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Top Spin Tennis is a real honest game
Following word that Rockstar would be bringing their Table Tennis game to the Wii, Take Two announced that its popular tennis franchise Top Spin Tennis would also be gracing the Wii. After seeing Table Tennis, though, many reported it isn't the fun game on the Wii that it is on the Xbox 360. Now, doubts are surfacing regarding Top Spin Tennis.Senior producer Jean-Yves Patay wants you to rest assured that Top Spin Tennis will be a full-fledged tennis game and nothing like Wii Sports: Tennis. "Wii Sports Tennis is a wonderful game but in Topspin you will have to move your character and do different swings. You can move normally and that'll be fine - you will just perform regular swings. But if you want to perfect your technique you will need to practise. So I like to say it's a finished game on Wii." Sounds good to us, because we always wanted something like Wii Sports: Tennis, but with more depth.
Nintendo launches mywiistory.com
Nintendo has launched My Wii Story, a marketing tool website in the hopes that other families around the globe will share their stories of happiness with the Wii. Two families, the Ponthiers and the Perrys, have been hired documented by Nintendo to highlight the accessibility and fun of the console, stating such memorable quotes as "Wii makes you feel more alive" and "Without the Wii, I feel lost and abandoned. I can't even get out of bed in the morning without hearing the menu start up music. I sleep with the Wii remote clenched tightly against my chest"Okay, we made that last one up, but you get the idea.There's also an area where you can submit your own stories on the site. Why? Well, we can't really imagine why, because it doesn't even look like the website will publish user stories in the future. [Via Codename Revolution]
Wii Warm Up: Oh how sweet it is
You know, everyone has been talking about this Metroid thing lately, but we were thinking about the competitive activities one could enjoy on the Wii. Mainly as a tactic of diversion to ease the pain of waiting, we figured we could ask you all about your own best victories. Perhaps you dominated the house champ in Wii Sports, or came back from what seemed to be a sure loss in an online bout of Mario Strikers Charged?
Wii releases for the week of August 20th
This week, the Wii's lone release is none other than the seductive siren's call of crashing pins and that long, slick lane. It's about rolling with the best of them (so long as it isn't on Saturday). It's about being sponsored by Denny's and perhaps scoring wih a single mom or two. It's about that wonderful sport of bowling: Brunswick Pro Bowling Any of you willing to give this one a try? Sick of Wii Sports: Bowling and wish to give this a spin?
In2Games makes own Wiimote-like device
In2Games plans on bringing some Wii flavor to the PS2 as they get set to showcase their wares at the upcoming Leipzig show. With six titles already in the works for UK gamers, this new peripheral hopes to achieve the same acclaim that Wii Sports received on the Wii, only with the PS2. The six titles already in the creation process are: Realplay Golf Realplay Pool Realplay Bowling Realplay Racing Realplay Tennis Realplay Puzzlesphere Elliott Myers, CEO of In2Games, wants to offer a product to PS2 owners who might be hesitant to purchase a new console. Considering that the wording is a bit sketchy, we're not sure if it'll be £29.99 for the whole package, or that price per game and shell. It looks like the latter, as each bundle will include the base motion-sensing piece, along with a shell for the appropriate game. Given that, we wonder why anyone would go for a knock-off when you can get the real thing for just a little bit more. And, if you're worried about the money, just donate some blood. In fact, it doesn't even have to be your blood.
Retirement home hosts Home Run Derby
In between episodes of Matlock (we kid, we kid), some folks in Silver Spring, Maryland managed to conduct a Home Run Derby through the Wii. In celebration of Barry Bonds' record-shattering home run and using the game (we assume) Wii Sports, residences of the Riderwood retirement community took 15 fastballs and did their best, swinging for the fences. You know what else is cool? The competition even had a celebrity entrant, as 1940s' All-American Girls Baseball League participant Doris Terry took some pitches. Remember that movie A League of Their Own? Oh, and there is still no crying in baseball.
Nintendo wins prestigious awards at G-phoria
In case your G-Phoria watch party got too loud for you to actually hear the winners, a GoNintendo reader wrote down all the Nintendo wins and sent them in. We had our G-Phoria Scorecards all ready for the big show, but at the last minute our traditional Adam Sessler-shaped G-Phoria cake fell apart, and we cancelled the gathering out of shame. We still had to pay for the auditorium, but we think we made the right decision.Here are the winners (good luck on your betting pool!): Best Sports Game: Wii SportsBest RPG: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight PrincessStride's Longest Lasting Game: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight PrincessGame Most Deserving of an Uwe Boll Movie: Red SteelOh, G4 and their hilarious comedy awards. Zelda's not an RPG!
Evite your friends to the Wii Party
With the ultimate party accessory releasing soon, Nintendo knew that this would be the perfect time to encourage the party dynamic of the Wii. So, they came up with this whole Wii Party Evite thing. Personally, it's something we can get behind.And Nintendo's own Perrin Kaplan lets us know that Nintendo has been watching us all along (maybe from a tree ... with binoculars). See, they've been following the whole party trend of the Wii and feel it should be encouraged. Without a robust online catalog of games that allow players to connect and play with other gamers around the world, Nintendo wants you to get your friends and family over to your house to enjoy the console as a group. Sure, it means you have to shower, but you should probably be doing that anyway.
Stroke victim finds the Wii helps with rehab
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo_wii/Stroke_Victim_Finds_the_Wii_Helps_with_Rehab'; You know, we've reported on the Wii being used as a rehabilitation tool plenty of times over, but these stories never cease to amaze us. Take a trip with us to the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute at Minneapolis' Abbott Northwestern Hospital, where stroke victim, and 77-year-old semi-pro tennis player, Jerry Pope is finding the Wii to be quite the comfort during his recovery period. He explains that it is helping him in his journey to get back on the real court."I'm not a video game player," he explains, further adding that the Wii "is the only one I've ever played." Still, it's managed to hold his interest, as he did not have a taste for the conventional physical therapy exercises that follow a stroke. His wife, Gloria, explains that he was in bad shape following the stroke, but is now looking good and well on his way to recovery.
Win a trip to a NASCAR race
Nintendo wants you to see Greg Biffle and the #16 Wii car as they open up a contest that will award the winner with two tickets to Dover International Speedway on September 23rd. Not only does the winner get the tickets, but also backstage V.I.P. passes, allowing access to the garages area. And, as if that wasn't enough, you also get to play Biffle in Wii Sports. So, if NASCAR isn't your thing, you can at least enter in the hopes that, upon winning, you can beat someone in a video game who makes a lot more money than you. That's got to be worth it, right?[via press release; thanks, hvnlysoldr!]
Third-party Wii Pedometer available for the fitness-oriented gamer
We're sure all our readers out there are gearing up for the forthcoming Wii Fit and the plethora of exercise accessories that are sure to follow. In the spirit of that, you can now purchase a quirky "Wii"-branded pedometer to track your fitness goals in a more traditional way. Although it appears a little light on features, the Sports "Gage" Pedometer for Wii Gamers is as inexpensive as it looks at only $6.98, though why it comes shaped like a dog bone is beyond us. The vendor and producer also seem unable to agree on the proper spelling of the word Gage... or is it Guage? (For the record, it's Gauge) But don't let little details like that discourage you! A word of caution, however: the ever-so-slight alteration of the trademarked Wii logo (and complete absence of the word "Nintendo" from its packaging) likely indicates this to be an unlicensed product without any approval from the big N, so don't be fooled that this is any kind of official companion to Wii Fit's balance board. But for such a low price, it might still be of interest to Wii-oriented gyms out there.
Mii Spotlight request: Who's in your Wii?
We just wanted to drop a friendly reminder that we're in the market for all sorts of Miis right now. We'd love to start collecting images of Miis you might use for the Check Mii Out channel, and we're still looking for more musicians and historical figures. Or, y'know, maybe even current government figures. Surely there are a few Dick Cheney Miis drifting around on readers' Wiis, maybe hoping to challenge a Hillary Clinton Mii to a round of Wii Sports boxing. Take some pictures and send 'em to us at mii [at] nintendowiifanboy [dot] com. We love to see your work, and our requests are only rough guides -- we'll take whatever you've got!
Wiimbledon organizers looking to start up Wii bowling league
With the Wiimbledon event concluded, the fine folks at Geekanerd bring word that Steve Bryant, one of the folks responsible for creating the Wiimbledon event, is looking to start up a NYC Wii bowling league. Dubbed Wii Bowl NY, little else is known about the venture other than it has a website (it's a dead link at the moment and, apparently, will go live sometime soon).Bryant states some of his plans, though. "We expect it to be like a corporate softball league -- weekly games, three-person teams, played at various bars around the city. Probably start in September once everybody's back from vacation," he says. Our only problem? We don't live in New York city, so we can't compete![Thanks, Albert!]
Play That Funky Wii Music
If there was one thing about Wii Sports that we always knew to be missing, leaving an emptiness inside us that tore away at our enjoyment of the game, it was Robert Van Winkle, or Vanilla Ice as most of you know him.Ever since we saw his performance on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II movie, any film, video game, or documentary that failed to feature the much-maligned rapper was a disappointment to us. Some would say that we have ridiculous expectations; on the contrary, we believe that we've set our standards quite low. DJ BC has made things right, overlaying Wii Sports' theme music with the vocal track from Vanilla Ice's "Play That Funky Music." He actually sounds a lot better on the mashup than we expected, rockin' on the mic while the fly girls yell. Or fly boys, in our case. That's right, we were up there yelling too. See also: Wii Music (Remix) ft. ROBOTOBOTS[Via Digg]
Another medical institution brings the Wii in
With it helping wounded soldiers recover and retirement communities to stay active, along with personal trainers utilizing it to help people to lose weight and stay fit, we wonder if there is anything the Wii can't do? Surely, at this pace, we're likely to find out it can cure cancer and provide you with a more luxurious, thicker head of hair come October.The latest in the long line of stories about the Wii helping those in need finds us at Raleigh, North Carolina. Here, the Wake Med center is using the Wii to help those who've been in accidents or the recipients of disease. The idea to bring in the Wii was brought forth by the individual who delivers the wheelchairs, as he commented "People don't think of it as therapy. It's fun. It's a distraction, so the therapist can use it to do exercise activities that are hard to do."[Thanks, hvnlysoldr; via The Tanooki]
Canadian gym sets up Wii Sports in style
Vancouver's Studeo 55 is the latest to see the benefits of Wii Sports in action and they've decided to dedicate some space to the game -- and when we say space here, we mean it. They've set up a console in a 400 square foot theater-style room with a huge projection screen. The upscale gym, which caters to wealthier patrons willing to pay sizable membership fees each month, has been encouraging members to use Wii Sports as a warm-up or cooldown exercise, or as part of a circuit training regimen. Former Olympic swimmer Kim Bey gave the title a try despite some early reservations. "I'm not a video game person ... So at first, it was like, 'I don't get it,'" she said. But after playing with her personal trainer, she started to understand the benefits of a game as part of an exercise regimen. Not everyone was such an easy sell, however. Video games aren't very popular among most workout aficionados; in fact, owner Nathan Mellalieu reportedly faced a lot of criticism over the decision to include Wii Sports at first. Once patrons can be convinced to give it a try, however, reactions seem to change. Mellalieu cautions those who need to lose a lot of weight against depending solely on their Wiis, however -- a few games of Wii Sports is not enough for an overall lifestyle change, but the title can certainly be a part of that. We can't help but wonder if the addition of Wii Fit will spread the console's reputation as an exercise-helper even further. Maybe we'll start to see Wiis in gyms everywhere![Thanks, Alex!]
Wii Warm Up: A question of multiplayer
We like online gaming as much as the next set of obsessive gamers; in fact, we even brave the friend code system on the DS every week, like clockwork, just to throwdown via the WiFi network. But just because we like it -- and sometimes prefer it -- does that mean that every game with available multiplayer needs to have online multiplayer? For that matter, does every game even need a multiplayer mode? Obviously, we're thinking here about the recent confirmation that Metroid Prime 3 will have no online multiplayer, but it applies to a lot of things. Let's take Wii Sports, for example. Tons of fun! Could in fact be online! But does it need to be? The philosophy behind Wii Sports seems to be that playing with others -- in person -- is fun. Isn't the philosophy behind the Metroid series pretty centered on the themes of loneliness and isolation, as well as exploration? With games like Saint's Row and Halo on the Xbox, online multiplayer makes perfect sense. Whether we want it or not aside ... is it really right for Metroid?We'll definitely come on board and say that we hope that the Wii boasts many online games by the time its cycle ends. We particularly hope for at least one or two great FPS games with online multiplayer, but perhaps that's a dream. Still, is it worth hoping for online multiplayer when it runs counter to the central idea behind a franchise or game ... and worse yet, should we be hoping for multiplayer from a team who has yet to show us that they can even manage decent local multiplayer, much less online?Sure, online modes add replayability, and that's always nice. But if that's all we need in a game, should Nintendo start tacking online multiplayer onto Zelda games, for instance?
A Wii remote strapped onto a badminton racket
As far as ghetto mods go, this one certainly takes the cake. So if you loaded up Wii Fanboy today with the intention of procuring a slice of cake, you're out of luck.Acidmods forumer Gene0514 escaped the plastic tyranny of cheaply-made remote attachments from dubious Chinese manufacturers by creating his own Wii-Sports-Tennis-compatible racket. There's nothing hi-tech about its construction; he basically just "secured" a controller onto a badminton racket with rubber bands. Even with the wrist strap fastened onto the handle, we can't imagine Nintendo ever condoning anything as precariously-fashioned as this for its games.Swing past the post break for more photos of the setup and its v2 model, a remote belted onto an actual tennis racket.
Wii Warm Up: Wii = Wii Sports
We all love the mainstream attention the Wii is getting. It's a bona fide cultural phenomenon. But does anyone else wish that the Wii wasn't conflated with Wii Sports one hundred percent of the time? At this point, if you see or hear anything remotely related to the Wii system, you already know what game they're going to refer to. We love Wii Sports, but enough is enough.
Wii Warm Up: Wii Sports, tournament style
The folks from Geekanerd, who made a strong showing at yesterday's Wiimbledon (good on ya!), tipped us off that they had some sweet pictures from the event, which of course, made us even more sad that we could not attend. However, they also hinted that this will not be the only such tournament -- only the first. We like the sound of that ... but do you?Notice the turf that was rolled out for the players. We wondered if the organizers would go this extra step. It's just not Wiimbledon without the players throwing down on grass.
