re able to lower them to the ground and pick them up.  This becomes necessary because many of the objects are Trinkets, which are used to buy outfits and other objects.  Magic is performed by drawing gestures on the screen and works fairly well.

The game includes trivia about the characters and supports DGamer.  So for those who watch the show, this might be a good supplement to that, otherwise I can’t honestly see a reason to get into this franchise since it somewhat involves knowing the characters to get any real enjoyment out of it as jokes may be missed.

A Christmas Carol (DS)

The classic Charles Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol, retold countless times on the silver screen, is once again headed for it this holiday season.  Along with it Disney will be releasing a DS game by the same name.  In this puzzle adventure game, you’ll be helping guide Scrooge through his transformation of character by manipulating his environments.  You’ll be looking for clues by tapping to reveal them to advance.  While you’re poking around you’ll notice you’ll be able to interact with small ports of the background.  It’s engaging for the target market Disney is going after for this game in the 6-11 year old bracket.  As the game goes on, you’ll notice the colors start to becoming more vibrant as Scrooge slowly changes.  

I was told that there are 15 levels planned in the game, so that should keep the young ones busy for awhile.  If that doesn’t hold them over, there’s always the full novel included as well with full bookmark functionality.  The text is even easy on the eyes, but it’s in a somewhat fancy font that’s not for everyone.  If that isn’t enough, there’s also a real-time advent calendar that unlocks surprises leading up to Christmas.  Also, another DS title means DGamer support.  For this game it means you’ll be able to create a Scrooge avatar.

I’d say that this game is looking to have quite the effort behind it.  It doesn’t seem like a quick movie cash in to me, especially with the novel being included with the game.  I’m now wanting to snag this, if only to have a digital copy of A Christmas Carol lying around the house.

Posted by Andrea Campton in Miscellaneous | Comments Off

E3 Impressions: Gameloft

Although they’re known more for mobile games, Gameloft has had a few games on the DS.  It seems now instead of traditional retail outlets for their products, they’re going downloadable for the foreseeable future.  They did only have three games to show me however since the rest pretty much were for the iPhone.

Asphalt 4: Elite Racing (DSiWare)

I’ve dabbled a bit with the previous versions of Asphalt: Urban, particularity the original that was available at the launch of the Nintendo DS.  The previous version Asphalt failed to see the light of day on a Nintendo handheld, but the latest version, Elite Racing will be available as DSiWare.

The Asphalt series for those who don’t know is an arcade street racing game.  Your goal is to win races and collect money to buy new cars.  What’s new in this version is the ability to use the DSi cameras to take a picture and slap it on a billboard.  You’ll be able to see this as you race by, but it’s not as noticeable as I thought it might be.

For veterans wondering about how it controls, I’d say it similar to Urban GT 2.  It was satisfying to use the D-pad and buttons to move and fire nitros.  The only control scheme I didn’t care for was the touch controls.  It seemed a bit off and not easy to control as compared to using the traditional style of play.

Gameloft put effort into the cars involved in the game, licensing a whole 28.  They also are including Wi-Fi Connection support to allow for racings with others.  A career mode is also in the game so there will be a bit of replay for those who are looking for a bit more beef in games.  I’m looking forward to when this releases, which is sometime by the end of the year.

Ghost Mansion Party (WiiWare)

I’m not sure there’s an audience for low budget Mario Party knock-offs, but Gameloft is going to try with Ghost Mansion Party for WiiWare.  The game involves a game board, similar to Mario Party.  Each space has a particular trait to it such as triggering a mini-game.  There isn’t too much variety however since the game only has ten mini-games contained within.  Each game uses the Wii Remote in some fashion, whether it be shaking it to inflate a balloon or targeting an object on screen to destroy it.

To be quite honest, I wasn’t that impressed with this title.  The premise seemed somewhat thrown together and the presentation isn’t anything to write home about.  Even with 4-player gaming, this WiiWare titles doesn’t have too much going for it at the moment.

Uno (WiiWare)

Having used my Xbox 360 for the casual playing of Uno, I was excited to hear that the Wii will soon be getting its own version.  For those that have played the Xbox Live Arcade version, the WiiWare build I was shown looks quite similar.  You’re presented with a screen of four players, but can have up to six online.  Each character has their Uno cards in front of their respective Mii.  To select a card you simply use the Wii Remote to pick your card and play it.  One thing I noticed that was different was I didn’t see an option to call Uno on someone who hadn’t called it when it’s not your turn.  Maybe the option just doesn’t pop up automatically, but I didn’t see it.  Other than that it seemed to flow nicely as cards were played.

The six player online support is huge for me since the reason I have Uno on the 360 is to hang out with random folks online.  My only concern is the fact this doesn’t have voice chat which was a big draw for me.  Then again it’s Uno and it’s a fun pick and and play game so I’ll probably end up getting this at one point or another.

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E3 Impressions: Majesco

Aside from Cooking Mama, I wasn’t expecting much from Majesco this year.  I was quite pleased to find they had a wonderful lineup of titles and even a new original IP.  Even though I was exhausted since this appointment was towards the end of the day, I did get my exercise in with the newest version of the Jillian Michael’s fitness game.  I’d say they had a well rounded experience this year.


Cooking Mama 3 (DS)

If you didn’t think the previous versions of Cooking Mama were casual friendly, then Cooking Mama 3 hopes to state this clearly.  In the game are the usual mini games to create dishes with Mama, but added in 3 is the ability to recover if you’re messing up.  This ability isn’t in all the steps, but it’s a device designed to help out the less gaming inclined folks out there to a better enjoyable experience.

What’s also new in this version is the ability to go shopping for ingredients and combine them.  I didn’t get to test how this actually works, but was told this was one of the features.  It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out however.

Other then the new additions however, it’s pretty much what you’d expect from a Cooking Mama title.  Up on the menu while I was at the booth was making marshmallows.  This involved more steps than I imagined in my head and was done through minigames of cooking of course.

Multiplayer is included with the game in the form of single cart DS Download play, so friends can get involved in messing up the kitchen as well.  According to Majesco, Cooking Mama 3 will be released Christmas 2009.


A Boy and His Blob (Wii)

I never played much of the original, but boy does this game have more charm in it.  In the game you play as a boy leading your blob around with jellybeans.  There are different types of jellybeans and each type makes the blob shape into objects that help the boy.  These objects can be anything from a simple ladder to an anvil to drop on enemies heads.  When the boy is done getting to wherever it is he needs to go, you’re able to call the blob back to return to your side, wherever this may be.  The graphics in this version have been revamped and given much more detail.  Backgrounds are lush and the shadows can be seen when the boy is underneath a platform.

It’s basic platforming at the core, but so much work has been put into it.  My favorite bit of the game is the fact that there’s a hug button available.  When I saw this happen on screen, I nearly had all my teeth shatter from how sweet it was.  There’s also the other side to that as well and you’re able to scold your blob.  Luckily the demonstrator didn’t show me that aspect otherwise I think I might have been sad.

For those worried about having to do needless waggling, don’t be.  There are traditional controls and you can even use the Classic Controller if you desire.  This means no useless inserted waggling.  I’m definitely looking forward to the finished product, if only to get my hands on that hug button!

Our House Party! (Wii)

I first saw this title last year and honestly it didn’t look that great.  Now a year later, with more development time, the game looks much better.  The graphics have been upgraded and they even scored some Home Depot integration into the game.  Not only have the graphics been updated, but the gameplay seemingly has as well.  Instead of random flail the Wii Remote around type of mini games, some thought has been put into each.  In a bathroom remodeling game I tried, there is a path you must follow to put the caulk around tiles.  The game decides on the path which makes it hard to follow occasionally.  You can be messed up too if an opponent comes over and puts down caulk on your area as well, but this can be reciprocated as well.  It’s a good idea to do well though because your home will reflect how well you performed on a particular task.

In the game you’re also able to customize the look of your house.  There are five different styles, but this allows for tons of variety since every person has their own idea on what makes a good house.  You’ll also be able to share your house on WiiConnect24 so you can laud it over your friends how much better your home is.

This game has come a long way from when I saw it last year.  I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a shovelware mini game compilation as many party games tend to be on the Wii.  With the improvements I’d definitely move it out of that category.

Go Play City Sports (Wii)

When checking out this game, I was unaware Majesco is starting to launch the Go Play series of games.  Just by a quick glance around the banners displayed it seemed to be a quick cash in within the party game genre.  While that may still be the case, I think this has some merits to kids and families.

With City Sports, you’re able to play six classic street games including Stickball, Kickball, Street Hockey, Handball, Jump Rope & Shootout Soccer.  Although I was able to try out half the roster, the game that stood out to me was the Street Hockey.  At first the computer was scoring majorly against me, but when I got the hang of it, it was a blast.  To control the action I used a Wii Remote and Nunchuk to move around.  Pretty simple concept, but was great on the execution.  The low point of the demonstration however was the Jump Rope.  To play, you only need a Wii Remote and it’s a bit of Simon Says when the rope comes around.  Quite boring and tedious, but that was the only game that I felt negative towards.  The game supports the Wii Balance Board and customizable avatars.  I didn’t get to see either of these in action while I was playing the game however.

I can see the Go Play line going somewhere if they present a good package like they are in City Sports with the other games in the franchise.

Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum 2010 (Wii)

Fitness games seem to be all the rage on the Wii currently.  With so much variety, it helps to have a celebrity backing your product.  The first Jillian Michael’s Wii Balance Board title seemed to do well, so much a sequel is being made.  The developers listened to the feedback from folks who played the game and incorporated what they could into this new version.

Now you’ll get more one on one time with Jillian.  She still has her voice and motioned captured likeness in it and she’s behind the game 110%.  This time though you’ll be exercising in locations with a tropical feel to them.  When it comes to the actual exercises, I can say they work.  For me however I had to practice the motion for a few minutes in order to get my brain to wrap itself around the movement.  Once I got it, it was working the targeted area and after about a minute I was feeling it.  This could also be contributed to walking around the show floor all day, but then again there were muscles aching that usually aren’t.  For those who need motivation to burn that fat, there’s a resolution calendar in the game so you can set targets.  

It’s interesting to see a fitness game with so much production value behind it this generation.  I may give this a go when I’ve completely recovered from E3.

Flip’s Twisted World (Wii)

I was pleased to see yet another original IP at E3 this year.  Not only is this a new IP, but it’s a new twist on the platforming genre.  In Flips Twisted World you’re an apprentice, Flip, who’s looking to learn many tricks about magic.  The problem is, you’re not being taught.  So it’s away to learn about the world he lives in and see what you can pick up along the way.

This is a 3D platformer that allows you to twist the world you’re walking on by using the Wii Remote.  It’s an awesome concept, but unfortunately the twisting aspect is slightly twitchy when I tried it out.  Not a huge deal to start with because I was in no danger thanks to the arsenal of spells Flip has available to him.  The platforming was basic, but it’s interesting to note that although the levels are linear, you could very well explore all the surfaces available with the  right twists of the level.  One of my pet peeves with platforming games is water being deadly.  That’s not the case here, you’re actually able to float on top of it, but not swim in it.  The environments look colorful and seems to have much work to look decent.  Music was done by Tommy Tallarico, so fans of his music may be interested in checking this out.

The game has 5 levels and includes tutorials in case you’re not sure how to perform actions.  This is Frozen North Production’s first game and if they can tighten up the twist mechanic just a bit, I think this would be a great platformer for all.

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E3 Impressions: Natsume

I felt bad that I wasn’t able to finish my appointment with Natsume this year.  It was due to other meetings running late it sort of spiraled into only having about 20 minutes at their booth this year.  This only allowed me to see their Harvest Moon offerings which were quite plentiful.  So if you’re a Harvest Moon fan this might be for you!

Harvest Moon Animal Parade (Wii)

In this latest console Harvest Moon game, creatures are leaving the land you’re on.  The five bells are losing power and the only way to help is with the strength of the Harvest King who can revive the earth and bring the divine tree back to life.  Your goal is to help the Harvest Sprites ring the bells to summon said King to help this process.

I’ve not actually played any Harvest Moon games in my time, but what I saw would amuse fellow podcaster Kiwi.  This time around you’ll be able to teach your dog tricks and have different outfits.  You’ll also be able to ride different livestock and also raise exotic animals such as monkeys and penguins.  Another added feature is the ability to take snapshots of your farm, animals, or whatever you happen to be looking at.  There’s also a timer feature on the camera so you can even get into the shot.  Best of all, these aren’t completely pointless since you’ll be able to send them to friends on WiiConnect24.

Whether you play as a boy or a girl, if you’re a Harvest Moon fan, there seems to be a little of everything added into this newest version as far as I can tell.

Harvest Moon Sunshine Island (DS)

In this sequel to Island of Happiness a powerful earthquake has strunk the Sunshine Islands.  Your goal is to raise the islands that were sunk by finding Sun Stones.  Each island you raise will allow you to grow different types of crops. You’ll also be able to befriend several animals and have them harvest your crop for you.  I was also told about a Dog Festival where you can throw discs to your dog.  This dog also has an affection level towards you as well.  

Nothing jumped out at me, the graphics were fine and what I could hear sounded good.  I’d say if you enjoyed the first, this is more of the same, but with a few added in features.

Harvest Moon My Little Shop (WiiWare)

Out of the games I was able to see at the Natsume booth, this one I felt was the best.  My Little Shop has put ten years worth of characters into this downloadable game and features cut out scrapbooking-like graphics which suit the environment.  The story and gameplay are simple, you’re an owner of a few establishments trying to make a living providing services.  

I was shown the Juice Bar at first and when a request comes in, it’s time to play a mini game.  They start out very basic and become more complex as time goes on.  In this example you had to use the Wii Remote to make juice from scratch, including picking the crops that would go into the concoction.  It reminded me a bit of Cooking Mama, but with a Harvest Moon twist.  After you’re all done with the mini games and making whatever you’re supposed to be, a score is shown that rates your performance.

Downloadable content is in the works for the game as well, but that I was told would be coming "eventually."  Still, with the amusing sounds of cows mooing and fun gameplay, this might be a good addition to the WiiWare Shop.

Harvest Moon Frantic Farming (DS)

Honestly, this game seemed just as confusing as Puzzle de Harvest Moon in action.  Even though I was getting a brief walk through, it was hard to understand the point of the power ups and such.  This latest version will include a story mode with the back story of the characters.  Each chracter will have 10 chapters, so there’s plenty of meat on the bones here.  Rules for each game will be different depending on which is selected.  The style looked OK and the animations for abilities looked amusing.  Musically the game was actually quite soothing.  This was nice considering how hectic it was on the show floor.  If you’re into real logic puzzles this one might be for you, but if you’re like Kiwi and I, you’ll just walk away scratching your head.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off

Nintendo Download: 6/15/09

DSiWare: Mario Calculator, 200 Nintendo Points

A second calculator shows up on the DSi Shop. It has all the functions of a normal calculator, and the visage of Mario and Luigi running about and collecting coins.

DSiWare: Mario Clock, 200 Wii Points

The Mario Clock is a bit more interesting; the press release implies that you can actually control Mario and Luigi, racing along stages to collect as many coins as you can. Additionally, this has all the standard clock functions, including three alarms set to whatever sound you choose.

WiiWare: Eduardo the Samurai Toaster, 800 Wii Points

What can I say? You are a samurai toaster in this side-scrolling action game. You and your toaster buddies will use your swords, or your pastry projectiles, or even your laser-mounted scooters to battle your way through 13 levels – or perhaps you’ll just try to battle each other instead.

WiiWare: Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure!, 800 Wii Points

Wield the power of rainbows in this platforming game. You’ll have to use your rainbow abilities carefully if you want to scale each area of the tower within the allotted time, and don’t forget the boss at each level. Climb all seven levels in Story Mode to make it to Holly’s Comet, or else climb as high, or as fast, as you can in Challenge and Time Attack modes.

WiiWare: Let’s Catch, 1,000 Wii Points

Before we get Let’s Tap, we’re receiving this game. Use the Wii Remote to test your catching abilities in one of six mini-games, including Speed Catch and Bomb Catch, as your Mii plays on screen. Those who own both Catch and Tap will unlock secrets.

Arcade: Space Harrier, 800 Wii Points

The classic 3D shooter finally arrives in its original, 1985 arcade form. Blast your way through the Fantasy Zone withyour giant laser cannon, taking out gigantic enemies and avoiding the obstacles around you. Let’s hope you have good reflexes. And depth perception.

I’ve heard a bit about Eduardo, and Space Harrier is supposed to be a classic. And could it be a clock with actual gameplay? I must investigate.

Posted by Mark Surber in Miscellaneous | Comments Off

E3 Impressions: D3 Publisher

Astro Boy is one of the oldest names in Japanese comic books and is considered to be the first true anime. Because this is such an influential story with a long history, there are some really big shoes for Astro Boy: The Movie to fill, and the same could probably be said of the tie-in, Astro Boy: The Video Game. Fortunately, one of my favorite developers, High Voltage Software is behind the console versions of the game, and for the Wii version, the same graphics engine that powers The Conduit is being used to give Astro Boy some spectacular visuals.

When describing the gameplay, the representative used some key words that made it just sound magical. He told me that much of the game’s inspiration came from, first of all, the previous Astro Boy games, but it also draws from Mega Man and Metroid. There are also some levels that take after the classic space shooter R-Type and have Astro Boy flying sideways through clouds of enemies over his home town, Metro City.

In every level, the environment is wonderfully rendered. The flying levels feature action on only a single plane, but the visuals in the background, instead of being static or scrolling past a cityscape in the distance, show an ever-moving view of Metro City in full 3D giving the feeling of actually flying through the city. It’s really quite grand and cinematic.

The platformer levels really do play out in a style reminiscent of Metroid or Mega Man. The close-range melee attacks are primarily kicks and punches, but the longer range attacks are laser blasts and machine gun fire. The huge laser charge attack is especially Mega Man-like. Astro Boy gains several powers and levels them up through the game by picking up items hidden in secret rooms much like in Metroid. When you touch them the game even plays a little jingle as a confirmation.

Another bit of fun for the game is a feature that lets a second player drop in at any point as an off-colored Astro Boy. This isn’t a huge deal, but it adds some replayability to the game. Also, the four difficulty settings make a second and third playthrough worthwhile. Since this is based on a movie, it must appeal to the little kids, so the lowest difficulty setting is basically a waste of time for any real gamer, but since High Voltage prides itself on making games worth playing, the highest of the four difficulty settings is nearly impossible. If that weren’t the case, Astro Boy: The Video Game could hardly claim to take after Mega Man, could it? This will be on store shelves in time for the movie’s release this October.

Posted by Jim Avery in Miscellaneous | Comments Off

E3 Impressions: Zoo Games/2Bee Games

One of my appointments, Zoo Games, was sharing a booth with a company known as 2Bee Games. I actually didn’t get much time with the former group at all; I was shown a video of their upcoming games, then someone from 2Bee came over to show me what they were up to, so most of the article will be about what they’re doing. The games shown to me by Zoo were:

• Groovin’ Blocks (Wii)
• Puzzle Kingdoms (Wii/DS)
• Dodge Racing: Charger vs. Challenger (Wii/DS)
• Diner Dash: Flo on the Go (DS)
• Chocolatier (DS)
• Wedding Dash (DS)
• Dream Chronicles (DS)
• Deer Drive (Wii)
• Ultimate Duck Hunting (Wii)
• ATV Quad Kings (Wii)
• Build ’n Race (Wii)
• Deal or No Deal (Wii/DS)
• Yamaha Supercross (Wii/DS)

The game they seemed most proud of was Build ’n Race. This racer game’s hook is that it allows you to create your own tracks, with many pieces of track and background to choose from; I’m not sure if these tracks will be shareable online, but I should hope so. Several people will also recognize the Diner Dash series, and yes, Wedding Dash plays in a similar manner.

After checking out Zoo’s offering, I was asked to look at 2Bee Games, a newer and smaller publisher who had only done a few smaller games. They’re rather excited about their current project, though, which happens to be a contest for smaller, independent game developers. If you head to their website, you can look at the details of the contest; they asked many people to submit games, with the hopes of finding an excellent title to publish. The finalists of the contest can be seen and played on their website, as well as voted on; the game with the highest rating at the end of the contest will receive a cash prize, while several games may end up with publishing deals from 2Bee Games. Some of these titles are very clever and entertaining, and deserve a look or two. I think it’s a great way to get more people making games, and I hope 2Bee does well.

Keep an eye out for more impressions from us as the week wraps up.

Posted by Jim Avery in Miscellaneous | Comments Off

E3 Impressions: Atlus

Whenever I think of Atlus, two series immediately come to mind: Shin Megami Tensei and
Trauma Center. Fortunately, I got to take a look at both during my time at the Atlus booth. I didn’t get hands-on time with either, but I had a look at a new game in each series, and they’re coming to Nintendo systems.

The Trauma Center series, technically, seems to be getting a bit of a rest; the rep there explained to me that the upcoming Trauma Team for the Wii is a little bit of a departure for several reasons. You’re playing a team of six different doctors with six different specialties, including one forensic analyst and one EMT. The entire game is a bit more down-to-earth, with a plot that’s less sci-fi. The story is also going to be presented better, with more dynamic cutscenes, presented with a sort of living comic book reminiscent of Elite Beat Agents. There is co-op multiplayer as well. Atlus is treating this as a different series separate from Trauma Center, and they’ve caught my attention. I’ll be keeping an eye on this.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is the first Nintendo DS iteration of the popular RPG series. The game is a strategy/RPG hybrid, taking place in Tokyo, which you and your friends are desperately trying to escape, or at least survive. The game has seven different endings, and depending on some rather discrete choices you make in the game, different players may end up dead. The battles themselves take place in a strategy RPG grid, but each interaction is a miniature version of a traditional RPG battle; you can exploit your enemy’s weaknesses and gain extra turns. Each of your characters controls a team of demons, who you can level up, fuse together, or buy at demon auctions. The game looks like it’ll be fun from what I saw, though as with all RPGs, there’s only so much you can ascertain from a demo unit. I’m waiting for the full retail version.

The last game I saw at Atlus was a title known as Shiren the Wanderer for Wii, which the rep described to me as a "roguelike", a term I’m not familiar with personally. It’s a bit of an RPG and a dungeon crawler, with randomized dungeons, but the rep warned me it was very difficult; if you die, you "lose everything". All actions occur during turns, and your overarching goal is always to reach the next floor. The game is a sequel to the original DS game, and is supposed to feature superior AI for your partners, who defend more aggressively and will use items from your shared inventory effectively, though you can also dictate how items are to be used. The game is scheduled for release in early 2010.

That wraps up my impressions of the Atlus booth; keep an eye out for more impressions coming soon, including an interview with Denise Kaigler from Nintendo Gal.

Posted by Mark Surber in Miscellaneous | Comments Off

E3 Impressions: LucasArts

LucasArts had several enticing games this year at E3, including a remake of the classic Monkey Island, a sequel to the Monkey Island series and Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is basically the stories of Knights of the Old Republic three, four, five and six all rolled into one huge, massively multiplayer, online, story-driven, RPG. (That’s almost a direct quote from one of the BioWare representatives, by the way.) Unfortunately, none of that was for us as Nintendo users, so let’s forget about them and the fact that I decided to forgo another key game demonstration to attend the Old Republic demo.

LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues looks like it will be a very exiting upgrade from the first LEGO Indiana Jones game. The Adventure continues covers all four Indiana Jones movies with six completely original levels for each of the movies. Since the first three movies were already covered by the previous game, all new levels have been created for these movies. Several scenes that were only cutscenes in the first game are now fully playable in the sequel. Also new this time is a huge level builder that will let players construct their own missions from the ground up and share them with other players. You can even combine your levels with the ones already in the game.

Once you beat a level, you can go back through it to explore in Free Play mode. I’m pretty sure this feature was in the original (I didn’t play it) but new this time is a really interesting split screen feature for when two players are exploring. If the two players get too far apart, the screen automatically splits and the two players can go their separate ways. The line that splits the screen always stays perpendicular to an imaginary straight line between the players so it can be followed back if the players want to meet up again. Once they get close enough, the line disappears and the screen is no longer split.

The scope of this game is much larger than the first, and everything seems to be very well thought out. Even the ability to drive cars and boats, fly planes and then rebuild any of those vehicles into something new is pretty exciting. The level building looked almost unlimited. You could start with some prefabricated parts, or you could build everything from scratch brick by brick. I’d almost get the game just for that because I used to love just building random crap out of my other sets. To me, building with LEGO’s is serious business. Of course, all the LEGO humor and silliness is still a major factor in the game, so you are guaranteed good times for all.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes is a new adventure coming to the Wii, DS and pretty much every other game-capable system out there. The plot in this game ties together the stories of season one and two of the Clone Wars TV series. This game promises fast-paced, run-and-gun action starring several Jedi from the series as well as a several clone troopers that have names. Before seeing this game at E3, I was not aware that any of the troopers actually had names. Interesting. The game is designed for two-player coop and each level features challenges that players can compete in to earn points to upgrade characters and unlock bonuses. This is a well-designed game that kids between 10 and 15 could appreciate. Other than that, not much can be said about it.

Posted by Jim Avery in Miscellaneous | Comments Off

E3 Impressions: THQ

The very last company I met with during my few days in Los Angeles was THQ, publisher of Cars and Red Faction Guerilla. While many people were playing Guerilla out in the front of the booth, the four games I saw were all behind closed doors. Some were licensed, some were not, some intrigued me and others bored a bit. Read on to see which is which.

The first game I was shown was a Wii platformer entitled SpongeBob’s Truth or Square. It’s apparently made to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Spongebob (seriously? ten years old?) and will look back at some of the series’s best moments. The game controls rather simply; simple buttons or motion controls will jump, move, and activate one of your three attacks. You’ll run forward, defeating hordes of enemies and solving rather simple timing puzzles. It’s a very easy game to wrap one’s head around, which is good for younger players, but against the one boss I battled I actually found myself having a bit of difficulty, which was refreshing. It’s very frustrating to see difficulty dumbed down for younger players, since they are definitely capable of more; this Spongebob game controls simply, but seems like it will provide younger players with a suitable challenge as well. This title shows some promise.

Another game that THQ had to show was Marvel Super Hero Squad, also for Wii, which is based on the Marvel series reimagining that began with action figures in 2007, and will continue with an animated series this year. This game is a straightforward fighter/brawler featuring a multitude of Marvel superheroes and supervillains, including Wolverine, Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and the Juggernaut. The game offers an adventure mode, which I didn’t really get to see, and battle mode, which seems like a rather simplistic affair. There are only one or two buttons to press, in addition to a rather simple combat system, and overall it just didn’t seem very engaging. Perhaps the adventure mode would have been more interesting, but what I saw failed to capture my interest, and seemed a bit too simplified.

A more interesting game that caught my attention was Drawn to Life: the Next Chapter, which takes the draw mechanics present in Drawn to Life and expands upon them in ways fans have been requesting. As in the original Drawn to Life, you’ll draw in such things as flowers and clouds, not to mention the character you control, and you’ll populate a platforming world with these things as you explore. What’s been added is something called Action Draw, which are portions of the game that you draw in and that will affect the game world immediately.

If a blue box were to appear, you’d have to draw in a platform or something else; it would immediately stick, and you’d be able to run on it in order to help yourself further; a green box performs a similar function, but all its surfaces are bouncy. The red box is the most interesting, as it lets you create objects that immediately take effect in the real world. In one scenario where I had to get past a large, obstructive enemy, I used the red box to draw a circle, which lumbered down a nearby slope like a boulder and knocked the enemy away. I was also told that the various boxes would interact, and that vehicles and wings would end up being drawn in as well, among other things. This game certainly intrigued me, and if they really can keep things shaken up and interesting this seems like it could be a very fun game.

The last title I saw was called World of Zoo, a game where you are, surprise, a zookeeper. This game is not anything like Zoo Tycoon, however; there are no goals for you to achieve, and there is nothing to "beat". This game basically gives you a zoo and a lot of animals and acts as your personal animal playground. You can change up an animal’s pen with new additions, you can have them play with toys (if chasing down penguins with an Orca Ball can be considered playing), or you can spray them with a hose if you’re feeling sadistic. There are no long-term consequences for your actions; your animals will always love you just as much every time you come back. You can even create or re-create your animals however you want, from appearance to personality to backstory. This game is all about letting you do anything that you want as a zookeeper, which is an angle that I like a lot. My time with the game was actually rather enjoyable, and I think this would be a game that a lot of animal lovers could really enjoy.

Keep checking out some of these articles over the course of next week, as I’ll be adding games and pictures to our games database. Don’t forget to check out the upcoming interview with Denise Kaigler.