Earlier today I found the latest trailer for Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, and for some reason I decided to hold off on posting it. It could have been that everyone was in a jolly mood in the office due to the long weekend ahead, or it could have been my interweb discussions on Football (soccer) and Fight Night Round 4. Those discussions were serious business. I like to think that I have some sort of sixth sense that tapped into my subconscious and forced me not to do the post yet. Either way, I’m glad I didn’t. You see, now there is new video representing Dead Space:Extraction. Not only is it the prequel to a very successful title, and the franchises first appearance on the Wii, it is the main competition for RE:DC. You see, both games are on-rail shooters in the survival-horror genre. Both games are repping for an already successful franchise, even if Dead Space is the new kid on the block. Basically, these two games are going to be compared to each other. A lot. There are some gamers that are lucky and are never faced with the “This game or that game” dilemma. I am not one of them. In fact, I face that conundrum all the time. I get the “This game, bills, that game, bills, wife, or bills” choice that I have to make. Unfortunately, games are not high on that list. And yes, my wife is first on it. For gamers like myself the choice between these two games may be easy as it looks like RE:DC has been pushed back to 2010, while DS:E is due out in September. But, if they released at the same time the decision would definitely be hard to make. The gamer would have to do things like read about the games, watch videos and look at images of them, check out their favorite blogs written by guys named Mike, and all sorts of other tedious tasks. Well, that’s what makes this post so special, because I now get to present you with the latest 2-minute trailer for Resident Evil:Darskide Chronicles. Then, I get to feel the amazing sensation of following that up with a 4-minute trailer for Dead Space:Extraction. That’s like 6 minutes of zombie and alien killing on-rail awesomeness!! Yes, things are getting real. Check the videos below, and please, be sure to enjoy them!

While Tiger Woods and his golfing game may be the current champ on the Wii, and could be making a run for the permanent crown, the Madden series will always be the one sports game the others want to beat. It is the game that other sports games are measured by, if you can make a game that people covet and long for as much as Madden, you are definitely doin’ it right. Every year Maddenites (I’m gonna copyright that if it’s not been done yet, so go ahead and cut the checks) start craving Madden as soon as the draft is over. Websites and leagues are formed, stats are criticized and applauded, and trash-talking is taken to an artform while the anticipation builds. Madden has gone beyond a videogame, it’s reached the top of the mountain, the game is now an institution. Now, we all know that sports games on the Wii can be hit or miss. Pro Evo and Tiger have been the only consistently good games so far. But, EA is hoping that with Grand Slam Tennis, FIFA 10, and Madden 10 they can become the masters of the Wii universe where sports games are considered. I hope that they can because I was underwhelmed by last year’s Madden. It just felt…cheesy. With the changes the dev team have implemented to the design and gameplay, I’m hoping to at least be satisfied. I know, that’s not exactly a glowing endorsement but, if I was satisfied by Madden 10 for the Wii, then I’d definitely be one of those craving and anticipating Madden 11. The latest trailer for Madden 10 showcases The Road To The Superbowl. You’re gonna get gameplay, features, and everything in between. I have to say, it is certainly looking like it has potential. I just hope it lives up to it. For now Tiger, Johnny Mac, and Footballers (Soccer Players for the layman) are the champs of the Wii. Let’s see if NFL players can assert some dominance and take the reigns for good.

It’s been a minute since we’ve gotten any news about the new survival horror game, “Cursed Mountain”. If you remember from previous posts, this is the game that places you in the feet of Eric Simmons as he goes on a journey searching for his lost brother in the Himalayas. Along the way he discovers that the mountain is cursed with the souls of travelers and others who were claimed by the mountain. Of course, this is not reassuring in the least to Eric that his brother is still in the land of the living. Being developed strictly for the Wii, Deep Silver has been able to utilize the game and its controls in unique ways. One of the most intriguing elements is that the motion controls for combat will be based on real world Buddhist Mantras, which is sure to bring the player deeper into the realm of Cursed Mountain. The developers are also shying away from gore and pure violence and hoping that the psychological aspect of being alone and terrified on The Mountain will provide the fright factor that people will be looking for. With unique gameplay, a character and story-arc that you are sure to connect with, and being set on a mountain that is, you know, cursed, it’s starting to look like Deep Silver have a winner on their hands. For those aching for a closer look at the game, and some insights from the developers, you’ll find a nice Developer Diary posted below. Cursed Mountain is set to release strictly for the Wii on August 25, which means it should get the jump on the game that looks to be its main competition, Silent Hill:Shattered Memories.

During the lifespan of the Wii there has been countless videos tying the console and its games to popular culture. Whether it’s a skit on SNL starring the one and only Alec Baldwin and some over the top “Waggle”, Megan Fox admitting she loves the Wii, or simply a girl playing WiiFit, you cannot deny the fact that the Wii is a pop culture icon. It’s everywhere all the time, right up there with Rock Band, the Wii is the console everyone wants to own. Surely this explains why the console has sold something like 51 million units. That number is just ridiculous. Do these celebrity endorsements and viral videos have that much of an effect on the sales of the console, or is it word of mouth and the hipness of the console that does it? Who knows, or cares?! All I know is that I love it when I see a video of someone playing a Wii that I enjoy, or hear another celeb shout-out for the console. Because I know there are sheep out there who will say, “Yeah I need to get one of those now that I know that Jon & Kate have one!” In the worlds of the immortal Puff Daddy, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby”, and you know Ninty is loving the fact that the Wii has brought them a ridiculous amount of said Benjamins. One of the latest Wii/Celeb videos comes courtesy of the ever-awkward Jimmy Fallon. Think what you will of the man taking Conan’s vacated spot on the TV landscape, he definitely represents for videogames. Oh, and he somehow scored The Legendary Roots Crew as his house band. Seriously, how did he do that? So far on Fallon we’ve gotten closer looks at iPhone competitors (Palm Pre), as well as some other companies lame attempt at convincing the public it can do motion control on par with the Wii. Well, last week Jimmy had the unconquerable Tiger Woods on his show, and he also had the gall to challenge the man to some WiiMotion Plus enhanced Tiger 10. What ensued is sure to be vintage Jimmy, and it showed a lighter side to Tiger which was great to see. On top of all that, the greatest golfing game of all time, which is on the Wii, was showcased on national TV for all to see. If you missed it, I’m posting it below for your enjoyment.

Now that Tiger 10, Grand Slam Tennis and The Conduit are out and blowing us all away, do you find yourself wondering “What Next?” I mean, some of the most anticipated games have already come out, we’re playing them and lovin ‘em, but where do we go from here? Well, do not fret, hope is not lost. There are still several games on the horizon, and some of them sure do look good. In fact, it was just yesterday that we debuted some footage of those titles, and today I’ve got one more for you.

Last year at E3 Nintendo debuted WiiMotion Plus and told us about Wii Sports Resort. Most people were impressed about WM+, not so much with Resort. I was not one of those people. I love Wii Sports. I’m going to put this out there right now: Other than the Mario Bros./Duck Hunt game that came with NES, Wii Sports is the greatest launch bundle game of all time. Yeah, I said it, and don’t you ever forget it. So, when Cammie told us about a sequel with all new games and WAY better controls, I was sold. A year went by and we heard and saw plenty about WM+. We saw demos of how well it worked, how it would revolutionize sports titles as well as shooters. We found out pricing, launch dates, and some of the games that would and will support it. Basically, in the year since it was announced you found out everything you needed to know about the add-on. Somewhere in the hype-train Wii Sports Resort got lost. If there were features done on them, they were overlooked. Apparently Nintendo wasn’t too thrilled about that because at this year’s E3 we saw much more of the game, and that was just the beginning. With the game being exactly a month away, it seems as though the Nintendo are going to do all they can to ensure that we all buy the Kool-Aid. As I said earlier, I’m already sold. I mean, who doesn’t want to have Wii Sports using WM+ and games such as: Swordplay, or Archery, or Sky-Diving?? IGN not only has a great preview of their impressions of the mini-games game, but we also get some great videos thanks to their team. Wii Sports Resort is sure to be a hit, coming bundled with WiiMotion Plus is just icing on the cake of delicious goodness that will be served up on July 26. I can’t wait to hear and see much more of this game in the coming month, and there’s no way in the world I’m the only one. If you’re with me on this, then you’ll enjoy the videos below and let the wait begin!

Today we have treats. Special treats in fact. Why do I have such wonderful treats for you all? Well, Team USA did the impossible in beating La Roja of Spain last night 2-0 to reach the Confed Cup Finals, Fight Night Round 4 is amazing, and in less than a day I’ll be watching Revenge of The Fallen. Yes, I am in a good mood. Even on a day when we lost the greatest pop-star of all time. RIP Michael Jackson, you will be missed. Thank you for making some of the most amazing music we’ll ever hear.

If you read the title of this post you may have come to the conclusion that I’ll be showing you some video/pics/news about Overlord, Red Steel 2 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). You are absolutely right. You’re going to be presented with the launch trailer for Overlord:Dark Legion. The title is a prequel to the original and has you playing a younger Overlord. Of course, he’s going to terrorize his pupils, minions, and servants on his quest to become the ultimate land conquering tyrant the world has known. After you catch your breath from that excitement, I’m coming at you with the latest trailer for Ubisoft’s uber-highly anticipated sequel, Red Steel 2. This is the game that we all wanted the original to be, only set in the west. Yeah, a samurai/gun-slinger slaying fools in the west with the most realistic controls thanks to WiiMotion Plus. It’s gonna get real. Then, once you think you can’t possibly take anymore, I’m going to hit you in the face turtle style!!! The heroes in a halfshell are back, and starring in a game made by the crew who brought us a little game called Super Smash Bros. Brawl, you may have heard of it. There’s not really much else I can say about that. It’s going to be Smash set in the Turtles’ world. In other words, it’s going to be ridiculously epic. All three videos are posted below.

I’m also going to include the Beat It music video. As a kid I used to rock a red zip-up jacket and sing and dance to this song, my parents even have pictures of it (which I won’t be posting here). The man truly was a legend, and no matter what you thought about his life you had to admire his music and dance. I’ll miss you Michael, I’m sure I’m not the only one.

I know I told you all just the other day that I’d already posted everything I possibly could about The Conduit. That there wasn’t much more I could really show or even tell you. Don’t sleep, when I said that I most definitely meant it. But then today rolled around. This is the day The Conduit hit store shelves, mailboxes, and doorsteps for Wii gamers everywhere. You know I had to post some videos of the game in action!!! The two direct-feed videos below show how beautiful the game actually is. I am drooling! Why am I drooling? Because I am not one of the lucky ones who bought the game today. No, I had to make a choice between The Conduit and Fight Night Round 4 for my PS3. I am a HUGE boxing fan, and I just recently got Tiger 10 which made the choice easy. I’m starting to regret it… Watch the videos below, if you can pull yourself away from the game itself, and you’ll know why. Just try not to rub it in too much ok.

When you think about playing videogames a few types of games should automatically come to mind: fighters, shooters, sports games, platformers, and racers. I know that amongst those there are sub-genres upon sub-genres, but generally speaking those are the 5 food groups of the gaming world. Nintendo and the Wii have pretty much all of them lock and stock, except for racing games. Sure, Mario Kart is fun as is ExciteTruck/Bots, but none of them really get it done. When you put these games up to the major titles on other consoles ie., Gran Turismo and Forza, the Wii hasn’t a leg to stand on. Thankfully, Codemasters hopes to reverse the fortune of Wii owners by bringing the off-road racer, DiRT 2 to the Wii!

DiRT 2 is an off-road/rally racing game that is more arcade than it is sim. The game will also hit the other consoles, but it’s being said that the Wii version will be just as good an option for multi-console owners as any other. The one thing that the title is lacking is online multiplayer, Codemasters hopes to make up for this by offering a 4-player split screen mode. Of course, bringing a game to the Wii means you’ve got to have a mini-game or four thrown in just for good measure, so don’t expect any different with this game. Some of the modes that have been talked about is a “drift” mode, where players have to keep cars sideways as long as possible, as well as a “big air” mode, which should be self explanatory. The game engine for DiRT 2 looks pretty good running on the Wii, and it seems like the developers are committed to bring a great playing, and looking, racing game to the Wii. The release date for DiRT 2 is September 19, and for now you can enjoy the debut trailer for the game below.