Wii Rally

Sonic Unleashed had my attention when I read ‘Sonic.’ Having played my fair share of Sonic titles, I can’t help but to love this fast, adorable hedgehog. But Sonic Unleashed looked to be a different beast(no pun intended!) than the other Sonic titles I cherished. Would this new game mechanic add or deter from the whole Sonic game experience? Yes and no. I’ll explain.

But first the premise of Sonic Unleashed is pretty simple. Sonic and Eggman are battling it out when Eggman sets off an explosion that knocks Sonic to a world that has been torn apart. It’s all Eggman’s fault that Sonic has these two ‘personalities’ and the world is literally ripped apart. Sonic sets out in search of answers and for help. He visits town folk and to gather the lost chaos emeralds to set everything right again.

First Sonic Unleashed is really two games in one. During the day you have regular fast Sonic but at night you have Sonic the werewolf. At night you fight creatures and are much slower. It must be all the extra fur slowing Sonic down. During the day it’s the Sonic I know and love as he rushes through streets collecting rings and knocking down obstacles in his way. At night Sonic is slower and the game definitely seems more platform as you roam around searching for the chaos emeralds that will advance you in the game.

The scenery in Sonic Unleashed is much more rich and vibrant that I remember in previous Sonic worlds. The added storytelling and limited role playing elements add to the fun of the game. Learning to control Sonic will take a few minutes since you will have to play through basically two tutorials - one for day time and one for night time. It’s a little tedious but necessary and could be a turnoff for true Sonic fans who just like to run and jump(like me).

Overall, Sonic Unleashed was entertaining and if you can rent it then do so. It’s definitely one to rent and then decide if it’s worth buying.

Harmonix is releasing 20 new tracks for Rock Band. These are available through the Rock Band store and cost 200 Wii points each($2).

Here is a list of the songs -

Jane’s Addiction - “Up the Beach”
Jane’s Addiction - “Ocean Size”
Jane’s Addiction - “Had a Dad”
Jane’s Addiction - “Ted, Just Admit It…”
Jane’s Addiction - “Standing in the Shower…Thinking”
Jane’s Addiction - “Summertime Rolls”
Jane’s Addiction - “Idiots Rule”
Jane’s Addiction - “Jane Says”
Jane’s Addiction - “Thank You Boys”
Jane’s Addiction - “Pig’s in Zen”
Megadeth - “Wake Up Dead”
Megadeth - “The Conjuring”
Megadeth - “Devil’s Island”
Megadeth - “Good Mourning/Black Friday”
Megadeth - “Bad Omen”
Megadeth - “I Ain’t Superstitious”
Megadeth - “My Last Words”
Megadeth - “Sleepwalker”
The Police - “Truth Hits Everybody”
Oasis - “Don’t Look Back in Anger”

Two video game powerhouse franchises are coming together. The teams of LEGO and Rock Band are joining forces to bring LEGO Rock Band to the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 for Christmas 2009.

Players will get to experience Rock Band from a different perspective. This game brings the fun and customization of the LEGO franchise to Rock Band. Venues, characters, stages, and everything else will have the LEGO touch. This game will be family friendly. Here’s a few of the songs:

Blur: “Song 2”
Carl Douglas: “Kung Fu Fighting”
Europe: “The Final Countdown”
Good Charlotte: “Boys and Girls”
Pink: “So What”

Two new games at the Wii Shop this week. A Sega classic is added to the catalog as well as a defense strategy WiiWare title.

WiiWare

CRYSTAL DEFENDERS R1 - E for Everyone - 800 Wii Points - 1 player - It is your job to protect your party’s crystals from the encroaching monsters. To do this, you can several different units you can deploy like soldiers and black mages to carry out the mission. When all of your crystals are gone, it’s game over.

Virtual Console

Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair - E for Everyone - 900 Wii Points - 1-2 players - As Leo, you are racing against the clock to save the town of Xenobia that is under attack. Use your sword and jump attach to thwart the enemy and save the day. There are also powers ups to increase your health and your time.

Gamestop CEO Dan DeMatteo has some advice for the big three console makers: drop your prices. Although the gaming industry has been somewhat ‘recession-proof,’ DeMatteo believes that a drop in console prices will ensure that it will stay that way.

DeMatteo says that Nintendo may want to consider lowering the price of the Wii since component parts are cheaper and Nintendo makes more money off each console.

For the month of March, only the Xbox 360 saw an increase in sales from the previous March sales.

DeMatteo’s comments were from CNBC. He also mentioned that Nintendo has told him to clear a lot of shelf space this Christmas season as Nintendo is planning to release a “key property.”

Maybe we will learn more about this key property at the E3 Expo. It does sound intriguing, though.

Soon we will know just exactly how the Wii MotionPlus will enhance game play. A June release date has been set for the accessory and there’s new when to expect Wii Resort, too.

June 8th, 2009 is the date when the Wii MotionPlus will be available. The Wii MotionPlus will retail for $19.99 and is suppose to improve motion detection for the Wiimote. Of course a game will have to be designed to use the Wii MotionPlus so current games will not support it.

The much anticipated Wii Sports Resort is due to be released July 26, 2009. The game will cost $49.99 and comes with a Wii MotionPlus. Wii Sports Resort is designed to use the Wii MotionPlus. It’s the follow-up to Wii Sports and is set on a tropical island where players can take part in games like disc dog, Sword Play, and Power Cruising.

Two new games available at the Wii Shop this week. Another classic comes to the Wii while a swashbuckling party game makes it on WiiWare.

WiiWare

Party Fun Pirate - E for Everyone - 500 Wii Points - 1-4 players - Based on the Pop-up Pirate toy, players take turns thrusting their swords into a barrel that holds their captain. Be careful that you don’t knife your captain. If you do, then he will shoot out of the barrel. The player to stick their sword into the barrel the most times wins the game.

Virtual Console

Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure - T for Teen - 800 Wii Points - 1 player -
In this side scrolling adventure, you play Pitfall Harry, Jr. who in search of his father Pitfall Harry who has been taken captive by the warrior spirit Zakelua: Lord of Evil. Harry can only rely on his slingshot and his father’s journal as he trenches through 13 levels on his journey.

After playing my fair share of party games for the Wii, I’ve come to a conclusion. These games are fun for a few days. Then they stay on the shelf collecting dust. So I’ve decided not to buy any more party games for a while if ever again.

The next Boom Blox game is a party game that will be released soon. Although I love Boom Blox, with the word ‘party’ in its title makes me leery of it.

My hope is that the new Wii MotionPlus will bring some sensitive control to party games. That’s my biggest complaint is that the same flicker of the Wiimote can toss a coin, ball, shoot hoops, and more. I can do basically the same movement for most games. So instead of having 40 party games, I really have five. Or at least five different moves I have to perform to play the games.

If the Wii MotionPlus doesn’t help with this problem with party games, then I may never buy another one again for the Wii.

With all the release of the DSi and the first DSiWare games, it seemed the week would all be about the new handheld. But there are a couple of new games to the Wii Shop - one WiiWare and one Virtual Console.

WiiWare

EQUILIBRIO™ -Rated E -500 Wii Points - 1-4 players- Finish a level by rolling the ball to the exit using the Wiimote or the Wii balance board.

Virtual Console

Uncharted Waters: New Horizons - Rated E- 800 Wii Points - RPG -
Choose from six characters then set sail across the ocean in this simulation game that is all about making new discoveries and visiting exotic ports.

Have you gotten your DSi yet? Did you show up at midnight on Sunday(morning) to get your hands on one? Me neither although I really would like one. The DSi comes in either black or blue. Those aren’t my colors so I will have to wait until something more to my liking is available.

I did do some shopping Sunday and noticed the new DSi’s on sale. It looked like they had plenty in stock. They also had plenty of DS Lites. I have a feeling that hardcore gamers will be buying the DSis or at least until the DS Lite is no longer for sale.

Today six DSiware games are now available for download -

Nintendo DSi Browser (Nintendo, 1 player, 0 Nintendo DSi Points):Powered by Opera, this web browser lets DSi owners get the most from their system.

Bird & Beans™ (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 200 Nintendo DSi Points): Play Pyoro, a small bird with a huge appetite for beans. Catch falling beans and see how many points you can score.

Master of Illusion™ Express: Funny Face (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 200 Nintendo DSi Points): These are magic tricks that are pulled from the DS game.

Art Style™: AQUIA™ (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Nintendo DSi Points): Dive into Art Style: AQUIA, a fast-paced underwater puzzle game .

WarioWare™: Snapped! (Nintendo, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief, 500 Nintendo DSi Points): Wario™ returns with more mini-games. Warioware uses the DSi built-in camera in some of its very manic games.

Brain Age™ Express: Math (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Nintendo DSi Points): Give your brain a workout with a focus on math in this latest Brain Age title.

After play Boom Blox and loving it months ago, I finally broke down and bought it. I kept thinking that this game was bound to get cheaper than $40. I expect a price drop Monday since I went ahead and paid full price for it.

Still I love this game even though I thought I would just hate it. It’s worth $40 and there is a sequel coming out one of these days.

When I got Boom Blox, my husband got Fallout 3 that he has been playing for 6 hours straight. So this morning before he woke up I did get to play Boom Blox for about 10 minutes before housework and other daily chores got in the way.

I’m glad I bought Boom Blox instead of going with a completely new game. Sometimes those can be nothing but a big disappointment.

Next week is a big week for Nintendo as they are getting ready to launch the new Nintendo DSi. Do you have yours pre-ordered? Neither do we. Who needs another DS when we have a Wii? There are two new games at the Wii Shop. One is a simulation game while the other is a classic fighting game.

WiiWare

Bonsai Barber (Nintendo, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone-Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points) - The villages want the latest styles in foliage. Each day you have five customers arrive and it’s up to you to cut, trim, and style their unique do. Customers have different temperaments so keeping everyone happy could be a challenge within itself.

Virtual Console

Super Punch-Out!! (Super NES™, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points) - This sequel to the NES game brings back the beloved and comical fighter Little Mac. As he returns to the ring to face opponents like Super Macho Man and Bear Hugger, Little Mac is vying for the World Video Boxing Association belt. See if you can spot the fighting patterns to exploit them and help Little Mac become victorious in his quest.

New games are released each Monday to the Wii Shop. Beginning next week, there will also be released Nintendo games for the DSi available through the new Nintendo DSi shop. The DSi is an updated version of Nintendo’s DS with enhanced features like digital cameras and audio playback.

Wii points can either be bought at a local gaming store or online through the Wii Shop. 100 points equals $1. Most games range from 500 Wii points to 1500 Wii points.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announces an expansion of the Virtual Console. Now Wii gamers will have new choices when it comes to classic games.

Virtual Console Arcade will feature arcade games that aren’t released for other console systems. Games that have been released so far are:

STARFORCE
Mappy
Gaplus
Tower of Druaga

More titles are forth coming. That extra storage from high capacity SD cards will come in handy for those who download these arcade games. These classic arcade games give those nostalgic gamers just another option when it comes to playing video games on the Wii.

If you are like me and are collecting quite a few WiiWare/Virtual Console games, then you probably have some on your SD card. But you might be running out of room on the 1G or 2G card. This week Nintendo announced at the GDC that now Wii owners can download content directly to high capacity SD cards in addition to SD memory cards.

Wii owners can also launch games directly from the SD card. There will need to be an equivalent amount of internal memory to run the program. This new feature will be available in the latest Wii updates. You will be able to use them once you have downloaded the updates.

This is a step in the right direction to give Wii owners more storage options. Now if Nintendo would only release a Wii hard drive.

My Wii Fit is probably wondering where I’ve been lately. I know I have missed it but just have a problem getting back on track once I’ve fallen off of it.

Wii Mommies is a community for those who love the Wii and are using it to get in shape. They have Twitter parties and other fun stuff to help keep members on track. I’m afraid I may be hopeless. Not unless drive to your house and physically get in your face until you exercise. Now that type of support is what I really need.

Anyway I’m looking forward to exploring the website/forums to get motivated again.