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Gamecentral review of the day is Plain sight and Bit Trip runner. Read today or its gone.

http://www.teletext.co.uk/GameCentral/Features-Reviews/default.aspx

When we heard that Nintendo and the American Heart Association would be making an announcement today, we (and most everyone else) assumed that it would have something to do with Nintendo's forthcoming Vitality Sensor. As it turns out, however, it's something altogether more surprising -- the AHA has announced that it's actually putting its stamp of approval on the Wii itself (as well as Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort). That's obviously a first for a video game console, and fairly unprecedented for the AHA -- as ABC News points out, the association hasn't seen fit to put its seal on other "active" things like baseball bats. It apparently had some small incentive to do so in this case, however, as the organization says it will be receiving a cool $1.5 million from Nintendo over three years as a result of the partnership. Head on past the break to see the AHA president explain the arrangement.

VIDEO:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/17/nintendo-wii-gets-american-heart-associations-stamp-of-approval/

edgecrusher said:

gamingeek said:

Agnates said:

More in the Xenoblade thread.

Nice. You can see LQ textures but the vistas are nice.

Game looks great, both visually and otherwise. Probably my #1 Wii game right now, even ahead of Mario and Metroid.

I like this pic

Arstechnica Mario Galaxy 2 preview

What stands out about the game is that there is no "standard" level. Every section gives the player a new mechanic, a new challenge, or something new to play with. This is Nintendo at the top of its game... almost to the point of being obnoxious about it.

The extraordinary is commonplace

Most games force you to struggle with mastering one or two mechanics or control schemes. Here, Nintendo shows you something that's masterfully designed, and then it can't seem to throw it away quickly enough. A few minutes later, you're shown something else just as good.

In other games, you may see something that's epic and game-changing every few hours, Galaxy 2 is able to amaze you every few minutes. The game is dense, and in many cases nearly overwhelming.

Trying to remember which levels I'm allowed to talking about is confusing, as the game mixes together into a multitude of amazing moments.

What's so masterful here is that it's all done smoothly and without any bells and whistles to announce that the game is playing with different dimensions. It just makes sense in the context of the level, and there is no attention drawn to just how difficult a trick this is for developers to pull off.

It's not that this is an astounding game (although, so far, it is), it's that Nintendo makes it all look so easy. It feels like a middle finger to every other company that ever tried to create a platforming game. Not only is this how it's done, but this is how you do it brilliantly without giving a hint that you're breaking a sweat.

Hours fly by, and you start each level with the knowledge that you're going to see something new. This can't possibly continue through the whole game... can it?

HYPE + 1

1 million

So Bit Trip Runner seems to be garnering some praise.

I had no idea what it was till this morning.

CVG

The best WiiWare game ever is...

Clue: It was released last week...

ONM has awarded Bit.Trip Runner a 93% review score, naming it their "favourite Wiiware game by far."

Bit.Trip Runner is the latest game in Gaijin's WiiWare rhythm action series. This one is a platformer and the aim is to get to the end of each level while collecting gold bars and red plus signs.

ONM praised the "sensational" chiptune soundtrack which features tracks that play to the beat of the soundtrack.

They also bigged up the "expertly designed levels" and finished up by claiming that the game is "the perfect example of what WiiWare is all about."

You can read ONM's Bit.Trip Runner review here.

"That's not even the half of it, though. The true majesty of Bit.Trip Runner lies within its sensational soundtrack. Once again the developer has gathered some of the best chiptune artists around and asked them to contribute for the game, resulting in not only the best title screen music we've ever heard in a game but also some truly breathtaking tracks that play and evolve to the beat of the platforming action. Each level has been expertly designed in such a way that every jump, every collectible, every action you perform adds to the music, creating an experience that's so much more than just running from left to right."

"If your Wii is online, you can't not get this game. It's the perfect example of what WiiWare is all about, it's immensely addictive and it puts some of the other cynical, money-making releases on there to shame."

Our favourite game on WiiWare. Most full-price games don't entertain us like this one does.

  Stunning soundtrack
  Simple but addictive
  Looks fantastic
  Will last you ages
  No online functionality

And:

Gamecentral

BIT. TRIP RUNNER (Wii)

With three outstanding games already under their belt the BIT. TRIP games are WiiWare's most celebrated and reliable series.

Gamers being the selfish beasts that they are, this means that anything less than excellence will now immediately be seen as a tragic betrayal.

That's not something this latest title is in any danger of doing, despite some controversial changes to the formula.

Having already taken its inspiration from various golden age concepts this is the first platformer in the series.

Mascot CommanderVideo makes his playable debut, running relentlessly from left to right across the screen.

At first your only input is to jump, leaping over fiendishly deployed platforms and obstacles. There's gold to collect and score multipliers too, but neither are needed to win a stage.

Clearly having listened to complaints levelled at the previous games, the three worlds are split up into a set of twelve individually accessible stages.

Although the usual Hyper/Mega score bands are still used they have a less prominent role than before as you can't actually die or fail at any point.

Instead, if you hit an obstacle you're simply whisked straight back to the start of the stage to begin again.

Repeated failure can still be frustrating but the one more go factor is intensely strong and the euphoria of beating a stage thus all the greater.

Especially if you get all the gold in the level, at which point you get to play an Atari 2600 style bonus game.

This works just the same but is a lot harder and swaps the game's gorgeously retro 3D graphics and sound for simple 2D sprites and near silent gameplay.

Normally we'd expect that to be it in terms of mechanics and for the game to simply ratchet up the difficulty and complexity of the level design.

But this time Gaijin Games hasn't been able to resist adding more. First a slide, then a kick, a trampolining move and a floating ability.

The final extra is the paddle from BIT. TRIP BEAT, which you use to block incoming beats as you run.

Each new element is introduced gradually, indeed the paddle doesn't turn up until quite near the end, but by that point the game is not only insanely hard but quite complicated.

All BIT. TRIP games are difficult by the end, but here you really are made to work for your high score.

That's always been a key appeal of the series though and one that remains as refreshingly addictive as ever.

IN SHORT: Mercilessly difficult, and unusually complicated, but the best looking and most varied BIT. TRIP yet.

PROS: Superb retro presentation and interactive music. Well designed stages and the perfect "one more go" feeling.

CONS: The large number of different moves are in danger of overcomplicating the already rock hard gameplay.

SCORE: 8/10 Out: Now (Online

gamingeek said:

So Bit Trip Runner seems to be garnering some praise.

Yes indeed. This is a game I've been following for a while.  It looks fantastic.  As soon as I saw the first screen shots I was immediately reminded of box cover art for a lot of old Atari 2600 games, primarily Pitfall.  

After last night's debacle with the Nintendo point card, I didn't think I'd have a chance to play it for another week.  However, thanks to Yoda that doesn't seem to be the case after all.  Seriously sir, thank you so much for that.  I was in a bit of a dark place for multiple reasons and that really was a great pick-me-up that came at the perfect time.

gamingeek said:

SteelAttack said:

I'm very interested in that joint announcement between Nintendo and the AHA. To be frank, I was expecting some kind of program or application involving the vitality sensor, and revolving about improving your cardiovascular health, but still, this is a rather interesting announcement in its own right.

It's noteworthy how when the other two dumb HW manufacturers are slowly shambling towards adopting motion controls, 4 years later and with uncertain outcomes, Nintendo shows them yet again how to think outside the box, eager to increase even more its ever-expanding audience, this time with a health focus.

We'll see in the near future what kind of programs and campaigns come with this joint venture.

Did you watch the Good Morning America video link? Nintendo paid them $1.5 million.

I thought it would be about the vitality sensor and blood pressure and all that. Maybe with some game or WiiWare service where you took your heart rate and it was sent over the internet and monitored or something. Or tied in with an app.

This general plastering of Wii and a couple of games with the Heart Association logo, seems wrong to me. There are better ways to take care of your heart right?

By the way, how do you read blood pressure results? I've been taking some back pain medication that is giving me a faster than usual racing pulse. I'd like to know that I'm not close to death!

$1.5 million is NOTHING for that kind of exposure.  For that same money they could get five 30 second commercials on a well rated prime-time TV show (not during the final episodes).  That's just smart marketing.  They got a full segment on Good Morning America and will receive countless write-ups in the press.

Now if they would just apply this same kind of thinking to sell some software and help out some of their third party developers. . .