Tech Series, Part Two: Video Game Systems

In the first part of this series I discussed a few do's and don'ts that will hopefully help you a lot. But, what system do you want to buy? I have lined up a few choice ones so you can make an informed decision, along with a few short reviews of popular games.

Wii

More of a family system, the Wii utilizes a motion sensing wireless controller. The Wii supports Nintendo Wi-Fi so you can play multiplayer games online.

1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl: One of the besting multiplayer games of all time, this game pits up to four people against each in a mad battle with there favorite nintendo (and a few third-party) characters. So whether you want to brawl with Link from the Legend of Zelda, Fox from Starfox, Samus from Metroid, or Pit from Kid Icarus, you can in this wild fighting game. Although the game focuses on mulitplayer with its 35 characters, there is a short, but enjoyable single player mode too.

2. Wii Sports: A enjoyable game with a diversity of sports where you can use the wii controller in a variety of ways. The first game most people play, it does a good job of getting people used to the motion controller. It can get boring after a while though.

3.  Kirby's Epic Yarn: In his brand new adventure, Kirby is turned into, wait for it, a piece of yarn.  It's true, everyone's favorite super tough pink puff is now in a world of, fabric. Kirby lost his copy ability, but now he can transform into a variety of objects.

PC

Although there are many more uses for a personal computer than gaming, their are quite a few high quality PC games.

1. Sam and Max: As said in my previous  review, Sam and Max is an extremely enjoyable point and click adventure.

2. Knights of the Old Republic: One of my all time favorites, Kotor is an exceptional game. With a variety of dark jedi, aliens, solders, and droids to destroy, this 30+ hours adventure is magnificent.

3. Portal: Another of my favorite games of all time (did you notice I have a lot of them?) , because it is so original, unique, and crazily fun. In this game you have the ability to create portals, when you step into one, you come out the other side. The physics are just amazing, so you really have to think to get past the puzzles. Unfortunately, its downfall is that it is quite short.

DS

The DS is a handheld console made by nintendo. While there have been several versions (DS Lite, DSi, DSi XL, and one more that will be the focus of a later post), the DS always has two screens, the lower one being a touchscreen operated by a pencil-like "stylus". The DS has a lot of puzzle games, due to the fact that the touchscreen makes it possible to try out a variety of brain teasers impossible for other systems. I mentioned several puzzle games in first part of this series (Scribblenauts, Hotel Dusk: Room 215, Professor Layton).

1. New Super Mario Bros.:  This is the old fashioned goomba bashing side-scrolling Mario adventure that we all love; with the added twist of mega mushrooms which can transform Mario into a colossal giant.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass: Ah, Zelda, one of my all time favorite gaming franchises. And Phantom Hourglass doesn't disappoint. You control Link, the hero, as he sails from island to island defeating dungeons and gaining new weapons.

3. Super Scribblenauts: I talked a little bit about the first Scribblenauts, but Super Scribblenauts does everything the first did, plus everything is polished and you can use adjectives now too.This game has a dictionary of thousands and thousands of words that you can summon at will to solve interesting puzzles.


Now, you might be a little disappointed because I did not the Xbox 360, or the Playstation 3. I don't have much experience with those consoles, so sadly I can not tell you much about them.

The next part of this series will focus on the next type of DS: The 3DS

Tech Series, Part One: Advise For Novice Gamers

Now let us say that you just entered the gaming world. You might of received a system for a gift, or you found a great deal at a garage sale. Or perhaps you want to spend quality time (yeah, right) with a sibling or friend. It doesn't matter, It doesn't matter, I have advise, and you need it.

First off, gaming is NOT limited to shooting at unending hordes of lifeless zombies. I'm not a big fan of M games by the way, so this series will be written with that perspective. There are tons of genres of games: Action, Adventure, Strategy, Sports, RPG, Shooter, Puzzle, etc. Quite a few games appeal to casual gamers, especially sports and puzzle games. Now a sport game is pretty straightforward, but what about puzzle games? There are a plethora of unique puzzle games. Like scribblenauts, where you can type (basically) ANY word and it will appear so you can use it in puzzles.Yes, that is correct, any word. So monkeys, swords, monsters, jetpacks , dragons, small kitchen appliances, they are all there. And then there is interactive storybooks, like Hotel Dusk: Room 215. This particular game plays like a extremely indepth mystery novel. Or maybe you would like a game from the Professor Layton series. Professor Layton games have you solve many, many, different types of brainteasers utilizing the ds's touchscreen, with a refreshing European  influence to boot.

Except if you read a exceptional review about it, never buy games made from movies, especially disney movies. Why? Because the game is an afterthought. A companion to the movie. They don't devote the time and effort necessary to make a good game. Now, there are exceptions to this rule, such as many star wars games. Now think why this is different, the games were made because of the movies, sure, but they didn't have to hurry it up so the game came out at the same time as the movie. Occasionally it goes both ways with terrible television shows/movies made from a game. Ever heard of the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! ? I hope not...

Also, never buy games on impulse. Always check a review sit like IGN or Gamespot. Once you have confirmed that you want the game, check out a online auction site like eBay. You can often get a very good deal if you buy a game without the case or instructions. Just watch out that if it is a disc that it doesn't have scratches that might cause it not to work.

 Next time I will continue the series with a short look at a few video game systems.