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Game Changer? The Most Ambitious Gaming Hardware

intern — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:00:00 +0000

If we can learn anything from the success of the Nintendo Wii, the 3D movie resurgence, and Japanese dudes marrying their pillows, it’s that regular interaction with life, movies and games will no longer cut it. Everyone is trying to take it to the next level—and if you don’t, you’re going to get left. So it comes as no surprise that, at a time when the music gaming industry is leveling out, Seven45 Studios would make their move. Their upcoming game Power Gig: The Sixth String doesn’t have a whole band set and it doesn’t have a track list out yet, but it does have one thing: A guitar controller with strings. It’s probably the closest thing to a real guitar gaming is ever going to see, but we couldn’t help to think: will it work?

Many pieces of gaming hardware promise fun through realism and cool technology but they don’t all succeed (i.e. Tony Hawk practically begging people to play his game). Ambition: an attribute and a flaw. Don’t believe us? Peep our history of gaming’s most ambitious hardware…

HARDWARE: Intellivision Keyboard (1982)
AIM: The Intellivision (Intelligent Television) Keyboard by Mattel was supposed to help the console one-up Atari by making it easier to educate kids, along with the game Melody Blaster, in the art of music (oh joy).
RESULT: For a while, the Keyboard was the Detox of the gaming world. When it was finally released, it was poorly received (shocker). Jay Leno made a lame topical joke (another shocker) at the Mattel Christmas party, saying, “You know what the three big lies are, don’t you? ‘The check is in the mail,’ ‘I’ll still respect you in the morning,’ and ‘The Keyboard will be out in spring.’”

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HARDWARE: NES Zapper (1984)
AIM: To make it easier for kids to pretend their shooting animals.
RESULT: The tech behind the light gun can be traced back to the late 1930’s, however the NES Zapper really is the best known iteration. Why? Hell, why do you think? Kids just wanted to shoot things. Parents were quick to protest, but at the end of the day, Zappers don’t kill people. Socially irresponsible Vice Presidents hunting for ducks kill people. Zappers just kill ducks.

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HARDWARE: Nintendo Power Glove (1989)
AIM: To create a more interactive gaming experience.
RESULT:Nintendo has been the brains behind A LOT of great things, but the Power Glove was pretty awful. It may have been the first video game controller to recreate hand movements in real-time on a TV screen, but it really didn’t work. The movements were imprecise, making it difficult to play any game; on top of that, it wasn’t even wireless. And don’t say “it was ahead of its time”—it’s been twenty years and there hasn’t been another glove. Now put your glove away and stop power-jerking.

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HARDWARE: PlayStation (1995)
AIM: SONY’s entrance into gaming.
RESULT: Before SONY dropped the PlayStation, can you recall a single disc-based console that was worth the extra dough? Nah, didn’t think so. Up until the Walkman makers threw their hat in the console ring, everyone was rocking with cartridges and 16-bit graphics. Then SONY came through with a 32-bit system that powered by CDs, and amazing games to go with it. And no cartridges! What, you miss the blowing?

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HARDWARE: Dreamcast VMU (Visual Memory Unit) (1999)
AIM: We don’t really know.
RESULT: The Japanese have come up with some wild things. Tentacle porno, marrying pillows, bukkake—the list can go on forever. But when it comes to gaming, they’re on point. To the untrained eye (read: “noob”), the VMU is just a memory card, but it was way more than that. With Chao Adventure (pretty much a Tomagachi) and a shitload of downloadable games, the VMU was pretty much its own system. R.I.P Dreamcast, you are missed.

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HARDWARE: N-Gage (2003)
AIM: To combine the worlds of mobile phones and video gaming.
RESULT: The N-Gage was one of gaming’s biggest flops. Sure, it presented video games on the go, but it wasn’t good—the game selection was weak, the graphics were blocky and stodgy, it was poorly designed, and you couldn’t use it as a phone because of its awkward shape. It’s like a failed rapper saying “They just not ready!” No, they just don’t want you.

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HARDWARE: Guitar Hero Guitar (2005)
AIM: To make you believe you could possibly—one day, if you weren’t so lazy—learn to play the guitar.
RESULT: Guitar Hero, and music games in general, aren’t really the hot shit anymore (unless you’re 10…or really high), but it beats the Intellivision Keyboard because everyone has played Guitar Hero. It made people feel like rock stars—and at the very least they got Heidi Klum to dance in her underwear. So…WIN!

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HARDWARE: Wii-Mote (2006)
AIM: To create a more interactive gaming experience.
RESULT: Originally pegged as the weakest link of the next gen. consoles, the Wii was the top seller for its inactive gaming experience. The Wii-Mote is a gun, golf club, tennis racket, baseball or boxing glove, a sword—and if nothing else, a great way to throw your back out and give your girlfriend (inadvertent) black eyes with.

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HARDWARE: Tony Hawk Ride’s Board(2009)
AIM: To make gamers feel like they’re really skateboarding.
RESULT:When it comes to sports, we give you six word recaps. However, this time around, we only need two words: EPIC FAIL! God, Tony Hawk Ride sucks. Sure, the board is a great idea and Tony’s games are highly successful, but it loses its charm fast. Designed to make the game more realistic and easier to play, it did no such thing. Your character didn’t move or jump when you jumped. If you tried to do an ollie, well, you’d wind up doing an ollie kickflip or some other trick you didn’t plan on executing. And you can’t go any direction but forward. Awesome. It’s like we said with music games: If you enjoy it, you’re either 10 or high…but in this case you’re probably both.

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HARDWARE: Project Natal (2010)
AIM: To be the ultimate interactive gaming experience.
RESULT: In the future, games will be played with full suits and helmets like that horrible Gerard Butler movie, Gamer. For now, we’ll take Project Natal. With motion-capture technology, you get to control your games through body movement. It’s either going to be really awesome or really bad.~~Bribery~~ Advertisement cash aside, we’re banking on awesome.

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Punch-Out!! Hits Wii Without Mike Tyson

dscott — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:29:23 +0000

When it dropped in the 1980s, we clocked many, many hours on our Nintendo playing Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!!. Iron Mike was the heavyweight champion of the world, and the pixelated classic was the hottest game not featuring a character named Zelda. And although we reluctantly kept rocking with it when they dropped Mike (after his loss to Buster Douglas) and introduced Mr. Dream, we always had a special place for it in our hearts.

So you already know we got amped when we heard that they were working on a updated version of Punch Out!! for the Wii, which will drop at the top of '09. Our hopes are high, and after peeping the new trailer for the game, with its trademark over the top animation, we’re even more excited. Watch it below…

Parents Protest Wii Beer Pong Game

bfred — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:59:15 +0000

It won’t be released until next week, but the new Frat Party Games: Beer Pong'a title on Nintendo’s WiiWare download service'is already sparking controversy. Lisa Lombardozzi, chairman of a Virginia Community Coalition, is apparently upset about the game’s “teen” rating, calling for parents to sign a protest petition because “The game encourages younger kids to emulate the patterns of college-age kids.”

A spokesman for the game’s creator defended it by saying, “If anything, you’re going to be drinking less…Because you are too busy playing the game, trying to beat your opponent, to be constantly picking up a beer and drinking it.” In our opinion, the kids need constructive video games like beer pong, otherwise they’ll just end up driving drunk on GTA. Watch the trailer after the jump to see what all the hype is about.

[Fairfax Times via GoNintendo]

Shaun White Snowboarding Comes To The Wii

treats — Wed, 28 May 2008 22:54:14 +0000

Winter sports are undeniably fun, but sometimes the frigid weather makes us question whether it’s worth making the trek to the top of the mountain. And like most tedious activities, we look to video games to provide the lazy man’s alternative.

It’s been a while since a truly great snowboarding series emerged (we see you, SSX Tricky), but Ubisoft might have next: Shaun White Snowboarding is dropping this winter. Skip that trip to Vale and try to achieve world-wide acclaim in the Olympic Gold Medalist’s signature game. It will also be available for Xbox and PS3, but the Wii version is the most dynamic, using the new Balance Board to simulate the actual deck. See some more screen shots below.

[Kotaku]

LostWinds Is The Best Cheap Wii Game

bfred — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:34:37 +0000

We didn’t expect much from the new WiiWare service'maybe a few decent puzzle games or something. But when we finally logged on this week and checked out the selection of cheap, downloadable games developed by third parties, we were pleasantly surprised by one title: LostWinds.

Created by Frontier Developments, this adventure game follows a boy named Toku on a mission to save his homeland. With the Wii cursor, you also control gusts of wind, letting you blow Toku up to high places, cushion his fall, blow fire across a room and a slew of other helpful actions. It’s an interesting new usage of the Wiimote that could have effects on future games. Granted, LostWinds is fairly short, but everything else about it is as good'if not better'than the average big name Nintendo title. And for only $10 (the average store-bought game will run you $50), it’s a must-have. Watch some gameplay footage in the trailer below.

Okami Art School Infomercial

bfred — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:26:02 +0000

Gamers recently noticed that the cover for the Wii version of adventure game Okami contained a watermarked image from gaming site IGN. It must have been an embarrassing discovery for the lazy graphic designers at Capcom, who clearly just pulled their source photos off of Google images.

Well now, the company seems to be having a little fun with the release of the “Okami Art School” infomercial. Aimed at the critics who complain about the difficulty of Okami’s brush strokes, it’s styled after a low budget '80s commercial taped on VHS, complete with the jumps and “Play” message. The best part? If you look at the fine print on the ordering screen at the end, it says “Warning: artwork may contain watermarks!” Watch the video after the jump.

[Capcom]

V-Sports Is The Poor Man’s Wii

bfred — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:40:08 +0000

Even though Nintendo’s Wii is way cheaper than any of the other current generation of consoles, that $300 price tag might still be too steep for some. Well, penny pinchers are in luck, because a Japanese company has been selling a knock-off called V-Sports for only $89. Sure, the gameplay is probably a joke, but the price isn’t the only selling point for the V-Sports. The console is available in white, blue and pink, and it comes with 11 games (in one!) plus a bonus game that features 10 more. It might never go on sale in the U.S., but Wired recently spotted it at some shopping malls in the Akihabara section of Tokyo. After the jump, check out screenshots of all the games and the different colors that V-Sports comes in.

[Click on an image to view full size]

Strong Bad’s Wii Game Is Only For Attractive People

bfred — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:38:42 +0000

If you’ve never visited homestarrunner.com, you’re missing out on one of the most consistently funny (and totally bizarre) shows on the internet. The most popular part of the site is when Strong Bad (pictured above in a wig) answers reader emails, which always leads to some sort of hijinks (Click here to watch a classic). Well, now all the characters are coming to a video game called Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People, which will be available for download on Nintendo’s WiiWare service in June. Three different trailers have been released, so check them out after the jump.

TRAILER #1: The Introduction

TRAILER #2: Shows Actual Gameplay

TRAILER #3: Strong Bad’s Wii Safety Message

[Destructoid]

Major League Eating Stuffs The Wii

bfred — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:21:46 +0000

If watching the Food Network is like porn for fat people, then playing Major League Eating: The Game is like cyber sex.

When Nintendo launches their new WiiWare game download service in May, MLE will be one of the first titles available. The game lets all aspiring Kobayashis participate in some intense eating competitions (or as they call it, “professional gurgitory athletics”). With a variety of Wii controller motions, you have to out eat your opponent in a variety of cuisines. You even have an arsenal of defensive weapons: bites, burps, belches, mustard gas and jalapeÃ±o flames. If you go and register at the game’s website, they’re giving away gift certificates for (you guessed it) free food! Watch the game’s trailer after the jump.

Toys “R” Us Becomes Relevant Again

complex — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 18:50:31 +0000

There’s a reason you don’t want to grow up and be a Toys “R” Us kid. The toy crazed monster chain is taking pre-orders for the soon to be released Sony Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. But here’s the catch, you have to go find out what stores will have them available and then go directly to the store and drop $50 to claim your stake. They will contact you once the machines are available. To find out which stores will be carrying, click for the store locator and then call up to make sure they're holding. Since many 'hardcore gamers' will be flooding stores like GameSpot and EB Games this may be your only chance.