The Wii Mini's appeal to me: It's a toploader

Now that there's actually going to be a European version of this thing I can think about it a little more.

The fact that it toploads games appeals to me as it's very nostalgic. My old CD player was like that and I have fond memories of the toploading PS1, listening to the disc spinning during quiet moments in a game. That's the biggest thing that appeals to me about it and it's more or less just a novelty really, especially considering all the stuff it CAN'T do.

If you want one, be informed about it first.

Edit: Forgot to mention GameCube, which was also a toploader! To me it feels nicer to put a GameCube disc into a GameCube than it does when you put it into an older Wii that's compatible with them.

Dillon's Rolling Western Sequel

This was announced in the recent American Nintendo Direct. I didn't bother buying the first game because I don't like using the stylus too much and it seemed that it had heavy action usage for the stylus without having any other option (I get nervous about leaving marks on the touchscreen you see).

I'm actually very interested in the game because I enjoyed Vanpool's other game, Freshly Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (despite the overuse of the stylus (see the pattern?) ). For the sequel I can only wish for alternate control options.

The Wii Mini is coming out in UK! (Don't know about Ireland yet). Also, more Nintendo Selects

This is a nice surprise! The only other country it was released in was Canada and now the UK-- that's so far anyway. Nintendo is reaaaally close to selling 100 million Wiis and hopefully this'll help. I'd love to see it happen!

As for the new range of Nintendo Selects there's gonna be Super Paper Mario, Wii Sports Resort, Mario Power Tennis and Mario Party 8.

You can see it all here for yourself:
http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Wii/Wii-mini/Overview/Overview-726559.html

The Wii lives on, budget-style!

Wreck-It Ralph didn't win the Oscar :(

I haven't seen Brave but it couldn't have been better than this film. Wreck-It Ralph wasn't even a nichey subculture thing like Scott Pilgrim was, it was outstanding and all round entertaining for everybody.

Maybe Brave was more artsy or something. In any case I don't think there's any foul play against the video game theme.

SEGA, find out what Gearbox did to Samba De Amigo while you're at it.

Dougal, I am not interested in Aliens.

I was beside myself with excitement when Samba De Amigo was finally announced for the Wii. It was gonna be awesome. Everyone who played it at events responded favourably to it. One of them was NGamer Magazine, but afterwards they gave it a 60 out of 100 in their review, saying that early preview copies worked really well but the final product doesn't for some reason.

I bought the game and played it myself and I don't think I've ever been so disappointed with a video game. The music and atmosphere was there but someone went and fucked up the controls, even after they were working properly! How could I suspect anything else besides sabotage?

This is what I want to know from Gearbox and SEGA. Who did this? Who killed Samba De Amigo?

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is savagely addictive

It looks absolutely lovely too. I've been playing the 3DS demo since it came out the other day and it's kind of hard to stop. The thing is, and this is the honest truth here: The game isn't particularly fun. However, it's addictive.

I may be in want of a better way to explain this but I'll try the best I can. It's addictiveness is somewhat similar to a good old fashioned hard day's work when you're totally absorbed in it. But even after all that, it IS work, highly psyched as you may be. It's contrastable to the addictiveness of a normal RPG or simulation, which is like being addicted to popping bubble wrap.

Generally it's much more exciting than most RPGs and it makes a lot of things about modern Zelda games seem silly. That's a big achievement in my book.

Still, I'm kind of asking myself if I really want to be involved in this. The game comes out in a few weeks so I've plenty of time to decide.

Playing the Mirror of Fate demo. Ugh

Poor Mirror of Fate. It's on a Nintendo handheld and therefore has to live up to the legacy of the six excellent Castlevania games that came before it. The character is a clunky tanky type and the visual aesthetic you have to just be a fan of but it's ok, I just don't think it's as awesome as the ones that came before it. The gameplay is alright if you think you'd like the "Lords of Shadow" style in 2D.

All that is a matter of taste. The actual problems this game has is the quality of its sound and picture. The sound issue comes from the game's audio being almost completely incompatible with the 3DS' speakers-- a common problem that makes the audio sound all tinny and it's easily remedied by simply using a pair of headphones.

The graphics then look all jaggy which seems really weird because it doesn't complement the art style very well. It's a pity there's no way to remedy this. I mean, it looks like it wasn't made for the 3DS' screen at all and it makes me kind of suspicious. The fact that the demo is out on the exact same day as the demo for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate -- an absolutely flawless looking 3DS game -- is very unfortunate.

Iwata and Miyamoto comedy duo featuring the hoover from Luigi's Mansion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiNIMXBxWxY

Nice funny little "DVD extra" here missing from our version of the Nintendo Direct, kindly uploaded by Nintendo of America. Miyamoto walks around in his pink shirt with the hoover from Luigi's Mansion while Iwata still wears the Luigi cap and they chat like two colleagues enjoying their day at work (as the Japanese Ghostbusters (please make it happen)).

Imagine if Miyamoto actually used it for inspiration like he was some kind of "method producer".

Ireland gets 60 Hz F-Zero for Wii U VC. Keep this up please Nintendo!

This is more like it. I shall expect this from now on.

60Hz is essential but I still want 50 Hz as an option. I'm glad to see Nintendo are on the right track though.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star is an excellent game

I just beat this not so long ago. It's a fantastic game worthy of the series and it's rare to see such a good quality game come out, especially in these times where third parties are almost completely useless.

I've noticed that the Metacritic average on this game is slightly lower than the other games in the series and delicate nerds are upset at the removal of some of the more stuffy and boring RPG elements. Don't bother listening to them. As an RPG this game doesn't demand an open mind but it certainly rewards it. Buy it today.

Looking forward to multiplayer in Luigi's Mansion 2

This game will be nice and flexible with it's multiplayer modes: It's got download, local and online co-op multiplayer.

This image is from the Nintendo Direct last Thursday where they talked about the multiplayer mode in depth. It takes place in the "Scarescraper", which sounds like a multi-level dungeon. This could be a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to trying it out! It could even be better than Four Swords. In any case, it'll be original.

I still want Dragon Quest VII to come out here

I know it's great and wonderful to see another Mario & Luigi RPG just pop up out of the blue, especially since it's from my favourite RPG series but I still want Dragon Quest VII! Please announce it for localisation and release in Ireland!

Why not make Donkey Kong Land Returns?

Yeah, why not do this instead of putting the Wii game on the 3DS? Donkey Kong Country Returns doesn't even live up to the DKC legacy.

Next thing you know they'll be doing the same thing with Metroid: Other M.

The Year of Luigi

This is kind of nice to see the two Satorus wear Luigi caps and announce this Luigi event. I thought it was quite funny to see Luigi in such a remote place on Mario Party 9's boxart.

Luigi's Mansion 2 is out next month and it took them a long time to make the game so they have to give it a good push I suppose. We have Miyamoto talking about the game and how adventury it'll be.

I don't need to be advertised to of course, I know the game's gonna be great! :)

Mario & Luigi RPG 4 is coming out this Summer! Yes!

The reveal of this game was the big highlight of today's Nintendo Direct! I was really surprised but delighted! I'm very happy with this because this is one of the best RPG series there is.

I watched the American Nintendo Direct after this and it has the subtitle of "Dream Team" and it seems to take place (in part) in Luigi's dreams.

Tank! Tank! Tank! is actually one of the more interesting Wii U launch games

For a third party release that is. Nearly all of the other third party releases weren't very interesting at all. I'd actually like to try this game when I get a Wii U because, unlike the other third party games, this actually looks somewhat interesting and fun.

The disc release might go down even further in price at this stage.

Tank! Tank! Tank! has been downgraded to the icky "Free-to-Play" thing

I just saw a list of this week's European digital releases for Nintendo systems and this was there with no price except for extra DLC *shudder*. There's also some kind of rule where you can only play certain modes so many times a day.

Tank Tank Tank! is one of the first and only Wii U games that dropped dramatically in price (I've seen it for 30 something Euro) so now it's become so worthless that it's going "Free-to-Play" *shudder*.

No I'm not cold, these are shudders of disgust.

If you're going to see Wreck-It Ralph, take your 3DS in StreetPass mode! (got a Kildare Mii!)

I know we're past the opening weekend for the film but it could still draw some crowds by word of mouth. After all, it is the greatest movie about video games ever made!

When I went, the cinema was completely full; furthermore, I racked up LOADS of StreetPassers during my trip, even meeting someone from Kildare; another county marked off the list!

Rayman Legends going multiplatform is a serious buzzkill

Ho-hum. I suppose there's nothing we can reasonably do now that Rayman Legends is going to all formats. We can still get angry I suppose but eh... what happens when that passes? Acceptance is setting in and just... who cares anymore? That excitement from E3 last year was just an empty fantasy.

Back then they said the game couldn't be what it was if it wasn't for the Wii U-- now they're saying they're bringing it back to where it originally came from, namely the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Talk about going 180. Damn marketers took us for a ride once again!

What's to see now when we look at Rayman Legends? When we play the demo? It controls the exact same way Rayman Origins does and it has the exact same feel. Now that the excitement is DEAD all we see is a rehash; some extra levels; one of those "expansion pack" thingies that PC gamers are always talking about.

Eh... it's ok I guess. I'll probably still buy it and play it and enjoy it for being a good game. What's that Ubisoft? Oh no you can't go back on your decision now... well actually you could but... what's the point? The damage is done. There's no excitement surrounding your game anymore and you can't fix it. Just make sure the game's good okay? I might even get excited when I see the bargain bin sticker on the cover a few weeks after release.

After all, that's what got me excited about buying Rayman Origins.

Video games are better than movies! (Just saw Wreck-It Ralph!)

This is without doubt the greatest video game movie ever made! It glorifies video games for being video games and the arcade game culture. There are loads of loving references for fans and loads of Disney entertaining-ness for everyone else who just wants to see a good film.

Isn't it silly how a lot of video games want to be like movies? Well, I believe part of the message of this film is that you don't need games to be like movies to be successful. This movie is telling you that it's ok for a game to be a game.

I'm so glad that the movie has finally released over here! I hope it wins the Oscar!

Rayman Legends is going multiplatform

It's also being delayed by several months. This was an exciting game to look forward to but.... I just don't feel it anymore after hearing this. It'll probably be as good as Rayman Origins at the very least. We'll see.

Mega Man 2 is out on the 3DS VC and in 60 Hz!

Never forget things like this! It marks a special occasion where I can play an authorised copy of the game

If only the Wii U VC had a 60 Hz option :(

Cool video journal by WiiFolderJosh about Concentration Training

I know I've been ragging on about this game for the past two days but I'm actually quite interested in it.

This guy is making a video journal based on his experience with the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2bth6D2aDQ

I'm gonna follow it. Chances are, this will be a better souce of information than anything else.

Kate Hudson (ugh) appears in the Concentration Training advert

I've been dragged to so many sickeningly awful movies starring this woman that I've come to associate her face with cinematic suffering. I guess it's appropriate that she's hired to sell something that's aimed at people with poor attention spans.

My favourite YouTube comment to this was "How to lose a guy's 3DS in 10 days".

Concentration Training for 3DS has a dumb name in Europe

In Europe it's gonna be called "Dr Kawashima's Devilish Brain Training: Can You Stay Focused?". What a stupidly long name; I can barely read the title without getting distracted! Here I thought "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate" was bad.

I think "Concentration Training" on its own is a fine name.

NSMB is a better game to play at actual parties than Mario Party

Don't get me wrong I love Mario Party but when I started playing it with other people they started crying out for NSMB.

I honestly think that Mario Party games are more complicated than most video games out there. You kind of have to have a board game mentality to do them and you have to learn new controls each time a mini-game challenge comes up. You also need basic reading ability so all these things add up to make it complicated and time consuming; not the most ideal for most party situations.

How about putting Minecraft on the Wii U?

Ok it's not from Japan like the games I've been talking about for the past couple of days but it's a genuine phenomenon.

A quick googling will immediately slap you in the face with xbox licensing blah blah blah...

Bullshit I say. Do you think The Tetris Company would license their game to just one console? Of course not.

Minecraft is allowed to be on iOS devices apparently because "they don't compete". Well, what happened to those times when Nintendo said that they don't compete?

Anyway, say Mojang simply isn't interested. What do the people at Nintendo think about Minecraft? Maybe the game can inspire them to do something. I wonder what Yuji Hori thinks of Minecraft?

I wouldn't include the item crafting in Skyward Sword by the way. That was done in other stuff like the alchemy in Dragon Quest VIII. In my opinion, Zelda's better when it's just 3 shields maximum with just a rock-paper-scissors level of depth to their strengths and weaknesses.

More Japanese stuff that could be localised

I hear EarthBound is going to appear on the Japanese Wii U. Bring the MOTHER series over here please!

Hmm... still thinking here...