Nintendo Wii Fanboy

We promised an update, so here we are! That oft-discussed Nintendo Power cover did contain some righteous screens of Sonic and the Black Knight within its papery (Remember paper? The stuff you learned stuff from before the internet?) depths, and we commandeered the above shot for your viewing pleasure.

This new Sonic adventure takes the series in a new direction which, as evidenced by fans continuously lamenting the destruction of the franchise, is sorely needed. The initial reaction hasn't been positive, as fans don't expect this game to be some kind of salvation. Some gameplay details have been revealed, including multiple characters (namely Shadow and Knuckles), different sword maneuvers, and a system which earns knighthood points depending on your good or bad actions during levels. Oh, and his sword is named Calibur, and it talks.

Well, we all wanted Sonic to go really fast, and that turned out to be a big bust, so what now? Do you feel like a passenger on a train bound for Shovelware City? Check out the rest of the scans at Gamekyo and have your say.

Not all speedruns are worth covering on Wii Fanboy, but when the game is Ninja Gaiden, we think everybody should know about it. We were happy the one time we made a run of Ninja Gaiden, and that took like a week. But not only did Tommy Montgomery complete Ninja Gaiden, but he did so in a record-setting 13:49.

That's it. We quit gaming. You guys can go watch the video after the break, then download Ninja Gaiden on the Virtual Console and try it yourselves.Check the link for videos of other Ninja Gaiden speedruns too. We're just going to sit for a minute, and reevaluate our lives.

Looking for a way to waste time with the Virtual Console? Well, if you do this right, you won't be wasting much time at all. This Super Mario Bros. speedrun performed by Andrew Gardikis takes only five minutes. In comparison, the Super Mario Brothers movie is 20.8 times longer.

The coolest thing about this speedrun is that it makes use of Mario glitches inherent in the game, but seems to be done without save state assistance. That means that it's theoretically possible to replicate it on your Wii or your NES. Oh, but only if you're awesome. And just to rub it in a little, only Andrew Gardikis has proven to be this awesome. Sorry, everyone else, including ourselves!

[Via Game|Life]

IGN has posted a video developer diary for EA's upcoming racer Need For Speed Carbon. Obviously, being the Nintendo version of the multi-platform game, we care most about the controls. Understanding such, that is the focal point for the majority of the video. IGN doesn't allow their videos to be embedded, so you're going to have to go over there the old-fashioned way.

[Thanks Marc!]

Newsweek has got a bit of an exclusive look at the upcoming Need for Speed: Carbon for the Wii. Why them? Bah! But some interesting details were divulged nevertheless.

As expected, the default control configuration for NFS: Carbon is the one of simplicity, found also in Excitetruck and a mini-game in Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. Turn the Wiimote on its side, and viola, instant steering wheel. But for you pros out there, there are three alternatives for your particular racing style. The first involves holding the Wiimote at a 45 degree angle, tilting forward to accelerate and back to brake; the nunchuk is tilted left and right for steering. The second and third have the Wiimote held at a 90 degree angle; acceleration is handled by tilting forward as before, but now braking is mapped to the Z button on the nunchuk. One of these two uses the motion sensing in the nunchuk for steering, the other merely uses the analog stick.

Anyone else think these options are cool as hell, (partially) mimicking a stick shift configuration?

[Thanks, Marc and Dave!]

Leipzig has caused a slow and sure trickle of news and finally we're able to report on some information specific to Need For Speed: Carbon on the Wii. With a trio of surprisingly lovely snapshots and controls similar to that of Excite Truck, we're very excited for this latest installment in the series. Also, the player will be able to slow down their car by pulling the Wiimote toward their body.

The presenters noted that the graphics weren't anywhere near what they wanted them to be, concentrating fully on the game's controls at the present time, but we think things aren't looking too shabby as they are.

[Via NeoGAF]

On the official forums for Electronic Arts, an EA employee with the forum handle of eacomsmoothie has revealed a long list of race modes that will be available in the upcoming Need for Speed melting pot. While it took us until the third of July to catch his post, he had left his reply as to give us all something to think about over the holiday weekend. Of these modes, returning favorites Drift, Sprint, Circuit, and Speedtrap will help maintain the same flavor of past NFS titles, while new modes in Canyon Race, Canyon Duel, and Canyon Drift will help add some variety to the mix. While more modes are hinted at, the poster did not mention anything beyond implying that the police will be a bit tougher this time around.

[Thanks Aaron!]

Some of the first details on the upcoming Need for Speed: Carbon have made their way to your eager eyes, by way of the latest issue of Game Informer magazine. Being billed as half NFS: Underground and half NFS: Most Wanted, the game will feature police chases along with the customization system that existed in the Underground titles. The single-player experience will be new, however, as the player is now charged with taking over territories. Three different maps will have players racing for command over seven different territories within each map.

Another new addition to the formula is Canyon Racing. In these races, the track is narrow and you must fight for track with other competitors, racing along huge drop offs that present the danger of a long fall followed by fiery demise. There is also a team-based mode in the works for the game, but no details have been revealed on that as of this time.