Gadget Review Week: Rapala's Fishing Frenzy for the Nintendo Wii

Rapala’s Fishing Frenzy for the Nintendo Wii

Though the fishing season maybe coming to an end, that doesn’t mean you can’t keep your fishing skills finely tuned until the spring. Activision and Rapala’s Fishing Frenzy combines the use of the Wii remote & nunchuk with their new rod and reel adapter to bring realistic fishing into your living room. Packaged together with in a kit, the fishing game and adapter allow you to fish in 100 of the world’s best fishing hotspots. You can catch bass, walleye, catfish and more with a selection of 30 lures.
The rod adapter for your Wii remote and nunchuk allow you to fish as if you were really holding a fishing rod and you have to secure each catch from first line cast to the final pull of the line out of the water. While most fishing fans and gamers would expect a budget title here, I can assure you that this is about a good as the Rapala series gets and casual fans will easily be able to pick up this game and play.

Available where all videogames are sold for $49.99 CAN

Gadget Review Week: Playstation 3 Charge Base & Media Hub +

Playstation 3 Charge Base 2

Nyko also has two must have items for the Sony fans this holiday season with their Playstation 3 Charge Base 2 and the Nyko Media Hub The charging station allows you to charge two Duel shock 3 or SIXAXIS controllers simultaneously via USB adapters and best of all, the charger plugs into any wall outlet so you don’t have to tie your system up with wires or leave it on while charging. Controllers also charge quickly within a couple of hours which is faster than the system charge time.

Available at Toys R Us and EB Games for $29.99 CAN

Nyko Media Hub + for the Playstation 3

The Nyko Media Hub is an excellent item to have if you have one of the downgraded Playstation 3 consoles like the 40 GB that are lacking the 2 extra USB ports and the memory stick slot. This little adapter plugs into the front USB port to provide you with 3 new USB ports for a total of 4 and a SD card/memory stick reader. Having this adapter is great when you need to hook up all 4 instruments for Rock Band or transfer videos, music or photos to your system when you don’t have a wireless internet connection.

While the adapter originally made for the 40 GB Playstation 3 systems, there is an included adapter piece that will allow you to hook the media hub up to the 20, 60 and 80 GB systems as well. The adapter works will all USB devices, all SD cards and all memory sticks. The adapter works in either vertical or horizontal position and there’s no batteries required, so really there’s no reason not to pick this device up

Available at Toys R Us and EB Games for $19.99 CAN

Gadget Review Week: Halo Interactive Strategy Game

Halo Interactive Strategy Game

If you’re looking for a break from your controller, the Halo Interactive Strategy Game is the newest board game to combine the most popular videogame series out there and simple board game fun. Made by Genius Products and B1 Games, the Halo Interactive Game combines conventional board game play with audible and visual aids via an included DVD. The 3-D board can be constructed into several different stages, or users can create their own. Two or more players can form teams with 15 sculpted characters direct from the Halo series including the Arbitor and Master Chief.

Teams move around the board engaging in turn-based combat, which is aided by the included interactive DVD. The DVD features rendered action sequences to add further realism to the game and help the players along. Additionally, the Halo Interactive Strategy Game can be played in a variety of modes and levels for extended playability. Players can go toe-to-toe in some of their favourite modes from the game series; such as Capture the Flag and Slayer. While I found the rules a bit hard to follow at times, I think experienced Halo players will love this game and find it easy to play.

Available at Walmart and Toys R Us for $49.99 CAN

Gadget Review Week: Sumo Omni Chair

Sumo Omni Chair

If you’re looking to decorate your gaming room on a decent budget and are looking for that perfect comfortable chair then Sumo Urban Lounge Gear may have the chair you’ve been looking for. Starting at only $149.99 US shipping included, the Sumo Omni chair is the next generation in bean bag chair and perfect for parking your butt in while killing zombies or saving the princess. Made from a space age, rip proof PVC coated nylon, these chairs come filled with virgin polystyrene foam beads that allow you to space and mould your chair into any shape you want. You can use it as a crash mat, a lounge chair, a floor pillow or a little love seat. I found that even my dog was sneaking a nap or two on it.

The nylon is easy to clean with just a damp cloth and some soapy water. The chair is so comfortable to sit in and my only complaint was that when I did get up, the shape of the chair was lost and I had to remould it each time. Now the Omni is 4.5' x 5.5' and it only weighs 18 lbs, but if you need a bigger size chair, Sumo Urban Lounge Gear offers multiple chair styles and sizes. They even offer an ottoman, a couple of different dog beds and different size memory foam beds.

Available at Sumo Lounge.com for $149.99 US
Free shipping available to Canadian addresses

Gadget Review Week: Rock Band Stage Kit for Xbox 360

Rock Band Stage Kit

For the Rock Band fan in your home, PDP has come up with the perfect gift idea for your wannabe rockstar with the Rock Band Stage Kit. This kit comes with an adjustable LED floor light and combination strobe light and fog machine to turn your rock session up a notch. Using USB cables, the floor light and fog machine connect together to plug directly into the Xbox 360 USB ports and also into a power outlet, so both devices share one power source and one USB connection.

Once connected, gamers only need to pick a song and start playing to watch as the LED light, fog machine and strobe machine start working in sync with the music to create a wicked special effects show. While I found the whole kit to be pretty darn cool, the fog did go off a bit too much for my tiny living room which soon filled up with so much fog I couldn’t even see my TV screen. Happily the fog machine does have an individual off switch so you can still use the strobe light.

For clean freaks worried about their floors and carpets, the fog juice is made from a water solution so you don’t have to worry about a giant mess. The kit works with both Rock Band 1 & 2, but is only available for the Xbox 360 so far. Despite a little too much fog to contend with in my tiny living room after 2 or 3 songs, the Rock Band Stage Kit is fabulous addition to any Rock Band fan’s wish list this holiday season.

Available at EB Games.com for $99.99 US
Shipping available to Canadian addresses

Gadget Review Week: Nyko Cord Free Nunchuk for the Nintendo Wii

Kama Wireless Nunchuk Controller for the Nintendo Wii

The Kama Wireless Nunchuk controller for the Nintendo Wii allows gamers to play their favourite games without the hassle of cords keeping the nunchuk tied to the Wii remote. This wireless nunchuk allows you to play for 30 hours straight without changing the 2 AAA batteries and is crafted to fit perfectly either left or right handed players. It works perfectly with all Nintendo Wii software and actually is much more comfortable to play with than the original nunchuk controller. One does have to remember to turn off to the controller though or the batteries will go pretty quickly on you.

Available at Toys R Us and EB Games for $39.99 CAN

Nyko Cord Free for Nintendo Wii Nunchuk

For households with their fair share of Wii nunchuks already, Nyko also has the Nyko Cord Free for Wii Nunchuk which is an adapter that turns any normal nunchuk into a wireless one. This adapter is great for Wii owners looking for a wireless controller on a smaller budget plus it lasts for 60 hours on 2 AAA batteries. The only downside to this model is that the cord base does makes the nunchuk a bit bulkier to work with.

Available at Toys R Us and EB Games for $19.99 CAN