Cursed Mountain Brings Survival Horror to the Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii has a family friendly image and not one often associated with the survival horror genre. Cursed Mountain is set to change all that. While light on the guts and gore of next-gen games, atmosphere and storytelling do the shocking here.

The story of the game has you climbing a mountain looking for your lost brother, Frank, who disappeared when searching for a Buddhist artifact called "Terma". It's the combination of Buddhist and Eastern philosophy that gives it a very unique feel, as well as a deep well of background to draw upon.

The exclusive release on the Wii has done wonders for the graphics in Cursed Mountain. Rather than having toned down the gore because of the platform's capabilities, the developers have simply opted to spend the time making the best adventure they can and it shows.

Likewise the controls have been planned from the start for the Wii. It's not a bad port where some gimmick has been thrown at the control system to make it seem Wii-friendly. Instead, the game makes use of the motion control in all aspects of the gameplay, from combat to simple walking.

The way up the mountain isn't predefined. You can choose how you try and make it to the top, and as you move forwards, the game throws new challenges at you, such as the thinning of the air as you climb, making you race around trying to find discarded oxygen bottles from unfortunate climbers.

The combination of puzzles and sections which allow you to decide how to progress, with decent graphics - a novelty on the Wii, and a well thought out control system, make it an ideal game for the adult who is looking for something a bit more involving on their Wii. It's not gratuitous by any means, but Cursed Mountain is not for the faint hearted either.

Understanding the Game of Shuffleboard

The game of shuffleboard used to be played on the floor where players would push their puck with a broom or a stick to score points. Now, the most popular version is table shuffleboard and there are many tournaments in sports bars and family fun centers. Many players want a shuffleboard table for their home because of the popularity and it is something that many players absolutely love. High quality wood tables can be an investment, but they are a must have for those that love the game.

When playing table shuffleboard with two players, the game starts with both players standing at one end of the table and a coin toss determines who will shoot first and what color of weights they will get. Shooting last offers an advantage. Player one slides their weight towards the far end of the board or the scoring end. The second player slides their weight, trying to knock off the first player's weight or to go a further distance. This continues through to the eight weights are alternately shuffled and the winner of the round is the one that lies the furthest down the board.

Players start the next round by switching to the other end of the table and continue playing rounds until one player has scored 15 or 21 wins. The score is tallied for the winner by adding the values of all leading weights that lay ahead of the opponents leading weight. The only person that gets a score is the winner. Any weights that are cut off or lie behind the other side's weights aren't scored. If none of the opponent's weights are remaining on the board, then all of the winner's weights are scored.

The value of the weights is scored based on the zones where they end up. The three primary zones are Trey, Deuce and One, with Four points given for any weights that are overhanging on the scoring end. Any weights that have passed the first foul line but touch the Deuce line are still in the one point zone. The next zone for two points are those that cross the Deuce line but don't go over the Trey line. Those weights that are passed the Trey line and between the end of the board but don't overhang the far edge get Three points. The Four point bonus is given for the weights that extend over the far edge of the board.

If there are not any weights left on the board at the end of the round, then nobody wins or gets any points, but the next round starts by alternating the last shot privilege. To be scored, all weights must make it over the foul line closest to the shooters. To determine whether it is on the foul line or not, the legal determination is made by looking down directly over the top of the weight from the scoring end of the board. If a weight bounces back into the foul zone, it is considered illegal, even though it originally passed the line.

The fine wood tables that are like miniature bowling alleys used in bars and restaurants are the high quality tables that can cost $10,000. If you love table shuffleboard, you might be disappointed, if you don't make the same investment for your home table.