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Big Bang Mini

Developer: Arkedo Studio
Publisher: SouthPeak Interactive
Format Reviewed: DS
Other Released Formats: None
Number of Players:1 – 4 (Single and Multi-cart support)
Online Features: Online Rankings
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
Genre: Puzzle, Action Puzzle
Release Date: 2009-01-21

Big Bang Mini is a puzzle/shooter game that looks like a fireworks display. Your goal is to use the stylus to fire off fireworks at the various targets on the top screen. It’s a simple concept that is made fun and increasingly difficult over the course of the game’s 90 stages. It’s amazing what these guys have come up with for variety and the graphics they squeeze out of the DS come out with dazzling effect.

The concept is simple, shoot at the targets. The not so simple part of the game, and what keeps you on your toes is that you have a little “vessel” at the bottom which you must move around to collect the stars you get from shooting down each target. Oh, and if you miss? Debris falls, and you must avoid that too. It keeps you on your toes, and definitely makes you think before letting loose a barrage of blind fires from the stylus.

You do get power-ups in the form of shields and vortexes (and possibly others), which have a literal battery life, so you must use them wisely. To activate them, you must first earn them, and then make the appropriate gesture with the stylus. It’s harder than it seems, and definitely hard when things get dicey coming from above. If that’s not enough to worry about with guarding your vessel and destroying things above, some things sneak in from below, and on some levels, if you don’t destroy anything, you might get some walls that will close in on you. The game keeps things varied, and even the different worlds change drastically from one to another. My favorite world is the 8-bit inspired 3rd one. As a reward for completing each level (there’s 9 levels and 1 boss level per world), you get to complete a “connect the dots” style bonus, which gives you a neat little break before the next frenzied stage. These also get harder as things go along, but are never too difficult or frustrating.

Once you finish Arcade mode (which is definitely no easy task!), you can unlock the Mission mode, which gives you challenges such as time limits or only hitting the target and not wasting a single shot.

There’s also a Challenge mode, which is really more of a shooter mode, having you rack up scores, which can be posted online.

If you’re looking for multiplayer, this one has it as well, where you turn the DS sideways to destroy your unwitting opponent! You only need the one cart, so it’s a piece of cake to challenge people.

There are two more modes: Alarm (makes an alarm clock) and Relax, which is really just an excuse to show off those gorgeous fireworks.

The graphics are top-notch. There’s no slowdown, even when things get frantic, and the neon colors and explosive showers from the fireworks are just amazing to look at. This game couldn’t have been more amazing to watch, and even just spitting as the kids blew past my levels on the game was fun.

The music in the game is also something that stands out on its own. A couple of the songs I found myself humming along to, even though I don’t know if I’ve actually heard them before elsewhere. They’re catchy, and even when repeated for that 30th time, are never boring. The sound FX are also great, and not over-done.

This game is absolutely a great, fun time. I couldn’t recommend it more. It’s MSRP is 19.99. I would have said this even at a higher price: You should buy this game. For the MSRP, you can buy it and a copy for your neighbor!

 

Notes from Gamers News Kids: They both love this game. They are 7 and 5 (the 3 year old doesnt have a DS yet), and of all the carts, they play this one at least once a day. They are on world 5, and still trying to finish the game. They will sit and play against each other, and the sense of accomplishment for finishing each level gets them excited. This game is one of the best of the 20 DS games they own so far.

Yes, the kids are probably better at this game than I am, and honestly, I played it a lot more that I needed to for the review, which caused me to be a bit late. It’s addicting.

 
Rating 5 of 5
Pros: Addicting. Beautiful. Challenging. Great graphics. Great sound. Multiplayer is fun. Rewarding.

Cons: Addicting.

Metal Slug 7

Developer: SNK Playmore Corp.
Publisher: Ignition Entertainment
Format Reviewed: DS
Other Released Formats: None
Number of Players: 1
Online Features: None
ESRB Rating: T – Teen (Blood, Violence)
Genre: Shooter (Platform)
Release Date: 2008-11-18

Woo. I heard one of my most treasured game series was coming out with another sequel, I was in love. When I heard it was coming to the DS exclusively (now rumored to be coming to XBLA in 2009), my heart broke. DS only? No big screen carnage and mech warfare? DAMN! I didn’t think about the fact that the game was on the 16-bit (and later the 64-bit) Neo-Geo arcade system, which the DS can run circles around these days. I loaded it up and was right at home. Who knew? Even with its diminutive size, it’s still the king of cartoon violence and absurdity! If you don’t love the series already, you might be turned off by the unapologetically 2D graphics. Yes, it’s stayed true to its 2D roots, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The only thing I miss is there is no multi-player.

You have 2 choices when you start up the game, Play the game, or go to Combat School. The game mode is just that, the straight forward insano gameplay that comes with a Metal Slug game. For the un-initiated, a quick overview: You play as one of 6 commandos, all with some different skill (though most are unnoticeable except for ___ who can die twice). You are out to rescue commandos (who give you new weapons and powerups) and take down General Morden, who has a place in almost all games as well. This game is a prequel, set between MS 3 and MS 4. The Metal Slug is a reference to the vehicles in the game, all called “Slugs”. Normally it’s in the form of a tank that can jump and fire in all directions, but each game as introduced new slugs, and this one is no exception, with a truck-inspired design and a robot-style Slug. You have 4 difficulty levels, and playing on Hard is tough even for a Metal Slug veteran.

Choice 2 is Combat School Mode. This is a lot of fun…it’s also a lot of frustration. It’s HARD. It’s a challenge for the die-hard, and will give you a lot of game-play experience. Finish the game first, and then use this mode, as it has you playing through parts of the game in time trials, trick-shots, and more. This doesn’t make up for the fact there’s not 2 player, co-op, or multi-player modes, but it does add a lot of play to the title.

The graphics are decidedly primitive. They’re done this way to keep the style of the previous games. They may look dated to most people, but they also serve a purpose: keeping the gameplay frantic and fast paced. This game is known for it’s on-screen chaos. Its bosses will take up to 75% of the screen at times, and in the old days this would cause most arcade systems to melt down. The bosses are always huge and over the top, and in this iteration, they didn’t skimp.

The controls are as simple as they come, move, jump, shoot, bomb. No fancy multi-button combos to do, and no touch screen usage. This is not one of those games where they decided “hey, lets change the gameplay and make them use the touch screen!” They did put it to use, there is a scrollable map, but you’ll be so transfixed on the top screen, you probably won’t even notice the touch screen.

One thing missing, sadly (and cost some points on the review) is any type of multi-player. Though the game is great for those who love the series, it’s missing the ability to kick some tail with a friend. There’s not even a vs. mode on here which would have added to the series as a whole.

Still a great series, still great to look at, still 2D. Metal Slug 7 is great fun to play. I don’t recommend it for the little ones, even though it’s cartoony, it’s still pretty bloody and you’re shooting soldiers and mechanical targets. Ashton (7) did play it, and enjoyed the game. He does know that it’s just a game, but I will not let my other two younger ones even watch me play it, as it’s just too much violence…fun violence, but the Teen rating is earned and appropriate.

Rating 4.25 of 5
Pros: If you love Metal Slug, this is more of what you want. Great variety in weaponry and Slugs this time around. Graphics are great, even for the 2D Style. Combat School is a nice addition to longevity.
Cons: No multiplayer whatsoever. This seriously hampers any DS game, especially this one which has always had a 2-player mode.

Elite Beat Agents

Developer: iNiS
Publisher: Nintendo (of America)
Format Reviewed: DS
Other Released Formats: None
Number of Players: 1-4 (Via Wireless DS Single Card or Multi-Card Download Play)
Online Features: None
ESRB Rating: E10+ – Everyone over 10 (Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor, Lyrics, Suggestive Themes)
Genre: Rhythm, Music
Release Date: 2006-11-07
Misc Feature: Support for Rumble Pak

This review is for the 2006 game, Elite Beat Agents. Elite Beat Agents was picked up by the kids who thought it would be a “Men in Black” style easy game. Whoa were we wrong. It’s a pretty tough little rhythm game, that keeps you tapping (and spinning and rolling) the beat. The heroes of the game are 3 agents dressed in black suits with microphones, who groove to the music, solving the world’s problems. In the first levels, you help a loser director, a girl who just wants to go steady, and a lost dog. Not serious stuff there, but it gets more so in the later levels.

The gameplay mechanics seem simple enough. You tap the numbers as the circle encloses on it, usually along with the actual song beat, some circles become a ball that you have to guide on a half-circle track, some back and forth. It gets tough in the later levels. Keeping up with the beat circles gets real tough, but Ashton has made it to the final level after 2 weeks.

The songs are catchy, and don’t get old quickly, which is a good thing, because you will hear them over and over again until you are able to get the level done correctly. Timing is crucial, but so is a good eye. Sometimes numbers will overlap, and you will have to tap twice (always messes me up). There are 19 songs, some from newer artists, some from older ones (real old…like Queen and Deep Purple). Some work pretty well, some…well…Ashlee Simpson? The kids knew the songs and will sing along as they’re franticly tapping, dragging and spinning along on the touch screen. It’s great to see that they’re getting into the music as well as the game.

The graphics are great, done in a quasi-anime style, and making use of the agents as a quick reference for how great (or horrible) you are doing in the game. Each level has a story, and the cut scenes are entertaining and fun. In addition to the pre-level cut scenes, there are scenes during the game that let you know if you’ve done well on a piece of the song. It lets you take a breather, and many of them are actually pretty funny. I did not notice any slowdown, even with the frantic pace of things going on.

The control of the game is easy enough, you use the stylus exclusively, and once you get the hang of it, you’re tap tap tapping your way through. We don’t have a rumble-pack, so I’m not sure how that works with the game.

The Multi-player lets you do co-op or competitive. Co-op lets you split up the beats as a team (which might be harder depending on how well you know the song), while competitive has you trying to fill your meter faster than the other players. If you’re playing with one cartridge, prepare to make a sandwich while each DS unit downloads. It’s a big game.

In all, this is a great, frantic rhythm game that will give you a lot of replayability, and keeps it fun. It’s definitely not easy, but it’s rewarding, and keeps rewarding you with the entertaining cut-scenes. Musically it’s all over the map and that keeps things interesting (Y.M.C.A. anyone?). The boys love the game, and both my 7 year old and 5 year old have had a great time. Ashton (7) loves playing, and says that it’s even better with headphones on. Don’t worry about the E10+ rating if you have a younger gamer, there’s nothing too violent in the game. The most suggestive thing I’ve seen is the babysitter and football player in the earlier level, but there’s definitely nothing too risqué that they won’t see on iCarly, or anything on Nickelodeon.

Rating 4.5 of 5
Pros: Great fun, fast-paced, rhythm game. Multiplayer is always fun, especially the co-op.
Cons: Might be too difficult at times

 

For your comparison, Testfreaks rates this game 7.6 out of 10 compiling scores of over 150 expert and user reviews! http://www.testfreaks.com/ds-games/elite-beat-agents/ (I’ll be talking more about Test Freaks in a later post)

Dropcast

Developer: Mikoishi Studios
Publisher: THQ, Inc.
Format Reviewed: Nintendo DS
Other Released Formats: None
Number of Players: 1-4 (Via Wireless DS Single Card or Multi-Card Download Play)
Online Features: None
ESRB Rating: E – Everyone (Comic Mischief)
Genre: Puzzle
Release Date: 2008-09-22

 

This one came unexpected. I picked it up as a birthday present for Camden (5). He has had a newfound love for the puzzle games like Tetris, Bejeweled Twist and Zoo Keeper. Dropcast looked like it could be a new fun game for him to give a whirl. It’s a lot tougher than I had expected, and much different than I expected. It turns out to be a twist on the brick-dropping puzzle genre, with some quirky graphics and a great story mode.

The main game, Ingrid’s Curse, is what both modes of play are based on. In the single-player version, you turn the DS clockwise, as the game is played vertically. The touch screen is you play field, the top (now right) screen is the screen you will have to clear. You have to “cast” pieces of 6 or more to the other screen, and they fill up. Here’s where the twist on Tetris comes in: you have the “drop piece” shape on the top of the left screen, and when you “cast” those blocks to the right, they form that piece and drop. You must drop them all across the screen to make the rows disappear. If you let them build all the way to the top, you lose. Easy right? Not quite. You will also be building them up on the right side, and that can reach the top and make you lose. You can continually throw away pieces of 2 or more, but then you can’t cast to the right side! To help you either way the screen has columns made slightly lighter every other one, and they correspond with the right screen to help you put the blocks in the right places. It doesn’t make it easier, but it does help when you have a large column you want to avoid.

The second game is the story mode, Battle Royale. Ingrid’s toys fight each other, you on the left touch screen side, and your foe, evil stuffed bunnies, cats and others, will be on the right screen. You battle it out, pretty much like any other puzzle game: you dump blocks, they appear on the other side. These challenges are tough, even on the easy difficulty, though you can find ways to make it through them quickly. The game makes it tough by giving you 3 offensive and 1 defensive move (or “cast). The opponent seems to know how to use these expertly, and if you’re not quick and precise, you will find frustration in this.

The graphics are quirky and creepy. They look like they were inspired partially by Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas characters and Emily Strange (drawn by Rob Reger and Buzz Parker). They are mainly there as dressing and aren’t used in the actual game play, which is a good thing. The backgrounds of the levels definitely look Burton-esque. There is a bit of “Engrish” going on with the cut-scenes, probably due to hasty translation.

This game is pretty much a touch-only affair. It works well, and I would consider the screen a big part of the control, since you need to make sure you use the correct column, or you will end up losing quickly.

The multi-player works exactly like the Battle Royale, with a human on the other end. Our oldest constantly dominates the younger child, though they both enjoy the battles. The graphics and attacks keep it interesting.

This game is decent, though not a breakthrough by any means. It tries to improve on the “battle-Tetris” concept, but ultimately fell flat. It’s one for rental, and when the price is right, would be a decent buy for die-hard puzzle gamers out there. The kids actually enjoy this one more than I do, probably due to the fact that they haven’t played too many puzzlers out there, and they enjoy trying to one-up each other’s “casts”.
 

Rating: 3.75 of 5
Pros: Interesting twist on the battle-puzzle genre. Creepy fun graphics.
Cons: Just doesn’t bring enough innovation to keep it from mediocrity.

Robot Builder
Requirements: Computer (PC, Mac, Linux)
Browser (Firefox, IE and Chrome tested by me)
Internet connection
Facebook Account 

Yes, it’s a Facebook app. I know, they’re cliche. This one is pretty darn good though. It’s addicting, updated frequently and not one of the ones that you HAVE to pay money for that rare item.

The premise is simple, you get Energy, and Salvage for parts. When you find all of the correct parts, you build your robots. There are many levels of robot to build, and each level has 4-5 robots. The hardest thing to do is wait for you energy to build up (I would recommend playing Path Words). There are super rare items, but they can be found after a long while of playing. You can also purchase (or find) Robot Coins to go to their premium salvage areas where your chances of finding the super-rare are improved. 

After you build those robots? Well, they are cool, and you can show them off in your profile, but the thing you build them for is to battle. The battles aren’t anything special, they just reward you with other items, but eventually you get up there in rank. It would be cool to have a pic of some devestation after each battle, but they’re doing this for free, so I won’t complain too much!

If you’re waiting on Facebook and are looking for something to do other than send hugs or pokes, etc, give this a try. I’ve become addicted. It’s definately kid-friendly, there are no scary robots (so far), and they get to learn a bit of resource management on the building of the robots, and selling the remaining parts for cash to go out to more expensive salvage areas. Happy gaming!

4 of 5 stars.

Penguin 24X DS Gaming Pouch

• Fits up to 24 games. The only game card holder for the serious DS gamer.
• Transparent Inner Pages for full view of your games collection. 
• Fit 6 Nintendo DS game cards per page, with 4 inner pages to fit up to 24 games.
• Made of Premium Material – Not from real leather so no animal was harmed.

The Gaming Pouch is a pretty handy unit. It’s 4 pages of pockets gives you plenty of room for those pesky little DS cartridges. If you have amassed a large collection, the 24X DS Gaming Pouch is a very handy item to have. I tested one of these little units for the past 2 weeks. They do indeed hold a lot of cartridges, which is great if you don’t want to keep having to open those little boxes.

The boys have a hard time with the Nintendo DS cases as it is. The usually smash fingers, or have a hard time prying the cartridges out of them, so they have wind up cluttering the floor of their room. The pouch makes it easy for them to keep the cartridges in place and the actual DS cases on the bookself. There is a nice touch with this unit as well: there is a loop for holding the extra stylus, which keeps it handy if one gets lost.

The 24X DS Gaming Pouch itself is made of a sturdy material, with nice poly pages inside that have taken abuse from the cartridges without stretching out. The outsides come in: White with Light Blue, White with Pink, White with Navy, and Black with Red. All have a little penguin logo on the front.

One issue we had with the DS Gaming Pouch is that the zipper can be a little tough if there aren’t many cartridges in it. This is mainly when zipping around the corners. If you or your kids are impatient, it’s easy to make the zipper skip some teeth. It’s easily fixable, and can be avoided by putting the cartridges in the corner slots first. 

Pros:
Holds a massive 24 cartridges.
4 different color schemes.

Cons:
Zipper can come off the track if you are in a hurry.
This unit holds a lot of cartridges and is a great bang for the buck. It can help keep those little carts secure, organized and handy for trips or just storage.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Bejeweled Twist (PC version)

Minimum/Recommended Specs:
OS: Windows XP/Vista
Processor: 1.2GHz (minimum)
Memory (RAM): 256MB (minimum); 512+MB (recommended)
Free Hard Drive Space: 250MB
DirectX Version: 8 (minimum); 9.0c+ (recommended)
Sound: DirectX-compatible
Video: DirectX-compatible; 32MB (minimum), 64+MB (recommended)
Color Quality: 16-bit or 32-bit color mode (256 colors may not work)
Controls: Keyboard and mouse
Internet: Internet connection is required to register/unlock game trials – including those delivered via CD-ROM

I have to admit. I love Bejeweled Deluxe. I used to play it on my PC, now I play it on my phone. I love that I can play a game for hours or just a few min to pass the time. I got ahold of Bejeweled Twist, and once again I’m happy to be playing a Bejeweled game on my PC.

Bejeweled Twist is still a “match 3″ game, but it’s now much more interesting. You have a circular cursor, which you move around the board, rotating a block of 4 gems in a counter-clockwise motion. I had a bit of a tough time getting used to it, but after about 5 min of playing, it brought a lot more to the game.

You have to rotate and match 3 (or 4 or 5) gems to get them to disappear and drop some new ones on the board. It’s great when you can make a match of 3 gems, and subsequently make more matches when your original set disappears. You can get some great chains going; many are completely unexpected when they happen.

If you can manage to get 4 gems matched, you get left with a flame jewel that clears out more gems around it, and if you manage 5 matched, you get s spectacular blast that eliminates entire rows of gems in a “plus” pattern of horizontal and vertical rows.

Along with the special jewels, you can get bomb, locked, and coal gems. These can get tough, as a bomb counts down each rotation until it gets eliminated in a chain of 3, or counts to 0. If it hits 0 you get a “second chance” minigame, which you can only usually win once or twice before it lets the bomb end your game. The coal gems can only be destroyed by a blast, and the locked gems by a chain. Locked gems cannot be rotated, which makes them a pain…err challenge.

You start out the game with two modes open to you, classic and Zen. Classic is gameplay like you would expect with all the special gems and challenge. It starts you off easy, and adds the special gems with subsequent levels. After you complete a board, you get your ranking, and a pretty cool little space flight to the next board. It gets challenging as you complete the boards.

Zen mode is just the straightforward gameplay, without all the bombs and locked gems. It also changes the transitions between boards. This mode makes it easier to practice on, honestly, and you can finally make use of the multiplier that builds up, but decreases if you have to make more than one rotation. The music changes to a more low-key tempo, which makes it seem less frantic.

Challenge Mode gives you some insane challenges to beat. I only unlocked the first 4 of the 13 7-part challenges. None of them were easy, though the first one, Detonator wasn’t too hard to learn. Yes, I finished at least level 1 of each of these to unlock the next one for this review (whew!)
Detonator: You have to destroy a set amount of gems with 1 move.
Spectrum: You have to make a set number of matches in a row, which is tougher than it sounds, as they have to be one after another with no moves in-between.
Coal Mine: Makes you destroy a set number of coal blocks with one move. This one takes planning, or a good lightning blast when you get higher up.
Chain Reaction: You have a set number of matches in a row.
Gem Fall: You have to do a set number of cascades with one move.
Preserver: Has you keep a certain amount of colored gems on the board at one time…this is much harder than it sounds.
Firestorm: Has you detonating a certain amount of flame gems within a timeframe.
Stratamax: Has you clearing a set of gems in a certain amount of moves.
Arsenal: Detonate a set number of Flame Gems in one move. This was tough, as you wind up detonating those saved gems on accident.
Bonanza: Clear a set amount of gems within a timeframe.
Survivor: Have to just make it through a certain amount of turns. Bomb and Doom gems make it tough going.
Voltage: Detonate a set amount of lighting gems in a set timeframe. This is tough, as you have to create the lightning gems first! It took me 6 games to get past the first level of this challenge.
Enigma: Has you creating Flame or Lightning Gems with 1 move. I couldn’t do this one after 10 tries.

Blitz Mode is just a 5-min point-fest. Try to get the highest score in 5 minutes.

The graphics, as stated before are excellent for a puzzle game. The casual game market itself doesn’t usually see this level of polish for a puzzle game, and the explosion effects are just great eye-candy.

The sound in this is also a step above for your typical puzzle game, with up-tempo, engaging music in the classic, challenge, and blitz modes, and low-key and soothing in Zen mode. Also worth noting: Did they get the Mortal Kombat guy to do the voice for this one? I mean, I kept waiting for him to say FATALITY! when I made a cool move.

This one doesn’t take up massive amounts of hard disk space, or have major hardware requirements, but it will take up a lot of you free time, and if you’re a puzzle game fan, this doesn’t disappoint.

Rating: 4.75 of 5
Pros: New take on Bejeweled concept. A lot of variety in Challenge mode.
Cons: Challenges may be just too tough for the casual gamer.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles

Developer: Rockstar San Diego
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Format Reviewed: Xbox 360
Other Released Formats: PS3, PSP
Number of Players: 1 (Up to 16 online)
Online Features: 16-player events, Rate My Ride, Player Stats and Rankings (via Rockstar Games Social Club)
ESRB Rating: Teen (Mild Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Strong Lyrics)
Genre: Racing
Release Date: 2008-10-20

Midnight Club: Los Angeles came to me out of the blue. I actually have been considering purchasing a racer for the 360 when this one came my way. Honestly, I’m not really sure how to start this review. Do I start with the races, or the story mode? Gorgeous graphics? The Customization of the vehicles? Racer abilities? All there to make this game extreme fun.

I have to say, my first racing game on the 360, and I’m not sure how much more realistic a game can get. The overview map is almost photorealistic, and the actual sights while racing ARE photorealistic. Down to the signs on the building and the cars are just beautiful. They can’t be damaged as much in some games, but they do take a beating. Scrapes, broken windows and torn off bumpers all have happened, but big body crunches, even when you flip the car just don’t happen. That’s ok, this isn’t a sim, it’s just good old-fashioned balls to the wall racing, to hell with real physics. That’s not to say the cars don’t feel fairly real: Each car has its own characteristics. The weight of each car and whether they are front or rear-wheel drive makes a difference in handling. The VW I started out with at the beginning didn’t have trouble taking corners at full speed in its stock config, but the Camaro I won in a pink-slip race feels like I’m driving on ice when I make even the slightest adjustment. Another thing, despite its name, it’s a 24 hour game, with day and night cycles.

Each car is customizable, all the performance aspects, the exterior, the interior, paint, tires, even the license plate is customizable. Love neon? Turn it on! Want to dye the interior vinyl? You can do that. Always wanted those ground effects on your Jetta? Done. With each race won, you get money, it’s just a matter of saving up.

Speaking of winning…There are a ton of different race options, you have Red Light races, timed runs, pink-slip races, freeway races, tournaments, hangout races and other odd jobs. Each of these has a monetary reward, and as long as you finish, you win more “rep”, which is the reason for street races and a part of the story that links all this racing together. When you look at your GPS screen, you’ll see icons for the different races that are available around you. You can pick and choose, or just drive around, and you’ll eventually come across someone. Each race on the GSP screen is colored. Green = Easy, Yellow = Normal, Orange = Above Average, Red = Hard. Don’t let the colors fool you into thinking a green race is going to be truly easy. I’ve had easy Orange races, and hard green ones. There a lot of factors that can make that green race into a hard one.

You will get many new races and opportunities from you sidekick. It pops up on the lower left side of the screen (which is sometimes annoying when you are trying to find a specific spot on it already). This will happen when you meet certain rep requirements and when you complete other tasks. Keep an eye on this; you’ll learn where you can race for pinks, which is a great way to build your garage up. It’s also worth mentioning that if you don’t want to follow the GPS and just drive around the city you can do so. There are a few areas for jumps and collectable Rockstar barrels that unlock cheats. Don’t forget that there’s a ton of Gamerpoints out there to collect, some are surprising to find (Like the “getting off the bench” one for just joining a proposed race online, or “just get a motorcycle” for driving on two wheels in a car too much).

The races have many variables to them, shortcuts, obstacles, other racers, police and the traffic. All of these can turn a massive lead into a miserable loss. These things can work against the other racers as well. I’ve been behind in a race, and all of the sudden pass all of the other racers who chain-reaction wrecked ahead of me. There’s 2 other things that can help you win the race: Nitrous and Abilities.

You have 4 abilities that you can learn: Zone, Roar, EMP and Agro. You must drive “clean”, meaning no crashing into things. If you do it right, you get a special sound, and you can press the LB button to activate. Zone lets you slow time. Roar sends a shockwave that clears all racers and cars out of your way. EMP sends an electromagnetic pulse out that shuts down the engines of cars around you. Agro makes your car stronger, allowing you to run into everything you want without worry of damaging out.

Your garage can be filled with cars, and as you customize and win vehicles, you can sell them, modify them more, sell them, or trade them up for other cars. If you chose to mod you car, it will increase the value. Each race you win will get you money to either modify your vehicle, or save to buy that new car. If you really have to have that car but can’t wait to race for it, and have a heavily modified tuner, you can trade your car with some cash to get it. I kept my cars while saving up for that next awesome one (there are a couple bikes in there to build and race too).

I have not had much online racing with this title, but the options here look like you could have an endless time playing. Support for up to 16 players (though only 4 at a time can race), Quick Cruise (just flash anyone close and propose a challenge). The race types are able to be played online, and you can use the Race Editor to create your own races on the map and challenge others online. There’s also quite a few other types, including the multiplayer standard: capture the flag. Another online feature is one sure to be popular with the car-mod enthusiasts: Rate My Ride mode, which lets you upload your car for others to rate or hate.

If you’re looking for a great racer with a lot of options, online, and absolutely stunning graphics, Midnight Club: Los Angeles is a great pick. It’s definitely still at the top of my game stack, and will remain there for a long while. It’s got a teen rating, and some of the language in the cut scenes hang out in PG-13 level if you have little ones around, you might want to keep the volume down while partaking of those “club” races.

Rating: 4.75 of 5
If you want a great racing experience with tons of races and options, fairly realistic settings and vehicles, but not bound to sim rules, this is it.

TeknoCreations InCharge Dual Charge Station

· Charges through Nintendo Silicon skins and most other protective skins
· Uses Lithium Polymer Batteries for increased charging power and reliability
· Charge up to two Wii remotes simultaneously
· Non-metal conductive charging solution (charge not effected by dirt or grime)
· Up to 25 hours of battery power per charge
· Rapid recharge solution
· 50% lighter than other charging solutions
· Easy to read LED charge indicator lights
· Easy to clean and saves on battery cost

The TeknoCreations InCharge Dual Charge Station has a pretty cool hook: it can charge through the silicone skins. Yes, no more removing the skins to change batteries, or charge the rechargables. I found this to work without the skins and with both the Nintendo skin that you get with the wiimotes, and the Kroo (black) silicone skin that I had bought a while back. Now, I didn’t use silicone skins until I received this product, as I thought they would be a pain in the rear to have to remove every battery change (every 2-3 days) or every charge. I also don’t like the Nintendo skin, as I can’t stick my WiiMote into my Guitar Hero Gibson for GHIII sessions.

The Tekno Incharge Dual Charge Station’s claims of 25 hours of battery charge are pretty high, and I found to be a bit short of actual use. Now, if I was using the Wiimote strictly for Virtual Console gaming, I might have squeezed more life out of the batteries, but using the Nunchuck and the Classic Controller with it, or using it in the guitar drained it in about 20 hours. This could also be that the remotes lose charge while sitting, as I noticed with one of my WiiMotes. It was on the last bar, and sat for 2 days. When I went to use it, it was completely dead.

The Rapid recharge solution is not as claimed either. Now, you do recharge fully in less time than some chargers, but from the dead WiiMote (with Silicone) to fully charged took over 7 hours, and from a mostly used state, it took 5 or so. Without silicone, I found a 6 hour dead charge and 5 or so again from mostly used. Silicone does make a difference in charge time. For most gamers this doesn’t since you would charge overnight anyhow.

One thing that users of this system may also find slightly annoying is that the lights blink *when charged*, so they’re solid while charging. This induces headaches if you leave them in the charger while watching a movie or something in the dark. I found that I had to remove them from the charger to keep my sanity! The unit is fairly compact, and requires a power source.

A nice feature of the charging base, and one I found lacking in most other chargers, is there is a small space in the middle of the charger, and since the wiiMotes lay down in the unit, the space is a perfect place to put the straps, instead of leaving them hanging over the edge.

Another cool feature that isn’t present on the list of features is that the battery/cover also has a “pass-through” for the wireless sync button. You need something to press it for you, as it’s slightly recessed to keep you from accidentaly pressing it. It’s something that I haven’t seen on the others that I have used or reviewed here.

If you’re looking for a good 2-WiiMote charging system, and love your silicone skins, this is a great system. I would have no problems recommending. The ease of use, and actual helpfulness of the sync button pass-through are something else to consider. There are no contacts to bend, nothing that can get dirty and not work, and you just place in the cradle, it charges!

Pros:
Charges through silicon
Long battery life
Re-Sync without removing battery cover

Cons:
6-8 Hour charge time can shorten gaming sessions.

If you make sure you fully charge before your marathon Smash Brothers Brawl session, you’ll have plenty of straight-through gaming, ensuring the need for some Monster or Bawls and Visine!

Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

Penguin United Quad Charger

•   Recharge 4 Wii Remotes Simultaneously
•   High Capacity Li-Ion Polymer Rechargeable Batteries
•   Li-Ion Battery Provides full 13 Hours of Actual Playtime per Remote
•   Charge Each Remote in Less than 4 Hours
•   LED Light Indicates Charge Status in 25% Increments
•   Up to 1000 Recharge Cycles
•   Includes 4 Free Color Coded Remote Straps  

Having covered the Dual Charger 2nd Gen (http://gamersnewsbits.com/2008/07/03/review-penguin-united-remote-dual-charger-2nd-generation/) from Penguin United, I have decided to take the quad charger for a spin.

After buying 2 more WiiMotes (to my kids’ delight), I tried it out for 2 weeks. This unit requires an actual power outlet, and does not charge via the USB as the Dual Charger unit did. I found the color coded straps handy, as I need a way to tell all the WiiMotes apart, and those plastic covers that I have tried in the past just got in the way of gameplay and fell off after a few weeks. It also solves my previous issue with the Dual Charger, which was the contacts were directly in the middle of the WiiMote’s back, which I thought would lead to sweaty contacts. I never did have an issue thankfully, and still recommend that unit.

The unit is very nice looking, with the Wii White color that all accessories seem to strive for these days. It’s in a circular shape, and all 4 WiiMotes’ status lights are visible at a glance. It’s got that cool blue glow around each wiiMote as well, when the units are in place. It came with 4 batteries, all popping easily into the WiiMote, and charged up in about 3 hours the first time, though I let them go overnight. The base unit has 4 lights per socket, and each indicates 1/4 battery life. I found that this unit gave me the 13 hours advertised, and more. I was able to average 16 hours of play over 4 days, depending on the game and accessories used while playing. One WiiMote was able to pull 20 hours just using the WiiMote with no accessories on Virtual Console games (the kids are addicted to Super Mario 3). I am curious how the Li-Ion batteries will behave later on in life vs. NiMH, as in the Dual Charger.

Now that I have the 4 WiiMotes, I have to say, I love this charger. It’s fast, and since we don’t have 4-person games running all the time means I get to have a freshly charged WiiMote at all times. Even if we did managed to discharge all 4, the charge time is quick, usually 4 1/2 hours or shorter. The Quad Charger does what it should, keeping the game playing to a maximum and the wait to a minimum, and I don’t miss the cries of “I need 2 AA batteries Dad! The WiiMote died!!” I think if you are one of those who has the need for 4 WiiMotes in a large family like mine, or heck, a college dorm or frat, this is going to be the best money spend for a quick way to keep your WiiMotes juiced and ready for action!

The unit has a SRP of 44.99. I know that I used to spend around $10.00 a month in AA batteries for the 2 WiiMotes we had before using the rechargable units. This thing easily pays for itself. A quick look at Amazon shows a Sony Charger with 4 AA batteres at 23.41, which would mean you need 2 of those for a 46.82 grand total. The Sanyo Eneloop unit with 4 AA batteries comes in at 20.35, so you could get away with 40.70 for 8 AAs and 2 chargers, but then you are constantly taking the back off the WiiMotes and charging. Simply putting them in the base to charge is just so much nicer.

Pros: Quick charge time
Long battery play life
Cool Light setup
Colored straps included

Cons: I had no cons using this unit. I’ll let you know if there are any in the future!

Rating: 4.75 of 5