Nintendo Wii Fanboy

When Beer Pong: Frat Party Games was announced for WiiWare, many Wii owners protested it based on its stupidity. We should have guessed, though, that some people would actually protest the software for moral reasons.

The problem here lies with the games ESRB rating, which is T (13+). Lisa Lombardozzi of the Greater Herndon Community Coalition is concerned that Beer Pong will encourage children to play the game in real life. In fact, many college students who partake in the activity (which is also called Beirut, depending on who you talk to) are not even of legal drinking age. Since the United States' drinking age is 21, activists claim that the game will promote binge drinking ideals to youths.

JV Games' response to the issue was more dismissive than eloquent. Company spokesman Vince Valenti said, "We are not advocating drinking any more than watching cartoons or watching the TV show Cheers, or even going bowling or to a baseball game ... If anything, you're going to be drinking less, because you are too busy playing the game, trying to beat your opponent, to be constantly picking up a beer and drinking it."

We doubt parents and community members were soothed by this response.

[Via Game Politics]

[Update: trailer after the break! Looks pretty okay, we suppose, for a beer pong game.]

Beer pong is one of the weirder recent trends in party games since the out-of-nowhere resurgence of poker, at least as seen through the eyes of someone who isn't currently in college. Now JVGames has announced their intention to translate the drunk version of Bozo the Clown's "Grand Prize Game" to WiiWare. We read the press release and started to reach for the picardfacepalm.jpg, but then we went to the website and were presented with an unexpected hilarity bomb.

Let's just say that the website (screenshot above) doesn't really scream professionalism. Blurry, blown-up beer glasses with choppy filling animations, and a 3D logo that looks like it was rendered in a DS homebrew program. It actually makes us kind of love it. Beer Pong: Frat Party Games will be out in June.

[Via IGN]

Not one, not five, but ... well, actually it is five. Five ninja; no more, no less for this trailer from upcoming game Ninja Reflex. And doesn't that strike you as odd? With a four-player game, it seems the odd-man-out isn't so much a friend of the four enjoying the game, but the group whipping boy, there only to serve drinks to thirsty players and watch them enjoy their Wii from afar, silent longing for a day when he too can experience the pleasure of motion-based gameplay.

And, dude: what is up with the kid with the chopsticks? Seriously?

What game will win the title of "Worst Ninja Boxart" this year? The battle is fierce, and only the most specially trained in the art of the bad box will prevail. In one corner is the stealthy Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword for the DS. So stealthy, in fact, that it remained hidden during its November release date. The challenger is Ninja Reflex, a game involving the most sacred of ninjitsu techniques: partying.

What box will reign supreme in the sacred art of fail? And will there be any newcomers brave enough to enter such a grueling competition? Patience, young student, will reveal the answers to these questions.

[Via GoNintendo]

Did you know that today is the Annual Day of the Ninja? So if you've been waiting for an excuse to flip out, hit on ninja babes, and assassinate pirates, consider today your excuse.

Electronic Arts is celebrating this sacred holiday by revealing new screenshots and details for its newest party game, Ninja Reflex. Developed by newcomer studio Sanzaru Games (former Activision developers), Ninja Reflex will feature "a series of martial arts challenges to test gamers' reflexes and measure their reaction times with millisecond precision." Up to four players will be able to participate, sharpening their skills and speed in this mashup of Brain Age and ninjitsu action.

The minigames shown so far are predictable, ranging from catch-a-fly-with-chopsticks contests to shuriken-throwing competitions. Hopefully, the final product will have more interesting activities -- and online support, too! Creep into our gallery under the cover of night and check out some of the screenshots EA has made available. Go ninja, go ninja, go!


[Thanks, Troy]