Mainichi Anime Yume
Although this is technically not an actual game, for anyone who’s trying to learn Japanese and who doesn’t have $200+ to spend on a real electronic Japanese dictionary, this “Japanese dictionary on a DS cartridge” is a great substitute. Sure, it doesn’t have quite as much as a real electronic dictionary, but until you’ve gone past at least an advanced level of Japanese, this little DS cartridge will definitely be a major help…
Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility, the latest release in the Harvest Moon series. This first HM game for the Wii utilizes a larger and more complex world than previous games, with many new additions to the farming, crop harvesting, animal raising, cooking, foraging, and just plain “peaceful living,” which is the main appeal of the Harvest Moon series. There are many great new additions in TofT that previous games do not have, but there are also things that are lacking in this HM game as well…
Okami is a very stunning RPG game that I recently got addicted to. In the game you play the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, whose spirit has been reincarnated into the body of a wolf that once saved ancient Japan from the wrath of an evil monster. Utilizing the Wii remote as well as the nunchuck, you control Amaterasu as she travels around ancient Japan, helping people and animals, fighting monsters, and searching for the “Celestial Brush Techniques” which she must master in order to restore the world to its natural peace and beauty. It sounds like a typical RPG but Okami has very unique aspects…
My Pokemon Ranch, the first Pokemon Wii-Ware game, available for download off the Wii Shop channel for 1,000 Wii points (about $10). Is it worth it? Well, if you have a copy of Pokemon Diamond and/or Pearl, and if you’re a Pokemon fan who likes seeing the little critters be as cute as they can be, then perhaps you should consider this simple yet totally adorable game…
Yesterday I attended the Pokemon Battle Revolution tournament that was being held by Game Stop stores across the USA. It seemed a bit disorganized at first…apparently all Game Stops were supposed to be having it, but two of the three closest to me did not have it (for ridiculous reasons, like not being able to get the key to their Wiis). I attended the one in Canoga Park, California, located in the Topanga mall. Although I didn’t win, it was still fun. It’s been years since I went to a Pokemon tournament so it’s nice to see that there are still a lot of dedicated Poke-fans like me ^^
Pokemon Battle Revolution, the first Pokemon game for the Nintendo Wii and also the first ever Wii game that can communicate with the Nintendo DS. In addition, PBR also has online capabilities, allowing you to battle with people over the Internet like in Pokemon Diamond & Pearl. Although PBR is lacking some of the features that the old N64 and Game Cube games had, it has enough new features to make it a great buy for any Pokemon fan.
I recently picked up my copy of the DS’s latest accessory, the DS Web Browser. I’ve tried it out a few times already (though only with my Wi-fi USB connector at home) and I’ll say that it could certainly use improvements, but it’s a neat little device anyway and definitely a technological amazement.
If you enjoyed Nintendo’s complementary Wii game, Wii Sports, then Wii Play is the next best thing. You should still buy Wii Play anyway because it comes with a free Wii remote! ^^ But truthfully, I think it’s just as fun and clever as Wii Sports. Though the games are a bit less complex and less physically-involving than Wii Sports, Wii Play is still very addicting and makes great use of the Wii’s amazing wireless technology!
I wrote a review of the Japanese version of D&P back in October though I hadn’t covered many of the new features. But now that I’ve been playing the US version and have gotten a lot further in the game, I figured now’s a good time to complete my review of these incredible new games ^.^ I’ve already discussed the games’ graphics, storyline, and some new features in my Pokemon Diamond & Pearl (J. version) review so I’m not gonna go over those things again in this review. Instead I’m gonna talk about some of the new features I haven’t yet mentioned, mostly about the games’ online Wi-fi capabilities ^^
The Nintendo Wii game, Wario Ware - Smooth Moves, is a unique game that’s made up of over 200 microgames (smaller and quicker than minigames ^^) in which you use the Wii remote in different “poses” to mimic how you would do the games’ actions in real life. This game takes full advantage of the amazing flexibility, sensitivity, and wireless action of the Wii remote. Though the microgames are only a few seconds each (except for the boss stages), there’s an incredible amount and variety of them, and any Wii fan should find themselves addicted to this seemingly simple but fun game before they know it ^^
