Welcome to 2012 Part 1 - Wii U

With the exception of the apocalypse (lol) happening this year, we are expecting a lot of good games to come out!  This year however starts with our first "next gen" console from Nintendo known as the Wii U. 

The current Wii U Prototype.

Odd name aside, the Wii U is obviously Nintendo's home console successor to the Wii.  Even though the Wii sold the most consoles last gen, it's arguably the console that few gamers kept coming back to.  Last year alone, the only "big" game was Skyward Sword from Nintendo.  After Nintendo's showing of the console at E3, reactions were mixed, and most people including myself, were honestly worried of the console's future.

What we know so far:

• Will feature current gen graphics (on par or somewhat better than 360/PS3 graphics)
• Is an actual "HD" console with 1080p
• Nintendo claims it's more geared to "hardcore" gamers
• Will be backwards compatible with all Wii games, but will not upscale them (The PS3 upscaled PS2 games until they removed backwards compatibility in future models)
• Wii also use the same Wii Remote, as well as most accessories (Wii Fit scale, nunchuk, etc)
• Promised to have better third party support

At E3, a lot of guys not only groaned at weird name, but they also weren't big fans of Nintendo's new controller.

The Wii U Controller

Now, remember what I said earlier?  That you could use the Wii remote if you wanted to?  Well, you better not sell them off when you buy the Wii U, because only one Wii U controller can be used on each Wii U console.  The controller is meant to be a sort of enhancement to games.  One example was that the controller can give you a certain edge against other players in the game (since the others are using the Wii Remote).  The think the best way to think of is like the second screen on the Nintendo DS.  The top screen was usually the screen where all of the gameplay happened, but the bottom screen would usually be used for secondary tasks such as item inventories, maps, etc.  I feel the Wii U controller's screen will probably be used for the same things.

The coolest feature of the Wii U however actually lies within the controller.  Few of you may remember the remote play option that the PS3 had with the PSP.  A few games let you play PS3 games remotely on the PSP.  While I never actually tried this feature myself, the Wii U is going all out on this sort of thing.  Apparently, all games will playable on the Wii U's controller without the need for a TV.  While this may sound very strange for a home console, it's what Nintendo is doing anyway.  So if you are in a situation where you have to give up the TV to the kids or something, you can resume your game on the controller.  It's a crazy feature, but I can't wait to see it in action.

With the exception of a few games that were previously announced for other consoles, Nintendo has yet to reveal anymore details about the console (such as a release date, price, first party launch titles, etc), but it is scheduled to be out by at least the end of this year.  Let's just hope that I don't get over hyped for this console like I did with the 3DS and it's terrible launch. 

OnLive (Cloud Gaming) Review

Two years ago, a new cloud based game system was introduced at GDC 2009. What the system basically did was stream the game onto your computer. So, any low end computer could play a HD game on it without having to upgrade or buy a new PC. The way OnLive works is that several games are hosted on OnLive’s servers. When you buy them, you can instantly play any game on the service at any given time, as long as you have a PC that play video and that has a fast internet connection.

OnLive’s idea is very neat, and almost seems like its way ahead for its time. Over Easter weekend, OnLive was having a sale, and I hopped in and bought FEAR 2 for $5. This gave me unlimited access to the game. Now say if it wasn’t on sale, I could of bought either a 3 day or 5 day pass for the game if I only wanted to try it out. You can also try most of the games out for free for half an hour. Lastly, OnLive does offer a subscription based service for $10 a month, which enables you to have unlimited access with any game within its catalog.

OnLive can be played through a variety of ways. OnLive can be played on a PC, Mac, TV, and you can watch other people play through Android & iPhone devices as well. The TV accessory is sold directly through OnLive with a gamepad for $100. However, the OnLive service itself is free to play online, and you all have to do on a PC & Mac is download the free application. Thankfully, the adaptor is not required.

OnLive offers a TV Adapter & Gamepad combo for $100.

Even though, I already own a gaming PC, I tried OnLive out on both my main desktop PC and my laptop as well. Though 95% of my gameplay experience, I had zero to few problems while playing. The games are very responsive, and the video quality is good while running a high speed internet connection. On my laptop, I noticed some pixelation and OnLive was constantly saying it had network problems, but this only seemed to happen very rarely. Overall, the service is very smooth, and is perfect for anyone who has interest in the PC platform, and can’t afford to keep upgrading a PC or buying new PCs to play the latest games.

The video quality is certainly something to note. The quality is decent, but not amazing. The games look good, but not nearly as good as they should be. Even though a quality drop in video is rare, the service should at least offer higher resolutions so the games will look better. It feels like its YouTube quality, rather than me actually playing it on my PC or Xbox 360. The only games I tried out were FPS’s which usually require precise control, and all have fast paced gameplay. Though the games I played, I noticed no sort of “lag” and I never died due to a delayed control response or anything like that.

OnLive lets you watch other gamer's play games.

OnLive also lets you watch other players play a game. I noticed that anybody can watch you play a game, which I feel is a little creepy, but it didn’t bother me while I playing my game. OnLive also includes a friend system, and a voice chat system so that you can talk to your friends while they either watch you (or them) play a game or you can play a game together with them.

All in all, I feel that OnLive is a very neat idea. I don’t think many hardcore gamers will like it due to the video quality, but I feel more casual gamers will enjoy it due to being playable on lower end PCs. It’s said that OnLive may be built into some televisions in the future, and will more open up more gamers to the service. The catalog at this time is decent, with nearly two dozen publishers backing the service such as Ubisoft, Epic Games, THQ, Atari, and more. Despite the large support for the service, the game catalog is still rather small, but will likely grow as time goes on. I even saw that new games such as FEAR 3 will be playable on the service once it is released.

OVERALL RATING – 7.5/10

Pros – Can play any game within the catalog on any PC and Mac without having a super gaming PC. Quality is acceptable, and the gameplay is very responsive.

Cons – Video Quality may drop at any given time depending on your connection; video quality isn’t as good as it should be, game catalog doesn’t have many interesting or new games.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition Review (3DS)

Hadoken!  Street Fighter breaks its way onto the 3DS with a bang!  Is it just a meaningless port, or is it actually worth your hard earned money?

Street Fighter and I haven’t exactly had the best of history together.  I was first introduced to the game when was around 10.  I used to always be stuck at my grandma’s house during the summer, and I occasionally hung out with the kid next door since he also had a Sega Genesis.  One day, my friend dropped his Sega down the stairs and it pretty much killed it.  In result, he gave me a whole bunch of games.  The best game of the bunch was Street Fighter II: Special Championship Edition.  Man, was this game badass or what?  Even though I struggled with each battle, I always attempted to at least beat the story mode of each character.  The biggest issue I had was not knowing any of the special moves, so in result, I always got my ass kicked into an oblivion.  Ever since then, I haven’t bought a Street Fighter game… until now.

Fast forward to 2011… the 3DS launch line up is announced, and it’s pretty much filled with halfassed ports and shovel ware.  Street Fighter would have fell into this category, but it’s obvious that Capcom was the only developer that gave a damn about making a quality launch title for the 3DS.  Super Street Fighter IV was originally a sort of expansion to the already existing Street Fighter IV on the Xbox 360 and PS3.  The expansion added tweaks, new characters, stages, and whatnot.  The 3DS version is more or less the same thing except it’s portable.  Let’s get into this review, shall we?

Presentation:

Super Street Fighter IV is a game that gets you pumped up and ready to go for anything.  Why?  Because even the freaking menus are in 3D!  The game has probably of the most wonderful controls that I’ve used yet for a 3DS game.  Remember how I mentioned that SFII and I had issues because of me not knowing the moves?  Well pathetic noobs such as myself, can now cower down to the touch screen and instantly activate a special move.  This means the game is no longer about remembering overly complicated button combinations, and it’s more about timing & strategy than ever before.  Sure, experienced players may hate this version because of this, but let me assure you, I can still kick people’s asses that constantly spam specials and button mash.  I feel this is the perfect version for any new Street Fighter player.

Graphics:

SSFIV obviously can’t look as good as its console version.  However, good graphics don’t make a better game, right?  Regardless of this, SSFIV still looks amazing on the 3DS.  The 3D effect adds in some cool depth to the graphics, and gives you the feeling that you’re actually standing between the fighters.  The 3D versus mode is far by the stupidest addition the game.  If you’re playing a 2D style fighting game, the last place you want to be is behind your fighter.  It doesn’t even give you an advantage.  One thing I have to nitpick about is the static backgrounds. Even the people in the background are just completely frozen.   My question is: Why?  I’ve seen several fighters between the PS1/2 eras with busy backgrounds in fighting games.   Did time just freeze in the world of Street Fighter? 

Sound:

The music in SSFIV are obvious remixes to the classic SFII soundtrack, as well as adding new tracks here and there.  The voice acting in the game is superb in my opinion, and the goofiness of some of the characters really gives the game some comic relief when it’s needed. 

Gameplay:

This is where SSFIV plays out in spades.  Where do I start?  First of all, the game has 35 characters!  All of them have their own unique moves, specials, stories, and costumes.  The game features the usual story (starts with a movie, ends with a movie), versus, 3D versus, and online multiplayer modes that are expected in most fighting games today.  A unique addition to the package is the Streetpass mode where when if you pass by another person that has Streetpass enabled on their 3DS system, a set of your Street Fighter figures will duke it out.  Whoever wins, will level up.  Lastly, the online multiplayer seems to have semi-lag free matches.  The matches I played weren’t unplayable, but I can tell between a few matches I had that lag was indeed slowing the game down a bit.  Also, everyone online seems to suck.  Just sayin’! ;)

Lasting Appeal:

There is a whole lot to do in SSFIV.  The gameplay is fun, the characters are interesting, and the online play is a blast.   It will take a good bit of time to clear the game with every character, and long time to unlock every icon, title, and if you live in a big city, level up all of your streetpass figures.  I can see 3DS owners playing this game for a very long time. 

For new 3DS owners, I highly recommend it.  I mean, what else are going to get from such a lackluster launch lineup of games?  Super Street Fighter IV is without a doubt the best 3DS launch title.  Ubisoft & EA need to take notes on what Capcom has done here so they that their ports simply don’t reek of trashy shovel ware.  

TL;DR – THE FINAL RUN DOWN

Presentation – 8/10 – The new touch screen option to instantly use your specials without complicated button combinations was a well needed addition to such a hardcore fighting series.  New & Old players will both feel welcome.  The menus are well done, but I don’t get actually on why all of them had to be in 3D.  Lastly, if you do want to play the game without the help of the touch screen, using the L & R buttons for complex moves isn’t actually comfortable.  You’re probably going to make your fingers move onto the touch screen after you get sick of trying big moves out.

Graphics – 8/10 – SSFIV looks fantastic, however the static backgrounds makes me wonder if the character models is all Capcom worked into.  Why couldn’t the backgrounds have a little life? 

Gameplay – 9/10 – The gameplay in SSFIV is a wonderful experience, and is the most entertaining 3DS game I’ve played yet.  It’s also probably the only game I’ve been coming back to constantly next to Ghost Recon.

Sound – 8/10 – Classic Street Fighter music, along with some new tunes as well.  The English voice actors in my opinion sound really good.   The music isn’t exactly catchy or anything, but it still catches my attention when I hear a classic SF tune.

Lasting Appeal – 8/10 – With 35 characters, SSFIV will be keeping you busy for a very long time.  Mastering them and learning which ones you’re best with, as well as competing with other people online will keep you on this game until some new quality games come out.

OVERALL SCORE – 8.5/10

BUY, RENT, or AVOID – BUY.  Buying this game is a no brainer.  If you own a 3DS, you have to own this game as well.

The Sims 3 Review (3DS)

Hey, yo.  I'm back... with a unexpected review!  Enjoy.
---

The Sims 3 is the sequel to the highly successful PC Sims series, and now it finally makes the leap over the Nintendo’s new portable. Is it worth checking out, or should you be picking up something else?

Before anything, I just want to throw out that I have a soft spot for this franchise. I remember a decade ago when my brothers bought this, and we were all wowed on how amazing it is to basically be god in a video game (sadly, we missed out on the SNES and the awesome ActRaiser game at that time). The Sims on PC to this day, is still a fun little game. The later titles are better graphically, but all of them haven’t really changed except with a few games adding in storylines (weird, I know!) and simply more items, jobs, etc. The Sims on the 3DS is really a bit of a breakthrough for the series. I’ve always wanted a Sims game on a portable console that was actually… well, The Sims. The Urbz and The Sims 2 on the DS were both amazing games in their own right, but they weren’t the Sims games you expected them to be. The Sims 2 Pets on the PSP and The Sims 3 on iOS devices attempted to do the same thing except with lousy controls, and for the PSP game, excessive loading times. Now, let’s see if the 3DS can finally do The Sims right!

(I’ll be using IGN’s five categories, as I can’t think of anything better to call each section).

Presentation:
When you think of The Sims on the 3DS, you’re probably thinking the touch screen is going to give you an advantage in control. Well, yes and no. The Sims 3 and I have one very big issue with each other. The buttons are very small to press on the screen, and the game almost has to be played with a stylus at all times. Now I have to admit, giving the Sim him or herself commands through the touch screen is a very nice touch, but trying to navigate through the tiny menu on the bottom screen is really a frustrating experience. Also, whatever happened to seeing my Sim’s erm… personal needs? It annoys me when I have to wait for a cube to show up telling me that my Sim needs to eat, shower, and pee. One huge issue the game has is the camera which can only be controlled with the touch screen via a digital analog stick and not with one of the buttons, what were they thinking?!

Graphics:
The Sims 3 is decent looking game. If you want to know what “decent” is, think of somewhere in between Dreamcast and PS2 quality (graphically of course). A lot of the textures look very dated, and the character models have clunky animation and seemingly freeze for several seconds when given a new command. I give the character models a little credit, as they do look pretty good for 3DS standards, but every object in the game has large jags that seem to really stick out. The 3D effect the game gives you for the top screen, does add some depth to the world, but ultimately fails since you occasionally lose the 3D sweet spot since you constantly have to switch between the top and bottom screens due to the control. I recommend playing this game in 2D, since 3D offers little to nothing for The Sims 3.

Sound:
The Sims 3 has the classic Sims sounds that you would expect. The Sims language, music, and classic sound effects are all here. While none of them are out of the ordinary, the music the Sims play on the radio still sound really catchy, despite them being in The Sims own language.

Gameplay:
If you haven’t played a Sims game before, you basically have one role. Play the role of God or basically “big brother”. Your sim has free will over themselves so unless you tell him/her otherwise, he or she will do whatever they feel like doing. Most of the time it’s slacking off, being a slob, and wasting time… and this is where you can jump in to help them. Your Sims will need to be told when to shower, eat, crap, and to go to work. While the game usually does this for you, it does feel better to go and do it yourself. Eventually you will want to go out of the usual routine and you will want to your sim to get a boy/girlfriend. Get married. Have kids. Get a promotion. Learn new things. You know the typical stuff in life. The Sims is really a game that can go on forever. Thankfully, the 3DS does retain of the classic Sim gameplay, but to deal with all of the awkward control and bad camera, your journey with your sim may end sooner than you expect. Thankfully, the game does offer some unlocks in terms of new items, as well new clothes for your Sim. Whether or not you find this as an incentive to keep on progressing with your Sim is completely up to you.

If you compare the 3DS version to the PC version, you will largely be disappointed. EA should have just named this game “The Sims” rather than “The Sims 3” just as they did with Madden. The game does cut out several things that The Sims 3 did add in such as actually driving to work (you just walk off the screen to go to work now). I also noticed that you can only start the game with one character, rather than having the option to have a family or simply a bachelor pad with a friend. Don’t get me wrong, nothing of huge value was lost with the move from PC to 3DS; just don’t be expecting something new with the 3DS version with the exception of the poorly used 3D effect.

Since this game does literally go on forever, I noticed the game does finally let you build your own home. I haven’t gotten around to testing out how big your home can be, or how much stuff you can put into it. But most portable Sims games before this one forced you to live in only pre-built houses, such as The Sims 2 (DS)’s hotel room or The Urbz (another DS Sims title) penthouse. I give it a plus for finally letting you build you own pad, but with the game’s bad controls, I doubt you would have to patience to make one without putting the game down.

Lasting Appeal:
The Sims 3 can be satisfying experience if you can get used to a crappy camera, bad controls, and the mediocre graphics. Under all of the game’s crap is a game that really does have a good gameplay experience, that is, is you have to patience to deal with it. All in all, for casual gamers, I don’t recommend The Sims 3 at all. The controls are confusing at best, and the camera is so awful that most people would be done with in less than an hour. A hardcore Sims fan might have the patience to deal with it, but in the end, they will probably be begging to return to the vastly superior PC version within minutes of playing this game.

TL;DR – THE FINAL RUN DOWN
Presentation – 5/10 – The menus are hard to use and the camera can only be controlled through a digital analog stick on the touch screen. The only credit it gets is letting me command the Sims with the touch screen.
Graphics – 5/10 – Wasn’t expecting much. And yeah, we didn’t get much either. I’ve seen Dreamcast games that looked better.
Sound – 8/10 – The usual Sim sounds and music was a real hard category for the game to fail on. Thankfully it at least did this right.
Gameplay – 7/10 – Addicting gameplay, but only if you have the time and patience to let the game stick to you.
Lasting Appeal – 3/10 – I have a hard time playing this game for more than 15 minutes. I get annoyed on how this game even bothered to even have a 3D effect since it makes it nearly impossible to play when it’s on. It’s like how people ported PS2 games during the Wii’s launch and forced every port to have poorly done motion controls.

OVERALL SCORE: 5/10


BUY, RENT, OR AVOID? – AVOID. Sorry, EA. How about porting the original Sims to this thing instead? I’m sure you might be able to that right.

The Nintendo 3DS: When is it coming?

For those of you that have lived under a rock for the past couple of months, Nintendo announced their next generation of portable hardware known of the Nintendo 3DS.  Like every Nintendo portable that came out before this, these consoles are usually one generation behind the current generation of home consoles.  The 3DS is really no exception, since it is more or less a portable Gamecube.  The irony behind this is that the Wii decided to go with the generation lag (as I call it) and the 3DS is probably nearly as powerful as the Wii. That aside, let's talk about the Nintendo 3DS.

First and foremost, the Nintendo 3DS is obviously a 3D gaming console.  But wait, consoles aren't just 3D anymore, they are also 3D.  This means it not only has 3D graphics, but also 3D effects that make the image appear that it's popping out of the screen.  I'm sure you're all familiar of the recent craze (or gimmick) of movies being 3D.  It's just as stupid as the movies that were popular two decades ago when people thought the old red & blue glasses were cool.  The biggest gimmick about the 3DS this time around is the new 3D screen.  It does not require glasses, which is a overall plus because watching Avatar in 3D for two hours gave me a headache.  If the 3D image still bothers you, Nintendo added a 3D slider so that you adjust it's... um.. 3D-ness.  You can even play a game with no 3D at all if you please.

The 3DS's design is almost the same as the current Nintendo DSi with some tweaks here and there.  The most obvious addition is the top screen is now a 16x9 wide screen, which is also the screen that will be generating the 3D images.  The 2nd biggest addition is the joy stick, or as Nintendo calls it: "The Slider".  A lot of people are already generating negative comments about this because the Playstation Portable (PSP) had the same "slider" or as Sony called it, the analog nub, because there is only one stick as opposed to the usual two sticks that people have grown so used to with home consoles.  Lastly, the 3rd addition is the new "3D" cameras on the back (as opposed to the former one camera) that will be able to take 3D pictures.

The design out of the way, the current list of games to be released sound pretty promising.  Remakes of Starfox 64 & Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time are expected to be out at or around launch, along with the long awaited return of Kid Icarus, plus a new Mario Kart is expected to come for the system soon as well  3rd party games have also been shown to the public such as Metal Gear Solid 3 & Dead or Alive.  Nintendo also claims that even older games will be re-released with 3D effects, but will be not be updated graphically like Starfox & Zelda will be.

So the release date?  Nobody knows yet!  This is actually what made me revive my old blog here is because Nintendo is being really tight lipped about the release of the 3DS in not only America, but also in Japan & Europe.  At the beginning of the month, Nintendo of America (or NOA) recently made a universal price drop on both the Nintendo DSi & Nintendo DSi XL systems.  A few sources are claiming the release date will be from November of this year to the Spring of 2011. 

In 2004, Nintendo released the first Nintendo DS in America in November, and then released it worldwide two weeks later.  Let's just hope that we can all get out hands on this exciting new console before 2011 and I'll be a happy man. Nintendo will be having a press conference on Wednesday which will finally put all of these rumors to rest, so until Wednesday, have a good one!

Gaming with the iPod Touch

All this week I will be fairly busy, but I figured that I will bring up a topic that I run into all the time.  Why do you have a iPod?  If you know me, I have a very weird taste in music.  First of all, I think most music today is just garbage.  I do like most kinds of Rock, but I usually listen to video game tunes & silly jpop/jrock songs.  Therefore, you won't ever see me talking about latest 50 cent album or some crap.  That aside, I purchased a iPod Touch for one reason - the games!

Believe it or not, Apple somehow snuck into the portable gaming market back when the first generation iPhone & iPod Touch were released.  Originally, I think games from the app store weren't meant to be treated as games for like the DS or PSP, but it later did, and exploded a year later with the 2nd gen release of the iPhone. 

Without getting into it's technical specifications, the iPod Touch is basically as powerful as a PSP.  That's right, that tiny thing just as powerful as a PSP.  Nowadays, this isn't very impressive for most home consoles, but for a portable console, it's bound to raise a few eyebrows.  This can lead to some very graphically intense games, however, the better the game (graphically) the more it will drain on the iPod's battery.  So if you want to play Assassin's Creed or Resident Evil 4, you better have a PC or a charger nearby, or else you won't be playing for very long.

The best thing about the iPod Touch is buying games for it.  Like all iPods, they use flash memory, therefore, you don't have worry about popping in sd cards, hard drives, memory sticks, and whatnot.  All you have do is buy a game, download it, install it, and you're ready to play.  Best of all, most add ons & firmware updates for all games are free.  With the release of 3rd gen iPod Touch (or mainly just it's firmware), games can now have downloadable content (like in DDR or Rock Band, you can download more songs).  Lastly, most games for the iPod are within $1-15.  Compare that other portable games on the market that retail for about $30-40 new.  Not to mention, you have go out to a store or order it online to get it (unless you are buying games digitally).

As for most games, how do they work?  If you don't know the iPod Touch to well, then you are in for a bit of a surprise - it has no buttons.  This makes certain games for the iPod almost impossible to make.  Mainly platforming games.  As for any other game, it usually works pretty well.  I've seen that Puzzle & RPG games work very well on the iPod, but platforming & shooters usually don't work as well (but they can!)  A lot of shooters or platforming games are forced to use digital (or "touch") buttons or joysticks.  I'll tell you right now that playing Sonic or Mega Man is nearly impossible on the iPod.  Do not buy them.  As for everything else, it will/probably work.

The iPod's gaming capabilities asides, what are some good games on the app store?  Every day, I'm still trying to figure what's good and what's not.  But here's what I can tell from what I have now.

Tetris - It's Tetris.  Believe it or not, Tetris on a touch screen is amazing.  It takes some time to get used to, but it works.  Buy it.

Monopoly - I've played a lot of Monopoly video games in my time, and I have to say that this has to be the best one out now.  I've never played any of the newer PC versions of it, but the iPod version is awesome. I like how you can play wirelessly between other iPods, or just locally between you and a friend.  It saves time & the mess from playing the actual game.  I'm personally a big fan of old board games such as Sorry! and Stratego, so the more board games on the app store, the merrier.

 

Doom/Wolfenstein 3D - I'm putting these together because they are basically ports of the PC versions that id software both developed.  Doom & Wolfenstein work very well on the iPod.  The controls work, and the games are still as fun as ever.  It's totally worth it.

Terminator Salvation - Now, this was a risky purchase for me, because most movie games just suck.  However, Terminator Salvation was done really well.  If you love 3rd person shooters, then the Terminator is the best game to go to.  I think I enjoyed it more than RE4 on the iPod.

Doom Resurrection - Lame name aside, DR is a iPod exclusive.  It's a on rails game, this means it will play exactly like most old arcade shooters such as House of the Dead or Time Crisis.  The game offers a wide variety of weapons, and has really good graphics for a iPod game.  Some bosses are insanely difficult, but in the end, I'd say that the game is worth it.

Rock Band - I admit, I hate Guitar Hero & Rock Band.  I can't stand them anymore because they are forced out to the market each year with a new game.  I'm referring more to GH, but the whole playing music with plastic instruments thing has gotten a bit old.  It's still fun, but I can't play either play as much as I used to, but what about playing with your fingers?  It actually isn't that bad.  Weak soundtrack aside, the iPod version of Rock Band works.  The only big negative is that if you don't have a iPhone, then you'll need to buy a headset or a microphone in order to sing songs in the game.

Wolfenstein RPG - I have to say that this game is actually really good.  If you ever played Orcs & Elves on a cell phone or for DS, then it's exactly like Wolfenstein RPG.  The game is basically a 3D RPG shooter.  It means every turn, you either move 1 space, or you attack.  It's a lot easier than it sounds, trust me.

Resident Evil 4 - It's basically RE4 with sightly inferior graphics and no cut scenes.  If you liked RE4, buy it.  If you never played RE4, buy the console versions instead.

LightBike Free - It's kind of hard to explain, but it's basically a four player game where you and 3 other AI players race around a 3D board.  Whoever doesn't die, wins.  It's free, so it's awesome.

Dungeon Hunter - Do you like Diablo?  Then this is your game!  It's basically a Diablo style point and click game.  It looks and plays very well.  Probably one of the best games on the iPod.

Metal Gear Solid Touch -  If you ever wanted to play MGS style Duck Hunt, then this is your game.  Not very impressive at all.

DDR S - It's DDR with your fingers.  The plus version has DLC content, but it's the same game.

The Sims 3 - Despite trying to be like it's PC counterpart, I wasn't very impressed with this game.  The graphics were good, but the control & gameplay are awful. 

Oregon Trail - Basically, it's a updated version of the Apple II classic. It's short, and it doesn't have much replay value in it either. 

Sonic the Hedgehog - It's Sonic 1 for Genesis ported to iPod with awful controls.  Getting past the second level is almost impossible.

If I ever get a hold of any cooler games for the iPod in the future, I'll let you all know.

Oh, and I just got my second badge in Pokemon SoulSliver.  I know I'm taking forever to get through the game, but I never have much time to play it.  I'm in Goldenrod City now.

And that's it!  See you all later!

Nintendo DSi

Over the weekend, me and my two friends (my followers on here too, those are my friends lol) waited at my local Gamestop for the new DSi to come out. Even though we waited two hours to get it, It wasn't actually that bad. Since we were there pretty early, they went ahead and rung us up and they also gave us some pretty cool DSi swag too. I got a black DSi strap with a keychain, and my friends both got a white one. I also got five DSi pins too. I later also bought a some DSi accessories such as extra styluses and a case for it since those are usually a big thing for me (I break styluses all the time).

Anyway, after going home I finally got to fiddle with the DSi. The DSi is smaller, lighter, and brighter than the previous model of the DS. It also includes bulit in software, as well as two cameras, one in inside, and one on the outside! The DSi does not have a GBA slot, though after six different systems having GBA access to it, I think that it was probably for the best. In it's place is now a SD card slot, which were you can put AAC files, store DSi channel games, pictures, etc. It's overall a very handy thing to have.

The Photo channel is pretty sweet. The first thing you do when you enter the DSi menu is that you take a picture of yourself. The quality is actually pretty good, though it's very on par with most cell phone cameras. The neatest thing about the pictures, is that the DSi lets you edit them, similar to how the Game Boy Camera could. You can draw on pictures, distort them, add in text, stamps, etc. Thankfully, it saves the picture as a copy so you won't have to worry about ruining pictures by accident. Hopefully in the future, DSi games will give you the ability to perhaps use your picture inside a game, just the Game Boy Camera did nearly a decade ago.

The Sound channel is actually pretty simple to start out with. If you have no AAC files or a SD card, then the Sound channel probably isn't going to the be used very often. Though, what you can do is record small recordings of yourself. After you do this, you can change the pitch, make it faster/slower, etc. It's a pretty fun thing to fool around with. Later on, when you convert some of your mp3 files to AAC (which can easily be done in iTunes) you can listen to them on the DSi. The DSi is a pretty sweet music player. It has the average options like repeat, shuffle, etc, but it also provides the same tools that let you change the pitch, just like when you record yourself, making your songs sound a little more interesting. Lastly, the DSi has some pretty sweet visualizers such a Mario collecting coins, and a few other things as well.

Then lastly, there is a DSi shop channel. If you buy a DSi before October 1st, you are awarded with 1,000 free shop channel points. With it, I bought Warioware Snapped! (which I haven't played yet) and I got the DSi Opera web browser for free. Download times seem pretty fast. It has the SMB2 sprites (from the remake) throwing blue balls (LOL!!) into a box until it's finished, then it's wrapped up as a present, and put into you're DSi menu. The channel could be a little faster, but it works. Hopefully some cooler games will come out within the next couple of weeks.

So yeah, that's really it. A lot of people are currently bashing the DSi now because they think that it isn't worth another purchase, but eh, better to get it now than later.