Wii Fit, Day 7

Posted on June 27, 2009 by Peter

My wife and I purchased a notebook computer from Best Buy in Feb. 2009. (No, the title of this post wasn’t a typo or an incorrect paste; this is relevant.) One year, 3 months, and 10 (yes, ten) phone calls to Reward Zone support later, I finally received the long overdue Reward Zone certificates last month (May). Since I am currently unemployed and since most items of interest at Best Buy cost significantly more than the total value of the certificates, I had decided to watch sale bills until something inexpensive struck my fancy.

I had also been eyeing Wii Fit for a few months, but the $90 price point delayed the purchase. (You can probably guess where this is going.) After confirming that Wii Fit was not on sale at any reseller, either online or B&M (brick and mortar), my wife and I decided to purchase the exergaming megahit.

We brought the Wii Fit bundle, complete with Balance Board, home last Friday. I read the manual and set up the Balance Board later the same night; my wife and I started our Wii Fit journey the next day.

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Recommended viewing: Natsume Yuujinchou

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Peter

As stated in previous posts, I like to watch anime series currently airing in Japan as soon as fansub groups subtitle and release episodes. On rare occasions, I let an awesome series slip through the cracks and return to it later by chance or recommendation. (Dennou Coil is the best example of this type of temporary oversight.)

The purpose of my preamble is to explain why it’s taken me this long to watch the second episode of Natsume Yuujinchou, which I did today. Here’s a short summary of the series as provided by Anime News Network:

Natsume Takashi has the ability to see spirits, which he has long kept secret. However, once he inherits a strange book that belonged to his deceased grandmother, Reiko, he discovers the reason why spirits surround him. Containing the names of these spirits, a binding contract was formed between the spirits and the owner of the book. Now, Natsume is determined to free the spirits and dissolve the contracts. With the help of a spirit cat, his days are filled trying to return the names to these spirits.

There are few subjects that hold my attention as powerfully as mythology and folklore, so chances were already good that I would watch and enjoy this series. Natsume Yuujinchou does not disappoint, basing its plot on themes found throughout Asian folklore. For example: Knowing a being’s true name gives a person power over that being. (On a side note, the same is true in Egyptian mythology, as explained in a myth where Isis tricks Re into revealing his secret name.)

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Video: Money Idol Exchanger

Posted on June 13, 2009 by Peter

As mentioned in my previous post, I recorded gameplay footage of Money Idol Exchanger, an obscure Japanese puzzle game on the Playstation last night. The video is now available on YouTube.

Click past the break for the video, but be prepared to skip around. I didn’t realize when I was recording that the video is over 8 minutes long.

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Do Want: Magical Drop sequel on Nintendo DS

Posted on June 13, 2009 by Peter

I was set to write this long, drawn-out rant about how perfectly the Magical Drop series of puzzle games would translate to the touchscreen controls of the Nintendo DS, when I discovered that Craig Grannell of Revert to Saved had beat me to it with his article Ripe for remake: Magical Drop III. Posted last July, the article explains why the time is ripe for another Magical Drop game.

It seems G-mode, current holder of the Magical Drop series licensing rights, agreed and released a Magical Drop game for Android phones on May 15. It’s unclear whether or not G-mode plans to develop and release further titles in the series as their web site reports the company is actively seeking to “license out Data East’s properties” (Magical Drop and NES classic Bad Dudes included).

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Video: Musapey’s Choco Marker

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Peter

I don’t recall exactly how or when I discovered Musapey’s Choco Marker, but I do remember that my penchant for obscure Japanese puzzle games was well-rewarded when I first loaded the game on my Dreamcast years ago.

Click past the break for a video of the intro and first three levels of the game.

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First use of #brainstormwarning hash tag on Twitter

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Peter

Inspired by the #squarespace trending topic on Twitter, I decided to introduce the #brainstormwarning hashtag to promote Brainstorm Warning. As stated in the introductory tweet, I will give any user including #brainstormwarning in a new tweet sage, Dr. Phil-style advice for free.

If nothing else, this should prove an interesting experiment in social micro-blogging.

The Typing of the Dead Typing Speed 1 drill cleared in 54 seconds

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Peter

To take a break from recording Dreamcast and Playstation game footage, I decided to fire up FRAPS and record my attempt at clearing The Typing of the Dead‘s Typing Speed 1 drill in under one minute. I ended up setting what I think is a new record for myself: 0m, 54s, 33.

Click past the break to watch the video proof.

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Epic 22-battle Puyo Puyo Box war ends in tie

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Peter

My wife and I played and recorded 22 Puyo Puyo Box Treasure Mode battles today. We each won 11 rounds, ending the epic puzzle war in a tie.

Click past the break for video footage of the 6 best battles.

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Bubble Bobble final boss battle and Happy End

Posted on June 6, 2009 by Peter

Inspired by the recent release of Bubble Bobble Plus (and the game’s conspicuous lack of a save or password system), I decided a few days ago to play through the NES version of Bubble Bobble again on the Wii Virtual Console. After completing the game’s regular mode, I played through the more challenging Super Bubble Bobble mode and completed that as well.

I sat down tonight to repeat the final boss battle and have included a recording of the fight, along with the full “Happy End,” after the break.

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Super Puzzle Fighter II X for Matching Service – Lei Lei v. Morrigan

Posted on June 6, 2009 by Peter

Super Puzzle Fighter II X for Matching Service for the Dreamcast is one of my favorite puzzle games of all time. It’s unfortunate the best iteration of the game never saw a stateside release, but thanks to Sega designing the Dreamcast hardware without region locking, my friends and I have enjoyed countless hours of puzzle mayhem with our favorite chibi characters.

Past the break, I’ve embedded three selected rounds of puzzle battle between myself (playing as Lei Lei) and my wife (playing as Morrigan) past the break. All three videos are also available in HD quality; visit my Youtube Channel for the relevant links.

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