Posts tagged Skiing at Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Posts with tag skiing

Family Ski heading to Europe in June

Posted May 1st 2008 3:00PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: News

We've already witnessed Europe (and particularly Britain) going absolutely potty for Wii Fit, and it won't be long before the region gets its next Balance Board compatible game.

Luckily for Namco Bandai, it's one of their games. Family Ski (it'll be keeping the Japanese name for its European release, though whether it gets the angry U.S. boxart is still a mystery) will be reaching the pistes of Europe on June 13th, just in time for when the folks there start getting bored of Wii Fit, and disused Balance Boards begin to clog up closets and attics.

Gallery: We Ski

We Ski videos leave us anything but chilled

Posted Apr 17th 2008 7:00PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: Video

We Ski continues to ~~take the tundra lightly~~ look like an infectious bundle of fun. Just check out the folks in this first English-language trailer for Namco Bandai's ski-me-do, giddy with excitement as their chibi avatars pull off stunts and swerve effortlessly across the slopes. That'll be us! Soon! With each passing trailer, we find ourselves wanting to play this more and more -- with the Balance Board, naturally (though four Balance Boards won't be cheap).

This latest round of footage came from Namco Bandai's Editor Day event, and there's more past the break.

Gallery: We Ski

Continue reading We Ski videos leave us anything but chilled

We Ski gets the Kirby treatment

Posted Mar 13th 2008 9:45AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News

The Japanese boxart for We Ski (Family Ski over there) used a simple ski-resort signage theme. It may not have been the most exciting boxart, but it's pretty nice-looking, and kind of serene. Very vacation-y. The American boxart dials the serenity way down and the excitement way up. We expect the totally extreme skiers here to be headed back to the lodge to slam some Chibi Mountain Dew. Except for the guy in the back, who just came along because there was an extra ticket, even though he doesn't really like skiing.

The facial expressions remind us of Nintendo of America's frequent edits of Kirby boxarts. Nintendo knows that if we're going to buy a game about a spherical pink baby, he had better be one angry baby. A few examples can be found after the break.

Continue reading We Ski gets the Kirby treatment

Rumor: We Ski to be cheap enough for non-skiers

Posted Mar 6th 2008 6:00PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: Rumors

Yep, the sport itself might be the preserve of those wealthy enough to blow $800 on a jacket, but it looks like Namco Bandai may have paupers like us in mind when it comes to We Ski. The game just appeared on GameStop sporting a bargain-basement price of $29.99. That's our kind of sport!

Of course, in skiing it's the extras which really hit your wallet, and that seems to hold true in the case of Namco Bandai's game. Throw in a Balance Board and enough Wiimotes and Nunchuks for all the family to get involved, and suddenly We Ski starts to sound about as expensive as skiing again. Oh well.

[Via Go Nintendo]

We join Japanese families in skiing this May

Posted Mar 1st 2008 1:30PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News, Video

Namco Bandai has announced to IGN that the first game in their Family sports series, Family Ski, will be localized for North American release in May under the name We Ski. You see, "We" sounds like "Wii," and "Wii" is the name of the console on which the game will appear. Not to mention the fact that "Wii" plus some sport-related term evokes a certain popular game.

The May release seems perfectly timed to coincide with the release of Wii Fit and the Balance Board, which We Ski also (optionally) uses. It's no surprise to us that this is getting a localized release; due to its Balance Board use, the game has been getting a lot of attention, not the least of which comes from Nintendo themselves. At the GDC Balance Board talk, Nintendo's Takao Sawano talked the game up and even showed a promotional video.

New Family Ski scan hits the slopes

Posted Jan 9th 2008 6:00PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: Screens

As well as containing tons of screens we've not yet seen, the latest Famitsu scan featuring Namco Bandai's Family Ski shows off the title's unique use of Wii peripherals. If you've not yet heard, the game will use the Balance Board, while your Wiimote and Nunchuk double up as ski poles. It's the first title to use all three at once, and although we've yet to see a video of this peripheral fest in action, it promises to be a lot of fun.

Perhaps the game will eventually cover all bases, by including a specially devised mini-game that lets a second player shoot bad dudes with the Wii Zapper as player one speeds down the slopes. Or perhaps ideas like that are why we don't design games for a living.

Go past the break for a full-size version of the scan above.

Continue reading New Family Ski scan hits the slopes

Namco Bandai reads minds: Family Ski to use Balance Board

Posted Nov 15th 2007 12:00PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: News

To us, it was a no-brainer: Namco Bandai's Family Ski and Nintendo's Wii Fit Balance Board were always supposed to be together. We're no skiing experts, but the sport seems to involve its fair share of leaning, making the game and Nintendo's wobbly slab the perfect match.

The Famitsu scan above suggests that Namco Bandai now feels the same way, despite initially announcing that the game would only use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. Unless our memories have failed us, this would make Family Ski the first third-party title to support Nintendo's new peripheral.

Presumably, this means we'll be using the Balance Board as well as the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, which sounds damn involving, if nothing else. Indeed, short of the game shipping with a free wind tunnel, snow machine, and a garish all-in-one jumpsuit, we doubt much more could be done in terms of player immersion.

[Via GoNintendo]

Families ski in Family Ski

Posted Nov 2nd 2007 7:00PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News, Screens

New screenshots of Namco Bandai's seemingly-redundant Family Ski reveal a seemingly-redundant character editor. You can edit your in-game avatar's appearance to look like you! In a Wii game! How novel!

The "problem" with the character editors in games like this one, MySims and even the Simple Wii games is that everyone else's take on DIY character design is actually cuter than Nintendo's. We wouldn't mind swapping out our Miis for these little guys. Of course, you have to earn skiwear and accessories in the game to outfit them, but we hardly care what our avatar's parka looks like.

For those of you with a keen interest in the snowy sport, you can have a look at some of the 10 courses offered in the game. They're all snow-covered paths, but, like, the sky is different colors.

How to Family Ski

Posted Oct 26th 2007 12:45PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News, Imports, Screens

The first reaction we had to Family Ski was surprise that it didn't use the Wii Balance Board. Skiing, which relies so heavily on leaning (we think) seems like a natural fit for the wobbly step, and Nintendo agrees. But these screens, coupled with diagrams of the game's ski-pole-simulating control system, make us think otherwise. Using the Wiimote and Nunchuk as ski poles is a pretty great idea, and the motions look fairly representative.

For example, to crouch, you rotate the Wiimote and Nunchuk away from each other, as if you're rotating your hands to hold the poles up so you can assume a lower stance. And to turn, you move the controllers to one side, keeping them parallel.

It's clear that with the simple, representative motions (and the cute chibi characters), Family Ski is aiming to be the Wii Sports of falling down a mountain. Whether it achieves this goal is a matter of how Wii Fit's skiing works, and how well these controls work, as well as loads of marketing. At least Featureless Wiimote Diagram Guy is doing his part!

Namco Bandai bringing skiing to Wii

Posted Oct 19th 2007 2:15PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: News

Snowboarding games have been pretty easy to find over the last decade or so, but skiing titles? They're a rarer bird. Indeed, when Horace Goes Skiing is still this writer's fondest recollection of the genre, you sense that there's a gap waiting to be filled.

Enter Namco Bandai, which has just announced Family Ski for the Wii. Due for release in Japan during Winter 2007/2008 and able to support up to four players, this cartoony take on the sport is being worked on by the folks behind Ridge Racer.

And yes, we know what you're thinking -- this would be perfect on the Wii Balance Board, right? Sadly, Namco Bandai would beg to differ; instead, the Wiimote and nunchuk become your ski poles as you hurtle down the white powdery stuff. Some Mii integration would certainly sweeten the pot, though.

Hit the break for a Famitsu scan.

Continue reading Namco Bandai bringing skiing to Wii

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Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Family Ski heading to Europe in June

We Ski videos leave us anything but chilled

We Ski gets the Kirby treatment

Rumor: We Ski to be cheap enough for non-skiers

We join Japanese families in skiing this May

New Family Ski scan hits the slopes

Namco Bandai reads minds: Family Ski to use Balance Board

Families ski in Family Ski

How to Family Ski

Namco Bandai bringing skiing to Wii

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