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Nintendo formally announces Wii release schedule for 2007 (Mario Party 8 NOT delayed?) [update 1]
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Nintendo_formally_announces_Wii_release_schedule_for_2007'; Update: This schedule is only good up until Q2 for this year. Sorry for the mistake.Along with their press release for Pokemon Battle Revolution, Nintendo sent along a release schedule for all of the upcoming Wii games in 2007. Know what's weird, though? Mario Party 8 is listed as being released on May 29th. This, of course, doesn't support what we reported earlier about the party title involving Mario and his friends. We've put in a call to our Nintendo rep and will update you all on what they say later on. In the meanwhile, head past the post break for the full list of titles releasing on the Wii in 2007.[Via press release]
It's official: Mario Party 8 this summer
According to AMN, the latest issue of EGM confirms that Mario Party 8 has been pushed back from its release date of this month to the vague release date of Summer 2007. Color us sad as we were really looking forward to this title (as most of you undoubtedly were), and now with the vague release date, we could honestly be receiving this title as late as the end of August, which is just criminal.Guess the next Nintendo game we all have to look forward to is Super Paper Mario, eh?
Readers pick best webcomic and hate Mario Party
I know what at least three of you are saying out there: "how can you hate Mario Party? It's so fun and non-repetitive and I own all seven versions!" Well calm down there, skipper, because not everyone thinks video board games are the greatest thing since non-video board games.Julian's hands-on with Mario Party 8 sent Penny Arcade's Gabe into a frenzy and subsequently became the most popular gaming comic this week. Second place went to Fanboys Online and third place was claimed by Qwantz, even though we mistakenly linked to the picture and not the comic / news page (thanks, karmaghost). Be sure to congratulate Qwantz artist Ryan North, as his comic turned four years old as of February 1st!Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
Joystiq hands-on: Mario Party 8 (Wii)
Like the early days of the DS, the Wii still hasn't really found its own identity just yet. Still lacking a Brain Training or a Nintendogs, minigames are de rigeur on the system at the moment. Certainly the Wiimote is well suited for minigames, and it's been hoped that it will breathe some new life into a rather tired Nintendo franchise. Yup, Mario Party 8. Joystiq got to play an incomplete version of the "ocho" at the Osaka leg of Japan's World Hobby Fair. Six different minigames were on display: Lasso the barrels: Swing the lasso (Wiimote) in a circle, once you've got some momentum going, throw the lasso forward, grabbing a barrels for points (don't throw Wiimote). Some barrels are worth more points than others. Ball tilt: Balls fall from ceiling. Direct bouncing balls to their correct container by rotating the wiimote. Green on the left, and purple on the right. Drink shaking: Simply shake the Wiimote up and down; fastest shaker wins. Target shooting: Just as in Wii Play, shoot targets with your Wiimote. The high score zone constantly changes so you have to think fast. Jet ski jumps: Move your jet skier to the ramps to pick up coins. The challenge comes from the difficult controls. Crank turning: Turn a crank as fast you can. Exactly the same as the similar WarioWare minigame. Overall, the minigames were solid and fun, if not a tad on the simple side. If the board game side of things (not shown in this early version) is a winner, this could be a fun party game, if not an inventive one. They don't have their Brain Training yet.
Fuzzy new Mario Party 8 screens
Mario Party started a multiplayer frenzy back on the Nintendo 64 that has yet to die down. Now, seven years later, gamers are getting ready for Mario Party 8. We haven't heard or seen a lot about the game aside from a few seconds in a Wii trailer but judging from the blurry screens, we expect it to hold true to traditional Mario Party. From what we can tell, players will compete in activities like tightrope walking and painting. Check out a few more screens after the break! [Thanks Mickey!]
Party in a box: Fuzion Frenzy 2 images
There are some of us (you know who you are) that have fond memories minigame festival that was Fuzion Frenzy. Others among us felt that it lacked the substance of, say, a Mario Party. It's interesting, then, that Microsoft has approached Hudson -- developer of the Mario Party series -- to create Fuzion Frenzy 2. We don't know if the game will feature an overall hub or board like the Mario Party titles, but we can at least be guaranteed that there will be tons of minigames. These screens show off some of the characters and what appears to be a casino themed world. Hopefully, Hudson has learned something from their recent effort and won't forget to include local multiplayer.Anyone looking forward to this one?
Fusionnnnn Frennnzyyy!...um...2!
Microsoft announced today that the sequel to Fusion Frenzy -- creatively titled, Fusion Frenzy 2 -- will be released in the US in time for the holidays. The title is being developed by Hudson (Mario Party, Bomberman) and published by Microsoft Game Studios. For those unfamiliar with the original Xbox title (pictured above), Fuzion Frenzy is a party game full of frantic minigames and eXtreMe! character designs. It's kind of like Mario Party without all the boring board game sections (oh, snap!).It will be interesting to see what Hudson does with the franchise -- the original game was developed by Blitz games, who are currently working on another 360 game, Possession. Anybody itching for a good 360 party game?[Thanks, Paul]
