Blob Month Continues

It's all blob all the time this month as we gear up to the release of A Boy and His Blob.  Majesco has passed along some glorious screens as well as the intro video to the game.  I know I'm really getting geared up for this title.  I just reviewed Muramasa and called it one of the prettiest games I've ever seen, but this one could rival it for that title.



Check out the screens at our Flickr page.

Happy Birthday, Jake

Today is a very special day at Nintendo Okie.  My son, Jake turns 6 today and I told him I would put up his picture with one of his presents he got today.  He's started collecting Nintendo plushies and he got a Bowser today.  It was probably the highlight of his day.

He's got a couple more surprises coming at his party, but he's going to see this post, so I can't let the cat out of the bag just yet. 

He's probably the biggest Nintendo fan in the house behind me and he loves the Mario games. 

Happy Birthday, Jake.

Gravitronix Release Pushed

Gravitronix, the action packed WiiWare game from Medaverse Studios, was scheduled to come out Monday, October 5th.  We've just received word that due to some unforseen circumstances the game's release has been pushed back. 

They expect an announcement will be made on Monday as to what the new release date will be.  We'll keep you informed when we hear something. 

Source: PR Email

Spaceball Revolution Contest Winner

Well folks, the time has come to announce the winner.  First I want to say thank you to everyone who entered.  I would liked to have been able to give everyone that entered a copy of the game, but I ain't that rich. [=^)

So, without further ado.  The winner is.......

M.H. Mason

For you specifically and anyone else that wants it my Wii's Friend Code is:

1134-6204-4882-3832

You can post your friend code here, or email it to me.  I will add anyone that adds me.  Congratulations to M.H. Mason and thank you to everyone that commented and entered the contest.

Wii is Outsold By the Competition

That picture right over <---- there proves it.  Well, actually a report from Japanese research firm Enterbrain proves it.  The PS3 sold 309,939 units in September.  They do not, however have the Wii statistics listed so we don't know yet how much it was outsold by.  This all comes from the release of the new PS3 Slim during September.

I fully expect that to change again next month now that the Wii is down to 20,000 yen in Japan.  We'll see just how things go here in America when the NPD numbers are released, but I would not be surprised to see something similar here.  Wii has been outsold in America a couple different times since launch, but it always rebounded the next month, and they have that spiffy new price drop to bounce off of this time. 

Source: Enterbrain via Joystiq

Retro Redux: The Missing Edition

Howdy guys.  I just wanted to let everyone know that I wouldn't be putting up a Retro Redux today.  It's been a bit busy at Nintendo Okie this week.  I've put up three reviews this week alone and I've got three more that have to get out and rather than doing some half baked from memory edition I hope you'll understand and enjoy all the content I've had this week.  I have two more reviews coming up probably Monday and Wednesday.

I really like to play through all the games I do for Retro Redux and I didn't want to screw it up and give you guys content I didn't feel happy with.  I hope you'll, instead enjoy the review of Muramasa we have today.  We've got a review for the DS game Battle of Giants: Dragons coming up on Monday and a review of Gravitronix for WiiWare soon after that. 

Also, don't forget to enter the contest for Spaceball Revolution.  The winner will be announced at 1:00pm CST today.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade Review

Let me first get this out of the way. Games are not art, in my opinion, they are interactive entertainment. Having said that if I was going to classify any game as a work of art it would be Murmasa: The Demon Blade and I will get to that soon enough. This game is essentially a 2-D sidescrolling, action brawler, with some light RPG elements and platforming, and it mixes those genres nearly perfectly giving everyone a little bit of what they like and maybe some stuff they didn’t know they did.

Let’s go ahead and take care of the obvious. If you know anything about this game, you know that it is gorgeous, probably the best looking game to come out on Wii since Wario Land: Shake It last year. Muramasa blends elements of ancient Japanese art with modern anime to create an amazingly beautiful game to look at. The amount of detail in the game is staggering. There are layer upon layer of, well, layers that come together to create an amazing sense of motion. Elements in the foreground move very quickly as your characters move and they move slower and slower with every level of depth until fading off into the horizon. The game also uses many newer concepts such as fish eye lenses and bloom lighting to add even more depth to the game. The only thing that could have made this game better looking would be a higher resolution, which the Wii just isn’t capable of. This really is almost a perfect work of art in motion. The soundtrack to the game also blends together ambient Japanese music with more modern Japanese rock that fit perfectly with the action going on screen and you will find is just very enjoyable to listen to.

Muramasa: the Demon Blade combines two separate campaigns that do not overlap very much to tell the story of Momohime, a feudal Japanese princess who has been possessed by the soul of a skilled swordsman, and Kisuke, a soldier who has amnesia. Both stories take place on opposite ends of the world map and work their way towards the middle where eventually they overlap somewhat. The beauty of the campaigns come not in their simplicity, but the amount of complexity that comes out of that simplicity. The game play comes in the form of a very small number of buttons. The analog stick or D-pad, depending on your preferred method of control, is used for jumping. There is an attack button, a special attack button and a button that you can use to switch your swords on the fly. That’s basically it. With those 4 inputs you have a number of different attacks that can be performed based on the combination of buttons used. These are all explained in a detailed tutorial that takes about 5 minutes to complete. After that, you are thrust straight into the action with no story to set things up. The story is told throughout the game by encounters with a large number of NPC’s and recurring characters, all of which are fully voiced in the original Japanese. That design choice further immerses you into the world of Muramasa and the fact that you have to read subtitles makes you feel like you’re watching a Japanese martial arts movie.

The martial arts movie feel is also a huge part of the design of this game. The characters are very fast and have the usual crouched forward, running on the toes movement that you would expect ninjas to have, and they move very fast. Muramasa is not a slow game by any means. Everything you do is fast and it can take a bit of getting used to. At no point, aside from a few story moments do the characters move at anything but a run and that is a good thing because there is a lot of backtracking that you will have to do. The game takes that element from the Metroid series, but thankfully gives you a very detailed map that is easy to follow and you’ll use it, often. You do have the choice of removing the map from the screen, having a small version of it or blowing it up to full screen with the press of a button. There are a number of times throughout your play where you’ll find yourself running through 10-20 screens you just cleared out and you’ll thank the developers that you move very quickly, or that could have gotten very tedious, very quickly. These backtracking moments, though, really give you a chance to take in the beauty that is Muramasa.

The combat is very typical of old 2-D brawlers. During your run through the environment exclamation points will pop up on the screen and you’ll be locked into a small area where a number of enemies will come at you, many times up to a dozen at a time. These battles, do not take very long, most ending within less than 30 seconds. It provides a great stop and go feeling where you go from simple platforming to hardcore action and back to platforming quickly and it happens at nearly the perfect moment every time. During these battles you’ll have to keep an eye on your sword meter because if your sword runs out of soul power it will break and you’ll be defenseless. To combat this you can carry up to three swords at a time that can be switched on the fly, many times giving you a special attack that will hit every enemy on the screen.

The boss battles are the best part of this game. All of the bosses are unique and amazingly detailed. They are also very reminiscent of old 2-D shooters where the boss fills most of the screen and you have to use all the abilities at your disposal to dodge their attacks and counter at the right moment. These battles can also be very challenging taking up to 15 minutes to complete if you don’t die during the battle. Thankfully, if you do die there was probably a save point outside the boss area and they are scattered pretty liberally through the entire world, meaning you won’t have to replay much if you die.

Muramasa also uses light RPG elements to give a bit more depth to the play. Battles give you experience points that you can use to level up the two main characters. There is also a forging element where you can create new swords, up to 108 in total. This requires the use of souls collected throughout the levels and gained through eating food at shops in the many cities. You can also collect ingredients and cookbooks that you can use to create recipes that can regain health and there is a large inventory of items that you can use to aid you in battle.

All told, Muramasa is the most beautiful game to come out on the system this year, if not ever. The game will last between 12 and 20 hours depending on your level of experience and really combines a number of different genres to bring a nearly perfect package to your Wii. If you’re looking for a great game that is both simple and complex at the same time you should look no further than Muramasa: The Demon Blade.

Final Score: 5/5 Excellent

Where's The Love For Waluigi?

When you think about characters in Nintendo’s history that people either really love or REALLY hate Waluigi is always near the top of that list. There is no middle ground, it seems, and with him and more often that not he gets the hate side of that equation. My opinion differs a bit from that. He’s one of the few characters in the Mario series that is considered by some to be one of the more memorable characters that still doesn’t have their own game; even Daisy’s gotten more attention than him.

Waluigi was created in 2000 by Fumihide Aoki for Mario Tennis on the Game Boy Color. He’s made several appearances since then, almost exclusively in the sports titles. He’s generally thought of as Wario’s sidekick and the antithesis of Luigi, yet he’s never appeared in any of the Wario Land games and is used exclusively for comic relief. He even has been used as alternate color palettes for both Mario (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door) and Luigi (Super Smash Bros. Brawl). Waluigi seems to appear everywhere in the Mario universe, but never as the main character in his own game.

Is it possible that with that one credit to his name he could be made into one of those characters that people remember a bit more fondly and he gets a bit more respect? I think it’s very possible. It’s very apparent he’s been a thorn in the side of the Mario Brothers for quite some time. The intro videos to all the sports titles show that he and Luigi don’t particularly like each other. Why not create a game where he could be behind the kidnapping of Daisy or someone and it’s Luigi’s turn to rescue the Princess. You would play as Waluigi, who runs his own motor oil business by the way, and that could be used to further his background, which is almost non-existent.

There are plenty of chances for the love triangle between the three to be explored, in so far as those relationships are explored in the Mario universe. Waluigi has a thing for Daisy, who has a thing for Luigi and that may be the basis of Waluigi’s hatred of the green plumber.

The deepest part of Waluigi’s background would be his name, which apparently has more meaning than many people think. His name is a portmanteau of the Japanese world warui, which means bad or evil and when changed to Waruji would literally mean ‘evil Luigi’. Makes sense. It is also apparently a sort of condescending apology in Japanese which fits perfectly with his attitude.

Waluigi has the beginnings of what could make for a wonderful character if Nintendo would take the time to explore him a bit more. I really like the character as I’m quite fond of Luigi. The evil counterpart would naturally be more interesting to me than the Wario version of Mario. I would love to see Waluigi get more respect than he does in the Mushroom Kingdom, he just needs to perfect opportunity to explore that a bit more.

Majesco Entertainment Announces Data East Arcade Classics for Wii

Collection Includes 15 All-Time Favorite Video Games at an Amazing Value

EDISON, N.J., Oct 01, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Relive the glory days of video games without the pocketful of quarters as Majesco Entertainment Company (Nasdaq: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, today announced Data East Arcade Classics for Wii(TM). Licensed by G-Mode and developed by G1M2, this timeless compilation features 15 arcade favorites with full multiplayer support for only $19.99.

Players can now enjoy some of the best shooter, sports, puzzle and twitch action video games ever created in one convenient package. Data East Arcade Classics features 15 nostalgic titles, including: BurgerTime and its sequel, Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory, Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja, Burnin' Rubber, Heavy Barrel, Caveman Ninja, Magical Drop III, Side Pocket and many more. The collection keeps the classics intact but also includes special updates for the modern gamer: players can link their high scores to their Mii(TM) and accomplish 75 different goals across the games that let them unlock a wealth of bonus material, from soundtracks to bezels. Finally, all 15 games support single player and 2-player head-to-head or co-operative multiplayer along with Wii Remote(TM) and Nunchuk, Classic Controller or GameCube controller functionality.

Data East Arcade Classics for Wii is expected to release in early 2010 for a SRP of $19.99. For additional information about Majesco's exciting line of products, please visit http://www.majescoentertainment.com/.

Source: Email Press Release

Scribblenauts Review

E3 2009 was a time for hands on with many of the games that are coming out now. The one game that seemed to get everyone’s attention at that time was a little DS game by developer 5th Cell called Scribblenauts. This game essentially lets you use whatever you can think of and put it in the game to solve a series of puzzles. There are some quirks that might get in your way, but overall this is a really fun title that you should check out.

The basic idea behind Scribblenauts seems really basic. There is a starite somewhere in the level and you have to retrieve it. There could be a number of obstacles in the way that you have to clear, but your imagination is the only thing holding you back. There are two different modes of play in Scribblenauts. The first is a puzzle mode where you are given an objective that you must complete in order to obtain the starite. These can range anywhere from getting a cat out of a tree, to getting a lifeguard to jump in a pool or many, many more. They start out very simple to get you into the idea of what exactly they want from you and get more complex as you go along. The second play mode is an action play mode, where you must get past a number of obstacles and “enemies” in order to reach the starite. These will be things like sneaking past security guards in a warehouse to get the star or creating a course where the star has to avoid spikes in order to reach you.

In each level you are given a par, or a number of objects you should be able to finish the level with. Finish below par and you’ll be rewarded with more ollars, the currency in Scribblenauts. Finish over par and you’ll receive less money. You’re also rewarded for how creative you are with the objects you use. There is a meter that looks very much like a thermometer that you use to understand how many objects you can have in the level at any one time. If that meters fills us you must remove something in order to place something else. Aside from that meter there is virtually no limit to the amount of objects that are in the game.

How do you retrieve these stars? Simple. Bring up the games keyboard, or scratch pad by pressing the notebook icon on the top-right portion of the lower screen. You can then enter the name of any object you think of and as long as it’s in the game’s dictionary it will be spawned into the world. There are reportedly over 22,000 objects that the game will recognize ranging anywhere from a puppy to God. These objects interact with each other somewhat realistically. For example, if you spawn a puppy and a cat, the puppy will chase, and probably kill the cat. Spawn in God and the devil and God will smite the devil with his awesomeness. That’s where the game’s creativity comes in. Sure you could spawn a ladder to get a cat out of a tree, but why not spawn an eagle and have it scare the cat out of the tree? The possibilities are almost endless.

5th Cell is most famous for their work on the Drawn to Life game where you created your own hero as well as a number of objects in that world and this game has that same style. It looks very much like a child’s drawings where everything is a bit squiggly and not very clean. That’s also what gives the game its charm. Everything is drawn to look like it fits perfectly in the world. All the items, people and places are a bit stylized and caricatures of themselves. For example, the T-Rex you can spawn has a head that is nearly as big as its body. All the people have big heads, with small eyes and no other features and everything moves like it’s a paper cut out held together at the joints with pins. It makes for a very charming look that you will fall in love with as soon as you see it.

Each level earns Maxwell, the main character, ollars that can be used in the store to purchase new levels, background music and even different avatars that you can play as. If you want to change the look of Maxwell simply go to the store and buy the zombie avatar and you’ll play the game as a zombie. It would have been nice to have some extra customization in that respect, but there are about a dozen different characters you can choose so there’s something out there for everyone. Overall, there are about 220 different puzzles that can be solved in the game. There are 110 action puzzles and 110 puzzle levels. It will take even experienced players a good long while to solve some of the more difficult puzzles in the game.

There are a couple of things that might hold back your enjoyment of the game and one of them is pretty big. Controlling Maxwell can be a bit of a chore. To move him around you tap somewhere on the screen or you can drag the stylus along in front of him to make him move. This does not give you very precise control over his movements and there will be many times you need to make small movements and the game doesn’t recognize that. As a result you will often jump into pools of lava, off cliffs or just move items that cause the work you’ve been doing to go wrong and you have to repeat the level. The d-pad is used to control the camera. I think if those two things had been switched and you had direct control of Max it would have gone a long way to solve that issue.

There were also a couple instances when the game froze and had to be restarted. I was never able to duplicate those circumstances so that could simply have been a glitch that won’t happen to many people. The physics in Scribblenauts are also not completely what you would expect and so some things you think normally wouldn’t happen would. For example ropes dropped on bridges could cause the bridge to move and fall into the area you’re trying to cross. This is something that could be fixed in a sequel and wasn’t too big an issue, but it did happen occasionally.

All in all, though, Scribblenauts is an excellent experience, as long as you don’t let the controls get in the way. The sheer volume of stuff that can be done could be overwhelming, but chances are you’ll find the few combinations of items that work best for you and you’ll use them a number of times. Puzzle games come in a number of different varieties and this really is one of the more unique ones out there.

Final Score: 4/5 Above Average

Time's Almost Up

Don't forget you have a chance to win Spaceball Revolution this week. The WiiWare game by Virtual Toys is pretty good. You have two chances to enter. The first is by commenting on the original contest post and the other is by commenting on the review.

All you have to do is comment on one or both of those posts, each comment gains you one chance to enter.  The winner will be announced, tomorrow Oct. 2nd at 1:00pm CST.  You have until 12:00 CST to enter the contest.  The winner will have to exchange Friend Codes with me and they will be gifted the game.   Good luck to everyone.

Top 20 WiiWare Titles: Week of September 28th

This week’s Top 20 WiiWare titles are based on the information from the week of September 28th, 2009 (parentheses indicate the previous week’s rank).

1 Contra Rebirth (1)
2 Reel Fishing Challenge (2)
3 My Aquarium (3)
4 Texas Hold’Em Poker (7)
5 World of Goo (4)
6 Tetris Party (5)
7 Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (6)
8 My Pokémon Ranch (8)
9 Dr Mario Online Rx (9)
10 You, Me, and the Cubes (N/A)
11 Sexy Poker (11)
12 Texas Hold’em Tournament (10)
13 Defend Your Castle (15)
14 Water Warfare (18)
15 Brain Challenge (17)
16 Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 1 (12)
17 Family Slot Car Racing (14)
18 Family Mini Golf (16)
19 BUST-A-MOVE Plus! (19)
20 Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 2 (13)

Not a lot of movement happening on the chart this week. Most titles, if they moved shifted up or down a couple spots. The top three are still holding strong and not going anywhere.

The biggest mover of the week was Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 2 which fell seven spots and is well below the first chapter in the series. This can mean a couple of things, either people are just now getting into the series, or they’re playing the first and not moving on to the second.

There was one new title on the list this week, the puzzle game by Kenji Eno, You, Me and the Cubes. This means that one title had to leave us, and this week it was Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord.

And for the love of all things human, will people please quit buying Sexy Poker?

Source: Nintendo

Gravitronix Gameplay Videos

New gameplay videos from Gravitronix, coming to WiiWare on Monday. 

Rage of the Gladiator Screens and Free Music Download

Ghostfire Games has passed along some screenshots for Rage of the Gladiator as well as a sample of the soundtrack for you to download for free.

Dawn of Heroes Trailer

Majesco has passed along a gameplay trailer and screens for the upcoming DS RPG Dawn of Heroes.

Backyard Football 2010 Gameplay Trailer

Atari has sent along a gameplay trailer for Backyard Football 2010.

Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans Screens

Hey guys,

I just received some screens for Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans.  Enjoy them.  You can check out the rest of the set at our Flickr Page.

Rapala: We Fish Available Now

Activision Publishing's Rapala(R): We Fish(TM), a New Species of Fishing Game, Is Now Out for Wii(TM)

The First Fishing Game Developed Specifically For Wii(TM)

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept 29, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) has announced its brand new entry in its Rapala fishing franchise, Rapala(R): We Fish(TM), is now out for Wii(TM). This is the first fishing title developed specifically for Wii(TM) and the focus is on arcade style laugh-out-loud fun. The game comes packaged with the Rapala fishing rod and reel peripheral, letting players of all ages cast it, crank it, and set the hook.

Players travel to eight locations around the world to compete in 24 tournaments, and it's one laugh after another as you race each other to catch fish that are natural-born comedians. When they land one, the game goes from fishing to bumper boats, featuring turbo speed boosts and power-ups as your "friends" try to knock the fish out of your boat before you get to the safe harbor.

It makes no difference if you are an angler or a gamer - Rapala(R): We Fish(TM) offers "pick up and play" fun for anyone and plenty of depth as you improve. Build up your skills with the Rapala rod and reel peripheral and reel in 50 wacky fish species, including enormous Legendary Lunkers. There are five different game modes, including 4-player head-to-head battles and multiplayer modes. You can choose to play as one of five hilarious characters, or even as your favorite Mii(TM).

"We are proud to release such a creative, side-splitting game in a genre ripe for fresh ideas," said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. "Families are going to have an amazing time getting together to play Rapala: We Fish."

Rapala: We Fish is out now for Wii(TM) for $39.99 and includes game and Rapala fishing rod and reel peripheral.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky Dated for Europe

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, the latest edition in the dungeon-based role-playing series that has sold over 10,000,000 copies internationally, is coming to Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DS across Europe on 20th November.

A follow-up to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness, the stunning new game has been enriched with new hero and partner Pokémon, new stories, and extended wireless capabilities. Fans of the earlier games and newcomers to the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series will find themselves immersed in the exploration of mysterious settings and caught up in the beautifully interwoven storyline, which reveals an unknown and unexpected truth about the future.

After a series of questions at the start of the game determine which Pokémon you will become it’s not long before you select another Pokémon to become your partner on an adventure of exploration and discovery, taking in a variety of mysterious dungeons that change shape each time you play.

For the first time in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, Explorers of Sky allows you to become or partner with Phanpy, Vulpix, Riolu, Shinx and Eevee, bringing the total roster of hero Pokémon to nineteen and partner Pokémon to twenty-one.

There are no set ‘maps’ in Explorers of Sky. The layout and the items you find all change each time you enter a dungeon, making each time you play a fresh, new experience. In the beginning, you will only team up with your partner Pokémon in the dungeons, but as the game progresses you can recruit additional Pokémon too.

Gameplay follows a turn-based structure as you explore the ever-changing dungeons and encounter friends, enemies and nasty traps. You will be able to meet and befriend more than 490 Pokémon on your adventure, including one of the most recently discovered Pokémon, Shaymin.

The ever-present fear of being defeated in the dungeon by enemy Pokémon and losing half of your money and some of your items in the process, will keep you on your toes. But, if the worst happens and you are defeated,you can often be rescued, either by nearby friends over a DS Wireless Connection, or by faraway friends using a password and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. A successful ‘Friend Rescue’ means that you won’t lose any money or items!

As well as rescuing fallen friends in their games, Explorers of Sky features extended wireless gameplay options. You can access special additional missions via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and you have the ability to send a demo version of the game to a friend’s Nintendo DSi or DS over a local wireless connection.

New ‘Special Episodes’ enhance the story of the series, and allow you take control of and see the world through the eyes of other characters that shape our hero’s adventure. Buried secrets of the Guild Members and other events that happened outside the main storyline will also come to light.

There are dozens of mysteries waiting to be discovered and unravelled in this latest game in a much-loved series. Throw yourself into the adventure when Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky launches across Europe on 20 November for Nintendo DS and DSi.

Where in the World is the Nintendo Okie Community?

Howdy folks.  I saw some interesting data today when I was looking over some web traffic information for Nintendo Okie.  We're getting a good number of hits per day, which excites me.  It means we must be doing something right.  The interesting stat, though, was where our hits were coming from and I'll share those with you:

47.9% come from Europe
46.5% come from the United States
5.6% come from Other.

My question to you all is this.  Where in the world are you anyway?  We would like to cover as many games for as many people as possible.  I assumed starting out that most of our views would come from the United States, which in hindsight, was a bit naive. We do live on a big planet after all.  These stats show me that we need to make sure to provide coverage for games that are coming to Europe as well, since the release schedules are a bit different from each other. 

This will also help us in talking to developers to better let them know how we provide coverage for their games.  It's pretty self explanatory that the site is based in Oklahoma, but where are ya'll from?

Weekly Poll Results

Well, the results are in and it’s interesting. Last week’s poll question was “Which version of the DS do you use?” and we got the most responses so far, which is exciting to me because it means people are visiting the site. I hope you guys enjoy the content I put out.

Anyway, apparently no one uses a DS Phat in the Nintendo Okie community. As no one responded to that.

42% of you (3 votes) use the DS Lite.

42% of you (3 votes) have a DSi

16% of you (1 vote) don’t have a DS.

At my house currently we have 2 DS Phats and a DS Lite. Granted only the DS Lite actually works as a DS. One DS Phat has a broken cartridge slot, but will still play GBA games and that’s what it gets used for. I have not had the ability to get a DSi, though I really want one.

I’m curious to know why you have the DS you do? What prompted the upgrade to the DSi from the DS Lite and if you are using a DS Lite what is holding you back from upgrading? Let us know in the comments.

This week's poll is a bit of a selfish one as we want to know how often you visit Nintendo Okie.  Click on over there and let us know. 

Our Review Scale at Nintendo Okie

Howdy folks. I just wanted to take a minute to explain our review system here at Nintendo Okie. Every site has their own take on the system. Each has the own merits, as well as drawbacks and I’m sure ours is no different. Most sites that you will visit use a 10 point scale and I have used that in the past with some of my other writing duties, but I don’t really like it. You get down to nit picking stupid stuff and people don’t use the scale in the way I think it should be. Too many people look at game and if they score below a 7 they don’t even bother taking a look at it, but I’ve played too many games that have a few issues with them that warranted a score in the 6’s or below, but was still fun and I enjoyed playing. The fact is on that 10 point scale a 5 should be considered average, at least in my opinion and go from there. That would mean that games that score a 5 are average and still worth playing. It just means they don’t bring a whole lot to the table you haven’t seen before, but they’re still good games.

I use a 5 point scale here at Nintendo Okie, with no half points. If you’ve seen reviews that I’ve done that have them they will be getting their score adjusted to reflect that fact. Here’s a bit of a breakdown on what each point means to us:

1 - Terrible This game should be avoided at all costs. There are not a lot of redeeming qualities to a game with this rating.

2 - Below Average This game had some good points and some bad points. Most of the bad outweigh the good, but it could still be fun to play.

3 - Average This is a good game. It has a lot of fun to be had, but there might be some points that get in the way. It doesn’t bring anything new to the table. You’ve seen all the elements of a game like this, but you will have fun playing it.

4 - Really Good We had a lot of fun with this title. This game is well worth playing, whether you rent it or buy it. You will find very few things that are wrong about a game like this and you could easily find worse ways to spend your time.

5 - Excellent Do not miss this title. It should be in your collection, no questions asked.

I don’t like review scores. They’re so subjective and a game that is an 8 to me, might be a 6 to someone else. I simply want to get across the point on whether I feel you should play the game or not. It’s much simpler to do that on a 5 point scale that simply says you should play it or not. I think people understand more that a 3 star game is good enough to get a lot of enjoyment out of it, but that same game might get a 6 on a 10 point scale and they would not even look at the title twice. What’s the difference between a 6.5 and a 7? Who really knows. It’s much easier to explain the difference between a 3 and 4 so that’s why I use the 5 point scale.

I hope this helps a little bit and you understand why we use the review scale we do. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Just send an email to tonymiller@nintendo-okie.com.

Wii Menu v4.2 Now Available

I just found out, through a glowing blue Wii that Wii Menu version 4.2 is now available.  I can't tell you what it does other than "behind the scenes fixes that won't affect overall performance."  I've put in a word to Nintendo and once I find out what this update does I'll let you know.

You can update the Wii Menu from the System Settings option.

Gravitronix Screens and a Quick Q&A

Jesse Lowther, Lead Designer at Medaverse Studios, passed along a bunch of screens from their first WiiWare game, Gravitronix. He also answered a few quick questions for us that hopefully give you a bit of background on them and the game. You can check out additional screens at our Flickr page.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and Medaverse Studios?

My name is Jesse Lowther, lead designer of Gravitronix. Medaverse was an independent gaming news site that made the leap to game development when WiiWare appeared on the horizon.

Where did the inspiration for Gravitronix come from?

It was our desire to create a game that would resonate with groups of friends that truly inspired Gravitronix. We had been playing multiplayer versus games together for years and wanted to deliver a similar experience in our first game.

I've seen videos explaining exactly how to play the game. Has it been difficult to explain the game to people?

Gravitronix is one of those games that needs to be played to truly be understood, so yes, it has been difficult explaining exactly how it's played. The "How to Play" trailer was made to better communicate not only how to play but hopefully the value people will get for their 500 points.

What can we expect during the campaign? Can you tell us a little about that?

The campaign will take you through 21 matches of Gravitronix with increasing levels of difficulty and varying game setups. For example, the "Firestorm" match will have you (and a friend, if one is around to play) battling against three enemy territories with projectile explosions at three times their normal size. You'll have to do your best to ensure that explosions don't happen anywhere near your territory if you hope to survive. The final levels become very difficult, leading up to the ultimate challenge which will have players fighting for their lives against some of the most impossible odds Gravitronix has to offer. Bottom line, when you finally beat the last level, odds are you'll jump up and cheer.

I want to thank Jesse for passing along these screens and answering some questions for us.  You can look for Gravitronix to be available for download on Monday, October 5th, and we'll have a review posted later in that week.

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 3: Lair of the Leviathan Review

When we last left our mighty pirate hero he was being swallowed up by an extremely large manatee. This game opens up, as the previous chapter did, with a brief recap of the events by the Voodoo Lady. We then cut to our trio or heroes, Guybrush, LeFlay and Winslow, deep inside the gullet of that large ocean mammal.

Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 3: Lair of the Leviathan continues where we left off and is the middle chapter of the five part series. This chapter of the game switches from the more action oriented play of Siege of Spinner Cay back to the more puzzle focused game play of Launch of the Screaming Narwhal. The difference being this puzzles don't seem as hard as they have previously. There seemed to be more guidance towards the solutions of the puzzle and it was easier to figure them out. That's not to say you won't have to make some crazy combinations, such as combining an employee manual with a torture handbook, but they seem to be more straightforward than the past chapters. There also didn't seem to be as much humor throughout Chapter 3. This could be because all the characters are deep inside the belly of a beast, but who knows for sure. There are still some funny moments, but the one liners are less obvious and it's more about crazy situations this time around.

The story of Lair of the Leviathan centers around Guybrush trying to replace the cochlea of the manatee in order to help the beast get back on track towards the sacred manatee mating grounds and all of the game play focuses around the inside of the creature's mouth and it's stomach. The environment is appropriately disgusting. You'll be sliding down the tongue and throat and exploring the stomach areas complete with pools of bile and disgusting fleshy tubes that Guybrush uses to travel quickly to different parts of the stomach. Guybrush meets the explorer Coronado de Cava inside the beast. He finds the scientist is very crazy and does not want other adventurer's trying to find La Esponja Grande before him. He must, at one point, convince de Cava that he and Morgan LeFlay are married and have entered the manatee on vacation.

The puzzles center around Guybrush trying to join the Brotherhood that the pirates inside the manatee have created to protect the cochlea from being replaced because they enjoy the life they now have. Guybrush must obtain a unanimous vote from all four members, one of them being a skeleton, to join the brotherhood, but they won't vote for him until he's done something for him. One of the pirates wants a date with Morgan, another only votes the same way as the skeleton and one wants you to beat them in a pirate face off where you make funny or disturbing faces that are better than the other competitor. These puzzles are cleverly devised, but as mentioned before, not too difficult. They involve having Morgan creatively interrogate one of the crew members, convincing one that Guybrush will be tortured once he joins the Brotherhood and finding a number of disturbing pirate faces that can be used in the face off.

Lair of the Leviathan focuses more on the story than previous entries in the series and really sets the stage for what will come in the last two chapters. It's not as funny as previous chapters, but that doesn't take away from the overall experience. If you've invested in the first two chapters of the game it's well worth your money to continue the story as it has become very interesting. I'm really beginning to wonder if their is some joke behind the appearance of all the pirates, because they have continued, yet again, to model them off of the previous characters with a few changes and there was not appearance of the pyrite parrot this time around. For fans of the Monkey Island series, you really shouldn't miss out on this adventure. The pox is spreading...

Final Score: 4/5

Review copy of the game provided by TellTale Games.

Gravitronix Debuts on WiiWare Soon

Dover, NH – September 28th, 2009 - Medaverse Studios is proud to announce the release of Gravitronix for the WiiWare™ download service on October 5th for 500 Wii Points™ in North America!

Gravitronix is an action/battle game in which players play as a “Gravity Platform” on the circumference of a circular arena. The object of the game is to defend your territory on the arena while assaulting enemy territories using only your wits, the projectiles that spawn in the arena and the two powerful beams of your Gravity Platform.

Each territory is lined with a wall of shield pieces when the game begins. Each shield piece will take three hits before being destroyed. If a projectile exits the arena through a territory, the territory and the players in it are defeated. The last territory standing is the winner.

Players can play with either the Wii Remote™ or Nunchuk™ controller. Twist your controller to move your Gravity Platform within your territory. Press the A or C button to push projectiles away and the B or Z button to capture projectiles and take aim at your opponents. Each of the four projectiles has different properties, such as arcing 90 degrees when fired from capture or creating a huge explosion when charged with energy.

Gravitronix is easy to learn but a challenge to master, and is designed to appeal to gamers of all levels. From players picking up a controller for the first time to veteran gamers who live for intense, heated battles with their friends, Gravitronix offers something for everyone.

Features:

Pick up and Play with a High Skill Ceiling - Anyone can pick up a controller and be enjoying Gravitronix in minutes, but only the most dedicated of players will be able to master all the tricks and secrets the Gravitronix arena has to offer.

Action-Based Gameplay with Strong Strategic Elements - Gravitronix offers a highly kinetic game experience with an arena constantly in motion with projectiles. In the midst of the battle, players can form and break alliances as they conspire against each other.

1-2 Player Campaign mode - Play cooperatively through 21 levels of increasing difficulty. Learn to play Gravitronix with 10 normal levels, then work your way through 11 challenge levels for a shot at the ultimate challenge itself.

1-8 Player Versus Mode - Up to eight players can play together on a single Wii console, with four players holding Wii Remotes and four holding Nunchuks.

Six Special Versus Modes - Six special versus modes, including “Hot Potatoes”, “Sudden Death” and “The Flood”.

Two Arena Configurations - Players can choose to divide the circular arena into 180° halves or 90° quarters, with up to four players per 180° territory or two players per 90° territory. Play in any number of team configurations with up to eight players, with optional COM players to fill in the other territories.

Over 40 Game Customizations - Players can customize the game with over 40 different game options. Players can change the speed of the projectiles, the explosion radius of each projectile type, the number of hits shield pieces take, the number of each projectile type that will appear in the arena (up to 30), and many more.

Five Music Tracks - Players can choose between five unique music tracks mid-game by pressing the “+” button to cycle to the next song.

Eight Selectable Characters - Select from one of eight eccentric characters to represent you on screen.

North American Language Support - Gravitronix supports English, French and Spanish as in-game languages.

Source: PR Email

EA Announces Live Dead Space: Extraction Demo

EA SHIPS AWARD-WINNING Dead Space Extraction

For anyone interesting in checking out Dead Space: Extraction before buying it EA will be hosting a live demo of the game on September 29th at 12:00 pm PST.  This demo, hosted by members of the development team, will last for one hour and they will be inviting fans to do a Q&A session as well.   
Dead Space: Extraction is a prequel to 2008's Xbox 360 game Dead Space and is being called a guided first-person experience featuring co-op play, branching paths, and intuitive controls.  The game releases on September 29th.
 
If you are interested in viewing the demo, head here.

Source: PR Email

We Cheer 2 Screenshots

New WE CHEER™2 ASSETS NOW AVAILABLE

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today released a new batch of assets for We Cheer™2 for Wii™. The new set of assets follows up from earlier assets this month, introducing the second half of the new squad with bios, art, screens and gameplay videos. We Cheer 2 offers more than twice the amount of playable characters than the original and now includes the choice for boys as well as girls.

In addition to the new roster of characters, players also have access to limitless customization for both their character and their entire squad with an increased range of options for outfits, accessories, facial features and more.

We Cheer 2 heightens the realistic, competitive cheerleading experience by immersing players in a nationwide cheerleading championship setting. Utilizing the Wii Remotes™ as virtual pom-poms, players follow on-screen prompts for choreographed routines that utilize a full range of arm and body movements. In addition to an all new licensed soundtrack of 30 songs, We Cheer 2 raises the bar with more options than ever before including challenging new dance moves, new stages, and gameplay modes for up to four players.

We Cheer 2 for Wii will launch November 2009 with an MSRP of $39.99. For more information, please visit http://www.namcobandaigames.com/.

Check out more screen at our Flickr Page.

Nintendo Download: Week of September 28th

Art Lessons, Auto Racing and Arcade Action Multiply the Downloadable Fun

Greek mythology, grid-based strategy, high-speed racing, classic arcade action and a hand-held art course — this week’s additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi™ Shop deliver a wildly entertaining mix. With new WiiWare™, Nintendo DSiWare™ and Virtual Console™ games debuting each week, Nintendo offers downloadable games to please everyone under the sun, and the list keeps on growing. For Nintendo DSi users looking to grow their own game library, here’s a valuable tip-off: Consumers can still receive 1,000 bonus Nintendo DSi Points™ by purchasing a new Nintendo DSi game system and connecting to the Nintendo DSi Shop by 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on Oct. 5, 2009. For full offer details, please visit DSiOffer.Nintendo.com


Nintendo DSiWare

Art Academy™: Second Semester
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points

Description: Art Academy is a portable art course that anyone can enjoy. Art Academy: Second Semester provides new and returning students with a larger set of tools and in-depth lessons designed to encourage the creation of more complex artwork. By gaining an even deeper understanding of colors and techniques used by famous impressionist artists, you will be ready to take on more challenging themes that include moving objects, and vast landscapes with distant objects. The openness of Free Paint mode offers plenty of opportunities to hone your skills and boost your confidence as an artist.

DRAGON QUEST® WARS™
Publisher: SQUARE ENIX
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Language
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points

Description: DRAGON QUEST WARS is a grid-based strategy game featuring all of your favorite quirky DRAGON QUEST monsters. Choose from several modes and get ready for battle. While the rules are simple, strategy is the key to victory. The game features single-player and DS Wireless Play, as well as battles with foes worldwide via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection. (Broadband Internet access is required for online play.)


WiiWare

ARKANOID Plus!
Publisher: TAITO
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 600 Wii Points™

Description: ARKANOID Plus! is an updated version of the original arcade blockbuster. Players must destroy colored blocks by guiding an Energy Ball around the screen using a spaceship called a VAUS. The game features a host of new modes and settings that radically alter the experience: Arcade Mode consists of 61 rounds divided into left and right versions, with two types of boss characters appearing in the last round; VS Mode lets players face off against a friend or the CPU; and the unfailingly frantic Time Mode challenges players to clear rounds within a strict time limit. With the subtle differences arising from the choice of “Lives” or “Barrier” rules, plus a plethora of exciting items, you’re in for hours and hours of block-busting fun.

DRiiFT Mania
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 800 Wii Points

Description: DRiiFT Mania is the ultimate top-down multiplayer racing experience. Challenge your friends in fast, exciting races and some totally crazy game modes. You’ll need to adapt your driving skills to the different racing environments if you want to succeed.
Virtual Console

Altered Beast™
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points

Description: “Rise from your grave!” When legendary Greek god Zeus brings you back to life with those famous words, you set forth on a mission to rescue his daughter, Athena, from the wicked God of the Underworld, Neff. To survive the gauntlet of mythological foes, you must hunt down the three-headed wolves that inhabit each stage and collect the Spirit Balls that they release. The Spirit Balls increase your strength and allow you to transform into a variety of forms, including a Werewolf, Weredragon, Werebear, Weretiger and the ultimate form, the Golden Werewolf. Each creature possesses powerful attacks to help bring an end to Neff's scheme.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.

Source: Nintendo Press Release