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NintendoWare Weekly: WiiWare demos, Pokemon Rumble, Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures
This week, we get our first taste of Nintendo's new WiiWare demos. Surprisingly, it didn't take Nintendo that long to flip the switch for North America, considering the company revealed the long-overdue feature -- and day-one annoyance -- only earlier this month. And on top of the free trial versions of select WiiWare titles (five total this week!), there are also two new Virtual Console titles to enjoy, as well as three new DSiWare games. Hit the break for the full list.
The dark side of Skee-Ball for iPhone
I won't make any excuses, and I won't beat around the bush: I'm addicted to Skee-Ball [iTunes link], at least to the very-entertaining iPhone version from Freeverse. In fact, the reason I haven't written about it until now is that every time I get ready, I decide a little more "research" is in order, and I find myself on another Skee-bender. It's getting ridiculous, annoying my friends and upsetting my home life. I'd like to say, "I can stop whenever I want to," but I keep coming back to the warm glow of the LED scoreboard and the comforting sounds of wooden balls racking up just for me. What makes Skee-Ball so entertaining for me is the realism of the gameplay. It sends me right back to my childhood; carnivals, arcades and Chuck E. Cheese's. The physics of the game are bafflingly realistic, with each roll responding to every nuance of the stroke or swing that launches it. Velocity, top and side-spin, friction... even the effects of bouncing off of the sides of the ramp or the edges of the cups feels natural. The prizes you can purchase with the tickets are reminiscent of the "big scores" of my youth: vampire fangs, bubble gum, fake moustaches, and glitter pencils. There's the occasional oddball prize, too (a banana, a robotic dog, a duck), presumably to remind you that it is, after all, just a game.
PAX 2009: And the final Omegathon event is ...
It's been a long, hard struggle for this year's Omeganauts. The initial lineup of 20 contestants has been whittled down to the only two participants who made it through the gauntlet unscathed. Now, we'll shortly know the winner following the final round: A no-holds-barred match of ... Skee-Ball. (Seriously.) We'll let you know the results as soon as the dust settles! Congratulations to everyone who participated in the annual uber-tournament, and a super special congratulations to whoever manages to bowl wood with the greatest amount of dexterity. For those playing along at home, the final lineup for the tournament is posted below. Round 1: Mario Kart Wii Round 2: Bookworm Adventures Round 3: Halo 3: ODST Round 4: The Beatles: Rock Band Round 5: Connect Four Final Round: Skee-Ball
