Nintendo Wii Fanboy

One of our astute readers was just speculating in the My Sims DS comments thread about why EA didn't use Miis in My Sims, especially given that the Sims as they appear are very similar to Miis, and now we have an answer: Nintendo is being stingy! According to a quote in Next Generation from a producer at EA named Eric Chartrand, Nintendo hasn't let any of its third-party friends have development tools for integrating Miis into their software. Whether this means they haven't yet or they won't is still unknown.

Nintendo not cooperating with third parties... this sounds familiar somehow. We hope this isn't an ominous portent for the future of non-Nintendo games.

The Next-Gen article is not just about Miis, although they do figure into the whole idea about user-created avatars and content as a step into, and reaction to, the Web 2.0 participatory culture. It's a pretty good read.

[Via NeoGAF]

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!]

According to a post over on a blog at Jeux-France, the latest issue of EGM has some interesting rumors to share. The two of greatest concern to Wii Fanboys is the proposal of a Rez sequel releasing for the Wii, along with Nintendo's Wii Sports title including 30 total games.

A sequel for Rez on the Wii is just about the greatest thing we've ever read. The problem with a rumor like this is that it sounds so good that it just can't be true. We want it, we want it bad, but likely could not survive the fall should it turn out to be fake. We'll remain as suspicious of this rumor as possible, for the time being.

The idea of Wii Sports including over 30 different games is feasible and likely true. This could mean that Wii Sports would have a total of 24 games that we have yet to see (assuming that Wii Orchestra is included in the game and not a title in and of itself). Nintendo could get away with offering half as many games in Wii Sports and ask for full retail price, so the idea of 30 games being a part of the experience is wonderful.

[Via Codename Revolution]

Jen Riley, Electronic Arts publicist,  commented recently that the release of the 2007 edition of their NHL title would not be gracing any Nintendo consoles or handhelds, including the company's next-generation console, the Wii. The company has not decided to totally abandon Nintendo consoles, however, as Jen commented that "many of our other games are continuing to support DS and we hope to be on the Wii in the future."

Now, we can understand not having the game launch on the GameCube, which has all but been forgotten, but to not support the Wii? Even given that EA would have little time to come up with a way to properly utilize the Wiimote in this title, should that be enough for a game to be denied exposure on the system? Just because Nintendo has this groundbreaking control scheme doesn't mean that every game's experience needs to be centered around it.

Next Generation commented on what they believe to be the top 20 publishing giants in America recently, placing Nintendo in 2nd, behind Electronic Arts. Citing the exceptional quality of both their hardware and software, Next Gen was also quick to state the challenges ahead for Nintendo and their Wii (stop laughing) in the year ahead, despite a very strong showing at E3 a little under a month ago. With a solid software lineup in the coming year, along with continued growth of the DS and its library, its an easy assumption to see Nintendo enjoying immense amounts of success in the near future.