Samurai Swords and Lightsabers. Cowboy Samurai and Jedi Knights. These are a few of my favorite things. I always wanted a sword and a lightsaber, what kid didn’t? The closest I ever got was a “Rambo” styled survival knife that had a compass and matches. I bought it at a festival called “Rattlesnake Roundup” in the deep south of Georgia. I’m not sure why my parents would allow me to go to a festival with that moniker, or buy a Rambo knife for that matter. I guess in the long run it was safer than a sword…. While some of you may in fact own swords of some sort, I’m pretty sure no one owns a lightsaber. I’m not talking some piece of plastic bought at Target for $39.99 either. So what if they’re “fake”, you still don’t have one. If there is one thing that can make a manboy appreciate technology it’s a game that would allow you to swing a lightsaber to take out clones, or a samurai sword to take out cowboys. Thanks to the Wii, Ubisoft and LucasArts, we will soon have two games that allow that very thing.

Red Steel 2 was announced just before this years E3, and then at the conference the game was shown and available to play. Unfortunately, I was unable to be there despite the various invitations I got in the mail. Yeah, I didn’t really get invited. I’m pretty sure that if people knew how influential I was, I would have gotten at least one. Anyway, Red Steel 2 looks great. It may look better than great in fact. It looks like a game that we were promised when the Wii first launched. That game was called Red Steel. That game, for all intents and purposes, was a failure. Ubisoft is making damned sure RS2 will not be a failure. They are making WiiMotion+ mandatory for the game to ensure that no one can complain about the controls. The developers are also changing the hero of the series. This time you’ll be a nameless revolver-toting katana-carrying badass. Imagine if Dharman decided to make a clone of Justice and Afro instead of Afro’s father, that’s what Ubisoft is delivering us. Seriously. If you don’t believe me, check out the latest developer diary which focuses on Hero. Red Steel 2 looks like it is going to be ridiculously amazing. This is my most wanted Wii game this year and it better live up to the hype. If it doesn’t Ubisoft better hope they don’t see me at E3 next year! I kid, I kid…

Any male above the age of say, 22, has probably experienced a period in their life when they were obsessed with Star Wars. For some that time is a year or two, for others it could last pretty much their entire life. They could be so obsessed that they saw Episode 1 ten times in the theater. They could take it to a level where they watched IV-VI every night for an entire summer. I’m not saying that that was me, but I’ve seen the movies countless times. It’s probably the ultimate tale of good vs. evil and George Lucas is a genius, even if he did give us Jar-Jar Binks. As far as Star Wars games have gone, they’ve been hit or miss. The same could be said for the animated series The Clone Wars. I’m disappointed by the series because that is one of the most exciting and interesting periods in the Star Wars Universe. The show could be really awesome and it’s just meh. So, what do I think about a game being developed around the series? I think it was only a matter of time, and I’m not sure how interested I am. The fact that it’s an action/adventure game launching on all major consoles means the Wii could get a gimped version. It also means that unless it’s built from the ground up WM+ either won’t be a factor, or won’t make a difference. This makes me sad inside. Why not just give us an amazing fighting game centered around the Lightsaber while utilizing WM+? Think Bushido Blade but on Tattoine and with stupidly awesome controls. That is something I would buy with the quickness. Star Wars The Clone Wars:Republic Heroes is not necessarily something I feel I have to own. I don’t mean to hate on the game, but I think I’d rather play Lego Star Wars. Actually, I’ll stick to Red Steel 2! For those that are still with us, there is a trailer for Republic Heroes, which is due to hit shelves September 15, and I’m posting it below for your enjoyment. You know the drill.

Have you ever done something that was grueling, not very fun and quite stressful, only to have to do the same thing again? Well, that’s what I’ve been doing the past two days, I’ve had the joy of starting to look for a house all over again. It is not fun at all. There are, however, some things that are fun to start over and do again no matter how grueling they were, or how many times you’ve done them. Videogames are one of the things that can bring enjoyment time and time again. When a company decides they will make a redux edition of a game you could very well be in for a treat. Well, Nintendo is bringing us one such redux when Metroid Prime Trilogy hits the shelves August 24th. Metroid is one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises, and I will argue that Samus Aran, the games protagonist, is the greatest female heroine of all time. Yes, even better than Lara Croft. I mean, Lara Croft never had an evil doppleganger. The past few games in the Metroid series, the Prime Trilogy, have been the highlights of the franchise. The Prime saga started on the Gamecube with Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2:Echoes, before coming to an epic end with Metroid Prime 3:Corruption. The games were loved by all who played them, and Corruption still holds strong as one of the best shooters on the Wii. The problem with having a great series that spans two consoles is that you will get some gamers who miss out on the feeling of completion that is ultimately desired. All I have to say is thank God Metroid is a game done by Nintendo. I don’t know if any of the “HD-Consoles” would have the guts to do what the Big N is doing with Prime Trilogy. The company that we all love has decided to release all three games on one simple disk. The first two games are getting updated graphics and gameplay, now using the same controls that Corruption did for the Wii. The menus are getting a makeover as well as Samus. On top of that, the game is releasing with extremely sexy packaging.

See More Metroid Prime Trilogy Various at IGN.com
See More Metroid Prime Trilogy Various at IGN.com

Now, we have a very nice trailer for the Trilogy that showcases gameplay, menus, intros and as much Samus as you can handle from all three games. I am ridiculously excited by this coming out, because having the ability to play the complete trilogy from one disk is just, well it’s awesome! The fact that Nintendo are putting out one of their biggest franchises at a very reasonable price of $49.99 is incredible and proves that of all the console makers and game publishers, they stand behind and beside their customer the most. Metroid Prime Trilogy is set to launch on August 24th, so it’s just over a month before Samus is back in our lives.

Tired of the bland, white Wii? Get ready for a change, as long as you live in Japan. Although the announcement of a black Wii is old news (well, a couple weeks old), sightings of the black Wii have just now broken onto the scene.

If you were a fan of the SimAnimals game on the Nintendo Wii, then you should know that a sequel/spin-off is on its way.