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

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.

It’s Video Thursday once again and like the title says today we are featuring some video reviews from GameTrailers.com. Don’t get me wrong I like print reviews just fine but I find it infinitely easier to understand what a reviewer is talking about if I can see it at the same time. With that said I bring you reviews of two Wii games which came out recently. Sonic and the Secret Rings by Sega and EA Big’s SSX: Blur. Interesting side note regarding SSX: Blur. All my sources retail and otherwise are telling me that SSX: Blur is out already but EA’s website and various other publications are telling me that the game will be out on March 15th. So either EA didn’t bother to announce the date change or every retailer broke the street date and no one cared.

Grab a cup of tea maybe a few cookies sit back and enjoy. Maybe you will decide which games to try out this weekend.

Sonic and the Secret Rings: GT Review

SSX: Blur GT Review

Don’t forget to hit the jump for this weeks Bonus Round (more…)

Let the engines roar, the nitro spray and the trucks fly. I recently spent some time with ExciteTruck and I must say I have been having a blast. ExciteTruck is nowhere near as deep as say Burnout or Need For Speed but who cares. Sure there’s not much to unlock and realists won’t appreciate the trucks flying 200 feet through the air and the terrain morphing right before your eyes but therein lies the fun. Taken at face value ExciteTruck is probably the Wiis finest driving title to date. Anybody can enjoy this title all you have to do is hit the gas tilt the WiiMote to steer and away you go.

Even casual gamers can achieve an “S” rank on the first course with only one try. Not to say that the game is lacking in challenge once you get past the Bronze Cup races the game progresses nicely. There is a slight learning curve, it will take you about two or three races before you’re launching yourself high into the air. While playing the later tracks I realized the only way to gain ground on the race leader was to launch off jumps and land perfectly gaining a small boost. Master this technique and you will unlock “Super Excite” mode before you can say “Waaaaahooo!”

As soon as the Wii was announced people were speculating about one game that would truly showcase the console’s unique controls, that game was Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. As the game debuted around the world it shot up the software sales charts before finally landing in the number 2 spot right behind Capcom’s sci-fi shooter Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. Yes I must admit even I was anxious to try out its quirky gameplay for myself. Well after spending just over a week with it I’m going to say that I am incredibly thankful I didn’t shell out 59.99 CDN$ for this “fun for five minutes� micro game-a-palooza.

Wario Ware: Smooth Moves is exactly that, fun for about five minutes after which it becomes repetitive, insignificant and just plain dull. I completed the main story mode in about two hours, without even breaking a sweat. To be honest I found Brain Age to be more of a challenge than any of the micro games found in WW: SM. There is some redemption to be found in the multiplayer but after playing with my friends they were asking for Wii Sports after about 20 minutes. I did spend a bit of time playing darts with my buddy but after a couple games we began to look for ways to change the settings, trying to add more difficult mechanics like, doubling out or increasing the score, alas there was none to be found; just straight up 301 first to 0 wins….. “Yawn�.

Yes it is a good effort to showcase the fun of playing the Wii but defiantly not worth the full retail price even for a party game. I recommend giving it a go but save some money and give it a rent, trust me you will see everything that WW: SM has to offer before it’s even due back at the rental store.