Play time with the new games of Wii U
In this episode, fix the Facebook e-mail mess and watch how the Wii U GamePad controller adds a new level to casual gaming.
- Bridget has spent over 18 years as a consumer tech reporter, hosting daily tech news shows and writing syndicated newspaper columns. She's often a guest on national radio and television stations, including ABC, CBS, CNBC and NBC.
The world is annoyed with Facebook, but I'm stressed out over zombies:
Last week, Facebook automaticly changed the email address displayed in profiles to be the Facebook email that no one uses. Well the drama doesn't end there. Some smartphones that sync contacts with Facebook have auto-updated address book info with Facebook emails. Do yourself (and your friends) a favor and make sure the right email is listed in your profile. If you think you're missing emails because of this change-up, click on Messages in the left-hand column, then click on Other. That's where Facebook hides emails sent to you by non-friends.
The Android operating system has frequent updates, but not all phones can always get those updates. Google reported that Android 4.0, which debuted in October, is only on 10 percent of Android phones. Last week Google unveiled 4.1, code named Jelly Bean, but you might be waiting months to see it on your phone. Of course you can spend that time waiting by reading up on our full review of Jelly Bean to see what you're missing out on.
I got to spend some time with the games on Nintendo's new Wii U system and the touch-screen GamePad controler. No price or release date have been announced yet, but it should come out in time for the holidays.
The GamePad adds a new level of creativity and fun to casual gaming, especially when you're playing with friends. In some multiplayer games, the person with the GamePad controller can have a completely different role, such as assisting or hindering other players. In Super Mario Bros. U, I used a classic Wii remote to control Mario while another player used the GamePad to create extra blocks to help save me from falling into a pit, or to help me jump to a hard to reach place. And in one NintendoLand mini-game, the fifth player on the GamePad plays the villain, hunting down the other four players using Wii remotes.
The second screen can sometimes surprise you. In the wacky challenges of Game and Wario, you use a finger swipe to pull back an arrow on the GamePad screen and watch it fly at targets on the television. If the bad guys get too close, they hop onto the GamePad screen and you must quickly smash 'em with your finger.
The GamePad also adds to the Wii Fit experience. In one workout challenge, I focused on the GamePad screen to aim my watergun at approaching enemies while doing lunges. And no need to hog the TV to record a Wii Fit weigh-in. The GamePad can save your workout data independently.
I enjoyed it when the second screen added to the game experience in simple ways, so that I didn't have to worry about looking back and forth between two screens. That wasn't the case with ZombieU. The GamePad had some perks, like using it as a target view to snipe at a distance. But these things could be done before with traditional controller buttons. ZombieU is a case where the screen just gives you more to do. I had to look down to tap my inventory to load weapons or hold up the screen to see around me in a dark room. It's stressful enough dealing with zombies! Now having to look down and think about what's going on in the second screen under pressure, well that's a skill that takes getting used to. Until I can get better at that, I'll stick with the casual multi-player games and Wii Fit challenges.
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