First of all sorry to all my fans for not posting anything lately, but my computer got a virus somehow *cough* porn *cough*.  But I’m back now, so that is all that is important.  Now on with the news.

This past Monday saw a pretty weak Virtual Console lineup as the biggest thing was Mega Man 3 being released with two new Wii Ware titles.  Mega Man 3 is the first game in the series to introduce the slide and charge buster to Mega Man offensive repertoire

WiiWare™

Brain Challenge™ (Gameloft, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Just like your body, your brain needs to be exercised to stay in shape. Boost your brain and relieve stress through various minigames in a personal session to get a detailed evaluation. Challenge your friends’ brains in delirious party games to see who is the smartest. Test your brain’s abilities in Visual, Memory, Logic, Math and Focus minigames. Compare yourself with friends by challenging their brains in three multiplayer modes. Develop your resistance to stressful situations that could happen in real life. Use a customized Mii™ character to create personal sessions. Choose your favorite personal coach. Track your overall performance with detailed statistics and graphs. The special Kid Test and Senior Test modes will gather everyone around the game.

Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam (Virtual Toys, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone-Animated Blood, Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points): Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam is a frenetically active cooking game in which you must serve food to your customers as quickly as possible. This could be a simple task, but the customers aren’t very patient, and you’ll find a multitude of annoying insects that make the noble mission of satisfying your small gourmets’ stomachs much more difficult. In the game’s Career Mode, your goal is to become the best chef in the city. To do so, you have to prove your worth by cooking in four fantastic restaurants: the Hot Dog, Hamburger, Pizza and Mexican Restaurant. Enjoy playing Yummy Yummy with your family, serving delicious food to the most surprising characters: vampires, ninjas, extraterrestrials and mafia thugs. Put on your chef’s hat, sharpen your knives and turn up the heat.

Virtual Console™

Mega Man™ 3 (NES™, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Cartoon Violence, 500 Wii Points): In the year 200X, the notorious Dr. Wily, now reformed and working for the forces of good, works hand-in-hand with Dr. Light to build a new type of peacekeeping robot. When a new set of eight Robot Masters escapes the lab to wreak havoc on the world at large, only Mega Man can save the day. This time, Mega Man must rely on his new slide move and canine companion Rush to conquer the stages and vanquish evil. A new character, Proto Man, adds to the mystery and appeal of this seminal title in the famous action-game series.

Direct Youtube Link

Also big news with the ESRB.  The ESRB has updated their website to include more in detail descriptions of games so that parents can understand what they are buying for their kids this Festivus season.  I like how more info is getting to parents this way, but I don’t think most parents will go to the website and get this info.  Most will probably still look to rely on what is on the box, but this is at least a step in the rigt direction.  Below is an example of the new description for Call of Duty World at War, in the past the description would not go into this much detail about what can be seen and heard during gameplay.

Call of Duty: World at War is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of Allied soldiers in both the European and Pacific Fronts during World War II. Combat can be intense with extensive use of camera effects (e.g., slow-motion, blurring, and screen shakes) and realistic sound effects to highlight the tense and frenetic nature of each battle. Fighting is fast-paced with players using a large array of military weapons (guns, grenades, and flamethrowers). Collateral damage includes sprays of red blood when enemies are shot; maimed appendages from explosions; and flailing and screaming when enemies are set on fire. Cutscenes and historical footage can contain graphic depictions of prisoner/POW executions. Strong profanity can be heard during gameplay (e.g., “f*ck” and “sh*t”).

Finally, we have figured out a new way to post videos so I will look to have a big post about the release of Midways Mortal Kombat vs DC game that is coming out soon. Hopefully this title will take off as with current reports, Midway is really needing a hit on their hands to avoid more layoffs and possible sale of the company.

Now we usually don’t report on Sports on this site, but I felt this needed to be addressed. John Daly was arrested yesterday for passing out drunk at a Hooters restaurant. Hopefully this will not impact his Hooters sponsorship on the tour. Full article taken from Golf.com below.

When you hear the words “Hooters,” “John Daly” and “extremely intoxicated” in the same sentence, you know where this story is going. In the latest chapter of Daly’s longtime struggle with alcohol abuse, he was held overnight in a North Carolina jail after passing out at a Hooters restaurant, according to a statement released by Winston-Salem police on Wednesday. Police officers were called to the Hooters at 120 Hanes Square Circle in Winston-Salem at 2:17 a.m. Sunday. When police arrived, Daly, who had passed out at the restaurant, was already being treated by emergency medical workers, according to police reports. Emergency workers said Daly refused to go to a hospital. According to police, Daly “appeared extremely intoxicated and uncooperative.” Daly again refused to go to the hospital and was eventually asked to leave by Hooters employees, police said. Because Daly had no transportation, police said they held him in custody at a local jail until he sobered up. Daly was photographed by police but does not appear to have been charged with any crime. This is the latest in a series of headlines about the long-hitting star, who came from nowhere to win the 1991 PGA Championship. This year, he made a bizarre appearance at the British Open, where he accused his former coach Butch Harmon of lying about Daly’s alcohol abuse and then struggled to break 90, and he played a shirtless round in Missouri for a local TV crew, which became a YouTube hit.

Direct Youtube Link

Announced at this years E3, My Stop Smoking Coach with Allen Carr will be released later this year for the Nintendo DS.  Going off of the strength of the My Word Coach series, Dr. Carr will help you quit smoking through sheer willpower and videogames.  I personally don’t see how this could help but I’ve always thought you can quit if you want to.  Anyway a fantastic press release and screenshots are below, enjoy them as I go out to enjoy the smooth flavor of Camel Lights.  Did you know they are a master crafted blend of only the finest hand-picked Samsun & Izmir Turkish tobaccos with a  robust domestic tobacco blend that creates a distinctive flavor and world-class smoothness?  And no, I’m not getting paid to say that…….yet.

Product Description

Do you want to quit smoking but worry that you lack the willpower?

Discover a game that brings the successful Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking method to an exciting interactive platform: Nintendo DS.

Now smokers striving to break their nicotine addiction have instant access to an expert they can put in their pocket.

Developed in conjunction with Allen Carr’s experts, My Stop Smoking Coach with Allen Carr uses eye-opening lessons alongside fun and interactive games to uncover the many illusions preventing smokers from quitting.

Key Features

• Create your personal profile: Choose your personal coach from six of Allen Carr’s experts, and your coach will give you personalized advice and tips based on your smoking habits and history.

• Developed in conjunction with Allen Carr’s experts, My Stop Smoking Coach with Allen Carr takes the method to a new level by simultaneously entertaining and challenging the player – a truly interactive approach and more efficient learning process that enables the player to quit smoking more easily.
• 15 innovative mini-games: A fun way to help you dispel the illusions about nicotine addiction.

• Reward system: Using the Path to Freedom meter, track your progress as you move from dependence to freedom.

• Special calendar of benefits: Once you’ve quit, you can still play the game and measure the daily benefits you get from your new life without cigarettes.

Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking Method

Facts about Smokers
• 1.3 billion people smoke worldwide (Source: http://health.learninginfo.org/cigarette-smoking-facts.htm)
• 1 out of 2 smokers say they intend to quit smoking in the next 6 months (Source: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ccdpc-cpcmc/cancer/publications/nphs-sboc/nphs12_e.html)
• The desire to quit smoking is stronger among 15–24 year olds (Source: http://www.epi.hss.state.ak.us/bulletins/docs/b1997_37.htm)

The method
Carr’s Easyway method focuses on the reasons why we smoke rather than the reasons we shouldn’t. Since smokers already understand that smoking is unhealthy, costly and often anti–social, the Easyway method eradicates the belief that smoking provides any sort of genuine pleasure or crutch. Additionally, by eliminating feelings of sacrifice and deprivation, this method quells smokers’ fear of stopping.

A worldwide property
• Published in 47 countries, the book has sold 8 million copies. It is the best selling stop smoking method in the U.S. to date (Source: Bookscan, LTD March 2008)
• A global network of clinics in 38 countries: 250,000 smokers treated at clinics to date

The results
• Based on the three-month money-back guarantee offered at all Allen Carr’s Easyway Clinics, the success rate is over 90%
• Independent studies indicate that even after 12 months the success rate remains over 50%
• An estimated 10 million smokers have been cured worldwide by clinics and books

pics courtesy of GoNintendo