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We Ski and Snowboard and Look at New Screens
Click image for new screens Namco Bandai just sent off a bunch of new screens for Family Ski: World Ski & Snowboard. The screens feature everything from splitscreen gameplay down to penguins on skis. If you were wondering, yes, we do approve of penguins on skis. It defintely gets them around faster than walking and, boy, are they cute. Click on the image above or hit up the gallery below for the new screens.%Gallery-33423%
Nintendo unleashes full Q1 schedule
Nintendo's carrier pigeon just landed on our windowsill with a complete list of Wii releases for Q1 2009. We do actually know most of these dates already (so yeah, maybe the mushroom cloud is a bit excessive), but there's still the occasional scrap of new news buried within.Those Tenchu and Little King's Story dates are fresh to us, and there's also confirmation of the first Play on Wii "New Play Control" games, Pikmin and Mario Power Tennis. For the record, "New Play Control" is a bit of a rubbish name for the series. In our humble opinion, obviously.Make the jump for the full line-up, and remember you can click on a game's name to bring up screens (where available)!%Gallery-22964%
European families can Ski & Snowboard this February
One more Wii game announcement from Atari! The company has announced plans to bring Namco Bandai's Family Ski: World Ski & Snowboard to Europe in February of 2009, one month before We Ski & Snowboard is released in the US. The sequel will be released under the streamlined title Family Ski & Snowboard. Like its predecessor, which was used as a sort of proof of concept for the Balance Board, Family Ski & Snowboard supports both Wiimote/Nunchuk controls and the Wii Fit accessory.Two new locales, Mt. Angrio and Jamboree Snow Resort, are playable in the sequel, which also adds new features like half pipes, animal search and rescue tasks, and, of course, snowboarding. %Gallery-33423%
Family Ski: World Ski and Snowboard and Dinosaur Suit
The new followup to We Ski may improve on the reality of the snowboarding and/or skiing experience. Aside from the obviously reduced costs associated with playing a Wii game versus taking a vacation, and the sharply reduced likelihood of serious falling-off-a-mountain-related injury, Family Ski: World Ski and Snowboard allows you to play a game of snowboard tag under the supervision of a guy in a dinosaur suit. We're glad to see the silly suits return.Speaking of silliness, the new course in World Ski and Snowboard also features a gigantic donut to jump through. Also there are normal races and half-pipes and such, if you're interested in stuff like that.%Gallery-33423%
We Ski & Snowboard & look at screenshots
Family Ski: World Ski & Snowboard looks cute and fun, sure -- mostly because it looks a lot like We Ski. In fact, it pretty much is We Ski, just with the option of turning the Balance Board sideways and some new levels, and yet we're oddly compelled by these screenshots. Whether or not you enjoyed the games' predecessor, which got mixed reviews, we'll guess you'll find these shots as appealing as we do. %Gallery-33423%
Guess the new feature in Family Ski: World Ski & Snowboard
Nintendo used the first Family Ski from Namco Bandai (called We Ski here) as a showcase for the Balance Board, to show that the board could be used for more than exergaming. One of the next titles to use the Wii Fit peripheral will be ... the sequel to Family Ski! Called Family Ski: World Ski & Snowboard, the new game adds (obviously) one new method of downhill transport, the snowboard. The snowboard can be operated like the snowboard in Wii Fit, using a rotated Balance Board, or with the Wiimote alone. The new game also features a new locale, the Jamboree Snow Resort, with all-new courses.
Namco hosting We Ski event at the Nintendo World Store
The folks at Namco Bandai have announced that they'll be hosting an event in celebration of their title We Ski. It all goes down at the Nintendo World Store in New York City this Saturday, between 12pm and 4pm. Demo kiosks will be available to demo the title, either with the Wiimote and nunchuk or using the Balance Board. There won't be much in the way of goodies available, but the first 500 people to pick up the game will get a free poster.%Gallery-17418%[Via press release]
WRUP: Not one, not two, but ten whole sports edition
Looking over this week's releases, we're pretty dead set on wanting to get some quality time in with Deca Sports (previewing it got us intrigued). Sure, there's We Ski, but until the Balance Board releases (well, until Wii Fit releases, we should say), we're not down with it. Almost all of the appeal for us is the Balance Board support, but, hey, maybe we're alone in that.So what will you all be playing this weekend? Checking out WiiWare titles? Got another game you've been working on? Picking up one of this week's releases? Interested in Deca Sports, like us?%Gallery-7109%
Wii releases this week: Deca Sports edition
Hudson's attempt at an accessible game full of sports is finally hitting shelves this week. We're anxious to see how it does, considering we found our preview build that Hudson sent over pretty fun. On top of that, the title looks like it might be a great match for playing with some friends. Of course, the $29.99 price point doesn't hurt Hudson's chances for success, either!This week's Wii releases are: We Ski Deca Sports Castle of Shikigami III Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian So ... who's picking up what?%Gallery-7109%
New games this week: We Ski edition?
It's not unintentional that this week's headline ends with a question mark. We just wanted to be completely clear that we have no clue what the best game being released this week will be. There are just too many questions! On the one hand, you've got Prince Caspian, which is a licensed game. The trouble there is obvious. Then you've got Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm, which we'd love to be good so we can feel like men (if only virtually) for a few hours. But let's be honest: It probably won't be.So, the honor falls to We Ski. Can we promise you that it's not solely because it's really funny when you say its name aloud? No, dear reader. No we can't. We're hoping next week will be better; you can check out the whole month right here. Gallery: We Ski
Family Ski heading to Europe in June
We've already witnessed Europe (and particularly Britain) going absolutely potty for Wii Fit, and it won't be long before the region gets its next Balance Board compatible game.Luckily for Namco Bandai, it's one of their games. Family Ski (it'll be keeping the Japanese name for its European release, though whether it gets the angry U.S. boxart is still a mystery) will be reaching the pistes of Europe on June 13th, just in time for when the folks there start getting bored of Wii Fit, and disused Balance Boards begin to clog up closets and attics.%Gallery-17418%
We Ski videos leave us anything but chilled
We Ski continues to take the tundra lightly look like an infectious bundle of fun. Just check out the folks in this first English-language trailer for Namco Bandai's ski-me-do, giddy with excitement as their chibi avatars pull off stunts and swerve effortlessly across the slopes. That'll be us! Soon! With each passing trailer, we find ourselves wanting to play this more and more -- with the Balance Board, naturally (though four Balance Boards won't be cheap).This latest round of footage came from Namco Bandai's Editor Day event, and there's more past the break.%Gallery-17418%
We like these new We Ski screens
Okay, we might be absolutely sold on We Ski. Despite our concerns over the game's boxart, the combination of a (hopefully) very affordable price and the chance to ski as a person in a cute polar bear suit ultimately win out. Consider us interested in Namco's Balance Board-compatible game. Other in-game activities we look forward to are riding the lift and smiling politely whilst hitting gnarly jumpage.For the rest of the new screens, be sure to hit up the gallery below.%Gallery-17418%
We Ski gets the Kirby treatment
The Japanese boxart for We Ski (Family Ski over there) used a simple ski-resort signage theme. It may not have been the most exciting boxart, but it's pretty nice-looking, and kind of serene. Very vacation-y. The American boxart dials the serenity way down and the excitement way up. We expect the totally extreme skiers here to be headed back to the lodge to slam some Chibi Mountain Dew. Except for the guy in the back, who just came along because there was an extra ticket, even though he doesn't really like skiing.The facial expressions remind us of Nintendo of America's frequent edits of Kirby boxarts. Nintendo knows that if we're going to buy a game about a spherical pink baby, he had better be one angry baby. A few examples can be found after the break.
Rumor: We Ski to be cheap enough for non-skiers
Yep, the sport itself might be the preserve of those wealthy enough to blow $800 on a jacket, but it looks like Namco Bandai may have paupers like us in mind when it comes to We Ski. The game just appeared on GameStop sporting a bargain-basement price of $29.99. That's our kind of sport!Of course, in skiing it's the extras which really hit your wallet, and that seems to hold true in the case of Namco Bandai's game. Throw in a Balance Board and enough Wiimotes and Nunchuks for all the family to get involved, and suddenly We Ski starts to sound about as expensive as skiing again. Oh well.[Via Go Nintendo]
A trio of We Ski videos
GameSpot has uploaded three new movies from Namco's We Ski, depicting, well ... gameplay. That's what we all want to see, right? And considering that this title will make use of the Wii Fit Balance Board, we're doubly anxious to see how fun it is. While we sit around and wait for the game's release, we'll just have to settle for game footage. Check past the break for another two videos.
We Ski relaxes at the lodge with some new screens
After hitting up the slopes for a few hours, some fresh screens for We Ski have settled down by the fireplace in the lodge. As we sip hot cocoa and enjoy the crackling fire together, we ask what kind of multiplayer features We Ski has. "4-player fun, you say?" we excitingly inquire, taking care to pour our eyes over every single last screenshot. You, too, may join us at the fireplace. All you need to do is check out the screenshots in our gallery below and you will be whisked away to a fantasy land of splendor. Or, you know, to a ski mountain.%Gallery-17418%
Namco's 'We Ski' coming to US in spring 2008
Narrowly avoiding the obvious and overused pun, Namco Bandai has announced intentions to bring its Japanese Wii title Family Ski over to North America as We Ski. Like the Japanese version, We Ski will be fully compatible with the Wii Balance Board, allowing players to shimmy and slalom their way down the virtual mountains.We Ski matches Nintendo's family-friendly aesthetic with cutesy customizable characters, and the option to import your Mii's and let them join in on all the snowy action. In addition to the standard ski modes, the game also includes free-style and photography modes, and allows up to four players to ski free on over a dozen courses.With the title announced for a spring 2008 release, and the Wii Balance Board making its way to North America on May 19, We Ski will undoubtedly become the unofficial companion game to the Wii Fit package, as the first third-party software to support the peripheral.
We join Japanese families in skiing this May
Namco Bandai has announced to IGN that the first game in their Family sports series, Family Ski, will be localized for North American release in May under the name We Ski. You see, "We" sounds like "Wii," and "Wii" is the name of the console on which the game will appear. Not to mention the fact that "Wii" plus some sport-related term evokes a certain popular game.The May release seems perfectly timed to coincide with the release of Wii Fit and the Balance Board, which We Ski also (optionally) uses. It's no surprise to us that this is getting a localized release; due to its Balance Board use, the game has been getting a lot of attention, not the least of which comes from Nintendo themselves. At the GDC Balance Board talk, Nintendo's Takao Sawano talked the game up and even showed a promotional video.
