Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Following word that they would be doing so, EA has revealed its EA Sports 'All-Play' line-up of Wii games. These Wii titles feature a new casual approach, which include mini-games, as well as simplified controls. The titles also include simplified versions of each individual sport, including 5-on-5 in Madden or 8 vs. 8 in FIFA.

[Via Joystiq]

Starting today until this Saturday, Target will have six of its Wii games for sale for only $37.00! As you can see from the list below, they're not all crap, either!

• Super Mario Galaxy
• Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
  
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
• Need for Speed: Prostreet
• Madden NFL 08
• Smackdown vs Raw

Most of these titles are already out of stock on Target's online shop, but you should still be able to pick them up at a brick and mortar location. If you've been putting off on buying Super Mario Galaxy to accommodate your Christmas budget, with the holiday now behind us and this great deal, you can make this long overdue purchase without having to feel guilty about it!

[Thanks, Tofufa!]

The latest commercial pushing the "Family Play" aspect of EA's sports titles is actually pretty good. Just the sight of an old lady screaming "This is my house!" is enough to send us into giggling fits. We don't know how family-friendly the games themselves are, but we can see this marketing campaign being pretty effective.

Even in a month when hardware sales are down, Nintendo's Straight Up Success bus just keeps on rolling. Let's hope this keeps on challenging Iwata and company to avoid "doing the easy." Even the re-priced Xbox 360 couldn't compete with the Nintendo juggernaut.

• Nintendo Wii: 403K
• Nintendo DS: 383K
• Microsoft Xbox 360: 277K
• Sony PS2: 202K
• Sony PSP: 151K
• Sony PS3: 131K

In software, however, the story was different. After Metroid Prime 3's moment in the spotlight, Bioshock's longer release window won out between those two. Nintendo games barely even struggled into the top five, with Wii Play and its extra controller snapping up that spot. Madden, which is its own juggernaut, dominated sales last month. To see the top ten titles, slip past the break.

With Madden 08 being on store shelves for two days now, we're sure the game has sold half a billion copies. Unlike the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, which are almost exact copies of each other, the Wii version stands out as a unique title. Also, we can play online without friend codes. Oh, how sweet it is.

What did the critics have to say about the game?

• IGN (85/100) says it's a big improvement over last year, but still has its faults: "The game makes great use of motion with better-implemented and easier to pull off moves than 07, it has more modes, far more multiplayer both locally and now online, and is generally superior in nearly every regard. On the flipside, Wii's second Madden still suffers from a ton of last-generation bugs, with everything from moronic AI and cheap pass defense to disappearing pass icons and odd camera glitches that cloak the entire playfield in blur effects."

• Cheat Code Central (84/100) lauds the game's new additions: "A great game. The new additions to the title are innovative and impact the gameplay positively. Online play will prove to be a boon for Wii owners, the Party mode helps make the title stand out on this console, and the high quality graphics make it competitive with the other versions."

• GameSpot (80/100) finds the game to be appealing to fans of football and those curious as to what it's all about: "As it is, it's a great follow-up with a few quirks that are mostly forgivable. For fans of last year's game, or those curious for the first time about football on the Wii, Madden 08 is worth checking out."

• GameDaily (80/100) thinks not only the football is fun, but all of the other extras, as well: "Don't purchase Madden NFL 08 expecting beautiful visuals and slick looking menus. Buy it because you crave a more interactive experience as well as modes that you can't find in the other versions. With 22 mini games, trivia and fun controls, this gridiron giant runs the pigskin into the end zone."

So, have any of you picked this up? What do you think so far?

Are you ready for some football?!

No, well ... move along, then. Because there isn't anything else releasing this week. See, this week is for those who crave the feel of the bumps of the pigskin, the sound of half-a-million screaming fans as you drive toward the endzone, and that nail-biting moment with 3 seconds on the clock and you're kicking a game-winning 47-yard field goal. These are the moments that define the sport.

Never let it be said that EA can't innovate! Whatever we usually think of EA Sports, their new Family Play control system is really cool.

Madden '08, NBA Live '08, and FIFA Soccer '08 will all include Wiimote-and-Nunchuk-based control schemes that will allow players to "take full control of the game"-- running, passing, kicking (not so much in NBA Live) and such. But they'll also include simplified Wiimote-only control schemes that reduce the games to Wii Sports-level . The controls become fully gestural, and the AI takes over some of the gameplay tasks that were previously yours.

The coolest part? You can switch back and forth on the fly, just by plugging in or unplugging the Nunchuk. Even the method of choosing controls is streamlined. We are quite impressed.

We already heard about how big online gaming would be for the Wii in 2008, but we didn't expect that EA, of all studios, would be fighting for us to have a better online experience on the Wii. Either that, or they're just too lazy and don't want to retool an interface and online package for their Wii version of Madden 08. Regardless of what it is, they've got the right idea: no friend codes. We don't want them, you don't want them, so why use them?

Hopefully, Nintendo won't fight them to change this.

[Via Cubed3; Thanks, Zero!]

Rumorreporter is reporting on a pair of EA's biggest sports franchises coming to the Wii in 2008 and, more importantly, going online. Joining the ranks of Mario Strikers: Charged and Pokemon Battle Revolution, EA's Madden and FIFA franchises are both going to claim their stake in the fertal lands of the Wii's Wi-Fi functionality.

This news, which supposedly comes from a variety of sources including the latest issue of Nintendo Power (July, 2007), points toward the already set structures of online play for each franchise living on through the Wii (leaderboards, roster updates and ESPN ticker updates). The piece does say that friend codes will be implemented, however won't affect the overall grand scheme of things as gamers will still be able to challenge and play complete strangers. Also, no voice chat will be supported, but EA's instant-messaging feature will survive.

[Thanks, Taylor!]

As a manga-based sports game, Eyeshield 21: Field Saikyou no Senshi Tachi has more in common with Mutant League Football than any release of Madden. The different teams have special attacks corresponding to their bizarre mascots (e.g. Devil Bats and guitar-playing Spiders), and players celebrate touchdowns by firing automatic weapons into the air. What's not to love?

As Siliconera's import preview explains, Eyeshield 21 cuts the American sport down to its very basics. The abridged playbook offers only four options, you don't actually control your character when running, and almost every gameplay aspect is handled through timed mini-games with the Wii remote.

This streamlined approach might sound like all the fun has been taken out of the game, but Eyeshield 21 keeps players entertained with continuous action and a high-octane soundtrack. If you're still not convinced, head past the post break for some gameplay footage.

We've had enough time now with the Wii to discover some real gems (how many hours have you put into just Wii Sports so far?) ... but like any system, there are also a few duds, particularly within the launch window. If you're looking to expand your collection, or if you're one of the Wii-less trying to figure out how to budget when your day comes, we're here to help you find the best and the worst of the Wii so far.

What started as a rumor has been confirmed to be true: Madden 07 for the Wii uses the Forecast Channel to determine weather for games. That's pretty awesome, if you ask us, as we're from Philly and are very much into sports. Adding another dynamic such as this to the experience can only improve our love for the title as it destroys ceilings and shoots off into the stratosphere.

It's all pretty easy, asking that you only set the game to read from the system client and upon starting the game, you'll see your current default city's weather in-game. Cool for us, as weather in Philly ranges, but if you're in some place such as Seattle, well it could get kind of boring after you've played your 8th or so game in a row with rain. Obviously, if your team plays in a dome, this doesn't apply ...

[Thanks Brandon!]

[Update: Looks like we were all fooled! This indeed is not the case and it turns out the person who confirmed this was just lucky the first go around and found it to not consistently work. We apologize for the error.]

When the big man speaks, we listen. And yes, we're referring to the deity that is Reggie Fils-Aime, standing atop his mighty pedestal after supplanting Zeus for the title. He was recently on Spike TV's GameHead, speaking rather generically about the Wii. But, as you may have guessed, there was a diamond in the rough: the news that the first multiplayer online Wii games will be announced in Q1 2007 and start shipping in Q2. Finally!

We're a little disappointed that online didn't come right out of the box; God knows some games really could have benefitted: Madden 07, Call of Duty 3, and Red Steel certainly could have used the boost. Still, at least a smidgeon of online functionality is coming quite soon, with the ability to trade custom levels in Elebits via the magic of the internet intertron. That's its new name. Thus have we spoken, and thus it is so.

[We don't normally steal our sister site Joystiq's pictures, but this one was just too good.]

In this video demonstration of Madden 07 for the Wii, the developers showcase some of the title's unique controls and new tutorial features. Aimed at introducing those who might not be particularly familiar with the pigskin to the sport, the video does a much better job of providing an accurate portrayal of the experience through action rather than the diagrams seen in the past.

As always, the video is embedded into the post after the break.

[Thanks Nmaster!]