Nintendo, press pushing Wii Fit Plus' 'pet support'

Wii Fit Plus is hitting store shelves across the U.S. this weekend, so you know what that means: Nintendo's PR people are hitting the streets to give that sucker one last push.

Their hard work seems to be paying off, at least in terms of publicity. Quite a few news outlets have published articles about the Wii Fit semi-sequel in the last few days, including Forbes.com.

The most interesting thing about these articles (to me, at least) is that many of them focus on the title's "pet support"--i.e., it allows players to create avatars of their dogs and cats and then use the Balance Board to weigh (and continue monitoring the weight of) their furry friends.

I probably won't be picking up Wii Fit Plus this weekend, but I can assure you that when I do I'll use it to track the weight of our cat, who could stand to lose a few pounds. Maybe I'll even post status updates (with pics!) from time to time :)

Nintendo's Art Academy titles: Mario Paint minus Mario?

I was a big fan of Mario Paint back in the days of the SNES. Of course, who wasn't? The title was (and still is) a fine example of Nintendo's ability to think outside of the gaming box.

The folks at Nintendo may be uninterested in bringing back that long-lost gem--it has yet to hit the Wii Virtual Console service--but that doesn't mean they're uninterested in bringing back some of the things that made Mario Paint so special.

Case in point: the company's recent Art Academy releases for its downloadable DSiWare service.

Nintendo's PR people promise the first title in the series, Art Academy: First Semester, for instance, will guide gamers "through the basics of using pencil and paints, which draw like the real things. With your own paintbrush set and color palette, you will learn texturing and blending techniques, along with how to depict light and shade."

Thankfully, you don't have to take their word for it--"zigg" over at NeoGAF recently posted his initial impressions of the title and seemed very, well, impressed.

"I've only done the first pencil-drawing lesson and there's already three thicknesses of pencil available (though the first lesson only had me use one) and also the ability to use them or the eraser on tip or side," he wrote recently. Here's the result of that first lesson (which I find rather impressive):

"I dunno if it'll make me an artist--I suspect there's something to be said for having the ability in the first place--but being an absolute novice, there's certainly some things to learn here," he added. "Regardless, it looks like the paint program is going to be rather good."

Read more of zigg's impressions of the title at the end of this NeoGAF thread.

Oh, Christmas tree... Oh, Christmas tree...

I know it's only October 1st, but I'm already thinking about the holidays. Why? Well, it probably has something to do with the fact that my husband has me on a strict budget right now. (Party pooper!) As a result, I'm spending a lot of time thinking about what *might* show up underneath the Christmas tree this year.

Among the games and gadgets that are currently occupying my daydreams:

1. Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden--Before you ask, yes, I'm talking about the Japanese version of this throwback of a DS title. Square-Enix has yet to say if it will be released in the States, so I'm hoping to pick up a copy of the Japanese release--despite the fact that I don't know the language.



2. New Super Mario Bros. Wii--Can you imagine a better game to play with family and friends after the holiday feast is over? I can't. Of course, I doubt my husband--or any of our family or friends--will want to join in the fun, but that's OK. I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy the single-player mode all the same :)


3. Nintendo DSi (red)--I know this color hasn't actually been released (or even been announced for release) in the States, but I'm sure it'll show up eventually (after all, it's already available in Japan and will be available soon in Europe). As such, I'd happily accept an IOU from any of my family members until that day arrives...


4. PS3 Slim--I've wanted a PS3 since it launched in late 2006, but the high cost of entry (not to mention the anemic library) at the time kept me from handing over my hard-earned cash. Now that that system is down to $299 and is home to games like Katamari Forever, Little Big Planet and Valkyria Chronicles, though, I think I can fork it over--or convince someone else to fork it over for me.


5. Valkyria Chronicles--Well, I'll need something to play on my new PS3 Slim, right? This is the title that caused me to want a PS3 in the first place, so it just seems fair for it to be my first piece of software for the system, too.


Anyway, enough about my obsessions--which games and gadgets are *you* looking forward to this holiday season?

It looks like Zelda, it sounds like Zelda, but will it be as fun as Zelda?

That's the question that went through my mind as I watched the first gameplay videos of From Software's 3D Dot Game Heroes this morning. Here's one of them:



(Two more videos of the upcoming PS3 title can be viewed here.)

Boomerang? Check. Chickens that retaliate after they're attacked? Check. Secret caves revealed by bombs? Check.

Those similarities have some gamers crying "copycat," but not me. I love it! It would be great if Nintendo would create such a game, but since that seems about as likely as a Kid Icarus sequel I'll gladly spend some time with this homage.

I know, I know--I don't have a PS3! Well, that might have to change this holiday season thanks to the $299 PS3 Slim and titles like this one, Katamari Forever, Little Big Planet and Valkyria Chronicles.

Cool interview with Ryuji Sasai, composer of Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest

I'm a big fan of 16-bit RPGs--especially those that appeared on Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System/Super Famicom. Among my favorites is one of those games that almost everyone (else) loves to hate, Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest.

The folks over at OriginalSoundVersion.com have posted an extremely interesting interview with that title's composer, Ryuji Sasai. Sasai talks about many of the games he worked on while he was employed by what was then known as Squaresoft (now Square-Enix)--including Final Fantasy Legend III and Treasure of the Rudras--but most of his comments are aimed at the much maligned (and misunderstood) Final Fantasy spin-off.

While talking about the track, “Mountain Range of Whirlwinds," for instance, Sasai says, that he included a french horn "because of its ability to really carry the length of the tune. My image of the mountains is represented by this song."

Regarding two other tracks that are popular among fans of the title--“Last Castle” and “Battle 3"--Sasai says, "'Last Castle' was written in a relatively short period of time. Given all the music from the other scenes and the graphics and scenarios themselves, I figured I would go with something that would represent a finale of sorts but when I wrote it I utilized the imagery of a field instead.

"I realized I would have only a small amount of space left in the ROM for writing 'Battle 3,'" he adds, "so within those conditions I did what I could. There wasn’t anything particularly difficult in writing these songs. I recall that they came off rather naturally."