Anyone that has been following the development will know that Junkster Wing used to be called Supernova Outlaws, but over the last few months the direction has been changing and pushing in a more unique direction. The old moniker just didn't really carry the descriptive vibe the game deserved. I think the new name gives a good feeling of what the game will ultimately be about.

Cool though they may be, I don't see technology like this replacing current mainstays like the joystick and keyboard/mouse. More likely, they will fall into the "add on" category like the gaming keypads and 6 button mice. 

That said, it is truely a piece of interesting technology and I look forward to playing with them in the future.

With sound, networking, a solid widely used gamepad interface, and excellent graphics capabilities the XNA platform seems ideal for small games development. The only reservations still present are against the relative immaturity of the community (as opposed to Ogre's which is superb) and the lack of distribution mechanisms. The distribution problem is slated to be resolved with a rating system within the developer community, but this just comes back to the other problem.

There is, still, a significant amount of community generated content for learning and using XNA, but I worry about the platform if it does not attract a higher concentration of mature developers. We shall see.

This sounds like a huge time saver in the long run, but right now its turning into a significant time sink.  I figure if this functionality would be useful in my personal project, it would likely be valuable to others as well, so I'm going to try to integrate it into Ogre.  Should also prove a useful exercise in using Ogre as well.

"The way I see it, on all real games, you're trying to get across some idea,” Wynn said. "(Role Playing Games) try to get across various political struggles, or something philosophical. I think you're always learning something in a game, even if it's just combat and layouts.

"We're just taking it a little bit further where the processes you're learning in the game aren't just applicable in the game. You can use them in real life.”

It's always entertaining to have your opinions syndicated.

As a video game itself, it falls short. The input is laggy, the menus are convoluted, and the gameplay could use some work. The only things that really seemed polished are the character animation and sound, but even some of the sounds seem out of place. If this is really the result of about 8 years/iterations of these games, I'm really quite puzzled by both the fact that it continues to sell and the fact that EA managed to get exclusive rights with it.

On a scale of 1 to 10, including gameplay and polish, I would give this game perhaps a Suck minus.

I shook the hand of the man who invented Tetris, saw Shigeru Miyamoto talk about Mario, and Eiji Aonuma talk about Zelda (both of these talks were nothing less than spectacular), and met the directors/developers of many studios who make some of my favorite games.  Most of the vendors/studios were giving out tons of swag; picked up numerous t-shirts, mugs, stickers, etc.  One of the things I got was a free copy of Madden 2007, which I will rant about later.

After talking to many recruiters and other developers I'm feeling much more marketable now.  Not necessarily in comparison to them, but in comparison to what they are looking for.  It really puts the industry in to a slightly more friendly and tractable perspective.

In short, the conference was an absolute blast. Will definitely have to make it a habit.

So lets recap some of the features of the Wii we already know. Revolutionary (not ment as a pun) new motion senseing controller, wireless connectivity (pretty standard at this point), ability to play a huge selection of old Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Sega Genesis, and TurboGrafix games along with lots of downloadable content.

Features recently reveiled include the WiiConnect24 service which allows the console to be connected to the internet and serve up content along with allow other people to interact with you EVEN WHEN THE CONSOLE IS TURNED OFF. They also released information about a more conventional controller which works along side the original that plugs in similarly as the joystick 'nanchaku', presumably for retro games. A new Light-gun has also been shown, but little has been said about it. Shigeru suggested a lot of very interesting ideas that Nintendo is working on for making the Wii and DS play together and also that the Wii's controller will have allow for customized experiences based on who is using it, that each member of the household could have their own personal controller.

As for games, a total of 16 Wii games have been announced and around half of them already have trailers available. There ones I'm anticipating the most are: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Metal Slug Anthology, Wii Sports, Super Mario Galaxy, WarioWare: Smooth Moves, and of course Smash Bros. Brawl. These games are so awesome, I dont feel I have to give them much description as the titles pretty much speak for themselves. And it is my understanding that most of these games will be using the new controller in new innovative ways too.

The DS has a long list of awesome games that are either out, or will soon be out, some of which I have already seen on the shelf here in Kyoto. The New Super Mario is absolutely fantastic looking and is now the guarantee that I will buy one very soon. Nintendo's dedication to pulling new gamers into the arena can definitely be seen here in Japan. There are a number of new 'brain games' that can be found, from learning English, to studying math and playing intellectual games like Sudoku. If they had a Kanji game I would buy it in a heart beat.

Nintendo may have its critics, but I think they will come out on top in the current console war. It's not a question of faster processors, and flashier graphics; it's a question of playability and enjoyability.

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