I consider Hydro Thunder to be one of the last great arcade games I ever played.

Back in the late ’90s, arcades were already headed well on their way to extinction, or at least a pitiful existence not nearly as glorious as their reign in the ’80s.  As such, I never really cared for most of the arcade titles that were coming out at that time like Dance Dance Revolution, but racing games could always tend to grab my attention.

Hydro Thunder was no exception.  The frenetic, high-speed boat racing game was so fun that I had to rent it for my Nintendo 64 as often as possible.  In hindsight, I really should have saved money and just purchased the game.

Unfortunately, Hydro Thunder arrived at a time when most home consoles were still woefully underpowered compared to their arcade counterparts.  So while the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions of Hydro Thunder were decent enough and could certainly qualify as arcade ports, the definitive home version landed on the Dreamcast, and, well, we all know what happened to that thing.

Luckily, Hydro Thunder is headed for the Xbox Live Arcade care of Vector Unit, the developer that has grabbed the rights to the game from Midway’s cold, dead hands.  It has even grabbed an updated title: Hydro Thunder Hurricane.  Sounds fancy.

The title is already planned to retain the 4-player splitscreen mode previously seen only in the Nintendo 64 version (which suffered from horrendous framerate issues) and feature an 8-player online mode.  However, the developer has shared some new features for the downloadable title, such as online leaderboards and a Wave Race-like slalom event, which you can read below.

The title is planned for a vague summer 2010 release.

• Ring Master
A slalom-style event, Ring Master challenges players to race through a series of rings and compete for best time. Every track environment in HTH features three unique Ring Master layouts, which ramp up in difficulty from Novice to Pro to Expert. Novice courses feature larger gates, and are designed to introduce players to the basic mechanics of each level. Pro and Expert courses feature smaller rings, and the layouts are more challenging – they also introduce players to alternate routes and shortcuts in each level.

• Gauntlet
Time trial with an explosive twist: every course is peppered with exploding barrels. The barrels are generally placed off the primary racing line, on the outsides of corners and such, to encourage players to use the fastest racing line possible. However in spots they are also placed in the center of the track, requiring players to dodge between them or hop over them using the Boost Jump mechanic.

• Leaderboard Opponents
Single Player Race, Ring Master, and Gauntlet events all support asynchronous racing with your Xbox LIVE Friends through a feature we call “Leaderboard Opponents”. When you begin an event, we grab your next-best-Friend’s time and display split times at every checkpoint so you can compare your time to theirs as you’re racing. If you’re the best of all your friends, we pull times from the global Leaderboards.

Nintendo really couldn’t keep a lid on this one for long.  After some GameStop employees (oh those lovable rascals) leaked images of the upcoming promo for the sleek new console bundle, and then leaked a corporate email telling them not to leak information to the press, the black Wii console was all but guaranteed to release this May.

Well today, Nintendo confirmed that yes, the black Wii console bundle will finally be arriving in North America on May 9, and it’ll be the same bundle that was released in Europe last year.  That means the new SKU will contain a black console, remote, nunchuck, Motion Plus accessory, and two games: Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort.  All this for the same price of $199.99.  That sure is an enticing deal.

Additionally, the old bundle, which does not include Motion Plus or Wii Sports Resort, will be phased out and replaced with a white counterpart to the above black console bundle.  Both bundles are now available for pre-order at GameStop, so don’t waste any money picking up the old bundle unless the retailer throws in Wii Sports Resort for no extra cost.

Despite what Microsoft or Blizzard may lead to you believe, real life achievements existed long before the video game ones.

The most specific example that comes to mind is Boy Scouts.  Where else, besides the military, will you get the chance to show off every challenge you have conquered, such as a rank advancement or a sports achievement, with a fancy addition to your clothing for everyone to see?  It’s an even better way of saying, “Hey, look at me!  I have more achievements than that guy!”

So really, we can see that Xbox Live and World of Warcraft just copied merit badges.  Digital merit badges.  It makes sense.

Need proof?  The Cub Scouts (the younger version of the Boy Scouts) have just introduced a video games belt loop and pin for all aspiring scouts.  These are the requirements for the belt loop:

1. Explain why it is important to have a rating system for video games. Check your video games to be sure they are right for your age.

2. With an adult, create a schedule for you to do things that includes your chores, homework, and video gaming. Do your best to follow this schedule.

3. Learn to play a new video game that is approved by your parent, guardian, or teacher.

For comparison’s sake, let’s take a look at some comparable Xbox 360 achievements – say, from Modern Warfare 2:

Look Ma Two Hands

- Kill 10 enemies in a row using akimbo weapons in Single Player or Special Ops.

Colonel Sanderson

- Kill 7 chickens in under 10 seconds in “The Hornet’s Nest.”

Back in the Saddle

- Help train the local militia.

As we can see, Microsoft and Blizzard blatantly ripped off the Boy Scouts and no one bothered to call them out on it.  Killing seven chickens might as well be the cooking merit badge in video game form.  And training your local militia?  Hell, that’s a good deed for the day.  Even better than helping an old lady cross the street.

Now, I just have one question:  Where was this wonderful achievement when I was in the organization?  Back in my day, the oh-so-long-ago early ’90s, we had to earn belt loops based on archaic physical activities such as archery, soccer and physical fitness – things modern day kids only experience in their most recent round of Wii Sports Resort.

If my NES-obsessed brain had been given the chance to earn a video games belt loop back then, I would have not only worn it on the front of my belt, but I would have ordered a second one and proudly glued it over the Cub Scouts logo on my hat.

Too little, too late I suppose.  But at least this current generation of kids will have something more digital entertainment-based to help them connect Cub Scouts with their lives.  Hopefully the Boy Scouts follow suit and offer a video games merit badge soon.

You can check out the full information for both achievements on the Official Boy Scouts of America website.

Nintendo’s decision to not include a built-in rechargeable battery pack with the Wii remote has left you with an odd conundrum.  On the one hand, you don’t necessarily have to stop gaming or swap controllers just because the batteries have died.  If you have another set of batteries on hand, you simply swap them out.  There’s no need to stop the gaming session for a recharging session.

On the other hand, you’re also needlessly spending money on items that could have a much longer shelf life.  Why spend money on an entirely new set of batteries each time the previous set runs out of juice?

Let’s face it: disposable batteries have been outmoded for a while now.  Rechargeable batteries are the way of the savvy consumer, and Nintendo’s decision has left you with several options in the rechargeable battery realm.

The Wii’s popularity has rallied in numerous aftermarket accessories, so there’s no lack of variety.  Before you waste another dime on a set of disposable AAs, take a look at our detailed battery guide and choose a set of rechargeables that are right for you.

We’ll weigh the three major options currently available, and provide a breakdown at the end to indicate which option best suits your gaming habits.

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