D'oh!

The good news? There will be a US release of two new Doctor Who titles, Doctor Who: Return To Earth for the Nintendo Wii, and Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth for DS, both coming this winter. In addition to the titles, there is also a whole slew of peripherals coming out for both systems, including a Wii Remote designed to look like the 11th Doctor's sonic screwdriver, and a DS stylus modelled on the screwdriver which will be bundled in accessory packs featuring official artwork of the Doctor and companion Amy Pond.

The bad news? Most fans of the series are, shall we say, less than stoked about the new Doctor, played by Matt Smith. In addition, the fact that the games are only being released on the DS and Wii does not bode well at all. Since the console's release, Wii's track record for developing playable, let alone good, quality games has been poor at best. Not that Doctor Who games in general tend to be spectacular. All in all, I'd love to see these games come out and be amazing (Hell I'll settle for decent), but I'm not holding my breath. I'd call it a bittersweet victory for long-time fans of the series. 

Official Story via Nintendo

The Cake is Not a Lie

And by "cake" I of course mean "Xbox Live price increase". Of course. Look for the following changes November 1, 2010:

- 1 month: $9.99
- 3 month $24.99
- 1 year $59.99

Microsoft is defending the decision by claiming that inflation (Live was originally launched in 2002) and added features make the increase worthwhile. No word on whether or not Sony plans the same for the Playstation Network, but odds are good, given the trend of the two companies for running even on price points. According to Jesse Divnich, VP of Analyst Services for Electronic Entertainment and Design Research (EEDAR):

"When originally launched in 2002, a Gold subscription cost the same as an AAA video game, $49.99. When taking into account for inflation ($50 in 2002 is roughly $60 in 2010) and the additional services available to Gold subscribers in 2010, such as ESPN, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Last.fm and Video Kinect, a $10 price increase still represents an incredible value to consumers"

So, will gamers fork out an extra $10 a year to keep playing their Halo and their Call of Duty and Madden? Is that really even a question? I'll let the good folks at PA sum this one up:

Geeking Out

So Telltale games, publisher's of the successful Sam & Max game series, just announced a new Back to the Future project. I very nearly jumped out of my seat to yell the news at everyone on my floor, but somehow I don't think it would've been appreciated. This is the more recent BttF game since Back to the Future: Part III for the Sega Genesis was released in 1991. Not alot in the way of details at the moment, although it seems there will be an entirely new plot to be explored. It is confirmed that Christopher Lloyd has been signed on for voicework, and Bob Gale, screenwriter for all three films, will be working with game developers on the plot of the "5 Episode" series. No news on whether or not Michael J. Fox will be lending his talents to the game. Let us pray.

The only other information being confirmed by Telltale Games as of yet is that:
1.) The DeLorean time machine will be making an appearance (I should certainly hope so).
2.) The game will feature characters from the movies, and the likeness' of the actors.
3.) At least a portion of the game will take place in Hill Valley.

So... yeah, super vague on the details for the TIME being (lololololol- sorry).

'Kay, Imma Liar.

So, I decided that since there have been so many effective re-listings of E3's "Best o' Wii" I'm going to go ahead and skip the "Part 2" to my previous post. Like you even noticed. I did, however, recently come into a very interesting bit of information on a new bit of Wii software, along with a new peripheral for the system (see, it's still Wii related). This holiday, THQ will be releasing the uDraw Game Tablet, which will come bundled with uDraw Studio game software.

There have been a couple of additional titles announced to be released with the uDraw tablet, including Pictionary, and Dood's Big Adventure (yeah idk either). The uDraw bundle is priced at $69.99, and the additional games at a respectable $29.99 each.

No, I Will Not Title This with a "Wii Pun"

A while back I was perusing ign.com, and came across a list of the "Top 50 NES Titles". Ah, actually it may have been SNES. Either way, I was stunned to think that there were so many good titles for such an old console, coming into it's own just after video games so nearly went the way of the dinosaurs. Yet now, when you'd be hard-pressed to find a home without at least two different consoles, there are barely 50 PLAYABLE Wii games, let alone really amazing, noteworthy ones. So what with the stunning lack of worthwhile Wii titles, I've decided to compile a two-part list. The first part will be currently available Wii games that are worth playing, and whether or not you should rent or buy. The second will be upcoming titles you should check out. Please, if you think I've missed something, comment on this post and let me know.

Games to Check Out Now:

• Super Mario Galaxy 1 and/or 2 (Buy) - It's essentially the same game whether you pick up the first or second, which is basically Super Mario 64. It's a 3D Mario platformer. You know the genre well, and Mario kicks ass at it. It's a good system. You'll want to buy one (or both) of these, since there's such a vast amount of gameplay to be had.
• Ookami (Buy) - You may have played the original on PS2, and while it is the same game, with little to no additions, I'd still recommend picking this one up. It's a beautiful game, easy to pick up and play, and highly addictive. You'll want to play this one through to the end, and be thorough in collecting all of the extras, so it's much more worth it to buy a copy.
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Rent or Buy) - So, everyone really liked this game... According to the internet. Although everyone I've ever spoken to directly has had more or less the same reaction: "Meh." It's not bad, mind you. But as a Zelda fan myself, I just wasn't crazy about it, which is why I'm giving it the "Rent or Buy". Maybe you don't give two wits about LoZ games, pick it up, and love it. As I said, it's not bad for what it is. Or, maybe you're a game snob and can't see past that fact that it IS a LoZ game and decide you hate it. I'll let you judge for yourselves.
• No More Heroes 1 and/or 2 (Rent) - A solid game, which utilizes the Wii's motion control surprisingly well, outfitted with quirky Japanese writing, makes either of these a solid play. I only recommend renting them because they're both relatively short, and you could get through each in about a week. Less if you are unemployed.
• Super Smash Brothers Melee (Rent or Buy) - If you played SSB on either N64 or GameCube, you already have a good idea of what to expect on this one. A four-player beat 'em up with a whole slew of classic Nintendo characters (plus Sonic), and a variety of stages from various titles. It's basically the first two games, with improved graphics, and a crap ton of additional stages and characters. Not as fun on your own though, so if your an anti-social hermit this may be one to rent, rather than buy.
• Mario Kart (Rent or Buy) - "See: Notes on Super Smash Bros. Melee" ... Okay, I'll not be quite that lazy. But honestly, with the exception of our good buddy over at The Sunshine Empire, I don't really know anyone who loved playing Mario Kart solo enough to warrant purchasing it.
• Mad World (Rent) - A fun, violent, hack-and-slashy game, not too strong a storyline, but defiantly a very interesting game aesthetically. Again, not a long enough game to be worth more than a single  weekend gaming binge.
• Animal Crossing (Rent) - Every time an Animal Crossing (or Harvest Moon) game comes out, I do the same thing: I get super stoked, fawn over every image and preview that comes out, reserve it, pick it up same-day, play it NON-STOP for about 3-4 weeks, then never touch it again. This short-term satisfaction is not untypical of the series, as it is a lot of fun, but gets repetitive rather quickly.

Part 2 to follow...

Awesome Geek Cakes are Awesome

I went on a cakewrecks.com binge. Here are the results for you to enjoy, without wading through all the muck of hilariously dreadful cakes.

Don't forget to show some love to Cake Wrecks!

New Xbox 360 Arcade Unit Revealed?

Amazon's German site has listed an "Xbox 360 4 GB Arcade System Bundle", available for pre-order, with a  release date of August 20, 2010. It's not specified what form the 4 GB of storage will take, although it is likely to be either a USB stick or internal flash memory, rather than a hard drive as some had hoped (but let's be honest wasn't too likely). For the moment, the price is set at €149 ($190 USD), though Microsoft stated last month the new Arcade unit will be $199 when it hits the US.
Currently, the slimmer version of the 360 is flying off of store shelves; our store is selling out as the shipments come in the door, reminiscent of Wii sales a couple Christmases ago. Check out the link to the listing below.

Amazon Germany's 360 Arcade