Author Profile
- Username
- Sean_Aaron
- Articles
- 350 (105 reviews)
- First Article
- Sat 20th, December 2008
- Avg. Review Score
- 6.3
News Overturn Weekend Challenge
Prepare to meet the makers!
Vince from Studio Zan has just let us know there's going to be a special Weekend Challenge running from the 3rd - 6th of September, where players can get a chance to play against the game developers online in the USA and Japan between 6pm and midnight PST (00:00-08:00 BST). Studio Zan developers can be identified by the...
News Wii Internet Channel Now Free!
Nintendo backtrack on it's "Internet Channel" making the latest version free (again) and includes an updated version of Flash.
Nintendo has released a long-awaited update to the Internet Channel; best of all it's free again, just as it was when it was first released. To compensate those who may have purchased it a free NES game on the Virtual...
Review Texas Hold'em Poker (WiiWare)
Can't read my, can't read my poker face, p-p-poker face!
Apologies to Lady Gaga (well, actually to everyone reading this who may have heard that song and will now have it stuck in their heads), but you will be wondering exactly that after playing any amount of the latest Texas Hold 'em game from Gameloft. Before going further it's important to...
News Nintendo Download 01-02 September 2009 (Japan)
Another WiiWare holiday, but a few VC games and some DSiWare makes up for it.
After last month's WiiWare windfall it shouldn't be a surprise that Japan is taking a little break from the service. Don't feel too bad for them, because there's three VC titles to tide over Wii downloaders and a few DSiWare titles from Nintendo as well. Virtual...
First Impressions Discipline (WiiWare - Japan)
Art-house gaming comes to WiiWare.
Discipline is a WiiWare game long-rumoured and only recently revealed. As possibly the most unusual game to yet grace the service, it game centres around a prison called Discipline, wherein you control a character apparently posing as an inmate. It's difficult to tell what exactly is happening because text plays a...
First Impressions Simple Series Vol. 4 - The Misshitsu Kara no Dasshutsu (WiiWare - Japan)
Not quite Steve McQueen...
Well, Simple Series Vol. 4 - The Misshitsu Kara no Dasshutsu is quite a mouthful, so for the purpose of these impressions please forgive the re-titling of this game with the shorter, but still thematically correct name Room Escape. D3 Publisher is known as a publisher of budget games and has pushed out dozens of them for...
"Live up to your name, Defender!"
Defender was Williams Electronics first video game and its biggest seller with over 60,000 units sold. It was noteworthy for the level of control players were given over their space ship as well as excellent visuals and sound. It was a badge of honour if you could play the game with any skill due to the complexity...
Review Mr. Driller Drill Land (GameCube)
"Dig a Chance!"
If Namco had a corporate mascot that wasn't Pac-Man it would almost certainly be Mr. Driller. The retro arcade game from the end of the last century has spawned a franchise seeing seven games released with a version of some form on nearly every console made in the past decade. Its popularity is not only down to the simple, yet...
News Nintendo Download 25-26 August 2009 (Japan)
The WiiWare party is back on with a load of new downloads for both Wii and DSi!
After taking a couple of week's holiday the Japanese WiiWare service is back in action with five new WiiWare releases (two of them aimed at small children), two Virtual Console titles and five new DSiWare downloads. Yes it does seem terribly unfair, but that's life. If...
Review Family Slot Car Racing (WiiWare)
Slot car racing fun for the whole family...or is it?
Arc System Works is clearly enjoying some success with the "Family" series of games because they just keep on putting them out. Considering what real life slot-car racing is all about a video game version could offer some improvements, so is it possible that this game is worthwhile?...
Nintendo Download 18-19 August (Japan)
VC and DSiWare on offer next week whilst the WiiWare holiday continues.
After the mega update preceding the Oban Festival holiday this week it looks like things are returning to normal with 4 VC releases and 7 DSi releases for next week, though nothing new in the WiiWare pipeline. Virtual ConsoleIke lke! Nekketsu Hockey-bu (500pts - Technos) -- A...
Review Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans (Wii)
History? Sort of. Horrible? YES!
If you live in the UK you're probably familiar with the Horrible History series of books from author Terry Deary; featuring illustrations by Martin Brown. They're books aimed at children (mainly boys) between the ages of 8-12 which try to make history fun by discussing the nastier bits of it; using humourous...
First Impressions Tomenasanner
Rock rock planet rock, don't stop. Rock rock planet rock - DON'T STOP!
What Tomenasanner means is anyone's guess (try guessing in the comments - better still, please advise if you know!). It's written in katakana so it's apparently a word of foreign origin (sure sounds it!), but the closest that Google Translate offered was "tomen" which...
Super Sprint and Super Off-Road had a baby and it's soooo cute!
If you were a gamer in the mid-late 80s you'll probably remember a couple of arcade games called Super Sprint and Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off-Road, both of which gave 1-3 players the chance to compete in a series of races against human or computer-controlled opponents...
News Nintendo Download 04-05 August 2009 (JAPAN)
It's a mega update in the Land of the Rising Sun!
The release schedules around the world have seen bumper crops of WiiWare releases (and in PAL territories VC ones courtesy of the latest Hanabi Festival); naturally being Nintendo's home territory it should come as no surprise that Japan outdoes even these impressive download service updates. Next...
Review Tenchu: Shadow Assassins (Wii)
"Are you finished? Save your speeches for Hell!"
This is the fourth in a series of stealth-based action games which have often met with mixed reviews due to control and camera issues. After watching the atmospheric sepia-toned montage of game cut-scenes scored with Japanese opera and playing the game, fans and those new to the series will find that...
It’s a colourful world we live in.
ColorZ is a game whose trailer captured the attentions of many with its vibrant colours against light backgrounds and novel colour fusion mechanic. The sight of gently drifting UFOs floating through groups of stationary enemies accompanied by an ambient/trance techno soundtrack and no shooting in sight created...
Nintendo Download 28-29 July 2009 (Japan)
2 arcade classics, 3 new WiiWare titles and a bumper crop of DSiWare next week.
Looks like we're back to a more familiar release schedule in Japan, but the number of new DSiWare releases is more than normal with 9 new titles (though it has to be admitted two of these are guidebooks). The Virtual Console releases include Tecmo's second offering for...
Review Mahjong Taikai Wii (Wii)
A solid straight-up Mahjong game for fans of the real deal.
This is the latest in a series of Mahjong Tournament games which have appeared on previous consoles and handhelds. These are single player games (as with card games Mahjong player have hidden hands, so multiplayer with one screen wouldn't work too well) with virtual opponents; online play...
Sunsoft brings the classic match-two game to Wii.
Shanghai is the name Activision gave to series of simple matching games featuring patterns of stacked mahjong tiles on the Apple Macintosh and later Wintel PCs (other companies have sold the same game with various other names; the game is generically known as "mahjong solitaire" or...
News Tomenasanner Mad New Title from Konami for WiiWare
More mental game stylings as only the Japanese can deliver them!
It's not really apparent why Japanese game developers have such a penchant for wacky game ideas that provide a draw for many curious Westerners: it could be a reaction to growing up in a culture of overwork and is an explosive expression of repressed id. Whatever the reason, it's...
News University of Alabama Uses Wii Remote to Teach CPR
Wii Remote key component in free CPR training tool.
After the game system itself has proved to be useful in physical therapy the Wii Remote is also enjoying status as a standalone medical aid. In this case it is the active component in a CPR training tool dubbed Wii CPR by the students who created it as part of the completion of a course in...
Nintendo Download 21-22 July 2009 (Japan)
WiiWare catch-up, another classic Namco arcade game and some simple DSiWare puzzling adventure next week.
Next week's schedule is a little on the light side (though as with previous weeks it's possible that Nintendo of Japan is updating their website piecemeal) with only 1 new WiiWare release, a couple of VC offerings and a single DSiWare release...
First Impressions Japanese Nintendo Channel Update
Along with the 4.1J Wii system update, Japanese Wii owners have also received an updated Nintendo Channel!
The Nintendo Channel has long been a mixed bag: it provides Nintendo with a gateway into player's play habits (though you'd have thought this would be possible from the basic system given that the Wii has built-in networking capability) and...
