Posted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off

Nintendo Releases Full Q3 Financials

Nintendo has released their financial report, covering sales and other financial information for the past nine months (which is what we’ll be referring to when we say "this period"). Here’s some of the highlights:

• Nintendo’s total sales this period were $13.09 billion, down 23% from the same period last year. Their total income was $2.13 billion, down 9% from last year.
• The Nintendo corporation is worth $19.88 billion, a decrease of less than 1% from March 2009. While their total assets have decreased, Nintendo has hired 335 more people at their various locations around the world, so they clearly don’t feel they’re falling on hard times.
• Nintendo expects that their sales for the entire year (ending March 31, 2010) will be $16.61 billion, which is an 18.4% decrease from last year, but an increase from their estimate three months ago.
• This period, Nintendo gained $24.36 million from sales of items that were not video games. They also spent $365.3 million on research and development (22% more than last year) and $894.5 million on advertising (20% less than last year).
• The big-selling DS games this year were Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver (3.74 million in Japan), Tomodachi Collection, (2.74 million in Japan), Pokémon Platinum (3.1 million globally) and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2.45 million globally).
• The big-selling Wii games this year were New Super Mario Bros. Wii (10.55 million globally), Wii Fit Plus (10.16 million globally) and Wii Sports Resort (10.16 million globally).
• Concerning DS hardware: 23.35 million DS systems were sold this period; 13.41 million of them were DSi, and 700,000 were DSi XL. To date, 125.13 million systems have been sold, and 16.43 million have been DSi.
• Concerning Wii hardware: 17.05 million Wii systems were sold this period. To date, Nintendo has sold 67.45 million Wii systems.
• Concerning DS software: 121.38 million DS games were sold this period, and 9.19 million of them (8%) were new releases. To date, 688.29 million DS games have been sold, and 43.21 million of them (6%) were new releases at the time.
• Concerning Wii software: Nintendo 156.64 million Wii games this period, and a scant 5.85 million (4%) were new releases. To date, Wii game sales are 509.66 million, with 18.47 million (again, 4%) being new releases.

The low numbers for new releases are good and bad at the same time. It indicates that many Nintendo games have long-term selling power, but it also shows a lack of new releases (especially for Wii). What really intrigues me, though, is the sudden increase in R&D spending. I can’t imagine all that money went into the MotionPlus, especially since they were developing the DSi last year. What is Nintendo working on?

Posted by Jake Bellissimo in Nintendo DS, Reviews | Comments Off

Review: Scribblenauts

The game Scribblenauts has been on the hype train since its announcement at E3. The general idea of the game is to have a 2D platformer that lets players type in words and have them appear in the game. After being released, there has been mixed praise about it, and I recently have been able to get ahold of the game long enough to play through and give my 2 cents.

I’m going to start this review off and just say that the main engine is amazing, giving players the freedom that they want while keeping it responsible at the same time. The game’s slogan is “Write anything, solve anything”, which stays true throughout the gameplay. There are a couple of exceptions: No Alcohol, racism, vulgar language, or nudity. Also, you can’t type in copyrighted items, and what you type has to be a physical object. There are 22,802 available words to type in, which gives you the variety you need to solve each level however you want it. If you type a word in that has more than one different meaning, you can choose which meaning you want and the game will put it in. There are no real cons about this aspect of the game, except for the fact that most sprites are re-used for different words, but you have to remind yourself that this is a DS game, and there is only so much you can fit on one cartridge.

The game is comprised of a main hub, where you can choose between game modes. The different types of game modes are Challenge (which is the main storyline) and the Level Editor. Challenge mode is where the core experience is, and starts out in a tutorial section called the high school. In the High School, you learn the basics of Scribblenauts, such as how to create objects and how to fly planes, etc. After you get past the first couple of levels, the game lets you view the map, which is split up into 10 different worlds. The first world is basic things, like giving a firefighter the tools he needs, and saving cats from the top of buildings. As you go on, the game gets increasingly harder, and if the challenge isn’t enough for you, you can always go through on Advanced mode. Advanced mode is where you play the same task, but this time you can’t type in anything that you used the first time going through. This can challenge the player to think, especially when there only seems to be one correct way to get through a level. Challenge mode can be frustrating at times, stumping the player with hard puzzles, that may seem impossible to solve. I remember being stuck at different parts of the game (i.e., how to exterminate ants without getting the hippie mad), but after you finally get it, you feel really proud. The experience is repetitive, and sometimes the player may want an actual storyline, instead of just different puzzles to solve. This makes the game seem boring, and will have you want to stop playing often.

A screenshot from Scribblenauts.

The other game mode is called Level Editor. As you can guess from the title, this part of the game focuses on creating your own levels. When you open up the Level Editor, you are greeted by a scenery option. You can choose from any of the worlds that you have unlocked already, and if you choose one, the game breaks it down into different “templates” for your level based on the puzzles. You can then place objects and even script them on your level, which works out fine. You can also buy music and avatars to use in the Ollar Store (selectable from the main menu). The cons of the level editor are that (just like the Challenge mode), playing the game for the sole use of the level editor may not keep you hooked.

Overall the game seems like something that you would play for a while, but then this is where the controls come in. The controls for this game make it a letdown, forcing the player to use the touchscreen to control Maxwell (main character), without any other options to edit the controls. When I play a game, I expect there to be an option in the main menu to toggle the controls to fit my style of gameplay, and here that option is absent. What is so bad about the controls? you ask? Well, controlling with only the stylus can be tedius at times, because Maxwell can only move in certain ways, causing him to mess up some of your plans. I would have preferred to control Maxwell with the D-Pad, and also be able to control him with the stylus. This can make the game frustrating at times, and I know that I turned off my DS because of frustration during the time I played the game.

The graphics of the game are standard DS platforming, with no real 3D effects thrown in for visual appeal. The game’s sprites do look nice, and there are certainly no flaws concerning the graphics.

The music in this game is nothing special either, being the standard music that you would expect to hear in a game of this type, having upbeat tunes to go with each level. Without the music, the game would feel different, but with it it is an experience to be seen/heard. It certainly isn’t anything that you would turn off the volume for, but it isn’t anything that I’m going to praise either. I will admit that the little sound effects were nice, and added a nice feel to the game (what other game would you hear DJ scratches when you close the DS?)

There is one part of the game that I didn’t review, and that is the multiplayer. I wasn’t able to have access to it, as I had no friends that owned the game to really play with. Overall, the game is ok, offering some entertainment, but for only so long. The general idea for Scribblenauts sounds good on paper, but when you put it into play, it could’ve been improved (especially the controls).

Posted by Chris Bunner in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off

Official Japanese Metroid: Other M Site Up

Gameplay from Metroid: Other M

It’s still not a lot, but it’s better than nothing. Metroid: Other M now has an official Japanese site up. Right now there is currently only a teaser with a woman saying something in Japanese and then showing a still from something we saw in the E3 trailer accompanied by a very calming piece of music that sounds very different coming from Metroid.

Nintendo has also released a list of games due out this year, and Metroid is currently gunning for a Summer 2010 release. Keep an eye out for more information as it will surely be coming before too long if the release is that close.

I’m really looking forward to this. Metroid is one of my favorite series and I’m really interested in seeing what Team NINJA has in store for us.

Posted by Chad Fleming in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off

Two New RPGs on Their Way to Wii

Any Nintendo fans out there who, like me, have been lamenting the lack of quality JRPGs were given reason to rejoice today. Nintendo has put up two teaser sites today, with the promise of more information to come.

The teaser site offers little in the way of information.

The first is Xenoblade, containing a prefix(Xeno) which I’m sure many RPG fans will recognize. While it hasn’t been officially tied to the Xenosaga series it does start with Xeno; and it is from Monolith, the same company that has worked on the previous Xeno games. So while it’s not officially part of that series yet, it’s looking pretty likely that it will be.

Concept art for the game.

This is not the first time we’ve heard of the game, though. It was actually announced last year at E3 under the name Monado. There was even an announcement video shown for it last year that included some gameplay footage. Other than these few meager facts we don’t have much to go on, though the site does inform us that there will be an "Official Site Coming Soon", so stay tuned as more information becomes available.

There is even less information surrounding the second teaser site of the day, for The Last Story. What we do know, though, is cause for excitement. The game is being designed by Mistwalker, whose latest pedigree includes Blue Dragon and the superb Lost Odyssey, both for the Xbox 360. Most notable, however, is the fact that Hironobu Sakaguchi, the head of Mistwalker, is the man who created Final Fantasy. With that kind of pedigree, it’s hard not to get excited, even though we’ve seen nothing but a logo thus far.

The logo for The Last Story.

Posted by Jake Bellissimo in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off

GH5 DLC Update: 1/28/10

                               A picture of the band Creedence Clearwater Revival.

The band Creedence Clearwater Revival is not new to the rhythm genre, but they are always welcome to release more songs, and this week they have! As usual, each individual track will cost 200 Wii Points, with the "Creedence Clearwater Revival Track Pack" costing you 550 Wii Points.

The tracks available in the "Creedence Clearwater Revival Track Pack" are:

• "Proud Mary"
• "Bad Moon Rising"
• "Travelin’ Band"

I’m not a huge fan, but I’ve been waiting for Proud Mary for a while, so I’ll pick that up.

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

Rock Band DLC Update: 1/26/10

Those who have played previous entries in the Guitar Hero series will recognize a couple of the tracks coming to the Rock Band 2 Music Store this week. Two classic tracks from Blue Öyster Cult join music from Motorhead and Rage Against The Machine and more. All tracks cost 200 Nintendo Points and are downloaded in-game; none of this week’s tracks are compatible with Lego Rock Band, to our knowledge.

Blue Öyster Cult “Godzilla”
Blue Öyster Cult “Transmaniacon MC”
Hawkwind “Master of the Universe”
I Mother Earth “Levitate”
Motörhead “Killed by Death ’08”
Nazareth “Hair of the Dog” (2008 re-recording)
Rage Against the Machine “Bulls on Parade”

I may be forced to acquire some points and grab some Cult and Rage this week. This is going to be hard to pass up.

Posted by Jake Bellissimo in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off

NSMB Wii Sells 10 Million Copies Worldwide

                                     The boxart for "New Super Mario Bros. Wii"

Back in 2009, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata predicted that New Super Mario Bros. Wii would at least sell 10 million copies. His prediction was off, but in a good way, as the sales already reached his prediction in only 8 weeks!

To break down the sales, the game sold 4.5 million copies in North America, 3 million in Japan/Europe, and 2.5 million copies in the rest of the world. The game was very successful, doubling the U.S. sales of Super Mario Galaxy!

I am extremely surprised at how well the sales have done, but it is a Mario game that sticks to the original roots, so why not buy it?

Posted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off

Nintendo Download: 1/25/10

DSiWare: Number Battle, 500 Nintendo Points

This Japanese title combines strategy combat with feng shui, according to the press release. Your goal is to reach a certain score by placing numbered tiles on the playing board, linking them together in special ways. Your opponent is doing the same thing, though, so plan accordingly.

DSiWare: AiRace: Tunnel, 200 Nintendo Points

Project Tunnel is go, and they’re testing out the skills and reaction time of rookies. Pilot your craft down the tunnel as far as you can; the vehicle speeds up with each passing second, and there are numerous traps waiting for you.

DSiWare: Escapee Go!, 200 Nintendo Points

You are Claire, a girl who wakes up with no memory or knowledge about herself. Trapped in wherever it is she is, she’ll have to avoid her mysterious pursuers using her newfound powers, grabbing items to enhance her abilities temporarily.

WiiWare: Uno, 1,000 Nintendo Points

The DSiWare got a version, now WiiWare has one. Put down cards on the pile, matching numbers or colors, in a bid to get rid of your hand first. Use special cards to skip turns, change colors, or make opponents draw cards. Up to six players can play online via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

WiiWare: bittos+, 800 Nintendo Points

You’ll be making squares and squares within squares in this new puzzle game where you rotate and place puzzle pieces on a given grid. This game features multiple game modes and control schemes, and a fair bit of presentation to boot.

WiiWare: Aha! I Found It! Hidden Object Game, 500 Nintendo Points

Playing alone or competing with others, move as fast as you can to find twelve hidden objects on the screen. This game features ten stages and 277 objects.

SNES: Ghoul Patrol, 800 Nintendo Points

The library’s goblin exhibit has had a bit of a mishap, in that all the creatures have come to life. As part of the Ghoul Patrol, you’ll head back in time to various periods in history to rid them of their ghoulies.

Escapee Go! seems like a fun puzzle game, and online Uno is always good. I’m always cautious of hidden picture games, though that may just be me.

Posted by Chris Bunner in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off

Capcom Announces Special Bundle For Monster Hunter Tri

Monster Hunter Tri Bundle

Capcom has announced that it will be releasing a special bundle for Monster Hunter Tri. This bundle will include the new Wii Classic Controller Pro, which features additional shoulder buttons and grips that allow the controller to fit better in your hands. The bundle will be sold for $59.99 (with the game on its own $49.99) and will only give the option of a black controller. Alternatively, you can purchase the Classic Controller Pro separately in either black or white for $19.99.  The game is slated for release on April 6th.

I don’t know much about the Monster Hunter series, but I do like the new controller. That might be worth it for me to pick one up.

Posted by Jake Bellissimo in Miscellaneous, Retro | Comments Off

Looking Back: Kirby And The Amazing Mirror

Looking Back is a series where we take a glance at a particular game of yesteryear,  whether it be influential, under appreciated, or just simply worth remembering.

Since the NES, the platforming genre has stood the test of time, as it still stands in one piece today. Throughout the past decade there have been many platforming games from Nintendo, but one that stood out to me the most was Kirby and the Amazing Mirror. This game managed to take the well known character Kirby, platforming, storytelling, and good multiplayer and combine it all into one amazing game. The game was made at the decline of the GBA system, and with the DS’ release upon gamers, so you can bet that Nintendo made Kirby’s last game for GBA near-perfect.

The main setting of the game is a place called Mirrorworld, where any wish that is reflected into a mirror comes true in real life. However, one day the mirrors only copy the minds of villains, and before you know it Mirrorland is inhabited by lots of evil creatures. It is then Kirby’s job to collect all of the shards to the broken mirror and save Mirrorland!

A screenshot of the game, with the player using the Cupid power.

What makes this game different than other Kirby games is that it requires teamwork. The team that you work with is made up of Kirby clones, which appeared when Dark Metaknight split Kirby into 4. The other 3 clones can be controlled by other players at any point in the game, or they can be called upon as “backup” in difficult parts of levels (on levels that require all 4 Kirbys be present). To call upon the Kirby clones, the main player uses a cellphone that has a certain battery limit (to prevent players from calling them at every point in the game). This system always worked well and I liked the feeling that I always had backup when things got tough (I will admit, it certainly helped me get through the hard levels!)

The main gameplay consists of collecting the shards to complete the “end mirror”, which is where the final boss battles take place in. To collect the shards you have to beat levels, in the same style as any other platformer. The levels are set up like mazes, with different mirrors bringing you to different rooms. There were many ways to complete each level, which made the replay value pretty high. There are different types of enemies that you can swallow and either shoot them back out or absorb their powers. The different powers that you obtain can be used to get through the level easier. You’re never forced to a power, because you can always disown your power as you please, which is good to keep variety and choice involved.

While the single player is engaging and fun, what I enjoyed most about this game was the multiplayer. For the multiplayer, there were 2 options. You could either Co-op the story mode, or you could participate in mini-games against your friends. The co-op experience worked perfectly, requiring players to work together to beat the levels,  leaving many fond moments of playing this with a couple friends over the weekend in my head. As for the mini-games, they were also fun and enjoyable. The mini-game that stood out the most was a “boss showdown” type game, where you battled off all of the bosses in the game in a row. What made this fun was that it offered a challenge, and you could bring in your friends also to help beat it.

A screenshot of one of the game’s many boss battles.

What made me want to play through the game a couple times at least was mainly the collectibles. There were hundreds of collectible items (such as spraypaint to change Kirby’s color) that were hidden in each level, and you had to truly explore each level to the fullest to obtain all of them. Of course, this created a competition between my friends and I, as we all raced to see who could collect all of the items in the game first.

Kirby and The Amazing Mirror is a game that I will never forget, because it was one of the first games that I truly had a fun time with. Whenever I played it with my friends, I had this amazing feeling that I never wanted to leave. As time went on, so did the games, which is why I feel that this installment in the Kirby franchise deserves a tribute.

Posted by Chris Bunner in General News | 1 Comment

Nintendo of Japan Introduces Black Boxes For More Mature Games

Box Art for Zangeki no Reginleiv

Over here in America you hear a lot of parents complaining about what their kids are playing, even though we have ratings that should warn them about the content. Now, according to Siliconera, in Japan Nintendo is doing something extra to make games with more mature content stand out. Starting with the upcoming game Zangeki no Reginleiv, Nintendo will be packing all games rated CERO C or higher (15+ years-old) in black boxes.

Next to just about all of the other Wii games which have white boxes, this will be a clear contrast which lets parents know even more clearly which games are suitable for their children. There is no news as to whether this trend could make its ways to our shores, but it would not be terribly surprising if it did.

I’m not really sure just how much this will help. I can’t speak for the Japanese culture, but here it seems that the parents that care already pay attention to the ratings. I’m inclined to think that the ones who don’t look at the ratings won’t care about the color either.

Posted by Jake Bellissimo in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off

GH5 DLC Update: 1/21/10

                           The album cover of Dethklok’s debut album "The Dethalbum".

Metalheads, get your fists pumping, because we’re getting a Metal 3-pack this week! And if you don’t like metal, I suggest you cover your ears. Dethklok is back from their previous appearance in Guitar Hero 2, and the bands Shadows Fall and Amon Amarth make their debut on the platform. As usual, each individual song will cost you 200 Wii Points, with the "Metal Track Pack" costing you 550 Wii Points.

The songs included in the "Metal Track Pack" are:

• Shadows Fall — "Still I Rise"
• Amon Amarth — "Twilight of the Thunder God"
• Dethklok — "Laser Canon Deth Sentence"

As much as I do love metal, I’m not too into Dethklok or Shadows Fall, so I think I’ll pass this week.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off

December 2009 NPD Group US Sales Numbers

Hardware

Wii – 3,810,000
NDS – 3,310,000
PS3 – 1,360,000
360 – 1,310,000
PSP – 654,700
PS2 – 333,200

Software

1. Wii – New Super Mario Bros Wii, 2,820,000
2. Wii – Wii Fit Plus, 2,410,000*
3. Wii – Wii Sports Resort, 1,790,000*
4. 360 – Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, 1,630,000*
5. PS3 – Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, 1,120,000*
6. Wii – Wii Play, 1,010,000
7. Wii – Mario Kart Wii, 936,100
8. 360 – Assassin’s Creed II, 783,100
9. 360 – Left 4 Dead 2, 728,500
10. NDS – Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, 656,700

*Number includes all SKUs except those bundled with game systems.

^The numbers on the right represent units sold.

Despite a strong rally from Sony, Nintendo blew the other companies away this holiday season. New Super Mario Bros. Wii, demonstrating the longevity of Nintendo titles, outsold Modern Warfare 2 on both of the other systems combined; the six games on the top ten sold a combined total of over 9.5 million units. While Nintendo’s new "big three" capture all three top spots, it’s good to see people still enjoy Mario Kart Wii, and it’s very good to see Mario & Luigi being so popular.

Some more statistics:

• December 2009 was the biggest-selling month in the history of the industry, though the year as a whole was down 8%.
• Nintendo DS software, hardware and accessories accounted for one-sixth of all sales this year.
• While the PS3 set a personal best for one-month sales, the Wii and Nintendo DS now hold the first and second place records for best hardware month ever.
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the third best-selling game of 2009, while Modern Warfare 2 is cited as being the fourth best-selling game of all time; we may want to check the numbers on that, as the best-seller list is extremely impressive.
• The best-selling genre of the month was music/dance, which is also second for the year; first is, not surprisingly, first-person shooters.
• Six of the ten best-selling games this year were on the Wii, with combined sales of 20.8 million.

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

Rock Band DLC Update: 1/19/10

This week brings mostly music from rock legend Tom Petty, namely six live tracks from their recently released The Live Anthology; in addition, we’ll be getting tracks from Phoenix and Silvertide. All songs cost 200 Nintendo Points and are downloaded in-game.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “A Woman in Love (Live)”*
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Breakdown (Live)”*
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Century City (Live)”*
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Jammin’ Me (Live)”
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Nightwatchman (Live)”
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “The Waiting (Live)”*
Phoenix – “1901”*
Phoenix – “Lisztomania”*
Silvertide – “Blue Jeans”

I’ve only ever heard two Tom Petty songs that I could name; they were both off his newest album, and I wasn’t a huge fan.

Posted by Josh Beebe in General News, Nintendo DS | Comments Off

Pre-order Rewards For Pokémon HeartGold And SoulSilver

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver will be launching in North America on March 14th and while that is still a ways away Nintendo is giving you a small incentive to Pre-order your copy before then. Starting February 1st, those who pre-order are likely to receive a Legendary Pokémon Figure designed after either Lugia or Ho-Oh, based on the version you pre-order and while supplies last.

Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing says, "These unique figures are our way of thanking Pokémon fans of all ages for the enthusiasm and support they have shown for the series."

This isn’t the first time Nintendo’s given pre-order bonus’ for their Pokémon games. In the past they’ve had handbooks, stylus’, tin containers with neat things inside, and many more.

I find it interesting how it says it starts on February 1st. What about those who pre-ordered before February 1st? Either way it’s a nice little collectible to add to any Pokémon fans collection. If I get one it can go next to the Stylus I got for pre-ordering Diamond.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off

Nintendo Download: 1/18/10

DSiWare: Starship Defense, 500 Nintendo Points

This tower defense game replaces a tower with a starship. Drag and drop weapons onto your starship to fend off the incoming enemies, and use energy from defeated enemies to upgrade your weaponry. Also utilize special attacks and calls for assistance.

DSiWare: Dark Void Zero, 500 Nintendo Points

To commemorate finally launching Dark Void after nearly 20 years of development, Capcom has released this note of what the game was originally supposed to be like. In Dark Void Zero, Rusty and his jetpack must fight off the Watchers to prevent them from taking over the planet. This game contains three levels.

DSiWare: Chronos Twins, 500 Nintendo Points

As in the WiiWare version, you’ll control a level at two different points in time as you make your way through this action platformer puzzler.

DSiWare: Me And My Dogs: Friends Forever, 800 Nintendo Points

This game lets you play with up to three dogs, chosen from Labradors, Chow Chows and Beagles. You’ll feed them, wash them, walk them and play with them. You can even train them for competitions and teach them tricks.

WiiWare: Muscle March, 500 Nintendo Points

The almighty protein powder has been taken by thieves, so you’ll have to catch them, but you need to look manly at the same time! As you progress from man-shaped hole to man-shaped hole, you’ll have to flex and position your muscles so you line up with the hole.  Play by yourself or with friends, or try out Endless Mode.

WiiWare: The Amazing Brain Train!, 600 Nintendo Points

The brain train is off on an adventure! Hop aboard and enjoy a number of brainteasers to go farther and farther on your journey.

Genesis: Shadow Dancer: The Secret Of Shinobi, 800 Nintendo Points

This Genesis title is a follow-up to the original Shinobi on arcade. As you battle the Neo Zeed corporation, you can use Yamoto, your ninja attack dog, to help you progress and free New York City.

I am intrigued by Dark Void Zero; I may have to purchase it, if it’s only $5. It looks like fun.

Posted by Jake Bellissimo in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off

Red Steel 2 Release Date Announced

                                         The currrent boxart for Ubisoft’s Red Steel 2

Red Steel was a game that paved the way for shooters on the Wii, and since then the series has yet to make an appearance on Nintendo’s latest home console. This time, the game will require motionplus to function, but have no fear, Ubisoft is going to bundle the peripheral with Red Steel 2.

The game was originally set to come out last fall, but has been moved to March 23, 2010.

I did enjoy playing the first one with friends, but I’m not a huge FPS fan so I’ll have to wait for the reviews on this one.

Posted by Jake Bellissimo in General News, Nintendo DS | Comments Off

Release Date For New Pokemon Ranger Game Announced

                                              The coverart for the original Pokemon Ranger.

Coro Coro Comics has recently announced a new Pokemon Ranger game. Unfortunately, the release date is only for Japan, with no further information said about if the game will release outside of the country. Pokémon Ranger: Hikari no Kiski will release in Japan on March 6, 2010, and will be the 3rd in the Pokemon Ranger series.

The game will follow the tradition of previous Pokemon Ranger games, letting players choose their character (between male and female), while the unchosen character will be their companion. The same mechanics are included, letting the player recruit other Pokemon to help them capture other Pokemon.

The game will include certain areas that are only acessible by 4 players, which can be used in its new 4-player co-op mode. Whether this mode will be over Wi-Fi has not been said, but the game will let you download special missions through Wi-Fi, one of which lets players catch Deoxys (to transfer to any of the DS Pokemon titles).

I am intrigued about this game, and might have to get it, considering that I didn’t buy the first Pokemon Ranger game. The part about catching Deoxys sounds fantastic, as I lost mine due to a Saphire game that accidentally got restarted.

Posted by Jake Bellissimo in General News | Comments Off

GH5 DLC Update: 1/14/10

                                            A picture of the band Vampire Weekend.

Get your garlic ready, beca–wait, these vampires play music? Well then grab your plastic instrument of choice, because we are getting a Vampire Weekend 3-pack this week! As usual, any individual song will cost 200 Wii Points, with the full "Vampire Weekend Track Pack" costing you 550 Wii Points.

The tracks included in the "Vampire Weekend Track Pack" are:

• "Holiday"
• "Cousins"
• "The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance"

Despite their intimidating name Vampire Weekend, this music will be an upbeat addition to my collection, so I will get the full pack.

Posted by Josh Beebe in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off

Netflix Coming To Wii In Spring

Over the past couple of years Netflix has grown in popularity and with that popularity they’ve developed new and easier ways for it’s users to watch their favorite movies and television shows. Many devices now come Netflix ready ranging from specific devices made for it to other video game consoles. Soon the Nintendo Wii will be Netflix ready and all you need is three things: A Wii, A Netflix account and Internet access on your Wii.

With Nintendo selling over three million Wii consoles in December of 2009 alone there’s no doubt bringing Netflix to the Wii is a solid move for Netflix. As Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime puts it, "The Wii console is the social hub around which friends and family members gather to play games and have fun. Soon both new and longtime Wii owners will enjoy the benefits of Netflix."

Netflix hopes that by adding the Wii to it’s repertoire and making streaming videos to your TV easier it may compel some non-Netflix users to become members. If that is the case I think we can safely say everyone wins in this situation.

I’m all for Netflix streaming for the Wii. I already use my computer and other gaming console to stream movies and TV shows all the time and find it’s a great service. I’ll be using it on my Wii too.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News, Nintendo Wii | 1 Comment

Rock Band DLC Update: 1/12/10

Unfortunately for those who own Lego Rock Band, none of this week’s DLC will be compatible, as Harmonix is bringing in a pack of songs from hard rockers Alice In Chains. The five songs come from their first album, their latest album, and their most popular album; each song costs 200 Nintendo Points and is downloaded in-game.

Alice In Chains – “Grind”
Alice In Chains – “Heaven Beside You”
Alice In Chains – “Last of My Kind”
Alice In Chains – “We Die Young”
Alice In Chains – “Your Decision”

I like Alice In Chains, but I don’t really know any of these songs, so I’m reluctant to get it, myself. That shouldn’t stop any of you, though.

Posted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off

Nintendo Download: 1/11/10

DSiWare: Touch Solitaire, 200 Nintendo Points

This is a simple and unassuming download, containing the two most popular variants of Solitaire, those being Spider Solitaire and Klondike Solitaire (also known as the kind that comes with your computer).

DSiWare: Jazzy Billiards, 500 Nintendo Points

This game combines nine-ball billiards with soft jazz music. The game features nine difficulty stages, along with a two-player competitive mode.

DSiWare: Word Searcher, 500 Nintendo Points

This game contains 100 word search puzzles, each one with its own theme, such as U.S. presidents. Each time you play a puzzle, the words are rescrambled for added replay value.

WiiWare: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, 1,000 Nintendo Points

The critically-acclaimed attorney-based adventure game comes to WiiWare. Playing as Phoenix Wright, use your keen reasoning skills to expose witnesses as liars, navigate storylines with plenty of twists and turns, and find the truth behind four difficult cases. You can also purchase an additional, even longer fifth case.

WiiWare: Chronos Twins DX, 1,000 Nintendo Points

This ambitious game seeks to mix "action, platforms, adventure and puzzles", as you adjust the world around you in two different points of time at once, with its innovative Dual Gameplay system.

WiiWare: ShadowPlay, 800 Nintendo Points

This innovative game challenges you to construct elaborate shadow creations out of the shadows of everyday objects. As you progress through the game’s 100 puzzles, you’ll unlock parts for use in Free Play, where you can create your own shadows.

Genesis: Shanghai II: Dragon’s Eye, 800 Nintendo Points

One more puzzle game for the road – Shanghai II tests your skills at Mahjong Solitaire, where you have to remove matching pairs of tiles one at a time to clear the board. Once you’ve gotten your fill, you can try the more challenging Dragon’s Eye.

Besides the obvious awesomeness of Phoenix Wright, that ShadowPlay game looks really clever.

Posted by Chris Bunner in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off

Metroid Prime Trilogy Not To Be Shipped Anymore

Casing for the Metroid Prime Trilogy

If anybody out there wants to get the Metroid Prime Trilogy for the Wii and has still yet to do so, it would be a very good idea to pick a copy up right now.

According to the blog Coffee with Games, he sent an email to Nintendo questioning why the trilogy had been taken off of Amazon, and they told him that "unfortunately, Metroid Prime Trilogy is no longer being shipped. Having said that, you may be able to find what you seek through the secondhand video game market."

While you may very well still be able to find this pack somewhere like GameStop or other secondhand stores, the prices are likely going to be increasing before long. The trilogy was only in production for around four months, so copies are going to be very limited.

I had been hoping to wait and be able to pick this up really cheap since I already own all three individually, but it looks like I’ve missed that chance. It’s just not worth it for me now to get some new controls and a few extras for that price.

Posted by Josh Beebe in Miscellaneous, Reviews | Comments Off

Review: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

The last time a Kingdom Hearts game made it’s appearance on a Nintendo console it was Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for the Gameboy Advance. Using the limited hardware of the GBA Square-Enix was able to push the system to some limits with the use of full motion videos on the tiny GBA cart, though with lack of buttons and the limited hardware they opted for a 2D game, using cards for the battle system; not liked by many might I add. Square-Enix has once again released a Kingdom Hearts game for a Nintendo handheld but how does it fair this time?

If you’re a fan of Kingdom Hearts this is going to be a nice entry into your collection. Everything you get from the Ps2 counterparts has been wonderfully scaled down and put into your pocket on the DS in Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (for those confused, it’s pronounced Three-Five-Eight Days over 2).

In Kingdom Hearts Sora ended up using the Keyblade against himself to free Kairi’s heart, but this also released his. The result? A Nobody named Roxas was created. With no memories of his former “life” Roxas joins Organization XIII and soon uncovers the truth about himself. In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (from now on referred to as Days) you play as Roxas and his time in the Organization. The story is an interesting and captivating one full of secrets, friendship, and popsicles. Lots and lots of popsicles. It takes some time for the flow of the story to actually get going, but when it picks up speed it will have you wanting to play to find out more and to reach the end of the game. I know once it was over I wished it wasn’t. I wanted more to the story. The game itself runs in a “mission” based system. You pick a mission, go to a world, beat the mission, return, rinse and repeat. This is partly why the story takes forever to unfold. It gets boring if you just sit and play for hours, but it’s on a handheld so this system works perfectly. It allows for pick up and play gameplay in short bursts.

Picture of single player. Does not do the graphics justice.

I don’t want to get into too much depth on it because you need to experience it for yourself to determine if you like it and writing about it doesn’t help at all. The panel system is a new system made for Days. It runs kind of like the cards from Chain of Memories. For everything you can do you need panels. Items, magic, equipment to even leveling up. There’s a panel for it. You have to fit the panels together like a puzzle, to make the most of your panel slots. It sometimes feel like Tetris as the pieces resemble Tetris blocks. I think it works well and can be a lot of fun to spend time putting it together. That time will be well spent too as the difficulty for this game can be absurd at times. I remember having the wrong Keyblade equipped for a battle once and it taking me close to 2 hours to beat because of it.

Visually the game is one of the best looking games I’ve personally seen on the DS. The game is rendered in full 3D aside from some items such as your keyblade. You’ll hardly notice they’re not 3D though as they still look fantastic and the animation is smooth. The worlds are scaled down models of worlds from previous games such as Kingdom Hearts 2’s Twilight Town, Kingdom Hearts 1’s Halloween Town, Kingdom Hearts 2’s Beasts castle, and some of the worlds are completely new looking. Even though they’re scaled down they’re still pretty big and the recreations look great. The game also has a fair number of cutscenes and they’re simple gorgeous to watch. It’s a good thing once you beat the game you unlock the ability to watch them anytime.

Axel, Roxas and Xion in one of the beautiful cutscenes.

When the game was announced to be on the DS it caused some speculation. The DS clearly lacks analog sticks so what everyone was wondering is how well the game would control and just how exactly you’d cycle through your action menu since the game plays exactly like the PS2 versions. I can safely say the game controls as smooth as it’s big brothers on the PS2 despite no analog sticks. First off, you move the camera by using the touch screen. It’s simple and not hard but can feel like a pain. You’re better off centering the camera behind you than using the touch screen. The directional buttons handle eight way movement and does it well. For the action menu you simply use the X button to scroll through. This allows for access on the fly and is probably a bit easier than having to go from the joystick to the directional pad like you do in the PS2 version. The only problem is you can only scroll one way; down. If you accidentally go past the magic or the item you want you’ll have to cycle back through. Overall though the transition from the PS2 was smooth and handled well which is good, because it could have made the game unplayable if handled wrong.

With every great game it needs a great set of sound effects to draw you in and immerse you in the universe it’s set in. As well, it needs to have a great soundtrack. Days tends to use a lot of repeated soundtracks from previous titles with only a small selection of new or remixed tracks. Sound effects range from the clanging of the Keyblade, footsteps and especially character voices. Each character has battle grunts and small voice clips in the normal game but in the cut scenes there’s full vice acting and it sounds great. Everything is crisp and clear, especially through headphones.

For the first time in the Kingdom Hearts series there is a multiplayer mode. This is where most of the replay of the game comes in. I was not able to actually test it with someone else as the one person I was suppose to test with never picked up the game (no online play sadly), but luckily you can play the multiplayer solo. Odd isn’t it? Multiplayer solo? Anyways, it’s great you can play it solo as a semi-important aspect of the game is getting the crowns from multiplayer which unlock useful items to help develop your panel system. Another aspect of the replay value is the challenges. When you beat a mission you unlock a challenge for it. Some are as simple as collecting something or as hard as killing a boss with certain restrictions. Depending on how well you perform you’ll unlock challenge Sigils which do the same as the multiplayer crowns. It adds a little replay value but most of the time it feels like a chore.

Overall Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is a wonderful game for the DS. For such a small package they were able to push a lot into it and push the DS to limits rarely seen before. It’s Kingdom Hearts on the go. Gameplay will get repetitive and you may hate it but it’s worth it to push through. While sometimes difficult, the panel system adds strategy and a fun little puzzle to keep working at. Great gameplay, visuals, sound, story and it’s all on the go.

Posted by Chris Bunner in Miscellaneous, Reviews | Comments Off

Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

It’s always difficult transitioning from one form of media to another. Most everyone who is a fan of the Harry Potter books have had some kind of problem with each of the movies. That being said, even though the most recent movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, has its issues, it is arguably the best of the movies thus far. That’s not the concern here, though. The question here is whether the folks at Electronic Arts were able to take the movie and convert it into a quality game.

The key aspect of any game is obviously the gameplay. So what does Half-Blood Prince consist of? Basically, mini-games and exploring. Most of the game takes place on the grounds of Hogwarts. Although at the start of the game you will be limited to where you can venture, by the end of the game you’ll be able to wander off and explore the entire castle and grounds which are taken straight out of the movies for the most part. You can also collect crests while exploring which will unlock various things. If you’re ever at a loss of where to go then you can simply call Nearly-Headless Nick and he will guide you to the area you need to reach. It’s odd that you are not able to use the marauder’s map yourself, but Nick does make it more convenient. For the most part the controls here work well. Every once in awhile certain spells will be stubborn and not want to respond to your motions, but it’s not too bad.

Your actual progression through the game will consist of what are basically mini-games. You have dueling, Quidditch, and potion making. In the wizard duels you will face an opponent where you try to beat them by using various spells, such as stupefy and expelliarmus. Each spell has its own motion specific motion, but that’s where the problem lies. Once you learn a few spells, it can be quite easy to accidentally cast the wrong one. Even though each of the motions are different, the controls are finicky and often result in you casting protego instead of expelliarmus. Even with this flaw that can leave you wide open to attack, the AI is not fast enough to ever take advantage of this. Even in the final battles of the game lies no real challenge, which results in a very disappointing climax. As for Quidditch it’s pretty simple and has no control issues. The game has you aim the Wii remote at the screen and pointing where you want to fly. Finally, with potion making you will have to follow the recipe on screen and mix and stir together a potion, using the remote to pick up the ingredients or to stir. Potions is perhaps the most difficult out of the three, but at the same time none of them can really be considered difficult. Amid all this running about and doing various things for people, the actually story seems to become lost. You never feel the threat of the growing danger that is supposed to be there and it all feels like it’s crammed into the game as an afterthought.

There’s also some multiplayer to be found in the game in the form of dueling. There are several characters to choose from, and more to be unlocked. Each of them has some little difference, such as the amount of health or the speed of their attacks. It’s sort of sad to say that this is probably the most fun you will have in the game. Whereas dueling against the CPU provides no real challenge, playing against a human controlled opponent who knows how to dodge quickly and counter attack can get intense. However, this still doesn’t change the problem with the controls. In fact, the problem is more magnified here since you’ll need to react faster, and if the game happens to read your motions wrong (which it will), then you’ll often find yourself left wide open for attack, thus eliminating some of the skill.

As for the graphics, EA seemed to make a pretty big deal about how much they were improved. The character models definitely do look like the actors and are pretty good, but even on the Wii they could have been better. Facial expressions sometimes don’t seem to match the character’s mood, and while the lip syncing can be alright at times, there are some instances where it is off a good bit (or completely lacking). The castle grounds, however, are done well and everything looks like its straight out of the movie. The textures and details aren’t the best, but they do look good unless you go in to examine things closely.

With the music you can’t really go wrong since most of it is from the movies. For the most part the music simply accompanies the gameplay and doesn’t really let itself stand out aside from a few situations. The one real issue in the sound department is the voice acting. They did get some of the real actors for their characters, such as Ron, Ginny, and Luna. For the rest, we’re stuck with some voice actors that are rather lacking in the talent department. The main characters do a decent job at sounding like their corresponding actors, but their actual performance is what lacks. For instance, Hermione sounds perpetually aggravated, even when there is no reason for her to be (and based on the dialog she obviously isn’t). The others aren’t much better, and they only get worse the further down their importance goes.

As for the replay value to be had in the game, it all really depends on how much you enjoy what you’ve already done by the time you finish the game. If you enjoyed making potions or dueling, then you can take part in the various clubs to be found in the school. For each of these you can try for a better score and earn badges. If you want everything then you can go back for the crests at the end of the game once you have access to the entire map. There are 150 of these crests in the game, and depending on how much you try to get these on your initial run-through of the game, you could the majority  of those still left to get afterward.

So did EA do their job at converting the movie into a good game? They certainly made it look the part, but honestly it’s just not all that fun and gets sort of repetitive. Sure, it’s a little fun dueling at times, but it’s easy and gets old quick. Quidditch doesn’t have much to it, having you do nothing except fly through rings. Potions can be a little more challenging, but it’s still not that fun. This is honestly just not the type of movie that will translate well into a game unless you allow for many changes. If you enjoy exploring and roaming the castle of Hogwarts then you might actually enjoy some of the game. The problem this game has is where it’s most critical. If you don’t have a fun and interesting game, then it doesn’t matter how well any of the other areas are done. If you’re a big Potter fan then you could give this one a rent but, in a game that can be beaten in about four or five hours, it’s not worth buying.