Back to Blogging

Well, I haven't taken the time to update this site for almost six months.  I started writing for a Nintendo blog for a few months but after Nintendo's unbearably boring E3 presence this year I felt like I had nothing worthwhile left to write about.  Now that Nintendo has finally given us something to look forward to with their fall conference held last week I feel that I can finally get back into blogging about it.  So  I plan on having more frequent updates and changing things around a little on the site.  Anyways, I am pretty sure that no one is reading this so I am basically just talking to myself, but at least it gives me a small outlet for my Nintendo-related enthusiasm.

Super Smash Bros World

For those who don't know, the new Smash Bros Brawl for the Wii comes with a level editor to create and play your own levels. Nintendo also sends one new randomly selected, user created stage every day over the Nintendo WFC for everyone to play. The problem is that if you like the stage it gets deleted the next time you connect to play online and a new one takes its place. There are quite a few sites on the web devoted to letting people upload their created stages and download others to their SD card so they can keep them and use them whenever they want. My personal favorite is Super Smash Bros World from IGN. Here you can see hundreds of user created stages and choose from the best rated, most downloaded, and newest submissions. There a some amazing stages out there and the site makes downloading them easy and intuitive. All you need is an SD memory card for your Wii. The site gives a clear explanation of how to download them, and of the thirty plus stages that I have downloaded I haven't had a single problem thus far. I have included some pictures of my favorite levels below to give you a sense of the stages available. So get downloading and get more out of your Smash experience!

Virtual Console Monday - March 31st

This week sees the first release from the Sega Master System: Wonder Boy. The Master System was a competitor to the NES but didn't sell well here in the States so most of us have never even heard of it. The game will cost 500 Wii Points just like a NES game. For those of you interested in learning more about the Master System check out this article from vc-reviews. The other release this week is Crusi'n USA for the N64. It is, at best, an average racing game; however there is currently no other racing game like it on the Virtual Console so, if you are looking for a racing fix that is a little more on the realistic side, then maybe give it a look.

Wonder Boy is the recommended title this week and is a wonderful platformer that gave birth to a series of games under various titles. The game was basically ported to the NES as Adventure Island, which may be a more familiar title to gamers. The Master System version is slightly more polished in terms of gameplay and graphics and I would recommend it over the NES version.

Mario Kart Preview

This video comes from Game Trailers and is a short preview of Mario Kart Wii. There is some new footage, plus it clears up the battle modes a little bit. I can't wait to install the Mario Kart channell on the main Wii menu. You will be able to see your friends rankings and your worldwide rankings; plus loads of other stats and information, like whether your friends are currently playing, without putting in the actual game disc. Enjoy the video!

ROCK BAND Coming To Wii!!!!!!

This has been rumored for months now but yesterday it was made official: ROCK BAND will be hitting the Wii on June 22nd. The Special Edition will include the game, a guitar, drum set and microphone for $169.99. For those of you who don't know what ROCK BAND it is basically Guitar Hero with the addition of drums and vocals; only a million times better. This will be basically a port of the Playstation 2 build so there will be no online play or downloadable songs, but if you don't own a 360 or PS3 then it is a must buy. I just took advantage of Activision's Guitar Hero III refund offer to get 130.00 back to set aside for ROCK BAND. For those of you who don't know the Wii version of GH III shipped with only mono sound output so Activison offered a replacement disc or full refund to those who wanted it. So if you have had your fill send that puppy back so you can get some ROCK BAND! Below is a picture of the Wii drum set. I can't wait for June 22nd! And anyone thinking of picking this up then, you should probably pre-order it because supplies will most likely be limited like when it launched on the 360 and PS3.

Virtual Console Monday

There are two new releases this week for the Virtual Console: King's Knight for the NES and Powerball for the Genesis; both will be out on Monday, March 24th. I also didn't update with last week's new titles which were Super R-Type for the SNES and Spleunker for the NES.

All four of these games have some serious issues that make them not quite worth the purchase. Super R-Type is actually a great shooter in the vein of Scramble or Defender, but there are no checkpoints in the lengthy levels, and the enemys will kill you often, which means that it is almost impossible to complete. Spelunker is basically an exercise in how many ways a video game can frustrate you; so unless you have fond memories of this one, don't buy it. Powerball takes a page from Speedball 2, which many gamers have fond memories of. However it lacks depth and there are plenty of other old sports games for the Virtual Console systems that have aged better. King's Knight is from Square, the makers of the Final Fantasy series. Don't let that fool you though, this is a verticaly-scrolling shooter, not an RPG, and is not one of Square's best efforts.

You can find more information on all of these games, including reviews, screens, and video can be found at VC Reviews. Your best bet is to save those Wii Points for a better week.

Best of the Gamecube: Week 2

I thought I would take some time every week to highlight a Gamcube game that people might not have heard of, or gotten the chance to play. Since the Wii is compatible with all Gamecube games I thought that if you are looking for something new to play, but don't have a lot of money, you can find these games for cheap in some used game store, or buy them from half.com (my personal favorite place to shop for used games).

This week's title is: PIKMIN

This is one of those games that defies a category. You can call it a little bit of real-time strategy mixed with puzzles and exploration, but it is so much more than that. You play as Captain Olimar who crash lands on a strange planet and needs to get his spaceship fixed to get home. There are 30 pieces of your spaceship scattered around the various areas and you have only 30 in-game days to find them all. You do this with the help of small, plant-like creatures called Pikmin. You control three colors of Pikmin, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and use them to reach areas that you cannot to obtain the missing pieces of your ship. You can have up to 100 of the little guys following you around, and they will protect you from monsters and environmental hazards as you work your way through the gorgeous environments. Here is a link to a list of all reviews written for Pikmin. This game deserves a look from anyone who calls themselves a Nintendo fan. A few years after the release of Super Mario 64, series creator Shigeru Miyamoto made a tech demo of 100 little marios running around a vast, open environment to show to game journalists. The demo made a huge impression on Mario fans everywhere but no game ever made use of that technology. Pikmin is the re envisioning of that demo. Miyamoto said that he was sitting in his backyard looking at the grass and flowers and had a vision of these little creatures running around and what the world would look like from their point of view. He took the Mario demo and re purposed it for this game. I have included a couple of videos below (pulled from youtube, sorry the quality isn't great). Pikmin can be kind of difficult to locate at used game stores just because it is so old and one of those games that Nintendo fans tend to hang on to for a long time. It currently sells on Half.com for around 15 dollars, but you can watch the site and it should go down to around 10 dollars which seems to be the average online asking price for a used copy. The sequel, Pikmin 2 is much easier to find, and in most cases cheaper. I hope that I can help someone to try this game that might have never heard of it because I think it is one of those games that helps us remember why we play games in the first place; it is just plain fun. Oh, and my wife loved watching me play it too which, as we all know, goes a long way in determining which games we purchase :).

Mario Kart Release Date!

Nintendo of America made the announcement today that Mario Kart Wii will be released in North America on Sunday, April 27th and will include the Wii-Wheel peripheral. Some of the new features for the Wii version include: 12-player races, racing with your created Mii characters, motorcycles, a new trick system, and online racing through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. There will also be detailed stat-tracking of all your races in-game and through a new Mario Kart channel that will allow you to see your stats and world rankings from the main Wii menu. Also, for those of you who don't know, there will be 16 new tracks and 16 reworked tracks from all older versions of Mario Kart; 4 of the best from each of the DS, Gamecube, N64, and Super Nintendo versions. I can't wait for this game and hope that it is an improvement over Double Dash, which I found severely lacking in sense of speed and level creativity. I am personally very excited that you can race with two players online with one Wii system. Enjoy the videos below (courtesy of IGN); they showcase the tracks from the first two cups of the game.

Brawl Friend Code

Here is my code for Smash Bros. Brawl: 2363 5336 0227. Anyone who has the game can post their code in the comments section if they want to play online. All my freind codes for other games are located on the right side of my blog. Can't wait to play!

Best of the Gamecube: Week 1

I thought I would take some time every week to highlight a Gamcube game that people might not have heard of, or gotten the chance to play. Since the Wii is compatible with all Gamecube games I thought that if you are looking for something new to play, but don't have a lot of money, you can find these games for cheap in some used game store, or buy them from half.com (my personal favorite place to shop for used games).

This week's title is: DONKEY KONG JUNGLE BEAT

This was the first game made by the new Nintendo Tokyo Studios, who recently made Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii. In it you control Donkey Kong through various platforming levels using the bongo controllers.

You tap left to go left, and tap right to move right. Hit both at the same time to jump and clap above the bongos to activate items and environmental objects. The goal is to collect as many bananas as you can each level as you progress to the boss. The more bananas you have at the end, the more life you have for the boss fight. This game is one of the most addicting platformers I have ever played and the production values are some of the best I have ever seen in any game period. I have posted some videos below for you to get an idea of the gameplay. You should be able to find this game for cheap, less than 15 dollars for the game alone and around 30 for the game with the bongo controllers. If you are looking for places to purchase it leave me a comment and I can help you find it. If you live near me or are in my ward I am more than willing to loan you the game so you can experience it for yourself. If you loved Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii you will love this game and you can see many of the same ideas that make Galaxy such an awesome game had their beginnings here. If you own a Wii or a Gamecube give this game a chance and I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Virtual Console Monday

This week has two releases on the Virtual Console-DoReMi Fantasy: Milon’s DokiDoki Adventure and Puyo Puyo 2. Don't let the wierd name deter you from this one, DoReMi Fantasy is very similar to Super Mario World and is one of the best platformers ever released for the Super Nintendo. It was only released in Japan previously and deserves a look by anyone who enjoys old-school platformers. Puyo Puyo 2 is a puzzle game similar to Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (one of my favorite puzzle games ever!), you match 4 or more colored "blocks" to clear the lines on the board, but every time you clear a line you send blocks over to your opponents screen to hinder them in their efforts. The bigger the combo on your side, the more trash you send over to your opponents. My wife and I play Mean Bean Machine on a regular basis and I would reccommend checking this one out if you enjoy games like tetris and you have someone to play them with. I have posted a video of DoReMi Fantasy below for you to check out, and if you want some more information on this one or Puyo Puyo 2 check out vc-reviews. These releases will both be available on Monday, March 10th.

Get ready to Brawl!

For those of you who don't know, the follow up to the N64 and Gamecube hit, Super Smash Bros, hits this Sunday. Featuring 35 characters from almost every Nintendo game ever made and more than 40 levels, this is the most "Nintendo" ever packed into one game. So if you have ever wanted to see who would win in a fight between Mario and Link (and we all know we have) do not hesitate to pick this up next week. I am sure that most of you have seen one of these games in action before and so it needs no synopsis, but you can check out some videos below. Also there are some cool non-Nintendo characters in there this time around like Sonic the Hedgehog and Solid Snake. As soon as I get my copy I'll put my friend code on the website for anyone who wants to get together and play since it finally has online multiplayer!!!

Below I have posted the video review of Smash Bros Brawl from the IGN website. I also have a link to their written review here.

The Cover Project

Does anyone else hate the tiny cardboard case that Wii Sports comes in? I know I did. So I found a site on the internet that would let me download and print a full, dvd size cover to throw on an old dvd case that I had. The result is no more disc falling out everytime I open that stupid cardboard thing and a case that looks like it was a full retail product. You can go to The Cover Project to find the download for Wii Sports and Link's Crossbow Training; among thousands of others. They are listed alphabetically and there are over 18 versions of Wii Sports covers alone that you can choose from. Hope that some of you find this helpful.

Virtual Console Monday

For those of you who don't know, the Virtual Console service on the Wii updates every Monday morning with new games to download. I thought that I would let you guys know what the new games are every Monday and where you can go to learn more about them. This week actually only has one new game (usually there are two or three every week): Super Turrican from the Super Nintendo. This game is a platforming-shooter hybrid in the vein of the Contra series, with a little bit of Metroid-style jumping and upgrading thrown in. For those of you who are looking for more information on this game and the hundreds of other classic games available through the Wii Shop Channel's Virtual Console service, I reccommend checking out Virtual Console Reviews. They have one of the best and most comprehensive lists of games currently available, with screenshots, videos, and reviews of each game. Anytime there is a game that comes out that I have previously played I will post my own review here on this site as well. Anyone who does't understand the Wii Shop Channel, or know how to set up their internet connection so they can dowload games, just let me know in the comments section and I'll help you out.

The Wii Zapper

The Wii Zapper is an interesting peripheral. It uses the wiimote and nunchuck together and places them in a cradle that simulates a gun. In theory it would be great for shooters and light gun type games. In execution it fails miserably. You are much better off just using the wiimote and nunchuck like normal because the zapper makes it difficult to walk while aiming, which for most shooting games is a complete deal breaker. The one good thing that can be said for the device is that it comes packaged with Link's Crossbow Training. This little game is basically a light gun fest with short, on-rails levels that charge you with racking up the most points possible. If you are a fan of Zelda games at all the nostalgia factor alone is worth picking this up. Besides that, the shooting mechanics are pretty tight (if you don't use the zapper that is) and it is just as compelling in its own way as Wii Sports. The zapper comes packaged with the game for twenty dollars and while the zapper is a throw away piece of plastic, the game warrants the purchase. So for those of you who own a Wii and are Zelda fans, go get it. And if you are not a Zelda fan check out some videos online to see if it's something that interests you.

(Please excuse the blatent family-friendly marketing approach by Nintendo, they just don't know any better)

Friend Codes

I have three games currently that use Nintendo's online service: Endless Ocean, Metroid Prime 3, and Guitar Hero 3. I would like nothing better than to have some fun playing online games with people, but Nintendo makes it darn near impossible with its "family-safe" (read-inconvenient) friend code system. First off you have a Wii console number that you need to give to friends if you want to communicate on your message board. Then, for each online game you own you are assigned a twelve-digit code that you can give to others to let them add you to a friends list in that game. You then need to obtain their code as well if you both want to play together. It's an obtrusive design that makes it difficult to find people to play with regularly. So I was thinking that I would put my friend codes on this site for each online game I have and anyone who wanted to get together and play could leave their friend code in the comments section. There are quite a few extras in Metroid Prime 3 that can only be unlocked by having a friend send you credits they earned in the game and it drives me crazy that I can't get them until I exchange codes with someone. And it would be great to play Guitar Hero with someone I know. So anyone who has a Wii if you want to exchange console numbers and any online games you have codes for feel free to hit me up.

Day 1: A Strange New Planet

Another day, another new blogger. I admit, I have no experience doing this sort of thing; but I have a passion for all things Nintendo and I thought it was time for me to share it. On this blog I will post any Nintendo Wii related news that comes my way and also share some thoughts and insights on games, peripherals, and anything else that suits my fancy. I thought that choosing Captain Olimar as my theme was appropriate seeing as I am embarking on a new journey of my own. And for all those of you who own either a Gamecube or Wii and have not played Pikmin or Pikmin 2, you should run out right now and find a copy because it is one of the most enjoyable and engrossing games ever made. If you have any question about how to obtain a copy I will gladly help you out. For those of you unfortunate enough to stumble across this blog please leave me some feedback on the kind of stories you would like to see posted here. I hope that my passion for Nintendo can provide a little bit of relief from the everyday duties and responsabilities that we all face.