As gamers on Halloween, many of us don’t have plans and shan’t do anything this evening other than do what we do every night: Play games. I’m joking of course, but what about those of us that really don’t have plans tonight? Or maybe we plan on playing games with some of our friends? Do we game the same way we always do, or should we play certain games to enhance the “halloween” feel? I’m not sure what all of you are doing to get yourself in the mood, but I know what 2 games I’ll be playing.

A Boy and His Blob review

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii | 3 Comments

Game Info

Genre: 2-D Puzzle/Adventure
Available: Now
Video: 16:9/480p
Audio: Stereo
Players: Single player only
Nintendo Wifi: None
ESRB: Everyone

In “Way Forward Technologies’ ” re-imagining of the NES original, you once again play as a young boy, who upon being awoke by an earth shaking crash; goes out to investigate. Upon investigating the source of the calamity, he finds the blob; puzzle-solving adventures ensue.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade review

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii | 6 Comments

Game Info

Genre: 2-D Action/Adventure/RPG
Available: Now
Video: 16:9/480p
Audio: Stereo
Players: 1
Nintendo Wiifi: None
ESRB: Teen

In Vanillaware’s new 2-D Epic time-piece set in feudal era Japan; “Muramasa: The Demon Blade”, is a side-scrolling action/adventure/RPG, which tells the stories of its two playable protagonists: Kisuke and Momohime. Both have their own individual story-lines, weapons and boss encounters; which provides players with two distinct experiences.

Scribblenauts contest – First challenge

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, Features | 1 Comment

Alright, now that we’ve gotten all the rules and technicalities out of the way, let’s get this rolling. In case you need a reminder though, click on this link.

Nintendo Everything’s Scribblenauts Contest – Challenge #1

Level (The level in which you will unleash your creativity): 3-5
Contest Par (How many items you’re allowed to use for this challenge): 5
Mission: Return the lamb, but guns and explosions scare the flock!
Other rules: None, just get the starite.
Ending date: 10/25

Send your submissions/questions/comments to [email protected] for your chance to win!

Wii Fit Plus review

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii | 12 Comments

Game Info

Genre: Fitness/Activity
Available: 10/04/2009
Video: 16:9/480p
Audio: Stereo
Players: 1-2 (Depending on activity)
Nintendo Wi-Fi: None
ESRB: Everyone

With “Wii Fit Plus” Nintendo re-offers players a unique way to become active and introduce exercise with a gaming approach.

For owners of the original Wii Fit, Plus offers 15 *new* activities (some are new takes on older ones), 5 new balance tests, 3 new exercises in the Strength and Yoga categories and a lot of new improvements and additions overall.

4 theoretical games that could take advantage of the Wii Vitality Sensor

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features, Wii | 12 Comments

Among all of the peripherals that have been released for the Wii, the “Vitality Sensor” is arguably the most obscure one we’ve seen yet. A device that measures your pulse? How could that be fun for serious video gamers? Aside from making sure you’re still alive, the possibilities seem pretty slim. Despite this sarcastic skepticism though, it’d be hard deny that there are options for the device. On one hand, it has significant potential for specific types of titles, but on the other hand, the most likely path Nintendo will take with the device will be one very similar to the Wii Balance Board: A couple of decent casual titles will be made, and then the company will leave it up to third parties to support a gadget that they created. If Nintendo wants the Wii Vitality Sensor to be anything more than a device to attract sleepless moms, they’re going to have to do something to attract core gamers.

The Game: Eternal Darkness 2
Genre: Survival Horror
Use of the Vitality Sensor: Staying calm

The Premise: Now, I’ve never had the privilege of playing Eternal Darkness, but I’ve read more than enough about the game to know exactly why it’s as loved as it is. It uses fourth-wall shattering techniques to affect the player beyond the confines of the screen, and for that it was considered one of the most revolutionary games to hit the survival horror genre since the original Resident Evil. Combining what the game already had in place with the ability to read your pulse, and the game could, in theory, force you to keep calm or risk punishment. For instance, imagine that as your pulse increased, the screen would distort, causing you to lose focus and suffer the loss of the ability to see your enemies before they seek you out. This would add a whole new level to the game, and intensify the experience that was already so highly praised in the original.

Dead Space: Extraction not exclusive? Why Wii owners shouldn’t mind

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features, Wii | 11 Comments

With the recent announcement of Dead Space: Extraction possibly losing it’s exclusivity to Wii, many Nintendo gamers have been whipping out their flamethrowers and taking gaming message boards by storm, infuriated by the constant “betrayal” from Wii third party developers. It started with the rumor that Marvelous would be porting one of their Wii games to PS3/360, followed shortly thereafter by the announcement of No More Heroes’ fateful end on the Wii, and now one of Wii’s most anticipated mature games (Dead Space) has the possibility of leaving the system as well. Regrettably, Wii’s third party situation is far from perfect, and part of that has to do with the failure of so many fantastic non-Nintendo efforts flopping on the little white box, and thus arrives the paradox of outside developers creating games for Wii.

Rambling thoughts – Moon

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, Features | 0 comments

Moon has been out in North America since January, but our friends over in Europe received their first chance to play the title this month. This leaves me with the perfect chance to provide my view on the game. Head past the break to read my rambling thoughts!

The Conduit review

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii | 15 Comments

Game Info

System: Nintendo Wii
Genre: First Person Shooter/Action
Players: 1 Local, 12 Online
Release Date: June 23, 2009
Publisher: Sega
Developer: High Voltage Software

The excitement surrounding the Wii and its launch was, to put it bluntly, huge. The idea that games could be controlled by the movements of the player was mesmerizing and on top of that the price of admission was cheap. But this bliss faded quickly when Wii owners came to realize that the revolutionary motion controller was not as perfect as many had hoped, the only flawless feature being the Wii’s IR sensor. This sensor, however. would spawn a new following as the possible innovator of the increasingly popular FPS genre, idealistically offering precision aiming and a more natural feeling for shooting than the clunky (albeit improving) dual analog control scheme. Sadly, games came and went and one poorly designed FPS after another went from development to shelf to bargain bin. It has been nearly three years since the Wii’s launch, and the number of FPSs worth playing on the system can be counted on half of one hand. This begs the question, why? Could it be that the Wii is simply so underpowered that it can’t handle the prowess of modern FPS games? Many would have held that as the truth, that is, until High Voltage Software stepped in to take the reigns of the genre and show every other third parties how it’s done.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game review

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii | 1 Comment

System: Nintendo Wii
Category: Action
Players: 1-2
Release Date: June 16, 2009
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Red Fly Studios

Ghostbusters is considered to be, by many, one of the most recognized movie franchises to have surfaced over the last few decades. Not too many people can claim that they have never heard the film’s main theme song or, at the very least, the phrase, “Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!” It’s been over fifteen years since a video game based on the series was released and with the track record that Ghostbusters possesses, it’s surprising that it has taken so long for a new video game to be released. But it’s finally here – A new ghost-busting game is out and fortunately, the Wii version isn’t too shabby.

It’s important to note right off the bat that this is not a gimped Ghostbusters title. Unlike many publishers who ignore the Wii when it comes to multiplatform titles, it is very clear that Red Fly Studios, in charge of the Wii version, put in a lot of effort in creating a bona fide experience. You’ll see familiar faces along with their original voice actors, you’ll hear the famous Ghostbusters song (although it is underused) and you’ll recognize unique weaponry. No, the Wii version does not feature realistic graphics (which is actually an intelligent design choice). However, the game still manages to hold its own when compared to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions.