Nintendo is democratic

A new Wii channel was unveiled today. Titled Everybody Votes, it's apparently your chance to influence certain things by voting on polls. You can even post your own poll. Should be interesting if this actually leads up to anything. I think my first poll will be "Should Mario run over hookers?"....

Finally a truly great game for the PSP has arrived in Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. Too bad it's too little too late. The PSP is being absolutely slaughtered in the portable console wars by the DS, and the gap has only widened since Xmas. Granted, Sony may continue to promote the system out of sheer stubbornness and may even sell enough to justify keeping it in production, but this part of the console war is long over.

Nintendo is really stepping it up with the VC releases, as Kid Icarus, Ice Climbers & Kirby's Adventure all were released on Monday. I downloaded Kid Icarus immediately. My one complaint? Still using passwords is lame. There's no reason I shouldn't be able to just save my progress. Nintendo literally went to the trouble of making up all new passwords, so don't tell me they couldn't have gone a step further and just allow us to save the damn thing.

What is Xbox Live countering with this week? Paperboy. Now granted, this is a certifiable arcade classic, but like most arcade classics, you take away the quater-gobbling (and possibly being drunk) and it has aged pretty badly and is good for no more than a quick nostalgia trip at best.

For those desperately searching for spare Wii controllers, your wish has been granted. Sort of. Wii Play is out this week. It's basically a bunch of mini-games like Wii Sports, with a remote thrown in for 50 bones. Normally not a bad combination, but unlike Wii Sports the general consensus is that these minigames royally suck and the fact that they didn't throw a nunchuck controller into the deal just makes it all the more auspicious a purchase. Really, I'd skip it entirely unless you are completely desperate for extra Wii Remotes.

Finally, stalking someone special for V-Day? What better way to cement that restraining order than with an extremely creepy Nintendo-Themed Valentine!