Scribblenauts Is Here! Scribblenauts Is Here! Scribblenauts Is Here! Scribblenauts Is Here!

Ok, Scribblenauts has been out for a little bit now and I still haven't gotten a chance to buy a copy. However, I wanted to throw a post up to let everyone that hasn't heard of this little gem of game that it is now out and about.

Ars Technica has their review up:

Scribblenauts was the darling of E3, rounding up a hojillion awards—including a Golden Ars—and impressing everyone who stopped by for a demo. It was a game that showed very well, especially with a developer on hand to point out any number of interesting situations. The premise is simple, although it hides an abyssal depth: you are asked to either reach a star, or to fulfill the requirements to earn one. The tools at your disposal? The world.

You can type in or write any word you can think of, and get that item or person to help you in your quest. No dirty words, and no proper nouns, nothing copyrighted—but even without those limitations, you're looking at tens of thousands of items. Type in "pirate" to fight a ninja. Type in "bridge" to cross an expanse, or type in "motorcycle" and "ramp" and jump it. You gain currency by using fewer items, and also by using creative solutions, and you use that currency to unlock new worlds.

There are two types of levels: action levels where you simply have to get to the starite item, using your reflexes as well as your wits; and puzzle, where you are given a one-sentence instruction about what to do. It may say "get rid of the rats," and in that sentence are dozens of possibilities. In fact, you only completely clear out a level by finishing it three times, without using any item more than once. Much harder than it sounds.

I'm working on getting my copy still (hopefully before the weekend). Chances are I will hate the game since I'm hyping it up, but that's life.

Woot

My all-time favorite console RPG, Chrono Trigger, is headed to the Nintendo DS.

Take that Diablo III.

For posterity's sake: I have played Chrono Trigger DS before, it was called Chrono Trigger SNES.

A wierd gaming day.

I had a bad day yesterday. Speeding ticket and then a city ordinance fine! No sense in breaking into the details... the day just sucked. So today I just wanted to game and that's something I haven't done in a while.

I kicked things off by canceling my EVE Online account for a month due to my expiring credit card. I will resub next month to keep those oh so valuable skills training. I'm taking a break from EVE because the game is just too intense for my RL situation at the moment. I will be back.

Next I grabbed some lunch and a funny thing happened. My PS2 stared me down right as a Kingdom Hearts II commercial danced across the TV screen. Without hesitation I finished up my lunch and grabbed my copy of Kingdom Hearts (the original) and popped it in. I jumped right into the beginning and made it past the first few save spots. This game is fun and I forgot what fun can be had outside of the PC gaming world!

Next I came upstairs and jumped online. I had wanted to resubscribe to World of Warcraft for a while just because the game can be fun if you stay away from the parts you hate. I put down another three month subscription and jumped back online. I forgot how painful the game is without your UI being tweaked out so I spent some time getting it up to snuff. I've rerolled an undead mage on the Whisperwind server. It's PvE (which I usually stay away from), but there is a nice guild I want to play with there... The Pod People.

After a triumphant return to WoW a game sitting on the floor caught my attention. It was Rebel Strike for my Gamecube. Having not played it at all since I bought it I decided to give it a spin. It's a bit tougher than I had imagined, but after all this PC gaming I'm still adjusting back to a console controller. Sadly my roomate moved out and took the Gamecube memory sticks with him. Unable to save I only made it through the training and called it a night.

It's no secret... E3 2006 got me jazzed up about consoles again. The Nintendo Wii has me more than ready to plop down cash. It's a great time to be a gamer... finally. I see a bright future between a Nintendo Wii and Warhammer Online :)

Update: 15 Nov, 2009 - Edited spelling, applied label, and removed broken link.

Mario Wii screenshots! Mario Galaxy!

Update: 15 Nov, 2009 - Removed post as all links and pictures were broken.

Post originally had screen shots of Mario Galaxy and a link to the E3 media site.

Time

I've come to realize that I just don't have time to do things that I want anymore. I have too many things that need to be done! Fortunately all things that I need to get done are worth more than anything in the end, but still having little to no time to pursue my hobbies is a big downer. But before I get into solutions I will get into what I'm so busy with.

1. I've purchased a house.
2. I've began planning my wedding.
3. I'm preparing to move within the next few months.
4. In a few months I will be out of the active military.
5. I'm beginning research into what school I will attend after I am out of the active military.

Now, I normally like to keep real life out of my blog, but these changes will play greatly into my gaming future and the reason I am about to present some solutions to keep my gaming addiction fed.

Solution 1 - EVE Online. Since I am already playing it and skill training requires minimal interaction I can continue. This is a good idea, but as I begin to spend more time away from my current house I will not have a PC to access the net with for weeks at a time. So EVE Online and MMORPGs in general are going to be tough.

Solution 2 - Finally getting a Nintendo DS as I've been wanting to do. I gave one to my fiance as a birthday present and she absolutely loves it. I have a crack list of games to get: Mario Kart DS, Mario Bros Partners in Time, and soon to be released Metroid Prime Hunters plus the new untitled Mario DS title.

Also I would get a wireless USB adapter to plug into my PC for some online play for Mario Kart DS. Even though I will be without a net connected PC for weeks at a time there should be plenty of titles to keep me busy and any gameboy is king of portability.

Solution 3 - Give up gami.... blah I can't finish typing that. Haha...

Peace out!

Xbox 360 outsold by Gamecube in Japan?

According to this report from Nintendojo the Xbox 360 can pretty much be wrapped up as a complete failure in Japan. It is failing to outsell the Gamecube and this is not because of lacking supplies. Japan has a massive excess of Xbox 360's. Me thinks that Microsoft's marketing campaign to drive hype by shortchanging supply only works in the American market... go figure.

Here is a cut and paste of the top selling consoles and games from Japan from the linked article.

Hardware

1. DS - 597,628


2. PSP - 161,332


3. PS2 - 97,475


4. GCN - 36,646


5. GBASP - 35,764


6. GBM - 19,261


7. Xbox360 - 5,674


8. GBA - 906


9. Xbox - 141

Software

1. PS2 - Kingdom Hearts II, Square Enix - 727,591


2. DS - Animal Crossing: Wild World, Nintendo - 416,132


3. DS - Mario Kart DS, Nintendo - 302,742


4. PS2 - Naruto: Narultimate Hero 3, Bandai - 216,966


5. DS - Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon: Blue Rescue Force, Pokemon - 157,786


6. GBA - Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon: Red Rescue Force, Pokemon - 156,430


7. DS - Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop!, Bandai - 156,181


8. PS2 - Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence, Konami - 103,894


9. GCN - Mario Party 7, Nintendo - 100,130


10. DS - DS Training For Adults: Work Your Brain , Nintendo - 93,240

Goldeneye Source HL2 Mod

One of my all time favorite multi-player games was Goldeneye 007 on the Nintendo 64. Many of my high school days were lost to the pure joy that was Goldeneye 007 multi-player! It seems the game has left a mark on quite a few other people as well. So much of mark that they have made a Half Life 2 Mod to recreate the Goldeneye experience.

Goldeneye Source is a multi-player (with limited single player) mod for Half Life 2. It features many faithful recreations from the original Nintendo 64 version. There is plenty of servers out there running the mod and the action in game is intense.

So step back in time with me a bit and indulge into a bit of gaming nostalgia. Enjoy!

Nintendogs... the gift of game

To say I was nervous when I purchased a Nintendo DS and Nintendogs for my girlfriend’s birthday would be an understatement. My girlfriend doesn’t play video games at every chance she gets like I do. She has played Mario Kart: Double Dash a half dozen times with me and can make cute little faces imitating Kirby. Some limited PC gaming with her siblings many years ago playing the original Warcraft ends her experience with gaming.

I kept the receipt and made sure not to open any of the packaging. I had no idea if this gift was going to be a hit or flop. Luckily it wasn’t the latter and she absolutely loves the gift. So much so she is going to be getting the newest Kirby game, Kirby Canvas Curse. She absolutely loves her Nintendog and treats it almost as though it was real… because honestly that is how good the game is.

The innovation packed into Nintendogs is amazing. Every unique feature of the Nintendo DS is put to good use. The wireless capability allows you to connect to other DS owners without any sort of leash… err… cable. The touch screen is used for petting your puppy and performing various tasks. The microphone is really the centerpiece of the game allowing you to train your dog to respond to voice commands. Teaching your first puppy its name is quite an experience for even the most seasoned gamer.

The game is very intuitive and so easily picked up that I found myself just letting her plug away. I didn’t need to explain anything as I had feared. I didn’t underestimate her ability to pick up the game and learn it, but with many hardcore gaming years under my belt I knew that even the simplest children’s games could require an innate amount of knowledge to get started in. A prime example is the bubble blower toy in game. The operation is so simple it almost made me laugh. Blow into the microphone and bubbles appear on the screen. She didn’t need a pop up menu to tell her how to do this… she just did it. It was common sense!

This sort of technology has been a long time coming. The gaming market is growing stale with sequels being the dominate factor. Feature lists are now the “innovation” instead of the technology. Nintendo has reversed this trend in their hardware. The hardware is the innovation and games that capitalize on it are innovative. I still remember articles detailing how Madden ’05 had innovative features and I can’t help but letting a small part inside of me roll on the floor laughing.

Innovation invites new gamers into the market. Games like Nintendogs focus on fun and can easily win over a new gamer. These gamers are very likely to branch out into other games that intrigue them such as my girlfriends fancy with Kirby. The key for Nintendo is to keep these gamers attracted to Nintendo products. That isn’t hard to do considering the direction most of the industry is heading.

The Nintendo DS is an inspiring piece of hardware that really has endless possibilities and Nintendogs is becoming its flagship. It is more than just cute puppies and virtual dog shows. It very much is a game.