Nintendo Wii Fanboy

So, reader Steven is, like, the greatest guy ever. He got some time in with Glenn Beck, who apparently has a radio show (as if having his mug on TV for however long he's on each day isn't enough) and, we're convinced the guy is just a jerk, plain and simple. Instead of, oh, we don't know, treating Steven like a human being and having a civil discussion, Glenn Beck instead decides to pull out his big book of clichés and takes the time to place every stereotype gamers above the age of 12 suffer from onto Steven. Real mature, Glenn, real mature.

Also, what else comes off as comical to us is Glenn's recollection of his remarks that game bloggers are losers. He says it was a joke, that he said it in a joking fashion, yet, when we watch the video again, we don't see a smile, a smirk or even hear a chuckle. Glenn looks pretty darn serious when he says it. But, then again, we're often busy losing at life and converting our parents' basement into the bridge of the Enterprise, so we're not really sure how emotions or human interaction work. We are gamers so that's how it goes, right Glenn?

Hit up the link below to download the segment for yourself. Around the 6:50 mark is when Steven calls in.

Okay, now this bit on Glenn Beck's show revolves around that GTA IV game, but he does manage to say something relevant to us (and, in turn, you all reading this). He thinks game blogs are a waste of time and their bloggers are "losers," citing that he could care less about video games overall, even though he has a pretty lengthy segment on his show about them (we imagine he's had other gaming-related topics on his show, but we steer clear of shows with hosts on power trips). We can only imagine what this implies about you, the reader, who spends their time keeping current on the industry news with us.

It honestly cracks us up, because not only is he calling us losers and pretty much saying video games aren't worth his effort, but he's being such a toolbox as to say his supposed opinions during a video game segment on his show. You tell us what is worse, fine readers: a person who blogs about something they're passionate about, or a guy on TV who talks about what his producers say are the day's hot topics and blatantly shows no regard for the subject matter?

[Via Go Nintendo]

Video games aren't only destroying lives and causing global terrorism - they're also preventing the enforcement of the very laws we live by. Or at least, they are if you live in Cincinnati, where two doltish police officers and five of their supervisors now face punishment for playing games while on duty.

The officers in question were supposed to be undertaking 60 days of foot patrol, but instead opted to put their feet up inside a substation located in a strip mall, and get their game on (sadly, what they were playing isn't specified).

Unsurprisingly, Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher isn't a happy bunny. "They basically left roll call, went to a substation (and) stayed inside that substation all day," he told gathered media. "My understanding is they were watching television, playing video games and, if they left, they left to get something to eat and they came straight back and spent the entire eight hours locked in a room over in Hyde Park."

It's claimed the pair even ignored calls from dispatchers while glued to the TV, and their supervisors turned a blind eye in the process. So there you go: self-discipline and basic powers of concentration aren't a prerequisite if you want in at the Cincinnati force.

Since it's Mother's Day around these parts, we thought it might be a good day to share stories about gaming with the family. We want to hear about all the weird and wacky moments when you've shared the controller with your parents, and all the things they won't let you forget about ... like that one time like ten freakin' years ago when we played some sort of virtual reality shooter and mom just happened to win. I will never hear the end of that. Ever.

Reader zizzy wrote in to let us know about a supposed spousal scrabble over Wii that's leading to divorce. Apparently, the wife was so completely fed up with all the time her husband was spending with his Wii that she threw it in a lake. That's what we call tough love.

On a serious note, gaming can at times be a strain on a couple's relationship, and it's not necessarily linked to gender roles. It helps if both parties play games, or at least understand the attraction, and no one ignores their partner in favor of pixels (at least, not much). But it's not always that easy. Despite the fact that more adults play games now than anyone else, there are still just as many adults who don't understand the hobby and consider it childish or a waste of time.

We'd love to hear from our readers about dealing with gaming in the context of a relationship. Has your hobby led to any issues in a relationship, or are you lucky enough to have someone who understands? If you're still looking for that special someone, would you prefer to date another gamer, or is it a hobby you prefer not to share?

If you're ever looking to rob someone of their precious gaming goodies (including a Wii) whilst hanging out in Montana (do people even do that?), then you might want to give your idea of burglary some more thought. The 19 year old would-be thief didn't do that, as he was walked in on, mid-rob, by two residents of the apartment, along with a friend.

As the burglar began to bolt, apparently drunk (the only way he could muster up the courage, we'd imagine), he led them right back to his car where their Wii and other gaming goodies lay stashed. Tackling the perp to the ground, the group held him until police arrived and nabbed him.

Of course, we know any of you would do the same (or worse) ...

[Via Game|Life]

Here's one we haven't discussed yet -- how often do you play? Are you truly hardcore, using gaming as a catch-all for all your hobbies and spare time, or do you work to fit it in amidst a busy schedule? How much time a person has to dedicate to gaming often influences the types of games they play. Do you find yourself playing minigames more than anything else, or do you have the time to dedicate to mastering every challenge you can find in Twilight Princess? Tell us all about it.

[We just love the clock.]

We know the Moral Kombat trailer isn't terribly new, but the weekly video spotlight isn't about what's new or even what's good. It's a place for us to highlight a video that we think needs to be seen, for whatever reason, be it silly or a little weird or dripping with extra awesome sauce.

This week's video is none of those things, but it's worth discussing.

The actual film sounds potentially interesting and not so one-sided. Sadly, the trailer ... not so much. It's Jack Thompson and Joe Lieberman with holy light brigade and their vision of a gamer-centric apocalypse, complete with desperate, melodramatic music. And the continual invocation of Columbine and September 11 as a product of video games is just sick-making.

There's not much we can say on this subject that can be repeated in any sort of polite society, anywhere, so we're just gonna direct you to the video after the jump.

Not thirty years ago, the question of who or what Nintendo is would have been answered "Nintendo? Who's he?" Several years later, Nintendo continues to shock gamers worldwide. Sure there have been some rough patches but with the success of the DS and the release of the Wii just around the corner, Nintendo could come full circle and then some.

News 4 Gamers posted a news segment that takes a look at Nintendo when the NES was first released. Gone is the banter that video games are the devil's work and you can't see a Jack Thompson for miles. It's just a great exploration of gaming at its popular birth.

See the video after the break and get ready to have tons and tons of flashbacks.

According to a post over on a blog at Jeux-France, the latest issue of EGM has some interesting rumors to share. The two of greatest concern to Wii Fanboys is the proposal of a Rez sequel releasing for the Wii, along with Nintendo's Wii Sports title including 30 total games.

A sequel for Rez on the Wii is just about the greatest thing we've ever read. The problem with a rumor like this is that it sounds so good that it just can't be true. We want it, we want it bad, but likely could not survive the fall should it turn out to be fake. We'll remain as suspicious of this rumor as possible, for the time being.

The idea of Wii Sports including over 30 different games is feasible and likely true. This could mean that Wii Sports would have a total of 24 games that we have yet to see (assuming that Wii Orchestra is included in the game and not a title in and of itself). Nintendo could get away with offering half as many games in Wii Sports and ask for full retail price, so the idea of 30 games being a part of the experience is wonderful.

[Via Codename Revolution]

The chaps over at Gaming Nexus sat down to mull over exactly what are Nintendo's 5 biggest hurdles in achieving their goal of success for their new console. The guys don't pull any punches, easily citing Nintendo's past advertising blunders along with their bad treatment of third-party developers. The 5 points of contention are:

1. Innovation
2. Virtual Console service
3. Third-party support
4. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
5. Marketing

Now, if you ask us, the only two areas where we would have any doubt about the system are the third-party support and Wi-Fi Connection. We all know that the Wii has some good third-party support for its launch, but what concerns us more is maintaining that connection and having a steady flow of third-party titles available for the system throughout its life cycle.

As for Wi-Fi, we're hesitant to believe that adopting the friend codes system from DS titles for the console will be such a smooth transition. Also, add in the fact that Nintendo has barely revealed anything about the service to us at all and you can appreciate our concern.

[Via Joystiq]

The British Gaming Blog recently conducted an interview with Lee Nutter, the Editor of the new Official Nintendo UK magazine, on the future of the magazine and the kind of Nintendo coverage the UK can expect. Naturally, there had to be something said about the Revolution, and much like everything else said about it, the content was vague and hinted at something great on the horizon.

"...In issue 03 there’s an exclusive interview with Shigeru Miyamoto. For issue 04 we’ve already secured a number of exclusive Revolution games. And that’s just the stuff I can tell you about now…"