For owners of the original Wii Fit, Plus offers 15 *new* activities (some are new takes on older ones), 5 new balance tests, 3 new exercises in the Strength and Yoga categories and a lot of new improvements and additions overall.

4 theoretical games that could take advantage of the Wii Vitality Sensor

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features, Wii | 12 Comments

Among all of the peripherals that have been released for the Wii, the “Vitality Sensor” is arguably the most obscure one we’ve seen yet. A device that measures your pulse? How could that be fun for serious video gamers? Aside from making sure you’re still alive, the possibilities seem pretty slim. Despite this sarcastic skepticism though, it’d be hard deny that there are options for the device. On one hand, it has significant potential for specific types of titles, but on the other hand, the most likely path Nintendo will take with the device will be one very similar to the Wii Balance Board: A couple of decent casual titles will be made, and then the company will leave it up to third parties to support a gadget that they created. If Nintendo wants the Wii Vitality Sensor to be anything more than a device to attract sleepless moms, they’re going to have to do something to attract core gamers.

The Game: Eternal Darkness 2
Genre: Survival Horror
Use of the Vitality Sensor: Staying calm

The Premise: Now, I’ve never had the privilege of playing Eternal Darkness, but I’ve read more than enough about the game to know exactly why it’s as loved as it is. It uses fourth-wall shattering techniques to affect the player beyond the confines of the screen, and for that it was considered one of the most revolutionary games to hit the survival horror genre since the original Resident Evil. Combining what the game already had in place with the ability to read your pulse, and the game could, in theory, force you to keep calm or risk punishment. For instance, imagine that as your pulse increased, the screen would distort, causing you to lose focus and suffer the loss of the ability to see your enemies before they seek you out. This would add a whole new level to the game, and intensify the experience that was already so highly praised in the original.

Dead Space: Extraction not exclusive? Why Wii owners shouldn’t mind

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features, Wii | 11 Comments

With the recent announcement of Dead Space: Extraction possibly losing it’s exclusivity to Wii, many Nintendo gamers have been whipping out their flamethrowers and taking gaming message boards by storm, infuriated by the constant “betrayal” from Wii third party developers. It started with the rumor that Marvelous would be porting one of their Wii games to PS3/360, followed shortly thereafter by the announcement of No More Heroes’ fateful end on the Wii, and now one of Wii’s most anticipated mature games (Dead Space) has the possibility of leaving the system as well. Regrettably, Wii’s third party situation is far from perfect, and part of that has to do with the failure of so many fantastic non-Nintendo efforts flopping on the little white box, and thus arrives the paradox of outside developers creating games for Wii.

Rambling thoughts – Moon

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, Features | 0 comments

Moon has been out in North America since January, but our friends over in Europe received their first chance to play the title this month. This leaves me with the perfect chance to provide my view on the game. Head past the break to read my rambling thoughts!

The Conduit review

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii | 15 Comments

Game Info

System: Nintendo Wii
Genre: First Person Shooter/Action
Players: 1 Local, 12 Online
Release Date: June 23, 2009
Publisher: Sega
Developer: High Voltage Software

The excitement surrounding the Wii and its launch was, to put it bluntly, huge. The idea that games could be controlled by the movements of the player was mesmerizing and on top of that the price of admission was cheap. But this bliss faded quickly when Wii owners came to realize that the revolutionary motion controller was not as perfect as many had hoped, the only flawless feature being the Wii’s IR sensor. This sensor, however. would spawn a new following as the possible innovator of the increasingly popular FPS genre, idealistically offering precision aiming and a more natural feeling for shooting than the clunky (albeit improving) dual analog control scheme. Sadly, games came and went and one poorly designed FPS after another went from development to shelf to bargain bin. It has been nearly three years since the Wii’s launch, and the number of FPSs worth playing on the system can be counted on half of one hand. This begs the question, why? Could it be that the Wii is simply so underpowered that it can’t handle the prowess of modern FPS games? Many would have held that as the truth, that is, until High Voltage Software stepped in to take the reigns of the genre and show every other third parties how it’s done.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game review

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii | 1 Comment

System: Nintendo Wii
Category: Action
Players: 1-2
Release Date: June 16, 2009
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Red Fly Studios

Ghostbusters is considered to be, by many, one of the most recognized movie franchises to have surfaced over the last few decades. Not too many people can claim that they have never heard the film’s main theme song or, at the very least, the phrase, “Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!” It’s been over fifteen years since a video game based on the series was released and with the track record that Ghostbusters possesses, it’s surprising that it has taken so long for a new video game to be released. But it’s finally here – A new ghost-busting game is out and fortunately, the Wii version isn’t too shabby.

It’s important to note right off the bat that this is not a gimped Ghostbusters title. Unlike many publishers who ignore the Wii when it comes to multiplatform titles, it is very clear that Red Fly Studios, in charge of the Wii version, put in a lot of effort in creating a bona fide experience. You’ll see familiar faces along with their original voice actors, you’ll hear the famous Ghostbusters song (although it is underused) and you’ll recognize unique weaponry. No, the Wii version does not feature realistic graphics (which is actually an intelligent design choice). However, the game still manages to hold its own when compared to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions.

Top 5 reasons why you should buy The Conduit

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features, Wii | 9 Comments

With the release of The Conduit on the horizon, many Wii owners are greatly anticipating what they believe to be one of the summer’s hottest titles. And with a game that features a great weapons selection, solid online play and startlingly customizable control, who can blame them? Many gamers have pre-ordered the title (myself included) and even more have set aside the money to buy the game as soon as it launches. But what about those who haven’t? Here are the top reasons why they need to re-route their most recent paycheck to The Conduit.

Nintendo at E3: Day 1 Grade

Posted on 15 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, General Nintendo | 0 comments

E3 Day 1 – Wii and DS Overview

Every year game developers from across the globe gather at what can be called the biggest video game convention in the world to showcase what they believe to be their top quality products. In past years this is where games like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and the Sony Playstation 3 console were announced, and this year should be no different. With rumors circulating of new Mario’s or new Zelda’s among others, E3 2009 promises to be just as good, if not better, than previous outings.

Kid Icarus Wii – Everything we know so far

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features, Wii | 2 Comments

The Wii has seen the revival of numerous classic IPs – Punch-Out!!, Mega Man in the classic 8-bit style, Adventure Island, and many more have all made comebacks on Nintendo’s system. One property that has been left untouched, however, is Kid Icarus. It has actually been more than eighteen years since an original game in the series was released in North America. But there have been plenty of rumors over the past few years that Factor 5 has been developing a new title for Wii. You may be surprised at just how far back the speculation goes. Will Nintendo finally unveil a Kid Icarus Wii game on Tuesday? That’s completely up in the air at this point, but while you wait, take a look at this comprehensive listing of Pit’s rumored return throughout the years.

2005

– May 17: Nintendo President Satoru Iwata reveals that a new Super Smash Bros. game is in development.
– May 19: Shigeru Miyamoto teases the possibility of a new Kid Icarus game in an interview with IGN: “Well, I’m actually working really closely right now with the director of the [original] game. Now, whether or not when we get the Revolution all set up and everything is finalized, well who knows? That might be one of those characters where everybody says, ‘Hey, with the way our console is designed, that would be a perfect match.’ My question to you is, if we made this game would you buy it?'”

2006

– May 10: Super Smash Bros. Brawl announced. Pit confirmed to be a playable character.
– May 10: Miyamto considers the possibilities of Kid Icarus once again: “I think it opens up a lot of different possibilities. [Miyamoto could see a Kid Icarus game for Wii, controller could enhance games such as Starfox]. Sadly, though, I don’t have time to do that right now since I’m so tied to so many different projects going on.”

Which developer is going to rock the Wii at this year’s E3?

Posted on 15 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features, Wii | 12 Comments

Amidst the hundreds upon thousands of E3 articles on the web, it is difficult to find one that isn’t a list of various predictions for one system or another. As entertaining as these articles may be to read, the lack of variety among them can be altogether discouraging when scouring the internet for something new and interesting to read. Because of that, I felt it necessary to detail not just the blockbuster games, the company announcements and the new peripherals: I felt that discovering what system wins E3, or what game will conquer the others, while it is important, does not come near the prize of what developer will take the cake for backing any of Nintendo’s consoles. From what we know so far (which, I must say, isn’t too much), a lot of developers are putting a lot of effort into Wii and DS, but there is one that is taking so many risks and putting so much money into their projects that, regardless of whether or not they succeed, they cannot be overlooked both by gamers and developers alike. That developer is High Voltage Software.

Nintendo may have Zelda and Mario, Activision may have Call of Duty and Guitar Hero, and Capcom may have Resident Evil, but none of these developers carry the perseverance, enthusiasm and all-around spirit of High Voltage. When HVS’s hardcore first person shooter, “The Conduit” (which releases on June 23) was unveiled, people threw up their hats and cheered. Why? It was clear the HVS’s ultimate goal was to push the Wii to a limit that even Nintendo had not reached, and make a great game in the process. From interviews, previews, reviews and screenshots, it is clear that (while it may be far from perfect) The Conduit was a labor of love that in the end turned out to be as much of a joy to play as it was for High Voltage to make, and that’s really the main idea behind what they’re doing.