Update week

Ok, now, I'm sure everyone is keeping up with stuff? If not, I have your information:


America has a new launch date. Pushed back to Feb 10th, 2008. Hmmm... part 1 of my prediction about world-wide is on track :P.
Sonic images have some up, as well as special moves. Also, about 20 videos of people playing Brawl (go check IGN, gamespot, etc for them. Heaps of new crap, like a Metroid stage, Peach, meta knights final smashes,different colours for characters, same as usual, not different costumes, as hoped).









These are those hot images of Sonic I promised. I dunno. It doesn't look.. Quite Smash Bros. Anyway, it's hype. And it came with new videos.

Lots of Battalion Wars 2, Mario Galaxy, Disaster: Day of Crisis images. Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Zelda: Crossbow training, Ubisoft's list boxarts.

Perri Kapplin quits. bye.


Woman from the sales and Marketing department of Nintendo Australia becomes Head of Nintendo Australia. She has argued about the delays for Australia. Hopefully she has more influence now.

TONS more info out there, these are just the highlights I could remember. Check aussie-nintendo.com, IGN.com.au, Kotaku.com and other useful sites for information.

Holy crap ghey

Sorry, I had to say it. My "group" have decided to make a forum. And it is thus:



...The only thing I have to say about this can be said in 3 letters. I'll give you a hint, it starts with W, and ends in F. And T is in there somewhere. I have several problems with it.
1. They are using the Schools server to host it. I hate the school
2. Online, they cannot spell. I am a spellcheck nazi.
3. They act like emos and jerks online. I dislike both.
4. The "Admin" as he calls himself is a moron who treats everyone but his cousin and mate like shit. He also already hovers over the site with a whip, getting up peoples posts. This I dislike.
5. It looks like someone crapped it out in 5 minutes.

That's my rant about it. Anyone care? No, didn't think so. Did anyone read this? Nope, didn't think so...

Sonic in Brawl

Now, before we start this, let it be known that I don't care whether Sonic is in brawl or not. It's not that I don't like him, I just won't lose sleep if he isn't there. Right, with that out of the way...

http://au.wii.ign.com/articles/826/826130p1.html

He's been confirmed, with a new movie. Also Motorbikes in Mario Kart Wii, Pokemon and Final Fantasy Wiiware in the making, more Wiifit information. Nintendo are holding one hell of a conference. Keeping up with the updates. Will be back at 5pm with new Sonic pictures (hopefully).

Also, Brawl delayed for Japan until January 24th. I do so hope America gets a delay, since everyone else has to wait until 2008 now.

...What? I'm malicious, get over it.

Australia strikes back - the Aftermath

Well, the dust seems to have settled. We have received a message from Nintendo Australia! That's right, we made a difference.

"We apologise for the inconvenience that Nintendo fans are experiencing compared with people outside of their region.

"Localisation and PAL conversion processes often make these delays unavoidable. Although in some instances PAL versions have made it to the markets faster than the versions of other regions - for example Mario Strikers Charged Football and Battalion Wars. We are currently making efforts to minimise the time needed for localisations, as we understand that the difference in worldwide release dates is frustrating to fans."

More on that page. It's a poor comment, but it proves that we can make a difference. Now, we need to keep pushing. Ensure they know we mean business. Keep going until they give us what we want.

Keep watching this space for more news.

Australia strikes back

That's it! We've had enough! Australians, pick up your pitchforks and torches, we're going after the Head of Nintendo Australia. After years and years of delayed games (most recently, Super Paper Mario for Wii, 6 months later than America; Big Brain Academy Wii, 6 months later than America; Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, 2 1/2 months later than America *list goes on*), some Australian fans have taken a stand, and are fighting back for us.
http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/index.php?v=news&p=17859

You can see Nintendo Australia's response to these questions was"no comment". And now, a fell wind blows across the red plain. Dozens of furious Australians write emails of complaint to Nintendo Japan, demanding an excuse for Nintendo Australia's abysmal attempt to sell their products down South. On the Wiire, and Aussie-Nintendo.com in particular, I have seen rallying and organizing of ideas. This has clearly gone too far. Admittedly, we do not buy as many games as America or Japan, but Australia and Europe (PAL countries) take up a very large portion of the world, and are responsible for a fair amount of the worldwide sales. We have had enough of being kept in the dark!

If you agree, then rally with us. We need all the support we can get to show Nintendo of Australia that we have had enough! We want to see games around the same time as everyone else in the world. We want to be given the same rights with games as other buyers (IE, lower the price; we pay $40 more for games than America; by AUS dollars.) We demand you remove region locking on your games, as you are further restricting us from playing your games.

This is not the end of my rant. My lawyer shall be on you, Nintendo!



Watch this space, I wait with baited breath for positive results.

Phoenix Wright 3: Trials and Tribulations review

Now, we haven't posted in a while, so obviously, something has been distracting us (or me). That thing, is Phoenix Wright 3 (or, Gyakuten Saiban 3). I consider this the single, best, game, on the DS, hands down. Forget Metroid Prime Hunters. Stuff Poke'mon Diamond. It even leaves Mario Kart DS and Elite Beat Agents in the dust. I love this game to a mental condition, and it is my great pleasure to review such a mighty game.

Name: Phoenix Wright 3: Trials and Tribulations
Platform: Nintendo DS
Players: 1
Developer: Capcom

Now, if you haven't played the first 2 Phoenix Wrights all the way through, and want to play this, don't talk to me. Cloudy will tell you better than anyone. I demand that everyone with a DS play and complete Phoenix Wright 1 and 2. And now I add number 3 to that list. I also must point out that people who don't like the genre that Phoenix Wright is (essentially, interactive novel), get out now. You won't like this. You need to have a sharp mind, and a deep interest in the story to get into this. Finally, I shall try to avoid spoilers.

Phoenix Wright is a game about a defense attorney named.. Phoenix (Nick) Wright. He is known as a smart defense attorney, who has almost never lost a case, and is able to pull a win out of his ass every time. This time around, we are shown a few cases from Phoenix's past, and we pick up information that is continued from Justice for All (Phoenix Wright 2). The last game in the series ties everything together very well, and will please fans of the games.



This is Phoenix Wright. You'd trust him to defend you, right?

The game sees you interacting with a number of interesting characters; without too many spoilers, I shall provide a list of characters that appear in the 3 games.
Maya fey: Phoenix's assistant. A spirit channeler, that helps Phoenix with his work. I would hit that.


Mia Fey: Phoenix's Mentor. A famous defense attorney, helps Phoenix with very tough cases.


Miles Edgeworth: Phoenix's main rival in court. A prosecuting prodigy, he will do anything to get a guilty verdict.


Dick Gumshoe: A detective at the local precinct. Very loyal to Edgeworth, but is fairly friendly with the defense too.


Pearl Fey: 8 years old and Maya's cousin. A channeling prodigy, she spends time at the Wright & Co. office, and is very vocal about her view that Phoenix and Maya should be a couple.


Franziska von Karma: Prosecuting Attorney of Justice for All. A powerful young prosecutor with a whip, looking for revenge for her fathers disgrace.


Godot: The Prosecuting Attorney of Trials and Tribulations. A coffee chugging, mask wearing man, little is known about him until the very end.



Now, that took me 20 minutes to get all those pictures up. Appreciate it. Anyway, throughout the game, you will present evidence, search for clues, and interview people involved with cases to progress. While it may feel slightly linear to some players, it is a breath of fresh air for me, and I really enjoy it.

Now, everyone must be wondering. Graphics? Admittedly, the game does not break any barriers graphics-wise. The game has been made in a very anime-like way. The characters seem cartoon-ish, but this adds to their appeal. This is another one of those gameplay over graphics games. And that's fine by me.

Many people know that this is a port from the GBA games, only released in Japan (they were also on PC, but were very rarely distributed). As such, the game can be controlled using the DS buttons, like A, B, L, R, etc. However, it is much easier to let your stylus do the talking. Speaking of talking, while in court, when you wish to present evidence, or question someone, you can hold the Y button, and yell "OBJECTION!" "HOLD IT!" or "TAKE THAT!" into the DS microphone. This adds a layer that allows you to feel more immersed in the game.

I know full well how much bias I have for this game, so please excuse the rather bias review. Take this with a pinch of salt. But I promise you, a better storyline there is not. This is a fantastic game right up to the finish. And I cannot wait until Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (Ace Attorney 4, no longer called Phoenix Wright 4, as Phoenix is not the defense attorney)is translated into English.

Graphics: Not barrier breaking, but solid. 8/10
Length: You will be finding easter eggs over and over. I've played each game through at least 3 times, and am not bored yet. 9/10
Gameplay: Incredible. A better script there is none. 10/10
Overall: 9.5/10

Now, I'm off to finish Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker before Phantom Hourglass comes out. Oh, and for those of you wondering just how deep my passion for the Phoenix Wright series is, check back when I post images of my formal.

Lucky Star

Ok, so Cloudy mentioned Lucky Star before. But now I'm starting to watch it. And man oh man, there is no plot, no storyline, nothing to keep the viewer interested, and I can't stop watching. I got the theme song in my playlist at the moment (very hard to find), and I'm up to about episode 5. And look what I found while I was lurking on eBay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280148958450&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_RSCC_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT&refitem=280146852193&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&usedrule1=StoreCatToStoreCat&usedrule2=CrossSell_LogicX&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget

I almost died of laughter. I had no idea they existed. And only $70! So tempted to buy...
...No, I'm not queer. Or bi. Or a crossdresser. Or any of that. Seriously. But I would consider buying that. That is how much I like Lucky Star. Seriously, go watch it. And send me money, and I may just buy it :P

This week in internet watching

Ok, you may have noticed lots of stuff in gaming appearing this week. This is partly thanks to the GC games convention 07, but also just thanks to good luck. Some more noticeable ones are as follows.
http://au.wii.ign.com/articles/815/815446p1.html
Manhunt 2 approved. The game you either love or hate is coming to America on October 31st, with it's new M rating. Ohhh, Halloween. Spooky. This is hitting Wii, PS2, and PSP, if memory serves.
23rd August. Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations was released in Japan. Importers like me rejoice! Expect a review soon after this come in the mail for me.
27th August. That's tomorrow. Metroid Prime 3 comes out. I hate region locking, and PAL at the moment. Well, all the time, but more-so now.
http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/index.php?v=news&p=16529
Spore is coming to the consoles. Can't wait for this on Wii, but more for PC
http://au.pc.ign.com/articles/815/815728p1.html
Big IGN hands-on for Spore. Again i say. I want Spore.
Oh, and Mario Galaxy and Umbrella Chronicles and Forever blue have Europe launch dates (16th November, 30th November and 9th November respectively). Huzzah. We're hoping that MP3 is coming on 8th November for us (which would rape it's sales, as Galaxy is coming a week afterwards), that means 2 of the big 3 hit Australia in 2007. If only we got Brawl too....

Oh, and I beat Metroid Prime on hard, for anyone who cares. In preparation for Corruptions launch. Even though I won't be playing it tomorrow *grumble*

Anyway, that's me done for now. Oh, and check the brawl site for this weeks updates (includes music, a new character, and a final smash you'd never imagine).

Tyro

Super Smash Bros. Brawl: PAL launch

Well, IGN interviewed a man called Greg Arthurton. Why should we care? Because he is the Marketing Manager at Nintendo Australia. And he accidentally let something slip when he was talking...

"The fact that there's games like, as I mentioned before, Metroid coming out, Super Mario Kart was announced at E3, Super Smash Bros. Melee is coming out, due for first quarter next year; Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass is coming out - all core-specific games."


This statement proves two things.
1. That Greg does not know the difference between Melee and Brawl
2. That Super Smash Bros. Brawl will not come out in Australia in 2007.

That makes me a sad Panda. The only upshot is that my bet is now undone, but compared to the cost, I don't care. It's not too late Nintendo. I'll still do it! Change the launch date!

....No? Fine. At least, thanks to Lepzieg, we know that Super Mario Galaxy is coming out here around 16th November (which is Euro's launch date). They might give it to us a day early, like they did for the Wii...

Now, I'm off to mope about Brawl, and wait for a new bet to come to mind... perhaps something sluttier... or perhaps some sort of death clock...

Super Smash Bros Brawl - Part 2

I've decided to make a post about Brawl everytime the release a new movie. That'll start some exciting hype, now won't it?
Anyway, they've just released a continuation of the last movie, involving the leader of the hat guys (now called Primids), drops a big bomb into the stadium (his name is "The Ancient Master". Looks a bit like a piece of corn). That's right, a bomb. Apparently, these guys want to warp the whole world into subspace.

And included in their minions are:


OMG R.O.B is evil!!

I'm back on the hype train. I was on the hype train for Phoenix Wright 3 and Metroid Prime 3, but now I'm back on Brawls train. Actually, I'm on three hype trains at once. Hmm, this may hurt if the tracks split apart.

....I went a little far with the locomotive metaphor...

More Wii Games

Wow, did anyone see the Smash Brothers update? Well, for those of you who didn't, the newest character is the trainer from the Pokemon games. Nice.

To the left you can see a portrait of Cloudy, made by a friend. Aww, isn't he sweet? This particular picture took him about 10 minutes, but even so it's pretty amazing eh? It was made in Paint Shop Pro XI using the oil paint tool. The original version includes his machine gun, and bandolier of bullets. I thought you'd appreciate this version more.

Anyway, I really dislike how much games for Wii/PS3/X360 cost now. What really drive this point home was a sale in EB Games (Gamestop) selling the Harry Potter 5 game for $25 on PC and $50 for all other consoles. Why the sudden price rises? Especially you Nintendo, what with you moving away from your old restricting and expensive protected mini CD's.
Well, those are my rants for now. Cloudy out.

My name (getting in on the action)

Can't let Cloudy get away with telling us his name, without explaining mine too (for the record, I never knew his bird was called Razor before Cloudy).

Whenever anyone sees me online, with my hotmail name "Tyro", they often ask what it stands for, or what it means. I give the generic answer "it's a random assortment of letters that I use online, on forums, and in games." However, there is a slightly deeper meaning to it...

When I was very young, my parents broke up (eh, sad, I'm over it). When I was about 3 or 4, my mum got me a toy of a Brontosaurus. That's the big Dinosaur with the long neck. It was massive to me back then, take your average tissue box, he was about that big. I got many other dinosaur toys, and I enjoyed playing with them, but anytime I had the classical "Herbivore vs. Carnivore" fight, this Dinosaur toy would always win. And, I decided to name him. Guess what his name was? Well, my second Dinosaur Toy (a stegosaurus, for those of you keeping track at home), was named "Oryt" by my mum. Why I'll never know. She doesn't even remember now. So, I decided to reverse it for the Brontosaur. Tyro.

Anyway, many, many years later, after all the dinosaurs have been boxed up, and the videogames are my new entertainment. My cousin, Chuck, frequently uses the name "Haso", as his gaming, online name. He told me he chose it randomly from random letters, something from the game "Everquest", apparently. So, I decided to get my own name. I wanted one similar to his, cause I like the sound of it. And I thought about it. And Tyro came to mind. And I ran with it.

And it works.

Incidently, anyone wondering at home:
Tyro (Tie-row)
Cloudy (clow-dee)
Haso (Hay-sow)

My Name

A former friend once asked me why I refer to myself as Cloudy or Captain Cloudy, so for those of you who think it is from an old Playstation game, I will explain the origin of the name 'cloudy'...

It all began one dark and stormy morning in 1997, when a new game was coming out. Thousands bought a game from a series they'd never heard of. Mighty warriors roamed the land, crushing evil lords below their mighty boots, boots that rocked the earth... The game was Final Fantasy VII, whose main characters name was called Cloud Strife, which somehow caused people to believe those fluffy white things up in the sky were named after the character. Well it might have happened.

I was walking down to the local bird and fish shop, $150 dollars clasped in my hand, off to get a lovable pet. I walked in and walked around until I spotted a group of cockatiels on top of a cage at the front counter for sale. So I waltzed up there and said "I say, shopkeep, how much are those little birdies in the window, those birdies, those birdies in the window there?". He told me $120. So I leaned down at the little birds, all fun and feathers and bright chirpie smiles. As I lean closer, one takes it into his head, his little red unfeathered head, to jump into my hair.

So I have all these cute, adorable birds to chose from, or the runty small one without feathers. Awesome cute 'tiels, or the naked crappy runt. I took the runt, and at that time he was named Razor for the cute way his claws ripped your skin to pieces, and bit clean through clothing. However, I tamed him, eventually, and after a week his feathers started to come in. His perfect yellow-white feathers. So I started calling him a cloud, playfully, and eventually the name stuck better than Razor did.

Now, sadly, he is dead. On the mortal plane. His yellow feathers came in, his crest grew, and he only rips up skin and clothes when he felt like it. He turned 6 last October, within a week of my birthday. So, since I spend time with him so often, he has become quite often my screenie.

So, even though he's gone, his memory lives on, in a weird and disturbing way.

To make this perfectly clear: I did not use the name from Cloud Strife. I hadn't heard about it till 2003, and hadn't played it till 2004.

Ironically, my newest cockatiel actually does look like a cloud. I was tempted to name him Sunny, which would be a much better name for Cloudy. Meh.

Feedback - The Reason For Extortion

Wow, is it just me, or does every person on eBay try to extort positive feedback despite their obvious lack of any redeeming qualities? About 40% of the people I've bought from are very poor sellers, they post late, in bad condition and overprice on shipping, and don't provide any insurance.
About 50% of the people refuse to post feedback until I have. See the colloration? For those of you who haven't picked up, somehow, these people are desperate for positive feedback, and rather than, oh I don't know, earning it, they threaten to give you negative feedback no matter how good you are, simply because you dare to question their omnipotent selling skillz.

Well you know what? Fuck you. The only way I can see to fight this is to become one of them: to wait, and wait, and when they give in and rate, I will pounce! pounce and rate them fairly. But I won't rate unfairly; I will rate on their product and service, as is the point of the system. But I will use my unposted feedback as a weapon, and frankly, I don't need the feedback. I don't feel the need to make it apparent that I am better than whoever. Really, I can do that in the mighty stone tower of my own mind, looking down on these feeble-minded fools, laughing as I boil my oil for the imminent owning.

In other words, you will be rated on the criteria the rating system is designed for. If you fuck me over, you will feel the wrath of my mighty negative feedback hammer!

Rant ends here. If you are one of the people I'm ranting about, then the above applies to you: you don't deserve a good reputation if you demand positive feedback no matter what.

eBay

I'm feeling bored, so I felt like blogging about something besides games. Go figure.

Anyway, the joy of eBay. I've found countless things on here that have aroused my interest (and decreased the size of my wallet). Now, our good friend Cloudy has taken to the internet, to buy random things he doesn't really need. I just wanted to show you some of the awesome, random buys that I have found.

• A set of Sword and Shield covers for your Wii-mote and Nunchuck.
• Futurama figurines (best show ever, Futurama. Can't wait for new eps in 2008)
• Animal crossing tissuebox cover.Very cool
• Ada Wong cosplay dress. Resident Evil 4 characters win.

These are just some of the amazing things on there. Unfortunately, I don't actually own any of that stuff, never bid on it (I was hoping that a girl would wear the Ada dress to the formal with me... No such luck.)

I've bought such great items on there such as:
Nintendopoly
Pokemon Emerald
Mini Cooper remote controlled car
Futurama 2007 wall calender (wait, no, my cousin got me that. I'm getting the 2008 one of eBay though)
Countless other games.

Also, if you ever get the chance, listen to Weird Al's song "I bought it on eBay", aka "the eBay song". Is pretty good, unless you hate Weird Al, in which case, I hate you.

Now, I can sit back and wait for Brawl. And Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Incidentally, anyone who downloaded that Wii update last night.. Have you checked your freeloader recently? It doesn't work right? Apparently the new update screwed around with something, so new freeloaders don't work. Dammit. Anyway, yes, back to waiting for brawl. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my bet (about wearing the chicka's formal uniform if it comes out here in 2007. Think I'm annoying Cloudy by mentioning it all the time though :P) And for the small percentage of you thinking "gee, I think it would be a better bet if he got Brawl in '07, he should wear the Ada dress to the formal", I'm afraid I have to say this...

OBJECTION!!

I'm already cosplaying at my formal. I do so hope everyone has figured out as whom?

Cloudy Interjection: Hint, it's Phoenix Wright.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

I'm gonna make one more post before I go to bed. And that's about the second best game coming to Wii this year (short of Metroid Prime 3 imo).

Yes, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The sequel to the best selling game on the Gamecube, Super Smash Bros. Melee. I'm sure anyone who's tracked down the blog knows about the SSBB update site, Super Smash Brothers Dojo. One update a day, on weekdays.

Yes, this site. Anyway, today we got the mother of all updates. New images, a new movie, 3 characters confirmed (Peach, Sheik, Ganondorf), and an updated Adventure mode mentioned.









I'm making you download pictures. These are just some of the inspiring shots from Brawl. America shall be enjoying this on December 3rd. However, we in Australia, still don't have a launch date. Europe is getting this Q1 2008. That's probably when we'll get it. *scowls*

However, I'm willing to make a deal. And Cloudy knows I'll do this. Nintendo, heed my words. Release Brawl in Australia in 2007, and I'll wear our schools full girls formal uniform (that's pleated skirt, white blouse, black stockings, black shoes) down to the local store and back.

You hear me Nintendo? RELEASE BRAWL OVER HERE NOW!!!

Back to you Cloudy.

Cloudy Edit: I'd just like to mention I have a uniform Tyro could wear, a letter to Nintendo sent, and a camera to show everyone the hilarious results.

Harry Potter

I'm a bit slow to post this, but I loved the new Harry Potter book. I noticed an incongruity, but I forgot after page ~400. It's just a rollercoaster ride, and one of my favourite books.

After Terry Pratchett of course. If you haven't read his discworld series, it's worth it. Perfect mix of humour and emotion every time. Go have a look.

Other good authors:

• Neil Gaiman
• Garth Nix
• Terry Brooks
• Darren Shan
• Stephen King

Eye of Judgement

Has anyone seen this yet? It's a PS3 card game that works with the PSEye. Pretty cool in my opinion. Enough about that.

I need to get better at Time Crisis 4. I'm serious, I suck like I've practiced at it. And now that my deluded belief that I was an omniscient Air Hockey player, I need to find an arcade game I'm good at. I'm hoping it lies somewhere in Replay, or maybe I need to practice. Oh well. Here's hoping 60 tokens of gaming goodness will tell me my true calling.

I've also rediscovered eBay, but apparently if I don't have a home phone number or credit card, I must be a child abuser. I actually needed a blue card (sexual predator clearance) to work in a school when I was 15. I'm pretty sure some of the teachers have never even heard of them.

And what is up with some people and tests? I myself like to go over harder questions, but I was rudely interrupted by someone I don't even talk to telling me he didn't want to go over it again.

Segue to trains. I hate the train rule dictating that I, the student am inferior in each way to adults. I have to give up my seat to them, even if they're being facetious (or, as most would deem, assholery) and just like my particular seat. I'm pretty sure pensioners and old folk pay half fare, and they're not forced to stand. I've had random people ask me to leave my seat, sit down with a bag in the second seat, and refuse to move it. And I'm getting really sick of people in a family sitting in the seat near mine, and expecting me to move. There's a whole train often, and I shouldn't have to stand up. Students are not second class citizens.

On that note, has anyone noticed that train newspaper letters to the editor mostly consist of someone saying that everyone else should jump up and carry them to the newly vacated seat? If you need the seat, ask. If you don't get a seat, get the fuck on earlier. I'm very sensitive about this issue.

Well, that's my spleen vented good and proper.

Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition

Ok, I haven't been able to log on for ages, but now that I have, and there is a plethora of new gaming info, I have some catching up to do. So, first up, I shall be reviewing Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition.

Name: Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
Platform: Wii (also on PC, PS2, Gamecube)
Players: 1
Developer: Capcom

Ah, Capcom. These guys are my favorite 3rd party. They have brought Nintendo Resident Evil 4, and the great DS games series, Phoenix Wright. But this is about Resident Evil 4 at the moment. This was brought to Wii, most likely because of it's insane popularity on the Gamecube. Widely considered the greatest Gamecube game, getting fine reviews everywhere, it's only flaw was a lack of copies. Brought to PS2 afterwards, but not being nearly as awesome, but they did get some more Ada missions. Next gen, and it's on Wii and PC.


The Wii edition boxart. Spooky

Now, for those of you who don't know anything about Resident Evil, you need www.wikipedia.org. I have only a small clue about the series as a whole. But I do know a lot about Resident Evil 4. You play a cop named Leon Kenedy, a surviver of the T-virus breakout in Racoon city. He has been employed to find the presidents daughter, a hot teenager named Ashley, who has been kidnapped. You'll play through the game, playing from a third person perspective. You'll fight your way through Farmers, Monks, European soldiers and worse, to save this girl.



And this is the girl in question. Pretty, right?

Without ruining too much of the story, progressing through the game will have you running into some of the characters from previous games, and showing how they affect your progress.

Now, the controls. The Wii edition has been updated to include the ability to point the Wii-mote where you are shooting. Hold A and press B to shoot. Holding A and shaking the Wii-mote re-loads your gun. C, or shaking the Wii-mote uses your knife. 1 is your map. - is your inventory. And that's about it. The controls, admittedly, are fairly tacked-on. You can tell that the controls were just a way to change it from the original game. Still, that doesn't make it bad. The crosshair moves around perfectly, and doesn't jump or feel twitchy. Much better then Call of Duty 3 or Red Steel (I like both games, but the aim jumps around a bit).



You can be trigger happy and accurate. Problem is, ammo is hard to find.

Now, I have to take a moment to compare this to the gamecube game. As I've said, it's a port. a "Wii-make" if you will. The graphics have not been updated at all. Or if they have, it's not by a noticeable amount. It's unfortunate that the two best Wii games at the moment are Cube ports. We have to wait until the end of the year for new stuff. I can't find any good pictures to show the difference between Wii and Gamecube, but there is a movie on youtube if you're interested.

Basically, if you liked it on Gamecube or PS2, you'll like it on Wii. It's not worth paying full price for a story you've already done, but fortunately, it's not full price. $70 Australian will get you the game (got mine for $60). It's a great horror game, and definitely worth taking out again on Wii, which boasts the widescreen ability, all the extras that came with the PS2 edition, and a preview of Umbrella Chronicles (gotta play a lot for that).

Graphics: Were great on cube, a little sub-standard now-a-days, but still great. Like Twilight Princess. 8/10
Length: I'm still playing. Getting through the main mission took 14 hours, and there's a lot more to do afterwards. 9/10
Gameplay: Fantastic. Great story, and great control 10/10
Overall: 9/10

Stay tuned for more posts by me. Tyro, the voice of gaming

HAIL SHIGGY!

The Simpsons Movie

I saw the movie on Thursday, opening day down here. One of the funniest things I have ever seen. It is a masterpiece of timing, humour and (sort of) plot. The whole thing is funny as hell, and the writers make every single joke great. Homer is still stupid (something that really manifested itself past the tenth season) but it's funny; it's like a funnier 84 minute long season 6 episode, also it has better animation, and Homer is stupider.

The movie is PG, what with the nudity, drug references, sexual suggestions and jokes. So, don't be fooled into taking a 6 year old along.

The whole adventure is delightfully impossible, with a Chekov gun (try to spot it), blantant defying of physics, a wonderfully crafted insane advisor, Arnold Schwarzenegger (who was apparently not paid to read) and a moral crisis for Homer.

Along the way we meet scores of old characters, new jokes, shocks, cel shading in every scene, and CGI (just like their younger, revived cousin Futurama).

So if you're debating whether or not to go, or if it's worth it, go. Go now. Pay someone to give you a seat if necessary.