via spong

New research commissioned by Liverpool John Moores University has shown that kids who regularly play Wii games burn up a significantly larger amount of calories than kids who play other consoles, or spend their time passively watching TV.

Not really surprising news for anybody who’s had a good workout on Wii Sports or WarioWare: Smooth Moves of late, but still good to hear nonetheless.

The study, headed-up by John Moore’s researcher Professor, Tim Cable, claims that regular use of Wii could help kids shift 27lb (12.25kg) a year.

Prof. Cable said: "Through our testing it is clear that the motion sensor-controlled console can make an impact on a child's heart rate, energy expenditure and the amount of calories burned… Research from GameVision's Consumer Intelligence Report shows that, on average, gamers in the UK currently spend around 12.2 hours a week playing computer games. Therefore, it is important to promote as much activity as possible during this time."

Cable’s study was based on measuring the impact of playing Wii and of playing a traditional non-motion-controlled console on five girls and seven boys, aged between 13 and 15.

15 minutes of play using a traditional controller increased the subject’s energy expenditure above resting values by an average of 60%. With a Wii controller this was increased to a whopping 156%.

Heart rates also increased to 130 beats per minute while playing Wii, compared with 85 beats per minute with a traditional console.

In an average kid's gaming week, based on GameVision's estimate of 12.2 hours, this means there is a potential 1,830 calories burned per week when using Wii which works out as 40% more than when using a traditional controller. ...

Have a tabbed Wii Browser with Wiiminder

Heres the video ...

via techeblog

Not all Nintendo DS systems look boring. These five examples take creativity to a whole new level. Highlights include the NES Controller mod, MegaDrive, and more. Which one do you like best?

All Case Mods Via Comments ...

via arsetechnica

One of the major selling points of this newest generation of consoles is the ability to buy casual and classic games and download them directly to your console. The 360 has seen success with the Live Arcade gaming service, and Nintendo is undoubtedly doing well enticing gamers into reliving their youth via the Virtual Console service on the Wii.

There's no question: gamers love it, and sales are strong. However, one surprise has nipped us a few times, and according to your e-mails, a few of you have been surprised too. As it turns out, many of these games aren't completely faithful to our memories and to the originals they represent. Most of the differences are minor, and some are even improvements. Here's a rundown of some of the bigger gotchas we've run across to date:

Mario Kart 64 (Wii Virtual Console): The $10 downloadable version of Mario Kart 64 does not let you save ghost data in the time trials. The culprit is the lack of emulation of the memory pack slot on the back on the N64 system—a problem likely to strike other Nintendo 64 games. For Mario Kart, the missing feature isn't a show stopper, but racing against your best times was an addicting and popular way to play the original on the Nintendo 64.

Kid Icarus (Wii Virtual Console): This is a classic from the original NES, and while the graphics and sound are great on the Wii, you won't be able to use the popular cheat codes from your youth. We're not sure why they were taken out. This may not matter to some, but the memories of the codes are a big part of what made this game special. Who could forget DANGER !!!!!! TERROR HORROR or PAKING PAKING PAKING PAKING? There are other codes that work, but this subtly reminds you that you're not quite playing the game you remember.

Starfox 64 (Wii Virtual Console): Many gamers remember Starfox 64 for the fact it came with the rumble pack, allowing the controller to shake and buzz along with the game. Nintendo has said that rumble won't be supported in Virtual Console games, so if you like rumble in your games Starfox 64 will be different from your memories. While only some N64 games supported rumble, it was a big part of the Starfox 64 launch, and will be missed. Starfox 64 has no announced release date yet, but it and several other rumble-originals are expected later this year.

Frogger (Xbox Live Arcade): This is a harder one to quantify, but enough people have commented on it in reviews that we feel it's worth touching on. The game play just feels off. The download features updated graphics, but even in the original graphical presentation the game has a slightly different feel from the arcade original. If you're a huge Frogger fan and grew up giving the machine quarters, you can probably get used to the change, but be aware it's not exactly the same game you remember. Deaths seem to come a little easier, upping the overall difficulty.

Contra (Xbox Live Arcade): When people think of Contra they think of the Konami code (up up down down left right left right select start) and thankfully the code works in the downloadable version of the game. The gotcha this time was the fact that the download is based on the arcade version of Contra, not the widely known and loved NES port. While this is more of a bad decision than a glitch, some players have felt ripped off when they realized this wasn't the version of the game they remember. This is why demos are important, and companies should note which version of the game they are selling.

The D-Pad (Xbox Live Arcade): While not a game, we have to comment on the Xbox 360's controller. The Wiimote is a good fit for NES games, and Nintendo sells a classic controller for other games, and even supports the GameCube controller. The 360 controller is another matter entirely: the d-pad is terribly imprecise and the analogue stick is worthless in games like Street Fighter 2. Play a game of Pac-Man at the arcade and then try the same game on a 360 controller. The frustration will be immediate. In many cases playing with original controllers is enough of a reason not to play these games via official emulation at all. There have been persistent rumors that Microsoft might release a wireless joystick to combat this. We'll see.

Close, and the cigar?
How much these differences matter to you is a matter of opinion; some are going to pick and choose what games to buy based on what is included or missing while others may never notice a difference. What's clear is that it's harder to get an authentic experience using these download services than many people originally expected. In fact, some of you take these matters quite seriously, as reader mail and forum feedback shows.

It's worth noting that with these newer downloadable systems, there's plenty of positives, too. Convenience is king, and being able to even play these games is a huge boon to many gamers who no longer have old systems and the games that go with them. The quality ...

via arsetechnica

One of the major selling points of this newest generation of consoles is the ability to buy casual and classic games and download them directly to your console. The 360 has seen success with the Live Arcade gaming service, and Nintendo is undoubtedly doing well enticing gamers into reliving their youth via the Virtual Console service on the Wii.

There's no question: gamers love it, and sales are strong. However, one surprise has nipped us a few times, and according to your e-mails, a few of you have been surprised too. As it turns out, many of these games aren't completely faithful to our memories and to the originals they represent. Most of the differences are minor, and some are even improvements. Here's a rundown of some of the bigger gotchas we've run across to date:

Mario Kart 64 (Wii Virtual Console): The $10 downloadable version of Mario Kart 64 does not let you save ghost data in the time trials. The culprit is the lack of emulation of the memory pack slot on the back on the N64 system—a problem likely to strike other Nintendo 64 games. For Mario Kart, the missing feature isn't a show stopper, but racing against your best times was an addicting and popular way to play the original on the Nintendo 64.

Kid Icarus (Wii Virtual Console): This is a classic from the original NES, and while the graphics and sound are great on the Wii, you won't be able to use the popular cheat codes from your youth. We're not sure why they were taken out. This may not matter to some, but the memories of the codes are a big part of what made this game special. Who could forget DANGER !!!!!! TERROR HORROR or PAKING PAKING PAKING PAKING? There are other codes that work, but this subtly reminds you that you're not quite playing the game you remember.

Starfox 64 (Wii Virtual Console): Many gamers remember Starfox 64 for the fact it came with the rumble pack, allowing the controller to shake and buzz along with the game. Nintendo has said that rumble won't be supported in Virtual Console games, so if you like rumble in your games Starfox 64 will be different from your memories. While only some N64 games supported rumble, it was a big part of the Starfox 64 launch, and will be missed. Starfox 64 has no announced release date yet, but it and several other rumble-originals are expected later this year.

Frogger (Xbox Live Arcade): This is a harder one to quantify, but enough people have commented on it in reviews that we feel it's worth touching on. The game play just feels off. The download features updated graphics, but even in the original graphical presentation the game has a slightly different feel from the arcade original. If you're a huge Frogger fan and grew up giving the machine quarters, you can probably get used to the change, but be aware it's not exactly the same game you remember. Deaths seem to come a little easier, upping the overall difficulty.

Contra (Xbox Live Arcade): When people think of Contra they think of the Konami code (up up down down left right left right select start) and thankfully the code works in the downloadable version of the game. The gotcha this time was the fact that the download is based on the arcade version of Contra, not the widely known and loved NES port. While this is more of a bad decision than a glitch, some players have felt ripped off when they realized this wasn't the version of the game they remember. This is why demos are important, and companies should note which version of the game they are selling.

The D-Pad (Xbox Live Arcade): While not a game, we have to comment on the Xbox 360's controller. The Wiimote is a good fit for NES games, and Nintendo sells a classic controller for other games, and even supports the GameCube controller. The 360 controller is another matter entirely: the d-pad is terribly imprecise and the analogue stick is worthless in games like Street Fighter 2. Play a game of Pac-Man at the arcade and then try the same game on a 360 controller. The frustration will be immediate. In many cases playing with original controllers is enough of a reason not to play these games via official emulation at all. There have been persistent rumors that Microsoft might release a wireless joystick to combat this. We'll see.

Close, and the cigar?
How much these differences matter to you is a matter of opinion; some are going to pick and choose what games to buy based on what is included or missing while others may never notice a difference. What's clear is that it's harder to get an authentic experience using these download services than many people originally expected. In fact, some of you take these matters quite seriously, as reader mail and forum feedback shows.

It's worth noting that with these newer downloadable systems, there's plenty of positives, too. Convenience is king, and being able to even play these games is a huge boon to many gamers who no longer have old systems and the games that go with them. The quality ...

New special offer from Play Asia:



Weekly Special: Capcom's Gamecube™ classic Biohazard Zero at US$ 12.90 only - offer valid for 1 week

From the publisher: Biohazard Zero takes place in 1998, before the events of the first Biohazard game. During the cinematic opening sequence, the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team's helicopter is forced to crash-land outside Raccoon City. When the team splits up to investigate, rookie cop Rebecca Chambers seeks shelter from the rain in a dilapidated train. It seems that all the passengers are dead until she comes face to face with an escaped convict named Billy Coen.

When the mangled bodies filling the train start to come to life, an unlikely duo is formed. Rebecca and Billy may not have much in common, but they know they must work together to survive. The two must disembark from the train and explore new locations. Eventually you will learn the secrets of the Raccoon City saga.

Capcom's Gamecube™ classic Biohazard Zero is now available at discounted US$ 12.90 only. This title also contains a free 51 block memory card.

More details at Play Asia

Remember that Gamecube Games from any region can be played on Nintendo Wii and Gamecube With the Freeloader ...

New special offer from Play Asia:



Weekly Special: Capcom's Gamecube™ classic Biohazard Zero at US$ 12.90 only - offer valid for 1 week

From the publisher: Biohazard Zero takes place in 1998, before the events of the first Biohazard game. During the cinematic opening sequence, the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team's helicopter is forced to crash-land outside Raccoon City. When the team splits up to investigate, rookie cop Rebecca Chambers seeks shelter from the rain in a dilapidated train. It seems that all the passengers are dead until she comes face to face with an escaped convict named Billy Coen.

When the mangled bodies filling the train start to come to life, an unlikely duo is formed. Rebecca and Billy may not have much in common, but they know they must work together to survive. The two must disembark from the train and explore new locations. Eventually you will learn the secrets of the Raccoon City saga.

Capcom's Gamecube™ classic Biohazard Zero is now available at discounted US$ 12.90 only. This title also contains a free 51 block memory card.

More details at Play Asia

Remember that Gamecube Games from any region can be played on Nintendo Wii and Gamecube With the Freeloader ...

via joystiq

Crackdown draws a dividing line between gamers, offering a virtual world in which to play freely (by the developer's rules), while scrapping efforts to provide an engrossing narrative driven by forced gameplay scenarios -- not that there couldn't have been room for both. Realtime Worlds has clearly demonstrated which side of the line it stands on.

It's difficult to know how interested we'd be in Crackdown if Halo 3 Beta had never been tethered to the game disc; 'Crackdown' is a name that's been floating around a list of AAA-exclusives, but the beta brought its presence to the forefront of early '07 anticipation. Perhaps this game is too niche to make non-360 owners jealous, but there's no denying that it adds an important element to the Xbox 360 library. That's not to say Crackdown necessarily defines greatness. They don't get more subjective than this...
1UP (90/100) - "Yeah, Crackdown's a little like Grand Theft Auto and its ilk... [but so] much of the bullshit has been stripped out ... that Crackdown is barely in the same genre... [However,] Crackdown's greatest disappointment is in its lack of variety... Given the superhuman abilities of your agent, it would've been nice to come up against a comparable challenge. How awesome would it be to go toe to toe with another rooftop-leaping, car-flinging supervillain?... Most of the game's joy comes not from single-mindedly taking out bosses, but taking advantage of the big box of toys your agent's been dropped into... That it represents the best, if not the first, online multiplayer sandbox game on a console is just gravy."
Worth Playing (90/100) - "Crackdown is the rare open world game that actually gives you incentive to explore every nook and cranny of the city around you... This is an absolutely incredible game for co-op... Playing in co-op mode lets players who've gone for different agent "builds" really complement each other in their teamwork, and it brings a new dimension to the frankly unprecedented strategic elements inherent in Crackdown's spin on the open world genre. Best of all, there's no poorly implemented, tacked-on versus multiplayer to muddy up the waters... This is a game that Microsoft expected the vast majority of 360 owners to want to have this spring, and rightly so. Games like Crackdown are the cornerstone the 360's passionate user community is built upon, and why the 360 is developing an increasingly deserved reputation for being the next-gen console of choice."
IGN (80/100) - "This huge, streaming game ... is built around simple basics: Shooting bosses and collecting orbs. So how can Crackdown ... be so simple yet so god-damned addictive?... Once you boot it up, the game's allure ... will suck you in and leave you wanting more. It's called Crackdown for a reason... While the action carries Crackdown, unfortunately the story couldn't carry a bundle of sticks... Let's just say you wouldn't buy this game for the enthralling narrative and compelling characters. You'll buy it to become a slobbering mindless slave to orb collecting... On the downside, exploration is limited to only two orb types. Sure, there are 500 agility orbs, and 300 secret orbs, which is a lot. But other than orbs, you got nothing... Crackdown won't last that long, it's uneven, and the story and the music are weak sauce... But overall the thrill of jumping like a mutant kangaroo from rooftop to rooftop is unrivaled!"
GameSpot (78/100) - "[An] open-world game that feels more open ended than any other game of its type, but that lack of structure makes the game feel half finished and shallow in a few spots... The weird part is that none of the story really matters, because the whole point of the game is to provide open-ended freedom and a large, interesting city to explore... The game tries to make the co-op a seamless experience, but in reality, it's anything but. When you're playing alone, you can set an option to allow other players to request to join your game. You can limit this to friends, if you like, but either way, you can always deny a request if you're in the middle of something. If you accept, the player doesn't jump in alongside you or anything. Instead, you're kicked out of the game, and you have to reload to get back in. If that other player quits, your game ends, as well. A more on-the-fly join/quit setup would have made this mode a bit more effective... Crackdown feels unfinished. It feels like the developers sat down and crafted a wonderful-looking city and carefully considered how the gameplay and abilities should work, and then they didn't have enough time to plug in enough activities to take advantage of it all." ...

SingStar Pop Hits is on its way to PS2 this April, and its track list is packing some big names. That's right, you'll now be able to murder songs from P!nk, Scissor Sisters and U2 in the privacy of your own home instead of on the karaoke stage at the local.

In fairness, there are quite a few decent tracks on here, even pushing the pop boundary with U2's Beautiful Day, which is a damn fine song if you ask us. And everyone likes a go at Baby One More Time, don't they? Darius from Pop Idol did. As did Travis, who, coincidentally, is also mentioned in the press release, although there's no song specified. Intriguing.

The confirmed songs are listed below, although more will be revealed at a later date to make a total of over 30 international artists. So check it out and see if you reckon you can stand listening to Lemar while you wait for your go at Black Coffee.

SingStar Pop Hits confirmed tracks:

•All Saints – Black Coffee
• Britney Spears – Baby One More Time
• P!nk – Who Knew
• U2 – Beautiful Day
• Gorillaz – Clint Eastwood
• Goldfrapp – Oh La La
• Jamelia – Beware Of The Dog
• Scissor Sisters – I Don’t Feel Like Dancing
• Sugababes – Push The Button
• Nelly Furtado – Promiscuous
• Lemar – It’s Not That Easy
• James Morrison – You Give Me Something

via gameradar ...