One of the cool things about the new Nintendo DSi is the DSiWare feature that allows you to run apps and expand the functionality. As I mentioned in my ‘After a While’ Review, so far I have been largely underwhelmed with the releases, but it looks like things are starting to pick up! Read on for more details! Continue Reading

And you’re in good shape (and will be in even better shape once you get it), because I’m going to let you know the secret!

If you have been hunting for a price break on the popular Nintendo Wii, then you know that there aren’t many sales on the units, because stores simply don’t have to mark them down to get them out the door. But from today until November 22, you can get the Nintendo Wii “with Wii Fit Plus and Balance Board and a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate for $290 shipped,” by clicking here.

The only way to get the sales price is to click here, select/tick all three check boxes (one for the Wii, one for the Wii Fit, one for the $50 Amazon gift card) and hit Add to Cart. The bundle may originally show up as $339.98, but when you checkout (it shows up on the last screen before you place your order) a $50 instant savings will be applied to bring the total down to $289.98.

This is a very good deal if you’re in the market for the Wii and Wii Fit. For those unfamiliar with Wii Fit, it is Nintendo’s initiative to incorporate exercise and fitness routines into video-games through the use of a plastic “balance board” controller. A very good video review of the Wii Fit Plus can be found here: http://bfads.net/Link/985.

via BFAds

In my recent review of MySims Agents I stated “the simplicity, hand-holding and repetition will likely mar the experience”, and really thought this was a game that would end up sitting on the shelf untouched alongside the old GameCube game BeyBlade.

So imagine my surprise on the morning after Halloween, when my two boys had a sleepover and were playing video games, that I found them taking a break from Super Smash Bros to take turns working through MySims Agents! And then this Friday my younger son had a half-day and took time to finish it up! It isn’t the most challenging or advanced game, but apparently the ‘fun factor’ extends to middle school kids as well!

It is unfortunate that there aren’t demos for games like this, but if you are interested check out my review, and also head to Amazon and check out the user comments. It isn’t a huge game and is simplistic – my review and the comments agree on that. But there is more fun to be had for a wider audience than I originally anticipated!

Available from: Amazon.com

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! Now we begin the ‘post MW2 period of the season. But while many games were moved to get out of the way of the big release, we still have good stuff, most notably Left 4 Dead 2. This game was the subject of a big boycott effort because some felt not enough DLC was released and the sequel came too soon. Have they never played Madden? Anyway, the game looks great and personally I can’t wait for an excuse to get back to more zombie-killing madness!

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Early this year EA released SimAnimals, a game that allowed you to engage animals in their natural surroundings rather than in a zoo. You managed and guided their interactions and environments as you progressed further and further into a forest in a game that followed the typical ‘god game’ protocols. Unfortunately SimAnimals for the Wii was torn to shreds by reviewers for being ugly, clunky and boring. The DS version did slightly better, being seen as a fun but limited forest life simulator for kids. Now EA has taken the simulation to Africa on the DS and Wii once again, so let’s see if they managed to do any better.

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Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! This we get the game claiming to be ‘the most pre-ordered game of all-time (not coincidentally by folks who make money off pre-orders!) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The early word is that this is a fine addition to the franchise for console gamers, offering a similarly short single player campaign, but loads of fun in multiplayer. I say ‘for console gamers’, as the PC version has been ’stripped for parts’, with the multiplayer neutered, the ability to modify the game in classic PC style removed, and the price increased. Bleh. But for fans of console shooters, this is considered a ‘must have’.

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Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! Anyone who is a fan of role-playing games (RPG) is very excited for this week as perhaps the biggest RPG release of the year (we can debate whether Risen is bigger in the comments) – Dragon Age: Origins. The folks who have brought us the Baldur’s Gate series, Neverwinter Nights games, Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, Jade Empire and more are back – with the ’spiritual successor’ to Baldur’s Gate. I am rushing to finish everything else on my plate so I can be ready for this one on Tuesday. Recently it was announced that the PS3 version was un-delayed, which is nice since it means everyone gets it this week!

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Hold on a second – don’t check your calendar, you haven’t time-warped back to last year! Indeed, merely 6 months after the launch of the DSi, Nintendo has announced that on November 21st they will release the DSi LL in Japan, for the equivalent of $220. Read on for more details!

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Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! OK, you might be wondering why this is the only place NOT highlighting DJ Hero for this week. Well, while that game looks amazingly fun and will sell millions, I chose the expansion to one of the absolute best games of 2008 that got relatively little attention because it is a turn-based strategy game – King’s Bounty: Armored Princess. Of course, since we are in the midst of the Fall Gaming Avalanche, those are but the tip of the iceberg!

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Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! Last week was strong … but this week is just crazy! Some highlights include Borderlands, a hybrid FPS / RPG / Co-op / open world / post-apocalyptic shooter that hits PS3 & XBOX360 this week and PC next week. Also huge this week – albeit with a younger audience – is Bakugan Battle Brawlers, the first game based on the very popular ‘catch em all’ style game featuring magnetic balls that transform into monsters.

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A couple of weeks ago we introduced Nerf N-Strike Elite, which is coming to the Wii on October 27th. Now EA has introduced a teaser trailer showing some highlights to get you ready! Check it out!

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The Sims franchise has been a major powerhouse of sales and popularity on the PC for years, but has never really translated into success on consoles and handhelds, managing only modest sales and average reviews. As the franchise moved to the Wii in 2007 it was transformed into MySims, which removed all of the teen and adult-focused content and targeted a younger audience. The MySims franchise has been focused on the Nintendo platforms (aside from a single PC entry), and while it has been better than the dismal Nintendo DS entries, the response has still been mixed reviews and unspectacular sales. Electronic Arts hopes to change all that as they mix things up with MySims Agents for the Wii, and was kind enough to provide a copy for me to review and keep, so let’s take a look and see how they did! Continue Reading

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! This week has a ton of games, but is actually rather thin on the top level blockbusters. First and foremost is Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, which we featured in a beta code contest here, and has already been receiving sterling reviews. The other obvious one is Brutal Legend, the delayed-by-legal-wrangling game which is from Tim Shaeffer (famous for LucasArts adventure games and recently Psychonauts), and is a tie-in to the movie of the same name. Also, there is a game that looks like a load of fun called A Boy and His Blob, which I have featured in the headline picture.

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I had grand plans to do a review of the Nintendo DSi right after I bought it on release day back in April – I was going to take a quick look at the new cameras, SD slot, MP3 player, and the DSiWare store. But at the time I was in the middle of playing one of the better games the DS has seen – Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars, in my opinion the best game in the GTA series – and then I immediately started playing Broken Sword and Black Sigil and … well, time sort of got away, and by then many sites had given their balanced reviews so mine seemed superfluous. But there is still value in an ‘after a while’ look, as we have seen from many great articles at Gear Diary in the past! So instead of a simple ‘how well does it work’ review, I’ll look at how I’ve actually used the DSi over the last few months and what I think scores a hit, and what misses.

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As noted in this week’s GearGames Weekly, the DS game release ‘Spore Hero Arena’ arrives Tuesday. In anticipation of that, EA has released a developer video with one of the producers of the game, Jason Haber.

Take a peek into the development of Spore Hero Arena for the Nintendo DS with lead producer Jason Haber. In this video Jason explains what players can expect when they pick up a copy of Spore Hero Arena from planet exploration and mini-quests to a fully 3D creature creator, and even multiplayer battles with your friends! Don’t miss this in-depth look at Spore Hero Arena for the Nintendo DS.

Check out the video below!