Off to the Beach Tomorrow

Well, plans come up at the last minute and my family has decided to go to the beach. We're leaving tomorrow morning and will be back Monday afternoon/evening. I will have to update everything once I get back, so don't expect anything from now until then. I know I've been busy with things, but this should be the last of it for a while.

If you have not downloaded the Internet Channel for Wii yet, do it TODAY! Today is the LAST day that it'll be FREE! If you download it tomorrow, you have to pay 500 points for it. Get it for free now while you can!

6/30 Thought of the Day: Impressions of Video Games Live

So, I told you I would write out a report on Video Games Live. Well, I am. And it's going to be really long. I'm warning you now. What is contained in this report is pure awesomeness. Let me begin. I went down to Video Games Live with my friends, Andrew and Justin. Neither of them are hardcore gamers, but they have played a few games. Anyways, we get there and there's a mass of people waiting to get inside. There are a few things to do there so we walk around. I see a group of people wearing the overclocked remix shirt, so I thought they must be from the awesome site, Overclocked Remix (www.ocremix.org). I went up to them and asked if they were from the site, and they were all like possibly. I then told them it was a great site and gave them a thumbs up and then went back to my friends. It was cool meeting them, though it would have been much better if I could have met the crew from Go Nintendo, who will be there tonight. Oh well.

Anyways, they had Space Invader going on a big screen and anyone could play (though there was a long line). I think they had a prize for the high scorer. They also had a Guitar Hero II competition two floors up. We went inside after a while and before the concert started, they brought out the Top 10 costume contestants. The Top 3 was a little girl dressed as Zelda, a guy dressed as a L-shaped Tetris block, and a guy as Megaman. The Tetris guy won, which I agreed with. Then, they played this video of a guy in a pacman suit being chased by guys in ghost suits in the middle of a city. It was hilarious. If I can find it on youtube, I'll post it for you guys. Oh, and I bought a poster for Video Games Live for $10.

Anyways, now the concert actually starts. First up was a medley of classic arcade games, that included pong, frogger, and loads more. The music went well with the video and I enjoyed it. Oh, and please note that for the rest of the report, I am guessing the order of the songs. I don't remember the exact order. I believe the second song was from Metal Gear Solid. Hideo Kojima, the creator of Metal Gear Solid, came up on screen for a short intro and then the music/video began. During the song, a guy in a black suit holding a gun, with an exclamation mark on top of his head (probably something that happens in the game to show an enemy), came out on stage. Soon after, a guy in a crate came on stage (Snake) and moved around a little. It was pretty entertaining.

Then they played music from the game Myst. I had never heard of it so was interested in seeing what it was all about, but I couldn't tell from the video. It was kind of weird, but the music was good. I believe Tron was in the first half as well. They played music from Tron and it was pretty cool. It really went with the video well and I enjoyed that performance. Advent Rising was another thing they played. There were 3 movements to it I believe. The first was slow, the second was fast, and the third was about medium. I enjoyed all 3 movements and it went with the video really well. The only thing that I thought was odd was the third movement's video. I couldn't really tell what was going on all the time.

They also had music from God of War and Civilization IV. Both of them were really good. The videos were really interesting and made me want to see more. The music was captivating and really awesome. I loved the action music played for those songs. And last but not least for the first half was The Legend of Zelda. When I saw Koji Kondo come on screen for an intro, I knew it was either Mario or Zelda. Either way, I was excited. The Legend of Zelda music was my favorite of the night. It was AMAZING. The music sounded so good with the orchestra and it was awesome hearing it on stage. The video took scenes from all of the Legend of Zelda games, including Twilight Princess, which was great. I especially loved when the orchestra played a slow theme and suddenly started building up into the main theme once again. The video went so well with the music at that part especially. After it ended, they had a screen up that said loading Act II, which was pretty funny.

So, after me and my friends walked around for a minute or two, we went back in. I heard some of the people working there saying they were running late and may have to cut a song. Unfortunately, I realized afterwards that they did, and more than just one song cut. Anyways, they played stuff from World of Warcraft, and since I haven't played it, I didn't recognize any of it, but the music was great. They did Medal of Honor as well, but instead of using game footage, they used real footage of World War II, which was touching and the music went really well with the footage of the War.

They then brought out a guy named Martin Leung. You may have heard of him as the Video Game Pianist, or maybe as the Blindfolded Pianist. I'm sure many of you have seen him in action, blindfolded, playing the Super Mario Bros. theme on YouTube. Well, he was there to perform, not blindfolded though, a medley of Final Fantasy music. I didn't recognize the music, but it was amazing. Parts of performance looked like someone hit fast forward on their remote. His hands moved so fast and he jumped a few times in his chair. He was really into the music and it made the performance so much better. It was one of the highlights of the show.

Then they played music from Kingdom Hearts. I was excited, but then they said that they weren't allowed to use footage from the game, so they used footage from Disney movies. It was still good, but it wasn't the same. Either way, the music was awesome. They played the main theme and I love that music. It was definitely my 4th favorite from the show. My 2nd and 3rd favorites were at the end of the show, though not the very last one (I'll get to that song later). Koji Kondo appeared on screen again, and I knew it was Mario time.

This performance was awesome! They used stuff from every Mario game I could think of, except Super Mario Galaxy (though they showed a few seconds from something that kind of looked like it, so I could be wrong). The music was awesome and of course, went really well with the video. I loved the part where they played the underworld theme and they showed scenes of Wario and Waluigi and of Mario swinging Bowser around. It was great. After Mario, they said we had time for one more song and the audience, me included, screamed out Halo. Even though I'm a Nintendo fanboy, I love the Halo music and the games are actually quite fun. So, they played Halo music and it was great. I really liked the main theme part of course and it sounds good. Then the video stopped for a second and another video started, which was a teaser for Halo 3. The music continued and it ended in a big finish that sounded awesome.

But it wasn't over just yet. They told us that if wanted an encore, we had to wave our cellphones, DS's, PSP's, and such around. We did, and instead of an encore, they treated us to a new song. This was the last performance, and it didn't go so well. I'll explain in a second. They said these few things to get us going: "The company is Square-Enix. The composer is Nobuo Uematsu. The game is Final Fantasy VII. The song is One Winged Angel" and they started... or not. They were having technical difficulties with the video. So, they just started playing the music. I enjoyed the music, but it wasn't the same without the video, which sucked, but oh well. And that was the end of the concert.

I just now realized at home that we didn't hear music from Sonic, Castlevania, the Tom Clancy series, the Lucasarts Medley, and more. My guess is that we weren't supposed to hear those. I think they switch it up every concert and they sometimes play different songs. They couldn't have skipped that many songs. So, all in all, I really, really enjoyed it and would love to go see it again. My favorite was The Legend of Zelda Medley, which was pure awesomeness.Everything about Video Games Live, the video and the music and the lights, they all just fit perfectly together. The orchestra sounded amazing throughout the night. I was so glad I could go and I'm glad I made that decision. It's well worth it. And now to go on YouTube and watch videos of it because I just haven't had enough.

I'm back!

Just popping in to say that I have returned. Video Games Live was AMAZING! I'll tell you all about it in detail tomorrow, don't worry. Right now, I need some sleep. Peace.

On to Video Games Live!

Well, I'm off to Video Games Live with my friends, Andrew and Justin. I'll report later on the concert.

6/29 Thought of the Day: Wii Play

I said I would talk about Wii Play, so I will. I'm going to rate the game based on the Games, Control, Sound, Multiplayer, and Extras. First up, the Games. Let's start with Table Tennis. I have Table Tennis in my basement, so it was easy for me to compare with the Wii Play version of Table Tennis. Which is easier? The Wii Play one of course. Which is more fun? It's a tie. The Wii Play version is pretty easy to play. The only issue I have with it is it's hard to hit balls when they go on the sides of the table. It could be that I'm just not getting it right though, but that does become somewhat of a pain. The next game, Laser Hockey, is one of my two favorite games. Laser Hockey is easy to play and is as fun as actual Air Hockey. The thing that makes it even better though is the Laser Hockey table design and sounds and stuff. It is so much fun to play.

One of the other games in Wii Play is Fishing. Fishing is pretty easy to do. You just move the Wii Remote as if it was a fishing rod and put it in the water. In fact, it's too easy to do. Even though it was fun at first, it got sort of boring to me. Another game that's in Wii Play is Find Mii. This game, as the name implies, uses Mii's. You have to do things like find 2 matching Mii's or something like that. It's not too hard, but sometimes I find myself selecting a Mii right next to the one I wanted to select on accident and sometimes I don't understand how 2 of the Mii's are similar at all. Other than that though, it's fun. Pose Mii is another game, one that gets pretty hard. At first, it's kind of easy but it gets really intense later. I would probably say this is my 4th favorite game.

Another game is my other top 2 favorite: Shooting Range. It's basically Duck Hunt, but you shoot Ducks, Targets, UFO's, and stuff. It is a lot of fun and easy to do with the Wii Remote. It feels like you have a gun in your hand and your blasting the targets. The option of using A or B to shoot is also great. Billiards, one of the other games, is actually more fun than I thought. I was honestly thinking I would probably never play Billiards, but it's actually not too bad. One of the only issues I have is that it sometimes doesn't register me pulling the Wii Remote backwards, but other than that, it's great.

The last two games are called Charge! and Tanks!. Charge! has you riding a crow into scarecrows for points. It's pretty weird, yet entertaining. It's pretty easy to jump, though it's a little hard to steer. Tanks! is probably my 3rd favorite game. You have the option of using just the Wii Remote to steer and shoot or use the Wii Remote to shoot and the Nunchuk for steering. I have yet to try it with the Wii Remote, but using the Nunchuk is easy. It's a fun game to play because it gets kind of challenging after a few levels. Overall, I give the games a 8/10. They are all pretty fun, but there are a few that lose their appeal after a while.

The controls are mostly spot on, except for a few issues that I mentioned, so I give the controls a 9/10. The sound is great, and I don't really remember much of them right now, but that's probably because I haven't played it too much. I would say a 9/10 for sound. The multiplayer is one of the best parts of the game. It greatly improves the fun of the games, so I give it a 10/10. As for the extras, there are a few things that are in that category.

In Wii Play, you can poke your Mii's on the Main Menu, select a different paddle in Laser Hockey by pressing A and B, shoot down targets and ducks and thigns with 2 Wii Remotes in 1 player, and best of all, Wii Play comes with a Wii Remote. I give the extras a 10/10. That gives Wii Play an overall rating of about a 9/10. It's definitely worth buying, especially if you need another Wii Remote. I now have 3 Wii Remotes (one for me and one each for my sisters). Check it out!

Hudson releases July's TurboGrafx-16 Schedule

This July, for the TurboGrafx-16, we'll be getting 5 games. This Monday, we're getting Dragon Spirit. The other 4 games for the month are Air Zonk, Silent Debuggers, Devil's Crush, and Drop Off.

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Wario's Chopper and Gas: Super Smash Bros. Dojo 6/29 Update

Today's update is certainly interesting... It's Wario's Special Moves. Wario's Side Special Move is called the Wario Chopper. He calls his motorcycle, jumps on, and starts moving around. If you tilt the control stick in the opposite direction, he'll turn around. Pressing any attack button with make Wario get off the motorcycle. There's only one motorcycle on screen, so if he gets off, you have to go back to the motorcycle if you want to get back on. Here are some pictures of the Wario Chopper in action:




Wario's Down Special Move is called the Wario Waft. Basically, he farts. The longer you wait to use the attack, the more powerful it'll be. If you see the pictures below, the first picture is what happens when you haven't waited at all. The second picture is what happens when you hold it in as much as you can.




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Official Battalion Wars 2 Boxart

Here is the Boxart for BWii:


Just so you guys know, I will hopefully be doing a Thought of the Day on Wii Play tomorrow and then a Thought of the Day on Video Games Live on Saturday. That's all for today though.

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Official Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Boxart

Looks cool to me!

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Thank God for Names!: Super Smash Bros. Dojo 6/28 Update

This week has been awesome for Smash Bros. Updates! Lots and lots of new stuff. Monday revealed Zelda coming back, Tuesday revealed some Zelda music, Wednesday revealed a new item which was the banana, and today revealed names. The update today is called... Names. It's an awesome update. Remember in Melee when you could register a name (more like a few letters) for a player in a tournament? Well, they've taken the name thing to a whole new level.

Each player can create their own name, kind of like a profile. You enter the name like you would on your cellphone. This is what the screen looks like:


On the Character Selection Screen, you choose your name for your character and then begin fighting. Here is that part of the selection screen, which appears blurred in parts (Sakurai says that the selection screen is still secret):


But that's not all about names. Now, with each name comes a personalized button configuration. These are the 4 controllers you can use:


For each name, you can change the button configuration, and you can do that for any of the 4 control schemes. This way, whenever you select your name, the controls are already set. And one more thing. Sakurai says that he will try to do the next thing, but he apologizes if it's not possible. He is trying to make it so that we can save the names to Wii Remotes so we can use your personal settings on your friend's Wii. So, that's the update. There's lots of good stuff there and I'm really excited now!

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Reggie Talks Manhunt 2 and WiiWare

N’Gai Croal did an interview with Reggie Fils-Aime and here are parts of it:

“Wii welcomes games rated E, T and M. We haven’t approved AO-rated games. I doubt we ever will. What Rockstar has right now is a game rated outside our spectrum, outside any manufacturer’s spectrum.”

(concerning Wiimote motions adding to the Adult Only rating in the Wii version) “That’s an issue for the ESRB and Rockstar to work through. And as I understand the ESRB guidelines, the Wii controls should not be an issue.”

When talking about WiiWare, he talked of the controls:

"Again, there's no filtering. We have not put any parameters on the control device or how the consumer will play the games. They can be remote-only; remote and nunchuk; classic controller; Gamecube controller. All of that is allowed."

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Nintendo Talks WiiWare, No HardDrive Coming

CVG did an interview with a Nintendo UK Rep and here is a part of it:

CVG: There are concerns regarding Wii’s relatively small internal memory being filled by all this content (as well as VC games). Is this a concern for Nintendo?

Nintendo: Games can be saved on the internal memory or on SD cards - Wii Software games will come in a variety of sizes, but Nintendo encourages smaller, compact games for the service.

CVG: Will the games be playable from SD card, or will they need to exist on the internal memory, like VC games?

Nintendo: WiiWare is stored in and started up from the Wii internal flash memory so they would need to be transferred from SD like VC games.

However like VC games you can delete a Wii Software game to make room for other content, then re-download it at no cost.

CVG: Is Nintendo considering releasing a hard drive to bolster the Wii’s memory for all this new content?

Nintendo: No

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Red Steel 2 gets an official confirmation! [UPDATED]

We all have known for a while that Red Steel 2 is in the works, but Ubisoft has officially announced it. Ubisoft will be completely re-doing the sword fighting aspect of Red Steel, so hopefully it'll be much better. Is it online? We still don't know. It has been rumored to be online, but nothing has been said on that subject. Red Steel was the first Wii game I bought and now with the official confirmation of Red Steel 2, I know I'm getting this one for sure.

Update: At an event taking place currently, Ubisoft is denying the existance of Red Steel 2. There are many sites reporting it, so it's possible that the sites released the information early. Either way, we know it's coming.

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Hex Creates 2 more Kirby Hats!

Hex from the NSider forums has created 2 more renditions of what he thinks Kirby will look like once he sucks up some characters in Brawl. Here are 2 more:

Vaati Kirby

Klonoa Kirby

WiiWare Press Release from Nintendo

NINTENDO'S WIIWARE PAVES THE WAY FOR FRESH GAMES, COOL CONSUMER EXPERIENCES

Nintendo Sets a New Paradigm: One Game Can Still Make a Difference

SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 27, 2007 – The search for the next ingeniously ground-breaking video game has begun. At a private developers conference this week, Nintendo announced the introduction of WiiWare™, a game-creation service that will allow developers large and small to create new downloadable video game content for sale by Nintendo through the Wii Shop Channel of the hot Wii™ home video game system. WiiWare paves the way for smaller, more creative games to make their way to the public at lower prices, without any inventory risk to developers. The first WiiWare content will launch in early 2008.

"Independent developers armed with small budgets and big ideas will be able to get their original games into the marketplace to see if we can find the next smash hit," says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "WiiWare brings new levels of creativity and value to the ever-growing population of Wii owners."

The possibilities for WiiWare are limited only by the imaginations of developers. WiiWare provides game creators a simple method by which they can get their games to the public. This approach, combined with the remarkable motion controls of the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™, will give birth to fresh takes on established genres, as well as original ideas that currently exist only in developers' minds. The reduced barriers to development provide developers the freedom to create and an inexpensive, clearly defined path to reach consumers who will ultimately determine which game will become the Next Big Thing.

WiiWare will be posted on the Wii Shop Channel. As with current Wii Shop Channel offerings, users will redeem Wii Points™ to download content. It will support a variety of pricing options. Details about that and upcoming projects will be announced at a later date. For more information about Wii, visit Wii.com.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.4 billion video games and more than 409 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at www.Nintendo.com.

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WiiWare, Original Downloadable Content, Announced!

Later today, Nintendo will make an official announcement on what I am about to tell you with full details, but for now, I will tell you what we know. Currently, we have Virtual Console games sold in the Wii Shop Channel. Well, we now know of information on downloadable original games, now called WiiWare. These games, WiiWare, will be sold in the Wii Shop Channel (I'm guessing in the WiiWare section since the names match) and will begin to appear next year from Nintendo and third-parties.

One thing to note though is that Nintendo is looking for games from Third-Party companies and from Indie Developers. Nintendo would set the price (which would be in Wii Points) and it's up to the developer and publisher to get a rating for the game. Nintendo will only be checking things like bugs and compatibility. Look for more information on WiiWare later today! Oh, and one thing you should note is that I got the story from Go Nintendo, but they seem to think that there will be a new channel for this stuff, which isn't true. Therefore, I'm sourcing the people that ran the original story, Level Up.

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6/27 Thought of the Day: The Appeal of Wii

So, I had my graduation party on Sunday and I thought I should post about what we did, which was play Wii. I had one or two people that have played games before and a few that really weren't gamers at all. The first two people arrived, Ashley and Andrew, and we played some Wii Sports Tennis. It was me vs. Ashley and Andrew and I won, but after a while, it became hard to win. They both caught on quickly and I even had to take on some power serves from Ashley. We then transitioned into Wii Sports Golf. At first, it was fun, but by the third and final hole, we were all getting bored. I think I even heard Ashley say that she has to go soon or something like that. The party was turning into a disaster.

But then, two more friends, Justin and Amanda, showed up, and so did the pizza. We went and ate pizza and snacks, and while we were doing so, another friend named Tiffany showed up. After we ate, we all went back down to the basement where I had my Wii hooked up to a projector and sound system. We started to play Wii Play, but it turns out that I had to unlock the games (It was the first time I put it in Wii) so we stopped playing after one or two games.

We decided to play Mario Kart 64, and this is where the fun started. We switched off playing since there were now 6 of us. Ashley was the only one that played this a lot when she was young and thus, tended to win whenever she played, unless I played. My friend Justin who isn't a gamer, usually ended up in second place, which was pretty funny. All in all, this game really was fun to play and it showed everyone how great the Virtual Console part of Wii was. While playing Mario Kart 64, my friend Lindsey showed up (she had work earlier) and when asked to play Mario Kart 64, she declined by saying she isn't a gamer. I was determined for Wii's motion control to win her over and win everyone else over, so we started to play Wii Sports Bowling.

It was like magic. Everyone figured out the controls right away and it was a fun game. Even Lindsey, the non-gamer, really liked Wii Sports Bowling and everyone remarked that it was great that it came with Wii. A little while later, Amanda said that she had to go. Justin, who is her boyfriend, asked her why since he had to give her a ride. Amanda promised she would go to someone else's party too, so she had to leave early and I heard Justin say that he wanted to stay and play Wii. Eventually, we decided to have cake and then they left and we went back down and continued Wii Sports Bowling.

All in all, Wii was a hit. It was appealing to both gamers and non-gamers alike and I'm glad I had it set up for my friends to play. So yup, that's it. Oh yea, just so you know, the plan was to go with Justin and Andrew to Video Games Live, but Justin is unable to take off work. So, Justin is giving his ticked to our other friend Jason, who is very much a gamer (He registered on the forums under the name DDRFlip) and he will be going with me and Andrew. I'll definitely be writing up a long thing about that concert because I just know it's going to be amazing. And that's all. Peace.

Banana Peel Debut: Super Smash Bros. Dojo 6/27 Update

I checked the Smash Bros. site and saw the title Banana Peel for the newest update. I was disappointed because it was just some pictures and a bit of info on a returning item... wait a second, it's not a returning item. The Banana Peel is new to the Smash Bros. series and I didn't realize that at first because the Banana Peel is so classic. I think it fits right into the series and I'm glad it's in. After realizing that it's a new item, I appreciate this update much more. Here are the pictures:






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Super Mario Bros. Z episode 6

Here is Super Mario Bros. Z episode 6, "Brawl on a Vanishing Island". Please note that the full video is not up on youtube since it was released recently and therefore, it was posted in 3 parts. Here they are:

Mario Strikers Charged US Boxart

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Opera Issues a Wii-minder

The Internet Channel for Nintendo Wii, powered by Opera, is currently available for free via the Internet Channel within the Wii Shop Channel menu. After this week though, this unique Web experience will require 500 Wii points to download. The free grace period ends July 1, 2007. Users who download before this period retain the application at no cost for the life of the system.

The Wii Internet Channel is the exclusive full Web browser for the hot-selling Nintendo Wii game console and delivers
exciting Web content, such as Flash, YouTube and Google, to your TV with intuitive, Wii-tailored controls.

Wii points can be purchased online by credit card in the Wii Shop Channel or by purchasing a Wii Points card at retail stores. The future price of The Internet Channel, 500 Wii points, is equivalent to $5 USD or ?5 EUR. The full version of Opera for Wii is already currently available, so Wii owners are encouraged to take advantage of this free grace period before it expires. Your living room will never be the same.

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Hori Arcade Stick

It looks... interesting. If this is your thing, it comes out in August.



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Turn Your D-Pad into an Analog Stick

Here is something you stick onto your D-Pad on the Wii Remote to turn it into an Analog Stick.




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Wii Remote Billiards Attachment

This is something I didn't think of.



Another Picture Here

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Legend of Zelda Medley: Super Smash Bros. Dojo 6/26 Update

So, I just got to check the update on the Dojo site since I just got back and it's a pretty cool one today. Just like yesterday, we got a Legend of Zelda update, but this time, in the form of music. This music is in-game music, which means it'll play in one of the stages, but we don't know which one yet. The music is called The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Medley, because it's a medley of music from the game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time for N64. It's a really cool piece of music, so I recommend listening to it here.

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I Have Returned!

College orientation is over and I'm finally back at home. I had lots of fun and am really excited for college. I got my schedule and I have classes Monday through Friday, with most of my classes being in the morning or the middle of the day. I believe I have one or two classes in the afternoon. Yup, so that's that. Get ready for some news posts.

3 New Games hit VC today, F-Zero X among them

Forget the lemonade and long naps. If it’s summer action you’re after, head straight to the Wii Shop Channel for a thrill-packed selection of fast-driving, high-flying, hard-hitting games. This week’s new additions include futuristic racers and fierce fighters guaranteed to liven up your lazy summer.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:


F-Zero® X (Nintendo® 64, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Choose from 30 different hover-car racers, including updated versions of the Blue Falcon and other vehicles from the original F-Zero, and get ready to play one of the fastest racers ever. You’ll speed to the finish line on tracks that twist and turn through the air, doing your best to avoid the other 29 cars on the track. If you’re in a competitive mood, try to win a Grand Prix Cup, get the fastest lap time in a Time Trial or destroy the competition in a Death Race. You can also challenge three friends in the Versus mode. With five separate play modes, hidden vehicles and courses, and an excellent soundtrack, F-Zero X still represents one of the best racing titles to date.

Street Fighter® II’ Turbo: Hyper Fighting (Super NES®, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen –Violence, 800 Wii Points): Street Fighter II defined gaming in the 1990s by revolutionizing the fighting-game genre. Regarded as one of the greatest games of all time, Street Fighter II’ Turbo: Hyper Fighting was the third and final release in the original series. Featuring the eight original World Warriors (including Ryu, Chun Li and Guile) along with playable boss characters (Balrog, Sagat and M. Bison), this classic title offered enhanced playing speed and improved character balancing.

China Warrior (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older –Violence, 600 Wii Points): China Warrior is a side-scrolling action game that was released around the same time as the TurboGrafx16 in Japan. It’s up to the kung fu master Wang to defeat the Dark Emperor, who stands atop the kung fu world in China. Punch, kick and jump-kick enemies along the path that lies between you and the three bosses of each stage. Skillfully fight your way through all four stages, and be sure not to miss recovery items while dodging enemy attacks. China Warrior boasts character size and detail that rivaled all other games at the time of its release. Exciting one-on-one fights against the game’s realistic bosses will make you feel like you’re in the middle of a kung fu movie.

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Pokemon Battle Revolution Ships

I'll definitely be buying this game, hopefully soon. Here's the press release:

REDMOND, Wash., June 25, 2007 - Today’s launch of Pokémon® Battle Revolution heralds a number of firsts for Nintendo’s hot-selling Wii™ video game system. Pokémon Battle Revolution is:

* The first online Wii game in the Americas.

* The first Pokémon game for Wii.

* The first Wii game to wirelessly link to Nintendo DS™.

* The first Wii game that lets players use their Nintendo DS as a controller.

Pokémon Battle Revolution is set to become a groundbreaking smash hit this summer.

In battles using Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo’s wireless gaming service, players can use their Wii Remote™ to compete with friends after exchanging friend codes, or against players of comparable skill. The game automatically searches for other players who are online. The sights and sounds of the game bring the action to life as well: The beautiful graphics show each move in full detail, while the action is narrated by the same announcer from the Pokémon TV show.


The game contains a number of battle modes for different kinds of play. In Colosseum Battle Mode, players have 10 different Colosseums in which to stage their epic challenges. In Nintendo DS Battle Mode, players battle Pokémon that they have raised in their Nintendo DS Pokémon® Diamond and Pokémon® Pearl games. Up to four players can use their Nintendo DS systems as a wireless controller, which uses the same battle interface found in the DS games.

“Already more than 2 million copies of Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl have sold in the United States alone,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “The arrival of Pokémon Battle Revolution brings those players a whole new set of challenges and, for the first time on Wii, online battles.”

Online setup is extremely easy, even for novices. With a few clicks, players are instantly connected, whether they’re using a Wii Remote or a Nintendo DS as a controller.

Trainers are fully customizable. Players can select one of three female or three male Trainers and outfit them with clothing, hats and glasses after earning points during competition. Players can even create personalized in-game text for their Trainers to use when they win or lose a battle.

Pokémon Battle Revolution, rated E for Everyone, launches June 25. For more information about the game, visit www.pokemon-games.com. The Official Nintendo Pokémon Battle Revolution Player’s Guide is now available at retail.

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E3 Rumors

Check out a whole bunch of E3 Rumors here. A few that I found of interest are more channels announced at E3, Mii Plaza and Wii Channel Menu being expanded, no Zelda Wii at E3, Project H.A.M.M.E.R. is no more, Star Fox coming to Wii but not this year, more Mario and Metroid coming to DS (one of which will be at E3), nothing on a new DS, new Wii will be unveiled, and more! I sure hope all of this turns out to be true.

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Zelda Makes a Return: Super Smash Bros. Dojo 6/25 Update

I'm here, reporting from a hotel. I have about 2 hours before orientation starts, so I have time to post. This morning, before I left, I quickly checked the Smash Bros. site and was pleasantly surprised. We got another profile, but it's not one that many expected. We still have yet to get profiles for Metaknight, Zero Suit Samus, and Snake, so many expected the next character profile to be one of those three. It turns out we got confirmation of another returning character, but who? Yoshi? After all the hints, that would be the most obvious, but it's not Yoshi. As you can see from the picture above, Zelda has been confirmed to return. She has a new look and you can see her in action in these pictures:






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Delay

Sorry guys, but you're going to have to wait a few days for the Thought of the Day. I won't be able to post it tonight. Trust me, once Wednesday comes, I'll have much more time to post things. Summer will be great for news.

2 new DS Lite colors for Japan Today

Japan gets 2 new DS Lite colors today. Here are some pictures:




Oh, and I just wanted to add that things have been finalized for Video Games Live. I'll be going on Friday! I'll definitely post my impressions on Saturday.

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E3 Game List, except for Nintendo Games

So, the party is over. We played Wii the whole time, but more on that later. Anyways, here is the list of games that will be present at the E3 Media Festival, except for games made by Nintendo:

Wii:

Atari:

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Godzilla Unleashed

Capcom:

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure

Crave:

Brunswick Pro Bowling
Dave Mirra BMX Challenge
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection

D3 Publisher:

Ben 10: Protector of Earth
Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire
Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution

Disney Interactive Studios:

High School Musical: Sing It!

Electronic Arts:

Boogie
NBA Live 08
Madden NFL 08
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08
Need for Speed ProStreet

Gamecock:

Mushroom Men

LucasArts:

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Natsume:

Harvest Moon Wii

Sierra Entertainment:

Crash of the Titans
Geometry Wars: Galaxies

Warner Bros. Interactive:

Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal

Nintendo DS:

Atari:

Godzilla Unleashed

Capcom:

Mega Man Star Force: Dragon/Leo/Pegasus
Mega Man ZX Advent
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations

Codemasters:

Race Driver: Create & Race

Crave:

Napoleon Dynamite
Spelling Challenges and More!

D3 Publisher:

Ben 10: Protector of Earth
Naruto: Path of the Ninja

Disney Interactive Studios:

High School Musical: Makin’ the Cut

Electronic Arts:

Madden NFL 08
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08
Need for Speed ProStreet

Gamecock:

Dementium: The Ward
Mushroom Men
Insecticide

LucasArts:

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Majesco Entertainment:

Fish Tycoon
Holly Hobbie & Friends
Nancy Drew and the Deadly Secret of Olde World Park
Operation: Vietnam
Turn it Around
The Wild West

Natsume:

Harvest Moon 2
Harvest Moon DS Cute
Math Play
Puzzle de Harvest Moon
River King: Wonderland
Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon

Sierra Entertainment:

Geometry Wars: Galaxies

Warner Bros. Interactive:

Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck

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I'm buying Wii Play

Today from noon to 4 pm is my Graduation Party. My friends are coming over and we're going to play games and stuff. It'll be fun. In a little while, my mom is going to take me to buy Wii Play. I've decided to buy it because it looks like fun and I need another Wii Remote because I have 2 sisters and I only have 2 Wii Remotes currently. Anyways, it'll be fun. Expect actual news posts after my party, if there is news to post. Oh, and just so you guys know, tomorrow and Tuesday, I have orientation at the college I'm going to, so won't be able to post much those days. I'll try to get the Monday Smash Bros. Update on Monday morning but expect Tuesday's update on Tuesday afternoon/evening. After that, I'll be free until Friday, which is because of Video Games Live. After that, I'm pretty much free for the rest of summer, unless more plans come up. So, tonight, if I'm not too tired, I'll have a Thought of the Day on Wii's appeal. I'll tell you what my friends thought of it since some of them don't play video games. Tuesday, I'll try to post a Thought of the Day on Wii Play. So, those are my plans.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Information from Play Magazine

WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW!

The most recent issue of Play Magazine has some information on Metroid Prime 3: Corruption from when they played it at the Nintendo Media Summit and Go Nintendo has it posted. Here it is (Warning: There are spoilers ahead):

- First level - You are attacked on a spaceship while meeting with the ship’s captain…action packed

- Play feels motion controls work better than dual joystick

- Super sensitive pointer in “advanced” mode

- Beam stacking ala Super Metroid

- Visor switch: Hold minus and flick Wiimote in certain directions

- Boss fight with Ridley at the end of the first level. Excellent difficulty curve by the time you reach the boss.

- Back tracking in MP3:C makes more sense than in previous Primes

- Extra development time was to give the game more polish. Nintendo wanted “Twilight Princess” levels of polish. Game is focused on Metroid fans and hardcore gamers, but still accessible to newcomers due to controls.

- Second level - floating city focused on exploration

- Larger environments, bloom lighting, better textures than Prime 2

- Corruption Mode not available in demo

- Play says it could be the biggest revolution in FPS gaming since Halo.

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Video Games Live, Here I Come!

I'm so excited! My parents said that I could go to Video Games Live this friday, June 29th! I just have to plan some stuff with my friends and it'll be set in stone. I can't wait! I'll try to take my video camera and/or digital camera so I can make a nice report on it when I get back. In the meantime, I'm going to listen to some songs from the games that I don't know too well in the concert. Woot!

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Info in September Nintendo Power

We'll probably get all the info that will be in Nintendo Power about MP3 beforehand at E3 anyways.

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IGN Wii-k In Review Podcast Highlights: E3, Manhunt 2, and more!

Here are the highlights from IGN's Wii-k In Review Podcast that Go Nintendo posted:

- Matt thinks Take Two will appeal Manhunt 2’s AO rating to the ESRB and there will be a really significant delay if they lose. Bozon says it’s the “most violent game he’s ever played”.

- Online multiplayer hinted at for Godzilla: Unleashed

- Kirby Wii at E3.

- They know about a couple unannounced games from Nintendo that will be revealed at E3.

- They’ve seen quite a few unannounced EA Wii Games at pre-E3 events.

- Cool, non-kiddie games coming from THQ

- Craig has an interview with Bioware about the Sonic DS RPG coming up next week.

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Nintendo Power August Issue Virtual Console List

Go Nintendo now confirms that the titles were posted earlier were indeed from the August issue of Nintendo Power magazine. They have now posted a full list of all the VC games in the issue. Here is the list:

Street Fighter II Turbo
Air Zonk
Blazing Lazers
Actraiser
Ninja Gaiden
Bloody Wolf
Donkey Kong Country 2
F-Zero X
Golden Axe II
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Turrican
Donkey Kong Jr. Math
Lode Runner
Mach Rider
Milon’s Secret Castle
NES Open Tournament Golf
Ecco II: The Tides of Time
Kid Chameleon
Dead Moon
J.J. and Jeff
Worlds Sports Competition

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Nintendowifi.com adds Pokemon Battle Revolution Hub

So far, Nintendowifi.com has only been a host to info and stats for online DS games in the form of hubs. Well, a new hub has been added and it's the first online wii game for the US: Pokemon Battle Revolution.

Check out the Pokemon Battle Revolution hub here

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Rockstar to appeal BBFC's ban of Manhunt 2

It's not official, but sources close to Rockstar are saying that Rockstar plans to appeal the BBFC's decision to ban Manhunt 2. They have 6 weeks for the appeal and apparently they are still planning on releasing the game within those 6 weeks. I hope they can get the BBFC to change their mind and let Rockstar sell their game.

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China Warrior comes to VC this Monday

This Monday, as Hudson's site reveals, we'll be getting China Warrior for the TurboGrafx-16 on the Virtual Console.

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RUMOR: Nintendo Power reveals games for VC in August

Someone on the NSider forums posted what they claim to be the list of VC games for the month of August from the August Nintendo Power. I don't doubt the list, but Nintendo Power usually never gets the release dates right. I'm willing to be though that we will be getting these soon. Here is the list:

- Street Fighter 2 Turbo
- Super Mario Bros. 2
- F-Zero X
- Air Zonk
- Super Turrican
- Donkey Kong Jr. Math
- Mach Rider
- Ecco Tides of Time

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I graduated and here is Super Mario Bros. Z episode 5!

Yay! I'm finally free! I graduated from high school this morning. I'm so happy! Anyways, I have a little bit of time right now so here is Super Mario Bros. Z episode 5, "Troubles on Yoshi's Island":



Enjoy!

Lylat Cruise revealed: Super Smash Bros. Dojo 6/22 Update

Today's update was the only non-character update of the week. It's a new stage that was shown in a trailer before: Lylat Cruise. If you didn't know, in the Star Fox games, the Lylat System is the area of space that the game takes place in. Therefore, Lylat Cruise is a cruise through the Lylat System. The Lylat Cruise stage takes place on a ship named Pleiades. As the cruise goes on, various things will happen. Sometimes you'll be battling through asteroids, dogfights, and in Corneria. Team Star Fox may even be battling overhead. Eventually, you will enter the atmosphere of a planet and the Pleiades will start to burn. Once you get into the upper atmosphere of the planet, you have a little while to have a normal battle. And later, you'll be cutting through an epic space battle. Awesome stage, and I can't wait to try it. Here are the pictures:







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Don't expect much tomorrow

Tomorrow is a VERY VERY busy day for me. I have my high school graduation in the morning. Shortly after that is my cousin's wedding. And then later that night, I am going to an all night party at my school called Project: Graduation. It'll be lots of fun, but really tiring. If you do get any updates tomorrow, expect only a Super Smash Bros. Update, and another episode of Super Mario Bros. Z. The Kirby Hats are on hold for now since Hex hasn't made anymore on the NSider forums. I might get the chance to post more, but with a busy schedule like that, don't count on it.

Manhunt 2 temporarily suspended

“Take-Two Interactive Software has temporarily suspended plans to distribute Manhunt 2 for the Wii or PlayStation platforms while it reviews its options with regard to the recent decisions made by the British Board of Film Classification and Entertainment Software Rating Board. We continue to stand behind this extraordinary game. We believe in freedom of creative expression, as well as responsible marketing, both of which are essential to our business of making great entertainment.” - Take-Two rep

There's their statement. It sounds like they're really disappointed and are not ready to give up the fight just yet; which is exactly what I would feel and would want to do.

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Video Games Live coming to DVD and CD soon!

That is the announcement trailer for Video Games Live on DVD and CD. Before I post the press release, I would just like to mention (though I did before) that I MIGHT be going to Video Games Live either on June 29th or 30th. It's up to my parents to decide. My mom says yes, my dad says no, and the final decision will probably be made by Saturday because I need to buy tickets if I'm going. Anyways, here is the press release:

Los Angeles, CA - Video Games Live, The #1 video game touring concert in the world, announced today that they will be releasing a DVD & CD from their award-winning sold out performances recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil last year.

“Since we started Video Games Live over 5 years ago we’ve always received at least a few e-mails and letters each week asking if and when a
DVD and CD would be available,” said Tommy Tallarico, co-creator of Video Games Live and longtime video game composer. “We’re finally proud to announce the first ever live game concert DVD and CD available in the U.S. and throughout the world.” Co-creator Jack Wall added “The shows in Brazil were absolutely amazing. The crowds were unbelievable and the energy level was second to none.”

Recently, Video Games Live was the recipient of the “Special Breakthrough Achievement Award” at the 3rd Annual Gameworld Awards for their performances in Brazil last November.

The Brazilian shows were sponsored by the biggest corporations in all of Latin America including oil company Petrobras as well as UOL, the principle Latin American internet online provider. Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor company were the title sponsors along with media partner Futuro Publishing which helped to make the initial groundbreaking tour a national success. Adding to the already powerful line-up of supporters were the Brazilian Government and the Ministry of Culture, whose commitment to the Video Games Live project speaks volumes for VGL’s relevance, significance and future presence in Brazil.

The highly prestigious Petrobras Sinfônica Orchestra performed in some of the highest regarded venues in all of Brazil.

Video Games Live is currently planning its return tour to Brazil for September, 2007. Exact DVD & CD release dates, pricing and ordering to be announced in August.

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Online Petition for Manhunt 2

Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft all have a policy that they won't sell Adult Only games. There is an online petition that you can sign for them and others to change their policies and let them sell Manhunt 2, even if it has an Adult Only rating. Here is what the petition says:

This petition submitted on June 21, 2007 is hereby presented to Nintendo of America, Sony Computer Entertainment, Microsoft Corporation, Take-Two Interactive Software, Rockstar Games, future console developers, and other software developers. We hereby petition the above organizations to reevaluate the current policy towards software titles rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to be AO (Adults Only), specifically the decision in lacking endorsement to said titles in being released. The American public has the ability to decide for themselves what software they wish to buy and would like to be given the chance to do so freely in the marketplace.

Sign the Petition Here!

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Hooked to come with Wiimote Fishing Attachment

Hooked, a fishing game for Wii, is going to come with a fishing attachment that uses the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The attachment looks interesting, but I'm not into fishing much, so I won't be playing this game.

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Joystiq's E3 07 Predictions

Here are their predictions:

- Wii Hard Drive coming, but not announced at E3
- Mario Kart Wii is possible
- Nintendo DS version 3 is possible, but not announced at E3
- New colored Wii Remotes is pretty possible
- New Legend of Zelda announced, yea right
- Hideo Kojima won't be announcing a project for Wii
- Release dates for Mario, Metroid, and Brawl are very likely (I guess they didn't get the memo on Metroid's release date)

I agree with all of those. Although, I also would like to predict that Nintendo will talk about Animal Crossing Wii and the way to download original content on Wii.

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Sonic RPG coming to the DS

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (Thurs 21st June 2007) - SEGA® Europe, Ltd., SEGA® of America, Inc. and Canada-based developer studio BioWare® Corp. today announced a partnership to create a new video game based on the classic SEGA flagship icon, Sonic The Hedgehog. The exact name of the game is undetermined, but this new title developed exclusively for the Nintendo DS will ship in 2008.

“BioWare is one of the hottest names in RPG development in the world,” said Simon Jeffery, President and COO, SEGA of America, Inc. “Everyone at SEGA has huge confidence that Sonic is in the safest of hands, and that BioWare can create the ultimate handheld RPG experience for gamers of all ages.”

BioWare is the award-winning independent developer that has created some of the world’s best-selling titles including the Baldur’s Gate™ and Neverwinter Nights™ series, the 2003 Game of the Year, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™ and the 2005 RPG of the Year, Jade Empire.™ BioWare is currently developing one of the most anticipated next-generation titles of 2007, Mass Effect.™

“We’re thrilled to be working with SEGA on Sonic, one of the industry’s most enduring and compelling icons,” said Greg Zeschuk, president of BioWare. “As huge fans of Sonic ourselves, we’re committed to delivering a truly amazing story-driven experience within the Sonic universe, focusing on capturing the character’s broad appeal and placing him in a completely original adventure,” added Ray Muzyka, chief executive officer of BioWare.

The relationship with BioWare reinforces SEGA’s increased emphasis on Western content development for Western audiences. In the past few years SEGA has announced partnerships with developers Bizarre Creations, Gas Powered Games, Monolith Productions, Obsidian Entertainment, Planet Moon Studios, Pseudo Interactive and Silicon Knights. SEGA has also acquired development studios The Creative Assembly, Secret Level and Sports Interactive.

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High School Musical Microphone for Wii

The High School Musical game for Wii uses a microphone and we now have a picture of it:



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Fanmade Kirby Hats part 6

Well, I said before that I only had two left, but the thread on NSider is back on business and we now have 4 left. Hex is still making more so from now on I'll just post whatever he makes that day or the next day. So, here are the 4 Kirby Hats he has made:

Skull Boy Kirby

Dedede Kirby

NiGHTS Kirby

Bomberman Kirby