Starter Game: My Life as a King (Wii Downloadable)

From the makers of Final Fantasy comes My Life as a King. In this game, you are the child king of a small kingdom. This game leads the others due to the simplicity of the game play and the fact that it is just so gosh darn adorable!

As the child king, you create behests and select people to fulfill them. These behests include fighting monsters in the near-by villages, exploring and gathering crystals to be used in the building up of the kingdom, and doing various other tasks to improve the kingdom.

This is a great game to learn about leveling and skills. As you send soldiers out on behests they gain experience. As the gain experience they gain levels and special perks. You can also build buildings that will allow you to train your people in special skill areas, such as black and white mages.

If your boy plays a lot of Final Fantasy, there will be some aspects that will look quite familiar. In particular, the game includes moogles, which are small creatures and in this game they help you learn different aspects of the game controls. This would also be a great game to help you place Final Fantasy terms.

The game play may take a few minutes to get used to, but once you get the hang of it, it is really simple. The game is a lot of fun. It’s very whimsical and you get to develop your kingdom and meet all the inhabitants. I will warn you that the last boss battle takes forever! In fact, I’m not sure if I even finished it… I think I did… Maybe I should go check on that…

Review: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Played on: Wii

Everyone who was alive in the 80s/90s at least knows of Mario. Most gamers grew up on the Mario story and game line. Mario himself has appeared in over 200 games. Here's a list. If you have been around gaming at all, you have seen him at least once.

Well, Nintendo decided to bring Mario back and to recreate the platform game with one major adjustment, you can have up to four players. This may not seem like much, but in a world swamped by 1st person shooters, we now have a new platform game, a throw-back to the old Mario, and it is the first Mario game since 1983 to have multi-player (excluding party games and racers).

Visuals: Men around the world will hate this, but it's a really cute game. There are lots of bright colors reminiscent of a bright child's room (or acid trip). The large hills in the background are nice and colorful, and polka-dotted. It has all the cute images of old Mario games but they look a lot better (mostly just because they aren't in 16-bit 2-D). One of my favorite additions is that the background interacts with the music. As the music goes, the flowers dance and jump to the beat! Now, before I get too distracted, it is a platform game. There aren't a lot of movie like cut-scenes though a few do exist. The gameplay can be smooth or you might watch your guy mess up a jump a few more times then you (or he) would like.

Audio: The music is fun and lively without being overpowering or obnoxious. The game does have some new music as well as old music that has been updated for the new game. There aren't any painfully annoying sound effects. Much of the game does have the same music so it might begin to be a bother after a few hours, but that's just theory. I haven't had any trouble with it.

Involvement: If you don't want to play, there are a few instances where you can help your guy try to figure out how to get to a certain place or reach a far coin, but if you really want to get involved, pick up a remote. The multi-player aspect of the game is really fun and the game play is relatively easy to pick up. Now, for the most part, the game is played in a classic manner (you move the character by hitting buttons) but there are a few moves that use the remotes motion abilities. Have your guy walk you through the first few minutes and then enjoy the classic fun of Mario.

Overall: If you have a Wii and your gamer has not yet bought this game, and you forgot to get it for him for Christmas, head to your local game store and pick up a copy. It's a great throw-back to the old Mario, but with a new look and remastered music. If you play him or if you just let him go solo, this game is a lot of fun and really entertaining to watch. I struggle to find a negative critique.

Article: Top Ten Starter Games

The Top Ten Starter Games:

The Gamer Girlfriend's top games for the girlfriend who wants to start playing...

10. Virtual Villagers (PC) tied with Endless Ocean (Wii)

9. Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS)

8. Wii Play/Sports/Sports Resort (Wii)

7. My Sims (Wii and DS)

6. Guitar Hero/ Rock Band (PS3, XBox 360, Wii, DS)

5. Mario Kart (Wii)

4. Mario Party (Wii and DS)

3. Spore (PC)

2. My Life as a King (Wii Downloadable)

1. Persona 3 (PS2)

Gamer Speak: Game Systems

This article is a brief overview of the six current major game systems. The information provided is based on fact, but is indeed my opinion. I don't know much about all the technical workings of the machinery. What I do know is that I have seen games played on each of these systems, and sometimes I have seen the same game played on different systems. With the exception of the PSP and XBox 260, I have played games on the other four systems.

This isn't meant to be the end all be all of system reviews. Like all Gamer Speak articles, this is intended to give a little bit of insight into the world of the gamer. Hopefully, this helps some non-gamers out there to understand these systems a little bit better.

The six major game systems right now are the Wii, the Playstation 3, the XBox 360, the DS/DSi, the Playstation Portable, and Personal Computers.

Wii:

Created by Nintendo and originally released in 2006

My favorite Wii game: Mario Party

My Gamer's favorite game: Wii Sports Resort

Pros:

The Wii has a host of family-friendly and casual games. The system can also play Gamecube games and you can download several older Nintendo games for the virtual console. The Wii also excels in the new craze of fitness games. Nintendo's reputation for being easy to use right of the box is still seen with the Wii. The unique control system allows for people of all ages and skill levels to be able to play, and they offer a classic style controller for playing the virtual console games.

Cons:

The Wii has mostly casual games, therefore the serious gamer may have difficultly finding games that would interest them. You will need to find an appropriate place for the Sensor Bar and the controls do take some getting used to at first. Also, there have been several instances of people letting go of the Wii-mote and it flying into their television and causing damage. Also, the Wii can only play games. It cannot double as a cd, dvd, or blu-ray player.

Playstation 3 (PS3):

Created by Sony, originally released in 2006.

My favorite game: inFAMOUS

My Gamer's favorite: Metal Gear Solid 4

Pros:

Sony is known for creating high quality electronics and the PS3 is one of them. The PS3 can also double as a Blu-ray player and is one of the cheapest blu-ray players on the market. PS3 games come in the Blu-ray format. The PS3 can also play PS2 and PS1 games. The Playstation 3 also has far superior graphics. There are also opportunities for online play.

Cons:

The PS3 is expensive. While the PS3 can play older games, not all of the older accessories will work and memory cards will need to be converted. Sony has released accessories that will compensate for these downfalls, but they must be purchased separately.

XBox 360:

Created by Microsoft, released in 2005.

My favorite game: Fallout 3

My Gamer's favorite: Left 4 Dead

Pros:

This system is cheaper than the Playstation 3 and plays DVDs. The system can also be set up to receive movies from Netflix. The Xbox 360's greatest advantage is the amount of opportunities brought about through the internet connection. Online play is very popular with 360 owners as is XBox Live. 360 games also tend to receive more downloadable content and the 360 does have some exclusive games such as Halo.

Cons:

The fail rate is enough to make most people reconsider buying another system. Depending upon who you ask there is between a 30-80% fail rate. Microsoft does offer a warranty, but once the system shows the red-ring-of-death, game play usually must be halted until the system can be repaired. And here is where we enter the realm of my opinion... The 360's graphics are obviously worse than those of the PS3. The experts would disagree with me and say that it's a matter of priorities, but I have watched the same game (Fallout 3) on both the 360 and the PS3 and there is an obvious difference. Some may prefer the 360's look, but the PS3 has a sharper and more realistic image.

DS/DSi:

Created by Nintendo, the original DS was released in 2003, the Lite in 2005, and the DSi was released in 2009.

My Favorite game: My Chinese Coach

My Gamer's Favorite: (tie) Trauma Center or The World Ends With You

Pros:

The DS/DS Lite can play Gameboy Advanced games. There are also a slew of family- and kid-friendly games available. Many of the DS games are very unique, as is the Pictochat feature. The DS line is the only line of handhelds that currently has a touchscreen and some games are equipped with voice recognition software. The DSi also has a camera and internet capabilities. Like the Wii, the DS line also holds to the Nintendo ease of use.

Cons:

While serious games do exist for the DS, they are often drowned out by all of the children's games. The DSi does not play any Gameboy games, and none of the DS's can play Gameboy Color games. The touch screen needs to be properly protected or it will scratch and many people have trouble with loosing the stylus.

Playstation Portable (PSP):

Created by Sony, the original PSP was released in the USA in 2003.

My favorite game: UMD movies

My Gamer's favorite: Crisis Core

Pros:

The PSP has much better graphics than the DS line. The PSP also has more of a serious gamer set of games and can receive downloadable content. The PSP can also play UMD movies and if the owner chooses the void their warranty, the system and can be modified to perform other tasks and play older games.

Cons:

Some people have experienced slow loading times and there aren't a lot of UMD movies available. The PSP only has one screen compared the the two found on the DS.

Personal Computer:

Created by various companies and originally released sometime in the 1980's.

My favorite game: Spore

My Gamer's favorite: World of Warcraft

Pros:

Personal computers can perform a variety of tasks and there are computers in every style and price range. Many PCs are now portable and some PC games can be accessed by any PC, not just one. Online play is a very big selling point, and many PC games receive regular, or semi-regular, downloadable content. Also, some games from older systems can be accessed.

Cons:

Some games will require large amounts of memory. In order to play a game, you must have the system requirements and this is not guaranteed as it is with other systems. For Mac users, many games are not Mac-compatible, but the newer Macs can run Windows and games can be played that way.

Each system has its merits and its downfalls. While I can say which systems I like the best, not every gaming need will be met with any single system. There is no consensus about which system is better than the others and there never will be. The best thing to do is to evaluate the system based on the gamer's priorities and go from there.

Afternoon Quickie: Wii Sports Resort

Wii Sports Resort is another mini-activity game from Nintendo designed to show you how awesome the new controls are. Sports Resort gives several new games and more opportunity for interaction with other players than the previous, Wii Play and the original Wii Sports.

The new Wii Motion Plus is really quite simple to use. When you go to play the game the first time, you will have to watch a three minute long video of how to attach/detach the motion plus piece. You cannot skip the video. Mute the TV and get a snack. The motion plus plugs into the bottom of the remote. The nun-chuck plugs into the bottom of the motion plus. The motion plus has a lock to secure it on the back. That's all you need to know. By the way, you don't need to use the "jacket" for it to work, and unless you have really sweaty palms, you don't really need it at all.

Oops, almost forgot about the games. (That three minute instructional video was just so entertaining!) Bowling, table tennis and golf reappear. You can now also sword-fight, throw a frisbee to a cute little dog, and shoot arrows. There are also wake-boarding and jet skiing activities. The games are a lot of fun. The motion plus does give you more control than the wii-mote alone does. This can be downfall if you are used to wii-mote, but after a little while, you get used to it.

In between games you might have to re-calibrate the motion plus. This is really simple. Place it face-down on something solid and straight.

Apparently Nintendo's grand scheme of releasing a set of basic games in hopes of showing off new technology has worked as I spent most of my time talking about the controls. However, this isn't the best game to watch. It's fun and entertaining for a while, but it is much better to play. Not a gamer yourself? Don't worry, anyone can play this game and it doesn't take much skill. (In fact, my husband did better when bowling with his eyes closed than he did when he was concentrating on the screen, but I didn't tell you that.)

Afternoon Quickie: Animal Crossing: City Folk

Played on Wii

In Animal Crossing: City Folk you are the new kid in town. You gather stuff from around the village to sell so that you can buy tools to help you gather more stuff. The goal of the game is something along the lines of trying to improve your little town, but as I watched the game, I couldn't tell what the goal was.

I think that's because the game doesn't have a clear end, or at least, I never saw one. I even tried to play Animal Crossing and was bored then too. My husband loved the game. He was excited when it came out and played the game for much longer than I did. (Granted, I only played for a total of about 5 hours, and I think he did more than that in a single day.)

Overall, it can be kinda fun to watch, maybe, I suppose if you're into that sort of thing. However, I was thoroughly bored after about 15 minutes.

Good thing is there wasn't much noise involved so the game is easy to ignore.

Afternoon Quickie: Punch Out

Played on: Wii

Before anyone starts... I know it's not the afternoon anymore; get over it.

So, Punch Out, yeah. Well, Philip really enjoyed it and... uh, well, I can't really find anything else positive to say about it.

I never played the original release of the game. I didn't think the jokes were all that funny and the sound effects got pretty annoying (especially when Philip was stuck trying to beat the same guy and so he fought one person for a few hours and I heard their catch phrases so much they made their way into my dreams that night).

It's really not that interesting to watch. You punch the other guy and hope you knock him out before he knocks you out. I much rather watch real boxing, at least the cameras change angles in real fights.

So basically, this fails the Wifey-Watchability test, but Philip beat it within the weekend so at least my misery was short lived.