I was talking to someone today about the Wii, a co-worker in fact. He’s really into videogames, like really into them. He takes his PSP out when his family goes to dinner, as does his son and wife, and they play while waiting for dinner. This guy’s got to be around 40 years old, and when I envision that scene, it cracks me up. Anyway, he was telling me how he’s disappointed in the Wii. How there’s nothing but party games, and they aren’t fun, and all the typical ignorant things people assume about the Wii. I had to be patient with him though, he’s a 360 owner and has to send it in to get fixed about every 6 months, but I also had to smash his argument. The thing is, these conversations happen all the time. Those of us who own a Wii, and pay attention to it, know that the Wii has grown in leaps and bounds. We know that The Conduit is one of the best shooters available, that MadWorld is one of the funnest and goriest brain dead games you’ll ever play. We also know that PES 10 is going to be ridiculously good and will continue to revolutionize the way football games are played, and that Dead Space:Extraction is on pace to be one of the greatest on-rails shooters in years. The thing is, no one else knows this. I mean, obviously people do, but not the masses. I’m not talking about the masses that launched the Wii into a must own system for everyone aged 8 to 80. I’m talking about the masses that claim they are videogames. The supposed “Core” gamer. Just like KRS-One taught us that you are not doing hip-hop you are hip-hop, these people believe they are what games are. Ok, not in that literal of a sense, but I’m sure there are those that do. They feel like they know everything about games because they have a 360 and have like a 50million gamerscore and beat Halo 3 on legendary three times in one night with the lights off because their parents were asleep upstairs and if they woke them up their mom would probably make them sleep in the treehouse. First off, these people are sad. They aren’t sad because their life consists of playing videogames, they’re sad because they neglect an entire console. To continue your education in hip-hop, these are the same guys that act like Flo-Rida is real hip-hop when they’ve never heard of Rakim or Eric B. Well, the Wii ain’t no joke, so follow the leader and when it comes to the fun to be had playing videogames you will definitely be paid in full.

Now that I’ve just stunned you with a segue so amazing I should go ahead and retire, time for something completely different. One of the greatest things about the Wii is the level of imagination it invokes in game developers and publishing houses. All three of the major consoles right now have a service to provide independent games, but WiiWare blows them all away. Like, I don’t even think it’s close. The games available through the Big N’s downloadable service are amazing, at least most of them are. Ok, some of them are. But, the ones that are really are. It has to be the controls. It just opens up the imagination with what you can do, and allows developers to dive into worlds that are only possible here. All of this adds up to a huge bowl of win, and right now NyxQuest is floating at the top of that bowl. NyxQuest is a platformer centered around Greek mythology and is brought to us by Spanish developers, Over The Top Games. The first thing that should be said is that if you loved/hated Lost Winds, you will probably love/hate NyxQuest. If you haven’t played LostWinds you should kill yourself. I KID!! I KID!! I didn’t mean it, I would never want you to do anything like that, but you should seriously do whatever you have to in order to get the 1000 points and buy the game right now. In fact, you’ll need 2000 because you might as well go ahead and get NyxQuest at the same time. I’m serious, I can wait…. Okay, now we can get back to the matter at hand. I’ll put NQ in the simplest terms possible: you play a goddess named Nyx who is on a Quest to meet up with her old pal Icarus. During Nyx’s Quest (I do hope you’re sensing a pattern here…), she’ll use wind and fire to guide herself to the safety of platforms, it is a platformer after all. Once you dig a little deeper you’ll learn that NQ is a beautifully paced and designed game that invokes not only the innovation but the imagination that all games promise to have, yet so few can (or choose to) actually deliver. NyxQuest is a short burst of a game, but one that you will thoroughly enjoy the entire time. Over The Top Games’ debut on WiiWare is only the latest gem to hit the platform, let’s all hope there are many more to come. Tonight I leave you with the debut trailer (which I’m kinda late on) for NyxQuest, which is available right now for 1000 points. I’m also blessing you with the legendary (and greatest MC of all time) Eric B. & Rakim’s classic track Paid In Full, just because I can. Enjoy, and stay thirsty my friends.

So, I just watched a trailer for a WiiWare game called “Sexy Poker”, and I’m not sure what to think. First of all, it’s not sexy. At all. That’s not just because it’s a videogame and I’m certainly not one for finding them sexy in the least, it’s because it just isn’t sexy. I mean, if it was Daisy Fuentes Sexy Poker that’d be another thing. Unfortunately, that’s not what it is. This is like Pokemon but with videogame betties. When you win they blow you a kiss then lose a garter, or jacket to reveal more of their cleavage. Yes, it’s a WiiWare title so I’m sure the budget for Daisy wasn’t there, but damn, why even try? That’s become the problem with almost everything these days, if you’re going to make something that’s crap don’t even waste the money. We’re not exactly in a very stable economy here. We’re in an economy where you just have to think, “At least I have a job…”, even if it’s a job that you hate. Don’t fret my friends, this is not my main job, I do have a typical office job. But, in an economy where people are thankful to have their crappy job because they know how easily we could have been on the “fired” list, companies should stop making crappy games. And movies. And TV shows. I mean, I know “Sexy Poker” isn’t a multi-million dollar game, but I’m sure it’s in the tens of thousands, maybe hundreds. Try to think of the journey that game had to take from the mind of the lonely geek who dreamt it up to a meeting with his colleagues and co-workers. Then I’m sure they’d discuss it and talk about ideas and what color bikini the player would wear, then a mock-up game with beta testers and the lot. Finally the game would move into final production at which time trailers would be released and viewed by me who would then point out the mediocrity of the product. There is no way that it was cheap. Yes, making this game gave some people jobs, but is it too much to expect them to at least try to do a good job at the one they have? I don’t think so. Of course, with a game that looks so crap it’s not a stretch to think they could really hate their job and just be thankful they’ve still got one…

Muramasa:The Demon Blade is a game that definitely wasn’t cheap to make. Fortunately, it’s looking ridiculously fun. It wasn’t very long ago that I first wrote about Muramasa. Unfortunately, the day I wrote about it was a bad day in the world of Mike, and I had to remind everyone that Red Steel 2 was delayed to 2010. Which I just did again. Don’t you just love me? Since that post though more information has been released, and I’ve been doing my due diligence for you guys. Speaking of due diligence, when you buy a house, make sure you take advantage of that time and really do your work. There’s no telling what you’re gonna find, trust me. Muramasa is going to offer players only two difficulties, which can be switched on the fly. The harder difficulty is obviously harder, but it changes the game in more than just difficulty. Playing on the higher setting is the only way you’ll get certain boss battles, as well as blades. Collecting blades is one of the things that will go into leveling up, so you’ll want as many of those as possible. While the game is a 2D fighter, it’s also got RPG elements in the game. One of the most interesting things about this comes in two forms. The first is that with the ultra fast gameplay, you have to strategize in order to make sure your blades do not take damage, because they can break. Yeah, the things that you need to not get slaughtered in the game can actually break. I’m pretty sure that would be bad for your character. So, you will switch on the fly between blades in order to protect them, and then use what you’ve collected to repair and upgrade them. Yeah, it sounds awesome. Muramasa:The Demon Blade will be out September 8, which will be here before we know it. Until then, watch the videos below to get a taste of the game. Enjoy and stay thirsty my friends.

And for those of you who stuck it through, and got to this post only because it says Sexy Poker in the title, this is just for you, you dirty dirty pervs.

John Hughes died today. The man responsible for some of the greatest films of a generation is no longer with us. It’s insane if you look at his career because this man did so much. He gave us Clark W. Griswold, Macauly Culkin, Gary & Wyatt, John Bender, pretty much all of The Brat Pack, Mr. Mom, and of course the legenday Ferris Bueller. Is it possible for one person to have a resume that impressive? Maybe Spielberg, I guess, but I don’t know of any others. Sure, Drillbit Taylor was a miss, but who can forget Curly Sue and those damned Pepsi commercials?? Of course, the creme de la creme has to be Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Earlier today I was googling Bueller quotes, for no reason really, and there are a ridiculous amount of gems in there. Bueller is a legend and a hero to adolescent males all over America, even those of us who are 28 and technically not adolescent anymore. As someone who aspires to inspire with words, I am truly sad that Hughes has passed and my thoughts go out to his friends and family. I’ll leave you with two of the greatest movie quotes of all time and the thought that Hughes is having a drink with John Candy right now and sharing a laugh.

Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place. -John Bender

Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. -Ferris Bueller

Now, I know I said “I’ll leave you…” just up there, right up there, just scroll up a bit and you’ll see it, but there is no way I could leave without talking to you about the Wii. At least I don’t think I could. I’ve never actually tried though…I don’t think I’d like that very much. One of the best things about the films that John Hughes made is that they are absolutely timeless. I’m going to put it out there that there’s not one person on the planet who doesn’t watch Home Alone each Holiday season. I also refuse to believe that people exist who can see that Bueller is on TV and change the channel without watching at least 5 minutes of the classic film. It’s impossible, I have tried that and know that it just can’t be done. You’ll never convince me otherwise. It’s the nostalgia factor, we all love to remember the good times, the simpler times. Videogames can do very much the same thing and WayForward Technologies look to prove that when they bring back A Boy and His Blob. The crazy thing is that WF is attempting to hit the nostalgia button in three different ways. I don’t remember it, but A Boy and His Blob is actually remake of a 1989 NES game. From what I’ve gathered it’s not exactly considered a timeless classic. Still, I’m sure there are some people who remember it fondly. What almost all of us will remember fondly is playing platform games that are pulled off impeccably. There aren’t very many of them, especially when you consider how many of them have been made. WayForward aim to add to the short list with Blob, and from what I can tell they’re well on their way. So, what’s the third way that the developers will get our nostalgic juices flowing? A Boy and His Blob is a 2D game with a style all it’s own, and it’s beautiful. Sure, it’s not Unreal Engine beauty, this is more like real art. The games that we all remember most fondly are just that, art and style.

From what I’ve seen and read about A Boy and His Blob, WayForward are being very ambitious, and most believe that will pay off. I’ll admit that I hadn’t paid too much attention to the title, which is why this is the first you’re hearing about it. Well, I guess it’s possible you’ve heard about it elsewhere, but I like to think that I’m your one true source for all things Wii, that I’m the only one out there for you. I’m not wrong in thinking that am I? After watching the developer diary I’m posting below, I’m ready to hop aboard the Blob Train. I’m sure that when an inspiring screenwriter pitched a story about a family named Griswold going on vacation, people thought it was a bit ambitious and would wind up a flop, we all know how that played out. The future is still out for A Boy and His Blob, but I believe it’s going to be a bright one for the game and its developers. As I mentioned earlier, you’ll find a developer diary from the art director of ABAHB, which is due out October 13. Enjoy and stay thirsty my friends.

I just realized it’s August already. Seriously, what the eff is that all about? I remember being a kid and adults saying that the older you get, the quicker time flies. I never thought they were right. Now that I’m older, old enough to remember when I was a kid, I’m slowly learning that they were absolutely right. It’s all a bit ridiculous, and I think if you took the time to really think about it you’d probably get pretty depressed. I mean, it’s August 2009 right now. Today, in fact, we are less than 5 months away from 2010. WHAT?!? I think the way to stay sane as you grow old is to not think about it, and try to get something accomplished. It doesn’t matter what it is, just do something. I mean, I’m not exactly a model citizen but I have this place and you guys, as well as great friends and an amazing wife. As long as I can keep that intact I think the time flying shouldn’t really phase me. Of course, the downside is the older you get the more you learn that massive amounts of people are really, really not smart. I mean, it’s mind blowing. I’ll stay “PC”, so don’t worry, but really, there’s a lot of stupid people out there. They are everywhere. Not that I think any of you fall in that group, but you definitely know tons of people who do. I read on the internet that we only have to make it to 2012. Seems like that should take what’ll feel like 20 minutes or so. Yeah, we’re good, don’t worry.

One of the best things about time flying is that, if you stay busy (which I definitely do), the things you want get there faster. Like Dead Space: Extraction, it was February when the game was first announced, and it seemed like we’d have to wait forever to get our hands on it. Well, the games is due out the end of next month so the wait is very nearly over. Awesome, right?!? Yeah, I know it is. The on-rails prequel is going to literally explode when it hits the Wii next month. Of course, I don’t mean literally literally, it’s safe to buy and even play, I think. Imagine if it wasn’t though, and the game really did explode. That would be kind of cool! At least, it’d be cool to watch your friend buy it then load it into their system and watch it explode. Probably wouldn’t be too cool for your friend… Anyway, the shooter is going to be ridiculously good. It’s gonna have local co-op, puzzles, a great story and graphics, as well as super slick controls. Is there really any more you could ask for? If there is, I’m not the one that has it for you. What I do have for you is this stupendous 4-minute trailer that centers around the story for Dead Space: Extraction. The same Dead Space: Extraction that is released on September 28 which, if you’ve been paying attention, will be here way before you know it. Enjoy the trailer and stay thirsty my friends.

You know the feeling you get when you have to sneeze? Like, one of those really good sneezes that you can feel swelling and just know it’s going to feel amazing? Well, that’s kind of what it’s like buying a house. You get the buildup and it drives you crazy because you just have to get it out, then you get the house and it feels as good as you thought it would. But, there’s a trick I learned that you can pull on people who need to sneeze. It’s a sneaky little trick, and it’s actually kind of mean. If you know someone is on the cusp of sneezing, like it’s in the nose and everything, say bless you before they sneeze. Almost every time the sneeze will be lost and the person will feel horrible. It almost feels like the sneeze said, “Nope, not yet son. You gotta wait!” It’s infuriating and aggravating to the sneezee (new word, score one for Mike!), and hilarious to the person who “stole” the sneeze. I bet you didn’t know that could happen with houses, did you? It can. All it takes is someone to come out to look at the driveway, the same driveway that you’ve been trying to look at for the past 4 days, and tell you that there is a major problem with the retaining wall that supports it. It’s like, I’m so close and there’s really only one thing that can go wrong, and it does. Only, it goes like 25k wrong. Seriously. I don’t even know how that is possible. It’s infuriating and aggravating and makes me feel too much. I need to sneeze only someone is saying I need to pay to do so. Basically, that cute Charmin puppy is holding my nose hostage and charging for the toilet paper. It’s so wrong.

One thing that is apparently not wrong, is Monster Hunter 3. The game, which shipped a million units even before it’s release, is getting the star treatment from Nintendo. The game is sure to be such a HUGE hit, that the Big N is pulling out all the stops. Don’t believe me? Well, the company is launching the classic controller pro the same date that the game ships. The controller looks like a hybrid of the current classic controller if it was already placed in one of those cheesy controller holder things, and the PS3 Dual Shock 3, and it’s white. I’ve ranted about how Ninty should put out a controller like this for gamers and games who don’t want waggle, and it’s nice to see that our Japanese brethren are getting them. I know what you’re thinking, “So what? A new controller isn’t exactly parading Cheryl Cole out for a game’s release…” Well, I forgot to mention that the mythical Black Wii is also launching the same day. That’s right, be jealous. The black Wii is beyond sexy and I’m interested to know how many ship in the early weeks of it’s release, and how many of those numbers coincide with Monster Hunter Tri. It’s amazing to me that Nintendo is backing this game so much, and it’s a third party game! Monster Hunter 3 fans that live in the states and in Europe will be able to get their hands on the game sometime next year. Now if we could just get some word on the CCP and Black Wii coming stateside the circle would be complete. Or at least some Cheryl Cole announcing a Yoga game ala Daisy Fuentes!!

I don’t know about you guys, but there are some things that I am extra particular about. Things that when they happen, or don’t happen, I get annoyed to a point that verges on anger. Some people call them pet peeves, but I don’t like that phrase. What the hell does it mean? Peeves is like angry, I get that, but where does pet come in? I like my pet, almost all of the time. I never like being annoyed, so that phrase doesn’t work. We need to come up with a new one. By we, I mean you guys need to because I’m more than happy to just call them things that really annoy me, and then correct people when they call it a pet peeve. Anyway, one of the things that bothers me the most is punctuality. I hate being late, and I hate it when others are late. Like, when you call and ask a contractor to meet you at the house you are buying to check out the driveway and they say they will meet you at 3:30 only you wait there until 4:15 and never even get a courtesy call, even as late as 9:00pm. Yeah, that bothers me a whole lot. In fact, it really burns my bottom, it’s that serious. There’s just no excuse for that sort of rudeness. Especially when I was going to pay the people to fix the driveway!! WTF?!?

So, now that we’ve all vented I think we deserve a pick-me-up. During our time together I’ve shared with you several important aspects of childhood from Transformers to Star Wars, some of the things that helped shape little Mike into the man you’ve come to love, or like, or at least tolerate. Well, there’s something else that was a part of my childhood that is getting a new lease on life in game form. Actually, I should say someone. Back in the day, when MTV was more than The Hills and pregnant teenagers, they used to actually be centered around music and things that revolved around music, like fashion. They needed people to talk to us about the music, introduce the videos, interview the singers, and the basic things you’d expect them to talk about. One of the most popular of these “VJ’s” was Daisy Fuentes. Ahh, Daisy. She was the bomb. It didn’t matter if it was House of Style, MTV Spring Break, Totally Fit w/Daisy, or the Rock-N-Jock Softball games, she had my heart for a decent chunk of my adolescence. I know that I’m not the only one that was enamored with the Cuban born model. She was like the original Eva Mendes, only better.

Did you think that GI Joe, Ghostbusters, and Transformers would be the only childhood loves to make a comeback on the Wii? Wrong. That’s right, the lovely Daisy Fuentes is coming to the console to teach pilates with Daisy Fuentes Pilates. They should have just called it Daisy Fuentes. That would have been enough. I say that knowing there is no way I will buy this game. I don’t do pilates. I went to a class once with my wife and it hurt. I just hope it doesn’t hurt Daisy because that would make me sad. While I won’t be buying, or even playing this game, I’ll definitely post the trailers and whatever other videos I can find for your enjoyment. By your enjoyment I mostly mean mine. I mean, it’s Daisy Freaking Fuentes!!! If the release of this game could somehow coincide with a Parker Lewis Can’t Lose reunion and a 21 Jump Street marathon, I think I would die. I won’t die before I watch the trailer for Daisy Fuentes Pilates, which releases exclusively for the Wii on August 4th. I just noticed that the price was only $29.99, maybe I could get this as a gift for my wife… Enjoy the trailer.

Apparently when you become an adult and decide it’s time to buy a house, the work begins after you make that decision. You have to do home inspections, have appraisals arranged, and hand over documents that would make an identity thief drool. Not only that, but you realize that due to the stress you’ve put yourself under you’re ridiculously exhausted. All of these things aren’t really that bad, but when they come piled on top of a “My in-laws and my mom and my sister and her kids are in town and I have to squeeze in time to visit all of them even though I just want to curl up and sleep” sandwich, then you’re set for disaster. So, that’s where I’ve been lately, hoping the thumping behind my eyeballs will stop and I can finally rest. I don’t really see that happening for the next month though, but when it’s all said and done I’ll be a homeowner. That is awesome.

I don’t usually deliver bad news, but there is some that I’ll mention very briefly because it makes me too sad. Red Steel 2 has been pushed back. Delayed. It’s being held hostage until next year. I know I’m a bit late with this news. To be honest I hope to be the last site to officially report on something. I like to make sure you’ve got it everywhere else first, then you can come here and be all, “Finally. I was waiting for my friends at WiiSpin to drop this.” See, I’m here just for you, I deserve a medal. Anyway, the “official” reason Ubisoft is giving us for the push back is that the devs wanted more time to polish the maps and gameplay. That’s a reasonable excuse but when you say that the same day you publish reports talking about how poor your selling in ‘09, then it seems like you think we’re dumb. We’re not that dumb though Yves Guillemot, you sneaky French-Canadian. We know that it’s the poor sales and we’re okay with that. Don’t sleep, I’m uber-upset about RS2 being delayed, but I get it. Now you better put out a game even better than I was already hoping for. You wanted time to polish the game, so it better be damned pretty and super violent when it comes out sometime at the beginning of 2010.

Muramasa:The Demon Blade. It’s a game I’ve not paid very much attention to. It’s also a game I don’t know very much about. I do know that it’s developed by Vanillaware, and published by Ignition Entertainment. I also know that the game is a visually stunning 2D Hack-N-Slash game set in ancient Japan. The hand drawn, yes you read that right, game is paired with music that makes the experience one that looks like it must be played to fully appreciate. You’ll play one of two Ninjas, who will have two separates storylines, and multiple paths in each story. Basically, you’re gonna want to play this game more than once. Okay, enough of the small talk, I know what you want, videos. Well, you’ve all been good boys and girls so you shall get your videos. Now, now, not all at once, there’s no rush. Muramasa:The Demon Blade is set to invade Wiis all over America on September 8. In the month leading up I promise to deliver more on this game as I get it. Now, enjoy the videos below.

After what has probably been the most stressful two or three weeks of my life, the deed is done and we’ve bought a house. It’s a bit ridiculous how deciding to pay some one hundreds of thousands of dollars has actually made me feel relaxed. It may have something to do with the fact that I won’t be homeless come September. Yeah, that may be it. Of course, now I have to pack, send in change of address forms, transfer bills, pay a mortgage, mow a lawn….maybe I shouldn’t relax just yet.

Some people enjoy tense situations, and are even known to seek them out. Take, for instance, people who like horror movies, they want to be scared. The same can be said for people who play horror videogames. To me, if the game is done right it has the potential to be even scarier than a movie, since you are the one controlling the action. There are a lot of developers and studios who have put out games that they hope will scare the crap out of the player, some of them work, some not so much. One of the franchises that has been on both sides of that spectrum is Silent Hill. The first game or two in the series were intensely terrifying. The feel of being lost in a haunted town, complete with a horrifying hospital, was a new experience for gamers, and one that we loved. After those two the series kind of fell off, in my opinion at least. The games just didn’t feel as original as the…original (it’s early ok!). Well, Konami looks to start all over again by bringing the franchise to the Wii with Silent Hill:Shattered Memories.

Shattered Memories, is going to be a bit of a retelling of the original Silent Hill. It’s the same story, just different. I’ve posted before on some of the changes to the game, and the fact that the game’s aim is to be very psychological, going so far as to issue a warning stating, “This game plays you as much as you play it”, at the very beginning of the game. The Wiimote is going to be used as a flashlight, to pick items up and solve puzzles, as well as use to bring a phone complete with GPS that will also act as the pause menu. One thing the Wiimote will not be used for, or very sparingly at least, is to wield weapons. You see, Shattered Memories is not a shooter, instead this game wants to haunt you and force you to escape it. I’m sure at some point you will have a weapon, but it will not be a constant companion. That is one of the most exciting aspects of the game, and could make this one of the most thrilling games of all time. Add that to the fact that the game starts with a psyche exam of sorts, and is said to learn the player and adapt to what you do, and we could have a winner on our hands come October. Konami and Climax Studios are being ambitious with this title, and I’m sure they can pull it off. For convincing check out the gameplay below taken from the floors of Comic Con, which I’m still not at.