Wow, that was fast. But here it is, TGW v9.0.3 is now live after testing. (It needed more time, it was supposed to be part of the 9.0.2 push)
*Fixed: CSS Cache issues
*New: Downloads Section!
TGW Version 9.0.2 is now live on the website. 
*Fixed: Forum post screen should stretch less.
*Fixed: Cheat codes no longer get cut off after 255 characters. (UPDATE: Ok, yes they do. The fix was a bit buggy, so stay tuned)
*New: “Share Cheat” feature for all cheats. Allows you to send a message to a friend on facebook about a cheat.
*New: “Facebook” Icon also on forum threads.
Enjoy the latest round of site updates!
My review takes me to the latest “Sonic” game… aptly named “Sonic the Hedgehog” — wow, what a creative title. If a game’s title is anything of the game, we should be in for something.
Game Play: 4 -Try talking to everyone in town! And then, do it some more! And, if your still actually playing the game, for one last time, talk to them again. If you like talking to people,this game is for you. If you actually want to get a new game out of the case, and play some action, consider Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This game will start out boring, and, as far as I know, stays boring. The camera angle is very
fickle, so is sonic himself - the slightest tap in the opposite direction and he skids to a halt. The camera has some of the oddest angles I have ever experienced. On top of that, glitches will become your new best friend. You will fall off things that never existed, be halted by walls you never saw, and then (allowed me to beat my brother when reviewing multi) be able to walk right past the laser walls. This game is like watching your grandmother getting mugged, and all you can do is watch in horror as she is beaten and dragged away.
Single Player: 2 - I still have not figured how to start the next world - how am I supposed to buy the coin dash If I have no coins! Ive managed to walk around town, talk to the kid who snuck out, and…. fall asleep. BORRRRRING.
Multiplayer: 7 - Playing a friend or sibling is just about the only “fun” you will ever find in this game. A quick round or something is great. But playing this game for any prolonged amount of time is futile - best just keep it to the quick round or 2. Although, it is worth mentioning that even a quick round or 2 is not worth it with this game - it takes forever to load, typical of a sonic game.
Online: NR - I could not get it to work. Period.
Overall: 4 - This game makes a mockery of the “sonic” name… 
at least they could have done something to spice it up…. because this game somehow seems like ive seen it before…..
Buy Game Now - Not that you would actually want to or anything, but the cheapest price we found this game online was at Video Game King for $16.99Buy Now!
Cheat Codes - You can find our list of cheat codes for this game below:Sonic The Hedgehog 360
TGW version 9.0.1 has gone live tonight. There are some slight upgrades to talk about, but nothing major as we focus on the finalizations of our MMORPG.
*New: List the all game console you own in your Forum Profile! Please take the time to log in and edit your profile to use this new tool.
*New: Reviews system is now fully open! On our homepage, click “Reviews” to see a full list of reviews published in the BLA!, and plus, its sorted alphabetically.
*New: Basic integration for site-wide login system. (Ex: Forum account is linked to homepage)
*New: MMOPRG login system changed to work with site wide database for user login.
*Fixed: AJAX usercp confirmation boxes (ex, adding a friend)
We hope you enjoy the newest updates to our site!
Well, here’s a game that has sweet single player and virtually seamless online play. So here’s my official ruling on the game.
Graphics: 9.5 -Even still, next-gen graphics never cease to amaze me. The lighting effects, the blurs, and especially the crashes in this game are all presented beautifully in 1080p: it makes for one of the most visually spectacular games I’ve ever seen.
Game-Play: 9 - The controls in
the game are pretty standard for a racing game. There’s trigger for gas, a boost button, etc. But thats not where the game’s innovation lies. That’s in the completely open world ‘Paradise City’ that you get to explore. The amazing thing: no loading times whatsoever. And you know how in most open world games, when you go toward something it appears as you get closer? Not in PC: every object in the game is visible no matter where you are, creating a world that seems almost real.
Single Player: 9 - The basic object of single player is to win races to get ‘marks’ on your license, and raise your license ranking. And one more great game-play innovation is that there are no arrows telling you where to go, or invisible walls that appear while you’re racing. You start a race by pulling up at any traffic light in the city and holding brake and gas. Then, you get a destination to get to one of 8 key places in the game. From there on, you and 7 other racers can take any route you want to get to the destination. This adds a great deal of choice and style to the game.
Multiplayer: 0 - Does not apply. 
Online: 10 - Definitely the coolest thing about the game is how it seamlessly integrates the online play and single player. To connect to the online service (on Xbox Live) all you do is press the D-pad a couple of times to select the mode you want, wait 3 seconds to connect, and instantly 7 other racers appear in your city. Or, you can invite friends the same way. From there on, the party leader can set different objectives for the players to complete (ex. All players must help get a total of 3 minutes of air time off the dam jump). It’s really fun to do these objectives, and adds a whole new level to the game.
Overall: 9 - With great single and multiplayer, this game should definitely be in any racing fan or game fan’s collection. Seriously, this game is a glimpse into the future of gaming.
So, here it is. The Wii game that everyone has been waiting for. I got it at midnight at Gamestop and beat the story mode the same day. So, here is my review of the game as I see it.
Graphics: 9 - 
For a Wii game, these graphics are extremely good. I mean, they’re sharp, clear, and have a lot of pollys (I think it goes without saying, for a Wii game). If only there were 1080p. If you are used to a game like COD or Halo, take a step back and remember the focus here is on game play, not graphics.
Game Play: 9 - Not only does this game have one of the most intuitive and fluent control schemes I’ve ever felt, it has four different controller options to use, all of which feel great after 1 minute, AND can be customized for motion control! Pick your favorite control style and type of motion. It “fits” in just about anyones hands.
Single Player: 8 - The single player options of Brawl are seemingly endless… too bad only a few things can keep you occupied for more than 5 minutes. The campaign (The Subspace Emmisionary) is the deepest and longest campaign mode in franchise history. It took me about eight hours to beat (probably less, I left it running for a while), but at about 30% completion it starts to get really repetitive. It’s like the Melee campaign, but with cut scenes and bosses… and a story. Still no dialog though.
Multiplayer: 10 - The only way to play this game is multiplayer with your friends. It’s so much more satisfying to take a home run bat and send your friend to the next zip code than it is a CPU, because you can’t yell “OH, NOOB, WHAT NOW?!” at a computer (at least without getting a response). Just make sure you have 4 controllers when you get this game, or you might as well not get the game at all.
Online: 7 - Well, a lot of people like the online play in Brawl but I don’t. There’s no chatting with people, and the only option you have is a regular Brawl or a team Brawl. Oh well, I guess I’m just spoiled with Xbox Live. Nintendo could have done much better. Oh, and the lag is unbearable.
Overall: 9 - This game is a great buy. The single player is not extraordinary in any way, but the multiplayer is one of the best on the shelves. Definitely a game to get.
Buy Game Now - When we searched online, the cheapest we were able to find this game was from GameExpress.com ; If you know a cheaper price let us know!
Fans of the game Excitebike 64 will get all giddy when they see this latest game, Nitrobike. As for everyone else… well… not so much.
Graphics: 5 - Gamers have been starting to expect more from Wii games, particurally after titles like Super Smash Bros. Brawl have been able to prove the Wii’s game rendering engine is not that bad. Although the sense of speed is amazing (it really does make you “feel” like you are going fast) thats about all this game has to live up to. Sure, you feel like you are moving fast, but does it matter when everything else looks totally fake?
Game Play: 5 -The Wiimote was not given any chance to shine with this game. It is just not good enough for the super sharp hairpin turns you are going to make 90% of the time. This is the kind of game that would make your thumb sore on a PS2 controller because of all the turning back and forth. On top of that, most of the actual racing is utterly random. Sometimes you can bounce off the wall of a turn and make it out OK, other times you just crash and blow up. Sometimes you can “bounce” off other opponents without being harmed, other times you are sent flying off the bike into the air. Most objects you can crash right into and keep on riding, but seemingly random objects will cause you to get stuck and crash.
Single Player: 4 - Single player mode is fairly set forward. You have to earn a series of medals by playing increasingly hard tracks on an increasingly high difficulty rating. The game stagnates and becomes very old very fast as well. 
Multiplayer: 7 - This is your only chance to have any fun with this game. You can play on a variety of tracks and bikes and other settings — as long as you unlocked them in single player mode. The online game play is also pretty decent, as long as you can actually find someone who owns this game and wants to actually play it with you…. a rare event.
Online: 0 - Good luck trying to find someone.
Overall: 5 - If you just bought a Wii and are looking for a good game to learn all the “coolness” this is NOT your game. This game looks like it was written for something like N64 and just “upgraded” to work on the Wii.
Buy Game Now - When we searched online, the cheapest we were able to find this game was from GameExpress.com ; If you know a cheaper price let us know!
“Computer games to get cigarette-style health warnings”, Says the headline of the news story. (1) Now, last I checked, this was the warning label on cigarettes: “Smoking seriously harms you and others around you”. (2) So whas it supposed to read? Video games harm you and those around you? WTF! Sure, video games are violent. Sure, it causes issues.
But a freakin warning label on them? Come on. Thats a bit much, dont ya think? “Warning, this game is violent”…. uh, thanks? I think most people can figure out if a game is violent based on looking at the cover. Seriously, if it is anything like those warnings on the cigarettes someone is going to be hearing from me. Although, granted, the UK does not have a video game rating system like the US does.
“In the end, what their children are doing is still the parent’s responsibility”
- says gamer Archie Monji.
There are better ways to warn people about the violence in video games than big warning labels. Yes, there are rare cases that people have enacted violence they saw in a game - but there are also cases of people who enact things in movies. A much higher rate. Should we start warning people about that too? The mental affect it may subconsciously have on you? Warnings are a great idea but this is a bit much, in the wrong direction. Parents need to step up to the plate and control what their kids do, just like they need to control what their kids eat instead of blaming it all on McDonald’s.
Image Credit PCWorldThe Logo
Wow, haha. Version 7.0 sure sounds dorky. I am technically calling this version 3, but in reality it is the 7th time this site has undergone a major overhaul. Lots of work was put into reprogramming the new site, but at the last moment as the site was about to go live, we thought the new logo was crappy - so we scrapped it and used the old logo and nav bar instead. All new content elsewhere, and actually starting soon you should be able to read the blog and post in the forums under that same template - until I get around to that, we have a nice mario theme from the folks at wordpresstemplates.name
The Cheat Script
As you can see, we are running an all new script that is 90% in-house made. This new script adds lots of power and functionality to our existing system. On the old system, users had to create an account and go in a painstaking process to have a cheat added. There was also a manual admin review. The new system is instant. Type a game in the box, click the “Yes” or “No” button, and then add new cheats. The process is streamlined and many many times easier than before. We look forward to future upgrades of this script.
The Review Script
We are also working very hard to bring you a one-of-a-kind user review system. Unlike anything you have seen elsewhere, this review system allows you to upload screenshots and clips to your review, and has a detailed 10 point system. We look forward to pushing it in the near future!
The Forums
…will come back soon. Dont worry, it will be back in a bit. I am going to delete everything and start totally fresh. Less clutter, more clean-ness.
The History
TheGamingWizard was cofounded by myself and Brady22 a few years back. After ownership changed hands, things started to pick up to being a “real website” and not something hosted on invisionfree.
The Versions
TGW Version 1.0 - early 2005: A pro-boards forum was created for discussion of video games. The board no longer exists. We quicky outgrew the limited features and annoying ads of proboards and only used the site for a few weeks. (Staff: Brady)
TGW Version 2.0 - mid 2005: A freewebs website designed overnight by brady that he asked me to do a bit of design work on. The site is still alive, here. (Staff: Brady, Collin)
TGW Version 3.0 - late 2005: A new forum was created, this time at Invisionfree. This was the longest time we remained on one host, for about a year. The site is still alive, here. (Staff: Collin, Brady)
TGW Version 4.0 - Early 2006: The site forum and main website was moved to funpic.de hosting. We were running IPB 2.0.0 unlimited trial. (Staff: Collin, Brady, Mike)
TGW Version 5.0 - Late 2006: The site was moved from all the free subdomains to a domain and hosting donated by Ultima Development Labs, thegamingwizard.org. The forum was moved to SMF. The homepage is still in archival here. (Staff: Collin, Brady)
TGW Version 6.0 - Early 2007: New hosting was bought for the site at SiteGround.com and a new domain (TheGamingWizard.com) was paid for also. A copy of Invision Power Board was donated once again by Ultima Development Labs, whom I regret abusing the forum and making it lose its potential. My neglect and over-bloating of the forum is 100% the cause of it slowly suffering a painful death. (Staff: Collin, Rusty)
TGW Version 7.0 - mid 2007: The forums and homepage were totally redone, and the now-present logo designed. A different color scheme and cheat script was used, and there was an overly high amount of clutter on the actual cheat view page. Archive here. (Staff: Collin, Jesse)
TGW Version 8.0 - early 2008: One more major change. New script, allows for user moderation and ranking. Easier to actually submit a cheat - no registration is required. (Staff: Collin)
The Conclusion
Welcome to our all new site! Please stick around and enjoy the changes - all of them were made with you in mind!