Sure, we could have shown some other E3-centric videos here in our weekly spotlight, but we really wanted an excuse to talk a little more about the fun potential of MySims, which continues to bear a strong (though less anthropomorphic) resemblance to Animal Crossing. We even saw a little guy with a shovel in this trailer. Since there has been no real sign of Animal Crossing for the Wii, this looks ripe to tide us over while we wait. Who knows, we may even (gasp!) like it better.
Also, splashing in a fountain sounds pretty good right about now. Oh, July, July ... how you make us long for December.
Posted Jul 8th 2007 11:15AM by Eric Caoili Filed under: News
Which of these two recently-announced Steven Spielberg games would you want to play?
an action-puzzle simulator that "neatly blends the creativity of the building-blocks game Jenga with the charm of a Saturday-morning cartoon," or
a game in which "you're an ex-secret agent, and the bond that you forge while on the run with [a] computer-controlled woman -- good, bad, indifferent -- determines the nature of her special abilities and the ways in which she'll assist you."
We hope you picked the former because that's the project Electronic Arts and the famed director plan to bring to the Wii! The other title -- the one which Newsweek's N'Gai Croal described as "yet another hit" from Spielberg -- is headed for the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Expounding on the Wii action-puzzle sim, code-named PQRS, Spielberg explained, "It just seemed like a great thing for the entire family to play together over Christmas." We bet you can't wait for Christmas!
Boogie just looks like good, clean dancin' fun and we're really excited about giving it a try, particularly after seeing this new video of ... well, video! Specifically, the video-making function in the forthcoming EA title. Looks very easy to use, and the results are pretty spiffy. Seems that impressions from the Nintendo Media Summit were on target -- Boogie is ready to get down. Now if only we could speed ahead to August!
Cute they may be, but those little Sims are vicious. One can't help but wonder, however, if the little fellow there was singing a raucous round of "You ain't got no ice cream" just before the cone dropped. Then it's not mean to laugh at him. It's karma.
Three new videos of the forthcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix have gone up on IGN. The videos demonstrate a few of Harry's spells and give us a look round Hogwarts. We'll be casting the spells with a flick of the Wiimote, and maybe even incanting them through the mic.
Like Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, the Harry Potter games have been a bit of a mixed bag in the past; Goblet of Fire, for instance, was very much a bogey. This one, however, is looking and sounding very promising. If EA can capture the feel of Hogwarts in the game and get that elusive sandbox gameplay working, then this could be a real treat.
Poor little Sim guy. So cute. So tiny. And yet, so alone in a crowd of loathsome miniature tormenters with nothing better to do than laugh at him for falling on his face. Shouldn't these people be out sprucing up the city? No wonder they had to bring you in on the job -- the other townspeople are obviously empty-headed wastrels who refuse to lift a finger toward the betterment of their town.
Luckily for the guy in the hat, those cobblestones look more like marshmallows than anything else. He'll be up for his revenge in no time! Those girls better run.
We've got several new shots from MySims and have tucked them away in Wii Fanboy's very first gallery, along with some older shots, for your viewing pleasure.
Gamefly has added Wii and DS listings for The Sims 2: Castaway Stories to its website. There's no official confirmation of the title yet from EA, who have only announced it for PC so far. As the title suggests, the game will offer a story mode featuring 'romance and dramatic twists.'
These games could work really well on DS and Wii, particularly if the online/wi-fi aspect is exploited - imagine being able to create and share your avatars - or replays of your characters' most entertaining moments.
Castaway Stories hits the PC in Winter, with DS and Wii versions hopefully arriving shortly after.
EA just announced that the Wii is getting The Sims 2: Pets and really, we can't say we're particularly thrilled. In fact, we're officially torn. The Wii, as a system, is terribly young, despite all the SuperCube remarks some folks like to make. The Wii only has a couple of years behind it, after all. Because of that, we're trying to be patient. One can't expect a revolutionary control system to immediately take root and manifest itself in awesomeness. So we're waiting. And while we appreciate the urge to throw us a few bones while we're waiting, we think we may speak for everyone when we say that, really, we have enough ports. Games that released year are ... well, they're pretty much last year's games, and if we wanted them, we probably played them then. Sure, we understand that if there's a buck to be made by printing a few more discs, someone's going to rush in to make it, but it just seems more and more gratuitous with every new generation. Enough already!
Or are we alone in this sentiment? Maybe we just don't have enough love for the Sims any longer. It's hard, when we're so busy thinking of MySims.
There is one thing that's interesting about The Sims 2: Pets, and that's the possibility of online features. Hurray!
Is it just us, or does MySims look more and more like Animal Crossing with everything we see from it? That's tough, considering it looked like Animal Crossing when it was first announced. But we can't be mad. It's too adorable, and we cannot resist the power of MySims. After the jump, there are enough screenshots to convince even the hardest of hearts.
We're really not sure if these are work (or other public place) safe. They are so freakin' cute that they may cause a complete emotional breakdown. You've been warned.
EA's reimagining of The Sims (aka their take on Animal Crossing) is headed to the US, and there's a brand new English website complete with the cutest trailer you'll probably ever see, game details, and a few screenshots. The trailer is a must-see, and we've tucked it away after the jump for your viewing pleasure. We've already seenmost of the other content on the website, but these adorable chibi Sims never get old.
MySims is also slated for the DS, but don't get too excited ... it'll be months before we see this one on shelves.
While it's still in the discussion stages -- don't listen when your buddy runs up, throws a left hook, and dances around your prone form crowing about Fight Night -- it does seem that there's a good chance that EA's boxing game will make an appearance on the Wii. In an interview with Doghouseboxing.com, producer Michael Blank focused on the need to tailor the controls and the foundation laid in Wii Sports to accommodate the level of detail and realism in Fight Night. We don't think it'll take as much work as they insinuate (Blank is trying hard to distance his boxing sim from the simplistic play in Wii Sports), but at the same time, it's heartening to hear an EA rep say that they're not going to port a game unless they can do it right.
Of course, that doesn't mean that's what's going to happen. After all, Fight Night Round 3 went to the PSP. But a girl can dream, can't she?
EA has released a new video featuring their upcoming Wii-exclusive SSX Blur, but this gameplay video isn't all about showing off the shinyz. Rather, the focus is on the franchise's new dedication to the Wii control scheme, and offers a nice (if not in depth) look at how some of the high-flying, snow-spraying acrobatics will be performed. Even better news -- in motion, the game seems to look better than it did in stills. See for yourself after the jump.
Er, we mean Sims Wii. We can't help but compare it to Animal Crossing, though, both in look and gameplay, since there's a very definite fusion effect going on here. EA's taking a cue from a winner, though, and obviously looking to appeal to Japanese audiences.
Many thought that Sims Wii might incorporate Miis, but that isn't the case. The character design is similarly simplified, with a focus on the facial features of the childlike characters. And rather than resorting to thought bubbles or the pee-pee dance, these new sims will use those detailed faces to demonstrate their changing moods. Animal Crossing's influence permeates the way this Sims is to be played, as well -- you'll build everything, from residences to business, and don't forget the landscaping. That's totally okay with us, as the building was always the best part of the Sims series.
If you didn't catch the trailer awhile back, it's included after the jump. This ain't the Sims you've played before ....
Ubisoft's epic scheme to take over the world -- or at least the gaming industry -- was revealed to the world when Reuters interviewed chief exec Laurent Detoc yesterday. Their dastardly plan? Become the world's numero uno game publisher.
Yeah, as dastardly plans go, that one's pretty tame. But they're serious in their determination to avoid being snapped up by Electronic Arts. Gaming giant EA has been trying to take control of Ubisoft since late 2004. And what's Ubisoft's main weapon in their war? We are ... or more accurately, Wii. Ubi hopes to use their early support of the console and their strong launch lineup to fuel their upward mobility and continued independence. And while Ubisoft just keeps getting better and better, EA is struggling with their sports titles (and more) lately. While we're lately big fans of EA's efforts for the Wii, we may have to land on the side of Ubisoft in the event of a ground war. Let's pray it doesn't come to that. Can't we all just play along?
One of the best things about the gaming community is that there's always someone around who reads things more closely than you do ... and there's always someone who picks out the fine details and airs them for the rest of us, who may be a little slow. Such was the case with 1UP's preview of Wii's Madden '07 and one eagle-eyed GAFfer who spotted this: "Of course, since celebration moves are also FreeMotion you might be inclined to get into them."
The time that's been put into making the Wii version of Madden sync with the controller hasn't been lost on us -- it's suddenly become one of the most exciting titles for the system, in fact. But this, while not really important, is still ... how shall we say ... incredibly awesome. Time to start working on your touchdown dance. Just be wary of those celebration penalties.
EA
Ubisoft's epic scheme to take over the world -- or at least the gaming industry -- was revealed to the world when Reuters interviewed chief exec Laurent Detoc yesterday. Their dastardly plan? Become the world's numero uno game publisher.
