All you need is a Mushroom

I’ve done it again. Different track, different circumstances, but the timing was just as impeccable.

Last time I dodged a Blue Shell it was pure chance. I hit the boost pad and took flight over the river that meanders through DK’s Jungle Raceway at the very moment that the Blue Shell attempted it’s kamikaze swan dive.

This time was different. Let me strap you in behind the wheel for a drivers-eye view of what happened… Comfortable? Good. Here we go...

You’re in first place on the final lap of a 150cc GP race at Mushroom Gorge. You’ve controlled the race, from the front, since the green light and have just bounced and tricked your way over the mushrooms in the cave one last time. You hit the track and mini turbo perfectly towards the final turn. Victory is about to be yours.

Then you hear it. It’s coming again. A Blue Shell.

All your hard work is going to be undone because the chasing pack are not very far behind. But wait, you have one last chance. You exit the hair-pin onto the long straight. The finish line is in sight but the Blue Shell is closing fast. In the top right of your screen is your chance. You have a Mushroom. You wait as long as you dare and then, keeping the kart as straight as you can, you hit the d-pad and turbo toward the finish line. But the line is too far away! The turbo boost expires and your kart slows down. But where’s the Blue Shell? It missed? No? You dodged it! Yay!! You timed the Mushroom so perfectly that at the instant before impact you boosted out of its destructive clutches.

Take that evil Blue Shell!

“All you need is love” said the Beatles. “All you need is a Mushroom” said Gameov3r, from his FORUM. All I need is some sleep! Oh, did anyone tell you that GTA IV is out?

In Other News...

I'm approaching todays post with only one thing in mind and that is so you can actually read some gaming news that doesn't mention GTA IV...

Bugger!

Read about all kinds of stuff on the GAMEOVER Forum from 'nodes' to GTA IV!

And now for something almost, but not entirely, completely different.

It was the morning of the Wii Fit launch and Fifi’s pre-ordered copy was waiting for her. Bah! Just the wrong time to have caught a cold …. the thing was bound to pronounce her unfit and weedy.

Fifi had a healthy, good fit intentioned, breakie and rushed off to town, stopping on the way to the game shop at the chemists for more tissues, Vaseline, cough medicine, snuffle.

Soon Fifi was back home unwrapping her new purchase (having carried it back to the car with much paranoia and looking round for muggers). She was very impressed by how sturdy the balance board was and even more impressed when she saw the measurements on screen were in pounds. Fifi’s furry visitor friend Ralphy came to check it out he takes a keen interest in whatever Fifi is up to.
And now for the dreaded moment of truth …..phew it said BMI ideal and didn’t make Fifi’s Mii look fatter. It was on the heavier side of ideal though and recommended that Fifi could do with shedding a few pounds ….well of course it would wouldn’t it.

Fifi tried out a few exercises and ………it was fun ……even jogging on the spot with the Wiimote in your pocket is fun as on screen you jog behind a pace Mii and …….oh no there’s Der Zamonier zooming past mii, oh and then she spotted Gaffer coming the opposite way, then Fudge cheering her on from the side and finally Pedro clapping when she got to the finish line.

Head the football balance exercise next ….didn’t do so well, got smacked in the head with a couple of old footie boots. On to downhill slalom……fun. Muscle strengthening ….Fifi tried to do a push-up and failed miserably …..but you can start with easier “box” push ups ie: keep your knees on the ground and it will still register your movement. As for anything involving standing on one leg Fifi wobbled around and had to keep dabbing her foot down.

Then on to the yoga section deep breathing and some stretches ……Fifi didn’t dare try the standing on one leg of those yet. Overall total 16 mins of exercise clocked up for the first day, not too bad considering Fifi still felt really crummy from her cold. Fifi decided that although it was expensive she was pleased with it, much cheaper than a gym membership and fun enough to help you stick at it. Oh and it came with a really cool Wii Fit dumbbell shaped water bottle!


Thanks for reading,
Fifi

Get in touch with a Personal Fitness Instructor on the Gameov3r FORUM. We don't actually have one yet but I'm certain Gameov3r can offer his experience in arm exercises.

Hero or Slave?

I think it's pretty clear that there are advantages when using a traditional controller with Mario Kart Wii. As gamers we're simply more at home, more adept and more comfortable with an analogue stick than with the motion sensing Wii Wheel.

I'm not going to start bashing the Wii Wheel, far from it. In fact I'm a big fan of the wheel and think that Nintendo have once again been brave, to a point, in creating something different. The Wheel adds a unique and fun element to Mario Kart and makes races both hotly contested and hilarious. The Wheel is a shining light in what would otherwise have been a fairly average addition to the Mario Kart series. I'm quite glad that the cowboy outfit is optional, thanks for the video Lee, although I've always wanted to try wearing a Stetson while racing at Moo Moo Meadows. Speaking of headwear, isn't it awful that our favourite Nintendo characters are out there risking life and limb on motorbikes without helmets! What's that teaching the kids? I'm sure the HSE will have something to say when they hear about this!

Using the Wii Wheel presents gamers with challenges, this is where some gamers fall off the track, and because the challenges aren't present using analogue sticks it's easier just to go back to what you know.

Here’s a bit of gaming steering wheel history. If you remember the Atari Arcade game Night Driver, released in 1976, you will also recall that this game had a large, black plastic steering wheel. The idea to steer the car with a steering wheel was, of course, sound but it was poorly implemented and hardly ergonomically designed. The steering wheel felt disconnected, it span around and around loosely not being weighted in any way. It certainly didn't self-centre or have a neutral position. If you're not old enough to remember Night Driver then perhaps you've played on a well-worn Outrun machine, incidentally the game that perfected arcade game steering, that had a knackered steering wheel that didn't centre itself and simply flopped from side to side. It could be argued that 22 years after Atari released Night Driver Nintendo have made the same mistakes with the Wii Wheel.

Considering the design of the Wii Wheel the Night Driver problems are unavoidable and I don't think it's true that Nintendo made the same mistakes as Atari. Holding the Wii Wheel comfortably in both hands leaves no chance of feeling disconnected or of the wheel spinning loosely through your grip. The weight is supplied by you and the feedback and feeling couldn't be better. One issue remains though and it's what sets the Wii Wheel apart from and behind the other control methods. It's the lack of a centre or neutral position. It's this that means that the Wii Wheel is put aside in favour of a conventional controller with an analogue stick as gamers fear that the Wheel isn't fast enough or precise enough to keep up with the pace being set by gamers already selecting to use an analogue stick to steer.

The neutral position on the analogue stick allows you to quickly get your kart or bike wheels in line and onto the perfect racing line faster thus achieving your top speed quicker. If you're on a bike the analogue advantage is increased as you'll be boosting along, Valentino Rossi style, front wheel lofted, faster than your opponents can say "L" in the sentence "Look! There he/she goes again. Do they think they're Mario Schumacher or something!!” As I said at the top, gamers are already comfortable with an analogue stick so adding the "neutral" advantage and you have a few extra seconds per lap. Take a look at the Top 10 times in the Worldwide and Continental Time Trials. Not a Wii Wheel in sight when I last looked.

I'm not advocating throwing the Wii Wheel in the bin. I know the Wii Wheel can be as fast as a conventional analogue stick. If Nintendo hadn't included support for other control methods do you think the world Top 10 would be any slower? Of course not, but it would've taken a little longer to achieve those unbelievable times. The Wii Wheel requires just a little more practice, patience and getting used to. Playing using the Wheel intensifies your connection with the game and the sense of fun and achievement are both heightened.

Including all the other control methods, in case everyone hated the Wii Wheel, was Nintendo only being brave to a point. European adverts don’t have the Wii Wheel! It’s Super Mario 2 all over again. Nintendo Japan don’t think we’re adept enough to manage the art of the Wii Wheel!

Don't be a slave to convention because you're desperate to be fastest right now. Remember, the short, quick path leads to the dark side and ultimate doom. You know who you are. We know who you are too thanks to the online system telling us! True Karters, all you Wii Wheel Heroes, are the light and Gameov3r salutes you.

Learn the ways of the Wii Wheel. Be at one with it. Be a Wii Wheel in the World Top 10. Be a Wii Wheel Hero.

See you on the track.

Be a Wii Wheel Hero on the GAMEOV3R FORUM

Get Behind The Wheel

I was quite surprised to find that the TV ads here in the UK for Mario Kart Wii don't feature the Wii wheel at all, with everyone using the remote and nunchuck in the ones I've seen. Now I'd have thought this would have been a big selling point for the game and it seems Nintendo of America agree... but I'm so glad we didn't get this. How much do these marketing people get paid again?



Wannna pop a wheelie on the GAMEOVER Forum? Get behind the wheel!

You Starting Something?

I've tried a few demos lately on the Xbox and PS3 where you get your fairly traditional 'Press start to play' intro screen. Nothing unusual there, except they really do expect you to press 'start'. You know, that tiny little button that seems to make it from one generation of controller to the next and nobody questions it. It's like they're trying to justify its existence by ignoring presses of the 'X' or 'A' button instead. I bet if you asked most gamers why they would use the start button it'd be to pause the game, so why don't we just have a pause button instead? I'm not even going to start on the 'select' or 'back' button as Microsoft likes to call it. I've never selected anything with it and 'back' never actually goes back. Even the Nintendo DS still features them although if they keep reducing in size at the same rate as between the DS Phat and DS Lite you probably won't even be able to spot them in the next version.

With many consoles retaining some form of backwards compatibility I guess it makes some sense to keep labelling these buttons the same to avoid any confusion, although people seem to be able to cope with the classic controller on the Wii for all kinds of formats. I will ask one thing though, if you still insist on calling it 'start' when we all know it's 'pause' I'll live with it but... don't force me to use it to actually start anything!

Click select to enter the GAMEOV3R forum or start to pause for a moment

I have no choice. Mario Kart has taken over all of my game time for the past week. My Xbox 360 must think the electricity has been cut off for good. And so, as I say, I have no choice but to talk about MK Wii. Quiet at the back! I don't care how much you've read about MK Wii already. Besides, this might be a little bit different.

Let me start by asking this; Do you hate Blue Shells? Good. So do I. There's nothing worse than earning a lead and then have someone fire a Blue Shell up your exhaust pipe. You get going again, find yourself still in the lead, smile to yourself, and you then receive a Red Shell up the exhaust! Followed by a Blue one. By the time you set off again this time the other eleven racers whoosh past you, knocking you sideways and off the road. Undeterred, you battle your way back to the front and take the lead as you approach the final bend. Another Blue Shell takes you out and, rubbing salt into your now well seasoned wound, you fall into a conveniently placed abyss. You cross the line dead last. Mario Kart Wii, I love to hate you just as much as I love you.

Now a funny thing happened to me this week while playing Mario Kart Wii and seeing as I've played Mario Kart games since the days of the SNES, I'd like to put what happened down to my brilliance at Mario Kart games in general. I'd like to, if I were that good, but I really think that this was a complete fluke. A complete fluke with Rolex timing.

Here's what happened... I was playing as Yoshi, driving a Standard Kart and using the Wii Wheel. I'd managed to eek out a lead on DK Jungle Raceway and was hooning around the bend that leads to the Speed Boost that catapults you across the river. With me? If not have a look at the picture below. As I'm hooning along, on full lock with orange sparks flying, I hear the familiar beeping and whooshing of a Blue Shell homing in. A cursory glance at my position confirms that the blasted thing is homing in on me. I braced for the inevitable impact. The Blue Shell made it's final whooshing and excited beeping as it hovered above Yoshi's head relishing the kill. At that very moment I hit the Speed Boost and began accelerating towards the edge of the ramp. I heard the Blue Shell come crashing down.

I peeked out from behind one scrunched up eyelid to see Yoshi sailing through the air, eyes firmly focused on landing on the river bank. He landed, lit up the tyres and boosted away. Yay!! I dodged a Blue Shell! I dodged a Blue Shell!! I dodged a Blue Shell!!! I dodged a Blue Shell!!!!

^^^Blue Shell Line - Do Not Cross^^^
(The scene of the dodged Blue Shell)

Mocking the normally infallible Blue Shell is probably not the wisest move. I will, no doubt, receive more than my fair share of them for months to come. I'm off to find out.

Have you taken a Blue Shell today? Where did you take it? To the beach? For a drive? Put a lead on it and bring it with you to the Gameov3r FORUM.

Europe Playstation Store A Bit...Rubbish

Sony released its new Playstation Store yesterday. Anyone that experienced the old web based version will testify that it needed a revamp... badly. So the new version comes as a proper application, no more slow browsing and improved navigation so it's easier to find what you're after. How could it possibly go wrong? Well if it's the European version you're using you'll know how.

Unbelievably it's slower than the old one. Sony say things will improve over the next few days but at the moment the icons either don't load or appear very... very slowly. You end up moving over multiple blank blue squares and having to read the text to see what it is. Then there's the fact that Sony Europe thinks it knows better and has changed the logical categories of the US store to something almost as useless as the old version. The only reason it holds up at the moment is because there isn't a huge amount of content, but as it grows it'll only get worse.

The UK store categories are:
* Latest
* All Games
* Game Add-Ons
* Videos
* PSP Games
* Family Games
* Other Media
* We Recommend

Compared to the USA:
* New Releases
* Downloadable Games
* View All by Title
* Add-ons
* Demos
* Videos
* Themes and Wallpapers
* Featured Items

It's a pain finding demos and dividing games up purely by genre isn't intuative at all. On another note does 'Family Games' really belong on the top level navigation? To be fair if they get the speed up a bit it's a lot slicker than the old interface but don't just make it different from the US for the sake of it when it hampers the usability. Sony...?

You can easily navigate to the GAMEOV3R Forum by clicking this link right here

Mario Kart Wii Glitch

Wondered where all those unbeatable ghost times are coming from in Mario Kart Wii? Apparently there's a glitch in the time trials that allows you to complete one lap and turn around the wrong way for an unbeatable time. Fortunately Nintendo are on to it and are going through deleting all the cheats times but you do have to wonder how such an obvious thing to check for gets through testing.

While looking for an English version of this glitch I came across another that appeared to have the potential to completely ruin normal online play in a similar fashion. I really hope it was a one off and if not Nintendo get it fixed. I won't be posting that one.



I dont know how to say this.... Baby, I'm sorry but I cheated. Own up on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Sanity’s Encore

Silicon Knights, the developers of the classic GameCube survival horror game Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, are reported to be working on a new, as yet un-named, third person perspective psychological action thriller. The GC original spanned a century of demonic intrigue, had a great story and some truly mind bending “insanity effects”. These effects were so convincing and impressed gamers so much that Nintendo went on to patent Sanity in video games. They did! Honest! Memory card erasing and your TV switching off along with all the other weirdness are Nintendo Patents. Perhaps Gameov3r will patent fun. All game developers and producers would then have to pay us a nominal fee for including anything in their games that could be described as fun.

Eternal Darkness received high review scores and sold extremely well back in 2002. It’s well worth playing through even today and commands a decent price on Ebay thanks to its reputation. You might find this one cheaper in the second hand bucket of your local game emporium.

Could the as yet un-named Silicon Knights game (expected to be released in 2010!) be the long awaited sequel? Here's hoping.

2010’s a long time away but Too Human, Silicon Knights latest adventure, should fill a gap in the meantime. Who am I kidding? Tomorrow is Mario Kart Friday! Like I'll be playing anything else?!? The Gameov3r FORUM will be buzzing with karting mayhem, it is already, and lots of people typing in FC's! Please work online, please work online, please work online, please work online, please....

What's In A Name?

Puzzle Quest turned out to be a bit of a surprise hit on both the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP and then later on the Xbox LIVE Arcade and PC. Using a Bejeweled style puzzle game for the battles in an RPG proved to be an addictive combination, rather than the horrible clash of genres it could quite easily have been.

Anyway, D3 and Infinite Interactive recently ran a little competition to name the upcoming expansion pack coming to the XBLA very soon. Unfortunately I missed this as the closing date was 31st March. I therefore apologise that I was unable to prevent the winner from...errr...winning. So now you're all dying to know what won I won't keep you waiting any longer, but I forewarn you it's right up there with Star Wars: The Phantom Menace as titles go (although I'm sure the pack won't be as disappointing as that movie was). Here we go then, wait for it... "Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords - Revenge of the Plague Lord"... I can almost hear the stifled giggles from here. The two titles it beat to the top spot were "Sorceress of Malbec" and "The Scourge of Antharg". This game more than most could help more people cross over to RPG land but then you go and make it sound just like any other one.

I'm so gutted that my titles were never given the chance they so rightfully deserved, so I'll do the next best thing and put them up here so both the developers and any other unfortunate people reading this can see what they missed out on.

Up first is "Attack of the Magnetic Unicycle Smugglers", or maybe even "Fight of the Fantastic Forklift Overlords", possibly too many F's in that one I grant you but this last one took me ages to come up with, "Spite of the Amateur Harpoon Zombies". All of these conjure up far more excitement within me than any Plague Lord ever will and I'm sure you're all with me... hello?... Anyone?...

I'll get me coat. I'll be on the GAMEOV3R forum if you need me...

Sob Story

Japanese Gamers will soon be experiencing the restorative effects of a good cry with the new DS title 99 no Namida or 99 Tears.

In theory, being moved to tears can have a relaxing effect on people which means a good blub relieves you of stress. It doesn’t at all bring on suicidal thoughts as you might imagine but I’ll keep one eye on the Japanese suicide rate just out of interest.

The idea behind 99 no Namida is that you read through a fifteen minute graphic novel, everyday. Each one is written to tug at your heartstrings. The game also analyses the player’s personality by asking a series of questions. A series of questions devised by university professors no less. This will probably help the game to decide which stories you are most likely to break down to and which ones will most quickly turn you into a quivering wreck.

It’s unlikely we’ll see a UK release, phew, but if you like a weepy movie you might want to check out your local importer. Alternatively you could spend 15 minutes chopping a bucket of onions. A Kanji to English dictionary is not supplied with 99 no Namida or the bucket of onions. Personally I’d rather buy a few beers, recommended in Gameov3r’s Real Ale thread, and get quietly sozzled while I play a game designed for the sheer fun of it.

The smell from the cellar on the Gameov3r FORUM is enough to make most gamers cry.

Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!

And they say games often find it difficult to include humour. Some of these had me laughing out loud :)



Got a bug? You're probably better off going to the doctors but it'll be a lot less fun than the GAMEOV3R forum

Poetry in Motion

I recently completed all 128 levels of XBLA game Jetpac Refuelled and very pleased about it I am too. While I was playing, at around about level 64 I think, I unlocked a new desktop theme and icon. A nice touch I thought and began to wonder what surprise RARE had in store for gamers that make their way through all 128 levels and complete the game. A cool animated ending was surely too much to expect considering Jetpac costs a mere 400 MS Points. More unlockables then or a nice ULTIMATE – Play the Game retro congratulations screen? It was none of these actually. When I completed the game I got a poem. And here it is …

A chief test pilot on the run
from aliens who spoiled your fun
with bugs and bosses giving chase
to new adventures off you race

Successful swiping made you rich
the plan went off without a hitch
employers sued and left for broke
somehow they fail to see the joke

It’s not a great poem but it's a poem all the same and it could have been worse I suppose. The game could have just restarted, in a never ending loop, and placed me back at level 1.

Poems and Shoot 'em Ups. Who said gamers aren’t cultural? Come and meet the cultural and refined gamers that inhabit the Gameov3r FORUM.

Extremely Interesting Invaders

I’ll forgive you if you stop reading this when I tell you that I’m going to talk about the game that puts the “old” in “old school”, Space Invaders. But before you go and do something more interesting like watch a pan of water boil or de-flea the dog let me tell you this, I was extremely excited to learn that Taito has re-imagined Space Invaders, again, and has released it for the DS and PSP. If I were talking to you about this, face to face, you may detect just a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

So, there you have it, a new Space Invaders game. See you next time.

You’re still here? Ok, I’ll tell you a little more and let you into the secret. Space Invaders Extreme is fantastic. It is the best DS shooter I have played, ever, and the best Space Invaders remake, not that that's saying much. I love it. Imagine the original Space Invaders blended with REZ’s rhythmic blasting, some awesome Geometry Wars style glitzy graphics and you’ll have a good idea of what Extreme has to offer.

It’s fresh, it’s fast, it’s furious and it’s full of energy. It’s a veritable sensory overload. There are Fever Bonus Levels, Boss scenes, lots of power up - some more powerful than others adding an element of strategy, and it’s compatible with Taito’s Arkanoid Paddle. Collecting the power ups even feels like Arkanoid. Shoot four invaders of the same colour and they drop the POW for you to collect.

So far Space Invaders Extreme is a Japan only release although it’s rumoured that Square Enix have acquired the licence to release the game in Europe and the US in the summer. If you can’t wait until then Play Asia have Space Invaders Extreme for £19.88. And for that authentic feel you can order the Taito Paddle for £7.93 while you’re there.

Erase from your memory the dire experience that was Space Invaders Revolution and treat yourself to the only blaster you need on your DS this year. Check this out...



Come and shoot the breeze on the Gameov3r FORUM.

EA Bad Company?

EA's profits have been on the slide for a while now. Years of releasing annual updates to its sports titles are wearing a little thin with gamers. Then buying up talented development houses and stifling their creativity until all the talent departs hasn't helped matters either.

EA promises to learn from its mistakes and change its ways... but in the mean time it needs to increase its profits. One way it's doing this is by releasing a shed load of downloadable content for its games. Want the best weapons for the upcoming Battlefield: Bad Company? That'll cost extra. A dangerous route to go down as all that game balancing comes undone as players buy themselves an advantage instead of just trying to get better.

Anyway, I thought in for a penny in for a pound. Lets help EA with some great rip off money making ideas for their next release... How about only allowing you to save your game 5 times, with additional packs of 5 saves available for a small fee?

Maybe you've got some better ideas to help EA out. Head over to the GAMEOV3R forum and share them with us.

Exploding DS's and Wii's

Just look at that! This is going to be so GREAT! One of my all time favourite 8 bit classics is coming to my DS AND Wii. Melbourne House and Krome Studios have finally seen the sense in re-releasing the best fighting game ever!

Both versions will have updated visuals, including some fantastic new animation - more on that in a moment, and sound while leaving the classic feel of the game untouched. If that sinks your retro boat don't worry as the original will, of course, be bundled along with a hybrid of the two styles.

Online capabilities? You bet there are. Remember FIST+? Well, online FIST+ style multiplayer is going to be great, a huge plus you could say, but it doesn't stop at FIST+. This is more like FIST +++++++! 6 fighters high, flying and sweep kicking across the screen. [doubt]Let's hope Nintendo WiFi is up to it. [/doubt]

Possibly as exciting as the online fighting is the new animation. Exploding Fist Wii and DS has Mortal Kombat style death moves!! Spine ripping, leg snapping, dismemberment and the all new, ACME-esque, TNT Punch that causes your opponents head to explode all in 8 bit style gory glory! I can't wait!!

The Wii version won't be a WiiWare or a C64 download either. It'll be a full on, budget, retail game and should be priced, along with the DS version, at £19.99.

Get those gaming black belts out and lets get ready to rumble .. sorry, wrong sport ... ready to bow and break limbs! Got something to say? Gameov3r FORUM for you then! Oh, ok, leave a smart arse reply instead.