Target Terror

I ran across the video below while perusing YouTube.  It was so funny that I felt compelled to share it...   What is Target Terror?  It's a new light gun game for the Wii that I doubt any of you will buy, but it is so incredibly funny to watch.   Cheesy does not begin to describe this game, and the reviewer who made the video has described it to a tee...  Enjoy!

Microsoft needs to make some "hard" choices

GamesIndustry.biz has learned that Valve asked Microsoft if it was possible to place its award-winning Orange Box title, Portal, on XBox Live Arcade (XBLA) for download, but that it was rejected.  

Yes, rejected...  It was rejected because the current limit for the size of an XBLA game is 150MB (recently increased from 50MB).   Why is it limited to 150MB?  Because Microsoft wants to offer a version of the XBox 360 without a hard disk, and the maximum capacity of their current proprietary memory card is 512MB...

Microsoft, don't you think it's time to give up on the configuration without the hard disk?  Game developers have to make sacrifices which affect the overall quality of games because of that configuration.  

For those of you who aren't aware, there are optimizations that can be made to improve the performance of gameplay both online and offline if there is a hard disk present.  However, developers can't make that  assumption with the 360... And because of the increased complexity of detecting whether or not there is a hard disk, and the concern over making sure both versions perform the same; these optimizations usually go unimplemented.

Microsoft, it's time for you to make some hard choices...

XBox 360's getting waggle?

According to an MTV Source, the XBox 360 is getting a waggle controller of it's own by the end of the year!!!!  

According to this source, Microsoft has been working on a waggle controller since last August.   Details are sketchy of course, but if this is true, and I believe it is, Nintendo could be in trouble.  I believe what gamers have wanted since the Wii was released, is a console with next-gen graphics and a waggle controller (see my Wii Too entry).

Microsoft's implementation of waggle will differ from Nintendo's in that the XBox 360 will have a wand, but not a nunchuck attachment.  Additionally, the XBox 360's wand will have an analog stick instead of the D-Pad configuration chosen for the Wii (learn a lesson here Nintendo).  It will be interesting to see how developers will adapt first person shooters to this new control scheme without some sort of secondary controller for movement.

Read the details here.

iPod Touch + Quake 3 = Mobile Frag Fest!!!

Below is a YouTube video of Quake 3 running on a pair of iPod Touches complete with networking!!!   And since the iPod Touch is essentially the same device as an iPhone (except for the 2.5G radio),  you should be able to Frag on the go on an iPhone!!!  Sweet!!!

Read the complete details here.

Wii Too

The Wii has exceeded my expectations in terms of it's adoption rate since launch.  I would never have guessed the little console would have such wide spread appeal.  And with new releases like Twilight Princess, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl; it has taken gaming by storm.  

This phenomenon seems unlikely to wear thin anytime soon with upcoming games like Mario Kart Wii and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

This brings me to the real point of this article.  Every since I purchased the Wii, I have wished that Nintendo had spent just a little more money, to produce a console with the graphical and general purpose processing power  closer to it's competition; the XBox 360 and Playstation 3.  

Imagine the upcoming Star Wars: Force Unleashed was as graphically crisp as the XBox 360 or PS3 versions, while still utilizing the Wiimote for the light saber!!!  

There's no denying that the Wii holds the number one spot so far this generation; but how long will it last?  This is why I think Nintendo will release an upgraded Wii console within the next two years.  For the purposes of this article, let's call it Wii Too (Wii 2).

Wii Too

I think Wii Too will boast a multi-core CPU architecture, and a more powerful GPU to elevate the quality of the graphics and physics to that of the XBox 360 and PS3, while maintaining backwards compatibility with the Wii and Gamecube.  This is an easy thing for Nintendo to accomplish as they use an IBM-designed PowerPC, and there are many more powerful derivatives of the chip already available.  

It's likely Nintendo will continue to sell the Wii ($199) as it's entry level product while marketing the Wii Too ($299) as an alternative to the 360 and PS3.

Wii Too Specs

CPU:	IBM Dual-core PowerPC 970  (or derivative) processor
Main Memory:	256MB RAM
GPU:	ATI-based with 128/256MB VRAM
Storage:	16GB Flash Memory (internal)
	SD card slot Gamecube memory card slot
Optical:	DVD/DVD9
Input:	All current Wii- and Gamecube-compatible controllers
Wireless:	Bluetooth

Star Wars: Force Unleashed - The TFU Experience

I found a video about Star Wars: The Force Unleashed that begs to be shared.  The video is basically a developer diary about each platform that the Force Unleashed will be released on (XBox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP, and DS).  Initially, I thought I would either get the XBox 360 version (achievements) or the PS3 (motion sensors), but now I see that they've given you different reasons of owning the various version.  The Wii version for example will allow you to use the Wiimote as the light saber!!!!  

Check out the video below.