Help Wanted Wii Video Game Review

Topic: Wii

Today we are checking out the new Wii game called Help Wanted. The game makes full use of the motion controls of the Wii to allow players to play over 50 different jobs.

Jobs in the game range from milking cows to catching fish and being a stunt man. In all, there are 50 jobs that the player can take advantage of to earn money to ultimately destroy an asteroid that is coming towards the Earth. Read more

Posted on Wed, 27 May 2009 08:06:36 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Dead Space: Extraction Brings Terror to Wii.

Topic: Wii

At EA3, Electronic Arts' pre-E3 mini-expo, we got some chilling new details about the sequel to one of the scariest games of all time. Dead Space: Extraction, the sequel to 2008's Dead Space, is set to come out in Fall of 2009, and it's already looking like a worthy successor to its legendary progenitor.

IGN's report on EA3's Dead Space preview tells us a few things. First, that the Wii-based "sequel" will actually be a prequel to the first game. In Extraction, you will play one of the miners from the planet that the Ishimura (the ship you fought on in the original) was orbiting. You'll have to escape your virus-ridden home to the relative safety of the Ishimura.

Read more

Posted on Tue, 26 May 2009 10:30:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Metroid Prime Trilogy Comes to Wii

Topic: Wii

Metroid was one of those old Nintendo games that I played a lot of when I was a kid. The game was lots of fun back in the day and Nintendo Wii owners will be able to get their hands on the entire Metroid Prime three game series starting this August.

All three of the Metroid Prime games will be offered on a single disc and the first two games are being revamped with controls to take advantage of the Nintendo Wii Remote. The game will have a unified main menu that allows players to choose which game they want to play. Read more

Posted on Tue, 26 May 2009 07:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Punch Out for Wii Brings Back the Good Old Days

Topic: Wii

One of the games that my friends and I sat around playing as kids on those long summer days when we were out of school was Punch Out. I remember that someone always knew a guy who found a trick to beating one of the players.

I remember the first time I beat that fat dude in the game with a duck, punch in the stomach then left, right, left, right. The new version of Punch Out for the Wii launched yesterday and will bring gamers who have been around long enough to recall the original game back to the good 'ol days of gaming. Read more

Posted on Tue, 19 May 2009 07:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Nintendo Celebrates WiiWare Download Service First Birthday

Topic: Wii

Nintendo is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the launch of the WiiWare downloadable game service. The service allowed developers a place to show off their games in a direct to customer style via the Nintendo Wii shop Channel.

The service has 81 different games in its library created by 40 different game studios. Nintendo says that over half the games were created by small studios with less than five employees. Games on the service include World of Goo, Tetris Party, LIT, and more. Read more

Posted on Wed, 13 May 2009 12:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Crossfire Gun Controller for Wii hitting E3.

Topic: Wii

More E3 news comes skittering down the pipe; a reliable source has revealed that Penguin United will be introducing their new Wii Crossfire gun remote to the world next month at E3 2009. The new gun is supposed to be an improvement upon the Perfect Shot, which is the current Wii gun peripheral.

Penguin United makes a variety of useful peripheral gaming devices, but this is their first gun controller. Unlike the Perfect Shot and the Zapper, the Crossfire will not just be a shell that fits around a Wii controller. In fact, the Crossfire is said to be a fully functional Wii controller, as well as a light gun. The Crossfire is said to have an integrated speaker to further enhance its functionality as a gaming controller.

Read more

Posted on Wed, 13 May 2009 10:10:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Odd Help Wanted Video Game Available for Wii

Topic: Wii

An odd new game is coming to the Nintendo Wii called Help Wanted. The game puts players into the shoes of a job seeker that takes on 50 different mini jobs to help make ends meet. Among the jobs are body builder, astronaut, and cow milker.

The player has to perform actions with the Wii controllers to do the jobs in order to win the game. The goal of the game is to complete jobs to save the world from extinction by buying defense systems for the Earth to destroy asteroids. Read more

Posted on Wed, 13 May 2009 08:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

New Play Control! Donkey Kong launched for Nintendo Wii

Topic: Wii

Nintendo gives some of their classic video games the new Wii play controls. Today Nintendo launched the New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat video game for the Wii console that lets players control the classic game with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.

You control Donkey Kong’s running, jumping, and banana grabbing by using the traditional control stick and buttons, while motion controls add a realistic feeling to actions like grabbing vines and boxing. Read more

Posted on Mon, 4 May 2009 08:23:42 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Sony PS3 outsells Wii in Japan again

Topic: Wii

The light at the end of the tunnel is shining brighter for the Sony PS3 at least in Japan. The Sony PS3 console outsold the Nintendo Wii for the 2nd month in a row.
As reported in March the PS3 outsold the Wii for the first time in 16 months.
In April Sony moved 108,530 PS3 consoles and Nintendo just 67,116 Wii consoles according to numbers from Enterbrain (Via Reuters). Read more

Posted on Sat, 2 May 2009 07:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Sony PS3 gets Wiimote at E3 2009

Topic: Wii

Ever since the Wii became a hyper success the PS3 and the Xbox 360 have been rumored to be getting the same type of controllers to match the success of the Wii.
Variety (via Kotaku) reports now that they got word from several sources that Sony is showing a new motion sensing controller at the E3 2009 in June. Read more

Posted on Fri, 1 May 2009 06:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Wii Fans Denied Marvel vs. Capcom 2

Topic: Wii

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 will not be appearing on the Wii, neither as downloadable content or in a retail release, according to a post by a Capcom insider at the Capcom Unity blog.

Last night, Capcom confirmed the game would appear on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network this summer. Responding to complaints from upset Wii fans, Capcom VP of Strategic Planning & Business Development Christian Svenson claimed, “This is a downloadable play, not a retail play. We don't actually have any retail rights on this project. And there's no way to get anywhere near the Wiiware filesize limit here.”

Read more

Posted on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:05:00 CDT | by James Douglas

$10 Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 Games at Best Buy!

Topic: Wii

Best Buy is running a great deal on videogames this week by offering up many recent and popular titles for only $10. Spring/summer is usually a slow time for videogames as very few major releases are expected, making it a great time for gamers to try out any older titles. The forums at cheapassgamer.com have a complete list of games on sale, including all PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, DS, and PS2 titles. A few notable titles for the PS3 and Xbox 360 include:

PS3:
• 007: Quantum of Solace
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
• Guitar Hero 3
• Guitar Hero Aerosmith
• Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions
• Rock Band
• Rock Revolution
• Soul Calibur 4

Xbox 360:
• Alone in the Dark
• C&C: Red Alert 3
• Condemned 2
• Devil May Cry 4
• Silent Hill: Homecoming
• Soul Calibur 4
• Too Human
• Turok
• Unreal Tournament 3

Read more

Posted on Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:15:00 CDT | by James Douglas

MadWorld for Wii Review

Topic: Wii

Tweaktown published a review of a rare hard-core gamer title for the Nintendo Wii. The game is called MadWorld and is from SEGA. MadWorld was released in March.
Quote from the review: "The Nintendo Wii is constantly derided by hardcore gamers for having lots of shovelware and basically going after a new market. There is no doubt that the success of the Wii will change the face of gaming forever and Sony and Microsoft will factor the Wii's success into their next systems. Read more

Posted on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Trick Racing for Wii Announced

Topic: Wii

A new Nintendo Wii game has been unveiled called Excitebots: Trick Racing that allows players to control robot racing vehicles that are designed to look like animals and insects. To win the game players must drive the vehicles around the track to earn stars. Performing stunts boosts the score.

The game is online enabled and allows players to race against six other opponents online. Players can also trade ghost data to race against online. The controls use the Wii Remote to steer and offer special moves like turbo burst, power slides, and jumps. Read more

Posted on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Wii, PS3, Xbox 360 Feel Recession Pinch in March

Topic: Wii

Revenues from US video games sales dropped more than expected in March, down 17% from a year ago, according to the NPD Group; the first real sign of the current economic climate affecting the resilient video game industry.

Overall sales totaled $1.43 billion compared to $1.72 billion a year ago. For the entire first quarter, revenues remained flat at $4.25 billion.

While analysts were surprised by the drop, NPD’s Anita Frazier was quick to point out multiple circumstances contributed.

"While it might be tempting to jump to the conclusion that the sky is starting to fall on the video games industry given this month's results, it's important to remember that two very big things are different this year than last. First, Easter fell in March last year whereas it fell in April this year, and last March included the release of Super Small Bros.: Brawl, which went on to become the fourth best-selling game in 2008."

Read more

Posted on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:40:00 CDT | by James Douglas

Wii MotionPlus ships June 8th

Topic: Wii

Nintendo announced today that the Wii MotionPlus accessory is going on sale on June 8th for $19.99.
This has been a long wait. Nintendo announced the Wii MotionPlus back in July 2008.

Nintendo Wii MotionPlus accessory for the Wii Remote controller redefines game control, by more quickly and accurately reflecting motions in a 3-D space. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with a higher level of precision and immersion. Read more

Posted on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

PS3, Wii May Soon Stream Netflix

Topic: Wii

Job postings can be so revealing (see I4U’s Microsoft/Halo report). And now through a Netflix job listing, it appears the popular movie rental/streaming company may soon expand to a Wii and/or PS3 near you.

While the job listing does not mention the consoles by name, Netflix is looking for an “engineering leader for the gaming platforms team,” with “experience with digital media on embedded platforms; ideally on one or more gaming consoles.” In fact, the word “consoles” is used quite a bit in the posting, and currently Netflix is only available on one console, the Xbox 360.

Last month, CrunchGear reported on a Netflix survey looking to gauge public interest for Netflix on the PS3, suggesting a definite interest by at least one party.

Read more

Posted on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:50:00 CDT | by James Douglas

Wii Not Getting Any Cheaper

Topic: Wii

It’s official, Nintendo is not slashing Wii prices. According to multiple sources, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata went on record at a news conference to say, “A price cut in a difficult economy cannot really excite the market and drive up sales. As of now, I really don't think that a price cut is a good option for us."

The rumored price cut was fueled by speculation that Nintendo had managed to drop Wii production costs 45% since launch, as first reported in the Financial Times.

Nintendo still feels they are a market leader and have no need to engage in a price war. As detailed on I4U.com, the Wii sold 753,000 units in the US in February, up 74% from the year before. However, Wii sales are starting to dip in Japan, with the PS3 outselling the Wii in March for the first time in over a year.

"The Wii is in the most unhealthy condition since it hit the Japanese market," Iwata claimed. "The current condition in the Japanese market is not the one we want."

Read more

Posted on Thu, 9 Apr 2009 20:45:00 CDT | by James Douglas

Riiflex Dumbbells for Wii Fit Get Priced

Topic: Wii

Back in January, we talked about the new accessory for the Nintendo Wii Fit that turned the remote and nunchuck into a set of dumbbells. At the time, the Riiflex didn’t have a price or a ship date. The makers behind the Riiflex accessory have now announced the final pricing for the device.

The Riiflex Dumbbells will be sold in pairs to start with, at a price of $34.95 for a set of two, two-pound weights that fit both controllers. A pair of 4-pound weights will also be available for $39.95 per set. The two-pound weight set will ship this summer with the ship date for the four pound set coming later. Read more

Posted on Thu, 9 Apr 2009 10:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

505 Games Announces Destiny of Zorro Game for Wii

Topic: Wii

I was a huge Zorro fan when I was a kid and thought it was hilarious when he would carve the trademark "Z" into the seat of the bad guy's pants. For the first time the sword fighting legend is coming to the Nintendo Wii with a game called The Destiny of Zorro.

As you can imagine the Wii remote will become the sword as players fight the bad guys. I really hope you get to carve the Z into things. The game is set to be available at retailers this spring. Players find themselves in early 1800s Spanish California. Read more

Posted on Tue, 7 Apr 2009 11:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Sony PS3 outsells Wii in Japan in March for the first time in 16 months

Topic: Wii

Japanese gamers made the Sony PS3 the best selling console in the month of March beating the Nintendo Wii for the first time in 16 months.
Sales of the PS3 were pushed by two new games: Sega Sammy Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 and Capcom's Resident Evil 5.
Apparently Sony sold 146,948 PS3 consoles beating the Wii by almost 50,000 units. Nintendo sold 99,335 Wii consoles. Read more

Posted on Mon, 6 Apr 2009 12:38:35 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr