Ness, Lucario and Jigglypuff Confirmed For Brawl

       On Nintendo’s Japanese website, a “how to play” video for SSB Brawl has leaked important information to the smash community. Although the video has been edited since, it originally displayed a brief segment about sticker power-ups, with three new characters icons on the white bar at the bottom of the screen. These three characters are Jigglypuff, Lucario and Ness. Fans of Ness and Jigglypuff may rejoice to see their favorites return in Brawl. Lucario may well be the replacement Pokemon for Mewtwo. Check out the screenshots below:

Here’s the orginal unedited Japanese video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfb2l-iYlRo&eurl=http://brawlcentral.com/

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Super Smash Brothers Brawl: The Suspense Builds

               The suspense leading up to the release of one of the most anticipated video games ever is at an all time high. With daily updates at the SSB Brawl website, much has been revealed but not all the questions have been answered. Will Sonic make a cameo in the game?, who is the final boss?, just how many characters will actually be playable? We may only speculate, but the website has offered enough content so far to keep even the most casual Nintendo fan drooling. From what we know, it is obvious that this game will top its predecessor Melee with little or no effort at all.

               First is the aspect of graphics. No the graphics on the Wii are not HD, not even close to the Xbox 360 or PS3, and not really “next gen” persay. But the aspect that matters most in a game is the gameplay itself. Who wants a game where the only memorable moment is looking at the pretty scenery? Super Smash Brothers Brawl will bring something fresh, something new and something just right to Nintendos long lived fighting series. Although the graphics certainly won’t turn any heads, from the screenshots they will most definitely look amazing compared to Melee. Donkey Kong’s fur comes alive with motion, Link breaths as his shirt ripples in the wind and Samus’s armor shines with metallic wonder. The highly updated graphical improvement over the Gamecube’s Meleee is obvious, and serves as mere icing on the cake on the whole.

                The real powerhouse in the game will be its highly addictive gameplay, load of characters and amazing storyline. We do not know much at this time, other than the existence of something known as the “Subspace Emissionary,” which is the story of the game. It looks promising, but I for one am looking forward to the online multiplayer action. What can be more fun than slashing down people overseas as you sip on water and nibble crackers on your couch? Exactly, absolutely nothing. We still have to wait until December 1st, oh the agony. Until then SSB Brawl’s official website ( http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/index.html) will continue to add more characters that are newcomers to the game. Besides Diddy Kong, Zero Suit Samus, Snake, Metaknight, Pokemon Trainer, Ike, Wario and Pit we have no idea. Anyone could show up to join the brawl this time around.

                 If there is one thing we know for sure, it is that this game will offer all the gut splitting, insane aerials, wicked specials, button mashing, combo executing and all out smashing you have come to expect from the SSB franchise. Let us hope that Nintendo has crafted yet another gem in their long line of masterpieces.

 

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Spore: The Science of Making Worlds

             If you pay any attention to the gaming industry, chances are you have heard of Spore. Lead designer Will Wright has been in the process of crafting the revolutionary Spore for nearly 5 years. A huge peak of anticipation has begun to form as gamers wait for Spore to finally be released. What’s all the hype about you ask? Well Spore pushes the boundaries of what a game should be, can be, or will be in the future.

            Will Wright has never made games that are generic, normal or even close to anything else on the market. His last groundbreaking success, The Sims speaks for itself in terms of pure genius and a revolution in the types of video games we play. Wright has always looked for something more, something deeper to understand through playing video games, a kind of out of the box experience. This idea of “organic” video games in where Spore sets itself apart in the video game universe. Wright has made a world of complete mystery until it is explored. No person will see it the same way, create the same species, or end up in the same position. In a way, it’s alive.

            The mindset behind Spore has a clear purpose: allowing players to discover things on their own, not be showed them. Nothing in Spore is revealed automatically, nothing is clear and nothing is certain until you find out. Wright holds a firm belief in the power of exploration and the imagination. As he calls it an “imagination amplifier,” Spore is much more than just a toy or a video game; it is an opportunity for discovery.               

           Unlike any other game ever dreamed of, Spore allows you to create life. From single-celled amoebas to alien inhabitants, you decide how your world develops. Between clashing species, eating, staying warm and reproducing; every aspect of the stages of evolution can be modified. If fail to monitor the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it will turn into a fiery hell. (A scary possibility of our future I might add) If you flood the earth, you will have a modern day water world, and if you take care of it your world will thrive. Anything you think of can be implemented with Wright’s in game editor. You control your world and the inhabitants that live there. The game’s visuals look stunning, and Wright has created one of the most unique games I have seen in decades. With online play implemented as well, Spore’s world will eventually be created by the player themselves. Species, worlds and the environment will eventually be all player made.

           The ability to see the future of your world is key to Wright’s purpose behind the Spore. Seeing 50 or 100 years into the future is hard for most people to grasp, but Spore allows the player to actually live it. As Wright calls it “reprogramming your intuition;” resetting our minds to interpret changes in our world on a long term scale. Wright sees nearly all the problems in our world as stemming from the failure to have long term thinking, and instead only short term guessing. This, he says, is why video games have the potential to change the world. By refocusing our minds and retraining our intuition to think differently.

            Although the game has yet to be officially released, Spore may prove to be a truly revolutionary experience. Simple, yet strikingly innovative, the game screams to be unique and provide a fresh creative experience.

            After all, Nothing is more fun that feeding your imagination.

              

          

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Ultimate List Of RPG Video Game Cliches

            Hilarious but true list of RPG game overused cliches. Come on, you know you love em.

http://project-apollo.net/text/rpg.html

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Best Video Game Emulators The Net Has To Offer

           Have you ever daydreamed while remembering the days of Super Mario, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Mario Kart, Goldeneye, Sonic and other ancient masterpieces? If you are any kind of gamer, chances are you have fond memories of games from some of the gaming industry’s extinct but not forgotten consoles. Why just remember when you can play them again? With the age of computers and technology in full thrust, now you can relive all of the classics you played eons ago. With the internet and a little searching, the web can supply you with a slew of video game emulation programs, from Nintendo 64 to arcade machines. Now you can play all the classics right on your own computer screen. Here are my top picks for getting started. 

(Note: all of these programs can be found at http://www.emulator-zone.com/ or through Google)

Nintendo 64: Project64

Gameboy/Gameboy Advance: Visual Boy Advance

Nintendo (NES): Nestopia

Super Nintendo (SNES): ZSNES

Sega Genesis/Master System/Game Gear: Fusion

Sega Dreamcast: nullDC

Sony Playstation: ePSXe

MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator): MAME

Wonderswan: Oswan

Remember that in order to play games you will also need video game ROM files.

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Nintendo Tries To Extend Its Audience With WiiFit

                  I recently saw a video of the E3 video game expo 2007 featuring Nintendo guru Miyamoto showcasing the new WiiFit game for the Nintendo Wii. The new kid on the block features a white scale-like balance board that comes with the game itself. The board utilizes wi-fi and sends a signal to your machine which can then read a multitude of your body’s characteristics. As you stand on the board, a display will pop-up showing your BMI (body mass index), posture, and a slew of other stats. The weight feature is only one of over 30 or so activities a player can participate in with the game. There are muscle exercises that utilize the wiimote and actually feature a virtual person on the screen doing the stretch as you do it. From aerobics like stepping exercises to more uniform stretching, the combinaiton of the board and wiimote enable a player to perform an array of different activities usually not associated with video games. Nintendo is going a very interesting route with this new addition. Never before have video games really seen a direct “exercise” game that had broad appeal. (DDR being the closest I can think of.) I think the game will either be a hit or miss for Nintendo, and it will be interesting to see how many adults really utilize the Wii health program. Nintendo has always been known as leaders in innovation and creativity, and it seems they have truly come up with yet another completely original and enticing idea for a video game. We can only wait and see what the future holds for fitness on the Wii.

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