Nintendo Wii Fanboy

We're already in agreeance that Oboro Muramasa Youtouden is one of the best-looking games announced for the Wii -- we shook hands on it, signed the appropriate forms, and even had a notary stamp the papers to make it official. Still, this first video glimpse of the 2D ARPG managed to leave us in a state of ecstasy, our skin alive with pleasure. What secret resource has Vanillaware tapped into that other developers have so far ignored? Most of the titles we saw at the Tokyo Game Show didn't look half as good as this.

This year's Tokyo Game Show doesn't look like it'll be as Wii-oriented as we would like. CESA, the organization that holds the show, has published a list of games to be exhibited at TGS, only eight of which are waggly. We're fairly sure that publishers wouldn't put previously unannounced games on a list before the show like this, so we assume that they're all holding back the new stuff. This looks like a list of show-floor playable games anyway, which usually doesn't include brand new games.

We're happy despite the relatively small list, because it contains stuff like No More Heroes that we're dying to hear gameplay impressions of. Here are all the Wii games on the list:

• Nights: Journey of Dreams
• Ghost Squad
• Doraemon: Himitsu Doguo Kettei Sen
  
• Simple Wii Vol. 1 THE Everybody's Kart Race
  
• Simple Wii Vol. 2 THE Everybody's Bass Fishing Tournament
• Dragon Ball Z Sparking! METEOR
• No More Heroes
• Project O

[Link goes to a Japanese .PDF file containing the full exhibition list for all systems.]

A massive list of Sega games purported to be shown at TGS has been circulating around the Internet, teasing the poor souls like us who continue to love Sega. It contained a fairly complete list of every Sega fan's dreams: Shenmue III, Jet Set Radio Next, Space Channel 5 part 3, a Wii sequel to Skies of Arcadia, even a Chu Chu Rocket game. Of course, enough already-known stuff like Mario & Sonic at the Olympics was on the list to add the appearance of legitimacy.

A leaked document from an anonymous source with so many incredible scoops must be true, right? Surprisingly, no. The blogger who originally posted the rumor has retracted it with an apology. Just remember, potential tipsters: when we hear about a new Space Channel 5 and it turns out to be a false rumor, it hurts us. Be responsible with your tippery.

Ah, some fairly rare bad news from Nintendo's camp this morning. It turns out that the potential-sleeper-hit Elebits, which won best-of-show at TGS 2006, will be delayed in America until mid-December. The quirky "gravity gun" title seemed to capture the hearts of those who played it (and David, too), so this comes as a blow for many.

This may not turn out to be such a horrible move for Konami or gamers, as the Wii's launch is just about the strongest in the history of video games; having to compete against the likes of Zelda and Red Steel is sales chart suicide. Heck, the game may turn out to be a nice gift for the holidays, since the rabid gamers in your family will have probably already spent nigh half a thousand on various launch expenses. Maybe now Elebits will receive the attention it deserves, and not turn into yet another case of Beyond Good and Evil.

Now that the Tokyo Game Show has come to a close and you've been assaulted with numerous videos, we can all finally take a deep breath and carefully scrutinize all of this new data following the event. For Nintendo having no presence of their own at the show, the Wii was out in full-force. Before we get into what we liked and didn't like from the show, let's recap on what the show brought us, for both the DS and Wii:

• Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker in-game footage
• A new Bleach trailer
• A pretty sweet Elebits booth
• Kingdom Hearts creators unveil new DS game
• FFXII: Revenant Wings trailer and art
• Heroes of Mana animated trailer
• New Sonic and the Secret Rings trailer
• Best in Show: Elebits
• The TGS booth to rule them all
• New footage for Q? Entertainment's Gunpey
• It's a Wonderful World gets the preview treatment
• Lost in Blue 2 trailer
• More Final Fantasy remakes coming to the DS?

So how did Nintendo do? The DS certainly rocked the house! Even though the DS was literally bombarded with nothing but RPGs, it still had a great show. A slew of new content will keep the already incredible platform from going stale. Those with an insatiable appetite for turn-based battles and potions will get their fix with Square-Enix's incredible lineup of RPG games to come.

As for the Wii, it had a smaller presence through third-party publishers this year. Konami had the award-winning Elebits on-hand for eager attendees, as well as Sega tossing down the red carpet for their mascot with Sonic and the Secret Rings. Nintendo failing to make a unified presence themselves could've hurt their momentum going into launch, but we aren't worried. If we should be, then why?

For all of Joystiq's Tokyo Game Show 2006 coverage, click here.

[Update 1: Added in the interview with the Final Fantasy III developers.]

When we conducted our internal poll and found only one of our staff (see: me) was absolutely dying to get their hands on Elebits at launch, a division was created. On one side exists the rational, incredibly handsome individual who is willing to partake in the unique, refreshing experience Elebits is sure to provide, while the other, more sinister, puppy-kicking side will supposedly "enjoy" the Wii's launch without the game.

Internal conflict aside, more people are sure to notice the quirky title now, given its recent award for Best in Show at the now-concluded Tokyo Game Show. Forget the exciting trucks and secret rings, those little Elebits are the biggest show on the Wii. And we, definitely, will be purchasing a ticket for admission.

Other Elebits stories:

• Elebits TGS booth pics and trailer
• Elebits Japanese site launch and new trailer
• Elebits Q & A
• Elebits developer diary
• Elebits to have online bits?
• Konami: Here's our Rev game

With the Tokyo Game Show in full swing, we're sure there will be plenty of posts like these to follow. While it may seem suffocating, these videos are for your own good. You need to see them. You want to see them. And this latest trailer for Sonic and the Secret Rings is no exception.

Continue into the post to see the embedded video.

Unless you've been living alone in the desert for years, vowing to never speak, you probably know that TGS, or the Tokyo Game Show, is currently in full swing. A Japanese equivalent to the spectacle that is was the US' E3, TGS is one of the biggest events in the industry. Here companies do all they can to get show attendees interested in their titles, from booth babes to extravagant booths themselves.

Here we can see the booth for Elebits, one of our must-have launch titles. During this presentation on the game, Nintendo Inside snapped many a picture of the game being demoed as well as some of the surrounding promotional material. You can also find a new trailer for the game here.

Continue past the break for more pictures.

Whether or not you're a fan of the anime Bleach, it's hard to argue with a good round of ass kickery. One of the first things we thought of when the WiiVolution was first introduced, way back in the long ago time of 2005, was a fighting game. What better use for the controller than beating down your best good friends?

Bleach looks to do just that. This new trailer is equal parts gameplay footage and hot Wiimote-swinging action. Check it out after the jump.

Taking a quick glance at the list of attendees for September's Tokyo Game Show will show that Nintendo, for the second year in a row, will not have a significant showing of playable games. This is odd, considering that we're supposed to hear word on release and price for the Wii in that same month, and also with the strong amazing incredible immaculate showing that Nintendo had at E3 this year, why would they want to stop more people from getting their hands on it, especially on their home turf? Of course, the list is only final as of July 5th, so there is still time for Nintendo to hop on board, but it isn't a likely scenario that will play out.

[Update: Clarified some of the post's wording. Iwata is likely to show up and give a speech -- there just won't be a giant Nintendo booth.]