Neo Geo Control Stick coming for Wii

Finding it hard to pull of the moves in KOF or Fatal Fury with the Classic Controller? This should help you out then. The Neo Geo arcade stick is being released in Japan on April 10th, no word on a US release date.

Mario Kart Wii Fact Sheet

The next generation of Mario Kart is blazing a new path on Wii! New tracks, new racers (including Miis), new rides and 12-player racing via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection makes for the ultimate Mario racing experience!

With all the new additions, don’t expect Mario Kart Wii to skimp on the details. All your favourite Mario Kart franchise features return, such as classic tracks, cup modes, battles, boosts and ghost data. Mario Kart Wii isn’t an update – it’s a breakthrough!

Similar to Mario Kart DS, players will be able to take full advantage of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. You’ll be able to race against up to 11 other players from around the world in massive online races or race against your friends. You can create rooms for friends to join and even text chat while you’re waiting for other racers. The online function of Mario Kart Wii also lets you join a friend’s race in action and be a spectator until the next course launches.

When you’re not going full-throttle toward the finish line, you can see how you stack up against others in the Mario Kart Channel . Here, your best times on tracks are compared to other racers from around the world. You can also see which characters and control methods were used to record this time. See someone with a better time than yours? The Mario Kart Channel also lets you download their ghost data to your Wii and race against the best!

The other massive expansion to come to the Mario Kart franchise is the addition of a new type of vehicle: bikes! Although bikes have fewer wheels than karts, they have a different set of advantages. On a bike, you can pop a wheelie, which can make you go faster but also makes you vulnerable to other racers and environmental effects. Plus, bikes and karts can launch into the air from certain boost ramps, and once in the air, you can perform special tricks to gain a boost when you hit the ground.

All these new bikes and cool karts won’t just tear up new courses. Retro tracks are back! Along with new courses like Mushroom Canyon and Wario Mines, you’ll be racing on old favourites such as Sherbert Land, Waluigi Stadium, Peach Beach and 13 others. How will riding a bike on these new retro tracks stack up to the karts? You’ll just have to play it to find out.

You’ve been racing as the Mushroom Kingdom’s finest for a long time, but now there’s a new racer in town: Your Mii! Put your Mii behind the wheel and take on all comers! For those who want to get in the game even more, Mario Kart Wii comes packed with the Wii Wheel. Shaped like a steering wheel, you place the Wii Remote inside the Wii Wheel’s casing and get ready to ride! In addition to the Wii Remote, you can also use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers in combo, or use a GameCube Controller to take those tight turns and challenges Mario Kart Wii throws at you.

A new experience in racing is here! The world is waiting for you. Whether you get behind the wheel to go online, race solo or take on up to three friends at your home, you’ll find Mario Kart Wii to be a one-of-a-kind experience!

* Play against up to 12 players, download and share ghost data and race friends via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Plus, you can take part in events organised by Nintendo in the Mario Kart Channel.
* Perform special tricks to score some serious speed boost with the new bikes and supped-up karts. Mario Kart Wii gives you more options than ever.
* Race as your Mii! Grab the Wii Wheel and race through the new and retro tracks as your favourite Mii. It’s like you’re in the game like never before!

Resident Evil 5 Wii boxart

It's amazing what a fan will do when they really want a game to come to the Wii. This looks pretty good, but of course the info on the back of the box is just speculation at this point. Capcom has recognized the demand for this game on the Wii but nothing has been announced yet as to when/if RE5 will come to the Wii. Do they really need to think about it that much?

Boom Blox to have 3D Head Tracking!

*Note* You cannot see the 3D effect with the angle of the camera shown on YouTube.

"Coming straight from the EA session about the development process behind Boom Blox, we thought it would be nice to inform everyone that there was a special “GDC Easter Egg” presented at the end of the session. It seems as though Head Tracking has been worked into the production of Boom Blox. Some things are unclear as to whether or not you can move around through previously recorded levels that you played through, or if they are custom built levels. The important thing is that it IS worked into the game and is available. Things needed by the player would be either LED glasses, or a wireless sensor bar, but by using just that and the controllers the same headtracking effect that we have seen in various online videos will be possible on the Wii."

Link

That was fast I must say! Only a few months after Johnny Lee introduced 3D head tracking for the Wii, we have EA using the technique in Boom Blox. Hopefully more games that are released later this year will use this.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Fact Sheet

Format: Wii™
Launch Date: March 9, 2008
ESRB: T (Teen) – Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor
Game Type: Fighting Action
Players: 1-4
Developer: Nintendo

KEY INFORMATION

Welcome to a brawl for the ages, where anything can happen, anyone can show up and all bets are off.

• This action-packed fighting games features a ridiculous number of characters that have appeared on Nintendo platforms, from Mario™ to Link to Pikachu® … to Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog! As they square off in famous locales drawn from the rich history of Nintendo, literally anything can happen – and usually does. With limitless customizing options, items and weapons that boggle the mind and a wealth of modes, this game has truly infinite replayability.

• Super Smash Bros. Brawl features a sprawling adventure mode called “The Subspace Emissary” that’s a full game in and of itself. Players jump and brawl their way through enemy-packed side-scrolling levels, meeting up with other characters, watching incredible cinematics and taking on massive bosses. It can even be played by two players cooperatively.

• For the first time, this celebrated series is going Wi-Fi, allowing up to four players to brawl, no matter where they may be. Not only can you brawl with friends or strangers, but you can also send custom-made stages or screenshots to pals.
Game storyline: In multiplayer games, characters from all Nintendo universes meet up in Nintendo locales to duke it out. In the solo mode called “The Subspace Emissary,” the world of Smash Bros. is invaded by an entity called the Ancient Minister and his army of creatures, called “The Primid.” Normally, characters come alive in the world of Smash Bros. to do battle, then turn back into trophies when defeated. However, the Ancient Minister starts turning characters into trophies to harness their power, then detonates bombs that suck pieces of the world back into his realm of Subspace. Eventually, all the characters must work together to defeat the invading creatures from Subspace – this is accomplished by playing through side-scrolling levels.

How to progress through the game: For multiplayer games, players pick characters, set rules and locations for where they want to play and then duke it out. In Solo Mode, characters play through a long, side-scrolling adventure, beating up enemies along the way as they watch short cinematics starring their favorite characters.
Characters: Mario, Samus, Bowser, Donkey Kong®, Solid Snake, Meta Knight, Kirby™, Pikachu®, Zero Suit Samus, Link, Zelda™, Pit and Wario™, to name just a few. Anyone and anything from a Nintendo universe could appear in this game in one form or another.

Special powers/weapons/moves/features: Anything from a Nintendo game could conceivably be in this game, whether it’s a musical score, an obscure item or a character that shows up to help the fighters. Super Smash Bros. Brawl is eminently customizable, so players can choose the frequency of items appearing, adjust musical scores and basically play the game however they’d like. Items range from baseball bats to proximity mines to Poké Balls to Assist Trophies, which spawn characters like Hammer Bros. and Sim City’s Dr. Wright to attack others.

Nintendo press room

March 9th can't get here soon enough....all of you reserved this game right???

Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition Ada Action

You didn't forget how good this game was did you? Well I got some new video capturing equipment recently and I decided to play some No More Heroes (below) and Resident Evil 4 to kinda try it out. So far so good. I've been wanting to record my gameplay for a while now but just never got around to getting the correct equipment. Expect to see more games in the future. Enjoy the non-stop action!

Download the 480p DVD quality version here!

No More Heroes "Bitter" Gameplay

This is me playing one of the "Kill all enemies within the time limit" missions on "Bitter" difficulty. I'm not the best at the game, but the bad guys do tend to be stronger and they attack much faster than on "Mild" and "Sweet" difficulty.

New Generation Podcast 1

Well I finally made a podcast after a few long years. I made this Thursday night so when I say "today" you'll know that it was yesterday. My voice comes in at around the 14 second mark (an editing mistake) and the sound quality is not the best but please give it a listen/watch and let me know what you think in the comment section below. Thanks guys!

No More Heroes cut-scene slowed down (MAJOR SPOILERS)

I warn you, please don't watch this unless you have beaten the game. The way No More Heroes plays out as a game will never lead you to imagine that it would end like this. If you don't want the ending ruined for you, don't watch it.

For those of you who have beaten the game already: We finally get to hear what was said in that all important cut-scene!

Factor 5's Wii Engine "does everything the PS3 does and them some"

Matt from IGN did a recent interview with Julian Eggebrecht president of Factor 5 on the Wii-k in review podcast about the new game they are developing exclusive for the Wii, here is some of the info below:

Q -- How far along in development are you?

A -- We are pretty much at a state where we are almost done with the engine. We've also worked on content quite a bit. Biggest milestone is the engine, it does everything (pretty much) the PS3 does and then some. So we're happy with that.

Q -- Something to generate hype, a hint?

A -- At least what we're working on will blow you away with the technical achievement. We hope that we can blow you away by the innovation in controls, accessibility, and new experiences. As for what property, is it a Nintendo property, Third party property, internal property, I won't comment.

Link to more info on the podcast

Matt seemed quite impressed with Juilan's comments about the Engine being able to do everything the PS3 could, even though he was kinda skeptical with a "wait and see" comment. Like I've said before, Factor 5 knows the Wii better than anyone and they even said in a previous interview that the Wii could in fact do everything the PS3 could do but only using a different method to get there.

Read every word of this interview to see those exact words from Julian about the Wii's power

Julian also said that their Engine would be perfect for other Third Parties to use for their Hardcore games, so hopefully this won't be the last time we see the Wii pushed hard with graphics.

My response to Matt and Mark's defense of IGN's NMH review:

To go a little off topic, in the Wii-k in Review podcast Matt and Mark talk a little about the flak that Mark got for his 7.8 review of No More Heroes. They said that in a year or so everyone will agree that their review was the correct one since after the style and presentation wears off, you will notice all the "issues" the game has and you will realize that the game is good but not great........??? If you read my review below you will see that I don't ignore that the game has technical issues but that didn't warrant a score that was below an 8. This is a game that is so great and incredibly unique. If No More Hereos didn't have those graphical issues, I would have given it a perfect 10 out of 10 or close to it. I'm on my way to beating the game for a second time and I like it more now than I did going through it the first time. Matt's reasoning on looking back on the game in a year and thinking it wasn't that great is a comment that makes no sense because usually normal people judge games on how they like them when they play through it for the first or second time. Obviously if you hate a game the first time you play it and you play the game until you beat it, do you really think you're going to like it any better the second time you play through it? You probably wouldn't ever touch that game again and you'll try to forget about it...fast.

Video games (that are good) equate to moments of time that are enjoyable for the person playing. Those moments turn into experiences that are remembered forever and thus makes the game that you enjoyed even more special and close to your heart. No More Heroes is definitley that kind of game. A few nagging technical issues don't do very much to hurt this game in the long run and they really aren't that big of a deal!

NintenGen Review Page

INTRO:

No More Heroes is a game you'll never forget, and there are many reasons why. From the wacky story, the over the top gameplay or just the overall style of the game - No More Heroes will undoubtedly make it's mark on the video game industry.


STORY/INFO:

Travis Touchdown is the kind of character that can fit just about anyone that plays the game. He doesn't say too much, but just enough to be interesting and funny at the same time. After meeting the very sexy Silvia Crystal he decides to join up in a ranking Assassin challenge to fight his way from number 11 all the way to number 1, but little does he know what he got himself into..... You start the game with your trusty Beam Katana Sword (like a Light Saber but not), and in no time you are chopping people in half and lopping heads off with the greatest of ease. No More Heroes gives you the option to go through every move in the beginning of game so you can get a feel of how you'll be killing multiple bad guys at once. The Tutorial helps you just enough at the start but also leaves a lot things open to be learned later in the game.


GAMEPLAY/CONTROL:

The controls in No More Heroes are almost flawless. The combat is the main star of the game since it is so unique in it's approach. Walk or run with the Control Stick on the Nunchuck, Blcok with the Z button, tap the A button to swing your sword or tap the B button to punch and kick. Only when you are at the finish of a combo does an on-screen "motion arrow" show and tell you which way to swing the Wii remote to really punctuate the last hit on an enemy, usually cutting them into pieces. This all works wonderfully together and when you start to get really good later in the game you'll see just how incredibly awesome the gameplay can be..... The other bit of control comes when you are in the open world city "Santa Destroy". You ride a bike from your Motel to various places like missions, clothes stores, upgrade areas and the all important ATM machine. The Bike takes a little time to get used to since the controls don't feel like what you'd expect. The Bike doesn't turn very smooth and has a very stiff feel to it, and when you use the boost it can be easy to run into buildings since the bike is even more uncontrollable during that time. However the Bike doesn't really add much or take anything away from the game, it's sole purpose is to get you from point A to point B and in that sense it gets the job done.



GRAPHICS/SOUND:

The graphics are really a tale of two stories. When you are doing a mission or going through a level on your way to fight a ranked boss the graphics are detailed with great cell-shading, nice textures and colors to go along with a smooth frame rate (for the most part), only when you kill a huge group of bad guys does the game slowdown due to all the hundreds of particles of blood and coins that are flying everywhere on the screen from them. When it's running smooth No More Heroes is at it's best since the style really shows and everything comes together nicely. Then you have the other side of the graphics: the open world environment. Santa Destroy looks muddy and gray, to go along with a very unstable frame rate just about all the time you're in it. The city lacks detail and the people walking around in it are pretty much worthless since you can't talk to them and they don't talk either. You can run them over and they scream, but you can't kill them so they just get up and keep walking after you smashed them with your bike. Very unimaginative, boring and ugly. Thankfully, the city is only there as a means to an end. You do need to search for various things like t-shirts and these Lolikov Balls for powering up Travis, which is why you're in the city for a little longer than you'd like. No More Heroes is such a great game that you'll forget about these issues when its all said and done. The sound is top-notch with great voice work by Travis and the many Bosses in the game. Each character sounds unique even if they only play a short role. The music has a recurring theme through out the game but it's very good, and each Boss fight has it's own great music as well.



REPLAY VALUE/CONCLUSION:

The game has 2 difficulty settings to start with: "Sweet" and "Mild" and if you beat the game another setting will appear called "Bitter" which is extremely difficult. This is a game that you will definitely want to play through at least twice, and you'll see why once you play through it one time. I could see myself playing through this game three or four times easy. The combat is so satisfying and the power-ups keep making you come back to play again that it's difficult to not really enjoy and become very addicted to this game. This is also a game that had no advertising, so it would be a shame if you missed out on this since this is probably the best Mature rated game sine Resident Evil 4 for the Wii. Everyone needs to play No More Heroes to see the uniqueness/wackiness and to enjoy the awesome gameplay for themselves.

Buy this game today!


SCORE:


GAMEPLAY: 10

CONTROL: 9.0

GRAPHICS: 7.0

SOUND: 9.0

REPLAY: 9.5


OVERALL: 9.0

SSX Blur is one of the best games out on the Wii so far and I'm not just saying that. This is not a "Red Steel" type of game that you will either hate or like as others have been saying. In my opinion this game is a finely crafted piece of gaming goodness. EA has gone the extra mile in making the game rewarding, fun and difficult all at the same time. It will have you coming back for more and you will be finding yourself playing this game for hours on end without even knowing it.

The levels are comprised of some old (but still good) areas to snowboard and trick your way down and some new ones. Personally the racing aspect is my least favorite part since you just have to speed your way through the level and not really have to concentrate on tricking. It is fun but not as much fun as doing the tricks and especially the immensely enjoyable Uber Tricks. The game has literally a ton of unlockable content and will keep you playing for hours just to see what you can unlock next. The unlockables range from new characters, new boards, character art and more.

The control for this game has been debated across multiple forums and reviews across the Internet and gaming magazines. This game does require you to learn how to play from scratch. However, I will not mark off points for this game just because there is a learning curve. This is a totally new way to play SSX with the Wii remote and Nunchuck and it works perfectly fine and smooth after patience and practice. Within the first day of owning this title I was performing spins, back flips, grabs and the all important Uber Tricks. The Uber Tricks are what makes the game one of the best snowboarding games you play in a while. Are they hard to perform? At first, yes they are. These tricks are special and you are supposed to be good at the game in order to perform them, its not going to just give the trick to you by you "kinda" making the right gestures with your Wii remote. You will need to get the correct amount of air and then you will also have to perform the trick at the right speed (which you will get a feel for) and make sure you push and hold the A button before you start making the gesture. This is a common mistake in that some have started making the gesture a split second before holding the A button thus making the Uber Trick not work. Also, you will need to make big sweeping type gestures with the Wii remote for the game to recognize what trick you are trying to do. Once you master this system of doing the Uber Tricks, it will open up the entire game to you and you will be the king of the snowhill. You will also not want to stop playing this game once you master the controls.

TIP: Go to one of the Half Pipes and instead of choosing "Continue" choose "Cancel" what this will do is cancel the timed run for the Half Pipe and give you an infinite amount of time to practice Uber Tricks and landing (just double tap the A button for a quick landing). This will make you a pro in no time. You can also practice the Uber Tricks in the option menu to get a good feel for them. Try them for a bit but I suggest going right to the Half Pipe for true practice.

This game has a very good soundtrack only topped by SSX3. Some tracks stand out more than others but as a whole the music is great and fits the action perfectly. The music helps the sense of awe you get when you perform the Uber Tricks as it will change and pull back for great effect.

The graphics are some of the best seen on the Wii yet. Lense flare and Bloom abound all over the place on the characters and levels. The particle system, while subdued, is great too and lights up the screen when it is being used. The snow and weather effects are naturally a star in the show as well with snow covering the riders and blizzards blowing through the air. The entire package is extremely clean and really there is no "fault" you can really see with the look of the game. The framerate drops from 60 fps to 30 fps quite a bit throughout the game, it is noticeable but never hurts game play and never gives you the sense that the game is "chugging along". For the most part the game runs fine and you really shouldn't have a problem with the framerate changes.

In the end, this game is all about quality and fun. Getting that rush you feel while performing the Uber Tricks with the new Wii-only controls is not an experience to be missed. I highly recommend this and in my opinion it is the best thing since Zelda on the Wii since launch day. Buy it, practice it and enjoy the amazing new way to play SSX.

Presentation: 9.0

Graphics: 8.5

Sound: 9.0

Control: 9.0

Replay: 9.5

Overall: 9.0

Wii played in downtown Chile

Link

This looks like a lot of fun, and a good way to advertise the Wii (even if thats not what this guy was shooting for). My good friend "Salot" has access to a Projector and sometimes he hooks it up to the Wii and just plays games projected against buildings. He's been thinking about putting a video up on YouTube showing this.... but I'm still waiting!

Ninja Reflex Trailer

This game actually looks fun, not to mention the graphics are beautiful also. Yet another game that may sell just based on the wacky mini-games. This one may be worth it however.

Mario Kart Wii details

(Click on scans for full view)

Mario Kart Wii - April 10th, 2008 (Japan)* Bikes in cup mode* Bikes have special actions like “wheelie”* 16 remakes and new courses* Wi-fi 12 players* Play as Mii's.

Mario Kart courses:

“Mushroom Cup”

Luigi Circuit

Moo Moo Country

Mushroom Canyon

Toad Factory

“Flower Cup”

Mario Circuit - Figure-8 with underpass

Coconuts Mall

DK Snowboard Cross

Wario Mines

"Shell Cup”

GC Peach Beach

DS Yoshi Falls

SFC Ghost Swamp 2

Mario Circuit 64

“Banana Cup”

Sherbert Land 64

GBA Hey Ho Beach

DS Monty Town

GC Waluigi Stadium

- online league and a global world ranking- local rankings- channel for online aspect- send and receive time attack scores online, online ranking for time attack as well- upload/download Ghosts.

Link

The game's graphics look really improved over the last time we saw the game. The anticipation just shot through the roof!

*Rumor* Kingdom Hearts 3 to be Wii exclusive?

Note: The above image is fan made

A fan has posted information on the N4G forums saying that SquareEnix will be releasing Kingdom Hearts 3 exclusively for the Wii this winter according to the latest March 2008 Nintendo Power. This is not confirmed yet since no one has seen the issue or seen any scans. However, the last Nintendo Power did say that in the next month's issue they would reveal a huge exclusive RPG for the Wii.....

Here is the link to the information

Super Smash Bros. Brawl video special

A long overview of the new characters that we will be playing with in just a short month. This game is going to be a keeper to say the least.