Posted by pookzilla on June 30, 2009
So, after ten days of Wii (at 35 minutes a day) fit I’ve lost… just shy of 5lbs. Not exactly dramatic results, but results I’m happy with all the same. My clothes definitely fit better and my lung capacity seems MUCH better. The games are still fun, but I do feel I’ll exhaust their charm eventually. Also, there is one feature that’s critically absent and that is the ability to pre-define a daily regime. I do the same thing every day and it’s annoying to have to go through the menu system to do it. These quibbles are sure to be addressed in the enevitable Wii Fit 2.
Posted by pookzilla on June 21, 2009
After much wimbling we decided to pick up Wii Fit today. As a first impression it’s pretty bloody awesome. The board is responsive and the activities were a lot more intense than I was expecting – after half an hour I’ve managed to work up a really nice sweat. I’m aiming to play for 30 minutes a day and see what kind of results I get – according to my pudgy, judgmental little avatar I’m Overweight – I’d like to show her a thing or two.
Incidentally, I’ve all but given up on the Wii. As a console it’s a pretty dramatic disappointment. Nintendo puts out some good first party titles (and have farmed out some development of other assets to some competent folks) but in general the machine just doesn’t get any use. I’ve always loved Nintendo, but they’re on the cusp of losing me here…
Posted by pookzilla on October 28, 2008
I skipped out at lunch yesterday to fetch my copy from EB Games. Staying at work was incredibly difficult, but made easier due to the fact that we had a PS3 in the basement which I sampled the game on. After work both Lexy and I raced home to play it and did so until we managed to pry it from our hands so that we might go to sleep. I write this now under great duress – the time I spend typing here means time I’m not playing Little Big Planet.
It’s not perfect. In fact, as a platformer, it suffers from some pretty serious flaws (jumping distance, skittishness, difficult Z axis maneuvering for starters). Despite these flaws it’s an absolute blast to play. It’s gorgeous – better looking than any other console game I can think of – and fresh. So very fresh. Guh. I want to gush. But if I do, that’ll take too much time away from LBP.
I feel like I should also mention World of Goo. We picked this up over the weekend and it really is an excellent game. I should say more about it… but I can’t. The timing is so wrong. I’ll need to revisit it in a month or so. Maybe.
Posted by pookzilla on June 15, 2008
We picked up Boom Blox the other day and it hadn’t occurred to me just how much we’ve been playing it. Reflecting on that, it occurs to me that I Really Like It. It looks like kaka, but it’s just so bloody fun. But then, how could exploding Jenga with cute cows NOT be fun?
Posted by pookzilla on January 21, 2008
In yet another example of our fiscal responsibility we purchased Zack and Wiki the other day. It was inevitable – I spent a lot of time extolling its virtues and I was starting to feel like a hypocrite for not buying it. When we saw it at EB Games and Lexy suggested we buy it I couldn’t help but agree.
We put about 5 hours into it yesterday, getting roughly 2/3rds of the way through. My review is unabashedly positive. It’s an excellent game that really shows off the potential of the Wii. The art direction is great (making up for the lackluster horesepower of the Wii), it’s funny, the puzzles are intuitive but satisfying, and the controls are spot on with the exception of the difficult rhythm game. If it doesn’t spawn a sequel I hope that it at least spawns some quality imitators.
Posted by pookzilla on December 28, 2007
This has been another awesome Christmas. No stress, no fuss, just good eating, great company, and a crazy amount of presents.
First, the presents. I wont enumerate them completely but the items relevant to what I talk about here include three video games (Super Mario Galaxy, Assassins Creed, and Folklore), Wii remotes and Sixaxis controllers (shared), and a Hello Kitty Stratocaster with practice amp and numerous Hello Kitty branded accessories(!).
First, the games.
After about 3-4 hours of playtime I feel the negative reviews of Assassins Creed are unfair. It’s not the second coming of video games but I find it quite enjoyable, particularly jumping from rooftop to rooftop like a medieval Batman. For nothing else I’d stick with it just to experience the story, which in my opinion, is probably the freshest new game IP in years.
In the past three days Lexy and I have put in about 21 hours of Mario Galaxy. It’s my opinion that this is indeed the best game ever made. Despite being on the Wii I have to say it’s probably the prettiest game on the current generation of consoles (not accounting pixels of course – but design). It is a bit on the easy side, but I do not consider this a fault. I’ve yet to think to myself “this game isn’t fair.” When it does become difficult you feel that with just a few more tries you can accomplish what’s vexing you. This is SO unlike Mario Sunshine. If I had one complaint it would be that the hub area (the Starship) isn’t as rich as Delfino Plaza in Sunshine. You could spend hours just tooling around Delfino sniffing out secrets. The secrets that are in the Starship, such as they are, are quite shallow in comparison.
I can’t yet comment on Folklore – I haven’t had time to put it in yet. But from the demos I’ve played I’m going to enjoy it quite a bit.
Now, the guitar. I’ve been keen to take up an instrument again lately. My last foray into music (despite being limited) was great if only for one thing – it really helped boost the self esteem. On a lark I suggested that I might want a Hello Kitty instrument and lo – there it was on Christmas morning! I haven’t managed to learn a thing so far but I suppose it’s early yet.
Posted by pookzilla on November 14, 2007
This is a good time to be a gamer but a bad time to have a job and a fiancee. I forgot all about Assassin’s Creed, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Umbrella Chronicles… and those are just the ones for the consoles I own.
*whimper*
Posted by pookzilla on November 12, 2007
I have to be honest – the Wii has been a bit of a disappointment for me. As a diehard Nintendo fan this is impossibly difficult for me to say. I cannot believe I live in a world where not only do I own a Playstation but it sees at least 5x the use that my Wii does. It pains me. I’ve cried myself to sleep at night.
With that in mind I’m pretty excited about the Wii right now. I had the fortune of playing two games on the weekend that have resparked my interest – Guitar Hero III and Zack and Wiki.
Guitar Hero III, while being multiplatform, feels at home on the Wii (notwithstanding the totally unacceptable mono bug that’s been exposed). This was my first experience with any of the Guitar Hero games and despite my skepticism it had me from the first song. Even though I probablly looked like a dumbass I felt like a total pro. Acing a song in that game gives you a real sense of accomplishment. I almost regret buying Eye of Judgment now – if I knew how much I enjoyed Guitar Hero I would’ve chosen it instead.
Zack and Wiki and the Wii were made for one another. Modern(ish) graphics and oldschool LucasArts-style adventure gameplay. I played through a few of the initial levels and felt like I had a smile on my face the entire time. I particularly like how additional players can help along via additional Wiimotes – it lends itself so well to cooperative gameplay by nature that this small touch was a real win for me. I sincerely hope that it becomes a commercial success – the Wii needs more A class ORIGINAL games like this.
Tomorrow of course brings us Super Mario Galaxy. My anticipation for this can best be summed up by gurgling and a cross-eyed stare. Unfortunately for me I can’t buy it – it’s on my Christmas List which means I have a month and a half of agony ahead of me provided I get it at all.
Ten Days On
