Lara Croft embarks on a new adventure in the 8th installment in the grave robbing saga, Tomb Raider Underworld.  This is the third game in the series that Crystal Dynamics has developed, and the plot of the new game will continue where Tomb Raider Legend left off.

The Demo which was released yesterday on Xbox Live, features the new environments, and game play that fans of the third person action shooter series can finally get a glimpse of.  In Tomb Raider Underworld the environments are totally interactive, and hold memory.  If Lara bends a shrubbery or breaks a tree branch it remains that way. The environments are meticulous in their design, and the development of Lara Croft has been just as detailed.  Croft is said to have over 2,000 animations, and contextual movements, and for the first time in Tomb Raider history she has been motion captured, and the developers used Olympic gymnasts to sculpt her movements.

In terms of game play the demo features the new combat system in which Croft will be capable of shooting at two targets at once, and be able to melee enemies by kicking or vaulting off of them.  The developers have also tweaked the platforming in the new game, in which the camera angels are more forgiving, and Croft will be capable of shooting at enemies while traversing planks, or hanging from ledges.

So load your guns and ready your daisy dukes because Tomb Raider Underworld will be in stores Nov. 21st. It will be released for PC, PS3, PS2, Nintendo Wii, DS, and Xbox 360.

After 2 years of holiday shortage nightmares; Nintendo is taking steps to meet demands for the Wii this holiday season.

For the past two years Nintendo has completely dominated in revenue, due to the demand for the DS, and Wii console.  This year Nintendo is producing a world wide average 2.4 million Wii consoles a month, a vast improvement from last year which was 1.6 million.  Good news for consumers, who are anxious to get one this holiday season.

Reggie Fils-Aime the president of Nintendo of America has said the reason for the shortage in Wii consoles in recent years has been due to a  high level of demand; although it hasn’t slowed down in the least; Reggie has assured consumers that this year’s holiday season will be different than the last

In an interview with the LA Times, Reggie was quoted as saying “We’re producing an unprecedented level of hardware to try and meet demand.” Reggie also went on to say that Nintendo is producing 33% more Wii consoles monthly from last year. When asked in the interview how consumers could better their chances of getting a Wii this holiday season Reggie stated “Look at retailer circulars. Go to their websites. We’re flowing products into stores on a very regular basis. Once you see it on the shelf, you ought to buy it.”

The overall message from Nintendo this holiday season is that although they are expected a big demand they feel adequately prepared for it. So for any of you worry warts out there still nervous about the crowds, the shortages, and the Wal-Mart parking lot riots; rest easy because it seems this year will be a vast improvement over the last.

People who have been ignoring their civic duty and have been spending more time gaming than being involved in the shaping the future of our country, your days are numbered.

Last week while gamers were pealing out in Burnout Paradise, a new title released by EA; they noticed when passing one of those hairpin turns an Obama campaign billboard rising in the distance. It has recently been confirmed that Barack Obama is indeed the first Presidential Candidate to purchase ad space inside a video game. according to the Associated Press Obama has paid for add space in 9 EA titles, including Madden 09, and Burnout Paradise.

“I can confirm that the Obama campaign has paid for in-game advertising in Burnout” Holly Rockwood, the director of corporate communications at Electronic Arts stated “like most television, radio, and print outlets, we accept advertising from credible political candidates.” She also went on to say “Like political spots on the television networks, these ads do not reflect the political policies of EA or the opinions of its development teams.”

The idea of advertising within video games is a relatively new concept and was less than a consideration for candidates 18 months ago.  Although some may say Obama is sending mixed messages through these ads; seeing how he had stated earlier that parents should cut back on their children’s game time, maybe it is just his less than subtle way of motivating gamers to get involved.

Nintendo has finally revealed its newest portable game system in the form of the Nintendo DSI. The new hand held device will have a variety of new features that are definite upgrades from the DS Lite; including a camera, larger screen, and download capabilities.  The new camera feature will allow you to edit your photos using the touch sensitive screen.  The new SD slot which will allow download able content from the Nintendo online store, is perhaps the nicest new feature of the unit.

Although Nintendo has decided to remove the Game Boy Advanced slot form the DSI, the new  SD slot should more than compensate for the change. Along with the other features mentioned the DSI will also include; enhanced audio, longer battery life, and less charging time.  It seems all together Nintendo has developed a sleeker, more efficient unit for release.

The word is that the new DSI will be released on the market in Japan by November 1st of this year. A release in North America has been speculated for sometime in 2009.

Photo’s of a new Wii peripheral have recently surfaced on the Internet and a buzz has quickly followed. Currently there is a rumor that the new peripheral could be a Wii pedometer, which could be an added accessory to the Wii fit.

The President of Nintendo Satoru Iwata had announced that Nintendo would be taking a break on peripherals, and word on the street is the Pedometer will be one of the last units released. As much as Wii fans LOVE there health oriented peripherals some are saying they are not interested in the new piece. Sadly the photos are not very telling, and the information on the piece is very vague. For all we know the image looks like glorified garage door opener.

As of now this is all just speculation, there is no solid indication on what the peripheral really is. Nintendo will be having a press conference this Thursday, and hopefully they will address the question of the mystery peripheral.

Since the introduction of Wii-Fit from Nintendo bloggers, readers and even doctors have criticized the brand new gaming console’s attempt in the weight loss arena as just another piece of worthless workout equipment. Even with the major continued success of Wii accessories (i.e. Guitar Hero III Wireless Bundle), and domination of the interactive gaming world, Nintendo’s controversary over the combination of gaming and exercise is clearly taking the gaming world by storm.  As time passes more and more Wii-Fit users are fighting back and sharing their experiences online. No commercials, no bias opinion, and no lies. These bloggers and video bloggers are merely trying to prove that this new Wii component IS indeed worth it’s weight (no pun intended).

The Wii-Fit was launched May 21st 2008 has already sold over 1 million units in the US alone! With so many people willing to give Wii-Fit a try we wanted to scour the internet and see just how well the Wii-Fit was working in the bloggosphere!

Results?

Wii came across (haha) this site and this site which is (you guessed it) dedicated to the Nintendo Wii-Fit and testing it’s results. While the weight loss wasn’t dramatic, nor astonishing considering the length of workout, it’s easy to conclude that the Wii-Fit really does work! Obviously keeping a healthy diet, and adding exercise to your daily regiment is still the number one way to keep healthy, the Wii-Fit is a great way to have some fun AND get additional exercise in your day.

So what can I do with Wii-Fit?
Wii-Fit has several games that are specifically designed just for it and new games are being released to work with the Wii-Fit.  Along with the standard Wii Balance Board, Wii is also going to introduce a number of new attatchments this year.  Currently the four main categories of exercise:

Yoga
Tree Pose
Warrior
Half Moon
Deep Breathing

Balance Games
Soccer Heading
Ski Slalom
Ski Jump
Table Tilt

Strength Training
Single Leg Extension
Torso Twist
Push-Up and Side Plank
Jack-Knife
Lunge

Aerobics
Hula Hoop
Basic Step
Basic Run
2 People Run

Opinion
Wii-Fit is an awesome way to combine fun and exercise. I still always suggest a healthy diet, regular exercise routine and healthy social life as a must to staying in shape, but there is no doubt that the Wii Fit is a fun way to combine gaming and exercise!  I personally would love to get a Wii Fit routine in place and test it my self, but with the warm beautiful summer here, it’s hard to resist my desire to exercise outside… I guess I will have to wait for winter for my official Wii Fit experiment!