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Microtransactions coming soon to Nintendo Wii
And the infernal circle is complete. Microtransactions will finally be making their way to the Nintendo Wii, largely by way of the upcoming WiiWare service. The Wii was the last of the three major consoles to not support microtransactions, and now no consumer is safe from the incessant nickel-and-diming for minor content.IGN reports that WiiWare developer Genki will be selling an add-on pack for its puzzle game LONPOS. The expansion will cost 500 Wii points, half of the launch title's entire cost. Meanwhile, Siliconera is reporting that another puzzle game, Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan Wii, will be selling additional puzzle stages for an as-yet unknown price.As if that weren't enough to grind your gears, Madden creator Scott Orr spoke with Develop Magazine about his WiiWare title, Spogs Racing. According to Orr, the title will feature purchasable "racer packs," including cars parts and new tracks. Orr doesn't come right out and define these as microtransactions, however, instead masquerading the upgrades as "episodic downloadable content" (which it ain't). Looks like we're off to a great start already.Read - WiiWare microtransactions priced [IGN]Read - Go online with WiiWare and Mojipittan Wii [Siliconera]Read - Madden creator on WiiWare episodic and user-driven content plans [Develop]
Hudson bringing 'classic' Bomberman to WiiWare
Hudson VP of Sales and Marketing, John Lee, hosted his own Q&A session on NeoGAF early this morning, dropping a few bombs about the company's digital distribution plans. The big reveal was confirmation of a Bomberman game for WiiWare that'll be "different" (and yet the same) as Bomberman LIVE, as it's based on the series' "classic" gameplay -- yep, just like Bomberman '93. Lee added that Bomberman will likely be "one of the few classic games" that Hudson will develop for WiiWare.On the horizon for XBLA, Hudson is busy with an often lucrative, yet rarely respected "licensed" game ... um ... and moving quickly on ... "Yes, eventually we'll do something for PSN," Lee writes, "Now that it's doing much better, and looking more impressive each day, we are looking at bringing some franchises over." More Bomberman? Sounds like it.
Digitally pop bubble wrap with WiiWare
Just a couple of days after we learned of the mind-blowing Babysitting Mania coming to the DS, Totally Awesome Video Game Idea week continues on Joystiq. Today's entry is an upcoming 800 point WiiWare title called Ouchi de Puti Puti, or, roughly translated, Thanks for the Cash, Stupid. Oh, and there are 40 levels of it, and there's vibration. As far as we know, those are all the bullet points.The glorious part is that the game is based on " Puti Puti," a keychain toy that makes bubble wrap noises. So it's not just a game about popping bubble wrap. It's a licensed game about popping bubble wrap. Oh Namco Bandai, how can we ever thank you?
Hudson to bring online Tetris to Wii Ware
A system just isn't a system until it has a version of Tetris (and no, hacks don't count), so it's a good thing Nintendo that Hudson has announced a multi-player Wii Ware version of the game (PDF link).A translation of the announcement by our good friends over at Engadget Japan reveals support for up to six Wi-Fi players, planned downloadable content and gameplay-altering items activated with Wii remote shaking. Hudson says they expect at least one million downloads for the title after it's simultaneous worldwide release this summer (for an undetermined price). If you just can't wait and/or pay, may we suggest the free and/or currently-available Tetrinet.Read - Japanese PDF announcement[Via SiliconEra]
WiiWare to launch March 25 in Japan
The official Japanese launch date for Nintendo's WiiWare service has been announced, and it's... soon. The service will become available March 25, nearly two months before the North American release, and exactly two weeks from today. Nine titles will be available at launch, including Everybody's Pokémon Ranch, Star Soldier R, and Dr. Mario & Bacillus Extermination. Square Enix's My Life as a King: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is also slated for launch release in Japan, and will notably cost 1,500 Wii points, 500 more than any other title.More images and details can be found on Nintendo of Japan's site, but check out a quick rundown of launch titles and prices after the break.[Via Game|Life]
Survival horror puzzler LIT coming to WiiWare
The genre "survival horror puzzler" sounds like an unholy union of Professor Layton and Resident Evil, and we'll admit that it's enough to get us interested. WayForward Technologies -- developers of the acclaimed Shantae on Game Boy Color -- have just announced LIT, a 3D horror title currently under development exclusively for WiiWare.According to the press release, LIT follows the story of Jake, who is trapped in a high school overrun with evil creatures, trying to find his girlfriend, Rachael. WayForward's first original IP since Shantae, LIT will feature horror elements, boss battles, and lofty expectations from its developers, who are excited to be working once again with internally-developed properties. Check out some more slick concept art in the gallery below.[Via Wii Fanboy] %Gallery-17816%
Japanese Wii Ware promo page shows off 11 games
While American Wii owners have to wait until May to enjoy original downloadable Wii Ware games, Japanese Wii owners are gearing up for the March launch of the service with a screenshot-filled promotional web page.The site's list of 11 games (translated to English below) is conspicuously missing Western -developed titles like Telltale's Frontier's (edit: typo) Lost Winds and Mastiff's Major League Eating, although that last omission might be considered a bonus for Japan. It's not clear which of the listed games will be available for the service's Japanese launch, but you can bet the initial lineup will be better line up than the three games that are currently confirmed for the service's U.S. debut. Games listed on the Japanese Wii Ware site: FFCC: The Young King and the Promised Land StarSoldierR Word Puzzle Mojipittan Wii Pokemon Ranch Dr. Mario's Virus Buster Marubou Shikaku Magnetica Bomberman Okiraku Ping-Pong Wii Angels' Solitaire Joysound Wii [Via NintendoWiiFanboy]
Japanese Wii Ware page debuts
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Japanese_Wii_Ware_page_debuts'; The steady stream of Wii Ware news continues, this time with Nintendo's launch of its official Japanese site for the video game download service. So far, the hub lists almost a dozen upcoming titles, attaching new screenshots to some of the releases: FFCC: The Young King and the Promised Land StarSoldierR Word Puzzle Mojipittan Wii Pokemon Ranch Dr. Mario's Virus Buster Marubou Shikaku Magnetica Bomberman Okiraku Ping-Pong Wii Angels' Solitaire Joysound Wii LostWinds and other western-developed games are noticeably missing, but that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't planned as launch or near-launch titles for other territories. Much to our disappointment, the page neglects to mention any specific pricing for the titles. One worthwhile detail that we spotted is the above screenof Dr. Mario's four-player cooperative mode. The puzzler was already perfect before -- now it's even perfecter. There's also a multiplayer shot for Magnetica (Puzzloop) worth checking out! [Via NeoGAF]
FFCC: My Life as a King to be WiiWare launch title, price revealed
A Square-Enix insider recently revealed that Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (formerly The Little King and the Promised Land) would share a May 12th U.S. release date with the WiiWare service, joining Defend Your Castle and Major League Eating: The Game for the somewhat less than auspicious WiiWare launch lineup. The game will set you back 1,500 Wii points, or $15, if you prefer an actual monetary system.We never thought we'd be hotly anticipating a Final Fantasy/Sim City mash-up, but when our other choices are limited to a once-free flash game that's been available online for nearly five years, or a game that crudely depicts the action-packed world of aggressive binge eating, the least of the three evils is abundantly clear.
Major League Eating crammed into WiiWare
Shovelware has graduated to the next level: irony. Turns out Mastiff plans to debut its coveted Major League Eating license on WiiWare, when the service launches May 12. Players will literally simulate the shoveling of food into their mouths using Nintendo's patented Waggletech®. You thought busted TVs were bad? Wait till someone swallows a Wiimote.Major League Eating: The Game features two-player offline play, plus an online mode and leaderboards. Players will be taught to use various techniques -- like the cram, toss and typewriter -- while engaging opponents with an arsenal of 'gurgitatory' weaponry, including bites, burps, belches, mustard gas and jalapeño flames. Burp-offs and hot potato challenges are also con-firmed. This can't be ... Oh yes, it's real.
Defend Your Castle: new awesome date, new awesome look
XGen Studios has revamped the look of Defend Your Castle significantly for its May 12th Wii Ware release, swapping out the, well, "Flash game" look of the original for a lovely "made of junk" theme. The castle has become a set of construction-paper rectangles decorated with paper flags on toothpick poles, and the enemy invaders have become doodles with button heads. Our absolute favorite detail is the user interface: the health bar is now made of fabric scraps. We hate to make the comparison to a not-particularly-awesome game, but this style was used to excellent effect in the Napoleon Dynamite DS game. The art was by far the best thing about that game, whereas this has already been proven to be a pretty good game. %Gallery-17240%
Defend your Castle coming to WiiWare
Now that we have a definite launch date for Nintendo's WiiWare service, we can expect the software announcements to start rolling in. Up to bat today is a WiiWare version of the flash game Defend your Castle, a little literally-titled affair where players must... defend their castles.Defending one's castle can be as easy as picking up and throwing oncoming enemy stick-figures with the cursor, but later levels unlock more devious means of dispatching would-be castle crashers. The WiiWare version will feature updated graphics, and will be available in "early 2008" for 500 Wii Points.That said, check out XGen Studios' original flash game, and let us know if you think a WiiWare version will be worth the admittedly-modest price of admission.[Via Wii Fanboy]
XGen brings Defend Your Castle to Wii Ware
According to XGen, Defend Your Castle (not to be confused with Castle Crashers) will be coming to Wii Ware in "early" 2008. The publisher reported last month that an "existing cult classic" was currently in the works for Nintendo's downloading service, but only recently confirmed which game it was. Most of you assumed it would be Stick Arena, but instead it's the castle-defending Flash title that's headed to the Wii. The game will cost 500 Wii Points, and will (as you'd expect) look better than its Flash counterpart. XGen also promises some extra gameplay features, but will all this be enough to make you guys shell out some cash for the title? If you have no idea what Defend Your Castle is, you can check it out the Flash game here. [Via GoNintendo]
GDC08 Highlights: Spore, Street Fighter and Nintendo
The Unified Spore Theory On the more academic side of the conference, we were treated to a handful of lectures on Will Wright's Spore, including one on procedural music and user-generated content. (We didn't get a chance to write up the music lecture, which was a complex discussion on music theory and their in-house music editor based on Pure Data.) The user-generated content session (photos) provided, among other things, a glimpse at how to make a spaceship that looks like the PS3 "boomerang" controller and a GameCube. Perhaps the most fascinating talk of the conference was also given at the worst possible venue. Will Wright talked about the importance of worlds, of community ownership and of escapism and the power of science fiction. It was a mind meld of information being thrown out, which you can view yourself here. Unfortunately, the speech was at a club and it seemed like half of the attendees seemed to either not know who Will Wright was or did not care and kept talking loudly over him. Obligatory Street Fighter IV mention Yeah, we played Street Fighter IV and walked away impressed. Also check out this interview with producer Yoshi Ono. Excuse me, Wii're looking for Nintendo Nintendo's presence was a bit more subdued compared to last year -- not having the keynote speech tends to do that. There were announced dates for Wii Fit and WiiWare (May 19 and May 12, respectively). A lot of information came out about WiiWare, including titles LostWinds, Shantae and a non-Sam & Max episodic series from Telltale. (No promises on demos for any of the titles.) We also learned more about the Wii Menu from Nintendo's Takashi Aoyama, who taught us why the blue LED light glows in a certain rhythm. Aoyama also revealed a potential "Pay & Play" option for developers who want to charge for online (e.g. MMO developers). In other Nintendo news, NWF writer JC Fletcher managed to sneak into a Smash Bros Brawl tournament for conference helpers (video) and one confused gentleman left his rock and discovered a "new" Nintendo interface. Next: Sony, Sessions and Telltale
GDC08: Some WiiWare details from the Wii Menu talk
Nintendo's Takashi Aoyama took the stage this morning in front of an enormous crowd to talk about the development of the Wii Menu interface, and the concurrent development of the system's features. The major news at this presentation is branding and confirmation of some pay content online (including, possibly, fee-based online play), video of a WiiWare game, and confirmation that the Everybody's Nintendo Channel (which offers videos, screenshots, and also DS demo downloads) is still planned for release in the U.S. and Europe for an unspecified time. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed, so here's a screen of the highlighted WiiWare game from developer Frontier's homepage.The WiiWare game is called LostWinds and is a side-scroller controlled by the Nunchuk. The Wiimote pointer controls gusts of wind that can affect the character, enemies, and onscreen items. The visual style is very green and sort of Crystal-Chronicles-like. No information about release date or cost was given, but a video was shown.The Everybody's Nintendo Channel "assists in finding software suited to the user's unique taste and/or play style" by allowing people who have played games for at least an hour to vote, and also providing information, screens, and videos about new games. This information will also be available with WiiWare. Aoyama said that the service is indeed planned for the U.S. and Europe, but didn't say when. He demonstrated the channel with a video showing a Wii Fit trailer.The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection "Pay&Play" content will include games that are not free to play online. The icon is the same, but orange and surrounded with a rectangle with a "Pay&Play" label. This content would use Wii Points and would include both WiiWare and disc games. No specifics (of course!) but Guitar Hero III DLC seems like a possibility.
GDC08: Shantae summoned for WiiWare
After developing Contra 4 (the first 'real' series sequel since, um, Contra III), you'd think WayForward would be fine leaving behind the memory of its sassy, half-genie Shantae. Alas, it's just too damn hard to let go of the ones who got away (that Shantae sequel never did make it to GBA, did it?). WayForward founder Voldi Way told Siliconera that a long-awaited Shantae follow-up is being considered for Wii. When asked if WiiWare was a possible means for distribution, Way replied, "That's the plan."
GDC08: Telltale developing WiiWare episodic game, not Sam & Max
Buried in a press release sent out by Nintendo early yesterday is word that "a new episodic game series from Telltale" is coming to WiiWare. Apparently, Telltale was just as surprised as we were, writing on its company blog: "Nintendo just name-dropped us in a press release. I feel like we've hit the big time."Telltale has just hired a smorgasbord of veteran talent, with Justin Chin and Brett Tosti specifically brought on for multiplatform development. While the duo will likely have a hand -- at least a dab of a fingertip -- in the WiiWare project, two anthropomorphic anarchists will not. Addressing the obvious, Telltale writes, "And before you ask -- no, [the game is] not Sam & Max."[Via Wii Fanboy]
Nintendo: No demos required for Wii Ware titles
We've been annoyed with the Wii's lack of downloadable Virtual Console demos for quite a while now, so we probably shouldn't be too surprised that Nintendo has declared games in their upcoming Wii Ware service will not be required to have downloadable demos. Surprised isn't really the world ... slightly miffed is more like it.We're only slightly miffed because Nintendo hasn't quite banned demos from the service. In an interview with Newsweek's N'gai Croal, Nintendo of America director of project development Tom Prata said that "having demos [is] ... not a requirement from Nintendo." If we're reading that right, that means demos would be allowed on the service, but that they won't necessarily be available for every game.The decision to forgo a demo mandate was made, according to Prata, because demos are a "very costly type of endeavor" for a developer. That might be true in the short term, but overall we wonder if developer can afford not to have demos on a service like this. After all, Xbox Live Arcade has managed just fine by requiring developers to create those "expensive" demos -- in fact, by, early stats showed about 20 percent of XBLA demo players bought the full game, leading directly to increased revenue for all involved. Still, we guess giving developers more choice in these matters is usually a good thing. We just hope many developers will choose to help their customers and themselves by letting us try before we buy.
Frontier announces LostWinds for WiiWare
David Braben's Frontier Developments promises "the power of the wind" at the tip of your Wiimote in LostWinds, the indie studio's first pint-sized, WiiWare adventure. There's a wind spirit (that's you!), a boy with an odd cap, the evil Balasar and the magical land of Mistrails, where puzzles can be a breeze and enemies are blown away without bullets. "WiiWare offers a perfect extra outlet for that creativity, and I hope that LostWinds is the first of many games that will follow this process," said Braben. %Gallery-16523%
GDC08: New WiiWare title unveiled: LostWinds
UK developer Frontier Developments (Thrillville) announced a new title for Nintendo's WiiWare service today, titling the adventure platformer LostWinds. We have a gallery of screenshots below that you can thumb through for a preview of the game's stylized art direction. LostWinds stars Toku, a young boy who has discovered a wind spirit in a land threatened by its power-hungry sun/moon spirit. You'll move Toku around using the nunchuck's analog stick while aiding him with Wii remote gestures commanding the wind elemental. A quick controller movement can send a breeze or even a tornado to power Toku's jumps, glide him across distances, blow away enemies, and solve puzzles. Frontier Developments hasn't yet announced a release date or price, but the studio is hoping to put LostWinds out with WiiWare's US launch this May 12th. %Gallery-16505% Read - Lostwinds official site Read - Level Up interview with Frontier Developments' David Braben
