Nintendo confirmed what everyone already knew: the Wii will getting a $50 price drop this Sunday. I’m sure it’s going to sell even more than usual at $199.
The price drop party has been in full effect. First it was the PS3, then the Xbox 360, now the Wii. I wonder if the handhelds will get in on the fun? The PSP Go hasn’t launched yet, but it could definitely use a price drop. Maybe Nintendo would shave a couple bones off the DSi too.
Have you been desperately waiting for this price drop to pick up a Wii? Do you see enough value in the console to get one for $199?
An explosion in the galaxy!! Meteors red and blue suddenly come crashing down to a beautiful alien planet. (sound familiar?) The meteor cracks open and out crawls an evil red creature named Zarkhator. The adventure begins and Spore Hero is born.
Good lord I have no idea what to make of this game. It’s an extreme sports based game using the Wii controller and a DDR dance pad wannabe, and the whole things is very kid oriented. Have you seen this thing? Anyone? Well whatever this game is classified as, I was very interested to see what it had to offer. And so I did! Come see what I found!
Along with Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, we got to try out some of the Wii exclusive features of Guitar Hero 5 this past Monday at Vicarious Visions. In a press Roadie Battle tournament, Loot Ninja came out on top. We sat down with David Nathanielsz, the game’s producer, to talk all about what’s new in Guitar Hero 5 for the Wii. Trust me, it’s now a worthy purchase.
Plowing the fields, planting the crops and harvesting the produce, sounds mundane but boy can it be addictive in a video game. I found that out when I played Harvest Moon Friends of Mineral Town long ago. Now there is more good news for Harvest Moon fans. Two new Harvest Moon games have been released.
The first is Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming for the DS. Should be available at retail stores for $29.99. Set in the world of last year’s DS game Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness, the Frantic Farming title continues the story of the island and the residents.
There are 12 playable characters to choose from, each with their own storyline and abilities. Solve the mystery of why the crops are popping up everywhere and growing out of control. The island is threatened by an avalanche of vegetables. Playable in a variety of modes including Story mode, Mission mode and the puzzling mode of Score Attack and Free Play. This game sounds interesting and I do love a good Harvest Moon game, I’ll probably pick up a copy and let you know what I think.
Magical Melody for the Wii
The second game is Harvest Moon: Magical Melody for the Wii. It’s a re-release of the GameCube version ported to the Wii. This one I’m not as excited about for the simple reason that I played it on the GameCube and I found it to be very slow and boring. Planting crops and making friends took a long time and just navigating from one area of the map to another was slow. Other fans must have enjoyed it and apparently were asking for a Wii version to be released and their wish was granted. This game is exclusive to Game Stop and sells for $29.99. I may try it later but I’m not rushing out to get it. If you play it, I’d be interested to know what you think.
Working out on the Wii Fit or EA Sports Active burns calories. Lots and lots of calories. Fat calories. You are Fatty McGee! But here recently things have gotten a little hotter with your scorching white hot Nintendo consoles.
Griffin International has just recalled about 220,000 Wii battery recharge stations due to fire and burn hazards. These units are very common in the Wii gaming community, hell even I have one. The product in question is the Psyclone Essentials and React Wii 4-dock charging station. All of this recall stuff ultimately reminds me of the scene in Fight Club where Edward Norton spells out what it is he actually does for a job. He is an inspector for the insurance company that determines whether or not there needs to be a recall using a simple mathematical formula:
Take the number of Wii recharge stations in the field (A), multiply it by the probable rate of failure (B), then multiply the result by the average out-of-court settlement (C). A times B times C equals X….. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don’t do one.
Reading about the new site for Muramasa: The Demon Blade yesterday gave me an excuse to talk about this stylish action-RPG from Vanillaware. For those unaware, Vanillaware brought us the niche classics Odin Sphere (published by Atlus) and Grim Grimore (published by Nippon Ichi) a couple years back. This very stylized game carries the name of a famous – yet supposedly insane – swordsmith who lived during the 16th Century in Japan. The game tells the story of a conflict over powerful and dangerous swords, the Demon Blades. These swords are supposedly cursed, and bring about ill occurrences to those who wield them. This story, in a way, parallels the real legend behind the swordsmith I mentioned earlier, Muramasa Sengo. He had a violent and insane mind, and those traits were believed to transfer over to the swords he made, passing them on to whoever wielded them.
Muramasa has over 30 stages that are rendered in an awesome hand-drawn 2D visual style. You can use the Wii-mote or a standard classic controller while fighting as either Kisuke, a ninja with amnesia, or Momohime, a young princess. There’s approximately 108 katanas to find and collect throughout the game as these characters traverse ancient Japan. The games includes three different modes of play, and each sets different parameters for the player. The most insane of these modes is, rightly, called “Insane Death” mode, which sets the player’s HP at 1 throughout the entire game. Do people find something like that enjoyable? I think I’ll pass, thankyouverymuch.
I was a fan of Odin Sphere, the visuals of that title are quite stunning. It’s unfortunate this new Vanillaware title is on the Wii…but only because that’s the one system I don’t own. Needless to say, Wii owners who enjoy 2D action-RPGs are in for quite a treat come September 8, when this title ships in North America.
When motion controls first hit the scene a few years back, playing a baseball game where you can actually swing was what I wanted most. Many gamers preferred the light saber fantasy, but I am more of an athlete than a mathlete. Anyway, the baseball game to play this season not on Sony hardware is The Bigs 2. This is like baseball on steroids, no pun intended. The game is a hybrid of a baseball sim and NFL Blitz. The Wii version is different from the other console versions making it a clean single as opposed to a walk-off home run.
Wii Sports may be one of the best selling pack-in games of all time, but it’s also been labeled a glorified tech demo by some. The games were simplistic and easily glitched (I can bowl a 290-300 every time laying down on my couch). Wii Sports Resort takes the fun gameplay elements from the original, adds Wii Motion Plus and a ton of new sports, and makes for a damn fun experience.
The Wii hasn’t had a solid shooter in its lifespan… until now. The Conduit from Sega and High Voltage Software milks every last drop of goodness out of Nintendo’s little box to give you the shooter experience you’ve been waiting for. Is it the best shooter ever? No. Is it a really fun experience with innovative controls and solid multiplayer? You bet.
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