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Ubisoft sued over Yourself!Fitness Wii port that never happened
ResponDesign is a little ticked off. If you ever played Yourself!Fitness for the Xbox, PC or PS2, know that they had a Wii version planned to capitalize on the success of Nintendo's Wii Fit. Ubisoft was developing My Fitness Coach, with an agreement between themselves and ResponDesign to use some of Yourself!Fitness's assets, including the virtual trainer Maya, in the game. Part of the agreement was to launch in early 2008, to coincide with Wii Fit's release (and thus capitalize on its popularity). Since that didn't happen, ResponDesign is most upset it lost out on a lot of money in royalties.The lawsuit was filed on July 16 in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles. ResponDesign also had claims Ubisoft "never disclosed that it was developing a game that would be entitled My Weight Loss Coach or any other game in the My Coach product line that would directly compete with or replace the My Fitness Coach game." The agreement was to apparently see ResponDesign receive $250,000 for the initial game elements, $50,000 when Ubisoft completed the first playable version of the Wii game (which was supposed to be completed no later than Nov. 18, 2007), and an additional $50,000 after Nintendo approved the gold master for the finished title.ResponDesign feels cheated and claims "from the outset [Ubisoft] failed to diligently pursue development of the game, ignored the terms of the license agreement and acted in bad faith."
Promotional Consideration: Play to lose
As it did with My Word Coach, Ubisoft sees a lot of potential in My Weight Loss Coach (My Health Coach in Europe), putting enough money behind the nutrition and fitness trainer's marketing budget to support several print and television advertising campaigns worldwide. The publisher has timed the title's release and its promotional push perfectly, too, riding the exercise-game wave set in motion by Wii Fit.In this edition of Promotional Consideration, we look at several of those My Weight Loss Coach advertisements to pick out the goofy details and voice our trivial complaints. Eat a light lunch, run up a flight of steps, and meet us after the break for the ads!%Gallery-15787%
WRUP: Rocking out edition
Holy cow, DS gamers! There's a bunch of new games available this week! Guitar Hero: On Tour? Check. Mega Man Star Force 2? Check. My Weight Loss Coach? Check. Too many games to choose from? Check.With the wide assortment of new games available, what will you be enjoying on your DS this weekend? Planning on playing something new? Something old? Something blue? Wait, that doesn't sound right ...What are you playing?%Gallery-19362%
Games to help curb your addictions
The "self-help" era is upon us, even finding its way into the video game industry as of late. Aside from the obvious fitness awareness game on Nintendo's other system (we mean Wii Fit, of course), there have been quite a few attempts to help gamers improve their lifestyles and habits. Take, for example, the upcoming My Weight Loss Coach and Ubisoft's "Easyway" title to help people quit smoking.Our favorite approach so far, though, was when DS Fanboy reader Dan used Pokémon to quit smoking. If there's anything we've learned from Dan's inspiring story, it's that the best way to curb an addiction is to replace it with another. We then decided that we wanted to help more of our fine readers that are suffering from such torments day in and day out. Pokémon may cure smoking, but what about other plaguing ailments? We're happy to say that after months of testing on monkeys and small children, we've finally come up with a few perfect video game cures.So, look no further than Dr. DS Fanboy, and check out our ultimate self-help guide to find the fixes for your addictions. Master that addiction!
DS releases for the week of June 23rd
DS gamers around world have reason to rejoice this week. Why? There are loads of games a-coming! In fact, it's a big week for all platforms, but DS owners have reason to be particularly pleased. Whether you're going to be grinding away in Final Fantasy Tactics A2, or getting your groove on with a portable Guitar Hero, we're willing to bet there's something coming that will inspire a little wallet-opening. American Girl: Kit Mystery Challenge Cake Mania 2 Code Lyoko: Fall of X.A.N.A. Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift Gourmet Chef Guitar Hero: On Tour Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Ninja Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Saurian Midnight Play! Pack My Weight Loss Coach Top Spin 3 Wall-E Check out the releases for the other major markets after the break!
Box swap: My Weight Loss Coach
Only a week and a half after we questioned Ubisoft's My Weight Loss Coach boxart -- as we've made a habit of doing with the publisher's boxes -- the placeholder art posted on Amazon has been replaced with a much more predictable and bland cover. While weren't sure if we fancied the previous packshot or not, we're very sure about not liking this one. Ubisoft has done away with the old box's minimalist presentation and Don Hertzfeldt-esque stick figures. Instead, the packaging is crowded with the publisher's enlarged logo, the software's bundled pedometer, a stock photo of a running couple, and a looming, slimmed waist. Also, you can now see the same banner and chunky, slab-serif typeface used on Ubisoft's other "My Coach" covers.Bring your disdain past the post break for larger comparison shots of the boxes.%Gallery-15787%
My Weight Loss Coach boxart: Lazy or fitting?
We loaded up My Weight Loss Coach's product page on Amazon earlier today and received two surprises: $39.99. We're used to seeing that sort of markup only on Square-Enix titles and almost never on casual titles, but we suppose that bundled pedometer comes at a price. That price being ten additional dollars. Its stark, untraditional packaging art. At first, the cover seemed like an apathetic production, reminiscent of the Konami's Best box design, but perhaps this simple, almost Apple-esque approach will draw in weight-concerned adult casuals, Ubisoft's target audience. If they really want to bring in the big bucks, they'll shoot a commercial of someone pulling the case out of a manila envelope while Yael Naim sings the lyrics to "New Soul."If you're one of those strange people who like to judge a title by its actual content and not its cover, jump into our gallery below to see new screenshots of the get-in-shape software. %Gallery-15787% [Via NeoGAF]
Ubisoft's DS pedometer wants you to lose
It's not enough that the Wii Fit is trying to cajole you into getting off your couch and actually engaging in physical activity -- now the DS is worming in on the action. Developer Ubisoft is rolling out My Weight Loss Coach for the handheld, and going the extra mile (ha ha!) by including a pedometer add-on which interfaces with the system. Apparently, the idea is that you'll keep the pedometer in a pocket or on a belt buckle during the day, then plug the unit into your DS and let the software calculate how much fat you've burned -- thus keeping track of your daily regimen and adjusting accordingly. The game / device combo is launching in one-croissant-too-many Europe this summer, no word on when it hits the morbidly obese States.[Via DS Fanboy]
Ubisoft reveals DS pedometer for 'My Weight Loss Coach'
Vying for a portable-gaming equivalent to the Wii Fit audience, Ubisoft has announced that their Nintendo DS title My Weight Loss Coach will ship with a pedometer peripheral, that will allow the game to track your movement throughout the day, independent of the game or DS.The special pedometer uses an internal battery to keep track of its movement while separate from the DS. Users carry the device around with them in their pocket. Once plugged into the GBA slot of the user's DS, the device then transfers that data collected into My Weight Loss Coach, which factors in the movement into its daily health calculations.Due out this summer, My Weight Loss Coach sounds like an interesting addition to Ubisoft's growing lineup of non-games targeted at the casual audience. And who doesn't love pedometers? Gallery: My Weight Loss Coach
Ubisoft reveals DS pedometer, our fight against the flab begins here
Do your evenings typically consist of you perching your overweight frame on the couch, slurping down microwaveable pizzas between guttural sobs of despair? If so, the compact device above could be the way to a healthier, leaner you. Why? Because that's the pedometer that will ship with Ubisoft's My Weight Loss Coach, silly!We've already stated how much we like this game's simple-yet-elegant visual style, and My Weight Loss Coach's pedometer only elevates it further above more standard training fare on the DS. The idea is straightforward enough: keep the pedometer on your person all day, letting it count every step you take, then plug it into the GBA slot of your DS and let the software analyze how much blubber you've burned off. Pretty soon, you'll look a bit like this guy, right down to the toned arms and rictus grin. Excellent!This should be arriving in Europe this summer, so until then you'll have to breathe in sharply if you want to squeeze into the gallery below.%Gallery-15787%[Via press release]
Promotional Consideration: Resident Evil Crossing ... 4!
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.Many of the commercials for Nintendo-published DS titles in Japan or Korea follow the same formula -- alternating shots between in-game clips and reactions from the player, typically a celebrity. It's an effective approach, as game and system sales can attest, but what happens when a bored video editor decides to mess with the recipe, replacing the cheerful game scenes from a Korean Animal Crossing ad with much more violent footage? Follow us past the post break to find out!
DS Fit: Ubisoft announces My Weight Loss Coach
For those of you looking for a weight-loss alternative to methamphetamines, you can finally put down that needle -- Ubisoft has just the game for you! My Weight Loss Coach acts as both a fitness coach and nutritionist to help you trim those extra pounds. Pretty soon, you'll be able to slip into that old pair of daisy dukes that kept your telephone ringing all throughout your high school years.The casual software will come bundled with a pedometer, an accessory which detects nearby sexual predators counts every step you take, similar to the Nike+iPod Sports Kit. The device plugs into your DS, presumably through the handheld's GBA slot, and keeps track of your progress, updating your personal profile. Based on the data it gathers, My Weight Loss Coach helps you balance your food intake and meet "landmark checkpoints." And it doesn't even give you meth mouth!The stick-figure art direction is simple but charming, like a Don Hertzfeldt animation, perfect for a genre that doesn't really benefit from graphics that push the system's limits. Check our gallery below for 15 screenshots of the healthy title. My Weight Loss Coach isn't scheduled for release until this summer, but don't wait until then to get off the ice.%Gallery-15787%
