Super Mario Galaxy 2: Yoshi’s Back…and He Brought a Drill! [Impressions]

Super Mario Galaxy 2 returns Mario to a the Wii-defining universe of Super Mario Galaxy now armed with new power-up, new friends and… a drill? Just as Super Mario 64 redefined the classic platforming franchise for the Nintendo 64 generation, Super Mario Galaxy delivered the game-changing goods to Wii owners. While what we’d seen so far of Super Mario Galaxy 2, due out May 23 , looked very similar to Mario’s physics-bending current-gen hit, we were more than happy to collect coins, stomp Koopas, and save Peach all over again in the sequel. It seems, however, Nintendo’s well aware of the pleasant, but very apparent whiff of familiarity wafting off their upcoming sequel, as they recently went out of their way to demo the title’s fresh-rather than familiar-features. Clearly the most fan-pleasing reveal is the return of Yoshi; yes, Mario’s long-tongued prehistoric pal makes his way to Nintendo’s galaxy far, far away. The little green guy controls much like he did in past games, but with Galaxy’s gravity-defying gameplay comes new tricks for the adorable dino. My demo began at the base of a towering tree with no obvious paths for Mario to take up its trunk…until I spotted that little green-speckled egg. Still, with shell cracked, and Yoshi mounted, I was at a loss as how to get Mario to the tippity top of the level. Thankfully, a kind Nintendo rep pointed out a new power-up-the blimp berry-which Yoshi could munch on to catch some air. Sure enough, with a point of the Wii-Mote at the magic fruit, Yoshi was able to slurp it up and lift off the ground like a slowly deflating balloon. But the real challenge came in collecting more berries while the pair ascended, as each fruit only contains a limited amount of helium. I finally made it to the top of the tree, but not before landing on several low-hanging branches to refill Yoshi’s belly with hot air. Later levels promise to make this mechanic even trickier by including patrolling enemies that can pop Yoshi like a balloon. Keeping with the theme of showing off what new tricks Mario has tucked into his plumber’s tool belt, I was next dropped into a level made of steep, roller coaster-like surfaces. Mario couldn’t run up these almost vertical planes, and even Yoshi struggled to make much headway. Enter the dash pepper, a fiery looking veggie that Yoshi can gobble for temporary MACH speed. With fire and smoke amusingly shooting from his backside, Yoshi, save for some modest steering, becomes uncontrollable by the player, but succeeds in treading the previously unclimbable slopes. This jalapeño-like power-up is essentially a turbo boost for Yoshi. It only works in short bursts, but that’s probably a good thing given its chaotic control over Yoshi. Experimenting with Yoshi-and his new digestible powers-proved a fun time in the somewhat familiar Galaxy world. The potential for his use in clever puzzles, inventive platforming, and epic boss battles was readily apparent after just a few minutes mounted on his back. Additionally, the blimp berry and dash pepper further hint that Galaxy 2 will indeed significantly change up the gameplay of its predecessor. While Yoshi’s return will no doubt please longtime Mushroom Kingdom visitors, it was actually another new item that continually stretched a smile across my face during the demo. A drill, that looks like a smaller, cuter version of Big Daddy’s Splicer slicer, can be picked up by Mario, and used to burrow through the ground. Utilizing it in the title’s many spherical stages means you can tunnel your way from one side of a planet to the other. Spinning the Wii-Remote, just as you would to leap from planet to planet, sends the drill-with Mario in tow-racing through the dirt. Aside from being a blast to use, the buzzing power-up is great for reaching otherwise inaccessible areas; a 1up mushroom seemingly blocked from Mario on all sides, for example, can now be attained by tunneling under it. Messing with this new toy was great fun, but it really showed it’s edge-quite literally-during a boss battle. While traversing the outer edge of a planet shaped like a wheel of cheese, Mario was chased by a metallic menace with two enormous arms. In addition to avoiding his Italian plumber-squashing appendages, Mario must also beware his drill nose, which can burrow bombs through the ground to Mario’s location. The bombs, which resemble yellow Bullet Bills with the ability to swim in the sand, will take out Mario unless he stomps them first. In addition to playing defense against the boss’ arms and bombs, you need to find the right moment to send your own drill bit smack in the middle of its fragile face. You see, when it’s not drilling Mario-seeking missiles through the planet’s crust, it’s exposing a glass exterior housing a level-conquering star. Three successful drill hits, and “yippee”, the star is yours. Playing with Yoshi was like joining an old friend who’d learned some new tricks, but it was this drill-based level I wanted to play again and again. The only thing missing from this neat new mechanic is a subtle “buzz” and vibration fed back through the Wii-Mote. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is an obvious sequel to its popular predecessor, so those looking for a complete reboot won’t find it here. However, plenty of new toys and tricks- including many yet to be revealed-keep this follow-up feeling as fresh as the first time we made Mario planet hop with a quick spin of the Wii-Mote.

Read the original here:
Super Mario Galaxy 2: Yoshi’s Back…and He Brought a Drill! [Impressions]

Nobunaga’s Ambition Takes Him To The Olympics [Winter Olympics]

The inspiration behind Koei’s classic turn-based strategy game Nobunaga’s Ambition lives on, as Nobunaga Oda’s 17th descendant takes to the ice in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Nobunaga Oda was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the rule of the Shogun in the late sixteenth century. 23-year-old Nobunari Oda, Nobunaga’s 17th descendant, is a Japanese figure skater living in Hackensack, New Jersey, who missed the 2007-08 season due to a DUI. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, right? At least when the apple’s branch isn’t several hundred years removed from the trunk. It’s interesting to note that the NBC presented the trivial tie-in during the skater’s introduction last night. “He is the 17th descendant of Nobunaga Oda (1534-1582), the famous Japanese warlord during the age of the civil war and inspiration for the Super Nintendo video game series, Nobunaga’s Ambition.” Far from a Super Nintendo series, the Nobunaga franchise has appeared on at least fourteen different platforms, but who’s counting? Oh yeah, we are. Nobunari Oda Profile [NBC Olympics - Thanks Marc!]

Read more:
Nobunaga’s Ambition Takes Him To The Olympics [Winter Olympics]

Parent: Nintendo DS Would Have Distracted Newton From Discovering Gravity [Ds]

I just discovered a hullabaloo over at the Orange County Register’s Mom Blog that began when blogger/mom Marla Jo Fisher explained why she keeps her household gaming free. Part of the attraction for this story are the new ways Fisher demonizes games, which she thinks would hold her son back from growing up smart and fit. This is kind of novel: I truly believe that video games were created by Satan to turn otherwise normal children into his drooling, glassy-eyed stooges. After my son plays them at his friends’ houses, he comes home irritable and testy for the rest of the day. But this… this is new stuff: Here’s my question: When do kids ever think these days? When do they ever have brains free from electronics long enough to ponder the universe? To think of things that might someday lead them to a cure for cancer? If Sir Isaac Newton had been playing a DS, I’m sure he never would have noticed the apple falling from the tree, so he never would have formulated the theory of gravity. Fisher gets hit with gamer backlash in the comments section below her blog. That’s not too surprising. More interesting is a dad named Kevin who writes about his kids’ relationship with games. Here’s some from Kevin’s comment : My youngest son’s case: he’s 13 now, and loves his Xbox. The game he loves to play enables him create and design his own courses and let’s others online use his course too. The menu system for this game is very complex, and develops analyical skills just to work through the whole thing. He is able to record his course runs and can “render” them and put them up on a forum for his buddies online to watch. He can do screen captures (get still pictures) of him playing. This has motivated him to learn Photoshop (totally on his own) so he can edit the photos and post them on his forum. He’s now into creating videos of his games, creating title pages, splicing in pictures, adding video, adding music for other gamers to watch. I was amazed! I got him Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements (video editor) for christmas! He’s 13!! He’s certainly not the only kid out there doing this. I’m not so interested in commenters here haranguing Marla Jo Fisher, but I am curious what parents believe their kids are getting out of playing games. A release? Development of skills? Entertainment? Video Games Were Invented By The Devil [The Orange County Register's The Mom Blog]

Originally posted here:
Parent: Nintendo DS Would Have Distracted Newton From Discovering Gravity [Ds]

Two Big Santa Differences [Note]

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: The Age of Internetz This is starting to get tricky — especially when you have a kid who believes in Santa. Two big differences: • In Japan, Santa leaves presents in your room, usually near your pillow. In America, Santa leaves presents under the tree. • In Japan, Santa leaves only two or two presents — the reason being is that during New Years, kids get a lot of cash from relatives as presents. In America, Santa leaves more than a few presents. Kids haven’t caught on, thankfully. Heh. Since I’ve only celebrated the holidays in Japan and America, I’m afraid I don’t know about another Santa differences. Feel free to hit up the comments section with more Santa differences. What you missed you last night Team Fortress 2’s “War Update” Lets Players Vote With Kills Blizzard Patches Diablo II, Beta Test It Now Microsoft: “Halo: Reach Will Be The Biggest Game of 2010″ Xbox 360 Game Helps You Talk To Girls

The rest is here:
Two Big Santa Differences [Note]

The Nintendo Download: Can’t Read My Foto Face [Nintendo]

EA takes advantage of the DSi camera in Foto Face ; Guybrush Threepwood continues his quest; and more Sudoku, all in this week’s expansive installment of the Nintendo Download. Despite adding a grand total of ten new titles across Nintendo’s three downloadable game platforms, this week’s update is relatively tame. The only real big-name title is the fourth chapter of Tales of Monkey Island for WiiWare (1,000 Wii points). Other WiiWare additions this week include Hudson’s zoo simulation My Zoo (500 points), Digital Leisure’s helicopter rescue title Copter Crisis (500 points), and a Christmas-themed puzzle game from JV Games called Christmas Clix (1,000 points). DSiWare gets four new games as well, starting with EA’s Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes (800 DSi points), which allows players to use the DSi camera and mic to create faces and voices for every character in the game. Outside of that gimmick, its a pretty simple platforming puzzle game, but still more interesting than Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe (200 points), Sudoku Challenge! (500 points), and PopCap’s Bookworm (500 points). The Virtual Console gets the short end of the stick this week, with Super Nintendo beat-em up The Combatribes (800 points) and TECMO’s action/puzzle arcade game Solomon’s Key (600 points). I might pick up Foto Face, if only to have something new to do with my DSi camera. Your thoughts? WiiWare Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 4 Publisher: Telltale Games Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Cartoon Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol Price: 1,000 Wii Points™ Description: Conspiracies, betrayal and shocking revelations as the Tales of Monkey Island intensity builds. Guybrush returns to Flotsam Island, but forget about a hero’s welcome. Handed over to De Singe by the backstabbing Morgan LeFlay, Guybrush is seized by an angry mob and put on trial. With a silk-tongued prosecutor in his face and a hangman’s noose dangling over his neck, Guybrush must figure out how to defend himself against grave accusations. Meanwhile, the determined Marquis sets his sights on a new and far more attractive test subject. How on earth will the Mighty Pirate get out of this mess? The monthly Tales of Monkey Island tension continues to mount in The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood. Brace yourself for a shocking revelation that will rock the world of Monkey Island to its core. My Zoo™ Publisher: Hudson Entertainment Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Price: 500 Wii Points Description: My Zoo is a relaxing animal sim that puts you in the shoes of an animal breeder, raising up animals you’d normally only dream of. All it takes is a Wii Remote™ controller for a simple, yet fulfilling, connection with nature. There are 12 animal types in total (four sold separately as add-on content). Select your favorites and nurture them to adulthood. Feeding them, petting them and cleaning up their messes are great ways to form a lasting bond. Each animal’s personality will change depending on how you take care of it. Watch them get spoiled, turn into over-eaters and more as they grow on a daily basis. Some animals will even have a baby on occasion, and once it’s born, you’ve got another mouth to feed. Game time passes much more quickly than real time, and the different animal types are active at various hours – some during the day and some at night. Sometimes it’s fun to just kick back and watch what they do. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to create your own personal zoo. Copter Crisis Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc. Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Violence Price: 500 Wii Points Description: Copter Crisis puts you in the pilot’s seat. As a member of the elite Helicopter Rescue Squad, you’ll be assigned to respond to any type of emergency anywhere at any time. As the newest member joining this team, you’ll have to complete various missions with the latest in helicopter rescue technology. When you’re ready, you’ll be tasked with executing rescue missions all around the Black Rock Canyon. Your Wii Remote controller becomes the control stick as you guide your copter along the canyons while avoiding rocks, severe weather and even anti-aircraft fire. Rescue lost hikers, deliver supplies to remote areas, assist on scientific missions and even blast your way into underground cavern systems. Complete all of your objectives and rise through the ranks to take on the toughest rescues and unlock 10 bonus missions. Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play allows you to enhance your flight experience with 10 additional copters, which can give you access to unlimited missiles, larger fuel tanks, cargo holds and even mid-air loops. Christmas Clix Publisher: JV Games Inc. Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Price: 1,000 Wii Points Description: Christmas doesn’t have to be all work for Santa, does it? Santa’s having some fun and wants you to play along too. You can help Santa decorate the tree by removing the presents and ornaments that he stacks. When you consecutively connect packages without missing a beat, you get extra points. Collect as many candy canes as you can because when you collect enough, Santa will add a special star to the game that can greatly help you get through a level or just bring some additional fun. Nintendo DSiWare Foto Face™: The Face Stealer Strikes Publisher: Electronic Arts Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points Description: Your face, your game, you’re the hero. In Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes, YOU get to be in the game. Using the camera and microphone, you become the hero in your own game. Unlock a variety of hero costumes as you battle the baddies, search for stars and solve platforming puzzles. The Face Stealer has stolen your identity and is creating trouble – and everyone is blaming you. You have to track him down across 15 action-packed stages. Along the way, you’ll come across many memorable creatures, both friend and foe. Use the camera and microphone to create faces and voices for every character in your game. Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes – a game starring YOU. Bookworm Publisher: PopCap Games, Inc. Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points Description: Feed your appetite for wordy fun in this download version of PopCap’s hit word-puzzle game. Link letter tiles left, right, up and down to build words and feed Lex in Bookworm Classic mode. But watch out for burning letters – they could spell disaster for you and Lex. Use Reward Tiles and spell Bonus Words to boost your score and link your best words to enter the Hall of Fame. Play unlimited levels of word-puzzle fun and learn new words on the go. You’ll relax and tune up your brain every time you play. Master of Illusion™ Express: Mind Probe Publisher: Nintendo Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™ Description: Master of Illusion Express titles are mind-boggling magic tricks that you perform with your Nintendo DSi™ system. Learn the illusions, practice up and then amaze your friends. Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe uses your Nintendo DSi system as a means of detecting information. Ask a spectator to write down a favorite (or least-favorite) item – person, food or color, for example – and then be astonished when the Nintendo DSi system sounds an alarm to indicate when that item is spoken. Use any variation of likes or dislikes to stun the crowd. Sudoku Challenge! Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc. Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points Description: Now’s your chance to play the brain-busting puzzle game taking the world by storm. With more than 100,000,000 sudoku puzzles, you’ll never see the same puzzle twice in Sudoku Challenge! You can select the classic nine-by-nine sukodu game boards as well as Grand Sudoku, which challenges you to complete five intersecting sudoku boards simultaneously. Just a beginner? Don’t worry – with three difficulty options, even the most novice player can complete a sudoku with ease. But if you’re a seasoned pro, challenge yourself in “Hard” mode and test your true skills. It’s time to get your thinking cap on and see how many sudoku puzzles you can conquer. Virtual Console The Combatribes™ Original platform: Super NES Publisher: Aksys Games Players: 1-2 ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Violence Price: 800 Wii Points Description: The evil gang known as “Guilty Zero” rules the city, and it’s up to you as one of the members of the Combatribes to take them down. Choose one of three characters and fight your way through the city of New York. Progress through the game by tackling the goons and boss of each stage using your arsenal of kicks, punches, throws and other techniques to beat them into submission. Once your stamina bar is reduced to zero, you’ll need to use a continue, but when you’re out of continues, it’s game over. Can you eliminate the threat of “Guilty Zero” and restore the peace in New York City!? Solomon’s Key™ Original platform: Arcade Publisher: TECMO Players: 1-2 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Price: 600 Wii Points Description: Solomon’s Key is an action/puzzle game that lets you control the wizard Dana, delving into a labyrinth to seek out a magical tome called Solomon’s Key, an item that will help in your quest to drive away evil spirits let loose in the world. The goal of the game is to use the buttons to create and destroy blocks, and use various techniques to find keys to pass through doors. The game has appeared on a variety of platforms, but the arcade version focuses strongly on the action elements of the game, making it more challenging, and allowing players of all skill levels, from beginners to masters, to enjoy it. Settings like the number of lives and difficulty level can be adjusted.

See original here:
The Nintendo Download: Can’t Read My Foto Face [Nintendo]

Nothing Says Christmas Like A Gundam Christmas Tree [Gundam]

Deck the halls with boughs of holly and plastic robot toys. On December, a Gundam Christmas 16-foot tree with over 60 Gundam models will go up in Tokyo’s Akihabara. Strung with red, white and blue lights, the tree is promoting upcoming PSP protbale title Gundam vs Gundam Next Plus. Voice actor Toru Furuya , who voices Gundam character Amuro Ray, will flip the switch to light up the lights on December 3. The first hundred who purchase Gundam vs. Gundam Next Plus get to have their photo taken with Furuya. 機動戦士ガンダム：ツリーにガンプラ６０体、アキバに立つ！　”アムロ”が点灯(まんたんウェブ) – 毎日ｊｐ(毎日新聞) [Mainichi via ANN ]

See the rest here:
Nothing Says Christmas Like A Gundam Christmas Tree [Gundam]

Deck The Halls With Video Game Ornaments [Christmas]

If this Christmas you’re feeling sick of seeing Santa, candy canes and wooden cars hanging from your tree, you could always try something different. Laser-cut video game controllers, anyone? These have been designed by Dave Rollins, are made of acrylic, and are going for the entirely reasonable price of $20. The only downside? No Wavebird. Anyone interested, you can get ‘em from Etsy . video game controller ornaments are very merry indeed [technabob]

Read more:
Deck The Halls With Video Game Ornaments [Christmas]

Yahoo: NES, Dreamcast Best Toys Of All Time [Lists]

That time of year when parents have to invest in the newest hot toy for Christmas is at hand. Too bad not many of these Best Toys of All Time are still hot. From classic scooters and teddy bears to Furbies and Cabbage Patch Kids, this Good Housekeeping list documents the hottest of hot toys that were hot in their day. And unlike People Magazine’s 80s special , they’ve gone and given Nintendo and Sega their rightful props as hot toys. While I can’t name anybody who’d be glad to get a jar of Play-Doh this year, I can think of a lot of people who would be thrilled to see a Sega Dreamcast or an original Nintendo Entertainment System under their X-mas tree this year. Sadly, none of them are kids. What classic entertainment system would you want under your tree this year? The Best Toys of All Time [Good Housekeeping by Yahoo! Shopping]

Read more:
Yahoo: NES, Dreamcast Best Toys Of All Time [Lists]

Accidentally, A Preview Of SimAnimals Africa [Wii]

Checking out the Wii’s SimAnimals Africa at an EA press event last week offered what I imagine would be the same feeling I’d get standing in a restroom for women. Should I really be here? Let’s stretch and use a metaphor that is slightly more suitable for a game that transports players into the Sims version of Africa: I was on safari. More honestly, I was on the top floor of EA’s triple-decker showcase of late 2009 and early 2010 games last week and got roped into a demo. Why not? When it comes to games, I’ll try anything. Who knows what exotic discoveries might be in an game targeted, I guess, to kids and is part of EA’s new trend of whiplash-fast Wii sequel development. This game was made swiftly. It’s slated for October 27 release, nine months after SimAnimals, set in North American woodlands, was released on Wii. (Over my shoulder from SimAnimals Africa, November’s EA Sports Active More Workouts, was on display; its predecessor went on sale in June.) The game has players trying to take control of animals and restore balance to the Tree of Life. You do this, I was shown, by, say helping a crocodile eat gazelles, an action that I could see interesting more than just the kid audience. The game’s superbly-named executive producer Sam Player showed me how he could swim a croc toward some cute gazelles, and almost snatch one in its jaws. He missed, but he found easier prey in deeper water where a zebra was taking its final swim. Like sex in The Sims, zebra-eating in SimAnimals Africa is censored. A puff of clouds obscured the crocodile’s attack. The law of the jungle — or the savanna — has seldom seemed so cheerful. Nevertheless, a bit of animal-to-animal violence has some standout appeal in this season of mostly man vs. aliens/terrorists/dragons/Italians. (Sadly, this interactive nature film does not feature an announcer whispering about the animal attacks, in English or in Simlish.) The beast battles might have a core Kotaku appeal. I’m not as sure about the SimAnimals’ animal-petting, which is necessary for getting animals to do the player’s bidding. The eating, the petting and some mini-games help raise various animal attributes, which is what earns the SimAnimals series its first syllable. You can make an animal stronger. We did something different. We raised the croc’s charisma for reasons I wish I could remember why. The controllable animals’ hides bear markings that represent their attributes. So you can tell at a glance of its body what kind of qualities your croc has. That’s a nice touch of avatar attitude expression which games such as Fable — and not much else — have dabbled with as well. I was shown one mini-game that had the croc jumping to eat icons scrolling in from the left, a sort of rhythm-game lite. A more desperate writer might refer to it as Croc Band (not I!). For the mini-games and for deep-water zebra-hunting, the SimAnimals controls involved common shakes of the Wii. I guessed that this game was prime MotionPlus material, being both a Wii sequel and a game that was developed during the final months right before and after the release of Nintendo’s latest peripheral. Sam Player told me the team looked into supporting the device but realized that their target audience wasn’t right for the degree of control MotionPlus enables. Litttle kids don’t do finesse, I realized. Nor do some African animals. Before last week, I could have put the existence of the SimAnimals franchise in the same mental category as the death of an old celebrity I haven’t heard about in a while: Something that sounds like it might be true but also could just be a really good guess. The Sims brand certainly does pollinate many varieties. (Is there a SimCars yet? A SimRestaurant? I will not cheat by checking Google.) But SimAnimals is in fact real. It even seems like a fine idea, though I did check online and saw that the last game received poor reviews . Iteration usually makes a game sequel better, but a nine-month development cycle for a console game is a little too rapid to ensure improvement. We can judge soon. The game’s release on October 27 should help prove whether the move to Africa has improved SimAnimals. I’m happy enough to know right now that the fall has this added ingredient of happy animals herding with and chewing on each other. I’m glad I stopped by.

See more here:
Accidentally, A Preview Of SimAnimals Africa [Wii]

The Great Tree [Game Download]

Fly into a magical world of mystery and adventure told through beautiful drawings and mesmerizing gameplay with Reflexive’s enchanting game: The Great Tree! When the Pollen Collectors are bewitched, the faeries’ survival rests upon the shoulders of their children. This quest will lead them directly into the dangers of the forest, where there are whispers of something sinister lurking in the shadows. The tree’s life runs short. Set forth now to save the faeries in this grown-up tale of good and evil!

(more…)