Wii News

June2009

  • Feature Frontier Boss: Wii Reviewers Are The Problem

    Says writers are appealing to their own audience, not a game's intended crowd.

    The issue of review scores for casual games rumbles on. David Braben, head honcho of Frontier Developments, the folks behind the critically acclaimed WiiWare title Lost Winds, doesn't find it wise to discount Metacritic scores for Wii, unlike a certain Mr. Moore recently...

  • News BioWare Interested In Wii Development

    CEO finds the prospect "intriguing."

    With an install base of 50 million people world-wise, the Wii has become an increasingly difficult market for developers to ignore. Elder Scrolls and Fallout 3 devs Bethesda Softworks recently declared their interest in a game for Ninty's machine, and now another big dev is eyeing the potential money train...

  • News Factor 5 Being Sued By Ex-Employees

    Lawsuit reveals a Rogue Squadron Wii game was in the works.

    A few months back San-Rafael-based Factor 5 (the studio behind the popular Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series) was declared bankrupt with between $1 million to $10 million in unpaid debts. In addition to this, the company was also faced with 69 claims for unpaid wages totaling more than...

  • Review Virtua Tennis 2009 (Wii)

    The new world number one

    The first question you might ask when playing Virtua Tennis 2009 is “why has it taken so long to make a great tennis game on Wii?”. Ever since we saw the first videos all those years ago it seemed the console was destined to become better than the real thing when it comes to sports, yet it’s taken years for anyone to...

  • News Little King's Story's Inspirations Revealed

    Game designer speaks of Animal Crossing and lots of drinking

    We're huge fans of Little King's Story here at NintendoLife, partly because of its phenomenally addictive gameplay but also its bizarre vision of the world and the citizens and enemies that inhabit it. When the game's designer Yoshiro Kimura spoke to N-Sider recently about his inspiration...

  • News Marvelous Sad Over Poor Sales

    Overseas price cuts hitting Japanese publisher hard; company "feels like crying."

    Fact: The world economy is in dire straits. Do you have any money? I don't have any money. Marvelous Entertainment, publishers of the upcoming Little King's Story and Muramasa: The Demon Blade as well as the Harvest Moon series, No More Heroes and Rune Factory...

  • News Conduit Release Date Slips in EU

    Expected 10 July.

    The Conduit, everyone's favourite fantastic-looking first-person shooter featuring the All-Seeing Eye, was due to be released next Friday, completing a triumvirate of top Sega titles within the next ten days with Virtua Tennis 2009, Let's Tap, but sadly it's just been pushed back until Friday, July 10th. Apparently the delay is due...

  • News Wii Is "Fool's Gold"

    Industry bigwigs all agree: review scores are immaterial on Wii

    The Wii's well into its life cycle now, but it seems some people in the industry are still cottoning onto what makes a Wii game sell like there's no tomorrow - the magic word of "marketing". Speaking to Eurogamer recently, one undisclosed "high profile member of an...

  • News Japan Gets Wii Movie Rental Service

    Stream Tom Cruise into your living room.

    Video services are breaking through on consoles in the West: Netflix is up and running on Xbox 360 in the US, with SkyTV coming soon for the UK, and Sony has their own iTunes-like video store. Nintendo? Not so much over here, but in the company's homeland it's a totally different story. In addition to the...

  • Feature Tending and Feeding Your Japanese Wii

    If you're considering getting a Japanese Wii, here's some tips and suggestions on getting the most out of it.

    Ever since the Japanese took over the home video game console market in the mid-80s there's been a major gulf between game releases in the consoles' country of origin and nations importing them, either because Japanese publishers lacked...

  • News Miyamoto: You Need A Controller For True Immersion

    Mario's dad isn't sure Project Natal is a step forward

    Microsoft is pretty smug with itself right now. Project Natal has gone down a storm at E3 and the company clearly sees it as the 'next step' in motion control; holding controllers in your hand is so last year, dude. However, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto isn't so sure and insists that for true...

  • News Is Super Monkey Ball about to step onto your Balance Board?

    New trademark application in the US suggests so.

    There are some combinations in the world that just seem natural: fish and chips, ham and eggs, plumbers and magical kingdoms. Chief amongst all these blessed unions is that of monkeys and balls, but even that holiest of pairings could get even better if the newly-uncovered trademark application for...

  • News Miyamoto Borking Super Mario Galaxy 2's Story

    Doesn't want it to weigh down the game's fun feeling.

    Traditionally, the core Mario games have never been heavy on story. The Princess gets herself into Bowser's clutches somehow, collect stars, yada yada yada. It's a classic formula, and one that series creator Shigeru Miyamoto finds to be good enough to get the game going. During E3, Wired caught...

  • News Wii Treatment for Parkinson's Trialled

    The health benefits of games like Wii Fit have been the topic for debate, but use in physical therapy looks more and more viable.

    A researcher at the Medical College of Georgia in the United States has recently released initial results of trials using Wii Sports in physical therapy sessions with sufferers of Parkinson's disease (a degenerative...

  • News New Wii Zelda May Require MotionPlus To Function

    So says Miyamoto

    Nintendo game design legend Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed that the new Wii Zelda - which was announced at this year's E3 - is being built with the intention of exploiting the newly-released Wii MotionPlus accessory. For those of you that don't know, MotionPlus bolts onto the base of the Wii Remote and offers a more accurate...

  • News Capcom Not Ruling Out Wii Street Fighter IV

    Never say never!

    When Street Fighter IV dropped earlier this year, Wii owners once again felt the void of a major multiplatform non-release. But in the crazy upside-down world of evergreen sales patterns and delayed ports of HD games, that's not to say the game'll never see a Wii port. Over at the Capcom-Unity boards, a member questioned whether or...

  • News Muramasa: The Demon Blade gets revised European release date

    Rising Star Games bumps up the release schedule for their Wii-exclusive 2D action-RPG.

    Publisher Rising Star Games has revised the release schedule for Vanillaware's stunning 2D action-RPG Muramasa: The Demon Blade, bumping the game from the previously reported timeframe of "Spring 2010" to "Winter 2009". Presumably the game's...

  • News Designer Says Metroid: Other M Not As Violent As It Seems

    Concedes the nature of trailers is to show off the 'splody action.

    Team Ninja, known for their not-so-stealthy Ninja Gaiden series and huge boobs, are the newest developer to take on the Metroid saga. The unveil trailer at E3 looked, well, kinda un-Metroid-y in that it was so action-packed, like shoving her beam canon down a baddie's mouth. During...

  • News High Voltage: Multiplatform Gladiator A.D. And Grinder? Sure, Why Not?

    Developer says it's up to the publisher.

    With neither game even close to being out yet, High Voltage's Russell Crowe-fest Gladiator A.D. and horror co-op shooter The Grinder look to be two promising Wii-exclusive titles to satiate those looking for a bit of the ol' ultraviolence. Well, exclusive at the moment at least. Speaking to Destructoid at E3...

  • News Reggie: The Future Is Now

    Nintendo's American boss finds Microsoft and Sony's new tech 'ironic'

    In a recent interview with Kotaku president of Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aime passed a few choice comments on some of E3's big developments, most notably Microsoft's Project Natal and Sony's 'Wand' controller: We have been very familiar with that technology. have personally...

  • News Wii Sports Resort: Now With Online Features!

    But don't get your hopes too high...

    Let's face it - even if Wii Sports Resort was just a half-baked version of pétanque it'd still sell amazingly well based on the Wii Sports name alone. Still, those of you who are planning to pick this one up for its MotionPlus ability might be interested to know that the game is set to feature WiiConnect24...

  • News Vitality Sensor Gets Its First Announced Game

    Worldwide shock at name "Wii Vitality"

    You certainly can't argue with Nintendo's branding department when it comes to game names. Back in my day, it used to be a "Super" here or a "64" there, but these days the Wii name is even stronger than Nintendo's, with the big N keen to slap it on every game they release, including the...

  • News Iwata: Nintendo Will Not Be Standing Still

    Nintendo's big boss warns rivals after motion-control announcements at E3

    This year's E3 was all about motion control as both Sony and Microsoft decided to jump on the bandwagon that Nintendo got rolling when the Wii was released some time ago. However, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata - speaking in an interview with British newspaper The Times -...

  • News Monster Hunter 3 Gets A Black Bundle In Japan

    Capcom and Nintendo sure do like money.

    There's no doubt that the newfangled black Wii will light up the charts when it hits Japan. And it wouldn't be much of a stretch to predict that Monster Hunter 3 will print money, too. Capcom's planned bundle must surely be some kind of impending supernova then, because this much star power is sure to light up...

  • News Sony And Microsoft Suffering From Wii-nis Envy?

    Copycat motion control systems don't impress industry analyst

    Where would we be with expert analysts telling us what to think, eh? Take Wedbush Morgan chappie Michael Pachter, for example. Following Microsoft and Sony's recently unveiling of motion control systems at this year's E3, Pachter has waded in with his own viewpoint on all this...

  • News Sony Expects Wii Owners To Upgrade To PS3

    Another overconfident prediction from the creator of Betamax

    For those of you that have any interest in this kind of thing, Sony Europe boss David Reeves stepped down recently and was succeeded by a fellow called Andrew House. This year's E3 was House's first as president of Sony Europe, so it's unsurprising that he wasted no time in chiming in with...

  • Review The Munchables (Wii)

    Who would have thought eating your fruits and vegetables would be so much fun?

    We've already seen some strange stuff from Namco-Bandai in the past with their Katamari Damacy releases, but they appear to have outdone even themselves with their latest oddball outing for the Nintendo Wii console. The Munchables carefully weaves a zany world full of...

  • News Miyamoto Unconcerned By Rival Motion Control Systems

    Sony and Microsoft's attempts 'lack depth', says Mario's dad

    This year's E3 was an interesting one for fans of motion-controlled gaming. Not only did Sony unveil it's PS3 'wand' controller, Microsoft went one better with Natal, which doesn't use a controller at all. Naturally, one might wonder what Nintendo - the company that started this particular...

  • Exclusive The Conduit Wallpaper

    SEGA throw us a bone with an exclusive The Conduit wallpaper for you all to enjoy.

    We know you know all about the game, it's due for release shortly and we're all starting to get quite excited. A number of our staff have now played the game (briefly) and expect great things when the finished game finally hits our Wii. For those whom are oblivous to...

  • Interviews Red Steel 2's Roman Campos Oriola

    Plus your chance to pitch your questions to the developers!

    Before I got the MotionPlus add-on in my sweaty hands, we had an in-depth presentation from the game's development team outlining the game's story to us. The original Red Steel revolved around an American entering the seedy underbelly of the Japanese mob world, but the second title tells a...

  • News Melee! Pokemon Scramble announced for WiiWare

    Pokemon meets Smash TV in the upcoming four-player action-RPG.

    The Japanese Pokemon site was updated today with the announcement of a new Pokemon game called Melee! Pokemon Scramble, available exclusively for the WiiWare downloadable service. Developed by Ambrella (My Pokemon Ranch) and set for release on June 16th in Japan for 1500 Nintendo Points,...

  • News Online Play And New Characters (Un)confirmed For Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom

    Capcom press release inadvertently lets slip on possible new features for North American release

    Capcom's plans to release the Wii-exclusive all-star versus fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom in North America and beyond must have been the worst-kept secret of this year's E3, with websites and blogs reporting the news days in advance. The official press...

  • News Metroid: Other M - Will Samus Get Sexy?

    Is our favourite space bounty hunter about to shed her suit?

    When Nintendo revealed that the next instalment in the massively popular Metroid series would be a collaboration with Japanese 'tits and ass' experts Team Ninja, more than a few eyebrows were raised. Those eyebrows were soon lowered when the trailer started rolling, which displays what...

  • News New Wii Zelda Artwork Leaked?

    Is this is image that Miyamoto showed behind closed doors at E3?

    A new Wii Zelda wasn't mentioned during Nintendo's E3 conference - much to the dismay of fanboys the world over. However, Shigeru Miyamoto later held meetings with the press behind closed doors, where he revealed that work is indeed happening on Link's latest adventure. Nothing was...

  • Competition Club Nintendo Japan offers limited edition Wii Sports Resort controller pack

    Faithful Japanese customers rewarded with exclusive sky-coloured controller collection.

    Hot off the heels of Nintendo's announcement concerning the stylish new black Wii and red DSi designs, Japanese Wii owners will soon have another chance to snag some colourful new swag. Customers who register their Wii Sports Resort game through the Club Nintendo...

  • News New Endless Ocean 2 Videos and Screens Surface

    The sequel to 2007's swim 'em up looking mighty fine.

    With all the excitement of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M, you may well need a bit of a sitdown and some relaxation, which is handy really as Nintendo have just released a batch of new screenshots and a freshly caught video of Endless Ocean 2: Beautiful...

  • News Suda51 Has Bonkers Ideas For Wii Vitality Sensor

    Well, what else would you expect?

    Nintendo's recent announcement of the Wii Vitality Sensor may have convinced certain fans they've finally lost the plot, but No More Heroes creator Goichi Suda (better known as Suda51) is already brimming with ideas for the peripheral. Sadly he's not yet ready to divulge what they are, but considering the hero in No...

  • News Classic Controller Pro Heading West?

    Nintendo's new Classic Controller spotted at E3.

    A while ago, it was announced that Japan would be getting a new Classic Controller. This still hasn't happened - it'll be released in August, and they've already announced a differently coloured one for release on the same day - but it's apparently already clear that it will be released elsewhere as...

  • News New Super Mario Bros. Wii Only Multiplayer At Home

    No online play for Miyamoto's finally realised multiplayer Mario.

    Considering all Shigeru Miyamoto's talk over the past few years of how long he's wanted to create a multiplayer Mario game, you'd think he'd be eager to harness the Wii's WiFi Connection service for the recently announced New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Sadly, you'd be wrong, as he...

  • News More Than One Metroid In The Pipeline?

    Metroid series director confirms existence of another Samus-based adventure

    Rumours regarding an all-new side-scrolling Metroid adventure have been doing the rounds pretty much since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption hit store shelves. Entitled Metroid Dread, this near-mythical game seemed to come into focus after Nintendo revealed Metroid: Other M at...

  • Interviews Red Steel 2's Jason VandenBerghe

    In the great man's words, "f***ing A!"

    After my extremely enjoyable but all-too short time spent playing the game I was bursting with questions, and luckily I got to sit down with just the man to answer them - Red Steel 2's Creative Director, Jason VandenBerghe. Nintendo Life: It seems almost compulsory for every Wii game these days to include...

  • E3 2009 Wii Vitality Sensor is Revealed

    Nintendo - inventing ways to play that you never knew you wanted.

    If like Master Higgins you find yourself constantly running low on vitality then this might be a must-have Wii Remote add-on for you. For everyone else it might seem a little pointless. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata revealed the contraption at this year’s E3 but he neglected to...

  • News Miyamoto: Why Pikmin 3 Was Absent From E3 This Year

    We're still working on it: honest guvnor!

    With all the excitement at E3 this year surrounding the new Super Mario games and Team Ninja’s take on Metroid it would be easy to forget about Shigsy’s plans for Pikmin 3. Could it be that the project has been forgotten about? Thankfully the good fellows over at Kotaku were able to get a bit of one on...

  • News Miyamoto: Mario Galaxy 2 Is All-New, Baby

    Famed developer promises some cool new features in freshly-announced sequel

    Speaking behind closed doors at E3, Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is based on "about 90 percent" new content. Speaking about the development of the original title, Miyamoto said: There was so much more gameplay we weren't able to use, and...

  • News New Super Mario Bros. Wii To Feature Gamer Assistance?

    Miyamoto lets it slip in E3 interview

    Last year, it was reported that Nintendo had filed a patent for an in-game system that would make its titles easier for less-experienced players. As time passed the patent was largely forgotten about - until now. The intention of this concept is to make sure that everyone is able to enjoy Nintendo's games. This...

  • News New Wii Zelda Game in the Works

    Famed game designer Shigeru Miyamoto sits down and talks about some of Nintendo's upcoming titles, including a new Wii Zelda title.

    Shigeru Miyamoto has held a roundtable session to speak to the media regarding some of his own personal projects so we thought we'd talk about some of the highlights here. Miyamoto-san is quite excited about New Super...

  • News Super Mario Galaxy 2 E3 Trailer

    Check out Nintendo's Super Mario Galaxy 2 in action!

    One of the biggest announcements to come out of the Nintendo camp at E3 had to be the announcement that Super Mario Galaxy 2 was coming to the Wii in 2010. Most of us assumed a new Super Mario game was coming, but it took some of us off guard a bit that it was an actual Super Mario Galaxy sequel...

  • News Metroid: Other M E3 Trailer

    Check out Team Ninja's upcoming Metroid title in action!

    While we don't have much to go on, we were able to get our hands on the official E3 trailer for Team Ninja's very own Metroid: Other M Wii title. We've also uploaded three promo screenshots of the game in action as well. Below is a snippet taken from the official Nintendo press kit for the...

  • First Impressions Red Steel 2 Exclusive!

    The game you've been waiting for.

    When Red Steel launched way back in December 2006 it promised so much, with its mix of bullets and blades and intuitive motion controls, but was clearly rushed to meet the Wii's launch date and ended up a disappointment in many gamers' eyes. A few months after release, the development team sat down to create the...

  • News New Super Mario Bros. Wii E3 Trailer

    Check out the New Super Mario Bros. Wii title in action!

    We got a look at the upcoming New Super Mario Bros. Wii title during Nintendo's E3 Press conference this morning and it looked fantastic. The game will support up to four players playing the game at one time and has a very similar look to the DS New Super Mario Bros. release. Below is the...

  • News Wii Sports Resort E3 Trailer

    A look at the upcoming Wii Sports Resort title.

    We got a really good in-depth look at the upcoming Wii Sports Resort today during Nintendo's Press Conference and we were also fortunate enough to get our hands on the official E3 trailer and press release as well. We saw how intricate the movements of the Wii Motion Plus are inside the game during the...

  • News Exclusive Red Steel 2 footage

    Get your eyes on the real-time opening for Ubi's new title.

    If you've read our exclusive hands-on preview of Red Steel 2, you'll know I came away very impressed by the game's cel-shaded graphics. Nothing beats the ability to watch them in action yourself though, and earlier today Ubisoft revealed the game's opening scene to the public. Until the...

  • News Sin & Punishment 2 E3 Trailer

    Sin & Punishment sequel really shaping up!

    For you Sin & Punishment fans out there, we just got our hands on the brand new E3 trailer for the upcoming Wii sequel Sin & Punishment 2. Here's a snippet from the official press release that accompanied the trailer. Players engage in nonstop shooter action as they're propelled through this...

  • E3 2009 Nintendo's Announcements

    New games announced for Wii include Wii Fit Plus, New Super Mario Bros, Metroid, and Super Mario Galaxy 2, for DS we'll be seeing the new Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and WarioWare DIY.

    Reggie and co took the stage earlier today to announce the latest games and gizmos that we'll be yearning over for the coming twelve months. Wii Fit Plus...

  • News Super Mario Galaxy 2 Announced for Wii

    A sequel to the mega-hit original Super Mario Galaxy is coming to Wii.

    With the success of the original Super Mario Galaxy, it should come as no surprise that a sequel is already in the works. Say hello to Super Mario Galaxy 2. Judging from the game play trailer shown at Nintendo's E3 press conference, the game takes quite a few more classic Super...

  • News Confirmed: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

    The rumours were true!

    Nintendo's Cammie Dunaway has just confirmed that a new Mario game is coming to the Wii. At Nintendo's E3 conference - which is taking place as we type - she said this: The number four is the key to Mario's next surprise. For the last 15 years, Mr Miyamoto has been thinking about one new way to let you play a Mario game...

  • News Red Steel 2 To Be Bundled With Wii MotionPlus

    Yet another non-Nintendo release gets the WMP pack-in treatment, plus more story details are revealed

    A while back, Ubisoft dropped the bombshell that its upcoming Wii title Red Steel 2 would require the Wii MotionPlus to play. It was a risky statement, as sales of the game would depend on how well the new accessory sold. However, Ubisoft has today...

  • E3 New Wii Mario Game In The Works?

    Plus more Wii Fit for you old timers

    The E3 rumour-mill is in full swing now and one of the more interesting bits of speculation is related to an all-new Mario adventure on the Wii. Japanese news service Nikkei has reported that everyone's favourite Italian plumber will be returning to the Wii before the year is out. The report also claims that a...

May2009

  • News Nintendo To Stop Taking Brawl User Content

    No new stuff after June 30.

    Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a game absolutely packed with content, is about to lose a nice little feature soon. Over at the official Brawl site, this nugget has appeared: As of June 30th, 2009, the current service that accepts user-generated snapshots, stage designs, and replay data will no longer be available. Please note,...

  • News Klonoa 3? Depends On Wiimake's Sales

    Series creator has ideas for sequel but needs financial incentive.

    Cartoony platformer Klonoa's Wiimake has enjoyed critical success, which must make Namco pleased as punch over the decision to resurrect the series. So does that mean sequels are imminent? That one falls under a big fat "maybe," as the series creator, Hideo Yoshizawa, told...

  • News First Footage Of The Grinder Unleashed

    At this rate of trailer reveals, who needs E3?

    E3 is so close that you can almost smell the sweaty masses huddled together in the LA Convention Center, but that isn't stopping developers from getting the hype train rolling for their wares. High Voltage's second new IP revealed mere days ago, The Grinder, promises a Left 4 Dead-type experience for...

  • News Watch The No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle E3 Trailer!

    Luchador accompanies first gameplay footage.

    Is Grasshopper's No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle a tale about happiness? Cuddling? High-fiving strangers and giving sandwiches to the homeless? No. It's about revenge, as mentioned in the game's E3 trailer. Repeatedly. Outside of the teaser trailer from TGS last year, the general public hasn't seen any...

  • Competition Win A Copy Of PDC World Championship Darts 2009 On The Wii!

    It's competition time - but for UK residents only

    To celebrate the UK release of PDC World Championship Darts 2009 on Wii we've teamed up with Oxygen Games to give away three copies to you lucky readers of Nintendo Life. The all new PDC World Championship Darts 2009 on the Nintendo Wii gives you the feel of the true darts physics, providing a more...

  • News Atlus Expands The Trauma Center Series With Trauma Team

    Remember, there's no 'I' in team

    Atlus has announced the next entry in the massively popular medical gaming series Trauma Center. Entitled Trauma Team, the game will expand the remit of the franchise by enabling players to assume a whole range of medical roles, not just just performing high-risk operations. So if you've ever had a craving to be an...

  • News XSeed Picks Up Fragile For US Release

    Post-apocalyptic adventure game slated for this winter.

    Well, it wasn't looking very good for a while there, with Namco Bandai saying plans for a stateside release were nonexistant, but Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon has now been confirmed for a US release courtesy of XSeed Games. Jun Iwasaki, president of XSeed, told IGN: We have received...

  • News Oh, So That's The E3 Dead Space: Extraction Demo

    First level walkthrough, release dates and control scheme revealed.

    We've heard details about "guided first-person experience" Dead Space: Extraction, but so far not all that much in the way of actual gameplay footage outside of the game's teaser trailer a while back. Lucky day then, because a video walkthrough of the E3 demo has hit the...

  • News Gladiator A.D. Trailer Is Ready To Shower You In Gore

    First proper look at High Voltage's blood-soaked Roman epic

    Website IGN has the first trailer of High Voltage's highly promising fighter Gladiator A.D. The clip lasts just over a minute and sets the scene quite nicely with some well-scripted narration (from Liam Neeson, if our ears don't deceive us). It ends with two burly blokes fighting to the...

  • News Introducing Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing

    SEGA to try their hand at Mario Kart with Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing powering our way in early 2010 on Wii, DS, PS3 and Xbox 360.

    In a frantic battle to the chequered flag, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing sees Sonic and friends speed around tracks set in mediaeval castle ramparts, lush rainforests and bustling cities, all taken from the...

  • News Famitsu Brings Us Desperate Struggle Updates

    Details inside

    In the latest Famitsu, we were given new details on No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle. How much has it change from the first installment? Other than told that the game is "nearly finished", news about upcoming Suda 51 game, No More Heroes: Desperate struggle, has been thin. In the latest Famitsu, fans were lucky enough to get scans...

  • News Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage Announced

    Extreme sports sequel is Wii exclusive.

    Fans of Shaun White, snowboarding and Shaun White Snowboarding will be pleased as punch to hear that Ubisoft has announced a cartoony sequel to last year's title and it's coming this holiday season exclusively for Wii. So far, we've got a press release, some screenshots and a tease for E3, which is...

  • News Dead Space Prequel Close To Finished

    Space blaster comes with the good and bad

    At about 80 percent finished, Dead Space: Extraction is getting to the point of no return as far as features and design goes. So what's good? Quite a bit, according to Kotaku, but there's also some not-so-good. Like the HUD. When you have a developer sitting next to you explaining what the heads-up display...

  • News The Grinder Is High Voltage's Second New IP

    Online co-op FPS puts you up against vampires, werewolves and the undead.

    Yesterday, IGN had the exclusive unveiling of High Voltage Software's new IP, the bloody arena-fighter Gladiator A.D. Today, IGN has the scoop yet again on the second of HVS' games slated for an E3 unveil, and it's another looker with high ambitions. Yeah, E3 is next week, but...

  • News The Munchables Ships to Retailers

    Namco-Bandai's new Wii title hits North American store shelves tomorrow.

    We've just received word that Namco-Bandai's new Wii title The Munchables has just shipped to North American retailers. That means the game should be on store shelves by tomorrow morning. The game looks to continue to wacky tradition of the Katamari Damacy series with it's...

  • News Hackers Expand Wii Storage, Door Now Open To Filthy Pirates

    More naughty-type goings on in the world of Wii homebrew

    Although the recent ability to run Virtual Console and WiiWare games from your SD card has stopped people moaning about the previously thorny issue of internal storage space, it hasn't stopped industrious hackers taking the concept to the next level by enabling users to hook up a USB hard...

  • News High Voltage Unveils Gladiator A.D.

    Ultraviolent fighting game takes a cue or two from the movie 300.

    Remember that new "hardcore" title that IGN teased a while ago? You know, the one with all the blood and the mystery fuzzy image. Well, cat's out of the bag now, as it turns out it was one of High Voltage's new IPs set for an E3 reveal. Gladiator A.D. is a one-on-one...

  • News Ju-on: The Grudge Officially Coming Stateside

    Dead children to spook Wii in October

    Ju-on, the Japanese horror flick localized by Sam Raimi and Buffy the Vampire Slayer as The Grudge, has a game in development by Feelplus. It looks kinda scary. Publisher XSeed Games has announced that very piece of software is officially on it's way to the US, which is the last major market for a worldwide...

  • Review Punch-Out!! (Wii)

    Fighting fit

    It's hard to believe, but it's been 15 years since a Punch-Out!! game was released. Perhaps this is due to the fact that even though the games were made by Nintendo, naturally situated in Japan, they never really found an audience over there. When the Wii came out this was even more of a shame; a new instalment in the series would fit...

  • News Tecmo Announces Family Fun Football for Wii

    Party in the end zone with friends and family.

    Tecmo has just announced their brand new Family Fun Football title for Nintendo's Wii console. If you're looking for Tecmo Bowl, you've come to the wrong place with Family Fun Football. This game has animals, aliens, and robots and isn't your typical pigskin experience. Below is the official press...

  • First Impressions Let's Tap

    Tap into a new game experience.

    After the physical exertion of Virtua Tennis 2009, and with the shame of my first-round exit still hanging over me like a dark cloud, it was a pleasure to sit down for a bit with Let’s Tap. As a huge Yuji Naka fan I was dying to find out how his new studio Prope’s first game would play, and as soon as I got my...

  • News Nintendo Confirms Metroid Prime Trilogy For Wii

    All three Metroid Prime titles in one lovely package - with multiplayer!

    As you may be aware, Nintendo is releasing Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes as individual games for the Wii in Japan. However, rather than take this approach in the West, the company has confirmed that it intends to bundle all three titles together to create Metroid...

  • News Capcom Looking To Port More Games To Wii?

    Could we be getting Resident Evil 5: Chop Till You Drop edition?

    Let's be honest, Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop was a bit of let down. Rather than bringing the zombie-slaying brilliance of the 360 original to the Wii, all the port did was give us less zombies, some pointless waggle and some dodgy visuals. However, the failure of the game hasn't...

  • News Groovin' Blocks Coming To Europe Soon

    Enhanced version of the game headed for Wii retail.

    Way back in September last year a fun rhythm puzzler by the name of Groovin’ Blocks boogied its way on to the WiiWare service in North America. This Lumines/Columns inspired puzzle attracted favourable reviews with our very own Corbie giving it a score of 7/10 (he claims that this is not his...

  • News No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle Is "Nearly Finished"

    Grasshopper's oddball sequel to be shown off at E3 in video form only

    Although Suda51's bizarre "Johnny Knoxville with a lightsaber" concept for No More Heroes divided players between those who thought it was divinely inspired, and others who thought it hellishly contrived, it obviously did well enough for developers Grasshopper...

  • First Impressions Virtua Tennis 2009

    MotionPlus, a full online mode AND curly wigs? It's too good to be true, surely...

    Strawberries and cream, Robinson’s fruit squash and appalling curly hair were all out in force for Sega Europe’s Masters Monday event, an invitation-only tournament with some of the best Virtua Tennis players on the circuit – and me – in anticipation of...

  • Review Boom Blox Bash Party (Wii)

    Spielberg's block-based baby is back for another helping

    The original Boom Blox - a collaborative effort between big-shot Hollywood director Steven Spielberg and Electronic Arts - proved to be both innovative and enjoyable, especially when playing with friends and family. Due to the success of the original, it shouldn’t really come as a surprise...

  • News Mario Kart Wii Used As a Driving Education Simulator

    Mirror, signal, red shell

    Distractions can be a real killer on the roads; when you're driving the last thing you need is an unwanted phone call or pesky text-message. With this in mind, we're happy to report that students at Vail Christian High School in Colorado are being educated in road-safety by simulating the act of driving via the...

  • News UPDATE! New Features Rumored For Tatsunoko vs. Capcom

    Online mode may be added for western versions; European release also confirmed!

    That issue of Nintendo Power that spilled the beans on Tatsunoko vs. Capcom's US release still has a few tricks up it's sleeve, if articles do in fact have sleeves. According to producer Ryota Niitsuma, new stuff is going in. Hooray! Stuff like possible new characters, a...

  • News High Voltage To Reveal New IP At E3

    Promise to deliver experiences "beyond jaw-dropping."

    High Voltage Software, behind the much-touted FPS The Conduit, are busy, busy bees. So busy, in fact, that before they've even released one retail Wii game, they're already working on more. "I won't say much about our new property until we unveil it at E3," said High Voltage Software...

  • News Juon Game Heading To Europe?

    Teaser trailer and announcement seems to point in that direction.

    Sometimes game companies giveth and sometimes they taketh away, and in this case, fortunately it looks like the giving-est of the two. Rising Star Games, the studio behind the upcoming Juon/The Grudge game adaptation, have released a teaser video of people playing a Wii game with the...

  • News Nintendo Has No European ExciteBots Plans

    For now, at least, the racer's release is up in the air.

    Well, this is disappointing for impatient European fans of arcade racing and shenanigans. German game site Videogames Zone has received word from Nintendo that they have no plans for an Excitebots: Trick Racing release on the continent. While this doesn't sound very promising, keep in mind...

  • News Wii Sports Resort To Feature Golf, Table Tennis

    Nintendo double-dipping for next 50 million-seller

    It's official: Minigame compilations on Wii have become so numerous that Nintendo themselves have no new sports to exploit. Over at the official Japanese Wii Web site via GoNintendo there's a bunch of new TV spots advertising Motion+ and Wii Sports Resort, revealing two more minigames sure to set...

  • News Bethesda Has "Really Big" Plans For Wii

    Fallout 3 and Oblivion devs hard at work on new title.

    One can hardly argue that a plethora of developers have given "serious" support to the Wii since launch. Of course, now that pretty much everyone in the world owns one, it's nice to see studios kept in usually high regard branching out. Like Bethesda, best known for the Elder Scrolls...

  • Review Guitar Hero Metallica (Wii)

    Scraping the bottom of the barrel or taking the franchise to new heights?

    Whenever a developer stumbles onto a gold mine, they usually start milking the franchise for all its worth. While Activision certainly falls into that camp with the Guitar Hero series, they’ve managed to maintain the quality of their titles from one installment to the next...

  • Review PDC World Championship Darts 2009 (Wii)

    Does the Wii's latest darts title hit the target or fall flat on its face?

    Another year, another video game adaption of the PDC World Darts Championship from publisher Oxygen Interactive. Although this is only the third entry in the series with the first game releasing in late-2006 and the 2008 sequel receiving average critical acclaim, new...

  • Review Minon: Everyday Hero (Wii)

    He may be an everyday hero, but Minon certainly isn't ordinary...

    The Japanese have a rightly earned reputation for releasing oddball game titles; it's not so much that the gameplay is unusual, but the content itself. Minon: Everyday Hero (Go! Go! Minon in Japan) is a prime example, seeing as the titular super hero does mundane things like helping...

  • News Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom Coming to US, Says Nintendo Power

    Nintendo Power spills the beans on Capcom's elusive fighter

    U.S. fighting fans and non-Japanese speakers, rejoice, as the Japan-exclusive Capcom fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom may grace your non-modded console yet! A scan from the latest issue of Nintendo Power via Kotaku via a NeoGAF poster reveals that the game is indeed breaking out of the...

  • News Dead Space: Extraction Producer Talks Dead Space: Extraction

    Atmospheric "guided experience" was a part of the game plan for quite some time.

    GoNintendo points to a Kikizo preview of the game, starring Steve Papoutsis, Executive Producer of Visceral Entertainment, co-developers of Extraction and original studio behind Dead Space. The piece touches on some of the reasons behind the prequel's design choices and...

  • News Excitebots Crashes Out At Retail

    What is wrong with the North American game-buying public?

    Excitebots: Trick Racing is bloody good fun. In fact it's one of the best racers we've seen on the Wii so far, and should really be owned by every self-respecting Wii gamer. So why the heck has it sold such a pathetic number of copies? The game shifted a feeble 13,000 units in North American...

  • News Rampant Speculation: IGN Teases New 'Hardcore' Title

    It's blurry, but it's apparently 'mature'

    Here's one to keep you up at night: Matt Casamassina over at IGN has teased on his blog of a new, exclusive, ground-up Wii game with a very blurry picture. I'm not a photographic scientist or anything -- not sure the profession even exists, and if not, it should -- but at the very least, there seems to be a...

  • News Some Red Steel 2 Sword Worries Squashed

    Cut people up wherever you please!

    Ubisoft? They listen to their fans, they say. And a big thing people whined and moaned about in Red Steel was how the katana worked. See, people didn't want to be locked into place for sword duels; commando or bust! Said Jason Vandenberghe, the game's creative director, to Nintendo Power via Nintendo Pad: That was...