On Friday, March 7th, Nintendo will be out full force at Spring Training when more than 30 Major League Baseball players including Todd Helton, Dan Haren, Hank Blalock, Huston Street, Milton Bradley, Gil Meche, Matt Cain, and Alex Gordon, will face off in a Home Run Derby contest on the Wii™ home video game system to see who can hit the most long balls in Major League Baseball 2K8.
· The event is open to the public and media can also have the chance to go head to head against their favorite MLB player in Scottsdale, AZ.
Where:
Scottsdale Plaza Resort
7200 N Scottsdale Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85253When:
Friday, March 7th
5:30 pm-7:00 pm
Source: Press email
Unfortunately, some companies have been remiss in their efforts to port games to the Wii. Because of the number of abysmal ports that have populated the Wii, gamers have, for the most part, conceded any hope of a great port on the system. According to Mark Combs, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for the Wii is a port of the PS2 version. Hopefully Star Wars on the Wii will restore some faith that ports on the system can be developed successfully.
“Well, the lead development has been done in Brisbane on the PS2, and that is the first point of call with all workings between Lucas Arts and Krome. So what we’re doing here is taking the PS2 development, putting it on the Wii, and making all the Wii specific stuff here. So, lead point is PS2 in Brisbane, to make that clear.” – Mark Combs (Producer of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed)
“What is the best game you played during 2007?”
1. Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (Sony PSP)
2. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (Sony PSP)
3. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo Wii)
4. Dragon Quest IV (Nintendo DS)
5. Super Robot Taisen Original Generations (Sony PlayStation 2)
6. Persona 3 (Sony PlayStation2)
7. Etrian Odyssey (Nintendo DS)
8. Ar Tonelico 2 (Sony PlayStation 2)
9. Fate/stay night [Realta Nua] (Sony PlayStation2)
10. Lost Odyssey (Xbox360)
“What is the best game you ever played?”
1. Final Fantasy VII (Sony PlayStation)
2. Final Fantasy X (Sony PlayStation 2)
3. Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (Sony PSP)
4. Xenogears (Sony PlayStation)
5. Tales Of The Abyss (Sony PlayStation 2)
6. Dragon Quest III (Super Famicom)
7. Dragon Quest VIII (Sony PlayStation 2)
8. Chrono Trigger (Super NES)
9. Suikoden II (Sony PlayStation)
10. Okami (Sony PlayStation 2)
– Disgaea DS: ????????? – Prince of the Demon World and the Red Moon
– Mario Kart Wii: choose between auto/manual drift, 24 Characters in total/12 revealed this issue
Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toad, Peach, Baby Mario, Baby Peach, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Green Turtle and Yoshi
– Link’s Crossbow Training | 05/01 | 3800YEN
It’ll certainly be interesting to see how Disgaea, a popular series which appears mostly on Sony consoles (And just recently on the PS3 with Disgaea 3) turns out on its debue for the Nintendo DS handheld.
According to an article posted on the Nintendo European website, players will be able to chat online using “dozens” of text messages. The article also states that the Mario Kart Wii channel will be installed on the Wii system. Previously, reports have claimed that the channel would be accessed through the disc itself.
With Mario Kart Wii’s launch date of 11 April fast approaching, Wii owners are gearing up for a racing experience unrivalled by any other in the kart racing series. While the game introduces a slew of new features across the board, perhaps most eagerly awaited are its online options, which take the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection action found in Mario Kart DS to a whole new level.
In Mario Kart Wii you can go online via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection by yourself or together with a friend playing on the same Wii console, and let the games begin! You can directly jump into online races with random players Worldwide, or opt for Continental if you prefer a challenge closer to home.
Then you will be placed in a new group of people looking for a match, or you will join an existing group. When the latter happens you will become a spectator of that group’s race currently in progress, as you wait for your turn to hit the track. With up to 12 players being able to battle or race on the circuits of the Mushroom Kingdom simultaneously, Mario Kart Wii is set to provide the biggest challenge in the series to date!
Dungeons and Dragons games have sparsely populated Nintendo systems, but it is important to recognize the co-creator of the franchise. A number of websites have reported that Gary Gygax, one of the founders of Dungeons and Dragons, passed away today at the age of 69. Gygax had been suffering from health problems for a number of years. The Dungeons and Dragons series has not only impacted the gaming industry, but books and movies as well.
The Wii TV Guide channel will not be releasing in North America, and apparently not in Europe as well. However, the channel has gone live in Japan and has a number of nifty features. Obviously, those living in the country can check up on the latest shows that will appear on TV. Additionally, you can check the TV guide of a friend and the Wii controller will be able to act similarly to a TV remote – to change channels, lower the volume, etc.
All in all, it seems like a decent channel, but it won’t be launching in other territories.
It has been known that WiiWare developers can take advantage of features on the Wii such as the weather channel, Wi-Fi components, and even the Wii message board. What hasn’t been elucidated, however, is whether those who wish to put their games up on the Wii Shop Channel would be able to use Miis in their games. In an interview, Tom Prata explains that developers “are able to discuss with Nintendo about the use of the Miis.”
I assume that, depending on the type of game, Mii characters would be able to be integrated. Specifically, Nintendo would most likely not allow developers to put Miis in their game if the title contains mature content.
SNES – Super Turrican
March is roaring in like a lion on the Virtual Console™. This might be a good time to look back at the massive catalog of classic games and ask yourself if you’ve played them all. Well, have you? You know there are some unplayed gems in there that your friends keep raving about, like this week’s release, Super Turrican. Not to mention the games you haven’t played since you were 10. Go ahead and fire them up – you’ll feel like a kid again. Just think of the Virtual Console as your own personal fountain of youth.
Nintendo adds new games to the Wii™ Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new game is:
Super Turrican: (Super NES®, 1 player, Rated E 10+ for Everyone 10 and Older – Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): You are Bren McGuire, on a United Planets Freedom Forces mission to save the peaceful planet Katakis from the Machine, source of all that is cruel and evil in the universe. The only weapon on your side is the state-of-the-art Turrican Assault Suit. Equipped with multiple weapons, including the incredible Freeze-Beam that temporarily immobilizes almost any enemy, the Turrican Assault Suit gives one man the power of an entire army. Use the myriad weapons and powers at your disposal to fight through 12 increasingly insane levels, free the innocent residents of the planet Katakis and crush the oppressive Machine.
For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.
In spite of Nintendo’s consistent efforts to cut down on Wii homebrew, coders have still been able to find new exploits. Not too long ago, an exploit in Twilight Princess was discovered which allows users to run homebrew code on the Wii. Attempts to further progress homebrew have resulted in an actual way to run a Sega Genesis emulator on the Wii. The limitations of this exploit seem endless, as new discoveries are made known on a regular basis.
