My Game Center

While we here at NWR will spend the next couple of weekstalking about the greatest games and moments from the GameCube’s era, it’simportant to also address the elephant in the room: the GameCube was, puttingit bluntly, a commercial failure. Sure, there was great software to be playedand the shape of the console along with the handle made it useful in fending offlate-night home invaders, but the system just couldn’t generate sales.

In fact, atthe end of the fiscal year in 2002, roughly six months after launch, theGameCube had sold only 3.8 million units. Compare that figure to those of theNintendo 64 and the Wii, which each sold around 5.8 million units in the sameamount of time, and it is apparent that the GameCube stuttered and stumbled outof the gates at the time of its launch. Worse yet, by the end of the 2002fiscal year, there were about 28 million PlayStation 2s in homes all acrossthe world.

Nintendoneeded something to spur sales, and in November 2002, it appeared that thatsomething was to be Capcom. during a press conference, Capcom announced whatwere to be known as the Capcom Five; five games developed exclusively for theGameCube by Capcom’s Production Studio 4 (with the exception of Killer 7, whichwas developed by Grasshopper Manufacture) and overseen by Resident Evil creatorShinji Mikami. this was a serious and bold endeavor, and it certainly didn’ttake long for the promise of five exclusive GameCube games to be chipped awayat until very little remained.

In January2003, due to pressure to increase revenue, Capcom conceded that not all of thefive announced games would be GameCube exclusive, and that any of them, exceptfor Resident Evil 4, could be ported to another console. Worse yet, just priorto its launch on GameCube, Capcom announced that nine months after ResidentEvil 4 released, it would be ported to the PS2, effectively pulling the carpetout from under the notion that RE4 would help spur GameCube sales, even if theGameCube version would be considered superior to the PS2 port in nearly everyway.

In the end,only one of the fabled Capcom Five would retain GameCube exclusivity, whileanother would end up canceled entirely. I’d like to look at each of theindividual games that made up the Five and discuss not only what happened atthe time of their release, but also the impact they had on the future and how,if at all, it involved Nintendo.

What acoincidence that the only game of the Five to retain GameCube exclusivity justhappened to be the worst reviewed and selling of the bunch. P.N. 03 was afavorite project of Shinji Mikami, and early builds available at differentpress events inspired confidence in the final product. In fact, many outletsconsidered P.N. 03 to be the most promising of the Five.

P.N. 03 was tobe a futuristic shooter focused on quick reflexes and defensive awareness.Rather than create an infallible hero, Mikami wanted to stress defense andreward players for using cover and performing defensive maneuvers effectively.eager to avoid a Resident Evil aesthetic, Mikami and Studio 4 also opted for abright color palette made up mostly of white and large, clean environments.this step outside of the ordinary no doubt had a hand in the press’ generallyfavorable response to P.N. 03 when played at different events.

As notedpreviously, though, increased pressure to generate revenue caused Capcom torelease the game early in order to slip it in before the end of the fiscal yearand, hopefully, buoy profits. Turns out that rushed, somewhat incomplete gamesaren’t good at doing that. Go figure. Mikami himself wished that he had hadmore time to complete the game. instead, the game featured barren andrepetitive environments, stiff controls, and even completely removed thecharacter holding a gun, due to not having enough time to animate it. instead,she shot out of the palms of her hands.

Mikami wouldlater get an opportunity to utilize some elements of P.N. 03 in making a muchmore complete game, Vanquish. While more reliant on shooter tropes than P.N.03, Vanquish still featured the speed and maneuverability of that game’sheroine, Vanessa. from quickly ducking behind cover to rapidly sliding acrossdistances to engage enemies, P.N. 03’s influence is all over Vanquish and itsfuturistic landscapes.

Probably themost recognizable game to come from the Capcom Five outside of Resident Evil 4,Viewtiful Joe is a sight to behold. With the game’s exaggerated, cel-shadedgraphics and an impeccable frame rate, Joe blazes around near-chaotically,pummeling foes with a series of combos, blocks, and special powers. The game iseasily one of the best beat-’em-ups to come out in the past decade.

Viewtiful Joesold enough to be considered a success internally by Team Viewtiful, who hadset out to create a relatively inexpensive game. Capcom, though, expected more,and ported the game to PS2 a year later. It sold even worse there while alsoremoving progressive scan and featuring bouts of slowdown during the busiermoments on screen. Sequels and spin-offs also blossomed from the relativesuccess of the original GameCube game.

Team Viewtifuleventually became Clover Studio, who worked on two notable PS2 games, Okami andGod Hand. Okami took the cel-shaded look of Viewtiful Joe and combined it withthe exploration and action of a Zelda game to create one of the best adventuregames of all time. God Hand, meanwhile, was another beat-’em-up that intended,at least somewhat, to be more realistic and serious than Viewtiful Joe. Whilemost reviews of the game were middling, it has garnered quite the cultfollowing, and even became available on the PlayStation Network recently.

Though bothOkami and God Hand are lauded for their originality, neither sold especiallywell, and Capcom sought to absorb Clover Studio and put them to work on otherprojects. instead, Clover Studio disbanded, with a great deal of the staffgoing on to form Platinum Games, including Shinji Mikami. It was with PlatinumGames that Mikami not only developed the aforementioned Vanquish, but alsodabbled with Nintendo-exclusivity again, creating MadWorld, a dark and violentbeat-’em-up. Despite critical success, MadWorld failed to find its footingcommercially, a disappointing recurrence in the discussion of the Capcom Five.

Beingcancelled and all, Dead Phoenix remains the most mysterious of the Capcom Five.The game was to feature a winged man flying around large environments, shootingand attacking waves of enemies, both big and small. While compared to PanzerDragoon at the time, the game also bears some resemblance to the PS3’s Lair, inthat the player wouldn’t be stuck on-rails and would have the opportunity tofreely fly around levels.

Dead Phoenixwas intended to be released in the summer of 2003, but when informationsurrounding the game grew scarce, some assumed that it had been cancelled.Before 2003’s E3, Capcom went on to assure everyone that it was still indevelopment. A few short months later, Capcom finally announced that the gamehad indeed been cancelled.

Perhaps themost interesting thing to come from Dead Phoenix and its cancellation is theorigin of the return of Kid Icarus, as posited time and time again by IGN.While the game hung in limbo, IGN posted an article questioning if its suddendisappearance might mean that it was being reworked to become a new Kid Icarusgame, as both shared undeniable similarities. this, of course, would prove tobe untrue, but it was the first of several instances where IGN would put forththe idea of a studio working on a new Kid Icarus game. Only now is there a realKid Icarus game on its way out, being developed internally by Nintendo’s ownProject Sora.

Easily themost successful and renowned member of the Capcom Five, Resident Evil 4 was thegame that was meant to change all preconceptions about Nintendo and itsGameCube. Here, a challenging, bloody, gorgeous game was going to illustratethe potential of the hardware and shed the kiddie image of the purple lunchbox. Capcom had also made it a point to stressthat Resident Evil 4 would remain a GameCube exclusive despite what may happento other members of the Capcom Five, with Shinji Mikami even going so far as tosay that he would commit harakiri (a form of suicide) if the game was ported toanother system.

Just a sidenote to developers: don’t announce that you’ll kill yourself if something youhave no control over happens.

As notedpreviously, a PS2 port of Resident Evil 4 was announced two months prior to itsrelease on GameCube, and even though it wouldn’t be released until nine monthsafter the GameCube version, patient PS2 owners could now wait rather than goout of their way to buy new hardware. The PS2 version of the game went on tosell more units than the GameCube’s.

The mistakewith Resident Evil 4 wasn’t releasing it on two different consoles, it wasannouncing and then reaffirming that it would only be released on one. WhyCapcom ever thought to limit the availability of one of its flagship franchisesto a single system is befuddling. It just can’t be argued that Resident Evil 4would have been anywhere near the commercial success it was if released solelyon the GameCube, much as it may sting to admit it. If anything, ‘Cube ownersshould have been happy knowing that their version was the definitive build andthat they, in the very least, could play it on their console of choice. Thathasn’t been a luxury afforded in this current generation.

While ResidentEvil 5 saw release on non-Nintendo consoles, the Wii was treated to twoexclusive (at least up until a couple of weeks ago) Resident Evil games thatwere each basically an on-rails tour through Resident Evil’s greatest hits.Interestingly, Capcom is now close to releasing a 3DS-exclusive Resident Evilgame that is going to fit in canonically with the series as a whole. KnowingCapcom’s history to this point, as well as considering that Resident Evil:Revelations will be the most expensive 3DS game on the market at $50, it’s nothard to envision a likely scenario in which this game winds up being ported toanother system.

Killer 7 was the final Five release, and by this timeCapcom had fully given up on any console exclusivity, releasing both theGameCube and PS2 versions at the same time. without a doubt the most bizarreand divisive game of the lot, Killer 7 was stylistic, violent, and a whollyunique game unlike anything on either platform. The game even went on to drawire from the once menacingly notable Jack Thompson, who purported that the gamefeatured “full-blown sex sequences.” for more about Killer 7 and its ups anddowns, check out Radio Free Nintendo’s excellent recent RetroActive, where theydiscuss the game at length.

While Killer 7 may have been a cross-platform release,its critical success and unparalleled style put Grasshopper Manufacture and CEOSuda51 squarely on the map, allowing them to create several notableNintendo-exclusives. The first of those was Contact, a quirky RPG released forthe Nintendo DS in 2007. of course, the best known Grasshopper Manufacturereleases are No more Heroes and No more Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. In thevein of Killer 7, the No more Heroes games are violent, genre-melding affairswith no shortage of wit and sarcastic nods to video game tropes.

Though No more Heroes has been ported to the Xbox 360 andPS3, and Grasshopper Manufacture has turned their attention to those consolesfor recent and upcoming releases like Shadows of the Damned and LollipopChainsaw, Suda51 has expressed interest in exploring what the Wii U has tooffer, and perhaps creating a third No more Heroes game for the console. out ofall the Capcom Five contributors, he seems the most interested and invested inutilizing Nintendo’s hardware.

***

In the end,even though all but one of the Capcom Five were released on other platforms,most remain synonymous with GameCube, either through the limited exclusivitythey did possess or the generally better technical performance they had on the‘Cube. The Capcom Five only suffer because of Capcom’s own mismanagement, fromrushing P.N. 03 out the door to stifling momentum by constantly contradictingthemselves.

With the Wii Ucoming next year, it will be interesting to see how Nintendo can again currythe favor of third party developers in creating games that, most importantly,take full advantage of the hardware. that, and not exclusivity, will be the keyto the Wii U’s third party successes.

Review: Namco Bandai is back with a new collection of Wii mini-games in Go Vacation.

The Wii has no shortage of mini-games. You could even go so far as to say it has more than its fair share. four of the five best-selling Wii titles are filled with mini-games, and the only exception is Mario Kart, which isn’t a mini-game, but it is filled with short bursts of gameplay rather than anything with a story-driven campaign. So there is obviously a market for it, and Namco Bandai is well aware of that.

With the Wii in its twilight, we will probably see more games like this — ones that try to squeeze every ounce of the Wii’s fanbase that it can. The genres that already have a proven track record will come fast and furious, while the more experimental games will likely be pushed to the Wii U. There will be exceptions to that rule, but Go Vacation is not one of them.

Instead, Go Vacation is a massive collection of mini-games. You could call it a clone of Wii Sports Resort, and it is to a degree, but the same can be said of almost every military-themed first-person shooter on the 360 and PS3. Go Vacation isn’t the most groundbreakingly original game, but it does several things well.

The game takes place on a series of vacation-themed resorts on Kawawii Island, each with their own mini-games, and each with their own environment, including: marine, city, mountain and snow-themed locations. There are 50 in total, and each game has multiple challenges within. these challenges range from everything from jet ski races, to air hockey and sky diving, and each of these games can be played with up to four players.  The island is also laid out with an open-world feel, so you can walk, drive or ride from activity to activity. 

None of the games are particularly difficult, and they range in quality and enjoyment as you might expect with so many choices. by “ranging,” I mean some are good and some are really bad. There is a lot of variety, and some of it will also just be a matter of taste, yet there are a few of the games that simply don’t work that well. It is great that the games aren’t all just various models of the same thing and they mostly feel unique, with a few forgivable exceptions, but some are little more than hitting a button at the right time. but there is always something to do that you can enjoy, especially with a group of friends. Some are in-depth like ATV races and require you to move and plan, while others like volleyball boil down to timing and moving the controller at the right moment. these can be simple to the point of being dull. when the games are good, they are fun, when they are not, they are tedious and occasionally frustrating.

Go Vacation is a simple game, and that is never more in evident than with the AI. It follows patterns more than it actually competes. this is never clearer than in races, when you may be ahead and an AI opponent will slam into you — not because they want to wreck you, but because they are going in a straight line and you happened to get in their way. Travelling around the open world is fun for a bit, especially when you are on a vehicle, but the huge variety of NPCs end up being little more than rocks. You can run into them at full speed and it is about the same as running into a wall. they are background to make the island seem alive, which is fine, but also unnecessary and a golden opportunity missed. It ends up feeling like the island is unnecessary and gives the game a hollow feel, like it is mostly show and no substance.

While on the island, there are a few things to explore for like new outfits, plus there are a handful of mini-games that aren’t part of the guided tour, but the island really isn’t used to much effect. The loading screens are also frequent, but are generally short. after a few times seeing them though, you will probably get a bit tired of them.

Go Vacation also manages to utilize pretty much every Wii peripheral made, including the Motion Plus controller, the zapper and the balance board.  You don’t need them, but if you are looking for an excuse to use those items, you finally have another chance.  

Conclusion

Go Vacation is best when played as a multiplayer title for players of all ages. The best thing about the mini-games is the variety. The actual gameplay is somewhat simplistic, but the variety keeps the games feeling fresh, plus that makes it great for families and party goers. It probably won’t be enough of a draw for hardcore gamers, though. The single-player mode may appeal to kids, but the lack of substance in the island and AI makes playing alone quite alienating.

Go Vacation isn’t quite at the same level that its “cousin” Wii Sports Resort is at, but it does have a lot to offer to people who like the mini-game concept. If you are looking for a new game to play at a party or with friends, than the wide variety of activities should appeal to you. in general, Go Vacation feels a bit underdeveloped, but there are still a lot of things to like.

If you’re brave enough to venture to your local Walmart starting at 10pm on Thanksgiving Day, then you’ll get some sweet video game deals. There will probably be other blood-thirsty shoppers there, so it’s best to show up earlier, with a bulletproof vest.

If you haven’t bought Batman: Arkham City or Battlefield 3 yet, then you’ll probably want to snag those games for $28 each. Other $28 games at Walmart include Infamous 2, Killzone 3, just Dance 3, call of Duty: Black Ops, and more. $15 games include Uncharted 2, Epic Mickey, God of War III, Heavy Rain, and Modern Warfare 2. $20 games include BioShock 2 and Yakuza 4.

The consoles are also getting cheaper. the blue Wii is going for $99.96 and includes the remote plus and nunchuck. getting the Xbox 360 4GB console is also a good deal, since it’s $199.96, comes with the Kinect Sensor and Kinect Adventures game, and a bonus $50 Walmart gift card. the $199.96 PS3 Slim 160GB with two games, Little Big Planet 2 and Ratchet and Clank: All 4 one.

A Shropshire man hopes  to crack the Christmas market with the new must-have game for Nintendo Wii. Ben Bentley reports.

Dad-dancing to rap star Dizzee Rascal . . . funny how some some goals are, at least to those blessed with being born with two left feet and the co-ordination skills of mr Bean, very easily achievable.

A new interactive Nintendo Wii game developed by Shropshire man Neil Meredith, however, looks set to tempt the whole country – folk both young and old – to get out of their armchairs and shake their booty to mr Rascal and rap along to his tunes.

And they won’t have to wait until the next family wedding disco either. Released on November 11 with the aim of becoming the number one game at Christmas, now That’s What I call Music! Dance & Sing, is the first Wii package that allows wannabe pop stars to mimic their heroes in song and dance.

The game, which cost around half a million pounds to develop and which is expected to be the ultimate party accessory, stands a pretty good chance of becoming the must-have Christmas game of 2011 too, considering its pedigree and backing.

Released by EMI, the interactive party package features 30 original tracks including 16 number one chart hits of recent months, from artists ranging from Rihanna, Tinie Tempah and JLS to Jessie J, The Wanted and Dizzee Rascal.

The game was created by Telford-based Neil and his colleagues in a collaboration that reprises the development of their 2002 hit computer game Dance UK.

“Getting back together for this was a bit like Ocean’s Eleven!” says Neil at the headquarters of his company Digital Goals, at the e-Innovation Centre at Priorslee.

“The opportunity to licence the now! brand became available and we designed the game, did the choreography for it and picked the tracks. And from a blank sheet of paper came this cool game.

“There are other dance and singing games on the market but this is the first time that people can sing and dance on a Nintendo Wii.”

He continues: “The target audience is 13 to 21 but also for the mums and dads and grandparents who might buy it for them. And, of course, they are bound to want to have go!”

Because the team had worked together before, the game was developed rapidly, from original concept to market in just nine months. The concept was tried and tested by focus groups – not to mention by the kids of the developers.

“The general reaction was that here was the best game they had played,” adds Neil.

“The Christmas games market is tough market but we think we will be very close. just Dance 3 is the big dance game, with links to Katy Perry, and you cannot underestimate that.

“But we are careful to be very family friendly with the now! brand and think we have a good chance.”

As part of the development process, Neil and the team did some testing at Abbey Road Studios, where his beloved Beatles recorded their material.

“Sitting on the same staircase as John Lennon! we were like kids, walking across the famous zebra crossing outside . . .

“But if you cannot have fun and be like kids when developing something like this – and getting paid for it – where can you do it?”

Of course, Neil tried the game out on his own kids as part of the market research – which proved important in giving the game’s target audience exactly what it wanted.

“It’s a good job they did not listen to me,” says Neil, “because I really did want the track Carwash on it!”

With the British public showing no sign of satisfying their appetite for talent shows such as The X Factor and so you Think you can Dance, Neil believes that the game carries all the ingredients of becoming a big hit.

Turning on the Wii, players pick a track from an on-screen menu and in this case it is the original backing track rather than a cheesy karaoke version.

On the television screen before them, song lyrics are flashed up and using a microphone to sing in the style of their heroes, players are given performance points for accuracy of pitch, tone and timing. also on the screen is an avatar of the artist whose dance movements players have to mimic, with players awarded points for their movement and timing.

And of course, as part of the testing, Neil couldn’t resist a few goes himself.

“I love it, it’s brilliant,” he says. “From a purely dance perspective it’s better than anything else on the market.

“Other dance games have dumbed down the skills you need to dance but we have tried to keep the balance between playing and having a competitive edge.

“There are plenty of good dancers who will love it but there are also plenty of bad dancers who think they are good dancers, and when that happens there is nothing funnier,” adds Neil.

“As part of the launch we want to find the worst dancing dad in the UK,” continues Neil.

“We want kids to film themselves and their families dancing to the game and upload the footage to our site.”

There should be no end of takers.

* now That’s What I call Music! Dance & Sing goes on sale at all major retailers including Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, HMV, Amazon, Play and Game from November 11.

Nintendo will launch the upcoming Wii redesign as part of a new hardware bundle available 4th November in the UK.

Named the Wii Family Edition, the pack contains original boxed-in classic Wii Sports and last year’s mini-game compilation Wii Party.

A Wii Remote plus and Nunchuk are also included.

The reconfigured Wii design remains the same size as Nintendo’s existing Wii console. the only difference is that backwards compatibility with GameCube games and controllers has been gutted out.

Nintendo has also detailed a new Wii Fit plus pack to launch just days earlier on 2nd November. it contains a black Balance Board and a copy of Wii Fit plus. a further bundle that includes an original black Wii as well will be available then, too.

That’s all on top of the new Blue Wii bundle which will launch 18th November alongside Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics. it contains the redesigned Wii in a fetching aquatic shade, alongside a Wii Remote plus, Nunchuck and a copy of the game.

A look at results from selected companies in the video games business:

Oct. 20: Microsoft Corp. says revenue from the Xbox 360 products and services grew 7 percent, led by higher revenue from the Xbox Live service and offset by decreased revenue from video games and fewer consoles sold. Microsoft says video game revenue decreased because the same period a year ago had strong sales of “Halo Reach.” Microsoft says it shipped 2.3 million Xbox 360 consoles during the latest quarter, compared with 2.8 million a year ago.

Oct. 27: Nintendo co., maker of the Wii game console and DS handheld, reports a larger net loss and reduces its full-year forecast, battered by the strong yen and weak software sales. The company says a price reduction has lifted sales of the 3DS handheld, which offers 3D gaming without special glasses. One title, “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D,” sold more than a million units, but the company acknowledged that the 3DS “has yet to have many hit titles.” Wii console sales for the latest six-month period fell to 3.35 million units from 4.97 million units a year ago, while software sales declined to 36.45 million units from 65.21 million a year earlier.

Electronic Arts Inc. takes a hit despite solid results after the video game publisher failed to raise full-year guidance as some had expected. its quarterly loss expanded from a year ago because of higher costs, but revenue grew. The company says such titles as “FIFA 12,” ”Madden NFL 12″ and “The Sims Social” performed well, while “Battlefield 3″ was off to a good start.

Wednesday: Sony Corp. reports an 8 percent revenue decline in the game business because of a price reduction in the PlayStation 3 console ahead of the holiday season.

THQ Inc., a maker of video games, says it lost more money in the latest quarter than a year ago, as the company spent more on development, marketing and other expenses. but its revenue grew and surpassed expectations. The company’s upbeat forecast for the all-important holiday quarter, however, lifted its stock sharply.

Tuesday: Activision Blizzard Inc., Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.

Nov. 17: GameStop Corp.

Nintendo created a new Mario game called Mario Kart Wii and released it on April of 2008. it was first introduced in the market at E3 2007. Critics gave it positive feedback and players anticipated the game. it was able to sell millions of copies in less than a month in countries like the United States and Japan.

Mario Kart Wii is the sixth game for the Mario Kart franchise. it is also the second Mario Kart game to make use of the free Nintendo online service. Internet connection enables other players to race and compete with other players around the globe. Results or scores of players can be seen by enabling the Mario Kart Channel to the Wii Menu. Each Mario Kart Wii comes with a Wii Wheel accessory. the Wii Wheel, which houses the Wii Remote when playing Mario Kart Wii, is developed to enable players to play the game easier.

Mario Kart Wii is a video game that allows players to race against each other. just like any other Wii game, it enables players to move and interact with others. there are 12 people who can join the race. Anyway, the player or players, decides which of the character he or she will use for the kart race. the player can choose from 24 different characters that are divided into three weight categories. the character’s weight will determine which kind of karts or motorbikes will be available for them to use.

The vehicle of each character has its own speed, weight, acceleration, handling, drift, off-road, and mini-turbo. although motorbikes could make use of wheelies for faster speed, the duration and turning ability of using the wheelie are both limited. Karts, on the other hand, cannot do wheelies but they can make use of drifting to have faster speed. Karts contain the 50 cc mode, motorbikes have the 100cc mode, and there is a 150 cc mode that has a mix of both motorbikes and karts. not all modes are provided right away to the player. Some modes have to be earned by the player by completing some parts of the game.

Aside from karts and motorbikes, players can race in different tracks. there are 32 tracks, 16 new ones and 16 remakes from older Mario Kart games, in Mario Kart Wii and each track is unique. Tracks have different shapes, obstacles and hazards that make it unique. there are ten battle courses that are made wider in Mario Wii to fit 12 players. Some of the courses are taken from previous Mario Kart games and some are brand new courses. also, just like in other Mario Kart games, players could have additional defense, offense or powering up during the game by driving through items throughout the race. also, new speed boosts are created in Mario Kart Wii, although the snake could still be used to increase speed.

To make Mario Kart Wii’s gaming experience better, the preferable controller that a gamer could use is the Wii Wheel. However, there are other ways to play Mario Kart Wii. the player could make use of the Wii Remote, the Wii Remote with the Nunchuk attached to it, or the Nintendo GameCube controller.

There are different game modes in Mario Kart Wii such as the Grand Prix mode. However, this kind of gaming could only be done by a single player. in this game mode, the player would have to compete with 11 computer controlled participants in different Grand Prix Cups. there are three laps in every Cup that a player joins. the player would be given a trophy if he is able to get a high rank during the race.

Aside from the Grand Prix mode, there is also the Mirror Mode. the Mirror Mode is a type of race wherein all eight different Cups could be seen in one single mode, called the Mirror Mode. the Mirror Mode could only be available to the player, once he or she has completed some elements of the game.

Another gaming mode is called the Time Trial. in this gaming mode, the player or players should try to finish the racing course as fast as they can. just like in any other Mario Kart game, the quickest time that the player gets to achieve will be saved as a ghost. Once it is saved, the player could race against this time. there are also staff ghosts made available for the player to compete against. If the player gets to beat any of the staff ghosts, characters and vehicles that were locked are made available to the player.

The versus Mode, on the other hand, allows players to compete with each other.

Mario Kart Wii also offers players the Battle mode. there are two ways of battle mode, one is through popping balloons and the other is through getting as much coins. in the battle mode, the players are divided into two teams and each player on each team has three balloons attached to their karts. the balloons are like the lives of each player. Once the member from the opposing team hits the player, a balloon is popped and the team member who hits the balloon gets a score. Once all the balloons of a player have been popped, he would be given three new ones, once a new game is started. the team which pops the most balloons win. in the other battle mode, called the Coin Runner, the coins are distributed in different areas throughout the whole course. to gain coins, the player must drive through it and he or she will automatically get the coin. However, if a member from the opposing team hits the player, he or she will lose the coin or coins. the team that has the most number of coins will win.

Nintendo’s Wi-fi connection, allow players to race against each other. one of the options of this feature, allows players to compete anyone from other parts of the globe. the other two options allow players to compete with people from different surrounding regions or to compete with their friends, through the friend code system where friends are listed. Nintendo’s Wi-fi connection also allows players to communicate with other players through chatting. However, to choose a course, those gamers would play in, a voting system is implemented. Players would have to vote which course he or she would like to race in. other than competing with other players from around the globe, Nintendo’s Wi-fi connection has other features such as the Mario Kart Channel.

Nintendo’s announced a newly configured Wii console which ditches support for Gamecube software and accessories.

Nintendo has announced that from October 23, you’ll be able to pick up a “newly configured” Wii console in a bundle with new Super Mario Bros. and a Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack CD, or from November 4, a “Family Edition” bundle that comes with Wii Sports and Wii Party. It’s an ideal Christmas present, or so they say.

So what’s “newly configured” about the console? Well, it’s designed to sit horizontally rather than vertically (big deal) — but the potentially bigger news for gamers is that it drops support for Gamecube software and accessories.

That’s right — new Wii consoles will be ditching backward compatibility. why? Presumably to save costs. the price of the new bundle won’t be any lower, though — the Mario bundle will be offered at $149.99 alongside the previous-model package which comes with Mario Kart and a Wii Wheel for the same price. As well as this, dropping Gamecube support cuts off access to a variety of classic games from the Gamecube generation, most of which can be picked up pretty cheap these days. Titles like Metal Gear Solid remake the Twin Snakes; Silicon Knights’ fantastic survival horror game Eternal Darkness; and indeed Nintendo’s own titles such as Mario Kart Double Dash, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Smash Bros. Melee — these are all excellent games that still play well today. As well as all this, it means you won’t be able to use GameCube controllers with Virtual Console titles, either.

Following the November 4 release of the new-model Wii, a blue version will be released in time for the release of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games — currently set for November 18 in Europe. Following this, a black Wii Fit bundle, including a black new-type Wii, a black Wii Balance Board and a black copy of Wii Fit plus will be released on December 2.

By Spencer . October 18, 2011 . 2:25am

Wii MotionPlus sword swinging controls are new for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but the game’s defining feature wasn’t always part of producer Eiji Aonuma’s plan. Aonuma began planning the next Zelda game after completing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Hidemaro Fujibayashi, director on Skyward Sword and a number of Zelda games for Game Boy, suggested to use Wii MotionPlus.

Fujibayashi was experimenting with the new hardware, but Aonuma was skeptical and stored the idea in the back of his mind. that is until Wii Sports Resort came out. After trying swordplay and archery, Aonuma felt that those mini-games had a similar feel to the Zelda series. Aonuma then told design leader Ryuji Kobayashi the game’s direction is going to change to support Wii MotionPlus. Kobayashi, unaware of Aonuma’s plan, was finalizing the basic battle controls with buttons.

That’s not the only change detailed in the Iwata Asks roundtable interview. Tanaka, the UI designer, was thinking about the game’s inventory system. Fujibayashi wanted an innovative system and Tanaka came up with the idea of twisting your wrist to change items. Iwata said that’s like changing the channels on an old TV. this idea was scrapped though since the wrist has a limited turning radius.

Early in development, the boomerang was actually the beetle, one of the new weapons made just for Skyward Sword. The weapon then evolved into a Rocket Punch, Kobayashi explained, who played around with the idea of a flying hand grabbing things. once the design of the beetle was complete, the team started planning levels with the item in mind.

If you have played the original just Dance, Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3, Dancing with the Stars: We Dance, or Michael Jackson the Experience, just Dance 2 might be the perfect game for you or as a gift for someone else.

Just Dance 2 is one of the best selling music/rhythm games for the Nintendo Wii system featuring today’s hottest dance moves and providing more than a 45 song all star track list, plus downloadable songs from different music genres. Using enhanced and more accurate Wii Remote technology, this game allows beginning dancers to jump right in and have some fun, while also giving highly skilled dancers more of a challenge to get more game rewards.

Some of the new features of Just Dance 2 include:

• Four new dance modes: Duets, Party Mode, Dance Battle, and an exercise mode called just Sweat
• Real dance moves choreographed from the experts
• Multiplayer mode allowing up to 8 players

What the Gamers have to Say

.improved motion tracking is just what the doctor ordered. – Review snippet from Amazon

Just Dance 2 – WOW. – Review snippet from Amazon

.I LOVE this game. my kids LOVE it. – Review snippet from Amazon

Just Dance 2 features new modes, music, and dance moves that anyone would be able to pick up and enjoy if they enjoy music/rhythm and dance games. this new installment still uses just one controller, and even though it is still lacking the ability to be able to use the MotionPlus technology it stands up to its predecessor.