I read this post on the WiiNintendo blog tonight and was instantly transported back about 20 years to when my Dad and I used to play Super Mario Brothers (the first one!) together. We used motion controllers before they were even in style- we'd lean all the way to one side during a jump hoping that maybe it would give Mario a couple of extra inches.

Dad taught me some cool Mario tricks, like running under Bowser when he jumped to cut the bridge and save the Princess (who was always in another castle). I think the coolest thing he taught me about the game, though, was this awesome trick to get infinite (well, 255) lives. It was here where I was first exposed to all those funky ASCII characters. Cool stuff. Good memories. I need to see if my parents have any photos of us playing.

Gamer Girl: My E3 Wii Roundup

After being completely un-wowed by Nintendo's showing at E3 last year, I was completely blown away by the lineup that they introduced this year. I'm not sure that my budget can handle all of this (and neither is my brother, after he and I chatted about it a little earlier this week)!

In no particular order, here's what caught my eye. Just a note- most of this information is gleaned from other gaming sites, and I've linked to them to give them credit.

Wii Fit Plus, Wii Motion Plus, and Wii Sports Resort


The Wii Motion Plus attachment for the original Wii Remote is supposed to provide an almost 1:1 mapping between your motions and what is communicated to the Wii as you move. I'm excited to try the new games that will be packaged with it in Wii Sports Resport- especially the fencing!

Wii Fit Plus is a whole new set of balance games, strength training, and yoga activities designed to work with the Wii Balance Board. It also has some additions that I had been wishing for in the original Wii Fit:

• Plan your own workout routines
  
• Set a length of time for your workout
• Choose from routines based on personal fitness goals or to target certain areas

Oh, and all that is compatible with activities from the original Wii Fit, as well!

Super Mario Bros. Wii


Super Mario Bros. Wii is probably the game I'm the most excited about. I have loved playing Mario since my parents bought my brother and I our first NES system when I was 8, so when the new version was announced and I saw that it looked like a traditional side-scroller, I was pumped!! The competitive multiplayer mode looks interesting, too.

For more screenshots, look here. :)

Lego Harry Potter


Lego Harry Potter will cover books 1-4 in the series. Players will be able to cast spells, attend classes...and pretty much do everything in the movies/books just as they can in Lego Star Wars, Indy, and Batman. I love Lego Star Wars, so this should be a lot of fun!


Guitar Hero 5


There's not a whole lot of news about Guitar Hero 5 at this point (I'm sure it will be given a catchier name prior to release), but since it's Guitar Hero, I'll definitely be buying it at some point.


Lego Rock Band

Lego Rock Band. Legos. Rock Band. So much goodness here!


Sonic and Mario at the Winter Olympics

Sonic and Mario at the Winter Olympics should be a fun collection of mini games, and it will support the Wii Balance Board (by sitting on it, no less)! I enjoyed the Summer Olympics version, and I'm looking forward to this, as well.


Rabbids Go Home

Rabbids Go Home is the latest installment in the Rabbids line, though it looks like Rayman is absent from this one. I still haven't played Rayman Raving Rabbis TV party (which you can also use with the balance board...while sitting on it), so this one will probably wait until I can pick up a used copy of it. The Rabbids games almost always make me laugh out loud.


Finally, I have a category called "games that I can't play for fear of becoming ill, but will probably be buying my brother for his birthday."

He's definitely going to want Mario Galaxy 2.


And most certainly the new Metroid game, as well.


Lost of fun stuff on the way!

Gamer Girl Gear: Organization

My inner gamer girl was in dire need of an organizational fix for all the Wii paraphernalia I've collected in the year and a half since I bought my console. I've become a Guitar Hero addict (thanks to an awesome birthday gift from Mom and Dad) and also am now quite a fan of Rock Band (that bit is for my inner drummer girl).

So what does one do to corral two guitars, a microphone, drumsticks, Wii remotes, nunchuks, classic controllers, plus an array of remotes for everything from the projector to the Blu-Ray?

The answer was found at Home Depot in the form of a five gallon bucket and a tool organizer made specifically to fit inside it. The organizer has a lot of little pockets around the outside that are perfect for holding Wii (and any other) remotes, and the interior boasts a few smaller pockets that fit the drumsticks and microphone. The guitars themselves fit nicely into the remaining open interior. And the price tag? Under $15 (Wii gear not included).

The color scheme is not the most eye-pleasing with the bright orange bucket and dark blue tool organizer, but that's not a huge deal since the whole package is stored behind a large chair in my living room

Now, if only one of those pockets were big enough to store the Rock Band drum set...I've resigned myself to that being living room decor for the time being.

I apologize for the poor lighting/shadows in the photos- my house does not have the best interior lighting, so I had to use a flash. :(

New Wii Games- This is going to hurt my budget...

I'm just stunned at the number of new Wii games that are coming out that I'm just going to have to have. I wasn't really thrilled with any of the announcements made at E3, but there are games on the radar that didn't get much mention there but really have my attention.



First up, Rock Band 2 (November 18, 2008). The game that made me decide to skip buying Rock Band 1 altogether. Not only are the instruments, including the drum set, being upgraded for this release, but it will be backward compatible with the original games and track pack. As a bonus, ION is making a *real* electronic drum set that can be used with this game. It's $300, but if I get good enough with the one that comes with the game, I may consider buying one.





Next is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (September 16, 2008). I'm really not sure how I'll handle a game with a story mode like this. Since I missed out on the last 10 years of console and PC games, I think I failed to pick up some fundamental theory of gaming that makes playing these things easier. But, it should be worth it just for the thrill of running around my living room swinging the Wii remote like a lightsaber.



Guitar Hero World Tour (October 27. 2008) is also on the short list- the track list looks somewhat promising, and I love Guitar Hero III. I just wonder how many sets of musical peripherals will fit in my living room, which is quickly becoming the Wii room.



Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 2 (September 16, 2008). Must have. Period. I love the first DDR for the Wii and played it incessantly for several months until I got to that last song that was insane...something about a samurai in New York City. Craziness. But I love this game and am so happy to see another version coming out.

Request: Rock Band or Guitar Hero, Lifehouse Edition

Really, seriously, there needs to be a Lifehouse Edition of either Rock Band or Guitar Hero. I've been listening to their latest album, "Who We Are" at work today, and I have to stop myself from wanting to play air drums along with "First Time." I'm sure my coworkers are grateful.

How can you *not* want to sing and play along with this stuff? I'd never be able to turn that game off! And since the creators of Guitar Hero have announced that they will be adding a drum set and microphone and the creators of Rock Band have said they are releasing a Wii version of the game in June, this should all be totally doable on my favorite platform.

I'll take a Lifehouse version over Aerosmith any day!

For the love of Wii

I probably hadn't seriously played video games for 6 or 7 years before I got the Wii. I loved playing the old NES, Sega Genesis, and lots of computer games, but when the PlayStation era hit I had to stop playing. Something about the 3D graphics just made me ill- I'd feel nauseous after just a few minutes.

When the Wii came out, I doubted I'd be able to play. But for some reason, it agreed with me! So, after playing with my brother's for a weekend to make sure I could handle it, I bought one. And a stack of games. And lots of controllers. And a couple of extra Nunchuks (cuz you gotta have those for boxing). And now I'm a total addict. Dance, Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero are my favorites, with Lego Star Wars and Donkey Kong Barrel Blast ranking right up there. And I'm still trying to get the hang of Smash Bros. Brawl. It's fun, but I don't quite understand it.

So when I had an extra Toys R Us gift card sent to me and they offered a printable $5 coupon, I went for a new game. MarioKart. Dad and I have been playing it all weekend- too much fun!!

Now I'm anxiously awaiting the release of the Wii Fit and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Because I always wanted to be a Jedi. A really fit Jedi. :)