The ad that perhaps every Black Friday 2009 shopper has been waiting for has been leaked onto the internet. Walmart’s 2009 Black Friday ad has been scanned in and is ready for your critical perusal. From what I’ve seen of the ad, it looks like Walmart is going to be the main destination for a lot of people searching for toys this Christmas season. There’s a whole page with $5 toys. The page showing over 100 $2 DVDs on Friday, November 27, 2009 looks pretty intriguing as well.

There will be a doorbuster period, and it will last from 5am to 11am on Friday, November 27, 2009. So, let’s see what doorbusters are available first. The front page of the ad shows three doorbuster TVs, a $248 Emerson 32” 720p HDTV, a $449 Emerson 42” Plasma 720p HDTV and a $790 Sony Bravia 46” 1080p LCD HDTV. There will also be DS lites for $98. You can get a $128 Sansui 19” LCD HDTV or a $598 Sanyo 50” Plasma 720p HDTV during that time period. There will also be a HP Pavillion p6243w-b desktop computer with Windows 7, AMD, 3gb memory and 320gb hard drive for $398, a HP G60-519wm laptop computer with Windows 7, Intel, 3gb memory and 250gb hard drive for $298 and a eMachines eME627 laptop with Windows 7, AMD, 2gb memory and 160gb hard drive for $198.

There’s one more bit of good news. Sit down for this. See the front page of the ad? It says, and I quote, “Our stores will match the price of any local competitor’s printed ad for an identical product.” It may be a good idea to make Walmart your place to shop this Black Friday.

And now, on to the general video game sales!

The Walmart ad proudly proclaims that over 50 games will be $7. Here’s a brief list of $7 titles shown in the ad:

• Lock’s Quest (DS)
• Neopets Puzzle Adventure (DS)
• Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader: Make the Grade (PS2)
• Shrek’s Carnival Craze Party Games (PS2)
• Suzuki Super Bikes (PS2)
• Celebrity Sports Showdown (Wii)
• Tak and the Guardians of Gross (Wii)
• Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 (Xbox 360)

It also proclaims that there will be over 40 video games priced at $10. Here’s the list of $10 titles shown in the ad:

• MX vs ATV Untamed (DS)
• Need for Speed Undercover (PS3)
• The Godfather II (PS3)
• Big Beach Sports (Wii)
• Carnival Games (Wii)
• Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360)
• Midnight Club Los Angeles(Xbox 360)

Finally, it proclaims there will be over 30 $25 games. Here’s the list of the $25 titles shown in the ad:

• Sims 3 (PC, Mac)
• Madden NFL 10 (PS2)
• Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare Game of the Year Edition (PS3)
• Smackdown vs Raw 2009 (PS3)
• Bakugan Battle Brawlers (Wii)
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii)
• NBA 2K10 (Xbox 360)
• UFC 2009 Undisputed (Xbox 360)

Finally, let’s look at some specific deals:

PS3

• Rock Band Special Edition bundle with guitar, drums, microphone and game - $50
• 120gb PS3 with Infamous, Batman: Arkham Asylum and the Blu-ray movie The Dark Knight for $299.

Wii

• Walmart.com online exclusive! Get a $249 Wii value bundle that includes a Wii, an extra set of Nyko Wii remote controllers, Hasbro Family Game Night 2 and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.

Xbox 360

• Rock Band Special Edition bundle with guitar, drums, microphone and game - $50
• Xbox 360 Arcade Console with Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa game and the Madagascar and Madagascar 2 movie DVDs for $199.

General Electronics

• 4gb Sony Memory Stick - $20
• 4gb SanDisk SDHC Card - $8
• X Rocker Turbo Sound Gaming Chair - $35

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What’s almost as good as a Black Friday sale ad? A Thanksgiving sale ad! Kmart’s Thanksgiving 2009 sale ad has been leaked onto the internet, and is now available for your viewing pleasure. Many Kmart stores are going to be open from 7am to 9pm on November 26, 2009, in case you feel like getting your shopping done early after a meal with loved ones. If you live in Massachusetts, Maine or Rhode Island, don’t bother heading to your local stores - they’ll be closed.

There are no doorbusters, so no need to worry about waiting in line or getting to the store obscenely early. Well, if there’s something you really want, you may want to stop by early just to make sure it is still in stock. You never know, those $9.99 Snuggies could fly off store shelves.

Let’s check out the video game and electronic deals in the ad. Be advised, there will be also be $14.99 and under value games on sale in addition to the deals below, but the selection will vary depending on the store so no specific games are mentioned.

DS

• 2-packs of DS games will be $14.99. The ad says the assortment will vary by store. The bundle pictured shows Tornado and Indianapolis 500 Legends.

PS2

• Guitar Hero Metallica - $39.99
• Guitar Hero Smash Hits - $39.99
• Guitar Hero World Tour - $29.99
• Guitar Hero World Tour guitar bundle with game and guitar peripheral - $49.99
• 3-packs of PS2 games will be $9.99. The ad says the assortment will vary by store. The bundle pictured shows Superman Returns, NeoGeo Battle Coliseum and DT Carnage.

PS3

• Guitar Hero Metallica - $39.99
• Guitar Hero Smash Hits - $39.99
• Guitar Hero World Tour - $29.99
• Guitar Hero World Tour guitar bundle with game and guitar peripheral - $49.99
• 2-packs of PS3 games will be $24.99. The ad says the assortment will vary by store. The bundle pictured shows Stormrise and Bionic Commando.

PSP

• Buy a $169.99 PSP 3000 system, get a $25 Sony Gaming Coupon.
• Buy a $199.99 Limited Edition Gran Turismo PSP Bundle, get a $25 Sony Gaming Coupon.

Wii

• A Boy and his Blob - $29.99
• EA Active - $39.99
• Guitar Hero Metallica - $39.99
• Guitar Hero Smash Hits - $39.99
• Guitar Hero World Tour - $29.99
• Guitar Hero World Tour guitar bundle with game and guitar peripheral - $49.99
• Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 - $29.99
• 2-packs of Wii games will be $14.99. The ad says the assortment will vary by store. The bundle pictured shows King of Clubs and Ultimate Board Game Collection.
• Buy a $199.99 Wii, get a $25 Nintendo Gaming Coupon.
• Kmart is also advertising Wii Fit Plusfor $99.99, but that’s the standard price for the bundle and not a sale price.

Xbox 360

• Forza Motorsport 3 - $39.99
• Guitar Hero Metallica - $39.99
• Guitar Hero Smash Hits - $39.99
• Guitar Hero World Tour - $29.99
• Guitar Hero World Tour guitar bundle with game and guitar peripheral - $49.99
• Halo 3 ODST - $39.99
• 2-packs of Xbox 360 games will be $24.99. The ad says the assortment will vary by store. The bundle pictured shows Crash Time and Battle Fantasia.

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Just checked my mailbox and lo and behold, there’s a new Toys R Us sales flier. The latest sale runs from Friday, November 20, 2009 until Saturday, November 21, 2009. It looks like Toys R Us is really trying to get people in the buying mood before Black Friday 2009!

First, there’s going to be a doorbuster sale from 3pm Friday until 1pm Saturday. Unfortunately, there’s only one video game doorbuster deal. And its most likely not the kind of video game you’re all interested in. Four Leapfrog Leapster games, Sonic X, Math Missions, I Spy Challenger and The Incredibles, will be $12.49 each.

There are quite a few general game deals though, that will be going on during the whole weekend sale. First, all video game strategy guides will be 50% off the normal price and all clothing and video game accessories with Mario on it will be 25% off the normal price. There are also quite a few DS and Wii video games on sale.

Here’s what you’ll be able to find on sale this weekend at Toys R Us:

DS

• National Geographic Panda with bonus DVD - $9.99
• Petz Dogz Fashion - $9.99
• Sally’s Salon - $9.99
• Tropix - $9.99

Wii

• Championship Foosball - $9.99
• Guinness World Records the Videogame - $9.99
• Monkey Mischief: Party Time - $9.99
• Skate City Heroes - $9.99

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Thanksgiving (and Black Friday!) and the December holidays are nearly upon us. You know what that means - it’s the time when gamers’ thoughts turn to their holiday wish lists, eager to play the very best and brightest that the previous year has brought. If you’re a Wii owner, or you’ll be shopping for one - check out this list for the goods.

For Everyone Who Likes Fun

New Super Mario Bros. Wii - This recent release has been reviewing through the roof (see our own take here at Gamertell) - and for good reason. It brings everything that was awesome about the old-school Mario games (excellent, challenging 2D levels, wacky characters and a boatload of charm) and mixed in some excellent 4-player action. Not to be missed.

Boom Blox Bash Party - The sequel to last year’s best party game, Bash Party trimmed everything superfluous from Spielberg’s ingenious physics-based puzzler and added a ton of new modes, new “toys” and new game types to the mix. This is the most fun I’ve ever had in mixed (gamer and non-gamer) company since Mario Kart back in the day.

For Gamers Who Like to Get Their Groove On

The Beatles: Rock Band - If you have any love for the Beatles, you should definitely pick up this bad boy, which allows you to sing, play drums, or play guitar (all on an assortment of lovely plastic instruments) right along with John, Paul, George and Ringo.

DJ Hero - For music fans who like more than rock, DJ Hero is an awesome, unconventional take on the Guitar Hero formula. Complete with a “turntable” controller and 80 mash-up-able tracks.

For the Action-Adventure Set

Metroid Prime: Trilogy - A set of three truly excellent games, enhanced with Wii controls, in one definitive package, Trilogy is the best deal in gaming (pound for pound) since The Orange Box in 2007.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade - A gorgeous 2D action title with some light RPG elements, this is one of the most visually stunning games on the platform.

A Boy and His Blob - A successful “re-imagining” of the classic NES title, this platform/puzzler has amazing graphics and animation, satisfying old-school gameplay, and a metric ton of charm.

Pikmin - It’s not exactly action/adventure, its more RTS/Puzzle, but don’t even think about letting that stop you. Pikmin is a wildly entertaining, challenging game, made all the better by the Wii-fied new controls.

Klonoa - Another jaw-droppingly gorgeous 2D platformer, Klonoa is a beautifully re-done PS1 title with inventive levels and incredible character design.

For Athletes and Speed Demons:

EA Sports: Active - Forget about Wii Fit - if you’re serious about getting in shape with your Wii, try the “30-day Challenge” in EA Sports Active. It’ll blow your mind - and your quads.

Need For Speed: Nitro - It may not be quite as pretty as Need For Speed: Shift, but this racer is solid as they come - and about as “sim-y” as you’ll find on Nintendo’s system.

Excitebots: Trick Racing - Forget racing sims, this speedy little package is all about pulling off wacky tricks and completing in-race minigames. It’s ridiculously fun, and one of the smoothest online experiences on the Wii.

For The “Mature” Gamer

House of the Dead: Overkill - This is the funniest, goriest, most R-rated experience you can have on Wii. If you like zombie-blasting, you absolutely cannot go wrong here.

MadWorld - Does the idea of a violent comic book world come to life sound good to you? If so, you’ll enjoy the hell out of punishing baddies in Madworld‘s bloody fantasy playground.

Happy holidays everyone! And happy hunting - be sure to keep checking back with us for sales and deals throughout the holiday shopping season.

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Meijer’s 2009 Black Friday ad is now online and it’s pretty good in terms of game deals. Specifically, there isn’t much, but the doorbusters are quite impressive if you don’t already own a console or handheld system. I mean, if the person you’re shopping for doesn’t already own a console or system. Because you’re buying for other people, probably.

Anyways, all the deals worth discussing are doorbuster deals. Meijer opens at 5am, November 27, 2009, and the doorbusters last until 12pm that day. If you want to take advantage of any of them, get there early. I get the feeling they may sell out.

Here are the doorbusters:

• All video games that are $19.99 or less will be 50% off.
• When you buy a $199.99 Wii, you will get a Meijer Custom Coupon that will take $50 off your next Meijer purchase.
• A Full HD 1080p 42” Sylvania LCD HDTV is $499.99
• If you buy a $199 8gb iPod Touch, you’ll get a Meijer Custom Coupon that will take $50 off your next Meijer purchase.
• When you purchase a $299.99 Xbox 360 Elite bundle with Lego Batman and Pure, you get Grand Theft Auto IV and Halo 3 free.
• When you purchase a $299.99 120gb PS3 Slim, you get the Blu-ray movies Step Brothers and Black Hawk Down and the games Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction free.
• When you buy a DSi for $169.99, you get a Meijer Custom Coupon that will take $30 off your next purchase.
• When you purchase a $299.99 HP Mini 1020 Netbook, with 10.1” screen, Windows XP, 160gb hard drive, webcam and four hour 3-cell battery, you get a Belkin Neoprene Sleeve and a Microsoft Wireless 3000 mouse.

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Next up for leaked Black Friday 2009 ads, Toys R Us! Yes, the ad is out and, if you’re going to be buying toys this holiday season, you’ll find some deals that will make you very happy. In addition, the store will be open at midnight on Thursday, November 26, 2009 and then will open again at 5am on Friday, November 27, 2009, so you’ll be able to get in early.

I’m letting you know now - Toys R Us went doorbuster deal crazy this year. Seriously, it’s ridiculous. There are two doorbuster periods, one that lasts from 12am Thursday until 1pm Friday, and one on Friday that lasts from 5am to 1pm. If you’re looking for PS3 and Xbox 360 games, you’ll have to go then. The only general sale games are for the DS, PSP and Wii.

First, let’s look at the Thursday-Friday doorbusters.

• An 8gb iPod Touch will be $199.99 and come with a $50 gift card.
• The two DSi Holiday bundles, the Mario and Brain Age ones, will be $159.99 and come with an EVA Sleeve Kit and DSi Car Adapter. That’s the best deal on those bundles yet!
• You can also get an Xbox 360 Arcade system, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, two additional Xbox 360 games (I can’t determine what they are from the ad scan) and a carrying case for $229.95.

Next, the Friday 5am to 1pm doorbusters.

• You can get Spore Hero (Wii) or Dead Space Extraction (Wii) for $24.99.
• Selected Wii Fit accessories and peripherals will be 50% off their normal price.
• Need for Speed: Shift (PS3, Xbox 360), Forza Motorsport 3 (Xbox 360) and Halo 3: ODST will be $34.99.
• The DS Guitar Hero On Tour and Decades 2-pack, with guitar grip peripheral, will be $29.99.
• An Xbox 360 wired Guitar Hero controller will be $9.99.
• The Wii games Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up will be $29.99.
• The Wii games iCarly and Scooby Doo! First Frights will be $23.99.
• A Haier 22” LCD TV with HDMI and PC inputs will be $199.99.

Now, let’s get on to the video game deals that will be available Friday and Saturday, November 27-28, 2009:

DS

• Avatar: The Last Airbender: Into the Inferno - $9.99
• Club Penguin - $17.99
• Crash: Mind over Mutant - $9.99
• Dinosaur King - $21.99 It’s also part of the buy one, get one free DS and PSP game offer. (Editor’s Note: It’s $14.99 at Amazon right now.)
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - $9.99
• Imagine: Family Doctor - $9.99
• Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon - $9.99
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 - $17.99
• Monsters vs. Aliens - $9.99
• Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi - $21.99. It’s also part of the buy one, get one free DS and PSP game offer.
• MySims Kingdom - $9.99
• Petz Horseshoe Ranch - $9.99
• The Cheetah Girls: Pop Star Sensations - $21.99 It’s also part of the buy one, get one free DS and PSP game offer.
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - $21.99 It’s also part of the buy one, get one free DS and PSP game offer.
• Tony Hawk’s Motion - $9.99
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - $17.99
• Select DS accessories will be $5.
• DS Lite starter kits will be $11.99
• Note: There is one other DS game that will be $19.99, but I can’t tell what it is from the adscan.

PSP

• Hellboy: The Science of Evil - $21.99. It’s also part of the buy one, get one free DS and PSP game offer.
• Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee - $21.99. It’s also part of the buy one, get one free DS and PSP game offer.
• A game that is either Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End or Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest - $21.99. It’s also part of the buy one, get one free DS and PSP game offer.
• Sonic Rivals 2 - $21.99 It’s also part of the buy one, get one free DS and PSP game offer.

Wii

• Avatar: The Last Airbender: Into the Inferno - $9.99
• Chrysler Classic Racing - $9.99
• Jelly Belly Ballistic Beans - $9.99
• Kawasaki Jet Ski - $9.99
• Imagine: Party Babyz - $9.99
• MySims Party - $9.99
• The Price is Right - $9.99
• A Wii carrying case will be $15.
• Select Wii peripherals will be $10. Looks like there are lightsaber, maracas and sports remote attachments.

Xbox 360

• There’ll be a $15 Xbox 360 messenger bag carrying case.

General Electronics

• Littlest Pet Shop VIP Plush Pets that come with a code to play an online game. - $2.98

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Nintendo has just announced that this week it will begin offering free demos of WiiWare games via the Wii Shop Channel. You look under WiiWare once you’re in the Wii Shop Channel, and look for demos. Right now you can get Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord, NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits, Bit.Trip Beat, World of Goo and Pokemon Rumble, five of the most popular Wii games available.

Unfortunately, this means that the full WiiWare offerings are rather slim. All there is is Pokemon Rumble. Thankfully there are multiple Virtual Console and DSiWare games available.

Gamertell’s Nintendo Download picks for the week are Pokemon Rumble (WiiWare) and Art Style: Digidrive (DSiWare).

WiiWare

Pokemon Rumble
Price: 1,500 Nintendo Points / $15
Publisher:
Genre: Action / RPG
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Mild Cartoon Violence
Players: 1-4
Description: You control Toy Pokemon and pit them against waves of other Toy Pokemon in an attempt to survive. If you win, some of the pokemon you defeated may join, and you can then pick from more pokemon to fight with. Three other players can join you in co-operative multiplayer, and you can exchange Toy Pokemon with friends by saving them to your remote and then going to visit them with that remote in tow. If you have a Club Nintendo account, go through the elaborate process of connecting it to your Wii Shop Channel account and you’ll get a Charizard to use in the game.

Virtual Console

Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures
Price: 800 Nintendo Points / $8
Originally Appeared On: SNES
Publisher: LucasArts
Genre: Action / Platformer
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Mild Violence
Players: 1
Description: You get to play as Indiana Jones as he journeys through levels that correspond to the first three movies, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom and Last Crusade. The narrative is a bit light and leaves quite a bit out, but its still worth it. This is a really great SNES game, so if you love platformers and are looking for a new Virtual Console game, keep it in mind.

Street Fighter II: Champion Edition
Price: 700 Nintendo Points / $7
Originally Appeared On: TurboGrafx16
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Fighting
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for Mild Blood and Violence
Players: 1-2
Description: That’s right, even more Street Fighter. Perhaps they’re trying to make up for no Wii version of Street Fighter IV. Anyways, this is the TurboGrafx16 version that had 12 characters to choose from, a Story mode and the handicap feature for V.S. Battle Mode.

DSiWare

Art Style: Digidrive
Price: 500 Nintendo Points / $5
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Puzzle
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Players: 1-2
Description: Another bit Generations gets released in the US as an Art Style game. The name, and gameplay, are still the same. You have to make sure that the correctly organize and guide cars into the correct lanes.

Arcade Bowling
Price: 200 Nintendo Points / $2
Publisher: Skyworks Interactive
Genre: Sports
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Players: 1
Description: A skeeball game designed by Activision creator David Crane that has a standard Classic Mode wjere you just roll the balls into the holes and a Progressive Mode where rolling balls into the holes becomes more challenging.

Robot Rescue
Price: 200 Nintendo Points / $2
Publisher: Teyon
Genre: Puzzle
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Comic Mischief
Players: 1
Description: Robots have been trapped in 45 computer labyrinths, and you must save them all and set them free. The only problem is, instead of controlling only one of the robots at a time, you’re controlling them all at exactly the same time, and must guide them all safely to the exit.

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Title: new Super Mario Bros. Wii
Price: $49.99
System(s): Wii
Release Date: November 15, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Nintendo
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for comic mischief.
Pros: Many of the best elements of previous Mario platform games in one place. Players can join and leave the main game at any time. Quicksave feature. A lot of great powerups, new suits and hidden stuff to find.
Cons: Odd timing issues, slightly lighter gravity and a few awkward motion control issues.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 90/100; A-; * * * * out of five.

New Super Mario Bros Wii exudes games of olde, melding the best aspects of pretty much every Mario-based platformer ever made and then some.

But it’s more than just a jumpastic, coin gathering platformer. It’s a speed trek through gaming nostalgia that pretty much any gamer will enjoy.

Nice Hat

Still in the box the fist thing you notice is that Nintendo has opted for a red box instead of the standard white now infamous for Wii games. While meant to exude some additional nostalgia for That means you’ll be able to immediately pick out the game not matter which shelf you store it on.

As soon as you open it, the manual nearly bursts out of its twin plastic tabs holding it in. A massive 60+ page, unheard of for most consoles games (note that it is in three languages, so third of it is in English). Even the art on the manual is meant to reinforce the idea of older games with pixelated images of Mario and Luigi.

Upon launching the game you are greeted by the voice of our friendly pipe fixer belting a greeting in his big ol’ faux accent, ending with an appropriately elongated “Wi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-!” From there you use big Wii-ish menu buttons to get to the game.

Something a Olde

Right away you’ll notice a couple multiplayer minigames available as well as the main, cooperative single- or multi-player game. The main game uses the 3D map system started with Super Mario Bros. 3 and includes castles, hidden paths, periodic extra challenges and mushroom houses.

While one player controls map movement and main choices, everything else is cooperative with all the characters stomping, jumping and otherwise wandering the world together. It can make finding hidden blocks a breeze as well as clearing particularly pesky opponents.

The screen widens as characters separate but there is a maximum width which makes some sense since, otherwise, everything wold become unbearably tiny.

To play you use the WiiMote (Nunchuck attachment is optional) held sideways, a la an old school controller with much the same controls as ye olde games utilized, continuing the nostalgic feel of the game even further.

The story, opponents, actions, objects, the ending flagpole and even the background music are all familiar, blending aspects of multiple Mario games into one massive - and more modern - platformer.

From there things get some modern tweaks. Rolling hills actually role in different directions, often allowing a pipe, tunnel or deadly nook to rotate around. You can triple jump through a level (nice of them to lay things out that way) but then you’ll miss all the hidden bits that make these 2D platformers fun.

Nintendo has also made going back to earlier levels an enjoyable task, giving you reasons to return and try to defeat each board more way than one (and likely find more hidden pipes, tunnels and treasures).

Most of the older powerups are there with revamped graphics and more outfits have been added to the wardrobe of available power suits. One of the earliest is a propeller super suit that lets you fly up and drift back to the ground, much like the Raccoon suit but without needing a bunch of runway space. Instead shaking the WiiMote gets you off the ground. You’ll even get to ride a Yoshi.

Something a Annoying

And here’s where some of the annoyances come into play. The WiiMote, while making for a lovely sideways style NES remote system, sometimes bundles motion controls in an awkward way. To grab objects, for example, you need to swing the controller up and press the 1 button. Sounds simple enough but you can also shake the WiiMote up and down to perform a Spin Jump (which also sprays whatever projective powerup you have enabled). The two often get crossed so not only are you grabbing an object but also leaping into the air and tossing whatever you just grabbed (shell, Toad, frozen opponent, etc.) when you might have waned to hold onto it a bit longer.

Timing characters’ jumps is also a little drift-y, with gravity seeming just lighter enough to throw off an expert old school gamer for the first dozen or so levels until they fully adapt to the difference.

Finally, when multiple players are on the screen, the old school stick-together-or-else rule apply. Find a pipe and want to gather bonuses, everyone else needs to jump in with you. Also, whenever someone gets a nifty powerup, the pregnant powerup pause kicks in making everyone on the screen wait for that awkward second. While the screen resizing is a pretty nice aspect (it means you’re not limited to one crappy screen’s worth of stuff to do and don’t need to stay completely huddled together) it can throw off your timing and result in a lot of extra deaths. In rare circumstances it can also cause a character to get irrecoverably stuck between a rock and the game border.

Something a New

To make up for some of the annoyances Nintendo has added a Hints section that unlocks as you play (and cost giant gold coins to actually watch the hint videos). One is a so-called Unlimited Extra Lives that has you speed-Triple Jumping through one of the earliest levels. Time it perfectly and you do ring up a bunch of 1-Ups, but not really Unlimited (unless you return to that world ad nauseam),

All of the graphics have been overhauled so that fireballs have a lot of extra flames, ice balls trail ice and most everything moves a lot smoother. That might contribute to the feeling of slightly lighter gravity but, overall, it makes the game that much more enjoyable to look at, even if a lot of the elements are taken from older, lower-res games.

One of the many nice additions is that gamers can be added or dropped between levels so you can start the as a single player and have one to three friends hop in and help at almost an time.

It’s a Fun a game

This game is as fun and as silly as expected but not without a few mostly forgivable faults. There’s so much to do, see and enjoy in this game that it’s hard to let any faults weigh it down for very long.

Do not mistake this as an extended port of the DS version of New Super Mario Bros. As fun as that game may be, this one has so much more and the up-to-four player option makes it even more of a group event.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii does well integrating the many disparate elements of previous Mario games and blending them with new elements so both older and newer gamers have something to enjoy and appreciate.

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Video games can often be used to build essential life skills, or to educate players. You can learn new languages, improve hand-eye coordination, find new recipes, study for exams, prepare for stressful situations or build your vocabulary.

So, this year, train for the Black Friday shopping rush by picking up a few games.

Gamertell’s ready to offer up five video game suggestions that may help you prepare for the busiest shopping weekend of the year. You’ll not only help improve your shopping skills but also become more patient, learn avoidance techniques and stress management techniques.

• Barbie: Game Girl (Game Boy): This incredibly frustrating game, set in a shopping mall, will help you learn to be patient. The controls are horrible, the levels are frustrating and Barbie doesn’t seem to ever jump or move as accurately as you want. If you can make it through this game, you can quietly, and perhaps even happily, endure anything Black Friday throws at you.
• Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop (DS): The Shop Mode is what you’ll want to focus on for your training. It’s a good way to train agility and strategic skills. The other shoppers don’t care about you, only their own paths and goals, a mindset that will be shared by Black Friday shoppers. It’ll help you learn to focus on number one.
• Dead Rising (Xbox 360, Wii): Think of the zombies as the endless and agitated crowds you’ll be fighting through at your local big box store or shopping mall and use it to practice surviving without being trampled or assaulted. Note: Refrain from using violence when dealing with the human crowds you’ll encounter on Black Friday.
• Style Savvy (DS): Catering to the needs of occasionally demanding and fussy customers will help hone your gift selection skills, ensuring that the items you bestow on others don’t find their way to the return counter of the stores you purchased them from.
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2, PC, Xbox 360, Xbox): Finding your local Old Navy or Walmart should be simple after having to scour Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas for the stores so CJ can get the latest clothes.

If think of any additional games that could help people prepare and get in the proper mindset for Black Friday, please let us know in the comments below.

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For those of you looking for all the great Black Friday (aka the day after Thanksgiving, aka November 27, 2009) video game deals all in one place, you can check out all of our Black Friday posts.

For those of you who like things in nice, nifty, easy-to-browse bullet-point style lists, here ya go:

• Toys R Us - Doorbusters galore! Both Friday and Saturday they want you there very early. Each day has different deals so check the post o see which day (if not both) you need to wait in line. Some games on sale both days as well.
• Meijer - Doorbuster deals are on system bundles. Looks like they like to give out $50 gift cards with systems, too.
• Best Buy - Black Friday Doobuster deals. oh my. Deals include $10 DS games, $5 PC games, $20 PS3 and Xbox 360 games and $15 Wii games as well as discounted systems. Bust a door but not your )or someone else’s) shoulder.
• Target - Cheaper DSi with gift card, controllers and discounted games for every system. for some reason this store has gone with prices ending in $7 ( as in $7 PSP game, $17 DS games, $27 Wii games and $37 PS3 and Xbox 360 games). Couple bundles as well.
• Kohl’s - Has some DS and Wii games on sale now for 20% to 30% off, accessories for 20% to 50% off. Otherwise, only advertised deal is really gift cards per $50 spent for Black Friday.
• Half Price Books - Oh yeah, you read that right. A store with “book” in the name. Yes, they sell games. Gift cards, discounts and other first-through-the-door style goodies.
• Sears - The store that used to rule the gaming coup is hyping its LCD TVs on the cheap and Doorbuster electronics deals. Otherwise, assorted games for $15 and inexpensive 2- and 3-packs.
• Kmart - Decided to go with “Blue Friday” instead of “Black Friday?” Whatever. HDTV, LCD TV and a DSi are on the Doorbuster Deal list. for Black Friday there’s games for each system (this time ending in “9”).
• Walmart - For now no Black Friday deals but there are some going-on-now deals including Make-Your-Own DS Lite Bundle, a few Wii things and a couple music games for the other two systems. There is a $200 Xbox on the pre-Black Friday deals list.
• Circuit City - More a pre-Black Friday online-only sale, the main game deal is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for $55.9. The rest are HDTV and computer (desktop, laptop and netbook) deals.

Oh yes, there will be more. We’ll update this page as they come including ads as fast as we can scan and slap ‘em online.

Don’t miss our look at five games that can help prepare you for the hectic shopping pace of Black Friday.

Also check out the Black Friday coverage on sister sites Gadgetell and Appletell. Gadgets and Apple stuff is mm, mmm, good.

Read [Gamertell]

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Got the game today and, since I couldn’t put much more than a day into it (and the game comes out November 15, 2009), I wanted to provide you with some quick tidbits. Here’s an easy-to-read but not necessarily easy-to-comprehend bullet-point preview of Nintendo’s multiplayer platformer, New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Here weeee goes:

• Red is the new White.
• Software update required.
• Mario says “Wii” exactly the way you’d expect him to.
• Sixty-eight page manual (22 pages are English). Read it.
• Sideways WiiMote for retro control scheme but not the Classic Controller?
• Multiplayer means lots of lovely leaping (and plenty of extra death).
• Bursting bubbles is a good thing.
• Mapping a la Super Mario III?
• Sorry, the princess is not here.
• Yoshi is a Chocobo wannabe. Fruit is Yummy
• Ice balls and fire.
• Nice beanie.
• Beware of moving floors.
• Big red rings and little red coins
• Big gold coins.
• Infinite Lives hint!?
• Nunchuck is optional.
• Drop players and Quicksave.
• Save Toad’s friends!
• Butt slide, ground pound, wall grab, spin jump, super jump and then some.
• Suits galore.
• What’s with the gravity?
• Everything but the kitchen kart.
• Grab the flag as high as you can.

Site [New Super Mario Bros. Wii]

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If you’re currently enjoying the Beatles-flavored musical goodness that is The Beatles Rock Band - well, get ready, because a rather psychadelic load of downloadable content is on its way. The full album of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is coming to Xbox Live and Wii on November 17 and PlayStation Network on November 19, and you can buy tracks individually or get the whole shebang at once as a “complete the album pack”.

From EA’s press release:

“The “Complete The Album Pack” features: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band singles: “Fixing A Hole,” “She’s Leaving Home,” “Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!,” “Within You Without You,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Lovely Rita,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “A Day In The Life.”

Ready to rock on? Last month, beatlemaniacs got Abbey Road, this month we have Sgt. Peppers - I’ll leave it up to you to guess which iconic full album will be next.

Site [The Beatles Rock Band]

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The Black Friday ad that is, for many people, the ad to watch out for has been leaked onto the internet. Best Buy’s 2009 Black Friday sale ad has been leaked onto the internet. As expected, it is quite possibly a video game and technology fan’s dream. There are tons of great sale items! Also, the ad announces that the Best Buy stores will open at 5am on November 27, 2009 and that employees will begin passing out doorbuster item tickets around 3am on November 27, 2009.

First, let’s look at the doorbusters. It’s probably best to know right away if you want to start lining up at Best Buy at midnight. The biggest video game doorbuster is the 120gb PS3 with Little Big Planet and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time for $299.99. The Xbox 360 and PS3 games Madden NFL 10, FIFA Soccer 10, NBA LIVE 10, NHL 10, Need for Speed: Shift, Dragon Age: Origins and Brutal Legend will all be $34.99 doorbusters, as will the $34.99 Xbox 360 game Left 4 Dead 2. If you need a computer to play games on, there’s a Sony 15” laptop computer with Intel Pentium Dual Core processor, 4gb RAM, 320gb hard drive, Windows 7 Home Premium and a year of Spy Sweeper anti-virus for $399.99. You can also get that same computer, only with a Blu-ray player, Sony headphones and The Taking of Pelham 123 on Blu-ray for $479.97. Finally, there are two doorbuster HDTVs to check out as well, a $1599.99 46” 1080p 120Hz Samsung LED TV and a $299.99 32” 720p 60Hz Dynex LCD TV.

Now let’s look at Best Buy’s general Black Friday game sales:

DS

• Cooking Mama - $9.99
• Crash: Mind Over Mutant - $9.99
• Disney’s Bolt - $9.99
• Guiness World Records: The Videogame - $9.99
• Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon - $9.99
• Marker Man Adventures - $9.99
• Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood - $9.99
• Sudoku Ball: Detective - $9.99
• My Word Coach - $9.99
• White DSi Brain Age bundle with Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Sudoku, Brain Age Express: Math, Clubhouse Games Express: Card Classics and Photo Click DSiWare preloaded - $169.99
• Metallic Blue DSiMario bundle with Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again, WarioWare: Snapped!, Dr. Mario Express, Mario Calculator and Mario Clock DSiWare preloaded - $169.99

PC

• Assassin’s Creed - $4.99
• Bioshock - $4.99
• Civilization IV - $4.99
• Far Cry 2 - $4.99
• SLOTS - $4.99
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl - $4.99
• World of Warcraft - $4.99

PS3

• Call of Juarex: Bound in Blood - $19.99
• Fallout 3 (note: not Game of the Year Edition) - $19.99
• Resident Evil 5 - $19.99
• The Bigs 2 - $19.99
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena - $19.99
• Tom Clancy’s Hawx - $19.99

Wii

• Boom Blox Bash Party - $14.99
• Cooking Mama World Kitchen - $14.99
• Deca Sports - $9.99 (note: Friday and Saturday only)
• ExciteBots: Trick Racing - $14.99
• Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa - $14.99
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance - $14.99
• MySims Kingdom - $9.99 (note: Friday and Saturday only)
• NBA Live 09 All-Play - $9.99 (note: Friday and Saturday only)
• Pikmin - $14.99
• Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party - $9.99 (note: Friday and Saturday only)
• We Ski and Snowboard - $14.99

Xbox 360

• Call of Juarex: Bound in Blood - $19.99
• Fallout 3 - $19.99 (note: not the Game of the Year Edition)
• Hasbro Family Game Night - $19.99
• Resident Evil 5 - $19.99
• The Bigs 2 - $19.99
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena - $19.99
• Tom Clancy’s Hawx - $19.99
• 120gb Xbox 360 Elite bundle with Lego Batman, Pure, Spiderman: Web of Shadows, Wall-E, Sonic the Hedgehog and Ghost Recon 2 - $299.99

Image Source: BFAds

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The punishments for the undercover officers caught Wii Bowling during a March 6, 2009, drug raid have been handed down. And they’re not so punishing.

The Lakeland Ledger reports that 11 members of the multiagency task force were found at fault.

Undercover detectives received a letter of retraining and are required to undergo two hours of retraining. The sergeants who supervised and didn’t stop detectives from virtual bowling got a letter of guidance and must undergo four hours of retraining.

Lakeland Police Chief Roger Boatner told the Ledger:

“It’s been investigated by the sheriff’s office and reviewed by the Lakeland Police Department, and we concur with the action taken against them.”

“We hope this incident doesn’t overshadow all the hard work that went into the arrest.”

Sorry chief, I’m pretty sure it does. These cops have gotten more bad publicity than Michael DiFalco, the alleged drug dealer they were trying to bust.

The computer and camera in DiFalco’s home that recorded the unfortunate Wii Sports tourney was never recovered but officials said those devices are not critical to the case against DiFalco.

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Target’s Black Friday 2009 ad is now out online. The entire ad has been scanned and distributed over the internet. The store typically goes all out for Black Friday and has had quite a few nice sales over the years, and 2009 looks to be no different. The store will be open at 5am on November 27, 2009.

The doorbuster deals this year are okay, but I’d advise waiting for other stores’ ads before deciding to wait out in the cold for Target’s. The main video game doorbuster is a $169.99 DSi with $20 gift card. It’ll only be available while supplies last. The second doorbuster deal is a controller sale that will also continue while supplies last. You can get a PS3 black dualshock controller, the Wii Play bundle that comes with a remote and game or a black Xbox 360 controller for $39. The last video game related doorbuster is a $29.98 Video Rocker Extreme 2 gaming chair that has two speakers built in. It’s normally $59.99.

Now let’s look at the specific video game deals that will be available all day:

DS

• Gardening Mama - $17
• Hannah Montana The Movie game - $17
• iCarly - $17
• Littlest Pet Shop Friends: Beach - $17
• Marvel Super Hero Squad - $17
• Style Lab: Makeover - $17
• Personal Trainer: Cooking - $7

PS3

• Assassin’s Creed II with $10 gift card - $59.99
• Batman: Arkham Asylum - $37
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with $10 gift card - $59.99
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 - $37
• Need for Speed: Shift - $37
• Shaun White Snowboarding Target Edition with $10 gift card - $59.99
• Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes - $37

PSP

• Rock Band Unplugged - $7

Wii

• Animal Crossing: City Folk - $27
• Call of Duty: World at War - $27
• Guitar Hero 5 - $37
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games with $10 gift card - $59.99
• Need for Speed: Nitro - $27
• Nerf N-Strike Elite with $10 gift card - $59.99 (Note: It is difficult to tell if this is the elite bundle that includes the Nerf Switch Shot EX 3 Blaster.)
• SimAnimals: Africa - $27
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up - $27
• Wii Music - $27
• Wii Sports Resort with $10 gift card - $59.99

Xbox 360

• Assassin’s Creed II with $10 gift card - $59.99
• Batman: Arkham Asylum - $37
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with $10 gift card - $59.99
• Halo 3: ODST - $37
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 - $37
• Need for Speed: Shift - $37
• Shaun White Snowboarding Target Edition with $10 gift card - $59.99
• Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes - $37
• Xbox 360 120gb Elite bundle with Pure, Lego Batman, one controller and a $50 gift card - $299.99
• Call of Duty Xbox 360 250gb Elite bundle with two controllers, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and a $50 gift card - $399.99

General Electronics

• Lexar Media 4gb SDHC card with 50 free song downloads - $10 (Note: This card would work with the DSi or Wii.)

Image Source: TheBlackFriday.com

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I’ve got some bad news for the Wii-toting “fitness enthusiasts” in living rooms across the nation - Nintendo’s blockbuster, genre-defining Wii Fit doesn’t actually provide a very good workout. An American Council on Fitness (ACE) report (via Joystiq), notes that even the most cardio-heavy exercises paled in comparison to the real-life activities that they mimic.

From the report:

“When played for 30 minutes, Wii Fit’s Free Run and Island Run burned an average of 165 calories—the most out of the six activities tested—and yielded the highest energy expenditures. Rhythm Boxing expended an average of 114 calories, followed by Super Hula Hoop, Advanced Step and Free Step at 111, 108 and 99 calories, respectively. In all instances, researchers found that performing the actual activity as opposed to the virtual has a significantly higher caloric expenditure. This is especially evident with conventional step aerobics, which burns almost 12 calories per minute by typically stepping up onto a six-inch high bench, verses Wii Fit’s Free Step and Advanced Step, which burn much less by stepping up onto the one- or one-and-a-half-inch balance pad provided. Similarly, its Rhythm Boxing activity burns just one third of the calories per minute of traditional boxing.”

The silver lining, which Joystiq notes, is that the activities do at least burn double the calories of traditional videogames… but honestly, that’s not saying much. You don’t play an “exercise game” for fun, the way you would a “traditional” game.

Let me direct you to something a bit better - if you really want to break a sweat with your Wii, grab EA Sports Fitness.

Site [American Council on Fitness] Read [Joystiq]

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Title: Dead Space Extraction
Price: $49.99
System: Wii
Release Date: September 28, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Electronic Arts (Visceral Games)
ESRB Rating: “Mature” for blood and gore, intense violence and strong language.
Pros: Engaging story with great characters, excellent action and controls, fantastic graphics, a couple decent bosses and great two-player co-op.
Cons: Prolonged dialogue hurts replay value, froze at one point, somewhat short, too many hallways and not enough scares.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 91/100; A-; **** out of 5

Caveat Lector: This review contains spoilers.

Electronic Arts should be ashamed of themselves.

In Dead Space Extraction, they’ve got the best rail shooter (or light gun) game available on the Wii - and arguably on any platform - and they’ve done next to nothing to let anyone know about it.

The developer videos made available did little to pique my interest and it wasn’t until well after its release that a former coworker convinced me to give it a try. That’s why this review is so late but you should trust me on this: Don’t miss this game.

Dead Space Extraction is the prequel to last year’s Dead Space for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. That game saw a comic book and an animated movie—Dead Space Downfall—tie-in to promote it. EA must’ve thought that was enough momentum to help sell Dead Space Extraction but I knew nothing of any of these (and I still don’t care to). Even now that I’ve completed Extraction, I’m happy enough to keep this entry contained within itself.

It’s that damn good.

Understand, though, you have to be willing to accept certain things to share this view of the game. As mentioned, it’s a rail shooter, so you have no control over where you’re going; you just aim and shoot.

On Rails, No One Can Hear You Scream

Don’t get stuck visions of House of the Dead, however. Extraction is not just another mindless variation of shooting carnival zombies ducks in a row. Presented in the first-person, camera movement is designed to make you feel like you’re actually there. You don’t just stare straight ahead, you react. You may be shooting at oncoming aliens but, if you hear something behind you, you’ll turn to look.

You seek exits and cover. You check on your companions. You’re still given the necessary time to kill what needs to be killed, but the developers use this to create actual space. You feel like your part of the environment, even though you’re actually just being pushed through it.

Another element that could be good or bad, depending upon your expectations, is the story. It’s basic—bad things are happening, eliminate bad things, escape—but it’s told from within the gameplay, not through the standard cut scenes at the beginning and end of each level. This keeps you drawn into the game, as the interruptions to the action are relatively short.

However, you can’t skip them. You won’t care on the first play through but, if you have to replay a level, you’ll quickly grow impatient.

Rail shooters are generally great for playing with friends, but if you’ve gone through Extraction once, you likely won’t want to do it again anytime soon, even with someone who hasn’t previously played the game.

Ishimura, We Have a Problem

This brings me to co-op play, which is perfectly implemented.

A second player can hop in and out of the game at any time without breaking up the action. The limited camera control and weapon slot selection is still left up to player one, player two simply provides more firepower. If you’re on level four and a friend wants to play, let him join you right there. No need to create a new game profile or start from scratch (although you can certainly go back and replay any completed level).

Sacrificing replay value is worth it in this case, however, as it makes the first run-through much more engaging. This game is not played for comic value, as in House of the Dead: Overkill.

These characters felt real. I liked them. I wanted to see them get out alive. Even some of the secondary characters (a couple of which you actually control for a level). They take turns showing moments of strength and weakness and develop a logical relationship with one another as moments of fear and relief take over.

It’s very, very well done but, if you don’t care about story and character and just want to slice up aliens, you’ll find all of this getting in the way.

Nice Planet. We’ll Mutate It.

Unfortunately, Dead Space Extraction isn’t all that scary. It’s intense but never frightening, working better as sci-fi action than as a horror-survival game. This may be due in part to the similarity of the aliens (and their behavior) throughout. If a species is going to take over and mutate dead human bodies, into how many forms would they mutate?

I don’t really need a wide array of aliens for a game to hold my interest but a wider array of locales would’ve helped. Whether on the surface of Aegis VII at the beginning or the spaceship Ishimura for the final three-quarters, you’re largely just running through dark hallways. I never got the sense of what either location actually was.

Likewise, the developers never really explain what you’re fighting. Yes, there’s this crazy suicide cult and a bunch of people flipping out (told in the game and in the bonus video comic included) but who was I fighting? The couple of bosses you face give the impression it’s something very large and plant-like, but you have no idea how this thing fits in with the Marker.

Also, the game froze on me at one point, a rarity with a Wii title. The game didn’t lock up, it just left me stranded in front of a door that wouldn’t open.

Extraction. It Was Fun While it Lasted.

Still, upon completing Dead Space Extraction, I felt a bit empty. This may be due in part to its unnecessary cliffhanger ending (unless Visceral is planning a sequel, they really should’ve just made up their mind) but is largely because I wasn’t done with these characters. I grew to like them, thanks to some excellent acting and mostly believable dialogue. I want their adventures to continue.

Ten levels was too short, especially since it took until level 10 before you see Lexine stomping on a dead alien out of anger and frustration. Totally hot.

So, I hope there’s a sequel. Not Dead Space 2 but Dead Space Extraction 2. Sales of this game have not been great, though, no thanks to EA, so I don’t have much hope. Considering what the protagonists go through in this game, however, I guess that’s in line with the general theme.

Site [Dead Space Extraction]

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

The Kohl’s Black Friday 2009 ad has leaked its way onto the internet, so add that to the list that also includes Kmart and Sears. In terms of video game sales, the Kohl’s ad is rather anticlimactic.

The main Kohl’s video game sale is fairly general. Every DS and Wii game in the store is between 20 and 30% off the normal price. Also, every video game accessory in the store will be between 20 and 50% off the normal price. If there’s something specific you’re looking for, perhaps you should stop by your local Kohl’s before November 27, 2009. See if there’s something you’re interested in. That way you’ll know if its worth going in while the sale is on.

Kohl’s is also going to offer a Kohl’s Cash promotion during its Black Friday 2009 sale. For every $50 you spend in the store or online, you’ll receive $10 Kohl’s Cash. So if you spend $167 at Kohl’s during the Black Friday sale, you’ll get $30 in Kohl’s Cash coupons. It’s hard to make out the fine print, but it looks like you may only be able to redeem the Kohl’s Cash coupons you’ve earned between November 30 and December 7, 2009.

Image Source: TheBlackFriday.com

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Nintendo has a history of offering exclusive games as Club Nintendo rewards, but until now they’ve only been DS games. The latest Club Nintendo Japan reward is the 50 point WiiWare game Wii de Ultrahand. It’s based on the 1966 Nintendo Ultra Hand toy.

The original Ultra Hand plastic toy came with three balls and stands to place the balls on. It made cameo appearances in Wario: Master of Disguise (DS) and Mario Power Tennis (GameCube, Wii).

Wii de Ultra Hand, on the other hand, involves grabbing meat in place of balls. The Wii remote and nunchuk serve as the two handles for the virtual Ultra Hand, and players move the handles in and out to grab meat off a grill before it burns and place it on a plate. You can play it alone or with a single friend.

The 50 points does not, unfortunately, get you a replica Ultra Hand. It only gives you a code to download the WiiWare game. It would have been a nice little extra if it did!

There’s no telling whether this will see a release outside of Japan or not. Nintendo is trying to establish the Club Nintendo promotions outside of Japan though, and the first Club Nintendo Game & Watch DS game was a reward in North America. Also, Wii de Ultra Hand probably wouldn’t be too difficult to translate and localize for worldwide audiences.

Read [andriasang.com] Site [Club Nintendo Japan]

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This week’s Nintendo Download marks the debut of two expected releases. Excitebike: World Rally, an updated and improved entry in the Excitebike series is out on WiiWare and a slew of Electroplankton downloads have been released on DSiWare. Two other major releases include Frogger Returns (WiiWare) and Bomberman Blitz (DSiWare).

If you’re considering one of the five Electroplankton DSiWare games, then you’ll probably want to get a new Nintendo Points card and look up information on the original game. Half of the 10 different kinds of plankton from the original game have been released on DSiWare, and each costs $2/200 Nintendo Points. It also sounds like the downloads only include the Performance Mode from the original Electroplankton.

Gamertell’s Nintendo Download picks for the week are Excitebike World Rally (WiiWare), Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap (Virtual Console) and Bomberman Blitz (DSiWare).

WiiWare

Dragon Master Spell Caster
Price: 500 Nintendo Points / $5
Publisher: Stickmen Studios
Genre: Action
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Mild Fantasy Violence
Players: 1-2
Description: You must battle against Dragon Lords and their Champion warriors to try and protect the world. There are multiple champions to choose from and four different paths to follow. You can also battle against friends.

Excitebike: World Rally
Price: 1000 Nintendo Points / $10
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Racing
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Players: 1-4
Description: Remember the Nintendo game Excitebike? This is essentially the same thing, only with better graphics and a control scheme that uses the Wii remote. It is a motorcycle racing game. It also offers Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support to race against friends online and a Track Editor to make your own tracks that you can race on or share.

Frogger Returns
Price: 500 Nintendo Points / $5
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Arcade
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Players: 1-2
Description: It’s classic Frogger, the game where you help a frog make it through traffic and a treacherous path to reach the other side, only now in 3D and updated with new content. There’s also a two player mode where you can see who can help Frogger to safety first.

Virtual Console

Cybernoid
Price: 500 Nintendo Points / $5
Originally Appeared On: Commodore 64
Publisher: Commodore Gaming
Genre: Shoot-em-up
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Mild Fantasy Violence
Players: 1
Description: You must take town pirates who have raided Federation storage warehouses, and must reach the pirates’ depots to recover the stolen goods. If you don’t, you’ll be penalized.

Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap
Price: 500 Nintendo Points / $5
Originally Appeared On: Sega Master System
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Action with some RPG elements
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Mild Cartoon Violence and Tobacco Reference
Players: 1
Description: Wonder Boy III takes place right where Wonder Boy in Monster Land left off. Wonder Boy has been cursed, and can now shapeshift into a dragon, and as he beats other bosses he gains additional animal forms. You must help him find a way to return to his normal, human self.

DSiWare

Bomberman Blitz
Price: 500 Nintendo Points / $5
Publisher: Hudson
Genre: Action
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Comic Mischief
Players: 1-8
Description: It’s your basic Bomberman game, but it’s worth it for the multiplayer. You can play with eight friends using local multiplayer or the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. 

Electropankton Beatnes
Price: 200 Nintendo Points / $2
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Music/Misc
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Players: 1
Description: While an NES game plays, you can tap the five multisegmented Beatnes to have them play and repeat certain sound effects or musical notes.

Electropankton Hanenbow
Price: 200 Nintendo Points / $2
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Music/Misc
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Players: 1
Description: Here you mainly move leaves rather than exactly touching the Hanenbows. You first arrange the leaf on the water where the Hanenbow will jump out of the water from, then arrange other leaves for them to hit before they return to the water, which will make them make noises.

Electropankton Nanocarp
Price: 200 Nintendo Points / $2
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Music/Misc
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Players: 1
Description: The 16 Nanocarp make noises based on how waves, created by tapping the touch screen, hit them and how the player directs their movement with the DSi microphone.

Electropankton Rec-Rec
Price: 200 Nintendo Points / $2
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Music/Misc
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Players: 1
Description: The four Rec-Recs record sounds, then repeat them back to you in an endless loop. You can also alter their pace and the beat that occurs in the background.

Electropankton Trapy
Price: 200 Nintendo Points / $2
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Music/Misc
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Players: 1
Description: Originally called Tracies, the six Trapies follow the triangles you draw on screen and make different sounds based on how you drew the triangle and what color the Trapy following it is.

Site [Nintendo]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Video games are often berated for the lack of educational content found in them. They’re often considered a waste of time. But, if you look closely, even games that aren’t slapped with the edutainment label or feature educational material can be teaching valuable skills to the people playing them.

Gamertell’s put together a brief list of some video games that weren’t created with the developers aiming to educate the masses, but can end up helping players build some valuable skills. With some, the educational value is pretty obvious, but with others you probably could spend hours playing without even realizing you’ve learned something from it.

1. Bookworm Adventures & Bookworm Adventures Volume 2 (PC): You have to create words from letter tiles in your possession to defeat opponents. As you get further into the game, more difficult letters tend to pop up. It boosts you vocabulary, and helps better your spelling skills, without you even knowing it.
2. Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village & Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS): Both Professor Layton games get players thinking critically. They help boost math and reasoning skills, and also encourage creativity. Unless, of course, you visit a blog like Professor Layton and the Curious Village Walkthrough.
3. Scribblenauts (DS): Here’s another vocabulary booster. When you know the game is capable of recognizing, and creating, objects for over 20,000 words, it makes you want to plug in as many as you can to see if the game will recognize it and what kind of items the words will spawn.
4. Pokemon (DS): An unusual series you probably didn’t expect to see here. However, Pokemon is a great way to get kids reading without them realizing it, and also is a good way to help develop patience and reasoning skills. After all, players have to know the weaknesses and strengths of each kind of pokemon.
5. Wii Sports (Wii): Its a great way of developing good hand-eye coordination.
6. Line Rider (PC, DS, Wii): While many people probably just tinker around with Line Rider for fun, or to see the little sledder crash, it also can teach some physics lessons along the way.
7. Final Fantasy (NES, SNES, GBA, PC, PS1, PS2, DS, Wii, PS3, Xbox 360): Like Pokemon, it gets players reading. Plus, the language typically isn’t dumbed down in the games, so players could be building their vocabulary as well. Critical thinking and reasoning skills can also come into play when players need to figure out how to defeat tricky bosses or overcome the occasional challenging mission.
8. Half-Minute Hero (PSP): It’s a surprisingly good way to teach players about proper time management. While you can usually pay an in-game character to extend the 30 second deadline in each mission, you also have to figure in how to raise money to extend the deadline or reach that character in time.
9. Space Channel 5 & Space Channel 5 Part 2 (Dreamcast, PS2): It’s a great way to learn to accurately follow directions and boost memory skills. After all, you have to repeat the motions back exactly the way you heard them if you want to succeed.
10. Patapon & Patapon 2 (PSP): Both games help players learn to stick to and follow a rhythmic pattern and memorize patterns. If you don’t memorize the correct patterns and follow the beat, your Patapon warriors won’t do anything.

If you can think of any other games that could be unintentionally educational, let us know in the comments!

Read [The New York Times] Also Read [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Walmart has some great online-only specials that have just appeared on the website. The only catch is, there’s no knowing how long these deals will last. The site specifically states that it is while supplies last, but it doesn’t mention how many of each item are available. So if you see a deal you like, better pounce on it quickly.

There are six video game deals that go along with this online special. Five out of six relate to Nintendo systems or products for Nintendo systems, and the other sale pertains to an Xbox 360 item.

Let’s look at what online specials Walmart is selling:

• Make your own DS Lite value bundle with a DS Lite (you choose the color), Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and one of four Nintendo Expression Accessory Kits for $149.00. The page also gives you the option to add on an additional game, but the additional game will full price.
• Wii Fit Plus with balance board and DreamGear 5-in-1 fitness bundle for $119.00.
• 2 Wii games for $30. You can choose from 33 titles, which include Cooking Mama: Cook Off, Lego Batman, Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and Lego Star Wars: Complete Saga.
• Wii with Wii Fit Plus with balance board and $25 gift card for $299.00.
• Wii Rock Band 2 or Rock Band Track Packs for $20 each. You can choose from Rock Band 2, AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack, Rock Band Metal Track Pack, Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock, Rock Band Track Pack: Volume 1 or Rock Band Track Pack: Volume 2.
• Guitar Hero World Tour Band Kit for Xbox 360 for $79.00.

Site [Walmart]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

When Midway filed bankruptcy, one of the potentially lucrative licenses it had was the right to make games based on TNA Wrestling. When Warner Bros. bought the company it picked up the rights to several Midway games but PWInsider said the TNA game wasn’t one of them.

PWInsider’s TNA sources said the rights may bounce back to TNA since Warner Bros. wasn’t interested in purchasing them. TNA officials won’t comment on what, if anything, is happening with the game. TNA Impact sold one million units with reviews being just so-so.

Still, wrestling games have a built-in fan base and TNA is still basking in the publicity glow of a partnership with wrestling legend Hulk Hogan. Wrestling needs more competition in terms of programming and video games, so here’s hoping something works out.

Read [PWInsider] Also Read [Baltimore Sun]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Epic Games is making a breakthrough in the games community by offering one of the most acclaimed game engines, the Unreal Engine 3, free to the public.

Now anyone can get their hands on this technology by downloading the UDK, or Unreal Development Kit.

The Unreal Engine 3 has been used in blockbuster first-person shooters including the Gears of War franchise, Unreal Tournament 3 and Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. It has also been adapted for other genres including RPGs (Bioshock and Mass Effect) and action games (Mirror’s Edge).

The UDK offers advanced tools including a physics engine, video encoding, particle effects, destructible environments, audio encoding and an AI system.

Although the UDK is targeted mainly at the development of games, other areas including design, architecture and construction can also benefit from the engine, so there’s much to like here for everybody.

This really got me excited and if my PC wasn’t a piece of junk I would be toying with the UDK right now. Epic Games has taken a huge step in the right direction by putting this engine on the hands of what could potentially be a huge crowd. I’m sure this will drive forward the development of games and I can’t wait to see what the modding community can do with this.

The minimum requirements for the UDK are:

• Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista
• 2.0+ GHz processor
• 2 GB system RAM
• SM3-compatible video card
• 3 GB Free hard drive space

Read [