The Stupid Gamer

In an interview with IGN, a Nintendo of Europe representative accidentally let it slip that Metroid Prime 3 will have online play. This would definately be a valid reason behind the game’s delay, so keep an eye out soon for more details.

The full interview can be found here: IGN Wii

The price that Nintendo announced for the Wii is right on the higher boundary of what can be considered fair. I was about 99% sure (thanks to a few sources that apparently had faulty info) that the price would be $229 for the same package, but en extra $20 isn’t much to fuss about.

I think the price, however, is more a strategic move than an attempt to be fair. With the $250 price point Nintendo is in a position where they can make a price drop as soon as they need to spur sales along without having to take a loss on any consoles that they sell. Nintendo is going to be able to sell out their initial shipments and drop the price $20-$30 as soon as needed. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a package without Wii Sports and priced at $199 appear by next holiday.

Another important thing to consider is that the average consumer wasn’t ever expecting a $199 price tag; the average consumer wasn’t waiting for or expecting anything. Once the media blitz begins, that’s when the average consumer starts thinking about making a purchase.

For what you’re getting, the price is actually pretty good. Everybody is calling it high simply because they had unrealistic expectations; but once again, this is the hardcore that had these expectations, not the majority of the buying public. When you consider that you’ll be getting a game, (rumored) component cables, built-in memory, free online features, and built-in Wi-Fi capabilities all packed in the system, you can really see how fully packed and featured Nintendo’s offering is.

The peripherals are a bit overpriced, but I’m willing to accept that with the games being $10 cheaper on the average. After buying 3 games and 3 more Wii remotes and nunchucks, I’ll pretty much have broken even anyway.

By the time we all get the Nintendo Wii into our homes this price issue will become irrelevant. After playing the system at E3 2006, I was convinced that the system was going to be a winner in my home and with everybody in my family. The Wii is going to provide experiences with friends, family, and other gamers that you simply can’t put a price tag on.

Amazon.com has started taking pre-orders for the Nintendo Wii. Below you’ll find a link to the Nintendo Wii category and information on how to get it pre-ordered. It sure beats hanging out in the cold at midnight!
Check it out here: Nintendo Wii Pre-Orders!

Update: It looks that the pre-order limits have been reached. I’ll let everybody know when Amazon is accepting orders once more.

Hudson announced on their official website that 8 titles are currently being readied for the Japanese launch of the Nintendo Wii. 2 of these titles will be available at launch with 6 more, including Bomberman coming later.

At Launch:

Wing Island
Korinpa

Coming Later:

Sudoku: December, 2006
Fishing Master (Working Title): December, 2006
Batinda: Feb, 2007
Crossword: March, 2007
Jigsaw Puzzle: March 2007
Bomberman Land (Working Title) : March 2007

Source: Hudson News Release

The Wii launch details are out and pricing has been confirmed on just about everything. So, how much will we have to pay to get Nintendo’s system and enjoy it fully? Here’s my shopping list for launch day:

• Nintendo Wii System (white) - $249.99
• Extra Wii remote - $39.99
• Extra nunchuck - $19.99
• Classic controller - $19.99

Hardware Total: - $329.96

• Wii Sports - Included with system
• Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - $49.99
• Excite Truck - $49.99
• Rayman: Raving Rabbids - $49.99
• Red Steel - $49.99
• Trauma Center: Second Opinion - $49.99

Software Total: - $249.95

Launch Total: - $579.91

It won’t be cheap stepping into the “new-gen” of gaming, but it’s a pretty good value when you consider it’s a console, extra controller, and 6 games. There’s plenty more that I’m looking forward to, so it might just be time to start saving those pennies.

The Nintendo Wii launches on November 19th. Information regarding the Wii can be found at the official site: Wii.com

No, Nintendo didn’t cancel their upcoming conference tomorrow, but the hype surrounding it is starting to take its toll on several web sites and forums. The most notable victim thus far is the fan-created Thursdayton website. Thursdayton isn’t much more than a site that hosts Nintendo hype-related pictures and animated .gifs alongside a countdown clock to Nintendo’s big moment.

While the death of a silly hype site isn’t exactly newsworthy, the amount of hype that is surrounding the impending Nintendo announcement is nothing short of amazing. System launches are always surrounded with fans pounding popular gaming-related sites, but the Nintendo Wii seems to have managed to stir up more of a fervor than anything else that the industry has ever seen.

After tomorrow’s conference we should all know the price, launch date, and expected launch titles for the Wii. I’ve got my popcorn, soda, and seat reserved in front of my computer monitor.

Konami has revealed its full lineup for Tokyo Games Show. The games will be as follows:

Wii
- Elebits

PlayStation 3
- Coded Arms Assault
- Mahjong Kakutou Club
- Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots

PlayStation 2
- Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 13
- J. League Winning Eleven 10 + Europe League 2006 - 2007
- Pop’n Music 13 Carnival
- Guitar Freaks V2 & DrumMania V2
- BeatMania IIDX 12: Happy Sky
- Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA
- Negima!? 3-Jikanme
- Flatout 2 GTR

Xbox 360
- Winning Eleven-Serie

Sony PSP
- Mahjong Fight Club Zenkoku Taisen Version
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
- Metal Gear Solid: Bande Dessinee
- World Soccer Winning Eleven 10: Ubiquitous Edition
- Silent Hill Origins

Nintendo DS
- Mahjong Kakutou Club DS
- Bokura no Taiyou: Django and Sabata
- World Soccer Winning Eleven DS
- Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
- Otogi Juushi Akazukin
- Lost in Blue 2

Arcade
- Mahjong Kakutou Club 5
- World Soccer Winning Eleven 2006 Arcade Championship
- Pop’n Music 14 Fever
- Guitar Freaks V3 & DrumMania V3
- BeatMania IIDX 14: Gold
- Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA

Before getting too excited, that second Metal Gear title on the PSP is just the digital graphic novel. Here’s hoping a surprise or two just might be in the works though!

By way of the ESRB website Sega has revealed 7 titles that will be available for the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console service. Originally noticed by Codename Revolution, the seven titles include: Toe Jam and Earl, Altered Beast, Columns, Ecco the Dolphin, Golden Axe, Ristar, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Each of the seven titles are among the most beloved of games that were available for the Sega Genesis.

Everybody loves predictions, especially when they prove to be wrong and you get to serve up some crow to the would-be Nostradamus. Well, despite the high chance of failure, I’m going to throw my expectations for the even into the pool of predictions.

What I think we’ll see:
Nintendo will capitalize on the opportunity to parade the DS. The conference will start out showing the current and upcoming releases on the DS and forums will go nuts with people eager to hear Wii info. You’ll have people freaking out stating that they only have X amount of time to get in their Wii announcements and that they’re wasting it on the DS. What these people fail to realize, however, is that the DS can use the exposure while the whole world will be watching since Nintendo will be sitting TGS (Tokyo Games Show) out. Nintendo will probably push DS sales stats, announcements, and information right up until the point that people can’t take it anymore. At that point, they’ll move on…

Wii price date and launch date will be announced. I think that despite rumors of the Wii coming out at $150 that the system will launch at $199. I don’t expect any games to be bundled with the system, but it’s possible that a free Virtual Console download will be included. The system will launch on November 2nd in the North America and the launch numbers will be at or above 1 million systems available. The system will officially be available for preorders starting on Thursday.

The system won’t be bundled with any additional accessories. I think that the Nintendo Wii package will inlcude the following:

• Nintendo Wii console (black or white)
• Wii freehand remote and nunchuck attachment
• WiiConnect 24 information card
• User manual
• One free VC download voucher
• Composite cables
• Registration card
• Power cord
• Wii console stand
• Game and accessory information packet (info on SD cards, retro style controller, Zapper attachment, upcoming releases)

Miyamoto’s new IP will be announced, but it won’t be playable. Other announcements will include new information regarding Super Smash Bros. Brawl with a possible release date, how WiiConnect 24 will work, when we can expect the next iterations of Pokemon, Donkey Kong, and some notable 3rd party titles.

Despite the launch info, pricing, and a few new game announcements, this will not to be another Spaceworld type of event. Most likely this event is to get some announcements out and get media attention to focus on the DS and Wii before the TGS storm hits. Nintendo doesn’t have tons of announcements ready; it’s probably silly to think that they do. This is just Nintendo’s way of having their day in the sun apart from what will be going on at TGS. Overall it won’t be disappointing, but it won’t be much more than launch info and a few cool announcements. Don’t go into this expecting a massive blowout of media!

I think that the conference is going to be tons of fun. Forums will crash, fanboys will cry from all camps, and Nintendo will initiate a hype wave that they’ll be hoping to ride all the way through the holidays. Check back later for my reactions on the event; you know you’ll want to.

I’ve never been a fan of the “sandbox” games very much. Oblivion has been the most appealing, but I like my freedom in games to be a bit more structured that what’s offered in your typical Grand Theft Auto or one of its many clones. Normally I find myself so distracted that I either lose sight or lose interest in the main quest and ultimately brush the game aside in favor of something else. Dead Rising gives me enough structure that I’m able to stay focused, but it also gives me enough freedom to find diversion when I’m hungry for it.

The gameplay is pretty simple, but for a gore fest you wouldn’t want to make things too complicated. For those that need more of a technical fix, Capcom’s Devil May Cry may be more suitable. Basically you find yourself dropped into a mall in the middle of a city infested with zombies. You play as a journalist that’s out to get a scoop and possibly save some people along the way. As you roam the mall in search of clues to what’s going on, taking pictures of the carnage, and escorting people to safety, you’ll find yourself engaging in a zombie massacre with just about anything you can get your hands on. Over time you learn new combat moves, raise abilities, and increase your life meter. Every aspect of the gameplay is implemented in a straightforward and easy-to-learn fashion. Capcom does well not to muck things up with complexity.

The graphics are great, especially when you consider everything that is going on around here. Once in a while you’ll see a framerate stutter or two, but for the most part the visuals manage to be impressive while holding a good framerate. The details in the mall, character models, and just about everything else are great. Capcom definitely spent a good amount of time ensuring that everything looked great and animated smoothly.

The audio package is great. Crunches, splashes, clanks, and thumps sound spot on and the music is varied and fun. Certain situations will bring about a new kind of background music, often with comical results. In one scene a group of escaped convicts is racing around in a jeep causing extra havoc and their music is an odd mix of hip hop and crappy rock. Another situation has a psycho clown in an amusement park type area with an equally fitting audio track.

The game does have a few downsides to it; one of them being pretty awful. The save system is one of the worst I can ever remember, especially for a game of this nature. You are only allowed to have a single save file and you are only allowed to save in a few designated areas. This forces you to be extremely careful when saving since you can’t have a backup file in case you mess something up. It’s a bit disappointing to see this because it discourages experimentation at times in a game that begs you to try stuff out as often as possible. The lack of multiplayer is a tad bit disappointing, but it’s not that big of a deal. While some might miss it, I prefer to actually be left to my lonesome to progress and wander around as I see fit. Another downside is that there is a time limit, similar to what was seen in Pikmin (the original). Often this time limit will cause you to miss out on storyline elements or push you into abandoning quests in favor of other time sensitive things. I understand how the time limit fits into the storyline, but it’s more fun to not have to worry about it in a game of this nature. Subsequent playthroughs can remedy this issue; but I still would like to have seen to seen the storyline driven more by events than by time line.

It’s not that often that a summer release is really capable of grabbing you and keep you glued to your set. Normally summer is a time to work on your backlog and look forward to the massive Fall release schedule. Dead Rising, however, is one of those rare titles that manages to draw you in and keep you entertained for just about as long as your willing to sit hunched over on your couch with a controller in your hands. The game surely has its flaws, but it’s something I feel I can safely recommend to just about any 360 owner. The secrets, hidden objects, and variety of goals and achievements are great, so this is a title that’s a pretty safe purchase. Those that opt to rent the game probably won’t find enough time to experience all the game has to offer.

Overall Score: 8 out of 10

Other Reviews:
Advanced Media Network Review
IGN Review
1up Review