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Wii Warm Up: The (new) hype machine
57 days divided the announcement and Japanese release of Wario Land: Shake It!. For Captain Rainbow, the gap between unveiling and launch was just 50 days. Disaster: Day of Crisis is a slightly different case. While it was originally revealed at E3 in 2006, it was only late last month that Nintendo acknowledged it still existed, before announcing this week that Disaster would strike ... next month.We don't recall it always being like this. We still remember the agonizing wait for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (period from announcement to store shelf debut: 35 months), and the constant brooding over screenshots and tidbits. This still happens with some Nintendo releases, but increasingly the company is announcing titles close to release. It may sound bizarre to criticize this tactic (because hey, less waiting time is better, right?), but now we barely have a chance to get excited. In fact, we nostalgic old fools sort of miss the days when we'd get hyped up for a game for years. Are we weird?
Wii Warm Up: The others
We usually use the Wii Warm Up to discuss and dissect Wii-related minutiae, but today we want to know more about your non-Nintendo gaming habits. Which other consoles do you own (current-gen or otherwise), which is your favorite (after the Wii, naturally), and what did you last play/are you currently playing through?
Wii Warm Up: When a little extra is too much
Hear the one about the WiiWare game that cost 500 Wii Points and came with 1,500 Points worth of downloadable content? We refer, of course, to Space Invaders Get Even!, a title that we have gushed about for some time, only to discover it comes with some very pricey DLC. Once we've forked out 500 Points for the barebones game, we've still got to pay three times that again for the full package, essentially making it more expensive than (almost) all other WiiWare!We understand why DLC appeals to publishers such as Square Enix, and we also know that we don't have to download it (so please, no need to enlighten us in the comments), but do you think Space Invaders Get Even!'s DLC is excessive? Where do you personally draw the line on what you'll spend on downloadable extras? And in your opinion, what percentage of a game's total cost should consist of DLC?%Gallery-25384%
Wii Warm Up: WiiTrademark
We've known about WiiSpeak since E3, but it could have turned out to be quite different -- in name, at least. Siliconera's Spencer Yip has discovered a pile of trademarks registered by Nintendo in Japan from July 2nd - 4th, which he surmises are alternate names for the WiiSpeak device (considering E3 began on July 14th, Nintendo obviously left it late to settle on what to call its microphone add-on!).These trademarks include "Wii to Wii," "Wii2Wii," "WiiFriend," "WiiTalk," and the final name, "WiiSpeak." We quite like "WiiTalk," but we're pleased Nintendo didn't opt for "Wii2Wii," which smacks of TXT MSG speak, which we despise.What do you think of Nintendo's shortlist? Do you have any other suggestions outside of their ideas, or do you feel they chose the right name?
Wii Warm Up: Virtually yours
It's been over a year since we last checked up on your Virtual Console collections, and as the service has a tendency of throwing up new games now and again (even if updates are slower than ever), and there's now also WiiWare to consider, we thought we'd pry again.So, your Virtual Console (and WiiWare) collection: show us it.
Wii Warm Up: First-party Fanboy
Njoy's "G-Board" Balance Board will become the first third-party Balance Board released to market on September 12th, yet not many of you were bowled over by it.A prohibitive price probably didn't help in that respect (Njoy's Board is just £5 less than Nintendo's own Balance Board, which comes with Wii Fit), but where do you stand (har) in general on third-party controllers and peripherals, be they Zappers, Balance Boards, or Wiimotes? Several gamers we speak to tell us how they'll only buy first-party, the logic being that the original manufacturers of any console will always make the best and most suitable controllers for it. Is that an idea you subscribe to?
Wii Warm Up: Going Classic
We're rather big fans of the (potentially endangered) Classic Controller, so were delighted to learn that High Voltage would be including support for the peripheral in its excellent-looking Animales de la Muerte. Producer Micah Skaritka's suggestion that the control scheme would be comparable to Smash TV was especially encouraging, and we now know exactly how we'll be taking down any zombie giraffes that cross us. Animales is far from the first WiiWare title to use the Classic Controller, so what's your preferred weapon of choice when a variety of control options are available? Is there any WiiWare that you feel might have benefited from going Classic? %Gallery-28238%
Wii Warm Up: E3
Because we've also asked DS fans, we thought we'd pose the same question here: how would you rate the Wii's E3?Despite the angry tidal wave of criticism over what many (but not all) saw as a disappointing Nintendo keynote, the more recent announcement of a third Pikmin game seems to have tempered the outcry a little. Not that there was a shortage of announcements in the first place -- WiiSpeak, Wii Sports Resort, Animal Crossing: City Folk, MotionPlus, Wii Music, and online, WiiSpeak-enabled multiplayer in The Conduit were all entirely new to us.Fill us in on the bits of E3 you liked, the bits you hated, the surprises, and the no-shows.
Wii Warm Up: Provide your own soundtrack
Photos from Flickr user beastandbean recently popped up in our RSS feed, titled "Wii Fit Jams: Music to exercise to!" Now, we never really got the appeal of listening to other music while playing a game, but then perhaps we're really old and fusty and out of touch (likelihood of this: high).We can sort of understand it with Wii Fit, with its plinky-plonky elevator music (music which is designed to be nothing more than background noise), but some friends of ours actually play their record collections all the time with every game. Are we alone in thinking they're as mad as a hatter?
Wii Warm Up: Trade-ins
News of GameStop's trade-in offer on Mario Kart Wii may well have had some of you sifting through your collections for those barely used copies of Cabela's Big Game Hunter and Carnival Games, but is trading in your games a regular thing for you kids? This blogger has always been something of an anti-hoarder, and consequently I've become a serial trader in the last year or two, after discovering that reasonable deals could be had on the high street, if you look in the right places.
Wii Warm Up: What Brawl is missing?
Super Smash Bros. Brawl seems to have pretty much every base covered. Really, it's the ultimate gaming box of chocolates, boasting an absurdly vast array of fighting modes, trophies, characters, items, stages, stickers, challenges, music, snapshots, customized stages, and much, much more. But here's something it doesn't have: Miis.Reader Mark wrote to us pointing out that he rather liked the idea of putting himself up against the Brawl cast. We hadn't even considered this, but now Mii integration in Brawl appeals to us also! It may seem churlish to complain about a lack of stuff to do in Brawl, but then Miis make appearances in other Nintendo titles, so why not Brawl? Think you'd have enjoyed seeing a miniature, blobby version of yourself kicking Pikachu in the gums? Of course you would!Oh, and bonus points to anybody who can tell us who the dozen Miis above are based on.[Thanks, Mark!]
Wii Warm Up: Getting your TV on
To our pleasant surprise, the Television no Tomo Channel G Guide turned out to be even more well-rounded and awesome than we first anticipated. This is cause for cheer, obviously, but also makes us wonder: will U.S. Wii owners ever get the chance to channel surf with their Wiimotes? There are no plans announced yet, but perhaps we need to demonstrate to Nintendo that we're interested! So people, who would use this if it ever came stateside?
Wii Warm Up: Not the usual suspects
Pretty much everybody is pumped for the big titles, and events such as the ongoing Game Developers Convention only further inflate such rabid anticipation. But what of smaller, less hyped games? Which upcoming titles are you looking forward to hearing news about that don't have "Smash," "Kart," "Fantasy," or "Fit" in their names?
Wii Warm Up: Gaming couples
As it's the Most Romantic, Passionate Day of the Year™, we'd like to know how many of you regularly get to game with your partner or spouse? Gaming may once have been predominantly male territory, but the numbers are far more even nowadays, and a lot of that seems to be down to Nintendo and its all-encompassing approach.If you are a gaming couple, what are your favorite titles to play together? Do you prefer co-op games, or to compete against one another? And if it's the latter, who wins?See also: Valentine's Day for the gamer in your life
Wii Warm Up: On Mario Kart Wii
We've been hearing new details about Mario Kart Wii recently, and it's pretty clear that there's going to be some notable tweaks made to the tried-and-trusted formula. Firstly, we should make one thing clear: we are genuinely thrilled about many of these modifications. Online leagues, global rankings, and online multiplayer for up to twelve people is the stuff dreams were made of back in 1991, when Super Mario Kart (above) was soaking up our afternoons like a particularly fun, addictive sponge (and on a tangential note, how well has that game aged?).But look at some of the other changes being made: we already know about the bikes, but it looks like the game will also include aerial tricks and bike wheelies, introducing some sort of stunt element to the experience. Is this a case of Nintendo over-egging Mario Kart, in the same way that it over-egged Mario Kart: Double Dash!!? There's an awful lot to be excited about when it comes to Mario Kart Wii, but are you Mario Kart traditionalists concerned by some of these new developments, or is it simply too soon to tell?
Wii Warm Up: Let's talk Rock Band
EA confirmed earlier this week that it would be bringing Rock Band to the Wii, an announcement which prompted spontaneous high kicks and even the splits from most of the Wii Fanboy crew. This is a fantastic development, and the pairing of Rock Band and the Wii seems absolutely right. It's the ultimate party game for the console that is most suited to social gatherings.So, we can't help ourselves. We want to chat some more about Harmonix's big-budget rhythm game, and get some of your thoughts. Firstly, will you be buying it? If so, all of the instruments? And which role will you be playing?Also, is this the kind of thing your relatives would play with you? We'd love to see bands that span the generations, with grandmothers on bass and uncles maintaining a steady beat on the drums. Our families won't have a choice, frankly. They will be playing and they will enjoy it.
Wii Warm Up: 'Fess up to your gaming non-achievements
We've all got them: those classic games that we just never got around to completing, or, in some cases, playing.For his part, this blogger has only ever completed two -- TWO!! -- Zelda games (Link to the Past and Twilight Princess), and only made it through one-third of Super Mario Bros. 3. I have played other Zelda and Mario titles of course, sometimes for scores of hours each, but just never quite found the time to finish them. As for Super Mario Galaxy, that was left to collect dust a month ago, with only 21 stars obtained, and 99 still missing.I am not proud of these facts. But I am coming clean now, and it feels good! So put any concerns about your precious gamer cred to one side, and tell us: which gaming classics have you either failed to complete, or not even tried? It'll be our secret. By which we mean, the entire internet's secret.
Wii Warm Up: Gaming marathons
Gaming endurance seems to be a bit of a theme this week. First, there was the story of Bill Tangeman, who racked up a quite unearthly score by playing a single round of Geometry Wars: Galaxies on his DS for 24 hours. Then, and perhaps more impressively still, we heard about these guys, who are trying to complete four Zelda games in 48 hours for charity and pizza. As we type, they're speeding through The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.You pretty much know where this is going, then: we'd like to hear about your own marathon gaming sessions. It'd be nice if these were on the Wii, but we're also happy for you to tell us about that time you spent thirteen straight hours playing the first Halo in a friend's attic. Wait, no ... that was me. Oh, the sweaty, unwashed shame of it all!
Wii Warm Up: A good yarn
Cory Barlog's recent remarks on Super Mario Galaxy's "vapid story" riled quite a few of our readers, with many arguing that Mario games simply don't need much of a narrative hook to be hella fun.That argument certainly has some weight, but we don't want to open that particular debate again today. Instead, we'd like to know how important a good story is to you when it comes to choosing games. Are you more a fan of epic tales (Final Fantasy), do you prefer something a little more subtle (Ico), or couldn't you care less about having a story to wade through? Finally, if you do appreciate a strong narrative like the Beatrix Potter fan above, which Wii games have kept you glued?
Wii Warm Up: Splashing the cash
It looks like Wii fever on eBay is finally fizzling out, ending weeks of people paying crazy money for Nintendo's console. But just the thought of all that wild, unabated spending got us reflecting on some of our own high-priced video game purchases.Back in the day, in a (ultimately unsuccessful) bid to complete the Dreamcast library, yours truly once threw $250 at a Samba De Amigo bundle (a purchase that now, with the benefit of hindsight, looks rather unnecessary). Then again, we sense that may be rather tame compared to some people, so tell us: what's been your most outlandish gaming purchase?
