North America
– WiiWare: May 12th
– Wii Fit: may 19th
Europe
– Mario Kart Wii: April 11th
– Wii Fit – April 25th
I’m pretty shocked about the WiiWare date, to be honest. I expected it to come out in March sometime, since it seemed as though most developers were ready to provide the service with content.
Reggie has confirmed in an interview with IGN Wii that Wii Fit will cost under $100 in North America and that there are over 10 games in development that will utilize the balance board.
– Takahashi is producing the game
– Game was originally going to be action-based
– There will be over 300 different weapons in the game, and you won’t be able to get them all or even see them all in a single playthrough
– Tons of customization and freedom
– Higher difficulty levels available after you complete the game
Wii:
Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors: 7.75, 8
Winter Sports: The Ultimate Challenge: 6.5
No More Heroes: 6, 6
Samurai Warriors: Katana: 6
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity: 6
Nitrobike: 4.25
NDS:
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin: 8.75, 8.75
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney: 8, 8.5
RUMOR – Microsoft working on a controller with motion sensing
Even though the motion sensing controller is a rumor, the possibility of a new controller brings about many questions. How well would Microsoft be able to implement the motion capabilities? Would the novelty of the Wii controller be considered less innovative with a competitor on the market?
-Classic controller, GC controller, nunchuck+Wiimote.
-Each character has six vehicles from the start (3 karts and 3 bikes).
-Snaking is harder.
-New Items: POW box and a cloud.
-Warning sound in the speaker for when you are about to be attacked
-Second player can play online through split-screen.
-Mario Kart Channel is in game only, but that can change.
-Tons of statistics for every profile.
Although the information is probable, it is unclear as to where the source originally found this information, so I’d consider the details below rumors for the time being.
– D.K’s Snowboard Cross: halfpipe board, great for tricks
– Miis will be spectators in the background as well
– Koopa Troopa will be a playable character
– Coconuts Mall has players driving around a huge mall with multiple routes
– D.K has a new go-kart.
– Names hover over players during online play
– Motorcycles will be playable online as well
NES – Ninja Gaiden III
Sega Genesis – Phantasy Star II
Some gamers get skeptical when Roman numerals populate the title of a game. But make no mistake – this week’s offerings are no mere sequels. They are some of the most highly regarded classic games around. So stock up on some Wii Points™ to battle the Dark Force or complete an action-packed trilogy.
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 games are:
I’ve been struggling with this decision for quite awhile now. Some readers have reported that the text on the website is too light and in some instances, is difficult to read. With a site redesign, I would aim for more of a Nintendo-look in terms of colors, and of course, I would try to make text easier to read. However, I’ve heard different things from different people. Some want me to change the design of Nintendo Everything, but others want it to remain the same. As you can see, I really need some input from you guys. Please use the poll below, since I would like to make a decision based on the opinions of the readers.
[poll=5]
Best Buy
Get a free $10 gift card when you purchase any of the following games:
Imagine: Fashion Designer (DS) – $29.99
Paws & Claws: Pet Resort (DS) – $29.99
Rapala Tournament Fishing! (Wii) – $29.99
Thrillville: Off the Rails (Wii) – $49.99
Circuit City
Candy Land/Chutes and Ladders/Memory Combo Pack (GBA) – $9.47
B-17 (DS) – 11.24
Target
Buy any 2 DS titles listed below and get a third one from the list free
Imagine: Fashion Designer (DS)
Petz Dogz 2 (DS)
Petz Hamsters 2 (DS)
Petz Wild Animals Dolphinz (DS)
Petz Horsez 2 (DS)
My Word Coach (DS)
Imagine: Animal Doctor (DS)
Deadly Creatures
– Play as tarantula or scorpion
– Bozon hopes there are armies of tarantulas and scorpions
– Matt gets a vibe that it takes place in a wasteland, perhaps after man is dead
– One of final stages: Broken gas stages
– Graphics don’t seem too bad
– According to THQ, trailer was not CG – all real-time graphics
– Will do stuff on another dark game after GDC
DQ Swords
– Cool game but thin and straightforward
– Bozon thinks options and controls needed to be added
– Matt likes swiping system for the most part, sometimes doesn’t register though
– Should have marketed with a cheaper price tag
– Polished experience, but simple and short
NPD
– Wii – Scraped by to be #1 console
– PS2 – Took third, PS3 above it
– 360 was dead last – Bozon doesn’t think it doesn’t make sense, but all the systems were close
– January is usually a throw away month for Nintendo and other companies
– Call of Duty 4 was biggest performer for software
– No big secret Galaxy has sold about 2.7 million
– Metroid isn’t doing horribly, but is in 600k range – sad
– NCAA Football coming to Wii
– Brawl tournaments are starting in LA – Doors open at 3 PM
– Smash profiles: Looking at different characters every day – get a look at the characters, but spoilers
– Death Jr. was announced – was a PSP game – better visuals, waggle control
– Guitar Hero 3: Aerosmith was announced – Bozon is hoping for GH 1 + 2 pack
– Wii Fit (US version) and WiiWare demo from Nintendo will be at GDC – Matt expects WiiWare news
– IGN will have some interviews
Q: Can you give us more information on when we will get to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl? I understand there might be text to translate but it seems odd that European gamers haven’t even been given a date to look forward to.
A: No release date has been announced for Super Smash Bros. in the UK or Europe. Localising any game takes a long time to make sure it’s done properly. In addition to English, it must also be translated into the other four languages necessary for a European release. The game also needs to be converted from NTSC TV format to the European PAL standard. In addition, the game has then to be PEGI rated to give it an age rating. All these things require time in order to be done properly and to our standards.
Review scores
Wii
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 – 90%
No More Heroes – 88%
Battalion Wars 2 – 90%
Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None – 42%
Bleach: Shattered Blade – 60%
Wii Chess – 78%
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity – 72%
Asterix At The Olympic Games – 66%
DS
Advance Wars: Dark Conflict – 90%
Cooking Mama 2 – 82%
Mario and Sonic At The Olympic Games – 90%
Virtual Console
1080 Snowboarding [N64] – 91%
Blades of Steel [NES] – 62%
Skate or Die [NES] – 58%
Star Tropics [NES] – 80%
Harvest Moon [SNES] – 79%
Donkey Kong Country 3 [SNES] – 84%
Monster Lair [TurboDuo] – 76%
Riot Zone [TurboDuo] – 61%
