Every (other) week, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.
Segueing from last edition's topic: you've just built a sick Smash Bros. Brawl level, and you're ready to share it with the world. You upload it to your website and throw up some pics from the game's handy built-in photo mode. Everybody can see your creation without needing to first go through the trouble of downloading the level, putting it on an SD card, and loading it up on their Wii. Of course, your level looks like so much fun, they won't be able to resist trying it for themselves. But what if, like so many other games, there was no photo mode? How would you display your masterpiece? Or maybe seeing a still pic isn't enough to really sell the dynamics and spirit of your build. Then what? Read on as we delve into the art of video capture and photo composition -- for games!
The idea of using the humble Wiimote to create music seems to have really fired the imagination of the hacking community recently. DJingWiiJing and drumming are already both possible with the waffly versatile controller and a bit of know-how, and now those of you who lack the funds for Guitar Hero III can get your virtual shred on for free.
Hacker Evan, maker of the Wiimote drum sampler we linked to exactly one paragraph ago, has developed software that allows users to play air guitar, simply by "strumming" the Remote while holding down the d-pad to alternate between chords, or the B button to toggle between major and minor chords. As Evan points out, this has a similar feel to Jam Sessions on the Nintendo DS, which is far from a bad thing if you ask us.
Since it first emerged earlier this month, Namco Bandai's Fragile ~ Farewell Moon Ruins has been a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Slowly but surely though, more on the tri-Crescendo-developed "ruin exploration RPG" is being revealed, and the past weekend saw a flurry of new media (such as the trailer above from the official site), all of which points to an RPG rich on atmosphere and suspense.
Famitsu also had a few tidbits of gameplay information. Apparently, protagonist Seto will be equipped with a flashlight, which players will be able to control by pointing the Wii Remote at the screen. A metal detector will also be available (again, this will be controlled using the Wiimote), as well as "other tools." There is also talk of demons appearing during combat, though sadly a rather impenetrable translation prevented us from learning more. Nevertheless, you can color us intrigued.
Head past the post break for a selection of screens, as taken from last week's magazine scans.
Look at them. Cool, calm, expessionless; the cyborgs models in the latest Wii Fit videos just find the non-game an absolute breeze. To an almost disconcerting degree, in fact.
More doughytypes such as ourselves won't look quite as graceful while negotiating Nintendo's fitness title -- we doubt anybody but these women could achieve that -- but that doesn't mean we won't enjoy ourselves as we perspire, pant and grimace our way through ski-jumping, heading soccer balls, and spinning hula hoops. Perfect for the post-Christmas weight loss drive.
There's another five videos after the break, jam-packed with some very serious Wii Fit action.
We have never had a fear of clowns before, but we think this NiGHTS video just gave us one. For such a cutesy, kid-friendly game, boss Donbalo's face is just off-putting. It's like staring into the candy-colored, laughing face of death.
Thankfully, there are four other videos, all of which are much less nightmare-inducing, with which you can cleanse your palate. Those are all posted after the break. With the exception of horrifying clown monsters with dead, evil eyes, these videos depict a gorgeous game. We're hoping that this is how the game will look, for real. It seems like our impressions of NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams alternate between awesome and 'meh.' These videos look like top-quality stuff, graphically and in terms of gameplay, so we're hoping we don't see crappy screens tomorrow or something. Right now, this looks like a beautiful, next-gen sequel to NiGHTS. That is all we want.
This compilation of western and Japanese Zelda TV commercials is by no means comprehensive, but it does feature three or four that are new to us. Some are just downright peculiar -- the second Legend of Zelda advert recalls David Lynch's Eraserhead -- and there's clearly been an unsettling amount of rapping involved in the marketing of the series, something we hadn't noticed previously. The advert for Twilight Princess is utterly tame in comparison.
No doubt you'll have seen a couple of these about a gazillion times (the Ocarina of Time commercial from the days when Nintendo didn't think twice about calling you a weak little girl, and the fabulously dorky "Your parents help you hook it up!" ad from the late-'80s), but it's still worth a watch for the more obscure stuff, some of which even manages to out-weird Sony's recent output. And that's a heck of an achievement.
Okay, these "viral" videos are kind of ridiculous. The rotund Sonic suit looks pretty bad, and we question the validity of calling something "viral" when it's distributed via the same channels as officially-released material, just because it's intentionally kind of cheap-looking.
But we have to admit, that this video for Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games made us laugh out loud. At first, there was something hilarious about the interaction of a normal human person with a guy in a Mario suit speaking in Charles Martinet's voice. Then Sonic came along and replicated a classicKids in the Hallskit and we, shamefully, LOL'd.
The other video, not so much. But it's embedded after the break anyway.
Sure, Detn8's duck hunting game looks less-than-great, and the PC version garnered some very vehement ... well, we're hesitant to even call them reviews. Can videos of people laughing hysterically and mocking (whilst pointing) really be called reviews? Where's the line there?
But speaking of wanton hilarity, this new Ultimate Duck Hunting video is somehow mesmerizing. We're pretty sure it's the music and the choppy, shouted commands. We got a kick out of it, and hope you will as well. Check it out after the jump.
Looks like it was our file, as we tried to upload to GT again, eventually attempting to force it on other online video hosting services. Sorry, but we won't have a video for you this week, it would seem.
To say we are not amused would be an understatement, as we've sat waiting for hours for our video to compress at Game Trailers. Instead, we'll offer up our coverage sans video, for the moment. The second it goes live, we'll update the post.
This latest Super Mario Galaxy video doesn't introduce any new outfits like the last developer walkthrough, but it does demonstrate star-hopping, gravity tricks, and other essential skills for traveling in this 3D platformer. The latter half of this two-minute movie even features that curious portion of the E3 trailer in which the level builds itself as Mario moves around.
How will we make it to November 12th without our heads exploding from all this exciting media? Collect five star shards and fly past the post break for the embedded video.
Sure, we could have shown some other E3-centric videos here in our weekly spotlight, but we really wanted an excuse to talk a little more about the fun potential of MySims, which continues to bear a strong (though less anthropomorphic) resemblance to Animal Crossing. We even saw a little guy with a shovel in this trailer. Since there has been no real sign of Animal Crossing for the Wii, this looks ripe to tide us over while we wait. Who knows, we may even (gasp!) like it better.
Also, splashing in a fountain sounds pretty good right about now. Oh, July, July ... how you make us long for December.
We hate to be mean, but we have to wonder how closely the world's best-known film director was involved with the concept for Blocks. It doesn't exactly take the most creative person in the world to come up with "throw a ball at some blocks." We suspect that this one wasn't just phoned in, but phoned in by proxy by an assistant who was also on vacation. Either that or Spielberg has been cultivating this idea since he was 2 years old.
Yes, the hyped PQRS project is Blocks, a puzzle game about knocking over structures of blocks by hucking stuff at them. Some of the blocks explode, some cause chemical reactions, and most just tumble. It looks like it would be pretty fun for a Flash game. The most interesting part of Blocks is the in-game level editor, which allows you to go all Incredible Machine on some block structures.
Whether you saw Reggie's announcement on Mario Kart Wiiyesterday or not, odds are that the footage you saw of the game was fuzzy or distant, and that is just plain wrong. Mario Kart is a delicious treat meant to be enjoyed up close, like a fluffy, flaky, French pastry. So of course, when we need a good video, we turn to French gamers -- and Jeux France comes through with some of the best footage from the keynote we've seen so far. Sure, you could watch a blurry clip on YouTube, but this is Mario Kart. You deserve better. Go on over and give it a gander, because we can't embed it here.
Of all the scenes we spotted in yesterday's Super Mario Galaxy trailer, the ones that excited us most were the moments we saw our mustachioed protagonist bedecked in his bee and Boo outfits. Tears of joy came to our eyes, salty with the nostalgia of Super Mario Bros. 3's frog suit, raccoon leaf, and other fondly-remembered power-ups.
GameTrailers has a six-minute developer walkthrough of Honey Bee Galaxy, explaining the game's two-player mechanics and Mario's bee apparel along the way. Buzz past the post break for the video honeypot and an awkward clip in which Mario gropes a distressed queen bee.
Or maybe not. We're not insinuating anything here, because we love you no matter what. You know what else we love? That's right: Wii Fit.
While it's funny to quip that this is a perfect game for moms across America, we recommend that everyone take a closer look at the versatility of Wii Fit. How many of you own a treadmill or other exercise machine? Those things take up space. Maybe you'd like to own something like that, but you live in an apartment, like many Americans, particularly those under thirty who maybe haven't bought a house yet. Then space becomes a real issue, as this blogger well knows from years of apartment-living. But with Wii Fit and the balance board peripheral, suddenly working out with gear can take a lot less space -- and you get the added benefit of monitored results, which we always thought was an excellent feature. Working out with the Wii has already become a popularhobby for many gamers -- the addition of this software just makes it that much easier. Maybe some gamers would have liked to have seen less focus on the title during Nintendo's keynote, but this kind of thing is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of Nintendo's winning strategy, and we all better get used to it. The Wii is to Americans what the DS is to the Japanese, it seems; it's an all-in-one device that can fit anyone's needs, and Wii Fit is a strong part of that.
