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New Wii Sports: Bowling video
Rounding out their video coverage from their local stop on the Nintendo Fusion Tour is the embedded video of Wii Sports: Bowling in action from the Go Nintendo folks. The minute video shows just how accurate the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wiimote are as the speed of the delivery is controlled. Continue into the post and check it out.[Via Go Nintendo]
4 minutes of direct feed Trauma Center footage
IGN has uploaded a rather lengthy gameplay video (a length of 4 minutes, to be exact) of Trauma Center: Second Opinion in action. In repairing several large gashes in a patient's chest, and performing a lobectomy, we find that the patient has several large chunks of glass inside of him. Sounds like his evening didn't really go as planned, eh?Suffice to say, IGN are a bunch of jerk do not allow their videos to be embedded, so you'll have to head on over and check it out there.
Mii gets its parade on
The Mii channel has received a lot of coverage lately, mostly due to the fact that it's awesome. Some questions still surround the service, however. This is where the feature "Iwata Asks" comes in, where Iwata and several key players in the development of the Wii discuss the console. The latest installment focused on the Mii channel and feature one of the key developers of the tool, Mr. Nogami, former director of Animal Crossing DS."In fact, as long as the software developers make the games compatible with the Mii system, these characters will also be able to appear in the games they produce. One more interesting thing is that the Mii characters do not always feature as the main characters in the games," said Nogami. "You can also find them popping up as faces in the crowd. For instance, in Wii Sports, a Mii you made a while ago and had forgotten about might turn up one day in the spectators' seats. Also, since you can store Mii on your Wii Remote, you can bring your Mii to use on your friend's Wii!"Nogami also goes on to discuss Mii Parade:"To put it simply, Mii Parade is a system that uses the network to allow Mii characters created by many people to mix and mingle," said Mr. Nogami. "You can line up Mii characters in the 'Mii Plaza', but at the start the only Mii characters you will find are those you have created yourself. Over time, however, using the WiiConnect24 system, other users' Mii characters can come and visit. In the same way, your Mii can make an appearance on someone else's Wii, although this won't happen unless the user has authorized it. The user can choose whether or not to allow their Mii to come and go on the network, so the only Mii characters that will appear on someone else's Wii are those where the user has permitted it."[Thanks Donny and Probot!]
New Excite Truck video
While attending a stop on the Nintendo Fusion Tour, the guys over at Go Nintendo took Excite Truck out for a spin. While the individual playing it has some trouble with the controls, overall the game manages to stay incredibly appealing. Check the video, embedded into the post after the break.[Via Go Nintendo]
More support for the Wii single friend code system
Based on a report by UK Channel 4's tele-text service, Gamecentral, the single friend code system that works differently than the DS per-game code and has been speculated to be the way Nintendo is going on the Wii is getting some support. Gamecentral is backing up these claims, citing that players can look forward to having one individual friend code and not be forced to remember codes or look them up on a per-game basis.
Hudson's Wii page launches
Hudson has finally launched their Japanese Wii games page, which features plenty 'O screenshots for Wing Island, Bomberman Land, Fishing Master, and Korinpa. The page also does a nice job paraphrasing each game's features, length of play, and Wiimote use. Also, all games are releasing by the end of this year in Japan, aside from Bomberman Land, which is set for an early 2007 release.
You've decided to get a Wii?
Of course you have! You probably wouldn't be caught checking out a website (as great as it is) called Wii Fanboy unless you knew you wanted Nintendo's newest console. Well, for those of you who have become passengers on the Wii bandwagon for the first time, or those of you who have abandoned Nintendo in the past only to come back into the big N's loving arms, GWn has written up a nice little article explaining Nintendo's new attitude and some of the reasons why you'd want a Wii, if you're one of the few who think it not worth owning.
A reader documents their Nintendo Fusion attendance
One of our readers from the Detroit area recently attended the Nintendo Fusion Tour there and, like the class A reader he is, caught a whole bunch of the show on film, including play time with the Wii. Of course he did, we aren't a music blog after all!So head on into the post to see the embedded videos, presented after the break.[Thanks Ali!]
Wii devkit shared
A flickr user by the name of *PeSa* recently received a Wii devkit and decided that he'd like to throw it in all of our faces share with the internet. Over at his flickr account, you can see several different shots of the devkit, as well as the Wiimote. We've included some of his pictures into the post, after the break.[Thanks Artr!]
Press invite = retail Wiimote box?
Apparently, some folks are of the idea that Wiimote promo boxes given out at the Japanese press event closely resemble or are exact copies of how the package will be present at retail. The picture, which first surfaced on a flickr user account, looks the part, so we're assuming that the final retail package will closely resemble this.What do you guys think? With the Wii game boxes featuring that white tab, wouldn't it make more sense for the hardware to come in white packaging?[Thanks to all that sent this in; via Joystiq]
Pokemon Battle Revolution and Wii/DS connectivity
The embedded video, available through the usual manner after the break, was taken at a Japanese press event and is the first (that we know of) demonstration of actual Wii/DS connectivity to date, at least in video form. What are you waiting for? Click on already![Thanks Ali!]
Reggie chats up the Wii
As if the man has done anything else lately, Reggie has conducted an interview with AOL Games, discussing everything from the Wii to their goal of attracting non-gamers, as well as Reggie's ultimate fantasy career. What's most interesting about this interview, we believe, is Reggie's views on the industry's current lack of originality and love of sequels. Reggie goes on to say:"Do I think the industry is suffering from a lack of originality? A lot of the same old content? Sequelitis? Absolutely. Absolutely. As a consumer, is it challenge to parse through all the different choices available to find those great games out there? Absolutely. Yes, there's a lot of dreck out there. But I think a measure of our success is if you go to an EB or Gamestop and look at previous used product for sale, the fact is, you won't see a lot of Nintendo published product. Why? Because we make product that people tend to want to hold onto. The replay value is there. There's emotional attachment to the software. But is there a lot of dreck, especially on the competitive platforms? Absolutely."
Madden 07 preview and screenshots
For those of you living in the states, you know full well how big a deal football is. Heck, even some of you in Canada are starting to catch the fever. The rest of the world, however, have their own game of football (and we hear it's quite popular). As such, the latest repackaging installment of EA's Madden franchise is likely to only excite those from the red, white, and blue. And for those of you who enjoy spending Sundays on the couch with a bag of chips and a few beers, you might be interested in checking out IGN's preview of the game. It's chock full 'o fresh screens, along with some new information explaining why EA calls this the most "feature rich" Madden to date.
Fusion Tour demonstration videos
One tech-savvy attendee of Nintendo's Fusion Tour decided to snap up some footage of a few of the available games at the event. In playing Excite Truck, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, and Wii Boxing, they've filmed themselves playing plenty for you to gawk at, fine reader.As always, videos are embedded into the post, after the break.[Via Go Nintendo]
Rumor: Gamestop taking pre-orders soon after Friday
According to a post over at bits bytes pixels sprites, a national conference being held tomorrow in Texas will determine allocation numbers for Gamestops across the nation. Allocation numbers for the Wii and PS3 are supposedly going to be divulged here and upon the conference's close on Monday, your local Gamestop could be taking pre-orders as early as next week. We understand some of you feel the need to pre-order as it is an ever-comfy security blanket, but with the confirmed million units available to US gamers at launch, is this even a worry?
Internet Channel demo
The latest, and quite possibly greatest, Wii demonstration video has gone live online. In demonstrating the Opera browser on the Wii, we get a good look at doing such things as searching using Google and page formatting. Zooming in and playing videos are just a few of the things done in this short video. Short, yes, but definitely sweet.With the browser coming at a cost of zero for early adopters, some may have thought it was nothing more than a gimmick or novelty, but it really looks like the browser could be one of the strongest Channels on the system. We know what we'll be doing with the browser when we get it at launch.
Go to NYC for launch, get a Wii handed to you by Reggie
In sitting down with ABC News, Reggie Fils-Aime does the usual PR thing to promote the Wii, talking up the innovative features of the console and the company's goals to bring their product to people in all walks of life, hardcore gamers and those who do not traditionally play games alike, but more interestingly reveals that he will be on-hand at Nintendo's store in New York city to hand out consoles during launch (he says "a store in NYC," but it's safe to assume it'll be at Nintendo's store). Obviously, he makes no mention of needing to kick your ass and/or take your name to get your hands on a Wii, so we assume you'll need your check card, or the good old cash standard. [Note: Read link will take you directly to ABC News' video interview]
Put these Wii features in your pipe and smoke it
Nintendo has just sent word on two spiffy new features you'll be able to take advantage of on your Wii. Details on the console's Message Board and Play History functions include:Play History Data collection function that cannot be cleared Compiles a listing of information that includes total time played in every game. Could also track other stats Also functions as a parental monitoring system Will be used by Nintendo to track player data such as "most popular game played" Message Board Keeps user achievement data (!) and shares it with other users of that console Integrates with games to notify players of important events Date sorting and calendar functions When connected to the internet, may be used to communicate with other consoles much like a simplified email client Compatible with mobile phones Sounds good to us, but what do you guys think?[Via Joystiq]
Toys "R" us names Wii "hot toy"
Apparently, it's the first time that Toys "R" Us has ever nominated a video game system as one of its holiday "hot toys." We couldn't agree more; the Wii is at the top of our holiday shopping list. We know what you're thinking and no, we do not plan to blow all of our holiday gift money on a Wii for ourselves, we plan to blow all of our money on Wiis for everyone else. We're pretty sure our grandma will love it. According to Toys "R" Us, the reason they came to the conclusion that the list needed Nintendo's console was due to it's incredible appeal across all ages. Toys "R" Us said "The Wii system appeals to young kids as well as adults," where the PS3 is "really geared to a savvy gaming enthusiast." [Via Joystiq]
Rumor: Wii kiosks in your local Best Buy in October [update 1]
Over at GWN, there is some speculation pointing towards Best Buys getting Wii kiosks set up on October 29th. The information suggests that the Wii area will have two Wiimotes, Wii Sports, and a Phillips 480i, standard definition television set hooked to surround sound. Sounds good to us, but we would've liked to see them sooner! I guess we're just selfish like that.Check after the break for the images.[Thanks Nushio!][Update 1: Turns out the second image is fake, as we initially thought. We're still holding out for the date though. Thanks Neko!]
