Donkey Kong, a gorilla and one of the more notable characters in Nintendo’s stable, returns bananas and all in this hit for the Nintendo Wii.

Unlike other heroes, Donkey Kong‘s justification for trampling through levels such as tropical islands and abandoned mines is not to save the world. It is to get back his tasty bananas, stolen by a motley crew of memorably funny enemies such as crabs and ostriches.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a tough but fair platformer. Players guide Kong as he jumps along precarious ledges or rolls quickly past dangerous pits of lava using the Wii-Mote. Since Kong’s a gorilla, his gravity and momentum make for a character that lumbers along.

While realistic, it is also initially frustrating. Dying unintentionally is never fun. Once I got used to controlling the simian, though, I found that the only deaths that occurred later were mine to blame.

And if you really get stuck in a stage, an aged gorilla helpfully offers to complete the level and even boss fights, for you.

Visually, the game is fantastic and really pushes the Wii platform to the limits. There is always something going on, such as a pirate ship in the background firing cannons at Kong, or the flickering of torches lighting the way in the mineshaft.

Nostalgic gamers will be pleased to know that the soundtrack is a remix of the original game from Super Nintendo. It sounds fantastic and is never out of place.

Dozens of challenges such as collecting the K-O-N-G letters scattered in each level add to the replayability.

While the game offers a cooperative mode, this is actually a trap. Its already challenging levels of crumbling floors and swaying ledges becomes nigh-unplayable when two players try to do it concurrently. It is possibly one of the only low points of the game.

Click for more offer: Donkey Kong Country Returns Action/Adventure games on Nintendo Wii.

The latest instalment of the Kirby series proves that games on the Nintendo Wii can look good even though the console does not support high-definition graphics.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn has our little pink hero stuck in Patch Land, where everything, including Kirby and other characters, are made of materials that you can find at a sewing craft store.

The game is a fantastic visual treat. Its development team has made clever use of virtual felt, cloth, buttons and lengths of yarn to create a very interactive game environment. The textures of materials used in the graphics set are so beautifully displayed, they look almost real.

Like the previous games in the series, gamers take control of Kirby and try to navigate through various stages while defeating enemies.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn

This time, however, the rotund pink creature with a penchant for swallowing its enemies and inheriting their powers, lacks this much-loved skill.

So players have to defeat their enemies by wrapping them with a length of yarn and then throwing the ensnared adversaries against a wall or other objects.

However, Kirby can transform into various things such as a fire truck, parachute or even a dolphin. This transformation ability not only makes up for the lack of Kirby’s inability to inherit the enemy’s powers, it also plays an important role in helping players solve puzzles in the game.

Each of the stages in Kirby’s Epic Yarn is filled with plenty of things to discover, although the gameplay comes across as a tad too easy. It is impossible to die and get a game over screen in Epic Yarn. If you lose, you simply start the stage all over again.

The challenge here is to try to get a high enough score to win in-game medals. Getting the gold medal for certain stages can be a challenge and this is where seasoned gamers are tested on their skills.

Aside from the impressive single player gameplay, cooperative gaming also shines in Epic Yarn. Your partner will assume the role of Prince Fluff, who helps Kirby in a quest to save his kingdom of Patch Land.

Having two players navigate the same stage together makes completing tasks much easier and adds loads of fun. Players can swing their partner towards hard to reach spots to uncover hidden items.

Once you have completed all the stages, there are still plenty of collectibles and side quests to complete. Be entertained for hours in what surely qualifies as one of the best Wii titles in 2010.

Continue for more: Kirby’s Epic Yarn

Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board

The Nintendo Wii is the least powerful game console in this round-up, and also the only one that does not offer high-definition graphics.

However, it first popularised the idea of using motion and hand movements to play games. Wii games require the use of the Wiimote controller accompanied by plenty of hand actions or movement.

Some games require the additional Remote Controller & Nunchuck accessory that connects to the Wiimote.

Although the Wii does not offer the wide range of hardcore shooters and graphics-intensive games like Final Fantasy XIII, it is the only console that offers games with popular characters like Mario and Pokemon.

The sequel to the Nintendo Wii fitness game, Sports Active will be available on all three consoles.

It comes with new exercises and a heart-rate monitor which you can strap to your left forearm. This addition – which shows your pulse on-screen as your move your body – should prove a hit with fitness buffs.

The name of this game sounds terribly unexciting, so it is just as well that EA has hired soccer star David Beckham as the game’s ambassador to beef up its sex appeal.

The first exercise game to have a heart-rate monitor, this is a huge plus for fitness fans who need to exercise within their optimum heart-rate zones. The Xbox 360 version is the one to look out for as it will make use of the Kinect motion sensor which tracks your entire body and lets you exercise hands-free without the need to be tethered to a controller.

Try out EA Sports Active now.

When I first heard about the hard-to-find Revolution for DS (aka R4)-an unofficial cartridge used for hacking the Nintendo DS handheld game machine-I was intrigued. But I heard all the buzz, too: “It lets you play pirated DS games. Just copy files from a computer to a microSD card, and then pop that into the R4.” I’m no pirate-I support all the guys who make my games! So I was determined to steer clear.

Yet the R4 isn’t just a hot key to pirate booty. The homebrew community has latched on to the elusive, illicit device too. Independent game designers are crafting their own DS software and sharing their work freely with the world. Sudoku puzzles. Adventure titles. Even arcade-worthy shooting games. Heck, folks have made Web browsers, photo viewers, MP3 players, and e-book readers too.

Now I must admit my “dark deed”: I caved and bought an R4. Following is just a small taste of the cool homebrew programs I’ve discovered since then.

Arcade action: Geo Wars is a really fast and addictive free shooting game that has you piloting around an arena, shooting anything that gets in your way. Into racing? Then you need to see Whee DS, a 3D space-racing game that looks like a low-fi take on the classic WipeOut.

Puzzle games: StillAliveDS is a 2D tribute to the popular PC action-puzzle game Portal. It’s fully playable on the DS’s touch screen. If you like old-school puzzles where you push blocks around a room, then Caisses DS has you covered. Do you prefer sudoku? Skinz Sudoku, by Mollusk Games, is a well-polished brain bender.

Adventure games: The old Lone Wolf book series is being converted into DS games, where you have an inventory, roll a die, make choices, and battle enemies. These are amazing-looking, professional efforts. Another freeware choice is ScummVM, which gives you access to some classic PC adventure titles, ported to just about every platform available, including the DS.

Media player: Though Nintendo’s revamped DSi has been out in Japan since November, Americans won’t get to enjoy its new features-including a slimmer profile, a VGA camera, and music playback via internal memory or an SD Card-until well into 2009.

But though we don’t necessarily condone it, the reality is tnat geeky gamers have long enjoyed music playback on the Nintendo DS. One method of doing so is to use MoonShell, a homebrew media player that supports MP3, Ogg Vorbis, and AAC files (the DSi supports only AAC).

So is the R4 a legitimate tool or a violation of Nintendo’s EULA? In late July 2008, Nintendo and 54 other companies sued the cartridge’s maker, demanding that production cease in Japan, under that country’s Unfair Competition Prevention Law. Tom Buscaglia, a lawyer who specializes in video game issues, believes that the R4 will likely end up being blocked in the United States. But the genie is out of the bottle: R4 clones have begun appearing.

I don’t think Nintendo is the bad guy herepiracy is. We just need to find a middle ground that’ll protect intellectual property. Homebrew shouldn’t be a crime. I can only hope that companies relent and that someone, someday will allow for a truly open platform. Oh, wait- we have one already. It’s called a PC. Just Google places such as TIGSource.com and IndieGames.com, and you’re knee-deep in innovative, independent games. No crime, no punishment.

Source: PC World Jan 2009

A Guide of What’s Available for Nintendo’s Wii System

If you haven’t heard of Nintendo’s Wii system, we have just one question for you. Where have you been?! This hot new gaming system made its debut right at the time when Microsoft’s new Xbox hit the market. But what makes this system so popular is that it’s the first system that incorporates virtual reality in the living room. That, in addition to Nintendo’s dedication to producing gaming material for that entire family as opposed to the complex games that we have on the market today.

This article describes some of the accessories and games available that everyone can enjoy.

The Wii System
Welcome back to family fun with this console. For only $249, the entire family can enjoy time’s treasured games and physically interact with them using Nintendo’s unique wrist-strapped controller. Anyone at any skill level can get in on the fun with this new machine and it comes with a free Wii Sports game cartridge.

Wii Accessories
If you’re still old school and you prefer to use the classic Nintendo style controller, no need to fret. They’re still available and they cost no more than $19.99. But if you can’t wait to try out the Wii Remote, get one or two or three at only $40 each. The Wii Nunchuk Controller will run you about $19.99, however both the Nunchuck and Remote controller will give you hours of fun as you swing your way through your favorite games.

Of course, all that gaming could warrant the purchase of the Wii Air Cooler or the Wii Charge Station. And you certainly don’t want to quit a game without saving your place! You can buy a 1GB SD Memory Card or 2GB SD Memory Card made by SanDisk, and pick up the fun where you left off at a later time.

To make sure your Wii console fits snuggly into the back of your television, you can buy a pack of Wii Component Video Cable .

Wii Games
Looking for games? We’ve separated this part of our guide into two sections: one for children and one for adults. Use caution when purchasing Wii games for players under 18 years of age.

FOR CHILDREN:
Excite Truck $49.99
Wario Ware: Smooth Moves $49.99
Super Paper Mario $19.99
Bionicle $49.99
Sonic and the Secret Rings $49.99
Cooking Mama: Cook Off $49.99
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 $49.99

FOR ADULTS:
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess……$49.99
Medal of Honor Vangaurd………………………$49.99
The Godfather: Blackhand Edition…………..$49.99
Mario Party 8
Legend of the Dragon
Mortal Combat Armageddon
Scarface: The World is Yours