Nintendo’s Rhythm Heaven Fever for Wii Moves You

Starting today, video game fans and music lovers across the United States can use the Wii system to keep the beat in dozens of entertaining new ways. The Rhythm Heaven Fever game is now available, inviting players to enjoy a fresh lineup of more than 50 unique rhythm games.

Easy to pick up and play but challenging to master, each minigame tasks players to tap buttons on the Wii Remote controller in time to catchy musical themes while completing a variety of quirky tasks. Rhythm Heaven Fever carries a suggested retail price of $29.99 in the United States.

Rhythm Heaven Fever takes the action to the living room for big beat-keeping fun. By rhythmically pressing the A and B buttons on their controller in time with the music, players might find themselves playing golf with a monkey, swinging a samurai sword or building robots on an assembly line. No matter what the activity, the game’s infectious soundtrack will keep heads bobbing and faces smiling as players test their rhythmic skills.

“If you’ve ever tapped your feet to the beat of your favorite song, you’ve already got what it takes to play Rhythm Heaven Fever,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “What makes the experience really unique is the wild mix of in-game activities coupled with the catchy music that appeals to a wide variety of players.”

As they improve their beat-keeping acumen, players earn medals that can be used to unlock a variety of bonus games and special sections to keep the groove going on and on. Unlockable content also includes two-player games that friends and family members can enjoy together. (Multiplayer modes require additional controllers, which are sold separately.)

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wii.

For more information about Rhythm Heaven Fever, visit http://rhythmheavenfever.nintendo.com.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii: Story Details and Characters Revealed

Nintendo has revealed new details about the introductory storyline and game play in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which will launch exclusively for the Wii system on Nov. 20. The enhanced motion controls of the Wii Remote Plus (or Wii Remote controller with a Wii MotionPlus accessory) and Nunchuk controller allow for deeply immersive puzzle-solving challenges in this latest addition to the iconic Zelda franchise.

This new game – one of the biggest in the history of Nintendo software development – will also feature new story elements that lay the foundation for the events that occur in the rest of the series. This includes the creation of the Master Sword, an ancient and powerful weapon that has been a constant in the 25-year history of the Zelda series.

The introductory storyline includes the following:
• Introduction: The new game’s storyline begins in Skyloft, an island town suspended high in the sky, on the day before young Link is to compete in a major bird-flying competition. The winner of the contest will earn the honor of taking part in a special ceremony with Zelda.
• Link and Zelda: Friends since childhood, Link and Zelda have always shared a special bond. Events in the new game will add even more depth to their relationship.
• Groose: Link’s nemesis at school, Groose, plays a significant role in the early moments of the new game. This bully of a character not only threatens Link’s chances to win the bird-flying competition, but he also reveals a jealous streak toward Link and Zelda’s special bond.
• Fi: Early on in Link’s new adventure, he encounters Fi, the spirit of the powerful Goddess Sword. Fi’s guidance proves to be crucial as Link goes forth on a challenging quest that will ultimately result in the creation of the Master Sword.
• Zelda’s father: Gaepora, Zelda’s father, is the headmaster of Link’s school. As such, he has knowledge of the history and legends of Skyloft.

More details about the game’s storyline and features will be revealed prior to its Nov. 20 launch.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be available as a standalone game, $59 or as part of a limited-edition bundle that also includes a gold-colored Wii Remote Plus controller for $69. Additionally, every copy in the early production runs of the game will come packaged with a special music CD containing orchestral arrangements of select songs that will be performed at the upcoming The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert.

For more information about The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, visit http://zelda.com/skywardsword or http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/QeN8TUXNTFFoys-wPlDdQbEPs1XxySY1

MARVEL VS. CAPCOM

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, unleashs a Super Hero-charged merchandising program centered around one of the greatest gaming collaborations of all-time: Marvel vs. Capcom. The development of this co-branded program follows closely on the heels of the latest blockbuster release in the gaming franchise, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. Marvel has already signed on several leading manufacturers, including Mad Engine, Inc., Philcos Enterpriser Limited, Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles, LLC, Hollywood Collectibles Group, Mad Catz Inc., and UDON to create an array of products that enable Marvel vs. Capcom fans to extend their experience beyond the gaming console.

As one of the most successful videogame franchises in history, Marvel vs. Capcom has enthralled millions by combining the most popular Super Heroes from the Marvel Universe, including Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Wolverine, with the most memorable characters from videogame developer Capcom, such as Ryu, Chris Redfield, Wesker and Akuma. Marvel and Capcom collaborated on six videogame titles from 1994-2000, including X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. After a decade of demand, Marvel vs. Capcom made its highly anticipated return last month with the debut of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, featuring all-new characters and enhanced gameplay.

The foundation of the Marvel vs. Capcom licensing program encompasses the following products and partners:

Mad Engine, Inc. will develop apparel featuring t-shirts and sweatshirts emblazed with the Marvel Super Heroes and Capcom characters. Product is currently available at Hot Topic stores nationwide.

Philcos Enterpriser Limited has signed on to produce a line of t-shirts and sweatshirts available this April exclusively in Canada at various retailers including HMV, Spencer Gifts, Blockbuster and Winners. This July, Sears will also carry a youth line in stores.

Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles, LLC will release Marvel vs. Capcom Minimates. The two-pack set will be available at Toys“R”Us stores and comic/specialty stores beginning this August.

Hollywood Collectibles Group will debut high-end collectible statue sets inspired by the legendary characters featured in Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Each set will include one character from each Universe. Product will be available September 2011 through Diamond Distribution and www.hollywood-collectibles.com.

Mad Catz Inc. released its Marvel® Vs. Capcom® 3: Fate of Two Worlds – Arcade FightStick: Tournament Edition, for the Xbox® 360 video game and entertainment system and the PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system, currently available exclusively through http://store.gameshark.com/ and http://shop.capcom.com/.

UDON will unveil a beautiful art book this summer featuring a compilation of existing Marvel vs. Capcom imagery along with all-new commissioned art from renowned comic artists.

“Fans have been clamoring to get their hands on all things Marvel vs. Capcom so we wanted to unveil a merchandise program that took their gaming experience to a whole new level,” said Paul Gitter, President of Consumer Products for North America, Marvel Entertainment. “Our partners are creating exciting product lines that accurately reflect the action-packed match-ups between these legendary characters featured in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 that fans will love.”

“Here We Go” New Super Mario Wii – Best of 2009

“VIDEOGAME OF THE WEEK”

The game: New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Format: Nintendo Wii.

Estimated price, manufacturer: $59, Nintendo.

Category: Action, Platform.

Players: One-Four.

Recommended ages: “E” for everyone; age 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.

How the game works: New Super Mario Bros Wii is the latest and greatest 2D Super Mario Bros game, that now features 4-player co-op for the entire adventure! It’s about time Nintendo! The game brings the mean Koopalings and Bowser Jr together as Mario’s antagonists for the first time; journey through nine worlds dodging/defeating enemies, clearing fortresses and castles and collecting star coins to rescue, you know how again - Princess Peach from Bowser.

Mario, Luigi and two Toads are all playable characters, while many others from the Mushroom Kingdom make appearances throughout the game. Players can even ride different Yoshi characters (in green and yes even pink) and use their tongues to swallow enemies – or their fellow players. No not to eat them, but save them from danger.

In other areas, players use the motion abilities of the Wii Remote controller. The first player to reach a seesaw might make it tilt to help his or her character reach a higher platform – and then tilt it incorrectly just to mess with other players. New items include the propeller suit, which will shoot players high into the sky with just a shake of the Wii Remote and Mario’s new ability to transform into Penguin Mario.

The combination of cooperation and competition lets you pick each other up to save them from danger or toss them into it. At the end of each stage during the simultaneous multiplayer mode, players are ranked based on their score, the coins collected and the number of enemies defeated.

Good points, bad points: My daughter who tested with me loves the game because as she says, “the game combines the classic Mario gameplay with the new look on the Wii. But it looks easy, but the game has a lot of hidden tricks and features that never get old. The simultaneous multiplayer feature lets up to three friends join in on the fun in the same level, Cool huh! And who doesn’t love the classic sounds and music” We both agree, best Mario game ever.

The Verdict: As Mario would say “Here We Go,” the plump plumber is game king again.

NOTE: The Original “Video Game of the Week” Column ran from 1987-1999 (The Miami Herlad/Knight Wire; 1999-2009, various media. It’s now a featured (I was the creator of the column and at the time the only one of its kind in newspaper print and wire).

Early Mother’s Day Gift Ideas, Part 1

If you are doing some early Mother’s Day shopping, here are a few products that will bring a smile to her face.

Kidz Gear Headphones for Kids. Finally there is a headphone that fits a kid with the quality of their parent’s consumer electronics. But be warned limit your kids use of any headphones, after all over using any headphone or ear piece can over time damage anyone’s hearing. Other wise this product is top quality for the price. www.gearforkidz.com
Price: $19.99

PHOTO PRINTING MADE EASY

Printing photos online or at home is old news but how you do them is not.

Below two of the dozen ways you can print your photos into photo albums in an easy and fun way.

Online

The perfect gift to include in your Mother’s Day Gift articles and show – a photo book or photo gift from RocketLife.com www.rocketlife.com. RocketLife.com lets you create artistic photobooks or other photo gifts from photos for your mom to show her you really care. Photos are automatically laid out in seconds in a beautiful design, so you don’t have to spend hours organizing your photo albums.

Unibind PhotoBook Creator lets you make your own photobooks at home. 12 new PhotoBook colors and styles are available for Unibind PhotoBook Creator to make professional hardcover photobooks and presentations in seconds.http://www.myphotobookcreator.com/
Price: $99 for PhotoBook Creator, Additional PhotoBooks: $10/book

The OWC Mercury On-The-Go 320GB 7200RPM portable storage drive is the highest capacity 7200RPM portable bus-powered storage solution on the market. It is blazing fast with 3.5” desktop hard drive performance in a 2.5” solution. At 320GB, it provides a 60% higher capacity than any other 7200RPM 2.5” drive. www.macsales.com
Price: $239.99

GigaTribe lets you easily share entire file folders of photos, videos, music, and other files with your “tribe” of friends, family, and coworkers quickly and securely in a private, completely encrypted peer to peer (P2P) environment for free. There is no need for any additional steps, no uploading, no size limitations, and no security threat. www.gigatribe.com
Price: Free with Ultimate Version for $29.95/year

Snack & Play Travel Tray, a Mom’s Best Friend!

Are you traveling this Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 10th) or just going for a stroll with your toddler to the park. I can think of only one gift that would make any mother or father of a toddler thank you for the gift that can make their lives easier everyday. The Travel Tray Snack & Play ($20) can be the most thoughtful gift when it comes to safe driving and saving Mom or Dad’s sanity on the road.

Parents you know the drill, trying to blindly find a dropped toy on the floor of the backseat, while navigating traffic. All the while the your baby or toddler is crying. Doesn’t make for a safe or peaceful trip anywhere, anytime.

The Snack & Play Travel Tray is an affordable, portable, and lightweight mini-table that eliminates all of the inconvenience, disruption, and stress, by providing a comfortable surface for eating and entertainment. The travel tray solves the problem of a child repeatedly dropping items; a toy rolling out of reach; or messy food spilling in any direction.

The product is a universal fit for use with any child seat, car seat, booster or stroller to provide a flat, bordered surface. Covered by an easy-to-clean, wipe-off fabric, the Snack & Play is hard enough for coloring and rolling cars, and soft enough to be safe and comfortable for the child. It also comes complete with attached mesh, elastic side pockets so that additional snacks and toys are stored within easy reach for the child.

According to the company the Snack & Play is manufactured in accordance with European standards, the strictest regulations in the world; it has been crashed tested by a federally recognized testing facility; and it is certified lead-free and phthalate-free.

For additional information about Star Kids Products and the Snack & Play Travel Tray, visit the company website at www.starkidsproducts.com.

GadgetsAndGifts4U

Cool gadgets for any gift idea!