Age rating:

3+ (PEGI)

What is it?

A Mario game - 3D-platformer.

Is it fun?

Yes.

Is it worth the money? £29.99

Yes.

Why?

I’ve always been rather indifferent when it comes to Mario games until I played Super Mario 64, which was brilliant. Unfortunately the GameCube’s Mario extravaganza (Super Mario Sunshine) was well, total poo to be honest. However, I’m pleased to say that Super Mario Galaxy tops even the great Mario 64 for sheer enjoyment. I can’t even complain of the total lack of imagination shown by Nintendo when it churns out the same games for each generation of Nintendo console when this incarnation of Mario is just so much fun.

The graphics look great (by Wii standards) and complement the game wonderfully. Sure there are some iffy looking textures and a few jaggies, but I didn’t care as the whole game is amazing. The sound is a perfect mix of chirpyness and classic Mario sounds and themes. It also has a brilliant, brilliant music track for the Battlerock galaxy that I challenge anyone to play this galaxy and not have a giant smile on their face.

I loved the whole playfulness of Mario’s new galaxy environment. Flying, flipping, gliding, jumping and catapulting between all the planets on each of the levels is just awesome. The attention to detail that the designers have lavished on every planet, however small is a joy to behold. I loved the way that seemingly simple puzzles were brought to life by splitting them over lots of mini planets and great use of the Wii controller. This is probably the first game after Wii Sports where the control method just feels right. From rolling around on top a giant ball, to flying through the air as a little bumble bee, the Wiimote and nunchuk make controlling Mario something to be enjoyed.

Bad points. Well, swimming underwater takes a bit of getting used to. The camera has a habit of choosing the worst time to change its viewpoint, which usually happens when you’re negotiating a really nasty sequence of platforms.

It took me just over 14 hours to get to the end of the game and finally beat Bowser, but that still leaves me with another 55 power stars to collect. Then I’ll have finally completed the game. So Lordy knows how long that’s going to take with some fiendish and very dexterous puzzles lying in wait.

In summary:

A wonderful game in every way. Mario is the easily the best game on the Wii.

Screenshots:

Popularity: 13% [?]

Welcome to the 4rd instalment of Blog Banter, the monthly blogging extravaganza headed by bs angel. Blog Banter involves a cosy community of enthusiastic gaming bloggers, a common topic, and a week to post articles pertaining to said topic. The results are quite entertaining and can range from deep insight to ROFLMAO. If you are interested in participating, contact bs angel for more information. Check out other Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post.

“We thought it was a phase that you’d grow out of.” Sound familiar? Well, these are the words spoken to me by my parents when discussing the topic of videogames. Grow out of what exactly? What’s wrong with playing videogames for the rest of my life, they aren’t just for kids you know?

When Christmas 1984 came around my parents bought a BBC Model B Microcomputer for my older brother. Didn’t make much difference whose it was as I took to it like a fish to water. Little did they know what they had started. My journey into the world of videogames had begun. Yay for parents.

Now fast forward 23 Christmases (yuk, I feel old now). There I was sitting in my parent’s living room playing Sonic and Mario at the Olympic Games on the Nintendo Wii with my girlfriend. The rest of my family were sitting on the adjacent sofa looking distinctly disinterested in my rabid wiimote flailing and even turned their collective noses up at Wii Sports (but it was made for old people). The overriding feeling was that adults should be playing with children’s toys at their age, unless it’s with another child. Then it’s all ok, as you’re playing WITH the child and not acting AS a child.

Even in 2007, when the games industry officially overtook the music industry in terms of overall revenue, the sight of an adult playing videogames is still viewed as fairly childish behaviour by a large section of society. Sure there are plenty of children playing videogames. You only have to spend some time on-line using Xbox LIVE to witness many, many teenagers communicating via a mixture of swear words and grunting. However, these teenagers only account for 28.2% of gamers. 47.6% of gamers are aged 18-49 with the remaining 24.2% aged 50+ according to a recent report by Entertainment Software Association (ESA).

Now that I’ve been playing videogames for 23 years now, I’m the average gamer (33 years old). From Elite on the BBC Model B to Army of Two on the Xbox 360 (mmm, not a great game but the most recent one I’ve played) I’ve enjoyed every minute. So that makes me a gamer and an adult. I must be very childish then? Err no, in fact for many aspects of my professional life playing videogames has actually helped me in performing medical procedures (e.g. endoscopy or colonoscopy) as they have developed my hand to eye coordination.

We need to get over the fact that videogames aren’t just for children. Now more than ever they are played by adults, like me, who aren’t your stereotypical gamer (long hair, poor social skills and personal hygiene). If only the rest of society, in particular politicians, would start behaving like adults towards the games industry and the gamers themselves, we could start making some progress. Or maybe I should give up on that idea and go binge drinking down the pub and start smoking in order to be treated like a “grown up” adult in today’s screwed up society.

Check out these other Blog Banter articles: The Average Gamer, Silvercublogger, shinybento, Unfettered Blather, Boom Stick Brigade, Gamer Unit, Zath!, Man Bytes Blog, Game Couch, Video Game Sandwich, Delayed Responsibility, thoughts and rants, Hawty McBloggy

Popularity: 11% [?]

Datel’s FreeLoader software supposedly makes any Wii multi-region. Whilst this is a very good thing, there is very little information on just how effective the FreeLoader software is. So Tikipod decided to test his collection of GameCube games (and 1 US Wii game) to find out.

Test system:

• UK Wii Console - set to 60 Hz 4:3 screen mode
• Sony CRT TV (handles 60hz mode)
• RGB SCART lead
• COMPONENT lead - For CARNIVAL game test
• Wii FreeLoader - EURO version (£9.99 from Play.com)

Games tested and results: (GameCube unless otherwise indicated)

• PIKMIN (JAP) - Works fine
• PIKMIN 2 (JAP) - Doesn’t work
• PN03 (JAP) - Works but has squashed display
• SUPER MONKEYBALL (JAP) - Works fine
• METROID PRIME (US) - Works but with some pre-game menu issues (in game ok)
• ZELDA - WINDWAKER (US) - Doesn’t work
• ZELDA - WINDWAKER BONUS DISK - OCARINA OF TIME (US) - Doesn’t work
• RESIDENT EVIL 4 (US) - Works but has squashed display
• WAVERACE: BLUE STORM (JAP) - Works but with thin flickering band near the top of the screen. Gameplay unaffected but flickering band is annoying
• VIEWTIFUL JOE (JAP) - Works but with squashed display and playback issues with pre-menu movies
• DOBUTSO BANCHO (ANIMAL LEADER) - Works but has squashed display
• CARNIVAL (US - Wii Version) - Works but need to use COMPONENT lead otherwise the colours are all screwy (red and black)

As you can see, most of the games tested worked, but a number suffered some sort of issue. Tikipod didn’t test any JAP Wii games, as he didn’t have any available. According to one of the comments on the Play.com Freeloader product page Super Smash Brothers Brawl (US) works just fine so you can all rest easy.

Oh, and the recent reports that the latest Wii firmware update (called IOS37) disables FreeLoader is a hoax. However, with all the Wii firmware updates that Nintendo rolls out there’s no guarantee that FreeLoader won’t be disabled by one of them in the future.

Update 24th Mar 08: Carnival is a Wii game, so updated the post accordingly.

Popularity: 11% [?]

WARNING: The site featured in this post may not be a reliable trader. Since originally posting, we have found multiple reports of customers not receiving their items and their payments being retained. See here, here and here.

Order at your own risk.

If you have an outstanding claim with this company, please check out this thread on MoneySavingExpert.com

You’ve got your Wii, you’ve created your Mii. Now what? Get your Mii on a t-shirt, that’s what!
Well stop your grinnin’ and drop your linen* now you can, courtesy of Mrcloud.com

Either send Mr Cloud a digital photo of your Mii or even better use some of the limited Mii functionality Nintendo actually bothered to include in every Wii console:

• Email your Wii Friend Code to Mr Cloud.
• Add Mr Cloud’s Wii friend code to your Wii.
• Goto the Mii plaza and send them your Mii.

Here is an example of what your finished t-shirt will look like:

British Gaming Blog have a £3 off coupon you could use.

*Hudson - Aliens (1986)

Popularity: 18% [?]

For those of you who are still trying to bag a Wii then check out the GAME “live” Wii stock update page.

I say “live” as it was last updated on the 15th Dec, which is pretty recent I suppose. You never know you might get lucky and browse the page just when some stock becomes available.

If you do can you let us know? K’bye.

Edited December 2007: GAME are not doing a live stock tracker this year :( Try the MoneySavingExpert.com forums for the latest reader-spotted stocks.

Popularity: 19% [?]