So, Super Smash Bros. Brawl has been pushed back to February. It's Nintendo, and it's to be expected. If there was on game I want them to get right, it's this one. With some games I would be left with a bitter test in my mouth, as past experiences have had delays and no updates for said game, so you never know what's going on with it! With Brawl, we get the daily updates on the official site. You can't help but feel a little love from Nintendo as they're really giving the fans something to smile about every Monday through Friday.

So I'm going to give some thoughts on the new game, what I'm hoping for, what I've seen, and what I'm liking/disliking. So, as Mr. Mario would say: "Here we go!"

#1) Sonic the Hedgehog - So yeah, Sonic's in Brawl. I would admit, I was kind of hoping he wasn't going to appear, as Sonic's recent offerings haven't exactly been stellar (ever since the original Adventure in my opinion). However, it looks as though HAL have treated the blue hedgehog with more care than Sega have. He looks like an awesome character, and I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on him. New favourite character? I doubt anybody could take the place of Fox, but anything is possible. Here's hoping Tails isn't in it. I doubt he will be. Though it would be awesome to kick his butt!

#2) Solid Snake - Old news, but knowing that Snake is going to be playable in Brawl is really weird, and exciting. They put some actual footage up of Snake kicking some tail, and he looks really cool doing it. I didn't really know how they were going to handle him, but it looks as though they've done it well. I wonder if his shield will be his box, like how Yoshi uses an egg? Who knows?

#3) Final Smashes - I'm mixed about this one. The thing I love about Smash Bros., is that no matter how good you are, the game can produce a very random outcome, what with items and all. Final Smashes look to further unbalance things. They look awesome (like how Fox uses a frikkin' Landmaster and Bowser turns Giga!), but at the same time, you're going to rack up a lot of deathes with these things, and I know people are going to scream "cheater". For serious Brawls, I hope this feature can be turned off, much like in Mario Power Tennis.

#4) The New Characters - When I had beaten Melee, there were three characters I wished were in the game. They were Wario, Meta Knight, and Diddy Kong. Seriously, I'm not just saying this. So I am really happy that these guys will be in Brawl, as well as more Pokémon (Squirtle, Ivysaur and bloomin' Charizard), Ike, Lucas and Pit. Lucas and Ike look very much like Ness and Marth/Roy, so I will pass judgement on these guys when more information is released or when I can actually play as them. Diddy Kong will no doubt be loads of fun to play with, and Meta Knight looks slick (I'm sure I will be this guy quite frequently). Pit also looks like a cool character, and I really love his new look. Here's hoping a new Kid Icarus game is released! The Pokémon Trainer looks like an interesting character, but I will probably play as Charizard for most of the brawls.

#5) The Subspace Emissary - This is something I am really looking forward to. I never really enjoyed Adventure Mode in Melee, because it just felt like something was missing. It had some serious potential, and I am over the moon to see they have taken it a step further and wrapped a story around the whole thing. Want to know what I am really excited about? 2 player co-op! From what they've announced, it sounds an awful lot like Kirby's Fun Pak/Kirby Superstar on the SNES, and that, in my books, is awesome. Can't wait to sink my teeth into this mode.

#6) Assist Tophies - Basically Pokéballs with Nintendo all-stars! Two characters they have announced I really wised were playable characters, those being Samurai Goroh and Lyn, at least they will get to kick some butt! Lots of it from the looks of things. Characters like the SNES Andross and NES Excitebike really tickle my fanboy test buds, as I just love all the retroness of their appearances (LOL what?). Assist Trophies are an interesting way to include more Nintendo characters into a game which is all about honouring those characters. Oh, and kicking the crap out of them too! :P

#7) Visuals and Audio - I am VERY impressed with the visuals in the game so far. I don't really care about good graphics in a game, so long as the game plays well, but SSB:B looks like it will make me drool. The characters look incredibly detailed, animate amazingly and just look friggin' awesome. The backgrounds and level designs not only look really cool, but they look really interactive too! The music in the game is sounding beautiful. The snippets they keep releasing sound amazing, I love the Pokémon Gym music (with kickass version of the evolution theme), and any Star Fox music is bound to get me excited! Basically, this game looks and sounds very polished!

#8) Wi-Fi - Online play. Do I need to talk about this? Basically, I can now challenge people from all over the world. I won't care about winning or losing, but having the ability to play against people instead of computer controlled opponents is awesome, especially whenever I want. I'm so happy they included this feature. So long as people don't drop out when they're having their behind served to them on a plate, I will be a happy-chappy!

#9) 4 Ways to Play - I will probably play this game with a GameCube controller. I've played Melee so much with my friends that playing this game with anything else will feel weird, but I LOVE the fact that they're included different control schemes. Many people who have a Wii may never have played Melee. So they probably won't have any GameCube controllers, and many people have sold off their GameCubes and such (not me!). So it's really nice to see Nintendo not taking advantage of their customers (like they do sometimes *cough Crystal Chronicles cough*).

#10) Super Smash Bros. Dojo - Most of this information I wouldn't even know if it weren't for the official site. I just want to tip my hat to Nintendo for actually taking a little time to update a website with information on a game many fans are looking forward to. I hate it when I don't hear any new information on a game I am REALLY excited about, and I'm sure many of you feel the same way. We don't want another Duke Nukem Forever on our hands. :P

If this game plays like Melee (which I think it will), it's gonna rock! Hope you enjoyed my thoughts on this, I'm sure I'll add to it whenever the site updates with some new juicey information! Till next time Smash fans!

I have been playing Pokemon Diamond pretty much non-stop for weeks now. I've clocked up over 160 hours on the thing, and my Pokedex is filling up fast. Is it just me, or does this entry to the series offer more replay value then previous games.

Usually in a Pokemon game, once you have beaten the Elite Four, your final task is to fill up the Pokedex. In Red/Blue that was a piece of cake, in Gold/Silver it was a little harder, but not too hard if you had the older games. Ruby/Sapphire was extremely difficult, as you needed Colosseum, XD: Gale of Darkness and the FireRed and LeafGreen versions to fll up the Pokedex. That's a lot to ask of any Trainer.

Diamond/Pearl has taken a step back, and made the task of catching them all a little easier. WiFi and the GTS make it possible to obtain many Pokemon in trades, so you can get away with only having one version of this game. Migrating Pokemon from previous versions also makes the task a little easier, providing you have done a few of the things to fill up the Ruby/Sapphire dex.

The thing I do love most about this game though, is that there are a handful of new Pokemon you can only obtain once you have beaten the game. Tha's a lot better than just trying to catch your old favourites, you get to discover new favourites too!

Although its not like Gold/Silver, where you get a whole new continent to explore, but at least its something. Diamond/Pearl are great additions to the Pokemon franchise, and I'm finding it hard to put the fugger down!

What's happened to video games? Seriously?

I remember playing so many games on the MegaDrive, SNES, N64 and PlayStation that had me totally engrossed. Things like Super Mario World, Banjo-Kazooie, Ocarina of Time, Sonic the Hedgehog, Final Fantasy VII, the list goes on and on. I can think of five video games I have played in the last 6 months that I have ripped apart, and two of those are older games:

Final Fantasy VII (couldn't resist playing that perfect game again), Pokémon Emerald (was super excited for Diamond), Zelda: Twilight Princess, Final Fantasy XII and Pokémon Diamond.

Now don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of games I have played, and enjoyed. But where are all the huge adventure games I used to love? I know huge games can't come around all the time, but I would rather spend £40 on a new game and have it last longer than a few hours, and I'm already sick of party games (and I haven't even played them).

Is it because game developers are experimenting in new territory? Probably. This "games for everybody" thing has be sitting on a fence. On one hand, I can play even more video games with my family (Wii Sports is still a blast to play with the folks/uncles/aunties/etc), but I miss games I can rip apart by myself. Games I can get super engrossed in.

Granted I am super engrossed in Pokémon Diamond (125+ hours), but the only reason I'm playing that is because I have nothing else I feel I must play. Sonic and the Secret Rings is cool, as is Chocobo Tales, but I don't find myself fighting the urge to play them. I still rip out Guitar Hero when I'm bored, and that guitar has been played to shreds.

It's like, developers are starting to see the appeal (and money) of getting non-gamers into video games, but what about the hardcore gamer? Do we want to play Brain Age? Do we want to play Wii Sports all the time? Do we want to do Yoga? NO! We want to mash up Goblins and stomp on Goombas and shoot people in the head.

Do we also want to play video games we have already played to death? NO!

Resident Evil 4. Yeah, I love the game. It's one of my favourite games. It's one of the best games (just ask anyone), but it seems TOO soon to be rereleasing it. I know it was an instant classic, but they could've waited a while. They could've done more than just port it. Improved graphics? More unlockable content? More game? It's a game that doesn't really need anything doing to it, but they'll only go and rerelease it again in a few years. It is Capcom after all.

The Virtual Console is another thing I am a little miffed with. The idea of playing all these classic games that I loved to bits is so sweet and juicy, but when I play them, I get a sour taste in my mouth. Why am I playing an old game (I already have) when Ishould be playing something brand-spanking new. It's a really weird feeling.

The recent announcement of Manhunt 2 being banned makes me even angrier. Yeah, it's a violent, sick, twisted game full of brutal killings, gore and the like, but why ban it? Is anybody banning horror movies? Is anybody banning music that talks about shooting people just because they want to (coughrapcough). NO! Why video games? Why do gamers have to miss out on the full experience of a game because parents can't be bothered to pay attention to their kids? Why must the adults, who WANT to play this game miss out? It sucks.

I'm not sure what the point of this rant was.

Well, 2006 is now officially over, and I must say, I won't miss it. 2007 shall bring new challenges, and new video games. Hopefully something that will make me fall in love with my Wii all over again.

I played through Twilight Princess pretty much non-stop over the holidays, clocking up nearly 50 hours on the beast. I was so determined to go back and collect everything I'd missed (poes, heart containers, etc), but after beating the game, I just stopped playing. I didn't have a desire to go back into Hyrule and find all those little extras. I loved the game, I thought it was amazing, it just didn't replay as well as I thought.

I've been giving the Virtual Console a whirl, and so far I am loving it. I hope they eventually release some of the old games that I used to love when I was a kid. Rocket Knight Adventures stands out from the crowd, seeing as they already delivered Gunstar Heroes. I have no doubt in my mind about my favourite SNES games, because let's face it, they'll arrive eventually.

My biggest suprise with the Wii so far though, are the reactions my family have had to it. They love it. Bowling in Wii Sports stands out the most, and even I have discovered that this console is a beast when it comes to large groups of people! It's something everybody can do, and it's something I have found that everyone really does enjoy to play.

Can't wait for WarioWare then. ;)

So, tomorrow is a big day for me, and for many other gamers across the UK and Europe. That's right. It's Wii day. I really can't wait for this console. I always get excited when a new console I'm really into is about to be released.

The first console I was super excited about was the Nintendo 64. I had a Super Nintendo before that, and it was that console that got me into video games. I loved Super Mario, and would play it all the time. Every month before the N64 came out I would buy a Nintendo Magazine, and constantly pester my dad for one for my Birthday. There was only one game I wanted (and needed), and that was Super Mario 64.

I remember opening this huge box the Saturday before my Birthday, and there it was, a shiny new N64. I was thrilled. My parents had decided to let me open it early, so I wouldn't want to skip school. My Mum told me: "Now you know this was quite expensive, so we couldn't afford to buy you a game." I was a little gutted, but I showed a little maturity and said: "That's okay! I can save up for a game!" I guess the biggest hurdle for a 10 year old was affording a £250 console. A £60 game wasn't as big an obstacle. Anyway, I didn't need to, because my folks had also bought me a video (VHS), which when I opened, turned out to be Super Mario 64! Lucky stars. :)

I continued to spend vast amounts of money for the next few years on N64 games, until the release of the GameCube. I had school that day, but my mother (who is the best), picked up my pre-ordered 'Cube on her way back from work. I must've played Luigi's Mansion for hours. Though sadly, by that Sunday the game was beaten, and I tried playing through it again, but it just wasn't as striking as Super Mario 64 was. It took me months to beat that game.

It's quite sad really. As tomorrow the life of the GameCube will officially be dead. Some say it was a flop, but I say it was a success. I collected so many games for that system, and I can still think of others I would like to get. Sadly, no video game stores around here seem to stock any, and only ever have a small selection of pre-owned games. Me and my family have spent many evenings playing games like Mario Party, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Donkey Konga and even WarioWare. Inc: Mega Party Games.

Another console I was excited about was the GBA. Me and my friends would talk about it every single day, and all the games we were going to get. We were mainly excited about Breath Of Fire, because I had been playing a lot of RPGs around that time. Wario Land 4 was also high up on my list of games to get. I couldn't afford a GBA, but me being the lucky guy that I am, opened a sweet arctic GBA on December 25th. I got a GBA: SP (in blue) and another SP when the NES Classics came out. I fell in love with that GBA: SP with the sweet classic design. All three have been played to death, and I have no idea how many batteries/power charges I've been through with them.

After the GBA, it was the DS. Super Mario 64 DS and WarioWare: Touched! Were the two big games I wanted! In my excitement for the console, I dug out my N64 and played through Super Mario 64 from start to finish. So when I came to actually play the new DS version, I couldn't really be bothered. I pick it up from time to time, and tackle a few stars. It's something I need to sit down with and just play, but the lack of an analogue stick was really off putting. I thought I had made a bad purchase, because the DS was a real bag of wank at launch. Now I can't put it down. So many great games, so many great games to come!

And tomorrow, it will be Wii fever. Twilight Princess is going to be amazing! Wii Sports and Wii Play are going to be some family favourites. Super Smash Bros. Brawl is going to get me and my friends battling it out again. I think one of the things I am most excited about with the console is the Virtual Console. There are so many classic games I missed out on, as I was either too young or too stupid to know they existed. Games like Zelda: A Link To The Past and Secret Of Mana. Super Mario RPG, a game that never made it to Europe!

It will also be nice to replace the games I already have. My NES is officially dead, so I can't play on that anymore, and my SNES controller's X button doesn't work anymore, which is a shame. My N64 works fine and dandy, but it will be nice to just have one system set up, and all those amazing games available at the click of a button. Let's not forget about the MegaDrive (Genesis) games either.

I can't wait. I love video games, and I especially love new video game systems. Especially ones I can share with my family and friends, and just have a good time. Nintendo have given me that pleasure for the past 10 years, and that's the reason why I support them so much!