Many of Wii owners like myself have nothing to look forward to this holiday season.  If you own a Wii that means you most likely own Wii Play, Wii Sports and probably Wii Fit with an occassional Mario title here and there.  If you fancy yourself a hardcore gamer then you probably have “Zelda” ,”Metroid Prime 3″ and maybe “No More Heroes.”  So if you have all of the following,  what game should you be anticipating for the Nintendo Wii this holiday season?

Don’t know?  Well neither do I nor one-third of all Nintendo Wii owners.  Sorry for the gotcha but at the rate of Nintendo Wii sells you would think there was a  AAA title in the horizon.  The problem with Nintendo has always been third party titles and it is very evident during the holiday season.  The Wii boast about 33 million in hardware sales but still does not have the might to grab developers interest.  Interest enough for 2K to port “BioShock” or have a “Bioshock2″ exclusively for the Wii.  Now I know I’m going to get bashed by everyone reading this article but before you bash me hear me out.

It’s not that I dislike Nintendo because I don’t, I love everything about what Nintendo used to be.  I want the Nintendo Seal of Quality games like: Bionic Commando, Pro Wrestling, Final Fantasy  & Rygar.  As a gamer I feel that the Wii is not the console I wanted, it was spawned from suits in a war room trying to save a buck.  The idea in that war room annexed the real gamers and went after the everyday casual gamer.  The Nintendo Wii culture I witness from day to day is not meant for me and if you are agreeing with this article; it’s not meant for you either.  I am not a casual gamer!  I like real games. Real games like “Conduit.”  Have you ever heard of Conduit?  If you have never heard of “Conduit” and did not click on the link, odds are you are about to write me a hateful comment of epic proportion.   “Conduit” is the type of game what will blow the socks off anyone doubting the Wii’s prowess.   We should demand games that thrill us and have exceptional replay value.

When I talk to other gamers about Nintendo’s game issues they usually say that it’s because Nintendo is very gamer diverse.  Stop drinking the Kool-Aid!  All consoles have game diversity, it’s called game genres.  What Nintendo has is a failure to communicate with it’s customers.  The casual gamers are not gamers they are customers, they buy the Wii because it’s popular.  While the “Real Gamers” deal with a bleak holiday season and an even longer gaming drought.

I feel that it is too late to stop this generation of mediocre games but there is hope for the next generation.  We must speak up now.  Most real gamers are playing 360 games waiting for the next best Wii game and that is your best bet.  Don’t be afraid to explore other avenues and that will surely get Nintendo attention.  If you are a staunch Nintendo fanboy and hate the very notion of buying a 360, make a youtube video begging Nintendo for better games.  If it doesn’t work at least it will be funny.

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Blake Peeble, a 16yr old from Raleigh, North Carolina obviously feels this way and so does his parents. Blake resides in North Raleigh and lives to play video games but it’s one video game in particular that he is renown for, “Guitar Hero.”  Watching Blake’s furious frets and complicated chords is amazing even for a Guitar Hero champion like myself.  The difference between Blake and I is more than his ability to out duel me in Guitar Hero, it’s also me having a high school diploma and a Bachelor of Science Degree.

 Blake, with total support of parent has decide to quit High School to pursue his goal to be a professional gamer. Yes I said it!  A professional gamer.  While there are some professional gamers that do quite well for themselves most of them have at least finished High School while others are in college.  This solely makes Blake the first gamer to go “Pro” with out a high school diploma.

Blake’s parents structural walls broke when they decided to offered tutorial services instead of the traditional schooling in hopes that their child could break into the Professional gaming business.  This highly controversial decision comes at a high price because unlike Professional Poker, Professional Gaming hardly exists.  There is a small circle of gamers that may make a profit but the profit is hardly enough to sustain a life time.  Though this fact has not slowed down the Blake train he is still hanging tough in hopes of hitting a big pay day.

Blake, who goes by the online name “Dreminem,” says  he has top-10 scores on 20 or more  songs on “Guitar Hero III.”  He is also top of the charts in “Halo 3″ and “Fear.” Odds are if you ever meet up with Blake online pray you are on his squad in Halo3 and if you are playing him in Guitar Hero.  Just give up already.

I can’t say I’m 100% behind Blake’s decision to quit high school but at 16 kids have done dumber thing.  Hopefully Blake will finish with a High School Diploma and later go to college.  Being 16 is a special time in a young persons life and if done proper Blake could be very successful.

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Now I haven’t touched a sports game since I’ve called shenanigans on EA for locking up the Official NFL License for 80/11 years!   I will admit that I’ve never been stellar in either basketball or football, but to me there’s no better way to get into an upcoming season then by being able to play alongside the haps in any league.  Now that 2k Sports has to focus on the remaining sports licenses of MLB, NHL, and the NBA; the hope is that each iteration becomes vastly better then the last.  However that hasn’t been the case with their MLB, and NHL titles, many critics and fans feel these games have been on a declined from their once former stellar status.  Well NBA2K9 is just a few weeks away and it’s the one title that’s been carrying the torch for 2k Sports.  But the development team has been keeping information about some of the new features and looks of the game under tight wraps.

So, I feel it’s time to try and get to the bottom of this mystery like a Scooby Doo Show!  The Kid, will scour the interwebs and compile whatever info I can all into this one article and I’ll even chime in on my own and give my thoughts of the things to come in 2K9.  So without further ado; let’s get it!!!!!

Now from some of the official trailers that were put out by the 2k sports team it does seem that there’s a lot more fluidity amongst the players, which has lead a lot of speculation as to whether the development team may have implemented the Euphoria Engine in their latest installment.

According to the lastest hands on of NBA 2K9, some of the biggest features for the series will be The 2K Insider, Living Rosters, and Association 2.0.  Some of these features seem to tread along the same lines of NBA Live’s DNA feature but with a twist according to the 2k Sports team:

“First of all, the developers at 2K are entirely aware of the competition. As any hoops gaming fan knows, EA Sports’ NBA Live 09 announced its player DNA feature a few months back, whereby in-game player attributes will be updated based on real-life results. 2K understands that Living Rosters might sound like a similar feature, and they’re quick to point out its essential differences. The crucial distinction, as they put it, is the “human touch” of the 2K Insider, a hired employee whose job it will be to not just act as the face of the 2K Sports community, but to also have a real impact on the rosters in the game.

As with the competition, you can expect to see roster and attribute changes when you download a new 2K roster in NBA 2K9, all based around what’s happening in the real world. However, rather than update things on a daily basis, 2K devs told us that the plan was to change a roster when it was warranted. Naturally big-time injuries or huge trades will be reflected in the game on a timely basis. What seems to set 2K9 apart, however, is how those changes are made and how much they can add to the gameplay experience.“

Catch the full hands on, and other insights into what 2K is bringing to the table over at Gamespot.com.  My take on all of this so far is that while there has been some official gameplay trailers and a few touted features from different hands on it still seems there’s little now about NBA 2K9 which is set to hit the PS3, Xbox 360, PS2 on October 7th.  So by a turn a hand I ask all you gamers who catch win of this article to leave comments stating any new features for your fellow brethren.  We also have forums where  you can go and share info as well.  Will this season really matter????   It will if we can all come together and work to figure out will this be the definitive basketball simulator for the year. 

Update:

According to an article posted on Oct 2 by ZTGamedomain.com NBA 2K9 will be hitting PSN and XBLA.

“With the start of the regular NBA basketball season right around the corner, 2K Sports today announced that a free demo of NBA 2K9 is now available for download on the PSN and tomorrow morning for XBLA.”

It seems the demo was released on the PSN yesterday and it dropped onto XBLA this morning. I’m urging anyone who have played this demo come and give impressions so that we can get a fix to hold us over until we all can get a hands on ourselves.

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Love them or hate them, Avatars is getting ready to make their debut this fall when the new xbox experience rolls out to consoles worldwide. Now most of the buzz around this new feature has been all over the place. With most of the comments ranging from the blatant copy of Nintendo Mii’s and Sony’s Home Avatars to other commenter’s saying how it’s ok as long as there’s more to do with them then the Mii’s. Most owners of the Wii console feel the whole Mii concept was good, but somehow became neglected by Nintendo. Will Microsoft avatars fall to the same fate, or will they be truly Mii-Too???? Well from this new video that was posted by Major Nelson himself it seems that off the bat there’s a deeper customization feature which should appeal to the most diehard hater. However one must question how much will this customization grow in the future. Giving it some thoughts here’s some of the things I would personally like to see from dashboard avatars.

The Sidious Wish List

1. Mount’s/Pets.  I have an avatar cool, but can I get a horse or some crazy beast to romp around with?
2. World of WarAvatar.  Now I’m not talking about a Sony’s HOME like experience; I’m talking about a full MMO staring the millions of Avatars with quests and beasts to slay.  Come on I know I can’t be the only one who’s thought of this
3. Please make the rumor of unlocking armors and game related material for the Avatars a la Achievements real and not for play play damn it!!!  We all heard of this idea before with Achievements being linked to gamer pics and themes but haven’t seen any of that at all!!  We don’t forget things like this; so do this right and stop the bullshit!!! 
4. Can we work with EA and roll out Sim’s The Avatar Edition?  Don’t steal my idea Microsoft…wait I forgot who I was talking to.
5. Last but not least, Avatar Shorties.  That’s right let me get a Hot Chic Avatar to rock with.  I’m sure you can work with Rockstar and work something out.  It doesn’t have to be as hot as coffee, but there’s nothing wrong with some warm ass coco. 

Well I know most of the things I want are just a pipe dream being held by a crackhead with a pocket full of rocks.  However it shows that with some thought behind it Avatars can eventually carve out a life for themselves.  I mean if Sony can take Second Life and give it a new name I’m sure MS is capable of the same thing.  They already took the first step, now just run with it.  Oh and enjoy the video.

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The Sackboy is a new and rare species found only on remote parts of the PS3.  While little is known about this extraordinary creature, a lot of people have shown great interest in what the little fella has to offer.  Set to take the world by storm upon release on October 21st lets hope that we see an abundance of Sackboys roaming around; it’ll be a great shame for it to land on the endangered species list.  Let’s observe what the lil one can do shall we.

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They all specialize in certain areas of gaming.  Microsoft has revolutionize the gaming industry with XBX Live, Sony owns blu ray and Nintendo grabbed the market with it casual games and a motion controller.

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The only thing that I can think that would make this video better is if it would show up on a top 20 countdown coming in at #1!!!  Every gamer who has fond memories of the megaman series know the soundtrack like it was a slow jam tape you made to have sexy time.  So, with the annoucement of Megaman 9 and how it was staying true to it’s 8 bit roots; it’s only fitting that someone drops a remix for the arrival to current gen consoles.  I just hope that this video gains enough buzz for capcom to take notice and implement it into the actual game in some form or fashion.  It would indeed be a cool nod to the fan who put this together.  Take it away WiiWillRockU3:

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I can’t express how excited I was when I heard Midnight Club: LA was announced to be released this year on the Xbox 360 and PS3! I’ve been a long time fan of Midnight Club series but the Dub Edition/Remix was “THE BEST” arcade racing game on home consoles. I loved everything about that game. And on the other hand when I first purchased my Xbox 360 on launch night I picked up Need for Speed: Most Wanted and feel in love with it as well. But one of the memorable thing is when I first got my 360 I had a standard TV(RCA Xbox TV) that I was playing my 360 on until I purchased my HDTV and I must say playing Need for Speed: Most Wanted again in HD was the best. In this article I want to briefly refresh your memory on the Midnight Club: Dub Edition/Remix and the Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Walk with me…

Midnight Club: Dub Edition/Remix

This game was not expected to do well when announced to be released on the Xbox first system and PS2. And lot of people was not sure if RockStar games would have been able to fill those shoes with the Need for Speed franchise being the no.1 arcade racer. When I purchased Midnight Club: Dub Edition/Remix I didn’t have that much excitement due to the fact that this was something new that I was going to try. I fired it up and boy was I blown away! Not only were the graphics in the game phenomenal but the selection of cars and the sweet customization.

I remember hooking up my cars and constantly stopping in the middle of the street and staring at my car on “Air Shocks” as it drops and makes the hissing sound. And to top it off the online mode was also well done. I remember meeting up with online buddies and driving around in our Chrysler 300’s and showing off our paint jobs and customization. We also had a blast doing cool stunts, man I miss those days. Lately I’ve been dying to see the Midnight Club: Dub Edition/Remix on the new backward compatible list but it’s just a dream. Well with that being said if you plan on buying the new Midnight Club: Los Angeles and you still have an old Xbox or PS2 please try to pick this game up and burn some time until the new one is released.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Now moving on to the Need for Speed: Most Wanted, this game has got to be one of the best versions of all Need for Speed titles hands down. When EA brought Black Box developers to make this game it was the best decision EA has ever made. The Black Box team gave us a game that made people not want to accept the next 2 Need for Speed titles that came out after because we got so spoiled with Most Wanted. 

Earlier I mentioned that when I got my 360 on launch night I picked up Most Wanted and when first playing it on a standard TV it was still delicious eye candy. The graphics in this game was so unique that when I got my HDTV 2 weeks later I played this game over again from the beginning. When Most Wanted showed the cut-scenes in cell shaded format I think that was pretty cool and refreshingly new. I enjoyed every moment of it. At times my wife would say “hey I want to see to see you play that car racing game, I like the movie parts” And I would have her sit with me when ever I played and she loved the Most Wanted story line. As far as the car list and customization in Most Wanted it is also good. They gave us enough cars along with unlockables to make us want to get every one of them. From what I also understand is that EA decided to pull the online play from Most Wanted due to the 360 launch; as they wanted to be on time with the release. Now I know that comparing Midnight Club: Dub Edition/Remix and Need for Speed: Most Wanted graphic wise is not really my intentions but what I do want to point out is, these 2 titles are heavy hitters and the new installments will be a great battle of the century *In my opinion*

Midnight Club: Los Angeles

Now I’m sure you all know by now that Midnight Club: Los Angeles will be coming to the Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP which will get the LA Remix version. It was set to be release on October 7^th but got delayed til October 22-23. I personally believe that RockStar marketing team did this purposely to compete with there rival Need for Speed: Undercover. So what do we know so far about Midnight Club: Los Angeles?

1. Car list is estimated to be roughly around 40+ cars that range from Luxury, Tuners, Muscle Cars, Exotics and Motorcycles *Don’t think SUV’s has been confirmed yet*
2. Los Angeles open world set in gameplay for single and online racers that will involve races during the day and night like real life. Not to mention the in dash view.
3. Yes cops will be on that ass.
4. Large range of customizing from exterior to interior! Yes you can customize your interior! SWEET! Also your car can get damaged which will allow you to visit shops for repairs.
5. Now for the last one I don’t want to start any rumors but I think you might be able to get out of your car like GTA and walk around! But don’t quote me. But if you can I’m guessing you can buy clothing for your character. Nice!

As far as what modes are involve with Midnight Club: LA you can pretty much guess that there’s going to be Circuit races, Time runs and hopefully Drag races. So with all that being said I just want to cut to the chase and say can Midnight Club: LA hold their ground and go up against the Need for Speed: Undercover? I think this is gonna be one hell of a ride for us gamers waiting for these 2 heavyweights go at it pound for pound.

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Need for Speed: Undercover

Need for Speed franchise been around forever even when we were playing PC games on Windows 98 and they still putting out NFS installments with new ideas and engines. But no one has ever done a better job than the Black Box developers. When Most Wanted came out I was really blow away and so was many other folks who followed the franchise. For Need for Speed: Undercover EA decided to go back to the formula that best work for them and that was the Most Wanted format. The graphics is superb and so is the gameplay. And not to mention the cut-scene that looks stunning in HD. For the Undercover installment let’s see what EA Black Box is going to give us this time around.

1. All new storyline and gameplay that is set in an open world environment.
2. There will be 60+ available cars for us to play with, and that is 20 more cars than Midnight Club: LA has. Hmmmm.
3. And of course the customizing is in for exterior but none confirm for interior like Midnight Club: LA.
4. The races will all be set on chasing and being chase, so I’m guessing that the typical Circuit races might be out? Not sure on that one yet.
5. As far as the character we probably won’t be seeing his face like we have seen in Most Wanted but that’s alright with me personally.

So we’ve seen a few trailers for Undercover but no gameplay yet. But so far just knowing that this game is spinning off of Most Wanted is self explanatory. I can tell you one thing, if you don’t have a HDTV and a nice surround sound for this Need for Speed Undercover title you will be only cheating yourself. This game is going to be and action pack movie/game that will keep you sucked in for weeks, hopefully months.

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The Final Word

Here is what I’m going to stress that is going to make these 2 titles battle for the #1 spot in Arcade racers. There are going to be 2 unique things about each game that is going to make them get that extra leap to the finish line. Let’s take a look at some info I gather from some sites. And oh yeah, it’s on!

Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Four special moves to make use of. Each auto can be customized to use any move. Zone allows you to slow down time in order to take sharp turns or weave in-and-out of traffic like a champ! Agro will give your car added strength and the ability to damage opponents faster or sometimes knock them completely out of the race. Roar sends a shockwave that clears your path by pushing cars off to the side of the road. EMP is an electromagnetic pulse that shuts down the engines of the cars around you, bringing them to a complete stop.

Need for Speed Undercover
The mode that will be the secret weapon is a straightforward race called Highway Battle. In this battle you go up against one opponent in a race towards a pre-designated finish line. During the race you can take quite a bit of damage that can cause your car to creep to the finish. EA Black Box wants to recreate the high intensity moments you see in the big action movies through something the team calls the Heroic Driving Engine. In Hot Pursuit 2 and Underground there were about 4 different components in the driving engine now there are over 430 different components to play around with in each car to make them feel unique.

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