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NMS: Big Brain Academy hands-on
Our friends over at Joystiq have already started enacting nefarious plans against us, planned with their newly enlarged brains. The tiny-brains at Wii Fanboy don't stand a chance against the bigness of their horrible brains. How did Joystiq get such big old brains? They got a hands-on preview of Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree. And even with their freakishly enlarged brains, they were positive about the game. It contains a series of minigames, each designed to improve one mental ability (Identify, Memorize, Analyze, Compute and Visualize) as well as presumably being fun. In addition to 8-player games at home, you can trade student profiles online to compete with your friends. Check out the screenshots in our People on the Couch Gallery! %Gallery-3434%
Nintendo Media Summit: Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree hands-on (Wii)
The sequel to the DS hit, Big Brain Academy, was shown this week at the Nintendo Media Summit. Dubbed Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree, this version offers tons of new mini-games to test your senses and give your brain a workout. It supports three multiplayer modes for up to 8 players, and 15 new challenges for single-player mode. It also allows you to trade your student data over WiiConnect24 with other players, allowing you to challenge others and compare results. In a nice touch, the game also imports all your friend's codes automatically. The gameplay is focused on fast-paced small minigames that are meant to help you increase your mental capacities in one of five areas: Identify, Memorize, Analyze, Computer and Visualize. The game tracks your progress and gives you a diagram showing your strengths and weakness in the different categories. To improve a poor stat, you need to play games specific to that category. For example, if your Identify skill is low, you could play "Fast Focus," in which you see a distorted image slowly revealed. The point of the game is to correctly guess the subject of the picture as quickly as you can, using the Wiimote to select the answer from a provided list. "Fast Focus" was probably my favorite of the minigames, but unfortunately I saw quite a few images repeat after only playing it for a short time. Kind of a bad sign for the longevity of that particular minigame, but may have just been a fluke. %Gallery-3406%
Zelda: Phantom Hourglass boxart
The Japanese boxart for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is up on Amazon for all to see. We're hugely excited about the new Zelda, and advise you check here for the screens we showed you last week. It's coming out on Saturday July 23rd, exactly 11 years after the Nintendo 64 hit the shelves. It's highly unusual for a game to come out on a Saturday in Japan, where Thursday is the traditional release day for new titles. Whatever -- we want to get our hands on Phantom Hourglass as soon as possible![Via Nintendo iNSIDE]
Get a degree in knowing how to play Big Brain Academy
We haven't read any research on the particular brain-embiggening properties of Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree, and we're also quite certain that playing it won't result in an actual degree conferral (which is too bad, because we could use some more of those!) Whatever health or brain-bigness benefits it may have, the game certainly looks cute and fun. Siliconera has posted some impressions of the Japanese version, with plenty of screenshots and explanation of the various minigames involved. We suggest you check it out and dramatically increase the size of the area of your brain that holds Big Brain Academy gameplay details!
K K Slider keeps you grooving, keeps you clean
Tired of spending every Saturday night at Animal Crossing: Wild World's museum cafe, abandoning any hope for a social life so you can catch K. K. Slider's weekly set? Ever found yourself shushing talkative friends or family members who think it's alright to chat during one of the soulful puppy's live performances? Has your girlfriend threatened to leave because of that time she looked in your wallet and saw that her picture was replaced with a photo of K. K.? With Banpresto's Totakeke bath towel, a commemorative item from the Animal Crossing movie, you don't have to devote your weekend schedule to hanging out at The Roost anymore. Now you can visit the guitar-playing dog whenever you take a shower! This out-of-game version of him won't play any music, but you could always just hum the tune to K. K. Condor while you dry yourself off. That wouldn't be weird at all! [Via DCEmu]
Big Brain Academy official Japanese site launches
A lot of you folk out there are looking forward to the upcoming Big Brain Academy title set to grace the Wii and, well ... we are too! Upon seeing the site has gone live, we found ourselves poking around the site and checking out various things. Only problem is, we can't understand a single one of these things (aside from the video segments there), what with our complete inability to understand the Japanese language and all. Oh well, we blame our parents ...
Big Brain Academy screens, WiiConnect24 details
It breaks our hearts to see that only a few games on the Wii's roster support Mii integration and WiiConnect24. Nintendo's lack of third-party cooperation might be to blame, but at least the company will be implementing both features with Big Brain Academy for the Wii. Users will be able to import their Miis when creating a student profile, solving the game's reflex puzzles with their customized characters. According to the latest issue of Nintendo Power, WiiConnect24 will allow other people's Miis to wander into your game, equipped with the student profiles of their creators. You will also be able to test your brain against theirs in any of the multiplayer modes. We're going to be pretty depressed if our friends' Miis turn out to be much smarter than us. At least we have our wit! There's always that, right? Big Brain Academy won't be coming out in the US until June 11, so there's still some time to hit the books and get your brain in shape. Jeux-France has several dozen screenshots of the game in action along with some Mii artwork. Check past the post break for a few of those images.
Wii Play joins Sports with platinum sales in Japan
In Japan, Nintendo is doing well with the casual games. According to last week's Japanese sales charts, Wii Play has joined Wii Sports with one million in unit sales; Wii Sports broke the million mark last month. Vinnk of 4 color rebellion has put this milestone into perspective. The Wii now has two platinum titles 3 1/2 months after its launch. The GameCube had only one million-seller in Japan, Super Smash Bros. Melee, that took longer time to reach that point. However, other titles are not selling nearly as well, including The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. As arguably the only Wii epic, Link's adventure hasn't yet reached the half-million mark in Japan. In fact, it has dropped out of the top 30. Other Wii titles in that top 30 last week include Fire Emblem (23), Wario Ware (26) and "Eye sealed 21 field strongest soldier" at 30. (Did we mention we love Google translations?) What does this all mean? Expect to see ample amounts of casual games -- in Japan, at least.
GDC 07: Big Brain Academy impressions
GDC's Nintendo booth has been packed over the past few days. With enough begging and pleading, I was able to shove away an elderly woman and work out my brain with the upcoming Wii rendition of Big Brain Academy. The demo on the show floor was multiplayer-only and was decidedly quite simple. You must race against your opponent to solve a series of puzzles: due to the competitive nature of the game, you'll find yourself rushing through the puzzles as quickly as possible. Each puzzle involves doing a simple task, a la Wario Ware, but the game somehow feels much less intuitive than Nintendo's fast-paced microgame collection. Maybe if I were a more careful reader, I would've noticed that I had to repeat a certain image sequence backwards, instead of spending a few minutes feeling like a complete moron. The game feels a lot like Wario Ware in many ways: the game is short, fast-paced, and very simple--almost to a fault. The graphics certainly won't win any awards, and although they get the job done, it's still somewhat disappointing to see such an uninspired look throughout the game. Your Mii can be seen throughout the game, but they serve little more than hovering decapitated avatars. The game's not particularly great, nor is it bad. It'll certainly serve as little more than an innocent way of killing a little bit of time.
Animal Crossing forbidden in Japanese school
Animal Crossing: Wild World seems to be quite the popular game in Japanese schools as recently, a writer for 4cr who is also a teacher in the country, heard an announcement over the loud speakers at the school he works in telling all teachers and students that the game had become forbidden within its walls. The cause of the blacklisting of the game? Well, turns out that the students who were going to the computer labs for math or what have you were using the internet-enabled computers to search for tips and tricks on the game, throwing up a red flag with the administration.What's interesting is that the announcement banned the game in school, not the use of the internet. Oh well, we're sure that won't last once the kids learn what the internet is really for ...
Twilight Princess Easter eggs & tin-foil hat conspiracies
Green chus? Bottomless pits of water? Warp birds named after hexadecimal color codes? Maaaybe...IGN forum poster yoshi117's list of Twilight Princess "Easter eggs" isn't entirely useless; in fact, it highlights many of the inconspicuous details that were sprinkled into Nintendo's heralded masterpiece. The importance of these minute elements is often overlooked in game development, but Nintendo EAD proves once again how a little touch of wonder, or harmless act of mischief, can provide a lasting memory.[Thanks, KozWiz; via Wii Fanboy]
Wii Play delay, Wiimote pack-in now due mid-Feb
Wii Play's North American debut has been unexpectedly pushed back to February 12, perhaps to give WarioWare: Smooth Moves, due on January 15, some space to dominate the minigame genre. Of course, for those of us waiting to buy additional controllers, Wii Play's release couldn't come soon enough. The minigame collection is sold exclusively as a Wiimote pack-in. See also: Wii Play minigames WRU?! [Via Wii Fanboy]
Animal Crossing mafia makes an offer you can't refuse
While upon playing Animal Crossing: Wild World, one might feel indebted to a Mafioso in Tom Nook as you work off a debt, running errands for him and perhaps fearing the impending doom that awaits you at the bottom of a deep river should you neglect those duties, the reality is that Animal Crossing is very much without that 'old world mob' flavor. Leave it up to folks to try and reverse that, though. With a slogan like "you hit me, we hit you," one would feel that performing the general run-of-the-mill mob tasks demanded from such a criminal organization could very well be performed in the game, however due to the nature of the game, we feel that waking with a horse's decapitated head is far worse than the likely scenario of decimated trees and hole-filled lawns throughout the town that one would suffer should they cross this mafia. Still, it's an original idea and for a game like Animal Crossing: Wild World, we're glad for every, and any, excuse we get to play it on a regular basis.
Nintendo Power: Wii Play confirmed, 2K baseball online
Codename Revolution has the scoop on Nintendo Power's January issue. Highlights include: Wii Play confirmed for January (North America); bundled with Wiimote The BIGS (2K/Big Castle) will feature online play; not scheduled for release until Q3 2007 WarioWare: Smooth Moves to feature 'pass-the-Wiimote' 12-player multiplayer and Mii integration Interview with Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi: "For me, the Wii controller doesn't yet connect with the core gameplay of Castlevania. I definitely don't want to make a game with gimmicky controls where you swing the controller like a whip..."
Wii Zelda gift in Animal Crossing
Not too long ago we helped spread the word that Nintendo would be delivering a special gift to Animal Crossing: Wild World players in celebration of the launch of the Wii. If you are one of those lucky players able to log on, you would have found a letter similar to that pictured above. Plus, you already have your super sweet present sitting in a special place. For the rest of you, we won't ruin the surprise. If you are a Zelda fan, this gift will light up your day. [Thanks notawesome!]
Wii Play: Nintendo's other minigame collection
Siliconera previews Wii's other minigame title Wii Play, as it's known in Europe. Also Hajimete no Wii (in Japan), the collection comes bundled with specially-marked versions of the Wii controller (for an additional cost) and includes nine casual games that familiarize players with the Wiimote's unique abilities (similar to the experience of Wii Sports): Shooting - Duck Hunt, minus the Zapper (and yes, there are ducks) Find Mii - Where's Waldo using Mii characters Table Tennis - Rockstar's Table Tennis this is not; players direct their paddles by pointing, and the ball is automatically returned (motion-controlled Pong) Pose Mii - Players mimic the Mii's pose by rotating the controller Hockey - Air Hockey with neon lights Charge - Bull racing; tilt the controller to stay balanced Fishing - Catch the specified fish using the controller as a fishing pole Tanks - multiplayer tank battle; shells can be bounced off walls Billiards - use controller like a cue stick (draw back and push forward); playable in 2D (top-down) or 3D (behind the ball) Oddly, Nintendo has not confirmed Wii Play for North America; though with the Duck Hunt clone alone many would consider this a must-buy. What gives?
Beware who visits your town
While the atmosphere and gameplay in Animal Crossing: Wild World is universally accepted as being family-friendly, sometimes people just need their dirty fix. So they teach their inhabitants language most foul and let them loose, out into the wild, for other, unsuspecting Wi-Fi users to welcome them into their town with open arms. Such an instance happened to one of our readers. John was minding his business, likely paying off his mob debt to Tom Nook by fishing or digging for fossils, when he was asked if he would enjoy a mysterious feline visitor in his town. A mystery junkie by nature, John decided he would allow it. Sure enough, the "mysterious" actually meant "disgustingly foul-mouthed." Check after the break for the snapshot of what the cat said.
Brain Training doesn't help old brains after all
For those of us hoping to clutch onto a DS and listen to the sage advice of Brain Age's Dr. Floaty Head (his real name's so hard to remember these days) in order to lessen the rate of our inevitable mental decline, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal's science journal is sure to come as bad news. According to a recent study, constant mental exercise does nothing to slow down the rate of cognitive decline. Timothy Salthouse of the University of Virginia notes that "there is no convincing empirical evidence that mental activity slows the rate of cognitive decline," a message that stands somewhat opposed to Nintendo's Brain Age campaign. "The research I reviewed is just not consistent with the idea that engaging in mentally stimulating activities as you age prevents or slows cognitive decline." While the rate of mental erosion is labeled as constant by the study, it suggests that the minds that remain sharp are merely dropping from a higher point. The higher you start, the longer it takes you to hit bottom. The mental usefulness of the innocent crossword puzzle also comes under attack assault fire, with Salthouse concluding that there is no evidence that habitual puzzle players experience "a slower rate of age-related decline in reasoning." What's a five-letter word for bummer? Still, the article points out (perhaps obviously so) that the greatest benefit of games like Brain Age is that the constant training improves an adult's ability to perform the given task well. One thing's for sure--we'll soon be glorified experts at saying "Blue!" [Thanks Vlad! Linked article requires membership to access.]
Joystiq Review: Mario Kart DS
Joystiq gives its belated review of the popular Mario Kart DS released on November 14, 2005 for the Nintendo DS handheld. Considered by many to be the Mario Kart all-star edition, Mario Kart DS is a fast paced, well designed, easy-to-pick-up, and engaging game. Though suited for the casual gamer, hardcore players should enjoy this title as well for its pure competitive racing. Mario Kart DS is also the first title to feature Nintendo's free wi-fi connection service. It is as easy as playing someone in your very own room, and though it has it's setbacks with limited online options, the game is arguably the most enjoyable racer on any system, to date.
Free taxi ride for MarioKart DS
Nintendo signed a deal with a London taxi company to give away free rides in an effort to promote their new Mario Kart DS. Tickets could be found in London newspapers; unfortunately, this deal seems to have been a one day affair. Considering the price of a London cab ride, this couldn't have been a cheap promotion. [Thanks, The_Wind_Waker8]
