WiiWare Launches Today

Today you will be able to access Nintendo's WiiWare service. As with the Virtual Console, you can download games right from your Wii by going to the Wii Shop channel. Unlike the Virtual Console, WiiWare games are all new - not old games you might have already played. Unfortunately, no demos are available, so you won't be able to try before you buy. The current selection consists of six games.

Available Games

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King

You are a young king who must rebuild his kingdom, beginning with the castle town. When the king first reaches the borders of his realm, he finds that the crystal in the center of town has given him special powers to be a "master builder," a unique ability he uses to construct houses, shops and the like to rebuild and revitalize his kingdom.







LostWinds

LostWinds is a fresh, enchanting adventure that lets you wield the awesome powers of Enril the wind Spirit - from raging tornados to the gentlest breeze – to guide and protect Toku, a young boy who is the only one who can help you release the curse placed upon the world of Mistralis and its people by evil Balasar.







TV Show King

Confront friends and family in a TV quiz game show! Let your Mii try to answer fun and challenging trivia questions, from the classics to original stumpers, spanning across history, geography, literature, science, sports and entertainment! For an extra challenge, use your Wiimote in original ways.

Make it to the finals and see who can win the greatest amount of cash in one last, ultimate duel. TV Show King will challenge your brain! Now, get ready… get set… and go play TV Show King!

V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack

The world’s most played casino card game makes its WiiWare debut with highly detailed characters, true-to-life animations, and advanced artificial intelligence – making V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack the most realistic blackjack game ever made. By breaking-the-mold of traditional card games and their static 2D interface, we integrated our animated 3D interface into the table; creating a visually impressive look and play style that feels just right. Use the Wii Remote to point-and-click, press the hot-keys to quickly place your bets, or even use the Wii Remote’s motion controls to hit, stand, and bet.



Defend Your Castle

Defend Your Castle takes place on a grassy plain surrounded by invaders. You are the commander of your castle, and at your disposal is only a hand for picking up the enemy and flinging them to their doom. Over time, add power-ups and other weapons to your arsenal to repel the attacks. How long can you hold them off?







Pop

Pop bubbles to score points and stop the timer from running out. Pop can be enjoyed on 2 levels - casual gamers can simply play to pop bubbles and keep the game moving. Advanced players will need to pick their shots rapidly and accurately and generate combos to maximize their score.

Professor Fizzwizzle and the Molten Mystery Review

This ingenious game should be nominated to the Puzzle Game Hall of Fame. Ok, there’s no such thing - but after a few rounds with this gem, you can’t help but feel it deserves accolades.

Your job is to get Grubby Games’ hero, Professor Fizzwizzle, through the treacherous platform puzzles using whatever gizmos and gadgets he can find. Choose one of three paths to the mountain: Regular, Advanced or Kids. You’ll find the gameplay to be challenging, but not frustrating, since there are no time limits, and you can undo your last actions, or redo the whole level, without penalty. Tutorials are strategically interwoven, and, if you find yourself truly stumped, there is always the option to see the solution. Solving a level requires more than the ability to use your tools. Obviously, brain-loads of creative thought went into making the puzzles, and creative solutions are crucial.


The Kids’ puzzles start out very easy, as would be expected. Before long, though, the challenge increases, and the head scratching begins. Even if you’re only young at heart, you’ll enjoy a run through, and will appreciate building familiarity with the various items. The Normal puzzles include simple but effective tutorials. The beginning levels are not very complicated, but that doesn’t mean they are easy! Much of the time, you’ll be baffled until the key - that little trick on which the puzzle hinges - pops into your head. Of course, the Advanced levels, are the apex of difficulty. You could start on these right away, if you are of sufficient brilliance, or go onto them after you’ve completed the Normal path.

The game includes over 210 levels, but if that’s not enough for you, there’s always the level editor - and all the downloadable shared levels. These are rated for difficulty as well as quality, and since a real community has socked into this, new levels will likely keep coming. If you thrive on competition, you may want to post your scores online to see how you rank amongst the fans.


Somebody will be annoyed with something in every game, and this one is probably no exception. But most people will find the graphics, music and sound effects to be appealing. The use of mouse or arrow keys makes for easy manipulation of the character and tools. The menu is complete and easy to follow.

All in all, Grubby Games has got a winner in Professor Fizzwizzle and the Molten Mystery. Play, and you can be a winner too!

Nintendo Channel Launches Today

Today’s North American launch of the Nintendo Channel means that Wii owners can watch game trailers and download demos for their DS using an internet connection. For DS players, this is even better than having a DS Download Station in their own home. The current highlight is the demo for Crossword DS.

Nintendo is expected to start the service in Europe by the end of the month.

Zuma Review

One of PopCap’s masterpieces is the fast-paced puzzle game, Zuma. This game has been cloned time and again, a compliment to it’s enduring appeal. But it’s hard to beat the real thing, and so the original continues to increase in popularity. It’s available on several platforms, including cell phone and iPod. There’s no question though – playing with a mouse on a nice monitor is by far the best.


This is one of those games that is easy to learn, but hard to master. That’s part of what makes it so fun! A line of coloured balls rolls along a curled track, and you must eliminate them before they are swallowed up by the Skull at the end of the path. You use your mouse to rotate a stone frog containing a choice of two balls, then click to shoot one into the chain. Whenever you get three or more balls of the same colour, they explode. Playing well involves creating chains, taking advantage of power-ups, scoring through gaps, and collecting coins. As the game progresses, extra ball colours are added, and the speed and complexity of each course increases.

Two modes of play are available. Adventure Mode takes you through a series of levels, or Aztec temples, each consisting of a number of stages. You can save at any stage, but if you use up all your lives and die, you must restart at the beginning of the temple. The Gauntlet Mode allows you to replay levels you have beaten in Adventure Mode – only this time, the stream of balls is “endless”, gradually increasing in speed and number of colours. It’s a great way to hone your skills.


PopCap’s demo is the complete game, and although it is time-limited, it actually does let you continue playing an ad-supported version. Considering the addictiveness of this game, you’re going to want it all – and maybe on your cell phone too.

Go for Grubby Games

Brain games seems to be popping up everywhere these days. Unfortunately, many of these “games” feel more like tests and eventually become wearisome. Some of the better games have been poorly cloned so many times that all hope for originality has been deleted. That leaves us with a big question: where can you find a novel game that activates your brain and your funny bone at the same time?

If you find yourself asking that question, then Grubby Games may have just what you are looking for. Since their debut in 2004, this small company has published four games which should appeal to everyone, from child to child-like. All feature the personality of Professor Fizzwizzle, yet are unique in puzzle type and gameplay. Their website gives a good description of each game, and supplies easily downloadable demos.

While only the newest game, “The Amazing Brain Train”, makes claims to train the brain, all would qualify as mentally stimulating, at least on some level. Some include settings for children or, conversely, for more advanced players. The inclusion of optional quests, trophies and competitive internet score tracking give added incentive.

In a world where the same few people and corporations have been the perpetual source of entertainment – and are wrung dry of creativity – Grubby Games stands out as fresh and invigorating. What have you got to lose by trying a free demo? Chances are, you’ll have so much fun that you’ll want the whole game!

Mario Kart Wii Review

Nobody can say that racing games are too hard now that Mario Kart Wii has arrived. With the Wii Wheel, staying in the race is so easy that even a first time racer can stay on track. Rotating your controller, as many have been prone to do, will finally turn the cart!

Although you can use other controllers (like a Gamecube joystick), the obvious choice – especially for a new player – is the Wii Wheel which comes with the game. It’s really just a shell into which a standard Wii controller is placed. Extras can be purchased separately for a reasonable price. But as we said, they are not required.

You can choose from a variety of Mario-related characters – or your Mii. Hop into the cart that catches your eye, and hit one of thirty-two fanciful tracks. You may even want to try popping wheelies on one of the new motorbikes.


There is no doubt that this game is ideal for socializing. You can play up to four players on the same TV, and up to twelve on the internet. Age and lack of skill will not deny you the pleasure of enjoying some laps with anyone, from a well-practiced teen, to a toddler who can barely hold the wheel.

If you are an experienced Mario Kart player, you may find this game a bit on the easy side. But there’s no denying – with the new tracks, and new tricks, you’ll have a ton of fun.

And for anyone who loved Wii Sports and is looking for something more, Mario Kart Wii is the game you won’t want to miss.

Science Proves Mental Exercise Works

Many of us have believed it, but scientific evidence has been sparse. Now some studies have come out with encouraging data to show that giving your brain a workout really does work. Not only do memory-oriented mental exercises help improve memory, but they can increase your ability to reason and problem-solve.

See this article for an easily understandable synopsis of the one in the reputable scientific journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

We’re talking about a validation for playing a lot of the games we wanted to play anyway. So shove all guilt aside – play your heart out, and smarten up!