Friday, November 30, 2012

Caffeinated Thoughts on the Wii U

How many beans can you count?
Coffee Beans
So, the Saturday night before the Wii U released on the 18th, I attempted to find a Wii U at a midnight release in town, but having no such fortune I ended up just getting our reserved Wii U system on Sunday as was originally planned.

I brought the Wii U home, but didn't start setting it up until a few hours later (about 3:30PM), after making sure the Beans were down for their naps.

With almost 2 weeks with the Wii U system now, what do I think about it? Brew yourself some coffee, probably a whole pot for this post, and let's take a look!

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Watch the Wii U game prices.


Coffee Beans
I went to the Wal-Mart closest to our house earlier tonight to see how their electronics section is handling the Wii U launch, and to see if by any chance they are doing a midnight release. They aren't doing a midnight release for the system, but while I was browsing the video game section I spotted a few Wii U games already out, with prices listed for each.

If you are heading to Wal-Mart tonight (or this week) to try and grab a Wii U and are planning on picking up Scribblenauts Unlimited make sure to bring a price match ad from perhaps Target, or an online scan from Amazon.com. Wal-Mart had the game listed at $59.96, but Target.com, Amazon.com, and a Game Stop store tonight all have Scribblenauts Unlimited for the Wii U now with a list price of $49.99, instead of the $59.99 (or $59.96).

So, if you're going out Wii U shopping this next week, make sure to watch game prices across a few different sites to make sure you are getting the best deals for your money.

If you haven't seen the newest Wii U commercials for Scribblenauts Unlimited yet, here's one of them:

Questions
Are any of you planning on buying Scribblenauts Unlimited with the Wii U, and if you have played the past Scribblenauts games, do you think a 3.5 year old would enjoy them?

You can see Scribblenauts Unlimited on Amazon.com below with the lower list price:

Caffeinated Thoughts on the Wii U GamePad (demo unit).


Coffee Beans & Brew
There have been Wii U demo stations popping up in Best Buy, Game Stop, and even Wal-Mart stores around the U.S. for the last several weeks. We ventured out a few weeks back, but didn't find a Wii U demo station on our first attempt.

This past Monday afternoon, after checking Nintendo's Wii U demo locator, I ventured out to a Best Buy to give one a try. Upon entering the Best Buy the Wii U demo station was easy to spot in the middle of the store with the Wii U logo being lit up on top, helping draw attention to the unit. The Wii U demo unit on display was the white Wii U console and GamePad, which I believe is the standard color for the demo stations.

What did I think of my short time with the Wii U and the Wii U GamePad? Brew yourself some coffee and read my thoughts on the GamePad, and even find out one thing I found to be uncomfortable about the GamePad!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Rabbids went home? Rabbids find a new home! Rabbids Go Home data report.


Coffee Beans
The Rabbids will be finding a new home this Sunday in North America, when the Wii U launches and they start invading the console through Rabbids LAND; but the Rabbids have had a home on the Wii for the last several years.

Rabbids Go Home was released on November 3, 2009 for the Wii, at a MSRP of $49.99. It was the Rabbids' first comedy-adventure, according to Ubisoft, and players helped the Rabbids collect junk in their attempt to make a ladder of sorts, to the moon. The game was developed by Ubisoft Montpellier, and received an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE 10+" with "Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Tobacco Reference" listed as content for gamers and parents to be aware of.

How many U.S. Wii owners have reported playing Rabbids Go Home, and how many hours have they reported trying to help the Rabbids get home? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Call of Duty? Conduit? GoldenEye? Metroid? What is the most played FPS Wii game in the U.S.?


The Roast
The Wii has had a variety of first-person shooter (FPS) games released during the last 6 years, some of the more popular Wii FPS titles you can see in the image above. With more than 20 FPS games released for the Wii, at least 10 have had online multiplayer, while some have been more single player focused like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Red Steel 2.

What is the most played FPS game on the Wii in the United States, according to the overall total hours reported and the average hours reported "Per person" on the Nintendo Channel? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

Friday, November 9, 2012

Nintendo's U.S. Wii U TV advertising. Marketing genius, or marketing failure?



Coffee Beans
There are now four official Wii U commercials for the United States. There is the official "Wii U Advertising Campaign Launch Video", which is the only one minute Wii U commercial so far; and New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, and SiNG Party each have their own 30 second commercial.

The U.S. Wii U commercials have received mixed reactions from fans, and for various reasons: the music, the presentation, the information (or lack thereof). The video above is the slightly updated version of my original updated version of Nintendo's "Wii U Advertising Campaign Launch Video", that Nintendo of America revealed last Thursday.

Do the U.S. Wii U commercials do a good enough job at addressing the fact that the Wii U is a brand new console, with a brand new controller? Will the way that each U.S. commercial is worded be a genius marketing strategy, or a marketing failure? Brew yourself some coffee and hit the jump to take a look at the commercials, and specifically listen to the way the Wii U is talked about in each commercial.

Coffee Shop - Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition for $9.99 (PS3, 360, PC)


Coffee Beans
If you have been interested in Fallout 3, but have never bought it, now may be a great time to grab it. The Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC is currently on sale for just $9.99.

The game is eligible for Amazon.com's "FREE Super Saver Shipping" which applies to orders totaling over $25, and is also eligible for free shipping for Amazon Prime members.

If you have played Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, do you recommend one over the other?

You can purchase the Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition for the PlayStation 3, HERE. The Xbox 360 version, HERE. The PC version, HERE. Or, by clicking on their boxes below:

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Coffee Bean Counting: Which launch Wii U Ubisoft game(s) are you interested in?


Coffee Beans
Which Wii U third party publisher will have the most games when the system launches on November 18th? From my count, Ubisoft. As of now, Ubisoft will have six games available to purchase when the Wii U releases, with a few more games being published for the system before the end of March 2013.

The last Coffee Bean Counting poll ended last week, and which Ubisoft Wii U launch title had the most votes? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Vote? Don't vote? Gamers vote? Everybody votes? Did you vote? Everybody Votes Channel Data Report


Coffee Beans
Today, November 6, 2012, is the general election in the United States, and many Americans will be going to cast votes for the next President of the United States, if they haven't already.

The Everybody Votes Channel was released on February 13, 2007 for the Nintendo Wii and was (and is) available as a free Wii Channel download from the Wii's Shop Channel. If you own a Nintendo Wii, you have the opportunity to participate in weekly votes through the Everybody Votes Channel. The questions are usually simple, such as one this week being something like, "Do you feel small when looking at stars?", and they have been consistently updated.

How many hours have U.S. Wii owners reported voting through the Everybody Votes Channel with over 5 years of data possibly reported? Brew yourself some coffee on this general election day, and let's take a look!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Nintendo's U.S. Wii U Commercials, and updated Coffee "Launch Video" version


Coffee Beans
This past Thursday, November 1st, Nintendo showed its first Wii U launch video produced for the United States. They released a New Super Mario Bros. U commercial and a SiNG Party commercial, both Wii U games, last week as well.

The official launch video has received very mixed reactions. Some Nintendo fans think it's okay, and that it will do okay with multiple viewings. Others think it's pretty bad at conveying what the Wii U is and what the Wii U is about, and aren't fans of the music chosen for it.

If you missed the new Wii U launch video an commercials last week for the U.S., brew yourself some coffee and hit the jump to see them below, as well as my updated version of the first official "Wii U Advertising Campaign Launch Video"!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Coffee Shop - The Last Story for $8 on Amazon.com!


Coffee Beans
The title says it all really, The Last Story is currently on sale for only $8.00 on Amazon.com! I just did the debut data report on the game not even 2 weeks ago, which you can read HERE.

For $8.00, if you're like the average Wii owner that has reported data from the game, you should be able to expect at least around 18 hours of gameplay from The Last Story.

If you have been interested in the game, now is probably the best time to grab it if you wanted it, or are thinking about giving it as a birthday or Christmas gift this year. You can buy it now and just leave it in your collection of games as an incomplete game if you have a big backlog of games, which is not necessarily a bad thing; and if you grab it on sale that means there is more money, for more coffee in your pot!

Grab it while you can, HERE (and below), as I'm guessing this sale won't last long!

Friday, November 2, 2012

October Brewed - Coffees Consumed, Games Played, & Site Notes


Coffee Beans
October has vanished like Halloween candy from a kid's basket! If you skimmed here occasionally during October, here are some posts you might have missed:
     1) Is Okami for the PS3 worth $20? How many hours can you expect from Okami? Data Report
     2) Can the Wii U GamePad be charged with a USB port on the console? Nintendo answers, sort of...
     3) Nintendo says no, then yes, now no AGAIN on LEGO City: Undercover's multiplayer feature.
     4) New Super Mario Bros. U to have online multiplayer? "Online Interactions Not Rated..."
     5) What is the most played Just Dance Wii game?
     6) STAY CALM! Wii U's Miiverse details before launch, & all Wii U features and functionality ready at launch? Nintendo's Bill Trinen and Scott Moffitt
     7) "Black Ops II will just be on Wii U", Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 not releasing for the 3DS, DS, or Wii.

November is now brewing, and what coffees did I consume and games did I play during October? Brew yourself some coffee and let's take a look!

Coffees Consumed
Maxwell House coffees were the main coffee blends for us in October, with us finishing off a Maxwell House Gourmet Roast blend container, as well a Maxwell House 100% Colombian blend.

Another coffee that we brewed quite often in October, one Mrs. Coffee gave me as one of my birthday gifts, was the Gevalia Espresso Roast. The name says it all really, "Espresso Roast" and it is a nice, super dark, roast. I enjoyed it a great deal, but it was a tad too strong for Mrs. Coffee's liking.


Games Played
The skimmer list for games I played in October is: Super Mario 64, Super Mario World, Rage of the Gladiator, New Super Mario Bros. DS, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mutant Mudds, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, Double Dragon Neon, Punch-Out!!, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, BIT.TRIP COMPLETE, Mario Kart Wii, and LittleBigPlanet.

All Super Mario Games - I'm still playing these with Bean 1, randomly. The Mario game(s) he selects to play can vary each day, but in October Super Mario 64 was a favorite of his, as well as New Super Mario Bros. Wii. We have made decent progress in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and when he requests me to play through a level with him, I am instructed to carry him through the entire level. He doesn't want to bubble necessarily (he did enjoy doing that for a while), he just wants me to carry Toad, Luigi, or Mario (depending who I'm playing as) through the level and survive. He recognized and called out New Super Mario Bros. U in the first Wii U system commercial Nintendo released yesterday, then went back to his snacks.


Rage of the Gladiator - I'm just going to leave the following link for a site that covers a lot of digitally downloaded titleshttp://www.facebook.com/RageOfTheGladiator.
Batman: Arkham Asylum - Our neighbors are gamers, and we have loaned/traded games over the last few years. The last loan-trade was me giving him Metroid: Other M, and me getting Batman: Arkham Asylum in return. I completed Arkham Asylum in October, and I enjoyed my time with the game. Being that the game can be found for under $20 new, if you have been interested in this title but not played it, I can easily recommend the game.
Mutant Mudds - I'm still playing through Mutant Mudds, and enjoying it. I have said it before, and I'll say it again, if you enjoy challenging platformers, I recommend you give the game a try. Bean 1 had discovered the start menu on my PC and I have randomly found him attempting to play the game a few times, and he will tell me sometimes to play "Mutant Mudds" so he can watch me. I'm waiting to learn more about Mutant Mudds Deluxe for the Wii U, before I worry with buying the Xbox 360 controller to make it easier for Bean 1 to play it on my PC.
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean - Mrs. Coffee gave me this as a gift a few months back, but it wasn't until October that I actually opened it up. I have completed the first movie's levels so far, and have enjoyed my time back in a LEGO video game world. I think the developers did a great job making LEGO Captain Jack run/walk like he does in the movies, and I like how in certain levels there aren't hidden/invisible walls to keep you from venturing further than they want, but an actual LEGO shark in the water to help keep you where they want you.
Double Dragon Neon - I won this in a contest/giveaway over on Chalgyr's Game Room, and played through the first level, and almost finished the second level (maybe third?). The game plays well so far, and the boss I'm currently on though was giving me quite the challenge my first night, and after a few attempts I had to get that thing some call sleep. I haven't been back to it since, but I do plan on trying to finish it up this month.
Punch-Out!! - I'm slowly making my way through the game's Title Defense Mode, and I believe Bear Hugger was the last boxer I was able to get my belt back from. Yes, he pummeled so many times while I was trying to figure out the new timing of his attacks.


Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 - Did you miss the Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 data report post? If so, you can see how many hours the game has been played, as well as gameplay video I uploaded from one of the FPS minigames in it. Bean 1 enjoys one of the plunger FPS levels a lot (the one in the video), and can make his way through it. Every time the Rabbid shows up with a camera, he says, "Cheese!" Bean 1 also found the Rabbids LAND trailer on the Wii's Nintendo Channel earlier this week, and played it 3-4 times in a row laughing at the Rabbids in the trailer. I'm interested in Rabbids LAND on the Wii U, as I mentioned in the data post, because of Ubisoft's history/support on the Wii.
BIT.TRIP COMPLETE - If you missed my birthday post, Mrs. Coffee gave me this game(s) as a gift. I have just played BIT.TRIP RUNNER on it, but I have enjoyed the game so far. I'm up to world 1-11, I think? Considering I burned through almost the first world my first night with it, I may finish this one sooner than I was expecting. I am looking forward to hearing more about Runner2 on the Wii U, so hopefully I finish this one up soon, and perhaps be ready for more endless running when the Wii U launches.

Screen grab from Bean 1 playing.
Mario Kart Wii - Bean 1 randomly, out of nowhere, asked to play the, "Mario Wii Racing" game one day. I was surprised he remember the game from his time with it from over a month ago, and broke it out for him to try. We have both played the game, sometimes together, but often times with me watching him, or him watching me. He surprised me earlier in the week when he finished 2nd in a race, which means he's made some great improvements since he first started off by driving in circles and often in reverse.
LittleBigPlanet - This is Bean 1's final game delay tactic at night. The PlayStation 3 is the console closest to his room, and to play LittleBigPlanet is his last request/delay tactic. He enjoys finding a lot of the user created levels, and just running around in them. He completes many of them though, and I'm impressed with how he has learned to grab and hold onto items since he first started playing the game not that long ago.

Site Notes
Changes are brewing! If you haven't noticed, there's a tab that has now been removed from the top section. The "Reader Points" tab has been removed, but the "Reader Points" that were there are stored (across three emails!), and if I can get over my reluctance to go to the Post Office again, I can mail the rest...yes, they are sitting on the table, and Bean 1 has been looking at them this last week.

Also, gameplay videos (of myself playing and even Bean 1, and Mrs. Coffee occasionally) and impressions of games will become more standard on the site, and the "Critics vs. Consumers" posts will continue. Data posts will continue, but probably slow down once the Wii U releases, unless the Wii U provides the same type of data for Wii U games...PLEASE NINTENDO! I have even been experimenting, a little, with a podcast idea...

There's a few other features/ideas/changes I have been roasting for a while now, and one should be popping up at the end of next week.

Questions
What video games did you play in October, and are there any you would recommend to others? Also, were there any new coffee blends or drinks of choice in October, perhaps even while gaming?

As always, if you have any questions about the games I played, or the coffees I consumed in October, please me in the comment section below, or by sending me an email.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Halloween candy laced with the t-Virus making people zombies? Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles Data Report

Coffee Beans
Halloween is over, and the only zombies we saw were on a t-shirt! Did you know the Nintendo Wii has had five Resident Evil games released on it? One, two, three, four, and five!

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles released on November 13, 2007 for the Nintendo Wii with a MSRP of $49.95. The game was published by Capcom, and it received an ESRB rating of "MATURE" with "Blood and Gore, Violence" listed as content for gamers and parents to be aware of.

How many hours can you expect from Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles if you have never played it? How many U.S. Wii owners have reported playing it, and how many hours have they reported playing the game since it released? You may be feeling like a zombie from all the Halloween candy, so make sure to brew yourself some coffee and let's take a look!

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