TNT Racers ‘tracks & tricks’ subtitle seems a bit misleading once you play the game. I came in expecting a kart game mixed in with some race tracks and tricks to pull off in these tracks. All I got were race tracks with the occasional ramp to do a small jump off of. I don’t mean to start off in such a negative light, but I just thought that was worth noting to anyone considering to 2 friends I brought over to play it thought it was going to be a Joe Danger-ish kart racer when they saw it. TNT Racers is actually a pretty solid (albeit simple and content lacking) kart racer that hits most things you’d expect in the genre in the right ways.

When you start up the game you’ll be given a tournament mode (regular campaign mode), a time trial mode, and a custom race that lets you tweak a few options to customize a race to your preference. The tournament mode has around a dozen races separated into normal, fast, and turbo difficulties. I did like how each race tries to change up the variety, but most of them are just ‘get the most amount of points in the time limit/lap limit’. You’ll encounter your basic time trial challenges where you need to complete a certain amount of laps before time runs out, a variety of score challenges, knock-out mode, and special unique races. The score challenges task you with reaching the point requirement before your opponents and this is done by collecting coins scattered around the track, doing jumps, hitting a turbo when the race starts, or blowing up your opposition. In knock-outs you have to reach a kill quota by either blowing up the other racers or if they fall behind. I don’t particularly like how all the racers have to stick together and if you fall behind you’re instantly killed. I suppose it works for this game, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. The unique challenges throw in objectives like smashing 60 cacti or completing a certain amount of laps in a track full of landmines. They’re nothing amazing, but they do keep things a bit fresh.

A neat thing about the races is that if you’re killed and the other racers are still around you become a ‘shadow’ racer. You can’t be hurt (unless you fall off the track) or targeted by the opponent and you get a special set of power-ups available only to shadow racers. Your job is to fuck with the remaining racers as much as possible and mess with them before they can score anymore points. This way everyone can continue to participate in the race which keeps the pace up. It’s a pretty cool feature that I hope future kart racers take note of.

As any kart racer, you’ll find a slew of wacky weapons to use as you fight for first place. There are whirlwinds that send racers flying into the air, giant hammers, missiles, shields, smoke machines to blind the screen, oil to spill, an over sized gun, anvils you can attach with a plunger to slow down other cars, and a few others. These all work fairly well and it’s nice how you can drop a weapon if you don’t want it. You’ll find close to a dozen different cars you can use and change the color of. The ones you have to work for to unlock are pretty neat like the UFO kart, but there’s nothing much else to mention about them since they all handle the same. There are also 9 tracks that are also reversible, so 18 total tracks. They come in your basic desert, forest, arctic, and mountainous stages with each environment getting 2 or 3 areas. They’re nothing special but the tracks that take place in the same environment are different enough to excuse using the same setting. The game sports local and online multiplayer, but I’ve been checking multiple times each day since release and haven’t been able to get into an online match with more than a single person. This doesn’t really bode well for the long-term online ‘community’ if I can only find a single person to play with in the first week of release.

The graphics (as you can see) aren’t exactly top notch, but the game has an endearing style that fits together well enough. The music has a nice ‘pop’ to it that adds to TNT Racer’s lighthearted tone. I will mention that the over-the-top view of the action is a bit disorienting since it’s a bit too close to the cars. This makes it hard to drive on a track that you’re not used to and you’ll have to rely on where the AI seems to be turning or the camera turning to realize which way you’re supposed to turn. It really would’ve helped if they put in a camera that’s maybe a bit higher up or angled in a way so you could see what was coming in front of you.

The Final Word
TNT Racers really feels like Keen Games are reaching into your pocket and snatching $5 more than it should be worth. Only a few days after release and there is NOBODY online which makes me think barely anyone cared enough to either buy the game or waste their time playing online. It’s really a shame since the game is solid. It’s got your basic kart racing mechanics in it, there are a half dozen decent stages, the weapons are fun to use, and it controls well enough. The issue here is that I can’t really recommend buying this at $10 since the content the game offers doesn’t reach something you’d expect to spend $10 on. I could definitely see this game doing much better at a lower ($5) price range. If you dig kart racing games (there’s a demo by the way) and don’t mind dropping the extra dosh go for it, but if you don’t then I’d turn the other way from this title.

- MonsterVine Rating: 3 out of 5 – Average

The main protagonist is Shulk, a weapons researcher who must confront the Mechon by wielding the Monado blade, the only weapon that has any effect on the Mechon and allows Shulk to see into the future.

Expect player customization, definite role-playing adventure, and a vast open world for exploration. Xenoblade Chronicles released in Japan, then Europe, and is now coming to North America. The game is available through GameStop or directly via Nintendo website and will retail for $49.99 in the US. For more information check out www.xenobladechronicles.nintendo.com.

Keep in mind that this is only my theory of how the Zelda story goes, and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Link #1: SS

This explains how the Master Sword came to be

Link #2 (Child Link half): OoT->MM

Many years later, OoT occurs and time splits.

Link #3 (Adult Link half): OoT->WW->PH

Wind Waker hints that the hero of legend refers to OoT Link, and the world flooded when he returned to his own time.

Link #4 (Child Link): TP

Twilight Princess is said to take place 100 years after OoT.

Link #5(Adult Link): ST

Likewise, Spirit Tracks takes place 100 years after PH.

After Twilight Princess and Spirit Tracks conclude in their respective timelines, I believe the two timelines somehow become one again.

Link #6: TMC->FS->FSA

While this storyline is more of a sidestory, it does hint at some developments that show up later in ALttP.

Link #7: ALttP->OoA/OoS->LA->TLoZ->AoL

This is the longest lived Link of the bunch, IMO. After ALttP ends, we are told that Link left on a “journey of discovery” (according to the LA manual). While we don’t yet know just how many adventures he went on on this journey, I assume that the Oracle games were two such adventures on this journey, because in the endings for both games, we see Link leaving on a boat very similar to the one he is on in the beginning of Link’s Awakening. The original game then occurs when he returns to Hyrule. AoL then happens a few years later.

Of course, I acknowledge there are gaps in my knowledge due to games I haven’t played–so if you have a better theory or a counterpoint, let me know in the comments!

Enjoy the game,
SparklingBlue

Rayman Origins takes players back to creator Michael Ancel’s beginnings with a HD side-scrolling adventure and four player co-op.

Nintendo has teamed up with the creative team from the popular Penny Arcade online comic strip to create a special comic in celebration of the Nov. 20 launch of The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword for the Wii™ console.

Starting today, the first of five weekly comic panels will appear on http://www.zelda.com/skywardsword/comic. The comics include characters and themes from the new game, and are drawn in a style that combines the game’s distinctive new look and Penny Arcade’s signature style.

“I was 14 when I first played The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past,” said Penny Arcade artist Mike Krahulik. “That was 20 years ago, and today I am introducing my son to The Legend of Zelda. The opportunity to work with Nintendo to create a Zelda comic is not only an incredible honor, but quite literally a childhood dream come true.”

Lanayru Desert and the Lanayru Mining Facility: In this vast area, surrounded in all directions by sand, Link must search for the Lanayru Mining Facility. As strange a place as this is, Link will encounter characters both new and familiar, such as Gorons. Inside the Lanayru Mining Facility, Link will follow the path of mine carts through this expansive area, experiencing new puzzles and challenges. He must also face the dungeon boss Moldera, a fearsome giant scorpion.

• Sand Ship: Late in his quest, Link returns to a different area of the Lanayru Desert as he sails across a sea of sand in search of a hidden ship.

• New Items: In the desert, Link will receive two new items – the Claw Shots and the Gust Jar. The Claw Shots allow players to grapple and pull themselves toward otherwise unreachable areas. The Gust Jar can blow a burst of air to stun enemies or clear paths through piles of sand. Players will find the Gust Jar essential to solving the puzzles in the Lanayru Mining Facility.

•Return to the Eldin Volcano and the Fire Sanctuary: Link travels back to this volcanic area to journey into the Fire Sanctuary, a dungeon that sits on top of the volcano’s summit.
•New Items: In the Fire Sanctuary, Link receives yet another new item – the Mogma Mitts. Using these, he is able to access underground tunnels by digging through soft patches in the ground to explore the subterranean areas in this dungeon.
•The Quest Continues: As Link makes his way through this treacherous area and continues on his quest to find and help Zelda™, a massive eruption throws him from atop the volcano.
•More Fun in the Skies: When Link returns to Skyloft he can look forward to a multitude of fun diversions, including Pumpkin Pull, a challenging game of target shooting that involves flying pumpkins.

Nintendo’s iconic Kirby™ character is known as one of the most talented heroes in the world of video games. In his latest console adventure, the mighty pink protagonist is unleashing some impressive new moves and abilities. Launching today exclusively for the Wii™ system, the Kirby’s Return to Dream Land™ game lets players guide Kirby through a captivating series of side-scrolling worlds, as he inhales enemies to copy their abilities and battles through colorful environments in search of hidden items. What’s more, the game introduces new Super Abilities that allow Kirby to obliterate enemies and obstacles like never before, as well as multiplayer options that let up to three additional friends jump in at any time and enjoy the platforming action together.

With a delightful storyline designed to please new and longtime fans of the Kirby franchise, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land finds the heroic pink puff striving to help recover pieces of a spaceship that has crash-landed on Kirby’s home planet of Popstar. When Kirby encounters foes, he can inhale them to absorb their abilities – wielding a lasso or swinging a sword, for example. Inhaling special enemies can also grant Kirby Super Abilities that let him wipe out vast landscapes or an entire screen’s worth of enemies in one stroke, while a Super Inhale move allows him to spit out enemies or objects as giant projectiles. As many as three additional players can join in the fun, playing as differently colored Kirbys or as other favorite characters from the series: Meta Knight, King Dedede or Waddle Dee. (Additional controllers are required for multiplayer game play and are sold separately.)

“Kirby’s Return to Dream Land is a must-play for new and experienced fans, and it’s only available on the Wii console,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “As friends and family gather together this holiday season, they’ll have a blast discovering Kirby’s new Super Abilities and teaming up to defeat enemies.”

Kirby and the other playable characters in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land have their own unique abilities that can be combined in fun ways. Players can coordinate their actions into powerful team attacks, or they can make Kirby inhale and spit out other characters to knock down foes in battle. Players hold the Wii Remote™ controller sideways to control Kirby as he floats, swims, climbs and slides through a wide range of in-game environments – from lush forests to sandy beaches.

Kids are being encouraged to take inspiration from Kirby and come up with their own dream Super Ability they would use to help others. By visiting http://kirby.nintendo.com/returntodreamland/superabilities, they can download a special Kirby coloring sheet for illustrating and describing their Super Ability and send it to Nintendo. Some of these dream Super Abilities will be posted in a virtual gallery on the website. A companion site hosted by Scholastic at http://scholastic.com/stacks also invites fans to take a Kirby quiz to determine which Super Ability is best suited to their personality. These activities are part of a larger initiative to provide the Starlight Children’s Foundation with Starlight Fun Center™ mobile entertainment units for hospitals across the United States.

Nintendo has revealed more details about the captivating areas, items and game play in the massive The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword game, launching exclusively for the Wii™ system on Nov. 20. This week, the Eldin Volcano area comes into focus, as well as the connection between music and game play through the new Harp item. Newly revealed game elements include the following:

• Eldin Volcano and the Mogma: After battling Demon Lord Ghirahim in Skyview Temple, Link™ travels to Eldin Volcano where he meets the Mogma, a new race of subterranean creatures. The Mogma help Link traverse this fiery environment, giving him a multitude of tips along the way.

• New Items: In the Eldin Volcano area, Link receives additional items, including Digging Mitts and his first Bomb Bag. With the addition of the Bomb Bag, players can collect bomb flowers, which are essential to puzzle solving. The Wii Remote™ Plus controller offers players a variety of ways to use bombs. Players can throw bombs using an overhead motion or roll them like bowling balls, even putting spin on their trajectory. The Digging Mitts allow players to dig for secret items in marked areas on the ground. In the Earth Temple area, this ability helps Link locate the pieces he needs to open the door to the temple itself.

• Earth Temple: In the Earth Temple, players balance Link on a giant ball as he rolls across pools of molten lava. In this temple, Link must navigate a steep incline while facing the boss enemy Scaldera, a large rock-armored creature.

• Harp: As in previous Zelda games, music plays an important role in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and is integrated into game play. Using the Wii Remote Plus controller, players can play a variety of songs using a new Harp item.

Nintendo will continue to regularly provide fans with select details and information about the game prior to its Nov. 20 launch. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be available as a standalone game or as part of a limited-edition bundle that also includes a gold-colored Wii Remote Plus controller. Additionally, every copy in the initial production runs of the game will come packaged with a special music CD containing orchestral arrangements of select songs that will be performed at the upcoming The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert.

Nintendo wants to inspire kids across North America to discover their inner superheroes with some help from the iconic Kirby™ video game character. Starting today, kids who visit http://kirby.nintendo.com/superability will be invited to create drawings and descriptions of their dream Super Abilities, taking inspiration from Kirby’s Super Abilities in the new Kirby’s Return to Dream Land™ game for the Wii™ system. Their imaginative creations can be submitted to Nintendo and may be featured as part of a project to aid Starlight Children’s Foundation™.

Launching exclusively for the Wii console on Oct. 24, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land features five new Super Abilities that are activated when the heroic Kirby inhales special enemy characters. For example, the Flare Beam Super Ability allows Kirby to deploy a ball of energy that can wipe out an entire screen’s worth of foes. Visitors to the site at http://kirby.nintendo.com/superability can download a Kirby coloring sheet and come up with their own Super Ability that they would use to help others. For added inspiration, kids can visit The Stacks at http://scholastic.com/stacks and take a “What’s Your Super Ability?” quiz. Participants can answer questions to determine which of the Super Abilities featured in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land would suit them best.

Kids’ completed Super Ability coloring sheets can be submitted via mail, email or fax. Nintendo and Scholastic will post select submissions to a virtual gallery on the Nintendo site, and some submissions will be featured at a special Oct. 27 unveiling at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach in Long Beach, Calif., to celebrate Nintendo’s sponsorship of an interactive Starlight Fun Center™ mobile entertainment unit. Patients at the hospital will also be invited to use coloring sheets to create their own Super Abilities. Both Nintendo and Scholastic are dedicated to raising awareness about Starlight by encouraging children to help others.