The new Nintendo DSi XL, an upgrade to the DS Lite will be available in South Africa by the end of April (30th). The two 4.2-inch screens are 93% bigger than its predecessor and has a wider viewing angle.

It also sports 2 cameras (front & back), comes with an additional pen-shaped stylus and built-in Wi-Fi. What I already like about this handheld is that you can surf the web (Opera), share pictures directly on Facebook, and it doubling up as an e-book reader.

My review unit came with the Pokemon Silver game (which I’m no fan of) so I got the 100 Classic Book Collection as well. I don’t think I’d be able to read a complete book on it because of my eyes but it makes an ideal travel companion. It’s a good alternate to taking your cellphone and activating roaming. All you need is a Wi-Fi hotspot and you’re good to go.

The DSi XL also comes pre-loaded with Dr. Kawashima’s Little Bit of Brain Training: Arts Edition and Dictionary 6 in 1 with Camera Function. The first time I took the brain age test, my result was 26 and today it is 24. You don’t want to know what it was yesterday. Activities to stimulate your brain include memory, acting and drawing games. I enjoyed “sketching” Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, the leaning tower of Pisa etc. I’m waiting to get Professor Layton and the Curious Village, which should keep me addicted!

No word on the pricing just yet.

Wii Sports Resort is the sequel to Wii Sports, Nintendo’s launch title, which came bundled with all Wii consoles in South Africa.

The game takes place on Wuhu Island, with 12 activities available for play: archery, frisbee, basketball, cycling, canoeing, power cruising, table tennis, air sports, bowling, swordplay, golf and wakeboarding.

Each game has its own variation and multiple levels of difficulty, which are unlockable. One remote can be used for up to four players in all games except canoeing, where a remote is required for each player.

For the Wii Motion Plus, an expansion to the Wii remote is provided, for more accurate gameplay. The sensor on the Motion Plus enhances the accelerometer and sensor bar on the Wii remote, which depicts identical movements on-screen and in real-time. Movements during swordplay may cause the Wii remote to lose synchronisation with the Wii Motion Plus.

The most enjoyable and truly challenging game is undoubtedly archery, which provides hours of fun. The Wii remote is used as a bow while the Nunchuck is used for drawing. Starting at beginner mode, gamers will end up playing until they reach expert level, it’s that addictive!

One-on-one basketball is fast-paced as there’s just one minute to shoot the most hoops. It’s a little tricky initially, but once you get the hang of it, it will leave you wanting to top your previous score.

Wakeboarding is fun at the beginning, but once all the tricks have been figured out, interest is lost. Of course, it’s nothing like wakeboarding in real life. The least exciting game – maybe not surprisingly – is bowling.

Wii Sports Resort comes nowhere near the Wii Fit, one of Nintendo’s best-selling titles. Unlike the Wii Fit, Wii Sports Resort cannot be played over and over. It’s only exciting in the beginning of each of the various levels of difficulty. Once they’ve been mastered, the game quickly loses its appeal.

Written for Digital Life, September / October 2009.

Later this month Wii Sports Resort launches and it looks like loads of fun (its compatible with the Wii MotionPlus). If you enjoyed the Wii Fit, then you’d probably enjoy this a bit more. It includes the folllowing games: Archery, Air Sports, Basketball, Bowling, Canoeing, Cycling, Frisbee, Golf, Power Cruising, Swordplay, Table Tennis and Wakeboarding.

At the launch (or should I say preview?) today:

New Super Mario Bros. which was announced at E3, will be launching sometime this year. Nintendo could not confirm when, but it’s looking good:

I’m not sure if die hard fans will appreciate the simultaneous multiplayer mode. I personally prefer playing on my own.

Unfortunately I will have to wait a bit to get my hands on the Wii Sports Resort title. I have Grand Slam Tennis with Wii Motion Plus on review, which I should get around to playing sometime soon… someone’s gotta do it

Unless you’ve run out of Wii games to play, you won’t be rushing out to buy this title. I found this game such a chore to play. Perhaps it was the freaky-looking creepy crawlies that were off-putting or maybe it had something to do with me being female. Whatever the reason, I didn’t enjoy it.

To start playing Deadly Creatures, you have to select what you want to start off play as, a scorpion or a tarantula. Each of these creatures has different fighting styles. The tarantula is quick but vulnerable and cannot block attacks while the scorpion is slower, packs more punch and has an advantage of brutal finishing moves but isn’t as agile as the tarantula. Once you’re done with your selection, all you have to do now is start fighting insects, spiders and reptiles. And they’re not pretty looking, so consider yourself warned.

Gameplay requires the use of both the Wii remote and the Nunchuck. The Wii remote is used to attack and the Nunchuck is used for movement. The game has ten stages which alternate between the tarantula and the scorpion. In other words, there are five scorpion stages and five tarantula stages. Each stage has multiple goals, like getting to a specific location or exploring a certain area. Every time you complete a goal, the next one pops up. You are tasked with completing goals by using the character’s abilities. The scorpion, for example, is able to cut through grass and reach new areas, while the tarantula is able to jump through webs, something the scorpion can’t do.

There is a story to the game, but it seems a bit pointless as the main focus of Deadly Creatures is engaging in brutal combat. If you think you can play a game like this for hours on end, then by all means go out and get it. But, it’s not a fun, family-oriented game that everyone can participate in and certainly cannot be played over and over.

Written for: Digital Life

I’m not a hardcore gamer, but if there is one game I cant wait for this year, it’s Guitar Hero: Metallica. I’m sure I’m not the only one waiting for it. The good news is that it has an awesome track list. The bad news is that we wont be seeing it on 29 March 2009. Third world countries, pffft.

The Xbox and PS3 versions will get released first, with the PS2 and Wii versions to follow a few months later. Which means I have a few months left to get a PS3 because I dont think I can wait for the PS2 or Wii versions!

When I bought Legends of Rock, I was slightly disappointed that I couldnt download additional content (PS2) and was considering swapping it for a Wii version. I’m glad I didnt follow through on that decision because if I’m getting a PS3, I wont have compatibility issues.

Back to these metal giants, who rightly deserve their own expansion, have revealed what the track list is gonna look like on Metallica.com.

Metallica Tracks:

• All Nightmare Long
• Battery
• Creeping Death
• Disposable Heroes
• Dyers Eve
• Enter Sandman
• Fade To Black
• Fight Fire With Fire
• For Whom The Bell Tolls
• Frantic
• Fuel
• Hit The Lights
• King Nothing
• Master of Puppets
• Mercyful Fate (Medley)
• No Leaf Clover
• Nothing Else Matters
• One
• Orion
• Sad But True
• Seek And Destroy
• The Memory Remains
• The Shortest Straw
• The Thing That Should Not Be
• The Unforgiven
• Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
• Wherever I May Roam
• Whiplash

Other Artists:

• Alice In Chains – No Excuses
• Bob Seger – Turn The Page
• Corrosion of Conformity – Albatross
• Diamond Head – Am I Evil?
• Foo Fighters – Stacked Actors
• Judas Priest – Hell Bent For Leather
• Kyuss – Demon Cleaner
• Lynyrd Skynyrd – Tuesdays Gone
• Machine Head – Beautiful Mourning
• Mastodon – Blood And Thunder
• Mercyful Fate – Evil
• Michael Schenker Group – Armed and Ready
• Motorhead – Ace of Spades
• Queen – Stone Cold Crazy
• Samhain – Mother of Mercy
• Slayer – War Ensemble
• Social Distortion – Mommy’s Little Monster
• Suicidal Tendencies – War Inside My Head
• System of a Down – Toxicity
• The Sword – Black River
• Thin Lizzy – The Boys Are Back in Town

More info on Metallica.com

Oh btw, my best song on Legends of Rock is One, I got 83% and a 53 note-streak. I officially rock!

Nintendo has gone all out in their latest instalment of the Super Smash Bros. franchise with Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This much-anticipated title has finally reached our shores and the good news is that the Brawl roster boasts a remarkable 35 playable characters, of which 14 have to be unlocked. New characters that fans would love to see squaring off against each other are Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog, Metal Gear’s Solid Snake and Diddy Kong from Donkey Kong.

There are initially 29 stages available for play, with 12 more needing to be unlocked. The stages vary and may take place on floating islands, battleships and roofs. Playable stages are based on games like Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros and Mario Kart DS, which gives the player a sense of familiarity. Players have to make sure they don’t fall off the platform during battle, which will result in a KO or loss of a life.

During combat, items will be made available on the field for the first player who picks them up. These include containers, battering & shooting items, and performance & recovery items. Familiar items can be found, like the fire flower, which allows you to spit fire, and the super mushroom, which makes your character bigger.

Sticking to one character has its advantages as you become familiar with their strengths and weaknesses, while slowly building the character. This ultimately gives you an advantage if you play against your mates.

Fans will love the introduction of the ability to play online with friends, family or even strangers worldwide with up to four players via Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection.

Players are given the option to chat to each other and share screen shots or replays.

A Spectator mode is available and allows you to bet on an existing match using your coins earned from battle. The winner earns all coins wagered.

Once you’re familiar with the way the controls work, you are ready to play. The Wii remote is held horizontally, which may be confusing at first. Depending on your preference, the Nunchuck can also be used with the Wii remote. Playing extensively using the Wii remote (minus the Nunchuck) may result in very sore thumbs, which you will soon discover.

Who says gaming has to be anti-social? Invite your friends over for a competitive, action-packed, fun-filled evening of Nintendo goodness.

Written for Digital Life – Nov 2008

The Sims 2 – Castaway

This new mobile version of the successful The Sims series will please Sims fans. You are one of a few castaways on an island in the middle of nowhere. You are left to explore the island, interacting with the other castaways to help achieve your goals and making sure your basic needs are taken care of. The simple, self-explanatory interface means even Sims “newbies” will find this game typically addictive, although the sedate nature of Castaway may not get serious gamers’ pulses racing.

Tetris

The age-old classic is back, and EA could not have created a better mobile version. There are three game modes available to the user. In addition to the traditional “marathon” mode, there is an “ultra” mode, where you try to get the highest score in three minutes, as well as “40 lines”, where you attempt to reach 40 completed lines in as short a time as possible. The optional ghost feature will be quite useful to beginners and experienced Tetris players will be delighted that there are no annoying shape-shifting pieces. Sure to be a hit with Tetris fans.

FIFA 08

The 2008 mobile adaptation of the famous Fifa series will challenge even experienced gamers and football addicts. The in-depth training mode is a must before taking on the tough season or club challenge modes. Players have a choice of one of five European leagues in season mode, including the English Premiership. A highlight is the challenge mode, with unique and difficult match situations. The controls may take a while to get used to, but the excellent gameplay should make Fifa 08 a firm favourite with fans.

Fight Night 3

Fight Night 3 starts off with a two-minute tutorial that encompasses all you will ever need to know to become the best boxer in the world. Gamers have an option of a quick fight or the lengthier career central version, where you get to create your own player and try to build him up into a future champion of the world. The graphics are unbelievable, with incredible attention to detail. Featured boxers include modern-day heroes like Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton. A superb version of the famous boxing series.

Written for Digital Life – July 2008

As promised, here is a follow up on my progress from the media challenge.

When you create a profile or your “Mii”, you will be prompted to add your date of birth and height. The Wii Balance Board will then determine your weight and and calculate your BMI (body mass index).

When your BMI results are displayed, you will be able to see if you are underweight, overweight, ideal or obese. Based on these results, you set a goal for yourself. My BMI read ‘ideal’, so I opted to lose about 2kgs over 2 weeks. I reached my goal twice before my targeted time during the month, so I just reset them to gain / lose weight.

Once your goal is set, you are ready to start excercising. I chose to do excercises from the ones I preferred. The options are Aerobic, Balance, Muscle Workouts and Yoga. The Muscle Workouts and Yoga were my least favourite so I didnt concentrate on them as much as Aerobic and Balance. I will quickly cover a few of my favourite games.

Under Aerobic, my favourite was activity was rhythmic boxing. Each workout is three minutes and the intructor on screen shows you exactly what to do. He has a go first while you watch and then you play. The routines vary a little but at this point you are playing “beginner” mode. When you play really well and burn enough calaries and do each routine exactly (rhythmic), you will unlock “advanced”. Advanced workouts last six minutes and are very invigorating. When I was done with this level – I was abit out of breath.

I also enjoyed Hula Hooping, which was quite fun. In the beginner mode, you hula and have to catch 4 hula’s which get thrown to you after you reach a certain score. You lean slightly to the left or right, depending which side it it gets thrown from; to catch it. If you have 2 hula’s, each spin gets you 2 points and with 3 hula’s; 3 points. If you score really well, you unlock “Super Hula”.

The length for all Aerobic games are 3 minutes on beginner and 6 minutes on advanced. In Super Hula, you get two rounds. First round, you move only in the right direction; and round two to the left. At the end of this workout, I was also left out of breath.

Step Basics – was just straight forward step training. I also unlocked the advanced level here. This one didn’t quite leave me panting.

My other favourite was the Balance Games. I think I over played these. The Ski Jump, and Snowboarding were fun. For Snowboarding, you have to turn the Wii Balance board 90 degrees and stand to the side.

I found the Heading game quite tricky. You have to head footballs being thrown at you. They come either straight, left of right. You have to be quick. In the midst of it, you get a tog and panda bear being thrown at you and if it hits you, you get 1 and 3 points deducted respectively from your current score.

The Table Tilt was loads of fun but the trick is not to move too fast. The aim is to drop the balls into the hole. Your body on the Balance Board controls the movement of the balls. I managed to unlock the advanced stage. Loads of fun and can be frustrating if you lose at level 7 when level 8 is the final stage which, once completed, advances you to the more difficult stage.

The media challenge that I took part in, required me to get onto the Wii Fit everyday and complete a 25 day routine. Before you start playing games, you are measured and given your BMI and then reqired to do two random body tests. Based on your current age and how you performed in the two tests, a Wii Fit Age is given to you. My age on day 1 was 39 years; and on day 25, 20years. This is how my age fluctuated over the 25 day period:

My absolute worst was 44 years on day 2 and best 20 on several occasions. I was slightly disappointed with my performance on day 17, when I reached 35 years.

The following is what my BMI was daily for the 25 day period. It fluctuated quite healthily:

Now I just have to wait and see if I come out in the top 5 for the media challenge.

Overall I’d say this is an excellent alternate to a gym membership, which we all know does not get used to its maximum compared to how much money goes into it.

Originally blogged on My Digital Life