Activision dropped the ball

Okay when it comes to games based on movies the consensus is generally that they suck. The rare exception is the Chronicles of Riddick and Spiderman 2 the game. Now Spiderman 3 has come out, and so did the game. It took the same brilliant swinging system from last Spiderman movie game, and put it on numerous platforms making the area you can swing around much larger. Well they screwed it up.

Spiderman 3 is a horrible excuse for a sequel. The camera controls suck, you can’t climb a wall without it going utterly bonkers giving you a headache. The graphics look like ASS, even on a 360. The combat is decent, but nothing to write home about. Sure, swinging is fun, but swinging around for hours on end gets quite tedious.

From what I’ve seen of the Wii version it’s the same deal. Poor controls, bad graphics, and an almost worthless experience. If you want a superhero Sandbox game pick up either Spiderman 2, Crackdown, or Hulk Ultimate Destruction, but avoid Spiderman 3 at all costs.

Wii and DS Numbers are Strong

Nintendo has come out with their fiscal year report:

5.84 million Wii consoles have been sold world-wide along with 40 million DS units since their launches. What is even more shocking is that 23 million DS units were sold this year alone! Imagine if their weren’t Wii shortages, how high would that number be?!

Nintendo projects sales of 14 million Wii systems and 22 million Nintendo DS units.

Money, Money, Money! Where’s my share?

The Lizard is Back!

Spider Man The Lizard

In Spider Man 3: The Game: Based on the Movie: Based on the Sequels: Based on the TV Shows: Based on the Trading Cards: Based on the Comic Books you’ll be able to fight the Lizard! And no this doesn’t sound as cheesy as it looks. Check out the new video in The Pipeline under Xbox 360 Game Videos.

I’ve also added the trailer for the Wii version of the game under Wii Game Videos. If you don’t pee in your pants for this trailer – you’re not a gamer. Using the Wii-mote and the nun-chuck to control webshots looks fantastic!

Gradius III, Wonder Boy in Monster World, Battle Lode Runner

Wonder Boy in Monster World

Three games that you might have never heard of have been added onto the Wii’s Virtual Console! As always here’s the full press release:Admit it. Somewhere deep inside, you’ve always wanted to go for the gold, take down Monster World, and have people call you Vic Viper. How cool would that be? Well, pay a visit to the popular Wii video game system’s Wii Shop Channel, and all those fantasies can now come true.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points(TM) to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games
are:

GradiusIII (SNES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points):
Return as the pilot of the Vic Viper starfighter to battle the onslaughts of the Bacterion Empire. Blast through 10 action-packed levels in space, destroying everything in your path. Customize and power up your ship with weapons and upgrades including speed-ups, missiles, lasers, options, and shields.

Wonder Boy in Monster World (Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points):
Monster World was a peaceful, happy place until one dark day when an army of BioMeka monsters invaded. As a young man named Shion, you’ve vowed to defeat the hostile foes and make the land peaceful again. You’ll attack enemies with swords and spears and guard against incoming projectiles with shields and armor. As you travel through the many different regions of Monster World, you’ll talk to the townspeople, collect money to buy items, and gather a large variety of weapons and magic. The further you venture, the more powerful your weapons and equipment, including suits of armor and boots,
will become.

Battle Lode Runner (TurboGrafx 16, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points):
This upgraded edition to the famous Lode Runner series includes a 5-player versus mode. Gold funds have been stolen from the Time Machine Research Center, and the group responsible used a time machine to escape and hide the gold throughout time. The center sends an elite team of “Runners” to go and retrieve the gold.

In addition to the familiar Puzzle mode, the game features Battle mode, where up to 5 players can compete, and Edit mode, where you can create your own original stages. You can enjoy Battle mode in a number of different ways. Be the last one standing to win in Survival. Grab items from enemies and escape to win in Escape. With 4 players, you can separate into two teams to do battle in Tag Match.

Four SEGA Genesis Classics Coming Soon

Streets of Rage 2

Sega truly loves the Wii’s Virtual Console! They’re consistant in providing games that only retro gamers will love and this week is no different. Here’s their latest batch of titles:

Streets of Rage 2 – To celebrate their defeat of the syndicate exactly one year before, Blaze, Adam and Axel met for drinks. The next morning, Axel received a frantic phone call from Eddie ‘Skate’ Hunter, Adam’s younger brother, whom he was living with on the edge of the city. Blaze and Axel found Adam and Skate’s house wrecked and a picture of Adam chained to a wall at the feet of Mr. X. The city then once again returned to its nightmarish state and criminals ran rampant. Unable to contact their old friend from the military, Axel and Blaze team up with Skate and Max Thunder to free the city and rescue Adam from the Syndicate. It is up to you to take down Mr. X once and for all!

Toe Jam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron – A number of Earthlings hitchhiked on Toe Jam and Earl’s spaceship on their trip back home after the first game, and are now infesting Planet Funkotron. Toe Jam and Earl must track down the Earthlings and capture them in large jars and ship them back to Earth in space ships. It is also your funky mission to find 10 beloved objects belonging to Lamont the “Funkapotamus,” the source of all funk in the universe, to persuade him to return to his favorite funk-filled planet. Use your “funk powers” to assist in evading and capturing the earthlings, such as Funk Move and Funk Scan.

Shining in the Darkness – Dark Sol has vowed to reign over the enchanted Kingdom of Thornwood and only you can stop him. Roaming the dark labyrinth, you will seek out enemies and collect weapons, all of which will help you pass the test of the Ancients and become a shining knight. Get into the adventure with a stunning 3D perspective, amazing cinematic views, and fast-paced scrolling. You’ll move from battle to battle, solving puzzles and discovering secret items in this engrossing struggle between good and evil. Find the powerful Arms of Light and battle the deadly beasts that keep your people desperate and starving in this epic journey for peace.

Kid Chameleon – The local arcade is packed with kids, all lining up to play the latest, most realistic video game they’ve ever seen. It’s called Wild Side, and it uses holographic images to immerse the player in a strange world. But there’s a problem, kids are being sucked into the game and now several of them are trapped. With more than 100 levels to adventure through, you’ll take on several different forms such as a Berzerker, a Micromax, a Maniaxe, or a Skycutter, which will make you much more powerful. It’s up to you, Kid Chameleon, the best gamer in town, to get yourself inside the game so that you can defeat the games’ boss and bring your friends back to reality.