After installing OpenSuSE 11.4 (which was completely flawless) I decided to give the OpenSuSE 12.1 upgrade a try. From what I’ve determined 12.1 is nowhere near the polished state that 11.4 was (perhaps this is intentional or something, maybe 11.4 was a LTS-type release I’m not entirely sure).

The first time booting the installation DVD, things started off normal, I was greeted with a boot menu with the option to Install. After choosing to install, the Kernel loaded and then shortly after that my screen distorted and that was where the first attempt stalled. I waited 5 minutes or so just to be sure but things never returned to normal.

*reset button*

This time I tried booting the installation DVD with the ACPI=off kernel option and this time the installer finished loading after loading the kernel. I’m not sure what changed between 11.4 and 12.1 but that issue was a little annoying, and probably bad enough to turn off anyone who’s not experienced with Linux. Perhaps OpenSuSE isn’t intended for the Linux ‘n00b’ though, it does have some very nice Enterprise features these days.

The rest of my Upgrade went extremely smoothly, all the new packages installed properly. After the upgrade, things went south rather quickly. The installer closed and I was left at a command prompt (was expecting a GUI login screen). I assumed it was just a glitch and rebooted.

Again after rebooting I was left at a CLI login prompt. This is when I remembered that when I installed the proprietary Nvidia drivers, in order to get my TwinView settings to persist I had to write then to the xorg.conf file. Again this would probably stump a non-experienced user, renaming my xorg.conf file was easy enough for me to do and soon I was back at a GUI login screen.

I logged in and immediate opened my browser to go and re-install the Nvidia drivers and I notice right away Firefox is really slow with the DNS lookup. Open up a terminal and quickly discover I can’t even ping other addresses on my own network. I open YAST and much around with the Network settings (turned off DHCP6 for example) and that seemed to fix things. After that I was able to easily install the Nvidia drivers again.

Reboot and everything looks food from the start. OpenSuSE 12.1 even properly detects my second monitor and configured Dual monitors for me (nice little improvement over 12.1). But once again the networking is messed up.

Every time I reboot OpenSuSE 12.1 my networking doesn’t work until I go into YAST and go through the network configuration. I haven’t had time to really dig into this and find where the problem is yet though I noticed on the forums I’m not alone. Still trying to figure out if its the network configuration itself or something to do with the firewall settings.

Once again, the network issues would be a huge show-stopper for inexperienced users and for a long-time Linux user like myself makes me wonder if I woke up in 1999 or something. I’m going to keep working with OpenSuSE a little longer and see if I can get things to improve or not. Still not sure what distro I’ll attempt to install next.

The condo has been on the market for a while now and unfortunately still no viewings. This is not unexpected. It’s a buyer’s market and we’ve heard about condos that have been on the market for a year now without even a single showing. While this is a little depressing we’re trying to focus on the positive aspects. And it only takes one person to fall in love and buy our place.

I think the best part of this experience so far is the habits I’ve been forming. I’ve never been particularly neat nor organized. I wish I had listened to my parents and developed these habits while I was young but it just didn’t happen that way. There’s no time like the present I’ve heard.

We’ve gotten a nice routine for ourselves. We put things away before we go to bed. And in the mornings we make the bed, make sure the house is tidy, the bathrooms are clean and pack up and take out the garbage on our way out. Our goal is to have the place in a non-embarrassing state whenever we’re not home just in case someone wants to view the place. We’re not perfect and I get yelled at all the time for not doing a good enough job but hopefully it’ll be worth all the stress in the end.

Now all we need is a viewing.

It’s time. It’s time for a new chapter in my life. I’ve lived in my apartment-style condo for the last 6 years and while there’s things that have bothered me from time to time I have really liked living there. I have a great view and few responsibilities beyond my financial responsibilities. While I enjoy the location and the way of life things change. I’ve changed.

About 4 years ago my lovely girlfriend moved in with me. At the time it was quite a big change for me. Suddenly what was enough room and space for one person was not enough for two people. My first major purge ensued. Again, over time we accumulated more things. We’ve been quite creative in finding places to store everything but in the end we had to face the truth. We need more space.

We need more space not only for our belongings and future belongings but in order to do things like have company over or to start a family (no plans yet though, haha!). So once again a purge had to happen. In August we rented ourselves a small storage unit close to our condo unit and for the last month we’ve spent our evenings and weekends packing, moving, cleaning and painting. We visited my banker who gave us great news as to what we qualify for for a mortgage. We called a family friend who is a Real Estate Agent (and now our Real Estate Agent) and I met with him on Friday and his assistant was over Sunday night to take final measurements and photos. We’re all set right?

Four years ago we probably would have been laughing by now. The markets were great, the condo units in my building were selling for more than twice what we paid for them! Today things are a lot different. If I’m lucky I’ll sell my condo for slightly more than what I originally paid for it. I’m trying to stay positive and hope for the best.

It’s Day 2.

My adventure begins…

Was just reading a great article at DamnLag.com which suggests it’s time for Nintendo to make a move to its next generation console. I couldn’t agree more.

The Wii was and is an alright console but I like it for all the wrong reasons judging by Nintendo’s efforts. For me, the Wii is all about the the Virtual Console. Nintendo has virtually abandoned the Virtual Console at this point.

This has caused me to pretty much stop using my Wii now except for Netflix and the occasional time I want to go back and play some of the games in my Virtual Console collection. Were it not for the current economic circumstances I would have long ago purchased a PS3 as its library is starting to fill up with more and more titles that interest me.

This is the big point for me in the article:

3) Give us an actual online experience.

After five years of friend codes and tossing controllers through walls, I am not giving Nintendo any room for mistakes on this one. I want it all: social networking, friends lists, usernames, browsers, real marketplaces, clean interfaces, movies, music, external software storage, downloadable content and whatever else they can think of. The Wii 2 needs to put the days of Nintendo being more internet-retarded than my grandmother to an end. I am sick of hearing “Well, who really wants to play a Nintendo game online?” Over here, Nintendo: I do.

Oh, and give us a Pokemon MMO.

Anyway, don’t take my word for it, go check out the article for yourself at: http://www.damnlag.com/times-up-nintendo-needs-to-release-a-wii-2/

Very cool to have Nintendo come to my hometown! I’ll have to go check this out.

They will be in Medicine Hat at the Real Canadian Superstore from August 20 – 22. You will be able to play Wii and DSi XL, Learn about Club Nintendo and have some grub! Read the press release below:

We’re moving in… come for a visit!

The Tour kicks off August 10th and will be stopping by Real Canadian Superstore® and Maxi & Cie stores across Canada. Take a stroll down Wii Street or Nintendo DSi Drive, or visit the Nintendo Gazebo to enjoy activities for the whole family!

Dates and Locations

British Columbia

September 3-6:

KELOWNA- Real Canadian Superstore
2280 Baron Road
Kelowna, BC

September 10-12:

CHILLIWACK- Real Canadian Superstore
45779 Luckakuck Way
Chilliwack, BC

September 17-19:

NANAIMO- Real Canadian Superstore
6435 Metral Dr.
Nanaimo, BC

Alberta / Saskatchewan

August 10-15:

Saskatoon – Saskatoon Expo

August 20-22:

MEDICINE HAT – Real Canadian Superstore
1792 Trans Canada Way S.E.
Medicine Hat, AB

August 27-29:

LETHBRIDGE- Real Canadian Superstore
3515 Mayor MaGrath Drive S.
Lethbridge, AB

Ontario

September 3-5:

SUDBURY- Sudbury Rib Fest

September 10-12:

KITCHENER- Zehrs Hiway Centre
1375 Weber St. East
Kitchener, ON

September 17-19:

NEWMARKET – Real Canadian Superstore
18120 Yonge St
Newmarket, ON

Quebec

August 27-29:

SHERBROOKE- Maxi & Cie Sherbrooke
3025, Portland
Sherbrooke, QC

Nova Scotia

August 13-15:

HALIFAX – Atlantic Superstore
3601 Joseph Howe Dr
Halifax, NS

New Brunswick

August 20-22:

KENNEBECASIS- Atlantic Superstore
115 Campbell Rd
Rothesay, NB

Great news for Torchlight fans today as Runic Games announces Torchlight 2. Some of the highlights include: Multi-player, customizable characters, moddability, new UI, overworld areas, random dungeons, retirement system, pets and fishing.

Some of the great features will be returning, like pets and fishing. The overworld and random dungeon areas should add a lot of extra and unique content to the game.

If you’re a RPG fan or fan of Diablo you should definitely check out Torchlight if you have not already done so. It is a fantastic single-player game.

Read on for the full announcement from Runic Games:

Coming Spring 2011

Torchlight II ignites the franchise created and developed by Runic Games in this exciting sequel to the award-winning Action RPG Torchlight. Runic Games, located in Seattle, is a veteran team composed of the designers and leads of projects like Diablo, Diablo II, Mythos, Fate, and Torchlight, which won the Game Developer’s Choice Award for Best Debut of 2009.

Torchlight II is richly textured with our unique art style, drawing from traditional animation influences and expanding on the whimsical and quirky world captured in the original Torchlight. We aim for that broad appeal that’s appropriate for older kids, but is really intended for the kid in every adult.

CO-OP ACTION

The most exciting new feature of Torchlight II is the multiplayer element. Play with your friends, and use the free peer-to-peer matchmaking service to meet new players of a similar level and interest. Together players will discover expansive randomized outdoor areas and deep ominous caverns; random instanced and persistent dungeons, a huge variety of all new monsters and villains, endless variations of loot to find, and quests to complete. Players journey through the perilous Overworld, enjoying all new weather features, time of day events, and a rich and cunning story to drive gameplay.

BACKSTORY

Beyond the town of Torchlight lies a world shrouded in adventure and mystery. Guardian-warrior Syl appears in a prophetic dream, summoning the player to the Estherian Steppes. There, you meet with the Destroyer and soon venture across the continent of Vilderan, an exotic frontier besieged by forces of evil. A discovery unfolds, that the Alchemist, following his conquest of dark ember, disappeared on his quest to defeat the unknown corrupted force responsible for destroying the mystical race of Estherians. Aided by Syl, the remaining Estherian Guardians, and clues left behind by the missing Alchemist, you will find yourself battling a powerful enemy that threatens to unravel the elements of the entire world.

Runic Games will release Torchlight II initially as a digital download in Spring of 2011.

KEY FEATURES

• Multi-player – Play with your friends over a local area network, or over the Internet. A free matchmaking peer-to-peer service lets you make new friends for exciting co-op play.
• Customizable Characters – Players create and customize a character from one of four classes available and choose an animal companion. Through cosmetic, class, and gender choices, skill path decisions, and the treasures they acquire, each character can be custom-tailored to each player’s needs.
• Moddability – Torchlight II will release with an updated version of TorchEd, the Torchlight editor. Players have the option to create their own mods, adding even more content to the world. You and your friends can download the same mod and play together!
• New User Interface – Torchlight II boasts an entirely new, improved user interface, designed to be easier than ever for new players to pick up and play. Thanks to this intuitive interface, players have immediate access to a rich and varied world, with little experience necessary.
• Overworld Areas – Torchlight II has large randomized overworld areas to explore with weather, time of day cycles, and random events that provide players with even more content to experience.
• Random Dungeons – Delve into randomly generated dungeons within the game at any time for extra experience and rare loot. Dungeons in Torchlight II have even more branching paths to explore with friends filled with random events, rewards and dangers.
• Retirement System – Once characters are sufficiently leveled up, they can “retire” and bestow specific benefits and perks onto new characters.
• Pets – Players choose a pet to accompany them. Pets level up along with the player, and help in battle, learn spells, carry items, and perform a variety of support services.
• Fishing – Fishing returns in the sequel! Players can take a break from the high-energy pace of adventuring to relax by one of the many fishing holes and see what they can catch. Fish have unique benefits for the player and pet, while a number of other rewards can also be discovered.

Original press release at: http://www.torchlight2game.com/

I’m a huge fan of Nintendo’s Virtual Console. In fact, it is the ONLY reason I ever wanted a Nintendo Wii in the first place. For the longest time, Nintendo had a huge, great and enthusiastic Virtual Console community but in recent months they have been trying to kill that community off. Not in an active sense but in a passive sense. They just rarely release any ‘new’ content for the VC and that has done enough damage.

While it may be true that Nintendo makes more money with ‘Original’ WiiWare and DSiWare titles it’s arrogant for Nintendo to write off the Virtual Console in the manner they have. Perhaps the sheep buy a lot more shovelware than older, dated games from the past but there’s a lot of Retro-gaming fans out there willing to buy their favourite titles from their pasts. Nintendo may be making more money overall from WiiWare but one thing is for sure, they’re not making ANY money from people like me.

This is the main reason why I don’t bother posting the weekly Nintendo Downloads anymore. I think in the future I’ll maybe make a post if there’s a Virtual Console or WiiWare game of particular interest but not every week. The lack of VC releases this year, and the last couple months is just too depressing. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t completely dislike WiiWare as there have been some great releases. But when one in fifty of those is worth mentioning (Megaman, Dr. Mario, Tetris Party) there’s not much point in posting the others.

I know Nintendo has been trying to reach new audiences but since they have pretty much flushed their Nintendo Seal of Quality down the tubes and allowed copious amounts of Shovelware onto the Wii to me that just takes so much away from what the Wii could have been. At one time the Wii was a great way to have fun with friends. Now it’s what my mom uses to play bowling with her friends once or twice a year.

Since Nintendo has been so depressing, I’ll try and post more stuff on here about my other interests, and when there’s a good Virtual Console release or PSOne (Like Final Fantasy IX, hell yeah!) release on the Playstation Network I’ll write about those.

This week Nintendo celebrates the 1 year anniversary of DSiWare. I hope no one was expecting big things for this anniversary. While one title sounds promising (Mr. DRILLER: Drill Till You Drop), I doubt it’s really fantastic. Nevertheless in the press release for this anniversary, Nintendo lets us know about a few upcoming titles: Earthworm Jim, Tetris Party Live, Surviving Highschool and Frogger Returns. At least DSi owners have that to look forward to!

The Virtual console pick this week is a side-scrolling shooter from the NEOGEO. I’m not familiar with it but it’s probably a safe pick if you are in the mood for a shooter.

This weeks lineup:”

WiiWare: FISHIE FISHIE, Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 2

Virtual Console: IRONCLAD

DSiWare: Game & Watch: Manhole, Game & Watch: Helmet, Game & Watch Vermin, Mr. DRILLER: Drill Till You Drop

Read on for the full press release:

Official press release from press.nintendo.com: http://press.nintendo.com/articles.jsp?id=23094

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: GET INSTANT GAMING GRATIFICATION FOR YOUNG’UNS AND OLD-SCHOOLERS ALIKE
April 5, 2010

With new games available for easy download to your Wii™ console or Nintendo DSi™ system each week, players of all ages, tastes and experience levels are enjoying an ever-growing library of top-quality entertainment options. This week’s additions include an arcade-style game set in a fish-eat-fish world, an engaging game for young kids and the North American debut of a side-scrolling gem from the NEOGEO era. Also, the Nintendo DSiWare™ service offers another round of retro gaming in the form of three more Game & Watch™ titles from Nintendo’s classic 1980s series of hand-held games, plus the latest version of the Mr. DRILLER® franchise, which invites fans to drill through multiple game modes and a variety of stages.

Meanwhile, Nintendo’s WarioWare™: D.I.Y. “Big Name Games” series continues with two new downloadable microgames created by top game designers. Suck Goo! is an imaginative offering from 2D BOY’s Ron Carmel, co-creator of the award-winning World of Goo™ for the WiiWare™ service. You’ll also find Ikachan!, an original microgame designed by Daisuke Amaya (a.k.a. Pixel), whose popular Cave Storyis also available for the WiiWare service. New “Big Name Games” will be added every Monday through July 26, all available to download for zero Nintendo DSi Points™ to anyone with broadband Internet access and a copy of either WarioWare: D.I.Y. for Nintendo DS™ orWarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase software for the WiiWare service. Visit the Nintendo Channel on your Wii system today to learn more about the games and view an exclusive behind-the-scenes video featuring 2D BOY’s Ron Carmel.

Also, a special reminder for Club Nintendo™ members: You can now redeem 80 Coins to download Grill-off with Ultra Hand!™, a wild game for the Wii console that challenges players to cook a variety of meats with an extendable arm. For details on this delicious new offering, visit http://grilloff.nintendo.com.

WiiWare

FISHIE FISHIE
Publisher: DK GAMES
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Wii Points™
Description: Welcome to FISHIE FISHIE, a game that can be played with just one button. You’re going to experience something extraordinary that will really test your reflexes. The game contains a series of tutorials that will teach you not only how to control your fishie, but also how to use the various game modes. In Fishie Fishie, you are a fish that must eat all the time. You also have to finish several different game modes as quickly as possible. Every second counts. To win, you’ll have to get through more than 100 levels spread over seven game modes: Story, Soccer, Capture the Star, Survival, Skill and a large competition. Play solo or allow up to four people to play on the same screen.

Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 2
Publisher: Lexis Numérique
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: EC (Early Childhood)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to the world of the PooYoos, the first fun, poetic trainer for children aged 3 to 6. With the PooYoos, a merry band of adorable baby animals, children will have fun while learning the basics: numbers, letters, lateralization, shapes, colors and more. Children get to dance with their new friends and earn lovely interactive rewards. With two levels of interactivity, children of any age and development level can enjoy activities based on plants and music. This game was designed for children who have not yet grasped reading. The instructions are spoken in French, English or Spanish, depending on the language setting of the Wii console.

Virtual Console™

IRONCLAD
Original platform: NEOGEO
Publisher: D4 Enterprise
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: IRONCLAD is a side-scrolling shoot-’em-up originally developed by SAURUS in 1996. You operate a warship and team with the mighty Iron Clad in order to fight the Iron Mask Republic and save the Kingdom of Chop. The biggest appeal of this game comes from discovering all the ways you can attack your enemies. Your weaponry includes three main blast weapons upgradable by collecting more items, a charged attack you can use when Iron Clad is attached to your ship, three types of melee weapons you can brandish to show off your strength in close-range combat, a bomber that clears all enemy bullets, and shooting patterns that change based on whether the Iron Clad is attached or disconnected from your ship. A vast array of weaponry lies waiting to become part of your arsenal. You can even select the stages you want to play, feeding your hunger for combat and allowing you to see different endings for each play-through.

Nintendo DSiWare

Game & Watch: Manhole
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Move quickly and use your manhole cover to prevent the pedestrians from falling through the holes. Pedestrians appear from the left on the upper path and from the right on the bottom path. Earn a point every time a pedestrian walks safely over a covered manhole, or receive a mistake icon for every pedestrian who falls down an uncovered manhole. Receive three mistake icons and it’s game over!

Game & Watch: Helmet
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Tools are falling from the sky! Help the worker at the construction site move from the building on the left to the office on the right while avoiding the hammers, wrenches and pliers dropping from above. Earn five points for entering the office and one point for every three tools that hit the ground. Receive a mistake icon each time the worker gets hit with a falling tool. Receive three mistake icons and it’s game over!

Game & Watch: Vermin
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: It’s time to clean up the neighborhood. Move the player to the left or right and hit the moles that pop out of holes in the ground. Moles appear from four holes in GAME A and from five holes in GAME B. The moles in GAME B move faster than those in GAME A, and they also appear more frequently. Earn one point for each mole hit, or receive a mistake icon for each miss. Receive three mistake icons and it’s game over!

Mr. DRILLER: Drill Till You Drop
Publisher: NBGI
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Drill till you drop with the latest version of Mr. DRILLER, created exclusively for the Nintendo DSi system. Featuring the classic game play that the series is known for, Drill Till You Drop has three different game modes and more than 40 stages of nonstop drilling action. Go underground with Mission mode and dig into various locales with deeper and more challenging goals. Race against the clock to reach the goal in Time Attack mode. Drill through a labyrinth of stones to collect the rare and precious Dristones in the Dristone mode, exclusive to the Nintendo DSi system. Choose from six different drillers, drill through a seemingly endless onslaught of colored blocks, avoid falling obstacles and strategically manage your oxygen on the go.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.

Another Monday means new downloads from Nintendo! This time Nintendo is actually helping us fight the Monday blues rather then contributing to them as the Virtual Console gets a little more love. There’s lots to love about this weeks Virtual Console release. Not only is it a rare N64 release, its a Strategy Role-playing Game (usually referred to as SRPG)! Of course there will be those who complain because it’s not a title they are familiar with or because it’s not some other title they’ve been hoping for. Nevertheless if you’re looking for a new game to play, this is probably worth a try!

WiiWare this week brings a couple titles. WarioWare looks to basically be a port of the DS versions for WiiWare. Not familiar with the WarioWare series myself, but if you’re a fan it’s probably worth a go. Diner Dash is another puzzler game… no comment.

DSiWare includes a Disney title. Looks like you’re paying for the name on this one. This is something you’d expect to pay no more than $2 for on the iPhone… and probably less even. Yet it will set you back about $8 (800 points) on DSiWare (ouch)! Nintendo has it figured out though with a couple of music apps priced around $2 (200 points) each. There’s also a title called Save the Turtles for 500 points that shows promise. And another puzzle game in there too!

Here’s the quick list:

Virtual Console: Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Calibre

WiiWare: WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase, Diner Dash

DSiWare: Disney Fireworks, Save the Turtles, Nintendo DSi Metronome, Nintendo DSi Instrument Tuner, Super Yum Yum Puzzle Adventures

Read on for the full press release from Nintendo:

Official Press release from http://press.nintendo.com/articles.jsp?id=22978

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: WIIWARE AND WARIOWARE JOIN FORCES FOR MAXIMUM DOWNLOADABLE EXCITEMENT

March 29, 2010

Wario™ may be known as a troublemaker, but this week he deserves a friendly high-five for helping to deliver a mother lode of downloadable fun for Wii™ owners. The new WarioWare™: D.I.Y. Showcase game for the WiiWare™ service lets users with broadband Internet access download all kinds of outrageous content, from music and microgames to four-panel digital comics – some created by users themselves. Meanwhile, a classic RPG has arrived on the Virtual Console™ service, while Nintendo DSiWare™ users will find new ways to tune musical instruments, rescue turtles, launch their own fireworks display and more.

This week also marks the kickoff of Nintendo’s WarioWare: D.I.Y. “Big Name Games” series. Several of the industry’s most talented game designers are using WarioWare: D.I.Y. software for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems to create their own one-of-a-kind microgames. New microgames will be added every Monday through July 26, all available for download to anyone with broadband Internet access and a copy of either WarioWare: D.I.Y. for Nintendo DS or WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase software for the WiiWare service. The series gets underway with inventive new microgames from Super Smash Bros.™ creator Masahiro Sakurai and Metroid™ designer Yoshio Sakamoto. To learn more about the games and view an exclusive behind-the-scenes video featuring Masahiro Sakurai, visit http://www.wariowarediy.com.

And just for Club Nintendo™ members, we’ve got a little something extra to offer this week. Starting March 31, members can redeem 80 Coins to download Grill-Off with Ultra Hand!™, a wild game for the Wii console that challenges players to cook a variety of meats with an extendable arm. What better way to prepare for barbecue season than some fast-paced grilling drills on your Wii system? For a taste of the action, visit http://grilloff.nintendo.com.

WiiWare

WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points™
Description: The frantic fun of WarioWare is available for the first time on the WiiWare service! WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase shows off all the different elements found on the WarioWare: D.I.Y. game for the Nintendo DS family of systems. The WiiWare software includes microgames, music and four-panel comics – all with simple controls using only the Wii Remote™ controller. Use the Game Blender and its many modes to play microgames featuring Wario™, ninjas, animals and even classic Nintendo franchises. Check out the Music section to hear or play a selection of songs using a character from Balloon Fight™. In addition to the bevy of preloaded products, you can also receive content from friends, play with products made using WarioWare: D.I.Y. or download games from the NinSoft Store. Let your creativity run wild – even Wario would be impressed with the possibilities for new content!

Diner Dash®
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Use of Alcohol
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Diner Dash, a popular PC action-puzzle game, has landed on the WiiWare service. Guide Flo, an office worker-turned-restaurateur, as she builds up her empire over four unique diners. Go online to face players in head-to-head. If you feel up to the challenge, join up with a friend or another player online for a Team Dash game where your team will take on six other players to see whose diner is the best in town. (Broadband Internet access is required for online play.) Players take direct control of Flo as she runs around to seat patrons, take orders, deliver food, take payment and bus tables as efficiently as possible within the time allowed. Players who are fond of traditional control schemes may also use a point-and-click style with hotkeys to aid Flo in her quest for customer satisfaction, which is reflected in a heart meter that empties as customers lose patience. If the meter empties completely, then the customer will leave the restaurant.

Virtual Console

Ogre Battle® 64: Person of Lordly Caliber™
Original platform: Nintendo 64™
Publisher: Square Enix
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Mild Language, Mild Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber is a tactical RPG originally released for the Nintendo 64™ system. Featuring a gripping storyline with many possible endings, plus a genre-defining character class system, this strategic epic has rightly retained its place in the hearts of tactical RPG fans for more than a decade. The game tells the story of Magnus Gallant, a recently graduated officer of the Palatinean Army who is assigned to the troubled southern region of his native land. There he witnesses the plight of the lower classes – the victims of a tyrannical ruling elite whose only thought is for the preservation of its own lofty status. With civil war brewing, Magnus is faced with a terrible choice: to betray his own noble origins in the name of liberty, or to turn a blind eye to the evils of his rotten society.

Nintendo DSiWare

Disney Fireworks
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Light up the night with Disney Fireworks! Touch and flick to trigger a dazzling nighttime extravaganza of color and fun. Aim rockets to their matching colors in the sky to set off an explosion and score points. Time them perfectly to improve your Wow Meter and unlock special surprises and rockets. Disney Fireworks comes with five themed environments, original music, 15 challenging levels for each world, high-score tracking and much more.

Save the Turtles
Publisher: Sabarasa
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Save the Turtles takes players to more than 32 of the world’s most exotic beaches in a quest to help tiny turtles find their new home. Players must use the stylus to rub and tap the touch screen of the Nintendo DSi system, digging eggs from the sand and lining up cute reptiles while avoiding crabs, seagulls and litter on their way to the safety of the sea. The game features four modes, including a never-ending survival mode called Turtles Forever, plus several unlockable trophies. Give Mother Nature a hand and help save the turtles.

Nintendo DSi™ Metronome
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: The Nintendo DSi Metronome software can be used to help keep tempo –when playing an instrument, for example. It creates a rhythm by playing sounds based on beat and tempo settings, both of which allow a wide range of adjustments. Choose from three metronome designs (including one based on Nintendo’s Game & Watch™: Ball title) and record your own sounds for the metronome to use. Or, if you want to take a break, enjoy a unique minigame: Donkey Kong™ Metronome, in which you make sounds into the microphone to match the beat and have Mario™ jump over Donkey Kong’s barrels.

Nintendo DSi Instrument Tuner
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: The Nintendo DSi Instrument Tuner software can be used to tune an instrument by aligning tonal pitches. The software offers two methods of handling this: feeding sounds into the microphone to measure the difference with a target pitch, or listening to a sample tone. In addition, the standard musical pitch and notation can be changed, as well as the design of the tuner (choose one of three designs). If you’re feeling especially in tune, test your ear by taking on the Tuner Fight minigame’s challenge: Pop balloons as they rise from pipes by making tones that match the displayed pitches.

Super Yum Yum Puzzle Adventures
Publisher: Mastertronic
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Super Yum Yum Puzzle Adventures is a multi-award-winning puzzle game starring a chameleon called Leon. Featuring 48 levels across four worlds and exclusive Nintendo DSi features, the game asks players to navigate many hours of mind-bending game play while trying to rescue Leon’s babies from the belly of Ms. Tum Tum. Leon must eat his way through fruity, fiendish puzzles, licking fruit to change color and choosing the right combinations of fruit to finish each level.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.

Nintendo continued to extend their middle finger towards Virtual Console fans this week with another week with no titles for the Virtual Console and another list of yawners and shovel-ware (okay as you’ll see below that was somewhat of an exaggeration but my annoyance with Nintendo dumping on the VC fans continues).

No doubt the WiiWare and DSiWare will be of interest to someone… maybe. Apparently Cave Story was a popular PC game. I missed that one.  Once again the DSiWare is somewhat surprising to me. Drift Street International has promise as a multi-player racing game. I think it has a tough job to compete with Mario Kart DS though, which is a fantastic game and apparently so much in demand that it’s still one of the most expensive DS games out there.

Libera Wing is a strategy tower defense game. Given the huge amount of fans of these types of games it should also do well if it’s executed half decently. I’ve never heard of or at least paid attention to Game & Watch titles before. Apparently they’re popular. At least they don’t look to be straight puzzle games?

So here’s the short-list of this weeks titles.

WiiWare: Cave Story

DSiWare: Drift Street International, Libera Wing, Games & Watch: Mario’s Cement Factory, Game & Watch: Chef, Game & Watch: Judge

For the full press release from Nintendo, read on below:

From: http://press.nintendo.com/articles.jsp?id=22929

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: CAVE STORY MAKES A MOMENTOUS WIIWARE DEBUT

March 22, 2010

When it first appeared on PC screens in 2004, Cave Story captivated gamers with its mysterious plotline, imaginative characters and otherworldly sense of adventure. Now, for the first time ever, fans and newcomers can experience this extraordinary game on the Wii™ system. Available for download via the WiiWare™ service, this version of Cave Story delivers all the action and intrigue of the original, plus added enhancements by creator Daisuke Amaya and a newly remastered soundtrack.

Meanwhile, the Nintendo DSiWare™ service offers five new titles for on-the-go enjoyment, including three games from the classic Game & Watch™ series, which Nintendo first began releasing in 1980. Experience a piece of Nintendo history as you master each title’s two modes of play, presented in all their old-school glory. Racing enthusiasts can get their high-speed fix with Drift Street International, while fans of strategy-driven action will dig the pulse-pounding thrills of Libera Wing.

WiiWare

Cave Story
Publisher: Nicalis, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Language
Price: 1,200 Wii Points™
Description: Cave Story takes you into a rare world where a curious race of innocent, rabbit-like creatures called Mimiga run free. You wake up in a dark cave with no memory of who you are, where you came from or why you’re in such a place. Uncovering Mimiga Village, you discover that the once-carefree Mimiga are in danger at the hands of a maniacal scientist. Their only hope rests squarely on the shoulders of a quiet, amnesiac boy who can’t remember his own name. Take control, learn the origins of this world’s power, stop the delusional villain and save the Mimiga.

Nintendo DSiWare

Drift Street International
Publisher: Tantalus
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Drift Street International is the ultimate high-speed, white-knuckle street racing experience, made exclusively for Nintendo DSiWare. Slide and boost your performance car around challenging city streets in high-intensity midnight races across the United States, United Kingdom and Japan. Precise, responsive controls give you total control of your car – push yourself to the edge and own your opponents. Drift sideways through corners, building your nitrous meter to let you boost past opponents on the next straightaway. Test your skills against challenging, aggressive AI drivers, or take on your friends in four-player head-to-head wireless races. Additionally, each track plays host to arcade-style checkpoint races and challenging speed trials in which you must keep the speed close to the max to avoid elimination. Unmatched speed, smoothness and draw distance are only possible by taking full advantage of the Nintendo DSi hardware.

Libera Wing
Publisher: Pixel Federation
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Earth Union controls a large part of outer space. Suddenly, the connection with some of its stations is aborted and there are rumors of enemy ships approaching. Only the captain of the elite fleet Libera Wing can save the people from destruction. Become the captain of Libera Wing and save Earth Union from destruction in this tower- defense-style action-strategy game. Your objective is to combine the right strategy, item usage and abilities of your command ship. There are 36 story levels and 24 quick-play levels waiting for you.

Game & Watch: Mario’s Cement Factory
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Conveyor belts carry tubs of cement to the mixers below. Use the elevators to move Mario to different levels of the factory, dumping cement from the top mixers to the mixers below and into the trucks. Earn points for every load of cement you drop from the mixers to the cement truck. Receive mistake icons by letting a mixer overflow with cement, trying to get on an elevator when you are not level with it, or hitting the floor or ceiling while riding an elevator. Receive three mistake icons and it’s game over!

Game & Watch: Chef
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Move the chef to catch and flip the falling ingredients before they hit the floor. Contend with three ingredients in GAME A or four in GAME B. Earn one point for every ingredient the chef successfully flips into the air, or a mistake icon for each time you drop an ingredient. Receive three mistake icons and it’s game over!

Game & Watch: Judge
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: You have a split second to decide: whack your opponent or duck out of the way? Numbers appear on two large signs. If you think your number will be as big or bigger than your opponent’s, whack him with a mallet. Dodge if you think your number will be smaller. Earn points based on correctly whacking your opponent or dodging an attack. The first player to reach 99 points wins.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.
Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.