We all know the Wii is not an HD console, or HDC as I like to refer to them as. We know this because we should all be Wii owners. Another thing that we should all be aware of is that Netflix is hitting the little white box sometime in the near future. If you don’t know this, don’t blame me as I’ve written about it before. You really should learn to pay attention better. So, now that we’re all caught up on that bit, people are making a big deal about Netflix’s HD content that is available, and how it won’t be available for the Wii. The Spin’s newest friends over at The Wiire got an interview with Netflix bigwig Steve Swassey, in which he pretty says “Meh, no biggie.” His exact words include “underwhelming” when referring to their own HD service, which I’m sure his higher-ups loved hearing. Seriously, I’m pretty sure my boss would not like it if I called The Spin an underwhelming site, or if I told Roxy the Dog that her food is a bit underwhelming, but what can you do? Anyway, to listen to the interview click here.

I have to say I tend to agree with Swassey, it’s not that big of a deal to me. Mainly because the Wii won’t be my main source for streaming as that honor lies with my PS3. But, I also don’t feel that people who will use the Wii for it will care that much. I know for one that my in-laws won’t care, they’ll just be happy they can stop having to connect their laptop to their television. I also agree that Netflix’s HD content for Watch Instantly is a bit underwhelming. Why can’t everything be in HD? Also, why is the available content not what I want?? I would gladly pay an extra $10 and forego receiving the disks altogether if I could watch any of their available movies by streaming them in HD. Not sure why that hasn’t happened yet… Anyway, not much of a video I can play concerning this topic, so let’s take a look at “Monsteca Corral” by indie developer Onteca. The game has an uber-relaxing feel to the game, and I for one can get into it. Think Lost Winds only with weird little monsters. Well, maybe not Lost Winds, more like Flower for the PS3…kinda. Anyway, they were kind enough to send me the latest video for the game, which plays almost like a tech demo of sorts. Here at The Spin I’ve got a lot of love for these little indie studios trying to get the word out. I can definitely relate to the feeling of being the little guy and doing all you can to get the word out on your product. So, check the video for “Monsteca Corral” below, and keep an eye out for the product to hit Wiiware sometime soon. Enjoy, and stay thirsty my friends.

Just so you know, it’s totally blizzarding outside. Okay, maybe it’s not so much blizzarding but it’s definitely snowing. A lot. Of course, working where I work we are still open and I am sitting at my desk doing nothing, which I’ve been doing all day. I don’t even know why we are open. It’s like the powers that be have some sort of aversion to closing the office for weather related reasons. It doesn’t make any sense at all, especially when you consider the fact that Atlanta is the most ill-prepared city for winter weather. Oh well, I get off soon and get to put my life in peril for the 10 minute journey home. (Side-note: Yes, I live about 10 minutes from work and it’s actually a very simple drive, whatever. I’m still gonna be all drama queen about it!)

You wanna know what else is dramatic? The ocean! There’s fish eating fish and coral and all sorts of action going on. Like my favorite comedian Mitch Hedberg once said, “If fish could scream the ocean would be loud as shit.” He’s right, fish murder the crap out of fish all the time and get away with it. I wonder if there’s some sort of unrealized fish justice system… Anyway, Endless Ocean: Blue World is set to drop stateside this month, so the Ocean is getting it’s chance to be king once again. If you are one of the millions of people who played Endless Ocean, then you are no doubt aware that in the game you play a scuba diver who is an ocean explorer, and that was pretty much it. If somehow you missed the game, well that was it. You dove, swam, and explored. The developers are mixing it up this go round by making it an actual *gasp* game!! I KNOW!! I guess they figured that since every other game on the market has a plot and some sort of story, they should as well. I have no clue if the story holds up, but apparently at some point you get attacked by a whale, which would be as frightening as it gets. If you’re feeling frosty and want to live the fear, the video below is for you. Enjoy, and stay thirsty my friends.

If you’ve been following The Spin for any time at all you know that I have a bit of disdain towards music games. Whether it’s Guitar Hero 13: Creed edition, or Rock Band 58: Fall Out Boy, the market is absolutely saturated with the genre, and I for one am sick of it. Sure, I was excited about DJ Hero, but that was mainly because my beloved hip-hop was being shown some love. Thing is, that game kinda sucked. Well, maybe it didn’t suck as much as the learning curve was so steep that all the fun was sucked away Dyson style. (Side-note: That’s Dyson as in the vacuum maker. Mrs. Mike & I are convinced that a Dyson is the only vacuum worth buying even though it costs more than $200, and we have all wood floors. We do have a few rugs though, which really need to be vacuumed, problem is that we don’t have a vacuum because we’re convinced that a Dyson is the only one worth buying. It’s a bit of a dilemma in our household.) Forgive my digression…

Basically, what I was trying to say pre-vacuum rant followed by vacuum picture, was that I don’t really think the videogameoverse needs another music based game. (Side-note: Videogameoverse is my completely new and made up word for the universe that is videogames. Dibs.) Another genre that is getting near that played out line is zombies. Not that zombies are a genre or anything, but you get my drift. Let’s hope that the nail in the coffin for these two is, “Rock of the Dead”, Epicenter’s Zombie Killer meets Guitar Hero title. In the game you play your guitar to the beat and as you do, zombies die. Yeah, it’s original. I suppose it’s better than Guitar Band 17: Avril Lavigne… One of the best and most interesting parts of the title is that Doogie Howser himself is going to be voicing the lead character. For those of you who did not grow up in the 80’s and 90’s, Doogie Howser was a totally awesome show which starred Neil Patrick Harris as a child genius and doctor. (Side-note: Been a minute since we’ve had 3 side-notes… Anyway, we tried watching How I Met Your Mother the other week because Mrs. Mike is a massive Rachel Bilson fan, and we don’t get it. I mean, is it supposed to be funny or good or some combo of the two, or does it only rule the ratings because it’s on CBS and somehow every show they have wins it’s time slot. Seriously, they have a show with LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell, or Robin as I like to remember him, and I’m pretty sure it’s the most watched show on TV. We don’t watch CBS, they use janky cameras or something. Why does it look so washed out??) To sum up, “Rock of the Dead” is a music based zombie game where you kill the zombies Guitar Hero style, and there’s no licensed music in the game. Yeah….I’ll be skipping this one for sure. If you don’t want to be my mindless sheep, and think you can make up your own mind, then check out the gameplay videos below. Enjoy, and stay thirsty my friends.

Lost is back people!! Yes, I’m like two days late on this, but OMFG!!! The show is way too good! How can a show that leaves you completely flabbergasted before every commercial break be so damned good? If you allow me to invoke Aziz Ansari, “WWWWHHHHHHAAAAATTT!!!!” It’s probably the best show on network television, and gives True Blood and Dexter a run for their money as best on TV. Did any of you ever play the Lost game? That was crap, I do not suggest it. It wasn’t on Wii, so you were hopefully spared. Still, it’s stupid how good that show is and I can’t wait to get answers this season. (Side-note: I’m still under the delusion that we’ll be given answers. I know it won’t happen because I’m pretty sure the writers decide plot points using one of those origami fortune telling thingies that middle school girls play with to decide who their gonna marry. Yeah, that’s how Lost is written….)

I want to talk about this Project Needlemouse first. If you don’t know by now, it was the code name for the new Sonic game, “Sonic The Hedgehog 4.” Everyone’s favorite hedgehog is going back to his 2D roots after some misadventures in time and the 3D world. Seriously, the most recent Sonic games were horrific. I’m not here to talk about them though, or to even talk about Sonic 4; I want to discuss the choosing of “Project Needlemouse” as the code name for the game. WTF is that about? Was that what popped up if you picked the color purple while playing games with the Lost writers or something? It has to be the silliest name ever for a game. Whatever… Sonic 4 will be coming to all the consoles this summer, and you can find a trailer of the 2D glory just below.

Now, about High Voltage Software; we all know they love the Wii. They are the ones that delivered the ridiculously awesome, “The Conduit” to us, and shortly after its release, HVS announced two other Wii exclusives, “The Grinder” & “Gladiator A.D.” There have been some changes since then. The former is no longer a Wii exclusive, and will be delivering co-op madness to the HDC’s as well. This leaves yours truly in a bit of a pickle being a PS3 supporter, though if they are promising controls as solid and customizable as “The Conduit” gave us, I’m going Wii all the way. The latter is now called, “Tournament of Legends” and has been given a release date of May 18. Yes, I know it sounds like something that would take place on Wheel of Fortune or some other gameshow, but ToL is not child’s play. The game looks to be barbaric, bloody, and freaking awesome!! The “Legends” referenced in the title refer to Greek mythical beings and Gods, because those are the characters you will play as. Yeah, I know. You can expect much more on both of these games in the very near future. In the meantime I’m giving you the latest trailer for The Grinder, as well as some new jack swing goodness courtesy of Tony! Tone! Toni!, because Raphael Saadiq of the legendary group has started a gaming company, “Illfonic”. Yes, as soon as I get more on them and their plans for the Wii you’ll be the first to know. Enjoy, and stay thirsty my friends.

Today, it’s time for something completely different. If you journey way back to late 2006, you’ll recollect the frenzy that was the launch of the Wii & PS3, and the unofficial beginning of the next-gen wars. During those early days, everyone with a voice to be heard on the internet bombarded consumers with what they thought were the essential items that should be paired with your new console purchase. As you all know, we do things a bit backwards at The Spin; I like to mix it up a bit, like shake-n-bake. That, my friends, is why today, more than 3 years after the release of Ninty’s little console that could, I am going to tell you everything you need to get the most out of your Wii. I’d also like to give a special shout-out to my older sister and her ill-informed friends, who served up the delicious plate of inspiration for this post.

So, you got a Wii, now what? Yes, we’re starting this off with the assumption that you actually made the leap and bought a Wii. To be honest, the timing is right as the price is lower now, the devs have had time to get rid of the party-game craze, and Nintendo has some huge releases planned (or having just released). One of the first things you may ask is, what about controllers? The Wii comes with one nunchuck and one Wiimote. The rest is up to you, if you buy a Wiimote, you need to buy a nunchuck at the same time. If you can still find the WiiPlay bundle, you can get it as it basically gives you a free Wiimote, be warned, the games included are crap though. Now, pay attention to this bit, there’s this thing called WiiMotionPlus, which is awesome. You need to get that, it makes the Wii the best controlling game you’ll ever play, and I’m betting that sooner or later almost all games will make the add-on necessary. I suggest getting the sexy black Wiimote/WMP combo.

Now that you’ve got all the controllers you can handle, you may be asking yourself, “To HD or not to HD.” Let me put this in the simplest terms possible, the Wii will not show in HD. It will show in better than standard-def, but that’s it. To accomplish that, you need to purchase the Wii component cables. I suggest using monoprice, as you can get the cables for a fraction of the price, and they are exactly the same. (Side-note: I suggest monoprice for all your cable needs. Don’t let the moron at Best Buy convince you to buy $100 HDMI cables, get them for like $6 instead. And for the naysayers, I have both super-expensive and super-cheap HDMI in my house, and they’re exactly the same. Suck it.)

Okay, we’ve got our Wii, our extra controllers, and have even decided whether or not we want to spend the money for a slightly better looking experience. What the hell should you be playing? This is single-handedly the easiest, and the hardest question to answer. If you ask me, and you are asking me, I mean, you’re not actually asking me but you’ve read this far so you should just keep playing along, then I’d tell you it breaks down into three groups: Games for Everyone (kids, families, parents, teens, and 28 year old immature men will enjoy these), Games for Kids (if Billy the Ginger is bothering you, set him in front of these and he’ll be happy), and Games for Adults (for those of us who like our games with a bit of ultra-violence). For the sake of this article, I’ve excluded the Games for No One (any game with someone who would be considered a betty at any time during the 90’s) category. I’m running out of time, and missing Lost, so here’s my top 2 for each category:

GFE:

New Super Mario Bros. - This game is an amazing title, and should be in everyone’s library.
WiiSports Resort - The evolution of WiiSports (which you get free with your initial Wii purhcase!), and it comes package with WMP, you really can’t beat that.

GFK:

MySims: Agents - Really great game, will make them think and promote creativity/individuality through the customization aspects of the game.
Punch-Out - When I fell in love with this game it had Iron Mike Tyson in it, you’re kids can play it with waggle. We’re all winners!

GFA:

No More Heroes (both of them!) - Yeah, I’m cheating a bit including them both, so what. If you want to play a game that’s cooler than a polar bear with ice skates on, Suda 51’s masterpieces are for you.
The Conduit - Best.Shooter.Ever. Yeah, I said it, and don’t you ever forget it. Agent Ford would drop a massive save on Master Chief. You owe it to yourself to get this game.

There you have it, everything you need to know if you are buying a Wii, or have one sitting in the corner getting dusty. Now, just for the hell of it, check out an amazing performance by Mos Def & The Roots. Enjoy, and stay thirsty my friends.

I have a confession to make. I set out this weekend to play the crap out of No More Heroes 2; to dominate suckas and drop tons of saves with Travis Touchdown. I was going to participate in an orgy of ultraviolence. The problem was, I got Modern Warfare: Reflex, and it is so choice. I’ll admit that the game totally snuck up on me, and I didn’t think it was going to be very good; thing is, Infinity Ward dominates at making games. It’s every bit as good as the original Modern Warfare. In fact, it’s the exact same game only it uses Wii controls. Obviously it doesn’t look as good, but I don’t mind. Especially when I’m shooting terrorist scumbags in their face. So, yeah, I didn’t get to play much NMH2 this weekend, and I didn’t get any time in on Shattered Memories, and I’m not even sad about it. I’ve still got those two to get through, Reflex is waiting on me, Mass Effect 2 may be the best game I’ve played in a very long time, and the PS3 is getting Tales From Liberty City for GTA4. (Side note: Seriously, ME2 is stupidly good. It’s like a BA Star Trek/Star Wars hybrid where you play the captain and get to kill all sorts of aliens and pick up all the alien betties. Yes, I know it’s not a Wii game, but it’s too good not to mention on this site. I suggest the PC version, only because the 360 is crap.) I think I may build a bomb shelter under the guise of protection for when the Vampires & Robots takeover, but it’ll really be just for me to live in and play all these awesome videogames that I’ve got!!

So, did any of you pick up on the Juno reference in my title? That’s right, I watched Juno. I didn’t even hate it, at least I don’t think I did; I just asked Mrs. Mike and she said “it was okay, we didn’t hate it…” Michael Cera is funny to us, mainly because he just plays himself in every movie or role ever. I personally prefer him as George Michael; he should just change his name to George Michael. I would be willing to bet that if he did he’d get a lot more work, and wouldn’t have to worry about that Michael Cera knockoff that was in Zombieland or that Carnie movie with K-Stew. (Side-note: I’ve been reading way too much ONTD and may be slightly obsessed with Twilight and Vampires…) I mean, who the eff wouldn’t go see a movie with an awkward ass/emo teen who is constantly uncomfortable and slightly funny AND is named George Michael? I’d buy tickets right now if there were such a movie in theaters. But, there’s not… There’s also no Harry Potter movie in theaters right now, which honestly makes me kinda sad. Luckily, LEGO has our back and is going to milk the “let’s make a game based on a totally awesome series of movies and/or books using nothing but LEGO’s and we could have all our favorite characters and locations made out of LEGO’s” thing they’ve got going on a bit more with, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4. Basically, if you’ve seen the movies, you’ve probably read the books, which means you’ve lived through all this at least twice. You may as well relive it through the magic that is little plastic blocks that can snap onto each other eventually building a discernible shape or mass before being left in the middle of the floor for your parent to trip over in the middle of the night and then getting thrown away making you cry. I share too much…. Lemme share with you the latest trailer from the upcoming game, which will be in stores this May. Enjoy, and stay thirsty my friends.

There haven’t been too many days since our time together here at The Spin that I’ve actually felt sad, but today is one of those days. If you haven’t heard by now, J.D. Salinger has passed away at the age of 91. Salinger is most well known for his classic, “The Catcher In The Rye”. I know how cliche this sounds, but that was one of the books that truly changed my life. That, along with “On The Road” by Jack Kerouac, were probably the first two books I read out of adolescence. Holden Caulfield was the first character I ever read that I felt a connection to. (Side note: Don’t sleep, I freaking loved Encyclopedia Brown as a kid, but there was no connection there.) The kid was a lost, sarcastic, smart-ass angry teenager; something that I was quickly shaping myself to become. The coolest thing about Salinger, was that he felt no need for the limelight. I mean, here was a man that wrote one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, and he just bounced to New Hampshire to live his own peaceful life. One of my all time favorite quotes of his was from a 1974 interview with The New York Times: “There is a marvelous peace in not publishing … I like to write. I love to write. But I write just for myself and my own pleasure.” Trust that I do not lie when I tell you I would love to write something that could touch an entire generation and the generation after that and the one after that, only to be able to say screw it and live a quiet life with Mrs. Mike and Roxy the dog. (Side note: Yes, I’m aware that Salinger was quite eccentric, but dude lived to be 91, he must’ve been doing something right.) When I heard today that he had passed I was sad, even more so than the day MJ died. The world lost one of its greatest writers today. I hope you’ve found peace Mr. Salinger, and thank you for Holden Caulfield.

I’m having trouble staying away from Desperate Struggle, and I also just got Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (I’ll have a bit on that later in the week). Oh, there’s also the ridiculously epic Mass Effect 2 that I’m totally effing bonkers over right now. God, that game is too good!!! Anyway, now that NMH2 is out, that means we can start the long wait for Red Steel 2. That’s right, in less than two months we’ll be able to get our Western Samurai on. How about we whet our appetite with the latest trailer? Yeah, I thought you’d like that. And just for fun I’m gonna give you a video from the venerable Mos Def. There’s no reason for that really, other than the fact that Mos Def is super ill and The Spin supports real hip-hop. Enjoy, and stay thirsty my friends.

I have played No More Heroes 2 and it is glorious. It is beyond glorious, it is stupidly awesome. With the risk of sounding politically incorrect, and to paraphrase Roxanne Shante, “Desperate Struggle” gets retarded. I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone, but allow me to drop a little science about the opening scene of Suda 51’s magnum opus….(Side note: I really don’t care what I spoil, and for who, as you’ll find out in the following paragraph. That’s code for **SPOILER ALERT**.)

NMH2 starts off with a blood splashed rolling of the credits while a voice over gives a bit of background on Travis Touchdown’s life since he became the worlds greatest assassin. All of this leads into what may be the greatest way to save a game ever: dropping a save in the toilet. It’s awesome! After you drop the save off at the pool, Travis finds himself on a rooftop, “where his last killing spree began”, with the vengeful brother of one of his victims. I’m not even going to lie, it took me a minute to gather my bearings with the controls and I died twice before overcoming the battle. I will say one thing that could possibly sum up the amazing job Suda and his team have done, I never got mad at dying. I know it was only twice, but you and I both know that on the first level of a game that can be infuriating. Nope, not here. It made me want to play it more, not less. I wanted, nay I needed to have that connection with Travis, to have him shake his energy sword back to life, to have him exclaim “What the %&*@” as he got blasted in the back; it was all amazing. Then, once the battle was over and Travis was victorious, the beautiful Sylvia shows up to inform Travis he’s back in the game. She also promises him a 5 course meal she’ll serve up Yoga style, which is more than Travis can handle. Oh yeah, Travis’ recently decapitated victim comes back to life to promise vengeance before re-decaptitating himself. You cannot make this up, if you could you’d be Suda 51. And yes, it is as effing awesome as it sounds!!! Desperate Struggle is everything a game should be: fun, creative, and unique. It also adds two things I cherish in my video games: ultraviolence and cussing. Yes, I’m a deviant at heart and Travis Touchdown is my hero. If Tarantino made video games, he would make No More Heroes. If Tarantino plays video games, he plays No More Heroes. Basically, Suda and crew have served up a slice of BA pie with No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, and you should definitely have seconds. Below you’ll find the launch trailer for NMH2, as well as Roxanne Shante & Biz Markie throwing it down with “Def Fresh Crew”. Enjoy, and stay thirsty my friends.