Here's something that out-sharks the mighty Pega Shark Gun in every way. The Nerf Blaster Controller for Wii can function as a plain ol' Nerf dart gun, but can also house a Wii Remote to let you, I don't know, Nerf your way through Ghost Squad. There's no way this "controller" is going to be comfortable for use through an entire gaming session, but the gimmick is sure to be a kid-pleaser... and it's still better than the Wii Zapper, since there's at leastsome way to have fun with it.
Weirdly, this peripheral originated in a bunch of EA analyst presentations, so is EA dipping their toe into the peripheral biz? Or are they planning something really special with that Nerf license they've got?
So Disney is thinking of using the Nintendo DS to carry park info to visitors, via a program called the "Magic Connection". The Magic Connection test program has rolled out, and there are problems. Not the technology-- the visitors. To quote an anonymous Imagineer who talked to Jim Hill Media:
"Trying to recruit guests to try out these DS units right after they came through the turnstiles was a bad idea. After riding over to the park on a crowded Monorail or a packed Ferry, people don't want someone coming at them with a clipboard and then giving them a sales pitch. They just want to get inside and ride some rides."
The $300 security deposit on the custom Magic Connection DSes wasn't popular, either. Apparently the test groups are now going to try to recruit visitors from the lobbies of the Disney Polynesian and Grand Floridian, the most expensive of the Walt Disney World Resort Hotels. If you're staying at either, $300 is pocket change.
Bill Murray says a line in Ghostbusters that's always the first thing I think of when the world appears to be flipped upside-down. "Cats and dogs! Living together! Mass hysteria!"
This is a "Cats and dogs! Living together!" moment. The Canadian Halifax News has an article up about how parents are slowly discovering that playing video games isn't actually bad for children. The system causing the biggest stir is the Wii, with its Wii Sports and Big Brain Academy, but other get-butt-off-couch games like Guitar Hero get a mention, too.
"This is not like any video game that I've ever seen. You move your hand up or down, and that's what happens on the screen," Bearne said. "You swing the controller just like you would swing a tennis racket or a golf club. My husband pulled a muscle when he was playing once."
The family hasn't abandoned their old family game night standbys, like board games and cards, but Bearne says the Wii has given them other options.
"It's fun to do together as a family, especially when it's minus 25 outside," Bearne said. "You can't always get to the bowling alley, but you can do it in your living room on the game."
I really don't know about this. It turns out school systems in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia are all trying to put Wiis in schools so kids will exercise more on their lunch breaks. It sounds like it's effective now, but let's see if anyone gives a crap two or three years from now. I can see it turning out like those N64 units that Nintendo sold to hotels, and now sit as quiet embarrassments in otherwise luxurious rooms.
What's bad about this is that it's been more or less proven that kids playing Wii Sports just get more exercise compared to plain ol' sit-on-your-butt gaming, but not as much benefit as traditional exercises. This is exactly a fad that will keep kids playing on lunch breaks until something else new and shiny comes along, at which point those Wiis are going to be ignored.
I've been trying to refrain from linking to every "Wow! Old people like the Wii!" article I stumble across, because Britain alone would be providing with roughly a dozen near-identical articles per week. This Boston Globe article is unusual in that the author actually bothered to get comment from Nintendo reps about the situation. What Nintendo had to say on the subject is a bit surprising...
"When Wii came along, we knew it was easy enough for anyone to play, but we were surprised with how quickly the community of retirees and active seniors took to it," wrote Anka Dolecki, Nintendo of America's director of public relations, in an e-mail to the Globe. "The phenomenon developed on its own and has been growing since."
Dolecki said seniors are as much a part of Nintendo's outreach now as any other group. "Nintendo had a booth at AARP's Life@50+ expos in both 2006 and 2007," Dolecki said. "People often ask us how many seniors are playing Wii or what the statistics are. Considering that prior to Wii, the number of console-playing seniors was about zero, I'll say it's an infinite jump."
Why can't you be in Pearls Before Swine?
Talk about cultural whiplash. Check out yesterday's Family Circus cartoon and watch as words fail. It's not that it's funny (the Family Circus is never funny), but that it's such a... modern concept in such a unashamedly old-fashioned strip.
This is either proof that the Wii has achieved more mainstream success than any console since the NES... or proof that the Wii will never be cool.
Wii Sports
So the National Institute on Media and the Family have issued their 2007 Video Game Report Card Parent Shopping Guide, in delightfully unfriendly .pdf format. This is basically a list of 10 games you shouldn't let your kids play under any circumstances, and then 10 games recommended as gift purchases for your kids. Both lists are kind of, uh, questionable for reasons I'm going to get into behind the cut.
Anyway, here's the quick skinny on Nintendo's showing on the two lists.
Parent Alert! Games to Avoid For Your Children and Teens:
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
- Manhunt 2
- Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
Recommended Games for Children and Teens:
- FIFA Soccer 08
- Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
- Hannah Montana Spotlight World Tour
- Madden NFL 08
- Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games
- Need for Speed ProStreet
- The Sims 2: Castaway
- Super Mario Bros. 3
- Super Mario Galaxy
Click away for analysis and livid ranting.
Geezer Gamers has a story up that basically must be read to be believed:
About a half hour after being induced the labor began to take hold and I settled in for the ride and grabbed the DS and my copy of Yoshis Island. The game was entertaining enough for me to be annoyed by all the interruptions from the nurse who kept handing me papers to sign. And yes, playing the game was distracting enough for me to get me through most of my labor naturally. However, towards the end of labor, Yoshi and his island wasnt doing it for me and I was about ready to chuck my DS and Yoshis Island about two inches deep into the opposite wall by the time it was over. But I was able to get through it naturally without any drugs.If only she'd been playing Contra 4 instead...
Yoshi's Island DS
Normally Slashdot is as dependent on links to discuss as... well, I am, but this is an interesting bit of original content. Geeky father ProfJonathan writes in to ask for Slashdot's collective wisdom when it comes to recommending games that aren't too frustrating for a new reader so relatives can buy his daughter games. Reactions fall into an amazingly delightful rainbow spectrum ranging from "here are recommendations" to "if your child isn't reading at six years old and you are giving her video games you are a terrible parent." Read the whole thread to get full impact.
Probably the most interesting thing to come out of this thread? Read carefully and you'll find that the single most-recommended game is a homebrew title called Colors that the DS can only run with the aid of a dubiously legal device like the R4 Supercard. Colors is a game similar to the Paint program but obviously a few notches more sophisticated, and with touchscreen support that's perfect for a little kid. Nintendo, what the hell, why haven't you made this yet? Not even Mario Paint DS?
I don't think anyone who wants to write about games expects to end up covering the Christian Science Monitor, but that's life for you. Anyway, this severely mainstream publication sat down with both seniors and retirement home staff to talk about the unexpected popularity of the Nintendo Wii and its pack-in title, Wii Sports. (I totally agree that the best game is bowling.) Anyway, check behind the cut for a few choice links... just in case you're curious, but not sure you want the Christian Science Monitor website lurking around your history.
Wii Sports
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