This year for the Wii was well……it was there. Let’s face it, the Wii is on it’s last leg, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still kick out stellar games, but for the majority, it fell short. 2011 had about three really memorable releases, Kirby’s Return to Dreamland, where you take on the role of Kirby to help an alien race gather their spaceship pieces to return home. There was also the Japan and Europe release of Xenoblade Chronicles (Which will be released in the U.S. 4/2/12), where you control the xenoblade and take on the machines. Last, but not least, 2011 saw the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which tells the origin of Link getting the legendary Sky Sword to rescue Zelda. The year of 2011 is almost over, and Wii is about to be pushed to the side for the Wii U, so enjoy it while we still have it!

Stay tuned for the best games of 2011: Playstation 3 and Xbox 360!

The Best Games of 2011: Nintendo Wii is a post from:DaxGamer

Being that it’s a movie tie-in game from Activision, I’m expecting Men In Black to be a standard(read: boring) third person shooter with aliens thrown in the mix.  Maybe it’ll have awesome weapons?

Men In Black is being developed by Fun Labs and is currently set for a spring 2012 release.

Men In Black Video Game Coming In 2012 is a post from:DaxGamer

Let’s put it this way, $250 is a lot for a 4-8 Year Old. Plus, if you think about it, you can get a DSi for only $140, so why would parents pay more? The 3D of course, but then you have to factor in “3D for 7 Years Old and Older Only”. So, the 3D was a huge mistake.

The ability to view 3D Games without glasses is awesome, but there are a few drawbacks, such as:

-Viewing Angle: The viewing angle is extremely sensitive and is only for 1 viewer.

-Blury Images: The quality of the 3D images are not good when compared to 2D Quality.

-Side Effects: After the first two hours of playing my 3DS I had gotten a massive headache that lasted all night and part of the next day. My eyes also felt strained and after long viewing my eyes started watering. After a week or so, all the side effects stopped, and now I can view 3D freely.

I always show my 3DS to my friends and family and I always get the same reactions like “Wow! This is amazing! (It is) So Cool!”, “Ugh! My Eyes Feel Like They’re Crossed, but this is amazing!”, or “Does this hurt your eyes?”

I always assure my friends and family that the Nintendo 3DS is safe, and that there are reports saying that the 3D Effect is actually good for your eyes.

For every 2 DS Systems (DS Lite, DSi, DSiXL), 1 3DS is sold. That is just sad.

What you’ll see Nintendo do next:

Step 1: Advertise! (Completed; Reactions were mixed)

Step 2: Price Cut (Completed; Many more sale in Japan)

Step 3: Exciting Games! (PENDING; Super Mario 3DS, Mario Kart 3DS, and Luigi’s Mansion 2 will greatly improve sales)

Step 4: Assure People 3D is Safe (Not Completed; When you see more 10 Warning labels on the side of the package you know they aren’t assuring people it is safe)

Step 5: If sales are still bad, revise it (Rumoured; I can see Nintendo doing this very easily. Dropping the 3D may help)

Why the Nintendo 3DS Failed is a post from:DaxGamer

The campaign itself first originated on the IGN message boards. “Nintendo has not responded to IGN’s requests for comments from, or a brief interview with, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime,” said IGN Nintendo Editor Rich George. The official Operation Rainfall blog was updated yesterday arguing that ‘If these games are not released, how are we supposed to take their E3 comments about a ‘commitment to the core gamer’ seriously?” The campaign however is scheduled to continue.

Nintendo’s reply to Operation Rainfall is a post from:DaxGamer

Wind Runner
Grappling Ghosts
Teeter Targets
Veggie Guardin’
Trigger Twist
Skip Skimmer
Star Shuttle
Flutter Fly
Cone Zone
Treasure Twirl
Jump Park
Pose Mii Plus

It looks like just a bunch of Mini-Games. With a remote costing around $30, this game is selling for $20. Not bad, but in previous titles, like Wii Play, the game prices were $10. In Fling Smash, normally selling for $20, they pretty much give you the game free and give you a discounted remote.

Here are some screenshots and the official trailer.

Wii Play Motion coming June 13 is a post from:DaxGamer

If you are in the market for a Nintendo Wii perhaps waiting until the middle of the month is your best option.  In an attempt to revive sales, Nintendo said it will be cutting the price of its Wii video game console to $149.99 on May 15 and has chopped the prices of some games to $19.99.  The price cut has been rumored for more than a month.  This price cut is an attempt by the Nintendo corporation to revive sales of the Wii video game console and make it more affordable for people who don’t want to pay upwards of $300 for a video game console.  The cut I believe is also going to bring some non gamers to the gaming world because the price of the Wii system is now lowered and the Wii is a good introduction to video games as a whole.

The lower-priced Wii will include a black or white Wii, a Wii motion-sensing remote, and a copy of the Mario Kart game with a black or white steering wheel. Previously, the Wii cost $199.99 and was bundled with Wii Sports and Wii Sports resort, both of these games were an excellent addition to the bundle as those games are fun for anyone to play.  This bundle however, is a great deal for anyone looking to perhaps buy a new Wii system to replace an older one or just to have a Wii system to add to other systems they may have.  Mario Kart, with the steering wheel accessory is a very fun and exciting game especially with friends.  The Nintendo Wii has sold more than 86 million consoles.  In the past year, Nintendo’s sales of the Wii console has been approximately 15 million units, down from 20 million in the previous year. Nintendo expects 13 million Wii’s to sell in the current fiscal year that ends March 31, 2012.  At this price point for a system that has a great selection of games for adults and kids alike I would say that their expectations are not far off the mark.

Nintendo to lower the price of Wii Console is a post from:DaxGamer

Unfortunately this offer has only been confirmed for Japan, so Americans and Europeans may be disappointed.

The fact that Nintendo are bringing Excitebike to the 3DS probably means that other NES games will be getting a similar treatment. If Nintendo keep this up we may have to rename the 3DS the FreeDS.

Free NES Game For 3DS Owners is a post from:DaxGamer

In a company statement Nintendo said; ”We will show a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications at the E3 Expo, which will be held June 7-9, 2011, in Los Angeles,”

Rumoured to be codenamed Project Cafe, the Wii’s successor is supposedly “significantly more powerful” than the Xbox 360 and Sony’s PS3. Rumours also tell us that it will support backwards compatibility with current Wii software.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told Bloomberg News, “We would like to propose a new approach to home video game consoles” with the Wii successor. He added, “It’s difficult to make 3-D images a key feature, because 3-D televisions haven’t obtained wide acceptance yet.”

New Wii Console Confirmed is a post from:DaxGamer

Well the first games to crash on our shelves will be (drum roll please)

Pilotwings Resort (Nintendo)

Steel Diver (Nintendo)

Nintendogs + Cats (Nintendo)

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (Capcom)

The Sims 3 (EA)

Madden NFL Football (EA)

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D (Konami)

Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (Lucasarts)

Ridge Racer 3D (Namco Bandai)

Super Monkey Ball 3D (Sega)

Bust-A-Move Universe (Square Enix)

Samurai Warriors Chronicles (Tecmo Koei)

Asphalt 3D (Ubisoft)

Combat Of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D (Ubisoft)

Rayman 3D (Ubisoft)

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Shadow Wars (Ubisoft)

Games are set to sell at $40 ago, but with the prices ever rising and this ground-breaking technology, I think it’s quite fair.

Will you slash the cash day 1 or wait a while for Zelda and Starfox?

Nintendo 3DS Launch Titles Announced is a post from:DaxGamer

The original Punch-Out!! was available on the arcades in 1984 and was eventually released for the NES in 1987. The NES version was thought of as one of the consoles’ best games. It mixed intense accuracy with solid gameplay. The series hasn’t been updated in 15 years and I wasn’t sure if I was going to see another Punch-Out!! game again. Leave it to Next Level Games to resurrect Little Mac and bring back its popular classic to the Nintendo Wii. Does the modern update deliver a knockout? Read the review to find out.

Punch-Out!! for the Wii isn’t a boxing simulation that the Fight Night series is. It’s an arcade style boxing game with exaggerated gameplay and tons of fun. Little Mac is back and is looking to become the champion once again. The game features 13 fighters with a 14^th unlockable fighter being Donkey Kong if you can successfully defeat the previous 13 challengers throughout the single player campaign. Of course you have to face those challengers again in order to defend the titles against them. Keep in mind that they have been training a lot harder and are going to be much tougher the second time around. They will also have new moves in their repertoire. There are three circuits to compete in: Minor, Major and World. The game’s difficulty ramps up pretty quick after the Minor circuit. You can even practice against your opponents which, allows you to fight holographic versions of the fighters so you can get a feel for their moves and tactics without taking any damage. After completing the single player campaign you can then face them in exhibition mode while meeting certain goals. Some of the goals are easy, while others are pretty demanding. It’s a fun diversion and gives the game some added replay value.

Of course simply button mashing won’t get the job done as it will lead to a quick defeat. There is a puzzle-like element to the game because you have to memorize attack patterns and tactics. If you hit your opponent while the flashing yellow color shows up you can earn yourself a star. Up to three stars can be stored at once. However, getting punches blocked and getting hit causes you to lose the stars that you earned. If you can manage to deliver the star punch it will result in an instant knockdown. Hitting an opponent while he taunts you earns you a star. Fighters turn red when they are going to deliver the special attack which deals a lot of damage.

The game can either be played with the Wii Remote held sideways or using the Wii Remote with the Nunchuck. Why there wasn’t support for the Classic Controller or even the Gamecube Controller is beyond me. The game even supports the Wii Balance Board, giving you the ability to dodge and duck. I really enjoyed using the Wii Remote with the Nunchuck. It makes you feel like your taking part in a boxing match. On top of that the game gives you a pretty good workout at the same time.

As far as the presentation goes the game looks really good on the Wii. The 3D cell-shaded graphics are really nice. All the characters in the game look really good and are very detailed. Animations and facial expressions are done well and are hilarious during and in between fights. There are impressive looking cutscenes that feature Little Mac in training with his trainer Doc Lewis. I was disappointed that the other characters didn’t have the same quality cutscenes as well because it would have made the fighters even more interesting. Instead, you get simplistic style panels with very little story added in. I would’ve at least liked to have seen some dialog during the panels with some story and background information.

The audio is pretty solid. It features some good voice work. It would have been nice to include some on-screen text since some of the fighters don’t speak English. Doc Lewis does a pretty good job of offering advice between rounds. Some of his dialog can be pretty fun as well. He constantly mentions how much he loves chocolate. I don’t know why Little Mac wasn’t given the option to speak since he’s the main character in the game. The punches sound good. The music during the main menu could’ve been better though but it’s ok.

Disco Kid is the only new fighter in the game. He fits in well with the rest of the roster. His flashy style makes him really fun to punch. I would’ve liked to have seen a larger roster of fighters especially considering all the fighters that have been around since the franchise has started. Favorites such as King Hippo, Bald Bull and Great Tiger make a return. A couple of fighters are brought over from the SNES version. Aran Ryan is a crazy Irishman who has no concern for delivering headbutts during fights. Bear Hugger is a 400 pound Canadian who loves Maple Syrup.

The game even features a multiplayer mode called Head to Head. Two players take control of a Little Mac in split screen mode. Attacks and dodges are done using Little Mac’s standard set of moves. There is a meter when filled will turn Little Mac into Giga Mac who is much bigger and much more powerful. Afterwards, the game switches to a single screen mode style like in the traditional Punch-Out!! style. It would’ve been nice to choose other fighters against each other instead of just using Little Mac. Having Bald Bull and Soda Popinski facing each other would have been epic. Head to Head is a fun mode but it could’ve been better.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment is the lack of online support. Next Level Games is the same company that made Mario Strikers Charged which featured online support. A leaderboard with best times and achievements would have been a great addition. Online multiplayer would have fit really well with the game. The Wii is a system that I feel is designed for online support. It would’ve have been great to be able to create your own fighter as well.

Punch-Out!! for the Wii is another example of a remake done right. It’s a fun game. It has great graphics. The audio is solid. Multiplayer is good but could have been better. A roster of 13 fighters is good but a larger roster would have been really nice. Lack of online support is a huge disappointment. It’s a great game that oozes nostalgia. Overall it’s a great game and is one of the systems’ best titles. I heard there will be a 2^nd Punch-Out!! game so hopefully it will include online support and a bigger roster the second time around.

Punch-Out!! Wii Review is a post from:DaxGamer