No snaking in Mario Kart Wii. That means you too, Lucas!

So, apparently there was some news yesterday regarding Mario Kart Wii, something that put some more faith in seeing more competitors - no more snaking for the Wii version.

Snaking, if you're not familiar, is a term for power sliding on a straight path in a snake-like motion. The benefit from such an odd maneuver is that, if done properly, every power slide will give you a boost, effectively allowing you to use the power slide boost even on a straight path. The most recent victim of this is Mario Kart DS, where many people have experienced it in one battle or another.

Personally, I'm glad they've reduced it to a point where the boost is determined by the length of the power slide. Maybe perhaps this time there will be more honest races.

Too tired to be witty here.

Really busy at work. TGIF, man...TGIF.

Final release date set for Mario Kart Wii

With Brawl now safely tucked away in my Wii, what else is there to anticipate for? Oh yes, the 12-player racer that will arrive April 27. I'm expecting to get a lot of followers lined up for that.

Alternative controls for sore thumbs

When I first played Super Smash Bros Brawl, I decided to give the Wii the benefit of the doubt and try the Wii-mote to play the game. After a few frustrating attempts, I gave up and went back to my familiar GameCube controller. It wasn't until yesterday when I saw the potential of alternative controls.

Okay, I didn't really see potential; I just left my WaveBird controller at work, and had to fiddle with other controls at home. Seeing that I didn't want to experience the agony of just the Wii-mote, and the mere thought of using the nunchuk with Wii-mote frightens me, I went to my final choice - using the classic controller.

Originally, I bought this to play a couple of downloaded SNES games. Other than that, it hasn't received much use. After my first use in Brawl, however, it now feels more like GameCube controller 2.0. The analog feels softer, unlike the cheese-grater-like rings of the GameCube controller that can butcher a thumb after several hours of intense gameplay. And the buttons feel more new-age and slick. Add the fact that the classic controller is immensely lighter (compared to the WaveBird) and the customized control scheme in the game, and you have a very capable control alternative. In fact, I got so comfortable with the new controller that I was able to complete a few missions and play different modes longer!

So now, out of the 4 ways to play the game, I'm fine with 2, 3 if I include the Wii-mote. Actually, I don't really mind the use of the D-pad to control. I just wished they included that as a customizable feature as well. For some unknown reason, Nintendo figured that you could customized everything from attacking to shielding, but stops you when you want to change movement control. Probably the only stupidest thing in this game, if there ever is one.

I'm just glad I don't need to waggle to do anything.

Zero Punctuation review: Burnout Paradise

Today's "Lazy Wednesday" post is on Yahtzee's review of Burnout Paradise. I've played a little bit of this game, and am a little fan of the acrade racer. Enough to enjoy this game for what it's worth - about one hour.

Enjoy the "obviously NSFW but then again what Zero Punctuation review isn't" video below!

One, two, three, four...I declare a thumb - OUCH!!

My first couple of online brawls (aside from the wait time, probably because servers are swamped) went off without any hiccups or much slowdown. There were one or two battles with laggy gameplay, but after a person left the room, it resumed to its speedy brawl. I'm hoping the server problems die down after a week or two, after things settle a bit. I'll just unlock more thing in the meantime.

But first, I need to rest my thumb. It hasn't been this sore in a long time.

Now, the battle for mascot supremacy can truly begin!

Yesterday really made my day. Getting a game early on launch and playing it for the majority of the day made me feel like I was back in college, playing 30-minute melee battles one after another. I won't go into statistics, so we'll just say I played more than x hours. Of course, if you're from Rome, you'd know exactly how much time I've spent so far.

Let's dive into the nitty-gritty without spoilers, shall we?

The single-player mode is surprisingly well-thought out. How Melee did it in the past made it a tad shallow and more tedious than fun. With Brawl, the story's more fleshed out, and the enemies are more varied. Plus, the levels were more game-themed than previously done. Together, the single player mode is efficient and decent enough to satisfy the right amount of gameplay without the tedious factor.

Enemy AI has also gotten itself a tweak for the more hardcore, even at its "Normal" setting. Perhaps my skills are softening, but the enemies feel very balanced in power and strength, from the weak ones to the really difficult sunuvabitch jerks. Sometimes I get ridiculously outnumbered, and some of the enemies' fighting tactics are so precise that every time I get up, I'm set up again to take another blow. But nothing in there has been so stubborn enough for me to chuck my controller at, especially later in the game where the difficulty has been obviously ramped up a notch.

Despite how adequate the single-player element is, it's not an accurate measure to what the multiplayer brawl battles are like. That's not a nod in the negative direction - the brawl mode is essentially pure. Compared to brawl, single-player seems more clunky and slower - which initially put a damper on the game's outlook. After a few missions, however, that's clearly not the case. The speed is just right, and soon enough my past GameCube skills took over and felt right at home.

And the online capabilities are interesting, to say the least. I haven't gotten into any online brawls yet, but from what I hear from friends, it's a pretty smooth ride. For now, I'm happy to be able to select "spectator" and just watch other people duke it out. Plus, the sudden downloads of random movies and custom levels is a nice incentive to keep connecting online.

It's really hard to find anything wrong with this title, but then again I'm speaking on a veteran bias. If I had to nit-pick, I'd say that the enemy AI can sometimes get borderline asinine, and then there are the typical "if-the-game-is-online,-it-should-have-chat-and-wait-rooms," or something similar. But really, as long as you can fight online, isn't that all you need?

By the way, I'll post up my friend code later this week, if anyone out there wants to lay the smackdown on me.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaawn...

The time is 7:30 am, no thanks to Daylight Savings Time. As with any launch, I'm preparing to be there at least an hour in advance. But 2 factors make me think that not many people will be there; (1) it's only a game launch, and (2) most people probably got it during the midnight launch from some of the other GameStop stores.

No matter. I'll be there with my DS in hand, hoping to run into a few friends during the process, and ultimately bringing home my Super Smash Bros Brawl ASAP.

Super-special Weekend Edition Post!!

Hello, and welcome to this special "Weekend" edition of Gameritis. No way is this some small gesture to make up for the lack of posts this past Thursday and Friday. No, no...this is just pent-up anticipation for Super Smash Bros Brawl, which I will receive in my hands tomorrow.

Sure, some people may have received their copies already. Some are gonna get their copies at the stroke of midnight. I'm getting it tomorrow at 9 am at my local GameStop. That's good enough for me. If you think about it, I've been already more than a month behind since its Japanese release, so another 9 hours won't faze me much.

So, in lieu of the time left until "brawl"-day, I've decided to take a stroll on a few more Wii games before they get kicked out of the spotlight.

Title: No More Heroes
Status: Halfway...I think.
Chance of survival after Brawl: 60% - My bloodlust urge will bring me back here in the late hours when I need to have my fix.

Title: Super Mario Galaxy
Status: Halfway...through second playthrough.
Chance of survival after Brawl: 30% - I've collected all 120 stars. Now I'm just killing time.

Title: Zack and Wiki
Status: Very close to the end.
Chance of survival after Brawl: 40% - I still have to finish it...just not now.

Title: Metroid Prime 3
Status: Um...30%?
Chance of survival after Brawl: 15% - That's been in the backburner for quite some time. Still enjoy it, but I haven't touched it in a while.

Title: Resident Evil 4 (Wii)
Status: I bought this? When?
Chance of survival after Brawl: 0.001% - Wow...really gotta start this game sometime soon...

Let's face it - just like Melee and my GameCube, Brawl's gonna take over my Wii.

What happened to Thursday?

Apologies first for not putting up...well, anything yesterday. I actually had some interesting bits of news, but they were just that - bits.

Don't worry, I'll have something more interesting later.

Zero Punctuation review: Devil May Cry 4

Usually, the "lazy" in "Lazy Wednesday" kicks in quick, and I never get a post out until by the end of the day - though you guys never know, since anytime I save a post's progress, it keeps the time I initiated it, not the time I posted it.

But that's beside the point. The point is, this week's Zero Punctuation review is on Devil May Cry 4, and you will do yourself a great injustice not to view this.

Seriously...it's that good.

What? You don't believe me? Sigh...okay, I know this goes against everything I bitched about before, but if you must know, it tickled my DeLorean funny bone. There, happy? Now listen to this hypocrite (points to myself) and watch the damn video already!

Thanks for the gift, guys!

This is a little more than a week late, but remember how I received No More Heroes as a birthday gift? I forgot to give mad props to who gave it to me - my bro and sis, Ryan and Denise! Thanks guys! You don't know how much fun it is for me to decimate people with a light saber via Wii-mote.

The tension mounts...

One more week. One more week of patient waiting, and all good things will "smash" through my door.

No More Heroes: Impressions

So I've managed to play through the first 3 bosses of No More Heroes, and I have some good and bad things to say about it.

First off, let's put aside the bad things first. The free-roaming map is lacking. There's hardly anything to do around town - which, by the way, looks to be only populated by roughly about 20 people who do nothing but walk around. All I've been doing is scoping out garbage bins to kick open for T-shirts and money, finding random balls for something (haven't gotten far yet), and using my sword to literally poke the ground for more money. Sure, I can ride around with my motorcycle, but the driving is just shitty. Then again, the game's not revolved around this free-roaming scheme.

Another thing that feels a bit thin is the side quests. Sure, they offer you different things to do, like mowing the lawn and collecting coconuts to free fights and killing people in other minor missions...but these missions tend to be fairly short. And, after you do it once, it doesn't make you want to do it again any time soon...unless you need more money.

Fortunately, there's a lot of good that I'm pulling from No More Heroes that keeps me turning the game back on. The violence, blood, and almost comical mutilations occur every other second when you're in the heat of battle. I say this as any truthful gamer would - taking down your enemies in this game is very satisfying. Sure, the finishing moves are one wii-mote movement away, but your enemies die either with a decapitation or a vertical slice right down the middle, along with copious amounts of blood everywhere. Over the top? Sure. Fun? You bet your sweet Bippy!

And the wrestling moves? Some people think it's something that's not used enough, but I try to use it every time I get. And sure, it's just a simple movement of both the nunchuck and wii-mote, but suplexing your enemies just makes the moment all the more savory. As if your character, Travis Touchdown, said "You're not good enough to be cut by my beam saber" and proceeded to throw him down like a football after a...um, touchdown.

Of course, the wrestling moves aren't enough to take enemies down on their own - which is why they allow you to press A one more time to deliver a finishing blow while they're lying there. And even those are stylishly done. For instance, if you're facing away from your fallen victim, you just jab your sword behind you, without looking back. How badass is that?

The boss battles themselves are a nice trip, with my third boss battle being the toughest so far. I fell victim to her special attack, which was a visual treat, despite the fact that it nearly took half my life. The one thing that I would've liked, however, is to participate in the finishing blow. As it is, the battle is there for you to spend taking out the boss's health down to zero, and then a cinematic takes over to deliver the final blow, as well as more story content.

And what a story it is. You suspect that Travis Touchdown is the protagonist, if any, in this story, but there's no real moment to really cheer him on. He's still killing people, he's doing it without remorse, and he's an otaku. There's not even really a background story of how he got his beam saber (which, originally, was said that he won on some online auction). The game just thrusts you in his shoes, in a situation where he needs money fast, so he decides to take up assassination for the fun of it. If every otaku took this hobby up, I'd be very frightened.

Of course, its the graphics that really shine in this game. And it's no surprise it looks the way it is, coming from the person that originally did Killer 7 (just way too trippy for me to follow). In a time where everyone takes video game realism to the next level, it's nice to see someone taking a more artful approach.

Above all else, I think the most compelling features of this game are the 1980's video game references throughout. Much of the game's interface is pixelated and retro-fitted with green wireframes, and the sound effects sound like they're direct MIDI outputs or something. As somewhat of a final nod to this video game era, at the end of each boss battle, your displayed ranking looks like a high-score screen against a Galaga-inspired starry background. Major points for retro goodness!!

No More Heroes is a game that, while it has its poor moments, still shines as a sleeper hit all the way. It's the closest you'll get using your wii-mote as a light saber for now, but it's the only one where you can draw tons of blood from a star-wars-like weapon.

Zero Punctuation review: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

This Lazy Wednesday's graced with a gloriously wonderful review of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune by the ever-witty Yahtzee.



Okay, it's not gloriously wonderful. But it's funny as hell. Enjoy!

Tuesday is the week's "appendix"

Today's a busy day. It'll be better tomorrow.

That's all. Really.





Pickles.

No More Heroes, but plenty of blood

I was treated to a nice birthday gift over the weekend - No More Heroes! And after playing the first 30 minutes into the game, a slow and wry devilish smile began to creep on my face. Maybe it's the explicit language or the bloody death scenes...but I think it was mostly because of all the retro 1980-ish video game huds that made me smile. I'll fill in more later this week after a few more rounds of this suprisingly-fun slasher.

Zero Punctuation at the GDC

The absence yesterday wasn't unwarranted, since Yahtzee was invited to GDC yesterday to present his own awards for what he thought he felt needed...well, awarding. Which comes out to only 2 awards. And a year in review. All of it worth watching. Check the censored (yes, censored...not as great, but remember - it was played publically) video below!

Professor Layton and the Curious Village...finished!

I love puzzles. A lot. Enough for me to play a game that revolves its story around puzzles. And an interesting story at that. Sadly, at just under 10 hours, the game is quite short, even with all the searching for hidden puzzles and some of the side quests. But I still have more puzzles from the downloads to look forward to, as well as more in the bonus section. The price of admission could've been lower, though, but I'd like to think it's the artwork and story that pulls the game along nicely. Still, it's a can't-miss game to play.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Today's Lazy Wednesday just got lazier...since Zero Punctuation won't have their video until tomorrow. Guess what that means?

The Format War is over...Blu-Ray FTW!

Word around the water cooler is that HD-DVD is dead (I'd link this, but you guys can sufficiently search for this yourselves), making Blu-Ray the victor over the format wars. It's nice to see a clear winner in this long dispute, and is certainly a nice incentive check next to a PS3 purchase. Now, if only it had some appealing games to make me really purchase one...

Apollo Justice comes this week!

This week calls forth a new generation of lawyer courtroom battles in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. While I'm sad that Phoenix Wright's tales are over, it's refreshing to see a large company as Capcom keeping a winning structure alive without milking the main character for all its worth. That being said, this game is far from being a simple change in character. With the ability to recreate crime scenes, different and new ways to prosecute, and being the first game in the series to be fully dedicated to the Nintendo DS, Apollo Justice has been a long time coming since its GBA roots. This is one of the few moments that fans really, truly pulled through to get a game proper recognition.

Y'know what this post reminds me of? Another puzzle!

The Professor Layton game is a real thinker, and that's a good thing. Not since Zack and Wiki did I spend a lot of time thinking. However, unlike Zack and Wiki, the game's story and puzzle elements don't quite mesh well together. They're not interwoven into a fine tapestry where not only the story is gorgeous, but the intricate details of each perplexing situation shine through. Instead, we're treated to a "oh, this reminds me of a puzzle" scenario.

I wish I was embellishing this, but that is almost verbatim from the game.

Luke: "Professor, we need to go to this house immediately!"
Layton: "Yes, but first...a puzzle!"

Luke: "Professor, this is a nice garden."
Layton: "Yes, these flowers are lovely. They remind me of a puzzle!"

Luke: "Professor, someone just got murdered!"
Layton: "That is pretty gruesome. So is this puzzle! It's utterly malicious to solve!"

Okay, that last one was really not word-for-word, but the situation's similar. Overall, the puzzles are fun to do. It's just...now it seems that the story gets in the way. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

I Chu-Chu-Choose you!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope all of you are spending lots on your loved one because...well, that's the reason why prices go through the roof on this special occasion.

And while we're on the topic of love, I had thought I'd spend time talking about a game that could very well embody this lovely day. A game called Chulip.

Some of you guys might know it, some might not, and some just choose to believe that it doesn't exist. Chulip is a game that was released exclusively from EB/GameStop (whatever, they're the same to me) at a lower price than most others, for obvious reasons.

The story follows one boy's ultimate goal to kiss the girl of his dreams, but he realizes that the path to her heart lies in writing the ultimate love letter. And, as everyone knows, the ultimate love letter consists of 3 things: the ultimate pen, the ultimate ink, and the ultimate paper. You must find these things throughout the game (divided into smaller missions) to get you closer in writing that awesome romantic love letter.

Wait...it gets weirder. You need to earn a good reputation around town often to progress. And to do this, you need to gain the villagers' affection. To gain this, you need to kiss them (hence the Japanese sounding word "chu" in the title). Man or woman, you need to get everyone liking you. Including the old man on the corner.

As you can tell, this is definitely more a chick game, but the sheer eclectic nature of the game makes my attraction for weird Japanese appeal go nuts. And yes, my wife is currently playing the game on her own accord, while I'm just here reveling the notion that she's actually playing a game she enjoys. Did I mention you get ranking titles that change according to the number of kisses you've obtained? Her character's now a "frisky man." Indeed.

So, as weird as I feel saying this, see if Chulip's the game for the gaming woman in your life this Valentine's Day. Then you can see if she'll become a "frisky man."

Zero Punctuation review: SimCity Socieities

It's Lazy Wednesday, and once again Yahtzee's at it today with a review on SimCity Societies, plus a nice love story at the end. Enjoy!

Professor Layton and the Curious Voices

This is the week when Professor Layton finally arrives on domestic shores, and I'm definitely going to make the purchase. And yes, I'm well aware that it's all in English voice acting.

You may be wondering why I say "well aware." I've been known to critique English voice dubbing over Japanese voice acting, simply because most of the time, the English voice actors hired to complete the task don't have the same characteristic tone as their Japanese equivalent. And, I admit, I'm one of those who refuses to watch a show that's dubbed - or, at the worst case, cringe while being subjected to it.

So why am I not throwing a fit over all of this? Because the game's done by Level 5, which is lately becoming more and more recognized for their quality games (Dark Cloud series, Dragon Quest VIII, and Jeanne D'Arc, to name a few). I mean, the voices done in Rogue Galaxy were done so well, I accepted the fact that I wouldn't even care what the original voice actors sounded like - it's that good.

Already, there are some criticisms about the English voice acting, but I've seen some clips of it, and I don't think it's half bad. I think, over the past few years, English voice acting has raised in quality - partly because now I think the industry is finally using their ears and listening to their customers and their own work. I think people are now becoming more fanboy-ish in their favoritism for Japanese over English that they're not willing to convert. I think the game will/should outshine any doubts over the voice acting, and give people the experience they expect.

The return of the "Guitar Hero"

I enjoy my Guitar Hero. Yeah, I know, I play Rock Band, too, and playing as a group is pure awesomeness...but when the friends are away, there's only solo play. And nothing satisfies that more than Guitar Hero. At least until the third installment.

Forget what everyone else who's passed the game say - Guitar Hero 3 is fucking nuts. I consider myself to be pretty hardcore in the game, doing decently well in Expert Mode in the first two games. But for some reason, the third one just wants to bitch-slap you to the ground, kick you in the gonads until they're soft and tender, then ream the fretboard up your ass and force you to play "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" with just your eyelids.

And because of my setup, I've tried the whole "calibrate lag" option to see if maybe the issue is the game's fault and not mine. From 0 msec to 55 msecs and finally back to 0 msecs, I've given up on the whole process and just left it alone.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I played the game last night only to find that I had no problems whatsoever maintaining my combo throughout each song. It's like my guitar-hero-playing skills were somehow rejuvenated by an angel or something...

Maybe I was too flustered back then to focus on the gameplay, maybe the guitar was just out of whack. Whatever it was, it's not happening anymore, and my passion for Guitar Hero just raised a notch.

That is, until I start playing "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." My eyelids are still tired from last time.

I swear! Last one! Then I'm gonna kick some serious monster ass!

It's not a great feat to say that you've completed 1/100th of a game over the weekend, but in a sense, that's what I did.

Well, not exactly 1/100th. Maybe 1/100th of 1/100th.

The time put into making your characters in Disgaea wield strong weapons is a very intricate and long process, but the output, most of the the time, is much more greater. If none of you guys are familiar with the process, essentially you are given the option to "enter" your weapons and complete the random levels within. At every 10 levels, you can choose to leave your weapon, upon which that weapon will level up the same number of levels you've completed. What determines how well your weapon levels up are the specialists (think of them as living stats) and generals (one every 10 levels) you defeat along the way. Over the weekend, I've upgraded 4 more characters with higher level weapons.

Oh, by the way, did I forget to mention? This has nothing to do with the main game itself. Yes, this is generally a side quest. An intricate side quest, but a side quest nonetheless. Of course, there's always the option to just buy better weapons to equip your party with, but why do that when you can just build stats and level up weapons while leveling up your party at the same time?

But I can't idle all my time into weapon evolution. I've already sworn that I'll just level up weapons, and that I'll make sure all party members have good weapons to fight with. I just need to plow on through, kick some major enemy ass, and make some progress!

...

Okay, I'll level up one more weapon...

DVD Recommendations: The King of Kong

So I finally watched King of Kong last night, since it was recently released on dvd and I never got a chance to watch it in theaters. I have to say, even for someone like myself that really enjoys his games, the people portrayed (apart from Steve Wiebe) looked stereotypically geeky. I mean, friends-with-the-characters-in-Revenge-of-the-Nerds geeky. A geek on the street would look at this documentary and call the people in there geeks. A part of me wished this was a mockumentary. Really.

Aside from the dork-umentary, the story captivated the competitive gamer in me, and made me a fan of Steve Wiebe, if only because he will surpass Billy Mitchell.

If you're a video game fan - even better, a retro video game fan - you should really check this dvd out. Also, the reverse-cover Scott Campbell artwork is wicked awesome!

[Update] Sorry for the misspelling. I meant Steve Wiebe, not Wiede.

Zero Punctuation review: Call of Duty 4

I wish I can offer more this week, but it's Lazy Wednesday, after all.

At least I got a good laugh from Yahtzee's review of Call of Duty 4. I think you will, too. Enjoy!

Post empty post here

To hell with it. Lazy Wednesday's stretching to Tuesday for this week. I'm swamped for the week, and games are the last things on my mind lately.

VENTING!!!

So yeah, sorry for all the Brawl rants and rumblings last week. I promise to get back to regular video game news, and focus less on the jealously that builds every waking moment at every player that is able to play Smash Bros Brawl while I have to sit here and wait for one entire month before its release!!

...

Yeah, I'm done.

Internet, 2...me, 1

Thanks to spoiler-free posts, I've been shielded from most of the Brawl flood.

Then they go on to articles that speculate features/characters/items that are NOT in the game.

I give up.

This is gonna be a long month...

Zero Punctuation: Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles

Not forgetting that it's Lazy Wednesday once again, here's Yahtzee's take on Umbrella Chronicles for Wii. Just to be on the safe side, I'm gonna rank this as NSFW. There's some censorship, but not enough to cover the vulgar humor that resides within.

Controlling your video game "excitement"

Do video game bloggers carry no remorse? Frankly, I can't understand how people can willingly expose themselves to spoilers for a game that has yet to be released here in a month just to post on their site and attract more traffic to their gaming blog. News has been flooding everywhere of Smash Bros Brawl spoilers that I've officially given up grabbing random screenshots online, for fear that one leak may find its way to me. I've even stopped going to certain sites, simply because they can't help but post what the public wants, which is everything Brawl at the moment.

Sure, you can say that we'll eventually play the game and find them out ourselves in time...but there's still a majority of us who love unlocking extras on our own without the extra guides and spoilers.

This is almost annoying as seeing a person purchase a game AND its strategy guide at the same time. It's like buying a lunch and then immediately taking a dump, just because you can't stand the hour-long enjoyment of eating a satisfying meal and the 2-3 hours of digestion that follows.

No need to rush it. This shit's gonna come out eventually.

I'll "final smash" YOU if you ruin it for me!!

Because of the month-long delay, the release of Super Smash Bros Brawl in Japan this week is going to have a severe impact on my internet browsing. In the next few days, things may be revealed, and screenshots may pop up. I just hope sites are mindful when posting spoilers. In the meantime, I plan to shield myself with class and games.

For 4 weeks.

I swift punch to the face of the first person who spoils any of it for me.

Does that mean it's LESS than a month away?

If you're in Japan and you're picking up Super Smash Bros Brawl this week, I have nothing but scorn and envy for you. We westerners still have a full month until it comes out here. Well, technically, it's only February, and everyone knows that's not a real month. =P

Rant on posting spoilers....part 2!!

Okay, does anyone know the meaning of "spoilers" anymore? I go to my two favorite gaming blogs and I find them both posting picture spoilers of the complete fighter roster of Super Smash Bros Brawl right in plain sight!!

Regardless whether it's fake or not (in this case, fortunately, it's fake), that doesn't excuse the act of posting something so visually blatant as the first image someone sees when they visit your site!!

Oh, and to all who say people take spoilers too seriously? You damn right we do!! There are people that enjoy a good game and good story, and want to actually want to play the damn game all the way through. Call me crazy, but I think people enjoy unlocking things on their own instead of having a stupid blogger telling you what to expect in the end.

Oh, we shouldn't be looking up stuff online if we don't want spoilers? Are you saying we shouldn't look up info online at all anymore?? Sites like these are popular because they're constantly updated, and we are a generation on a "need to know" basis. Posting spoilers/rumors without notification to the reader almost makes the site no better than the local tabloids. It's not like we go to some specific site for spoilers and, hopefully, find some actual, factual news posting amongst the rumors.

The bottom line is, no one wants to post something that'll ruin the surprise for everyone else...at least not without the viewer's consent. As long as everyone follows some basic rules, everyone should have a good and spoiler-free time.

Oh. My. God.

Super Mario Bros 1-1 level stage in Smash Bros Brawl. Nuff said.

Zero Punctuation review: The Witcher

You guys are in for a treat. Today on Lazy Wednesday, Yahtzee rips a new one on The Witcher, and it's damn funny. Why? Click the NSFW video to check it out!!

Oh, and the dubbing of the "Painkiller" footage has its moments...but I'm just guessing Yahtzee is just killing time for his short impressions of The Witcher.

Patapon FEVER at $20!!

Finishing Loco Roco couldn't have come soon enough. Patapon's coming within a month's time, and it's gonna retail at $20?? Yes, despite Brawl falling to March, February's shaping up to be a good month for video games.

Hey! Who messed up my solar system model??

When you've played games as much as I have, you develop a more refined taste of what games to buy and enjoy. Which is why most of the time, I don't go nuts over every video game release that occurs each week.

Of course, there are the few occasions, like this week, where the planets align perfectly and shine a path to the sheer awesomeness of those few anticipated titles that receive my full attention.

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin and No More Heroes are set for release this week, and I'm eagerly looking forward to both titles. The first is a nice, darker sequel to one of the best military-strategy games to come out for Nintendo, and the second ironically brings out the hero out of an otaku-driven person in a very artsy backdrop.

The planets would've aligned next month as well, if one of the two titles I was expecting didn't slip from its release date...

1980s trend revamped in Brawl: stickers now rule!

Since the announcement a while back, I've always thought the Sticker Collection add-on was ridiculously lame. I mean, at least with trophies and CDs, I can collect a virtual figurine collection or listen to classic Nintendo game soundtracks...but stickers? C'mon! I don't have a Panini sticker book anymore...

But all that changed from crap to awesomeness in today's Smash Bros Dojo update.

Basically, to sum it up, stickers can adjust character stats by applying them to your character's trophy. This is only applicable to the single player mode, but hey...originally, most people thought a sticker collection is just a sticker collection.

This is absolutely cool on Nintendo's part, and ties up an otherwise needless feature. Now I'll collect as many stickers as possible!!

Clever, Nintendo...next thing you know, assist trophies might be clues to hidden characters' identities.

How 'bout it, Nintendo? Am I right?

The immaturity of high kicks

After yesterday's post, I kept thinking, "where have I seen this picture before?"

Ah yes, the latest Street Fighter 4 images.

I like Link's composed expression during the situation, as opposed to Ken ogling Ryu's nether regions like a slow-motion train wreck.

I know I should be more mature about these things...but I'm not. Take this other image from some Street Fighter Online game in its Beta form...

Loco Roco...finished!!

I gotta say...Loco Roco came off as one of those games that really didn't feel like a game. I mean, there's a truthful beginning and end, but overall it felt like the equivalent to a nice day at the park. I'd definitely would like to play again just to collect more things, but it's had its day in the sun, so to speak.

The one thing that pissed me off the most, however, during the game wasn't your arch enemies the mojos, but rather the spikes that litter the worlds. Mojos just suck your loco rocos one by one, while spike balls knock the shit out of your cluster. But despite that and the fact that the game's fairly easy, the puzzles they lay out are a challenge in themselves.

I'll say this - that's probably the most use those left and right shoulder buttons will get in its entire lifetime.

Zero Punctuation review: Crysis

Wow...when the Yahtzee video review has NOT been posted yet until now, you KNOW it's a "Lazy Wednesday." Enjoy!

She's a man, baby!!

Today's Smash Bros Dojo update talks about the return of Sheik.

And balls.

This screenshot was begging to be ridiculed. I wonder who can fight Sheik on equal terms?

Super Mario Galaxy...revisited

I know I still have tons and tons of games to finish, but there's something about Mario games that make me want to finish collecting all the stars. Plus, with Mario Galaxy, there's an extra bonus after collecting all 120 stars. (Spoiler: You get to play as Luigi.)

Now that I've collected 120 stars, I wish I hadn't.

Thanks to the bonus, it makes you want to play it all over again! And while this is not the first time I've reported such a situation, this time I wouldn't mind playing the game over again. The goals (despite sometimes being extremely short) are quick and easy to accumulate in a short span of time and making it less of a hassle to play. But that's another 120 stars all over again! Thanks for the reward and all, but c'mon...really??

Well, I can perhaps persuade my wife to be my Player 2 this time, despite her frantic wand-waving style. I mean, I found all 120 stars already - how bad can she mess me up?

I'm still not getting a PS3

In light of breaking news this past week, I'm still willing to wait out to see who will dominate in the format wars. I'd like the reason for me to buy a new console to be some game that I can't play otherwise. Movies will always be second to games when it comes to these major purchases.

A dark moon is rising over Brawl...

I wish Snake's sm-ass-h move had a different camera angle.

Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations...finished!!

Wow, had to dust off my "finished" stamp for a moment there...been a while since I used it. But the Phoenix Wright trilogy is finally over for me. Throughout all 3 games, the stories have been enticing, and the numerous puns and jokes still carry with it its own brand of enjoyment. Overall, the third installment wraps up everything with a nice bow AND gives you pie ala mode with an extra helping of AWESOME STORY!!

What excites me more than these nicely (but sometimes convoluted) stories is the fact that the new Justice installment, Apollo Justice, is just around the corner. Around February's corner, that is. I'm so happy that Capcom realizes the resounding success of these courtroom/detective dramas enough to quickly bump the release of the next game so fast.

Zero Punctuation review: Silent Hill Origins

Oh yeah, lest I break apart from my weekly regime, here's Yahtzee's review of Silent Hill Origins. Personally, I've never played the series all too much, but I've heard about its scare-you-until-you-shit atmosphere and the whole when-your-radio-screeches-static-you-run-like-shit, and I'm all about a good story.

Then again, I'm all about laugh-my-ass-off reviews about games I've never played, too...

Nintendo knows what my wife likes

With just a little more than 2 weeks left until its release in Japan, the Smash Bros Dojo is running out of weeks in which to reveal new information. And, of course, if it knows any better, it wouldn't reveal any more secrets or hidden unlockables left for the player to find on its own. But you'd think they'd stop any more big reveals like new challengers.

Guess they still have more. Another challenger approaches...Oliver of Pikmin fame!

If the Animal Crossing levels doesn't appeal to her, then this squinty, chubby fellow with his mini-minions just might!

On a side note...is that Pete from Animal Crossing flying in the background??

I mean, they're both cartoon court dramas...except one's funny

Most Adult Swim shows don't really cut it for me, and I'm typically a big cartoon guy. It's just that sometimes their brand of humor is just so off-putting that it scares me what their actual audience is really like to enjoy such random mayhem.

Then there are some that gradually grows on you like some ugly strain of athlete's foot. Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law is one of those shows. And now, thanks to its popularity, it is now a game on multiple systems under the Phoenix Wright genre of courtroom drama plus detective work.

Now I haven't watched much Harvey Birdman, but I do know that he defends (successfully or terribly) popular cartoon characters of the past. And, from the game's screenshots, it looks like the game will now include video game characters into the storyline.

I'm definitely looking forward to giving this game a go, especially since I've (nearly) passed my Phoenix Wright trials (currently near the end of the third installment). Though, what will satisfy my "Objection" phase?

Patapon makes me want to lead my own eyeball army

So okay...when I fell off the PSP radar, I missed out on one of the more imaginative titles Loco Roco. Now that I have the PSP Slim and the game as a Christmas gift, I now see what I missed - an interactive, musical piece of art.

I mean, right off the bat, the music is just freakishly adorable - like "the most cutest babies trying to sing 'Silent Night'" adorable. The music in the game is just that lovable. And it only compliments the very simple-yet-fun gameplay where all you need are the top trigger buttons to tilt the world. Add in the solid and playful graphics and eyeballs on everything that moves, and you have a game so sweet you can get cavities from prolonged exposure.

My positive impressions for this game is a good sign as well, since the same people behind this is also soon releasing Patapon, a rhythmic game based on your drum beatings to lead a hodgepodge of tiny warriors into the battlefield. Seriously, we honestly need more surreal games that don't rely so much on graphics and mature content, and less of those that celebrate kicking people when they're down.

I got to level 12 AND sent the Browns to the Super Bowl!!

This is merely an observation, and shouldn't be thought about too long, but portable gaming has actually improved my...um, game.

Well, let me clarify. When I say "improve my game," I'm really saying that it has allowed me to play games that normally I would not have time to play, for one reason or another.

What are those reason? Why, I'm so glad you asked!

1. There's only one (cable-connected) TV.

Since my upgrade to an HDTV, I've taken great pains to make my gaming experience on this freakishly large screen an enjoyable one. However, it's also the only cable-connected television in the house, and, bring the considerate one in the room, I'd hate to hog it all up just for video games. I thoughtfully allow the misses to watch some TV while I whittle away a few minutes time on my DS/PSP.

Well, okay...maybe it's not all "sunshine and lollipops," but bottom-line - I cut back on TV gaming. That's not to say I don't play on it at all; only when time permits. Sometimes my wife will watch something on TV that doesn't appeal to me, so I switch on some personal games to keep me occupied.

2. I can bring my game anywhere. ANYWHERE.

All my portable entertainment is always on me wherever I go. I'd elaborate more, but just believe me that wherever I am, you can assume that my games are there with me.

3. Sleep mode is a godsend.

Trying to level up my party? Stubbornly playing some hard level over and over until I pass it? Need to run out and do some errands? No problem! Like magic, I can set my DS or PSP to sleep mode and go back at a later time to finish! Of course, I could do that with a regular console system, but because of Reason #1, it wouldn't be played as frequently.

Disgaea PSP is a perfect example of game progress. In a much smaller amount of time, I've gotten farther in that game on my PSP than on the PS2, simply because I can play it more frequently on the go.

Have any of you guys found portable gaming as your salvation?

It's been only 3 days...

For a brand new year, it's off to a slow start. First, the Smash Bros Dojo site is taking a week-long (and well-needed) break from updates for the new year. Secondly, it's Thursday. Thirdly, it's...Thursday.

I guess the double post plus update yesterday wore me off.

Zero Punctuation Review: Mario Galaxy

Oh, and don't think I didn't forget that today's Wednesday. Yahtzee's back and kicking off the New Year with his video review of Mario Galaxy. Go get your fix here and make a resolution to check out his other reviews.

My first "oops" into the New Year

Okay, my very first New Year's resolution? To never miss a post again like I did yesterday. Man, I was completely out of it yesterday. All I remember were bottles of champagne, a sea of balloons, and a fluffy cat to ring in the new year.

But seriously...in addition to the typical traditional resolutions we make each year, I have a couple of video game resolutions to propose:

1. To finish more of my already-owned games.

Not only does finishing any game that I already own is good on its own, but playing my games keeps me from buying new ones. And as of late, I'm not too good at rectifying this. Hopefully in the new year, I can be more dedicated to at least finishing the story.

2. Never get any old game at full price.

Had to change it to "old" game, since there will always be some "must have" games that I would break the rules for. But for the most part, most games undergo some sort of sale during its release week, so hopefully this will apply to new games as often, too.

We'll see how the new year pans out. What are your video game resolutions?

[UPDATE]
Forgot one more:

3. Remember...it's "resolutions," not "revolutions."

Because, y'know...as much as I love to flip around, I really should make resolutions for myself. (Thanks, shadowxeneth!)