Despite being considered one of the top teams in the league, the Detroit Red Wings barely made the playoffs, and were eliminated in a quick five games by the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago established that they are a team to watch by finishing first in the West on their road to the Stanley Cup Finals. Other notable teams in the simulation included the Carolina Hurricanes, who finished with the most points in the league and walked away with the President’s Trophy; the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, who were the only Canadian teams to make the playoffs; and the Florida Panthers, who made the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

Several individual players also stood out in the NHL 10 simulation. The Penguins’ Sidney Crosby completes an injury-free season and captures the Hart Memorial trophy after posting 102 points during the regular season. The Chicago Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane has a breakout season and is one of the top ten point getters in the NHL. Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf takes the Art Ross trophy after leading the league with 107 points, while Ilya Kovalchuk walked away with the Maurice Richard trophy after leading the league with 57 goals, and NHL 09 cover boy, Dion Phaneuf caps a stellar year by leading the Calgary Flames to a NorthWest Division Championship and winning the Norris Trophy.

Final Regular Season Standings:

Western Conference

W

L

OTL

PTS

1

Chicago

54

26

2

110

2

San Jose

49

26

7

105

3

Calgary

47

30

5

99

4

Columbus

48

27

7

103

5

Los Angeles

46

30

6

98

6

Vancouver

43

29

10

96

7

Anaheim

43

30

9

95

8

Detroit

39

34

9

87

9

Nashville

39

35

8

86

10

St Louis

39

39

4

82

11

Phoenix

37

40

5

79

12

Edmonton

34

39

9

77

13

Minnesota

31

36

15

77

14

Dallas

33

43

6

72

15

Colorado

27

44

11

65

Eastern Conference

W

L

OTL

PTS

1

Carolina

54

23

5

113

2

Boston

49

25

8

106

3

Pittsburgh

47

28

7

101

4

New Jersey

46

29

7

99

5

Washington

47

31

6

98

6

New Rangers

45

31

6

96

7

Philadelphia

42

32

8

92

8

Florida

40

33

9

89

9

Tampa Bay

40

38

4

84

10

Montreal

37

36

9

83

11

Ottawa

39

39

4

82

12

Toronto

36

37

9

81

13

Buffalo

34

37

11

79

14

Atlanta

34

42

6

74

15

New York Islanders

31

41

10

72

The Wii Menu houses a variety of informational and entertaining channels, such as the News Channel and Wii Shop Channel, that users can visit to enhance their Wii experience. Wii consoles that are linked to a broadband Internet connection have even greater access to additional content and channels. For example, the Nintendo® Channel is an interactive guide to what’s new in the world of Nintendo that lets consumers watch trailers, mini-documentaries, product demonstrations and game-play videos, while the Check Mii Out™ Channel allows users to show off their Mii™ creations and download Miis that others have created.

The Internet Channel, which can be downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel, allows Wii owners to browse the Internet on their televisions from the comfort of their couches. Users can check their e-mail, make purchases or travel plans, and surf their favorite Web pages by pointing and clicking with the Wii Remote™ controller.

“Wii has truly changed the way people play games, but it is more than just a game console,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Wii owners have access to a wealth of fun entertainment, information and practical tools like the Internet Channel, which is another great way for the whole family to enjoy their consoles with no additional costs involved.”

When Wii launched in November 2006, Nintendo initially offered the Internet Channel as a free download as a promotional incentive to get people online. Starting in July 2007, the Internet Channel could be downloaded in exchange for 500 Wii Points™. Effective immediately, the Internet Channel is again available for zero Wii Points, and it has been updated to support an upgraded version of Adobe® Flash® player.

Starting at the end of October, consumers who have previously exchanged 500 Wii Points to download the Internet Channel will be able to download, at no cost, one NES™ game of their choice valued at 500 Wii Points from Virtual Console™. Details of this download offer will be provided via the Wii Message Board and on Nintendo.com.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

The event itself got off to a roaring start at 8pm when several vans full of little tan kids pulled up. We had 4 stations set up around the room. Three were for practice and one was for competition. Of the three for practice, one was Guitar Hero World Tour, one was Guitar Hero Metallica, and one was Guitar Hero Smash Hits. Then, we did the greatest thing ever, which was to set up some small amps and a projector which gave the appearance that the Guitar Hero band was up on the stage.

I wasn't sure if it was a success, but when one mother was leaving she said to me "This was great. My son has been asking me for a Wii for a long time, but I didn't know what it was. I'm so busy that if I can't learn about something right away I don't have time to. Now I know all about the Wii and how to set it up. The best part is that I learned I can play with it too!"

The event was sponsored by Golin Harris, Nintendo, and Sarrel Group.

More to come later.

The game itself is focused on establishing a fully interactive and immersive world. The most important thing is the new skateboard controller which was way cool. It is a solid deck made of rubberized plastic with two accelerometers and four infrared sensors. This way it knows which way you are leaning and how fast, plus whether you are reaching for any grabs or not. You don't actually have to touch the board to get a grab, just wave your hand through the infrared beam.

The game starts easy where it really just teaches you how to ride. Then you learn tricks and build speed. This is much more like the earlier versions of Tony Hawk. Not story based and really a series of new courses and tricks to be done. Each bit of game play is relatively short. The game was designed to be played in a group of friends and just like when you're skating, it's like "hey, check this out" then each person takes a turn.

We continue our look at each team’s overall rating and individual player ratings with a focus on the NFC East division. In addition to the player ratings, a wealth of team-specific assets will be made available, for both the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, and Wii versions of Madden NFL 10.

Everything culminates on August 3rd, where Madden NFL 10 will predict the 2009 NFL division winners, season MVP, and more.

To view the overall team ratings for the Eagles, Giants, Redskins and Cowboys, as well as download the complete team roster ratings, visit the official Madden NFL 10 website below:

· Madden NFL 10 Season Preview

One thing that they touch on is an excellent explanation of why Wii Fit's use of BMI to tell you how healthy you are is just plain wrong:

It then moves on to perform the Body Test, which is more balance assessment, followed by the calculation of Body Mass Index (or BMI). BMI is a very flawed measure of one’s fitness, as it measures the ratio of one’s scale weight to one’s height. So, on the BMI scale, the following people are considered Overweight or Obese:

Also, measuring BMI on anyone under 19 is very inaccurate. This already has become an issue for Nintendo, as a 10-year old athletic British girl was assessed as being Fat by the game. Obesity experts jumped on Nintendo immediately, rightfully stating that the game could cause irreparable harm to a child’s body image. Nintendo has since added a disclaimer that the BMI feature is meant for adults only, but hasn’t taken the step of deactivating it in the game for child users.

I wholeheartedly agree with this criticism. You can add me to the above list. I'm 5'9" and weigh 190 lbs. Therefore, using BMI, I'm obese. Yet, I run and lift weights 3x a week. Calling a 39 year old who can bench press 300 lbs obese is just plain wrong.

WiiWare

BIT.TRIP CORE
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points™
Description: BIT.TRIP CORE continues the BIT.TRIP saga in this retro-arcade-style game. BIT.TRIP CORE adds up to an exciting action/rhythm game that’s best played while zoning out on the tunes and letting the visuals swallow you whole. The experience is inspired by games from the ’80s, but with a modern twist. The game play is entirely new to the series, leaving the single-axis controls of BIT.TRIP BEAT behind in favor of the ability to control two axes. If the difficulty gets you down, grab a friend and play cooperatively with two-player multiplayer. Make it to the end and you’ll have journeyed one step further to completing your BIT.TRIP.

BUST-A-MOVE Plus!
Publisher: TAITO
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: BUST-A-MOVE Plus! is a simple but hugely addictive puzzle game in which you must try to burst a multi-colored mass of bubbles with your very own bubble launcher. Every time you make a group of three or more bubbles of the same color, they pop. There are two game modes available: 1P Puzzle (players tackle the game’s 135 stages in pursuit of a new high score or best time) and Battle (players take on friends or computer-controlled opponents). If that doesn’t satisfy your passion for popping, there are a total of 270 extra stages waiting for you in the two add-on-content packs, available for purchase on the Wii™ Shop Channel. BUST-A-MOVE Plus! is simple to get into and deep enough to keep you coming back for more.

Heracles Chariot Racing
Publisher: Neko Entertainment
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The famous Heracles has taken on a challenge like none he has ever faced. Our hero will have to beat his opponents in a race across mythological kingdoms and be the first to reach the top of Mount Olympus. You can play as Heracles and help him return the sacred trophy, or play as one of the other varied mythological characters from Satyr to Poseidon and claim the prize for yourself. Race through three racing cups across 10 courses set in five mythic landscapes. Use awesome fantasy weaponry to defeat your opponents: tridents, fireballs, Zeus’s lightning rods and more. Get your friends together for intense two-to-four-player split-screen multiplayer action in Championship, Single Race or Battle mode.

Virtual Console

California Games
Original platform: Commodore 64
Publisher: Commodore Gaming
Players: 1-5
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to California, home of the most radical sports in the world. You’re about to hit the beaches, parks and streets of the Golden State to go for trophies in everything from surfing to bike racing. California Games gives you the hottest sports and the most aggro competition. You even have to pick your own sponsor. So pull on those kneepads – you’re about to get into the most fun you’ve had since Mom hid your skateboard. California Games is going to take you from surf to the turf, from the pipe to the parks.

Nintendo DSiWare

Art Style: BASE 10™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Art Style: BASE 10 is a game of numbers. Your goal is simple: create combinations equaling 10 by sliding numbers around the playing field. Move them horizontally or vertically, but be careful not to create an unusable non-number in the process. Choose from one of three modes: eliminate a set amount of numbers as quickly as possible in ZEROSUM MODE; get rid of prearranged groups of numbers in as few moves as possible in PUZZLE MODE; or continue removing numbers until your game is over in INFINITE MODE. In addition, you can challenge an opponent to a two-player wireless battle in VS MODE and see whose number-crunching skills reign supreme. If you think you’re a master with numbers, the straightforward yet challenging world of Art Style: BASE 10 gives you the opportunity to prove it in a unique way.

Asphalt 4: Elite Racing
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: For the racing elite, the world is their racetrack. Choose among 28 dream cars and motorcycles from the world’s most prestigious manufacturers. Then race your way through eight of the most renowned cities, fully rendered in 3-D. Control your speed machine with either standard or touch-screen controls for precision driving. Photos taken with the Nintendo DSi™ Camera can be used as your personal icon or can appear throughout the various environments, including the garage where you can customize and tune your vehicles. From New York to Shanghai, Paris to Dubai, you’ll weave a course through busy streets in six kinds of races plus four-player Multiplayer mode. Avoid police, demolish competitors and pass the leader to win. You’ll need to floor it at every straightaway and push every drift to the limit to stay one step ahead and become the ultimate VIP of urban racing.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop™ and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.

PROTOTYPE is the story of Alex Mercer, the survivor of an evil military experiment that has left him genetically mutated, without memory, and hunted. And, with shape-shifting abilities that allow him to use some pretty sick weapons and disguises, also the hunter. This free-roaming romp through a diseased NYC can be both extremely fun and frustrating at times.

This is a big open world game and as a New Yorker I really enjoy playing open world games that take place in something resembling NYC. Yes, Radical did a great job capturing the gritty look and feel of NYC. There are buildings with scaffolds and gridlocked intersections. There are the popular landmarks such as Madison Square Garden, Washington Square Park, Central Park, and Times Square. Yet in all the accurate look and feel, the map and the actual buildings are merely representative and not accurate. My apartment, a floor in a West Village townhouse, is somehow a massive skyscraper. So they win some points here and it is cool to think about going on a rampage in NYC, but it ain’t NYC.

The story is very deep and told through a series of different mechanisms such as flashbacks and flashforwards. One aspect of Alex’s powers is the ability to consume a person – including their memory, clothes, and weapons. As you consume each person you get a video flashback sequence which backfills the story from their point of view. It’s a very interesting mechanism, yet it is extremely disruptive to be in the middle of a massive battle that gets interrupted by a flashback and then you are shoved right back into the action. Yes, you can skip the video, but it is still disruptive.

My major gripe with the game, which overall I have really enjoyed, is that for the first hour or so it is pretty damn boring. Honestly, I almost gave up but am glad I stuck with it. In fact, my first reaction was “OK, Activision blended Spiderman with Wolverine. Great. Been there. Done that. Next.” But for some reason the next day I went back to it. In starting you off slow, Radical runs the risk of losing your interest. After a few hours though, you can upgrade your characters weapons, powers, and movement and really start to kick some ass which is where it gets fun.

Enjoy 32 team leagues, featuring anywhere from 1 to 32 human controlled teams, in Online Franchise mode that provides full team management, including trades, live drafts, depth chart changes, and more…and it’s all just one click away!

Online Franchise is the biggest feature to ever grace Madden NFL and it’s all manageable from your console, remotely through a web browser, or via a custom iPod Touch Application. Have full control of your team from anywhere you can log on. With new mobile updates and web connections, Online Franchise is available to you 24/7, and with immediate updates to your console, you’ll never miss a down.

Online Franchise revolutionizes gameplay in that it acts as a true NFL season with 32 teams and a full season, including playoffs and the Super Bowl.

Online Franchise is exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 versions of Madden NFL 10, which will be available in stores on August 14th.

For more information about Madden NFL 10, visit http://maddennfl.easports.com/

Eligible participants in the The BIGS 2 Home Run Pinball tournament will have the chance to win prizes such as a Wii™ system from Nintendo, an authentic Major League Baseball® jersey autographed by Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers, the cover athlete and spokesman for The BIGS 2, and a variety of other prizes. Attendees will also have the exclusive opportunity to purchase The BIGS 2 for Wii a full day before the game is released in retail stores. Registration for the tournament begins at 12:00 PM Eastern Time and registration slots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Tournament play begins at 4:15 PM Eastern Time. All prospective tournament participants must be 10 or older, and participants 17 or younger must be accompanied by and have permission from a parent or guardian.

Date: Monday, July 6

Location: Nintendo World Store

10 Rockefeller Plaza
New York , NY 10020

(646) 459-0800

Schedule: 12:00–3:30 PM – Home Run Pinball Tournament registration

4:00 PM – Event introduction

4:10 PM – Mike Pelfrey and Alex Cora of the New York Mets to faceoff in The BIGS 2

4:15 PM – Tournament begins

6:00 PM – Tournament concludes

Coming to retail stores on July 7, 2009, the Big Leagues will get BIGGER with The BIGS 2. Rated E 10+ by the ESRB, The BIGS 2 will be available on all major video game platforms. The BIGS 2 has been elevated to new heights this season with amazing visual effects and a variety of new gameplay modes, including the fan-requested Season Mode and Become a Legend. With improved player animations and pick-up-and-play controls, The BIGS 2 will deliver an action-packed MLB® video game experience.

For more information on The BIGS 2, please visit www.2ksports.com/games/thebigs2.

FUEL offers an astounding 5,560 square miles playground which is fully open to race and explore. Based on satellite data from the United States, wildly diverse terrain from the snow-capped Mount Rainier to the arid Grand Canyon and everything in between create an atmospheric, epic racing sandbox. With a 70+ strong vehicle line up, including bikes, buggies, quads, cars, roadsters, trucks and even a hovercraft, gamers experience unprecedented choice in choosing tactical routes on-the-fly, on or off-road. The wide vehicle roster is perfect for taking on hundreds of exhilarating arcade events, from large-scale raid challenges to tight circuit races, available in FUEL’s career mode.

Extensive multiplayer options allow up to 16 players to discover FUEL’s world in free ride or compete in thrilling head-to-head races. Gamers can also unleash their creativity by using the powerful yet intuitive race editor to create events set anywhere in FUEL’s environment and share them online.

FUEL is set to raise the bar for open-world racing when the Games For Windows® edition launches Tuesday, June 30. FUEL is also available for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®. Fuel up by downloading the video at www.fuel-game.com.