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NZN Labs launches Lit, a social-enhanced fitness tracker for adventurous types
No, your existing fitness tracker probably isn't good enough -- not if you frequently participate in "extreme sports" and wish to log every possible measurement as you cycle, snowboard, surf or just go about your day. At least, that's what the folks at NZN Labs hope you believe -- their new Lit wrist-mounted tracking device being the answer to all your prayers. You can slap Lit on your wrist, or mount it in other ways, and the battery is said to keep the logs churning for up to a week. Metrics vary depending on the activity -- surfers, for example, will track the number of paddles, waves attempted and ridden, max g-force and the longest wave. Fortunately, it's waterproof to 30 feet, and all the gathered info gets booted to the cloud through your smartphone and Bluetooth 4.0. You earn "points" for certain athletic achievements, letting you pit yourself against friends and other folks, in the off chance that you feel the need to up the ante when it comes to competition. Lit hits Indiegogo for $99 pre-orders beginning today, or you can wait for the device to ship to retailers, at which point you'll be able to pick one up for $149.
NintendoWare Weekly: Spot the Differences, S.C.A.T.
We're sure you'll have no trouble spotting the difference between this week and most other weeks, in terms of Nintendo downloads: there's a Virtual Console game! Also, a game called Spot the Differences. In addition, WayForward offers a demo of its spooky WiiWare action puzzle game Lit. DSiWare is led by G.G. Series Dark Spirits, a budget shmup from Genterprise's G.G. series. And Zoo Games presents Shawn Johnson Gymnastics, a licensed DSiWare sports game. That doesn't happen often.%Gallery-115826%
Japanese Nintendo downloads: LostWinds, Phalanx
Two WiiWare titles make the journey from the West to Japan today, both published by Square Enix. Just as it did for the first LostWinds, the publisher has brought the sequel to Japan for a holiday release. School of Darkness is actually WayForward's Lit, under a different, but equally literal, title. Also of note: the remake/port of the shooter Phalanx arrives! DSiWare is a bit less thrilling, with the standout release being the cleverly tilt-controlled Katamuction. Famicom Detective Club Part 2: The Girl Standing in the Back (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Gradius 2 (MSX, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Majou Densetsu (MSX, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Othello (WiiWare, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) School of Darkness ( WiiWare, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points) LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias (WiiWare, 1-2 players, 1,000 Wii Points) Phalanx (WiiWare, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Simple DS Series Volume 2: THE Misshitsu Kara no Dasshutsu Gakkou Hen (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points) Katamuku + Action = Katamuction (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points) Pocket Rurubu: Nagoya/Kobe (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points each)
Interview: WayForward's Voldi Way talks blobs, Shantae, and street cred
Voldi Way, president of WayForward -- or "Tyrannical Overlord" of the company, if his business card is to be believed -- gave us one of the company's first interviews as a "publisher," having recently self-published downloadable games on DS (Mighty Flip Champs) and WiiWare (LIT). During this E3 interview, Way told us that the company has at least three new unannounced projects, two of which are coming this year on Wii, and one also headed for PC. He also addressed the purported Aliens vs. Predator DS game and discussed the company's licensed game strategy, about which we may have accidentally given him a complex.
A Boy and His Blob detailed in latest Nintendo Power
Remember earlier today when we revealed the first image of A Boy and His Blob from Nintendo Power's exclusive story? Well, we lied a little bit when we said that the pixelated image you saw then wasn't going to be revealed until March 5. No folks, we got the full details (well, the first full page of details at least) early from our good buddies at Nintendo Power, and are happy to report that A Boy and His Blob looks to recreate all the enjoyment you had with the original. Jellybean-related gameplay and the game's story are back for a second run in the Majesco-published, WayForward-developed Wii game and it's set to hit retailers this Fall, according to the NP piece. WayForward, known for recent WiiWare horror/puzzler LIT and technologically impressive Shantae for Game Boy Color, will be hand-drawing all the (yes, 2D) visuals. It's also adding to the original's defensive and puzzle-solving jellybeanery with beans that turn your blob into various offensive items (some examples given are anvil dropping and ground removing). If you want more details (and an interview with the game's director) you'll just have to wait until you get your grubby little mitts on the April issue of Nintendo Power.
Wiikly Wares: LIT and MERCS
Just as anticipated, this week marks the release of WiiWare title LIT, as well as one new Virtual Console game in Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS. Each title will be available for download after 12pm ET. Keep an eye on Joystiq Nintendo for our video wrap-up of MERCS later today, if you're into that sort of thing. And now, the details:WiIWareLIT (WayForward Technologies, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older-Violence, 800 Wii Points): Dark creatures have taken over Jake's high school, and it's up to you to guide him through each classroom in order to be reunited with his girlfriend Rachael. Existing light sources must be used smartly to create bridges of light for Jake to cross. One false step and Jake gets pulled into the darkness. Along the way he'll encounter twisted versions of his school's faculty, which must be battled in order to advance. LIT is a horror/puzzle game that requires the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers. It contains 30 levels, five boss battles, replay modes and several unlockables, including multiple endings, Dark Mode timed challenges and an unlockable character.Virtual ConsoleWolf of the Battlefield: MERCS (SEGA GENESIS, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older-Mild Violence, 800 Wii Points): Following a rash of terrorism outbreaks and increasing opposition from guerilla fighters, the U.S. government has decided to hire a group of professional mercenaries to undergo secret missions, battling through enemy lines to go where no ordinary soldier would dare to go. Based on the popular arcade game, the SEGA GENESIS version of MERCS lets you play as a MERC and also adds an original mode, allowing players to choose from five different characters. Take no prisoners as you shoot, drive jeeps and tanks, and clash against huge bosses to accomplish your mission. Gallery: LIT
February 9th: the LIT release date at the end of the tunnel
WayForward Technologies has announced a North American release date and price point for their horror action puzzler LIT. One week from today (barring any interference from Nintendo, of course), on February 9th, the 3D WiiWare title will be available for just eight dollars. That's right, 800 Wii Points, the same amount you could pay for Pong Toss: Frat Party Games, for an original action game from the developers of Contra 4. We won't expect Contra 4 levels of awesomenes -- but the level designs were extremely well-thought-out in that game, which bodes well for this title's puzzle setups. And if this game turns out as hard as Contra 4, you can justify your tears by saying that you're roleplaying the emo protagonist!According to the website, LIT features "light puzzling" as well as "5 boss battles against dark faculty members, an unlockable challenge mode, multiple endings, level select mode, and a second playable character." That sounds like an awful lot of content for a relatively cheap downloadable game. %Gallery-39965%[Via WiiWare World]
LIT media generates heat
The website for Wayforward Technologies' WiiWare action/puzzle game LIT is now open and loaded with media, including the gameplay footage seen here. LIT follows Jake, a high school student stuck in a haunted school, who must create a contiguous path of light in order to escape from each room and find his girlfriend Rachel. We're glad to see that the game looks so good (especially for WiiWare) because our devotion to WayForward would have driven us to buy this anyway. Also available at the website: nice concept art, and, in what is becoming our favorite game-promotion trend of 2008, a free downloadable soundtrack. Check out the screenshots in our gallery, and marvel at how something can look so much like Silent Hill and yet not be horribly frightening.%Gallery-39965%[Via WiiWare-World]
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%
New Wii Ware game LIT revealed
A fresh title for Nintendo's upcoming download service Wii Ware has been revealed in LIT, a title from WayForward Technologies. The title is a 3D horror puzzler (yes, you read that right) that is set in a high school overrun by monsters. It stars Jake, your average "everyman" youth, as he moves from classroom to classroom, creating paths of light that will save him from the dangerous situation he has found himself in.The title promises environmental puzzling action, along with a little horror-based combat and boss battling tossed in for good measure. Sadly, there's only concept art available as of now, but you can bet we're interested in the game. It's not every day you come across a horror puzzler. Hopefully WayForward will ensure that this isn't the last horror puzzler we'll hear about.[Via Go Nintendo]
Survey sez LED lit parking garages seem safer
We had a sneaking suspicion that there was an ulterior motive behind Raleigh getting lit up as the "world's first LED city," and aside from savings tons of dough on energy bills over the next decade or so, it seems to make motorists feel a good bit safer, too. According to a before and after survey conducted by Mindwave Research, the number of respondents who "perceived the garage as very safe increased by 76-percent after the LED fixtures were installed." Admittedly, the newfangled lighting certainly added a new level of brightness to the situation, and the number of individuals who gave the garage an overall rating of "excellent" increased by 100-percent in response. The (unnecessarily lengthy) survey also added a few more minor figures to further prove that LED lighting is simply superior to the other stuff , but we're not yet sure if Cree will successfully use this ammunition to grab even more contracts to freshen up the city lights.
DNP unveils daylight-friendly Supernova Flex Screen
While the Claro TV fights off the dimness so often associated with watching front-projection in broad daylight, and Planar's Xscreen claims to work without the gargantuous pricetag, now there's yet another firm in the mix of miracle-working screens. Germany's DNP has unveiled the Supernova Flex Screen, which claims to deliver "ten times" the contrast and "double" the brightness compared to standard screens when used in daylight. Available in both fixed and retractable versions, and in widescreen sizes up to 120-inches (100-inches for 4:3 versions), the Supernova is reportedly compatible with all LCD, DLP, and LCoS projectors. It also sports an "ultrafine" .0065-millimeter pitch along with a "high-contrast filter" that allows the projected image to be reflected by the screen while it absorbs incidental light from other sources. While we've no idea how much DNP plans to charge for this daylight-friendly device (nor if it actually works as claimed), we shouldn't have to wait around too much longer to find out.
