The Sega Mega Drive Gaming Console

The Mega Drive was supported until 1998 in Europe, when Sega announced they were dropping support for it. It was discontinued along with its predecessor, the successful and long-lived Sega Master System, to allow Sega to concentrate on their newer console, the Saturn . The Mega Drive was much more popular in the US, on par and occasionally surpassing the popularity of the SNES. If they had a quality game, they'd definitely want to bring it out in the market where the system was seeing the greatest success. The Mega Drive was originally sold with a three button controller. It had a round digital directional pad, a start button and three buttons; A, B and C, which were arranged in a row.

The Mega Drive was basically the first 16 bit console I laid my hands on, the Saturn was underrated and suffered from poor outside support, but that didn't make it a bad console. Then there was the Dreamcast, which was . The Mega Drive was slow to catch on in Japan, as the installed user base of PC Engine was so large. Although the Mega Drive boasted superior graphics and sound, the absence of a CD-ROM drive was a definite minus in most gamers' minds. The Mega Drive was slow to catch on in Japan, as the installed user base of PC Engine was so large. Although the Mega Drive boasted superior graphics and sound, the absence of a CD-ROM drive was a definite minus in most gamers' minds.

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The Neo Geo was a 24-bit game system that played the same set of games at home and at the arcade. Owning a Neo Geo was like having an arcade in your house, so getting a new Neo Geo game had this special magic to it that you couldn't get from the Genesis or SNES. The Neo Geo was mainly famous for its state-of-the-art, one-on-one fighters, which were hugely popular in the early 90's. The system also made its mark with its intense shooters and over-the-top sports titles. The Neo Geo was the greatest 2D videogame console ever, despite the lack of titles and variety. Too bad the development community didn’t hop on the Neo Geo bandwagon, because there is no reason why the system couldn’t have delivered superiority in platform and role playing the way it dominated fighting.

The Neo Geo never became very popular because of it's incredibly high price at the time it was released, something like $700 for the system and $200 for games (each!). The Neo Geo was always a play-thing of the rich. The home console (known as the AES in Neo lingo) ran the same games as the arcade machines (usually called MVS), just in a different casing.

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From The First Console Through To The Nintendo Wii

The breakthroughs we have had in technology, has enabled us to evolve our entertainment environment. Today the majority of people rarely get time to entertain themselves. They suffer from the stress and strain of everyday life and hardly get time for recreational activities. Outdoor games are becoming less popular, especially during bad weather or thecolder seasons, and people tend to engage themselves in their mobile phones or other personal electronic devices for fun and entertainment. As such the electronic gaming market has come to drive all our gaming needs, enabling us to have a permanent entertainment system within the comfort of our own home. There are various game consoles that keep hitting the market at regular intervals. These consoles are affordable and have various user friendly features which are taking video gaming forward, towards a new era.

Gaming consoles were first introduced in the late 1960’s and have developed gradually. At around 1985 the "console game" market hit a low point as desktop computers along with hand held devices took over the popular market. This was of course until 8-bit machines and a company called Nintendo Entertainment System ,also known as NES burst on the scene with some Italian guys called Mario and Lugi Mario. Mario first appeared in the 1982 video arcade hit Donkey Kong, and became an overnight success and is still to this day a well known and iconic gaming character. He appeared again two years later in Mario Bros, his first title role. This game also introduced Lugi to the gaming world. Mario first came home on the Nintendo Entertainment System in Super Mario Bros, which is without doubt, of the biggest selling games to this day. This game introduced Mario into millions of homes around the world and made him a cultural icon equal to well known movie stars such as Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, and Tom Cruise. Besides, as well as all the games, he has been the star of three cartoon series and one major Hollywood film. In a 1991 poll, it was found more kids could identify a picture of Mario than Mickey Mouse.

The Xbox 360 is the most recent console from Microsoft. It is their high definition gaming console, and is extremely popular with serious gamers due to its online community. The console makes use of the IBM PowerPC chip. It has three processing chips which increases it's computational speed and allows the system to put HD video onto a HDTV. In terms of sound, it supports 5.1 Dolby digital so you can get crisp full surround sound when playing a games. The Xbox 360 has a HD DVD player that can be used as a DVD player for conventional DVD and HD DVD movies.

All of today’s gaming consoles have spurred a sequence of developed gaming accessory add-ons, with the majority of them manufacturered for the Nintendo Wii. The Nintendo Wii has a set of wii products built to provide more capabilities when playing games. Some of the accessories are as follows:

The Nunchuk is a product that can be plugged into the Wii remote. The unit has an analogue stick as well as two buttons and can be used in games such as Red Steel and Twilight Princess. Just like the Wii-mote, the Nunchuk also has motion sensors and allows gamers to perform specific character actions, by using their natural movement, such as a spinning slash attack. The Nunchuck is fast becoming one of the most popular Nintendo Wii Accessories available on the market.The Nintendo Classic Controller is an old skool style expansion controller that can be used with the Wii remote slotted in to play games by using a traditional game pad. It is to be used to play all kinds of games that are available on the Nintendo Wii platform. The controller basically fits around the Wii-mote in order to offer a control pad interface.

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Mario and Sonic At The Olympics Soft Sports Pack

Mario and Sonic at the Olympics was released towards the end of 2007 on Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. It was the first game in history to feature the Italian plumber and blue hedgehog in the same screen. It is an intense game where two old school heroes come together along with their allies and rivals to verse each other in a variety of Olympic sports. Mario and Sonic at the Olympics is a very, very good multiplayer game, and is great for parties, social gatherings or just to thrash it out with a friend. It is expected to be a huge seller and Sega believes that this game will sell 4 million units, equalling the feat of the original Sonic title released in 1991. Mario and Sonic at the Olympics can be fun, but some of the controls are a little too abstract so may just take a bit of getting used to for the ‘beginner’, but all in all, a pretty good game, which has a worthy place within the Wii’s hall of fame, for games.

Pair & Go has introduced a Mario and Sonic At The Olympics Soft Sports Pack which includes a Tennis, Baseball Bat, Sword, Golf club, Snooker Cue , Hammer Throw, Fencing Sword, Table Tennis Bat and a Wii remote holder. These are great fun and add a bit more realism to the game.

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Wii Play - A Simple Collection Of Games That Can Be Used With Sports Packs

Wii Play is a collection of nine simple games and is designed as a tutorial for using the Wii remote and will test the physical and mental reflexes of players of all ages. It is far more than just a collection of minigames, it is an extension of the console itself and should be the first port of call for all new Wii owners. Wii Play is probably a better title for non-gamers than it is for gamers and is one of the most Mii-heavy games yet. It is a fairly good introduction to Wii, that does fall down on occasion, and doesn’t really fills the boots of Wii Sports.

Possibly the best feature in Wii Play is the game's prominent and pervasive use of Miis, the simple, caricatured avatars native to the Wii. The game makes extensive use of these Miis, beginning with random characters parading around the background of the title screen and unlike their counterparts in Wii Sports, these Miis actually have arms.

Many of the mini-games included with Wii Play, such as Duck Hunt and Table Tennis, were first seen as technical demos at the E3 trade conference in May 2006, when the Wii was first revealed in playable form. Like Wii Sports, Wii Play does offer easy entree into playing video games and encourages those new to video gaming to give it a try.

You can also pick up a range of wii sports packs that can be used with Wii Play. These can edd more fun and excitement to the game, especially children. It is wise to opt for ones that are manufactured from a soft foam based material, as this keeps gameplay safe, and will unlikely result in a broken TV or a blackeye. Some of the kits available for the wii are a wii 4 in 1 pack which is ideal for Wii Sports, a 6 piece adventure pack, which is a great all-rounder as it includes a steering wheel and wii gun, and also an 8 in 1 sports pack which is ideal for Wii Olympics and Wii Play.

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Wii Sports And The Various Wii Sports Packs Available

Wii Sports is a sports game developed and produced by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console. It is a collection of five games packed with the Nintendo Wii to act as an introduction to the innovative features of the controller. Wii Sports is bundled with every Wii console and includes a compilation of 5 multiplayer games consisting of Tennis, Bowling, Baseball, Golf and Boxing. It is a bare bones, pick your spot, and go a few rounds kind of game and is basic in design with an appealing fun look. Wii Sports is tempting to all kinds of gamers, and non-gamers in general because of its instant accessibility, and it’s also a joy for the veteran gamer because of the innovative control method. It is just the start of a revolution but is neither bulging in features nor graphically impressive, but when you put everything together, you have a fun package that, although better in places than others, is varied enough to keep you entertained for a good while and brilliant in multiplayer mode.

Each of the five games require a different level of energy and skill. Tennis is the easiest game to pick up, and probably the most immediately gratifying. Tennis, like the others, is very pick up and play friendly and an enjoyable experience. It can be played with up to four people in a doubles game and is definitely one of the best games in the Wii Sports line up: simple, great for multiplayer, and lots of fun. You can even get some fantastic attachable tennis racquets that connect to your wii-motes. One of the best ones I have seen are actually made out of a high quality foam, which are safe to use, and are available in various wii sports packs.

Bowling can be played with four people sharing one Wiimote. It takes place in a standard bowling alley, complete with other Miis bowling on other lanes and is very true-to-form and is arguably the most accurately represented mini-game in Wii Sports. It is simple to play, and it’s probably the game that will open up the Wii to people who would normally never play video games. Bowling is the most user friendly and instantly accessible of all the Wii Sports.

The Boxing is the most active game on the Wii Sports disc and can be really tiring if you play it for a long period. It can be the most physically exhausting game of the five, since swinging your fists causes your fighter to do the same. It is also the only game in Wii Sports where you have to use both the Wii Nunchuck and Wii Remote in order to play the game. Boxing in Wii Sports also feels arcade-influenced, although the motion-sensing capability of the Wii seems a bit less accurate here possibly because of so much quick movement. You can now buy some quality padded wii boxing gloves, which add realism and brings you closer to the game.

Golf has arguably the most content and is the best looking game of the group, but it's mechanics are the hardest to use. It is another game that can be played with several people on one controller. The golf is perhaps the most challenging game on the disc, as learning the nuances of the golf swing and how the Wii's sensor bar really only detects the follow-through can make for a more frustrating time than playing the real game outside. It is the hardest game to master in Wii Sports. You can also get a golf extension with these sports accessory packs, so you feel you have a gold club in your hand, rather than a wii-mote.

The baseball consists of batting and pitching, with all of the fielding handled by the Wii. It is by far the longest of the Wii sports games and probably the hardest, as for many people, hitting the ball can be hard to master. Baseball can be played with two people, taking turns between batting and pitching. Again, a baseball extension is available in most of the wii sports accessory packs. These ‘Pair & Go’ sports packs are available from Gold Fusion Electronics, with a choice of 4 in 1, 6 in 1, 8 in 1, or a 15 in 1 pack.

All in all, a great starting game, and one all the family can enjoy!

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Wii Racing Wheel - Mario Kart And A New Alternative Steering Wheel

Mario Kart is a racing game using characters from the Super Mario Bros series and is a fantastic game that Nintendo brought out for the Wii. Mario Kart is back and better than ever--this time with a steering wheel. It is a racing game using characters from the Super Mario Bros series and has always been an incredibly accessible driving game that is stupidly easy to play.

The tracks are fully 3D and so are the karts themselves, with all your favourite characters returning to join in the fun. The tracks can be very basic, low poly, and soft, but everything still has a very appealing look to it, and we can see people both loving and hating the direction Nintendo took with the game.

Multiplayer is Mario Kart's lifeblood, and as you'd expect, the Nintendo Wii version offers a very solid set of options: two- to four-player split-screen, online racing with up to two players per machine, team racing, battle modes, and the excellent Mario Kart Channel for keeping track of your friends, ghost data, online rankings and Nintendo-created competitions. The play is expanded with added online capabilities, but still suffers from the obtuse Wii friend-code system. Multiplayer Mario Kart is, in a nutshell, an absolute blast.

Mario Kart Wii supports four different control options: Wii Remote with or without the Wii Wheel, Wii Remote and Nunchuk controller combo, Classic Controller and even the Nintendo GameCube controller. The racing style is awesome and fun, and the fact that you can use multiple controller types is great, and the racing is exciting with new players (Mii), carts, Bikes, and tracks. Along with other wii accessories, there is also a new, alternative wii racing wheel on the market for those people who cannot get away with the standard Mario Kart wheel. It is weighted,comes in two parts and is multi-directional. It is manufactured by Pair & Go and is available from Gold Fusion Electronics, online store.

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