Nintendo Wii Fanboy

For those not compulsively checking the official Smash Bros. website daily for bare snippets of information, we here at Wii Fanboy have decided to perform the service of coalescing tidbits into tidbigs. Over the past week, a few interesting details have surfaced.

Most of the reveals are item-based: you may now move freely with projectile weapons (finally!), and as detailed earlier here, the new "Gooey Bomb" item was unveiled. The most interesting new item, however, is the Smash Ball, which activates character-specific "Final Smash" attacks. Mario's is entitled the "Mario Finale" attack, which unleashes a spread-fire explosion attack, and we've seen Link's Triforce blade attack in an earlier video. Since most competitive Smash Bros. players contend without the randomizing effect of items, it'll be interesting to see if this affects higher-level gameplay.

Also unveiled are some of Pit's (of Kid Icarus fame) attacks, which include a controllable arrow of light and limited flight capabilities (most likely the Up+B special). Brawl looks like it's coming together nicely ... do you guys agree?

Even though the series started in Japan back in 1989, and ended in 1996, the tie-in games just keep on coming for Dragon Ball Z. Atari has announced Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 for the Wii and PS2. Like the previous installment on Wii, this is part of the Dragon Ball Z Sparking series in Japan and is developed by Spike.

Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 will include improved Wii controls and over 150 playable characters, which is a lot of big-haired dudes and blonde versions of those same big-haired dudes. The stages will include day/night versions, which opens up a transformation ability for many characters. There's a teaser animation on the Japanese website, but no screens or anything yet.

What did you all think of the last DBZ game on Wii? Are you enthused about another one? Has the series been run into the ground?

Seriously. Best Buy is having a small-yet-appreciated discount on a few of the Wii launch titles. The following reductions should have already taken place:

• Red Steel - $29.99 (formerly $49.99)
• Super Swing Golf - $29.99 (formerly $49.99)
• Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - $39.99 (formerly $49.99)

Perhaps not the finest of titles, but the significant price-cuts to RS and SMB might convince gamers who were on the fence to take the financial plunge. Any of you guys out there going to finally pick one of these titles up? Can we come to your house and play with you (we work for cookies and the occasional mixed drink here)?

[via GoNintendo]

So the Wii has opened up new gameplay possibilities, new control methods, more immersion, and all that. But, unless the Nunchuk is involved, it's also opened up one of your hands. This has created the possibility for completely immersive snacking, wherein you don't have to stop playing even for a second while you stuff your face full of delicious, crunchy tacos (and, possibly, non-taco food items), totally sabotaging your Wii Sports exercise program.

We want to know-- are you guilty of the crime of convenience? Have you succumbed to a sudden banana craving after picking up hundreds and hundreds of them in Super Monkey Ball? Or have you refrained from eating during gameplay, afraid you'll accidentally transfer some Cheeto dust onto the Wiimote?

While Aussie gamers are forced to wait long for games just about all the time, it turns out that in the case of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, the wait just might be a good thing. With some brand new content, including 6 new characters and a new arena, will Aussie gamers even want to take part in this game, which received some fairly mediocre review scores. So, Australian gamers, are you looking forward to this game? Does the extra content bring you down off the fence?

Alright, we admit it. Dragon Ball Z happens to be one of our favorite series. It's easy get caught up in 30 episodes where each one is a continuation of the same battle. And it is always worth it to see Goku slip in a famous Kamehameha.

Being fans of the games as well, we are always happy to see another DBZ fighter come out. Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 promises a lot with 130 playable characters and a new way of fighting using the Wiimote. Pressing buttons in this game will only get you so far. You must thrust, twist, turn, and "punch" the controller. We can hardly wait to be punching the hell out of some living room air to try and accomplish some of the best moves from DBZ.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is set to release November 22. As always, click continue to see the trailer.

[Via IGN]

Watching the videos for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz makes us realize that the Wii is all about bringing people together and having fun. True, we already knew this but it never really sinks in until we see it in action.

Take this new mini game -- who would have thought that jump rope could work effectively in a game? We can see four people struggling to try and keep the rhythm of the rope and we know that there are going to be a lot of cheaters out there wanting to use their actual feet to get you out of the way. We are looking at you younger/older brothers and sisters, boyfriends, girlfriends and way competitive friends!

Jump rope doesn't require any button presses, just a flick of the wrist up when you have to make your character jump. The rope changes pace -- some of the players got caught when it went from slow to fast and back down again. Check out the video to see what we are talking about.

Those guys over at IGN managed to get ahold of the latest build for Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and came away impressed. In going over the preview, they managed to pry loose tons of details about the game.

The game will take the sandbox approach (free-roaming story mode) and offer 50 hours of gameplay to complete the single-player story. The entirety of the game's content will follow the manga, anime, and many movies, featuring over 120 characters.

The game will allow fusion characters such as Gotenks and Vegito to join in on the action, along with a highly-customizable system for each character in the game. Customizing can be done on multiple levels, from cosmetic looks to combos, moves, and special powers. This is all done via an in-game money system allowing the player to purchase upgrades. All of the characters will have optional Japanese voiceovers and fight in interactive arenas twice the size of previous games. Also confirmed is that gamers will have a choice between using the Wiimote or plugging in their GameCube controller to play the game. Finally, the Wii version is to have enhanced graphics when compared to the PS2 game.

Sega announced today that its popular Monkey Ball franchise would be hitting the Revolution in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz. The most notable new feature at the moment is the ability to make your monkey jump at anytime by flicking the Revolution's remote upward, assumably in the same manner as the Super Mario Sunshine mockup Revolution video demonstrates. The party games are making a full comeback as well, with players being able to use the remote in minigames such as "Whack-a-Mole."

In the spirit of the announcement, news site 1up has posted a preview and small interview with Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi. When asked about transitioning the game to the Revolution and utilizing the unique features of the remote, Toshihiro was obviously tight-lipped, what with E3 fast approaching, but did say  "Once you get your hands on the game you'll realize how natural it feels...instead of tilting the controller lever, players will be tilting the controller itself to tilt the game board."

An official press release describes our recent post about a new DBZ game coming to the Revolution. Officially dubbed Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2, the game is set for release later this year during the holidays and features a roster of over 100 fighters, 15 different environments, and over 9 game modes. In regards toward the control scheme of the Revolution's remote, nothing more is said beyond that the player will be able to use it to reenact some of the series' more noteworthy moves such as Goku's Kamehameha. Keep an eye on E3 for more information on this upcoming title.

Shonen Jump magazine recently ran news of Bandai's first Revolution offering being none other than a Dragon Ball Z title. Not much else is said about the game, but we're fairly certain there'll be a significant number of individuals with over-grown, over-bleached, over-radioactive hair. There is also surely going to be a lot of grunting, powerful auras of concentrated energy, and a fight or two.

[via Go Nintendo]