More Details On Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

As we reported a few days ago, the first Modern Warfare game will be coming to Wii this November. In a discussion with Kotaku at GamesCom in Cologne, Germany Executive Producer Daniel Suarez revealed some of the details concerning the multiplayer options. The first piece of news was that the Squadmate mode from Call of Duty: World at War would be returning. This mode, if you don’t know, is similar to the two player option in Super Mario Galaxy where one player controls the main action and another player will control a reticule on screen that can be used to shoot enemies, collect ammo and such. The only time this won’t be available is when a player is zoomed in for sniper shots or when using mounted weapons. The second player also has the ability to drop in and out at any time during the campaign without disrupting the flow of the action.

Online multiplayer will also be available, though the limit of players has been dropped to ten. All the multiplayer modes from the original game will be available, the same experience, upgrades and rankings. Nothing has been taken out according to Mr. Suarez. They’ve also integrated host migration so that if the original host of the game leaves the game will continue with another player as host. Also, for haters of friend codes, you’ll be able to import your friends list from your Wii system, see if they’re online and invite them to play, without having to enter friend codes.

They’ve also noticed how much Wii owners really enjoy being able to customize their controls to fit their play style so they’ve implemented many of the features that were found in the recent title The Conduit. They’ve given players the same tools for customization as the developers so you’ll be able to tailor the control method to they way you want it to be.

All in all it’s looking like Treyarch is taking the development of this game to heart and giving Wii owners what they want. Some of the visuals have had to be downscaled, but everything else you would expect from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is there.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare launches this November for Wii.

Source: Kotaku

Activision Announces Big Game Hunter 2010

Have you ever wanted to hunt a bear from the comfort of your own home? If you live in my area of the country, the answer is probably yes. I much prefer to hunt where the chance of death is next to nothing. If you're a big game hunter, but don't want to get outside Activision has you covered. They've announced, today, Big Game Hunter 2010 coming to Wii, PS3, and the Xbox 360.

All versions of the game will be available on September 29th and the Wii version will come packed with the "innovative Top Shot hunting peripheral". Climb mountains, cross rivers and face countless perilous situations as you try to achieve Top Hunter status in 13 different play modes.

"We are elevating the first person action hunting genre because it's what fans demand," said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. "Skill, extreme danger, real world equipment - you get all of that in Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010, and it all takes place in stunningly rendered outdoor environments packed with animals that look and act like the real thing."

Brand new elements, such as rewards for successfully using cover to progress through missions and a VITALS system which helps players visualize the perfect shot, promise to make this the most fun and action-packed Cabela's game yet.

Source: Activision Press Release

DJ Hero Spins Into Stores on Oct. 27th

Activision confirmed during a conversation with Joystiq that DJ Hero will be released on October 27th in the United States and sometime in "late" October everywhere else. Since that date is in late October itself, it's more than likely that it will be out during that week across the entire globe.

The game comes with 93 mixes and will be compatible with Guitar Hero and Rock Band guitars and microphones. That means that you'll be able to freestyle on the mic while you're playing for that full DJ experience. That also means you'll need someone else in the house or you'll be yelling at yourself. The games price has not been officially confirmed, but many are speculating that it will run about $120 for the standard edition and $200 for the "Renegade Edition" which will include a stand for your turntable.

A portion of the soundtrack that has been confirmed includes:

Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani
My Name Is - Eminem
Rock the Bells - LL Cool J
Shout - Tears for Fears
Another One Bites the Dust - Queen

Retro Redux: Mega Man 6

Welcome again, folks, to Retro Redux. Last week we got things started off with Chip 'n' Dale's Rescue Rangers. This week we take a look back at a game that many people are split on what they think, Mega Man 6

Released in March of 1994, this was the last Mega Man game to appear on the Nintendo Entertainment System and also the only game of that era not to be published by Capcom in North America. They had moved on to focus on marketing Mega Man X and Nintendo took over publishing duties on the continent. It also featured two bosses not designed by someone from Japan. Capcom held a contest for North American children to design two of the robot masters. Knight Man was designed by Daniel Vallée of Canada, and Wind Man was designed by Michael Leader of the United States. The plot for this game centered around a “Robot Masters Tournament” where designers would send entries to participate to see who was the best robot designer in the world. Dr. Light did not enter the tournament, but sent Mega Man as a sort of “police man” to ensure the safety of participants and spectators. The tournament was hosted by the mysterious Mr. X, who at the end of the tournament announced he had reprogrammed the eight victors to do his bidding. Much like the previous games in the series, Mega Man was then tasked with taking down Mr. X, who had revealed himself to be Dr. Wily, and his new minions.

Mega Man 6 did not deviate from the formula set up in all the games before it. You were asked to defeat the eight robot masters before going on to face the final boss levels and ultimately defeat Dr. Wiley. If you knew the correct order to defeat the robot masters, the subsequent boss fights would be much easier to accomplish because of the weaknesses the antagonists possessed. Mega Man also possessed new powers that had not been seen in the franchise up until this point. The Rush Jet Adapter allowed Mega Man to jump up and rocket into the air giving him more height and length to his jumps. The Rush Power Adapter allowed Mega Man to bust through sections of the level to get to previously inaccessible areas. Certain bosses had two entrances to their lair, with one much harder to reach than the other. If you took the harder route you would gain access to a "Beat Part". There were four of these throughout the world and if you collected all four, Beat would do damage to enemies that he came into contact with. Meeting up with Proto Man in Tomahawk Man's stage would also give Mega Man access to the Energy Balancer. This gave Mega Man the ability to power up weapons without having them equipped. The powered up Mega Buster as well as Mega Man's ability to slide were retained in this game and were incorporated into the design of the levels.

As Mega Man 6 came late in the NES's life cycle it also featured beautiful details. The same sprites for enemies that had appeared in previous games were used and Mega Man hadn't changed since the very first game in the installment. New enemies, though, seemed almost out of place as they had more detail to them and a greater range of animations. The worlds themselves were brilliantly colored and full of life. Enemies were able to hide in the background, making them hard to see, and would jump out at Mega Man in a surprise attack. These were the glory days of the NES and developers were beginning to move on -- if they hadn't already -- to the more powerful Super Nintendo. Mega Man would make that jump as well, but not before one last hurrah on the platform that started it all. If featured beautiful levels, tough level design, creative (if odd) bosses, and multiple paths through a number of the levels. It had everything you could want in a Mega Man title.

The Robot Masters, as many gamers would note, were not the most memorable in the franchise and were beginning to border on the weird. You had some of the typical bosses you would expect to see, such as Flame Man, Wind Man, and Blizzard Man, who had appeared in some form or another through many of the games in the franchise. You also had some more bizzare characters, such as Yamato Man, who was named after a country and styled after the Samuari of ancient Japan, or Tomahawk Man who was styled after the American Indians. Centaur Man was, I believe, the first boss to feature four legs. There were very few new ideas in terms of differences from previous bosses. Many of them were seemingly easier than bosses in the previous games in the franchise. Plant Man was more or less a rehash of Wood Man from Mega Man 2. Flame Man was simply another version of Fire Man from the original Mega Man, and Blizzard Man was not much different than Ice Man. The traditional ways to defeat them also applied. You would use Wind Man's power to defeat Flame Man, while Flame Man would bring down Blizzard Man. You just needed to figure out the new guys and then the Robot Masters would be a breeze to get by. You could also use Mega Man's Rush Power Adapter to deal a large amount of damage to opponents. This was not as easy as it took a small amount of time to recharge and if you got hit you had to start again.

The difficulty had also not changed much from the beginning. The levels were still brutally hard throughout the first playthrough, but many players were able to very quickly understand how things worked and the levels became much easier as you learned the enemy placements and behaviors. You could almost guarantee that if you came to a series of chasms between platforms that something was going to jump out of the hole, most likely some form of robot fish. You still had the little guys on the ground that would move faster if you were on the same level as them. The construction robot, Met, was back as well, this time in a dispenser that you had to get rid of before being able to continue on in the level. Every few seconds it would drop a new robot that you had to destroy or be shot by. The difficulty level of Mega Man games has been one that many people who haven't played them before may be turned off by. They were created in an era when games had to be difficult to increase their playtime and justify the expense. If you were really good at the game you could beat it in under an hour, which was typical of the franchise, but the enemy placements and patterns that needed to be learned meant it was more likely to take you three or four hours your first time through.

While the series was not evolving, it was a new Mega Man game, and getting more Mega Man wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Mega Man 6 gets a bad rap for being so generic and unfailingly loyal to the traditions set up before it. If you could get past the same enemies being reused for the sixth time then what you had was another really good Mega Man game. They've always really been more of an expansion on the first game rather than new games in and of themselves and I think that's what really attracts players to the franchise. There are so many different types of Mega Man games out there now that there is almost undoubtedly something out there for everyone. The core games have always been hard at first, but once you understood what you were getting into they became easier and were generally just fun to play. There's always a fine line that developers have to tread when extending a franchise. If you don't innovate and make things new people are going to be upset.

At the same time, if you mess around with something that people are familiar with they're going to say it's not what they wanted. Mega Man 6 simply gave people the ability to play more Mega Man and I don't think that was a bad thing. We would see more of the same in Mega Man 9 fifteen years later and gamers everywhere applauded it for bringing the original formula back. I think the thing that caused many gamers to dislike this game was that it had been done so many times before in a short period of time. If this had been the reboot of the franchise that Mega Man 9 was then it would have been praised more and I think it's a shame that it's not as well liked.

There ya' have it. What did you think of this look back? Is there anything you'd like to see featured in this column? Leave me a comment and let me know, or just let me know your thoughts. I'd love to hear from ya.

We've Moved!!!

It's a bit of exciting news today folks. If you pay real close attention to the domain address at the top of the page it no longer says blogspot. We've got an official domain now. You can find us here at www.nintendo-okie.com. Don't worry. we'll still be providing all the usual content and posting won't change. I've just decided to move up a little bit and make it a touch more professional with an actual website.

I'll be looking in the future to enhance the look of the page, but for right now we'll still look pretty much the same, you just don't have to type as much in now. Tell your friends. We're officially Nintendo Okie now.

GamesCom Monster Hunter Tri Trailer

Source: Capcom

Midway Games Europe Rebranded

In case you hadn't heard, Midway got sold a few weeks ago. Midway Europe was not a part of that deal and its fate had been unknown until now. UK based MCV is reporting that Martin Speiss, former head of Midway Europe has completed a buyout of that part of the company and will be rebranding it as Tradewest. Speiss believes that name, though it has been dormant for a while, still has some influence in the gaming industry.

"We are very glad to have acquired the rights to such an internationally well-known brand of such tradition in the gaming industry,"

He also said they will be acting as a European distributor and publishing of video games and that they have access to a wide-reaching global network of game developers and international partners.

Tradewest was probably most well known during the late 80's as the publisher of games like Battletoads and Double Dragon.

Source: Gamasutra

First Details for Lego Rock Band DS

Lego Rock Band for the DS is coming, and it should make owners of the DSi happy. Unlike the Guitar Hero games for Nintendo's portable you will not be using any extra peripherals to play this game. Rather, you will be playing in a style similar to Rock Band Unplugged for the PSP. All the action will happen on screen via button presses or stylus controls. You will have the choice between either, going back and forth between the different instruments rather than playing one instrument through the whole song. You'll also have all the building options you would expect in a Lego branded game. You can create your own Lego rock star. Lego Rock Band DS will also feature four player multi-player and will be available during this holiday season.

A sample of the track list from Lego Rock Band DS:

Kaiser Chiefs: "Ruby"
The Automatic: "Monster"
Ray Parker Jr.: "Ghostbusters"
Tom Petty: "Free Fallin'"
Jackson 5: "I Want You Back"
Vampire Weekend: "A-Punk"
Blur: "Song 2"
Carl Douglas: "Kung Fu Fighting"
Europe: "The Final Countdown"
Good Charlotte: "Girls & Boys"
Pink: "So What"
Counting Crows: "Accidentally in Love"
Sum 41: "In Too Deep"

Source: Joystiq

Adam Levine Playable in Band Hero

The list of playable characters has doubled with Activisions' announcement of Adam Levine as a digital star in their upcoming game, Band Hero. If you don't know who he is, he is the lead singer of the group Maroon 5, and responsible for songs such as "Harder to Breathe", and "Makes Me Wonder". He had this to say about being featured in the game

"Besides the fact that it is cool to be in a video game, it is also exciting to be thought of as someone that could be in a video game so I am very proud to be a part of Band Hero," said Levine. "It is really amazing actually, it is one of the more unique things I've done in my life and I don't know if I'll ever have that feeling again."

The song "She Will Be Loved" from Maroon 5's debut album Songs about Jane will be one of the songs featured in the game. Band Hero will be available for all major platforms this November and will feature other acts such as Taylor Swift, No Doubt, Lily Allen, The All-American Rejects and Jackson 5.

Source: Activision Press Release

Do You Know Who This Girl Is?

Capcom is introducing you to a new character that will appear in their upcoming Wii Shooter Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles. The game will feature a brand new storyline that will tie together the events of Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronice. The girl pictured in this story will also be involved.
Capcom is currently holding a contest on their blog where you can guess the name of the character. If you are one of the top 3 most "inventive" guessers you will win one of these zombie head T-shirts.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Review

1984 saw the release of one of the funniest films of all time and a film that has become a classic. I’m talking about the first Ghostbusters movie. The combination of the acting, comedy and effects brought about a movie that fans have loved for 25 years. Fast forward to 2009 and the gang is back together in what many people, including the actors are calling the third Ghostbusters movie. Ghostbusters: The Video Game combines many elements from the first two movies, with much of the cast, minus a couple high profile characters, to bring the busting back to life, so to speak.

The Wii version of Ghostbusters: The Video Game was developed by Red Fly Studios and published by Atari. They decided to forgo the realistic look of the Xbox and PS3 versions of the game in favor of a more cartoonish look, similar to Team Fortress 2 and it pays off. The visual style of the game really shines on Wii. The exaggerated look to the characters features, such as oversized hands and feet, and the caricatures of the faces gives you the impression you’re looking at what an animated version of the movies would have been. All the characters are instantly recognizable, but don’t have uncanny valley look of the higher powered systems. The facial animations bring the characters to life. Jenine has this blank, uninterested look and Ray is overly excited about every encounter. The only real odd part to the characters is Venkman’s, dog like nose. The ghosts of the game are able to be wildly animated and have stringy hair and clothing, like you would expect an undead being to have without taking a hit to performance. Environments are completely destructable and leave debris littered all over the place, which is something that is more rare in Wii games and a welcome feature to have.

The familiar sounds of the Ghostbusters franchise are of course present. The game opens to the familiar “Who Ya’ Gonna Call?” theme, proton packs have that all too welcome whine when they start up. Glass shattering, pots rattling, ghosts howling; it’s all there. The voice work by the characters is wonderfully done and you get the feeling they really wanted to make this feel like a cinema experience. There are no sounds out of place, oddly synced or just plain wrong. It all feels like Ghostbusters.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game takes place in November of 1991, two years after the events of Ghostbusters II. You’ve been recruited by the team to be their experimental weapons tester. That way if anything goes wrong, they don’t get blown to New Jersey, as Egon would say. A large PKE shockwave hits New York setting loose ghosts all over the city. You discover a man named Ivo Shandor, the architect behind many of the famous landmarks of the city, has attempted to bring forth the Destructor, possibly even Gozer himself. You traverse the different locations, such as the New York Public Library or the Museum of Natural Science ridding the city of ghosts and trying to stop the Destructor. You’ll fight a number of familiar faces as well as a host of new ones.

The game is essentially a third person shooter, similar to games like Gears of War. The Wii Remote is used to point your proton pack at the various supernatural entities and you fire the weapon with the B button. Once you’ve targeted a ghost, you’ll know you’ve hit them due to a small burst of ectoplasm spewing from them. They all have a life bar that diminishes as your reduce their energy. Once their weak enough your pack locks onto them and you have a quick time like event to reduce their remaining energy to nothing. A quick press of the Z button and you launch the ghost trap. Wrangle them over the trap, they get captured and you can proceed with your investigations. Most areas do not have a lot of ghosts you’ll be fighting at one time, so the pace can feel a bit slow at times. The times in combat, on the other hand, really ratchet up the action, Ghosts are flying around, sliming characters, and throwing objects at you. If you get slimed you slow down a bit, but a quick shake of the Nunchuk will get the slime off and put you back in the action. There are a number of upgrades that you will be tasked with testing and they do a variety of things. One upgrade will allow you to shoot large amounts of energy down your proton stream, another will clear away masses of negative energy, and help revive team members who’ve been possessed. All of the destruction you cause to the environment will be billed to the city, but other than sheer fun and annoyance to our friend Walter Peck it doesn’t do anything in terms of gameplay on the Wii. If you have a younger gamer who can't get into controlling the character or find it too difficult, this version of the game sports a multi-player mode where a second person can join in as a friend and capture ghosts without having to worry about controls.

There aren’t many things that I felt were wrong with the game. The biggest probably is that your character only has two speeds, stopped and moving at a trot. The Wii has an analog stick, but it is not used. If you move it’s always at a sort of slow jog, you can’t walk, or sprint. The shooting feels solid, and the aiming is quite nice. There is no adjusting of the shooting elements so you are stuck with the default settings. These felt really good though and the slower pace of the game means you don’t have to make a large number of quick movements. The turning is done at a quick enough pace that you never get lost or turned around at the wrong moment.

This title does a lot to revive fans of the Ghostbusters franchise and if you have kids who’ve never seen the movies, first of all shame on you, but it’s a great introduction to those characters in a way that is fun. The familiar faces make you feel like you’ve entered their version of New York City. This is a great ghost hunting game and if you like the Ghostbusters and/or Luigi’s Mansion you should give this game a try.

Final Score: 4/5

Nyko Charge Station IC

Yesterday I told you about Nyko announcing some new accessories for the Wii, including a new charge station. Today there is a little more known about it as well as the picture to go along with it. Not only does it look really cool, it works really cool as well. The station grips the Wii Remotes with a somewhat powerful magnet and charges the Wii Remotes via induction. You can leave them in their jackets, you can take them out, you can have the Motion Plus attached. It doesn't matter. It also has an extra USB port on the back that can be used to charge other things with an cord.

There is no word yet on release or pricing, but you can bet you'll find that out as soon as I do. I'm quite excited about this product. I've been using Nyko's Charge Station for almost two years now and love that thing.

Source: Gizmodo

Top 20 WiiWare Games: Week of August 17th

Howdy folks. It's time this week to take a look at the top sellers on the WiiWare service. All the statistics are based off of the week of August 17th. Numbers in parenthesis are the game's rank last week.

1 – Reel Fishing Challenge (2)
2 – Sexy Poker (6)
3 – My Aquarium (3)
4 – NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits (17)
5 – My Pokemon Ranch (8)
6 – World of Goo (5)
7 – Tales of Monkey Island – Chapter 1 (1)
8 – Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (7)
9 – Tetris Party (10)
10 – Texas Hold’em Tournament (9)
11 – Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord (4)
12 – Water Warfare (11)
13 – Dr. Mario Online Rx (12)
14 – Overturn (14)
15 – Family Mini Golf (13)
16 – Defend Your Castle (15)
17 – Bust-A-Move Plus! (16)
18 – Brain Challenge (N/A)
19 – CueSports – Pool Revolution (20)
20 – Ant Nation (18)

There were no new additions to the chart this week. Brain Challenge had fallen off of the list last week and it back again this week,
knocking off HB Arcade Cards. The biggest mover, and well deserved jump was NyxQuest moving up 13 spots. The one unexpected
and surprising move was Sexy Poker. I can't understand why anyone is buying this game and why it's so high on the list. The biggest fall
of the week was My Life as a Darklord. I'm going to have to check out Reel Fishing Challenge after its long run at the top of the list.

Nyko Control Pak Review (Peripheral)

Nyko has made a wide range of accessories for a large number of consoles. Now, the manufacturer is adding to the list of different controllers you can use on Wii with a Control Pak, which comes bundled with a nunchuck and Nyko's version of the classic controller.

First up, the Nunchuk: It's slightly larger than the first party Nunchuk. The handle itself feels the same and probably is so that it will fit onto the Zapper. The upper part is the part that feels slightly larger and the back of the controller has a rubber grip to help avoid slippage. The C button is a rectangle now, rather than the circle on the first party controller. The Z button is also slightly larger and has a lip on the bottom similar to the B trigger on the Wii Remote. The lip on the Z trigger gives your finger a place to rest a bit. The analog stick does not have the octagonal shape that the Nintendo controller has; you get a smoother feel while moving characters on a screen, and you're not clicking into places as you rotate the stick.

If you're curious about the nunchuk'ss motion detection, it does not feel diminished in any way: it's just as responsive as the Wii Nunchuk. Granted, it doesn't feel any more responsive, but it also doesn't feel any less.

Now, the Classic Controller: This is the bigger departure from first party versions of Nyko's two controllers. Nyko's Classic Controller has a more modern wing shape rather than the more rounded shape of Nintendo's Classic Controller. Nyko's gives your hands a place to grab onto while holding the controller. It seems to be about the same size as the classic controller, so you'll feel comfortable no matter what size your hands are. The buttons are raised a bit more off the face of the controller and they're spaced almost the same distance apart. The D-pad has raised directional arrows on each of its compass points, and it is also raised slightly higher. Overall, Nyko's d-pad feels as solid as the first party version, and it doesn't wiggle any. The analog sticks have the same rounded hub as the nunchuk. This will be very handy for any twin-stick games like Geometry Wars or fighting games, if you prefer to use the sticks rather than the D-Pad.

Regardless, Nyko's controllers are definitely a bit more colorful than the first party versions. The A/B buttons are a bright blue, the X/Y buttons are red. The shoulder buttons are both labeled on the top and the side so you would be able to see them without having to move the controller. The L, R, ZL, and ZR buttons all have an audible click when depressed so you know when they have been fully depressed.

Both controllers are very light. They feel like there is not much inside them, but they are sturdy. They're not going to fall apart on you or break if you drop them onto a hard surface. They were tested out on a variety of different games types and found to perform just as well as any other controllers. Unfortunately, like any other controller alternative, you cannot re-map the buttons, so it will be fairly useless on NES games, but works very well for SNES games and Wii games that use the Classic Controller. Both controllers are a great alternative, especially if you're looking to save a little money and want a full complement of 4 Nunchuks (Nunchi?) and Classic Controllers. With that many needed, you'll will save about over a full complement of first party controllers.

Final Score: 3.5/5

Nyko Wand Review (Peripheral)

Nyko has created many different products for Nintendo's Wii console, and now it's the first peripherals maker to create an alternative to the Wii Remote. While identical in layout and function to the first party Nintendo Wii Remote, there are a few differences that separate the two.

Visually, it will not be possible to confuse Nyko's version with Nintendo's original. Much like its Wing classic controller, Nyko's Wand is a very colorful version of the Wii Remote. The buttons have all been squared off and are visually differentiated with different colors. The "A" button is now red and the 1 & 2 buttons are blue; they have also been enlarged slightly. The "B" button has been rubberized and is grooved to give a more comfortable feel and reduce any possible slippage. The D-pad has been changed to include a small point for the diagonals. The home button has also been enlarged slightly, made square and is offset just slightly above the plus and minus buttons, and the power button has been made square and moved to the upper right corner of the controller.

In general, Nyko's Wand feels good and is as responsive as you would expect, though the D-pad does not have as much give as the Wii Remote and this can lead to some situations where you don't get as much movement as you would like or expect. Fortunately, this doesn't seem to happen often. Also, making the buttons slightly bigger has given the controller a little more comfort when used for extended periods of time. The pointer function is advertised to be useful up to twenty feet, but in tests worked as well as the Wii Remote: up to thirty feet.

There were a few issues with the Wand, though. One serious problem occurs, ironically, when connected to Nyko's nunchuck. There is some trouble getting the Wand to recognize the Nyko nunchuck; the few times it did recognize it, the peripherals would later disconnect and need to be reconnected, but a first party nunchuck would stay connected at all times. Also, when starting up games that use a classic controller, the Wand would turn off, and if the user didn't continually press the A button while it was loading, the game would not recognize the controller and boot back to the Wii Menu.

The Nyko Wand is a good alternative to the first party offering, particularly if you don't like the Wii Remote's smaller buttons. The few issues with the controller are easy to work around, and it connects to any of the peripherals that use a Wii Remote just as well as the Nintendo version. The Wand also retails for five dollars less than the first party Wii Remote, so if you're looking for a bit of a value option, Nyko has created a quality replacement.

Final Score: 4/5

Activision Deploys Modern Warfare Screenshots

Activision has released screens for the upcoming Wii version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Here they are for your viewing pleasure..

I played this game on the PC, but after playing World at War, I'm really excited to get a chance to play this on the Wii. Nintendo owners should definitely keep an eye out for this. It's not Modern Warfare 2, but it is a solid game that everyone who's a fan of the series should play.

Eduardo the Samurai Toaster Review (WiiWare)

Every once in a while a game comes along where just based on the title alone it seems like a homerun. Eduardo the Samurai Toaster is one of those games. Come on, you’re a toaster who’s a samurai. How could that not be cool? I can honestly say though, that after playing this game it does not live up to expectations.

When you first launch the game you are taken to a title screen where Eduardo sits patiently waiting for you to take control. You are then forced to walk through the credits with nothing to do other than look at the names on the screen and practice your pastry launching. You can skip a small portion of the credits by pausing the game and selecting a menu option, but you can not launch directly into the game. Once you reach the end of the credits you can then proceed to the actual gameplay. The Wii Remote is held sideways, NES style and you move the titular toaster with the D-Pad. The 2 button is used to fire pastries from your toaster body and the 1 button causes Eduardo to jump. You can fire the aforementioned pastries in any direction using the D-pad as well.

Things go downhill almost immediately once you enter the game. Eduardo the Samurai Toaster is a side scrolling platform shooter. It blends elements with a traditional platform game with elements of Gradius style shooters. There are a few problems with this formula. The first being the carpal tunnel inducing shooting. You cannot hold down the fire button like is common in most shooters. You are required to press the fire button everytime you want to shoot and every enemy takes multiple hits before they die. You also are not facing a small number of enemies, you will be facing dozens of enemies at a time. Randomly throughout levels you will also be forced to stop and fight a mini boss that is accompanied by more smaller enemies as well so you will find yourself constantly firing with very few, if any, breaks along the way.

The level design itself is also very uninspiring. Platforms are placed very randomly throughout the levels, and there’s no cohesiveness between the levels. About halfway through the game you are unexpliciably removed from the Gameplay you’ve gotten used to and thrown into a traditional shooter. Eduardo is given a rocket pack and you take to the skies fighting the enemy pastries. It feels very out of place after spending so long on traditional platform levels.

The art design is very appealing at first, but becomes very repetitive, very quickly. Many of the levels use the same assets. They are all drawn very well, but after seeing the same platform dozens of times you wonder what happened to the creativity. Everything seems like a cookie cutter was used and levels were pressed out, mixed around the thrown together. The music, what little there is, seems equally uninspired and quite forgettable.

Eduardo the Samurai Toaster is a game that can be as difficult or as easy as you want it to be. The designers give you the option to change the number of lives you are allowed at the beginning of your play session. They also gave the ability for infinite lives. If you run out of health you press the 1 button and are deposited in the same spot where you died and continue on. If you do not use this option it is almost impossible to finish due to the sheer volume of enemy encounters, but with infinite lives it seems to easy to progress. There really is no happy medium. I was able to play through the entire game in one sitting. There is the ability to have up to four people playing together and each assume the role of unnamed, to my knowledge, toasters who have the exact same abilities as Eduardo. The game does become a bit more fun with multiple players due to them taking some of the buttong pressing load from you. The difficulty does not scale with the number of players so you’re shooting fewer enemies when more players are involved.

Initial impressions were of a decent game with a catchy title and clever art design. This was quickly stripped away by the repetitive levels, and painful controls. It’s very hard to recommend this title to anyone of any age because you will find yourself becoming uninterested in the game after two or three levels. There is no score kept, no online leaderboards to compare with your friends, and no story to tie everything together. Those are things that have become almost a must have with this style of game. IN the end it’s not a game that many will find fun, unless the prospect of repetitive injuries is appealing to you.

Final Score: 2/5

Nyko Unveils New Accessories at GamesCom

Nyko has lifted the veil on what it's been working on lately. Announced at GamesCom today was the addition of ten new colors to their line that will be available in Japan. Of those ten new colors, four will be available in America; black, blue, purple, and red. These are nice additions to their already well made controller. I really like their Wii Remote alternative, especially since it's cheaper. The only issue I have with it is that if you bought it before the Motion Plus was available chances are it won't work with the add on. That has been fixed and the newer controllers are compatible.

Also announced was the Charge Base IC. The new battery charger works on induction technology and will allow you to charge your Wii Remote without having to remove the silicone jackets, which is a major plus. It also uses powerful magnets to hold it in place while it is charging.

Another welcome announcement was that of the Type Pad Pro. This device plugs into the bottom of your Wii Remote and gives it a bit of the look of an airplane. It functions just like the chat pad for Xbox 360 controllers and will allow you to type out messages without the need of an additional keyboard.

If you happen to be at GamesCom this year head over to the Nyko booth and take a look at these new products. You can find them in Hall 8, Aisle B, Booth #036.

EA Sports Active: Fact Sheet

People around the world have experienced the revolution in interactive fitness with EA SPORTS Active™ Personal Trainer – the highest rated Wii™ fitness product to date*. Developed in collaboration with fitness experts, EA SPORTS Active has proven to be the preferred fitness program for Wii owners, providing an effective, inexpensive way to burn calories, get fit and have fun from the comfort of home.

EA SPORTS Active now introduces More Workouts to provide new challenge and variety. It features over 35 new exercises to create unlimited combinations of customizable exercise routines that target the upper and lower body, as well as cardio.

New to the EA SPORTS Active franchise will be an emphasis on abdominal exercises including curl ups, crunch and punches, as well as a warm up/cool down feature. An all-new presentation will bring users to the tropics and will immerse them in warm weather activities like waterskiing and paddle surfing. The product will also feature the Six-Week Challenge – another step in the journey towards better health and fitness with new daily workouts that ramp up in intensity each week.


EA SPORTS Active™ More Workouts gives users the benefit of a personal trainer in a box and will help them to stay on track to reach their fitness goals. Get inspired, get motivated and get active!
Key Features
• Benefit of a Personal Trainer in a Box— Similar to a personal trainer, the program provides clear instruction, feedback on technique and encouragement, while also providing calories burned in real time.

• Six-Week Challenge—This personalized full body challenge will give users a new customizable weekly schedule and a weekly check-in with the virtual trainer to track calorie, weight and workout goals.

• Full Body Circuit Workout Routines— The specially designed leg strap holds the Nunchuk™ and the Wii Remote is held in hand to track upper and lower body movements. A resistance band increases the intensity of exercises such as bicep curls**.

• Warm up and Cool down— Eight all-new warm up and cool down exercises that stretch muscles before and after workouts to help prevent aches and injury.

• Abdominal Exercises—All-new detectable abdominal exercises help tone abs and strengthen the mid-section of the body.

• Personal Trainer to More Workouts—Profiles and results achieved in Personal Trainer can be transferred to More Workouts.
• Track Your Journey—To encourage overall wellness, there is a journal that allows user to set goals and track progress – accounting for activities both in and outside of software – while also providing all-new nutrition and fitness tips.

• Workout Your Way—For optimal personalization, circuits can be customized based on interests and fitness level and there is complete flexibility for the duration and intensity level.
Product Specifications
Publisher: Electronic Arts Inc.
Developer: EA Canada
Street Date: Nov 17 (N Am) & 20 (EU)
Rating: RP

Top 5 Most Wanted Games on Virtual Console

I know everyone has their own list of games they would like to see on each platforms respective services, but I've never told you what I would like to see on them. I'm going to talk about Virtual Console today and let you know the top 5 games that I want to be able to download. These are in no particular order.

Duck Tales
There are few games that I remember more fondly than the NES version of Duck Tales. The music from areas like the moon are some of the greatest bits of audio magic I've ever heard. The platforming areas were all amazingly solid and you could use Scrooge's cane to bounce off enemies and reach extremely high areas of the level. It's one of the few times that a good licensed property met a great game developer and Nintendo should get together with Capcom and Disney to make this happen.

Mega Man X3
1995's final Mega Man game on the Super Nintendo is one of those games I never actually owned, but played when I was visiting friends. It was one of the first experiences I ever had with Mega Man, which may be why I enjoy this game so much. It was the end of an era really, the last game in the franchise to use a password save system. The Super Nintendo had a way of bringing games to life that the NES couldn't do and while Mega Man looked great on the NES, he was amazing in the Super Nintendo versions of the game. Hopefully Capcom will finish getting these games on the Virtual Console so people can complete their Mega Man collection.

Earthbound
Now that I'm done with my Capcom love fest, let's move on to some other games. Earthbound is a game I've never played. I don't know anything about the franchise other than it has a couple of kids named Lucas and Ness, and only one game in the franchise ever came to America. This is one of those games I want to play simply to find out what everyone is talking about. This game is on most wanted lists everywhere and people talk about how great the game is. I don't know. I've never played it. I didn't know who Lucas and Ness were until Smash Bros. I just want to be able to finally see what the big deal is.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game
My brother worked at an arcade when I was in my early gaming years and I can remember hours of time and my immense amounts of wealth as a kid playing this game after the arcade had closed. I own the NES version of this game, but there is nothing like being able to get three of your friends together and mashing your way through this game. The bright colors and simple controls made for an extremely fun experience. I know this game is out on the Xbox Live Arcade, but I don't own a 360 and want to play this game in its original form, not the bastardized NES version.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
When you talk about great platforming games in the history of video games you cannot forget about Yoshi's platforming debut. This game, while it was technically a sequel in name to Super Mario World, was completely different than its predecessor. The role reversal made for some extremely unique gameplay due to Yoshi's ability to do things Mario simply can't do. This game has seen a spiritual sequel on the DS, but like so many things, it can't compare to the original. The crayon-like hand drawn art brought Yoshi's world to life and the music is simply unforgetable. Even Mario's annoying cry is somehow soothing to an old gamers ear. This game absolutely deserves another console release whether its this version of the game on the Virtual Console or a brand new WiiWare experience.

There you have it. The five games I want to see most on the Virtual Console. I will not hide the fact that Yoshi's Island is my most wanted game on the service, but the others are all equally as deserving to see a release as well. There are many more games out there that could and have been named, but these are the ones I want to see most. Let me know what games you're looking forward to and if you agree or disagree with my list.

Almost Complete Set List for The Beatles: Rock Band

EA and Harmonix have released the set list for their upcoming games The Beatles: Rock Band. If you haven't heard of this game yet, it's Rock Band with the Beatles. It will chronicle their career from the beginning to the end and will feature 45 songs. The set list below has 44 of those 45 songs:


I Saw Her Standing There
Boys
Do You Want To Know A Secret
Twist And Shout
I Wanna Be Your Man
I Want to Hold Your Hand
A Hard Day’s Night
Can’t Buy Me Love
I Feel Fine
Eight Days A Week
Ticket To Ride
Day Tripper
Drive My Car
I’m Looking Through You
If I Needed Someone
Paperback Writer
Taxman
Yellow Submarine
And Your Bird Can Sing
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
With a Little Help from My Friends
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Getting Better
Good Morning Good Morning
I Am The Walrus
Hello Goodbye
Revolution
Back In The U.S.S.R.
Dear Prudence
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Birthday
Helter Skelter
Hey Bulldog
Don’t Let Me Down
Come Together
Something
Octopus’s Garden
I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
Here Comes The Sun
Dig A Pony
I Me Mine
I’ve Got A Feeling
Get Back
Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows

One song that is curiously missing from that list is "Hey Jude". Is this the song that is missing from the list and will be announced at some point? Will they hold it until the game is released? Or is there another song altogether that will appear in the game? It seems to make sense that if you're going to have a game featuring the Beatles that "Hey Jude" would have to be included, but you never really know, now do ya'?

I'm really looking forward to this game. I will be picking up the game only. I have instruments, but I don't have $250 to spend on replicas of the actual instruments the guys played. Get your friends together and work on those harmonies because we're not that far away from the September 9th release of The Beatles: Rock Band.

This Week In Nintendo History: August 16th to August 22nd

Howdy guys! It's time once again to explore the deep, dark depths of the history of every one's favorite video game company, Nintendo! This week we've got the blue bomber, Samus, kart racing, and the man in green. It's not safe to go alone, take This Week in Nintendo History.

August 17th 1983 saw yet another Game & Watch game, this time it's Popeye. This version of the game had you moving Popeye left and right to avoid Bluto's punches and countering with a punch of your own. Of course all the while you were trying to rescue Olive from his clutches. You were not only trying to win the game, but do it by getting as many points as you could by hitting Bluto, knocking him into the ocean and rescuing the girl. This Game & Watch game also featured an alarm clock.

It was all about the Virtual Console on August 18th, 2008. The original Mega Man was released for the NES on the system. If you haven't played this game you need to go and download it right now. It was the start of one of gaming's most classic franchises and set the stage for many games to come. Also released on that day was Neo Turf Master for the Neo Geo.

Another big day for the Virtual Console on August 20th, 2007. Super Metroid, arguably many people's favorite iteration of the series was gifted to the world when it was released on Nintendo's classic download service. Alongside Samus' return was Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master and Neutopia for the TG-16. If you're more into the brain thing you could have gone out that day and picked up your copy of Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day for Nintendo DS. This was the second game in the brain training franchise and it had you completing puzzles and challenges in order to help keep your brain strong.

Game & Watch saw another release on August 20th, 1984. The G&W version of Donkey Kong 3 was released. While it shared the same name as an arcade version of DK3 it was completely different in terms of gameplay. The G&W version of the game was a two player affair where one player would control Donkey Kong and the other would control the human Stanley. They were both attempting to protect their gardens from bees with water guns, and shooting the insects would cause them to fly closer to the other players garden. You scored points if the bees reached the opposite side.

August 21st, 2000 was a sad day in the history of gaming. Earthbound 64 was in development for the Nintendo 64 DD, the ill fated CD attachment to the N64. On that day, the game was cancelled. It would be revived five years later and released on the Game Boy Advance, but you would only be able to play it if you lived in Japan. The game never saw release in America.

The Nintendo 64 saw the sequel to one of the first games dedicated to skating, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was released for the N64. Originally designed for the Playstation and ported to other consoles it was very similar to the original. If you've played a Tony Hawk game before, you know what to expect.

The Nintendo DS would see some of the first use of it's Wi-Fi system on August 21st, 2006 when Tenchu: Dark Secret was released. Tenchu is a stealth action game where you were tasked with taking out enemies using various items in your inventory, as well as things found in the environment. It was one of the first games to take advantage of the Wi-Fi system and allowed you to trade items with players around the globe.

Japanese gamers were given the beginning of one of Nintendo's most popular franchises on August 22nd, 1992. That was the day that Super Mario Kart raced on the Super Famicom in Japan. Players got their first taste of three dimensional racing and flinging turtle shells at other cars. The game used the Mode 7 system which allowed the designers to create the feeling of a three dimensional race, when in actuality you were static and the environment moved around you. This series has gone on to spawn several interations over every console since the Super Famicom and has been played by millions of gamers worldwide.

Our last piece of history, is a big one. On August 22nd, 1987 players finally learned that it was not safe to go alone. Link burst onto the scene in The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then Link has grown to be the second biggest star in Nintendo's history behind the famous plumber and has been in a large number of games. He's been around to launch consoles, fight Ganon and save the Princess for over twenty years and he's still going strong. This game featured a huge overworld populated by near endless numbers of enemies, memorable dungeons and a huge inventory of items. There are few that have owned a Nintendo console that haven't played this game at some point. Well excuuuse me, Princess!

So there you have it. Another week of history is in the books. I hope you enjoy this article and if there is anything that you know of coming up soon that you would like to see included in this article please drop me a line and let me know. You can find a link to my email address over on the right side of the page. Let me know what you think.

Data Design Interactive Announces Kidz Sports: Crazy Mini Golf 2

That picture there should sum up everything you need to know about the game. The brilliant minds behind Wii classics such as Anubis II, a sequel to nothing, Billy the Wizard: Rocket Broomstick Racing and Ninja Bread Man have announced their next great game Kidz Sports: Crazy Mini Golf 2.

Their latest title boasts 72 holes of mini golf fun spread over four themed courses, such as Egyptian pyramids and the Fun Fair. Crazy Mini Golf 2 even uses the Wii Motion Plus peripheral for a more immersive experience for up to four players. Data Design Interactive has upgraded the NuYu avatar system from Crazy Mini Golf and allows you to create an even more impressive character than before.

If you can't tell, I'm not very excited for this title. I just had to let you know that there are some companies who should not be allowed to develop games. DDI's biggest claim to fame is that none of their titles have received better than a 3.0 from IGN, and there's a reason for that.

Nintendo Download: Week of August 17th

This week's download brings quite a mixed bag. You have Mommy, Daddy, Billy and Sarah returing, yet again, with slot cars, math puzzles, pop up books and rock 'n roll. Let's get into them.

WiiWare

PictureBook Games™: Pop-Up Pursuit
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points™
Description: Enter the world of PictureBook Games: Pop-Up Pursuit and enjoy a family board game set in a pop-up picture book. Instead of simply rolling dice to move along the map, you’ll use cards (which can help or hinder progress) and coins (useful for buying more cards, but don’t forget about your Coin Bonus at the end of the game). Spaces on the map play an important role in the game’s outcome, and your computer-controlled opponents exhibit different personalities and behavior. Occasionally, the mysterious Book of Magick will be opened, causing an event that may change according to how you play. This mixture of exciting game play and charming, artistic atmosphere give Pop-Up Pursuit high replay value and unique depth—even if its characters are flat.

Family Slot Car Racing
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Daddy, Mommy, Sarah and Billy are putting the pedal to the metal in Family Slot Car Racing. Race through three racing circuits, each composed of multiple racetracks and even bonus tracks. You can race against a friend for some friendly one-on-one racing action. Choose among multiple slot cars with varying designs to see which car has the best grip and speed. As you progress, you’ll unlock new courses and even new slot cars to help you reach the top of the racing circuit. Do you have it in you to be the fastest racer on four wheels?


DSiWare

Brain Age Express: Sudoku
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Sudoku takes center stage in this edition of the popular Brain Age series. Solve a variety of puzzles at three different skill levels using the touch screen and an intuitive interface. Track your progress by completing three tests and finding out your Brain Age. The unique charm of the Brain Age series and the challenge of sudoku make for an enjoyable combination. Prepare for another round of training your brain in minutes a day.

Guitar Rock Tour®
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: If you like rock music and have a sense of rhythm, your road to stardom starts here. Guitarist or drummer – choose your path and fire up the most famous concert stages with your band. For beginners or music experts, the engaging game play provides hours of fun. Tap the touch screen or press buttons to the beat of your favorite songs. Keep your cool in front of a hyped-up crowd and don’t miss a note. Warm up your fingers and prepare your ears for the explosive track list of Guitar Rock Tour, mixing recent hits like “Girlfriend,” “In the Shadow” and “Banquet” with rock classics like “Beat It,” “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and more. Use the Nintendo DSi Camera™ to take a photo of yourself or your friends, then display it onstage and receive goodies at your effigy. A new rock idol is born!
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Out of all these titles I think I am the most interested in Guitar Rock Tour. You can access the various stores through the menu on the Wii and the DSi. Nintendo Points can be purchased through the use of a credit card or by purchasing Points cards at your local retailer.

NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits Review (WiiWare)

For many fans, Kid Icarus is a game that is remembered fondly, both for it's interesting characters and its unbelievable difficulty. There has been a call in the community lately for a return of the franchise. Sadly, nothing has materialized from that yet. Over The Top Games has come in and done what they can. NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits was formerly known as Icarian before it was given a name change to the current title. It is a platformer based on ancient Greek mythology, where you play as a character known as Nyx. She and Icarus have formed a friendship and he frequents her realm to be with her. Suddenly he no longer appears, she grows concerned and heads to Earth to find out what has happened. When she arrives she find the world has been devestated, and she takes on the task of finding him.

Nyx is controlled using the Wii Remote and nunchuk. By tapping the "A" button you can cause her to flap her wings and take flight. You can do this up to five times and this will allow her to reach higher areas. The "Z" button controls her glide which allows her to cover long distances without having to use one of her limited jumps. The "B" button controls a number of godly powers that are granted to Nyx during her journey; things like Zeus' lightning to shoot enemies or redirecting wind gusts to help reach far away platforms. You'll find yourself many times using multiple buttons to get through areas and some of the combinations can be tricky at first to get used to. At one point, I found myself moving with the analog stick, jumping with the "A" button and holding a platform up with "B". There are a number of different combinations that you will find yourself doing, but after some practice they all become second nature.

Visually the game is quite impressive. It has the same overall feel of Lost Winds which was a launch title for WiiWare. The big difference being the Greek mythology that permeates the landscape. Like many WiiWare titles before it NyxQuest uses many of the same objects multiple times and it can make the game feel repetitive. I would imagine that a full retail release or a higher cap on WiiWare titles would alleviate this problem. The backgrounds are stunning to look at. Sand is very fluid and appears very realistic, and fire effects cast shadows over a number of objects in the environment. The music in the game uses a lot of stringed instruments and has a slightly mid eastern feel to it. Many titles you'll find, though, that you've blocked it out only to have more exciting moments come back to life because of the music.

The platforming is very solid and the movement is extremely intuitive. After about five minutes you'll have to basics down and will have no trouble navigating platforms. There are many physics based areas to the environment and you'll have to properly manipulate these areas to progress. It's quite a lot of fun to hop onto a large block and pull it along the ground giving you the feeling that you are surfing over the desert. There is not a lot of combat in the game, and this is an area that Nyx does not actively participate. She has no combat skills herself. All the combat is done by manipulating the environment. When you encounter the first boss of the game you are tasked with avoiding dark clouds the monster shoots at you while grabbing the occasional fireball and hurling it back at the monster. It is a unique take on combat that is quite refreshing and a welcome break from typical platforming. While the environments all look similar they are used in a number of ways to create a different feel to each of them. One level will focus more on moving platforms around and the next will have you avoiding the gaze of an unfriendly god while traversing the level.

If you're looking for a great platforming experience that is a bit slower paced than most games of the genre you should look at NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits. The unique take on the Icarian myth, solid platforming and unique combat system are things that many gamers will enjoy. There are a number of collectible items in the world that will bring players back looking for the ones they missed. There is also a two player mode that is very similar to Super Mario Galaxy where one player will control Nyx and the other has control over the powers that help her in her quest. It makes for a great co-operative experiences, especially when both players have similar styles of play.

Final Score: 4/5

Outift Your Baby as Link

Do you love the Legend of Zelda? Do you or a friend have a baby on the way? If so then you too can now outfit your baby as the hero of Hyrule. Happy Seamstress has the answer. You can download the pattern for the outfit you see in this story and give a donation to them for all the hard work.


This is probably the coolest gift you could give a gamer for their new bundle of joy that won't allow them to play as Link anymore. Now they can live the adventures of their favorite hero. The outfit even has a quiver that can be used to hold a bottle so the baby is ready when it's feeding time. If you know someone who loves games and has a baby on the way, get this outfit for them.