New Virtual Console Titles added

Nintendo gives us the welcome back to the few weeks before Christmas message that tells us that we should all spend a little time shopping from the safety of our couch, away from the chaos of the malls. I think Nintendo is hinting at something. I have yet to figure out what they are talking about.

Maybe they are asking us to buy stuff off the Wii Shop Channel. No wait…Why would they ask us that?

Jokes aside (however they did say that message), Nintendo gave us a few games (that I would be more than happy to push aside). This week’s Wii Virtual Console games are: DOUBLE DRIBBLE, Vegas Stakes and the lovable Ecco Jr. Awww.

To come back with the tradition, here are the descriptions of the games:

DOUBLE DRIBBLE (NES, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): DOUBLE DRIBBLE, the first 5-on-5, full-court home basketball game, is pure hoops action at its finest. While still a surprisingly accurate basketball game for its time, the frantic action keeps you on your toes as your players run from one end of the court to the other. Choose from a handful of teams and multiple levels of difficulty as you take on the computer alone or challenge a friend and see who has the better skills. Take the ball and sink shots from locations all over the court, or get in your opponent’s face and do your best to block the shot. Better yet, drive the lane and rock the rim to see one of the game’s trademark slam-dunk cut scenes. He shoots, he scores!

Vegas Stakes (Super NES, 1-4 players, rated E for Everyone – Simulated Gambling, 800 Wii Points): Feel like taking a road trip to Las Vegas? Let your inner high roller go wild as you try your luck at five different games-blackjack, slots, poker, craps and roulette. Start with only $1,000 in your pocket and play your way through five casinos, each with a different theme and varying limits. But no one wants to gamble alone, right? Not a problem, as you’ll be able to choose one of four friends to tag along and offer advice when you need it. Further enhancing the experience is the fact that you’ll be presented with a slew of interactions with random casino patrons. Best be careful, though-your choices in these situations could either get you closer to the millions of dollars you’re after or cost you a pile of that hard-earned cash. Roll the dice, spin the wheel, hit or stand-do whatever it takes to stake your claim in Vegas and beat the house!

Ecco Jr. (Sega Genesis, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): The aquatic adventures of Ecco come to life for a younger generation of gamers. Perfect for kids, Ecco Jr. finds our young hero heading out to sea with a variety of tasks he must perform in order to get there. Along with his friends Tara the baby orca and Kitnee the young Atlantic dolphin, Ecco Jr. will interact with sea lions, sea horses and other aquatic life as he makes his journey to the Big Blue. Introduce your kids to the classic series of Ecco the Dolphin titles by downloading Ecco Jr. today.

That last line of Ecco the Dolphin wasn’t needed Nintendo! Stop begging for our money by doing that “perfect gift” message again. We heard you the first time with Check Mii Out. It’s not funny.

New Fall Dashboard update coming next week

Microsoft announced today that a new Fall Dashboard Update for the Xbox 360 will be released next week. The fall dashboard update contains a new feature called Friends of Friends and will show the friends that your friend has (how many more times can we say friends in this sentence?). Sounds like something from Facebook or MySpace. Of course, the new update includes the ability to set it so everyone can view your friends (must be 18 years or older), only your friends can view your friends (must be 13 years or older) and the default for people under 13, blocked. Sorry kids, no seeing your friends, not like you could stalk them over Xbox Live..no wait, I take that back, that’s possible.

The update also covers support for the original Xbox games on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The dashboard update releases on December 4th.

Lose/Lose Situation for PS3 Owners

Most PS3 owners know that when it comes to multiplatform games, the other platforms’ versions are usually much faster and less choppy. The Orange Box is to be no different. Many think it is because while the PC and 360 versions were handled mostly by Valve, the PS3 version was developed by an internal team at EA. It was originally scheduled to be released with its counterparts, but now has been delayed until December because of technical flaws still needing to be fixed. This means that PS3 owners will have to wait even longer for their (what seem to be) substandard versions of Half-Life 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2.