JAWS: Ultimate Predator Coming In November

 Are you missing your old Xbox version of Majesco’s Jaws Unleashed?  If so, you will be able to take to the water once again, but on the Wii and 3DS with Jaws: Ultimate Predator.  For those unfamiliar with the premise – you get to play as the shark and swim around snacking on swimmers and other sea-life.

“Majesco Entertainment announced today that JAWS: Ultimate Predator will be available at the end of November for both Nintendo 3DS™ and Wii™. Based on the iconic Steven Spielberg movie franchise, JAWS: Ultimate Predator is a re-envisioning of the world’s most famous and deadliest predator the ocean has ever seen.”

“Players take the role as JAWS– hunting and killing prey, exploring the depths of the sea and battling fearsome new bosses. The game is loaded with hidden collectibles and upgradeable special abilities. Players will have more than a few ways to rip their foes apart. JAWS: Ultimate Predator is riddled with combos, finishing moves and deadly special attacks – including intense rage attacks!”

Oddly, the game has been rated differently on each system.  For the Wii it is rated T for Teen while on the 3DS it is rated M for Mature.  I guess 3D blood is more shocking than 2D blood, but in the words of Marty McFly, “The shark still looks fake.”  Sorry Bruce.

Check out screenshots from both the Wii and 3DS versions below in the gallery.

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Go Vacation Review (Wii)

Game Review: Go Vacation
Release: October 11, 2011
Genre: Family Entertainment
Developer: Namco Bandai
Available Platforms: Wii
Players: 1 – 4
MSRP: $39.99 US
ESRB Rating: E10+
Website: www.NamcoBandaiGames.com

Go Vacation has redefined the term “All Inclusive Vacation”. Take a virtual trip to Kawawii Island, where if you can’t find enough to keep you busy, you’re just not looking hard enough. The island is divided into four, huge, un-creatively named resorts: Beach Resort, City Resort, Snow Resort and Mountain Resort. While the names may be lame, each resort is packed with mini-games, activities and NPCs to keep you busy for a very, very long time.

The game opens at the Beach Resort where the main modes of transport are Jet Skis and ATVs, but there is always the option of walking and swimming in the resorts. Transportation is needed because the resorts are vast and spacious with a bit of a commute needed to get from one activity to another. This open-world feel allows you to wander and explore or follow the recommendation of your guide who will point you in the direction of the next activity. Each beach themed activity, such as volleyball, squirt-gun fights, parasailing, jet ski racing, etc. earns a stamp in your passport ,even if you do not win, and earning just four stamps will unlock the next area, the City Resort.

Each of the following three resorts each require four more stamps to unlock them, so earning just twelve stamps will unlock all of the resort area. But wait – there’s more. Get twenty stamps and get your own villa where you can make the two-story home-away-from-home your own by arranging furniture and décor to you liking. There are hidden treasures, clues and quest to be found in each resort, some of which will have you chasing from resort to resort, others are as simple as just kicking back and enjoying the scenery on a train, boat or helicopter ride. Rewards include everything from new clothing for your Mii to wear or new equipment or items for your villa. Did I mention this game was huge?

Scattered all over the island are photo opportunities where you can get your picture taken alone, with the other players in your game and your AI companions and pets. Yep, if you are playing alone, another Mii from your system will show up and you can invite them to tag along with you. There also seems to be several trusting individuals who will loan you their dog to tag along with you also. The collection of “stuff” to do goes way beyond mini-games and borders on a virtual life experience. You can even watch “vacation video” replays of any event before leaving that event.

The best thing about this game is that there is something here for everyone. All of the usual suspects are here: racing, tennis, skiing, shooting, carnival games, etc. but it is the unlikely activities that give Go Vacation that extra push to place it above other mini-game collections. Surfing, Capture The Flag on Skateboards, White Water Rafting and Scuba Diving stand out as being unique and fresh.

With all of these games and activities, there is some switching of controls frequently, such as adding and removing the nun-chuck. I understand having some consistency through the game helps make it an easier learning curve, but using the same controls for horseback riding, ATV racing, jet skis and skateboards feels like an opportunity was missed to make each special and less generic. Unfortunately, the controls are not editable.  All of that aside, Go Vacation supports nearly every accessory you can connect to your Wii or Wiimote including the Wii Zapper, Motion Plus and the Wii BalanceBoard.

I look for Go Vacation to be a hit for families this holiday season. It is priced reasonably and literally could provide hundreds of hours of game play. My family has latched on to this during my review and we have played nearly twenty hours and I feel we have barely scratched the surface. This is a relaxing and frustration-free game that is fun for family members of all ages.

• Huge open world to explore
• Fresh new games and activities mixed with old favorites
• Great value and great fun
• Controls are a bit repetitive
• No helmets or safety equipment on Kawawii?

Final Score : 9 out of 10

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Go Vacation Lands On Wii

NAMCO BANDAI announces Go Vacation is now available in stores across North America exclusively for the Wii.  Set on the resort of Kawawii Island, Go Vacation brings over 50 fun activities for players to uncover in the game’s four unique resort locations.  Up to four players can compete simultaneously in a huge variety of activities.  Have a look at the trailer and the screen shots below for some idea of everything that is packed into this game.

From snow-capped mountains to the bright lights of a bustling city-scape, Go Vacation gives gamers the option to take part in heated street races, relaxing fishing excursions and pulse-pounding skydiving sessions and more—all accessed by actually visiting each location in-game instead of simply choosing them from a menu. With support for a whole suite of Wii hardware accessories, including the Wii Balance Board™, the Wii Zapper™ and Wii MotionPlus™, every activity offers a fun and natural control scheme that allows gamers to easily jump in and play.

Each of the four locations offer their own distinctive landscape and activities including:

• Inline Skating
• Hang Gliding
• Surfing
• Swimming
• Skydiving
• Horseback Riding
• Tennis
• Fishing
• Snowboarding
• Street Racing
• Dancing
• Snow Tubing
• Snowball Fights

This begs the question: what is NOT in this game?  If addictive mini-games are your style, this game was made for you.  Go Vacation is available for the suggested retail price of $39.99 and is rated E10+ by the ESRB.

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Country Dance 2 Coming To Wii

The sequel to America’s favorite country dance video game is coming; Country Dance 2 for  Wii will be in store for this Holiday season.  This will be the first Country Dance game make for the Wii platform.

Country Dance 2 features over 30 of today’s hottest country tracks from chart-topping artists like George Strait, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Easton Corbin, Billy Currington, Eric Church, Little Big Town, Montgomery Gentry, and many, many more.  Building upon the simple gameplay loved by fans of Country Dance, Country Dance 2 amplifies the fun with an all new sing-a-long feature, duet dancing, a new calorie-counting exercise mode and more!

Also announced are fifteen confirmed tracks to be included with Country Dance 2:

• Ashton Shepard – “Look It Up”
• Billy Currington – “People Are Crazy”
• Blake Shelton – “Honey Bee”
• Carrie Underwood – “All American Girl”
• Easton Corbin – “Roll With It”
• Eric Church – “Hell On The Heart”
• George Strait – “Here for a Good Time”
• Gwyneth Paltrow – “Shake That Thing”
• Hayley McLean – “Good Time Bone”
• Josh Thompson – “Won’t Be Lonely Long”
• Kellie Pickler – “Tough”
• Little Big Town – “Little White Church”
• Miranda Lambert – “Gun Powder and Lead”
• Montgomery Gentry – “What Do Ya Think About That”
• Rodney Atkins – “Take a Back Road”

That’s a track list worth shakin’ your Badonkadonk to.   Dust off your boots,  get your hat blocked and get ready to kick up a good time.  Get a head start on your steps by checking out “Susan’s” screen shots below.

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Memorex Game Controller Plus For Wii Review

The stylish matching wireless nunchuck sold separately.

At E3 2011 Memorex announced a new line of family friendly gaming accessories.  Part of that announcement included the Memorex Game Controller Plus for Wii, a standard sized Wii remote with the functionality of Motion Plus built in.  Offered in black, blue, pink and a black and white combo finish – each with blue LED accents, the Wii Controller Plus retails for $29.95 US.  The street price is about $25 or $50 with the wireless nunchuck included.

Included in the package is the controller, wrist-strap and instructions for syncing the controller with your Wii; the two required AA batteries are not included.  Missing is the protective silicone cover that comes standard with Nintendo brand controllers.

Setup of this remote is identical to its Nintendo counterpart.  The sync button is located in the same place under the battery cover.  In fact, nearly everything compares exactly to a Nintendo brand controller.  All the buttons are in the same locations, the dimensions are the same, even the battery covers are interchangeable between the two.  This means that proprietary rechargeable batteries for the Nintendo controller will fit the Memorex Game Controller Plus for Wii as will any silicone cover for standard size Wii controllers.

In the hand, the Memorex controller feels about the same weight as a standard Nintendo controller without the MotionPlus attachment.  Adding the MotionPlus module to a Nintendo Wii controller shifts the center of gravity, making the controller balance differently.  The Memorex controller’s center of gravity is undistinguishable from the standard Nintendo controller – meaning that the MotionPlus tech has been truly integrated into the controller instead of just tacked on.

The controller is also available in hot pink…

Aside from the color of the controller and the integration of MotionPlus, there are a few additional differences between the two.  Memorex has replaced the cross shaped D-pad with a circular, rubbery one.  To me it didn’t make much difference but other members of my family did not like it, mainly because they could not feel the cross shape and be able to accurately select a direction.  The addition of the light ring around the D-pad is a nice touch that my kids thought highly of.  All of the other buttons (A, 1 & 2) are concave on top, making them easy to center your finger onto.  The tops of the Nintendo buttons are rounded – which I had never really noticed until using the Memorex controller.

… and royal blue.

The controller “feels” like a budget controller.  Cheaper plastic quality combined with a rubberized battery cover that becomes dingy looking quickly is part of the reason, but the loose buttons complete the low-budget picture.  The B trigger actually rattles when the controller is moved – and when it vibrates the entire thing buzzes.  Keeping in mind that this is an affordable controller aimed at “family” use – none of this is a deal breaker.

In the end, this controller is exactly what it says it is.  It is an affordable controller for families interested in adding additional controllers for “family members” – code for children.  My kids have grabbed this controller first when playing the Wii, so it is certainly popular with them, but my wife opts for the traditional Nintendo controller.  At a street price of $25, the Memorex Game Controller Plus is a good deal for those wanting additional controllers for the kids or just wanting replace the standard controllers with new ones of the same size with MotionPlus.

• Built-In MotionPlus
• $25 Street Price
• Functions as Well As Nintendo’s
• Buttons Tend To Rattle

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Checkout the entire line of Family Gaming Accessories from Memorex HERE.

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