My Game Center

Hulu plus has long been missing from the Wii leaving Netflix as the only major streaming service on the gaming console. But that changes soon. Nintendo just announced that Hulu plus will soon be available on both the Wii and the 3DS. the exact launch data wasn’t announced, but the release states that that the service will hit “both systems by the end of the year.”

This comes as Nintendo is prepping for the next generation Wii, the Wii U. But that system isn’t going to launch for months and Nintendo still has to move Wii units while fighting off the 360 and PS3. Adding a major new streaming service like Hulu plus will certainly keep some owners happy.

The Hulu plus service costs $7.99 a month and opens access to content from ABC, NBC, Fox, Comedy Central, MTV and more. the service is often criticized for having a limited selection but more content is constantly being added. between Netflix and now Hulu plus, the Wii’s streaming lineup will be rather complete but still not has robust as the PS3 and Xbox 360, which got into the streaming game a lot earlier. Nintendo isn’t moving slowly again.

Neflix was already announced for the 3DS. now, with Hulu plus, the 3DS has an early lead on the PS Vita, which doesn’t have any 3rd party streaming support yet. Netflix or anyone else has yet to announce support for Sony’s next-gen portable, leaving some wondering if it will ever come. Nintendo, however, has both Netflix and soon Hulu plus streaming to its portable system, which might help the company move several more units.

The fall of “Sonic the Hedgehog” has been a severe one.Sonic was responsible for pushing the Genesis to greater sales than the SNES in the U.S. but is now shoved into Nintendo mini-game collections where he humiliatingly loses to Mario in foot races.The 2D Sonic games of the Genesis generation are regarded as classics, while the 3D games are largely derided. Playing “Sonic Generations” made me question whether the core mechanics of Sonic were ever really any good or his popularity came from Sega’s gigantic marketing push and the game’s sense of speed, which was unique for the time. while I liked the Sonic games for the Genesis and Game Gear when I was a kid, they aren’t games I ever go back to like “Super Mario World.” I have a clearer memory of “The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog” cartoon than the content of the actual games. unfortunately, Sonic is not voiced by Jaleel White (Steve Urkel) in Generations, though he does dine on chili dogs during the opening cut-scene.“Sonic Generations” is structured as a look back through the history of Sonic and revisits nine levels through the history of the series. The levels begin with The Green Hill Zone from “Sonic the Hedgehog” and go all the way up to a level from last year’s “Sonic Colors.” although the classic Genesis games only contribute a third of the game’s nine levels, each level is tackled by the classic potbellied mute Sonic and the spiky and sleek modern Sonic from the 3D era, making for a total of 18 mainline levels in addition to a plethora of optional challenges.Playing as the original Sonic feels almost exactly like it did back in Sega’s heyday. Levels are strictly 2D platforming affairs with some camera movement for 3D effects. The only additional mechanic is the ability to charge your spinball with a single button, though holding down and smashing jump still work. If you want to revisit classic Sonic gameplay with gorgeous visuals but everything else in tact from the originals, including some very retro music and sound effects, these sections give you just that. The nostalgia was enough to keep me happy through classic Sonic’s Genesis levels, but this was only about 15 minutes of gameplay and it quickly wore off. Progression consisted of flying across the level at out-of-control speeds until I hit a wall or an enemy, and some slow and easy platforming sections. The feeling of being out of control adds to the sensation of breakneck speed but was often frustrating. The sense of being slightly out of control comes not only from the level design but also from the physics where Sonic seems to have less air control than my Mario-attuned brain is used to.The issue of being out of control is greatly amplified while playing through the modern Sonic sections. these levels incorporate sections of 3D gameplay from the post-Dreamcast games into the 2D platforming and often feel more like polygonal roller coasters than video games. I mostly just held forward and bounced off the edges of the narrow track I was placed upon.The decision to split the game between two different characters who look and play very similarly but with slight differences occasionally resulted in some crossed wires in my brain. Classic Sonic speeds up with his signature spinball maneuver, while modern Sonic uses a recharging boost meter. this caused a few mistakes while alternating between characters, but the bigger source of confusion came from modern Sonic’s ability to do a homing attack on nearby enemies by pressing jump while in midair. Due to the fast-paced nature of the game, you often don’t have time to wait for your brain to recognize that the homing indicator has popped up, but must press jump as soon as you get within an enemy’s proximity. often I would do this while playing as classic Sonic on reaction to spotting an enemy but would just collide with them, losing all of my precious rings.my recommendation for “Sonic Generations” is a narrow one. If you really want to play an old-school Sonic game, this is the best option, but at a $50 price point and short length of gaming, “Sonic Generations” does not present a great value for nostalgic fans.

A look at results from selected companies in the video games business:

Oct. 20: Microsoft Corp. says revenue from the Xbox 360 products and services grew 7 percent, led by higher revenue from the Xbox Live service and offset by decreased revenue from video games and fewer consoles sold. Microsoft says video game revenue decreased because the same period a year ago had strong sales of “Halo Reach.” Microsoft says it shipped 2.3 million Xbox 360 consoles during the latest quarter, compared with 2.8 million a year ago.

Oct. 27: Nintendo co., maker of the Wii game console and DS handheld, reports a larger net loss and reduces its full-year forecast, battered by the strong yen and weak software sales. The company says a price reduction has lifted sales of the 3DS handheld, which offers 3D gaming without special glasses. One title, “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D,” sold more than a million units, but the company acknowledged that the 3DS “has yet to have many hit titles.” Wii console sales for the latest six-month period fell to 3.35 million units from 4.97 million units a year ago, while software sales declined to 36.45 million units from 65.21 million a year earlier.

Electronic Arts Inc. takes a hit despite solid results after the video game publisher failed to raise full-year guidance as some had expected. its quarterly loss expanded from a year ago because of higher costs, but revenue grew. The company says such titles as “FIFA 12,” ”Madden NFL 12″ and “The Sims Social” performed well, while “Battlefield 3″ was off to a good start.

Wednesday: Sony Corp. reports an 8 percent revenue decline in the game business because of a price reduction in the PlayStation 3 console ahead of the holiday season.

THQ Inc., a maker of video games, says it lost more money in the latest quarter than a year ago, as the company spent more on development, marketing and other expenses. but its revenue grew and surpassed expectations. The company’s upbeat forecast for the all-important holiday quarter, however, lifted its stock sharply.

Tuesday: Activision Blizzard Inc., Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.

Nov. 17: GameStop Corp.

Part of the initial appeal of a new Mario game is pressing buttons and watching what happens. In Super Mario 3D Land, the most magical button is the 3D slider.

The Nintendo 3DS lets you adjust the “volume” of the system’s glasses-free 3D visual effects by using a sliding control that sits to the right of the screen. If you’ve played other 3DS games at length, you’re probably used to just setting the 3D slider somewhere comfortable and forgetting about it. But Super Mario 3D Land, designed from the bottom up for this new display, seems to want you to constantly play with the 3D slider to see what happens when you go back and forth between two and three dimensions.

For example: everybody loves 1up mushrooms, those green fungal givers of extra life. When you see one sitting tantalizingly across the room, you make a beeline for it. But when I took 3D Land (to be released November 13) for a test drive, I encountered lots of fake 1ups painted on wooden boards, like theatrical backdrops. If the system was set to 2D display, you couldn’t tell. In 3D, you can better see the depth, or lack thereof, of the ersatz toadstools.

During my first demo at E3, I saw a similarly fake Goomba enemy and tried to jump on it, but of course ended up leaping over it. In this new demo, there was a 1up mushroom sitting high up on a pyramid, and I had to shoot myself out of a cannon to reach it. Only mid-flight, when it was too late, did I find that it was a fake.

If Nintendo intended players to just choose their level of 3D display and leave it there (or simply turn it off and play in 2D), these mushrooms would just be a dirty trick with varying levels of effectiveness. But I think Nintendo has put them there because it wants players to have a reason to reach up and touch the slider: “Is that mushroom in the distance worth going after, or is it a fake? Hmm, maybe I’ll bump up the 3D and see if I can tell.”

Nintendo has sold almost 27 million copies of New Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo DS. so it’s reasonable to assume that quite a few 3DS owners will buy 3D Land. getting as many of those people as possible to want to reach over and mess around with the 3D slider is an important goal for Nintendo, because the company is currently struggling to make the case for why 3D in games is more than just a visual gimmick. It needs to illustrate that the screen is a game-changer.

A little perspective changes Mario’s view on this room. Nintendo

Another example: in a later level, I went down one of the series’ trademark green warp pipes to find myself in what looked to be a simple, small bonus room—a pyramid of blocks with a bonus Star Coin on top of it. But I kept walking through the block I had to stand on. Stepping on a small panel that rotated the game’s camera around, the answer was clear: The block appeared to be stacked with the rest, but was actually floating in front of them.

A simple puzzle. But I don’t think that was the point of the room. Even after getting the coin, I sat there in the room for a while, flipping the 3D slider on and off. Off, I couldn’t see where the block really was. On, I could just sort of see that it wasn’t really in the same space as everything else, that it was floating a little closer to me. again, I kept playing with the slider to see what happened.

A tale of tails

Even besides the experimental use of 3D elements, Super Mario 3D Land is quite a different experience from its predecessors. It might best be described as a hybrid of New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Galaxy. while you have freedom to move around in 3D space, the levels are laid out in a linear fashion and you often view the action from the side. while some levels take a more non-linear approach and play with the camera angles, this happens gradually as you play through the game; clearly, Nintendo is trying to ease the casual players into the more complicated gameplay styles.

Nintendo’s always been accused of playing the nostalgia card a little too often. In announcing that Super Mario 3D Land would feature the return of the Tanooki Suit, the raccoon costume that first granted Mario the gift of flight in 1990’s Super Mario Bros. 3, Nintendo opened itself up again to the idea that it was simply engaged in base pandering.

And perhaps it is, but there’s a solid gameplay reason for it. The Tanooki Suit, in this game, doesn’t let you actually fly. What it does is let you glide down slowly by flapping your tail. This is an attempt to solve one of the fundamental problems of 3D jumping games: landing in the right place. With the extra finesse of the Suit, it’s a little easier to land accurately.

Suit up! The Tanooki Suit lets you hover over Super Mario 3D Land’s platforms and die less.Nintendo

That’s all well and good, you may be saying, but what if you don’t have the suit? As it turns out, you probably will: the leaf-shaped power-up items that grant you the power are scattered from hell to breakfast across 3D Land’s levels. And if you do take damage and lose the power, you can hold an item in reserve and access it by tapping the touchscreen.

You can also shoot fireballs by collecting a fire Flower, and if you want, you can swap back and forth between fire and flight, just as long as you don’t get hit or collect a different reserve item.

So yes, Mario will likely spend a good deal of this game in a hot, sweaty fursuit. Just imagine how that will smell by the time World 8-4 rolls around.

3D Land is divided up into some number of Worlds, each of which contains at least four standard levels and a boss encounter. We’ve seen in screenshots that some of these levels will take place aboard an airship, although I didn’t get to play any of those. What I did get to play was a more straightforward raid on a Koopa castle, the basics of which will be familiar to anyone: Dodging fireballs, jumping lava pits and finally squaring off against the big man himself. In this level, it was as simple as dodging his fireballs, running past him and jumping on a switch to send him into the lava — a 3D, somewhat more complex version of the level-ending fights from the first Super Mario Bros.

What took me by surprise was the first time I found a pair of sightseeing binoculars, the sort of thing you’d find on top of a tall landmark in a big city. Standing in front of them, I found myself peering out in first-person at the rest of the level that I’d have to play, getting a little preview of what was ahead. Eventually I tracked down a Toad who was hanging out by a flagpole, and when I zoomed in on him he saw me and started acting out what I was supposed to do once I got there — take a running leap off the staircase and jump for the top of the pole.

In later levels, if I spotted Toad through the binoculars he’d throw out a Star Coin, one of the collectibles that are scattered in the levels in hard-to-reach places. I’m guessing finding and using these will become more difficult but more rewarding as the game gets harder.

3D or not 3D

Whether or not the Nintendo 3DS ultimately succeeds in the marketplace, Nintendo is surely also concerned that it succeeds as a concept. It wants its glasses-free 3D display to be viewed as more than a gimmick, as something that fundamentally changes how people play games. from my extensive demo of the game’s early levels, Super Mario 3D Land’s playful facade seems like a conscious attempt to answer that serious question—for 3DS owners, and possibly for Nintendo itself.

The first thing I saw as I walked into the Barker Hanger at E3 07 was Super Mario Galaxy at Nintendo’s station. I quickly snatched a controller, and I started off as the smiling plumber standing on a rather small planetoid in the Honey Comb Galaxy. the spherical planetoid was populated with honey bees. the point of each planetoid is to find the giant star so you can warp to the next world.

Before I continue, let me give you a brief description of how the game is set up. you control Mario using the analog nun chuck, and perform jumps, spin attacks, and shoot crystals with the Wii remote. you run around and collect colored crystals which are saved in your inventory. you point the remote at the screen, which displays a star cursor, and pull the trigger on the remote which fires the crystals you have collected. you fire the crystals at your enemy, at mushrooms encased in crystals, or at practically anything on screen.

When you collect one of the mushrooms in the Honey Comb Galaxy, Mario puts on a bee suit which gives you the ability of limited flight. So after flying around the planetoid, spin hitting some enemies, and after going through some pipes which take you all the way through the planetoid and spit Mario out on the other side, I flew around a waterfall where I found the giant star which warped me to the next world.

Now that was a quick concise description of the game play. What it doesn’t elaborate on is the absolute fun Super Mario Galaxy is. Simply put, Super Mario Galaxy is an absolute blast. It may not have the impressive graphics you get with games on other systems, but it more than makes up for it with the game play.

I enjoyed Super Mario Galaxy about twice as much as any other game I demoed at E3 07. Running around the smaller planetoids, trying to jump when your up-side-down, and controlling Mario from all angles made this title stand out in a crowd.

A brand new improved dance game from Nintendo for your Wii, Just Dance 2 can provide you with many hours of entertainment.. and a good workout at the same time Turn into a dancing queen (or king), and master all the steps from iconic stars. Boasting considerably improved movement recognition using the Wii remote, and plenty more tracks coming from a variety of eras and music styles, you will quickly be grooving away like a true professional.

Rehearse all on your own, or have fun with up to 7 of your friends for a fun party evening with 4 brand new dance modes. try out the Duet Mode, which enables players to dance together, or the Dance Battle Mode that’s more of a team game. Party Mode is designed for you to just get together and dance, no competition necessary, and Just Sweat Mode will encourage you to exercise and keep an eye on the calories that you’ve burned up as well as set targets for yourself.

So just how do you play the game? well, simply select the mode that you would like to play, and, holding your Wii Remote, try and follow the silhouetted figure on screen as precisely as you can. Along the foot of your screen, you will notice stick figures that will assist you to get ready for the next step. The more accurately you reproduce the moves, the higher you will score.

Pros

The main pro, according to reviewers, is the substantial improvement of the accuracy of the motion control. a further feature that was commented on is the option to buy and download fresh tracks and content, creating an increased possibility of expanding and renewing the game play.

A large number of people really enjoyed the Sweat Mode, and declared that they were given a real hard exercise session that was enjoyable at the same time.

One mom of small children really liked the fact that several of the lyrics of the songs had been modified to be more suitable for younger kids that are among the target audience. some other moms really enjoyed the game as something they could do together with their children.

Cons

A number of people felt that the steps and routines weren’t all that unique compared to the first Just Dance, so they felt that it wasn’t worth purchasing Just Dance 2 if you already purchased the first version.

One parent felt that the moves in many of the tracks were too grown-up for younger children to imitate, and other parents of younger children felt that the song choices were not contemporary enough.

The steps and moves are choreographed by professionals so that you can learn all of the hottest steps in rock, pop, hip hop and more. Just Dance 2 will probably have you moving like never before, and will certainly get your party started, and will keep it going.

Shigeru Miyamoto’s E3 appearance with a full orchestra and the upcoming Zelda concert series indicated a heavy emphasis on the series’ iconic music. Nintendo is following through in the upcoming game, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, by making the soundtrack fully orchestrated. in your mind’s eye, you can imagine Miyamoto waving a conductor’s baton while you play.

A Nintendo of America representative confirmed the soundtrack decision to Joystiq, after Miyamoto dropped a hint at the E3 developer roundtable. the Nintendo executive pointed out that Super Mario Galaxy 2 had an orchestrated soundtrack, and said they simply had to “try to match that with Zelda.”

If you want to hear some of those Zelda tunes while you’re not playing the game, first-run copies come with an orchestral soundtrack CD.

While we don’t ordinarily post updates about upcoming games’ new powers, costumes, etc., it’s perfectly OK to make an exception now and then for Nintendo’s mascot and his upcoming Super Mario 3D Land for 3DS. Based off the athletic Boomerang Bros, who last thwarted our mustachioed hero in Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mario’s new boomerang-powered suit looks to help him level the 3D playing field even more. The blue-tined suit joins the much-celebrated return of perhaps Mario’s most famous persona, Tanooni Suit Mario, and should give Nintendo-obsessed historians another reason to update their history books (i.e. where did the Boomerang Bros. first show up?).

Super Mario 3D Land invades the third-dimension on November 13th. this is the part where you go "Wah-hoo!"

With the computer game market targeting the more casual gamer, notably the Wii, gaming has become a fun activity for all the family. Wii makers, Nintendo are in reaction to this popularity of causal gaming to release Christmas party games for the Wii, which is a great entertainment package for all the family as well as office Christmas parties.

The Wii, the latest interactive and innovative gaming technology is set to release a games special just in time for the Christmas season (in October). Already, we have seen interactive games from the Wii such as football, bowling and tennis, yet, this games special is more focused on fun and playful games, such as the Wii version of hide ‘n’ seek, ‘Hide ‘n’ hunt’, where one gamer hides the remote and the others have to find it in the set time.

The games are particularly encouraging of team spirit and sharing as you can have the usual up to four players at a time. Around 13 party games and 80 smaller games mean also, there are a massive variety of games that can keep you entertained all season long. From games such as hide ‘n’ hunt, which turn your room into a space for the party games to games involving the Mii, the onscreen version of you, such as virtual tag, mean you can play games virtually or not depending on your preference.

Wii Party, as the games package is known, could be a great way to entertain your staff at the office Christmas parties, without spending a massive amount of entertainment. Wii Party is a fun way to encourage staff to get together and interact, rather than just sitting and watching entertainment. furthermore, it’s perfect for those who like gaming and need something interactive, over a more laid back activity.

So get all ‘techy’ this Christmas by enjoying the quirky versions of traditional party games with the Wii party pack. it combines the fun of traditional party games with technology – ideal for a modern office Christmas party

A new model of Wii is on the way this October, at least in Europe, where it sounds as if it will replace the existing console.

The photo above makes it look very similar to the existing system, but besides being placed on its side (which you could already do with the current Wii), the console itself is smaller, reports Eurogamer. That may be thanks to the lack of GameCube controller inputs, a removal that’s due to the decision to ditch backwards compatibility for GameCube games.

The new model has only been confirmed for Europe. Nintendo says it “will focus on the new Wii Bundles going forward” in the region, making it sound as if the old model will be phased out. The bundles comment suggests there will be at least two bundle options available; the one we know about so far is the Family Edition pictured above, which includes a Wii Remote plus, nunchuk, Wii Party, and Wii Sports.

Don’t expect to see the newly announced bundle in North America. A statement sent to 1UP reads, “Nintendo of America does not currently have any plans to release the Wii bundle that was announced by Nintendo of Europe on Aug. 17. Consumers in the United States can currently purchase a Wii console bundled with the Mario Kart Wii game and Wii Wheel accessory for a suggested retail price of $149.99. The Wii Party game is available separately for a suggested retail price of $39.99.”

At least as of yet, it doesn’t look like any new colors are being introduced with the new, smaller system. This is the first time the Wii’s design has been changed since it was first launched in 2006, although it’s still nowhere near the drastic changes the PS3 and 360 underwent with their respective redesigns.