It’s been a good while since I’ve touched my Nintendo Wii. The lack of titles this summer really left a fine layer of dust on the machine.

That is until Super Mario Galaxy came out.

Here’s a quick run of my feelings for Mario games since the entry into three-dimensional worlds in Mario 64 and the follow-up Super Mario Sunshine.

• Mario has controlled like a hamster tied to a paddle with a elastic strap. He always seemed to do exactly the opposite of what I wanted him to do. Sure he had a huge arsenal of moves and jumps to accomplish tasks, but the fine tuned control that levels required was lost.
• Camera angles up to this point have been abysmal. While Sunshine and 64 had free-roaming cameras, controlling Mario and the camera at the same time was nearly impossible.
• Presentation has alway been top-notch when it comes to Nintendo’s main mascot, but the lack of any tried and true Super Mario style gameplay left me wanting for more.
• The biggest issue I have with both of these games is the difficulty level. Both 64 and Sunshine seem to sucker-punch the player the play much more than provide any actual challenge.

So here I am, burned by Nintendo’s star (pun intended) franchise two games in a row. All I want is Mario gameplay that’s fun and works well.

Thankfully Super Mario Galaxy is very fun and, for the most part, controls very well.

Mario is controlled using the Wiimote and the nunchuck. Basically, the analog stick controls Mario’s movements, while the Wiimote buttons control his actions like jumping and looking forward. Shaking the Wiimote allows Mario to do a spin attack. Throughout the entire game Mario collects starbits scattered around each level. To collect any starbit all you need to do is point the Wiimote at it and the cursor will pick it up for you. It’s a pretty satisfying way to play.

Mario’s movements feel very precise this time around. He doesn’t float nearly as often as he used to when coming to a stop. And jumps are much easier to land thanks to tighter controls. I appreciate this since the game take place in outerspace. Gravity plays a huge role in each level and you will often find yourself playing upside down or even jumping from one plane of gravity to another. The controls had to be perfect to make it work, and I’m satisfied.

The camera system in Galaxy is good, but not perfect. While the majority of the game will be played in predetermined camera angles, which are well placed and usable, some parts are nonfunctional due to lack of camera control. The camera will never break the game, but it will annoy you from time to time.

Mario has never looked better, but he still could. Galaxy supports only up to 480p resolution which is slightly higher than a standard definition television. This is forgivable, though, since it really is a pretty game. Nintendo pushed some of the best graphics out of the Wii this time.

The learning curve with Galaxy is much more forgiving than before like the other Mario games and the overall difficulty won’t make gamers cry. Some goals feel much easier than they should be, but others feel just right.

If you have a Wii, or have been wanting to get one, this is the game needing to be played on it.

Half-life 2 is the original game released for PC a couple of years ago. Episode 1 is the first episodic sequel to Half-Life 2. Episode 2 is brand new, however, and continues the journey of Gordan Freemon, the game’s main protagonist.Team Fortress 2 is an online multiplayer first-person shooter with many different classes to play.

Even though all four of those games look awesome on the 360 and PC, the real jewel in the compilation is Portal.

Portal is one of those sleeper hits and will be remembered as a classic for years to come. Although short, it offers so much in the way of fun, you’ll want to play it over and over.

You begin the game in a small room, just awoken from what seems like a long slumber. A digitized female voice greets you and explains you are to complete a series of tests using only your wits. Be assured all dangers present in the tests are only to motivate you. Any failure to avoid these hazards will result in a negative mark on your profile, and probably death.

Portal is a very funny game. Even the enemies, though sparse and not very threatening, will often apologize for shooting at you or even forgive you for deactivating them. Your “guide” through the tests will often be the subject of all the humor, but rooms hidden off the predefined path will reveal more chuckle-inducing moments.

Gameplay in Portal is the most unique aspect of the game and thankfully is the focus from start to finish. Your tool for solving each area is a portal gun. With it you can create portals on smooth surfaces, but there can only be two portals open at one time. When you step through one portal, you emerge instantaneously through the other.

This is where physics comes to play. Your momentum and trajectory when you enter a portal will continue through the other. Here’s an example. To cross a gap, fire one portal high on a wall above your head, then fire the second one into the bottom of the gap. Jump into the gap and fall through the portal there. You will then be thrown through the other portal on the wall and will safely careen over the gap. Fun with physics!

The mechanics of portal hopping never gets old. Even in puzzles where you’re stumped, simply playing around with portals may lead to the answer. I recommend Portal to anyone who is tired of the same mundane first person shooter.

I just want my companion cube back.

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.

On November 2, Sony will be discontinuing the 60GB model of the PlayStation 3 in favor of a cheaper, stripped down 40GB model. If the $599 price tag of the original PS3 launch scared the love of all things PlayStation out of you like it did me, then the new prices will be a little easier to swallow.

The 40GB model will sell for $399 and the 80GB model will go for $499 (a $100 price cut).

The PS3 is still one of the best BlueRay players out there for it’s price and it’s a game machine to boot! Many of the features cut, however, were simply bells and whistles… Well except for backwards compatibility… PS2 I will miss thee.

Finally the age old question will be answered: Who would win in a duel, Mario or Sonic?

Nintendo was announced that Sonic the Hedgehog will be an official brawler in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii. This marks the first time the blue speedster and the Italian plumber will appear in the same title commercially.

The Super Smash Bros. series has always been about over-the-top (read: cartoon-like) fighting action with classic video game characters. Originally, all the characters were Nintendo owned, but Brawl will also be featuring Konami’s Solid Snake and, of course, Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog.

Forgive my violent tendencies, but there’s nothing more satisfying than taking a baseball bat to some Pokémon heads.

Enter Nintendo. They are looking to step up to protect us from the fatal Wii-mote. Nintendo has dedicated $17 million to ship free Wii-mote rubber cases to any and all Wii owners all around the world. By visiting Nintendo’s official site Wii owners can request up to 4 cases per Wii system.

I own a Wii and I play many of the “dangerous” games Wii-victims were playing at the time accidents struck. A little bit of commonsense goes a long way when you’re playing motion-interactive games. Exercise caution when playing any game that requires movement. Make sure you have space enough to execute the movements required by the game.

Even though I doubt I’ll be turning my living room into a real life batting cage, I’ll be signing up for four FREE Wii accessories!

Game Zone, which is Movie Gallery’s gaming retail alter ego, held a Halo 3 launch event at midnight on Monday to give all of us who would sacrifice an hour (or more) of sleep on a weekday a chance to own the game the moment it was available. About 50 others were there waiting in line when I showed up. I had been assured that the store had received more than enough copies by a friend who works there, so I wasn’t worried.

Around 12:20 a.m. Tuesday morning, I held my Limited Edition Halo 3 tin case in my hand and jolted home. Well, maybe not jolted. More like casually drove… fast.

So far, the game is fun. And there’s lots of it to be had in multiplayer and single player modes. It’s also beautiful on HD screens.

SIDE NOTE: If you’ve already picked up your copy of Halo 3 Limited Edition (the one that comes in a metal case that is easily crushed) and one or both of the included disks are scratched, follow this link and Microsoft will replace them for free.

As I write this, many of gamers wait in anticipation. They are a collective of thumb-twiddling enthusiasts who want nothing more than midnight tonight. Heck, many gamers may be experiencing the last bits of summer sunshine standing in line outside of any assortment of stores at this very moment.

At midnight tonight, Halo 3 will be hitting store shelves and many stores are having midnight launch parties for the occasion. Halo 2 sold 2.4 million copies on its launch day, and Halo 3 may even surpass it. The launch of a new Halo title is so big here in the states that even 711 convience stores will be carrying it.

For you Crestview locals, Game Zone, which is connected to the Movie Gallery, will be opening its doors tonight. Wish me luck on securing my copy.

The game begins miles above the Atlantic ocean in an airliner. The year is 1962 and you are en route to an unknown destination. Suddenly the plane dives and crashes into the midnight black ocean below. You survive and find yourself swimming to a mysterious island with a single lighthouse topping it. Inside is a single passenger submarine. Odd enough setting yet?

Descending into the fathoms, a vast underwater city spreads out before you. Rapture. A city built by men at the bottom of the ocean to refuge the scientific outcasts and slightly deranged geniuses that could find no freedom in the moral world above. But, of course, something has gone terribly wrong. And by wrong, I mean really, really wrong. A perfect setting for a game intent on telling a genuine, if frightening, story.

Bioshock is a game of choices. Your own morality will be put to the test time and time again as you trudge deeper and deeper into the secrets of Rapture. The citizens of Rapture (yes there are tons of them still around) must live with their own choices; one of which will be to inflict fear and pain upon a newcomer like yourself.

In Rapture, the locals have discovered the key to unlocking human potential: Plasmids. Plasmids are genetically altering substances that give the user special abilities. Some of these include lighting things on fire, freezing or electrocuting foes, or even producing a swarm of bees from your own flesh to annoy or distract anyone around you. While down in Rapture, you will find plasmids, called tonics, that will increase your abilities, physical dexterity or allow easier hacking of steam powered machines.

The creepiness of Bioshock never really fades as the game progresses. There aren’t very many parts that will make you wet yourself, but the growing dread of what the next area might entail will definitely have you hugging your teddy bear. Oh, and little, big-eyed girls in pink dresses who drink blood doesn’t help much either.

It’s a game for those who enjoy being scared. Be sure to leave the lights on.

(Rated M for Mature. 18+)