And the first new game to be marched onto the stage at the Leipzig Games Convention is Mario Strikers Charged, a Wii sequel to Mario's Gamecube exercise in frantic ball kicking. Eurogamer reports that the game is visually similar to the previous entry, but that it now sports special moves for the Wiimote. You can seemingly hold the Wii controller up to block incoming shots with your hands, though more enterprising players will surely have a lot more fun (and awkward injuries) strapping the wiimote to a foot and going ballistic.
Battalion Wars 2 -- as in BWii -- was also announced and is expected to be playable on the show floor. No new information on it yet, but rest assured that we'll keep you updated. That being the opposite of what Nintendo has done regarding Wii launch information, of course. Many expected their "Wii Prove Our Promise" keynote to toss a stick of dynamite into the Wii rumor mil and blow the constant launch date hearsay and price pontification to unrecognizable smithereens, but Nintendo has deemed it necessary to keep people in the dark for a little bit longer. We'll get you for this, Iwata.
[Update: One other minor announcement: Europe gets the gloriously pink DS Lite on October 27th.]
[Update: There's some video footage now up of the game. Check it out here and after the break.]
Though the many Marvel characters duking it out in Ultimate Alliance frequently find themselves doing somersaults, hurling punches and generally super-spazzing out, it's not an accurate expectation for the players of the game to perform similar feats. Speaking at the recently concluded Comic-Con, Activision's Chris Palmisano commented that the Wii version of the game would not have major changes implemented to its control system.
"The basic game controls like the camera and the movement and stuff like that -- you can do that on the Wii with left side in most cases. Then there are standard combo moves, which you can also do with the Wii controller." After this rather vague statement (do combo moves with the controller, you say?!), Palmisano goes on to curtail the level of input you might have expected from a Wii game. "I don't know how many games you're going to see where people are jumping around -- our game is an RPG so it's really hard to require that much physical energy to play a game for 30 hours."
Though we have yet to think of any Wii game that actively requires you to jump around, we suspect the lack of physical energy required to play Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is tied into a lack of mental energy when attempting to explain why your game will have a bog-standard control scheme. This is an issue that will come up again and again: a multi-platform game that fails to take advantage of the Wii's controller risks not only being surpassed by graphically superior versions (why buy the Wii version?), but the rest of the games in the Wii lineup (why buy this game that doesn't use my system fully?). Of course, shoehorning a game into an inappropriate controller scheme is just as undesirable, as is certainly the case with an action RPG largely built upon repetition. We'd rather just press the A-button, thanks.
And by "it", we of course refer to the cataclysmic tugging of the carpet that Nintendo so infamously performed when they quelled the Revolution (the what now?) and released the Wii. After Nintendo's powerful showing at E3, most people seem to have gotten used to saying the new name without breaking a sweat or breaking into laughter, content in knowing that the name means little in the face of a game like Super Mario Galaxy. The folks at CNET must not have played it, then.
In their "Worst Tech of Q2 2006" article, CNET reserves the ninth spot for the Wii, awarding it with "Worst name change." Their justification is short, noting that "'Nintendo Revolution' sounds cool. 'Nintendo Wii' sounds dumb. That's about all there is to say." Well, fair enough ... coming from a website that sounds like something you catch fish with! ZING!
On a more serious note, we also preferred the Revolution, but to put the name mame on the same list as Segway Polo and iPod imitations is just mean.
This is getting ridiculous. Just when we thought the mystery was solved and the conspiracy theorists were silenced, someone has to go and find another mystery flap on the Wii. What is it this time? A holographic laser cannon? An automagical DVD dongle? A nickel and dime slot for Virtual Console purchases? A scrumptious pancake maker? A completely fake photochopping attempt?
We'll leave you free to speculate about its true, potentially evil purpose while we get back to eagerly pining for the flappin' games.
Because somebody out there has to care. In a follow-up interview to one conducted way back in February, Aussie developer Krome Studios confirms that their furry friend from down under will indeed make an appearance on Nintendo's next console. After commenting on the studio's current projects, Konami's Hellboy and The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning, the tricky-to-pronounce Steve Stamatidiadis notes that "the Wii is the perfect platform for a TY game and you can bet your booties that we'll be doing one down the track."
Since our considerably valued booties are on the line, we'd also wager that the Wii version of TY the Tasmanian Tiger will involve chucking the wiimote like a boomerang in order to defeat at least one evil robot kangaroo. With a talking animal jumping over platforms and such, the game will no doubt be a veritable explosion of creativity (and other Australian stereotypes). Somebody can't wait.
From the hey, that's a great idea department comes a conceptual rendering of what it would be like to throw caution and embarrassment to the wind and strap a pair of wiimotes to your arms. The full ad depicts a guy with a Wii controller on each punch-capable limb next to some screenshots of the Xbox titles, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, Breakdown and Fight Night Round 3. The connection between dual wiielding action and Super Punch-Out should be obvious in your mind, though we recommend you swiftly move on to the conclusion we reached:
Namco Bandai should port Breakdown to the Wii. Immediately. The game (which had a really fun story) was critically undone by unwieldy controls and unfair combat, problems that could very well disappear when given the opportunity to beat up those pesky T'lan warriors (or hallucinated cats) by flailing your own, more reliable fists. Oh, and let's not forget the joys associated with consuming magically restorative soda and protein bars.
It's the Fourth of July and Wii Fanboy hopes that you have a day that, at the very least, borders on excellence. Be sure to invite your friends over and play some games on the platform of your choice, be that the Xbox 360, the Gamecube or the Atari Jaguar.
Next year, however, we'll insist that you invite friends over to play Wii Sports, Super Mario Galaxy and Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. Assuming you still have friends by then, of course. Did you honestly expect them to hang out with you and your Jaguar?
If the mention of World War II still compels you to go about shooting things (typically Nazis) from a first-person perspective, you'd best check out 1Up's weeklong feature that promises to detail every pixel, polygon and private that constitutes the upcoming Call of Duty 3. Taking over from Infinity Ward, developer Treyarch is keen on capitalizing on next-gen technology and the creative freedoms it provides -- with any luck, that means we'll actually be able to open doors in this one. Oh well, we suppose loads of on-screen enemies and trampled blades of grass are just as useful.
The screenshots and video provided are enough to convince us of the game's technical gravitas, but we're obviously much more interested in the Wii version and how it looks to take advantage of the unique control system. A small blurb in the first part of the preview suggests how, while at the same time suggesting that the other two versions of the game are the main focus here. "The Wii version, in development outside Treyarch, shows some potential to bring the player into the game during the Battle Actions in a way the PS3 and 360 won't be able to. Actually wrestling with a German for his gun or actually disarming that explosive are things only the Wii will let you do this gen."
Battle actions are Call of Duty's answer to Shenmue's Quick Timer Events. At certain points during the game, you're required to press certain buttons in order to escape a cinematic struggle or situation. Failure is likely to result in far more unpleasantness than getting smacked in the head by some Japanese kid's soccerball. These sound particularly intriguing if done correctly for the Wii and should make up for some of its inevitable graphical shortcomings. Even then, we have to wonder how long it'll take before we grow tired of crawling through trenches and taking out tanks. Is World War II the new Hoth?
After infamously comparing the Wii to a television, respected and surprisingly non-grumpy game developer, Hideo Kojima, recently revisited the topic of how the next-gen consoles compare to one another. Thankfully, he refrained from using film, cuisine or extreme sports analogies this time. Speaking in a group interview alongside advent child Testuya Nomura and Metal Gear Solid 4's Yoji Shinkawa, Kojima made it clear that he views the technologically advanced PS3 as leading the way to the future. He noted that the high cost of the system would be a necessary evil in order to push the industry to new heights, whereas the Wii could be considered "interesting, but in terms of functions, it's a machine with past concepts."
It's fair to assume that he is referring directly to the Wii's less robust graphical abilities, certainly an important factor when it comes to the sort of cinematic presentation Kojima's games have become known for. However, Kojima goes on to suggest how the PS3 might be improved. "The best thing would be a PS3 with controls like the Wii."
That sounds grand to us ... but it would probably cost a grand too. Money well spent?
Gameworld Network (which is either a network of gameworlds or a gameworld of networks) has posted an epic collection of streaming E3 videos which clearly depicts each and every playable Wii game and how exactly one has to swing, wave, shake, point, wiggle and/or jostle the Wiimote in order to play. Feel free to grab a nearby TV remote and mimic the action. Sure, you'll get absolutely no response, but in the case of Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, that's a pretty good approximation.
Though we wouldn't normally pay much attention to something called a "Corporate Management Policy Briefing," we'll make an exception when it comes to Nintendo and their beloved Wii. Fielding some questions regarding the system's impending launch, Satoru Iwata attempted to assuage some concern over Nintendo's previous cubic console and its muted commercial success. He noted that Nintendo's inability to consistently and timeously release new games after launch stuttered the system's momentum, a problem which, if all goes to plan, won't rear its snarling head in the next round.
"To avoid repeating this with Wii, we have been intensifying the software development, both internally at Nintendo and at developers outside the company, in order to prepare aggressive software lineup for Wii at and after the launch." However, Shigeru Miyamoto (who admits to being occupied by a super secret project) added that Nintendo hasn't greatly increased the number of people working on projects, with over 1,500 people already banging keyboards and waving wiimotes in the hopes of generating more Nintendo classics.
In that case, how exactly does Nintendo plan to intensify software development? If they have stricter management and curtailed development times in mind, how will that affect their forthcoming titles? Careful Nintendo -- striking the perfect balance between quantity and quality isn't going to be easy.
Speaking at a business briefing in Tokyo, Satoru Iwata has declared that our desperate and entirely unhealthy desire to learn the Wii's launch date and price will be satiated by September at the latest. Unless Nintendo's going for a cataclysmic surprise launch strategy (see: Sega Saturn), a release period of late October to early November seems to be a fair guess.
And that's all it is -- a fair guess. As you are no doubt aware, the internet is a veritable minefield of launch dates leaked from top secret sources and overheard exchanges. Watch your step out there.
A recent Cubed3 interview with Scott Hedrick, executive vice president of Opera for Devices, confirms that the Wii's web browser will come loaded on the system, though he thankfully never resorts to that Dreamcast-era phrase, "internet right out of the box." Unlike the DS version of the browser, there will be no need to purchase an additional cartridge in order to enjoy the many wonderful sights sites the internet has to offer.
More interestingly, when questioned about the browser's ease of use, Mr Hedrick notes that surfing the web while at the helm of the Wii should be "as easy if not easier than using Opera on a desktop. For Opera desktop users, surfing on the Wii will be a very familiar experience. Opera will be integrating its unique rendering technologies to compensate for the lower resolution of TVs and the added distance of the user from the TV screen."
There's also a question about the confirmed DS-Wii functionality, though Hedrick wouldn't comment specifically on whether the portable and console versions of the Opera browser would interact at all. With vaguely similar interfaces, it doesn't seem entirely unlikely, but then surely you'd prefer looking at your favorite websites with a Wii in your hand? L0LZ0RZ!
Honestly, we think we deserve some sort of prize for resisting the temptation to concoct a hilarious headline that involves the words "Bleach" and "Wii". Feel free to make your own--just be careful when you choose to inflict them upon us and the countless fans of the manga and anime series.
Sega has unveiled a teaser website for a forthcoming Wii Bleach adaptation, though "teaser" may be somewhat of a strong word to apply to a single image and some cryptic text. We can only assume (and hope) that it promises a hyper-stylized, cel-shaded adventure with plenty of wiimote-waving swordplay. The Wii won't be a success until someone makes one of those, right?
Even after Nintendo's continued insistence that the Wii won't even remotely churn out the kind of graphics seen in other next-gen systems, some still hold out a vague and poorly formulated hope that someone simply forgot to flip a switch somewhere. GameDaily Biz pursued the topic of visuals with ATI's John Swinimer, Senior Public Relations Manager of Consumer Products and came up with the following choice quote: "I think what you saw [on Wii] was just the tip of the iceberg of what the Hollywood chip can bring to the Nintendo Wii."
The thing with an iceberg is that you never know just how far down it goes -- it might not go down nearly as deep as your expectations do. Swinimer goes on to say, "I really don't think that it's about the [specs]; I think it's about the innovation that it brings to the table-the motion-sensing, the always-on capability, which is really cool too-the fact that the chip is powerful enough and responsive enough to be there at a moment's notice, and I think that's pretty cool for the average gamer."
That's not the kind of answer that would imply a forthcoming bloom in graphics. And that's okay. The funny thing is that ATI and to a lesser extent, Nintendo, feel compelled to constantly explain why the Wii's graphical abilities don't stack up to the competition, instead of letting the system speak for itself. You've made your decision, Nintendo, and you've justified it with a strong E3 showing. That's all the explanation you need.
After infamously comparing the Wii to 
