Nintendo Wii Fanboy

There's an interesting tidbit over at IGN. At the bottom of one of their articles on the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero: World Tour, you'll notice a little blurb with an asterisk. It reads: "*Online gameplay is only available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Wii and may require an additional subscription." Subscription?

Part of us thinks this ties into the whole music-sharing thing that was revealed during GC 2008. Remember, there Activision commented on paying for the ability to upload more of your own custom tracks. So, is this something to do with that? Or, are Wii owners going to need to pay a bit extra? We're thinking it'll have something to do with the music creation, but until we hear definitive word, this one's going to be left open for debate.


[Thanks, Robert!]

After confirming Kid Icarus for the Wii, Matt Cassassminasiissanisina from IGN has made a wee comment that's sure to disappoint gamers around the globe: "Uh-oh. Looks like we're going to have to wait a little longer than E3 to see the kid fly again. Not too long, though, hopefully."

Well, at least we won't waste our time during the Nintendo press conference hoping and praying for a Kid Icarus showing. Instead, we can focus on filling up the remaining spaces on our lovely E3 Bingo cards.

There's a big game coming for the Wii this holiday -- we know this because Reggie said so -- and IGN's Matt Cassa Casamasi C. has virtually confirmed what most had anticipated: it's Kid Icarus. Speaking on IGN's most recent Nintendo Voice Chat podcast, Casamassina blurted: "Of course [Nintendo is] going to have some E3 surprises. You know, Kid Icarus, for crying out loud, how many times do we have to say Kid Icarus? Kid Icarus is coming for crying out loud."

So there you go -- can't say we're hugely surprised to hear of Pit's return, but that doesn't mean we're looking forward to it any less. Casamassina refused to reveal who was behind it, but we hear the folks at Retro are currently kicking back and taking a break from the Metroid universe ... *

* Wanton speculation.

[Via Joystiq]

Personal story time, kiddies. I went out this morning to run some errands and pick up Okami, when, as I was leaving the Target, I noticed something weird about the boxart. I didn't recall us posting it on the site, so I spent some time glancing at the cover. It was then I noticed something very weird around Ameratsu's mouth: an IGN watermark.

"No, I didn't just see that," I told myself, as I placed the game back into the plastic bag the cashier put it in. Then, when I got back to the office, I checked a second time. And there it was again, sitting right where it was when I first spotted it. I quickly got online to see if anyone else caught this and lo and behold, our cruel overlords had reported on a thread at NeoGAF all about this.

So yeah, now I feel like I want to return it. I know the watermark shouldn't bother me (it's pretty lultastic), but ... but it just does.


[Via Joystiq]

Oddly, IGN announced that EA's Skate would be coming to the Wii and DS, but then pulled the article soon after. It seems as if EA wasn't ready for this announcement to be made, although now it's a little too late -- the evidence is on Google.

While there's a small chance that this announcement was a mistake, or a belated April Fools' joke, we're going to make the safe bet that an official announcement on the game, to be called Skate It!, will be coming soon.

We also find the timing of this announcement interesting. It doesn't surprise us that EA would try to capitalize on its franchise by bringing it to Nintendo systems, but why bring Skate to the Wii after all this time? Could it be because the Balance Board will soon be available with the release of Wii Fit? We think so.

[Via Destructoid]

In their latest podcast, called "Nintendo Voice Chat," the IGN crew hinted pretty strongly at a Wii Kid Icarus game. At about the 12:30 mark in the March 18th show, the group turns to Reggie's mysterious E3 surprise. "Could be Kid Icarus," Matt Casamassina said, "We've already chatted about that -- don't know if it's going to be that. We do know that that game exists."

Here, Matt seems to be referring to the previous week's Wii-k in Review (ugh), in which he said that Kid Icarus would "absolutely" be on the Wii in 2008. Any sources? Of course not! "The rumors are out there," he said. Is he using his own rumor from a previous week as confirmation?

We wouldn't be surprised about a Kid Icarus game at this point, if only because people are so crazy about the rumor now. But we'll just say that Nintendo does not care about the franchise, or there would have been a third game by now. That means that they would undoubtedly be outsourcing it -- to Factor 5 or someone else.

One really enjoyable feature in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the Stage Builder. Not only is it a medium for players to channel some of their creativity, but it's also fun to try out stages that other people have made.

There are limits to the stage builder, though. You can't just peruse user-created levels at will -- you're limited to either the ones that Nintendo features, or the ones that your friends send you. Fortunately, IGN has created a web page for users to share and download Brawl levels with ease. For example, if you want to play on the N64 Hyrule Castle stage, just check out this fan recreation.

IGN has also provided some helpful directions explaining how to upload a level onto the site and download someone else's to play. Before you head on over and check them out, though, be warned that some of the stage screenshots depict spoiler characters.

So, what are some of your favorites?

[Thanks, Brent and David!]

Clearly, people kicking around IGN love them some Mario, even to the exclusion of anthing else on the Wii. This screencap turned up on Digg recently, showing recent user activity, and it's just a parade of plumberly love. Look, we like Mario as much as the next rabid and frothing Nintendo fan ... but do you think this is an accurate representation of what's interesting on our favorite console?

[Via Digg]

Maybe it's us. Maybe we're the ones who just don't get it. But the last time we checked, lots of Nintendo fans enjoy cuteness (hi2u, Kirby!) and the look of Miis, and it doesn't mean we magically became casual gamers overnight. However, to hear IGN tell it, a fondness for anything cute obviously means it's family-friendly ... which these days, seems to be code for "non-hardcore." IGN confirms that theory when, at the bottom of their latest MySims preview -- which is as devoid of actual content as they claim the game to be -- they say, "This isn't likely to be a game that appeals to hardcore gamers, but families will probably enjoy some innocent fun in a creative environment that will provide some interesting challenges and problem solving."

Did we maybe miss a memo about how games can't be fun? Because we like to think of ourselves as pretty hardcore -- we like to sweat and toil and swear our way through hours and hours of gaming of all types -- but we also like to have fun. If MySims is fun, how is it somehow only okay for families and not "real" gamers? The preview doesn't deny the fun factor. And there's no age limit on being a hardcore gamer. So what gives?

We can only guess that the folks at IGN have never heard of a little game called Animal Crossing ... or maybe they just assume that only children want to beat up Tom Nook when he starts asking for his mortgage payments. After all, seems that MySims is pretty much Animal Crossing that trades the animals in for more building elements, and nothing in their preview contradicts that image ... except their idea that "hardcore gamers" won't like it. Personally, we're looking forward to giving it a try. The building elements of The Sims were always fun, and perhaps this new spin will make the actual gameplay more engaging.

He goes on to say that the last time IGN shattered the illusion of objectivity to promote a game (our words) was for Eternal Darkness. Because Zack & Wiki is such a competent and fun game, reminiscent of the classic PC adventure games, it is absolutely worth buying and evangelizing, in his opinion, but it may need help getting noticed.

Bafflingly, Casamassina thinks that the game could be in sales trouble because it's cartoony and doesn't depict realistic, gritty violence. That may have been the case a couple of years ago, but ... has he heard of this "Wii" thing?

Traditionally, the A and B buttons have mapped to horizontal and vertical slices, respectively. In true waggle fashion, Namco has felt fit to physically map these actions to the Wiimote. We're wary; the recognition will probably be fine, but seeing as how at least two-thirds of all moves in previous Soul Calibur titles involved the use of one (or both? What the heck?) of these actions, this might wear out its welcome very, very quickly. Also, the nunchuck is shaken for "evasion," whatever that means (guard impact?).

The title will allow for tag-teaming against a boss, as a second player can join in for cooperative fun. There's traps and obstacles and all that lovely goodness as well; for some more minor details, check out the in-depth IGN report. With the announcement of the true Soul Calibur 4 for the PS3 and 360 yesterday, are you guys still excited for this?

First came the pictures, now come the words. Rayman: Raving Rabbids 2 has released more information in three days than Nintendo has, ever, on some of their games announced years ago. They could learn a thing or two.

First up are some hands-on impressions of the title, courtesy of IGN. The game almost essentially ditches the concept of playing as Rayman (he's in disguise as a rabbid) so that the game can focus on the carrot-loving crazies. More minigames have had competitive modes added (very few had this option in the original), and the game will allow you to customize your rabbid with a whole slew of ridiculous accessories. Awesome.

We also thought it would be worth mentioning that this time, Raving Rabbids 2 is completely exclusive to Nintendo platforms, the Wii and the DS. The whole insane minigame thing loses 68.3% of its appeal without the Wiimote anyway, so this makes perfect sense.

BAHHHHHHHH!

The clues are beginning to come together: there's a countdown on the official site of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and some rumblings of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption news coming around May 20th. In this month once reserved for the mighty E3, it's been quite some time since Nintendo has held a major press conference. Finally, good 'ol Matt has made it perfectly clear in a recent IGN Mailbag: he's on his way to Seattle next week for some mysterious reason, and it's not for Starbucks.

About freakin' time, Nintendo. For a company still claiming that the big three will release in 2007, they've been awfully tight-lipped about the impending trio. We look forward to bringing you some surely awesome news coming next week ... uh, you know, assuming that this actually happens.

IGN recently published a story where they look at the possibilities of how the franchise could be once it comes to the Wii. Their views are interesting, but we can't seem to take our eyes off of the above mock-up of how the guitar controller could look. We want it bad. The SG model, along with fretboard docking station for the Wiimote, make this the coolest Guitar Hero controller mock-up we've ever seen.

[Thanks, Nelson!]

It's been a dry spell lately when it comes to news of our wet friend Dewy, but IGN got their hands on an early build of Konami's game recently and presents a new video of in-game footage, along with several screens. Many might be willing to shrug this off as just another kiddy offering on the console, but we loves us some platforming, so we pay no attention to those folk. You shouldn't either, instead paying attention to the video at IGN (won't embed for some reason) and following that up by checking out the screens there.