This week’s releases include two of the most highly anticipated titles since Super Smash Bros. Brawl earlier this year. And there are some other games, too… but does anyone actually care? Mario Kart Wii!!!!!

Wii

Mario Kart Wii - At last, Mario Kart Wii! For fans of the series, this one is a big deal, bringing the Mario Kart experience to the current generation of consoles. The game comes bundled with the Wii Wheel peripheral. I wasn’t especially impressed with Mario Kart Double Dash, but this one looks like it might outdo my favorite, Mario Kart 64.

PS3 and XBOX 360

Grand Theft Auto IV - PS3 | 360 - Another major release this week, the long-awaited GTAIV from Rockstar. It’s already been stirring up some minor controversy, and it’s sure to stir up some some more once people finally get their hands on it… or at least give Jack Thompson something to talk about for awhile.

Ironman - PS3 | 360 | Wii | DS | PSP | PS2 - This is a tie-in game with the Ironman movie that releases this week, and it’s coming out on pretty much every system currently in production. Apparently they want people to buy it. I’ve never had much luck with games based on movies, but if they’re your thing, this one is a 3rd person action game.

Nintendo DS

Brain Voyage - A puzzle title with a traveling theme. There are 80 puzzles to solve, and 5 levels of difficulty, all based around famous locations around the globe. You can ever share puzzles with friends.

Toy Shop - A new simulation title in which you and you sister must run your grandfather’s toy shop. Make your store profitable in the timespan of three years, or you’ll lose your business to the city.

Let’s Pilates! - This is one of those “educational” DS games that have been so popular lately. Learn Pilates poses with your DS. You can also track your pilates schedule and monitor your progress.

Let’s Yoga! - Much like Let’s Pilates!, but this time you have the opportunity to learn Yoga poses. Again, it tracks your schedule and progress.

PSP

SNK Arcade Classics - This one is a compilation title that include 16 old-school NeoGeo titles, including Art of Fighting, Baseball Stars 2, Burning Fight, Fatal Fury, King of FIghters ‘94, King of the Monsters, Last Resort, Magician Lord, Metal Slug, Neo Turf Masters, Samurai Shodown, Sengoku, Shock Troopers, Super Sidekicks 3, Top Hunter, and World Heros.

The Calgary Herald today has a story regarding a recent interview with Mike Capps, president of Epic Games (makers of Gears of War). In it, he is fairly adamant about Epic Games never releasing games on the Wii, because it it a fad and no one even bothers to turn the console on after two months.

I have to say I disagree with the guy. To be frank, that’s true of all consoles, for most people. I know I’ve gone two months without turning on my Wii. I’ve also gone two months without turning on my PS2. Even longer for some of the older systems I own. That doesn’t mean I’m not coming back to them at some point.

I’ve been on a Wii kick lately, having just picked up Guitar Hero III, playing Brawl, and waiting for Mario Kart’s release next week… but before Brawl came out last month, I was hooked on my PS2 (which hasn’t seen much action of late, thanks to the plethora of interesting Wii titles in stores) playing some older titles I hadn’t tried before that I grabbed on clearance (Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy kicks ass, by the way).

It’s nothing to do with the console, and everything to do with the games. Every console seems to have dry spells. This is admittedly less true for the PS3 and 360, but that’s largely to do with the fact that they have massive third party support. Third party titles on the Wii are often ports seemingly released as an afterthought. Nearly all of Nintendo’s core series (Mario, Zelda, and so on) are first party.

I don’t think the Wii is a fad. It’s simply intended to appeal to a broader audience, rather than the “hardcore” gamers targeted by PS3 and 360 (and to be honest, I think any gamer who doesn’t play Wii just because it’s primarily family oriented can’t really be called a hardcore gamer, anyway). Only time will tell. It’s hard to deny that the Wii is gimicky, and obviously the motion sensing controls haven’t been fully embraced by third party developers. The Wii may have the staying power to become the future of gaming… or it may be ahead of it’s time.

Today on Another Castle, more fun things to do when you really should be working!

TypeRacer - Race your cab against other players by typing phrases faster than the other players. I found this in my inbox this morning, courtesy of the person who signs my paycheck. Does that give me free license to play it all day instead of working?

Desktop Tower Defense - Imagine that you are innocently working when suddenly your desk is invaded by a swarm of tiny creatures, presumably bent on world domination! You must destroy them by positioning equally tiny defensive structures.

Portal: The Flash Version - A Flash clone of the popular Portal game. Maybe not as great as the real thing, but nifty if you need a fix.

The World’s Hardest Game - For those sadists among you out there. You’re a red square. Avoid the blue dots. Reach the green beacon.

Open Doors - The game where you… open doors. But there’s a catch. Some doors only open certain directions. Some close behind you. How will you ever escape?!

Falling Bush - It’s not really a “game”, to be honest, but it’s still fun. Bush falls down a bottomless pit. If he gets stuck, give him a tug and let him fall some more. Swing him around. Smack him into things. Bush doesn’t mind.

50 States - How well do you really know your state geography?

In light of a recently revealed printing error on the cover artwork for Okami, Capcom is offering alternative artwork for the game. For free, which is always a good thing.

Three covers are available… There’s a corrected copy of the Okami Wii cover, one that has Amateratsu in a very similar pose to the one she held on the original PS2 cover, and one with a very dignified-looking Amaterastu surrounded by cherry blossom petals (I went with this one… it’s purdy).

I’m actually considering framing it and putting it up in my game room as a mini-poster, rather than applying it to the game case. We’ll see.

According to a press release from Nintendo (courtesy of Kotaku), Nintendo is forecasting shipments of 25 million Wiis this fiscal year. That’s a pretty significant increase from the 18.61 million they shipped during the last fiscal year (which ended last month). With the U.S. currently receiving 40% of the global supply, this could mean that you may actually be able to find one on store shelves in the near future.

Maybe.

According to a 1Up.com article from Monday (yes, I’m late on this one, and I borrowed their photo, too… shoot me.) The Chicago Transit Authority has decided to pull an ad champaign for the to-be-released-next-week Grand Theft Auto IV, because “M-Rated “violent video games” ought to be banned from its premises as they compare similarly to X-rated movies.”

Seriously? Give me a break. There are R-rated movies more offensive than most M-rated games, the GTA series included, and those are perfectly fine to advertise on buses. On the bright side, this is a classic example of “there’s no such thing as bad publicity”. Pulling one ad campaign isn’t going to hurt sales for a game as highly anticipated as GTA IV. If anything, it’ll help them along.

Now if only my current-generation console collection included something other than a Wii…

No, this post isn’t about those horrible games that are saturated in pink hues and revolve around cuddly anthropomorphic animal friends that developers market to pre-teen girls. This is about the Games 4 Girls competition, an event in connection with ChicTech and the U of I’s Department of Computer Science, in which college-age women design and implement a video game for their younger counterparts in middle and high school.

This year’s competition began in January, and the winners were just announced. As part a of the ChicTech initiative, the goal is to get girls interested in computer science. Participants compete for cash prizes of up to $1000 per team member, and games are judged by a panel of high school age women.

This is the fourth year for the competition. I actually had the pleasure of participating in the very first G4G with a team of women in computer science at Parkland (we didn’t place, but we did walk away with an honorable mention). It’s a great opportunity to really dive into something that women may not have ever considered as a career previously, and a whole lot of fun. By the sound of things on their website, they’ve expanded a bit and accept entries from all over the country now.

It’s too late to enter this year, obviously, but if you haven’t heard of it, and think you may be interested in the next G4G, drop by the competition’s website and take a look. Never too early to start planning. Check out the games that won last year, while you’re at it, and stay tuned because I’m sure they’ll post download links for this year’s winning games.

This looks to be a good week on the new release front… And dear god are there a lot of DS titles. Some of them even look interesting (like Square-Enix’s new release, The World Ends with You).

Wii

Wild Earth: African Safari - The object of Wild Earth is to capture the beauty of Africa on film. The title is basically a simulation game, sending the player on a safari trip to Africa’s Serengeti National Park in order to photograph the animals there. It features 11 missions with multiple objectives, and more than 30 species of animals to photograph.

Battle of the Bands - Riding the current popularity of rhythm games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, Battle of the Bands is set in a world where bands literally battle… with weaponized instruments and everything. The game features 30 songs, 5 music genres, and 70 special weapons and attacks. It has both a versus mode for you multi-players out there and an adventure mode for the loners, and has licensed such classics as Insane in the Brain, Whoomp! (There is is), and Brick House. Somehow I don’t really see this outselling Guitar Hero III any time soon.

Target Terror - This is the first Komani game that’s compatible with the new Wii Zapper, so I’m pretty sure you can guess what genre it is. Take on the role of a counter-terrorist agent and protect the U.S. from threats. The game takes you all over the U.S. to places like the Golden Gate Bridge, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a Denver Airport, and features “Justice Mode” which allows players to use dual weapons.

XBOX 360 and PS3

NBA Ballers: Chosen One 360 | PS3 - Available on both 360 and PS3, I can’t say this one interests me very much. I hate sports games. If it’s your cup of tea, though, you might enjoy such features as 80 playable NBA stars, “Shut ‘em Down” moves, and “Act a Fool” combos. The game also has downloadable content, and a variety of play options.

PS2

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES - This one is a new Persona 3 episode that plays as a full stand alone game. It contains an enhanced version of the original game, as well as 30 hours of additional gameplay that picks up where the original left off, showing the aftermath of the final battle, and the continuing struggle.

Riding Star - This is a horseback riding “sim” set in Aachen, Germany, that allows the player to experience such equestrian events as show jumping, dressage, and cross country horseback riding. Care for each of your horses, learn their personalities and strengths, and customize your stable as you compete to make it to the top of the competitive riding world.

PSP

Chameleon - This is a puzzle game that offers wireless play and multiple characters (as well as an unlockable “secret” character). Chameleon has multiple puzzle modes, and as near as I can tell, works a little bit like the old board game Othello, wherein you attempt to “own” the most spots on the playing field by occupying them with you color. On the surface, it looks like it might be a halfway entertaining, but the few reviews I’ve seen for it haven’t been especially favorable. You may want to rent before you buy on this one.

Nintendo DS

The World Ends With You - Square-Enix fans might know this as “It’s a Wonderful World”, which was the loosely translated title up until they officially announced what they would be calling the English language release. It is set in modern-day Japan, and the Shibuya shopping district of Tokyo. You play as Neku Sakuraba, a 15 year old boy, who receives a text message explaining that he will cease to exist unless he accomplishes a certain mission within the time limit of 7 days. The game is Wi-Fi enabled.

High School Musical 2: Work This Out! - From the “why-god-why” category, this game is based on High School Musical 2, and features all of the songs from the movie, dance routines, and the opportunity to explore the world of the film. You can play as any of the six main characters, and attempt to win the Star Dazzle talent show. Being that I can’t stand the movies, I think I’ll pass on this one, and attempt to forget that I even know it exists.

Dream Pinball 3D - You may remember this title from last week when it came out on the Wii… well, here’s the portable version. Much like the Wii version, Dream Pinball 3D features a multi-ball mode (wherein you play with 3 balls at once! Woo!), realistic physics, and balls made from various materials to liven up the game. But in the end… it’s pinball. Just another pinball game. They’re on every console in the world usually two or three times over. If you like pinball, give it a shot.

Pocket Pets - Yet another DS virtual pet sim, Pocket Pets gives you a choice between 18 different animals, including cats, dogs, and hamsters. Play mini-games, interact, and clean up their virtual messes. You can even go shopping. I’ve never found these kinds of games to be very entertaining… or realistic. I mean, I can never get my cats to wear those cute little outfits and whatnot in real life.

River King Mystic Valley - This is part adventure game, part fishing sim. The premise is that your sister has fallen into a deep slumber from which you cannot wake her, and you must search for the mysterious River King (which is, apparently, a fish of some sort) to help you find a solution. The game is Wi-Fi enabled to permit fishing tournaments with your friends.

Corvette Evolution GT - Pretty much just another racing title. With Corvettes. The races take place all across Europe, and how you place in the races effects what you can unlock, including new courses, new difficulties, and new cars. Bonus: The courses are based on real locations, so it may be of interest to racing fans out there.

Cory in the House - Will someone please just tell Disney to stop? Seriously, just stop. The show itself is an abomination (it’s even worse than the show it was spun off of), so I don’t hold out much hope for the game version. About the only thing this one has going for it is that it’s not the standard platformer that Disney shows usually get made into. Instead it has an emphasis on stealth and puzzles… but I’m not sure even that is enough to save it from it’s source material.

I know everyone has different preferences on where and how they play their favorite video games. Some people like the portable experience and play anywhere, anytime. Other people prefer playing on their PC. Then there are console people, like me, who’d rather be in front of a TV. So where do you get your game on?

Me, I have a whole room dedicated to my games (The cat with the Guitar Hero fixation is Charlie).

Movie week wraps up with these last two titles, both of which are classics in the realm of video game movies

Movie 11: Tron

Way back in 1982, Disney released Tron to an audience of moviegoers that really weren’t ready for it. Though it didn’t do so hot commercially at it’s release, Tron has become a cult classic. I love this movie, even though by today’s standards, the special effects are a little old-school. It’s a unique concept with and even more unique look.

Tron is the story of computer programmer Kevin Flynn, once employed by ENCOM, but now stuck running an arcade after having his the games he developed stolen by a coworker. When he attempts to break into the company’s mainframe to obtain the evidence he needs to prove that the games are his, the Master Control Program that all but runs the company, digitized Flynn and transports him into the computer system. Together with a security program by the name of Tron, Flynn works to stop the MCP and escape from the virtual world.

Tron has been a cult classic for years, but when it was featured in Square-Enix’s Kingdom Hearts 2, it was introduced to a whole new generation of gamers, bringing the characters of the movie back to life.

There has been some talk of a sequel in recent years, and confirmation has been mostly on-again off-again. I usually detest sequels, but in this case, I’d kind of like to see one. Maybe it will give Tron a second chance at being the blockbuster it could have been.

Movie 12: The Wizard

The last movie of Movie Week, is 1989’s The Wizard. The movie is the story of a boy named Jimmy who has been more or less catatonic since witnessing his sister’s death, but who has an amazing talent for playing video games. When his parents resolve to send him away to a psychiaitric hospital, Jimmy and his half-brother Corey embark on a trip across the country to compete in the nation video game championships to prove to his parents that he doesn’t belong in an institution.

Ridiculous premise aside, The Wizard is my all-time favorite video game-based movie… largely because someone out there actually had the balls to make a 100 minute Nintendo commercial and make people pay to see it. And a commercial is exactly what The Wizard is, right up to the big reveal of Super Mario Brothers 3, not to mention the various other products spotlighted, including the Power Glove, and the now-defunct Nintendo hints hotline. It’s a virtual tour of some of the more iconic Nintendo gadgets of the 80s.

This movie’s greatest asset is it’s campiness. Even though most of the situations are completely implausible you can’t help but cheer for the characters and boo the bad guys.

That concludes Another Castle’s movie week. Hope you enjoyed it!