Wii Review: Rygar – The Battle of Argus

Another PS2 game gets the “Wii treatment”…
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E3 2009: Nintendo Media Briefing – Press Release

Nintendo Unveils New Mario and Metroid Games and Pulse-Sensing Device; Integrates Photos with Facebook

LOS ANGELES, June 2, 2009 – For decades, Nintendo has endeavored to provide the most creative and immersive experiences in the world of video games and to lead the industry in new directions. At its media briefing in advance of the E3 Expo, the video game industry’s premier trade show, Nintendo announced products for social entertainment that stretch far beyond the current notion of what a video game can be, all while continuing to provide avid gaming fans with the challenges and thrills they desire.

“Nintendo continues to challenge how both new and longtime players perceive – and play – video games,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “From modern updates of our most iconic franchises to the introduction of inventive devices, we are continuing to add entirely new dimensions to the video game experience.”

A summary of Nintendo’s major announcements:

Wii™

· Wii MotionPlus™: Nintendo’s Wii MotionPlus accessory offers motion-controlled precision when combined with specially designed games. When connected to the Wii Remote™ controller, it delivers on Nintendo’s promise to provide even more immersive physical reality in its games. The device senses subtle motion and can locate where and how players hold the Wii Remote controller in 3-D space. It pushes active gaming to new levels of immersion and a new standard of control. Wii MotionPlus will complement a host of third-party games launching in the next few weeks.

· Wii Sports Resort™: Nintendo showcased the versatility of the Wii MotionPlus accessory in demos of some of the activities included in Wii Sports Resort, an immersive, expansive active-play game. Wii Sports Resort includes a dozen fun resort-themed activities that maintain the wide-ranging appeal that attracted millions to the original Wii Sports. Wii Sports Resort is easy to pick up and play, but comes coupled with deeper levels of play that are sure to challenge even the most experienced gamers with precise controls. The Wii MotionPlus accessory will help players come much closer to the physical reality of engaging in the actual sports. The Wii MotionPlus accessory launches June 12 and comes bundled with Wii Sports Resort on July 24.

· Wii Fit™ Plus: Wii Fit™ attracted millions of new players to the world of video games, and now Wii Fit Plus offers a range of new features and enhancements, along with exercises and balance games designed to keep workouts fun. Players will find an additional dimension to the Wii Fit experience as they easily set their own customized daily workout routines or choose 20-, 30- or 40-minute workouts based on how much time they have available. Users will also be able to choose from specialized workout routines that help players strive toward specific objectives, like toning tummies, tightening arms or even reducing stress. Workouts combine the original Wii Fit activities and selections from 15 new balance games and six new strength training and yoga activities. Wii Fit Plus will come packed with the Wii Balance Board™ accessory, and also will be sold separately as software for people who already have a Wii Balance Board at home. Both will be available in Q4 2009.

· New Super Mario Bros. Wii™: Developers at Nintendo have dreamed of creating a simultaneous multiplayer Super Mario Bros. game for decades. The Wii console finally makes that dream come true for everyone this holiday season. Now players can navigate the side-scrolling worlds alone as before or invite up to three others to join them at the same time on the same level at any point in the game for competitive and cooperative multiplayer fun in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. With the multiplayer mode, the newest installment of the most popular video game franchise is designed to bring yet another type of family entertainment into living rooms and engage groups of friends in fast-paced Super Mario Bros. fun.

· Super Mario Galaxy™ 2: This upcoming adventure for the Wii console marks the first time a second 3-D Mario game has arrived in the same console generation. In the game, Mario rides his trusty dinosaur companion, Yoshi™, to new stars and the fantastic worlds found there. This 3-D platforming adventure provides longtime video game fans with a fresh round of out-of-this-world challenges in the style introduced in the critically acclaimed original. The game is planned for 2010.

· Metroid™: Other M: Nintendo showcased a trailer for a new installment in its acclaimed Metroid franchise for the Wii console. Metroid: Other M marks an unprecedented collaboration with world-renowned developers Team Ninja, and provides fans with high-energy, action-packed game play as it delves deeper into the back story of famed deep-space bounty hunter Samus Aran. This game is scheduled for release in 2010.

· Wii Vitality Sensor: Nintendo’s newest groundbreaking product, the Wii Vitality Sensor, expands the appeal of video games. It will initially sense the user’s pulse and a number of other signals being transmitted by their bodies, and will then provide information to the users about the body’s inner world.

Nintendo DS™ and Nintendo DSi™

· Mario vs. Donkey Kong™: Minis March Again!: This game marks the third installment of this franchise and, more importantly, the first Nintendo DSiWare™ game to let players design levels from the ground up. Mario will need to dodge obstacles to confront his longtime nemesis Donkey Kong™, but this time the players will have full control over where to set traps, enemies and a host of power-ups in the construction zone. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! Will be available in the Nintendo DSi shop towards the end of the year.

Nintendo Introduces New Social Entertainment Experiences at E3 Expo

Integrating Photos with Facebook: For its Nintendo DSi™ system, Nintendo announced the ability for users to upload pictures taken with the system’s built-in camera and interactive lenses directly to Facebook. Using Facebook Connect, the integration will be available this summer with a Nintendo DSi system update, making it even easier for people to personalize and share their photos with friends and family on Facebook.

Mario & Luigi™: Bowser’s Inside Story: Nintendo revealed Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, a new chapter to the popular role-playing franchise that places players into the belly of the beast – literally. Players will get to enjoy trademark hilarious dialogue in October 2009 as they juggle two concurrent storylines. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is playable on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems.

Golden Sun™ DS: After going dark six years ago, 2010 will see a new dawn. Golden Sun DS updates the popular portable Golden Sun role-playing series with an impressive graphical style. This installment follows the story of the previous heroes’ descendants and immerses players into the magic of its adventure by pushing the boundaries of intuitive touch-screen controls. Golden Sun DS is playable on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems.

WarioWare D.I.Y.™: This game, which puts the concept of user-generated content on center stage, allows players to design their own micro-games from scratch. Every element, such as the characters, the environment, the actions and even the purpose of the micro-game itself, is controlled entirely by the player. Players will then be able to share their completed micro-games with other WarioWare D.I.Y. owners. The latest game in the WarioWare™ series is playable on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems.

Nintendo-published games showcased at the E3 Expo:

Wii:

· New Super Mario Bros. Wii™

· Wii Fit™ Plus

· Wii Sports Resort™

· Sin and Punishment™ 2

· Endless Ocean™ 2

· Line Attack Heroes™

· Span Smasher™

WiiWare:

· PictureBook Games™: Pop-Up Pursuit

· You, Me & the Cubes™

· Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

· BIT.TRIP.CORE

· Icarian: Kindred Spirits

· Swords & Soldiers

· Military Madness: Nectaris

· Cave Story

Nintendo DS:

· The Legendary Starfy™

· The Legend of Zelda™: Spirit Tracks

· Fossil Fighters™

· Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box™

· Mario & Luigi™: Bowser’s Inside Story

· Pokémon™ Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky

· Girl’s Mode(temporary name)

· Glory of Heracles™

· Golden Sun™ DS

· Picross 3D™

Nintendo DSiWare:

· Mario vs. Donkey Kong™: Minis March Again!

· Flipnote Studio™

· Animal Crossing™ Clock

· Animal Crossing™ Calculator

· Photo Clock

· Mario™ Clock

· Mario™ Calculator

· Six in One Translator (working title)

· Crash-Course Domo™

· White-Water Domo™

· Hard-Hat Domo™

· Rock-n-Roll Domo™

E3 2009: Nintendo Media Briefing Wrap-Up

So, was it worth it?

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Wii Review: Final Fantasy Fables – Chocobo’s Dungeon

Can a Chocobo change the outcome of this review?
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Wii Review: Celebrity Sports Showdown

Celebrity+Sports+Minigames+Wii=Failure

The latest must-have party game for the Wii brings the thrill of your favourite recreational sports activities right into your living room. Compete head-to-head with celebrity musicians and athletes to see who has got the goods. With intuitive Wii Remote controls and a variety of multiplayer tournaments, this fun-filled competition separates the celebrities from the wannabes!

Celebrity Sports Showdown features 12 amazing games. Each game has been specifically designed with the Wii Remote in mind creating an intuitive and effortless feel for controls. Use your Wii Remote to paddle down the rapids in Wild Water Canoeing, scale a wall in Cliff Hangers, and even slam a red-hot dodgeball into your opponent in Arena Dodgeball. Also included in the mix are Smash Badminton, Beach Volleyball, Curling, Inner Tubing, Slalom Showdown, Air Racers, Rapid-Fire Archery, and Joust Duel.

What are you waiting for? Get off the couch and into the action with the ultimate party game. Face off with the likes of Paul Pierce, Fergie, Avril Lavigne, and more to prove that you have what it takes to become a superstar!

Play as (or Against) Your Favourite Celebrity: Throw a dodgeball at Reggie Bush, or play as him and scale a mountain – the possibilities are limitless. Celebrities include Fergie, Avril Lavigne, Mia Hamm, Nelly Furtado, Keith Urban, LeAnn Rimes, Kristi Yamaguchi, Reggie Bush, Paul Pierce, and Sugar Ray Leonard.

Multiplayer Fun for Everyone: Fun for everyone at the whole party. Enjoy hours of entertainment while you play through a variety of tournaments together in versus or co-op play. Up to 4 players at once.

Intuitive Wii Controls: Each game is specifically designed to take advantage of the Wii’s unique controls. Row, throw, steer, climb, thrust, and smash your way to the championships effortlessly with your Wii Remote and Nunchuk.

Become a Superstar: Reach for the stars in a single-player mode filled with glitz and glamour. Play as a wannabe and win your way all the way to the red carpet as you break records and unlock secret characters.

Create and Customise Tournaments: Create your own customised tournament and battle it out with your family and friends.

Putting celebrities into videogames can be a risk, especially if some of them aren’t so well known in other regions of the world. I personally have no idea who Kristi Yamaguchi, Reggie Bush and Paul Pierce are. That isn’t the main problem of the game, what is however is that EA have spent more time on putting celebrities into the game instead of making it fun to play.

There are a total of 12 events to play and each one is diabolical. Why the game is labelled as Sports Showdown is clear, although a bit misplaced when one of the events is flying a plane through checkpoints. You can play all the events with the Wii Remote on its own and only a few uses the nunchuk only to move your character around, as for the actual controls…they are horrible.

One of the events is canoeing and instead of using both the remote and nunchuck to control the canoe, instead you hold the remote upwards and move it up and down while tapping A to switch between the oars, its just ridiculous. Flying is awful too, you’d expect it to be handled by holding the remote sideways, wrong! Instead you hold it upwards and move in the direction you want to go, its just plain bad.

Out of all the events, Curling seems to be the only one that has decent control. Although I personally find the sport boring. There is a Gladiators-style duel but it’s a case of simply moving your controller forward, there’s no skill involved. All the events lack any fun factor, even racing as a jockey can be a total pain due to bad controls. Having to move the controller up and down when it’s sideways and keeping it in the right direction so you don’t hit a wall, then tapping 2 to jump is a pain.

The game just isn’t fun and seems to be another opportunity at cashing in on people who don’t know better, it’s not as bad as say…More Game Party, but it’s pretty close to being so. The game doesn’t even realistic models of the celebrities; they look closer to Xbox 360 avatars than proper character models. I can see the direction they were going with, but I can’t see any appeal to any of it, the games are awful to play and the celebrities aren’t that well known. It’s hardly an A+ list of stars, I mean…Keith Urban? Fergie? Avril? Come on, they could have at least chosen celebrities that aren’t desperate for work.

The Verdict

Celebrity Sports Showdown is without a doubt, the worst game that EA’s made this year. It’s almost as bad as More Game Party with its bad controls and lack of enjoyment; it’s a bit better but not much. Still I would suggest that everyone avoid this one like the plague.

Wii Review: More Game Party

Another mini-game compilation hits the Wii, but not in a good way

With 11 games in all, More Game Party for the Wii console includes fun to play games that will provide hours of enjoyment with friends and family. More Game Party features new games like Bean Bags, Horseshoes, Lawn Darts, Puck Bowling and more. Each game, including classics like Skill Ball, Darts and Hoop Shoot has exciting new features like four player mode, customisable characters and tournament play, making More Game Party the ultimate party game for all ages and skill levels.
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Wii Review: Boogie Superstar

Another female-esque game and a man to sing and dance to it, will I enjoy it? What do you think?

In Boogie SuperStar, players don’t just play along, they are the star of the game. Girls will have a blast belting their favorite tunes into the microphone, and performing real dance moves that are captured on screen using the Wii’s motion-sensing technology. The journey to stardom doesn’t have to be a solo! With two- and four-player modes, girls can play with their friends, sing and dance with their friends or against them in fun competitions that show-off their singing and dancing talent!
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