IGN Takes a Look at Wii Wins and Losses, a Few Good Diversions of My Own Devising (including One Related to Videogames), a Look at Metal Slug Anthology and Sony Gets the Wii's Online Capabilities Wrong

Anyone know what time it is? Yup, it's Game Time once more. This starts my third edition of my new column and I've still got plenty more to go yet! So without further ado, here's today's lineup of juicy tidbits: a list of wins and losses concerning Nintendo's Wii (courtesy of IGN), a first look at Metal Slug Anthology, yet another Sony goof (only this time it's thankfully NOT related to BluRay but rather the online functionality of the two consoles) and share a few diversionary videos that I created myself (including one related to the next-generation videogame battle).

First, though, let's look at IGN's win/loss list for the Wii (on the web: http://wii.ign.com/articles/739/739662p1.html). This list is chock full of the Wii's greatest hits and misses so far during the run up to launch, including high points such as the impressive list of publishers supporting the console, the high praise that the media has for the system's innovative control method, the large volume of launch quantities and the system's unusual landing on the Toys "R" Us hot toy list - as well as the not-so-great points such as lack of pure-definition digital audio output, the low points within the pricing details and the secrets that still surround the highly-anticipated Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, on top of the near-lack of advertising at this point in time. You can read the full list at the URL which I have provided above if you want to know more.

Next on today's hit list is a preview of Metal Slug Anthology. Although many of the editions of Metal Slug in the collection have made it onto other consoles, the 11th-hour addition of Metal Slug 6 to this compilation adds a little more value to the full-roster edition as the 6th main-series Metal Slug has not yet graced consoles. For those who have not played a Metal Slug title, this is a side-scrolling shooter series that pits you against all kinds of crazy contraptions (UFO's included) and opponents, some even taking up more than half the screen in the case of boss characters! This series has appeared on everything from the Neo-Geo to the Playstation consoles, and spreads to the PSP and Wii with Anthology. And if you want creative control for a side-scrolling shooter, you'll want the Wii version (although details of this are nearly nonexistent at this point, but rest assured there will be plenty of other extras as well).

Next on my hit list is another Sony goof, but instead of another BluRay snafus we have a misunderstanding of the Wii's online functionality. And how could this happen, you ask? Well, it just so happens that Sony looked at the Wii a little to harshly in regard to online functionality within a comparison chart obtained by Gamer's Day, saying that it's online functionality would only be free for six months... until the Big N reaffirmed it would be free forever, and backed up the corrective notation in a statement released to Total Video Games (on the web:

http://www.totalvideogames.com/news/Nintendo_Reiterates_Free_Online_Gaming_10821_0_0.htm) that the Wii's online functionality would be just as freely available as that of it's DS handheld. Perhaps Sony mixed up the Wii's online play with the availability of the system's Opera-based web browser? We may never know, but it does seem to be the most likely conclusion that the Wii's web browsing and online play functions were simply mixed up by Sony. (Oh yeah, and while I'm on the subject the chart also contains inaccuracies concerning the XBOX 360 that Microsoft is not too happy about, either - leading the Vole to threaten Sony with legal action over the subject according to GameShout (on the web: http://www.gameshout.com/news/sony_console_price_chart_inaccurate/article8400.htm).

Finally today, since we can't play games forever I thought I'd share some videos I created (animated, of course). From a political satire comparable to 2004's Florida Voter Machine joke to a spoof on the state of a certain airline not too recently to even my personal take on the next-generation videogame fight between Sony and Nintendo, I have hooked up with Revver.com to showcase my newfound talent for creative animation (on the web: http://videos.jsdvs9172.one.revver.com/collection/9720). I encourage you to check them out and let me know what you think!

Well, that's it for today, so until next time keep those gaming fingers moving and stay in the game like there's no tomorrow! In the meantime, post your thoughts here in the comments or drop me a line at jdavis9172@hotmail.com if you have any gaming tidbits to share. Happy gaming!