Confirmed! Beyond Good and Evil sequel coming!

I think this year's the year for video game surprises, and one of them has to be the return of Jade in the "Beyond Good and Evil" sequel that's coming up. Sure, the trailer leaves lots to the imagination, but just seeing Pey'j in extreme detail is already giving me high hopes on what I hope will be a great continuation of the story from the first game.

Back from Japan!

Sorry for the long delay, but I'm finally back from Japan and I think all my jet lag has passed through my system. All in all, my third trip to the Land of the Rising Sun brought some goods and bads to my life:

Goods:

-Saw Shibuya with a closer eye, recognizing all familiar scenes from The World Ends With You.
-Got to check out the Tsukiji Fish Market, and ate at one of the restaurants nearby.
-Ate at a traditional ramen cart (take that, Yoshinoya!).
-Scored a copy of the Club-Nintendo-exclusive Super Mario Galaxy Soundtrack.
-Bought a white GameCube controller with its extra-long cord.
-Grabbed a paddle controller attachment for my DS, since they're so damn hard to find.
-Bought Milestone Shooter Collection for the Wii (though can't seem to get it working with my Freeloader).

Bads:

-Lost my digital camera, along with the pictures I took of Shibuya (truly sucks).
-Rained one day, directly in the middle of the trip.
-Humidity worked its dehydrating magic on all of us.
-Hotel smelled like wet Play-Doh.
-Suffered through a 50-minute train delay after a long day of walking.
-Realized halfway during the trip where the internet room was.
-Never found Super Potato, nor directions on where it was located.

There's a bunch more goods and bads, but those were the most prominent ones I remember. All in all, the trip was still a relaxing one, and has satisfied my Japanese need for now. I think the one thing that still burns me up was the whole "lost camera" incident. I mean, I took a lot of good Shibuya pictures, and was ready to write an entire post on the comparisons between the game's locations and its real-life counterparts from a first-hand experience, but all of that was lost. And despite going back to the scene of the crime 2-3 times over and checking with Information (I learned to say "Digital Camera-o nakushita," which means "I lost my digital camera" from their books department), I never found it. Maybe some tourist stole it, because I still would like to believe that Japanese people are more honest and would've turned it in.

Okay, enough of that. There's a ton of news I missed out, so I gotta get cracking on posts!

Gone to Tokyo...

Until next Wednesday, I'll be gone on a trip to Japan. Until then, updates will be halted for the time being. Everything will be back to normal after next Wednesday.

I'll bring back some goodies, hopefully, to share with you guys when I return. Until then, laters!

The World Ends With You...finished!

TWEWY was just an incredible video game binge that just took up way too much time...about 50+ hours, at least. But the story was incredible, and there's still much more to complete, so I'll just say I finished the story for now. I just hope SquareEnix will recognize the success from this small title to make another non-Final-Fantasy-based game. See, it's not so scary when you're not relying on the main franchise, is it?

Beyond Good and Evil...another sequel may appear

Beyond Good and Evil is one of the best stories out there. Sure, it's a great game, but when the story really drives you to completing it, that's something else on a whole new level. So imagine my enjoyment when I hear that its sequel has been in development for a year now, and is merely awaiting pickup from UbiSoft to really get going in production.

UbiSoft...do NOT let this game go. This is a freaken cult-following goldmine, and if you back up the developers, you will reap huge profits. Your profits will reap huge profits. And your profits' little profits will reap huge huge profits. You like money, right? Make this game happen! Jade is depending on you!!

Zero Punctuation review: Grand Theft Auto IV

It's "Lazy Wednesday" time, and Yahtzee's got his hands full with Grand Theft Auto IV. I agree with some of his thoughts about doing mindless chores, but taking people out for a drink and a movie? That's what I do when I'm not playing video games. And please take heed to his message at the end.

Wait, that email rant response was funny.

I take that back! Spam his email for all its worth!

Click the funny NSFW goodness below and enjoy!

The world ends with you...playing "The World Ends With You"

There are a few games that will completely absorb me, suck me into the interwoven and intricate gameplay mechanics that extend well beyond the boundaries normally unbroken by the common and mundane games released. Then I got my hands on SquareEnix's "The World Ends With You," or "TWEWY" around the interwebs, and I'm reminded what a good DS game is capable of.

This game has anything and everything to keep you occupied and constantly changing your preferences to obtain what you need, when you need it. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

1. No random battles: TWEWY made enemy interaction smarter and more logical. If the user wants to enter battles, they just scan and select with the stylus. Want a longer battle with more rewards? Chain more enemies. Want to select difficulty and frequency of rare items? Adjust it. There are still enemies that will pursue you on your own, but for the most part you just select your own battles.

2. Pin abilities: The abilities your character uses are tied to these pins that you collect and level up. This is like Pokemon, but without the caring for another living being. And with so many goddamn pins around, it really makes you want to search for every single one out there.

3. Battles: There's nothing anywhere like the battles you face here. Essentially, you're fighting two battles at once - one on the top screen, and one on the bottom. The top screen is handled with the D-pad, while the bottom is for the stylus. The learning curve is certainly a struggle, and if you're not comfortable at all with the top screen battling, you can set that to "auto." However, you may miss out on the ability to battle with an advantage. If you set it to a partial or all manual system, you can effectively battle on both screens at once. This makes every single battle truly a feast on the senses, since you have to multitask everywhere. The benefit from this, of course, is better control and the ability to pass this green puck back and forth, accumulating a stronger attack while maintaining this combo.

4. Touch-screen interface: The types of attacks this game offers for the different touch styles is so intuitive that it almost makes it feel like the DS was purposely made just for this game. Of course, you're prone to just stylus-mashing, but when you know exactly what you need to do, initiating attacks is a thing of beauty.

5. Setting: TWEWY gets a shitload of points alone for being an RPG not based around swords and shields all in a medieval setting. How I longed for an RPG that was based on modern times, much like Earthbound was. TWEWY delivers, and it delivers strong. Basing a game on a popular city like Shibuya with the pins and clothes as this version's "swords and shields" gives a fresh take on the typical RPG fare.

I can go on, but typing this post has steered me away from the game long enough. A word of warning, though...this game can suck you in bad. Like, "forgetting to feed your pet" bad.

The wheel's not ALL bad...

Okay, I've stayed away from reviewing this thing long enough. It's the game that's everyone's praising or hating - Mario Kart Wii.

By now, you've probably read reviews on how the Wii Wheel handles, and that half of them say to stay clear of it. The other half thinks it's an innovative feature that is an absolute must.

I'm not gonna say either of those things. All I'm gonna say is give it a try.

I treat anyone that reads my blog with a good degree of respect. No one should have to actually do anything an article says them to do. In fact, by telling people to not do something, it inversely compels them to actually go and do it. Of course, that privilege does not extend to me telling you not to jump off a bridge, only to have you actually do it.

The main point is, if you like the game, you'll give the wheel a try. Want my opinions? Here's the gist of it:

1. I was terrible at it the first time.
2. The learning curve was relatively short. I got good in about an hour.
3. It's not as sensitive as people think. I think people are just trying to jerk the wheel to the left or right severely, thinking that it would respond just as fast. It won't, so don't.

Wanna know what I didn't like?

1. Controlling motorcycles is a bit more sensitive with the wheel.
2. Sometimes hard to pull off the mini-boost after a jump (shaking the Wii-mote after a jump).
3. No resistance/support when turning.

Wanna know why I think people blame the wheel?

1. The game's Mario Kart - they're notorious for annoying AI, and annoying AI would make anyone think their controller's messed up.
2. They're not patient with the wheel (see above comment about sensitivity).
3. They suck, but don't want to admit it. A worker blames his tools.

All I'm saying is to give the wheel a shot. If you don't like it, feel free to send it my way. I need the extra one for my wife.

That's right, you heard me. My wife is a racer, and enjoys the control scheme. The only review that means something to me is my wife's, and that already says a lot.

Zero Punctuation special: Mailbag Showdown

Hey guys! Yesterday was too lazy, so I'm not so proud to bring you a "Lazy Thursday" today with Yahtzee's critique at...you - the people who wouldn't shut up about Super Smash Bros Brawl. I love the game, despite any bad reviews I've read on it. And when I mean "bad," I mean the ones that don't know how to write and bash it from a fanboy's standpoint. There's plenty of good reviews out there that point out the flaws of the game in a critical but informative manner, and Yahtzee's one of those reviewers. I mean, one of the things that makes him good is that he never uses a scoring system - something I believe is terrible and should not be relied on. I mean, really...when was the last time you asked someone for their opinions on a game, and then, when they're done, asked, "So, out of a 10, what score would you give it?" People who think he needs one misses the point of his video reviews completely, and it saddens me when Yahtzee (in this week's entry) had to explain himself on why he omits numerical scoring.

Okay, rant's over. Check out the obviously NSFW video below, and stop bugging him to review certain games. He has a job where people already tell him what to review; he doesn't need suggestions from people that don't sign his paycheck.

Need to get something off my chest...

If you're a Phoenix Wright fan, you're gonna enjoy this comic as much as I did. Bonus points for the alternative ending.

Zero Punctuation review: God of War: Chains of Olympus

You know the procedure - NSFW, funny review.

Sorry for the short post, but it just became "Lazy Lazy Wednesday." Hence, the late post. Enjoy!

GTA IV: Review of reviews

First, let's clear the air here. Yes, GTA IV is out this week. Yes, it's a great game that is getting perfect scores over its perfect scores. And yes, I still don't have an Xbox 360 or PS3 to enjoy either version, yet I'm still riding the hype wagon to the end. Remember what I've said before, about playing the game akin to doing chores? I still stand by it, but only after I try out GTA IV will I see if it's more of the same but prettier. But let's run down all the things that people have been glowing about, and then put it into perspective.

Graphics: Pretty. Next.

Gameplay: You're doing more shit. Whoopie.

Interaction: The game's so damn interactive, it makes The Sims really seem like just a game. You can watch people interact with other people without your involvement. You can do the same thing looking out your window.

Story: From what I hear, it's a much larger part. This is awesome, but at the same time implies that the last few games were lacking in telling a story. Big step up in my book, because free-roaming with no story is overdone.

Multiplayer: Didn't care with Halo, probably won't care this time. This was mostly to address people's discontent that GTA: San Andreas didn't have multiplayer. Boo-hoo.

Please do not take this post as a knock against the game. Quite the opposite - I wasn't interested in this game before, but now I am. And this was before all the perfect scores. This is more a knock on the lengthy and sometimes college-English-paper-worthy reviews. The pages of their thesaurus are probably worn by now as gaming journalists finally get to flex their "muscle."

Rockstar addressed people's issues with the last game, and came back stronger. Good for them. I'd just enjoy it more without the drama and congratulatory speeches.

The sound you hear is a load being dropped from my shoulders

Last Saturday marked the last paper I had to do for my masters. Needless to say, I'm completely relieved to find out that I completely earned my "A" and will be resuming my daily gaming blogging once more. Did you guys miss me? I know I sure have!

Zero Punctuation review: Super Smash Bros Brawl

First off, yes your eyes do not deceive - I've been MIA for the past week. Why? Remember that note a while back about me doing studying? Yeah, it's come to bite me on the ass, so you guys can just shut your pie hole and take this "Lazy Wednesday" Yahtzee post and shove it up your bum.

On a more humorous note, this week's Yahtzee's victim is the widely publicized Super Smash Bros Brawl, thanks to hordes and hordes of people spamming his mailbox to review. After all the pressure you guys put on him, it's no wonder he reviewed the game as he did. I'd hate on a game, too, if everyone was buzzing me on about it. Enjoy the NSFW hate below, you jerks.

Oh yeah, consider me MIA for the rest of the week. Saturday's when my paper's due, and after that, I will float gently into the comforting arms of Mario Kart Wii on Sunday. Later!

No head-tracking in Boom Blox, EA hates money

If you haven't figured out by now, I'm a pretty strong follower of my Wii. I enjoy the games I've played, the games I will play, and all its cool features. But when Johnny Lee (pictured above) revealed a hack that unlocks even more interactive goodness from this system, I was speechless. When he revealed that part of his innovation would be used in a future puzzle game from EA, I was floored! Then, when EA decided to pull the plug on the added feature, I was devastated.

So here's the story: Johnny Lee hacks the Wii and makes an interactive white board with just a $40 Wii-mote. He goes on to produce LED goggles and a 3D application that simulates 3D immersion via head-tracking, and says it will be a featured easter egg in EA's upcoming Boom Blox.

This was all in February when he presented this to a very-impressed audience, and to an even-more-impressed fanbase online going nuts for the culmination of commercial products and indie-innovative fame.

This was all exciting until just recently at the Nintendo Summit in San Francisco when EA decides to drop the easter egg, omitting it from the final release.

Get it? Got it? Good.

Okay...let's pick this apart for a moment, shall we?

EA announced in February (about 2 months ago) that they will incorporate it as an easter egg. Cost to EA? Practically nothing, since Lee, the one-man innovator, developed the software for all this tracking. And the $10 additional hardware? It's an easter egg - it's completely optional for the user whether they want to shell out the money for extras.

Two months pass, and they still can't get the thing to work. Or so I would like to believe. Maybe it got shoveled aside and left for dead, rotting behind the innovative ideas into making Rock Band Wii even more awesome and the concept of making MySims online. But then again, it's EA - maybe it does take them twice as long to do things than other competent companies.

Then comes the Nintendo Summit, where they officially announce that the feature will be dropped, much to the dismay of fans looking forward to trying out head-tracking in a major, albeit puzzle, game. As of this posting, there's no comment yet from Lee's blog, but I'm sure he might have a few choice words.

Why was this feature dropped? While the majority of people out there want to think that EA just doesn't like money, or that they continuously brainstorm multiple ways to screw people from quality games and features, I think there might be more to it than that. Maybe they're playing it safe; maybe implementing it will break something else in the game, and, in all fairness, the game was in development before Lee's innovation came. Another reason could be that the company doesn't want to handle the extra maintenance that may come from problems incorporating it into the game. I mean, could you imagine the extra work that would've resulted if they HAD made Rock Band Wii with downloadable content, or if MySims WAS online. Yeah, too many resources would've been wasted in making a game even more awesome.

Great job, EA...great job.

Zero Punctuation review: Condemned 2: Bloodshot

It's "Lazy Wednesday" again, and Yahtzee's reviewing Condemned 2: Bloodshot. Just a forewarning for you guys who are interested - spoilers abound. Me? I'm personally not interested in the game. That, and I don't have a Xbox 360. Yeah, I think that would cement me not playing it.

Enjoy!

Priorities

Hey everyone. Skipping today's normal post. Taxes come first, then games. I'll be back strong tomorrow - have a few gripes to share.

Disgaea Update: Finished Episode 4!!

I'm very happy to announce that I've finally broken down the wall and have completed Episode 4 in Disgaea PSP!! It took the creation of a new party member, about 2 hours of grinding to level her up, and a couple more hours to round everyone up a level or two before I took the end of Episode 4 head on.

From this point on, everything won't feel like deja vu anymore, since it's around here where I'll start tracing my steps I took last during my first go at the game. Hopefully, I'll barrel through the upcoming walls ahead.

Yeah, I know it's not a completed game, but hey...I'll take my victories when I can.

No More Heroes...finished!

Honestly, this game is heavy on swearing and tons of blood. On a Wii. If that doesn't convince you that this game's worth a try, then I don't know what will. For what it's worth, though, the overall experience was gratifying and not overbearing in its gameplay - meaning that I wasn't spending too much time idling in side quests and was always driven to play the story through.

Of course, like games before, I looked around and see if there was anything more to the game, only to find that a hard mode was unlocked (from the start, only easy and medium were available), and that there were more of these wrestler cards to collect. According to the instruction manual (which I confess to actually reading now instead of just flipping through it), the more cards I collected, the more "otaku" my room becomes. And to know it can get more "otaku"-ish is already fanning the "replay" flames.

But for now, I'm glad to have went through both endings and put another game 'neath my belt.

Mario Kart Wii and Freeloader update: It works!

So, contrary to earlier reports, the Freeloader works fine with Mario Kart Wii after all. According to NCSX, turns out the US Wii system ironically needs the 3.1U firmware update from the Super Smash Bros Brawl disc, and then your free to play an import copy of Mario Kart Wii. I'm glad to see that the Freeloader wasn't destroyed so easily, and even happier to see that not even the best gaming blogs and a certain import site are infallible.

But still...to work after an update - wasn't that the one thing they said might make the Freeloader not function?

If you're attractive, Strong Bad has a game for you!

When it comes to WiiWare news, I'm always feeling "meh" on the whole thing. Sure, I'm excited for all the potential original content that will come with it, and I'm lined up for some of the classic games, but nothing has really jumped out to me. Enter Homestar Runner.

If you don't know about Homestar Runner, then you missed out on one of the biggest internet sensations there ever was. Go on, check out their site. I recommend the Strong Bad Emails. Then when you're done, you can appreciate more the good news that they will work with Telltale Games and release Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People in episodic installments for WiiWare and the PC.

Just trust me on this - Homestar Runner is good. I'll leave it at that.

Like or hate? Comment below!

[UPDATE] Oh man, this looks just awesome. Hahaha...mode 8...

Zero Punctuation review: No More Heroes

It's "Lazy Wednesday" again, and I can't think of nothing better to do than to present you Yahtzee's review of No More Heroes - a game that, since my birthday, I have been enjoying through and through. In fact, I think this game might make me turn around and give Killer 7 another go, since maybe I was stuck in a funk when I first tried it.

In any case, check this review out. Just assume that every video from this guy is NSFW, since I'm starting to get tired stating it every time.

An April Fools "The Legend of Zelda" Trailer

Post this under "extremely late," but I finally mustered up the "courage," "wisdom," and "power" and checked out the elaborate April Fools' Joke embodied as the Legend of Zelda Trailer that IGN produced. For what it's worth, the style really spoke to me. As for the actors, their choices were questionable. Nevertheless, the entire trailer suddenly made me want to play Twilight Princess (or any other Zelda franchise) a second time around. To battle in the struggle of good verses evil, for the spectacular swordplay, or just to save a princess, the Zelda games have provided endless hours of fantasy enjoyment that, through an expensive joke, has suddenly rekindled the flame in me for this old yet simple genre.

And yes, I must admit - I replayed it a second time. What can I say? The flow of it motivated me, as should any good movie trailer should. If you want the quick-and-dirty view, check out the YouTube embed below. Otherwise, click here.

Mario Kart Wii leaves Freeloader owners in the dust

What a day to get news like this. I finally get my Wii Freeloader just yesterday in the mail, and I wake up to find that Mario Kart Wii (The Japan and Europe releases) doesn't work on US systems with the "miracle" disc. This doesn't look good for CodeJunkies...I guess anything released before Mario Kart Wii would still be good, right? At least, anything before any future Wii system updates.

Regardless, I'm not in that big a hurry to check out the game, seeing that I'll be getting it when it's released here a mere 2-3 weeks away. C'mon, people...show some patience!

The Wii Freeloader has arrived!

Expect most of my posts this week to be short and sweet ones. I have to finalize a paper on my end, and am consolidating my time for maximum efficiency.

That being said, my Wii Freeloader just came in today. Now I can have mind-numbing fun with my wife playing my Japanese GCN copy of Panel de Pon on my Wii.

Of course, the real test is when I decide to pick up a Japanese Wii import game and really see if it'll play those games properly. If so, I may have to check out Karous.

A letter to Nintendo

The following is an email I just sent to Nintendo's customer service.

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Hello Nintendo (or whoever spends the time reading these emails),

Let me first say how I've admired your products over the years, and have certainly grown with them, from the lowly days of LCD screens and Game & Watch titles, to the current generation of Wii titles. In fact, recently I purchased Super Smash Bros Brawl with much anticipation, and have been thoroughly satisfied with the game thus far.

No, no...I'm not writing in about the poor online capabilities, despite what everyone else has said. In fact, online problems really occurred about 30% of the time at worst, and I've enjoyed both random and friend play numerous times. That's not to say I don't have any issues with it at all, but I can definitely say that it has satiated my need to reach out and beat someone.

The next title I look forward to is one coming at the end of the year - Mario Kart Wii. While just the thought of racing on new tracks and with new people make me giddy with joy, the one feature I'm looking forward to is the dedicated Mario Kart Wii channel that allows users to not only find out if their friends are playing, but also room hosting and spectator mode - and to run it all without the game running? That's just pure icing on the cake.

Now...here's my question: will you do this for Super Smash Bros Brawl?

I'm sure it's come up a few times now, and I'm sure I'm not the only one to chime you guys in on the concept. I mean, with Mario Kart Wii, you'll prove that you can create an entire new channel purely dedicated to one title. Can't you potentially do this for other titles as well? Especially since these channels do not need the game in order to function properly? Not only can this be more versatile with people who already have games capable of going online, but being an external hub for people to connect is an extreme benefit. You wouldn't have to run the game every time to see if people are online and ready to play - you just run the channel and see before you waste time loading the game!

This has the potential to not only increase revenue for Nintendo titles, but also to increase the community and following towards a more robust gaming environment. Think about it...people can run a Pokemon Battle Revolution channel, or a Mario Strikers Charged channel and see in an instant if people are online.

I really don't expect a reply, but one would be very appreciated. I just merely wanted to voice my opinion on the matter, and I hope to hear more good news in the future.

Awaiting the release of Mario Kart Wii,
Willie

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I'll let you know if I get any response.

Zero Punctuation review: Army of Two...and post April Fools

So I'm presuming that all 5 of you didn't get the April Fools joke yesterday, if at all. Perhaps I wasn't really in the spirit of it all, unlike other sites...but hey, anything to publish a post, right?

As a matter of fact, most of the previous post is actual fact - well, all except the part where my wife agreed to play WoW. Boy, if both of us started and really got into it, we could've kissed our happy lives goodbye.

If you still don't get the joke, I don't play World of Warcraft. Never have, never will. But of course that's just my personal preference. If you enjoy it so much, who am I to stop you? In fact, if you enjoy it, why are you reading my blog? Yeah, that's the reason why my readership is low in numbers - my target audience apparently enjoys toiling around on a virtual landscape and slaying dragons before wanking to Jessica Alba to get to sleep.

Okay, that was a bit harsh. I really don't have anything against WoW players. I just don't understand the fascination behind the whole MMO thing. Maybe I was too drunk playing all my single-player games that I completely missed the multiplayer-online boat to god-knows-where. For that matter, couldn't MMO very well mean "minor multiplayer online" instead?

And in that weak segway, here's Yahtzee's review on Army of Two. And he was doing so well suppressing the gay jokes...

All I've to say is...WoW...

So, this is the story.

My brother is a big World of Warcraft player. Period. Very big among his fellow online friends to the point which he has become a valuable asset in any raid he participates in.

I, on the other hand, am a very console-oriented player, and I rarely get into the MMO scene. It looks too complicated and unyielding, and it looks like the environment alone would break my back.

So when my brother comes and asks me if I'd purchase WoW to try it out and even join him in a few online battles, I told him, "only when my wife decides to play, then I'll play."

Well, it appears that I'm going to play WoW. See, the thing is, my wife's brother is also a bit WoW player, and I guess she's been getting the same pressure from him as I was getting from my brother. She just called me today about it, telling me that she agreed to try it out, so I guess I'm going to load the trial copies after work and see what all the fuss is about.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl...finished!

Definitely overdue by about a week, I'd say, but I've unlocked all characters, all stages, and finished the single player mode with 100%. Sure, I haven't finished all of the missions yet, but this seems good enough. I've even battled online - with friends and random people - and have been the spectator to random matches for countless hours. I think this "finished" stamp is well deserved.

Play dumbboy, play!

For a movie with a title "Run Fatboy, Run," I wasn't expecting much when I watched it yesterday...even if it did star Simon Pegg. But the movie delivered, and I enjoyed it. (If you're a Simon Pegg fan, I definitely recommend this movie.) One of the things mentioned in the movie, though, was the fact that all runners, at one point or another, may "hit the wall," where their body shuts down and forces them to not run anymore. And I can't help but think that I ran into that same "wall" when I was trying to play some Disgaea over the weekend.

This has been an on-going battle that I've been doing for a while now, and I've successfully made it to the point at which I "hit the wall" in my last attempt (my third attempt) on the PS2 version. So, with my rag-doll team of built-up characters, I went headstrong into battle...only to get my ass handed back to me on a silver platter.

I ran into the wall again.

It's all happened to us gamers at one point or another - you face a seemingly unbeatable boss, you backtracked a map for the nth time, you collected 200 of the 250 collectible items...and you had enough. It's funny that what QA people deem just another day at work can be assumed to be common fare with the typical gamer. The key difference is, we buy games because we want to play, not because we have to play. And we won't get fired for not finishing the game.

For me, I just put the game aside, wait a while, and then go back into it, hopefully less frustrated and bothered. Most of the time, it's made the difference between a game being left to collect dust and a game that will be completed. And, with my 4th attempt, I'm hoping to do this with Disgaea.

Have you guys ever had games where you've "hit the wall"?

Zero Punctuation review: Zack and Wiki

Lazy Wednesday is here, and it hits hard. This week, Yahtzee's reviewing a game that I really enjoyed and have commented before - Zack and Wiki. So check out the NSFW video below!

An apology about the excess of Brawl posts

In truth, when I say a game is never gonna leave my system, I'm actually saying that the game will probably be left standing when the console's cycle has expired. It's clear that I will eventually unlock all there is to unlock in Super Smash Bros Brawl, that I will have finally played all I can play from it - but in actuality, it will be put aside when newer content arrives.

Don't get me wrong - I'm still crazy for the game. And I will not back down from any challenge, whether it's from friends or online. But when other more important things come up, it disappears into the background, no question. It's times like these where I really cherish the Spectator mode, allowing me to randomly view matches as if it was a dedicated channel just to show people playing. In some small way, it makes me happy to see how many people have stuck behind such a simple concept as bringing in characters from a wide array of games and bringing them together in such harmony.

The relevation sorta came from this past weekend, when I popped in No More Heroes to show some friends what the game was all about. After having some fun taking down enemies, I realized how much I enjoyed the game and how I still haven't finished it. But why? Did I get tired of the mechanics? Were the graphics putting a visual damper to my eyes? Was the story starting to wear thin? That's when I took off my "brawl" goggles and stepped back at the larger picture.

Like my site, I believe my gaming scope has narrowed squarely on this one game more than anything else. And probably like you guys, I'm starting to get sick of it. Not in a bad way, mind you...but there's something called "moderation" that I should pay attention to.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'll try to minimize all things "brawl" related. I'm sure you guys get enough from all the other gaming sites more dedicated to this game than mine, and I want to keep mine more open to the broader scope of games.

That being said, there are still a few other games that I'll be looking forward to, plus the day-to-day grind of what the fuck's up with the gaming industry, and you can be sure I'll post whatever's on my mind.

Brawl Pic of the Week: Pikachu GOOOOOOAL!!

I enjoy - no, revel the moments when I learn of new things in games. Especially those things where they probably have mentioned it once in the instruction manual, but I never read the instruction manual, so it seems new to me when I discover it myself.

What was this probably painfully obvious thing I discovered? The ability to save the replay for online battles. Awesome.

I mean I knew you could save replays. I just didn't know I can also save those from online random battles.

Of course, I wish I could post them up here, but I did the next best thing - I took a snapshot of one KO I did. The situation in the above pic depicts this: I (Luigi) was performing my rocket torpedo move to get back to the level, and I inadvertently knocked a soccer ball, which soared at a 45-degree angle engulfed in flames straight towards Pikachu's face. Needless to say, the impact knocked the pwned pokemon out of the stadium.

The "Brawl Ban" is TKOed

For anyone that's interested in brawling online with me, here is my Brawl code:

2578-2791-2464

Remember to post your own Brawl code in the comments, in order for us to view each other!

And speaking of Brawl, since the game's release, I've finally lifted the ban I self-imposed on viewing other gaming blogs. I swear, it's like taking a nice deep breath of fresh air all of a sudden.

Finally, as a closer to all my Brawl talk for the week, here are a few choice web comics glorifying the whole Super Smash Bros Brawl scene. Enjoy!

Requiem for a Rat
Snakes on a Link
Generation Gap
Kirby Hats
Going Online (yeah, not entirely about Smash Bros, but we all can relate...)

Guitar Hero on Tour for the DS. Really?

Speaking of Guitar Hero, have you guys seen the media on Guitar Hero on Tour for DS? The peripheral alone makes it feel more like an "Accordion Hero" than a guitar, and its 4-button control scheme rules out the hardcore Expert mode from the game. Either that, or Expert mode now will just be a more intense Medium mode.

Call me a skeptic, but hasn't this franchise suffered enough? I mean, Rock Band's pretty much trumped them in every way, and things have gone downhill since their poor release of Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80s. Of course, they could have taken a better path...something along the lines of a Guitar Hero all on Pop, Alternative, or even Ballads. Nope. They figured if a decade doesn't rake in the dough, a game based on one single band should.

By the way, Rock Band just launched a new Music Store in-menu that will potentially allow users to download full albums of songs to play. But go ahead, Activision - I'm sure everyone would want to play songs from one band. They already just listen to one band at a time nowadays, right?

Radio? What's a radio?

Hey! Welcome back, Guitar Hero 3!

Oh wow! Totally forgot about this. About 2-3 weeks ago, I sent out my Guitar Hero 3 for the Wii out to be replaced because of audio problems, and just yesterday I got my replacement. After 1-2 songs, I guess I hear a difference. At the very least, it sounds more like it fills the room rather than a direct output on one side.

No matter. Out it goes, in goes Brawl.

Zero Punctuation review: Turok

Hey, lookie here - it's Lazy Wednesday again!! And you know what that means...

It's time for another round of pin-the-tail-on-the-squirrel!!

After you guys do that, check out this week's Zero Punctuation for a lesson on what not to do in a first person shooter. Enjoy the NSFW video!

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.