Nintendo Debuts Groundbreaking Fitness Program at Interactive Release Party and American Heart Association Fundraiser in NYC
WHAT: How will Wii Fit(TM) move you? Discover for yourself at New York’s Central Park Merchants’ Gate on May 19, as Nintendo hosts a spectacular all-day launch event for Wii Fit, the highly anticipated new program for the popular Wii(TM) home video game system that combines fun and fitness. The event doubles as a celebration of May as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, putting all kinds of bodies — young and old, big and small — in motion with live demonstrations of Wii Fit and the new Wii Balance Board(TM).
For every attendee who “gets on board” for a Wii Fit demo, Nintendo will make a donation of $5 (up to $25,000 total) to the American Heart Association in support of its effort to help Americans live healthier. Expect crowds of people throughout the day, plus an appearance by celebrity trainer Ashley Borden.
Featuring more than 40 physical activities and the revolutionary Wii Balance Board, Wii Fit makes fitness fun for the entire household. Anyone can benefit from its mix of aerobic, yoga, strength training and balancing exercises. Following the phenomenal success of active-play titles such as Wii Sports(TM), Wii Fit gets everyone active and playing together.
WHO: Hundreds of parents, kids, fitness enthusiasts, American Heart Association supporters and consumers of all ages. Executives from Nintendo and the American Heart Association New York City volunteer leadership.
WHEN: Monday, May 19, 2008
Event: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.WHERE: Central Park, Merchants’ Gate
Located at the intersection of Central Park West, Central Park South, Columbus Circle and Broadway in ManhattanVISUALS:
— Hundreds of consumers of all ages twisting and tilting their bodies atop the innovative Wii Balance Board— Celebrity trainer Ashley Borden providing personal Wii Fit training session
— Wii Fit b-roll available
INTERVIEWS:
— Interviews will be available with Nintendo of America and American Heart Association New York City volunteer leadership, as well as celebrity trainer Ashley Borden
Source: Nintendo PR email
Hey folks,
To those of you who have subscribed to the Official Wii Newsie service, I would like to inform you that the email has been changed, as emails were unable to be sent through the Windows Live service.
The new email is:
[email protected]
Please update your Wii console to the new address if you wish to receive emails from the service.
Thanks!
Siliconera: Will we see Ys Book I&II will we see this on US Wiis? Can you give us an estimate on the time?
SD: You know, Ys is one of our most-requested titles, along with Bonk and Military Madness (which have come out on the Virtual Console, and people are still asking for them on other platforms). We’d love to make our fans happy, so we’re still evaluating if it’s right to bring Ys over.
Protothea
– From Ubisoft (2005 remake), another shooter
– Launch title – 1000 points
– WiiWare could end up with a lot of shooters
– Needs to be faster, more enemies
Castle of Shikigami III
– Great according to Daemon
– Vertical shooter
Boom Blox
– Fun, also good for kids
– A bit overpriced
– Good party game
– Currently embargoed, review tomorrow
– Upcoming events at Sega, Ubisoft, Konami – news out of those events probable
– IGN will have 1 exclusive, Friday – Craig: “Pretty big,” unannounced – Wii & DS game, based off distinct property – video, screenshots
Bionic Games
– There’s a rumor that they’ll be making a game published by Capcom, Capcom won’t comment
– Game the company is making seems more ambitious than other games
– Sci-Fi action-adventure
– Original game
– Retro hiring for positions they lost
– Have a big title down the road most likely
Storage on Wii
– Iwata slightly acknowledged the problem on Wii with storage
– At least “half-recognizing” the problem
– Maybe hear more at E3
3 most anticipated games on Wii, 360, DS, PS3
Matt: Wii – Wii Fit, Pikmin 3, Kid Icarus, 360: Resident Evil 5, Dead Space, Prince of Persia, Too Human, Street Fighter, DS: Guitar Hero, Trauma Center, Moon, PS3: LittleBigPlanet, Killzone 2, Wipeout HD
Craig: Wii – Wii Fit, Animal Crossing, World of Goo, Multi: Ghostbusters, Ninja Gaiden 2, DS: Guitar Hero, Space Invaders Extreme, Bangai-O Bozon: Wii – Animales de Muerte, Kid Icarus, Animal Crossing, Tails of Symp., 360: Left for Dead, Street Fighter IV, Ninja Gaiden 2, RE5, DS: Super Dodgeball Brawlers, Guitar Hero, Trauma Center, PS3: Grid, LittleBigPlanet, Wipeout HD
Daemon: Wii – Wii Fit, Blast Works, Strongbad, Lost Winds, World of Goo, 360 – Bionic Commando (both versions), Fallout 3
– Still need to know about upcoming Wii software
– Craig, Matt think that E3 may end this year (companies dropping out, only 1 hall, etc.)
Iron Man (DS)
– Kinda cool, gameplay happens outside of screen
– Enemies attack off-screen, annoying
– Now super-awesome, but fun
– Lego Indiana, Line Rider, Friday announcement this week (DS/Wii coverage)
Reader mail
– WiiWare Tetris title is coming to WiiWare, online
– Etrian Odyssey 2 feels a lot like the first game, a few new things, holds it own
– FF:Tactics looked like an upgraded version of GBA – not a bad thing
– Tecmo Bowl Kickoff – apparently coming to Wii, haven’t officially announced it though
– Boom Blox is fun in single-player as well as multi-player – doesn’t have “blow-me-away” factor, but still a ton of fun
– Platinum Games (ex Clover Studios) hasn’t said what they’re up to
– Earthbound VC game will probably hit the Wii Shop Channel, but not right away – if it comes out, people need to buy it or more games like this won’t come out
– Factor 5 is not making Pilotwings for Wii – Factor 5 did say they’re be interested in making a flying game
– Donkey Kong Country has a better soundtrack than Megaman X
– Okami better than Mario Kart Wii, No More Heroes (Matt), Craig: No More Heroes is better
– Boom Blox is recommended to non-classic puzzle fans
– WiiWare limit: 43 megabyes, no way to get past that limit yet
– Iron Man Wii review coming out Tuesday
– Nintendo not producing more Wii units because they can’t product them fast enough
– Another game from a developer who couldn’t find a publisher (dark game) will hopefully be unveiled/talked about later this week
– IGN hasn’t seen the Bionic Studio game
– Konami’s projects on Wii will most likely be shown next week
– Blast Works (hopefully) will be great; Should be easy to use, not convoluted – can create all types of content – shooter aspects generic, but creation is great
– Second takes for reviews are added when the review feels like it (sometimes if people disagree, want to elaborate on some points)
– Launch feature on WiiWare is planned on IGN
– Not sure what Monster Games is doing
– Next Metroid game: Nintendo should take it back and do it themselves if not Retro again
– GTA4 – technically amazing, still has some issues like previous iterations
– We Love Golf on the shelves because of other games, Matt is still optimistic – not as excited about it (Matt)
– Scarface is a good GTA alternative on Wii
– More on Moon for DS coming – looking good
– More developers on podcast in coming weeks
Pre-ordering is generally the best way to go these days when a big product is to be launched in the future, as it is the safest way to guarantee (usually) that you will be able to pick up a copy on day one. Unfortunately, those wishing to pre-order Wii Fit from Amazon can no longer do say – at least for now – as the website currently is displaying a “temporarily out-of-stock” message. It is possible that more pre-orders will be allowed in the coming days, but this should be a good indication of how successful Wii Fit will do in America.
The Wii has gone through a number of ports since its release, even one developed by Nintendo themselves (Twilight Princess.) However, one port you can expect never to appear in the future on Wii is the next-gen Prince of Persia.
“We ported Two Thrones to the Wii. It was a quick and dirty port, I can say. With that we saw a lot of potential. The controls were not fully optimized, did not take full advantage of the Wii, but a lot of people saw the POP universe could certainly have a home on Wii. Since then people have been looking into that, but there’s no formal announcement. We are investigating it very seriously. You would never see a port of the game we’re making however. That’ll never happen.”
Although I’m pleased that Wii owners will not have to sit through another lacking port, it’s impossible to say what can happen in the future. Publishers/developers have previously promised certain games to be exclusive to Wii, yet they’ve ended up on other systems. So, it does seem plausible that the same could happen with a Price of Persia port.
Cambridge, MA – May 5, 2008 – Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a division of MTV Networks, which is a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with distribution partner Electronic Arts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced plans to release Rock Band™ Track Pack Volume 1 for the Wii™ home video game console from Nintendo and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The 20-Track Pack features an electrifying mix of classic hits and current favorites, including songs by Boston, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and All American Rejects. The Rock Band™ Track Pack Volume 1 will be available on July 15th, 2008 for a MSRP of $29.99. Complete details are as follows:
Release date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tracks:
30 Seconds to Mars The Kill
All American Rejects Move Along
Blink – 182 All the Small Things
Boston More Than a Feeling
David Bowie Moonage Daydream
Faith No More We Care A Lot
Grateful Dead Truckin’
The Hives Die, All Right!
KISS Calling Dr. Love
Lynyrd Skynyrd Gimme’ Three Steps
Nine Inch Nails March of the Pigs
Oasis Live Forever
Paramore Crushcrushcrush
The Police Synchronicity II
Queens of the Stone Age Little Sister
Ramones Teenage Lobotomy
Smashing Pumpkins Siva
Stone Temple Pilots Interstate Love Song
Weezer Buddy Holly
Wolfmother Joker & the Thief**All 20 tracks utilize original master recordings**
** All tracks are available as DLC on competing platforms**Price: $29.99 MSRP
Rock Band is the ultimate platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before. The game challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune – all while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals. Featuring the most master recordings of any music game ever by the world’s biggest rock artists, Rock Band includes tracks that span every genre of rock ranging from alternative and classic rock, to heavy metal and punk. Rock Band has garnered over 40 awards this year including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007 and three awards at The 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards including Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Family Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack.
Rock Band is rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB.
Rock Band will be available for the Wii starting June 22, 2008. Rock Band is currently available on the PLAYSTATION®2 computer entertainment system, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®.
EA is the exclusive distribution and marketing partner for Rock Band.
For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.
Source: GamesPress
Jeux-France reports that Valve – known for innovative titles such as Portal – is currently expressing interest to develop a game for the Nintendo Wii. On the downside, however, there are no apparent plans to release such a game until 2010 at the earliest. Also, the same report suggests that the game would be intended for children.
Regardless of the intended audience, I’m quite interested as to what Valve could brew up for the Wii. If Portal was any indication, it will be unique.
