Well, I know the topic is not new; nevertheless, we can't stop discussing it. It is a fact for most of us: The Wii needs a storage solution PRONTO.
And although Nintendo has dismissed this in the past, apparently they have begun to address the issue. This time it was Reggie Fils-Aime, NoA's president, who came up to the stand in an MTV show and accepted this is an urgent and priority issue, at least from an American point of view (he is, after all, president of Nintendo of AMERICA)...
Earlier today, Nintendo of Japan launched the "Digicam Print Channel" for Japanese Wii owners, which allows users to order prints of photos from their SD card for 30 yen each. Users can also order Wii-themed photo albums for 1,575 yen, and special Mario-themed photo albums for 2,480 yen.
Sure, all that's cool, but users can also now order business cards emblazoned with their Miis and system friend codes.
Will the Digicam Print Channel make its way to other countries? The Japanese press release seems to mention a worldwide relesae in the future. American Wiis received an update this morning, but no one knows what functionality it adds...
UPDATE:
Nintendo has sent word that the update for American Wiis added "behind-the-scenes support for a new service that has been released only in Japan." I'd say it's coming soon!
Everyone loved Capcom's first Wii zombie shooter, Resident Evil 4, so Capcom decided to port another such title over to the Wii: Dead Rising. The 360 game, along with an amazing subtitle (Chop Til You Drop), is being ported to the Wii using the Resident Evil 4 engine. Chop Til You Drop will include additional camera features and new Wii motion controls.
Screenshots and the press release are after the break.
NEW+ Super Fantasy Zone (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone Mild Cartoon Violence, 900 Wii Points):
The last entry in the Fantasy Zone series, this side-scrolling shooter puts you in the shoes of main character Opa-Opa, who is on a mission to avenge the death of his father. To do so, you'll have to battle a variety of Enemy Generators to clear out the various levels and finish off the Menon Guardian at the end of the level. Eliminating your enemies will let you rack up some gold, which you can use to buy even better weapons, upgrades and other equipment. Spend your gold wisely, as each different boss you need to defeat presents a unique challenge.
NEW+ Gley Lancer (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older Mild Suggestive Themes, Mild Fantasy Violence, 900 Wii Points):
In the year 2025, a war breaks out between humans and a hostile alien race, and 16-year-old Lucia and the rest of the starfighter pilots in the Earth Federation must join the battle. When Lucia's father is kidnapped by the aliens, she decides to take action and hijacks a brand new prototype starfighter, the Gley Lancer, in order to try to save him. In this side-scrolling shooter, step into the cockpit of the Gley Lancer as Lucia, rescue your father and destroy the evil aliens that are bent on destroying the human race.
The updated list of NAVC games can be found here, along with the PAL VC games here.
WiiWare
NEW+ Pirates: The Key of Dreams (Oxygen Games, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone Mild Violence, 1,000 Wii Points):
Pirates: The Key of Dreams is a frantic nautical shoot-'em-up. Sail your way across the Caribbean, cannons blazing, looting booty, running blockades and ultimately battling Blackbeard himself. The player takes control of a navy captain sent deep undercover as a ruthless pirate in order to seek out and retrieve the Key of Dreams, a valuable and dangerous cursed artifact. Rescue castaways to bolster your ship's crew, gaining performance increases to your navigation, weaponry, structural integrity and cartography skills. Collect increasingly powerful weaponry including rockets, mines, chain shot, saw blades and a flamethrower to hurl destruction into the path of your enemies. Play against three of your scurvy friends or A.I. opponents in pitched multiplayer battles over 35 levels, set in seven themed environments. Choose from different ship types that reflect your play style. Play in turbo mode if you're pirate enough.
The updated list of NA WiiWare titles can be found here, along with the PAL WiiWare titles here.
This is yet a rumor because there's no official release date (at least not announced yet), BUT Play.com alredady lists Pikmin 3 for Wii with a pre-order link and a release date for March 27th, 2009 (EU release!!).
Why might this be the real deal? Well, because it's still a far away date and because it's a Friday. Sounds about right, doesn't it?
I say rumor only because I don't want it to be true. The above image, apparently the cover of the September issue of Nintendo Power, reveals "Sonic and the Black Knight" as a Wii exclusive. No information on the title is available yet, but stay tuned to N+ for developments.
On a side note, WHY THE CRAP DOES SONIC HAVE A SWORD?
It's a WiiWare week, with two third party games. One has to do with pirates, the other is tyre racing. Unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of a pirate with a tyre, so we'll have to do with one on the moon. It's practically the same thing.
Virtual Console
None this week.
The updated list of PAL VC games can be found here, along with the NAVC games here.
WiiWare
NEW+ Pirates: The Key of Dreams (1000 Points)
Set sail to recover the fabled Key of Dreams, held by the swarthy cutthroat himself, Blackbeard! Traverse the dangerous seas, blasting the dastardly brigands with your cannons – or bring out the big guns, like rockets, mines and flamethrowers!
NEW+ SPOGS Racing (1000 Points)
In this unique racing game, burn rubber in your SPOG (a giant tyre bearing your special emblem) across wild tracks, complete with loop-the-loops and crazy twists and turns! Take on your opponents with a wide range of wacky power-ups, or race a friend in the split-screen two-player mode.
The updated list of PAL WiiWare titles can be found here.
E3 has become a staple in gaming culture, evolving from a small convention where the gaming industry shows off their stuff to the press to a big convention where the old American practice of showboating and shock and awe takes center stage. Anything but a shocking presentation is considered subpar. Yesterday Nintendo delivered a presentation at E3: the one everyone waits for. Nintendo-- yesterday-- announced Animal Crossing: City Folk with Wii Speak (which we need to do something on), Wii Music, and Wii Sports Resort while showing off the new Wii Motion Plus they announced the day prior to the presentation. This year the common consensus is that the presentation and what was presented for the most part was garbage, and I can say that I agree.
All hope is not lost. The storage issue on the Wii IS being addressed; maybe it wasn't mentioned in the main conference, but our good friends at IGN assaulted interviewed Miyamoto about this and this is what he said:
"There isn't anything that we can announce today, but we have been thinking along a variety of different lines regarding this matter for some time now," Shiggy said. "So my hope is that sometime in the not too distant future we will be able to discuss some concrete solutions."
Well, I leave you with this image from the Official Nintendo Magazine which portrays our beloved blue friend, Sonic, appearing (once more) in another in-game cameo.
I want to kill DailyMotion after what I went through to get this video uploaded...
Create a musical masterpiece with up to four players. Anyone can play the huge selection of instruments in Wii Music with simple motions-like strumming and drumming. It's easy to play improv jams. Musicians in your band jam by simply playing their instruments to the beat of a song or by improvising to their heart's content. Play faster. Play slower. Skip a beat, or throw in 10 more. No matter what you do, Wii Music automatically transforms your improv stylings into great music. There are no mistakes-just playing for the pure joy of playing.
Wii controls immerse you in the music. You can play most of the 60-plus instruments in Wii Music using simple motions with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers. Strum to play guitar, banjo and sitar. Drum to play jazz drums, congas and marching drums. Hammer away to play piano, vibraphone and marimba. Unlike most music games, Wii Music doesn't make you use complex buttons. You only need to imitate playing the instrument.
Wii Music offers virtually endless ways to make music. You choose the song and instruments and decide whether to blaze through a rock take on classical songs, put a jazzy spin on folk tunes or transform Nintendo classics like the Super Mario Bros.® theme into Latin-flavored numbers. The song list is only a takeoff point-it's how you improvise with the songs that matters.
Send your band-jam recordings to Wii Friends who have Wii Music. They'll see your Mii™ band members, your players' improv styles and your instrument selections. They can watch your recordings, or play over parts of your song, then send their modified recording back to you. Improv jams can be sent back and forth over WiiConnect24 and changed again and again.
The full fact sheet, along with a trailer and screenshots, can be found after the break.
I+ is a group for those that are interested, developing and curious about discussing independent media such as games, music, movies, literature, and everything else in between.
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