Nintendo Wii Ware und VC News

[ankeingo]

EU WiiWare Update: Onslaught and Pop-Up Pirate!

This week brings an unexpected release! You were probably expecting Snowboard Riot to be Hudson's next WiiWare game in Europe. Surprise surprise, because they have instead chosen to release Onslaught!

Onslaught was only announced for European/American release about a week ago, but it's already available now! The game is, shockingly enough, a first person shooter - The first on WiiWare. In fact, even the download services on the PS3 and Xbox 360 don't really have any FPS games aside from ports of old ones. Aside from featuring a single player story mode, Onslaught also has a 4-player online co-op mode, which certainly sounds very promising. Onslaught costs 1000 Wii Points.

Today's other release will probably not excite as many people. Pop-Up Pirate! is based on a classic "board" game by Tomy. You are presented with a pirate, who is trapped in a barrel with various openings in it. You and the other players take turns sticking swords and other objects into these openings, hoping that it won't hurt the pirate. As soon as somebody does hurt him, he or she loses! This WiiWare version of the game doesn't really seem to be anything more than a digital version of the game, but it only costs 500 Wii Points.

Certainly a surprising week - Who expected Onslaught this soon after it was announced?

 

[ankeingo]

Review: Onslaught

Review: Pop-Up Pirate!

 

[ankeingo]

USA WiiWare Update: Evasive Space

Today’s solo release for North American WiiWare is Evasive Space. A causal glance at one of the many screenshots in our gallery below might lead you to conclude that this is a shoot-em-up game. In fact the idea in this game is to avoid things instead, which is a novel idea. The game has been developed by High Voltage for newly formed Akinai Games (YUKES of America).

From what we have seen so far and heard in our exclusive interview we’re expecting this to be a solid purchase. Competing for the best times on the online leaderboards should be a whole heap of fun. Evasive Space costs 1000 Wii points, if in doubt wait for our review which should be ready in the next couple of days.

Congratulations go to reader PDTempest who won our Evasive Space competion with a quite frankly unbelievable example of death-avoidance that even Frogger would be proud of!

If evading things sounds like a drag and you want to shoot and destroy instead then you might want to check out Life Force on the NES. For just 500 Wii points with 2 player co-op this is a game worth investigating.

Quelle

 

[ankeingo]

Diatomic: Microscopic Arcade Action Madness

Dutch development studio, Grendel Games recently got in touch with us regarding an intriguing new arcade action game called Diatomic which they plan to bring to WiiWare soon. Here’s what they told us:

Diatomic is a hectic arcade action title that focuses on making choices between defensive or offensive play. The player controls a diatomic protagonist equipped with a deadly tail that can be used as a whip or curled around its body as a shield. Defend your petri dish and destroy the invading diatoms. Collect the mystic spinergy power ups and engage in the all-devastating spinball move to obliterate your enemies. Stack bonus after bonus, hold the multipliers and become top-dog at the leader boards.

We curiously asked them if the gameplay might be similar to Geometry Wars and this is what they had to say:

Diatomic does share some similarities with Geometry Wars in the sense that it's true to form arcade gameplay. Our graphics also have a vibrant touch to them, just like diatoms under an electronic microscope.

The pace and play style themselves couldn't differ more. Diatomic is very physical, as the player needs to whip the tail to destroy enemies, or to shield itself from their attacks and ricochet incoming fire.

We’ll get our hands on some screenshots over the next few weeks to show you, but until then you can enjoy some artwork which shows some of the microscopic bad guys you will have to face in this game:

 

[ankeingo]

Okiraku Putter Golf Wii JAP Termin / Homepage eröffnet

Arc System Works gibt bekannt, dass das Sportspiel Okiraku Putter Golf Wii am 10.03.09 für 500 Wii-Punkte auf WiiWare in Japan veröffentlicht wird.

Homepage

 

[ankeingo]

Swords and Soldiers - new trailer

 

[ankeingo]

Onslaught - mission 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h4Wn544I4I&eurl=http://gonintendo.com/?paged=3

 

[ankeingo]

Eternity's Child Nominated for GANG Award

Eternity’s Child may have had its critics but that hasn’t prevented it from picking up a Game Audio Network Guild nomination for Best Soundtrack.

The music was crafted by the very talented Sean Beeson and is well worth a listen. You can check out samples - as well as read about how the soundtrack was created – by visiting Sean’s own site here.

However, despite such accolades, Mr Bernard is not a happy man. On his blog he has lashed out at Alten8, the publishers of the WiiWare version:

I must admit that I am not happy at all that it's still not out on Wiiware, I mean my publisher has had the code for over 6 months, and there is still no news, seriously this is taking the whole team for idiots.

Quelle

 

[ankeingo]

Is the Commodore 64 Coming to America's Virtual Console?


The Wii's retro gaming download service, the Virtual Console, may be seeing a new retro console go virtual in America soon -- the Commodore 64. Hints included in today's Wii-kly Update (a press release usually only dedicated to informing gamers what new titles have arrived for purchase in the Wii Shop) seem to suggest that could be the case. You can read the press release in its entirety by clicking here, but the paragraph of interest is this one:

"In other news, the Wii-kly Update has a fun surprise coming soon for all our fans. We can't tell you the secret just yet but maybe we'll offer you some hidden clues. From AZ to NC, if you're a fan, your applause could rattle your walls, windows, door. You might enjoy this news whether you live in a brick house or Vanderbilt dorm. Even people living along Route 286 in rural Pennsylvania ought to be excited. It'll feel like a bunch of birthday greetings and, really, who could ask for more? But that's about all we can say for now, so be sure to check future Wii-kly Updates."

That seems like a pretty random collection of clues, but intrepid forum-goers around the Internet have already proposed the connection between them. "Brick House" was a song performed by The Commodores. Vanderbilt University was founded by "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the school's sports teams are called the Commodores. And, if you actually happened to drive across Route 286 in Pennsylvania, you'd come across the great town of Commodore, PA. You can always count on the quick-thinking, Wikipedia-equipped Internet dwellers to crack any code.


If the Commodore is coming to America, you can expect the isometric action adventure of the Last Ninja series to make an appearance.

Unlike the rest of the consoles that make up the Virtual Console, the Commodore 64 wasn't a video game system as traditionally defined -- it was a home computer. It was released and marketed as such in August of 1982, and only later gained notoriety as a gaming platform thanks to its widespread market penetration and the efforts of diligent programmers who managed to take full advantage of what the machine was capable of.

Commodore gaming got into full swing in the mid-'80s and continued for several years, making the platform a contemporary of Nintendo's NES for most of its life cycle. The system continued to enjoy success even into the early '90s, and, if you're like me, you even remember the elementary school you grew up attending having several of the machines equipped in classrooms. (We used them strictly for educational purposes, of course.)

Nintendo's press release gives no time table for when the Commodore 64 would be added to the VC lineup, an addition that would see the service growing to support a total of nine different systems here in the States. The tone would seem to suggest that we're going to continue to be teased with further clues for a while longer, perhaps setting up the system for a March Wii Shop debut -- which would be consistent with the service's most recent previous addition, the SEGA Master System, which joined the ranks in late March of last year.

But though software from the Commodore 64 would be new to Wii owners in the States, it's already been available elsewhere for quite a while -- Europe's Wii Shop saw the addition of the system on its digital shelves at the same time we were getting the Master System. Since last March, 18 total titles have made their VC debut there from the C64.

The selection has been mostly solid there so far -- their Day 1 line-up of scrolling shooter Uridium and fighting game International Karate may not have been explosively exciting, but since then some truly excellent C64 efforts like the platformer Mayhem in Monsterland, puzzle game Boulder Dash and isometric action Last Ninja trilogy has made the cut. It'll be interesting to see which, if any, of these same games Nintendo of America selects to offer to us in the U.S. But it's a safe bet that we'd see all of them eventually. (If the decision makers at Nintendo really want to have me reliving my childhood experience with the Commodore 64, though, then they'll need to find a way to hook us up with Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?)

Remember, though, that all of this is still officially rumor for now. Stay tuned to IGN Wii for further updates on the possibility of the Commodore coming to the American Virtual Console, as we look for any more "clues" in future Wii-kly Update press releases. And, of course, you'll hear it here if and when it's all made official.

Quelle

 

[ankeingo]

More Details About Swords & Soldiers

As Swords & Soldiers nears its expected Q1 release date, it's only natural that Dutch developer Ronimo Games is trying to stir up some more hype for the game.

Today they've released a whole bunch of new things - Aside from a whole bunch of new screens which can be found below in our gallery, they've released a new trailer, and an official website for the game, which can be found here.

On the website, you can find some more information on the two currently known factions, the Vikings and the Aztecs, including the specific skills of each unit.

The press release offers even more information:

Ronimo Games Announces New Details For Its Forthcoming WiiWare Title, Swords & Soldiers

Dutch Studio Melds 2D Side-Scrolling Action with Real-Time Strategy in Genre-Bending Debut

UTRECHT, The Netherlands – February 18, 2009 – Ronimo Games, best known as the development team behind the original version of De Blob, today announced new details surrounding its debut title for WiiWare, Swords & Soldiers. New features such as historical inaccuracy (yes we said that), uncompromising style, some random stuff, and Morefun™ have been added to the game.

“WiiWare is the perfect platform for a Ronimo game, which we hope becomes something people expect to be unique in style, and most importantly, really fun,” said Fabian Akker, president of Romino Games. “We want to make games that the entire family can play, wants to play, and actually plays. Swords & Soldiers is one of those game that we hope really takes off and finds its audience.”

About Swords & Soldiers

Swords & Soldiers is the first side-scrolling strategy game on the Wii, allowing for accessible and deep gameplay, a clear overview of the battlefield, and most importantly, for our artists to show off their beard-drawing skills. Players can choose from three powerful and unique factions as they let loose their armies and cast awesome spells to destroy the enemies’ castle. Swords & Soldiers is developed and published by Ronimo games and features:

-Strategic Depth - Even though dishing out commands is easy as pie, that doesn't mean you can just click buttons and expect to walk all over the enemy. Choosing the right guy for the job and zapping the proper enemy at the right time is what this game is all about. So put on your thinking cap and get to strategizin'.

-Style - Thinking up new strategies is hard. But luckily you won't have to look at some wooden blocks or plastic tokens while doing it. A fresh style, full of character greets you when playing Swords & Soldiers. You'll traverse lush jungles and sun-soaked deserts while you humiliate your opponents.

-Modes Galore - We tried our best to squeeze every last drop of gameplay from our mechanics in all kinds of modes. To start you out, we have 10 level campaigns for each of the three factions. These start out easy to teach you the basics, but they build up to some seriously epic final conflicts. Then there are the skirmish modes, in which you can crush human or AI in customizable battles. And, to top it all off, there are three distinct challenge modes which twist specific parts of the gameplay into crazy high-score based time devourers.

-Historical Inaccuracy - We've done plenty of research into the historic background of the three factions. And then we threw all of it out of the window, but made up some entertaining bits which seemed sort of more fun. Finally, we added some other totally irrelevant funny bits about hot sauce and bolted them on for maximum absurdity.
Easy Wiimote Controls - Everything in Swords & Soldiers is done using the pointer functionality of the innovative Wii Remote. Just click on the icons at the top to select the unit or spell you want to use against your enemies. In fact, playing Swords & Soldiers only requires one hand. So that leaves the other hand free for petting your cat while laughing maniacally.

-Morefun™ - Created in a lab by Dutch researchers, Morefun™ is Ronimo’s patent pending version of fun that makes games interesting and enjoyable to play. Imagine playing a game, that at the same time is actually fun. Powerful stuff.

-Achievements - Yes.

Quelle

 

[ankeingo]

Famitsu - new game announcements heads to WiiWare

Mr.Driller World
- for Wiiware
- schedule for Feb 24
- 800 wii point

Quelle

 

[ankeingo]

More Crystal Defenders For Wii

With the WiiWare version of Crystal Defenders having that "R1" in the title, expectations were high that Square Enix wouldn't stop with just one. Sure enough, a sequel is on the way. Square Enix announced today Crystal Defenders R2, set to hit the Japanese WiiWare service on February 24 at 1,000 WiiPoints. R1 was released over there late last month.

R2 is meant for players who've gotten accustomed to the basics of Crystal Defenders through R1. The game offers eight new jobs: Fencer, Black Mage, Hunter, Flintlock, Tinker, Time Mage, Thief, and Berserker. It also adds in Power Crystals, devices that can be placed on the battle field to give troops in the vicinity a power boost.

Many of these changes mirror the updates that were given to Crystal Guardians W1, the Crystal Defenders R1 cell phone predecessor, when Square Enix released Crystal Guardians W2. There are some differences, however, in terms of available jobs.

Crystal Guardians ended up being a trilogy. We have no doubt that the same will hold true for the WiiWare version of Crystal Defenders. The only question is, will any of the versions see release outside of Japan? Square Enix doesn't appear to be talking just yet.

Quelle

 

[ankeingo]

Video zu Super Meat Boy

 

[ankeingo]

Mr Driller Tunnelling His Way To WiiWare

According to the latest issue of Japanese magazine Famitsu, Namco is set to release a new version of its successful Mr Driller franchise on the Japanese WiiWare service this month.

Entitled Mr Driller World, the game will retail for 800 Wii Points and should be digging its way to sunlight on the 24th February. In addition to this, another Mr Driller game is due to emerge from solid ground on DSiWare the following day; as yet the points cost of this portable version is unknown.

Here’s a photo of the news as it appears in Famitsu:

Let’s hope this is the start of Namco throwing a bit more support behind the WiiWare service.

Quelle

 

[ankeingo]

Top 20 WiiWare Games in USA (18th Feb)

Here is the list for the 18th of February:

1 (1) - Tetris Party
2 (2) - My Aquarium
3 (3) - World of Goo
4 (4) - Cue Sports - Pool Revolution
5 (5) - Dr Mario Online Rx
6 (N) - LIT
7 (6) - Midnight Bowling
8 (7) - Fun! Fun! Minigolf
9 (14) - Snowboard Riot
10 (9) - Brain Challenge
11 (8) - Target Toss Pro: Bags
12 (11) - My Pokémon Ranch
13 (10) - Sandy Beach
14 (12) - Defend your Castle
15 (13) - Wild West Guns
16 (15) - TV Show King
17 (17) - Mega Man 9
18 (18) - Bomberman Blast
19 (19) - Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
20 (16) - Tiki Towers

* (N) - Denotes a new entry on the Top 20

Well it seems that fan favorite Pong Toss has finally dropped out of the Top 20. A sad day indeed. But much to no one's surprise, the big three are still holding on, and remain unchanged in position from last week's Top 20 chart.

The big climber this week is Wayforward's LIT title, which jumped all the way from off the charts to the #6 spot. Snowboard Riot made a pretty good leap as well, jumping from the 14th spot to #9 this week. The big dropper this week is Tiki Towers, which dropped from #16 down to #20. It looks like this could be its last week in the Top 20.

There wasn't a lot of movement this week, but it's nice to see LIT debut so high on the chart. Who knows, maybe we'll see Evasive Space on the charts next week.

Quelle

 

[ankeingo]

Today’s Euro/Aussie VC updates

Wii Virtual Console

-Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS (MD)
-Winter Games (C64)

Quelle

 

[CubeRevolution]

Pointscard 1000 Nintendo (Wii & DSi) und Pointscard 3000 Nintendo (Wii & DSi) wird es ab dem 3.04.2008 auch in Deutschland geben für je 10 bzw. 30 Euro:

Die Wii-Konsole ermöglicht den Download vieler beliebter Spiele-Titel der letzten 20 Jahre, den so genannten Virtual-Console-Titeln, welche aus einer reichhaltigen Auswahl an C64, NES, SNES, N64 uvm. Spielen bestehen. Aber auch WiiWare-Titel, das sind brandneu programmierte Spiele, können über dieses einfache Prepaid-System bezogen werden. Neu hinzukommen wird in Kürze, nach Release des Nintendo DSi, die Möglichkeit auch für den beliebten Handheld Software herunterzuladen. Um eine einfachere Handhabung zu gewähren und um Missverständnissen vorzubeugen wurden die Wii Points jetzt in Nintendo Points umbenannt. Ein einheitliches und einfaches Bezahlsystem für beide Konsolen zusammen!

 

[Ruffy]

Wollt ich auch grade posten, weil ich gestern ne mail an Nintendo geschickt hab, weil sie im railer des DSi auftauchten^^

Sehr geil, so muss ich net immer gleich 20€ ausgeben, die 1000er hat hier sowieso gefehlt, die 3000er find ich eher sinnlos^^

 

[ankeingo]

First Screens of Adventure Island: The Beginning Revealed

Hudson has revealed the first screenshots of their upcoming new Adventure Island game for WiiWare, Adventure Island: The Beginning which you can see below in our gallery.

From the screens you can see that the game will have gameplay very similar to earlier games in the series, with all of the unique gameplay elements we've come to known and love such as the skateboard and the gradually decreasing stamina bar.

Totally new however are minigames - It seems there will be a number of them included in the game which give a unique twist on the gameplay, such as collecting as much fruit as you can within a certain time limit or riding through a completely 3D level on the skateboard! There will also be online rankings, presumably for both the minigames and your single player scores. You can also test your button mashing speed to try and beat Takahashi Meijin's (The man who Master Higgins is based on, as you might know) record of 16 presses per second, which earned him the nickname 16-shot back in the day.

Adventure Island: The Beginning is perhaps the most surprising Hudson WiiWare game yet - The last main game in the series was Super Adventure Island II on the SNES way back in 1994, and since then there's only been a few Japan-exclusive mobile phone games! There was an Adventure Island game on the GameCube as well, but this was simply a remake of the original with updated graphics and music.

As such we quite look forward to this release - Judging by the title it will be a prequel, so it should contain only the main elements that made the other games fun without any unnecessary extra stuff (Aside from the minigames!).

Quelle

 

[ankeingo]

North American WiiWare/VC updates: Commodore 64 support appears - Onslaught, The Last Ninja, International Karate, Pitstop II

Hang onto your hats – and your Wii Remote™ controllers – as we unveil a set of exciting firsts for the Wii™ Shop Channel this week. For starters, the new Onslaught™ marks the first-ever first-person shooter to be released via the WiiWare™ service. Using the intuitive wireless controls Wii is known for, the game puts players at the center of a pulse-pounding adventure that fans of futuristic sci-fi and multiplayer action will love.

The other big news this week is the hotly anticipated launch of Commodore® 64 game titles on Virtual Console™. Starting with two classic martial arts games and an awesome car racing title, we’re thrilled to add yet another old-school gaming platform to the mix. Virtual Console already offers classic games that originally appeared on a variety of platforms, and with the addition of Commodore 64, Wii owners can expect even more vintage games to rediscover and enjoy. (Congratulations to those of you who deciphered our hidden hints in last week’s Wii-kly Update – you’ll find a key to all the clues at the end of this installment.)

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:


WiiWare

Onslaught (Hudson Entertainment, 1-4 players, Rated T for Teen—Animated Blood, Violence, 1,000 Wii Points): Onslaught is an FPS that puts you in the middle of a futuristic war between humans and insectoid aliens. Become part of the Elite Interstellar Strike Force and fight against an overwhelming onslaught of alien life forms. Enjoy the rush of mowing down wave after wave of aliens with machine guns, grenades and more. Feel your heart pound as you battle gigantic boss aliens. Beyond the normal game, Onslaught includes additional modes that let you play with rivals from around the world using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Team up with as many as three other players in Free Battle mode, or compete on special maps to see who can get the most points by killing enemies before time runs out in Ranking Battle mode. (Router and broadband access required for online play. For more info, go to www.nintendo.com.)

Virtual Console

The Last Ninja™ (Commodore 64, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older—Animated Blood, Mild Violence, 500 Wii Points): The evil Shogun Kunitoki has long envied the powers of the Ninja brotherhood and would do anything to acquire their knowledge. To this end, he has sworn an oath to their total destruction. Once every decade, all Ninja must travel to the Island of Lin Fen, where they pay homage to the Shrine of the White Ninja and receive further teachings from the Koga Scrolls. Seizing the opportunity, Kunitoki summoned forth all the spirits from the depths of the Nether World and flung their full force against the amassed Ninja. None escaped the wrath of Kunitoki. Word of this unnatural disaster soon reached Armakuni, the last Ninja. Gathering all his courage, he has sworn to wreak a terrible revenge on the Shogun and all his followers. What unforeseen hazards await him?

INTERNATIONAL KARATE™ (Commodore 64, 1-2 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older—Mild Violence, 500 Wii Points): INTERNATIONAL KARATE is a simulation of a karate tournament in which one person can play against the computer or two players can compete against each other. During the game, you’ll fly to various locations around the world. In all stages of the game, a wise old judge will watch over you and award you either a half-point or a full point, depending on how successful a hit has been.

Pitstop II™ (Commodore 64, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Pitstop II was the first game that brought serious auto racing action to the computer screen—the thrill of battling an opponent, the excitement of fighting for the lead out on the track, and the suspense of struggling to be the first out of the pits. Third-person graphics and a split-screen display allow one or two players to experience the challenge of car racing head-to-head. Six of the world’s toughest tracks are waiting, from Brands Hatch and its hairpin turns to the mile-long straight of Vallelunga. You can practice against the computer, but nothing will compare to the fun of racing against another person. Indeed, Pitstop II proves that car racing was never meant to be a solo sport.

As promised, here’s a list of the Commodore 64-related clues that were embedded in last week’s newsletter:

* In the second paragraph, each sentence contains exactly 64 letters and numbers (not counting spaces or punctuation).
* U.S. Route 64 runs from Arizona to North Carolina.
* The third sentence ends with a comma and the word “door,” hinting at the name Commodore.
* “Brick House” was a hit for R&B group The Commodores.
* The athletic teams of Vanderbilt University are known as the Commodores.
* Pennsylvania’s Route 286 passes through a town called Commodore.
* The phrases “birthday greetings” and “who could ask for more?” are found in the classic Beatles tune “When I’m 64.”

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