The amazing popularity of the Nintendo Wii game system has led to the development of a series of games designed to take advantage of the Wii's highly interactive nature. 

 

One of the most popular titles currently available for the Wii is the latest version of the DDR series known as Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party. In this game, participants are asked to use their feet to match the moves being presented on screen. The moves appear on the screen in the form of directional arrows. Using the Wii dancing mat that is part of the game, players use their feet to step in the direction indicated by the on-screen arrows.

 

Part of playing the DDR game on the Wii requires that individuals purchase a mat that is used to perform the moves asked for by the game. In most cases, the Wii dancing mat is included with the DDR game as part of a bundle package. However, the Wii dancing mat can be purchased separately in order to allow for two players to dance off against each other. 

 

Besides being used to play the DDR game, the Wii dancing mat ends up being a larger version of a traditional controller. The directional arrows screened onto the plastic mat can be used in a similar fashion to the directional pad on a traditional game controller. Players can use the arrows on the Wii dancing mat to operate and control the menu and options features much like they would with a traditional controller. 

 

Made out of a soft, durable plastic material, the Wii dancing mat is ready to take on all of the action associated with playing the DDR game. Players can jump, hop, tap and skip on the pad as they play the game – much like they would on the arcade version of the game, without worrying about the mat tearing or ripping. Manufacturers recommend that individuals not jump on the mat with shoes on, as the soles of certain types of footwear can cause it to tear. They also recommend that players not wear socks while playing, as the mat can become slippery during play. The cautions however, take nothing away from the mat in terms of its use while playing the game. Just like the arcade version, players simply use their feet to apply pressure onto a specific directional arrow on the pad in order to carry out the desired moves.

 

The mat is durable enough to be jumped on, yet thin enough to be easily folded and stored once its time to put the game away. Overall, fans of the DDR game will find that the Wii dancing mat effectively replicates many of the conditions associated with the larger arcade version of the DDR game. In most cases, it ends up being a smarter choice, as it is more cost-effective to purchase the mat then to pay $1 per game at the arcade. Additionally, the mat's portability allows it to be easily transported from room to room, or house to house, for your next DDR dance off.     

 

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As far as first person shooter games go, very few tend to compete with some of the gaming industry giants like Quake, Half-Life and the ever-popular Halo series. However, one game that has been happily accepted by fans of this particular genre is Bioshock for the XBOX 360.

 

Without all of the talk and hype that have surrounded some of the other more popular first-person shooters, Bioshock for the XBOX 360 really delivers, both in terms of visuals and in terms of overall gameplay. In fact, it is the hype around other similar games that have allowed this one to slip by all but those who are truly in the "know" of the gaming industry.

 

Although many of the storyline elements of Bioshock for the XBOX 360 are found in other similar games, there is a unique quality to Bioshock that really helps it carve out its very own niche in a truly competitive market and genre. Though the game play is relatively similar to that of other games of the same style, Bioshock truly stands out when it comes to background and environmental design. The game's developers truly went out of their way to bring a certain level of realism to the game. Set in the 1940's, Bioshock developers use top-of-the-line graphics to literally immerse players in an art deco city built underwater.

 

The game begins with a plane crash that leads to the discovery of an underwater utopian city known as Rapture. The city of Rapture, turns out, was built to serve as a perfect society for some of the world's top minds. However, some of the scientific experiments that were taking place in the city, along with an almost-obvious internal conflict, have led to the downfall of the city. When the main character arrives in the city of Rapture, he finds that it has been taken over by genetic mutants, and dangerous security forces.

 

The fun begins when the main player enters the city, and is faced with deciding to either help himself or the people of the former utopia. Creativity is not lacking during game play, as players are given the ability to hack into certain machines and even take control of security gun stations. Items found throughout the game also allow players to upgrade and customize their weapons for use against a particular enemy or in a particular area of the game. In addition to the standard upgrades and customizations, players can also use the same technology that led to the downfall of the city to genetically modify their own body in order to gain an advantage over the enemies and challenges faced throughout various areas of the game.

 

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The popularity and interactive nature of the Nintendo Wii has caused competitors to develop similar games for their systems. Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action for the XBOX 360 is one of the newly released games designed to emulate the family-oriented nature associated with the Wii.

 

Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action for the XBOX 360 goes beyond the board game version of trivia game, pitting friend against friend in an all-out digitally interactive competition to see who knows more about movies and actors. With close to 1,800 questions that have never appeared on any Scene It? version, as well as newly downloadable content to ensure that the questions and the game play always remain fresh and fun, the latest version of Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action for the XBOX 360 promises to be the best version yet.

 

Included with the latest version of Scene It? are four wireless controllers known as Big Button Pads that are used as buzzers during the game, effectively eliminating any arguments about who raised their hand first to answer a question. The controllers are included with the XBOX version of the game, so there is also no need for game owners to purchase the controllers individually and at an added cost. 

 

Adding to the overall experience of the XBOX version of Scene It? is an assortment of movie clips (some in high definition), as well as an XBOX-controlled feature known as Gameplay Balance that makes sure the game stays equally competitive throughout the game. Also a part of the XBOX version of Scene It? is a feature that makes sure questions are not repeated until the entire game has been played through, making the playing experience that much more unique each time.

 

Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action for the XBOX 360 also boasts several other fun features like new puzzle challenges and different game types, including one game where players attempt the guess the title of a movie based on a given list of actors and characters, and another game that is a part of Scene It? asks participants to guess the title of a movie based on a drawing made by a little kid.

 

Overall, the XBOX version of Scene It? delivers on all of its promises. The game is in fact fun for the entire family, or at least the group of friends that you will invite over to play the game. With the addition of the four wireless controllers, many of the problems that are often associated with trivia or game show-style games are easily eliminated, since everyone who plays is given an equal chance to answer questions with the simplicity of the wireless controllers. The content of the game is updated and different from older versions of the game, and the fact that the material (questions, screenshots and clips) can be updated through an online connection ensures that the game play will always be relatively fresh and new. With the Nintendo Wii dominating the interactive game play market, it is refreshing to see that the competitors are trying to do their part to keep customers of their systems well satisfied.    

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Nintendo has been known as an innovator in the video game industry ever since the early days when the Nintendo Entertainment System began to revolutionize gameplay with memorable characters, user-friendly game play, and innovative controls. Nintendo’s light gun for example, was necessary for playing several games including the very popular Duck Hunt game.

 

Today, Nintendo continues to revolutionize the gaming industry with its newest system known as the Nintendo Wii. What makes the Nintendo Wii so innovative is the fact that it uses dual-wireless controllers on most, if not all, of its games. With a sensor bar as part of the system, the Wii is able to respond to players’ movements and consequently register the movements as movements on the game screen. In several Wii sports games, players can literally swing the Wii Remote in order to cause the character on the screen to swing a bat or a tennis racket.

 

The Nintendo Wii is actually compatible with four different controllers, including the Classic Controller which is similar to the controllers used on the original NES, Gamecube Controllers, Wii Remote Controllers, and the Wii Nunchuk Controller.

 

The Wii Nunchuk Controller is the most interesting controller of the bunch. It cannot actually be used independently, as it must be connected to its own individual Wii Remote, it does however serve as a unique control option for certain Nintendo Wii games. Like the Wii Remote, the Wii Nunchuk Controller has a sensor to respond to the Wii’s sensor bar, but it also has an analog stick and two buttons. 

 

 

In the two boxing games that are currently out for the Wii, the Wii Nunchuk Controller can be used with the Wii Remote to allow players the opportunity to interact with the game by actually throwing punches while holding the controllers in their hands. In games that feature shooting options, the Wii Nunchuk Controller can again be used to control the movement of the character, while the Wii Remote can be used to fire the character’s weapons in a more natural fashion. Sports games are also made more interactive with the Nunchuk, as again players can use the Nunchuk to control the movement of the digital players while using the Wii Remote to actually throw the ball. 

 

The Nunchuk is intended to give a player increased performance in certain games. The overall purpose of the Wii Nunchuk Controller is to allow the user to control the movement of a character with one controller, and various other actions with the other controller. Adding to the usefulness of the Nunchuk is the fact that it is designed to be used in either hand, depending on the individual user. There are some games on the Wii that cannot be played without the Nunchuk controller; however most games can be played just as easily with the Wii Remote alone. Most Wii gamers have found that the Nunchuk controller does in fact add to the playability and overall experience of playing Wii games, and as a result have gladly added the Wii Nunchuk Controller to their arsenal of Wii weapons.

 

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It is difficult to imagine that any game on any system could effectively live up to the hype that Halo 3 for the XBOX 360 received months before it was even released. Gamers began lining up outside their local electronic stores days before the game was released just to boast about being one of the first to take on the third installment of the popular first-person shooter.

 

When the packaging was torn and the game was loaded, very few people were disappointed with what they were presented with. Though the concept and the game play of Halo 3 are not very different from the previous two versions, what the developers at Bungie and Microsoft were able to do is to successfully build upon many of the features that made the previous two version of the game so popular and successful. The old idea of "If it ain't broke, why fix it?" certainly applies to this game, and Microsoft did an excellent job of avoiding too much tampering with a concept that has already proven successful.

 

For starters, Halo 3 for the XBOX 360 offers player the most enthralling and captivating storyline of the entire trilogy. The game's main character, Master Chief, is back to finally finish the fight that began in the very first installment of Halo. In this third and possibly final version of the game, all seems lost as the forces meant to defend the Earth are battered and close to defeat. The game's popular character Cortana remains a captive of the Flood, and a civil war continues to rage within the evil Covenant. In the end, it is up to each individual player to do his or her as Master Chief to destroy Earth's enemies and keep the human race from being destroyed.

 

In addition to the storyline, Halo 3 for the XBOX 360 also features high definition graphics, enhanced artificial intelligence, new and more destructive weapons, new characters, and all-new challenges that all work to make the game a completely new experience that though similar to earlier versions of the game, can still stand on its own merits.

 

The multiplayer, online experience that made the game so popular with gamers remains, but it has been expanded and improved upon from the previous versions of Halo. The social nature of Halo 3 for the XBOX 360 seems to be the popular way to go with most of today's games, and with good reasons. Players want to be able to compete against something other than the game's artificial intelligence, and Halo 3 certainly and without question, delivers. Though many things have changed in Halo 3, some for the better and some for the worse, players can rest assured that developers still left them with the option of enjoying hours of playing with or against their friends from all over the world.

 

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