NBA Jam has been just about the only sports game (outside of wrestling games) that I can play and actually have fun with.  Like it’s predecessor, the new NBA Jam for Wii is a basketball game for people who may not know all 227 rules you need to know in most basketball games.  It is simplified, when you compare it with other basketball games out there – but that’s perfect for me, because I’m not the world biggest sports fan. 

The game is great for a group of people or as something quick you want to play while you have a little free time to spare. 

Overall, I would say this version of NBA Jam might even beat out the old SNES version I still dust off and play from time to time.  It gives you all the basic features of the old two on two basketball game and tosses in enough new fun modes and un-lockables to get you to keep playing. 

While looking for more group-based games for the Wii, I stumbled upon Wii Party.  As long as you don’t set your expectations too high – this is a great group-based game for the Wii.  Like the Mario Party games before it, it is meant to be played with a large group of people rather than by yourself, and will take you through several types of games to play – with a few mini games thrown in for good measure.

Now, you can play this game by yourself – and it does have a few modes that support solo player mode.  However, playing against the computer just is not nearly as fun as playing with a friend. 

With over 80 mini games and several different game modes – you are sure to find some games that are your favorites and some you consider to be duds.  Thus far, my favorite of the different game modes has to be Spot the Sneak – where one player secretly gets an advantage over the other players in a series of mini games.  Then after each round, everybody has to try to guess who the "sneak" was. 

Wii Party is a great game to pull out and play this upcoming holiday weekend.  It is simple enough for everybody in the family to play, and as long as you keep in mind it is a simple party game and nothing more, you will have a great time playing it.

Still looking over some of my favorite news from E3 2010 here, and this trailer had me all kinds of excited.  I have practically played just about every Zelda game – so I will definitely be picking this one up as soon as it is released.  I really like the fact they have worked in the Wii Motion Plus into the game too.  Those extra dongles I bought are starting to look like a waste, other than having some fun in Wii Sports Resort. 

Now, I’m not exactly a huge James Bond fan, however I did play this game a whole heck of a lot growing up.  Really can’t wait to hear more about it.

Let me apologize for my hiatus with one really bizarre game review. I really love the games out there that seems so odd, you wonder what the heck these people were on when they came up with the idea for it.  Hallucinogens aside for a moment, Muscle March is a great cheap WiiWare game you should at least check out.

To play, you wave your Wiimote and nunchuck up and down to try to match the hole the previous guy in front of you made when he busted through.  Now while that sounds rather simple, I can promise you it is still an enjoyable game.  The game almost teases you to keep trying and trying, to the point where you are telling yourself an hour after you picked up the controller, “Ok, I got it this time – ok, just more more time, ok maybe this is the last time!” till you complete the level in question.

You start each game picking a body builder you wish to be, and recover your umm.. protein powder from the person or thing that steals it.  There doesn’t seem to be any real advantage depending on who you pick, they are all pretty crazy looking.  The backgrounds are crazy, and often I’ll catch myself checking out all the stuff going on in the background rather than playing the game itself.

Overall, for just 500 WiiPoints (the same price as an old NES game) there is no reason not to at least try Muscle March out to see if it is right for you.  It is by far one of the quirkiest games out for Wii today.

Over the weekend, I downloaded a new WiiWare game – so thought I would give my thoughts on it here.  Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth is by far a great classic Castlevania game. 

The graphics look fantastic.  They really go for that old Super Castlevania IV look and feeling.  Sure, we have seen it before in a Castlevania game but sometimes you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

The level design might not be as “metroid-vaniaish” as the games that came out after Symphony of the Night.  There are a few different routes you can take, and I already anticipate playing the first few levels a few more times so I can explore even more. 

With gameplay, all the basic things you know and love about Castlevania are there.  You have the whip, you have your standard special weapons and well, that is just about it.  You also have the option to play with a number of different controller options too:

• Wii Remote (on its side)
• Classic Controller
• Wii Remote and Nunchuk
• a GameCube controller

I would highly recommend this game for anybody who has a Wii and likes classic 2D side scrolling platformers.

This is the first game I have played in Konami’s “ReBirth” series (with the other two being Contra ReBirth and Gradius) however, if they treated those as well as they did this one, I might just have to download them next weekend. 

Having some free time on my hands over the holiday weekend, I decided to clean the finger smudges, dirt and grime from my Wii remotes.  To make sure I didn’t screw anything up, I figured it would be a good idea to check Nintendo’s web site for some pointers.  The advice was good, but one thing really stuck out.

Here is how Nintendo says you should clean your Wiimote:

Try cleaning the buttons of the Wii Remote using the cleaning instructions below, being sure to follow the directions carefully.

What you will need:

• 1 clean toothbrush (no toothpaste on it)
• 1 cup of warm tap water
• 1 paper towel

Instructions:

1. Remove the batteries from the Wii Remote.
2. Get a clean toothbrush (no toothpaste) and a cup of warm tap water (not too hot). Do NOT pour or submerge the Wii Remote in any type of liquid.
3. Slightly dip the toothbrush in the water (the toothbrush should not be dripping wet) and scrub the area of the Wii Remote around the buttons.
4. Work the bristles down around the sides of the buttons.
5. After cleaning the Wii Remote, dry it off with a paper towel.
6. Let the Wii Remote air dry with the buttons facing down for at least a couple of hours.
7. Test the Wii Remote for proper response.
8. Repeat the steps if necessary.

Wait a minute, do they have to really point out the fact you should not use toothpaste to clean your Wii Remote? Not only do they do this once, oh no – they think it is important enough to bring up twice.  I will testify to the fact that the cleaning steps mentioned do work – however find it really funny somebody might try to brush their Wiimote as they would brush their teeth.

Found some fresh Hyrulian wallpaper to ogle over. Ever since this epic piece of art was leaked from E3 of the new Zelda game for Wii, I always thought to myself it would make a great wallpaper.  Thankfully, purenintendo.com has already done the hard work for us, putting out this 1680×1050 image for all the Legend of Zelda fans to decorate their desktop with.  (you can grab the direct link to the image here)

The “I Want Brains” Zombie Super Nintendo Mod

The Super Nintendo Goes Wii Mod

The Super Nintoaster Mod

The Portable Super Nintendo Mod

The My SNES is Now My PC Mod

Which one is your favorite?  Being a big horror movie fan, the zombie SNES I think would be the winner for me.  Then again, the toaster SNES might be the most enjoyable one to use, because of its extreme oddness.

Download the Disco Kid Desktop Icon (.zip)

The icons are compatible with the following sizes: 256 x 256, 128 x 128, 64 x 64, 48 x 48, 32 x 32, 24 x 24, 16 x 16. It is also in both .ico and .png formats.  You have Disco Kid ready for download!  Feel free to use, distribute and what not.  Just remember, if you do share it around, please be sure to give me at least a little ‘bit of credit.

So are you ready for this? Be sure to also check out my other free Punch Out icons too!

Extra One-Two Punch: More Free Video Game Desktop Icons!