Well it's been a bit longer than I wanted between blogs, two months, although by the looks of it no one is reading them any more but I will continue to write them regardless. The main two reasons I have not written anything is because I did have a bit of an accident at work that involved passing out and hitting my head, so wasn't really thinking so clearly for a little while and the other is I have been quite sick over the new year so not the best start for me but can't go any worse than last year.

Any one big update on the games front is I got a new Xbox360 mainly due to the fact I hated all those games that were just sitting there doing nothing but collecting dust, so that was a the main driving factor and the other was I knew that the newer models featured HDMI output so I knew that I could take advantage of that, and it was a bonus that all I had to do is buy the arcade pack as I had everything else I needed. Good to see that Microsoft has done away with the wired controllers even with the basic package now so it comes inline with the other systems for coming with it. Also the deal I picked up was pretty good too getting another five games for just another £25 on top of the price them being Kameo, Viva Pinata, Project Gotham 3, Fuzion Frenzy 2 and Xbox Live unplugged volume 1, although I now own that twice but couldn't pass that price up, so now I have plenty of extra games to keep me going and even more from Xmas as I seemed to get loads from people for some odd reason, not that I am fussed since I am enjoying them, and they are Blue Dragon which is better than the Gamespot review suggests, Lost Planet, Star Trek Legacy (I'm a big Trek fan so I am enjoying not perfect but good and looks spot on) and Fifa 08 so much better than I was expecting and better than PES at the moment in my opinion since Konami have let the team behind that get lazy and stop improving it. I also picked up Smackdown vs Raw 2008, yes I know I now have it twice but the Wii version is a different game, but I have to say this game seems very lazy and actually a step back in terms of what was added in the 2007 version, all that's been improved are the visuals, they even too out the weight difference system which made the last one far more tactical, so shocked now I have it.

As for my Wii it has taken a break need to finish the awesome Super Mario Galaxy and Super Paper Mario but just taking a rest from it for now and have been trying to get some Wii points from the new Nintendo Europe site only managed to get 500 so far with the stars I have earned, have loads more but they don't come on the site often and need at least 500 more points so I can get King of Fighter 94, I'm not spending any money until I get rid of my stars and get all the Wii points I can first. Well off to not sleep and choke up a lung.

Well I have to say after hearing one or two bad things about this game I was a bit reluctant to go out and get it but in all honesty I am enjoying it thus far, mainly due to its pick up and play appeal it's great for just a quick bash and once you get used to the controls it will play as well as any of the wresting games from the GCN that THQ brought out, better in many ways, although if you are looking for the same game as on the other systems you will be disappointed due to the lack of modes and match types, and even the create a player is very limited in terms of move sets, so if anything this is Smackdown vs Raw 2008 in name only and the game is completely different to other home versions, so I will be looking to pick one of the other versions up, in many ways this feels like more of a test than anything I am hoping that the range of moves increases and there are more match types in future versions, just would advise anyone to get this if they want a more technical wresting game since it features no limb damage and very short matches, but still very fun. Hopefully the looks get better two as this is just a PS2 game graphically and I know the Wii can do so much better.

I was originally going to write this about one thing, but then I just started thinking about loads of different things and before you know it I had actually just stopped writing the whole blog, mainly because I wasn't so sure if I should write about what I was or something different. So after a night of sleeping on it and waking up feeling like crap I have decided to just do the whole lot, which should cover the Wii and DS games I have recently got, the ones that I am looking forward to getting by the end of the year, and believe me there are a few. What I have been playing my Wii on, pictures included, my temperamental internet connection and the hype of a certain game which my original blog was about, so enjoy because at the time of writing this I don't know how long this sucker will be.

Let's see the two most recent games I have got my hands on for both the Wii and DS are Final Fantasy 3, quite old I know but still never got around to getting it, and Super Paper Mario both of which I have actually stopped playing this past week as I have been working so much, but I am still enjoying them, Super Paper Mario more so mainly because of the humour. Lets start with Final Fantasy 3, can't really say I am surprised much about this looks great for a DS game and almost as good as say Final Fantasy 9 on the PSone which the character models seem to be most similar too, other than that the game is a bit of a odd one for an update seeing as the story is poor being that it was a NES game to begin with and the had hardly any story to them until the went to the Snes games, and as a result you can often get confused on what to do next, since you aren't always told a whole lot, but a great way to show what the DS can do, and I am now really looking for the remake of Final Fantasy 4 since that was the first one to have an in depth story so that should be on par with most PSone RPGs in terms of size and scale, I also have my fingers crossed that SquareEnix are also planning on doing both Final Fantasy 5 & 6 like this since they would be the ones to get and if 6 is done right in 3D it would rival 7 in terms of size and just sheer greatness, but maybe that's just wishful thinking and my behalf. Ok on to Super Paper Mario, now I have been a fan of this series since the first one was released on the N64 just because it was so damn funny and easy to get into and was something unlike anything else around being a cross between RPG and Platform games, the second was more of the same but on a far larger scale with everything just turned right up and the humour was there again. Now the third in the series is pretty much the same with the exception it removes the turn-based and turns it into more of a straight out platform game with some RPG elements, not that it makes it any worse if anything it makes the game quicker to play as there is not stopping and starting for battles, I'd recommend it to anyone who liked the last two and even if you haven't if you have a sense of humour go and get it because like the last two it is very funny and if you don't think it is then you have something seriously wrong with you.

Well now onto what I am really looking forward to getting my hands on, only really one on the DS which I have yet to pick up and that's Zelda: Phantom Hourglass so being a Zelda fan I doubt I have to say why I really want that since it's pretty self explanatory. Now onto the Wii games which wet my appetite and there are a few, number one that is already out and that is Metroid Prime 3: Corruption haven't picked it up this past week since I am so tired from working and would rather pick it up when I know I can play it since I know it will something I love and put it up there with Zelda and Resident Evil 4 as two games that need to be had and played through. Lets see other games well since I am a huge wrestling fan I will be getting Smackdown vs RAW 2008 next week mainly because it's finally coming to the Wii and isn't a cut down version this time like THQ seemed to release on the GCN and left all the good stuff for the PS2, and since I still don't plan on replacing my Xbox360 anytime soon it's the only way I can play it, well I could get the PS2 version but why when I can get it on the Wii? Looking forward to that anyway mainly because I am a geek for wrestling games I guess. Anyway one game that really has me interested is Zack & Wiki just because it seems to be one of those games that will be fun just because it's made to be that way and maybe one of the first non-Nintendo made games that uses the Wii well, but chances are it will be missed by most which is a shame. Guilty Gear XX Accent Core also is one game I really want, although it's not out here until next year so I don't have to worry about getting it at the moment but anyone who knows me well will know I just have a love for a good 2D beat-em-up and this is certainly one of them, call me old but you can't recreate that sort of action in a 3D fighter so easy, so fingers also crossed Capcom don't make Street Fighter 4 3D.

Still with me on this? I am no where near finished yet. I'm really also thinking of getting Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock but I have never really been a fan of music based games and the only one I have is Donkey Konga 2 and that's only because it was free with a subscription so may have to try that one first. Battalion Wars 2 is one game that has me really excited just because an RTS using the Wii-mote should be as easy as using a mouse to play plus it looks good and should be fun to play and I missed the first one so this should really make up for it. On the subject of strategy games Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn looks good with the exception it looks near enough the same as the GCN game although the Fire Emblem games have never been about the looks not greatly fussed on the looks but as with Battalion Wars I missed the first one on the GCN too so will be nice to see how this plays. Ok that seems to be the ones that are starting to get reviewed now out of the way now onto the ones that should be out quite soon.

Can't not mention Super Mario Galaxy straight away here this is a game I have probably been waiting a decade to play since I completed Super Mario 64, sure Sunshine was a good game but never managed to match the N64 classic, this game should and hopefully surpass it. I can't really say much else than I want this game more than any other this year and I will have it. I am also really looking forward to the Wii-Zapper games Link's Crossbow training should be a good way to show what the thing can do but not expecting it to be the greatest game although still makes great sense to have it packed the Wii-zapper as it is one of the key games that will help sell it just based on the name alone plus who doesn't like shooting things on screen anyway, with this Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles and Ghost Squad I'm sure I will be shooting at things for months but I used to love going to the arcade and playing these sorts of games up until now they seem to have disappeared so it's good the Wii is bringing them back. I am not so sure about Medal of Honor Heroes 2 though but if it delivers the 32 player online mode well then perhaps it will be worth playing for that alone. Think that's about it really with the exception of one game which I will get to on my last bit of the blog, I will say this though it's good to see games on the Wii are finally starting to look like more than GCN/PS2 games with motion sensing controls, even Twilight Princess is a GCN game in the graphics department as good as it looks, but just compare it less than a year down the line to both Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy and you can see just how much more the Wii can do over the last generation of consoles, now if third party developers took note of this and stopped just porting the PS2 versions with different controls things may start looking up or do what Capcom and Sega seem to be doing and make games that are designed for the Wii or is that asking too much?

Lets see now, I thought I would include a couple of pictures in here of what I actually play my Wii on just because well I can, may not be the biggest TV but it can take near enough every connection you throw at it except VGA but that's not really a loss any more.

Also want to mention about my internet connection as of late I know have a wired connection to my computer which is great but the wireless connection has went down, which means no Virtual console downloads on my Wii which sucks since I wanted to get a couple of games this past weekend which is just my luck I guess, the whole thing just seems to hate me, but I am sure it will be back on soon, I hope anyway I'm getting sick of spending hours trying to fix it with no results.

Anyway onto what this blog was originally about I am going to give it its own sub-header since it was a blog on its own at one point although I have started and stopped wring this at the moment just because I feel like crap so now I have to remember what I was wring in the first place since being the idiot I am I deleted the original one so I can't just copy and paste what I had, so here goes;

The Hype Machine

There are so few games that actually manage to live up to the hype that they get these days often because it goes overboard and they just don't deliver everything that is promised and often don't really match what the previous game in the series managed since these days most games that receive the most hype are sequels to one of the biggest selling games are the ones with the most devoted fan bases, which is why the game I am going to talk about is arguably creating it's own hype not only based on the last game but just what is going to be in the new one, and that is Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It would be fair to say the Super Smash Bros. Melee came from out of no where really despite the fact that it is a sequel its self the original was really just a bare bones basic game so there wasn't really all that much hype or expectation behind the release of Super Smash Bros. Melee because of that and despite what I would say that it's not quite the greatest game around it still is great fun and done something few expected and that was cram so much in the game that it can take ages to look through everything let alone play the thing, and since the original has so little to offer compared to this it's just overwhelming to see how much content actually is in the game which is really why it has gained such a devoted fan base due to the fact that there is so much to see and do and then there is the multi player mode which is just the whole point of the game. This time around however there will be no sneaking up on people, unless you are using Snake, because everyone is expecting this to be not only bigger but better than the last game, how is that possible? Well why just make claims of how it will be better? Why not just show everyone as it happens? So that's exactly what is happening which has to be a first for a game with so much expectation on its shoulders, but this is becoming a game that is its own hype because not only is it pretty much taking the amount of content from the previous game and anyone who has played that know just how much that was, but it is adding everything else you could possibly want too in order to make it better, so online battles that everyone wanted they are in there, possibly the best sound track to a game ever? Why not have that too. How about something to do with the pictures you could take on the GCN game which if anything were pointless since you really couldn't share them................. but you can now via Wi-Fi, and why not be able to make the game last pretty much forever with a level editor? Yep they got that in there too. I know why not stick characters in from non-Nintendo games............ seem to have done that too with Snake from Metal gear games and that damn blue rodent that everyone seems to have wanted in this game for ages seems these people are listening to what the fans of the last game actually want, and also putting the things in that you didn't know you wanted and making it better such as making the Adventure mode two players and who knows what else will end up in the final game but I am sure the surprises are far from over, would personally like to see Mega Man in there from Capcom since both Sega and Konami have added there own characters to this, if you aren't following the hype of this game I would suggest you do so now by going over to www.smashbros.com and start following it as it's updated every day Monday to Friday.

There are so few games that will live up to the hype these day but I can see this being one that does but only because it is helping to create more by be so well documented through the site and I can't think of any game that has had this sort of exposure as the game is being developed?

Well all I can say is if Super Smash Bros. Melee was the original game turned up x100 this is Melee x10 and really is destined to succeed and chances are go on to become the best selling Wii game in its lifespan just good to see a game that is in every way being made for the fans of the last one and adding everything that couldn't go into it due to hardware and memory constraints. So glad too that this game has been pushed back since I don't think I will have time to play all these games this year that I want or even afford them.

Anyway hope you haven't fell asleep reading all that, because I did at one typing it, only because how I feel not through boredom, since I really wanted to get all those thoughts down since it really has been ages and I actually had a lot to say, I was going to mention my disappointment over Manhunt 2 again but I am over that in a way now, Still nice to see Rockstar supporting the Wii just would like to see a Wii exclusive game from them. Now I think I am going to go and lie down for a while and maybe will get the energy to play something.

Well I never seem to get around to upsating this blog any more despite wanting too, maybe i am too lazy, or maybe I haven't got back into the swing of things online since I lost my internet connection about an hour before E3 started and went without it for almost two months. i really want to try and keep this thing going as I love to get my thoughts down. So I will hopefully try and keep things going and try and post my further thoughts on the Wii and what not.

Well I have to say now the game seem dead and truly buried, at least in it's current form anyway, since both Nintendo and Sony wont allow it's release in North America, now it seem the game be quite violent, but still this has to be a first for any game to get an out right ban like this, and if anything really ads to the games hype, I have to admit it makes me want it more, but I liked the look of it and wanted to see what the Wii version would have been like control wise.

Well if anything the game is more than likely going to be put on hold because I can't see Rockstar just cancelling it, they did the same with GTA: SA, but that never got the sort of ban this has so close to release, I can imagine if anything certain parts of the game will just end up getting toned down although it depends on how much of the story would need to be changed, all pretty interesting since I suppose only Rockstar now the exact details of what was found to be really bad about and what would have to change, if it's pretty much the whole game then they would have to cancel it or it would really end any chance of it coming out any time soon.

Well now that Manhunt 2 has been banned here in the UK and Ireland and has received an Adult Only rating in North America, it seem Rockstar have been forced into making a statement yet again to defend one of there games, because with the exception of a handful of their games all of them get bad press for one reason or another, and in all honesty most of it is normally over the top. This part really just strikes me as being completely true;

The company continued that it believed all products should be rated to "allow the public to make informed choices." While Rockstar stated that it would of course respect the decision and the difference in opinion, "We hope they will also consider the opinions of the adult gamers for whom this product is intended."

The statement continued, "The stories in modern video games are as diverse as the stories in books, film and television. The adult consumers who would play this game fully understand that it is fictional interactive entertainment and nothing more."

Considering the original was later banned in the UK after some boy was killed when him and a friend were supposed to be copying a scene from the game, despite the fact that they were under the age to play the game, that was an 18 rating and they were 16 or 17, I can't remember the exact details. You can pretty much guess this is the reason for the game being banned, despite the fact that they wont come out and say it, since there are other forms of media just as violent and more so that gets released each year and no word seems to be said about them, regardless of if they are movies or books. If it had received and 18 rating I'm sure there would have been met with some protest as most of Rockstars games are upon release, but at least then no one under the legal adult age would be able to purchase it, there for that would put the blame of that persons actions solely on there own shoulders. Although saying that stricter selling laws really need to be introduced on selling games and dvds since despite most general retails not selling these games to anyone under the age, online ones are different as you don't need any form of ID to buy them online and as far as I am aware anyone around the age of 14 or so can posses a debit card for their bank accounts which means they can buy them online no questions asked, so something needs to be sorted about that for instance anything with a certain age rating should require use of a credit card to purchase online since you would have to be 18 to have a credit card to begin with.

Although to be honest it would help if some parents didn't just buy whatever there children want regardless if the age rating, I am sure they don't allow their children to watch pornography but would happily allow a lot of them to watch a movie with an 18 rating or play a game with the same rating. To be honest this game is probably no worse than the first game or than any big budget horror movie, and people should be allowed access to it. I also don't believe this form of violent media will create violent people since the vast majority of people who play them know the difference of real and what's in the game and they can't go around just copying what they see, they would have to have a seriously bad mental problem to think other wise. I wouldn't say this form of media influence younger minds any more than other things out there either, but again that's what the age rating is for and if they don't have access to it then it can't influence them. If anything the news and internet are far more of an influence than any forms of entertainment media.

To be honest that is just my strong feeling on this though and I doubt my opinion will ever change.

Ok I have done my first video blog today although there seems to be a few problems, first i had huge problems uploading it and now I finally have it's not actually working although no user videos seem to be working at the moment, or atleast for me anyway. well i just quickly talk about Manhunt 2 being banned here in the UK just as a quick opening blog, well at least I will do if the video works, so fingers crossed.

[EDIT] Well the video clearly works as it's up at the time of posting it there may have been some technical problems on Gamespot.

[video=diYwkTDw5b4Lsj7e]

Well what can I say I have spent the vast majority of my time on my Wii playing the Virtual Console games, this is mainly due to the lack of any new games being released right now on the Wii other than what's on the Virtual Console. not that I have a problem with any of that as it's by far one of the best ideas Nintendo has came up with, just the thought of all those games in one place is scary to think of, and all emulated perfectly, even the Classic controller is near enough perfect, as it is as good if not better than the Snescontroller it is based on and that is a tough feat to do as that is by far the best pad I had ever used up until now as far as 2D games went, but if you are going to download any Snes or Megadrive (Genesis) games it's more than worth it as controlling then with a GCN pad is near enough impossible not just because of the small D-pad but the layout of the four face buttons, as I found out after downloading Donky Kong Country 2 and it was near enough imposible to run and jump at the same time, well worth getting one if you haven't already.

Maybe Nintendo has got it right anyway going backwards in order to go forwards? Any wayI have already downloaded 8 games and can see many more in the future, and since here in Europe we will be able to trade stars that we have earned on Nintendo products on the Official Nintendo website for Wii points soon I am sure I will have quite a few free games on my way as I have saved up quite a few points over the last year or so, since I have brought quite a few official Nintendo products to do so.Maybe it's my age starting to show here but I seem to enjoy older games now, or maybe I just want to get the games i couldn't when I was younger, either way i am loving it.

After a few months of it starting to screw me around my Xbox 360 has finally given in and yesterday I got the red blinking light telling me of a hardware fault, and i know it's the DVD drive so it will be sitting in the corner now for some time until I replace it. It's not so bad really I can devote my time to the Wii now, and on that subject I have downloaded a new game for it as of last night, and that is Dragon's Curse from the TurboGrafx, now I really never knew anything about this game at all really until I read the description of it, and realised that it was the same game as Wonder Boy 3: The Dragons Trap from the Sega Master System, and when I realised that I just had to have it. This is also the first TurboGrafx game I have ever played and am enjoying it, although I knew I would since it was one of my favourite SMS games, just looks better really and plays as well as ever. I will add it to my list of Wii games when GameSpot gets around to adding it, but for everyone who doesn't know how good this game is, if you like your action adventure games with a touch of RPG. then I can't recomend this game enough.

Well it's certainly happening now, as time goes on consoles are becoming more and more like our PCs, from using a HDD and USB ports to being upgradable, even since the days of the PS2 it was becoming more like a PC with the ability to use USB keyboards and a mouse, and even have its own OS in Linux, and the PS3 continues this trend, and is you have the 60GB model it has card readers for all major types of memory cards. On the subject of the 60GB model, it used to be a case of one model of console and that was it, now depending on what you pay you get more technology in your console, like a larger HDD and card readers for instance, and even wireless functionality, with some technical know how you can even upgrade the PS3's HDD yourself, much like a PC, turning the PS3 into a PC in all but looks really. Sony are not the only ones to do this of course, Microsoft started off this with the Xbox and having a HDD in it, and they did say it's not a PC it's a console, so funny thing are going full circle and console start to become more and more like PCs, then again PC technology has became such a standard it's hard to argues against it. The Xbox360 is a has been a slightly different matter up until now where it's upgrades have been available as just system expansions, so the core system could really just be upgraded to the premium system over time, well until now of course with the latest elite system featuring one major change to the system its self and that being the HDMI socket on the back of the console, so much like the 60GB model of the PS3 you have to pay for slightly better technology, and then there is the 120GB HDD which as with all the other parts of the XBox360 is also available as a separate upgrade. It make me wonder how long it will be until Microsoft include both built in wireless functionality and HD-DVD in the package, which were more than likely left out at the moment to keep the cost down, but in time they will become cheaper so the system may stay the same price for a long time to come but just have more annual updates, to the overall package, much like PCs. The same seems to be happening with the PS3 with an 80GB model rumoured. The only one I doubt this will happen with is the Wii, since it really has no need for it, unless it eventually had a flash memory upgrade, although seeing as you can pick up a 2GB SD card for about £20, I see no real point.

I don't see this as a bad thing at all as long as newer games don't require any of the major system differences to run, I don't see it as a bad thing for the games industry to have the systems improve over time, and always means if you have a console from early in it's lifecycle, when you do have to replace it you will be getting a more streamlined model with better features. As long as the new systems aren't over priced that is, since my Xbox360 is starting to go I am looking at the new Elite system, and eagerly awaiting to find the price out. If it is no more than £350 I will look into investing in it, any more and i would have to go for the premium system. If it is £350+ I would consider getting a PS3 before I replace my Xbox360. Funny really how consoles were always so different from PCs now they are becoming so much like them, i guess it's because PC technology has become so much of a stantard for everything it had to happen, now all I have to figure out is where I put my new graphics card in my Xbox360 and I'll be all set.