Nintendo Wii Fanboy

While you may be able to play Raving Rabbids TV Party with your butt, you probably can't use your butt to look at the new screenshots that have surfaced. If you can? Well, we don't really want to hear about it, thanks.

Once you start looking for butt, you realize that it's everywhere. Just check out this screenshot -- you've got a rabbid clinging to this poor bovine creature's ass with his ass ... and what's the move called? Backside tail grab. Listen, we're not insinuating anything about Ubisoft here. We're just pointing out the obvious.

It's full of mini-games, of course, and features some of the most popular records -- like growing the longest fingernails, and eating a jumbo jet. Sounds ... gross. World Records enables players to compete in such prestigious events via "accessible game mechanics." No clue what these actually are, but if it involves sitting around for 50 years growing long fingernails, then at least it'll score highly for longevity. It's released in Q3 2008, if you can wait that long to participate in the "most remarkable activities in the world."

[Via press release]

If you're sick of Wii Sports golf (which you shouldn't be), then perhaps the greatest golfer of all time can tear you away from those charismatic Miis. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 has dug up some new gameplay videos from the rough, and the on-screen indicators give examples of the Wiimote in action. It looks good so far, and we're gunning for an improvement over the already pretty good gameplay of its predecessors.

The two videos found after the break run Tiger through some basic holes, and show off the rather impressive graphics quite well. The trailer above, however, features some of the zany mini-games found within Golf Party, where the Wiimote is put to unique use in a bunch of different games for up to four players. Golf Party looks pretty gosh darn fun, and it's a welcome addition to the otherwise slow pace of the professional golf circuit.

Ubisoft has continued on its quest to make us sneer at almost everything it attempts by announcing "Play Zone," a new Wii-exclusive division focused on "party games." Hey, we hear it's what's hot nowadays! Ubisoft's first contribution to this festival of mediocrity is Sports Party or, as North American readers will know it, Digital Embryo's Summer Sports: Paradise Island, which Ubisoft has snapped up the European publishing rights to.

Says Ubisoft marketing director John Parkes: "With our new Play Zone party titles, the Wii gamers who like to spend time with friends and family will have fun with the Wii through innovative and involving mini-games." Join us in the gallery and we'll all hold each other and cry.


[Via press release]

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! You there, the big winner with the pretty lady! How about taking a shot at our fantastic Take-Em-Out game -- where everybody wins! The rules are simple -- grab your wallet, skillfully dig deep and take out $40! Hand it over to the smiling gentleman, and you have scored a great prize for your girlfriend! It's true, Take-Em-Out is the easiest way to have fun!

If there wasn't any reason to pick up Carnival Games before, is the promise of a free t-shirt going to tip the scales in Wal-Mart's favor? Well, probably - Carnival Games is one popular piece of software, free T-shirt or not. If you buy (and wear) this, hundreds of Wii owners are sure to point and nod approvingly. Best of all, there's even more opportunities on the horizon to become popular with the Carnies.

[Via GoNintendo]

Perhaps the updates on Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon have been few and far between, but Square Enix has made up for it with a sudden blitz of media from the upcoming title. The screenshots are bright and beautiful, though for the most part, they seem embiggened versions of the DS's Final Fantasy Fables title. Of course, the two are similar -- they feature a largely similar cast, mini-game elements, and obviously, supercute Chocobo himself. But while the DS game was simply a blend of adventure, mini-games, and card battles, the Wii title is set to focus on more dungeon-crawling, with a heavy dose of RPG elements.

We're a little wary of the watered-down roguelike-lite gameplay in Chocobo's Dungeon, but when push comes to shove, we're suckers for Square Enix (and anything with a job system). Come July 8, any hesitation will probably disappear in a single squee of ultimate joy.


[Via press release]

The balance board is certainly smaller than most exercise equipment, which means it obviously requires less space, right? Not necessarily. Anyone who hasn't yet purchased Wii Fit, but is considering it, needs to sit down and consider a few things before bringing home the balance board. Space, room design, and location of the television can all impact your exergaming experience, so we've put together a quick guide to designing your optimal workout space for Wii Fit.

Despite the Rabbids showing us how the Balance Board ought to be used, we couldn't confirm that the next addition to the series would go nuts with the whole leaning and weight-shifting thing. However, the teaser wasn't teasing and among TV Party's 65 mini-games, many (maybe even most) will use the Balance Board.

If using Wii Fit was enough to make your friends laugh stupidly (they are right to do so), then getting down with these crazy critters is enough for them to consider finding new people to hang out with.


[Thanks, RingmasterJ5!]

If you own a Wii, it's a safe bet you own more than one remote ... and you probably picked up that second remote with a copy of Wii Play. Why not? For an extra ten bucks, Nintendo threw in some mini-games, and for some reason, this aroused the ire of selected gamers and reviewers around the globe (including some who didn't even bother to play it).

Want a spare controller for your 360 or PS3? You're going to drop a similar amount of cash and get ... a controller. Want something extra? You're boned, friend; take your controller and like it. Not so for Wii owners, for whom a second controller is pretty much a necessity; after all, so many of the Wii's games depend on an in-house multiplayer experience, rather than the single-flesh-person online experience the other consoles tend to offer. Sure, that's a drawback in a lot of cases, but it's fact: the Wii is great for party games, so you need a spare remote or three. Period. Which is why the Wii Play bundle is not only brilliant, but an excellent bargain for Wii owners. You get nine small games for ten bucks -- and that's a deal any way you slice it.

But this goes beyond the idea of price. Not only is Wii Play a surprisingly good mini-game collection for ten bucks, but it's an effective game in its own right. Sure, it lacks the depth of most full-fledged games, but it beats the pants off a few, namely Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz and Carnival Games. Pound for pound, Wii Play is certainly a better deal than either of those titles. The first features a few completely unplayable mini-games (and has review scores I will never understand), and the second feels half-finished in many respects. Wii Play, however, can be a blast! Grab a friend and sit down for a few rounds in the shooting gallery, or half an hour with Tanks! or Charge!, and then tell us that it was the worst experience of your life. Unless you hate fun, you're probably going to manage to have a little.

Further, the mini-games of Wii Play seem tailor made to teach new gamers how to use the Wii remote in different ways; simply by playing, you learn to point and shoot, to grab and move items, and to "drive" while holding the remote sideways. There's a good reason for this -- Wii Play started its life as a tech demo, but that actually makes it very useful as an in-home title. Like it or not, many Wii owners (or users) are new to gaming, or returning to the hobby, and games like Wii Sports and Wii Play get them accustomed to manipulating the controller ... which means they'll probably want more games. That gives the more robust gamers more people to play with. Everybody wins.

Does that mean the experience is perfect? No, not at all, but despite the perfect review scores that are being tossed around more and more often, few games are. What's important is that Wii Play is exactly what it sets out to be -- an inexpensive bonus training game that offers shallow fun -- and for that, the bundle deserves the crazy sales. It's one of the best bargains out there for any Wii owner.

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Anti-Wii Play	Back	You decide!

Wii Play.

Anyone who keeps up with sales figures knows that the package has been selling steady ever since it released early last year. Folks see an almost-free game with a Wiimote for only $50 and they immediately think it's a deal. And many can argue that it is, but for this individual, the bundle has no appeal.

The first issue I have with the package is the software. Wii Play as a "game" is like saying a peanut butter sandwich is "a meal." It's lacking. When looking directly at the worth of the software (the games within it), one finds titles that, upon being tried for the first time might come off as mild amusements and "well worth the extra $10," but after several sessions, the truth comes out. These minigames feel like they were never finished.

The mini-games seem half-baked and only offer a diversion for a short amount of time. After giving them a few plays over an hour, I quickly came to my senses that Wii Play is something I didn't want to see happent to the Wii. I didn't want quick slap-togethers of minigames to flood the console. Luckily, that isn't the case, but doesn't save Wii Play from its own flaws.

Also, as a sort of "Wiimote trainer," it's not any kind of introduction to some wider world of Wii wonders that can only be seen through picking up Wii Play and playing it. Wii Play only trains you in how to get bored quickly. Nintendo would have you believe otherwise.

Finally, the comparisons between it and Wii Sports are inevitable. Again, where Wii Play is nothing more than a tech demo with some added polish, Wii Sports stands on its own as a worthwhile experience on the console. The sports games included in that package are, more or less, actually fleshed out and allow you to play for more than 5 minutes. In Wii Sports, you can also enjoy multiplayer gaming, where should you expose a friend to Wii Play you're probably only going to get a smack to the face in response. At least, that's what I'd do.

In the end, it's no doubt going to boil down to what your personal preferences are, but I really don't see the validation of Wii Play. For what this software is (a collection of quick and tedious minigames), I would say the only way I could accept Wii Play was if it were packaged with a Wiimote for free. Until then, my extra $10 will go to more important things. Like lottery tickets.

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	Back	In favor of Wii Play

Not content with giving us the chance to wash other animals with an elephant, the most recent screens of Wild Earth: African Safari released by Majesco reveal a host of other zany mini-games. Apparently, we'll be able to fly through hoops as a vulture, or dodge yawning hippopotamuses as we negotiate whitewater rapids.

Best of all, there's a variation on fairground favorite Whac-A-Mole, only with what appear to be meerkats. That's right: Wild Earth: African Safari is a game that encourages players to bash nature with a huge mallet. Where the hell is FOX News?!

Would you identify yourself as a casual gamer? Do you have friends who do, or whom you would label as casual? If so, we're interested in some of the casual favorites. We'll guess Wii Sports, because who doesn't love it? Wii Play and Carnival Games are big sellers as well. What else might get hauled out at Wii parties? Or what other games do your casual friends seem to enjoy? For this blogger's part, the mother unit, whom we'd call casual, demanded a copy of WarioWare: Smooth Moves. We were so proud.

A Nintendo magazine in France recently held an interview with the development team of the upcoming launch title Rayman Raving Rabbids. Thanks to a wily, bilingual forum poster (thanks, Jing_Ke!), we now have some new information.

The story mode of the game is divided into fifteen game days. On each day, you wake up in jail, where you can enter the hub area "Rabbit Arena". This area gives access to five mini-games per day: four regular mini-games, and a boss battle. If you do well, the rabbits will reward you with various costumes or decorations. Another mode exists where you can play the mini-games freely, multiplayer if desired.

The length of the games are discussed (much longer than, say, those found in Wario Ware), and they reveal that around seventy games will be in the final version. Alas, no classic platformer for us...are you disappointed? Hopefully, Sonic and the Secret Rings can fulfill those lingering desires to fall to your death while jumping to a platform inexplicably floating in mid-air.