Platform: Wii
Price: R450
Verdict: Next-level Mario.

One of the best days of my life, as a kid, was being 10 years old and using saved up pocket money to buy a Famicom (Japanese NES) 8-bit console. I had enough cash to get two games with it and chose Goonies and Super Mario Brothers. I had played Atari and other early consoles but the NES was a milestone and Super Mario set the stage for a new era in console gaming. Anyone old enough to remember MacGyver, The A Team and Airwolf will likely also have some nostalgia attached to Mario. But you don’t have to be a child of the eighties to appreciate Super Mario Galaxy 2 which once again raises the bar for platform games. (more…)

Exclusive distributor of Nintendo in South Africa, The Core Group says that the Nintendo DSi XL portable gaming console will be available locally by the end of April.

The DSi XL has two 4.2″ screens that are 93% bigger than the screen on the Nintendo DS Lite. It also has a larger pen-like stylus whereas most of the DS Lite left you feeling fat-fingered as it was clearly developed with 5-year-olds in mind.

Core says it will launch the DSi XL in two colours – wine red and dark brown, with a glossy sheen on top and matt finish on the underside for gripping onto tables and other surfaces.

The new console also comes pre-loaded with two Nintendo DSiWare software titles – Dr Kawashima’s: Little Bit of Brain Training: Arts Edition and Dictionary 6 in 1, as well as the Nintendo DSi Browser.

The DSi XL also has a camera that can be used for video chatting and putting your mug into games, amongst other things.

Core has not confirmed pricing yet.

Nintendo’s black Wii is on its way to South African shores, just in time for Christmas. Local distributor The Core Group says that stock is expected to be available from 20 November.

The limited edition black version of the insanely popular console will come in a bundle with a Wii Remote, Wii MotionPlus, Nunchuk and copies of  Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. All the hardware is black. Like my soul.

The recommended retail price for the bundle in SA is R2900 and the international price is expected to be around $289.

Core is also bringing in all of the black accessories for the Wii. You wouldn’t want a black Wii with white remotes. That shit will get you beat up at school.

As a kid I had a burning desire to own a portable gaming console as awesome as my Sega Mega Drive (called ‘Genesis’ in the US). There was something enormously appealing to me about being able to move around unhindered, with the ability to express my infatuation for gaming wherever I was. Sega played to this desire with a product it launched in 1995 called the Nomad. Not only was it the coolest thing I bought in the 90s, but in my opinion remains the most awesome portable gaming platform ever invented. The Nintendos and Sonys of the world would do well to consider what made the Nomad great – because, frankly, it kicks the DS and PSP for unmitigated awesomeness.

(more…)