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Nintendo has had so much success with its Wii console in the past 3 years or so, and it's mainly on the strength of its family-friendly Wii Sports and Wii Fit games. These games are pretty good and undoubtedly a hit at parties, but they don't go very far in the eyes of more serious gamers who want more than some gimmicky motion controls and balance board antics. It's true that the Wii's library is full of piles of garbage with every developer in the world trying to cash in on its popularity, but among the trash, there are some wonderful overlooked gems. Here are a few good Wii games that went unnoticed by the mainstream.


Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Muramasa is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash game that hearkens back to older greats like Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi. You can play with the amnesiac ninja Kisuke or the possessed princess Momohime, both of which have separate storylines and fight different bosses, so the replay value is fairly high. There is a strong collection element to the game, as there are about 100 swords to forge. As for the gameplay, you do basically just run from left to right cutting enemies in half, but it's pretty satisfying. Muramasa's biggest draw for most people is probably the game's graphics. The detailed, hand-drawn artwork is absolutely gorgeous. From lush forests to raging seas, every minute of Muramasa is a sight to behold. Even if you don't like the gameplay, you'll find it hard to take your eyes off of it.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade is definitely worth your time. It's my favorite game on the system right now.




Trauma Center: Second Opinion

Okay, so most people wouldn't think a game about surgery would be even remotely fun, but you'd be surprised at how satisfying Trauma Center: Second Opinion is. It is an original and inventive title that has you racing the clock in an attempt to save your patients' lives. You use the Wii remote as a scalpel, a drainage hose, sutures, a precision laser, an ultrasound machine, forceps, and more. You essentially cut your patient open, fix whatever problem they have inside of them, and then sew them back up when you're done. If you fail, your game is over. I'm certain that it's not the most accurate surgery simulator, but it's a pretty fun one. The game's story is pretty good, too, as your melodramatic surgeon character has to face self-doubt, conflicts with other doctors, and issues with his patients. It's very challenging, too. It's a good time to be had by all.





Madworld

Finally, I'll end with one of the Wii's few M-Rated titles. Madworld is an impressive beat-em-up full of gratuitous violence and lots of blood. You play as a character named Jack who is a contestant of a TV gameshow called "Death Watch." You basically go through the stages and see how many points you can rack up for killing the guys who come after you. Yeah, you're rewarded for performing all kinds of gruesome acts upon your foes. You get more points for doing the most violent things to one opponent. It sounds pretty brutal, and it is, but you can't take it all that seriously. Really, it's pretty funny, and it's pretty hard to be offended by any of it. The game has a running commentary throughout voiced by Greg Proops and John DiMaggio, which is mostly funny and entertaining. It can get annoying when they start repeating themselves, but overall, it's a good addition to the game. There's also a cool hip-hop soundtrack that fits the action perfectly. My favorite part of the game, though, is the art style. The game is all black-and-white, reminiscent of Sin City and other graphic novels. The only other colors you'll see in the whole game are red and yellow (red for the blood and yellow for the onomatopoeia). The graphics are very striking, but after some time, it does become a little hard to look at, so be sure to take a break every 30 minutes or so. Madworld isn't the most kid- or family-friendly game the Wii has to offer, but for gamers looking for an awesome mature title, it more than does the trick.




Who says the Nintendo Wii doesn't have any good games? Go and play these games and let me know if you love them as much as I do! And guess what? There are a lot of other good games available for the Wii that most people probably didn't pay attention to. I'll show you a few of those at a later date.

Scots Invade Atlanta

Many of you who follow along with this blog know that I have a love of Scottish music, especially bands/tunes with pronounced Scots accents. One of my current favorites is visiting the Peach State tonight. As luck would have it I have a cold and have an early doc appointment tomorrow morning, but neither of those negatives shall keep me from seeing We Were Promised Jetpacks at the Masquerade tonight!



I've been fairly impressed with their live performances that I've seen via YouTube, so I hope that translates into a great live performance tonight. And, as they only have one album's worth of material, I have a sincere hope that they'll play my favorite tune off the album. I'll let you know!

Makeover Monday - Amazing Grace

"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written by English poet and clergyman John Newton (1725–1807). The song was first published in 1779. It has been recorded and released by a wide variety of artists. I hope you enjoy this small sampling.



Listen to Amazing Grace by Jars of Clay



Listen to Amazing Grace by Hollie Smith

The "Winter" Chronicles - Alaska In Winter

What do you get when you throw a guy from New Mexico, Brandon Bethancourt, in a cabin in Alaska for 6 months? You might answer with "frostbite" or "a nasty cold", but the correct answer actually is a unique musical adventure!

Alaska In Winter - Photo Courtesy last.fm

The sound might be described as a bleak, wintry dance party. Intriguing? Take a listen and tell me what you think? My own thoughts? Pretty. Not something I'd listen to every day, but when the proper mood struck, Alaska in Winter would hit the spot!

Listen to: Staring At The Sun



Listen to: The Homeless & The Hummingbirds



Listen to: Speed Boat to Heaven

Tuesday Tunes - 2/9/2010: Local Listens

According to their MySpace page, Hank Vegas is making changes, "but they're still Hank Vegas, a group that's had to carry around the "alt-country" albatross because the sound is Southern and the stories tainted with rural, gothic poetry. To be sure, they are Southerners - they dig fried foods, speak with accents, have bouts with whiskey and list tiny towns on their birth certificates." Having had the pleasure of hearing the band live on several occasions, I'd say they deserve a place amongst alt-country bands that rock, like I Love Math, The Deathray Davies and others.

Hank Vegas - Photo Courtesy last.fm

Listen to "To Beam" by Hank Vegas

Listen to "Another Way to Lie" by Hank Vegas

El Cantador - Photo Courtesy last.fm

Long time friends Heath Underwood and Sean Murphy started recording original music making use of Sean's parents recording studio (Backdoor Studios) in 2006. Just a year later, El Cantador released their first EP, Orange.



Reviewers have compared the Alabama four piece to Wilco, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals and My Morning Jacket. We'll let you decide for yourself.

The Sundogs, an Atlanta 4-piece, describe their sound as Americana wrecking into Rock & Roll. What do you think of the description?

The Sundogs - Photo Courtesy last.fm

Listen to "Oasis" by The Sundogs

Makeover Monday - Velvet Underground Songs

First active from 1965 to 1973, the best known members of the Velvet Underground were Lou Reed and John Cale. Both went on to fairly successful solo artist success. They never managed to attain commercial or financial success while they were together, but were and are often named by critics and other musicians as one of the most important and influential groups of the 1960s".

The Velvet Underground - Photo Courtesy last.fm

"After Hours" was written by Lou Reed in 1969 and it was the the tenth, and final, track on the Velvet Underground's self-titled release. It is one of the few songs the band recorded in which drummer Maureen Tucker took the role of lead vocalist. Check out the cover by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, below.



"What Goes On" appeared on the box set of the same name, released in 1993 by Raven Records. Check out the cover by indie powerhouse, the National.



"Sunday Morning" was recorded in late 1966 and was the final song recorded for The Velvet Underground & Nico. The band previously performed it live with Nico singing lead, but when it came time to record it, Lou Reed sang the lead vocal. Here's virtuoso Beck's take on the track.



"I Found A Reason" originally appeared on the 1970 album Loaded. Cat Power covered the tune in 2000 on her The Covers Record and the track was used in the film V for Vendetta (2006).



"Sweet Jane" also appeared on 1970's Loaded. Lou Reed continued to add the song to his set list during live performances years later as a solo artist. Numerous bands and solo artists have taken a stab at covering the song, including the Cowboy Junkies, Phish and the Kooks. Here's the writer of the song itself, Lou Reed, performing with Metallica.

Addicted to Xbox Achievement Points?

I was reading this story on gaming site Kotaku about a guy who has defeated his addiction to Xbox Achievement Points. For those who don't know, Achievement Points are points awarded for the completion of game-specific challenges, such as beating a level or amassing a specified number of wins against other players in Xbox Live matches. Apparently, people get carried away in their quest to gain these points. It sounds a bit ridiculous, doesn't it? Before I bought an Xbox 360, I knew nothing about Achievements, but now that I have played several games and gained some, I can honestly say that I understand the desire to get these points.


The first Xbox 360 game that I played seriously was Modern Warfare 2. During my play time, I noticed a little symbol pop up on the screen with a message like Unlocked "Back in the Saddle." I didn't know what it was, but I was curious. As these points continued to pop up throughout the game, I looked them up to see what I had done to earn these Achievements. Some weren't that special, like the ones you get just for beating a chapter, but some were exciting because I happened to do something interesting without knowing that I was doing it. "Kill at least 3 enemies with a single shot from a grenade launcher in Single Player or Special Ops" was particularly exciting. I didn't get many Achievements during my play through of MW2, but I was intrigued enough to try and unlock points in other games.

As I said, up until I started playing 360, I didn't know or care about Achievements because they aren't available in other games (Playstation 3 games have trophies, which are the equivalent, I guess). The thing that I find interesting about Xbox Achievements is that they add a certain extra element to game. They're like a game within a game. I'm playing Street Fighter IV nearly every night now. In addition to playing the game itself, which is all kinds of fun, I am becoming increasingly fascinated with unlocking the game's Achievements. Super Combo Champion: Perform 50 Super Combo finishes. Medal Master: Collect 1,000 Medals. EX-cellent Master: Perform 100 EX Special Moves. The more of these I pull off, the more I want to play. I'm even logging on to xbox.com and comparing my Achievement progress to my friends'. It's actually kind of sad the more I think of it.

The upside to this realization is that I already know that I'm not going to get addicted to it because I have no desire to unlock some of the ridiculously hard ones. The guy in the article says, "If I have to go out of my way to unlock something, then I probably don't need to unlock it." Well said. Why would I want to replay Ninja Gaiden II on all three difficulty levels for 100 points each? However, for the ones that seem realistically attainable, I have every intention of trying them out. I have 4 more Achievements to get in 1 Vs. 100. I've unlocked 41% of SFIV's, and I unlocked 2 Achievements in Bioshock by playing for only 45 minutes. Achievements are a nice little addition to core games and, like the addicted dude, a part of me jumps for joy when the Achievement symbol pops up. I'm going for it, but don't expect me to get addicted. Once the unattainable points are the only ones left, I'm quitting. Wish me luck!

The "Winter" Chronicles - Wintersleep

Since Punxutawaney Phil saw his shadow, we've got six more weeks of winter to deal with. Seemed like a good time to do a blog series on bands with "wintry" names!

Wintersleep - Courtesy last.fm

Hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Wintersleep have more then their name to tie them to chilly weather. What started out as a side-project for Paul Murphy, Tim D'eon, Jon Samuel and Loel Campbell, soon turned into a very successful musical ensemble and very popular live show.



With three releases and a fourth expected to drop on May 18th, Wintersleep has honed an indie rock sound that also brings in showgaze and ambient elements. The two songs posted here are in pretty heavy repeat rotation on my iPod play list, and I'm hoping they'll make a trip south soon so I can catch a live performance.



Learn more about the band, visit their web site! And let me know what you think!

One Hit Wonder Wednesday - Deep Blue Something

While rolling through the play list on my boyfriend's iPod, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" came up on the screen. He immediately assumed I was going to rag him for its inclusion in his rotation, but I think it surprised him when I admitted I liked the song.

So, enjoy Breakfast at Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something on this fine February One Hit Wonder Wednesday!

It's A Sonic Youth Birthday...

Guitarist Lee Ranaldo of turns 54 today...

To celebrate the day, here's a little Sonic Youth video fun. Send out your birthday wishes via osmosis, if you please!



And check out the skateboarding fella who became a pretty decent indie and mainstream actor!

Take A Listen Tuesday - 2/2/2010

We're going to do a little site and blog hopping today in order to see what's being listened to in the vast world of indie music.

Victoria Bergsman, Taken By Trees - Courtesy Last.fm

The Gorilla vs. Bear blog thinks we should give a listen to the new Taken by Trees track, "Anna". Taken by Trees is is actually Victoria Bergsman from Stockholm, Sweden. I'd describe the sound as ethereal pop. It's generally airy and light, without being syrupy and her voice is beautiful.

Stereogum, one of the premiere indie music blogs of the past several years is offering up listens to Peter Gabriels' all orchestral indie rock covers LP, Scratch My Back. Stereogum is offering a free download of Gabriel's cover of Flume by Bon Iver. Click here to find the download.

Greyday Records' Song of the Week blog is a little out of date, but I haven't directed you there in 2010, so figure this one's safe. Take a listen to "Fishsticks" by the Heligoats.

That's all we've got time for this Tuesday. I hope you'll check back next Tuesday for another installment.

Monday Makeover - All Apologies

"All Apologies" by 1990's grunge sensation Nirvana, was written by front man Kurt Cobain. It was released as the second single from the band's third album, In Utero, which was released on September 21, 1993. "All Apologies" was the band's third number one Modern Rock hit and reached number thirty-two on the UK Singles Chart.

The song has been covered by numerous indie and modern rock artists. Here's a sampling:



Here's an acoustic version, by The String Quartet. Enjoy: Click Here.



Here's another audio only option. Weatherground performs All Apologies. Click here to listen.