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"Why must you chase me, mechanical yeti?"
Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely love the tonks. I cackle with fiendish glee anytime one of my guild mates pulls out a tonk while we're waiting on the rest of the group to get to an instance. Tonk wars are no end of fun.One of the things that has been conspicuously absent from the game for some time was more mini-games like the tonks at the Darkmoon Faire. Sure, you get the Battered Steam Tonk Controller as a quest reward in the Bone Wastes, but I already have a tonk. I had hopes when I did the Arcano Scorpid quest in Shadowmoon Valley... It seems like you should be able to battle them. But sadly enough, as a guild mate and I found out, once you've turned in the quest, you can no longer control the arcano scorpids. (We can only guess that it is still possible that you can battle them, considering they have attacks that only work on other arcano scorpids. But you'd have to never turn in the quest to be able to continue playing.) And yes, you can do the bombing run over and over in Hellfire, but without actually playing against another person, where is the challenge in it?So, what we'd like to propose is for Blizzard to actually build in some form of mini-games. Not a true PVP thing, like dueling or battlegrounds, but something of a smaller and potentially sillier bent. Like giving folks control of the arcano scorpids after the quest is completed. That way you could play Scorpid Battle Mechs to break up the monotony of puking your guts out while searching for that one perfectly ripe Arakkoa egg. Or hey, how about making those non-combat pets useful and let us fight them against each other? I can just see it now... Magical Crawdad, I choose you!
Mo mini, mo problems?
Ruby Minis? Satisfying and savory. The MINI Cooper? Stylish. Cadbury Mini Eggs? Delicious, but gutrot inducing. Though good things often come in little packages, when it comes to minigames, Ars Technica has had enough. It's not so much the genre that irritates writer of this editorial, it's how much real estate it seems to be taking up on the gaming landscape, especially Nintendo consoles. The site argues that the genre has gone from an occasional treat to being often unsatisfying, a cash-in on beloved characters and, sometimes, a downright bore. The writer also complains that half of the DS games he's purchased have some kind of mini-game compilation. So you keep buying them and companies keep making them? It sort of makes us wish there was a minigame that taught cause and effect.
Powerpuff Girls adapted to anime, anime adapted to minigames
This news manages to be both supremely weird and completely banal at the same time. It's interesting conceptually, but mechanically, it's another licensed minigame set. Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z is the made-for-Japan adaptation of the Cartoon Network show, which was itself inspired by anime. And just like you would expect for any anime, or, for that matter, anything popular in Japan (see also: food and walking) Powerpuff Girls Z is getting its own DS game. This has to be the most derivative game ever in terms of source material-- just surpassing the game adaptation of Street Fighter: The Movie.
Food, fun, and photos from the Cooking Mama event
Reader Alex answered our call for photos from Saturday's Cooking Mama kickoff event held at the Nintendo World Store, and he wasn't messing around -- his Flickr set contains nearly 100 pictures! It's just like we were there ourselves, and thanks to his efforts and our caption skills, you can experience it as well. Hit the jump for a selection of photos, and then go wallow in the entire set. It's enough to make our tummies rumble.
Cooking Mama: Cook Off highlights Wii Remote issues
In Gamespot's review of recent Wii release Cooking Mama: Cook Off, they make a complaint that is becoming an all-too-common refrain among Wii fans: "The motion controls just aren't reliable. Some are overly sensitive... and some aren't sensitive enough." There are bigger stakes here than the occasional botched omelette. Over the months since launch, the unpredictable Wii Remote has led to a maddening dichotomy. Some games are too easy, while others are too hard -- for all the wrong reasons. The easy games, like Wii Sports Bowling, let the most feeble grandma instantly taste sweet victory. But the player's actions don't seem to have that much impact on the results. Swing the remote more-or-less the right way, and you're almost guaranteed a strike. Gamers who crave a deeper challenge have to settle for battling incomprehensible controls. Wii Sports Boxing is certainly "difficult," but that's because the best strategy is "Flail your arms like a Muppet on PCP." In Wii Sports Golf, you can take the exact same swing five times in a row and get wildly different results each time. And then there's Cooking Mama. Here's a tip: go into your real-world kitchen, and cook some actual food. It'll be about 9,000 times less frustrating, and might result in you eating something healthier than your regular diet of Slim Jims and Funyuns. So far, the revolutionary controller that was supposed to be universally accessible is confusing, finicky, and imprecise. Maybe over time, developers will learn how to create challenging games that also have intuitive controls, not just one or the other. Until then, the Wii Remote is breaking more than just TV screens... it's breaking hearts.
Reminder: Throw down with Cooking Mama
Well, obviously Majesco wants everyone to get on the Cooking Mama train (we hear that's how they make that money), but this weekend, as you'll recall, they're offering New Yorkers a chance to get in the game in style. To promote the release of Cooking Mama: Cook Off, Majesco is calling all Iron Chef-wannabes out to show their stuff -- and win free swag. If you're going to be anywhere near the Nintendo World Store this Saturday between 11 and 4, drop by, if only to sample the goodies the on-site chef will be preparing. Now that's incentive. To our readers in the area: we'd love to see your pictures if you attend. We may even post them and make you an interweb celebrity for a whole five minutes.
New York Cooking Mama event at Rockefeller Center
As part of the launch for Cooking Mama: Cook Off on the Wii, Majesco is holding a little cook off celebration of their own. On March 31 at the Nintendo World Store in New York's Rockefeller Center, Majesco will host an event from 11 AM until 4 PM. There will be snacks, competitions featuring Cooking Mama and winners will acquire a copy of the game. Everyone who attends the event will receive a Cooking Mama apron while supplies last. It's the perfect event to bring a little sibling, niece, nephew or even your own child to. Then again, that's what everyone else who reads this is thinking. Beware the hardcore Cooking Mama fanboys, they may look innocent, but they know how to wield a Wiimote like a knife -- ALLEZ CUISINE!
Custom Cooking Mama apron contest
We tried everything to convince our parents into driving us to the Cooking Mama: Cook Off launch event at New York City next Saturday -- temper tantrums and crocodile tears -- none of those would move their cruel hearts. We desperately want one of the limited edition aprons that the Nintendo World Store will be giving away as door prizes, and if we have to spend a week pouting with crossed arms at the dinner table to get one, well then that's just what we're going to do. You might not have to go through the same childish lengths to score some custom kitchen-wear. Video game chef Becky Mueller is hosting a Nintendo-themed cooking contest at N+, offering up her own hand-crafted Cooking Mama apron to the grand prize winner. She spent over 20 hours sewing the fabric together and embroidering the logo until it looked just right. We really have to admire Becky's generosity, donating this labor of love to N+'s readers. It's a lot more than our soulless parents ever did for us... Head past the post break for a bigger photo of the charming apron and its Cooking Mama logo. [Via The Tanooki]
Iron Cooking Mama
We've been waiting for the Iron Chef license to appear on the Nintendo Wii ever since the cooking-friendly controller was revealed, but the culinary game show is still woefully absent from the system's lineup of upcoming titles. Anxious gamers have had to settle for the next best thing -- Cooking Mama: Cook Off. Playing off the battle system in Cooking Mama where you can compete with rival chefs, 1UP has a creative piece comparing the Wii and DS versions of the game in a Kitchen Stadium contest. Fans of Iron Chef will be happy to see that the dramatization follows the Japanese show's format closely with an introduction by the Chairman and constant chatter from the commentators. Cook Off's multiplayer mode and international menu are emphasized during this console-vs-handheld match-up to see which Mama knows best. Though Cooking Mama: Cook Off's reviews have been middling at best, seeing the Wii game's strengths laid out like this has definitely renewed our interest. How else are we supposed to act out our epic Ronkonkai Chicken battle against Iron Chef Sakai that we've always envisioned in our minds?
Cooking Mama kicks off at Nintendo World Store
Cooking Mama: Cook Off is already out in shops starting this week, but Majesco's official launch event for the Wii game takes place at NYC's Nintendo World Store on March 31st, the Saturday after next. There will be a variety of competitions for gamers to take part in at the store's interactive stations. We hope that doesn't mean they'll actually be cooking anything themselves, as some 13-year-old kid is bound to burn the Pokémon Center down while trying to flambé. The Nintendo World Store will have limited edition aprons for attendees and copies of the game for contest winners. If that isn't enough to bring you in, there will also be free food! Keeping with Cooking Mama's theme, an on-site chef will be fixing snacks for the party. If you're in the area, this is definitely worth checking out!
Wii Sports and Wii Play sell one million copies each in Japan
Congrats are in order to Nintendo: both Wii Sports and Wii Play (Hajimete no Wii) have sold in excess of one million copies in Japan. Having two million-sellers already trumps the Gamecube, on which only Super Smash Bros. Melee reached that particular milestone.We know that the bundled Wiimote had a lot to do with selling Wii Play, though of course the degree to which it contributed cannot be measured. It makes sense that the two most casual, inclusive games on the system would sell to a Japanese audience that loves DS training games. We hope you guys like minigames, because it's safe to assume we're getting lots more of them!
Majesco back in the game, returning to profitability
Majesco Entertainment never really stopped publishing video games, but it was a very real possibility after its troubles last year. Following the disappointing sales of its banner titles, Psychonauts and Advent Rising, stock values plummeted, CEO Carl Yankowski resigned, and several class-action lawsuits were filed by the company's shareholders. Majesco decided to turn its focus on "value and handheld video games," and has been slowly recovering from its losses with this strategy. So why should we be cheering on the company that brought us throwaway games like F-24 Stealth Fighter and Super Black Bass Fishing? While you're right to shake your head at those titles, Majesco was also the publisher behind niche gems for the DS like Nanostray, Age of Empires: The Age of Kings, and Cooking Mama. And for that, we wish them the best of luck.
Crave opening big box of virtual Crayolas
The washable-crayon-stylus hybrid thing seen here may still be a dream in our somewhat odd fanboy minds, but it is true that Crayola is bringing its unique brand of waxy, brittle pigment to the DS in electronic form. The company has made an agreement with publisher Crave to release a Crayola-themed DS game.Apparently, the game will be a minigame collection, with all of the minigames involving drawing and coloring with a wide selection of Crayola crayons. We're excited about this if only for the possibility that we may get to color a dinosaur. And because this way we won't lose 33 of our 64 colors within a week.
Rockstar taps Timbaland for Beaterator PSP
Take a two-year-old web app, sprinkle a lil' Timbaland on top, and Rockstar just baked us a Beaterator. But will it bring sexy back to PSP? Excuse us for being wary of Rockstar's continued re-usage of old content for its PSP titles. Recycling is generally a valuable effort, but "Beaterator: Timba-Land Stories" isn't exactly the megaton announcement PSP owners seem to be waiting for. What Beaterator will bring to Sony's handheld this summer is a distinctly un-Rockstar (at least, the game company) like offering; and perhaps, with the addition of minigames and challenge modes backed by the proven excellence of Timbaland production, Beaterator can help PSP finally adopt the 'non-gaming gaming' reputation that DS has sold so well. But the seemingly-hip(-hop) factor could also backfire. Battle of the bands: Beaterator or Jam Sessions?
New Tamagotchi Party On screens
If any Wii games have been lacking in vibrant color, it's because Tamagotchi: Party On! took all the color from a year's worth of games. Seriously, this game more than cancels out Sadness in mood and, especially, in color saturation. In these screens, we can see what looks like a game board-- we would guess it connects the minigames, in the style of another well-known minigame collection.This is, at least in terms of visuals, the most charming minigame collection we've seen since Incredible Crisis. Will it be as much fun? At least minigames have the potential to be more interesting with unique control schemes like the Wiimote provides. Check out some screens after the break!
Tamagotchi Party On! gameplay videos
Why didn't anyone tell us that Tamagotchi: Party On! was so adorable? We could have been staring dreamily at it since the Japanese Wii launch. What a missed opportunity.Party On! is a minigame collection about trying to become the president of Tamagotchi Planet, and is full of edgy political satire cute competitive games that involve shaking hands, opening kind-of-unsettling animated doors, and directing traffic, from what we see so far. We love the appearance of this game, which recalls Parappa the Rapper without actually being flat. Speaking of Parappa, the Tamagotchi DS games were developed by Parappa creators Nana-On-Sha, but this one seems to be the work of an internal Namco Bandai team. If we ever hear confirmation that Nana-On-Sha is developing for the Wii, you will hear about it immediately. We will interrupt your regularly scheduled websites. Enjoy some videos after the break![Via GoNintendo]
Housewife Superstar: home-ec minigames
This looks totally strange, and totally endearing. Insert Credit's Brandon Sheffield found this poster at GDC, for a DS game called Housewife Superstar, developed by Studio Nocturne. It looks like a minigame collection, but based on the idea of becoming the perfect (stereotypical) housewife. There are games about things like embroidery, flower arranging, knitting, and dressing up.The non-serious tone keeps this from being completely insulting, and the art style, which is kind of a stylized 1960s anime (a little like Mr. Driller color-wise, but not as severe), looks really nice. We have no idea when or where Studio Nocturne plans to release this, but we hope it is somewhere close and sometime soon.
Cooking Mama: Cook Off bakes up some screens
IGN got ahold of some freshly-baked screens for Cooking Mama: Cook Off. The screens depict the various different steps one must perform before making a meal (such meals as Paella). So we get to see some raw meat being sliced, eggs improperly cracked against a bowl and how to properly top off a meal with some cream puffs. So, if you're looking for one tasty time in video game form, look no further.
Bomberman Land Wii is adorable
It shouldn't be noteworthy that a Bomberman game is cute, but recent developments have called the cuteness of all future Bomberman games into question. Thankfully, we can confirm that yes, we have confirmation on big-headed characters, and we are go for cuddliness.We are also go for minigames, which makes us a little nervous. We kind of have enough minigames already on the Wii, and we don't need much content from Bomberman other than multiplayer bombing. Online bombing would be great, of course, but that might be too much to ask.Exclusive "scrolling through some screenshots" minigame* after the break.*by which we mean "screenshots for you to scroll through, and not a game at all."[Via QJNet]
Minigames strike again: Taito's Furufuru Park
Wii players in Japan will have a shot at another minigame collection this April, when Taito releases their Furufuru Park. It will feature scaled-down dating games, adventure games, 3D fighting, and even a mech game set in the year 20XX. If the idea of yet another disc of minigames doesn't grab you, then the cast of characters, pulled from Taito classics like Bubble Bobble, Arkanoid, Sonic Blast Man, and even the recent DS release Mawasunda!! might. And if the mention of Sonic Blast Man actually piqued your interest, then we are very concerned about the apparent theft of our identities. Check after the post break to see some mini-screens of the minigames in mini-action, and check the homepage to see... the box art and not much else. [Via GAME Watch]
