WiiSports
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Wiimbledon tomorrow, no sign of strawberries and cream
Where were we weeks ago? We so would have made a pilgrimmage to Brooklyn to get our Wii tennis on. Maybe next year we can get in on this, since we hope tomorrow's Wiimbledon Wii Sports tennis tournament is the beginning of a yearly event. And where are the other Grand Slams, people? Get to work!Unfortunately, Wiimbledon is closed to new entrants at this point -- the 128 player pool is full -- but hey, the tournament is being held in a bar, so if you're in the area, can you really lose if you head out to watch? We think not. Wiimbledon gets going at 11 am at Barcade in Brooklyn, New York, and entrants are encouraged to "dress with moxy" like our man Richie Tenenbaum here. We encourage spectators to do the same. Just leave the bird at home. [Thanks, Conor!]
Wii used as therapy for wounded troops
So, not only is the Wii being used in retirement homes, but now the U.S. Army is utilizing the console to aid in the recovery of wounded soldiers. The best part? It's mandatory for them to play. It's their doctor's orders that every week they engage in playing with the Wii. We need a doctor like that, who could write us prescriptions for 10 hours of Mario Party 8 or an hour of Wii Sports every 4 hours.Of course, it's not all just fun and games, as the piece focuses on Army Spc. Shawn Roberts, who sustained several injuries in a vehicular accident in Kuwait last April. Not only does it help Shawn be active, it's a lot more fun and engaging than normal physical therapy. "You know, it's a video game. How much could it really do? But you don't notice it while you're doing it because your mind's on the game. But then when you're done? I was sore," says Shawn.Hopefully, this will catch on and we'll see more physical therapy sessions involving the participation of the Wii.[Thanks, Angel!]
Retired folk bowl, we watch in awe
The embedded video comes courtesy of the Bribie Island Retirement Village in Queensland, Australia, where one resident fancies herself quite the Wii bowler. Marion, who isn't the only one fond of Wii Sports: Bowling at the retirement community, ends up tossing a mean ball, showing that she has what it takes to take on all comers. And in the 8 weeks it's been since the Wii has been brought to the retirement community, many others have found a new activity to enjoy. Grey gamers, gotta love 'em![Via The Tanooki]
Square Enix chief: 360, PS3 too fancy for today's market
Though the exact word used by the Financial Times article is "over-engineered," a word we deemed too complex for today's headline. Yoichi Wada, chief executive of Square Enix, feels that consoles such as the PS3 and 360 are over-engineered and out of place in today's gaming market, noting that handheld platforms will be the ones to dominate this year. After handing Dragon Quest IX (and thus the keys to Japan) to the Nintendo DS and inundating the PSP with remakes, Wada's belief should come as no surprise."There is a new breed of gamers in the market – we have to make games for all kinds of people," he says. "In the old days, we could just focus on the PlayStation or the GameBoy, but the environment has changed completely." It's the same story we've been hearing for months, that one filled with flailing grandmas and casual players shouting "Blue!" at the top of their lungs. Wada isn't giving up on the hardcore gamer just yet, though. Despite thinking that "there are too many specs" on the more advanced systems, he reckons they'll fare better in "a year or two years." Isn't that about the time Final Fantasy XIII comes out?
Friday Video: Consequences
With the Wii injury cropping up all over again, this short comedic video seemed like the perfect way to wrap up the week. And if a simple game of tennis can set off this extreme chain of events, just imagine all the Wii injuries that are possible when it comes to using the Wiimote and nunchuk for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. We shudder at the very thought.
Bill Gates wants to play some kind of tennis simulator
Imagine, if you can, a game where you swing a tennis racket and an onscreen character swings a tennis racket. That's the bold new future Bill Gates wished for at the D5 conference. We love to see the prophetic mind of a business genius in action.Oh, what? There's already something like that? No, the Wii doesn't count, because shut up it just doesn't: "No, that's not it. You can't pick up your tennis racket. And swing it." We guess motion controls are only cool when there's some kind of camera involved.
Harrison: Wii lifecycle may exceed five years
Chris Kohler of Game|Life interviewed Nintendo of America VP George Harrison about the future of the Wii system, and his responses were, well, generally unsurprising. We wouldn't expect Nintendo to suddenly change their strategy in the midst of such success.Harrison said that because of the high prices of the Wii's competitors, he expected the Wii to have a lifecycle longer than the traditional five years. (Would that mean more than 35 million installed units in the US?) And it'll continue to have a pack-in for some of that lifecycle, since Wii Sports is a "cultural phenomenon" that is helping to draw people in to the system.Harrison also mentioned that more Wii software targeted at Nintendo's new "expanded" audience would be revealed at E3, and that a game download channel is in development.There's more, including some weird comments about localizing Virtual Console games and a response to the continuing shortages. Go read the whole thing, if you are so inclined.
Waggle Tennis circa 2000
Wii Sports is totally innovative for its motion controls, right? You can move the Wiimote and swing your tennis racket, which is what makes the game so accessible and compelling. That's probably why the Wii has been such a big hit. Just like online gaming, the Dreamcast already did it. While experimenting with the Dreamcast fishing controller, The GagaMan from The Dreamcast Junkyard discovered that its motion sensors worked perfectly with the fantastic Virtua Tennis. In fact, he claims, the controls are more nuanced and sensitive than Wii Sports Tennis. On top of that, you can actually move your character around with the analog stick. We wonder if things would have gone differently for the Dreamcast if anyone had figured this out back then. Probably not. But at least we can pick up a fishing controller and try this ourselves!
Three-year-old's Tennis tantrum
Brian McConnell left his son, Adam, alone with a game of Wii Sports: Tennis for only a few moments to fetch a drink, but that was all the time the little demon needed. Not even a Wii remote strap could've saved Brian's plasma TV once the three-year-old set his mind on avenging a lost match. Brian came back to the living room to find his £1,000 television ruined, its 42-inch screen bashed by his Wiimote-wielding progeny. Queue up the darth_vader_nooo.jpg images. The forgiving father let Adam off the hook with only a light lecture and a two-week Wii ban. That's a lot more lenient than the hanging, drawing, and quartering punishment one of our NintenDadz would've sought. [Via Engadget]
Wii rage turns 3 year old into (more of a) menace
Meet Adam McConnell: Wii enthusiast... future criminal. See the wee lamb purposely (this time) smashed his father's 42-inch plasma after losing in Wii sports. Father Brian left the lad alone playing tennis to get the boy a drink -- presumably, a pint. While in the kitchen the father "heard two big bangs." Brian returned to find his son "using the handset to smash the TV screen." No claims of a broken Wiimote strap this time folks, the responsibility lies in the kind of pure, seething rage only a 3 year old can muster. Oh we feel ya Adam, we feel ya.[Thanks, Mark A.]
Sony's High Velocity Bowling started 'literally right before' Nintendo announced Wii Sports' Bowling
MTV ninja Stephen Totilo infiltrated the tooth-decaying sugar-fluff of Sony Gamers' Day and shoved his mic into High Velocity Bowling developer Scott Rohde's face, asking him the tough question: Dude, like, you know everyone's sayin' you just copied Nintendo ... so, like, you did, right? Maybe not. With the lens carefully trained on his San Diego tan, Rohde's fired back with a little-known factoid, "Before we knew that Wii Bowling was coming out we were building [High Velocity], absolutely." You sure about that, Scott? 'Cause Nintendo confirmed 'Bowling' back in September '06. "We started working on it, literally, right before that ... and we had a prototype up in place when [Wii Sports] came out," alleged Rohde.But why argue about who was first to the gimmick? Considering price, Wii Sports and High Velocity are categorically different. Wii Sports is free, but as a PSN title, High Velocity will likely cost in the $5-to-10 range (and planned expansion packs could balloon the total price). If Rohde's statements are accurate, then High Velocity will end up more akin to Rockstar's Table Tennis or maybe the Outlaw sports series, as it will apparently feature a more robust physics engine than Wii Sports and pre-built unlockable characters. Wii's Bowling will ultimately be matched up against PlayStation Home's built-in bowling game, which is being developed separately from High Velocity, but, like the others, will probably incorporate motion controls.
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.
The dog that can play Wii
The odds of this being real are incredibly slim, so take that into consideration as you head past the post break to watch the video. While we'll agree that the video is quite hilarious, we're pretty sure the dog isn't making those moves on its own and certainly isn't tearing up the courts of Wii Sports: Tennis all by itself. Notice how the camera never pans below the dog's elbow?Let us know what you think: fake or real?
Wii is our favourite way to exercise
Are you looking to get in shape for the summer? How about following JR Cook's example? The 27 year old lifelong gamer has already lost 20 pounds since he started his Wii weight loss plan, and aims to ditch another 60 by the end of the year.JR realised the Wii's potential for weight loss after a 90 minute gaming session left him sweating and physically sore. Now he plays for around 35-40 minutes a day, seven days a week. JR has been sharing the results of his plan through his blog every day.This story of gaming changing people's lives for the better is just the sort of thing that keeps our hearts warm and our minds confident that our cholesterol filled diets need not be the end of us.How about you fanboy readers? Has anyone noticed the pounds dropping off since picking up Wii Sports? Any transformations from coach potatoes into hyper-fit superpeople? If that's the case, be sure to tell us about it!
EA reveals completely original idea: sports-based minigames
Tell us if you think this sounds like a good idea for a Wii game: a collection of easy-to-play minigames based on casual sports! EA Playground is EA's attempt to fill the only hole in the Wii's lineup that absolutely doesn't exist. At least it features different sports than Wii Sports: tetherball, RC racing, and dodgeball, that we know of.EA is emphasizing "local multiplayer parties" for this title (by not putting it online, probably) and a "storyline" based on collecting stickers for your sticker book. Also it has graphics, basically. Things appear onscreen. The attractiveness or visual quality of those things are for you to decide. EA Playground will also be appearing on DS, with its own exclusive minigames.[Via Joystiq]
Wii Warm Up: Is Wii Sports worn out?
It came packed with the console and quickly became all the rage. It was seen as the best use of the new control scheme proposed by Nintendo out of all the launch lineup. It's a title that has spawned drinking games (for us, at least) and tournaments in households all over the world. It's none other than Wii Sports.But, do you still play it? We'll admit we find ourselves on the lanes or the court less and less as time goes on, but perhaps we must chalk that up to our demanding job. How about you, though? We have to ask, though: is it still in your rotation? Has it been so long your Wii doesn't even remember the game?
May we suggest a Wii bit of a stretch before that game?
Times Online published an article recently, where they look at some of the negative effects of playing Wii, namely the physical toll it takes on your body and the problem known as "Wii elbow." The article, for the most part, is one of the oldest hats in our closet, but what makes this piece interesting is the suggested physical warm up from Tim Hutchful of the British Chiropractic Association. His warm up includes: Shoulder shrug - slowly shrug your shoulders toward your ears, holding for two to three seconds before relaxing. Doing this three times will improve blood flow to your shoulders. Wrist stretch - slowly stretch the wrist backwards, hold for a few seconds, then stretch it forwards, holding it for a few seconds. Doing this three times will improve the tightening in your wrists. Make a fist - hold your arm at right angles from your elbow, balling up your fist and tensing it, along with your arm. Hold this for a few seconds, then allow your arm to fall to your side. Completing this three times will help blood flow and tense your muscles. Neck muscle stretch - attempt to make a double chin, stretching the muscles at the base of your neck. Hold this for a few seconds and perform the exercise three times, always doing so very slowly and carefully. Loosen the lower back - standing with feet a shoulder width apart, slowly circle your hips five times counter-clockwise, then reverse direction for five more revolutions. Are any of you going to go through these exercises before playing a game?
Wii Sports is creatively excellent
The educational charity D&AD loves Nintendo. Last year, they bestowed a Yellow Pencil award upon Nintendogs, and this year, Wii Sports is nominated for one of the awards, alongside Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training for the DS. The other nominees (soon to be known as the also-rans) are LocoRoco, Shadow of the Colossus, Buzz!: The Big Quiz, and CDX, an online game from the BBC.D&AD's Yellow Pencil awards recognize "creative excellence." No wonder they're looking to Nintendo.
Nintendo donates Wiis to YMCA
Nintendo and the YMCA are teaming up to promote fitness and family bonding through use of the Wii. Over one hundred "party packs" have been donated to the YMCA so far, although the exact contents of one of these "party packs," beyond the Wii console itself, are not revealed. The press release Nintendo sent out mentions that the kids and families who participate at their local YMCA chapter (given that they were one of the one hundred who even received the Wii) will be able to get their hands on Wii Sports, encouraging fun and healthy activity through gameplay. We know we'd sign up at our local YMCA if we knew they had a Wii! "Consumers all over America are telling us the Wii helps them to stay active and fit and also gives them another reason to be together as a family," comments George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. George also goes on to say that "Wii has quickly become a part of America's fitness plan, from bowling leagues for active seniors to kids and parents who sweat through Wii Sports pentathlons together."
