Posted by Jim Avery in Miscellaneous | 1 Comment

Call Me Mr. 3000

Yesterday I was recording myself playing Wii Sports Resort for a review, which will be up later this week. While my recording device was on, though, I managed to capture this highly satisfying feat on video:

Thanks to GoNintendo for featuring this on their front page!

Posted by Jim Avery in Miscellaneous, Reviews | Comments Off

Review: Tales of Monkey Island Episode 1

Before we begin this review, I must admit that I have never before played a Monkey Island game. As such, I will be incpable of telling you if Tales of Monkey Island (hereinafter ToMI) lives up to its predecessors, if the humor or puzzles have changed, or anything of that nature. What I can tell you is that this first episode, Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, is an excellent game in its own right and deserving of the consideration of all adventure game fans.

The adventure starts off at the end of some other adventure; Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate, attempts to defeat his nemesis LeChuck once and for all, but botches the whole thing. He ends up separated from his wife, Elaine, and stranded on Flotsam Island, where this first episode takes place. Also there’s some pretty nasty voodoo in his hand that he’d like to take care of, if he can manage that. This first episode focuses on his attempts to obtain a ship and leave the island so he can begin the process of saving the day; future episodes will continue this storyline, and your attempts to save the day, and your wife, and the world, etc.

If you’ve played any of Telltale’s previous offerings, you know what general gameplay elements to expect from ToMI. For the uninitiated, Tales of Monkey Island is done in the style of older adventure games; the main gameplay vehicle is puzzles, and they’re accompanied by exploration, item collection, and large amount of NPC dialogue, with nary an action sequence in sight. In return, Telltale offers humorous dialogue and the satisfaction of solving these obscure puzzles. Your controls are highly simple; you use the control stick to move around, and you use your Wii Remote to inspect your surroundings. You’re not going to be doing many different things in this game. For the life of me, though, I wasn’t able to figure out how to control when I was running.

Speaking of which, the puzzles included in ToMI will mostly feel familiar to Telltale fans; there’s a fair amount of trial and error involved, and the solutions are often rather obscure, but it’s rarely the case that you’re absolutely, frustratingly stuck. (Incidentally, there was one instance where I was completely stuck and unable to proceed, due to a bug, but I had a review build of the game; three weeks down the line, I’m fairly certain that the bug has been fixed.) There are other instances, though, that present new and interesting puzzles and situations, and they’re quite well done and appreciated; without spoiling anything, one puzzle where you’re stuck in a chair is quite satisfying. All in all, the game paces itself well, and whenever I felt like I wanted to see something new and interesting, that is precisely what I received.

These puzzles are accompanied by large amounts of dialogue with NPCs, filled to the brim with Telltale’s special brand of humor; I don’t really have a word to describe what it’s like, but if you played through any of the SBCG4AP episodes, you’ll know what I mean. The dialogue is accompanied by excellent vocal work that really pulls you in, including the vocal stylings of Tim Talbot, who voiced Oolong in the Dragon Ball series (and if you’re like me, you’ll recognize the connection right away). While many other video games seem to have difficulty with voice acting, Telltale pulls it off masterfully.

The music doesn’t really stand out, as seems to be typical for the Telltale offerings I’ve gotten my hands on, but considering how much talking is going to happen, this really isn’t much of a problem. More interesting are the visuals; the entire game has a slightly cartoony 3D look to it, but the environments are lush with color and detail, and the makeshift isle of Flotsam has a delightfully and appropriately haphazard look to it. Attention has clearly been paid to detail.

So once you’ve completed this three-to-four-hour adventure, what does Telltale do to bring you back in? The answer, sadly, is absolutely nothing. There are no collectibles of any kind, no alternate story paths to explore; once you’re done with this episode, you’re done. This is really the only place where ToMI lacks in comparison to previous Telltale offerings, and it’s a little disappointing.

Besides that minor gripe, Launch of the Screaming Narwhal is an excellent start to what promises to be a hilarious and enticing adventure series. I don’t know if it lives up to previous games, but it’s an excellent title in its own right, and I give it a hearty Yay! If you enjoy the occasional, slower adventure game, hop on board the Screaming Narwhal and introduce yourself to the legend of Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate.

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

Rock Band DLC Update: 7/28/09

Those Wii owners with Rock Band 2 receive 25 new songs for their downloading consideration. Up for grabs is last week’s 360/PS3 update consisting of music from Rancid, Kings of Leon and Rise Against; in addition, you get a smattering of back catalog tracks, including the Dr. Feelgood album from Mötley Crüe. All songs cost 200 Wii Points and are downloaded in-game.

Kings of Leon “Crawl”
Kings of Leon “Molly’s Chambers”
Kings of Leon “Sex on Fire”
Rancid “Last One to Die”
Rancid “Ruby Soho”
Rancid “Time Bomb”
Rise Against “Prayer of the Refugee”
Rise Against “Re-Education (Through Labor)”
Rise Against “Savior”
Lush “Sweetness & Light”
Children of Bodom “Are You Dead Yet”
Finley “Tutto è Possibile"
Mötley Crüe “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)”
Mötley Crüe “Dr. Feelgood”
Mötley Crüe “Kickstart My Heart”
Mötley Crüe “Rattlesnake Shake”
Mötley Crüe “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S)”
Mötley Crüe “She Goes Down”
Mötley Crüe “Slice Of Your Pie”
Mötley Crüe “Sticky Sweet”
Mötley Crüe “Time For Change”
Mötley Crüe “Without You”
Platero y Tú “Hay Poco Rock & Roll”
Squeeze “Tempted”
Tokio Hotel “Ready, Set, Go!”

I like Rancid a lot; this particular track pack of theirs consists of some pretty simple and straightforward beats, on drums anyway. I would still recommend it though.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off

Nintendo Download: 7/27/09

DSiWare: Sudoku Student, 200 Nintendo Points

A cheaper compliment to the Sudoku Master from June 29, Sudoku Student contains a full tutorial mode and a number of puzzles geared toward beginners. Start off with this one if you’re new to the game, then work your way to Master.

WiiWare: Tales of Monkey Island, Episode 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, 1,000 Wii Points

The classic adventure gaming series continues on WiiWare today. Play as Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate, as he explores Flotsam Island in an attempt to get a ship, reunite with his wife Elaine, and defeat his mortal enemy LeChuck. This entry contains liberal amounts of Telltale humor and puzzles; look for a review of this title today or tomorrow.

WiiWare: The Three Musketeers: One for All!, 900 Wii Points

In this sword-swinging platformer, Athos and Aramis have been captured by the dastardly Count Xavier and Count Orsini; as Porthos, the remaining Musketeer, you must navigate traps, solve puzzles and defeat enemies in order to save your friends. You can also pick up some hidden collectibles on the way, as you swing your Wii Remote like a sword to defeat your foes.

WiiWare: HB Arcade Cards, 500 Wii Points

This one-player WiiWare title offers up a number of card games for you to play, including Solitaire, Rummy, Hearts, Euchre, Cribbage and Canasta. This game features Mii support and full tutorials for every game.

Figures that a good 200-point game would show up on DSiWare after I purchased Mario Clock. Additionally, I am most upset with the lack of Virtual Console titles, there’s certainly no shortage of good ones.

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

New Beatles Rock Band Tracks Revealed

Harmonix today released a list of 15 new tracks (16, actually, with the combination of two songs) that will be available on-disc for The Beatles: Rock Band. They are listed below, with the album they originate from and the venue they belong to coming after. Two of the songs from the Sgt. Pepper’s album are marked with asterisks, and it’s not clear why this occurred in the press release.

"Twist And Shout", Please Please Me, Cavern Club
"Do You Want To Know A Secret", Please Please Me, Cavern Club
"Can’t Buy Me Love", A Hard Day’s Night, Ed Sullivan Theater
"I Wanna Be Your Man", With The Beatles, Ed Sullivan Theater
"Eight Days A Week", Beatles For Sale, Shea Stadium
"Paperback Writer", Single, Budokan
"And Your Bird Can Sing", Revolver, Budokan
"Yellow Submarine", Revolver, Abbey Road Dreamscape
"Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band*", Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road Dreamscape
"With a Little Help from My Friends*", Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road Dreamscape
"Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows", Love, Abbey Road Dreamscape
"Revolution", Single, Abbey Road Dreamscape
"Birthday", The Beatles, Abbey Road Dreamscape
"Dig A Pony", Let It Be, Rooftop Concert
"I’ve Got A Feeling", Let It Be, Rooftop Concert

The Beatles: Rock Band is slated for release on 09/09/09.

I’ve never heard the "Love" version of those two combined songs; it’s a rather interesting choice. I’ll gladly play any Beatles songs, though, I love the whole catalog. With a couple exceptions, at least.

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

Rock Band DLC Update: 7/21/09

This week’s DLC update includes the music that appeared on 360/PS3 last week, including live tracks from Judas Priest’s new live album. Also available is the No Doubt singles album, from the back catalog of released tracks. All tracks cost 200 Wii Points except for those marked by an asterisk, which are available for 100 Wii Points.

Big Dipper “All Going Out Together” *
Big Dipper “She’s Fetching” *
Big Dipper “Younger Bums” *
Judas Priest “Dissident Aggressor (Live)”  
Judas Priest “Eat Me Alive (Live)”
Judas Priest “Prophecy (Live)”
The Dead Weather “Hang You From the Heavens”
The Dead Weather “No Hassle Night”
The Dead Weather “Treat Me Like Your Mother”
Jethro Tull “Hymn 43”
Naked Brothers “Body I Occupy"*
Naked Brothers “I Don’t Want To Go To School” *
No Doubt “Bathwater”
No Doubt “Don’t Speak”
No Doubt “Excuse Me Mr.”
No Doubt “Ex-Girlfriend”
No Doubt “Hella Good”
No Doubt “Hey Baby”
No Doubt “It’s My Life”
No Doubt “Just a Girl”
No Doubt “Running”   
No Doubt “Simple Kind of Life”
No Doubt “Spiderwebs”
No Doubt “Sunday Morning”
No Doubt “Underneath It All”

A nice update this week, but I’m hoping that next week Wii owners get the Rancid 3-pack that just came out.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off

Nintendo Download: 7/20/09

DSiWare: Art Style: Zengage, 500 Nintendo Points

This simple-playing entry in the Art Style series has you sliding around colored blocks in order to match the colored beads that appear above. As you progress through over 100 stages, other challenges, such as immobile blocks, will present themselves to you. Zengage also offers "wistful graphics and mesmerizing sound".

WiiWare: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord, 1,000 Wii Points

As the daughter of the Darklord, it’s your job to keep the tower safe from the invading heroes. You’ve got a number of monsters and traps at your disposal, so place them as best you can to prevent the crystal on the top floor from being destroyed. Do this all over the world to conquer it. Additional DLC is available for this game, as well.

WiiWare: Battle Poker, 800 Wii Points

Poker meets spoons in this interesting family title. In front of you is a deck of cards; click it to flip over the first card, then scramble to add it to your hand before someone else can. After each round of this, everyone is scored based on the quality of the poker hand they’ve accumulated. Up to four players can play.

WiiWare: 5 Spots Party, 500 Wii Points

This game is a take on those "find the differences" puzzles you saw in magazines as a kid. Either by yourself or competing against others, you’ll need to find as many differences as you can between the two pictures before time runs out.

Call me crazy, but I never really thought of those "find the differences" puzzles as a family affair. Also, Darklord isn’t quite what I was expecting, but it could be interesting nonetheless.

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

Trauma Team Sneak Peek

Atlus has released another video for the upcoming Trauma Team, another of the videos that was shown at the Atlus booth at E3 2009. This one offers a brief behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the game.

Trauma Team is expected to be released in Spring 2010.

I’m liking very much what I see of this game; as much as I like performing surgery in Trauma Center, the idea of expanding to fulfill the duties of an entire hospital is very intriguing.

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

Be A Telltale Developer For A Day

Telltale wants to know why Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate, has gained your ire; if your reason is humorous enough, it could get included in a later episode of Tales of Monkey Island, presumably the fourth. Head to the contest website and explain, in 25 words or less, what Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate, did to you; while only a handful will be considered for inclusion, there are other prizes available as well. You can also use the website to share your wittiness via Facebook or Twitter, to try and gain more votes. You can enter once per day until the contest ends on August 10.

I’ve already submitted my entry. I like the once-a-day entry restriction, it gives me time to think of new stuff every day.

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

Rock Band DLC Update: 7/14/09

Harmonix unleashed an enormous DLC update today, including some tracks from recent updates (only a couple weeks old) and a larger amount of music from days long past. The most notable arrival would be the entire Doolittle album from the Pixies; unfortunately, Wii songs cannot be bought in bargain packs, and every song is still $2 per.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club “Weapon of Choice”
Dear and the Headlights “Sweet Talk”
The Devil Wears Prada “Hey John, What’s Your Name Again?”
Evanescence "Bring Me to Life”
Evanescence “Call Me When You’re Sober”
Foreigner “Blue Morning, Blue Day”
Foreigner “Feels Like the First Time”
Foreigner “Headknocker”
The Killers “Mr. Brightside”
The Killers “Smile Like You Mean It”
The Killers “Spaceman”
Maroon 5 “Little of Your Time”
Maroon 5 “Makes Me Wonder”
Maroon 5 “Wake Up Call”
The Pixies “Crackity Jones”
The Pixies “Dead”
The Pixies “Debaser”
The Pixies “Gouge Away”
The Pixies “Here Comes Your Man”
The Pixies “Hey”
The Pixies “I Bleed”
The Pixies “La La Love You”
The Pixies “Monkey Gone to Heaven”
The Pixies “Mr. Grieves”
The Pixies “No 13 Baby”
The Pixies “Silver”
The Pixies “Tame”
The Pixies “There Goes My Gun”
Spinal Tap “Back From the Dead”
Spinal Tap “Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare”
Spinal Tap “Saucy Jack”
Spinal Tap “Warmer Than Hell”
Thrice “Image of the Invisible”

I’m kind of a Pixies fan, but I’m more intrigued by new Spinal Tap music, personally. In any case, wow, huge update this week.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off

Nintendo Download: 7/13/09

DSiWare: Brain Challenge, 800 Nintendo Points

The WiiWare title from Gameloft hits DSiWare. Strain your brain with 48 different minigames, focused on Math, Logic, Focus, Memory and Visual. You can also try out your multitasking skills with Stress Mode.

WiiWare: Bit Boy!!, 600 Wii Points

This game bills itself as "Retro Arcade Action" and sends the title character, Bit Boy Kubi, on a short trip through gaming history. Rescue Kubi’s friends on your own or with a partner as you explore "4-bit dungeons, 8-bit caves, 16-bit strongholds, 32-bit labyrinths, 64-bit arenas and 128-bit worlds".

WiiWare: Incoming!, 500 Wii Points

This game is of the genre "blow up all the enemy everything". As you play through the game and blow up the enemy repeatedly, you can collect powerups and upgrade your arsenal in order to more effectively blow up the enemy. If you like, you can blow up a human opponent instead.

WiiWare: Ant Nation, 700 Wii Points

This ant colony game is about tough love. As you play through this game, trying to defeat enemies, collect things and accomplish tasks, you’ll fire lasers at your ants, set them on fire, or even strike them with lightning in order to toughen them up and make them immune to your savage attacks, as well as those of the enemy and the harsh terrain.

Master System: Secret Command, 600 Wii Points

This import title from Europe has you infiltrating an enemy base all on your lonesome, trying to rescue the hostages and kill everything that is not a hostage. You’ve got a machine gun and an exploding bow and arrow at your disposal, along with other weapons that will help you get the best of the enemy soldiers. This game can, awesomely, be played in two-player co-op mode.

Genesis: Pulseman, 900 Wii Points

You are Pulseman, a half-human, half-computer-program hero with a somewhat complicated set of origins. You’ll need to use your electric Volteccer to defeat enemies and get yourself moving quickly as you battle the Galaxy Gang of Dr. Waruyama across seven stages in this action platformer.

A large haul this week, including a couple of imports. Bit Boy looks like it could be pretty fun, I’ll have to see how it holds up.

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

NintendoGal’s E3 2009 Photo Collection

After fighting with a few gallery scripts, I’ve been able to get one to work.  Now everyone can see the photos I was able to take while I was down in California for E3 this year.  Not only does this include photos of the show floor, but a few of the different press conferences as well!

Feel free to check it out:

http://www.nintendogal.com/e309/main.php

Posted by Andrea Campton in General News | 1 Comment

E3 09 Swag Contest

Now that E3 is way over, it’s time to give out the swag we gathered.  Check out the video to see what you’ll be winning if you enter!

RULES AND HOW TO ENTER:

CONTEST OVER!  Winners will be announced SHORTLY!  As with other contests NintendoGal.com has held, staff of NG are not eligible for the contest and these rules can change at any time.  One entry per person per household.  You must be 18 years old to enter.  NG will not keep your e-mail and any information we collect will only be used to dispense your prize to you.  Contest is scheduled to end July 17th.  Winners will be announced shortly after that date.

There will be two winners, a grand prize winner and a runner up.  The grand prize winner will receive what is in the video on the table plus a Naruto poster.   One runner up will receive a small swag package.

Good luck to all who enter!

Posted by Andrea Campton in Nintendo Wii | Comments Off

Hudson Reveals Calling

When I was invited to Hudson’s private suite at E3, I was excited and expecting some typical games from the company.  Perhaps another Bomberman or something equally as colorful and friendly.  Imagine the look on my face when they unveiled Calling to me, a survival horror for Wii.  Although I wasn’t shown much, the video I was shown spoke volumes about the development of the game.

The story behind Calling is reminiscent of a few Japanese anime and dramas.  Rumors across the internet say that if one visits the Black Page website and see something besides the all black page and the counter, they’ll die.  Many are skeptical, calling the site a hoax or perhaps some sort of viral marketing.  For the unfortunate few who view the website and see something, the counter keeps track of their deaths.  This is where the main characters come into play, because unknown to the masses, those who do see something else are between life and death.   

With other survival horror games, you’re fighting zombies with explosives and sharp objects.  That’s not the case with Calling.  Instead players are given basic equipment such as a flash light and notepads that normal day folks might have around.  You’ll probably need it too because you need to discover the truth behind what’s going on in the space between space.

The developers behind the game are aiming to trigger fear without the use of blood so much.  As this is exclusive the Wii (so far), they’re also trying to use the system.  No control schemes were detailed, but I was told sounds will come from the Wii Remote if you listen for them.  This could potentially be part of the way they plan to invoke fear in players, especially if there’s no known source for the sound in your path.

If you’re expecting a fast pace game, this may not be your cup of tea.  You’ll need to find keys and look for clues which can prevent a hectic pace.  I was also told the story slowly builds as well.  So if you’re looking for an intense, creepy, dark, thriller of a game, you may want to keep Calling on your radar for now.  According to Hudson though, those interested will have a long wait as it’s not going to be released until Spring 2010.  Until then however, here’s a few sneak peaks of the game below.

More here in the Calling gallery.

Posted by Jim Avery in Miscellaneous, Reviews | Comments Off

Review: Mario Clock

Having had 200 Nintendo Points left over from my purchase of Minis March On!, I decided that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to download one of the 200 point utilities available, and I ended up with Mario Clock. As you probably would expect, it’s not exactly a robust package, but for $2 it at least gives you some entertainment, and feels like some effort was put into it.

The clock functions just about as you would expect. It appears on the top screen, the same as Mario, and you can use either analog or digital, 12 or 24 hour. On the bottom screen you can change the settings, setting and turning on up to three different alarms, which will sound whether or not your DSi volume is up, and they play the main Super Mario Bros. theme. Changing each setting plays a unique sound from the original SMB, a nice touch.

The gameplay itself is pretty bare bones, but about what you would expect from a $2 package. Mario runs forward at a steady clip, and you can either make him run with B, or make him jump with A. You collect as many coins as you can manage, while growing up or shrinking with mushrooms or poison mushrooms, respectively. You can get them floating around, you can hit blocks to get them, or you can hit a POW block and knock everything off screen, including the clock. Collecting 100 coins makes you switch to Luigi (or back to Mario), and a little Mario appears on the screen, in place of one of the numbers on the analog clock; once all 12 numbers are replaced, you see the "Your Quest Is Over" cutscene, for fun. Additionally, you’ll usually be in a different level every time you turn the game on.

The package isn’t much, but again, it fits its price point. It works as a two-minute time waster, and it plays like the original SMB, so it’s not a terrible package. I’d recommend downloading it if you need some way to pass very short intervals of time, or if you need an alarm clock.

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

Rock Band DLC Update: 7/7/09

Eleven new tracks, and seventeen back-catalog tracks, are hitting the Wii Music Store this week. Three tracks off of Green Day’s new album 21st Century Breakdown are now available for download, along with eight songs from artists performing at the RockStar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, including Marilyn Manson and Behemoth. The back catalog tracks include greats such as the Offspring, the Presidents of the USA, and Jonathan Coulton. Most tracks are available for 200 Wii Points; the exceptions are noted below.

Behemoth "Conquer All"
Black Dahlia Murder "What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse"
Cannibal Corpse "Hammer Smashed Face"
God Forbid "Empire of the Gun"
Job for a Cowboy "Embedded"
Marilyn Manson "Disposable Teens"
Slayer "Black Magic"
Whitechapel "This Is Exile"
Green Day "21 Guns"
Green Day "East Jesus Nowhere"
Green Day "Know Your Enemy"
The Offspring "Self Esteem"
Screaming Trees "Nearly Lost You"
Static-X "Push It"
The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets "Shhh…"*
Jonathan Coulton "Skullcrusher Mountain"*
MC Frontalot "Livin’ at the Corner of Dude Catastrophe"*
Plain White T’s "Natural Disaster"
Hot Hot Heat "Bandages"
Kasabian "Shoot the Runner"
Sleater-Kinney "You’re No Rock N’ Roll Fun"
The Stone Roses "Love Spreads"
The Presidents of the USA "Dune Buggy"
The Presidents of the USA "Feather Pluckn"
The Presidents of the USA "Ladybug"
Crooked X "Gone"*
Against Me! "Stop!"
Lamb of God "Laid to Rest"

* Track costs 100 Wii Points.

I have to admit, even though I don’t like all the songs on the new Green Day album, it’s painfully catchy. Otherwise, more Jonathan Coulton is always great.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off

Nintendo Download: 7/6/09

DSiWare: Art Style: Base 10, 500 Nintendo Points

Math meets Bejeweled, apparently, in this DSiWare title. Move numbers around horizontally or vertically in order to create a line that adds up to 10, to eliminate them. Try your hand in Zerosum Mode, Puzzle Mode, Infinite Mode, or VS Mode.

DSiWare: Asphalt 4: Elite Racing, 800 Wii Points

This racing game allows you to race on one of eight different tracks based on real-world locations, in one of 28 different cars. You can use either standard or touch-screen controls, and use the DSi Camera to take pictures and make a personal icon for yourself. Up to four players can play in Multiplayer mode.

WiiWare: BIT.TRIP.CORE, 600 Wii Points

Similar to BIT.TRIP.BEAT, this game gives you control of two axes in order to complete this music-based game; unfortunately, due to an error at the press site, screenshots of this game are unavailable. This game can be played with two players.

WiiWare: Bust-A-Move Plus!, 600 Wii Points

The classic puzzle game returns; fire your colored spheres at the playing field in order to eliminate large groups of spheres, using the walls to bounce off of if you need to. This download contains 135 puzzles and a two-player mode, and there are 270 more puzzles for download on the Wii Shop Channel.

WiiWare: Heracles Chariot Racing, 800 Wii Points

Play as Heracles or one of several other Greek mythological beings in this racing game from Neko Entertainment. Try to complete three different cups, racing across ten tracks, in the single-player mode, using lightning and other weapons to take out your opponents. You can also play against up to three other players in Multiplayer mode.

Commodore 64: California Games, 500 Wii Points

This game has you hitting the beaches of California for some extreme sports, from skateboarding to surfing to bike racing, and you even get the chance to pick your own sponsor. Up to five players can play.

That racing game looks really good; let’s hope it plays that well. If it does, things are looking good for DSiWare.

Posted by Jim Avery in Miscellaneous, Reviews | Comments Off

Preview: I Heart Geeks!

Recently I was taken by surprise when a couple of parcels arrived in my mailbox, both from the game company CDV Software Entertainment USA; each parcel turned out to be a preview build of an upcoming DS game. The first one was My Little Baby, a baby simulator that I got a brief glimpse of at E3 this year; that preview will come another day. The other game I received, and which I subsequently spent about a week trying out, was a puzzle game called I Heart Geeks! (hereinafter I<3G).

Did any of you ever play a PC game called The Incredible Machine back in the 1990’s? If you did, you have some sort of idea what I<3G is like. You play as one of four geeks who is trying to win the heart of the cheerleader, and you’ll have to use your brains to outsmart the jocks and hang them from the stadium scoreboard (seriously). You will accomplish this task by completing a series of Rube Goldberg-esque puzzles, using combinations of marbles, lasers, balloons, candles and other things to accomplish some task or other, like popping a balloon or starting a steam engine.

The above screenshot should give you a better idea of how this works than any description could. Your task is to knock the tennis ball out of the lab, as well as pop the balloon. You need to place both batteries somewhere in the puzzle, and hook them up via plugs to the switch and the laser. The laser will light a candle you place under the steam engine, starting it up and generating steam. You then take the piping and redirect it to the right, so that it pushes the marble onto the switch, starting the second laser and destroying the bomb, which blasts the tennis ball away; the steam then rises up and pushes the balloon into the scissors. You now have an idea of how this game is supposed to work.

In general, the gameplay mechanics work rather well. You’ve got a set number of objects to work with, a couple dozen, and the tutorials do a good job of letting you know how they’re going to interact, so you can have some idea of how to start setting up puzzles when you get to the actual levels; you’ll be introduced to things slowly over time, so the progression is rather nice. For most puzzles, the challenge lies in making the objects interact correctly, which means some level of trial and error, but mostly it’s quite satisfying. If you’re ever stuck, you can select an object and then tap the question mark, and you’ll be told where the object needs to go, though you don’t get points for the puzzle if you do; you need to go back and try it again sans help.

Some of the puzzles I played had some conceptual issues, though. On occasion, I ran into a puzzle that incorporated careful timing, requiring you to not only put the objects into position, but sometimes into a slightly different position, just to make sure it doesn’t activate right away. The preview build I was handed occasionally took this to a rather unfair extreme, to the point where not even assistance from the geeks was enough to solve the rather confusing puzzle handed to me.

Even worse, though, was the occasional puzzle that literally required pixel-perfect positioning of a fan or something, for if it was even a fraction of a fraction of an inch too far to the left, you would end up failing the puzzle. It goes without saying that I had no chance of solving this kind of puzzle on my own, and I hope that there is some retooling of this in the final build.

To sum up the gameplay preview, the general concept of I<3G is plenty entertaining. Besides the occasional puzzle that asks a bit too much of the gamer, the preview build provided me with a good amount of fun, figuring out where items are supposed to go and watching my wacky contraptions come to life to ultimately let a balloon narrowly avoid the evil laser. I just hope that the game itself is longer than the preview build, which I can see somebody going through in about three hours, and the number of puzzles are just about equivalent (a hundred in total on the preview build, and a hundred plus advertised for the final game).

The current art style for the puzzles themselves is very straightforward, and there’s really not much to say about it; you’re shown objects, and you put them places. For the small amount of cutscenes, and the intro video, it reminds one of a hand-drawn flash cartoon; it’s not too bad, but not spectacular, and it has a funny way of matching the game’s content. The sound is the same way at this point, though really I can’t fault either one very much when I’ve been given a preview build.

I’ll be keeping an eye out for the final product, as the preview has sufficiently intrigued me; this game has the potential to be a very fun puzzler, and a rather different one as well. If CDV can make sure that the puzzles strain your brain, as opposed to just your patience, this could be a worthy buy.