Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Hudson just sent us a press release stating that Marble Saga: Kororinpa will be making its way to North America in the spring of 2009. The sequel to Marble Mania: Kororinpa, the game will feature Balance Board support (which we already knew about), Wi-Fi compatibility and lots of new levels to explore. On top of that, there's also 4-player local multiplayer to enjoy, as well as "customization features."

Hit up our gallery below for some new screens and if you want to see the game in motion, check out the GC 2008 trailer here.


[Via press release]

If you've managed to get this far in your internet life without running into Goatse, congratulations! Do yourself a favor and keep it that way -- trust us on this one.

It has been months since Chinese accessory manufacturers last entertained us with inane Wii remote attachments; we were beginning to fear that they had run out of wacky ideas! But here comes the Ball Bearing Maze Special Salver [sic] to cure our accessory doldrums!

With this handy, Kororinpa-branded product, all you need to do is drop your remote into that center compartment, and you'll have more exciting, immersive experience playing marble/labyrinthine games such as Kororinpa: Marble Mania and, uh, that's it. Similarly designed games like Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Mercury Meltdown Revolution, and Dewy's Adventure all require easy access to the controller's buttons, so this accessory wouldn't work well with those.

Couple that limited support with the Maze Special Salver's pricing, $27.99 plus shipping/handling, and this attachment looks almost as unattractive as the terrible image its design alludes to. You would be better off taping your remote to a cafeteria tray!

[Via Go Nintendo]

Playing the Wii and cutting people open are the same things, really. Okay, not really. But, according to science, playing Wii games can help improve one's surgical skills.

Studies showed that trainees performed better in virtual reality surgical simulations after getting in some Wii time first. Those who played the Wii before testing their surgical skills scored 50% higher in the simulation than those who didn't.

Of course, not all Wii games are fashioned for improving dexterity. We don't imagine that Wii Boxing, for example, would be good for anything except tenderizing organs. Titles that require delicacy and precision, though, like Marble Mania, had positive results. We're curious to know whether or not Trauma Center would be useful to blossoming surgeons, but unfortunately, the game was not mentioned (and perhaps not used) in the study.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]