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EA: Boom Blox always meant for Wii, Bash Party built with game's level creator
Some things in this world were just meant for one another. Peanut butter and jelly, America and gladiators, and the Wiimote and Nunchuk are just a few of these things, but now EA producer Amir Rahimi would like to toss Boom Blox and the Wii into this prestigious club. In speaking with Ars Technica, Rahimi says that "Boom Blox is a Wii game through and through." He says EA always had the Wii in mind and that the team never considered the possibility of bringing it to another console. If it were to make its way onto another platform, Rahimi says EA would have to "significantly reconfigure and redesign the core mechanics, but currently we have no plans to do that."As for sequel Boom Blox Bash Party, Rahimi noted something interesting. Speaking about the improved level creation, he said that the team built the level editor first this time, and used it to create every level in the game, whereas in the first title, the team built the game and level editor simultaneously. This means that the exact tools available to gamers when the title ships will be those the team used to create Boom Blox Bash Party. How cool is that?Oh, and if you're worried about all of your Wii's memory (or SD card) being taken up by huge files when downloading custom maps, don't. Rahimi says that each file size will only be in the kilobytes, allowing folks to download plenty of maps quickly and without pain. You'll even be able to sample them in the game before committing them to your memory, so you can try before you don't buy. You know, because it's all free.[Via Go Nintendo]%Gallery-43440%
Top 5: Resolutions for Nintendo
After being MIA last week, it's nice to be back. I hope you were able to get your fill of inflammatory statements and grammatical errors from another blogger. And most importantly, I'm glad you're back. While I was away with loved ones, I did like many other of my countrymen and did not hold back on food and drink. Though I try to watch what I eat, the lure of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies and egg nog were a siren's song I could not ignore. And when I make my way to the gym tonight for my semi-daily swim, I know that it will be infested with the dreaded "January Joiners." This is a term which refers to the large influx of people attending the gym in the early part of the year in a futile attempt to fulfill their weight-loss resolutions. Although maneuvering around the larger number of bodies is an inconvenience, I have no ill feelings towards this people. In fact, I wish that they'd stay all year. Sadly, I know better: they'll be gone before February. So if you've made resolutions, try your best to stick with them. Whether fitness-related or not, setting goals is a great way to improve our lives. Write notes on a calendar, set Google alerts to remind you of goals, and keep your eye on the prize. While your resolutions will best be decided by yourself, we can all agree on a few for Nintendo. Here's the Top 5 resolutions that the Big N should set for themselves. Unlike the January Joiners, let's hope these goals aren't abandoned by Valentine's Day. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
DS Fanboy presents: Game Night 10/18/07
Oh, you have no idea what a relief it is that it's Thursday. We've been waiting for this since ... well, since last Thursday. And now we finally get to take a break this evening and throw down in some DS games with you fine folks. Are you prepared? Have you told your loved one that you are not to be disturbed? You better have.
Joystiq hands-on: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (DS)
The "Days of Ruin" addendum to the standard "Advance Wars" title is more than a surprising acronym that doesn't stand for "DS." (DR? What?) Days of Ruin marks the bleak setting and style for the latest version of this turn-based strategy game. The plucky Advance Wars characters have been retired in favor of an all-new, more tempered cast. And while this is still a Nintendo game -- don't expect anything too edgy -- the company anticipates it'll earn a T-rating for the game's language and tone. The plot is about a more serious, war-decimated planet, after all. More than just the setting, this Advance Wars was described as an Intelligent Systems relaunch of the series. CO powers have been reduced; don't expect them to let a losing side suddenly win the game. And the dual-screen gameplay from the previous DS version has been removed; the top screen shows dedicated battle info, while the bottom screen shows the game area. We recently played a few levels of the new title, and we're looking forward to an Advance Wars game again. We never liked the dual-screen battles, and the CO powers seemed to have gotten out of control in the previous version. Days of Ruin felt like a much needed course-correction for the series. Features like Wi-Fi play with voice chat, and map creation and sharing, remake the title while keeping its addictive strategy gameplay. %Gallery-8675%
DS Fanboy presents: Game Night 10/11/07
We added a new game to the poll last week and, sure enough, you all voted for it. And, considering it stars a certain green-clad youth, we're certain that the majority of you attending this evening will have the game in-hand, ready to go. If you're new to the whole Game Night thing, then head past the break and get the info you need.
Wii gets wired ethernet kit
CVG reports that one of the accessories you'll be able to purchase for your Wii later this year will be a wired ethernet kit, presumably a device that automagically enables you to connect your console to the interwebs via an antiquated cable. Like the high-end model PS3, the Wii features Wi-Fi capabilities without the need for an additional adapter, though it seems decidedly odd for an online system to ship without a standard ethernet port. Nintendo has long made a big deal about embracing all-inclusive standards (which exclude HDTVs) and getting everyone in on the game -- making users pay extra in order to utilize a standard wired connection (which most wireless routers also support) seems contrary to that. It's a strange sort of reversal of the option found in the Xbox 360, where the wireless adapter is purchased seperately and the ethernet port is already included. A further option can be found in Nintendo's USB Wi-Fi dongle, as it's been confirmed to work with the Wii as well.
Survey says: Nintendo setting sights on Xbox Live
It really is a great credit to Microsoft's online Xbox Live network that its competitors are pausing to observe and take notes in their quest to provide a similarly seamless multiplayer experience. With Sony's forthcoming PS3 network (no really, they actually have an online strategy now) boasting similar features to that of Live, it would seem less surprising then that a recent survey sent out by Nintendo pokes and prods with regards to how they may adapt their Wi-Fi service in the future. If the information is accurate, it would appear that Nintendo is looking to trounce the current online king with a few interesting features.According to the information received by Joystiq, the following topics were tapped by the Nintendo Wi-Fi survey: Comparing game stats with your friends, enemies and loved ones. Uploading screenshots, including those proving that you got all the shines. Posting user-made content, such as art and videos, and rating the content of others. See what your friends are currently playing (and subsequently berate them for playing Barbie's Orchestra Conductor) Creating or reading blogs linked to the Nintendo Wi-Fi site. Scheduling specific times to play against friends. Submitting strategies and tips to a central to help those in need. Personalizing the WiFi.com homepage. The survey also enquires about Nintendo's current DS online service and the use of friend codes. Though it's just a survey, one can still take away some positive things from this. It not only shows that Nintendo cares about what gamers want (or that they're doing a stellar job of pretending they do), but that they are actively trying to improve their online service. While the DS Wi-Fi service is remarkable for bringing handhelds together online (for free, natch), its general use and feature set could definitely use some refinement before being shifted over to the Revolution. And by "refinement", we mean "dump the game-specific friend codes already."Though you may have your feelings on the Xbox 360 as gaming platform to contend with, there's no denying that the Xbox Live service has done the console world a great service by spurring on connectivity and highlighting the importance of multiplayer gaming across the globe. [Via Joystiq, thanks Sloopydrew!]
Import review: Contact
Gamebrink has posted a review of Contact, currently the most anticipated DS title that doesn't involve a duo of energetic plumbers. Instead, you get an eccentric professor looking for the parts of his downed spaceship in an original RPG that supports Wi-Fi play. The article praises the game for its unique story, excellent presentation and varied locations. I especially like how the game breaks the fourth wall right off the bat, having the professor communicate to you as the player on the other side of a mysterious portable device. The professor will quiz you about some of your favorite things at the start of the game, often sharing his own opinion regarding your answers. It's a cute little gameplay device that, according to the review, really boosts the immersion factor (often quite tricky for a portable game to get right).The only qualm brought to light was the fact that the game's combat system comes across as a bit shallow. Still, if an RPG has enough personality and a great story to tell, it can often get away with such issues. It's when things are the other way around that you start having problems. The English version of Contact should be out later this year, courtesy of Atlus.[Thanks Sense!]
Kiosk Hunting: London calling
One of our UK-based readers sent us one of the first bits of information to help in our ceaseless quest to locate all the DS download kiosks in the world ever. "I found a DS demo kiosk in HMV on Oxford Street in London. It was demoing Mario Kart DS and had a crappy times new roman a4 print-out that gave instructions on how to download demos from the kiosk. I followed em and sod all happened.I went back 2 days later, and they changed the kiosk to an Animal Crossing demo with a new shiny sign that said you can download demos. I tried again and it worked. All they had was Polarium, so I grabbed that and finished the demo on the train ride home..."And our progress on the American front? Not so good. Nintendo seems to have hit a delay in rolling out their kiosks, with the Nintendo Store in New York being the only US location thus far to be bathed in Wi-Fi goodness. Nintendo's own Download Station page promises that the units will start showing up in early April, however, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled and your DS powered on.If you spot one, let us know what your experience with it was like! Tell us what games you tried! Send us a picture! Or update this Frappr map that one of our swell readers created! And make obnoxious use of exclamation marks! [Thanks Butch, Sean and D. Short!][Update: Thanks for the submissions so far! Just make sure you give us enough details on the location--states are rather large, after all.]
40 DS Wi-Fi titles now in development [Updated]
Our friends at Famitsu managed to attend a GDC seminar entitled "The Zen of Wi-Fi: A Postmortem of the Wireless Features of Nintendo DS" and, as most journalists are prone to do, quickly converted their experience into an informative article. Unfortunately, being of Japanese origin, said wonderful article had to be put through an internet translation service before we could make any sense of it. Curse our bizarre Western tongues!Regardless, the most interesting bit of news to emerge from the conference is one directly involving the universal language of numbers. According to Takao Ohara, amusingly dubbed as the "Ohara your husband person" of Nintendo by Google's linguistic trolls, there are currently 40 Wi-Fi DS games en route for release. He also made an effort to point out that the forthcoming Winning Eleven (Pro Evolution Soccer for the Europeans and soccer hooligans among us) was one of them, shortly before pulling his shirt over his head and doing an energetic backflip.The Nintendo Wi-Fi service is certainly taking off with gusto--and this from a company that once claimed gamers weren't interested in all those online shenanigans. We all make misteaks mistakes, right?[Thanks Terrell!][Update: Here's a link to the Famitsu article - now translated by actual humans! Thanks CTU Kyoto!]
Nintendo Wi-Fi hits one million users
And they're all playing Mario Kart DS. Shortly after a dramatic website countdown hit six digits, Nintendo has officially announced that their Wi-Fi service has managed to ensnare over 1 million hapless users. According to Reggie Fils-Aime, all those users represent more than 27 million game sessions. That's certainly an impressive number, but we expect it to grow even further once Metroid Prime: Hunters finds its way into the hands of eager online gamers. The total number of hours that will be lost to Nintendo's Wi-Fi nexus in the next few months is nigh incalculable. Are you one of those 1,000,000 online players?[Via British Gaming Blog. Thanks JonathanEx!]
Atlus and DS make contact
This Earthbound-ish game has been in the news before, mostly due to it being one of the first online-ready RPGs to emerge from the colorful recesses of Japan. Contact, which centers around the adventures of a young man trying to reassemble a wacky professor's spaceship, has now been picked up for localization by Atlus. Given that some of the prominent team members who worked on Trauma Center: Under the Knife will be helming this title, we expect it to be a fine localization indeed. We'll be posting more information on the title and its exact online capabilities as soon as we get it. Needless to say, we've already been won over by the promise of animal-training mini-games. We love those.[Thanks Lazy American!]
Web browsing on the Revolution?
Following the grand revelation that melancholy and overly dramatic Internet browser, Opera, was appearing on the Nintendo DS stage, Nintendo Gal was left wondering if the Revolution would be privy to the same. Naturally, the only thing required to clear up the matter was a phone call to Nintendo of America. The result?"Revolution owners will have the option to purchase that functionality."Well, that was easy. Since the Revolution is already equipped with Wi-Fi capabilities and plenty of storage, we imagine a simple software purchase to be the only thing standing in the way of enjoying the web from the comfort of your couch. We also think the term "point-and-click" will be especially appropriate when it comes to navigating pages with the Revolution controller. [Via Joystiq]
Nintendo marketing gets all edgy and subliminal
It would seem that there's a lot more to one of Nintendo's latest UK adverts than meets the eye. Once you get over the snazzy visuals and dramatic trailer choir (on loan from Steven Spielberg), you may spot the secret subliminal marketing going on in the background. Is that the word "Revolution" sneakily scrolling by in the background, or is it yet another case of our overactive and Skittle-enhanced imaginations getting the best of us? Most people (including the guys at Go Nintendo) seem to think it's the former, with the Revolution's appearance signalling its forthcoming reliance on the same online network that powers the DS. This hardly comes as a surprise, but it's arguably one the first real Revolution commercials, especially considering that the clip never specifically mentions the DS--only global, wireless, multiplayer gaming. If Nintendo decides to keep the service free, it could pose a significant challenge to Microsoft's Xbox Live offering and Sony's unified PS3 network whatever it is they're doing. [Thanks Eric!]
DS Meet introduces online tournament system
A while back we asked you to tell us how good you really were at Mario Kart DS. Now we might ask you to prove it. You see, the guys over at DS Meet, one of a few sites that allows users to share their friend codes and meet new players online, have implemented a cool new online tournament system. It allows you to join up with existing tournaments or create your own, all via a reasonably easy to use interface.Once you've created a tournament, the site will automatically take care of rostering (though you can manually alter this as well) and keeping track of the friend codes of those competing. You also have the option of having a forum to discuss and coordinate matches with your fellow DS players. The onus is on the tournament operator to keep track of everybody's scores though, so a level of honesty may be required if you're going to take charge of a tournament. Being the best Mario Kart DS players in the known universe, we're all about the honesty.Mind you, it's not all about the snaking. With support for Animal Crossing's various competitive activities and the upcoming Metroid Prime: Hunters, it's about fishing and shooting too. It's also about competing with people from all over the world. How about a DS Fanboy reader Mario Kart tournament? Can we have a show of hands from those who would be interested? [Thanks echelon! Keep up the good work.]
Nintendo considering DS web browser?
According to the guys over at Cubed3, Reggie Fils-Aime recently dropped some hints in an EGM interview regarding potential web browsing functionality for the DS. With so many online pieces already in place, it's quite surprising that Nintendo hasn't put more effort into getting the necessary software out. Supposedly, a third-party initially expressed interest in providing a browser and Nintendo thought it best to step back and give them free reign. However, with no real results yet, Reggie suggests that Nintendo is likely step up soon and get the job done. That is, if someone else entirely doesn't get there first.[Thanks jah75157, who we stupidly forgot to thank at first.]
Next DS Pokemon to venture online
While many see it as an enjoyable RPG romp with endless variety, Pokémon is in truth built upon far darker principles. The game is obviously representative of the greed in our hearts, our unending desire to garner vast material wealth and yes, our very need to catch...them...ALL. Well, I guess the games are pretty fun too.Those eagerly anticipating the forthcoming DS iterations will be pleased to learn that director Junichi Mysada has let slip some info about Pokémon Diamond & Pearl (the original Ham & Dilithium titles having been rejected earlier). He claims that his main goal is to make full use of the capabilities of the DS, including the microphone and online Wi-Fi connectivity. Shouting "I choose you, Pikachu!" into the mic whilst battling your friends online and robbing them of their precious pocket monsters? Sounds good to us.[via DS-x2]
Reggie and Major Nelson - when worlds collide
More fallout from the Reggie Event hits us now, with a surprise guest appearing at the Mario Kart DS gathering. Why, it's none other than Major Nelson, whom you may have seen in such popular productions as the Xbox and the Xbox 360. Was he spying on Nintendo's marketing mastermind? Planning a daring assassination? Or...maybe he just wanted to play some Mario Kart."I wanted to see how they did it…and it was a pretty underwhelming event. It was not able to connect via the wireless connection, or play as my nickname ‘Xbox Live.’ On the upside I was able to get my DS signed by Reggie (to “Major” none the less.)" Perhaps the reason he couldn't connect was because his nickname was Xbox Live, thus breaking an invisible rule set by Nintendo to prevent you from advertising naughty things. Or not. The DS and the Xbox 360 may not be competing directly, but the online service models they implement certainly are (especially since the Revolution is likely to have a similar one). That only adds to the amusement of Reggie signing the Major's DS, possibly completely unaware of who it really belonged to. This is most likely due to the Major's inability to connect via Wi-Fi, have his ass kicked and his name taken.[Via Joystiq]
Exchanging friend codes made easier
How long before the act of exchanging friend codes becomes geeky sexual innuendo? Probably not long at all, now that the full power of the internet can be used to spread your unique set of DS numbers to the world. We now know of two websites that can ease the pain of reciting a bunch of numbers into your friend's ear, a process which has to be repeated for each different game you play. Oh, if only someone could have thought up a centralized network populated with universal "Gamertags"...oh well, maybe someday.First up, we have a site called DS-Play. They allow you to sign on and create a little virtual business card for yourself, proudly displaying your screen identity and your frighteningly complex friend code. It's a place where you can log on "any time of day or night and always find REAL people to play against or trade items and facts with." Good, because I just hate losing to those damn synthetic humans all the time. Them and their mad nanoskillz.Another site that does more or less the same thing but promises to keep account info more private (though this protects the identities of filthy synthetic humans), is DSconnect. It'll send you an e-mail whenever your friends are going online with a specific game and the site's creator was even nice enough to add a team page for Joystiq readers, accessible after you sign in. So, which site should you use? We'd tell you, but our feelings towards synthetic humans would cloud our judgment and so we'll just wait for you guys to try both out and deliver a shocking verdict. [Via Joystiq. Thanks Kyle!]
The Reggie event is over
In case you didn't make it all the way to Bellevue, Washington for the legendary Reggie Mario Kart DS meeting, you might be interested in checking out coverage of the event over at the Nintendo forums. Though most of the forum posters seemed to have gotten a kick out of openly worshipping their ass-kicking, name-taking god and running into each other in "real life", not many have given feedback regarding the one question that truly deserves asking.Just how good is Reggie at Mario Kart? If you were there, let us know what you thought of the event and whether or not it altered your outlook on life in any way. Use the tips form to speak to us (about this or any of our other posts), since our comments system is still wallowing in self-despair in her room and says she hates us. [Via Joystiq]
