As the Summer draws near in the US, children are getting out of school. Many go to camps, while others just lay around and play a good video game. You know, attempt to finish that Metal Gear Solid, or Zelda, or start playing GTA: Chinatown Wars. There’s even the few that dust off the Wii Fit in hopes of getting a beach body (it’s too late!).

Instead of giving us anything really noteworthy, Nintendo also is going through the summer slump. We have some games that have a “summer” feel to it: a board game (better known as Othello), Sudoku, a fishing game, and a first person water-gun game. None of them sound horribly appealing for a gamer. The only standout this week is the release of Fantasy Zone II. I’m personally not a follower of the series, but it’s a Sega classic. It’s a colorful side-scrolling shooter, so it may not be for everybody.

More information after the jump.

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One of the big E3 games that have gotten some more information was Metal Gear Solid. Although it’s not Metal Gear Solid 5, Peace Walker is set for the PSP. The game itself takes place in the 1970s which is ten years after MGS3.  I will admit that graphically it’s not PS3 caliber, but I can imagine this game being so big that it would also make it to the PS2.

Here are some images from the E3 Trailer.

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I am almost shocked that we have something that is worth talking about that isn’t a classic video game. This week we have the release of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. Although it has a little bit of a cheesy name, it’s a look at what happened to four’s world after the events of the first game. Graphically, it seems like the game looks about the same, with the exception that the game looks wide screen friendly. For 800 points, it seems like a good investment. Any fan of Final Fantasy should definitely take a look at this one.

On the other side, we have a few standard games. Yet another poker game. Yawn. Puzzle Game. Yawn. Boulder Dash is one of those games that seems too both gravity and time defying when you look back at it. In real life, you wouldn’t be able to dodge boulders or wait patiently as boulders shift from above you. If you’re a fan of the classic though, kudos to you.

More information after the jump.

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Here’s the list of available downloads this week. I’m actually impressed seeing that both Bubble Bobble and Adventure Island, two classic NES era games have gotten something for the WiiWare. Although I’m not totally impressed by Bubble Bobble, Adventure Island: The Beginning looks like a fun 2D side scrolling romp.

As for  the Virtual Console, the Geneisis classic, Clay Fighter is now available. This one resonates from my childhood, but looking at it now, I don’t think it aged that well. It’s still a fun fighting game, but I’d suggest things like Street Fighter (especially the HD Remix that came out) miles before I’d ever suggest Clay Fighter.

I’m reserving any judgment for American Popstar for the DSi. The concept seems hokey to me, but it does use the microphone features and is something original for the DSi that isn’t a clock or calculator.

More information below:

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I’ve been using a Lenovo IdeaPad S10 since December last year, and I absolutely love it - when I’m not wishing it would play HD video without dropping frames like crazy, and modern 3D games. While there’s a small number of games that work fine on netbooks, sometimes it’d be nice to have a bash of Team Fortress 2 on the couch.

Fortunately, it’s not going to be too long until I can. Although I’ll need to upgrade to the IdeaPad S12 first.

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The pickings are quite slim today, only three new downloads this week. I’m personally prepping for summer, but that doesn’t mean that Nintendo should slack off. It’s that season in video games where the games start thinning out until Christmas/Holiday season kicks in again. The summer is a great time to catch up on some of those downloads or games that you may have skipped over in the last season, especially because several of the games went down in price six months later.

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Happy May! It’s official: DSiWare software has started to sink. This week we have a calculator and a clock from Animal Crossing. I love Animal Crossing, but none of these features are that amazing. There is only one exception: if you need a calculator. Doesn’t a cell phone do all these things already?

The pickings are slim this week, but I would definitely save my money for the Rock Band DLC and Franz Ferdinand.
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This week, I’ll admit I don’t really think that I’m feeling any of the games . Paper Airplane Chase sounds really silly. Unless they fly like paper and get high like planes, the game is unnecessary. Granted it’s only 200 points, so it might work for anyone with extra points and needs something cheap. Something about it’s graphics that are turning me off, and I’m a fan of avant garde type games.

For the rest, it just doesn’t really sound like too much fun. Card Classics sounds like a java game that got converted. Although Nobunaga’s Ambition seems like fun, it probably suffers from the same slow war-sim timing. It’s my choice of the week, but that’s not saying much.

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There hasn’t been much change in the positions. Wii Fit is still up top. Nothing really is that surprising this week.

1. Wii Fit - Wii (Last Week: 1)

2. Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout - Wii (Last Week: 14)

3.Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel - Wii (Last Week: 2)

4. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha versus King Abaddon - PS2 (Last Week: N/A)

5.Pokemon Platinum - DS (Last Week: 3)

6. Professor Layton and the Curious Village - DS (Last Week: 7)

7. My Fitness Coach - Wii (Last Week: 6)

8. Wii Play with Wii Remote - Wii (Last Week: 5)

9. Mario Kart DS - DS (Last Week: 9)

10. New Super Mario Bros. - DS (Last Week: 11)

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We’re going to take a look at the list of top video game sales from Amazon. This list doesn’t count the systems, accessories, or downloadables. I always found it weird that Amazon had a section of “Top Video Games” and they count accessories and the like. I’ve compiled the top 25 games so you don’t have to. There’s some analysis after the jump.

1.Wii Fit - Wii

2.Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel - Wii

3.Pokemon Platinum - DS

4.Wii Sports Resort (Pre-Order) - Wii

5.Wii Play with Wii Remote - Wii

6.My Fitness Coach - Wii

7.Professor Layton and the Curious Village - DS

8.Killzone 2 - PS3

9.Mario Kart DS - DS

10.Shaun White Snowboarding - Wii

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