Monday, March 31, 2008

Don't Be Fooled

Well today is April Fools Day, so don't be fooled by all of the faux news that will appear on the internet concerning games. You are likely to see rumors of old franchises coming back, a new system coming out, the 3rd game to Diamond & Pearl being revealed (which won't happen till later this year), and anything else.

Remember to keep an eye on major sites that don't post April Fools Jokes such as GoNintendo & Vooks for real news. Vook made up his own April Fools Joke about N64 games being remade for DS, but it's so obvious they aren't real. Stuff like NeoGAF & GameFaqs should be ignored as well.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Helpful Steps to Help You Finish A Game

Do you finish every game you have bought or received at one point or another? By finish I mean either the story mode or completing it 100% (completionist).

I haven't finished every game I own and I don't think I ever will. These days, finishing a game to me is just finishing the story mode. Not playing the extra modes or collecting all the items or anything like that. This is really my own fault for buying so many games all the time. I have 47 DS games and have only finished at least the main story mode on 19 of them (some of them you can't beat: Tetris, Brain Age, Big Brain Academy, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing). I mean someday I may go back to a game just to complete it 100% but with so many other games to play it is going to take a while for me to even consider going back to a game.

After the initial Brawl buzz had worn off, I still didn't feel like playing any of my other Wii games when I know I should be. I should try to finish some more before I get Mario Kart Wii on April 27th. Brawl is awesome and all, but it's not really the best thing since [insert whatever word here]. I should seriously stop buying Zelda games because I own almost all of them except for (OoT, MM, Link's Awakening, Four Swords Adventures) and maybe some others I can't even think about. I need to just sit down with one Zelda game, and play it until I'm finished.

For those wondering how to do this, I have came up with a short but easy guide to follow in order to help you finish games.

1.) Picking The Game You Want to Finish
It isn't simple to really just pick a game and finish it, I would know. The things to remember is that did you really have fun with the game and just got stuck, or did you get bored? You are probably going to want to play the ones you had fun with but got stuck on. If you choose the latter you will probably get discouraged and quit playing the game again. So just pick the games you remembered having fun with. Also, do not buy anymore games and don't try to play more than one game at once.

2.) Stay Away From Distractions
Easier said than done, I know. Basically this does not mean to ignore your life or anything of the sort because you don't want to become a blob your parents hassle all the time. Distractions to me means TV Programs, Movies, Cell Phone, School Work(just kidding), Friends(oh yes I just did say that), Siblings (unless you are responsible for them in some way), and anything else you can think of. Unless it's a really important distraction, you should just ignore all of those things so you can make some progress on your game.

3.) Have Food & Drink Close By
This could go under the distraction category if I said for you to get up and get food & drink while you are playing your game. Well don't; just have it close by. Everyone gets the munchies, but I would recommend something that isn't going to dirty up your system or controller, and a little healthier so you don't become a blob. Don't eat or drink anything that you know will go through your digestive system quickly, resulting you into having to take a bathroom break. But if you have to go, you have to go.

4.) What To Do When You Get Stuck
Okay so you made it past the part you were stuck on last time, but now you are stuck again. I know you feel discouraged, but don't give up. Just keep trying at it. Sometimes if it's something like a boss it's best just to take a short break so you can calm down and try again when you are level headed and not making sailors blush with your potty mouth. I know this sounds like a distraction by taking a break, but it actually has helped me many times in the past.

If you get stuck on a puzzle and you've tried it many times and are frustrated, you can always just use a guide. Do not go waste money on buying one of those fancy guides at a store. You can find tons of guides written by fellow gamers(often better than the guides that cost money) on sites such as GameFAQs.com for free. I know it may seem like you are cheating, but you aren't. You just got stuck and you don't want to be discouraged from your main goal of finishing the game because you couldn't solve one dumb little puzzle. Guides are helpful, just don't follow them word for word or you won't even enjoy the game.

You can also just simply ask fellow gamers on the internet or your friends for help. They may think you suck or whatever, but I guess that is just their problem now isn't it? If they were your friend they would be willing to help you without being a jerk to you. Friends who have played the game will sometimes remember having the same problem you had, and help you through it. I know I said to ignore friends, but not when they can be useful in helping you achieve your goal.

5.) When Should I Take A Break
I know, another distraction. Just kind of take a break every once in a while to rest your eyes, so you don't end up overly tired and with a neck ache from staring at a screen too long. Too many times I have refused to take a break, and lost sleep over it because my neck started to hurt. You can also use this time to take a bathroom break, and just calm down and take in some fresh air. This usually ends up helping me refocus on the game better, and help me overcome any little challenge or see something I didn't notice before. It's always best to take a break just to refresh your mind.

Well, I hope my little guide has helped you in some way. Please let me know if it has helped you by posting a comment, so I'll feel like my life isn't already a waste of air to breathe. :P

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Activision/Red Octane send out Gift to GH3 Replacement Disk Recipients

Well I wasn't sure if they were going to give them to everyone who had their disk replaced. Basically, the Wii version of Guitar Hero III was missing the sound output option for Stereo and it was supposed to have it. Several people complained and Activision & Red Octane took the hit for it and decided to offer a disk exchange program. It actually took a while for them to get it going.

Now for those who have received their replacement disk, later on they will receive a free Guitar Hero III Wii faceplate. It looks pretty cool, I just took a picture of it which you can see below. I would say that Activision/Red Octane are an awesome company to do something like this. Most companies don't do stuff like this, so I applaud Activision & Red Octane for their generosity. I also think they did this so the customers keep buying Guitar Hero games. I may or may not buy Guitar Hero Aerosmith; I really want downloadable content!

Monday, March 24, 2008

The Sad State Of Gaming Reviews

I know I have written an article in the past that has to do with how videogame reviews are very sloppily created and how they lack real criticism on a games basic points. People play videogames because they keep them entertained and are fun. Reviews should focus on the entertainment value as well as if they are fun and keep the player excited.

After reading an article about why videogames aren't considered "art", I had the following rant to say:
Videogames aren’t considered Art because we have people who don’t even play videogames fueling controversy about violence and people who review movies saying games aren’t art. How would they know? They’ve never even played a game from this era, let alone a Super Mario Bros. game that came out back in the 1980s.

The people who have never actually played a game such as these movie reviewers, Jack Thompson, and news reporters shouldn’t even be allowed to comment on the situation until they have actually played a game.

The gaming industry also lacks a competent reviewing criteria. The movie industry has a review criteria in place, so why can't games?

It's simple, these so called game reviewers can't seem to agree on a straightforward criteria, as well as with their mentality that a game should be rated based on a review of a game that is similar in experience or a predecessor. They have meaningless scoring systems, and people who don't play games often or are looking to get in on the gaming scene, are going to believe these terrible "reviews" and could possibly miss out on what they may have thought would be a good game.

Honestly, someone or something needs to come up with a game reviewing criteria that the industry can agree on without any kind of corruption taking place, that is simple and easy to understand for everyone from your kid brother to your grandma. Sadly, I don't expect this ever to happen with horrible sites like IGN and GameStop in existence. Hell, I've seen better reviews from everyday people; even I thought one of the reviews I wrote was more in depth than anything written by one of those "big" sites and could really help the game player decide on whether the game is worth their time and will provide enjoyment.

That's just my two cents/rant/article on the object of game reviews. I know I need to start writing them again, but when I look at my reviews now, I see their flaws...they are mostly just unorganized, but I still feel as if I'm missing a key element of reviewing a game. But then again, how could I possibly know what it is that I'm missing, when we don't even have a reliable review criteria available?

Thanks to GoNintendo's news story for inspiration of this article!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Sonic Unleashed Confirmed by Sega - November release

Supposedly someone discovered these images on SEGA FTP. A patent was filed a week or few weeks ago for a game called Sonic Unleashed, and now these screenshots have surfaced. Since the graphics look a bit basic, this may be the new Sonic Wii game SEGA gas been working on. However, we can't really confirm or deny these pictures at the current time so it's all in speculation till it is confirmed they are real. The style of the game really reminds me of Sonic and the Secret Rings so this may in fact be a Wii game if it is real.

If this is real I hope it is a Wii game. The Nintendo audience seems to only be the one who really cares about Sonic. The 360/PS3 game was a terribly designed game and also didn't really sell very well. Sonic and the Secret Rings however has sold over a Million and so has Mario & Sonic at the Olympic games. I think it's fair to say that the Nintendo audience likes Sonic the most. Hope these are real and the game is for the Wii!

UPDATE: There is now a video of the game available on Youtube but I can't guarantee that it won't be taken down. I think this pretty much confirms the game is real, it looks to be sort of a standard looking Sonic game. Hopefully this game is for the Wii though! The game has been confirmed by SEGA for a November release but no platforms have been specified, however since one of the pics seems to be for the Official Nintendo Magazine cover and another is for the Play Magazine cover, the game may be multiplatform.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Wii Update & DS Games I've Been Playing

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Today another Wii Update has been released, it is for the WiiWare games that are going to come out in the US on May 12th. The whole world is getting this. There is no word on if the update will block the Wii Freeloader so people with one should be aware that future firmware updates can disable the use of it. The initial "wow" factor has worn off for me on Brawl where I don't feel like I need to play it all the time as if I'm missing out on something. I've unlocked all the characters, stages, have finished Classic mode with all characters, and I'm playing All Star mode now with each character. I haven't had too many WiFi battles, no one ever seems to be on my friends list when I'm on.

In other news, Pokémon Ranger: Batonnage just came out in Japan and ofcourse I've been playing it. I mean it's the same exact style as the previous game, except for a new feature known as Guard, which I assume are upgradeable parts to protect your styler from damage and/or make it stronger or something of the sort. It's a pretty good game, I just wish the English version was out soon so I know what is being said in the game. Sadly, as the current trend goes it seems Pokémon games are coming out 7 months after they are released in Japan, which means another October release is most likely going to happen. However I can always hope the game comes out in the US soon. Also in Japan they are doing a two episode Pokémon Ranger special featuring the Male character from the game and the Riolu event.

I have also tried Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword which basically just throws you into the game after the initial story screens are shown. Ofcourse since the game is Japanese I have no idea what is going on, but I'm sure the English version will be out in a few days so I'll know more then.

Time Hollow that anime style point-and-click Adventure looks interesting and has an awesome Opening sequence. Since it's a game where you need to read what is going on it's pretty impossible to play without any translation guide or knowledge of the Japanese language. The game may possibly come out in the US this year as it appeared on Atari's release list for Australia as early as next month. GameFly recently listed the game as having an August 30 release date in the US, so we'll probably have it eventually.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

I got a job!

This time it is confirmed I got a job. I went to a Schlotzsky's Deli sandwich shop with my parents on the way home and they had a Now Hiring sign. So I filled out an application and handed it in. The owner of the restaurant called me this morning to come in for an interview at 1:30. Well I got there and went in, and the "interview" was only 2 minutes. Basically I was already hired, the owner just wanted to see who I was I guess. So I start on Friday and he told me to come in at 11 AM so I'll be there. The pay is $6.50 an hour and could go up to $7.00 within 2 weeks so that's good news for me. I'll be able to buy more games often, as well as a new TV someday lol.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Wii Freeloader Now Available!

Well guys, Datel has finally managed to do it. They have come out with a Wii Freeloader. If you don't know what that is, it is a boot disk that you stick in your Wii first and activate it like normal, then switch the disk out and put in a Wii game from a different region (like Japan or Europe/Australia) and your North American Wii system will be able to play the game despite the region restriction! It will also allow you to play Gamecube games from different regions, although some may not display right due to the signal output of the games being different.

However there is still always the possibility that Nintendo can block the device with a firmware update to the Wii. There are no worries about games that check your system for modchips or anything of the sort as the Wii Freeloader blocks these required "updates" enabling you to stick it to Nintendo for taking too long to release games in your country. You can check out the first review from our Aussie brothers over at Vooks.net here.

Currently the Wii Freeloader is only available from the Codejunkies website, and you'll want to make sure you get the one for your region's Wii, such as an NTSC Wii Freeloader for North America and a PAL Wii Freeloader for Europe/Australia. And you can buy one for the price of $20 in the US or £9.99 in the UK!

North American(NTSC) Wii Freeloader
European/Australian(PAL) Wii Freeloader

Siliconera has tried a Wii Freeloader on their Japanese Wii and it apparently works. One thing they mysteriously found is that when they stuck the US version of Trauma Center: New Blood in the Japanese Wii that the game converted to the Japanese version, meaning both versions are on the same disk. Hmm, I wonder if anyone has bothered just sticking the disk in the Japanese Wii without the Freeloader? You can see more here!

I have also created a Wikipedia page, so feel free to add to it if you know any other information that is importan to add. You can see the page here.

I'm sure this is just great news for all of you Europeans & Australians who are still waiting on Brawl. As for myself, I will probably only buy a Wii Freeloader if some game comes out in Japan that won't come to the US that I want, like certain music games. I imported Ouendan & Ouendan 2 for DS and loved them, so if iNiS puts something on the Wii that isn't coming to the US, I'll be getting myself a freeloader then. Happy importing!

Brawl All The Time

Yeah so it seems I've pretty much been playing Brawl nonstop and neglecting this blog, I'm sorry to you 5 readers out there! However, I'm finally planning to get off my butt and try to write a review for a game, and you already know which one, Brawl of course. This is only because I can think about and remember everything about this game. I still need to figure out how to convert this blog to allow me to do "Read More" posts so the Review doesn't take up the whole front page of the blog. If I could do that I think I would pretty much be all set.

So if any of you know how to use Blogger and can do some coding please contact me, I really want to do something with this blog for once!

One of the things I'm thinking about doing is previews on import games that are coming out also. And if any of yall plan on getting one of those Wii Freeloaders and importing Japanese games, I would love to have you as part of this blog, impressions of import games seem to be a big thing among the Nintendo fans out there!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Mario Kart Wii on April 27th

Well it is now officially confirmed that Mario Kart Wii will be released in the US on April 27th. I expected it to be released in April since Nintendo didn't have anything coming to the Wii in the US for April, and because several retailers were listing April 27th as the release date, so it was only a matter of time.

I know this will tick off Europe & Australia who always get shafted and won't have Brawl for probably several months, but I can't wait for Mario Kart (even though I'm enjoying the hell out of Brawl!)

So now that we have Zelda, Metroid, Fire Emblem, Mario, Smash Bros., and Mario Kart on Wii, what else is up for the Big N? Kirby, Animal Crossing, and Disaster: Day of Crisis appeared on a Japanese release list for 2008, so time will tell! All I know is that I'm really loving Nintendo now, we have so many big hits for games out on Wii compared to the miniscule amount on Gamecube, good job Nintendo!

Spectator Mode Missing? Here's a Fix...

Apparently many people have been reporting the Spectator Mode is not displaying after 24 hours have passed since they connected to Nintendo WiFi via Brawl, leading many to believe Nintendo may have screwed up. I ran into the same problem. Someone discovered a fix for it however.

Basically all you have to do is go to your Save Data within the game, and go to where it says Erase or delete, and select No. Then connect to WiFi and Spectator mode will be there. Lucky someone discovered that, I thought we would end up having to send our disks in to Nintendo -_-;

Also the options under WiFi for you to be allowed into Spectator Mode as well as Receive Updates about Brawl from Nintendo will now also appear under the "With Anyone" mode on WiFi.

Thanks to KingBroly for letting me know about this fix!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Brawl is a Blast!

Yeah so I've basically been playing almost all day up until just a few minutes ago. WiFi is still kind of laggy but nothing like it was the first time I played where the game literally froze for several seconds at a time.

So anyway I've basically been playing the Subspace Emissary (it's the easiest way to unlock most of the characters) for about 5 or so hours. I'm only 50% complete too. I've unlocked all of the characters except for Jigglypuff, Ganondorf, Wolf, and Toon Link. I assume it's going to be a while because Ganondorf seems to be a villain as well(duh). I actually like it, it's pretty challenging and I have died many times, though it lets you continue without any problems. All I can say is this is easily one of the best things in the whole game besides WiFi and new characters.

So where are you at in Brawl? How many characters have you unlocked? What are your WiFi Wins VS Losses? Let me know in a comment!

Saturday, March 8, 2008

The Brawl is on Tonight at Midnight!!!

As you know the Midnight Launch is tonight at 12 AM(which is actually tomorrow) and Daylight Savings Time also starts tomorrow as well.

I will head to GameStop at 11:30 PM and be back sometime after 12 AM and I will start up my game and find out my Friend Code.
Scott Reed
4682-8110-4909

I will then come on here and edit this post and add my Friend Code. So please, once you get your friend code please leave a post with your nickname and your friend code so I can add you to my list! Don't forget about the Character Profiles list, they can sort of help you, I have a feeling Smash Bros.com will be jammed tonight so my forum is backup, you can find the topic here.

Let the Brawl begin!!!

Friday, March 7, 2008

SPOGS Racing

Well I was reading my latest issue of Nintendo Power today where I came across an article on a new WiiWare game called SPOGS Racing. I decided to google it and checked out many game blog sites and none of them had any info on it. I submitted it to GoNintendo earlier and they posted it, so I thought I should do my 5 or so readers the honor of transcribing the article here as well.

"In driver's ed, they teach you that crashing into other vehicles is bad form. SPOGS Racing, from D2C Games, takes a different tack.

By careening into your competitors' unusually shaped SPOGS Racers, you can take their parts - pre-owned engines, brakes, tailpipesm etc. - and use the spoils to upgrade your own ride. The automotive pick-pocketing takes place in a dozen venues, including traditional racing ovals, road courses, and stunt tracks.

When you're not busy going SPOG-to-SPOG with rivals, you'll fly off ramps and negotiate loops (also recommended in your driver's ed class). Obviously, the SPOGS Racers are not your parents' Camry. They're designed to spin, drift, flip over, and (most of all) crash a lot. They're also equipped with six kinds of weapons, which you can use to slow down your opponents so that you can mug them.

The title uses your choice of three control schemes, one of which is what has become the standard for motion control in driving games - you hold the remote horizontally with both hands and tilt it to steer. In addition to quick races, you can enjoy the game in Battle mode (essentially a nonstop series of collisions) and Season mode (which sees you through races on every track.)"

This game actually sounded pretty cool so I definitely think I'll have to download it once it hits the WiiWare service. So many awesome games coming to WiiWare, I'm just so happy to be a Nintendo fan right now!!! Sorry I didn't scan the magazine, the images were so small they wouldn't even show up clearly if I tried scanning them!

Brawl Character Profiles

All day yesterday I was sort of bored (besides playing Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles) and I decided to make a topic on my forum which I rarely post on. Basically all I did is make mini character profiles that have a picture of the character, when they first appeared in the Smash Bros. series, how to unlock the character, and a list of the special moves.

I know some of you are probably thinking what is the point, but I thought I would just make something simple so you don't have to navigate through the Smash Bros. Dojo or through messy FAQs. You can check out the topic here. You do not have to register in order to see it, but I hope you do, I really want to make the forum active again!

1 Day and 21 Hours and 40 Minutes until Brawl!!!

The End of Umbrella

Well I've been playing Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles like crazy for the past several days and zipping through it. I think I'm still missing some side missions as Albert Wesker, Ada Wong, and maybe even Leon Kennedy but I'm not even sure if he is in the game. But yeah, today I finished the chapters "Umbrella The End 1 & 2" and there seems to be a part 3 that is all is left. I can tell the difficulty really ramped up right in these chapters as multiple enemies appeared. Luckily I was able to keep them off long enough to finish them off.

Later today I think I will try and find out the criteria for unlocking the other missions that I think I may be missing. I know I'm missing a bunch of items, after all I'm playing on easy and have mostly C's on all of the missions. Who knows, maybe I need to play some of them over and I'll get the missions I think I may be missing? I also plan to finish this game later today/tonight so wish me luck because I know I'll probably die a few times, lol.

Overall I would say this is the best rail shooter on the Wii. Ghost Squad is short and so is Link's Crossbow Training. Even the upcoming House of the Dead 2 & 3: Return is probably short compared to this game. So if you are looking for a good rail shooter, I definitely recommend Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles to you. I like it a lot and it's a great co-op game to play with relatives or friends.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Welcome to March

So Zack and Wiki once again got a bit annoying and boring so I stopped playing it again. I decided to pick back up Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles yesterday and see if I could get past the part I was stuck on "Train Derailment Part 2" where I kept dying. I finally managed to get passed it and I beat the boss without dying. Then I went through "Train Derailment Part 3" and beat that without dying as well. I'm playing on Easy and the game seems so hard still, plus my arm is really tired now.

The game has redeemed itself to me now that I have found a way to get passed the difficult part! I was thinking it may have been a bad buy for me since I can't even play Resident Evil 4 which I have for both Gamecube & Wii. I always get killed by the villagers in the beginning and I get lost to. Maybe I should stop playing Adventure type games so much, I always get lost and it annoys me to where I don't want to play. Sorry I'm just complaining like I always do! ^_^;

Anyways, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is out in 5 days!!! Don't forget about the Tournament & Midnight Launch at GameStop because you can challenge other Smash fans and also walk home with your copy of the game and play it all night! I am so excited that I will finally have an Online Wii game that I will play all the time and never get bored of.