Missing in Action: The World's Most Elusive Vaporware

Trailers are just the dardest things. They give us a peek at the latest and greatest games that are coming down the pipeline. They also make us a promise. A promise that we will be able to play that game sometime in the near future. Then it gets delayed. And delayed again. Will it ever come out? Why advertise a game years in advance? Titles that become Vaporware can either create a lot of buzz or make a laughing stock out of it.

Let's take a look at some of the top Vaporware titles right now. Who knows, maybe a year or two from now some of these will be released.

Sadness (Wii)

Originally announced even before the Nintendo Wii was released, Nibris promised us a black and white survival horror game set in a pre-WWI Slavic country. A live action teaser trailer was released which was "based-on" the game and we were supposed to get some game footage by the end of 2007. We didn't. There's been two screenshots that have surfaced, but we don't know if they are in-game or not. Frontline Studios was supposed to co-produce the game but back in March of 2007 they split. The game is not "officially" dead... but it is. Here's what Nibris said: "The scenario will have associations with narcolepsy, nyctophobia and paranoid schizophrenia. The scenario will surprise you." (Surprise! it's never coming out!)

Original Release Date: ?
Current Release Date: TBA (AKA: NEVER)


StarCraft: Ghost (Multiplatform)

Who knows what black hole sucked this game up. Announced all the way back in 2002 for PS2/XB/GC, but after E3 2005 we found out that the GameCube version was dropped, but it was still on the way. We waited until March of 2006 for Blizzard to finally announced that the game was on "indefinite hold" while it was updated for the seventh generation consoles. We get little bits and pieces of information about this title from time to time. The latest being at the DICE Summit in 2008 where we learned that "there still was an interest in finishing Ghost". It's pretty obvious that Blizzard is more concentrated on StarCraft II (and possibly Diablo 3 if the rumors are true) than it would be on Ghost.

Original Release Date: 2003
Current Release Date: When does the PS9 come out again?


Metroid: Dread (Nintendo DS)

It's crazy how a game is never announced but people think it's real. While we would all love another 2D hand held Metroid game, I doubt we will see one anytime soon. Ever since rumors emerged in 2005, Nintendo has never officially released anything about this game. The only clue we ever got was in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption where a computer panel says "Experiment status report update: Metroid project 'Dread' is nearing the final stages of completion". Retro Studios and Nintendo both denied any connection. Could this be a secret kept under Ninny's hat that will be unloaded at this year's E3? We'll see!

Original Release Date: ?
Current Release Date: Whenever the project is completed! Can't you read!


Killzone 2 (PlayStation 3)

As one of the first PS3 games announced, it would seem Sony hoped that this could be their "Halo killer". The first trailer from E3 2005 led to much controversy where it was argued that it could be just a concept video or possibly pre-rendered game footage. We didn't really see anything else until GDC 2007 where an in-game trailer was shown to the media. I'm not really sure why Sony is banking on this one so much. The original Killzone wasn't that good and wasn't even that popular. By missing their window of opportunity, Sony now has to hope that Killzone 2 will be a Halo 3, Gears of War 2, Left 4 Dead, etc. killer

Original Release Date: 2008
Current Release Date: February 2009


Gran Turismo 4 Mobile (PlayStation Portable)

By digging up the bones of E3 2004 we find evidence that this game once did exist. It was supposed to be the game to get for the forthcoming Sony hand held. Many thought they wouldn't even be able to fit the entire game on on one UMD. They were probably right. GT4M's producer, Kazunori Yamauchi, told us back in April that the game "took much more time and effort than we had first imagined". Luckily, it fits nicely on top of the pile of broken promises that Sony has accumulated over the years.

Original Release Date: April 2005
Current Release Date: It's Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiige Racer!


Gran Turismo 5 (PlayStation 3)

Right on the heels of GTA4M, Sony kept the fire burning when Gran Turismo 5 (or Gran Turismo HD, originally) was announced and shown in 2006 to the pants-wetting joy of Sony fanboys around the world. This one is taking so long, they released part of the game a few months ago. I'm sure the rest of it will be coming soon! Recently, Yamauchi has stated how 150 people have been working on the game for four years and has cost 50 times more than it's PS1 ancestor. I'm sure it'll be ready for release right before the PS4 comes out. Sweet!

Original Release Date: 2008
Current Release Date: 2010

Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting (Multiplatform)

Such a sad, short story for such a happy, strange game. Announced back in March of 2006 for Nintendo DS, Wii and PC by AGFRAG Entertainment. I'm assuming gameplay would be similar to the likes of Mario Paint back in the days of SNES. In December 2006, Bob Ross Inc dropped them and, to this day, is looking for a new developer. Maybe they thought that due to Bob's death the previous year it would seem inappropriate. Or, maybe they realized that you can get this game for free: It's called a pen and a piece of paper!

Original Release Date: ?
Current Release Date: Let's paint a happy little tree!

Tekken 6 (PlayStation 3)

Here's a rare specimen. This game is already out in Japanese arcades as of November 2007 but we're still waiting to play it here in the states. Tekken is one of my personal favorite fighting games ever since the PS1 days and it's latest expansion for the PSP/PSN was great. Tekken 6 has over 30 confirmed characters (a total of 41 when it's done) and features multi-tiered levels and day/night time transitions. Trailers were shown back at E3 2005, but with no release date in sight it looks like we'll be waiting a long time. Now, with it's PS3 exclusive status in question, it will take all that longer to develop. The game's director, Katsuhiro Harada, has said "We want Tekken 6 to both look cool and play good" Adding "We don't want to disappoint our Tekken fans, so we're working hard on making Tekken 6 good". Um, ya. So it looks like I'll be buying SoulCalibur IV instead!

Original Release Date: ?
Current Release Date: Finish Him!


Project H.A.M.M.E.R. (Wii)

A much needed beat 'em up announced at E3 2006 as a first party title possibly for Wii's launch line-up, but by mid-2007 with no additional info we realized we may never find out what H.A.M.M.E.R. could possibly stand for. Rumors fly back and forth about this one all over the internet. The last we heard was Nintendo confirmed at E3 2007 that development was put on hold, but has not officially canceled it and “may come back” in the future.

Original Release Date: 2007
Current Release Date: Reggie Mad!!! Reggie Smash!!!


LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation 3)

It's pretty pretentious to codename your project "The Next Big Thing". Nintendo sure did it with the codename "Revolution". The only difference is that Nintendo actually pulled it off! This DIY puzzler's dream looks fun and I would love to play it. Phil Harrison, SCE's ex-head honcho, announced it in 2007 and was due by early 2008. Now, a beta is scheduled for the summer and we're hoping for even just a demo by the end of this year! With even more footage shown at this year's E3, it makes me want it even more! Oddly enough, even with so much game footage out there already, it's hard to believe that this game isn't close to being done. Sony's pile is getting bigger...

Original Release Date: Early 2008
Current Release Date: October 2008


Disaster: Day of Crisis (Wii)

I'm pretty sure that this game will eventually see a release, but until then it's been possibly banished to development limbo. Featured at E3 2006 as one of Nintendo's attempt at some new franchises, it's an original idea for a survival game that takes place during various natural disasters. The Big N has told us the game has “Cutting-edge physics and gripping visuals” to re-create the sheer terror of major catastrophes. It's quite possible that due to recent real-world natural catastrophes, this game is on hold until the "it's too soon" factor wears off. But, truth be told, we'll always have some kind of disaster going on at some point in the world. So Nintendo should just finish it up and get it out there because we need a good survival game for Wii.

Original Release Date: ?
Current Release Date: Is it safe to make Pearl Harbor jokes yet?



PlayStation Home (PlayStation 3)

This has been in development since early 2005 and officially announced by Sony in March of 2007 at GDC. While not really a "game" per se, it is an free online social experience that is supposed to be similar to the popular Second Life. PS3 users can customize a human avatar and meet up and chat or play games and movies with friends. You can buy clothes and furniture for your crib. There's even going to be a trophy room for your gaming accomplishments (but since I can just download any game save at 100% completion, I really don't see the point). The closed beta is now reported to be running until sometime in the Fall of 2008. Sony's CEO Kazuo Hirai has stated that "Spending more time on the development and on the Closed Beta testing reaffirms our commitment to bringing a quality service, maintaining the PlayStation tradition." (They should probably commit to bringing some quality exclusive games to their console, first)

Original Release Date: Fall 2007
Current Release Date: 2009


Duke Nukem Forever (Multiplatform)

Here is is. You knew it was coming. The granddaddy of them all, and the title that sets the bar for all Vaporware. So, let's take a trip back in time! All the way to April of 1997! The fourth installment of Duke Nukem was supposed to be out no later than mid-1998 and would use the Quake II engine. 3D Realms later fooled the world in August by releasing fake screenshots made in the developers free time because they didn't even get the game engine code until November.

At E3 1998 the first game footage was revealed using the Quake II engine. We knew they'd miss their mid-1998 deadline, but things still looked like they were pretty much on track. Come June of 1998, developers switched the now overused Unreal engine. Now we knew for sure 1998 would not be Duke's year. Although, we were reassured that the transition would only take four to six weeks and now would be released in 1999. Phew! That's not so bad, right?

Wrong! By November of 1999 all we got were some screenshots of Forever running on the upgraded Unreal engine. 2000 passed with no new info and E3 2001 was the next time we'd heard anything about the Dukester. Some in-game footage was shown which featured a large city and how to get a sandwich from a vending machine (huh?). Later that year, GTA's Take-Two would take over the publishing rights. Could this project finally take shape?

Wrong again! By 2002, Take-Two completely overhauled the game's mechanics, which now contained parts of the Unreal 2.0 engine, and added more developers. TT announced the game would see release by the end of 2003. Then by the end of 2004. Then by 2005. Then another physics engine switch. Flash forward to 2006. We're told that Forever is almost done and being given some final tweaking and polishing. Looks like we'll finally get to play it soon! Right?

You know you're wrong! Come on now! 3D Realms put Duke on the back burner to free up some room for the mildly successful 2006 shooter, Prey. In more recent news, a teaser was released last year around Christmas but was never actually confirmed to be a work of 3D Realms. An official trailer was released in February of 2008 which doesn't actually show any in-game footage, but rather a cut scene showing a blonder, buffer Duke and some nastier looking baddies. The trailer ended with the words "Stay Tuned" instead of "Coming Soon" or something like that.

So here we are in 2008. Over 11 years after the initial announcement, and with no official release date in sight, Duke Nukem has become a running joke around the world wide web. I'll finish this epic saga with a quote from 3D Realms CEO Scott Miller who stated "of course as soon as Duke is done we'll begin a new one." (Ya, and I'll start my second spaceship as soon as I return from my first trip to the moon).

Original Release Date: 1998
Current Release Date: Come Get Some!

Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy XIII & Versus XIII (PS3), Raid Over the River (Wii), Resident Evil 5 (Multiplatform), Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (Multiplatform), Devil May Cry (PSP), Afrika (PS3), Infamous (PS3), Dragon Quest IX: Protectors of the Stars (DS), Zombie Massacre (Wii), Final Fantasy: Dissidia (PSP)

So there you have it. Sony definitely holds the title for the biggest heart-breaker out there. You may have also noticed that there's no Microsoft titles listed. It would seem there's pretty much caught up for the moment, but they have had their share of Vaporware blunders (Halo 3 for one). Let's hope that if I write another one of these articles next year that none of these titles will be repeat offenders. Developers and publishers really need to keep a tighter lid on projects before people start getting really excited about them. In one way, it's nice that peoples' feedback early on in development and beta testing can change the shape and feel of the game for the better. But, on the other hand, waiting several years for one game just isn't worth it in the long run. I suppose ignorance truly is bliss!

-mwb-

Raenius Recommends IV: A Game Fit for a King

This week's recommendation:
Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King for Nintendo WiiWare

Published by: Square Enix
Developed by: Square Enix
Released: May 12th, 2008 (US)
MSRP: $15.00
ESRB: E
Multiplayer: No
WiFi Enabled: Pay & Play Downloadable Content

Nowadays, Final Fantasy titles are hit or miss (with more on the side of the latter). The DS and PSP has seen some pretty decent releases (original and remakes) and it'll be quite a while before we'll be able to see how bad they screwed up FF XIII. Fortunately, Square Enix has breathed new life into their struggling franchise. It's already a hit in Japan, so it's no wonder why it was also featured in Nintendo's launch line-up for WiiWare here in the states. My Life as a King weighs in as the largest (287 blocks without any DLC) and most expensive title, but don't let that discourage you from checking out this city-building simulator.

Our story takes place sometime after the original Crystal Chronicles ended in a world created by the Crystal Caravans. You play as a young king who has lost everyone and everything to the Miasma (go ahead, look it up. I'll wait...) as you now try to revive and rebuild your kingdom using your new and mysterious power called Architek. Your lovely assistant, Chime, will help you throughout your adventures with tutorials, tips and reports. Everything is explained really well in a timely manner and within 30 minutes or so of playing, you'll be on your own. This game requires a lot of reading which may discourage some players who enjoy more of a visual experience.

Speaking of which, My Life as a King actually looks better than most 3rd party games that you'd find in the stores. It's graphical style can be compared to the recent Final Fantasy titles found on the DS. Everything is bright and cheery and all the people look like little kids. Chime and Sir Hugh Yurg (your personal cook slash knight slash trainer -- an odd combo) are full of details, spunk and personality. The city itself starts out empty, but will take shape from however you build it. After a while, the streets are alive with your loyal roaming citizens. Due to a lack of character models, however, after a while everyone will kind of look alike. Overall this is the best looking WiiWare game from the current launch line-up.

Day to day life for a king will involve assigning behests to your adventurers. You'll pick and choose what their profession is and then what dungeons they'll explore. Conquering certain areas will allow you build additional shops and houses or acquire upgrades. More houses equals more money from daily income you'll use to reward your hired muscle and invest in weapon, armor, magic and item upgrades. A "day" in the game lasts about five minutes which you'll mainly use running around your town talking to the locals and raising moral after all the adventurers have left. I do wish there was more to do during the day, but it is a building-sim after all. Occasionally you'll want to kick back and announce a holiday and let your people take a hard earned break. Although it's very repetitive, you'll find yourself wanting to just play "one more day" for about 10 days.

Your game will be as long as you make it. Which is great. Depending on how you work it out, your first play-through could take 100 days, 200 days or more. You can play through again, if you'd like, and keep your beefed up adventurers but sacrifice your upgrades. Downloadable content will also keep you coming back for more if you feel like shelling out more dough on Wii Points. The Pay & Play content is pretty quality for the most part and varies from dungeons and additional races to new costumes.

I can't tell you that I was waiting for this game to come out. I almost didn't buy it due to the price, but I'm glad I did. It's well worth the money, which is hard to find these days. My Life as a King is a fun title and a great introduction to a wonderful service that will, no doubt, bring us many more fantastic games to come!

Breakin' it downtown!

Presentation: Everything is text and menu driven. So if you're not a fan of reading, you might not dig what Square is trying to sell you. Daily reports are well laid out, fully detailed and descriptive.

Visuals: Sharing the same vein as recent DS titles, this one fails to disappoint in the graphics department. Your kingdom will be the one that never grows up as you watch child-like citizens walking around. A few more characters models would have been nice to break up the monotony.

Audio: A few catchy tunes but nothing special. Music is more background noise than anything else. There's no voice acting, either.

Gameplay: You can use any controller configuration you want (even GameCube) for this one and they all work fine. The whole game is controlled with a couple buttons as everything is menu driven. There's some camera problems when going around corners or between buildings and some slow down when there's a lot of people on screen, but it doesn't matter too much in a sim game.

Multiplayer: None. It would've been nice to be able to visit other people's towns a la Animal Crossing.

Wi-Fi Functionality: Nintendo's first U.S. Pay & Play title has DLC that ranges from 100 to 800 Wii Points with more on the way. Most will become active as soon as it's downloaded and some require a reboot.

Replay: It's all in how you make it. With a flexible story mode and DLC, this title could consume a week of your time or even a few months.

Overall: Don't let the recent downslide in the Final Fantasy world fool you. This is a highly addictive game that challenges you to delegate your limited time and money. It's a pick up and play title that's a welcome change from the usual turn-based RPGs we've been oversaturated with through the years.

-mwb-

Raenius Recommends III: A Professor and a Curious Boy

This week's recommendation:
Professor Layton and the Curious Village for Nintendo DS

Published by: Nintendo
Developed by: Level-5
Released: February 11th, 2008
MSRP: $29.99
ESRB: Everyone
Download Play: No
WiFi Enabled: Downloadable Content


From the company that brought you Dragon Quest VIII, Rogue Galaxy, Dark Cloud and the forthcoming Dragon Quest IX we get a point and click puzzle adventure game -- huh? Wait a minute! This game was out a full year in Japan before it was localized, it already has a sequel and, with such an odd (and long) title, one could assume it would be a children's game of some sort. But it's far from it (unless your a kid prodigy)! This one will have you scratching your head and make you use brain cells you never knew you had!

The story begins with Professor Layton and his young assistant Luke (better call Chris Hansen). They are invited to the town of St. Mystere by Lady Dahlia, widow of the late Baron Reinhold, to solve the mystery of the Golden Apple. OK, still sounds like a kids game, right? Until you realize all the villagers love puzzles and will ask you to help solve them. I won't get into the story too much because of spoilers, but the dynamic duo will solve kidnappings and murder before the truth of the Golden Apple is revealed. With 135 puzzles to solve during the story, some are required for story progression while others are optional. The puzzles you don't get to will be waiting for you to solve later. Of course puzzles will get progressively harder as you go on but don't worry, hints are available (for a few coins, of course).

All controls are done using the sylus. Moving around the village is easy. Simply tap where you want to go. Make sure to tap objects or things that seem out of place for hidden puzzles or hint coins. You tap on people to talk to them as well. Puzzle answers are inputed on the touch screen in various ways such as writing out words or numbers, circling or tapping an answer or moving objects around. Text recognition isn't perfect, but it's better than Brain Age.

The cartoon graphical style of this game very European. The Frenchy sounding music, the Professor's English accent and Luke's squeaky going-through-puberty voice sounds excellent though headphones. FMV will seem like your watching Saturday morning cartoons rather than playing a video game. Your first-person still frame town scenes are fully detailed as are the exaggerated features of the residents. Puzzles range in quality but none look so bad that you wouldn't be able to solve it. This game really just proves that Nintendo isn't the only company that actually take time to develop games and prove the DS is capable of some pretty advanced graphics.

Without ruining too much, during your adventure you can collect parts of a helpful Gizmo as well as piece together a long lost painting. The game can be beaten over a weekend, but that's not all it has to offer. After the mystery is solved, the Professor will still have some challenges for you to prove yourself as a puzzle master. The puzzle index will allow you to solve any puzzles you've encountered from the story. Weekly puzzles (which strangely enough, are actually on the cart already) can be unlocked via Nintendo WFC for your weekly dose of puzzle frustration. And most mysterious of all, a top secret section can only be unlocked with a code from the manual of the sequel!


Let's see it broken down!

Presentation: Almost like an interactive murder mystery novel. Simple and easy to navigate menus. A story that's full of twists, turns and surprises. Some puzzles are very easy to exploit or you could look online for answers -- But don't!

Visuals: Beautiful, bright and colorful scenes and full of life characters done in a European art style is a nice change of pace from the world on anime on the DS.

Audio: Superb, but limited, voice acting even when not watching a FMV -- but it's just nice to see any voice acting in DS game!

Gameplay: Point and tap is very acurate. The meat and potatoes of the game is solving the puzzles which are very easy to input but not always easy to solve!

Multiplayer: None.

Wi-Fi Functionality: Unlockable weekly puzzles

Replay: Better replay than Brain Age because it's not so repetitive. Plenty to do after the game is over. You'll have to wait a while before you forget the answers to some of the puzzles over again. Weekly puzzles keep this title fresh until the sequel is localized.

Overall: A quirky little title that is a must have for people that love puzzles. It's a great start to, hopefully, a long running series for Nintendo's hand held system.

-mwb-

Nintendo Got Its Money's Worth!

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! for GameCube was released November 17, 2003. This billboard at the Westgate Mall in Brockton is still up as of April 11th, 2008. Assuming it was put up prior to the actual release, that means this has been up for around five years! How can no one else put up an advertisement there in five years? I suppose it's because it is located in a very low traffic area of the mall, but still -- five years! Give it a few more years and they won't be able to take it down because it will be considered a historical landmark.

Raenius Recommends I: Hit Me With Your Perfect Shot

Hopefully this will be the first installment in a weekly segment I’ll call Raenius Recommends. I will highlight a piece of hardware, software or service that successfully stands out and goes above and beyond. It seems every week we’re bombarded with tons of Shovelware and useless accessories. I will hopefully be able to sort through the wreckage and find the stuff worth spending those hard earned dollars on. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it! These will be kind of "mini-reviews", I will be going over why it’s a must have, what I like about it and what I don’t like about it (nothing’s perfect). I’ll also try to keep things recent. I’m not going to talk about something that came out 15 years ago! So, without further ado…

This week’s recommendation:
Nyko Perfect Shot for Nintendo Wii

Ever since we knew how the Wii controller worked and saw the prototype “light gun” at E3 we were thinking two words: Duck Hunt. Instead, we got a “spin-off” shooter version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess packaged with a deformed Tommy Gun inspired plastic shell. It serves its purpose, but it’s awkward and clunky and the trigger has bad response time. Then along comes Nyko who says: We can do it better.

And they did. How? The answer is quite simple. They made it look like a gun! I’m not sure what Nintendo was thinking. Probably on their never-ending crusade to shelter children from violence, they forget that’s what kids want. While playing titles like House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return, Ghost Squad and the sleeper hit Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles holding something that looks like a gun and feels like a gun really puts you in the game.

Installation is so much easier than the Wii Zapper. It’s literally plug and play. No snapping locks, sliding panels or wrapping cables. The only downside is I had to remove the battery compartment covers that came with my Nyko Wii Charge Station. Kind of silly not to make it compatible with your own product, but if that’s the worst thing I can find wrong than that’s not too bad. I have three Wii Remotes, so I can leave one permanently in the Perfect Shot. Conveniently, there’s also a port on the bottom of the grip for the nunchuck attachment if you need it. All the games compatible with the Zapper will work with the Perfect Shot.

Gameplay is flawless. The trigger responds perfectly and the other face buttons aren't covered up just incase you need them for a menu or something. It's made very well and yet it isn't heavy enough to make your arm tired. After a few minutes, you really get into it. Most shooter games even have a calibration so you can have the "where-you-point-is-where-you-shoot" or the "Duck Hunt Effect".

If you can’t find any of these gems on the sales floor there’s a good reason. For a rock bottom price of around $15, it’s obvious why it’s sold out everywhere. It’s even sold out on Nyko’s official site. If you can hold out, online stores like Amazon are claiming to be back in stock later this month. I found mine on eBay for a pretty decent price. I’m not usually one to pay more than something than I have to, but this is a must-have accessory for your Nintendo Wii that you will enjoy for years to come. So, whether you’re blasting zombies, crawling through trenches or saving hostages, make sure the Nyko Perfect Shot is your weapon of choice.

Time to break it down!

Performance: Easy installation. Not too heavy and not too light. Accurate response time for trigger. Hours of enjoyment!

Build Quality: So well made the only reason you'll buy another one is for Player 2

Value: Retail price is a steal but buying on eBay could be risky. Look out for fakes!

Overall: Better than the Nintendo Wii Zapper. Buy one if you can find it. You won't be dissapointed!

-mwb-

The State of Gaming (The Hardcore Gamer)

Hey guys it's Gene here, and today i am going to start my own little mini-series called, The State of Gaming. In this mini-series, I am going to focus on different sections of the gaming community which i believe need to be looked at, fixed, changed, or down right destroyed. Today I am going to answer the age old question "Who and what, is the Hardcore Gamer?" To get to the answer, we are going to have to go back to the roots of gaming, the arcades.

In the early 70's and mid 80's arcade gaming erupted. Everyone from young children to grown men had played games like Pac-Man and Pong. In the beginning these arcade machines were bringing people together. Kids would go to their favorite arcade and challenge others and a college student would take his girl out for a movie and afterwards, would get his arse beat in some Pong. Gaming went from some nerd coding hobby, to a social phenomenon. It was during this time the first seed of "hardcore gamer" was planted. Now like any seed it must have a name, and the name that gave birth to the "Hardcore Gamer" is called the "High Score".

The rise of the "Hardcore Gamer" began as competition. The "Hardcore Gamer" was the kid on the block that couldn't be beaten. He was the guy that had a score so high you thought it was impossible to obtain. Before the word "Hardcore Gamer" existed, these men and women were local legends. But the gaming world did not stay so social after all, gaming hit a brick wall hard. After Pac-Man fever ran its course it took gaming along with it. Gaming was considered a fad, and like all fads people distaste them once they are past their prime. Arcades started to close down all over the country games became rehashes of games that were already out, and the American public that embraced it so much had turned a deaf ear to the gaming cries. So what happened to the high score seed? Was the local legend just a "weed"?

Those local legends did not die, they continued to support their new hobby. Unfortunately for them, the world flipped its view of the gaming world and that changed the local legend to the local loser. People who still thought video games were cool became nerds yet again. Even when The Nintendo Entertainment System came out in the US and saved the gaming as we know it today, the gaming image was tarnished. As time progressed fewer people went to arcades, the NES was the answer to Pac-Man fever ten years earlier. The Super Mario Bros game broke open the gaming world yet again. People of all ages started to fall in love with video games again but this time it was more at a distance. Gaming was not cool anymore. Super Mario Brothers was a cool game but video games were for children, and nerds. Why was Nintendo, Sega, and Sony so influential? What was the role of video games in the early 90's? Where did the term hardcore gamer come from? All will be answered in the next State of Gaming.

Hello?Is anybody theeeere?

If you are one of the 5 people that regularly visit this blog you'll notice that there hasn't been an entry for awhile now.There is one major reason for that.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Super Smash Bros:Breakin'

For the unfamiliar Super Smash Bros. Brawl(or SSBB) is the 3rd entry in the popular Super Smash Bros. Series.Picking up where Melee left off,Brawl takes the craziness to new heights introducing all kinds of new modes including a revamped Adventure mode and most notably Online Play.Since 2006 this game has been keeping us waiting,seeming to move at a glacial pace Until it got a release date....then it was delayed....THEN ANOTHER SOONER RELEASE DATE.....then delayed again.I can personally tell you though the wait was worth it.The amount of content and goodies is more than enough.

OH MY GAWWWWD

The biggest change is easily the Adventure mode dubbed The Subspace Emissary.This tells the story of Mario and company.They are enjoying a friendly match when the action is suddenly interrupted and the way of life of many of the Nintendo characters is threatened.This mode is probably the easiest way to get a majority of the hidden cast unlocked but the time to finish this is certainly a step up from the humble adventure mode of Melee,clocking in at 8+ plus hours.Considering that's not the meat of the game,that's REALLY good.

So then you ask,"What's the meat of the game?It's Smash Bros." The sheer amount of unlockable content.There are 41 stages in the game total,35 different characters to play,and all sorts of easter eggs and hidden assist trophies to get.On top of that there are 400 + stickers to collect 200+ trophies,unlockable music tracks,and with the return of events along with new co-op two player events, there is a ton to do.

Where'd he go?

On top of THAT there is a stage creation option.

Yes,you can make your own levels.

The options aren't exactly brimming but the option to have your very own stage to fight on is awesome.You can use any available music you have as the background with tracks ranging from Sonic the Hedgehog to ExciteTruck to Tetris. The stages you make can be shared with your friends as well as you can either bring them to a friends house on an SD card or send it online to your Wii and brawl friends.Along with stages you can get funny Snapshots(like the ones i took here from my play time)and replays of break the target/matches whatever through the online service.

Kid Icarus?!

Customizable Controls are here as well.Making this the 1st time you could change the controls.While it doesn't sound like a huge deal having your configuration and stats saved onto your Wii remote IS.So no waiting to set the controls up,get your remote,connect it and go!It's very convenient,and having the option there is nice if you are tired of playing on the Gamcube controller or abhor it in general.I personally play on the classic controller for the Wii and the game feels great.It gives you the option of using the classic controller,Wii remote and nunchuk,and Wii remote alone along with the original Gamecube controller if you see fit.All customizable,all able to be saved on a remote.

"I'm taking a break..."

Oh right,I know i was forgetting something.The Online modes.Online play is done through Nintendo WFC and when playing with friends it moves like they were right next to you.....If you can connect.The servers seem to be getting slammed as it's so popular so sometimes there may be connection issues but when you do (which is the case 80% of the time) it is bliss.You can go for the traditional Brawl or even do Multiman Melee or the Homerun contest with a friend.If you don't feel like playing with a friend you can play with complete strangers in the 'With anyone' section or even side bet on past fought online matches to get more coins to unlock more trophies and stickers.

"Which one is Mario again?"

Long story short,this game is a blast to play,and if you have a Wii available and enjoy Nintendo games...well you are probably already playing this.For some reason if you aren't playing this and you fit the criteria however,please do so.

You won't be disappointed.
~ag

Blowing Off Steam: Why Are Wii Just Friends?

Hey Ya'll. I was invited to contribute to this little slice of the interweb. So I will do my best not to disappoint. After reading this, don't think of it as a bitch session. Think of this as an editorial.

Nintendo and I have a love/hate relationship. It seems many great things they do are often clouded by simple flaws. They give us Virtual Console but no hard drive. They give us great first party games but limited third party support.

What's been specifically on my mind lately that I'd live to talk about is Wii Friend Codes. As a concept, it works. But this is the age of Xbox Live. Nintendo WiFi Connection is like the younger annoying brother of the very dysfunctional console family who always bugs his older siblings by whining "Can I play too?!?"

The reason friend codes just do not work is that there is one for every game. On top of that, the system itself gets it's own code as well. OK Nintendo. You tell me I can live without having a "gamertag" or an online ID. But why can't I add someone's system code to a friends list and that's it? If he plays Mario Strikers, there he is. If he plays Battalion Wars, there he is. No muss. No fuss. Instead, Nintendo forces me to find out someone's friend code and type it in for each game. We live in a lazy world. I shouldn't need a rolodex with 12 digit numbers to play a game with someone!

It seems that Nintendo has been watching too much "To Catch a Predator" lately. It wasn't too bad until I heard about how online matches in Super Smash Bros. will work. Totally anonymous fighting? Haven't they heard of online rivals? Social gaming is huge and Nintendo is putting us all in the shadows. I can't even chat with someone I've added as a friend! They may call it "parental controls". But, it shouldn't be Nintendo's responsibility to control children’s actions online. I believe it's all on the parents. If you’re a responsible parent, you'll have a responsible kid.

It's all a matter of trust. They've been in this business a long time. I believe, in the end, they know what they're doing. Sometimes going against the grain works. But no matter what Nintendo does or what directions they go in, I will be right there behind them along with my fellow fanboys. Oh, Nintendo, we'd follow you off a cliff!

-mwb-

Wii-less

Hey ladies, its Josh again. And you may have noticed that I'm going by Josh now because it has come to my attention that silly surnames and pseudonyms such as J-9 simply aren't cool. But enough chatter about that, I'm talking about something far more serious than that.

A couple weeks ago, my brother Eugene and I were enjoying a nice session of Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 for the Wii. All of sudden, we noticed that there were these multicolored splotches that sort of resembled pixels from the Golden Age of gaming appearing in the corner left and middle of the screen. At that point, we already knew what the problem was, and what needed to be done.

We needed to ship our Wii to Nintendo to cure this ailment.

Now for those of you who have no idea what I'm actually talking about, listen up! These splotches are called artifacts. They can be as small as specks or as large as a giant streak running down your TV. This is a scene from Zelda: Twilight Princess with this very issue. Not very appealing is it? (Un)fortunately This only happens on Wiis that are set to display in 480(p), so if you don't have an HDTV, then don't worry about it.

This issue apparently happens when the Wii Connect24 fries the GPU or CPU or something like that. Since its always on, you can see how the GP-whatever I just said gets fried.

And so to play visual masterpieces such as Zelda or Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy with this horrendous affliction makes me sick to my stomach that it can't look as good as it should because of a couple splotches. This is why I am currently Wii-less. Though it is coming back today (hopefully), the past two weeks have been nothing but anguish. I've stared at that Xbox 360 in my brother's room and in my own, and the sheer weght of the truth that I can't play anything I have been playing for the past EVERSINCETHEWIICAMEOUT makes me very sad inside.

So how can you avoid being Wii-less? For one, buy a fan! I can't emphasis this enough. You have no idea how much that would actually help. There's no cooling unit for the Wii-Connect24 while its on 24/7 so I would recommend you go out and pick one up today. And make it Nyko. That's the only 3rd party I would trust, and so should you. They're the ones responsible for the awesome Wii Charge decks and the Perfect Shot after all! (I'm not counting the infamous Xbox360 intercooler. You know, the one that caused your unit to perform Hari-Kari.)

Another tip is to simply turn Wii-Connect24 off. Yeah, I know its cool to receive messages late at night and have the Wii glow an ominous, yet soothing shade of blue but in the long run, its just not worth the hassle I'm going through for the SECOND time. So yeah, just turn it off. Unplug it if you're that cautious. You'll receive messages and updates when you boot the system online for the sake of sanity.

Oh well, I've seemed to run out of things to say. And I still have 40 minutes left until my train departs. Well, I'm off today to pick up where I left off in Metroid Prime 3. There's some Metroids that need freezin.

See ya around!

READY?! DELAYED!

Well, ladies its nice to meet you all. I'm Josh, but I'll simply be going by J-9 going simply on the notion that I thought that was cool. Well anyway, like the blog says, we'll be discussing numerous different things video game related.

And right now, at this very instant, at this region, at this time of day, in this country (or not), I'd thought I'd let my thoughts out on the not so recently delayed Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Now, I'm sure there's a lot of you out there who simply couldn't wait and absolutely had to feed their eyes with every bit of spoiler out there. To you folks, I say BOO-URNS! Brawl is coming out in less than a month, and you've waited nearly 12 before than. You just had to go and spoil it for yourselves huh? Shame on you. For those of you who are waiting, I silently applaud thee.

But you're not off the hook people who can't wait, because I'd thought I'd share some techniques I've developed with my long lasting affair with the Big N.

When it comes to delayed ANYTHING, Nintendo is the reigning King of Kings. I'm sure Former President Yamauchi delayed his own birth due to the fact that "he needed to be polished and wasn't quite ready yet." So with all that anticipation, the question is how do you satisfy your hungry hungry-- eh. Hm. Eyes?

Simple. Do what I do. Pretend its never coming out.

Seriously, I've been doing this for so many years now its not even funny. From Majora's mask to Super Mario Sunshine and so forth. Pretend that the game is light years away, and suddenly before you know it, its March 9th!

SO how do you practice for that? Easy? Just anticipate Duke Nukem Forever. It will make it seem like you really are waiting Forever you know.

So in closing, I'd leave you with that nice nugget of strategy. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go to my Intro to Piano class and daydream about Brawl

J-9