Game & Watch Collection 2 Review

Following in the footsteps of the first Club Nintendo exclusive game, Game & Watch Collection, comes ... what else? Game & Watch Collection 2. But, unlike the first collection, which emulated three of the Game & Watch's dual-screen games, this collection only features two single-screen games, Octopus and Parachute, and a new game that combines the two, Parachute X Octopus. Knowing this, should you still put down you hard earned 800 Coins for this? Or should you hold out and wait for other Club Nintendo prizes?

The only thing I would like to mention is the new interface. The first game had a very plain and boring menu system, that while stay true to the aesthetic of the Game & Watch games, was still just unappealing. But this second one takes a different route, and has the look and music as if it was something out of The Legendary Starfy series. Obviously this doesn't make up for the poor selection of just two classic games (and a third that just combines the two) for the steep price of 800 Coins, but it was something I liked at least. If anything, I'd of liked to see New/Old version of the games in this style, akin to the old Game & Watch Gallery games with Mario characters.

Parachute
When you select this game or the following, there's something you'll notice right away: the top screen is wasted. The previous collection's use of both screens was neat, because you could have never played those games like that unless you actually had them. But with this, you really have to wonder why it's even on the DS.

The premise of Parachute is simple (as one would expect from a Game & Watch title), a helicopter tosses out characters, and it's up to you to catch them in your boat. It's definitely one of the most fun Game & Watch games around, and once I got the hang of it I kept trying to best my scores, but when the cart only has this and another game it feels a bit like a ripoff.

Octopus
While I may have really liked Parachute, Octopus has always been a Game & Watch title that I hated. I'm not sure if it's the difficulty, or the limitations of the Game & Watch interface, or that big stupid octopus that's always there, but I've just never been able to get into this one. And being that it's just one of two games on this collection, makes me question why I even got this ... and then I realized it was because I didn't feel like wasting my Coins on paper goods...

Parachute X Octopus
And then there's the "new" Game & Watch game, Parachute X Octopus. Sadly, as the name suggests, it's just a combination of the two games already on this collection, and not an entirely new Game & Watch set up. And to make things worse, the game never truly uses both screens as it may look. Instead you start off with a game of Parachute on top, and after a certain number of rescues, you go down and grab some treasure while evading the tentacles in Octopus, and repeat. So basically you're just alternating between both games on the collection, just without having to go through menus, and you only have three strikes between both games. It's not overly fun, and really shouldn't even be called new.

Final Thoughts
What made the first Club Nintendo Game & Watch Collection neat was that for the first time ever, those three dual-screen Game & Watch titles could be emulated to play as they were intended, which would have been impossible in the four Game & Watch Gallery titles that had released for the different Game Boy platforms. With this second collection, you're getting only two games, both of which have been featured in nearly every Game & Watch compilation, and could've easily been made available via DSiWare like a lot of other Game & Watch titles have been recently. The 'new' inclusion doesn't even warrant a purchase, because it's just the two games alternating from one screen to another. Sure there's some collector's value with this, but then again, there's nothing much else to spend 800 coins on, so the choice is yours.

Overall Score: 6/10

Grill Off with Ultra Hand! Review

This and the next Club Nintendo review should have been posted over a month ago when they were first released, but alas, real life hit and I had other priorities. So here is the first of what's to be many reviews this month. Grill Off with Ultra Hand! is the first of hopefully many Club Nintendo exclusive WiiWare titles, and goes for just 80 Coins, the cheapest reward available from the North American program as of now. But it's not the truly first WiiWare title available from the service, as the real first, Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!, was available for Platinum members last year.

Background
Grill Off with Ultra Hand! is a WiiWare game featuring one of Nintendo's earliest creations, the Ultra Hand, an extending toy that allowed you to grab objects from a distance. It has since appeared in numerous games, mainly in the WarioWare titles, but this marks its first starring appearance since the toy's original release.


Gameplay
There really isn't that much to this game, and for 80 Coins, I guess I'm not supposed to expect much. There are two modes, Single Player and Vs. Play, but each basically play the same. You use the Wiimote and nunchuck just as you would hold the actual Ultra Hand toy, twisting them at the same time in a hedge-clipper like motion. Doing this makes the on-screen Ultra Hand grab a piece of meat, place it on the barbeque, and then grab it again to put on a plate. The single player is an endless mode of this, competing on a leaderboard for the highest score, where as the versus mode (only two players) has both players competing for the best score in a 90 second time limit. And overall, the experience isn't very enjoyable or long lasting. If you'd like to see it yourself before dropping 80 Coins on this, check the game's official website.

Final Thoughts
Unlike Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!, there's nothing overly exclusive about Grill Off with Ultra Hand!. Exclusive as in, it's not a case where you have only 30 days to claim your prize and that's the only chance you'll ever get to actually get the game, where there would be a feeling of exclusivity when you take the chance of redeeming the game. Sure, it's exclusive to Club Nintendo, but you can get it whenever, and even read/watch reviews before saying, "I actually want to waste my 80 Coins". In my case, I just had an ever-growing amount of coins and nothing worthwhile to spend them on, so 80 didn't seem like much of a risk; too bad I'll never touch this game again.

Overall Score: 3/10

Late Night Flickr Update

Hey there, it's been quite a long time since we put the Flickr account to use, so I just put up to images. First off, my Encom Employee Badge:

You can still get one of these for yourself by visiting the TRON Legacy viral site, Flynn Lives, play the Arcade Aid game, and then register for the free badge. Once it arrives you can use it to access Encom's website. It's really simple, and the badge arrives quickly. Quite a neat piece of movie swag.

This one's pretty obvious, it's the sequel to the previous Club Nintendo exclusive Game & Watch Collection. I've yet to play it, but I'll review it once I do, just like the last one.

Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! review

Following the Game & Watch Collection, Nintendo releases another exclusive game through its North American Club Nintendo program, however unlike the aforementioned game this downloadable title can't be earned via the programs Coins; instead was available exclusively to 2009 Platinum status club members... like myself.

Now, because you can't actually get this title unless you have say a friend who earned Platinum status, got this instead of the Mario hat, and then doesn't want the game... but we're not talking technicalities here. Instead, I'm just going to give an overview of the game, in the absence of a proper video feature.

Gamplay
If you've played Next Level Games' actual Punch-Out!! game for Wii, then this Doc Louis version isn't going to feel any different. In fact, the only control difference between the two games is the absence of Balance Board support (but I don't have a board so, quite frankly, I'm not missing the feature). But, peripheral support isn't the only thing missing... think of Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! as a Punch-Out!! demo, with a new opposing character, and could only be appreciated by Punch-Out!! fans.

The game offers three modes of play, all single-player, and more or less the same. The first is Warm-Up, which is slow paced and meant to make you familiar with Doc Louis's move-set and visual cues. It will go by quick, but that's a good thing for one reason... which I'll get to later.

The next mode is Training, which is a standard three-round boxing match against Doc, not unlike the matches you'll encounter in the actual Punch-Out!! game for Wii. In terms of difficulty, Doc's an average character, if you time your moves right with his visual cues than it's a simple match, but if you're not quick to react you may find yourself in Training for awhile.

The last mode, Sparring, is unlocked by completing both Warm Up and Training. And before I get to that, here's why I'm glad Warm-Up is easy and short, because despite the channel-file itself being 143 blocks of Wii memory, Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! itself doesn't have an actual save file. So yes, that means every time you want to start Sparring, you have to beat the other two modes first, which is kind of annoying. Essentially what Sparring is, is another standard three-round fight, but this time Doc Louis can use Star Punch, which instantly KOs you. It's difficult but, those looking for a tough Punch-Out!! battle should be pleased.

Overall Thoughts
Other than the three game modes, there really isn't anything else to this game. If you enjoyed Punch-Out!! but after all this time you felt like punching a new fighter in the face, then this should've been the reward for you. And who wouldn't want a game where you punch Doc Louis's chocolate bar out of his hands, and he still says, "Thanks for joining Club Nintendo, Mac."

Overall Score: 6.5/10

Here's your Club Nintendo rewards for 2009

Earned over 300 or 600 coins on Club Nintendo this year? Or if you're like me, and decided to earn over 1300 instead? Expecting something really cool as your reward? Well, today the rewards were announced..

Yes, Platinum members can CHOOSE between either a downoadable Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! game, or a Mario hat (which was actually offered in Japan back in the day as a standard Club Nintendo item). Gold members have no choice, instead they get a calendar, just like Club Nintendo members in Japan do.

To say the least, I'm more than underwhelmed, but I don't think I have any use for a big plush Mario hat, so I think I'm just going to go for the Punch-Out!! download (which by the way, doesn't require you to have the new Punch-Out!! game). Though, it really just sounds like an exclusively designed demo... Let's hope next year is better, and I don't waste all my coins again. That or let's hope there's better everyday items available soon.

Club Nintendo members must redeem their rewards by August 11th, 2009!!

Rewards will be sent out by November 1, 2009; yes, even the download codes.

Club Nintendo DSi Bonus

Not sure why Nintendo can't do this for those of us who have registered Gamecube, Game Boy Advance, Game By Advance SP, Game Boy micro, DS, DS Lite, and Wii .... but none the less this tiny text message is on Club Nintendo now:

"NEW: Earn 160 Coins today by registering your newly purchased Nintendo DSi! To earn these Coins you must complete all three of the following steps: (1) register your serial number, (2) complete a quick survey and (3) link your Nintendo DSi to your DSi Shop account (wireless broadband internet connection required). Enter your Nintendo DSi serial number below and we'll walk you through the process."

Also, DSiWare will credit you with 10 Coins (just like WiiWare, Virtual Console, and Wii Channel titles). Sounds good to me, but as I said, not sure why we can't get credited for our other registered systems.

Anyone pick up the system yet? Tell us what you think while we await the arrival of ours.

Flickr Update: Game & Watch Collection, James Franco Q&A

I know, it's been quite some time since I got the Club Nintendo exclusive Game & Watch Collection, and much like we did with Zach's hanafuda cards, I intended to get photos of the game onto our Flickr account. But then, as you may have remembered, my camera died.

But that's all settled now that I got my new Sony DSC-T77, which has 10.1 megapixel resolution, 5 more than my old one, as well as full touch screen controls. It's taken some getting used to, but I'm liking the the quality of the pictures it takes, so I suppose that's what matters. Here's your pack shots:

Anyone else get this collection? What did you think? Worth all 800 of those Coins?

Also, added a collage of photos taken with my crappy cellphone from the James Franco Q&A.

Thanks from Nintendo

So, I went to check my mail today, and to my...surprise, I got a letter from Nintendo. Apparently, when converting from My Nintendo to Club Nintendo, someone took note of how many products I had registered, and so they sent me a little thank you letter "from" Reggie.

The letter simply says that I had a lot of things registered and that I must be a big fan, and along with the letter, they sent a letter-sized picture of the Mario gang saying thanks, "signed" by Reggie. It's actually printed, not actually autographed, which is kind of lame, but it's a neat little token of their appreciation which is always cool.

Game & Watch Collection review

Hanafuna cards aren't the only thing you can get for 800 coins at Club Nintendo, no sir, there's more Nintendo history to be had. Those looking for a free game can redeem their hard earned coins for the, once Japanese exclusive, Game & Watch Collection.

This "collection" features three of the "multi-screen" Game & Watch titles, including: Oil Panic, Donkey Kong, and Green House; all faithfully recreated using the two screens of the DS. My biggest gripe though, is that while technically the game is a free reward for spending virtually $800 on Nintendo products, 3 games isn't much of a collection when you've realized 15 multi-screen Game & Watch games were released in all.

Then (Donkey Kong - 1982) and Now (DS Lite - 2006)

As you can see, putting these games on the DS isn't so far-fetched, and in fact it works quite well. However, what makes this Game & Watch Collection different from the Game & Watch Gallery titles from the Game Boy, is that there are no "modern" versions of the games, recreated with Mario characters. So what you're getting is three straight ports, with both A and B versions, and an added alarm feature. As a note to those unaware, the difference of A and B games is that the B game is harder and/or faster.

Oil Panic
This one of the more well known Game & Watch titles, as it's been feature in the first Game & Watch Gallery, this collection, WarioWare, and as a move for Mr. Game & Watch in the Super Smash Bros. series. The way this game work is that you control the character on the top screen, who's objective it is to catch the dripping oil. As your bucket fills, you must empty out to the character on the lower screen, who moves left and right, requiring you to time you catches and tosses. It's a fairly decent game for those with twitchy fingers and yet a good sense of timing.

Donkey Kong
This is not the classic arcade (or NES) game you know and love. Do not let the layout of this game deceive you, cause while it may look like that familiar Donkey Kong game you've played, it will not play like it. The biggest fault of the game is that unlike the free-will controls on the classic version, you're limited to the Game & Watch's pre-determined character frames. And then there's the crane in which you have to grab and swing upon. It's kind of a mess really, but if there was ever a Donkey Kong you wanted to master, try this on Type B and contact me back.

Green House
The last of the collection is my personal favorite, and what looks to be the predecessor to Donkey Kong 3. Here, you have two sets of enemies to worry about: the caterpillars on top, an the spiders on the bottom. It's you job to quickly jump between the two screens in order to spray out the little pests before they reach you plants. It may not sound like much, but I was slightly blown away by how much I was actually getting into this. I don't think my fingers have moved that fast while playing a DS game before. So if I can credit it with that much, so be it.

Final Thoughts
This is not a game (or set of games) for the casual Nintendo fan. And considering it requires you to have spent around $800 in Nintendo products in order to obtain it, chances are you're going to be a hardcore fan if this is in your collection. Sure, the fact that you are only getting 3 simple games may make you want to hold onto your coins for something else, but this is one title you won't find anywhere else. It's truly for the collector.

Overall Score: 7.5/10

Club Nintendo Hanafuda Cards

Hey guys, got my first Club Nintendo reward in the mail today, and was both pleasantly surprised and a bit shocked, but overall, it was a good decision me thinks.

The first thing I noticed when I opened up the package to see my new Hanafuda cards was how small they were. I was expecting the cards to be about the same size as standard playing cards, however, they are much smaller.



Six shots, just added to our Flickr account. Just for you!

The set contains a total of 48 cards, which are used in a game, which can be learned via the included instructions. The cards are made of a durable plastic and would break before they bend. The cards portray various designs, some of which feature Nintendo characters such as Mario, Boo, Bowser, amung others.

For the price of 800 coins, I think it's a fair enough deal, and one of the better rewards you can get from Club Nintendo currently. More so if you happen to be a collector, as it isn't the most practical of options, but still pretty cool.