Gamernode: Latest Wii News

Super Smash Bros brawls online

Yesterday's Smash Bros Dojo update has revealed that the upcoming Super Smash Bros Brawl will indeed feature online play via Nintendo's Wi-fi connection.

There will be two ways to play: "With Friends" and "With Anyone"

"With Anyone" works much like Mario Kart DS, where players wait for matches with players from around the globe. When everyone is ready, the match begins, ending the pre-fight punching bag session.

The "With Friends" option allows players to enter friend codes and connect directly to those people with whom they would like to compete. There are more options in this mode than in the "With Anyone" selection. As Masahiro Sakurai says, "With friends, you can brawl any way you like. And there are other modes besides just free-for-alls." You can even taunt with up to 4 custom messages,...

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Wii picked to go all the way this season

The old prediction that the Wii would fade away, after its new technology lost its edge, has gone right out the window.

The new outlook has the Nintendo Wii coming out on top. BrandIntel, a market research company, analyzed over 400,000 blogs, forums, and social networking (Myspace, Facebook) comments.

After a pounding headache and 12 bottles of aspirin, they found that more and more gamers plan on buying a Wii than anything else.

BrandIntel Vice President Alan Dean explains it by saying, "Nintendo has been able to successfully target a new audience of casual gamers which opened up new revenue opportunities for the company."

The fact of it is, these days it's not about owning one console. With the gaming generation growing up, you will see consumers with multiple gaming systems. And with t...

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Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for the Wii

Guess what Star Wars fans? LucasArts has revealed that it will be releasing Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for the Wii next spring.

And better yet, you'll be able to swing your WiiMote just like a lightsaber. Oh joy! The nunchuck will be used to vanquish your enemies by using your Force powers.

The Wii version is being developed by Krome Studios and will also contain an exclusive duel mode where you can duke it out with your friends in some sweet lighsaber battles. Will there be online capability to do this too? No word on this yet.

Jim Ward, president of LucasArts said, "Wii is a great platform for The Force Unleashed, because the console's motion-oriented controllers really bring the game to life. We've worked hard to make the Wii version of the game unique in order to truly let you unleas...

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Reggie crows about Nintendo

Mercury News blogger Dean Takahashi and cohort Nooch recently got a chance to sit down with Reggie Fils Aime on their video podcast.

The first subject they touched on was the continuing dominance of Nintendo products in the gaming platform market. As usual, Wii, and DS came in first and second respectively in the monthly NPD reports, and Reggie had more than a little bit to say on that topic.

He went off on his usual tirade about how Nintendo is expanding the market, and how Wii is immersing gamers and getting them more involved with their games. All very standard stuff if you're at all familiar with the patterns of Fils Aime.

It does get a little bit more interesting later on though, when Reggie has to choke back his laughter and change the subject when he is asked whether the new slim des...

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SSB Brawl will have a 4-player online mode, yay!

The veil of silence is over; Nintendo confirmed that Super Smash Bros. Brawl will feature an online mode with up to four players. Now, fans have nothing to fear and this certainly spells good news.

Smash players can search for games with friends or partner up with anonymous public players. Surprisingly (and I think it's genius), stat tracking will only be tallied with games that were played with friends. Therefore if you play a game with a random player and it ends up rather crappy or the other player randomly leaves, then that game won't be tracked.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl will use friend codes and in-game messaging will support customizable text messages. There's no word on what other multiplayer modes Nintendo is cooking up, but heck, four-player online is fine by me. If online play doesn...

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NiGHTS gets two-player mode and "network support"

In a press release dated yesterday, Sega has revealed that NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, the upcoming sequel to the Saturn classic NiGHTS Into Dreams, "will feature a two-player mode and network support at launch."

"Network support" sounds a bit cryptic to me. What sort of network support are we going to see? What online modes will be available? Will online play allow for more than two players? I could ask these questions all day, and I'm sure you've got some of your own.

Another interesting portion of the release is the following snippet:

"SEGA also unveiled plans to reawaken the Artificial Life (A-Life) feature in NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, which gives gamers the freedom to oversee and develop their own sandbox environment enabling them to capture, raise, and even combine the inhabitants from ...

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We Love Golf. Maybe Wii will...

As the anguish disappears from the faces of dedicated Nintendo fans with the news that a Wii Sports sequel has as much chance of showing up as an ice cube on the Mohave Desert, news has come forth from Mario and Company that there will be a new golf game for the Wii called We Love Golf.

Sure, it's not Wii Sports, but at least it is a new game in the sports category.

Game developer, Camelot, whose claim to fame is producing other successful golf games such as Hot Shots Golf and the Mario Golf titles, will be in command of operations in making the new Wii title.

So what sort of game play can we expect? According to the official press release by Capcom:

We Love Golf! presents a realistic golfing experience with a fresh new spin, incorporating the Wii remote's unique motion-sensing functionality....

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Nintendo turning huge profits on Wii sales

It's not an uncommon practice for console manufacturers to accept early losses on their products in order to sell off as many as possible and gain the greatest install base. Their profits are expected to come later, when the presence of their unit in cuonsumers' home pays off in terms of software sales.

Nintendo doesn't do things this way. As a matter of fact, the Big N is turning huge gross profits, as far as videogame consoles go, on every Wii system they sell. According to a Financial Times report:

Nintendo's gross profit per console is Y1,500 in Japan. In the US and Europe, because the Wii's retail price is higher and comes bundled with Wii Sports software...the profit margin per console is Y5,600 in US and Y8,500 in Europe, when currency conversions are factored in.

That's the U.S. equiv...

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September 17th Virtual Console releases

This week's Virtual Console update seems somewhat lackluster, especially when one considers that European Wii owners have been able to download the original Super Mario Bros 2 (you know, the "Lost Levels") since last week. Where is the U.S. Super Mario love?!

Instead, we get Mario's cretaceous sidekick, Yoshi, in his big "2½-D" N64 adventure, along with some helicopters and a bunch of guys playing with sticks and balls while wearing tight uniforms. Like I said...where's my Super Mario Bros. 2?

Read on for the full descriptions of this week's games:

Yoshi's Story (Nintendo 64, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): The evil Baby Bowser has cast a spell turning Yoshi's Island into a picture book. Worse yet, the Super Happy Tree has been stolen, making the island dark and gloomy. ...

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Wii Medal of Honor to have 32-player online mode

Could it be true? Could it be possible? Is the Wii going to play host to a 32-player online FPS fragfest?

If the folks at EA have it their way (and they will), then Medal of Honor Heroes 2 will bring these massive battles home on Nintendo's online-shy console. Although Medal of Honor Heroes for the PSP wasn't the best the franchise has to offer, a big-time online multiplayer mode may be just what is necessary for it to succeed on the Wii.

On a more grand scale, it'd be wonderful if a successful outing for EA encourages more developers to include strong online components in their Wii titles, especially in first-person shooters. After all, the FPS was supposed to be a bread-and-butter genre for the Wii, and few games have taken full advantage of the technology the system has to offer.

Online F...

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No Wii Sports 2 for now

When the Wii launched, Wii Sports was undoubtedly the best overall representation of what the console was all about. Sure, Twilight Princess was a long overdue love letter to Nintendo fanboys, but it wasn't the sole reason why the Wii has become successful.

That praise goes all to Wii Sports. Bundled with the system, it gave anyone the chance to dive into Nintendo's new console, no matter their age, gender, or video game experience. Without it, the Wii would not be where it is today.

So one would think that a sequel, with more sports to choose from and better controls, would be on the way, right? Not so according to Iwata who in a recent interview flatly stated that a new Wii Sports game would not be even a possibility in the near future.

"We're not going to take such an easy way, not by inc...

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Best Wii gun yet?

I don't know how everyone else feels about the Sharpshooter, Wii Blaster, and Wii Zapper, but I find them all to be a bit disappointing.

Being a right-handed individual, I would really like to shoot any gun-shaped accessory with my right hand on the trigger, but as a seasoned gamer, my left thumb is much more adept at using analog sticks for movement. None of these designs can accomodate both of those needs.

Brando's 2-in-1 Combined Light Gun does, however, featuring a break-away design that leaves the now-pistol-shaped Wii-mote in one hand, and the nunchuck attachment in the other. Additionally, the two pieces can be locked together to form a single unit for those who prefer that style.

At $18, Brando's product may be the most valuable child-killer training device yet.

What do you think?

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TurboGrafx-16 games on Virtual Console!

Hey, two stories in two weeks about games from two dead consoles being released on the Virtual Console, ain't that a coincidence? First it was the Neo Geo, now it's the TurboGrafx-16.

While the Neo Geo games aren't confirmed for U.S. release, the TurboGrafx-16 games are! As of this writing, the TurboGrafx-16 games are planned for release in October and will be available in U.S., Europe and Japan.

The company is planning five games this year and ten more in 2008.

Specific games weren't announced, but there were references to Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished & Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter and to Cho Aniki. Pricing for these Virtual Console games will be 800 Wii Points. ($8 US)

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Thrustmaster's wireless classic controller

While the name may not exactly roll off the tongue, Thrustmaster's T-Wireless NW gamepad for the Nintendo Wii does aim to solve one of the console's more annoying issues - wired Virtual Console gameplay.

The Classic Controller released by Nintendo for use with the Virtual Console features a button layout that is optimally configured for playing older games, but the damn thing has to be attached to an idle Wii-mote the entire time it's in use. This leaves players dumbstruck, wondering what exactly to do with that veritable ball and chain. Does it lay on the couch, does it get shoved in a pocket, or does it just dangle in midair?

Well, the T-Wireless solves that problem by plugging a receiver dongle into the Wii's Gamecube ports, effectively cutting the cord on the classic gaming experience an...

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Wii officially passes up Xbox 360 sales

Well, it's been a long time coming, but Nintendo has finally taken the lead away from Microsoft in the console race.

The Financial Times is reporting that as Wii tops 9 million consoles sold, so does it top the Xbox 360. Some unconfirmed sources have been reporting sales as high 11.45 million for the Wii, but it's possible that they had gotten some signals crossed.

The first few years of a console race are always a race to the magic number, 10 million. History shows that the console that hits 10 million console sales first is most likely going to be the winner at the end of the generation.

Microsoft isn't at all far behind with 8.9 million. It's interesting that right at this time the two gaming behemoths would be so narrowly divided. Both systems have been readying themselves for this holid...

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When you retire, you can always play games...

Gamers come in all shapes, colors, creeds, sizes and ages. Take for instance, the residents at the Sunrise retirement home in Birmingham, England. You won't find your typical bingo games, checkers or chess there.

No not by a long shot. What you will find there are retirees well past their 70's, with some even in their 90's, playing Wii Sports.

These hardcore hell raisers compete against each other to get the high scores and dominance in Wii bowling, tennis, golf and the other sports modules in the game. And the best part of all this? They get to do in in the comfort of the warm indoors without having to travel too far from their residence.

Gladys Harrington explained why she liked playing Wii Sports so much. "It's easy to operate and you don't have to rely on partners to score, you get your...

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Viva Piñata fan proposes to girlfriend in game

We've had people get married on World of Warcraft. We've had people engage in virtual dates in The Sims, and now friends and neighbors; you are cordially invited to attend the wedding of a hardcore Viva Piñata fan and his equally hardcore VP girlfriend.

Well not really, but this could be the next step in this virtual romance.

A Viva Piñata gamer in Florida proposed to his fiancée by sending her a virtual diamond in the game. You have to hand it to the guy...it's a pretty interesting way of dropping the BIG question.

The VP gamer said, "I just bought a 360 and VP for the sole reason of getting my girl addicted to VP and on her own system." Sneaky guy.

He continues his distinctive discourse by saying, "Well, I decided to propose to her this evening, so I sent the only diamond my digger has eve...

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Iwata says Wii is not a success...yet

Although Nintendo's not winning the console war in the US, by the numbers they are in the lead world wide with an estimated 11.45 million units sold.

11.45 million... I'll tell you what Nintendo's not doing: Losing in any way.

Well apparently it's not a success either. When asked about the Wii's success in a recent interview series, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said, "Not yet. It's a good start, It's been a good start but it's only the beginning. We want to have the customers continue playing."

Iwata is aware of the fact that the Wii may only have a gimmick appeal. Flailing your arms around and waving a Wii-mote is no doubt fun at times. But what happens when that initial high wears off and the Wii-mote loses its Wii-ness... er, newness.

In some ways the innovative controls may hinder gam...

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Gamebryo engine coming to the Wii

Is the power of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3 coming to the Wii? Well, I wouldn't go that far, but at least the engine these games are built on is getting a makeover for Nintendo's console.

Emergent Game Technologies, the makers of the Gamebryo engine have been hard at work creating an optimized version, so developers wishing to capitalize on the success of the Wii can do so with some of the same tools as on other consoles.

Said Geoffrey Selzer, CEO of Emergent:

“We are delighted to announce the Wii port of our Gamebryo engine. With the success of Nintendo’s Wii console catching much of the industry off guard and offering fresh interactive features, developers need new tools to be able to develop for multiple platforms that offer vastly different capabilities and ...

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Project H.A.M.M.E.R. cancelled

Time to mourn another gaming loss -- the latest issue of Famitsu revealed that Nintendo has cancelled development on Project H.A.M.M.E.R. Planned as a brand-new game franchise for the Wii, development has been halted since E3 2007.

The premise seemed fine, but looks like Nintendo is trying to focus on other things at the moment.

The game would have centered on players controlling M-09, a cyborg set to destroy killer robots who are attacking the U.S. The main weapon of choice would be a massive hammer and players would use the Wiimote to swing away, or bring the Wiimote up and then slamming down for an extra powerful attack.

As of this writing, it's unknown what Nintendo Software Technology Corporation, H.A.M.M.E.R.'s developer, will be working on. Their latest game was Mario vs. Donkey Kong ...

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