For days I’ve been wondering how much in Canadian money the Wii would go for. Speculating with friends and coworkers I assumed it would be in the whereabouts of 300$ as we always seem to get the short end of the exchange rate. Well I got tired and wondering and visited Nintendo of Canada’s website. Right there for everyone to see since September 14th was the announcement that the Wii console would launch in Canada on November 19th for 280$.

With a very appealing 1.10% exchange rate when compared to the US this is great news for Canadian gamers who are far too used to in excess of a 50% markup for some products such as comics.

One of the most enduring subgenres of gaming is the Strategy-RPG, or SRPG as I’ll refer to it for the purposes of this write-up. Combining turn-based RPG conventions with grib-based strategy, these games are like a marriage of chess, Command and conquer, and Final Fantasy. From Shining Force on the Sega genesis to Final Fantasy Tatics, this subset of RPGS are easy to pick up and play, yet difficult to master. This week’s $20 GOTY and lost classics will take a look at two entries in this genre.

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Quirky Nintendo music composer Kazumi Totaka has a 19-note tune that he likes to hide in his games. Have you heard it? Do you know how pervasive it is? Is it still hiding in yet-to-be discovered places? [Read the rest of this entry…]