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.

College baseball star Brian Kownacki could easily double as a stuntman or Olympic gymnast.  In the video above, Kownacki does a flying leap right over the catcher’s head to dive straight into home plate for an amazing 3-run play.

The opposing team, naturally, was left in a total state of bewilderment.  As you can see, immediately after the play, the opposing team’s coach ran over and begin aggressively arguing with the umpire, urging that the catcher touched the runner when he flung his hands above his head.

However, all of the arm flailing, both by the catcher and the coach, was to no avail as the Kownacki’s team won 12-9.

It’s a truly amazing feat, no doubt.  But it is awfully familiar.

Now where have I seen this move before?  Oh yeah…

I wonder if Kownacki told the catcher “I don’t intend to slide” before scoring.  I would have.

Talk about an interesting change of affairs.  After declining to push back his time slot with the Tonight Show to accommodate Jay Leno, and departing NBC for destinations unknown, Conan O’brien has finally secured work again, this time on cable.  The comedian has just signed an exclusive deal with TBS to host a late-night show in the channel’s 11 p.m. slot, moving Lopez Tonight to midnight.

Now, before you begin crying foul and recounting Coco’s struggles against Jay Leno, Deadline Hollywood is reporting that George Lopez personally called O’brien last week to urge him to join TBS.  So, as far as it appears, there are no signs of foul play, though Lopez, O’brien and every other comedian on television are sure to exploit the irony of this matter for quite a while.

Several publications had speculated that O’brien would ultimately land on Fox.  However, it turns out that the late-night host was thinking far beyond that narrow scope, engaging in discussions with Microsoft at one point regarding a potential Xbox 360 deal for his show.  According to Deadline Hollywood, Lopez was the contributing factor in convincing O’brien to ultimately choose TBS.

The new time slot looks promising as it will be sandwiched between reruns of Family Guy and Lopez Tonight.  And there’s an even greater benefit to jumping from broadcast to cable: no more FCC.  As the overbearing commission only has jurisdiction over broadcast channels and not cable, O’brien will have much more leverage with his content and won’t have to worry as much about censors.

Of course, O’brien will now be facing off directly against Comedy Central’s content including The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report, so we’ll see how he fairs.

TBS has already started its first promo for the show (pictured above), but you can view the short clip for yourself right here.  More information is sure to follow soon from TBS.

]]> http://www.infoaddict.com/conan-moves-to-cable-declines-xbox-360-deal-boots-george-lopez-to-midnight/feed 0 http://www.infoaddict.com/netflix-service-available-on-wii-starting-today http://www.infoaddict.com/netflix-service-available-on-wii-starting-today#comments Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:13:10 +0000 MikeSicily http://www.infoaddict.com/?p=6737 From our sister site GameAlmighty.

Today marks the official kick-off for Netflix on the Wii.  After announcing partnership plans back in January to bring the streaming video service to the console, Nintendo is finally making the service fully available to all users in North America.

While some subscribers’ Netflix discs were sent out as early as last month, starting today all Wii owners who have a Netflix plan starting at $8.99 a month and a broadband internet connection can view unlimited movies and shows via their console.

The Netflix streaming disc is all that is needed to utilize the service on the console (no installation needed), and you can navigate menus, read synopses and rate movies via the Wii remote’s infra-red pointer function.

If you own a Wii and have a Netflix unlimited membership but have yet to obtain the service on your console, you can order the streaming disc at no additional cost via www.netflix.com/wii.  Nintendo is offering 20 points via http://club.nintendo.com to all Wii owners who register their Netflix streaming discs, so you’ll want to remember to do that.

What a missed opportunity. Hudson has just announced “Oops! Prank Party” for the Wii, which instantly conjures thoughts of wonderfully juvenile delinquent activities such as egging cars and toilet papering houses. Sadly though, it’s looking to shape up as just another party game.

So what are the actual “pranks” you ask? They’re a bunch of “family-friendly pranks that allow the winner to taunt the competition.” Oh, and there are also “embarrassing costumes and pranks for the mini game winner to assign to any losing player.” How cruel!

Despite a whopping 100 party games, not one mini-game in Oops! Prank Party appears to even marginally encourage amusing law-breaking activities such as sticking a banana in someone’s exhaust pipe. No toilet papering a teacher’s house, no duck-taping a person to wall in his sleeping bag, no stealing street signs with your girlfriend’s name on them for Valentine’s Day, and worst of all, no borrowing those flashing “Road Closed” signs to block off an intersection late at night to screw with irritable midnight drivers (I’m speaking from personal experience on that last one).

There will be none of this hilarious tomfoolery in “Oops! Prank Party.”

Perhaps Hudson should have farmed this one out to GTA publisher Take-Two, who jumps all over digitized criminalism like Budweiser ads on Nascar. I’m sure they could create an exotic party game far by beyond the scope of my prank-happy imagination. And hey, why even limit it to a party game? Let’s just make a prank city game.

In the mean time, I guess I’ll have to settle with picking on little kids in Wii version of Bully.

Thinking about become a sex ed teacher in Wisconson?  You might want to retain a good criminal defense attorney first.

Last month Juneau County District Attorney Scott Southworth sent out a warning to nearby school districts threatening health teachers with criminal charges should they attempt to teach students how to put on a condom or take birth-control pills.

The district attorney is a Republican and evangelical Christian who has taken it upon himself to challenge – by means of imprisoning law-abiding citizens – a law that Wisconson’s Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle signed in February requiring teachers to take a comprehensive approach to teaching sex ed.  Southworth threatened teachers with misdemeanor penalties of up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine for teaching proper usage of contraceptives.

Southworth claims that teaching students to use contraceptives would be contributing to the delinquency of a minor because allegedly this encourages minors to have sex when they’re prohibited from doing so.  Nevermind the fact that it may be useful information for students to have when they become adults, or the fact actual, biology-based sex ed (as in, where you put your hoo-hoo) would probably contribute more to encouraging sex between minors under this theory.  I guess it’s time to start jailing biology teachers as well.

But what’s even more mind-boggling is that the district attorney is claiming that he is being forced by the legislature to enforce this law even though the law specifically allows teachers to explain the proper use of contraceptives, as well as alternative information such as abstinence and criminal penalties for underage sex.

That’s just wonderful.  But now, who’s going to educate the teachers on the criminal penalties of teaching sex ed?  Hopefully not Southworth.

Source: Yahoo! News.