(Not Actual Boxart)

The important thing here is this is the best Super Mario game since Super Mario World, on the Nintendo Entertainment System. That’s right folks, it’s taken them over a decade to release a game as fun as that old school classic.

I should, maybe, clarify my position on the Mario franchise before I go further: I tend to view Super Mario World as the pinnacle of Mario platform gaming. I loved SMB3, although I prefer SMB2, on the NES – and I enjoyed Super Mario Land 2 on the GameBoy… but I found New Super Mario Bros. DS to be too short, Super Mario 64 too devoid of everything that made Mario fun and entertaining, and the less said about Super Mario Sunshine the better.

Super Mario Galaxy was okay, but it wasn’t the game I wanted – I wanted a true, 2D side scrolling platformer filled with power-ups, jumps, enemies whose heads I jump on, and simple, classic, old school controls.

In other words, I wanted a game that wouldn’t make me shout “GET OF MY DAMN LAWN!” at passers by.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Other than those additions, and a couple of new powers (Ice Flower, Penguin Suit, Propeller Hat), it’s a return to the glory and greatness that side-scrolling Mario always was, and should be.

Now, I love me some 3D adventure games – I put a couple hundred hours into Fallout 3, and a couple hundred more into Oblivion – but when it comes to fat plumbers in magical kingdoms, I want my game-play to be 2D. In fact, the only console Mario game since SMW that I really enjoyed was Super Paper Mario- mainly because it felt like a sidescroller with a story.

What I am I saying? I’m saying I’m very happy that NSMB Wii is out, I’m happy that it’s the kind of game I’ve been waiting almost ten years for, and I’m happy that my purchase and continued ownership of a Wii has finally been validated.

Now, can we please get a Zelda that doesn’t stink?

Last night, I found myself controlling my Mac mini (which acts as a media hub in the living room), with my iPhone using two different apps, and wondering how soon this kind of thing might become “normal”. Not controlling a computer with your phone over your home network, but controlling your computer using a smaller, portable, touch screen interface.

Think about it, won’t you? Love it or hate it, the iPhone (and, to some extent, all other) touch-screen interface is infinitely adaptable for the task at hand. You want text input, a keyboard pops up; you need mouse movement, the keyboard goes away and the whole screen acts as a track pad; you need other, per-app input – the screen displays app specific icons ready for your choosing. You wanna play a game? The phones motion-sensor works almost Wii style, so you can get some general control down with little effort.

In the long run, I think this kind of touch interface will be, if not the direct future, a much better future than touching the screen you intend to watch. Have you ever had someone touch your monitor? Notice how bad the smudges get, the finger prints, the grease and dirt and stuff? Do you really want that on your 42″ HD display?

No, you don’t. You want a nice, clean, clear display – that’s why you went with a big HD display in the first place. But there is something natural, something intuitive, and something fun about touching and dragging, tilting and tapping something to make something go…

So, maybe the future is computer + big display + smaller mobile touch display…

At least, I hope it is.
Maybe then I’ll be better able to justify my desire to own an iPod Touch to use almost entirely with my media hub.

Then I realized that I don’t really need to spend as much time detailing everything – it’d be better for everyone if I just summed stuff up, and moved on to a new post.

So, here’s the short version:

XBox 360:

• Updated Interface – Pretty, somewhat more useful
• Avatars – New, Mii like fellows good for… Something, I’m sure.
• Netflix Streaming – Best new feature. Worth the $10 monthly Netflix fee.
• More Reliable Hardware – Finally updated the hardware so it’s far less fail prone. You can actually trust it to keep working.

Playstation 3:

• Tweaked UI – The best interface on a console this generation. Easy to use, easy to find stuff, quck and responcive.
• Best Store – Perfectly laid out, easy to navigate and super fast. Doesn’t  use any strange points system, uses real money for transactions.
• Flash Support – With the built in browser, this allows you to watch YouTube and Hulu on your TV. Sure, it’s not Netflix, but it’s the next best thing.
• Weak Online Support – No standard features for games, no cross-game chat, no universal message box. All very “last gen”.
• Home Bites Ass – Sure, it just launched, but it does bite ass. The player creator is weak, the system is slow, and it’s just not really worth the time or effort to play with it. Maybe it’ll evolve, but right now it’s ass.

Wii:

• Same As Last Time – There’s been no change. Is still easiest to use of them all, but without any real games worth checking out it’s really not worth bothering with. Great for playing the classic stuff, or for parties, but not a Real System.

So, there you have it – My thoughts on the current crop of systems, updated and short.

Thought this was interesting – Someone asked how much I’ve put towards gaming, and so I attempted to the math… The results were a bit shocking.

250 for Wii
+ $20 x 2 (Classic Controllers) = $40
+ $20 x 2 (Extra Wiimote + Nunchuck) = $40
= $330 (roughly)
$400 for XBox
+ $50 x 3 (Controllers) = $150
+ $50 (Wireless headset)
+ $50 x 3 (XBL for three years?)
+ $40 (Charge Kit)
+ $100 (HD-DVD)
- $200 (Sale price of refurbished XBox when I got it back)
+ $400 (Costs of Halo 3 XBox when I bought it to replaced RROD XBox)
== $1,090 (roughly)
$600 for PS3
+ 50 x 2 (Extra Controller + DS3) = $100
== $700 (roughly)
Grand Total:
$2,120 (Roughly, Not including taxes)

So:

I’ve spent more money on my 360 than I have on the Wii and PS3 combined.

Fuck.

Please be seated.

As many (can all four readers be called a “many”?) of you know, I’m an avid gamer. Or, rather, I like to think of myself as an avid gamer, but in reality I’m more of an avid gadget whore who focused his skill points on games.

Either way you split it, I enjoy video games and talking about them, and as such I think it’s time to once again update on what I think of the current System Wars situation.

Handheld

I figure this time I’m going to actually delve into some thoughts on the fairly quiet handheld formats, an area that I’m really not overly I familiar with. While I know – and own – the major handheld systems, I don’t actually play them as often as their home-console counterparts. That may make my views slightly less informed than others, but that’s never stopped me from spouting whatever was on my mind before, so it sure as hell won’t now.

First up, the Nintendo DS, which is currently in its second iteration, the DS Lite. The DS is the one that folds up and has the touch screen, right? The one for small children?

I kid, I kid. Please, put down the torches.

I’ve had the DS since launch (DS “Phat”), and the Lite is a good system. It’s not too big, is fairly comfortable for short gaming sessions (waiting for car repairs, using the restroom, passing the time at an All Hands meeting), and the games normally fun. As they should be, seeing as the majority of the ones I own are mostly scaled down counterparts of existing console franchises. You’ve got at least two Mario games (the shitty one and the not shitty one), a Zelda game (kinda fun, if frustrating) and Tetris.

It’s a good, solid system (literally) with good, solid games.

But, I rarely play it anymore. Mine has been sitting on the table by my bed for the past two months, unused and unloved. The Phat has been sitting in the living room for at least four months now, and the last time it was turned on was to verify that it actually worked.

I have nothing against the system, and do recommend that others pick one up if so inclined, but portable gaming isn’t something I’m into anymore.

That brings me to the Sony PSP, which is also in its second iteration. The only major differences being a bump in system memory and making it slimmer. It is very uncomfortable for long-term play, but it makes up for this in not having much worth playing in the first place. It also provides many scaled down versions of normal console titles, but where the DS does it with new gimmicks and hoobajoos, the the PSP tries to get by with a more “standard” approach to porting. Which is to say, they play like traditional games, screw the innovation.

That said, of the two I prefer the PSP. The games it does have I find more fun and entertaining over the long haul, and they fit my normal play-style, which is analogous to that of a mildly retarded autistic trying to count toothpicks while they are still inside the box. More simply put: I’m not very good but I keep trying anyway, much to the mirth of others.

I am also captivated by the many half-baked features it packs in, such as video playback and internet streaming of content on my PS3/home network, including games and pr— Movie trailers.

Of the two, for the more serious “gamer” I would have to recommend a DS over a PSP. For everyone else, those who just like shiny gadgets what do neat things, I’d suggest a PSP instead. For idiots with too much money? Both.

Home Consoles

Alphabetically, the Microsoft XBox 360 comes in first place amongst the three current generation home console systems. One could also argue that this is the only way in which it comes first, unless one were inclined to make puerile jokes or maybe point out that it is also first in epic fails.

I, however, am above such mockery.

Statistically speaking, three out of four people in the world own at least one 360, and a further 2 out of five have at some point purchased a second 360 due to reasons of Red Ring, and/or Death. Quite honestly, the Epic Failure rate of the 360 is the only thing I have against it, but it is such an overwhelming issue that it taints all other aspects of the console.

For my money, many of the best games of this generation of available for the 360 – exclusively or not. Bioshock, Oblivion, Crackdown, Halo 3, Lego Star Wars… The list goes on and on. The online experience as provided by Xbox Live is unparalleled by either of its competitors, and fully integrates into the system in such a way as to make not having it almost crippling. Quite honestly why one would own a 360, and then play it exclusively offline is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard of.

With the latest system update, the 360 is also a major media hub, allowing it to play divx files over your home network easily, as well as the pre-existing music streaming. There’s also the pretty decent video download service.

Yet, with all this in favor of it, I hardly use mine, and have no plans to buy more games. It is, in all honesty, something with a near perfect feature set, and yet I’m so scared of it crapping out that I refuse to actually use it anymore, and cannot bring myself to further invest in the system through software purchases.

Which brings me to the closest competitor, the Sony Playstation 3, or PS3 for short.

With the latest software update, the PS3 also does a great job handling the majority of divix files you throw at it, and does a far superior job of sorting the media. It does the standard music playback, as well as image slideshows and other such random media features.

It does the Blu-Ray playback, and since BR is the de-facto HD format for home use, this is probably a good thing.

The drive is user replaceable, and the system itself seems a bit more logically laid out and easier to use than the 360.

However, when it comes to games, the library is a bit lacking. There are good games on the system, to be sure, but nothing exclusive that is a Must Own. There is no Halo-killer on the PS3, no matter how much Resistance wants to be that game.

The Playstation Network (PSN) is free to use, but… It’s pretty crappy. It works, when it works, but it has a very last-generation feel to it when compared to XBox Live.

That said, I do much prefer the PS3 to the 360, and it has become the system of choice at the Dunny Cave.

Finally, I come to the Nintendo Wii.

For many in my age group, Nintendo is pretty much where it all started. Oh, sure, we may have had an Atari or a Commodore, but it wasn’t until at least the NES that we realized just Games were Serious Business. It can be argued that the NES is where the current iteration of gaming subculture got its start. Although, this being the internet, anything can be argued, no matter how faulty the logic. I could, for example, attempt to provide an argument showing how Star Wars is an elaborate metaphor of the sexual practices of the lemur, and no one would really care.

But, I digress. The NES is where it started, and now we have the Wii, which through the power of it’s Virtual Console (Wii-NES), we get to experience the glory days of the NES all over again.

For five bucks a game.

Really, the games on the Wii aren’t for you or me: They are for your mom, your grandmother, the crazy guy down the street who talks to trees and small infants. The Wii was designed, and marketed, for those who don’t like games, who are confused by games, and who find games to be scary and/or evil.

The flailing about, the soft colors and not too great graphics, the short playtime and abundance of mini-games… It’s all created for someone other than you or I, someone with a short attention span, too much energy and an overwhelming fear of technology. Hyperactive Alzheimer patients, for example. Or small children.

Yes, it brings a few good, meaty games to the table. There is a Zelda game, although it’s rather rubbish. There is No More Heroes… But mostly it’s mini-games, and sports games, and games that aren’t quite sports games but really aren’t mini-games but more something one might play while in the pub watching a match… And not a whole hell of a lot else.

While this makes the Wii indispensable at parties, as stand alone system, even the nostalgia factor of playing twenty year old games on your 42″ LCD just doesn’t cut it.

At least for me.

That said, I love the Wii and I recommend that anyone who can find it, and who has at least two friends, pick one up. I’m starting to learn more towards a PS3 over the 360, but I still can’t fully discount the number of games there are for the 360. At this point, though, I’d suggest getting a used 360 – the odds on it working long term are about the same as those of a brand new one – and the coin you save can eventually be put towards a PS3. For while I consider the PS3 to be the superior system at this time, and in future, currently it hasn’t got the software library to beat a 360.

I guess I’m becoming a Sony Fanbot after all.

Allow me to explain. I read quite a few gaming blogs. Hell, it could be argued that I spend more time reading about games than I do actually playing them, which now that I think about it in such stark terms is horribly depressing. Life, don’t talk to me about life.

But, yes, I read my fair share of things on the internets. Lately, I’ve been having an odd sense of deja vous when it comes to certain stories, like Microsoft and Blu-Ray or other such sideline stuff that pops up once in a great while.

One such thing that caught my eye today – and that I actually followed up on – was how Smash Bros doesn’t work in “some” Wiis, according to Nintendo. Hmm, I thought, why could this be? And why would they be offering a cleaning service as the fix? And where, oh where, did I hear this before?

Oh, that’s right: just over a month ago, when the game came out in Japan! What the hell, people? This isn’t news! We already know it’s not going to work in dirty consoles – Japan already proved that!

Makes me wonder, though, why Nintendo of America is playing this off as if it were some sort of defect on their end, instead of coming right out and saying “Look, you made your stuff dirty, that’s why it’s not working. We’ll clean it for you, but please try and be more careful, huh?” No, the way it is now they are getting some negative feedback from people who assume it’s Nintendo’s fault that this is going on, and not the slobs whose system is coated in nicotine and/or dust.

It also makes me wonder if we’ll be hearing about this a third damn time when the game launches in Europe.

Any bets?

This week has been hell work wise: As of right now I’m on hour 45 of a normal 40 hour work week. When all is said and done I will have logged at total of 17 hours worth of overtime. Granted, that kind of money will *really* help me right about now, but I’m also pretty god damn exhausted and generally worn the hell out.

Not much to report on Project Domicile: The bank is reviewing my offer, and is currently deciding between accepting it or putting the place up for auction. From what I understand, there are two Realtors and a negotiator on my side attempting to convince the bank that allowing me to buy it is their best course of action.

Again with the work, but I’m really not digging the new locale. The lighting is too bright, the floor sways enough that I’m getting sea sick, and there’s a general sense of shoddy workmanship about the whole place. Also, it’s real super far from any food, I can’t take my morning walk to StarBucks, and frankly, I’m having to spend more time away from my desk than I generally like. Also, today we have no bathrooms – they are “closed for repairs” or some such nonsense.

Nintendo finally released Kirby 64 on the VC, so I can retire my N64 from the living room and not be worried. In fact, with all the Zeldas being on GC/Wii and Paper Mario being on VC now too, I could probably retire the N64 entirely. It’s something I’ve been considering, as it’d allow me to be rid of one more thing I don’t really need.

I might try and install Ubuntu on the PS3 this Friday, as an exercise in futility. I don’t see it working well at all, rather it shall end in tears for all involved, but it might be fun all the same.