HOOKED on Trace Memory R!!

OK first off, sorry for lagging with the blog post. Secondly, I have been a bit busy playing Trace Memory R (also known as Another Code R in Japan and PAL regions). If you are not familiar with the Trace Memory games, don't feel so bad. Trace Memory came out for the Nintendo DS a few years back and while the game received great reviews, American gamers didn't "bite" enough to garner good sales.



Because of that fact, Nintendo of America is still up in the air on the localization of Trace Memory R to the states. This is why I went ahead and got a PAL copy of the game and honestly it was one of my better gaming moves! This game takes place two years after the first and Ashley (our protagonist) is now 16 years old. She is invited to a camping trip by her father and deals with a few things. First she deals with her strained relationship and things turn to a new mystery about her deceased mother and one dealing with a new friend she meets at the campsite. Aside from solving the two mysteries Ashley and her friend Matt are faced with, it is very fun to watch Ashley deal with the norms of teenage life. She deals with snobby girls, cool college guys, being in a band and other things you would expect from a teenage girl. The interactions between the characters really do help to round out Ashley as a person.



Right now I am halfway done with the game and because there is no wrestling tonight, that's even better for me! I get to spend a good chunk of the night playing! I know I have a few other writing projects to finish up but I think there will be a fair chance that I will end up writing a review for this game. If you are a person who imports games or have a Wii capable of playing import games, this game is definitely worth checking out.


-- "Another Code R" UK commercial --

DJ Hero Official (but not Final) Track Listing

Official DJ Hero set-list, artist and bundle list as of the week ending 08/15/2009:

2 Editions:
Regular- $120
Renegade- $200

Artists confirmed, but no songs yet:
50 Cent
Beck
Billy Squier
Blondie
Daft Punk
The Killers
Public Enemy
Queen
Rihanna (thank God)

Songs known (35 of appx. 100):
-"Bittersweet Symphony" by Aranbee Pop Symphony Orchestra
-"Boom" by Grandmaster Flash
-"Boom Boom Pow" by Black Eyed Peas
-"Bring the Noize 20xx" by Zakk Wylde
-"Bustin' Loose" by Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers
-"Cars" by Gary Numan
-"Day 'N' Nite" by Kid Cudi
-"DJ Hero" by DJ Z-Trip feat. Murs
-"Eric B is President" by ric B. & Rakim
-"Feel Good Inc" by Gorillaz
-"Fix Up, Look Sharp" by Dizzee Rascal
-"Genesis" by Justice
-"Give It To Me" by Rick James
-"Groundhog" by Noisia *new addition*
-"Here Comes My DJ" by Grandmaster Flash
-"Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani
-"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye
-"I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 *new addition*
-"Intergalactic" by Beastie Boys
-"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" by JAY-Z
-"Jack of Spades" by KRS-1
-"Jayou" by Jurassic
-"Jeep Ass Clutter (Aaron Lacrate & Debonair Samir Remix) by Masta Ace *new addition*
-"Jukebox Hero" by Foreigner
-"Just to Get a Rep" by Gang Starr *new addition*
-"Lapdance" by NERD
-"Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" by InDeep
-"Let's Dance" by David Bowie
-"Monkey Wrench" by Foo Fighters
-"My Name Is" by Eminem
-"Paper Planes" by M.I.A. *new addition*
-"Pjanoo" by Eric Prydz
-"Poison" by Bell Biv Devoe
-"Rock the Bells" by LL Cool J
-"Rockit" by Herbie Hancock
-"Sabotage" by Beastie Boys
-"Satisfaction" by Benni Benassi
-"Shout" by Tears for Fears
-"Tap" by Grandmaster Flash
-"Time of the Season" by The Zombies
-"Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard *new addition*
-"Universal Mind Control (UMC)" by Common *new addition*

Mixes known (20 of appx. 90):
-"Bittersweet Symphony" vs. "Rock the Bells"
-"Boom" vs "Tap"
-"Boom Boom Pow" vs. "Satisfaction"
-"Bring the Noize 20XX" vs "Genesis"
-"Bustin' Loose" vs "Time of the Season
-"Day 'N' Nite" vs. "Boom Boom Pow"
-"Eric B is President" vs. "Paper Planes" *new addition*
-"Fix Up, Look Sharp" vs. "Genesis"
-"Here Comes My DJ" by Grandmaster Flash vs. "Cars"
-"Hollaback Girl" vs. "Give It To Me"
-"Hollaback Girl" vs. "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life"
-"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" vs. "Feel Good Inc."
-"I Want You Back" vs "Just to Get a Rep" *new addition*
-"Izzo (H.O.V.A.) vs. "My Name Is"
-"Jayou" vs. "Rockit"
-"Jukebox Hero" vs. "DJ Hero"
-"Let's Dance" vs. "Jack of Spades"
-"Monkey Wrench" vs. "Sabotage"
-"Poison" vs "Intergalactic"
-"Rockit" vs. "Lapdance"
-"Shout" vs. "Eric B is President"
-"Shout" vs. "Pjanoo"
-"Tutti Frutti" vs "Beats" *new addition*
-"Universal Mind Control" vs. "Jeep Ass Gutter" *new addition*


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Here's some extra DJ Hero footage for your viewing pleasure...

More "Hardcore" Games From Sega for the Wii

Check out this portion of a Wired interview with Sega President and COO Mike Hayes. I think that Wii owners will be very pleased...

Wired.com: MadWorld was a widely praised title, but sales were disappointing. Why do you think that is? Do you think that “core” games just don’t sell on the Wii?

Mike Hayes: It’s difficult because it was a critically acclaimed title; it was extreme but good. The thing that we’re saying is, Sega would be extremely arrogant to have a title that didn’t do as well as we thought on a platform and then say, “Those kind of games don’t sell on that platform.” I think if you take our slew of more mature games — House of the Dead Overkill did really well in Europe, and for some reason even though it’s a big (intellectual property) it did less well in North America. So that’s kind of like a win and a miss that’s kind of come out neutral.

MadWorld sales were very disappointing, but was that to do with the platform? Was it that people didn’t like the art style? Or that people didn’t like the way the game played through? It could be many things, which we’re obviously researching.

Wired.com: What about The Conduit?

Hayes: We actually regard The Conduit as a success. We shipped 300,000 units, sold through half of those and now it’s at the point where it’s selling consistently at a time when Wii sales are generally depressed in the marketplace. So what does that tell you? We still kind of don’t know.

What we can say is that we’ll still do mature games for the Wii market because with an install base of some 34 million in Europe and America (maybe half of whom don’t own Xbox 360s and PS3s)…. So even if you took half of those where they’re not into those (core) games, you’ve still got 8 million consumers to go for. So I think the sheer scale of the Wii allows a shooter, or a mature game, to be a niche but a successful niche. And because the development costs can be less on Wii, that means you can sell less to be successful…. We can take more risks on the Wii.

Wired.com: So Sega will continue to have a commitment to making hard-core games on the Wii, despite the sales of MadWorld.

Hayes: Absolutely. You’ll see more games in that genre coming from us.

Check out the full article here

Guitar Hero 5 For Wii Takes the Leap in Online Features

Just recently Activision announced a list of features that will be in the Wii version of Guitar Hero 5. Its looking like Nintendo's induction of Wii System Menu 4.0 was a big help to Activision because we are finally getting FULL album downloads. -and who said the Wii wasn't capable of so called "next gen" features?

- supports high capacity SD cards
- supports SD card streaming
- Guitar Hero Music Store has a news section to give updates on content just added
- Full albums, track packs, and single songs can be purchased all at once
- search albums by full collection or just one song
- preview songs, and then pick/choose the ones you want to purchase
- songs come with album art
- set more than one song to download at a time
- download songs at your on convenience, pausing downloads to finish later
- no need to have free Wii space due to streaming SD card functionality
- 32 gig HCSD card will give you room for 800+ songs
- fee for importing covers licensing fees
- free download updates World Tour song for play modes in Guitar Hero 5
- higher quality audio
- Rock Archive allows you to manage your SD card from in the game

Power Rangers RPM Episode 19

OK everyone, here is today's all new episode of Power Rangers RPM. Have fun!


Three's a Crowd 1/3



Three's a Crowd 2/3



Three's a Crowd 3/3

(WiiWare) Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Footage

Check out this footage from the WiiWare version of "Pokemon: Mystery Dungeon"...

It's Official! Wii Sports Resort Sells More Than 500,000 Units.

--- Official Nintendo Press Release ---

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nintendo has provided staycations to thousands of people nationwide since the July 26 launch of its Wii Sports Resort™ game. More than 500,000 units of the game for the Wii™ console sold in the United States through Aug. 3, according to Nintendo’s internal tracking numbers. The collection of 12 fun resort-themed sports lets players of all ages escape to a tropical island for some year-round summer fun. The game comes with one Wii MotionPlus™ accessory, which brings unmatched accuracy to games that have been specially designed for it.

“Through Monday we sold one copy of Wii Sports Resort roughly every 1.5 seconds continuously since it launched in the United States,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “This tells us consumers were eagerly waiting to get their hands on these fun activities, and it’s a great start for a game that will have long-lasting appeal.”

Wii Sports Resort includes archery, Swordplay, table tennis, basketball, golf, bowling, Air Sports, Power Cruising, Frisbee®, cycling, canoeing and wakeboarding. The game is easy enough for novices to pick up but contains a tremendous amount of variety and depth to keep veteran players and their friends and family members entertained for hours on end.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

Wii Sports Resort is available at a suggested retail price of $49.99. Additional Wii MotionPlus accessories are available at a suggested retail price of $19.99 each. For more information about Wii Sports Resort, visit www.WiiSportsResort.com.

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WOW! Five hundred thousand units sold! You go, Nintendo! I am very happy about the numbers and if you have yet to pick up a copy of this game, go get it! This game is a blast and it is a great show of the accuracy of Wii MotionPlus.