Get Your Wii

Posts Tagged ‘blu ray dvd’

Wii has a lot of interesting fun games in their inventory, including racing. By far the best racing game for all the home video consoles is Excite Truck. If you like racing sims that's fine, but my preference is an arcade racer.

The Playstation 3 game Burnout Paradise is one of my favorite arcade type racer which is what Excite Truck is on the Wii. The developers at Wii brought a good sense of speed from the less powerful game console. The levels bring different challenges, and then the most fun is playing with a friend in split screen mode, and that's the classic arcade mode.

The remote is used like a steering wheel, you turn it sideways and go back and forth. This puts the motion controls into play, these are crucial to the game, they're not just fluff.

If not for the great motion controls this game might not be as good as it is. It helps make the game extreme fun as these controls are better than releases after this. The control scheme helps keep the game moving, if they weren't as good it might become boring as you'd run through the tracks too fast.

Playing with a friend brings out the best of this game. You work on learning the motion controls so you can earn stars and open new tracks. Driving dangerously rewards you by unlocking more areas, so this game is very fun as there are lots of options.

Wii Fit isn't really a game, it's an interactive program designed to help you move and track the time you do move. It leans into the fitness realm but it's not going to take the place of regular workouts and making good food choices. It will help you enjoy the time you work with it as it's an enjoyable way to move.

It starts out by using your Mii in the game and determines your size and weight. It then reflects its findings to your Mii. My Mii puffed up and got a lot chubbier than when I first designed it. It was a little depressing, but it was only supposed to help me visualize what I was trying to do. Then the game takes you through a series of exercises like walking and step aerobics and balancing and then you can unlock some fun little mini games like ski jumping and tight rope walking. These games all have something to do with balance and agility.

Most of the exercises are not hard, so that most people can participate, but that's not true of the yoga. It is fairly difficult for someone with no yoga background. As you choose different games it maintains a clock and memory of what you've done. As you participate in different exercises it opens more games and activities for you to try.

The board that comes with Wii Fit is used for many different things, it starts by doing the weight and balance thing. Then you use it different ways for different games, it's not to jump on but to stand and step. It measures your leaning in games like snowboarding, skiing and skateboarding, and if you're too far you'll crash.

There are some cool mini games on Wii Fit, but I think that my favorite is the ski jump, where you ski down a long ramp; keeping yourself centered on the board and then pushes off at the end of the ramp to get as much altitude and distance as possible. It is kind of addicting and I kept finding myself trying to break my own distance record. It actually has benefits because it replicates an exercise called a squat.

Twighlight Princess is the new Zelda game from Nintendo and it is fantastic. All of their expertise from all of the past games has been put to use in this game and it will be a classic.

The Wii has motion controls which add to the experience of this game, so it's a little different than the Gamecube. But no matter if you have motion controls or not, this is a really entertaining game. Both have unbelievable graphics, a leap forward for the game.

With the impressive detail Link and the enemies are more realistic than ever. Link is gaining a more mature, tough appearance than before. With fabulous motion controls and graphics it's great but the best Zelda feature is the boss fights, game play and puzzles. They've always been included in the Zelda series and this newest feature doesn't disappoint anyone.

This game will keep you playing for hours, it has tremendous puzzles and boss fights along with the good game play. These Zelda dungeons have been designed really well, there's no easy way to move through them as you wonder what's around each corner. The boss fights are perennial favorites and this feature doesn't let you down. You have to really think you're way through using hidden details and solutions. You can't just push the buttons, it takes more than that.

This is the best Zelda game in the series, not to be missed, and that is a big promotion considering how good the Zelda games have been. There are no better games for Gamecube or the Wii, and in the last few years it's the best game on any system.

Bioshock has become a video game hit. The Xbox360 game sold extremely well and was a certified hit for the system and just recently, Playstation 3 owners finally got the chance to play this awesome game a few months ago. There has been a sequel in the works for some time and the excitement and anticipation for the second game in the series is growing with every leaked screenshot and tidbit of information.

The initial offering had a great blend of shooter, horror and puzzle mixture. There was a lot of darkness and the sounds were very spine tingling. As you search the disaster of the underground city of Rapture, there is all this awful screaming all around, and there's the feeling that reality is suspended.

The utopia, the perfect civilization has been a dream of man for centuries, and philosophers have spoken of this perfect place. One man had the foresight, the know-how, the vision to make it happen and he built that city under the sea where it couldn't be touched by the imperfect governments and countries of so called civilized man. He gave the residents the freedom to do what they wanted; the scientists had nothing stopping them from their creations.

The player walks into this scenario, you must discover Rapture with all it's mysteries and horrors and try to solve it. As you attempt to find the solution there are dark hallway, enemies, traps and giant protectors to threaten you along the way.

It is one of the most exciting, action packed games that I have played in a long time and the upgrade system and weapon system is one of the most fun I've seen in a while. The controls are intuitive and the graphics are amazing. It really starts to show the power of the PS3. The sequel will release late this year and will undoubtedly be a huge hit.

Sophmore and junior releases for most performers can sink their careers, but The Killers have not suffered that fate as they have another outstanding album. The group from Las Vegas impressed all the critics with their first album in 2005. "Hot Fuss" moved up the charts and cemented them as a very hot act. Both rock fans and dance fans were drawn to this album due to the unusual mix of techno and rock.

The Killers followed a very changed artistic path for the next release, "Sam's Town," which proved to show they weren't a one sound group and could use different styles. Even though it had a very different tone, it still was a Killers album. In the scheme of things this release reached the same height and score as "Hot Fuss," but was such a different sound that it may have reached a whole new audience who'd not heard the first one.

After a quick cash in on some b-sides with last years "Sawdust," which for other bands would have been a-side, the new album released to huge anticipation and fanfare. "Day and Age" sounded like a Killers album should, but completely different than the first two albums. With new instruments and a more diverse sound in the songs that made the final cut on the album, it is exactly what a fan would want, and so much more. The songs sound more mature, less poppy, but more radio friendly than most of the songs on the last album.

If you've seen them live, these songs seem like they've been there all along, they mesh well with their past tracks. This indicates a group who are reaching their peak as the music on each new album improves and that in a live show the songs all flow together. They are good song writers, displaying tunes and lyrics that have power and emotion but are also fun to listen to.

The first two albums and this one are on similar accomplishment levels, but the future holds a lot of promise because their very best music is still out there. Do not miss a live show with The Killers, they give an awesome performance.

Since the Hobbit movies by Peter Jackson won't be out for a while, it's a good time to watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy again. The theater is where most people saw it for the first time, then we all had to get the DVD's, and then of course we had to then have the extended directors edition.

My vulnerability for this trilogy has cost me three times in the past and it may happen again. Why would this happen? Because the trilogy will be released on Blu Ray and no one can ignore that. But this one is not the extended directors cut, so if you liked the version they showed at the movies and you don't want extra scenes go ahead and purchase this release. But if that's what you prefer you may be content just to keep your original DVD's from a few years ago.

Those of us who've bought three times may wait on this one and get the extended version on Blu Ray. They will release it and it'll probably get released during the opening date of the first Hobbit film. I'll invest in the trilogy then as the Blu Ray will be exceptional in looks and sound, plus seeing all the furry Hobbit feet will be very satisfying for us nerds who never get enough Lord of the Rings.

There was some extra content in the original releases but nothing like the extended versions. They had so much more content that fans of the books wanted to have on the movie. The fans had a picture in their heads from reading the books and they wanted to see if it translated the same as the directors version.

No one doubts that Peter Jackson in the most intense fan of the series, his care and talent showed in the wonderful adaptations he brought to the screen. I have no doubt that he will extend the same expertise to the Hobbit movies, but while we wait continue to watch the extended directors version you already have and wait on the Blu Ray version. If you must see it in HD, there's always the option of renting it from the store or borrowing it from a friend who didn't wait.

There are plenty of naysayers out there decrying the new Guns N Roses album. The complaint is that it doesn't sound the same. And that's not so bad. I think intentions were to migrate to a newer sound.

The older music, especially Appetite for Destruction, the first G n R album was about as perfect a debut album that could have been made. It was an almost perfect mix of glam rock mixed with some punk influence and a healthy helping of I dont give a crap attitude. It was loud, brash and arrogant in it presentation and in its excess. In a word-perfect. It didnt get any better than Appetite.

After the raging success of Attitude, the two Illusion albums allowed the new millionaire boys to branch out a little bit artistically and try new sounds. Some fans felt the dirty, rough back alley sound had been lost to fancy production techniques but time has treated the Illusion releases well and they stand strong in the lineup. And with the new Chinese Democracy release 15 years later, we hear yet another new sound. Same old Axl, but updated to keep up with the times. Some heads are reeling.

Axl is the only returning original member and that's just fine because he'd likely make them all nuts anyway. This release is clearly an Axl Rose album, even if the cover says Guns N Roses. He may have miscalculated this one, because if it only had his name on the cover, it may have been received a little better. Die hard fans need to listen to this one a few times through before they make their final determination. The sounds are there. The riffs are there. This is Axl Rose back in fine form.

The album opens up with the first two songs reminding listeners why they bought it. The title track Chinese Democracy, rocks and seems familiar to most, since it has evolved over several years without ever being released until now. The album is able to create a bridge between the last album and itself - not an easy task. No matter if you like this latest effort from Axl and crew or not, you must admit that it still awakens your senses that the mass of "rock" drivel out there today can not do.