Wii Fit Hula Hoop Guy and his novelty underwear

I was walking through the shopping arcade after work and spotted some demonstation pods for Nintendo's Wii Fit. I really want Wii Fit but it's always bloody sold out. Anyway, I didn't really have time to stick around and get a workout from a hot twenty year old demonstrator, but it did make me think about the Wii Fit Hula Hoop Guy I saw on Kotaku yesterday.

Remember that clip of the Wii Fit Hula Hoop girl which was doing the rounds the other week and got nearly 5 million views? Well, we've now got a guy doing his own version. Nicholas Ryan, apparently a Playgirl "model", has answered that YouTube clip with his own version. Don't click if you're at work as it's probably NSFW, but I guess that depends on where you work. Also, don't click if you have an aversion to men in thongs or novelty underwear. Nice ass though. ;o)

Chace Crawford grabs his wheel for some Mario Kart Wii!

Ah, two of my favourite men meet up - Chace Crawford and Mario! I've been playing lots of Mario Kart lately and, since the Americans finally got the game last week, I've been playing some of our Yank cousins when I've been staying up late unable to sleep. I love that you can play anyone in the world as there's always someone online to play against no matter what time you want to play.

Oh Chace, if you want my friend Code for Mario Kart, just ask. I'd be happy to take you on anytime.

Me and Mario Kart Wii

Look at Mii! I've played through and beaten Grand Prix mode in Mario Kart Wii and here's a screenshot of Mario and Peach celebrating with the Mii version of myself after getting my final cup. I've been putting in hours online racing with my bitches on Eurogamer. The single player mode is fun enough, but the online mode is insane and totally addictive. You can play balloon battles in teams or go through the traditional Grand Prix mode but also in teams or as individuals. It's super fun and fabulous when you're playing against people you know.

You must buy this game immediately!

On my iPod this week - Brigitte Bardot and Nick Kamen

Brigitte Bardot Harley Davidson - one of the fabbest songs of the sixties ever and you simply must listen to it. Produced and written by Serge Gainsbourg, this was always one of my favourite songs to dance to in nightclubs in the early hours of the morning when I used to live in Saint Tropez. Now, I'm not one to include endless YouTube videos in my blog, but I couldn't resist showing you this clip of BB in kinky boots singing Harley Davidson back in 1968:



Nick Kamen Each Time You Break My Heart - "...I try to put my pride aside." Whatever happened to the gorgeous Nick Kamen? I wonder what he look like now, Nick'll be forty six tomorrow!

Nintendo Wii Shop Channel - this music goes around and around in my head each time I go to download a Virtual Console game for my Wii so I found it and downloaded it so I can carry it around with me all the time. All shop music should sound like a Nintendo Wii channel.

Stereophonics Maybe Tomorrow - I must confess to having a bit of a thing for leader singer Kelly Jones. Sure, he's short and he doesn't have any shoulders, but he's still got a certain je ne sais quoi which manages to set my thighs on fire.

Rihanna Don't Stop the Music - the American Idol kids sang this on the show last week and it reminded me just what a great song this is. I couldn't find the Idol kids' version, so I had to make do with Rihanna. Perfect music to have on loudly while getting dressed and bashing your face into shape for going out on a Saturday night.

Roy Ayres Everybody Loves the Sunshine - there was a brief moment of sunshine yesterday so I listened to my favourite summer record ever to put me in the mood for the forthcoming summer days. It's grey and raining again today... Why did I ever leave Saint Tropez?

Mario Kart Wii - I'll see you online, bitches!

I'm still suffering with a sore throat and developing a chest infection, but that didn't mean that I was housebound today. I ran out of paracetamol so I decided to pop out to Boots to get some and happened to walk past HMV and spotted that Mario Kart for the Wii was released today. I still had a gift card for HMV which had been burning a hole in my pocket since Christmas so I used up that and only had to the £5 balance.

As you can see from the photograph above, the game comes with a little wheel that you slot the WiiMote into. You don't have to use it, you can just turn the WiiMote on its side or even use a Gamecube controller, but I tried it with the wheel and it felt very natural. I'm shockingly bad at all racing games and generally tend to avoid them, but I can't resist Mario Kart and this one has the extra attraction of online racing!

I've added my friends from Eurogamer already and I've been racing them this evening, losing every damn race. I totally suck at this. There's a pain in the ass process of registering your friends if you want to race against them, but you can just jump into races with random people from all over the world. The online racing was very smooth though things get a bit frantic with eleven other players and having their names flashing up above their racers doesn't help with being able to see the course clearly.

Anyway, if you fancy a race sometime, I'll see you online, bitches!

What are you playing this weekend?

"What are you playing this weekend?" If you don't play videogames, then that question may not mean a lot to you. But those of us who do have been asking that question all week. My choice is Sega Superstar Tennis. I love tennis games, plus I've got a soft spot for SEGA games having had a Dreamcast. I've read previews about the game and they all seemed to bitch and moan about the motion controls for the Wii and recommending using the other control methods (you have three control options in the game).

Well, I fancied a bit of waggling stick fun today so I just started playing using the "standard" control and it felt just right. The controls work very well and I even prefer it to the tennis game in "Wii Sports" as the game is more intuitive to play. You can hit A to produce a lob, or the B trigger to perform a drop shot. All this feels very smooth and natural.

And just look at the courts! As well as using characters from SEGA's best games, they play on courts using themes and music from classic games such as "Samba de Amigo", "Space Channel 5", "NiGHTS", "Super Monkey Ball" and "House of the Living Dead". Plus, there are also lost of tennis-based minigames to play, just like in the Virtua Tennis games.

As you can probably guess, I absolutely love this game, but if I had to criticise it for one thing, then that'd be the lack of online multiplayer. SEGA took the lazy route and decided not to include any online multiplayer which is a shame as that'd add to the longevity of this game. As it is, most people with a Wii probably enjoy social gaming and will have someone around to play with, but I can go online with pretty much every game I have on my Nintendo DS so there's really no excuse.

Valentine e-cards for the geek in your life

Stuck for ideas what to get that videogame-loving hot geek person in your life? An email with one of these Nintendo themed Valentine's day images may do the trick. I love the Mario in a bee suit one below. I think that Mario in a bee suit is probably the gayest thing I've ever seen.




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In case you were wondering what to buy me for Valentine's day this year..

Looking for that perfect gift for your Nintendo Wii loving other half? Paul Pape Designs has a scrummy suggestion: chocolate Miis. They even come in a Wii-shaped box!

If you're same-sex inclined as you can order your selection in lesbian or gay flavours too. They also come in white or milk chocolate combinations for all you checkerboard guys and gals.

Source

Have you got your Wii yet?

Are you like one of these poor folks in the New York Times article about the elusive Wii from Nintendo? Are you ringing around the shops desperately trying to secure one for your kids' Christmas and waiting for hours in long queues outside videogame shops?

Linda Beattie is trying desperately to pay Nintendo $250, but the company is not cooperating.

Two weeks ago, Ms. Beattie went to a video game retailer in the Bay Area in search of a Wii, Nintendo’s intensely popular video game machine. She timed her visit to correspond with the arrival of a U.P.S. truck that she had heard would be making its regular stop at the store, hoping it might deliver some consoles. She was out of luck.

So Ms. Beattie, 44, a permit expediter and not a stalker by trade, followed the truck to the next store, where it did drop off a handful of Wiis. She bought one, but store policy would not let her buy a second for a friend, so she quickly called him.

“He came from another game store that he was staking out,” Ms. Beattie said. “He got there two minutes too late to buy the last one.”

It's crazy just how popular the Wii is. Before the launch last year, people were like: "Aw, plucky little Nintendo with their cute little underpowered console and waggly controller stick.." I don't think anyone thought the Wii would become the market leader, let alone Nintendo themselves. Nintendo are coming in for a lot of criticism for this especially for not having enough stock for the second Christmas in a row.

Me? I bought mine back in August when there was stock around. I didn't need it back then, but I figured that there would be supply issues once Super Mario Galaxy was released, let alone the Christmas rush for sales. The moral of the story? If you see a Wii in the wild, don't debate about it, just buy it!

On my iPod this week - Kylie!

On my new silver iPod shuffle this week:

Kylie Minogue Sensitized - I loved this as soon as I heard it on Kylie TV special the other week. It makes clever use of a wonderful sample from Serge Gainsbourg's Bonnie and Clyde

David Sylvian Heartbeat - another sublime collaboration between Mr Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto

Girls Aloud Call The Shots - these girls just get better and better, a perfect pop record

Hayley Westenra Prayer - yes, I know it's not my usual sort of thing, but it's used on the soundtrack to the Nintendo Wii game Endless Ocean. I've been playing the game over the past two weeks and this song has stuck in my head and reminds me of my virual diving exploits

Robyn With Every Heartbeat - this is on endless rotation at the gym each time I go and it's yet another song that's driven itself into my head

Grace Jones Slave to the Rhythm - heeeeere's Grace!

Shayne Ward Breathless - what's not to like about our Shayne?

Mario and Sonic finally get a room after years of pent-up sexual tension.

Here's some news from Nintendo that you thought you'd never hear: "After years of battling on rival video systems, SEGA Corporation and Nintendo Co. Ltd. today made a historical announcement that two of the biggest icons in the entertainment industry, Mario and Sonic, are joining forces to star in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Developed for the Wii video game system and the Nintendo DS system, this momentous agreement marks the first time these two renowned stars have appeared together in a game.

"In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, players will compete in events that take place in environments based on the official venues of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Using a supporting cast of characters from the amazing worlds of both Mario and Sonic, gamers will be able to compete as or against a range of lovable personalities including Mario, Sonic, Luigi, Knuckles, Yoshi, Tails and more. Innovative usage of the Wii and DS control systems to maneuver a favourite character will allow players to race the likes of Mario and Sonic down the 100m track, engage in exhilarating rallies in table tennis and churn water in a swimming heat, all while competing for the much sought after gold medal.

"Mario and Sonic have been respectful rivals since the early days of video games," said Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo's famed game maker. "Now that they have been given the perfect opportunity to meet at the Olympic Games, we may finally learn who is actually faster."

The game is exclusive to Nintendo's DS hand-held gaming device and Wii console and I can't freakin' wait!

The Legend of Zelda makes me sick!

Um, well.. let me explain myself. Sometimes, when playing certain videogames, mainly first person shooters, I get motion sickness. It's not normally a problem as I'm shite at FPS games so I just avoid 'em. However, I am a HUGE Legend of Zelda fan and I couldn't wait to get Twilight Princess as soon as it was released for the Wii.

Now I'm playing it and I'm feeling sick all the time. I dunno why as normally I'm fine with 3D adventure games so maybe it's the new control system or the design, but I'm definitely getting that familiar videogame FPS sick feeling each time I try and play it and I'm so pissed! I really want to get on with the game and explore everything but I'm only able to play for about an hour at a time until I feel so queasy that I need to stop playing.

Everyone goes on about great graphics but if motion sickness is the result for sensitive folks like me, then I'll have to stick to my Gameboy or Nintendo DS. Roll on Super Paper Mario on the Wii!!