See More NERF 2: N-Strike Elite Photo at IGN.com
See More NERF 2: N-Strike Elite Screenshot at IGN.com

Now, for something I can really sink my teeth into, Pro Evo Soccer! When I got PES ‘08 I was literally blown away. Konami brought the beautiful game to the Wii and completely murdered all the sports games on the console. The game was as near perfect as it could get. Then they brought us PES ‘09 and it was even better. WHAT!?!? How could they have made it better, is that even possible? They refined the controls to allow better offense, as well as give more intricate controls to the defense. The developers also added the greatest club tournament in the world, The UEFA Champions League. For anyone who’s a fan of football, you know that the CL is what the game is all about. I mean, I love everything about the Champions League, and I get chills when I hear that epic theme. Another wonderful thing that came along with adding the CL into PES 09 was the fact that my beloved Manchester United were now an officially licensed team. Glory Glory Man United! The one flaw of the game was that we had to wait so damned long for it. I mean, it was released on the other consoles like 5 months before Wii got ours. It was absurd, especially since I don’t know anyone who has played the title on the Wii and another console will say that it’s weaker on the Wii. The Wii version is by far the superior version of the game, and at this point the only console left where PES is a better game than FIFA. Well, it looks like Konami wants to do right by us, as they announced that Pro Evo 10 will be released on the Wii this autumn. The other guys will get theirs first, but the game will be in my console shortly after. If Konami can improve on the game in the slightest then I know PES 10 will be a masterpiece. The onus is on EA and its FIFA series to make the Wii version of their football title as strong as the “HD consoles”. As much as I’ve loved Pro Evo Wii, I do hope EA steps up their game. If they do then the beautiful game will truly be best when played on the Wii.

HVS does not look like they are the type of studio to rest on their laurels. They are following up The Conduit with not one, but two amazing looking games. The one we’re going to talk about today is The Grinder, a first-person shooter that has you playing the role of one of four bounty hunters as they investigate, and kill, an onslaught of monsters, zombies, werewolves, and the usual crew of riff-raff. The gameplay element that The Grinder offers that is especially mouth-watering is its emphasis on 4-player online co-op. Four-Player-Online-Co-Op. It needed to be repeated. I know it is very early, the game is still in pre-production, but I have very little doubt that The Grinder will be absolutely awesome. HVS knows they need to deliver a great game, and they’re up to it. One of the things they’ve just revealed is a hysterical NPC known as The Sheriff. Through the course of the game you can save the NPC’s while fighting the undead and co., or you can ignore them and pay no mind if they get taken out. One of these NPC’s is The Sheriff, a man who is running around screaming, being attacked, and generally being no help at all. If you decide to save the pathetic sheriff, you’ll be given money at the end of the level to spend on your hearts desire of upgrades and new weapons. HVS has also been hard at work implementing a solid scoring system. The one they are working with so far takes into account the type of kill (headshot, melee, etc.), the monster killed, spree of kills, how often you died, and how much ammo you used. If you’ve played The Conduit, and there’s no excuse if you haven’t, you know that HVS likes their achievements. It adds a cool bonus to the game, and makes exploring fun. Well, you can bet on the fact that the scoring system, as well as the sheriff, will tie directly into achievements, unlockables, upgrades, enhancements, and all sorts of other goodies that make games great.

The Grinder is going to be good. Like really, really, really good. High Voltage is big on connecting with gamers who play their games, and are not shy about sharing info either. So you can trust that we’ll be hearing loads more about The Grinder before its release, which is unfortunately sometime in 2010. Saying that hurts, it just sounds soooo far away. I think Nintendo should figure out a way to get demos to the players. I mean, those other two consoles get them, why shouldn’t we? Since we probably won’t get a demo, we’ll make due with videos. The two that you’ll find below showcase The Sheriff and the Scoring system that HVS has put into effect since E3. The Grinder looks fun, it looks like it’s pushing the Wii even further than The Conduit, and it looks like a game that I need to be playing right now *le sigh*. Watch the videos and enjoy the wait, at least we can go back to slaughtering the drudge!

Last year at E3 Nintendo debuted WiiMotion Plus and told us about Wii Sports Resort. Most people were impressed about WM+, not so much with Resort. I was not one of those people. I love Wii Sports. I’m going to put this out there right now: Other than the Mario Bros./Duck Hunt game that came with NES, Wii Sports is the greatest launch bundle game of all time. Yeah, I said it, and don’t you ever forget it. So, when Cammie told us about a sequel with all new games and WAY better controls, I was sold. A year went by and we heard and saw plenty about WM+. We saw demos of how well it worked, how it would revolutionize sports titles as well as shooters. We found out pricing, launch dates, and some of the games that would and will support it. Basically, in the year since it was announced you found out everything you needed to know about the add-on. Somewhere in the hype-train Wii Sports Resort got lost. If there were features done on them, they were overlooked. Apparently Nintendo wasn’t too thrilled about that because at this year’s E3 we saw much more of the game, and that was just the beginning. With the game being exactly a month away, it seems as though the Nintendo are going to do all they can to ensure that we all buy the Kool-Aid. As I said earlier, I’m already sold. I mean, who doesn’t want to have Wii Sports using WM+ and games such as: Swordplay, or Archery, or Sky-Diving?? IGN not only has a great preview of their impressions of the mini-games game, but we also get some great videos thanks to their team. Wii Sports Resort is sure to be a hit, coming bundled with WiiMotion Plus is just icing on the cake of delicious goodness that will be served up on July 26. I can’t wait to hear and see much more of this game in the coming month, and there’s no way in the world I’m the only one. If you’re with me on this, then you’ll enjoy the videos below and let the wait begin!

If you read the title of this post you may have come to the conclusion that I’ll be showing you some video/pics/news about Overlord, Red Steel 2 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). You are absolutely right. You’re going to be presented with the launch trailer for Overlord:Dark Legion. The title is a prequel to the original and has you playing a younger Overlord. Of course, he’s going to terrorize his pupils, minions, and servants on his quest to become the ultimate land conquering tyrant the world has known. After you catch your breath from that excitement, I’m coming at you with the latest trailer for Ubisoft’s uber-highly anticipated sequel, Red Steel 2. This is the game that we all wanted the original to be, only set in the west. Yeah, a samurai/gun-slinger slaying fools in the west with the most realistic controls thanks to WiiMotion Plus. It’s gonna get real. Then, once you think you can’t possibly take anymore, I’m going to hit you in the face turtle style!!! The heroes in a halfshell are back, and starring in a game made by the crew who brought us a little game called Super Smash Bros. Brawl, you may have heard of it. There’s not really much else I can say about that. It’s going to be Smash set in the Turtles’ world. In other words, it’s going to be ridiculously epic. All three videos are posted below.

I’m also going to include the Beat It music video. As a kid I used to rock a red zip-up jacket and sing and dance to this song, my parents even have pictures of it (which I won’t be posting here). The man truly was a legend, and no matter what you thought about his life you had to admire his music and dance. I’ll miss you Michael, I’m sure I’m not the only one.

DiRT 2 is an off-road/rally racing game that is more arcade than it is sim. The game will also hit the other consoles, but it’s being said that the Wii version will be just as good an option for multi-console owners as any other. The one thing that the title is lacking is online multiplayer, Codemasters hopes to make up for this by offering a 4-player split screen mode. Of course, bringing a game to the Wii means you’ve got to have a mini-game or four thrown in just for good measure, so don’t expect any different with this game. Some of the modes that have been talked about is a “drift” mode, where players have to keep cars sideways as long as possible, as well as a “big air” mode, which should be self explanatory. The game engine for DiRT 2 looks pretty good running on the Wii, and it seems like the developers are committed to bring a great playing, and looking, racing game to the Wii. The release date for DiRT 2 is September 19, and for now you can enjoy the debut trailer for the game below.