Highlights from Nintendo Media Summit 2008

Head-tracking feature pulled from Boom Blox
Perhaps EA feared that we'd hack together a candelabra helmet as an IR emitter. They should have; we totally would.

Rock Band Wii 'bonus songs' already released on 360/PS3
"Bonus" means different things to different people.

Joystiq impressions: Guitar Hero: On Tour (DS)
20 new tracks, a few control twists, and a new versus mode should make it more than Guitar Hero Lite.

Separated at birth: Wii Fit Balance Board and Aperture Science turret
Is Nintendo an ancestor of Aperture Science?

Joystiq impressions: Wii Fit mini-games
Sure, Wii Fit is about health and lifestyle, but I'm looking forward to the games.

Joystiq impressions: Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
A turn-based RPG, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood moves the speedy Sega characters into a role-playing world.

Joystiq hands-on: Rock Band (Wii)
Our short impression: It's Rock Band on the Wii.

Joystiq hands-on: Wii Wheel
We expect most gamers will stick with other control methods.

Joystiq hands-on: Samba de Amigo (Wii)
Samba de Amigo without maracas is like seeing an old friend you've missed for years; it's still the same person, but the subtle changes add up.

Joystiq hands-on: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed duel mode (Wii)
We swung sabers against fellow writers and were impressed by the amount of depth in the matches

Joystiq hands-on: LostWinds (WiiWare)
These techniques feel fresh and the visuals rival other Wii games. LostWinds was one of my favorite experiences from the Nintendo Media Summit.

Joystiq hands-on: World of Goo (WiiWare)
World of Goo hits the required bullet points to be an indie game darling.2

Joystiq impressions: Boom Blox (Wii)
Boom Blox largely centers on tossing balls to knock down block structures. But the adventure mode, level editor, and multiplayer ways to play should make it last beyond the 400 levels included on the disc.

Joystiq hands-on: Space Invaders Extreme (DS/PSP)
As soon as I began tapping the buttons, I was hooked; this update borrows the basic idea of Space Invaders and remixes it into a wild, fast-paced shooter.

Joystiq impressions: Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People (WiiWare)
Strong Bad follows in the game style of Sam & Max and other adventures, but it trades some of the linear, story elements for more random activities.

Joystiq impressions: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (WiiWare)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King turns RPG gamers into a coach, vicariously living out the glory of dungeon quests by sending in adventurers.

Joystiq hands-on: Pop (Wiiware)
The simple game is just about pointing and clicking on bubbles that drift by.

Joystiq hands-on: Zenses: Ocean (DS)
Pitched as a relaxing, almost trance-inducing ride -- some bundles of the game will include earphones to play back its mellow soundtrack -- I found few of its six game modes that didn't feel repetitive.

Joystiq hands-on: Major League Eating: The Game (WiiWare)
Is eating actually a game? How do you turn one tenuous "sport" into a tenuous videogame?