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Joystiq impressions: Victorious Boxers: Revolution
With a projected late-September U.S. release, Wii-only Victorious Boxers: Revolution dukes it out for the best Wii sports title. I recently played a nearly complete localization of the June-released Japanese original, and Victorious Boxers is clearly different than Wii Sports Boxing. While Americans may think the manga art-style should appeal mostly to kids, the animation and physicality are viciously pitched to an older crowd. You're not trying to bowl over your opponent with kindness after all.The boxing mechanics were harder to gauge than the catchy art. I relied on the two-fisted, motion-only control scheme, although the game offers five other ways to play. After a lot of wild flailing, I felt like I had a general sense of my character. But I never felt like my swings were perfectly interpreted. Hopefully, after an hour or two, players will learn how to move. But while Victorious Boxers easily held my interest, I couldn't predict if this will be a perfect translation between physical moves and game action. At some point, I wonder if the Wii controllers can handle one-to-one motion mapping for fast games.%Gallery-7321%
Victorious Boxers boxart, for real this time
We threw in the towel last week when we mistakenly identified GameFly's Victorious Boxers: Revolution mockup as the finalized design, but now we're scrambling into the ring to retrieve the surrendered cloth. "Uh, sorry about that! It must've slipped out of our hands!"Dynamite Glove, a community site for the Hajime no Ippo series, received a first look at publisher XSeed's actual packaging, and it is a thing of beauty. This is the sort of box that we could run up the Philadelphia Museum of Art's steps with, holding it above our heads once we've reached the top, hopping up and down in slow-motion as the training montage fades out.Those of you who would still rather have Ippo's fighting figure on the front will be happy to hear that the jacket is reversible, the opposite side using artwork from the Japanese cover. Jump past the break for a better look at both boxart designs.
The sweet science of Victorious Boxers
XSEED is bringing Hajime no Ippo Revolution to the US as Victorious Boxers Revolution, ushering in a new era of smashing some cartoon people up! Soon you'll be able to find out how impetuous your style is.Unfortunately, the motion controls, which are lauded so enthusiastically in the video, are apparently not that hot. There are actually two motion control styles: a Wii Sports-like scheme, and a pointer-based control scheme in which you use the remote to point at where you want to punch. The Classic Controller seems to work much better-- we assume that Classic Controller play works similarly to the well-regarded Playstation 2 Victorious Boxers controls. But that doesn't look as exciting on video.
Wii Warm Up: Surfin, skatin, potential heartbreakin with the balance board
Yesterday, the air was filled with wanton speculation about potential uses for the Wii Balance Board that will be packaged with Wii Fit. Now we're looking to get all those ideas down in one place -- specifically, here. We've heard some things already, like surfing, snowboarding, and skateboarding sims, and maybe for boxing games, but what else can you think of? Feel free to be both outrageous and creative. Also, are you interested in trying out something like surfing with an interface like this?
Hajime no Ippo punches through the fourth wall
We love it when games make clever little self-aware nods to the audience, as if the characters know they're in a game. When someone like Hideo Kojima does it (look on the back of the CD case) it's postmodern and brilliant. But we don't think postmodern is what the developers of Hajime no Ippo Revolution were going for. This tutorial shows the trainer demonstrating techniques using Wii controllers. So, rather than allowing you to suspend your disbelief and pretend that you don't have anything in your hands, an in-game character who doesn't need to hold a controller is actively reminding you. How hard must it be to control this game, for it to be worth breaking immersion?%Gallery-3584%
Wii Boxing helps get injured boxer back on his feet
The CBC reports that Canada's Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital is having a lot of success using the Wii to help hours of physical therapy fly by. The point is illustrated with the story of Albert Liaw, a boxer who suffered a brain injury in the ring that left him wheelchair-bound. But after four-and-a-half months, he was back on his feet.His therapist, Don Simoneau, gives much of the credit to the Wii, saying "now when I see him playing today it's incredible to think back to where he was." The article goes on to say that Glenrose is the only rehab center in Canada to use the Wii, but doesn't mention if they're just the only place that could find one.[Via GamePolitics]
Friday Video: That's what it's all about
It's been a while since we saw one of these crazy-silly Wii Sports videos, and it seemed like a good time to get back to what's great about the console. We may complain about the graphics on some of the games, or about whether or not there's a drought, but when it gets right down to it, Wii isn't about the graphics. It's not about putting 60+ hours into the story. Sure, those things have their place, but with the Wii, Nintendo is trying to get back to the roots of gaming -- and it's fun that made video gaming an international phenomenon. Fun is really all we need, and from the hyperventilating giggles in this video, the Wii definitely brings the fun.
Wii Warm Up: Wii Sports revisited
So, we've had both dry weeks and deluges -- overall, a fair number of offerings to distract us from Wii Sports over the past few months. And yet, it remains in the news as a media darling. But let's not worry about the rest of the world at the moment; let's talk serious, f'real gamers. Are we still playing Wii Sports? For fun, for profit exercise, or just out of sheer boredom -- if you're still whacking the racket or throwing punches, we want to know. And if you are still playing, we want to hear about those crazy, off-the-chart scores.
Ready 2 Rumble 2 Return on multiple platforms
Though esteemed game designers fight to deny it, a great deal of modern games are built upon the solid foundation of human beings punching each other in the face. Swords, guns, and uncharacteristically aggressive dolphins are occasionally added to the mix, but handheld weapons simply pale in comparison to the might and satisfaction imparted by unassisted knuckles hurtling into an opponent's surprised jaw. Upholding this fine tradition is 10Tacle Studios, which today announced a third game in the Ready 2 Rumble boxing franchise. Further details are practically non-existent, save for the fact that it will be appearing on "various videogame platforms." The Ready 2 Rumble series, which first stepped into the ring during 1999's Dreamcast daze, was adored for its amusing characters, over-the-top boxing action and, as mentioned earlier, its entertaining depiction of people punching each other. In the face. The game will be developed in conjunction with AKI Corporation, the Japanese group responsible for several entries in the Def Jam and WWF Wrestlemania franchises.
Fight Night elbowing its way onto the Wii?
While it's still in the discussion stages -- don't listen when your buddy runs up, throws a left hook, and dances around your prone form crowing about Fight Night -- it does seem that there's a good chance that EA's boxing game will make an appearance on the Wii. In an interview with Doghouseboxing.com, producer Michael Blank focused on the need to tailor the controls and the foundation laid in Wii Sports to accommodate the level of detail and realism in Fight Night. We don't think it'll take as much work as they insinuate (Blank is trying hard to distance his boxing sim from the simplistic play in Wii Sports), but at the same time, it's heartening to hear an EA rep say that they're not going to port a game unless they can do it right.Of course, that doesn't mean that's what's going to happen. After all, Fight Night Round 3 went to the PSP. But a girl can dream, can't she?
Friday Video: From the fists of babes
Who could possibly resist video of a tiny girl throwing beatdowns in Wii Sports boxing? We couldn't. The video (after the jump) is just too cute. For the record, we're completely in favor of training young girls to crush their gaming enemies in from an early age. How else will we take over from you guys?
WVU's Punchstat system intelligently halts boxing matches
The state of West Virginia seems to be on the "get fit" warpath, as not only did the public school system decide to expand and renew the Dance Dance Revolution program to get youngsters a-movin', but now WVU has developed a system that allows boxers to give it a go without, um, perishing. The Punchstat analysis system is a ringside computerized tool that is being honed to provide a realistic and objective method of determining when a boxing match should be halted. Researchers in Morgantown have performed a "computer-assisted video analysis" to compare a trio of professional matches where one of them led to a fighter's death; these results were further compared with over 4,000 other bouts previously scored with Punchstat, and it was stated that a "significant differences" were seen in fights that led to death. Most notably, fighters that died due to boxing faced around 23 punches per round (compared to the average of 9.4), and more "power punches" were withstood as well. But before scientists can accurately implement a "danger meter" of sorts into pay-per-view matchups, some critics insinuate that factors such as "fighter strength and the effects of the punches that connect" need to be considered before it can be entirely reliable, and it's even suggested that a tried and true accelerometer be installed on a fighter to calculate the force of a blow. Still, we're down with beating someone to a pulp for sport if everyone leaves without a life-threatening injury, but we'll probably take the pansy's way out and stick with Wii Boxing to carve our calories.[Via Physorg]
Wii Power Gloves? Nope.
What's more useless: plastic shove-on attachments or boxing gloves with Wiimote pockets? We suppose those attachments are, but these 'un-official' Wii boxing gloves rank among the lamest of 3rd-party peripherals.Maybe if you have a tendency to fling your Wiimote the gloves are $22 well spent; then again, Wii Sports' boxing requires players to hold the Wiimote vertically. You won't be punching with these gloves on; you'll be knocking on doors. Awkward.A better Wii "Power Glove": Wii Remote Power Glove Hack[Via VideoGamesBlogger]
Off the charts in Wii Sports [update 1]
Last week, we bragged chatted about our Wii Sports accomplishments, and suddenly our e-mail blew up with stories of folks screaming off the charts in their favorite sports. Here we were, feeling good about being mid-range pro in tennis, and there are folks with rankings that make us feel like we might just be the noobiest noobs who've never noobed.We'll be comforting ourselves with chocolate while you check out the pics.[Update 1: Fixing an error both heinous and gratuitous.]
Everybody's doing it: Wii workouts
We've run across a couple of bloggers taking on Wii Sports workout regimens and we must say that it does sound appealing. It's funny -- preWii, people were complaining about the potentially tiring effect of playing for hours, and now other people are looking to maximize that very effect. We must say that a few rounds of boxing or tennis are pretty nice after a long day at the computer. What's your take on it? Think that Wii Sports can have any effect on a gamer's physique?
Friday video: Behold the future
We can't decide if we like this future or not, but it's already here, so we better make up our minds. Behold: legions of videos infesting YouTube, videos of people getting their Wii on. At first it was only a few ... and now it's spreading, like a virus, inundating every aspect of the World Wide Intar Wub! Wii videos are so the new cat pictures. Next week? Wii videos that feature cats. Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but videos get linked everywhere. And yes, we shamelessly stole the graphic from Warren Ellis.
The best Wii Sports boxer
Get those boxing gloves ready 'cause we've found the best (and sweetest) Wii Sports boxer ever. Ends up, it's a girl and she is a whopping four-years-old. Never have we seen such enthusiastic flailing. No doubt her opponent shed a few tears after seeing her skill and cuteness. Honestly, the only thing that could top her boxing would be a dozen sad-eyed puppies surrounded by balloons. Check out the video after the jump. [Via Joystiq]
The world's cutest little Wii Sports boxer
With families gathering together for the Thanksgiving holiday, we expect thousands of relatives to be exposed to the joys of Wii Sports for the first time this weekend. We have to warn you, though, that no matter how cute you think it is to watch your family members flailing around with the Wii remote, there's no way their performance will live up to this video of an extremely excited four-year-old Wii Sports boxer.Think you can do better? Send us your embarrassing videos of family members trying out the Wii or PS3 for the first time and show the world that your genes come from a more mortifying source than anyone else's.
"Pac-Man" vs. Morales, Act III
In just a few minutes, Act III of Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao and Erik Morales storied rivalry will be underway in Las Vegas (on pay-per-view). Boxers tend to have nicknames that arouse fear -- "The Executioner," "Bonecrusher," "Razor," "The Beast" -- but Pac-Man? The name might elicit a chuckle, but don't underestimate Pacquiao, the Philippines' "National Fist" has been eating his pellets.Prediction: Pac-Man by TKO in six.
Wii Sports has depth
In the surprisingly oft-updated series "Iwata Asks", Iwata sits down with some heavy hitters from the Wii Sports development team. We all know the reason that the game exists: to introduce to gamers, new and old, how easy and intuitive Nintendo's magic voodoo wand of a controller can be. Many, however, have expressed fears on how such a simple title could long hold a player's attention.Iwata asks the developers these very same questions. The developers go through every one of the five games, describing in detail some of the more complex facets of gameplay. Though the lengthy article is most certainly worth a read, some key points are summarized below: In Wii Tennis, the developers note how impossibly difficult it is to "hit the same exact shot twice". The game measures your skill level numerically, and pits you against over sixty progressively more difficult opponents. The game also has a new "rocket serve" feature, whereby if a serve is hit at the very apex of the ball's toss, the first shot will get an intense burst of speed. Though the controller cannot technically read one's full body motions, Wii Boxing was designed to move the player's body in-game when a player actually dodges, via the subtle hand movements during said dodge. In other words, the game will work best when the players actually dance around, dodging punches and counterattacking. Wii Golf has taken nine of the best classic holes from the original NES Golf (on which Iwata himself programmed!), and remade them in full 3-D glory. Only eight people worldwide would have recognized this, but it's a nice little bonus. Wii Bowling contains absolutely no arbitrary random variables, as many bowling games seem to. However, despite this, no one at Nintendo's internal testing team was able to score a perfect 300 game. To help you hone your ball rolling skills, the game offers three training-type minigames to pass the time. Also, in a nice touch of realism, you can actually roll the ball away from the lane or even into adjacent lanes around you. To those who feared that Wii Sports would be a two-day affair, worry not. Between your girlfriend and your grandmother, we're sure that your racket-swingin' days will last far into the future.
