Toronto Thumbs

Super Paper Mario: Mario Hamster

A few nights ago I tried to get back into playing Super Paper Mario, which I hadn’t previously finished. I started off from the beginning and got to Chapter 2-3, in which Mario “accidentally” breaks a vase and then has to pay it off in rubees. Mario’s currency of choice, the coin, is just not good enough so in this level players need to earn rubees.

There are a few ways to earn them. The first of which is a room where you hit spark blocks to generate energy, and you get one rubee for each time you hit a block. If you get 100 rubees, you can buy information from another prisoner/slave on how to get to a room where the rubees are earned much faster.

After going to that room and earning 10,000 rubees by RUNNING IN A HAMSTER WHEEL FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES, you can buy the password to the rubee vault from another prisoner. Once Mario steals all the rubees in the vault (and how ethical is that, really?), he pays off his debt and the chapter is closed.

Yes, I could have just gone online and searched for what the vault password was – but that wouldn’t be playing the game and getting the full experience out of it. And what one word sums up the experience of that level? Boring!

I nominate Chapter 2-3 of Super Paper Mario as one of the worst video game levels ever. What were the developers thinking? It was this level that made me turn off the Wii for the night.

Posted in Awful, Editorial, Wii | 7 Comments »

You Have to Really Like Rock Band to Get These

At X’08 in August the Rock Band 2 set-up didn’t feature the new and improved stock drumkit that will be included with box sets of the game. Instead, EA opted to show off a piece of third-party merchandise: The ION Drum Rocker.

It’s an expensive but impressive piece of hardware. At $300, you could most definitely buy a real, if not beat-up drumkit – or, you could just buy this and have the coolest Rock Band kit around. The pads feel much better than those on the pack-in kit, and the cymbals are just mapped green, yellow, and blue pads. The pedal’s solidly constructed and I don’t see anyone ever having to replace this kit once they’ve bought it.

Although it is a fine piece of hardware, the price point and the fact that it’s about twice as big as the regular Rock Band kit are off-putting, especially for those of us who live in small apartments. Then again, these fancy pads can be used as an electronic drum set with some additional equipment. The kit will be available in three styles: PS2/PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii.

Posted in Awesome, Music, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 | 7 Comments »

A Beam of Light for Compilation Discs

Although download services for the three major platforms have given publishers a lucrative venue with which to sell their old games to us again, SNK has not given up on the good ol’ compilation disc.

Today, the arcade giant released SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1 for Wii. This disc contains 16 classic NEOGEO arcade hits, some of which are also available on the Virtual Console. Economically speaking, it makes much better sense to get the games on this disc.

Here’s hoping more publishers will continue to put their old games out on hardcopy formats. Digital distribution is nice, but it shouldn’t cost more than something that actually has a physical incarnation.

Posted in News, Wii | No Comments »

Will the Wii Mii Come to 360? Oui!

Remember the olden days when the term “Wii-60” used to refer to Xbox-loyalists who also bought a Wii? Now it describes Microsoft’s less-than-veiled rip-off of Nintendo’s Mii.

As of Monday, it’s official. What was simply an Internet rumour about a month ago became fact during Microsoft’s E3 news conference.

Mii History 101: Upon the release of the Nintendo Wii, the Wii’s Miis became the centre of the party. You see, the Mii gained popularity because of the hilarity of parody. Miis are copies you make to represent you on TV so you don’t have to be some generic pansy. Enough rhymes because I ran out of vocabulary.

Fast forward to now. Microsoft announced they’ll be coming out with “avatars” so gamers can better represent themselves. Those “avatars” are widely known as the Xbox Mii.

I may sound critical, but I like the idea. I can’t wait to make myself on Xbox Live. One of my favourite features of Rock Band was creating an exaggerated copy of myself in the game. I guess it’s like the old saying goes: If you can’t beat them, join them.

Posted in Commentary, Wii, Xbox 360 | 1 Comment »

Mario Kart Wii: Kinda Krap

After the initial joy of owning a new Mario Kart title wore off, I began to realize something sad. I’ve been playing this same game for years now. The first Mario Kart I owned, however, was the DS one. In fact, it was that and Animal Crossing Wild World that convinced me to get the system. I didn’t really spend much time with Mario Kart DS despite its portability because it was eclipsed by the fun I was having with Animal Crossing.

I picked up Mario Kart Wii – one of the few games I purchased this year – when friends of mine kept going on about how awesome it was. And indeed, the game is pretty cool. The problem is that it was also pretty cool for every previous Nintendo Console it’s been on. In the exact same way.

This time its main selling feature is the Wii Wheel, which I’m a huge fan of. The thing has a great heft to it and puts its predecessor, the Ubisoft racing wheel, to shame (then again, Ubisoft making something great is a rarity in itself, isn’t it?).

Now, weeks after its release, I’ve had some time to collect my thoughts on Mario Kart Wii and for the most part, I’m unimpressed.

Read the rest »

Posted in Max Out, Reviews, Wii | 1 Comment »

Wii Rock Band out now

All right, Wii owners! The time you’ve all been waiting for is finally here. Wii Rock Band is in stores today, so if you’ve been waiting patiently (or not so patiently), you can finally have it.

An interesting thing to note about the Wii version of the game is that due to the system’s lack on internal storage, downloadable content will be non-existent. Instead, Wii Rock Band owners will be able to purchase song expansion discs from stores. While this does seem like a pain in the ass if you want to play a few songs from the game, then an expansion set song, the possibilities of the stand-alone expansion has me intrigued.

The fact that discs will be issued separately makes me hopeful that we’ll be seeing albums issued in a similar way, possibly with the original record’s artwork and liner notes. Wouldn’t that be cool? Wouldn’t it also be cool if the disc can be played in regular DVD players as the album proper?

Perhaps I’m getting too ahead of myself here, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t be possible to have this be a reality.

Posted in Music, Wii | 2 Comments »

CELEBRITY WATCH
Super Mario Shows up for NHL Awards in Toronto, Pimps NHL 2K9

No, not Mario Lemieux, hockey’s own Super Mario. The Super Mario of video game fame was on hand at last night’s 2008 NHL Awards at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto last night.

Look at that outfit! The hat! The moustache! I still can’t see how anyone can hate this loveable guy. Super Mario wasn’t just there to take in the ceremony, he was on the red carpet promoting the just-announced and first-ever official NHL and NHLPA licensed Wii game, NHL 2K9.

Mario reportedly high-fived fans while celebrating outside the theatre. The game will be released this fall and promises to allow players to use the Wii Remote as a hockey stick. Watch out for high-sticking penalties in your own living room, courtesy of 2K Sports.

“It’s our goal this year to bring the fun back to hockey video games,” says Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “NHL 2K9 for Wii includes the full feature set as available on other platforms, and added Wii Remote controls and other exciting features specific for the Wii console will allow dedicated fans the opportunity to fully enjoy and embrace NHL hockey in a brand new experience.”

The game will also be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the still-kickin’ PlayStation 2. Check out the full photo of Super Mario.

Posted in Awesome, Canada, Wii | No Comments »

REVIEW
And Then There Were None

Developed by AWE Productions and published by The Adventure Company for Wii.

Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None is a classic-style point-and-click adventure title based on the best-selling Agatha Christie novel of the same name. As such, the game follows the plot of the novel rather closely (though honestly I haven’t read it).

One major change, however, is the inclusion of a new character who is controlled by the player: Patrick Naracott. The premise is that eight apparently wealthy and obviously English people have been invited to stay on a secluded island off the coast of Devon by one mysterious U.N. Owen. When the guests arrive, they find that the host is nowhere to be found and that only the hired help is there.

Naracott’s presence on the island is something of a different matter. His brother, a boatman, was apparently sick and therefore Patrick fulfilled the taxi duties of bringing guests to the island. Upon arrival, however, you find that someone has sabotaged your boat and you are therefore stranded in a posh house full of uptight upper-class citizens.

In classic point-and-click fashion, players have to point and click on anything and everything to gather clues, talk to people, piece items together, and solve the larger puzzle before them. And that puzzle is: Why’s everyone being killed off, one by one, and who is doing the killing?

DUN DUN DUN!

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Posted in Reviews, Wii | No Comments »

REVIEW
Naruto Shippūden: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! EX 2

Naruto Shippūden: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! EX 2 is a Japanese fighting game for the Wii based on the megahit manga/anime by Masashi Kishimoto. I posted a review a while back for Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution, the North American cousin of this Japanese version. Feel free to read that review, as it covers the basics of the franchise.

First of all, to play this game you will require a Japanese Wii (or Wii Freeloader), as it does not work in normal, unmodded North American Wiis. I play mine using Freeloader (as I am not a rich guy who can afford more than one Wii) and it works very well.

The basic premise is the same as the Clash of Ninja series: it follows the plot of the anime/manga. What sets it apart from the North American version is the fact that it is further along in the plot, and has more characters and gameplay tweaks.

GNT EX2 has 31 playable characters/character variants, compared to GNT EX’s 17 and CON Rev’s 23. On top of the existing stage transitions and Wii-mote-driven special attacks, some new goodies have been added: Stage Hazards and Hand Seals.

The Stage Hazards occur in certain levels, and can include falling rocks, exploding tags subtly placed on shelters as well as falling objects. This is an awesome addition, as it adds difficulty to levels and encourages the use of strategy rather than button mashing.

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Posted in Reviews, Wii | 2 Comments »

Okami Box Art Blunder Makes it to Canada

It might be a bit of old news to discuss Okami on the Wii, but for those that missed out on the interesting artwork blunder I have some confirmed news for you.

It looks like the art department over there used a screenshot with an “IGN” watermark on it in the actual production sleeve. It’s quite difficult to see unless you are looking, and it’s really not as annoying as the “score sticker” that is built in as well. In Canada, the “9.5 out of 10″ burst that is a permanent part of the sleeve is partly obscured by an actual sticker on top of that!

I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking the person responsible for this entire project needs to be fired or at least get a good square kick in the rear. Hopefully, it doesn’t deter you from picking up this great game on either the PS2 (no artwork blunders) or the Wii. In fact, since Capcom has fixed the artwork (and offered a choice of three print-your-own replacements for those offended by the watermark) I’m thinking that this version of the sleeve is going to be collectible. It will be discussed twenty years from now at some “classic gaming” convention as one of the more interesting mistakes of 2008.

At least, so far.

Posted in Canada, Wii | 5 Comments »