When I was a kid there were a few standard items that I needed to get every Christmas and Birthday: a remote control car, a new supersoaker, and the latest and baddest Nerf gun. Without fail I would beg and plead for these, and typically would get at least one of them. Of course, by the next gift receiving holiday it would be broken and the pleading would commence again. Nerf knows that there are tons of kids who were just like me, and it seems that Nintendo knows this as well. When the two companies teamed up last year for Nerf-N-Strike the game came with a “blaster” that would cradle your Wiimote for in-game action, and also double as actual shooter for when you went to war with the neighbors. For the sequel, Nerf 2:N-Strike Elite, they will be including an all-new blaster. This may be showing my age but, if I had been able to put my NES controller into a Nerf gun to use for videogames and epic wars with my friends, well I think I would have been in heaven. Seriously, that probably would have been the coolest thing ever. Ever. I do hope that kids these days can appreciate how cool it really is. The gun this go round is virtually the same, only it adds a red scope that you’ll look through to reveal codes on the screen. A bit hokey sounding, but it could work. Did I just say hokey? God I’m old… Nerf 2 will stick to the on-rails play that the first used successfully, and will also have many different Nerf blasters, both real and fake. This is not a game that peaks my interest but, I’m sure there’s a market for the game and I’m sure that a lot of people enjoy it. Let’s hope they read this blog.

See More NERF 2: N-Strike Elite Photo at IGN.com
See More NERF 2: N-Strike Elite Screenshot at IGN.com

Now, for something I can really sink my teeth into, Pro Evo Soccer! When I got PES ‘08 I was literally blown away. Konami brought the beautiful game to the Wii and completely murdered all the sports games on the console. The game was as near perfect as it could get. Then they brought us PES ‘09 and it was even better. WHAT!?!? How could they have made it better, is that even possible? They refined the controls to allow better offense, as well as give more intricate controls to the defense. The developers also added the greatest club tournament in the world, The UEFA Champions League. For anyone who’s a fan of football, you know that the CL is what the game is all about. I mean, I love everything about the Champions League, and I get chills when I hear that epic theme. Another wonderful thing that came along with adding the CL into PES 09 was the fact that my beloved Manchester United were now an officially licensed team. Glory Glory Man United! The one flaw of the game was that we had to wait so damned long for it. I mean, it was released on the other consoles like 5 months before Wii got ours. It was absurd, especially since I don’t know anyone who has played the title on the Wii and another console will say that it’s weaker on the Wii. The Wii version is by far the superior version of the game, and at this point the only console left where PES is a better game than FIFA. Well, it looks like Konami wants to do right by us, as they announced that Pro Evo 10 will be released on the Wii this autumn. The other guys will get theirs first, but the game will be in my console shortly after. If Konami can improve on the game in the slightest then I know PES 10 will be a masterpiece. The onus is on EA and its FIFA series to make the Wii version of their football title as strong as the “HD consoles”. As much as I’ve loved Pro Evo Wii, I do hope EA steps up their game. If they do then the beautiful game will truly be best when played on the Wii.