In Ascendancy, you custom-build your own star-ships with the latest technology from your research labs.

All conquer-the-galaxy games have the same basic ingredients: exploration, research, ship-building, diplomacy, and - of course - warfare. But Ascendancy distinguishes itself with beautiful graphics and a real sci-fi style sense of wonder. It also has one of the best automated tutorials we've ever seen in a game, taking you step-by-step through its delightful intricacies so painlessly, you'll forget you're learning.

The list of the awards Mixed-Up Mother Goose has won from magazines, parents' groups and the software industry could fill up the rest of this page. And no wonder. Here is a game that has introduced more than 500,000 little ones to the computer, while helping build their problem-solving and learning skills.

Sounds like a textbook? It's not. In the new deluxe version of Mixed-Up Mother Goose kids search through Mother Goose Land to find missing objects from classic rhymes. A successful recovery is rewarded with a song-but not like you've ever heard before. Imagine "Little Jack Homer" done in reggae and you'll get the idea.

The game can be played in English or Spanish, and there's a free bonus audio CD of the 18 songs in the game so kids can sing along after you've commandeered the computer so you can play your games.

TAKE A GANDER

Mother Goose Land is laid out in beaur4fuI, hand-painted graphics, with dozens of places for kids to explore.

However much Mortal Kombat Trilogy (N64/4 34%) disappointed, there’s no denying the Mortal Kombat series still has a massive following in the Western console- playing world. Thus, news of the sparkling new 3D MK4 is likely to leave advocates of the fatality-led fighting variant with breath well and truly baited.

The initially-disappointing news is that the N64 version isn’t expected in Blighty until the spring (even though the arcade version — which is supposed to have been developed at the same time as the home version — should be available here at Christmas). Still, a simultaneous worldwide release now seems likely, so UK garners won’t be left waiting for months.

The game itself oozes slickness, with fully polygoned fighters battling it out in gorgeous 3600 arenas. The characters are a mix of the old and new, with favorites Scorpion, Sub Zero, Sonja Blade, Liu Kang, Raiden and Noob Saibot being joined by new kids Tanya, Quan Chi, Kai, Fujinn and green- eyed freak Shinnock. As is traditional, there’ll also be a liberal fist-full of secret characters (including a couple from Midway’s other MK-fest, Mythologies, and an as-yet-unnamed other).

In the arcades, MK4 has had largely positive previews, and its chief developer, Ed Boon, has this to say

About the forthcoming home versions:

“They’re being developed in the UK by Eurocom right now. But if there’s something we don’t like in there, it’ll have to go. Previous developers may have thought we were too picky when we looked at what they’d done with home versions, but we want them to be of the highest quality possible. If that’s too picky then I’m afraid that’s just too bad”. Eurocom, you’ll recall, are also just finishing off Duke Nukem 64.

In a new twist on the age-old MK formula, characters will now be able to arm themselves with weapons. Boon explains: “We’ve got characters with big clubs, mallets, baseball bats with spikes in them, crossbows and even an axe. I think you can safely say there’s a variety of weapons in there”.

So, could MK4 really be the 3D fighter N64 owners have been waiting for? Well, certainly, it’s going to be a damn sight better than MKT. And with its new characters, new arenas, switch to three dimensions and weapons addition it could yet prove to be the Tekken-beater we’ve been so desperately waiting for.

Subway Surfers is easily one of the most popular games to have ever come out on Android. It played by millions and all the players aren’t kids. Everyone loves this game as there are tons of achievements and you can compete with your friends.

One of the best things about Subway Surfers is that the game never gets boring despite being only a ‘running’ game and including very limited cheats. All you have to do is to avoid obstacles and try to go as far as you can before getting caught. While running, you will be able to collect items such as coins and other collectibles. If you get bored, you can use your coins and collected items to unlock new characters. There are many different characters so everyone in the family can play with their favorite character. Here is how to unlock some of these interesting characters without using any Subway Surfers cheats. Make sure that you collect coins and items as you are going to need these to unlock characters.

Jake: You don’t have to unlock Jake as he is the default character, the one you get to play with when you install the game. There are no limits and you can keep using this character for ever and ever.

Tricky: Many people think that they need to make use of Subway Surfer cheats to unlock Tricky. However, this is not true. All you need is three Tricky hats. Collect them while running to unlock Tricky. If you play the game for a few hours, you will be able to collect three hats and Tricky will become available.

Fresh: Fresh holds a stereo in his hand while running. To unlock him, you will need to find 50 of his stereos while running. These stereos keep appearing randomly throughout the game so all you have to do to grab them is play the game. You don’t need any Subway Surfers cheats.

Spike: Spike is the guy with the guitar. He is one of the most popular characters in the game as teenagers just can’t stop falling in love with this rockstar. To unlock Spike, you will need to collect 200 of his guitars.

Yutani: Yutani is an alien from the outer space. If you want to take advantage of his fast legs, you will need to find 500 of his UFOs. Once you have enough UFOs, Yutani will be at your service.

Dino: Dino is the ultimate runner that you can grab by simply connecting your game with your Facebook account. As soon as you do that, Dino will be all yours.

Frank, Lucy, King and other characters: There are 44 characters in the game. Apart from the five characters above, all the other characters can be unlocked using coins only. You don’t need Subway Surfers cheats or items to unlock these. The cheapest character is going to cost 7,000 coins while most of them cost 95,000 coins with a few exceptions. You can find cost of each character in the game.

The Scary Maze Game series aims to give pleasure to the players by adding an element of surprise as the main feature of the game. If you want to play scary maze games, then you need to know the different game levels and the things that you need to do once you reach each of the levels.

Level 1 - Level one is the easiest level of this game. You just need to go to the next level without encountering any problem with the pathway.

Level 2 - For the second level, you need to pay attention to the pathway towards level 3 as it becomes a lot narrower than the first level.

 

Level 3 - The level three on the other hand can be the most challenging level of the game. As the path gets narrower, your chances of passing through the level is slimmer than you think it will be. You might not even pass in the first shot.

If you want to play scary maze game, you need to understand the nature of this game. This can come in three levels wherein the higher the level is, the more difficult it will be for you to pass.

If you want to play Minecraft's multiplayer mode but don't want to shell out the money necessary to pay for an account, then you should take comfort in the fact that you can still try this game for free. There are various ways on how you can play Minecraft for free and still be able to get the experience that you crave for. This article lists down some of the ways on how you would be able to play this amazing game without having to spend too much, or even a single dollar to experience the game in full.

 

Awards Program

Many companies offer the chance for would be Minecraft users to fill out surveys, and they would give Minecraft accounts to those who actually finish surveys, which takes about half an hour to complete.  Points2shop, Cash Crate, and Prize Rebel are some popular ones. Some even offer discounts for other games, so this provides a treasure trove of resources to those who not only like Minecraft, but other games as well. Getting free Minecraft accounts will allow you to play the full version of the game with no limits or restrictions.

Free Versions

Some sites also offer different versions of Minecraft. These can range from outdated versions of Minecraft, dubbed as Minecraft Classic, while others were able to develop emulations of the game like the flash games. If you are not that picky with regards to functionalities, then this can also be a viable option for you. In fact, some emulators even provide additional blocks and functions not available in the original, although in some cases there will be bugs, and some functions present within the original game will not be present here as well. Still, if you would just like to play under the basic mechanic without minding as to what you are actually playing, then this is one of the best alternatives available to you if you do not want to pay in order to enjoy the Minecraft experience.

Alternatively, you can search for the free browser version of the game that lets you play multiplayer. With this, you will be able to enjoy the vast gameplay and intuitive mechanics that Minecraft presents to millions of gamers worldwide.

Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the game

I used to rock. I played a lot of video games. Let’s start before that. I didn’t really get into video games until my junior year of high school. I had never owned a console and the only game I had really played was an old D&D game by SSI called Champions of Krynn. Then my friends gave me a game called Half-Life and my life changed. Up to that point in time, all of my competing had been done on the soccer field or playing roller hockey. Now I had a way to compete with friends in my own home and I loved it. I devoured Half-Life and began searching for other games to play. My senior year of high school my friends and I enrolled in a networking class. Cisco was sponsoring a “networking academy” that would train us well enough to get our CCNA certification. Our teacher was a young guy who liked playing video games as well, so one day of the week we would play some video games in class and then every Wednesday after school, we had game day. Game day was awesome. We spent 5 hours in the computer lab, playing games on our brand new computers. It was mostly Half-Life mods because it was the golden age of HL modding. I was the one who introduced a game called Counter-Strike to a group which had been subsisting on mods like Ice Cold and Action Half-Life. Now, Counter-Strike had a whole different feel to it. You didn’t respawn right after you died, you couldn’t just run in and take the whole team by yourself. It required teamwork and caution. And I loved it.

Once I got to college, I was a veteran Counter-Strike player. I could jump onto a server and, if my team was losing, would be winning within a few rounds. My roommate, Onyx, and our dorm-mate Isometric were fiends. I, unfortunately played Counter-Strike to the detriment of the smaller things like class. So, the next year I was not in school anymore. The only thing that did was free up extra time for game playing, and it was an excellent time to play games. In November of 2001, the Xbox debuted with a little game called Halo. I was working at Seagate in their R&D department and actually took the week off so that I could play Halo since I knew that I would not be at work anyways that week. The first day we had the Xbox, some random guy walked into our room and said, “Hey, I heard you guys got an Xbox, how is it?” We invited him to play and he didn’t leave our room for a month or so. As much as I played Counter-Strike, it was a drop in the bucket compared to my Halo playing. 20 hour play sessions were not uncommon. I , unfortunately played Halo to the detriment of the smaller things like going to the bathroom, eating, personal hygiene, and blinking. That’s right, I rarely blink when I play console shooters. Now you know my secret.

We found a group of guys that lived about a block away from us and started having 16 person LAN parties every other week. The game was incredible and I was a god. We actually won the Halo National Championship that Bungie hosted at E3 that year. We won the final in 13 minutes, which is after Bungie told everyone that if the game went more than 2 hours, it would go to sudden death. We were that good. Then life happened.

I moved back to Knoxville and started working in a hospital. Having to be at work at 6 every morning kind of hurt my gaming time, but I still tried. Then I went back to school while still working full time and it suffered even more. When Halo 2 came out, I was ecstatic. Now I would get a chance to test my mettle against all challengers. The only problem was that I was no longer a hardcore gamer. I am now mediocre. I spend more time at school and work and sleeping then I do playing games. In fact, if I manage to get one evening of gaming in a week, I’m happy. And what can I say to all of those doubters out there who tell me that I suck at Halo 2? I used to be really good? Now, I’m not bad. In fact, I’m pretty good with the sniper rifle. Not as good as I used to be, but not bad. I understand how it must feel to be an old basketball coach, knowing that you could show these young whippersnappers a thing or two if only time hadn’t caught up with you. It’s a painful feeling, but one that I’ve learned to live with. Now, if I get beat like a red-headed step child, I just say “Good game.” Most people are pretty nice, and those that aren’t don’t bother me. I know that they have small penises and no friends. And so I don’t lose any sleep over being a mediocre gamer.

One of the most popular features of League of Legends (LoL) may surprise you, it isn’t a weapon or skill stat, it’s the ability to report player misbehavior. While player behavior is a problem in many multi-player gaming universes, the sheer size of LoL would make you think they would bow out of reporting system by claiming it would be too complicated; instead they have developed a system that works, and is working. Managing player behavior online isn’t just about making sure there is no bullying going on; it can prevent players from cheating. That can be very important when you are in a tournament or engaged in championship play.

 

Why Player Reporting?

Online bullying is a huge problem, and bullying isn’t just a problem between kids. Player reporting is designed to handle people who communicate inappropriately during game play, in messaging and on forums. It is also designed to handle “newbie smashing.” This is when players will deliberately keep creating champions and playing as newbies; however since they know the game they can engage other newbies into actions that will destroy both characters. That doesn’t seem like a winning situation for anyone, but for some people it is something they like to do – it also tends to ruin the experience for the real newbie.

Another name for this behavior is “sandbagging.” Player reporting is also used when there is championship or tournament play going on and a player may be cheating or using a hack that is disallowed in the context of the competition, and that is all about playing fair.

Does it Work?

Surprisingly, the LoL player reporting system works very well. It is based in a kind of familiar flagging structure in which a player is flagged and reported for behavior. The responding team then investigates the incident and makes a decision whether to warn or ban the player. Some first offenses may only result in the player’s champion having their stats reset to the beginning, or their losing whatever recent gains they have had. Players who are doing the reporting can write a verbal description, they can also opt to forward recorded histories of forum exchanges and message exchanges.

Is it Ever Unfair?

It is rare that anyone complains that they have been unfairly reported. There is a unique code of ethics among LoL players that uses reporting only as a last resort. Many players will opt to blacklist a player instead, disallowing them from joining tournaments or league teams and turning down invitations for scheduled combat. They will also avoid them in game time. Some players aren’t really doing anything wrong, they are just being annoying.

For beginners who are wondering whether a behavior is allowed in the game or if it should be reported, there are good threads available on the main site dealing with the topic. Players can also query the help techs for answers about how to handle incidents as well before defaulting to the reporting system.

Minecraft has become a phenomenon over the past 5 years, and the new Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions  are some of the best systems to play it. Although it looks deceptively simple, but in Minecraft, the sky is the limit for what you can build. Piling together your first home out of dirt and stone feels great. Building a castle with a moat and squid guardians feels even greater. That sense of progression, coupled with the inherent danger of mining underground taverns full of monsters, makes Minecraft exciting, rewarding, and one of gaming's most expressive creative outlets. It's no wonder people are looking to play for free so much, especially on the PC version.

Minecraft's randomly generated worlds are composed of big blocky cubes, with simple, but charming textures. What makes them great is how they enable creativity. piece by piece you will rearrange and refined the pristine, primordial world into whatever you want. It's a kind of power we rarely get in games. if you thought mine craft was just about stacking blocks the tutorial will wipe away that perception quickly. the tutorial and intuitive crafting interface will have you enchanting items, brewing potions, starting a garden, setting up working electrical circuits, riding a boat, building golems, and more in no time. In survival mode each block must be chipped at and collected by hand, dodging enemies while you go. This sounds tedious, but the reward is so worth it. When every single brick of my home was gathered transported, and placed by hand, it was impossible not to feel a fierce sense of ownership over all my creations both big and small.

When the sun goes down the bad guys come for you. They are scary and dangerous for maybe an hour; even less when you figure out the simple items you need to ward them off. At first this feels disappointing, but later when my ambitions for building outgrew my resources, my quest for new materials drove need deeper underground. Down there I found enemies that were easy to defeat on the surface, feel far more challenging in the confines of a rocky corridor. Losing everything I carry to a horde of zombies was a heartbreaking lesson, but the excitement of exploring new places, and the risk of losing everything provided an immediate tension. All the while, gathering new blocks and items set my mind reeling with more ideas for landscaping and home decoration.

Those goals don't change when you bring your friends in but whether you're cooperating or trying to outdo each other with larger, grander creations having other people there makes Minecraft more rewarding. The PS4 and Xbox one versions of Minecraft allow 2 to 4 players splitscreen play, and there is an online mode that accommodates up to 8. Joining other people's world is easy too, thanks to a simple, easy-to-use lobby. Unlike the sometimes cramped PS3 and 360 versions, the improved power of the new generation consoles can handle vast worlds. They are 36 times larger in fact. There's plenty of room to build and spread out, even when playing a full eight player game.

Under all that adventuring is Minecraft's brilliant building toy. Creative mode basically enables cheat codes and lets you play with it freely, turning off monster damage, letting you fly, and giving you an endless supply of all the materials to build to your heart's content. without having to work or fight for them, my creations in this mode else a little hollow. Still, creative mode is as much fun as a bottomless tub of Legos, and between the fun of flexing my imagination and checking out the amazing projects other people have constructed it's full of possibilities.

We've all spent a lot of time playing games where the goal is to kill things break stuff down. It's nice to finally play a game about building something up. We're shaping a pristine landscape into a new world using your own two hands while things try to kill you; this isn't just an amazingly rewarding gaming experience, it's a clever retelling of human history. in a way this is what were all instinctively driven to do, and Minecraft captures it brilliantly on PS4 and Xbox One.

I had always associated the word "Java" with the programming language or a cup of coffee. It only occurred to me tonight that it is indeed a name for an island as well. Upon reading this Wikipedia entry on Java, I also discovered Java coffee is coffee made from the beans on the island. Java is a long, narrow island in the East Indies. It lies between the Sea of Java and the Indian Ocean. It is one of the largest islands of the Republic of Indonesia.

The island of Java has an area of 48,763 square miles, which is about the size of the state of Louisiana. Though Java is not very big, it is one of the most crowded places in the world. Fifty-eight million people live there, more than 19 times as many as live in Louisiana! Part of the island is too mountainous for people to make their homes, and near the coasts there are swamps and thick jungles, so that all of the people are crowded into a very small place.

The People of Java

The people of Java are Malays. They are small and handsome. They have dark skin and eyes and straight black hair, and they are very graceful. Groups of dancers from Java have traveled all over the world and delighted thousands of people with their strange and exciting dances. The Javanese people are also known for a special kind of shadow play in which they use puppets that they hold behind a screen, so that shadows appear on the screen. This is a favorite entertainment in Java.

There are many skilled artists here too. They make beautiful jewelry or silver and gold. They also make a special kind of fine cloth that is called batik. It is dyed in patterns of bright colors.

Most of the people of Java are farmers and raise rice, rubber, sugar, coffee, and many other crops. Things grow so well in Java that the people are able to grow more than enough food for themselves, so their crops help feed people of other countries. They also send quinine and teak wood to other parts of the world. The people of java buy machines and iron and steel and cloth from other countries, and they use these things to build up their island.

Some people in Java work in coal and silver and gold mines, while others raise kapok trees. Pod from these trees contain a soft, fluffy down that is used to stuff pillows and mattresses, to make life jackets, and for other purposes.

Some Chinese people and Arabs also live in Java. Most of the people are members of the Mohammedan religion. They speak a Malay language called Bhasa Indonesia.

What Java is Like

The level lands of Java are very fertile and have a lot of rain. There are many volcanic mountains and some of these great volcanoes are still active. Sometimes they explode and send forth lava, fire and smoke. Many people of Java have lost their lives in these eruptions. The weather in Java is warm, with a temperature of about 80 degrees all year round; though high up in the mountains it is much colder.

Panthers, tigers and other wild animals make their home in the jungles near the coasts of the island. There are many enormous insects and gorgeous birds and flowers.

There are many small streams on the island. The Solo River is the most important waterway. Boats can travel on this river from one part of the island to another. Roads lead from Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, on Java Island, to nearly every part of Java, and there are several railroads and airports.

The people in most parts of Java live very simply, but the city of Jakarta is quite modern. The University of Indonesia is there. It includes colleges of law, medicine, and agriculture.

Java in the Past

Men have lived on Java for many thousands of years. This was proved over a century ago when Eugene Dubois, a Dutch scientist, discovered the bones of a primitive man believed to have lived between 300,000 and 500,000 years ago. Dubois named this early man Pithecanthropus Erectus, which means that he stood erect as men do today. This early man is usually called the Java Man.

Almost two thousand years ago, Java was occupied by Hindus from India. In Java you can still see the ruins of some of the magnificent religious monuments and palaces built by Indian princes.

About 550 years ago Mohammedan invaders conquered Java. Later it became the property of the Dutch.

Many times, I hear the phrase "grow up kid" and find it really ironic when it comes from the mouth of a child, especially over the internet. For example, when I intentionally troll kids on a Minecraft server, they always cry about my "your mom" jokes and "no u" replies. One of the benefits of being an adult is that you are smarter, obviously, and it usually is advantageous when dealing with funny kids.

An adult is a person who has reached maturity in bodily growth, mental development, or age--in other words, who is "grown up." Physiologically, the person must have achieved full growth and strength, and the age may vary with sex, race, and culture. Laws usually set the age at twenty-one and the effect is that the person attains to certain rights, such as voting, legal right to make contracts, etc. The age at which a person is considered adult has varied greatly among different people. In the United States, where the definition of an adult is made by the states, there has been much agitation since World War II to lower the age to 18 and some states have done so.

Wii U offers the Miiverse as a dedicated gaming network for members playing on the platform. There are a lot of advantages to using Miiverse. With the recent release of Camp Miiverse, the experience has gotten even better.

 

Dedicated Social Network

If you are a gamer and you want to be social, then chances are you are going to have a lot more fun talking to other gamers. This is one of the benefits of using Miiverse. Unlike other social media networks where some of you friends might be gamers, but your great aunt is too – you don’t have to worry about having to either stop and explain everything you are posting, or having a newsfeed that is full of posts that have nothing to do with the game you are currently in.

Closed Social Network

Miiverse is a closed social network. That means that you must be a member of Wii U to have an account. This has several different advantages, for one it means that other members are already there for the same reason. This will make for a better community environment. The other main advantage is it makes it easier to monitor behavior within the network. Wii U can be more responsive to player reporting than other companies who host more open networks.

Camp Miiverse

Camp Miiverse was introduced into the second year of the release of the console. It takes the concept of Miiverse and puts a specific structure on it that will help integrate it better into your games, and make your game play more exciting. One of the main features of Camp Miiverse is that it has a central area where challenges and contests are posted for different games. You then go to a delineated area reserved for that game to participate in the challenge. You can post your results, your profile; keep your favorite profiles up, share screen shots and more. Camp Miiverse also makes use of the ability to turn off Yeah! This makes your keeping up with your contest related posts easier to do.

Other Social Media Platforms

Nintendo isn’t as foolish as to think that Miiverse is going to replace any of the prominent social media networks for their members, so they did something very intelligent with the design of the Wii U. One of the dedicated channels available reaches out and integrates with the major social media platform such as Facebook and Twitter.

The idea isn’t to remove their members from other networks, but to give them a network that they can call their own and use as gamers. You won’t have to deal with any posts you don’t want to see or remarks and comments from non-gamers on your achievements. Miiverse gives you a place to be serious about your gaming with people with similar interests. You can meet up with everyone else on the other networks, but you can do it right from your console.

Much ado is being made of the lead game that Microsoft has chosen to bundle with their latest generation of the Xbox One. The Titanfall game is capturing the same fan base as Call of Duty, and bringing in people who have never played CoD. The game play is exciting, fast and interesting. It can be played as a solo game, but it really comes alive in the multi-player environment that the console is capable of delivering.

Titanfall comes from the same creators of Call of Duty. It is not a continuation of the Call of Duty scenario, although there are many elements of the overall game design that will be familiar. Titanfall is currently offered to new Xbox One buyers for free as a bundled game. It is available for purchase via distributors and online retailers for everyone else. Titanfall is getting a lot of attention form reviewers and players; it stands to claim most of the rewards over the coming years for leading game innovation and design.

From reviewers and payers Titanfall on Xbox One is landing full stars. As a single player or multi-player game it holds together well. There is nothing unexpected about the navigation and controls; they will remind you a great deal of its source of inspiration, Call of Duty. It also has some upgrades that would have made Call of Duty even better, but the game was already too far in evolution to be able to back engineer the upgrades for controls better.

Why are People Calling this the Next-gen in Gaming?

Game play in Titanfall takes the multi-player shooting game to its next level. The game moves quickly and smoothly with responsive controller movements and 360 sound and view capabilities. The in game voice communication system doesn’t interfere with the audio of the game so you don’t experience the drops that are common on lesser systems that can disrupt your concentration and performance. The look and feel of the game itself has been described as “cinematic immersion.” It looks and sounds like real time action and that can transform your excitement in playing. Even if first person shooters aren’t your thing, you will get swept up in the excitement of the play.

The Xbox One Difference

There is no other home gaming system available today that can carry the cinematic game design of Titanfall as well as Xbox One can. Having cut their teeth on the popular Call of Duty, the Titanfall designers have maximized every aspect of the game design for the hardware of the console. The networking system and multi-player capability that Microsoft has almost perfected through multiple Xbox One generations is at its right age to be able to handle the Titanfall demands. The addition of third party apps and a reliable Internet browser let you integrate your gaming experience and accomplishments with your social networks while also being able to find the tricks and tips you need fast.

We have seen the amazing 0 second glitch speed run of Pokemon Red/Blue in the past, and it was not so satisfying. However, a new world record for finishing Pokemon Red has been set at one hour and fifty minutes, as of this month! Run by Charlie "Exarion" Armitz, this speed run is simply amazing. Not only does he play well, his commentary explains every single detail of his techniques to achieve a quicker run time. He also compares specific parts with other people who ran the same part and explains why his is more efficient.

Picking Squirtle won't be a surprising pick for anyone, especially after he's has been proven by science to be the best starting pick. Exarion also clearly explains why he is the best pick as well.

One of the most interesting things about this speedrun is how intense it is. Instead of playing it "safe" and going to Pokemon centers and leveling like mad, the key to a successful speedrun is to keep your Pokemon's health at red and to move as quickly as possible. You might also want to check out "Werster", who finished at 1:51.

The Nintendo Wii U was released with a lot of hope and fanfare; early adopters found out quickly that it had one great downfall – a lack of games. The initial release featured all the usual Nintendo classic games, such as Super Mario Brothers and Nintendo Land, the problem is that these games weren’t up to maximizing the capability of the hardware and controllers of Wii U to make the console worth the cost. It had one of the lowest first year sales reporting’s of any recently released Nintendo console product.

What Went Wrong in its Freshman Year?

Wii U hit the drawing boards back in 2008 and was supposed to represent a culmination of the Wii line, integrating the Wii pad controllers with standard controllers, and the only then dreamed of Miiverse social network system. By the time it got close to its release date, gamers were excited to hear it was going to feature high definition graphics and extend play within the Nintendo Universe.

The full integration of the Miiverse made it promise to rival the Xbox communications system as well. Unfortunately, while the hardware was in great shape, the library of games that could be accessed with the Wii U wasn’t up to what it could do. Granted you could invest in optical discs for more solid play, the standard Nintendo games and graphics weren’t upgraded to match the high definition promise of the console system.

Is Wii U Still Viable?

The next year, it saw the release of Fatal Frame, Project Super Robot, Project Guard and a more fully integrated painting game. These games don’t just maximize the graphical capacity of the Wii U, but they have also been revamped or designed specifically to use the controller and consoles that make it potentially so great. The stylus integration, and the off network play capacity also are triggered with this next generation of games specific to this console.

What to Expect

Whether or not a gaming console that barely sold 3 million units in its first year will survive remains to be seen. Nintendo has a very loyal fan base for its Super Mario Bros and Legend of Zelda series and it is still working to build a strong fan base for the Wii activity games. The new games offer a hybrid of game styles that just might appeal to more users. The integration of stylus use and the activity sensor pad might make it appeal to parents with younger children that they want to be engaged with games, but to also maintain a higher level of activity.

Gamers from all walks of life are holding out for Wii U to graduate into the big leagues, brushing off the first year as just business as usual with companies rolling out products that are nowhere near ready to stand on their own. This second year may prove to be the jumpstart for Wii U that will put it at the top of everyone’s list.