The Gamer Gene (2)

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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Twitter has become quite an interesting Tour de Force website. One would think that only having 140 characters would hinder people, but somehow everyone is doing it. Not to be kept out of the social media loop two companies have hopped on the bandwagon. One definitely understands the medium, the other seems to have joined but hasn’t implemented much.

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After Nintendo’s big week of DSi Downloads the pickings look a little slim. We have one Virtual Console, one WiiWare, and two DSi downloads. I’m very wary about both DSi downloads. The Master of Illusion series is questionable in my book. It’s really not a game, so throwing money on it just doesn’t seem like the answer.

Mixed Messages seems like a fun game, but only if you have several friends on hand. It’s a technologically advanced version of the childhood favorite game Telephone. One person writes a sentence, one person draws the sentence in picture form, and then the third person has to interpret the picture as a sentence.
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Here’s a list of some of the better products that have emerged this week for the XBox Marketplace. There are several videos, themes, and the like also available, but these below are probably the better products that have emerged. Remember that most of these things are non-refundable.

Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Size: 328 MB
Description: The long-awaited Mythic Map Pack drops into Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Investigate Orbital’s abandoned hallways - before it was evacuated, the Quito Space Tether was heralded as the “Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium.” Witness Assembly, where Scarab hulls loom overhead, being decontaminated in preparation for the city-sized Lekgolo colonies that will breathe life into the massive metal husks. An excavation site surrounded by deadly Forerunner defenses, the mysteries of Sandbox are hidden high above, deep below, and right before your eyes.
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Back in January, Activision announced Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings for the Wii, DS, PS2, and PSP. There hasn’t been much news, but there was a bonus recently added to the Wii version. The classic game Indiana Jones and the Fates of Atlantis will be part of the game.

I’m under the assumption that the game will be converted to work with the Wii, but any game that uses things like mice can be adjusted for the Wii. If I recall correctly, Fates of Atlantis was one of those classic PC point and click adventure games. I was a huge fan of Kings Quest (Six in particular) so I may consider getting this game just for the bonus.

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Taking a look around online, I found some good products on Amazon this week for each of the systems.

PS2:
Katamari Damacy - $9.97 - I love Katamari Damacy and although there have been later games, the whole concept is still the same. I don’t really think there was too much evolution in the game, but the original was the groundbreaker.

Wii:

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 - $22.50 - Now this is a game that’s just fun. If you’re in need for a good party game, look no further.

PS3:

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - $39.99 - I got this game back when they had the PS3 bundle and I played it all the way through. The game was riveting and although I’m not huge on action/adventure games MGS4 was captivating.

Xbox360:

Assassin’s Creed - $23.99 - I know a sequel has come out, but if you haven’t gotten into the game definitely take a look. It didn’t hit the Platinum/Greatest hits status for nothing.

DS:

Kirby Super Star Ultra - $26.99 - I know that the price change isn’t much, but if I had to pick a definite 2-D Kirby game, this one is it. The Super Nintendo version was a classic and the little touches added to the DS version fills out the game. Some people may think that the game is a little short, but the mini-games keeps this one fresh.

Virtua Tennis took a few years off and is returning this year with Virtua Tennis 2009. With a tentative release date of May, there is a slow amount of information being released. Recently a developer diary video has emerged on the official website and we learned a few new tidbits.

For different modes, Sega brought the World Tour Mode back. The World Tour Mode includes both an amateur and professional level. The crowds are bigger as one progresses through the game. Also returning are the mini-games, titled Court Games. The mini-games include crocodiles, feeding zoo animals, fruit, pool, and pirates as part of the collection. They are available to play as single player, multiplayer and online. Most mini-games should be playable for 4 players online. I recall reading about Virtua Tennis 3, back in 2007 being pretty strong online, but only for the 360 version. Hopefully, the PS3 version will get online interactivity.

One new section is the Tennis Academy. As the name makes obvious, professional trainers will help the player to learn different aspects of tennis and control. Players will also have the opportunity to sharpen their skills in different areas (like speed).



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