Nintendo Wii Fanboy

If you've been concerned that developers are using PS2 and PSP ports as a cheap, fast, and easy way to get games on the Wii, you just may be correct. Patrick Klepek, the new face at MTV's Multiplayer blog, took some time looking into the shelving of the Wii version of Civilization Revolution and some of the issues that led to the decision.

Klepek spoke with Scott Lewis, a programmer at Firaxis, and learned that the Wii version presented a challenge due to the need to create entirely new assets. What isn't addressed, however, is that the DS version likely required as much effort or care as the Wii version ... but as was revealed before, the Wii version was added late, and was releasing late, so it seems unsurprising that, when cuts had to be made, it was the one to go.

For now, it seems that multi-platform titles might offer a cheap and easy Wii solution, if there's already a PS2 or PSP version, but are cross-platform games really the answer for Wii owners? Are we that interested in them? Sometimes, Wii owners have no other real options, as they don't own another system, but we can't help but wonder how many people that really affects. While this move by Firaxis to nix the Wii version of Civilization Revolution (for now, at least) is disappointing, even this blogger -- a diehard Civ fan from way back in the way back -- finds herself more interested in new and innovative titles. More No More Heroes and less Need for Ports Speed. More Opoona, more Zack & Wiki ... and bring the development of these games up to the standard that Wii gamers deserve. Slapdash, hurried titles and last-gen ports are a huge reason third party developers are struggling in places on the Wii, and even the best, most deserving Wii titles suffer from a lack of mainstream advertising and promotion. Maybe it's time developers stopped relying on franchise names and started putting a little more effort in. Of course, well-done ports can work -- look at Resident Evil 4 -- but they're not the majority by far.

"I think the Wii would be perfect for a game like Civ, but we'd have to throw out all of our interface work (and some of our game design decisions) to make it feel like it truly fits on the platform," Lewis said. But will they do all of that? Even when there is an established name to trade on, we can only hope companies take the time to build something for the Wii rather than just throwing things together. Take your time, Firaxis, and build a Civilization for Wii owners. We'll be here.

At first, it was coming, and then it wasn't, and then it was ... and now, once again, Civilization Revolution is a no-go for Wii owners. An unnamed spokesperson for 2K Games confirmed to IGN that the Wii version has been put on hold indefinitely, and a poster by the name of Jason2K at the 2K forums reports that it's a simple matter of manpower. According to said poster, Firaxis didn't have the resources to work on four different versions of the game at once, and it looks like the Wii title, already set to release several months after the others, drew the short straw.

We can only hope to see Firaxis revisit the project in the future, as the Wii (and DS) are spectacular choices for the long-running franchise, considering that their control schemes can closely mimic that of the mouse. The title was set to feature online multiplayer and several features that are being implemented for the new console versions.

[Thanks, mian!]

We spent yesterday going through the big releases that've been announced for next year so far -- Smash Bros. Brawl and/or Wii Fit likely topping your personal "must get" list -- but what about the second-tier games that don't usually receive much press or attention?

Though we haven't forgotten about the low-key releases, we've collected a selection of games and media to ensure that these titles stay on your mind too! Read on for our top ten list of awesome 2008 games that you totally forgot about!

While long-time Nintendo fans might not be all too familiar with the franchise, Civilization has managed to constantly impress and push the envelope iteration after iteration. And, it should have came as no surprise that once it was revealed for the Wii, we were immediately smitten (the inclusion of online play helped). But, this isn't your grandpa's Civilization title, now is it?

During an interview with CVG, Firaxis's Tim McCracken points out that this is a totally new Civilization game, built from the ground up for consoles. It should be noted that there is no shortage of nations on the consoles, either, as Time points out players can play as 16 different nations. From "Alexander the Great, to Bismarck, to Cleopatra - you can play as them and against them." Also, the addition of army creation (where the player takes three of same type of units, places them into the same square, giving that particular army three times the power of the single unit alone). Sounds great to us!

That's not to say some of the other aspects of the franchise didn't make their way into Revolution, as players can still win by making it off the planet to Alpha Centauri, as well as through this blogger's preferred method of victory: global domination.

Are we alone in our extreme enjoyment of the Civilization franchise? Well, we're probably not alone, since it's a big seller, but we mean here. Are you guys on the boat, especially now that we know it'll offer online play? We've played console versions before and have been less than impressed, but we can't help but hope that this time, it'll be as smooth as, say, snot on glass. Which is pretty darned smooth for such an icky image.