Wii Rally

*Note* This game has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB and should not be played by anyone under the age of 17 for more information about ESRB and their rating please visit http://www.esrb.org

There are some ignorant people out there (fanboys mostly) that would have you believe that the Wii is just for kids. Well The Godfather: Blackhand Edition is definitely not for kids or adults that happen to be pacifists. From the opening cut scene to the final mission blood, guns and barehanded assaults are never in short supply

This game is essentially a Wii-make having already been released for Windows, Xbox(360) and PS2 there is also a special “Don’s Edition” for PS3. What’s unique about the “Blackhand Edition” is of course the Wiis unique motion controls which have been integrated nicely I might add.

I did find the precision aiming a little wonkey and insensitive which seems to be common among most Wii games especially those made by a certain french developer which I will not name. The Godfather has a “lock-on” targeting system so the precision aiming didn’t get much use so I can’t really penalize EA for that.

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I love cooking it’s strictly a hobby though that being said Cooking Mama: Cook Off comes relatively close to translating most of the actions and movements it takes to make any number of dishes into waves, thrusts and pounds of the Wii Remote.

Sporting a slight learning curve it will take you a couple attempts to get the precise motion the Wii Remote is looking for but once you do the challenge really drops off. Once I unlocked all 55 recipes I moved on to the Food and Friends mode where you are pitted against the AI to best them in the making of their countries signature dishes. Yes it is satisfying when you school the Japanese friend at making some delicious Sushi or the Russian friend at some yummy perogies the satisfaction only comes from my assumption that Russians should make the best perogies.

Where Cooking Mama really shines is the multiplayer mode where you can take on your real friends to see who can make the tastiest dish in the shortest amount of time.
Now this game isn’t going to turn you into the next Emeril Lagasse but it will have you shouting “BAM!” as you prove to your friends that you are one galloping gourmet.

Last week Wii Rally took a look at Thrustmaster’s Wii Remote cover the T-Protect (link) This week we take a look at the T-Care and the T-Charge also from Thrustmaster, first up the T-Care.

I must say that the T-Care doesn’t really do much besides Hold your Wii Remote and nunchuck while looking good but then again that is its purpose. Coming in stylish “Wii white” and sporting a nice large compartment for your Nunchuck you can place it right on your coffee table without worrying about troublesome wires.

I did find that the Wii Remote didn’t fit perfectly into place while it was sporting a T-Protect but that seems to be the only flaw. What do you do if you have two Wii Remotes unfortunately the T-Care only come in the single model so you will have to buy a second one or you can pick up a T-Charge

Bottom Line

Pros:
Large Nunchuck compartment
Colour matches the Wii
Nice design.

Cons:
Doesn’t work well with the T-Protect
Only holds one Wii Remote and nunchuck

I wouldn’t say that Wii Remotes gobble batteries but they do like to snack on them. Since I heard that the Wii Remote would be devoid of any DS/GBA SP like charging mechanism I have been on the hunt for a decent battery solution. The T-Charge is an adequate solution to this problem.

The T-Charge looks exactly like the T-Care only sporting a sexy black paint job instead of the white found on the T-Care. Built into the stand is a battery charger which connects via USB to the back of your Wii console. No putting this one on your coffee table unless you have really smart children or pets. If you happen to trip of this wire not only will you pull the T-Charge from it’s resting place but there’s a good chance your Wii will come crashing to the floor as well. I find that the best place for the T-Charge is right next to the Wii itself.

I was surprised that you can only power the charge unit via USB instead of your standard AC plug meaning that the T-Charge must be kept in close proximity to the Wii. The charge time is decent however it takes about 5 to 6 hours to fully charge batteries. When batteries are placed in the charger located at the back of the holder a blue LED located on the front of the unit lights up letting you know that the batteries are charging. Once the batteries are charged the blue LED begins to flash notifying you to remove the batteries.

The best thing about the T-Charge is that it comes with four yes FOUR Thrustmaster rechargeable batteries. Thrustmaster’s reason behind this is that you never have to stop playing to wait for batteries. You can play while you other batteries are charging. Again this functionality kind of takes a hit when you own more that one Wii Remote.

Bottom Line

Pros:
Batteries included
Quick charge time
Sleek look

Cons:
Powered by USB only
Not available in white
Doesn’t work well with the T-Protect

Both these entries are extremely solid with only a few drawbacks. If you are looking for something to hold several Wii Remotes or a battery pack solution then keep looking but if you just want to save money on batteries then the T-Charge is an ideal solution. If space is problem for you the T-Charge and T-Care may fit well into your gaming environment. Oh and did I mention that they look stylish? I did? OK then well I’ll say it again they really do look cool and match the Wii nicely. You can also buy a combo package containing a T-Charge and a T-Care aptly named the T-Charge+.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Thrustmaster’s Marketing Manager Winn Keaten for providing these items to Wii Rally so that I can review them for all of you out there. For more information on Thrustmaster visit their website at www.thrustmaster.com If you missed it don’t forget to check out Wii Rally’s review of the T-Protect available here

Anybody who has read Wii Rally long enough or happens to know me in person knows that there is one thing in this world that I hate more than clowns, spiders, those costumed guys at theme parks and waiting in line all rolled into one. That one thing is Final Fantasy.

Now in all honesty I have no gripe with any particular game in the series or one of it’s many many many spin offs. My problem is with Final Fantasy itself. Pretty much anything with the name Final Fantasy on it draws my loathsome ire despite what positive points any sort of product bearing the name would have. I’ll tell you why, to put it simply Final Fantasy is indicative of exactly what is wrong with the video game industry. Reports have started to surface about Square-Enix’s list of titles to be published in 2007 among this list are ten yes I said TEN games bearing the Final Fantasy name . I’m sorry but to me this does not project an image of the innovation and progress that has made this industry great. All I see is a bunch of SquEnix COs literally beating a dead horse till brains leak about the sides and it looks more like a deformed llama than the epic tale of the Heroes of Light that saved this once great company from a terrible end.

Just because a game is a success doesn’t mean that there is a reason to create a sequel, spin off or remake. Not since the cheesy slasher flicks of the eighties has series numeration risen to such absurd levels. In this age of Tony Hawk 8 Final Fantasy 13s Dynasty Warriors 8 and Test Drive Unlimited (the one that got so high they lost count). I lament that even new ideas and IPs are being subjected to what I call the “trilogy treatment” this can be seen with the Halo series and even though nothing has been officially announced Gears of War.

Now games that have dropped the enumeration are no better. Sure you’ve got your Madden’s and your NHL/MLB/FIFA/NBA/NCAA/MLS/XYJ ‘0whatever but those are sports titles and it’s part of the simulation to have the most up to date rosters even though any real fan would tell you that the games are always a season behind. But do we really need 6 Burnout titles and over 15 entries in the Need for Speed series?

What has happened to the innovation and the desire to create new and fantastic worlds, monsters and characters the likes of which nobody has ever seen. I know that it is unfair to take out my frustration on a particular series like I often do with Final Fantasy but the name in itself inspires great rage due to a childhood incident involving the Never Ending Story. In my humble yet serious opinion this needs to stop and soon or games will lose much of their magic and credibility as a medium.

I’m sorry for writing an entire post without mentioning the Nintendo Wii but what good is soapbox like this if you can’t use it shout from the rooftops every once in awhile.

Guillemot owned peripheral maker Thrustmaster has some accessories on the market to pimp out your Wii, today Wii Rally focuses on the T-Protect.

The T-Protect is a silicon sleeve for your Wii Remote and nunchuck combo. It is designed to give you more of a grip on the Wii Remote and accent it with style. What sets the T-Protect apart from similar products on the market is that the T-Protect is designed to absorb shock it’s actually a couple millimeters thicker than the basic colour sleeves you can buy anywhere. So if you’re a butter fingers that is constantly dropping the Wii Remote or you like to live dangerously and forgo the suggested wrist strap then the T-Protect may help you get a little more mileage out of your Wii Remote, until you send it through your nice new TV because you’re too manly to listen to warnings.

The T-Protect comes in too colours black and white it’s surprising that Thrustmaster didn’t go with any other colours considering the success of sites like Decal Girl or the simple joy people get out of customizing their Wii Remote. I got my girlfriend a pink sleeve for her Wii Remote and she’s never been happier. I was a bit skeptical about the white T-Protect considering how the Wii Remote on it’s own seems to gather a greasy form of filth during particularly sweaty sessions of Zelda:TP. The T-Protect did not stop this occurrence but the sleeve itself remained clean while the gunk stayed on Wii Remote.

The T-Protect does fit comfortably in your hand and doesn’t add much weight to the Wii Remote but when you’ve been playing video games as long as I have sometimes something wrapping around your controller just feels “wrong”. I prefer the smooth texture of the original Wii Remote casing but if your worried about one day dropping your controller and having it smash in into pieces on your nice hard wood floor. You can spend thousands of dollars installing carpet in your game domain or dish out 9.99$ for a T-Protect.

I’m not a big fan of Wii Remote sleeves but if you are really looking to buy one for protection’s sake than the T-protect is probably is the strongest and best value for your money.

Bottom Line

Pros:
Comfortable
Protects your controller
Doesn’t get dirty.

Cons:
Only comes in two colours
Can feel “wrong” for seasoned gamers
Won’t protect loved ones from injury.

The first question that comes to mind is “Why does this even exist?”.

Nintendo surprised Wii owners on Wednesday by releasing a new piece of software via the Wii Shop channel. The Everybody Votes channel is the first piece of stand alone software that has been issued for the Wii. Talk about tripping right out of the gate. Sure the concept seems intriguing, vote in national and world wide polls and my favorite part see the results. Sorry I’m about to pee in my pants I’m so excited about looking at statistics and the prospect of finding out how many Wii owners prefer chocolate over flowers. The Everybody Votes channel seems like a sad attempt at one of those “The whole family can play things” just excecuted very poorly. I mean they could have at least made it fun to use. Trust me it’s about as exciting as browsing the Wii Shop Channel.

As dull as it may be the Everybody Votes channel is totally free. Nintendo makes you go jump through a few hoops in the form of a system update and a trip to the Wii Shop channel to download the actual application. It is nice to see that Nintendo is at least playing with the idea of linking consoles by a means other tha the friend codes we all love to input.