Archive for February, 2008

Virtual Console Update: February 25, 2007

Monday, February 25th, 2008

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WII-KLY UPDATE: TWO NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL
Feb. 25, 2008

This week’s additions take players on a psychedelic trip down memory lane. Kirby® is back and armed with a bunch of new talents, including the option to combine abilities. Curious to find out what mixing the Burn and Cutter powers gives Kirby? We won’t spoil that for you here. If the colorful landscapes in the pink sphere’s world are too much for you and you’re looking for straight firepower instead, then try plunging your soul into the mind of a twisted demon. We’ll just see how you fare against wave after wave of bizarre enemy creatures in that kind of environment.

Nintendo adds new games to the Wii™ Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

Kirby 64™: The Crystal Shards: (Nintendo 64®, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Kirby’s first 3-D adventure is also his Nintendo 64 debut, and it finds the always-versatile hero battling a new enemy called Dark Matter. Dark Matter is after a distant land’s powerful crystal, but a young fairy named Ribbon attempts to save it by escaping with the gem to Dream Land. Now the crystal has been broken, and it’s scattered around the world. Take control of Kirby and help him journey across six worlds, battling a wide variety of enemies and challenging bosses, as he tries to collect all 100 pieces of the shattered crystal. Along the way, you’ll use Kirby’s trademark copying ability to use enemies’ strengths against them. Not only that, but try combining any two abilities to create a brand-new one that is usually stronger than the original. Throw in three exciting multiplayer minigames, and you’ve got a package of which even King Dedede would be proud. Fans of Kirby and action games with bright, colorful graphics should vacuum this one up.

Psychosis: (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 600 Wii Points): This is a side-scrolling shooter played in a world created from the mind of a twisted demon. Your soul has suddenly wandered into that evil world that exists in every person’s heart. The only way out is to blast your way past the grotesque creatures that block your path in five “causes” (stages). You must face the dangers of this psychedelic world by making full use of three shot types and the satellite option. With power-ups, you can change your shots to a wide-coverage beam, a satellite-generated laser and more. Each shot type can be powered up to three levels. You can also block enemy fire by rotating the satellites to a desired position. How you use these features will be the key to successfully escaping this strange and surreal world.

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.

Press Release

Commodore 64 Coming the Virtual Console

Saturday, February 23rd, 2008

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It appears that the Commodore 64 will be joining the ranks of the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, Sega’s Mega Drive/Genesis, TurboGrafx-16, TurboGrafx-CD, SNK’s Neo Geo, MSX, and Sega Master System, and Game Gear as emulated consoles/systems available on the Wii.

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One can only hope that not only games will be available, but the Commodore BASIC V2.0 will also be accessible. The Commodore BASIC V2.0 allowed you to enter code to create games, taking hours if not days to do. But I would assume, unlike other sites reporting on this, Nintendo would only allow the Commodore 64 Games System(a cartridge-based game console version of the Commodore 64 home computer). The Commodore 64 Games System didn’t have Basic, and rarely used a separately purchased keyboard.

Nintendo plans to charge 500 Points for the games, and has only been announced for the European Wii population. Hopefully we see a world wild release.

Euro Gamer
via NeoGAF

Nintendo Pay And Play(Greed or MMORPGs)

Friday, February 22nd, 2008

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Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection has always been free to use on the Wii and Nintendo DS. But it now sounds like Nintendo will be charging people to play online for some games. “Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay And Play” is what they’re calling it. To avoid mix-ups, Nintendo will replace the blue Nintendo Wi-Fi Logo with a red “Pay And Play” Logo.

Now either Nintendo is planning for support for MMORPGs (which would justify a Nintendo needing money to support the large servers required) or Nintendo is getting greedy. I will not be paying for Online Games on the Wii, unless they charge like 2 points a month. How about you?

Wired

Free Virtual Console Game of Your Choice

Friday, February 22nd, 2008

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Game Influence, along with Nintendo Destination, is sponsoring a drawing for three free Virtual Console Games. All that’s required to enter, is that you take a quick survey. There will be three people who will win a Virtual Console of their choice. So what are you waiting for? Go to freevc.rlk89.com to enter. Good luck to everyone!

LostWinds Announced

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

Picture Kirby Canvas Curse for the Wii. What do you get? You get a WiiWare launch title developed by Frontier Developments, titledLostWinds. Being a launch title, it should come out on May 12th, which is when WiiWare will launch here in the US.

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In LostWinds, you control Toku and Enril. They call this “single player co-op”. Toku is a regular boy out to save the world of Mistralis, and Enril is the wind spirit. It is basically the gameplay, he is the wind that controls where Toku goes in the air and is the essence of the game.

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You control Toku with the analog stick, and Enril with the Wii remote. This means that although it is a 1 player game, 2 player co-op looks to be inevitable. Your wind spirits will gain more and more power as the game goes on. The wind can either blast Toku or carry/swirl him in any direction.

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LostWinds is set for release on May 12th. It will feature 21 different levels that offer great replay. It is one of those game where you will try to beat your score and time, which will be where the replay will come from. Also, it will be a game you will try many things with. No price has been announced yet, but from the effort that looks like is being put into the game, expect a $10 price tag.

IGN

WiiWare and Wii Fit US Dates Confirmed

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

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With an Interview with Reggie Fils-Aime, Reggie announced that the WiiWare service will be available in the US on May 12, 2008. He also confirmed that Wii Fit will be launching on May 19th here in the US with the price that will be “less than $100”.

IGN

Super Sony Bros. Brawl

Monday, February 18th, 2008

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What would a game like Super Smash Bros. Brawl be like if it was released on one of Sony’s systems, having characters from Sony of the Playstation one, Playstation two, and the Playstation three, brawling to the death. Well IGN asked the question, and created an answer. Below is a list of characters that the IGN PlayStation Team created with their respective Sony Skill (which, I guess, is the Sony equivalent with the smash attack).

  1. Kratos of God of War (Slice and Dice)
  2. Sweet Tooth of Twisted Metal (Fender Bender)
  3. Ratchet and Clank (RYNO V)
  4. PaRappa the Rapper (Mic Meltdown)
  5. Nariko of Heavenly Sword
  6. Jak and Daxter Blinding Sword Light (Ottsel Smother)
  7. Wander of Shadow of the Colossus (Weak Spot Stab)
  8. Sly Cooper (Crooked Cane Neckbreaker)
  9. Liquid’s Hand of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (Revolver Blast)
  10. Patapons (Fever Fury)

What iconic Sony characters would you want to see duke it out with each other?

IGN

Virtual Console Update: February 18, 2007

Monday, February 18th, 2008

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WII-KLY UPDATE: TWO NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

Feb. 18, 2008

Some gamers get skeptical when Roman numerals populate the title of a game. But make no mistake – this week’s offerings are no mere sequels. They are some of the most highly regarded classic games around. So stock up on some Wii Points™ to battle the Dark Force or complete an action-packed trilogy.

Nintendo adds new games to the Wii™ Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

Ninja Gaiden™ III: The Ancient Ship of Doom: (NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Violence, 500 Wii Points): Join master ninja Ryu Hayabusa, last member of the famous Dragon Clan, in the third and final chapter of the legendary Ninja Gaiden saga. Ryu is framed for FBI agent Irene Lew’s murder, and it’s up to him to clear his name. Defeating superior life-forms created out of “life energy” called BIO-NOIDs and avoiding enemy ambushes are among the many obstacles which Ryu faces in this unpredictable adventure of mystery, deceit and destruction. Noticeable changes to the game-play mechanics include Ryu’s ability to grab on to horizontal surfaces, his reduced falling speed and altered jumping maneuvers, and visible power-ups. Help Ryu defeat the forces of evil once more and discover the real culprit behind Irene’s death as one of the most loved trilogies in video-game history comes to a close.

Phantasy Star™ II: (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Animated Violence, 800 Wii Points): Hailed as one of the greatest games of all time by fans and media alike, Phantasy Star II is an RPG that features an epic story line and turn-based battles. Play as Rolf, Nei, Rudo or several other characters as you navigate through the Algol star system battling the evil Dark Force. Build your characters, select the right weapons and armor, and take on the forces of evil through various missions as you find the right combination of characters to complete each objective. Experience the magic once again in this great sequel.

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.

Press Release

Okami Wii Details, Boxart Announced

Friday, February 15th, 2008

Yet another PS2-to-Wii title is coming to Wii. Okami is coming to the Wii, and it looks like it will be one of the better Wii ports. While there may not be many extras (none announced), Wii owners were hoping for, this game has been dramatically improved.

Okami Wii

No worries, the game still keeps it’s beautiful style, and my does it look better than ever. The rumors are false, it is in 16:9 and 480p display, and has a dramatic improvement in the game. This isn’t the biggest improvement in the game, the controls have been improved dramatically! Moving Amaterasu feels very good with the Nunchuck, and the biggest improvement is the brush mechanics. Take PS2’s take on brushing, and add funner, faster, more innovative, and overall better. You waggle the Wii Remote for the attacks, and in order to chain them together you waggle the Wii Remote left and right. This is actually made harder with the Wii, as it is easier to push the button, but certainly not funner. You simply will not be able to figure out how you could stand the PS2 controls after playing the Wii version. The controls are as follows:

  • Move Amaterasu- Nunchuck Analog Stick
  • Bit, Dig, Bark- Z/C
  • Jump- A [press twice for double-jump]
  • Change Camera View- 1/2
  • Skip Scene- +
  • Dart Forward/Attack Enemies- Waggle Wii Remote [you can chain
  • together attack by waggling left and right]
  • Using the Brush- Press B, brush comes up, hold A and paint.
  • Dodge- Flick Nunchuck the way you want to dodge.

Finally, the box art has been announced for the Wii version:

Boxart

If you failed to pick up Okami for the PS2, make sure to pick up Okami Wii coming on March 25, 2008 here in the US, retailing at $40.

IGN

NCAA Football Final Coming to the Wii

Friday, February 15th, 2008

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EA Sports has officially announced that that the NCAA Football video game franchise will be passing and running it’s way to the Nintendo Wii. NCAA Football 09 has been given the tentative release date of on July 15th, of this year; you can go to GameStop’s website to reserve the game. Not only will the franchise come to the Wii, but the game is expected to return to the PS3, PS2, PSP, and Xbox 360.

Press Release

Banjo Kazooie 3: Not Traditional, Multiplayer Component

Thursday, February 14th, 2008

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The Rare Staff have announced that Banjo Kazooie 3 will not be your traditional platformer. No, it will not be a shooter, but it will not be like the others in the series. No details were given, but this can make or break the game. It will also have multiplayer. This step was taken with Conker: Live and Reloaded for the XBOX, and the results were not as good as people had hoped. Will this turn out the same for Banjo Kazooie 3 for the XBOX 360?

Kotaku

What is the Best Video Game Company Ever? Let’s find out.

Thursday, February 14th, 2008

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Not surprisingly, Nintendo made the top of that list. Nintendo has been in the industry for a long time, and it would make sense that today they make the most and the best games. Sony took second, and that also is not very surprising. What is surprising, though, is how EA managed to get fourth place. Since they recently bought out many fantastic video game companies, it should bump up quite a lot.

Kotaku

Brawl Tops a Million in Japan

Thursday, February 14th, 2008

Brawl

Brawl sold very well last week in Japan, but it still missed the million mark everyone had hoped it would get. This week it sold 252,000, and it put it at 1,071,000 titles sold. The Wii has sold double in the United States as it did in Japan, so does this mean we can get over a million here in the US the first week alone? We will all find out the week it retails, starting at March 9, 2008.

VG Chartz