 As many of you may know, the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show is going on in Las Vegas. At this show, the electronics manufacters gather together and show off their new products. Among the exhibitors there, one of them caught my eye, Se2 Labs and their ITC One product.
The ITC One is a strange combination of...
- Microsoft Xbox 360
- Your choice of a Nintendo Wii or an Xbox 360 HD DVD Player (adds $450 or $300 onto the cost of the system, respectively)
- Your choice of a DirecTV, Dish Network, or Comcast High-Definition DVR
- Bryston Digital Sound Processor
- ICEpower D-Class Amplifiers
- Internal subwoofer amplifier
- Transparent Cable Power Conditioning
- iPod Dock
All for the low low (base) price of $25,000!!!
Goddamn! That's some pretty high end shit in there, and it's by far the best "home theater in a box" I've ever seen, but damn, it's excessive!
What's more is that according to Siliconera, you can't remove the Wii and get access to the Gamecube ports on the top of the system. Also, I have another important question about that ITC One. What happens when you get the infamous Red Ring Of Death?
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 It's the end of the year, so that means that every self respecting video game site (or any site in general) must put out top 10 lists. Next-Gen.biz has done one that I thought was a pretty good read for the top 10 blunders of the year, and get this: I actually agree with the list completely! Read on for the list and my comments:
10. The Non-Elite Elite (Microsoft's release of the Xbox 360 Elite):
Makes sense that it's a blunder because Microsoft only painted the 360 black, put an HDMI port on it, and threw a larger hard drive in there for the Elite. The did nothing else with it really. No HD DVD playback or built in wireless. Far from "Elite" in my book.
9. This Heading Guaranteed 100% Free of Wii Puns (Nintendo not producing enough Wii systems to meet consumer demand)
This is definitely a bad move on Nintendo's part. It's been one year and I've only seen a Wii in stock at a store only a few times since the launch. Come on Nintendo, step your game up.
8. We've Got A SKU Just For You! (Sony's new models)
I don't know that it was exactly a blunder, but it was a boneheaded move on Sony's part. All those PS3 models confuse the consumer. Especially considering they criticiczed Microsoft for the same thing when the 360 came out two years ago (dang, has it really been that long). I also had to laugh at this quote in the article: "Given the current rate of hardware revisions and Sony's stated goal of a 10-year console cycle, there will be no fewer than 40 PlayStation 3 models by the time the platform retires. As each model cuts features, analysts expect the final version to be just a stylish, shiny black box that does nothing more than take tens and twenties in through the disc slot." Now you all know I'm a Sony fan, but that is undeniably hilarious. I also laughed at the comparison chart's bottom row.
7. Surprise! Zombies! (The VP of Microsoft Game Studios' big secret is not so secret.)
As with the article I linked to, I just need to reprint the whole exchange between Microsoft's Shane Kim and Game Informer magazine. There's really no other way to explain it:
Kim: I think one of the most important, subtle announcements at the Xbox 360 briefing is that Resident Evil is coming to Xbox 360. Yes, it's from Capcom, who's been a great supporter of us.
GI: But we knew that two years ago.
Kim: What?
GI: Resident Evil. It was shown at TGS two years ago.
Kim: No, but coming to Xbox 360.
GI: Yeah. It was at the press event.
Kim: I don't think so.
GI: I'm positive. I was there.
Kim: Really?
GI: It was shown at both press conferences.
Kim: That RE5 was coming to…?
GI: Yep.
Kim: I'm going to have to confirm that. That was supposed to be the big announcement.
Comedic GOLD! What an announcement there Shane!
6. Sony Exec Offers to Buy PS3s (Jack Tretton offers $1200 for unbought PS3s)
Basically, the story goes that current president of SCEA, Jack Tretton, said in a January interview with EGM that he would offer $1200 to anyone who can find a PS3 that has been on store shelves for more than 5 minutes. Well, the guys behind the popular webcomic Penny Arcade (in b4 WHY AM I SO BALD?!) did a little investigating and found that Sony now owes them $13,200 since they found 11 units unsold. Great move Jack, great move. The article also mentions some of his other quotes this year, in specific comparing the Wii to a lollipop, the 360 to a bad chef who you might get sick from, and the PS3 to a steak dinner. But my favorite Tretton quote has to be: "I would like my car to fly and make me breakfast, but that's an unrealistic expectation." which was referring to the backwards compatibility of the PS3. I think that Jack Tretton has become the new Ken Kutaragi as far as ridiculous comparisons go.
5. Alone Against The Empire (Sony blackballs Kotaku)
Right before the Game Developer's Conference Kotaku, a gaming blog, posted an article on a rumor that Sony had a new online service (the then unannounced Home) that they would reveal at GDC. When asking Sony for comments on the rumor, they offered no comment and demanded Kotaku take down the story. When Kotaku refused to do so, Sony gave them the middle finger and blackballed them via email (which Kotaku published as well). This was definitely a blunder on Sony's part and perhaps one of the most moronic PR decisions I've seen in my life, but at least Sony made nice with Kotaku later on that day and invited them back to all their GDC events.
4. Game Over Gerstmann (Gamespot fires Jeff Gerstmann)
I think this one could be higher, because it is perhaps the most significant blunder of the year since it exposes what is wrong with the mainstream gaming media. As we reported a few weeks ago, Gamespot fired Jeff Gerstmann over alleged pressure from Eidos over the review of their game, Kane and Lynch: Dead Men. Since the firing, Gamespot Complete subscriptions have been cancelled in mass and more importantly, their credibility has suffered .
3. It's Just a Toy Guitar and Some Music (Guitar Hero and Rock Band's many problems)
Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band launched with issues. Mono sound on the Wii and failing Rock Band guitars in specific. The first one is really odd because I can't believe QA didn't pick that up! How in the heck does one not notice that unless they're playing on a tv with one speaker? I'd be disappointed to get GH3 home and see it just showing up as a mono signal on my receiver. Heck, I'm disappointed Orange Box on PS3 is just in stereo. And as far as the failing Rock Band controllers go, remember that you can get a free game from EA (aka: GET SKATE DAMMIT!) if your controller breaks...
2. We Already Bought All the Good Ones, Right? (EA buys Bioware and Pandemic, gets cocky)
I don't know about this one being on the list but it's pretty funny. So, John Riccitiello, the CEO of EA said that the industry has largely been picked for mergers after they bought Bioware and Pandemic, but then two days after he says that Activision and Vivendi Universal (publisher of World of Warcraft and owner of Blizzard) form to make Activision Blizzard. Funny ain't it? Not really.
And the number one blunder of the year?!
1. Red Ink of Death
"Y'know things break" -Peter Moore on the 360's Failure Rate
This is definitely the blunder of the year. Why? It's made many people uncomfortable getting a 360 due to the enormous failure rate and made the 360's reputation into an unreliable piece of hardware. For Peter Moore to ignore it and brush it off when it was really a huge problem that would eventually cost the company a ton of money, not a good idea...
So, what do you think? Good list? Bad list? Let your thoughts be heard in the comments!
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 Since I was busy having a social life last night, I was unable to do my regularly scheduled underrated/overlooked feature on time, however I found a somewhat (Sony biased to a certain degree) related feature on GamesRadar looking at the biggest games of the year that we all seemed to forget about. Kind of an intersting take on some of the top games of the year, but an important one nonetheless. Anyways, here's what they came up with (in the order they were presented):
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (PSP): Whoa wait what?! There was an MGS on PSP this year? I had no idea. Dang, add that to the reasons for me to get a PSP...
Heavenly Sword (PS3): YES! That is a great game, but very short though, which is why people probably forgot about it. What's more shocking about this is that the article said it's been outsold by freaking Lair, and isn't even in the top 20 selling PS3 games list this week. Amazing.
God of War 2 (PS2): I was tempted to include this on my overlooked games of the year list, because really, have you heard much about the game since it came out last February. I sure haven't. Probably because it was released on a last-gen system early on in the year and got overshadowed by all the other next-gen games that came out later in the year. Make sure you do not forget this game as it is one of the 10 best PS2 games ever made.
Motorstorm (PS3): This was actually a very very good game that for some reason isn't mentioned very much any more...outside of the monthly downloadable content additions to the game on the Playstation Store.
SSX Blur (Wii): I admit, I've never played SSX Blur, but I've heard nothing but good comments about it. It seems odd that an SSX game is forgotten about so quickly though.
Stranglehold (360, PS3): I've only played the demo, but I don't know that Stranglehold exactly qualifies as one of the best of the year. It's certainly a very fun game with many imaginative features that really make you feel like your in a big hollywood action movie, but the thing is that the game is not extraordinary. I would pay $20 for it, but not the next-gen price of $60.
Crysis (PC): I think the only reason this game is on the list is because 90% of gamers don't have a PC good enough to run it, thus forgot about the game. However, when I get a computer that can actually run the game decently (in 8 years or so knowing me), I'll definitely give it a shot. But the game was published by EA, so chances are there will be a port for 360 and PS3 (that is if EA can get their head out of their asses when it comes to programming for that system)
Project Gotham Racing 4 (360): Now, I recall this one coming out and doing fairly well, but I haven't heard much about it after the amazing fall season the 360 had. It's a shame because PGR has been a great series.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3): Yes. Yes. FREAKING YES! Now, it's well known to PS3 owners but who else cares about it? No one really, especially Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, who's never heard of it.
So, RFGen, what are some of your favorite huge games of the year that you just don't hear mentioned any more?
 Third party accessory developer Nyko has announced a Wii accessory that is actually very useful, unlike the multitudes of attachments, wireless sensor bars and controller gloves. This accessory being a wireless nunchuk. Finally, Nyko has freed us from the chains of wires on the Wii, and protected us from strangling each other with that one foot long nunchuk cord.
The wireless nunchuk works by attaching a little receiver to the bottom of the Wii remote which takes the signals from the nunchuk and delivers it to the Wii remote. Pretty clever, but it would have been nicer if it linked to the console directly, but I don't know if that is possible given that the Wii is set up only to work with Wii remotes for Bluetooth input (at least to my knowledge).
However, all may not be well in Wiiland. This wireless nunchuk could end up using yet another set of batteries. Or they could end up going the route of drawing power from the Wiimote itself. No details have been announced about how exactly it will be powered, but no matter what they do, it will end up costing you more batteries. Unless Nyko has the smarts to make it rechargable. Too bad Nintendo wasn't smart enough to actually make the Wiimote itself rechargable using USB or something of that sort. Oh well, it's in the past, nothing we can do about it now...other than bitch and moan to Nintendo to do it.
And of course, what wireless Wii accessory wouldn't be complete without its very own tacky wrist strap? Well, the nunchuk is definitely not one of those, as it does have its own wrist strap in order to protect you from yourself. No word on when the wireless nunchuk condom will be coming out.
However, the major downside of this is that the nunchuck is technically not a nunchuk, as it is not connected to something else. Sorry all you wannabe ninjas out there, you'll have to go find some other nunchuk to fool around with instead of being cheap and using your Wiimote/nunchuk between games of Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution.
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2007 was the year of hype in gaming. Between Halo 3, Mass Effect, Super Mario Galaxy, Crysis, and Assassin's Creed, this year has seen the release of some of the most talked up games of all-time. While some of them fell far short of the hype, there were plenty of other far superior games that came out, but received little to no attention from mainstream gamers. So, continuing now and on every Wednesday (or Thursday) until the end of the year, I will be giving you a look at two games released this year that deserve your hard-earned cash and attention. At the end of this five-part series (ending the day after Christmas), I will list them in order of the most overlooked/underrated.
 First up this week is the Halo 3 Beta Crackdown by RealTime Worlds and published by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 (I know, Ctrl-Alt-Del sucks, B^U, etc etc, but this one isn't half bad.). Before I talk about it, I want to confess that I have never actually played the game, but I'm just going based off of what Tynstar has said about the game on our forums and what I have heard from elsewhere on the web. Crackdown is an example of when something with not much anticipation rides the coattails of another more popular thing (like The Decemberists riding Stephen Colbert's coattails). Some previous examples of this in gaming include Zone of the Enders (Came with the Metal Gear Solid 2 demo) and Dragon Quest 8 (came with the Final Fantasy 12 demo). In Crackdown's case, RealTime Worlds' corporate overlords (in the publishing sense) at Microsoft thought, "Hey, why don't we give people who buy Crackdown access to a time-limited beta version of Halo 3! It will increase sales for us because Halo fans will buy anything related to the game..." Okay, maybe they didn't say that exactly, but that seems to be the logic. Include a demo for the most anticipated game of all-time with a game that wouldn't sell very well on its own in order to boost sales. Makes sense. Well, the plan worked, as Crackdown went on to sell 1.35 million copies. Now why, would I include such a successful game on this list? Simple. It only sold that many for the Halo 3 beta. Just go to any used game store and you'll see a boatload of copies of Crackdown available for sale. It's a damned shame too because it's actually a great game and got very good reviews and response from those who actually played it. In the game, you play as a genetically enhanced cop with superhuman, comic book esque abilities. The game revolves around you taking down three gangs that control the city. The game has been described by many people (including our very own Tynstar) as very addictive, and definitely worth picking up. So, those of you with a 360, definitely look into getting this game.
 Next game I'd like to feature is one of my favorite games of the year, Picross DS by Jupiter and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. Now, as many of you on this site have discovered, Picross DS is a very addictive DS puzzler which is controlled entirely by the stylus (or the dpad if you please) and is a followup of sorts to Mario's Picross released here in the US 10 years ago on the original Game Boy. Now, many Picross games came out in Japan after Mario's Picross, but they never were released here because Mario's Picross was a commercial failure here, but 12 years later, Nintendo has tried out Picross in the US and Europe again. However, the DS iteration did not do extraordinarily well over here as well. But, for $20 it's a damn good value that will have you hooked for months. Picross DS is kind of like Sudoku, but with pictures. The numbers across the top of the puzzle tell you how many squares to fill in going down (and how many in a row there are), and the numbers going down the side of the puzzle do the same thing, but for going across. It's kind of hard to explain, but if you try out a few puzzles online, you'll understand it. Check out Wikipedia article about Nonograms in order to learn how to play them. You can also try your hand at a few nonogram puzzles by going here. Back to Picross DS, the game includes over 135 puzzles, a Daily Picross feature with five different unlockable minigames to test your puzzle solving skills, a puzzle creator, and online play. The coolest feature about this game are the free downloadable puzzle packs Nintendo has been releasing biweekly. Right now, you can download over 120 additional puzzles to your Picross DS cart (which can hold up to 100 puzzles). The puzzles are mostly from Mario's Picross on the Game Boy, but Nintendo has been having contests to make puzzles and some of those will be posted in a pack. Another online feature the game has is that you can send puzzles you created to your friends and have them solve them. All that for only $20. You really can't go wrong with Picross DS.
Check back next week when we look at something I haven't decided yet. Oddly enough I have no clue what I want to feature the next two times, but I know what the final part of the series will be. Oh well, check back and we'll see what I do. 
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2007 was the year of hype in gaming. Between Halo 3, Mass Effect, Super Mario Galaxy, Crysis, and Assassin's Creed, this year has seen the release of some of the most talked up games of all-time. While some of them fell far short of the hype, there were plenty of other far superior games that came out, but received little to no attention from mainstream gamers. So, starting today and on every Wednesday (or Thursday) until the end of the year, I will be giving you a look at two games released this year that deserve your hard-earned cash and attention. At the end of this five-part series (ending the day after Christmas), I will list them in order of the most overlooked/underrated.
 First up Dewy's Adventure for the Nintendo Wii. Developed by the same team at Konami that created last year's sleeper hit Elebits, Dewy's Adventure is a platformer with a very distinct twist. In the game, you play as a cute little drop of water named Dewy, and what you do is tilt the level and change the temperature. Very simple yes, but it provides many challenges. By changing the temperature, you change the form Dewy takes on. If you raise it, he will become mist and a cloud, and will be able to hit enemies with lightning. If you lower the temperature, he will become ice and slide across large pools of water. The game is also like its cousin, Elebits, in that it grades you based on your performance in each stage, so that adds some replay value. Also featured in that game is a multiplayer mode, and the ability to create levels and send them to your friends using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. If you own a Wii and don't mind a cute, somewhat childish looking game with a pro-environment message and odd loading screen advertisement messages for Nestle bottled water, by all means, give this one a look. I have a feeling that you will be seeing this profiled in some magazine in three years for a "best games you've never played" feature. But don't take my word for it, here's a cool little video explaining one guy's opinion on why the game is so awesome. |  Or if a cute platformer isn't mature enough for you, then check out The Darkness (for both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3), developed by Starbreeze, the same studio behind the underrated Xbox/PC game, Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (look for the remake on PS3 and Xbox 360 in the near future!). The Darkness is a game based on the comic book of the same name in which you play as Jackie Estacado, a mafia hitman blamed for double crossing Uncle Paulie, the New York mob boss. Oddly enough, on the same day this happens, Jackie is posessed by an alien creature named The Darkness, which gives him superpowers, but takes over his will. The main game plays as a standard modern day console FPS, complete with regenerating health and dual weilding, but when you summon The Darkness, the game changes completely. When summoned, The Darkness will appear as two tentacles which come out of Jackie's shoulder, giving him strength and four special powers. The first power will make The Darkness extend one of its tentacles, allowing you to look ahead, pick up guns, and kill enemies using it. The second power will give you two super powered guns. The third power will give you a sharp tentacle, which can pierce through enemies and obstacles. And the fourth power will create a black hole which sucks in EVERYTHING in its vicinity. Also, when you have The Darkness summoned, you are able to call Darklings, which are little critters that comes in different varities (Kamakazie, Gunner, Light Killer) to aid you in destroying your enemies and creating darkness for The Darkness to feed off off, since light is its only weakness. No overview of The Darkness would be complete without praising its superb voice acting. Mike Patton's (vocalist for the bands Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, Fantomas, and some others) vocal performance, which was unedited and has no studio effects applied to it, is one of the best ever heard in a video game. However, the coolest part about the game is the sheer amount of content one can watch on the in-game television sets. Instead of having generic stock footage like in most games, The Darkness opted for public domain films, cartoons, and one full-length licensed movie, To Kill A Mockingbird. Yes, that's right. You can watch the entire, unedited version of the 1962 classic right in the game. Or if Popeye, The Three Stooges, or Flash Gordon is more you style, you can always watch some of those. However, it should be mentioned that the PS3 version has much much more in-game television content due to the increased disc size that Blu-ray offers (most notable: five additional Popeye cartoons), however, both versions have plenty to watch. A complete listing of the movies and animated shorts that can be found in the game is located here (I think this list covers the PS3 version).
Check back next week where we take a look at a game that's as addictive as crack (and a great stocking stuffer to boot), and a game that many cared about only for the bonus it had. |
As most of us in the US know, this upcoming Friday is considered Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. The day which stores open very early and offer insane deals on the hottest items for the holiday season. Now, these deals are not just limited to Tickle Me Elmo and power tool sets, video games are included as well, and there are some great deals that will save you money if you're looking at buying for a loved one or getting a little treat for yourself.
Well, I have taken the liberty of compiling some great game-related deals that you will find this Friday so you you can plan your full-scale retail assault in advance.
Hit the jump to see the full list of deals. For your convenience, I have bolded what I think are the best deals.
Continue reading Black Friday Video Game Deals
Today in the mail, I got a package from everyone's favorite console maker, Nintendo. Enclosed in the package were four of their new (undoubtedly court mandated) silicone Wii Remote Jackets. Now if you didn't know, because people are still morons with their Wii Remotes and throw them around like they are spears, Nintendo had to step in yet again to help save people from themselves with the all-new Wii Remote Jacket.
[img width=250 height=188]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/Tondog/wiimotejacket/jacketfront.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/Tondog/wiimotejacket/jacketside.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/Tondog/wiimotejacket/jacketback.jpg[/img]
However all is not well in the world of Nintendo. The Wii Remote Jacket has some serious issues.
First off, the new jackets cover up damn near half of the IR sensor on the front of the Wii Remote.
[img width=250 height=188]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/Tondog/wiimotejacket/wiimotesensor.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/Tondog/wiimotejacket/wiimotejacketsensor.jpg[/img]
This is not a major problem, but based on my observations in the sensitivity adjustment area of the Wii, when you have a low sensitivity and are a fair distance from the "sensor bar," having the jacket on the Wiimote will affect how well the signal from the sensor bar is read. However, if your sensitivity is adjusted properly, I found that there was no difference in the readings. A test run on Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition confirmed my findings, as it played the same with and without the jacket on.
Also, like any of the other third party Wii Remote Jackets, changing the batteries becomes a nightmare. However, it is less of a nightmare compared to the the third party ones I've used (thanks OatBob), as the official one slides onto the Wii Remote very efficiently and with very little effort. However, it still is very annoying.
But the worst thing about the remote jackets is what they do to your Wii Remote. They basically turn it into a even more of a dildo than it already was, giving people like even more fuel to their beliefs.
Want proof of how horrible the jackets look on the Wii Remote? Consult the following comparison:
[img width=250 height=188]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/Tondog/wiimotejacket/wiimotenojacket.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/Tondog/wiimotejacket/wiimoteandjacket.jpg[/img]
[img width=250 height=188]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/Tondog/wiimotejacket/wiimoteandjacketside.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/Tondog/wiimotejacket/wiimoteandjacketback.jpg[/img]
Notice how the normal Wii Remote on the left hand side looks like a regular old remote, but the one on the right hand side looks like it is some kinky sex toy your girlfriend might enjoy (just add this program and you'll be set). Also notice, it is ribbed for her pleasure!! This new jacket is a first step towards this and this this (both links=NSFW).
However, as much as I think the new Lawsuit Preventing Wii Jackets are a lame idea overall, I do like a few things about it. First, it's pretty comfortable to hold and doesn't affect the feel of the remote too much. But if you are like me and get sweaty palms while playing games, it will feel slippery while using it. Second, they are padded pretty well to prevent a TV breakage, but I still think that you could break a TV even with it on if the remote flys with enough force. Third, I like that they used a decent amount of silicone. That will cause a shortage of silicone, thus not as many people will be getting breat implants. NATURAL BOOBIES FTW! Also, the built in cover for the accessory port is a very nice thing and should have been on the Wiimote from the get-go.
[img width=250 height=188]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/Tondog/wiimotejacket/wiimoteacccoveropen.jpg[/img][img width=250 height=188]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/Tondog/wiimotejacket/wiimoteacccover.jpg[/img]
That about wraps up my look at the new Wii Remote Jackets. If you want to get them, all you need to do is go to http://www.nintendo.com/c.../jacket/jacketrequest.jsp and you can order up to four of them for free. It should take less than two weeks from the time you order them to the time it shows up in your mailbox. Also, for our friends in Canada (aka: Tan), this offer is open to you as well. Free Wiimote Condoms for all! Isn't Nintendo wonderful?
 On this day ten years ago, Gunpei Yokoi, one of the most important and influential figures in gaming, passed away. For those of you who do not know, Gunpei is the creator of the Game Boy, the system that revolutionized portable gaming, and paved the way for every handheld system to follow.
Game Boy is not the first thing that Mr. Yokoi created. One day, he was riding home on a bullet train from his job at Nintendo. He noticed that the man seated next to him on the train was messing around with an LCD calculator. This event gave birth to Game & Watch, a series of stand alone LCD games. The Game & Watch was very influential on Nintendo's future, especially in modern times. In fact, for Nintendo DS, they pretty much took a two screen Game & Watch game (such as Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong), added modern LCD screens, and turned the bottom part into a touch screen. Also, if you ever play Super Smash Bros. Melee on GameCube, you'll notice that one of the characters you can play as is Mr. Game & Watch, who was the protagonist of many of the Game & Watch games, such as Ball.
After creating Game & Watch, Nintendo appointed him to the head of Nintendo R&D1. While heading up R&D1, he was instrumental in the creation of Kid Icarus, Metroid, and of course R.O.B. for the NES. However, R&D1's most famous creation was to come...
In 1989, Gunpei and his R&D1 team revolutionized the portable gaming market with the original Game Boy, which combined the cartridge based gaming of the NES with the portability of Game & Watch. The Game Boy inspired many of Nintendo's competitors to enter the handheld gaming ring: Sega with the Game Gear, and Atari with the Lynx. While both of them were technically superior and featured a color screen, each of them completely failed in comparison to the Game Boy, due to its very long battery life, small size, and excellent game selection. These factors caused Game Boy held onto the gaming market with an iron grip for 13 years through many variations and revisions, including a color version.
Gunpei's most ambitious project, Virtual Boy, was released in 1995. Virtual Boy was an attempt to create a "portable" system capable of displaying true 3D graphics. However, this system went down as one of the biggest failures in gaming history. Some of the reasons it failed were because it was only able to display red, caused eye strain in most users, ate up 6 AA batteries rather quickly, was not very portable, was fragile, and it cost $180 at launch. The system was discontinued a year later.
The failure of Virtual Boy really brought Gunpei down. He felt horrible, and Nintendo placed the blame on the Virtual Boy failure on him. This pressure led to his resignation from Nintendo on August 15, 1996, mere days after Game Boy Pocket game out in Japan.
After leaving Nintendo, he went to form his own company, Koto Laboratories. They started working on the Wonderswan for Bandai, however, Gunpei would never see the final product...
On October 4, 1997, Gunpei was riding in a car driven by Etsuo Kiso from Nintendo. Kiso's car accidentally rear-ended a truck driving in front of them the Hokuriku Expressway. Gunpei and Kiso got out of the car to examine the situation. While surveying the damage, another vehicle collided with the Kiso's car, killing Gunpei Yokoi.
Fast forward ten years, we can still find Yokoi's legacy still alive. Be it in Nintendo DS's Game & Watch inspired design, the continuation of Metroid, Mr. Game & Watch's appearance in Super Smash Bros, or in the game Gunpey for Wonderswan, PSP, and Nintendo DS. Gunpei Yokoi is an undisputed legend in the industry, and he is missed by all of us.
Check out this article from The Escapist for even more information.
 Nintendo has finally added some downloadable content to its DS puzzler, Picross DS. The puzzle packs, released for free over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, are a collection of 20 puzzles split up into two packs. Both of the packs are comprised of puzzles from Nintendo's only other Picross game that has come out in North America, Mario's Picross for the original Game Boy. The puzzles can be downloaded for free by going to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection on the main menu of Picross DS, selecting Community, and Classic Puzzles.
I am an extreme Picross DS addict, and I have been waiting for at least three weeks for Nintendo to upload some puzzles. I haven't completed every puzzle that is included with the game yet, but it is nice to know that I have 20 more puzzles waiting for me when I am done.
If you haven't picked up Picross DS yet, then shame on you. It's one of the greatest puzzle games to ever grace Nintendo's little dual screen portable, and it will only cost you $20 new. If you have it already or do get it in the future, add me as a friend and let me know your friend code, so we can exchange puzzles and play each other online! My friend code can be found on my collection profile page.
 If you have your Wii hooked up to WiiConnect24, you'll notice that the blue light surrounding your disc slot is glowing. You know what that means. No, not that someone sent you a message because no one uses the message sending feature anymore. So, that leaves only one possiblity, Nintendo has something to tell you! This time, it's a firmware update. This update adds many nifty features to your Wii. Here's a listing of the new features from Nintendo's website.
Wii Menu
- The weather forecast will now be displayed on the Forecast Channel icon in the Wii Menu.
- Headline news will now be displayed on the News Channel icon in the Wii Menu.
- The current time will now be displayed in the Wii Menu.
- The area around the Wii Message Board button will now flash when a message arrives..
Wii Message Board
- You're now able to rearrange the order of your Wii Friends in the address book.
- You're now able to go into the Wii Friends registration screen by pressing the A Button on a blank spot in the address book.
- Envelope message icons will now appear on the calendar only on the dates when a message is received.
- Your message sending history will now be displayed in Today's Accomplishments.
- You can now scroll the message text by pressing the B button on the message screen.
Wii Shop Channel
- The search function on Virtual Console has been enhanced.
So, it took Nintendo eight months to realize that it would be nice to rearrange your Wii Friends, add friends by just clicking an empty slot, and see the weather without having to select the Weather Channel? Wow. They are really on top of their game! 
What's sad is that this is the most useful firmware update the Wii has ever had. And what's that?! A DIGITAL CLOCK! WHOAMG! That's next-gen technology next there!
(Image from Kotaku.com)
P.S. I like the Wii, but I just like poking fun at how behind the times it is.
In case you missed the Nintendo montage-filled press conference, allow me to summarize it for you:
1. We're doing very well, as these bar graphs show.
2. The rest of the show won't be relevant to you hardcore gamers, so here's 30 seconds of Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Ghost Squad, Ninja Gaiden DS, Phantom Hourglass, Metroid and Mario Kart for Wii. Oh, and let's make this for casual gamers too by showing off a wheel attachment for Mario Kart and say we're "leveling the playing field" for beginners.
3. We are COMMITTED to online play! We have no more than 5 exciting online games coming! Now let's go on to what really matters!
4. You want minigames?! WE GOT EM RIGHT HERE!
5. Let's lose our minds and announce our new bathroom scale with motion sensors, er wait I mean Wii Fit!
What's sadder is that I am not exaggerating.
 Before I get started, yes, I did intentionally say wiidiculous in the title. I was Elmer Fudding it.
"They're regular Donald Twumps"
"Did you just say Donald Twump?"
"Uhh yeah man we're Elmer Fudding it..."
Obscure TV references aside and bad jokes still at my disposal, here's a look at some of the most "wiidiculous" Wii accessories on the market. We've got everything from tennis rackets, to forks, to a frying pan.
Let's start off with some of the more "normal" accessories, Wii Sports attachments. These attachments are available almost everywhere that sells video games, probably to capitalize on the success of Wii Sports and the Wii in general. These accessories typically come in a pack that includes attachments for every Wii Sports game except boxing and bowling. An example would be this one found at GameStop. That's right! For the price of Ocarina of Time on the Virtual Console (not including tax and that pre-order we'll try and sell you), you can have your very own set of plastic attachments that...kind of make Wii Sports a little more realistic, to a certain extent. I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather take my money and buy something worthwhile instead of some cheap plastic that does nothing to enhance the gameplay or the feeling. Maybe I would consider it if it was a tennis racket that I could use in real life that happens to double as a Wii controller, but even then, probably not. However, these accessories are just the tip of the iceberg in Wii stupidity.
In the paragraph before the last one, I mentioned that these Wii Sports packs don't include attachments for boxing and bowling? Well, that sure as heck don't mean they aren't being made! Behold: THE WII SPORTS BOXING GLOVE! How does it work? Well, what you do, according to the site that sells them, is you slip the Wii Remote into the right glove with the IR sensor pointed towards the TV set, then you plug in the Nunchuk and put it in the left glove. In theory this one seems pretty cool, and sure as heck would enhance the experience more than any of the other Wii Sports accessories, however you would have to take the Wii Remote out of its pouch on the right glove in between rounds so that the remote can see the sensor bar. Kind of pointless if you have to remove it every two minutes. Remember, I have not used this product, so I'm only making guesses.
When playing Zelda, have you ever wished you can swing around a real sword and shield instead of pressing buttons or waving your Wii Remote? Well now you can, with the Wii combat pack (not a real sword, it's all foam). According to the seller, this set also works with Red Steel, but Red Steel is mainly an FPS with some sword combat. Shouldn't it be a gun attachment for that game? As far as I know Scott Monroe (The game's main character. Remember? Of course you don't because that game was totally unmemorable.) is not Squall Leonhart, and thus does not have a gunblade.
Now, it's time for the absolutely bizarre ones. The attachments so bizarre and moronic that you just wonder what kind of drugs they were taking when they thought of the idea.
 First: The billiards attachment! This one is potentially deadly! You could totally put an eye out if you aren't careful with that thing. You think Wii Remotes flying through TVs are bad, just wait until they pierce someone with a deadly billiards attachment! Plus it's also silly because how are you going to use it? It will feel awkward if you're shooting it in the air with nowhere to rest your hand on.
You think you've seen crazy? HA! Nothing compares to the final one I'm going to feature: the Cooking Mama attachment set! Yup! It's a kitchen of Wii attachments in a box. What comes with it you ask? Well, let me tell you what you get! You get the frying pan, knife, spatula, and fork, all for the low low price of $17 plus shipping and handling! Why is this the worst Wii attachment set yet? Simple! You have to switch them often in Cooking Mama! It would be a hassle having to fiddle around with all of those and changing them every time you have a different cooking task to perform. However, unlike the other attachments I've featured, these actually have some real world function, as the seller demonstrates on their website.
What do all these attachments teach us? Being an absurdly popular console leads to absurd things from outside companies trying to make a quick buck capitalizing on your creation. So, please, everyone here, don't buy silly Wii attachments and give these companies your money. Save up and buy some games! Just like my man ChadWarden (EXTREMELY NSFW!), Tony's all about the gamez.
 If you own a Nintendo Wii, it would be a good idea to download the Opera Powered Internet Channel by June 30, because on that date, it will cost you 500 Wii Points to download it! However, if you get it now, you can have it free forever. Don't know how to download it? Let Opera Ninja tell you all the details...
For more information about Opera for Wii, check out their website.
(Comic from Opera.com)
Probably reacting to the harsh response from Nintendo fans, Scott Steinberg, vice president of marketing for Sega of America, has taken back his comments made about the Wii's future. He stated:
"SEGA has fully supported the Wii since day one and we continue to do so â€" it's no secret that we are close partners. Nintendo has done a masterful job of selling its vision and expanding the market. That said, it's a shared responsibility and opportunity for the whole industry to take advantage of the possibilities of the Wii. If we don't realize its true potential, we will have missed a great opportunity to expand creatively and that is what I was cautioning against in the Reuters interview. I'm not just putting the responsibility of innovation on Nintendo. It's on SEGA and all the publishers and developers as well to carry that flag."
While he's right that it's the developer's fault that the Wii is not showing a whole lot of potential beyond minigames, he did not need to take back his comments. I'm sure that he only took the comments back because of crazy Nintendo fans sending death threats to him.
Source: http://blogs.reuters.com/...ts-nest-with-wii-remarks/
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