Call me a total dork (or something worse), but I happen to enjoy mini golf, or at least the idea of it. Sadly, trying to get the ball in the mouth of a gorilla or past the blades of a windmill lost its novelty factor when I was 13. ]]>

Call me a total dork (or something worse), but I happen to enjoy mini golf, or at least the idea of it. Sadly, trying to get the ball in the mouth of a gorilla or past the blades of a windmill lost its novelty factor when I was 13. So oddly enough, it could learn a few things from video games.

Or, at the very least, from the hackers who created the various holes you see above. Aside from the one clearly inspired by games, namely Minecraft and Porta, I dig the one that incorporates the Wii nunchuck the most.

Sadly, it would also go above the heads of the vast majority of those who play the game: the elderly. Unless mini golf is really to be the next big thing hipsters who like to pretend to be athletic. Guess kickball can only be interesting for so long, eh?

Too bad there really isn’t a Retro City Rampage cereal, but at least the game, which is also supposed to be from the 80s, but actually isn’t, is in fact legit. Did that make any sense?

The video above could easily be considered another example of an April Fools ]]>

Too bad there really isn’t a Retro City Rampage cereal, but at least the game, which is also supposed to be from the 80s, but actually isn’t, is in fact legit. Did that make any sense?

The video above could easily be considered another example of an April Fools gag that actually works, since it came out on Sunday, but I’m viewing it as just further proof of the game makers’ ability to tap into the 80s brilliantly.

And thank God it’s almost here. I gave my first head’s up almost a year ago, and its been in development for way longer than that. Retro City Rampage finally arrives this May for the PC, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, and Vita.

Is your mom way into Zumba Fitness, that Latin dance inspired workout regimen? Does she happen to own a gaming console? Did she mysterious make a trip to LA last week? If yes to all of the above, try to spot in her the following crowd of 2,000.

The ]]>

Is your mom way into Zumba Fitness, that Latin dance inspired workout regimen? Does she happen to own a gaming console? Did she mysterious make a trip to LA last week? If yes to all of the above, try to spot in her the following crowd of 2,000.

The video game version of the latest craze in fitness has been red-hot on the Wii, so it was a given that a Xbox 360 iteration, via the Kinect, would happen. Since traditional gamers at this point could give a rat’s ass about Microsoft’s motion based input device.

Sorry, but the only things I can think up re fairly misogynistic, so all I’ll say is look at euphoric the women folk look (and especially sound). Also, note the random smattering of dudes. I wonder if any of them got lucky.

It’s also sad that Richard Simmons was born so early. Yet, I don’t think it’s too late for an interactive version of Sweating To The Oldies, along with Deal A Meal cards that are AR enabled, for your 3DS and Vita.

Normally when an established franchise that’s on the semi-decline decides to copy the competition, and is then delayed at the last minute, it’s sure-fire signs of a stinker. But turns out, the just released Ridge Racer Unbounded is, get this, actually kind of awesome?

There aren’t many reviews in ]]>

Normally when an established franchise that’s on the semi-decline decides to copy the competition, and is then delayed at the last minute, it’s sure-fire signs of a stinker. But turns out, the just released Ridge Racer Unbounded is, get this, actually kind of awesome?

There aren’t many reviews in the wild at the moment (the conspicuous lack of review copies was another sign of impeding crappiness for many), but Edge, a fairly respected outlet, just gave it a 9 out of 10, taking everyone by surprise. But it’s the footage above that has me the most excited.

The track editor, which was recently highlighted by ALBOTAS looks sick. All the wacky twists and turns is highly reminiscent of one of my favorite PC-only racers, Trackmania. Actually, there’s been a Wii version I think, but I’m pretty sure its graphics can’t hold a candle to a real deal. Been waiting forever for a PS3/Xbox 360 port, so this will do quite nicely instead.

If you missed yesterday’s Gold Box deals, no worries, because Amazon is now having a buy two, get one free sale, filled with tons of great games for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS, Vita, and more.

The selection of games to choose from ]]>

If you missed yesterday’s Gold Box deals, no worries, because Amazon is now having a buy two, get one free sale, filled with tons of great games for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS, Vita, and more.

The selection of games to choose from is pretty decent. For both the PS3 and Xbox 360, stand outs include Mass Effect 3, the new SSX, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, Dark Souls, and what was considered to be last year’s game of the year for many, Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Pickings for the Wii is pretty slim, unless you’re into all the goofy dancing and work out games that are available, though the recent Kirby games are pretty neat and part of the mix. On the regular DS side, I just got Devil Survivor 2 since I’m all about Tokyo teens fighting demons.

For the 3DS, stand outs include Super Mario 3D Land and Resident Evil Revelations. Best of all is for you new Vita owners out there; pretty much every launch title is available! That’s one bonus of a just launched platform that doesn’t have the biggest of libraries yet.

For those interested, head on over to here. No idea how long it will last; surely it’ll be more than just 24 hours like yesterday, but I’m willing to wager that it be here till past this upcoming weekend.

That’s the basic premise of the latest clip from Freddie Wong, who goes back in time to warning his even dorkier, younger self of a future in which video games totally suck. Well, in Freddie’s opinion at least.

The above is maybe Freddie’s best work yet, which is funny, ]]>

That’s the basic premise of the latest clip from Freddie Wong, who goes back in time to warning his even dorkier, younger self of a future in which video games totally suck. Well, in Freddie’s opinion at least.

The above is maybe Freddie’s best work yet, which is funny, considering that it’s almost completely devoid of all the fancy CGI-heavy tricks the YouTube auteur is best known for.

Though his viewpoint that the Wii is the reason why video games are currently in the midst of the “dark ages” is highly debatable, it’s also semi-valid. Yet there is little doubt that the Kinect is indeed been the pits. I also wish I knew back then what I know now about Apple.

Rarely does drug addiction ever equal smarts, but I know a few cokeheads who, upon hearing about some dude stealing his friend’s video game consoles to feed his Xanax habit, and replacing them with his own console, who would go “umm, what?”

The story, which

Rarely does drug addiction ever equal smarts, but I know a few cokeheads who, upon hearing about some dude stealing his friend’s video game consoles to feed his Xanax habit, and replacing them with his own console, who would go “umm, what?”

The story, which Kotaku recently highlight, goes something like this: 18 year old Nickolas Charo had his Xbox 360, Wii, some games, and some controllers… plus a GPS unit and $250 in cash… stolen by a friend, 19 year old Joshua Beck.

But Beck was at least nice enough to leave their place his very own PlayStation 3. Huh? So the Microsoft and Nintendo console will fetch easy money on the streets, but not the Sony system? That makes no damn sense.

Unless Beck was super attached to his PS3, hence why he couldn’t bare to part with it, so he figured it would be in good hands with his pal Charo, whom he had also robbed. Which is especially messed up.

Bad news for all husky children out there, who hoped that video games could help them avoid gym class; a study shows that Wii Fit and its ilk are not super effective after-all.

For a while now, physical games provided on the Wii (plus those promised ]]>

Bad news for all husky children out there, who hoped that video games could help them avoid gym class; a study shows that Wii Fit and its ilk are not super effective after-all.

For a while now, physical games provided on the Wii (plus those promised on the Kinect) have painted the picture that not all gamers are fatties on a couch, and can in fact be pretty, in-shape folk, like those pictures above. But more importantly, they offer a valid solution to kids whose brains have been sucked out by Nintendo, and who otherwise would not be getting any exercise.

Hell, that’s honestly one of the major selling points by the big N, and a primary reason why parents have embraced the Wii in the first place, which going by sales figures alone, has clearly worked.

But according to research detailed by Reuters, kids wore accelerometers attached to their belts for 13 weeks and were split into two groups: those who played “active” games, like Wii Sports, requiring players to get up off the couch and shake their bodies, and “inactive” games, like Super Mario Galaxy, where players could just sit and push buttons like normal fare.

The end result? Kids with the active games didn’t get anymore exercise than those in the other group. According to Tom Baranowski, one of the researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas: “We expected that playing the video games would in fact lead to a substantial increase in physical activity in the children… Frankly we were shocked by the complete lack of difference.”

The conclusion was that physical games can help a bit, but not a whole lot. Hey, anything helps, but getting pushed around on the school soccer field is ultimately unavoidable I’m afraid. BTW, once NYU is done with their research, to determine if Call of Duty makes a player unstoppable, one-man army after-all, I’ll post that as well.

It’s for Kiki Trick and it’s kinda far out, man.

The following is from the makers of the WarioWare series. That’s pretty much all that’s known right now. But in terms of games in which it’s all about totally random, batsh*t insane things happening every three seconds, it would ]]>

It’s for Kiki Trick and it’s kinda far out, man.

The following is from the makers of the WarioWare series. That’s pretty much all that’s known right now. But in terms of games in which it’s all about totally random, batsh*t insane things happening every three seconds, it would seem that those responsible have truly outdone themselves…

It’s coming out for the Wii in Japan in a bit, and you can bet about $50,000 in cold hard case that it will NEVER see the light of day in the United States. Sucks, but that’s just how it is. Such niche games have limited marketability to begin with, and given how tricky (and costly) it is to translate games from Japan are in general, especially when there’s lots of cultural in-jokes like Kiki Trick will no doubt be chock full of, this title looks like a logistical nightmare on so many levels.

At the very least, their previous title, Rhythm Heaven Fever, is still slated for release in North America, in a few weeks. But those interested in another “lol Japan” type title, that’s also a mini game fest, look no further than Work Time Fun (otherwise know as WTF, get it?) for the PSP. All one needs to know is how the background of the options screen is a

With Mega 64, it’s cool, since they did it for the money. But the President of the United States? I somewhat expect better taste in gaming from our Commander in Chief.

First, there’s this: the latest “legit” gaming ad from those wacky guys from SoCal…

Can’t say it’s my ]]>

With Mega 64, it’s cool, since they did it for the money. But the President of the United States? I somewhat expect better taste in gaming from our Commander in Chief.

First, there’s this: the latest “legit” gaming ad from those wacky guys from SoCal…

Can’t say it’s my most favorite thing from the guys, but not everything’s going to be a home run. At the very least, it’s nice to know that they got a decent paycheck this holiday season, and hopefully they all got free copies of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations as bonuses as well.

Meanwhile, across the country, President Obama decided to get a game for his daughters at a Best Buy…

I agree with Joystiq: why in the hell is the leader of this United States supporting a foreign publisher, that being Ubisoft, while an American one, that being Harmonix, makes a far superior dancing game, that being Dance Central?

It would appear that Obama’s household lacks a 360 and Kinect, but surely the President can afford one. Also, the footage above proves how clueless the average Best Buy employee is, for claiming that Just Dance 3 is the hot Wii game at the moment, and totally forgetting to mention Skyward Sword.

Oh well, guess I’m voting for the other guy next year.

As noted yesterday, Wal-Mart is the big box, evil empire that not only threatens small business owners, but they impose their moral dogma upon content providers, including game makers. But not all the time, and man, some of their deals cannot be beat!

They just posted their circular ]]>

As noted yesterday, Wal-Mart is the big box, evil empire that not only threatens small business owners, but they impose their moral dogma upon content providers, including game makers. But not all the time, and man, some of their deals cannot be beat!

They just posted their circular for deals going down in two weeks, which may be just the ticket to get some fresh air that Thanksgiving morning, especially if either football or dealing with in-laws is not your deal…

For a closer look, as well as to see what else is on sale, simply head here. Highlights include:

- Wii for not just $100, but in blue! As Siliconera points out, what was previously thought to be a European exclusive is finally making an appearance in America, perhaps as a Wal-Mart exlusive? Note that this is one of the aforementioned modified versions of the console that axes GameCube support.

- One can snag either the Kinect for just $100, which is fifty bucks less than normal, or the Kinect/360 bundle for $200, which is a hundred bucks less than normal.

- I can’t tell how big the hard drive is, but even if it’s just 160GB, the asking price of $200 for a PlayStation 3 is still fifty bucks cheaper than normal for such a configuration.

- As far as games go, you simply can’t go wrong with $10 for Yakuza 4. Like seriously, deal of the century. And there’s plenty of great $15 games as well, but $28 for Gears of War 3, Forza 4, Battlefield 3, and Arkham City? Hot damn!

As psyched as I still am for the long-awaited American edition of the rhythm action title for the Wii (the DS version is still one of my faves), I’m a tad bit bummed out by the improvements by some stranger on the internet and how the original now pales in ]]>

As psyched as I still am for the long-awaited American edition of the rhythm action title for the Wii (the DS version is still one of my faves), I’m a tad bit bummed out by the improvements by some stranger on the internet and how the original now pales in comparison.

Basically, someone with lots of time and editing skills at their disposal decided to insert a male stripper, or so the theory goes, into the pro-wrestling interview mini-game. Relax, there’s no nudity involved, and let’s be honest, both the world of strippin’ and wrasslin’ shares much with each other (as fans of the latter likes to conveniently forget)…

Gotta love the look of the girl’s expression; she’s clearly in love. Anyhow, to see what the scene originally game looks like, Destructoid has a side-by-side comparison…

Not surprisingly, it being Halloween and all, Capcom unveiled some new Resident Evil related info yesterday. And here’s the rundown.

First a brand new trailer for Resident Evil: Revelations, which not only shows off more of the story, but a few of the new gameplay elements. Like a very Metroid ]]>

Not surprisingly, it being Halloween and all, Capcom unveiled some new Resident Evil related info yesterday. And here’s the rundown.