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About Justin Sharp

Pure Nintendo founder and all around Nintendo geek. Nintendo systems have always been home to my most favorite gaming memories but I also enjoy video games on any platform. The first system I purchased was a Nintendo GameCube but I grew up playing the NES, SNES, and all of the various Game Boy models.
Latest Posts | By Justin Sharp

Mario, Metroid, Smash Bros. in 2007

By  •  Wii

Cubed3 is reporting that Nintendo has updated their release schedule for 2007 in Europe. The release schedule includes release dates for Excite Truck, Children of Mana, etc. The big …
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Review: Madden NFL 07

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Madden NFL 07 is the first Madden game I’ve owned. It was one of the titles I had been interested in for quite some time. I was never much for sports games, but there was something different about this iteration in the Madden franchise. The Wii controls really make the football experience worthwhile.

Madden plays host to a few different game modes. There is the single-player Franchise mode, and the Multiplayer modes: 2 on 2, Kicking combined, and Y.A.C Attack (I’ll just be highlighting 2 on 2 and Y.A.C. Attack) The single-player mode has everything a football connoisseur could want. There are drafts and even fantasy team customizations. The single-player is pretty much the same as it has been for the Madden franchise. You can play through a single exhibition game, or go the whole season route.

The multiplayer in Madden really makes the game fun–especially when combined with the Wiimote’s unique features. 2 on 2 is the first of the multiplayer modes and allows for up to four players to match their skills in a short game of football. Each team is made up of only a quarterback and a receiver for the offense. The defense is made up of 2 players, one to rush and one to cover the receiver. This is a lot of fun especially when you have four friends playing.

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The next multiplayer mode is Y.A.C. Attack. This mode’s name stands for “Yards After Completion”. The goal is get as many points by throwing completions for either lots of yards, or a touchdown. The more yards you run after completion the better with a TD giving you the most points. But a player can also receive “Bounty” points on defense. These points are rewarded for good coverage, great tackles, and forced incomplete passes.

The heart and soul of the game’s value comes in the way of the Wii controls. The Wiimote is used for passing, kicking, and some running maneuvers. The passing is done using a throwing motion of the Wiimote. The speed of your motion will determine if the pass is more of a lob or a bullet. The kicking is done with a swinging upward motion as if your arm was your leg. There are also a couple other functions for stiff arm, pump fake, and spinning. The nunchuk is used mainly for the running game. The analog stick is used for all movements in the game and you can motion left or right for juking left or right.

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Finetune Makes Wii Browser More Worthwhile

By  • 

Rock out to your favorite tunes using finetune through your Wii browser!

I found a great link on gonintendo about a new website providing Wii-specific services. It is a …
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NEW! Sonic and the Secret Rings Trailer

By  •  Wii, Videos

Sega released a new trailer for Sonic and the Secret Rings on their official game website. The trailer is pretty long and shows off a lot of gameplay. Everything …
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Rumor: Nights for Wii

By  •  Wii

Another rumor surrounding Sega’s Nights sequel has popped up today. Apparently a Japanese site is listing the game on the release schedule of upcoming games for the Wii. We’ve …
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Happy New Year!

By  • 

Hope everyone had a great new years’ eve party.  Here’s to a new year with hopefully lots of great Nintendo Wii/DS news ahead.

Bored? Check out the forums

By  • 

I know the news has been slow this past week. If you’re getting bored though, check out the forums page. Poke around and post anything you like. Start a war …
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Hotel Dusk: Room 215 Trailer

By  •  Videos

This is a not so new trailer for Hotel Dusk: Room 215. It shows off some cool cutscenes and a little gameplay. I’ve been getting more and more interested …
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Japanese Hardware Sales

By  •  Wii

Here are the latest sales figures from Japan:

  1. DS Lite – 485,584 – (7,266,755)
  2. Wii – 279,277 – (823,311)
  3. PSP – 138,588 – (1,780,508)
  4. PS3 – 76,882 – (385,831)

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Canadian’s Love Their Wii

By  •  Wii

Now that Christmas has passed the number crunchers are working furiously to find out who is winning the console war. The first estimates are placing the Wii at two to …
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Mission in Snowdrift Land

By  • 

I’m a couple days late but I finally completed mission in snowdriftland (www.mission-in-snowdriftland.com). It was a fun little platformer done in flash that even ran well on my mac …
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Merry Christmas!

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Merry Christmas to everyone.  I hope all of you have an awesome day exchanging gifts and eating more than your fill of food :) Also, don’t forget that Nintendo is …
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Japanese Hardware Sales

By  •  Wii

The latest sales numbers are in for Japan. Looks like the DS and Wii are leading the charge.

  1. DS Lite – 319,708 (6,761,521)
  2. Wii – 108,237 (544,034)
  3. PS3 – …
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Wii Browser Live

By  • 

The Opera trial version of their web browser is now live in the Americas. If you haven’t checked it out yet, be sure to do so sometime over the weekend.


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New VC Titles announced!

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This news is hot off Nintendo’s press website: new games announced for this coming Monday (Xmas) and for next Monday (New Years’ Day). I’ll quit with the talking and …
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Look at the Wii Stars

By  • 

Apparently the new Forecast Channel has actual constellations in the background. Constellations like the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) and Orion can be plainly seen in the background when zoomed …
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Review: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

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At this point, my Wii game library is comprised of only 4 games (including Wii Sports). I’ve saved the best game for last–The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

There are so many things to say about this game and most of you probably know everything about it. But, for those that don’t, I’ll try to give a comprehensive review anyway. I’ll try not to mention names or anything to spoil the game.

Twilight Princess starts out with everyone’s favorite pointy-eared hero: Link (or whatever you happen to call him). You start in a small village and progress through the game as most other games. Link is asked to deliver something to Hyrule Castle. Like most Zelda games, the story usually starts small and builds as you progress the game. This Zelda adventure is no different. The scope of the game, as far as you know in the beginning, is to deliver an item and save your friends. Isn’t it amazing how Link always gets himself into trouble after that? Anyways, after about 15 hours into the game, you start to see the BIG picture. The story balloons into the whole battle of good v. evil as you go on.

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The story is absolutely amazing and is just as enjoyable playing through a second time. I haven’t beaten the game twice yet, but I’ve picked up on some things that make a lot more sense now. The story and characters really make Twilight Princess a true masterpiece. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout the game. Some things you expect to happen don’t and others….well, you’ll see. Overall, the story immerses you even more so than the controls.

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The gameplay in Twilight Princess is the pinnacle of puzzle-solving and adventure games. There is nothing more rewarding than going through a dungeon only to get stuck, then miraculously figure out the solution. I can remember at least 2 or 3 times when I stumbled upon a solution to a puzzle. Afterwards, I thought to myself: “There is no way I would’ve figured that out had I not been swinging my sword or shooting something.” Another great thing is how the game builds upon itself for more challenging obstacles. Trust me, it doesn’t get easier as you go along. I thought I had seen every possible type of puzzle since I’ve played all the games, but there are quite a few that had me stumped in the later levels. The gameplay is fun and engrossing the more you play. The controls complement the gameplay very well.

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The controls, for the Wii version anyway, are very unique. The sword and other weapons like the bow are controlled with the Wiimote, while other movements are controlled using the nunchuk. The controls are very precise and create a very vivid interaction with objects and enemies around you. The accuracy of the Wiimote for aiming is pristine. I’ve never played anything that was more responsive and downright fun to use.

The ability to transform into a wolf is an amazing addition and adds new gameplay experiences to the Zelda series. Controlling the wolf has its advantages over being human. For one, wolf Link can run faster than human Link. There are also some other distinct advantages/disadvantages of each form, but some are probably spoilers. The game really needs to be played in order to fully experience everything.

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Kingdom Hearts Sequel(s)?

By  •  Wii

Kingdom Hearts’ producer told Famitsu magazine that there are plans for more titles in the series next year. Here’s the quote from Joystiq:

Kingdom Hearts producer Tetsuya Nomura told …
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