News: November 2007 Archives

 

Den of Wii had the opportunity to ask BBC Sports television pundit and journalist Alan Hansen a few things about his experiences starring in his own game on the Wii, Alan Hansen's Sports Challenge.  And no, we didn't mention Liverpool not winning a certain trophy or a quote entitled "You'll never win anything with kids".  We reckoned he'd heard these enough.  So, let's talk about the game instead!

Kim Kaze: Video games - some love em', some hate 'em.  Has this experience affected the way you see video games at all, either for better or worse?

AH: Only inasmuch as I have a better insight into the work that goes into making a game. Not just from the technical point of view but also from a publicity standpoint. 
 
Kim Kaze: If you pictured a type of person sitting at home and playing your game on their Wii console, what sort of person would that be?

AH: Wow, that's a tough one! OK, without wishing to generalise in any way, I'd imagine that a likely scenario would be a group of young(ish) mates, all trying to prove they have the best sporting knowledge! Another might be a family group...although I'm not convinced that Granny would get as much mileage out of it as perhaps her male relatives!
 
Kim Kaze: Do you think video games are stereotyped for geeks and kids?

AH: I think they used to be but I hope that we've moved on from that now and become a little more grown up about games. Of course there will always be titles that are aimed mostly at the 'gamer-geek' and kiddie audiences - and why shouldn't there be? - but these days, the world, his wife and their dog seems to be playing! You've only got to look at the way games are marketed now to see this. 
 

Kim Kaze: Tell us a little bit about your experiences starring in your very own game ... any glowing moments?  Pitfalls you'd avoid next time, perhaps?

AH: It's been great working with Oxygen - everyone is very professional but still has fun. Shooting the promo ad was a lot of fun too. Glowing moments? I'm not sure I could pick just one - it has all been such a positive experience. Pitfalls to avoid? Yes, I'd make sure I had a good breakfast before shooting next time! Luckily for me, someone was on hand with a banana and a cuppa!  
 
Kim Kaze: If the company asked you to come back and do another game or a sequel to this one, would you be interested?

AH: Possibly - it would really depend on what my schedule was looking like and what the project was.
 
Kim Kaze: What had you heard about the Nintendo Wii before you were approached to do this game (if anything)?

AH: Probably the same that everyone else has - good family fun, with highly interactive and energetic entertainment.
 
Kim Kaze: You're probably aware that Oxygen are also publishing a game starring Keith Chegwin at the moment.  He seems to think you could beat him at his own game and that he wouldn't do too well on yours ... do you agree?

AH: Since I am a gentleman, I couldn't possibly contradict him, could I? 
 

Kim Kaze: Do you own any games machines at home, and are there any that catch your eye at the moment?

AH: Like most homes, we have a PS2 in the house. Are there any that catch my eye? In all honesty, I can't say there are...but only because I'm not into videogaming as a rule. Yes, I like quizzes but I'd much rather be spending my leisure time doing something more active.
 
Kim Kaze: Some people have argued that 'Alan Hanson is too serious'.  Do you think that you come across that way in your game, or is the virtual Alan a 'chipper chappie'?

AH: I've heard this and can only say in my defence that yes, I have always taken my job very seriously. However, watch some of the TV ads that I've made, listen to my commentaries and play this game! Then I think you'll see that like most people, I do have a sense of humour! 
 
Kim Kaze: If you could change one, single thing about the game at any stage, what would that be?

AH: My caricature's hands are enormous! I'd have liked them to have been a little smaller!
 
Kim Kaze: Many, many thanks!

AH: You're welcome!

Someone ... buy Alan Hansen a Wii already!  It's your civic duty and you know it.

Top news site CNN.com has reported a surprising usurper to the Wii's success as the most searched for item on Yahoo! Shopping.
 
Director of shopping Fiona Waslander explained how the Wii has surrendered the top spot to the Transformers toy Bumblebee. "This was quite a surprise because Wii was in the top slot for most of November," she said.

 

Despite the continuing, runaway success of the Wii console, the Yahoo! result shows that the popularity of the Transformer brand has grown to become a real market force this year.  Optimus Prime and friends are worth keeping an optic on ... even if the game itself was a bit so-so.

It's the holy grail of journalism, to judge anything as perfect. Even to approach the throne is considered daring, any game given more than 90 per cent, 4.5 out of 5 or 9 out of 10 goes straight under the proverbial microscope of the cynics and 'second opinion' crowd.  You're in dangerous territory for sure, but does that make it forever a no go area?

As gamers, it would be a fairly sad day if we came to the conclusion that no game will ever venture into that level of excellence and all round brilliance.  So we wait and we watch.  It will come.  Usually there's one at least for every Nintendo machine ...

The Wii now joins the list of Nintendo machines with a Mario game so awesome that Edge magazine, considered a gaming bible by some, gave it 10 out of 10.  That's perfect, folks.  They don't give 11.

Super Mario Galaxy has also proven itself across the board.  GameRankings.com takes review scores from leading print and online publications worldwide and aggregates them to produce an average overall score. The 97.9% given to Super Mario Galaxy elevates it above other gaming franchises such as Halo, Half Life and yes ... even Sonic. Oooh.

1. Super Mario Galaxy   Wii     Nintendo        97.9%
2. Ocarina of Time        N64     Nintendo        97.6%
3. Metroid Prime           GC     Nintendo        96.3%
4. Soul Calibur              DC      Namco           96.3%

5. The Orange Box       PC     EA Games        96.2%

It's good to see the Wii with a killer app'; a game for every type of gamer.  The Wii has firmly plated itself at the top of the scoreboard without the aid of HD or the ability to know when your best mate just logged on to play 'Death Maze 4'.  You get the idea; whilst how we play games is now a very important part of the gaming culture, this gamer believes that nothing will ever replace the sheer beauty of a brilliantly playable, fun game.

Forget that he's a plumber.  He's not.  He's the most recognised gaming icon in history and Galaxy is absolutely awesome.  If you haven't already got a copy, get one in your stocking!

The Ghostbusters are back! Peter, Ray, Egon, Winston and Slimer are all set to return in an all new video game outing. Check out these screenshots and the first in a series of teaser trailers for what's coming your way, preferably something that isn't 150 foot tall and made of Stay Puft marshmallow.

Sega seem to be on something of a roll as of late.  Their latest ray of sunshine for Wii gamers is a foray into the goodness of arcade zombie heaven; with the promise of House of the Dead 2 & 3 for Wii in the Spring of 2008.  In a moment of zombie mashing, the two will be merged into one, giant fest of wiggly worms and vile, dead things.  Be very afraid ... and grab your Wii Zapper.

We're told that players will be able to play both versions of the game, battling the relentless attack of zombies with steady aim and a quick trigger finger. Utilising the new Wii Zapper casing or just the Wii Remote and Nunchuk on their own, players will experience branching storylines with six game modes including Arcade Mode and Time Attack modes. Expect a single-player campaign, plus a co-op multiplayer mode for two players.  No four player action, then?  Boo hiss.

"The House of the Dead ... has been revamped for today's gamer looking for fast-paced shooting action on the Wii" commented Gary Knight, Marketing Director of Sega. "Utilising the new Wii Zapper, the player can get the renowned light gun experience in their own home."

The way I see it, even if zombie blasting isn't your thing (and it's not mine anymore) there's still good reason to be excited about this.  Frankly, more mature titles appearing now on the Wii is an answer to the very small selection of vocal pests out there claiming that Nintendo's console is nothing more than a kid's toy, with games like EA Playground and The Sims.  We know of course, that this is simply not true.  But mud sticks, and zombie rampages will help clean that mud off, before sticking it firmly into the eye socket of anyone daft enough to claim such a thing again.

On the end of a shotgun cart, obviously.

In recent days, Wii gamers have had plenty to think about.  Whether a Ghostbusters game written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis tickles your fancy or you're concerned that Atari could be abandoning Europe all together ... or perhaps you were driving past Battersea power station and noticed a gigantic Italian plumber projected across the famous structure?

You hadn't imagined that, anymore than you imagined the launch of a seriously great game that same day in the form of Super Mario Galaxy.  The giant 150ft image lit up the London sky on the eve of the exclusive 6pm launch at GAME, Oxford Street.

In a survey of over 1,000 adults, 69 per cent recognised Mario.  Only 53 per cent of the survey could put a name to the face of Paris Hilton and only 51 per cent could identify Justin Timberlake. Games are bigger than Hollywood statistically speaking, and this just proves it.  I wonder how many would be able to identify a photo of their local MP ahead of Mario?

Few would fail to recognise another iconic symbol though - the Ghostbusters logo with a white ghost crossed out by a bar in a red circle. Ghostbusters (1984) is one of Columbia Pictures' highest grossing films, spawning a sequel in 1989 and three cartoon shows. Ghostbusters merchandise has exceeded $1 billion in stores, and has a massive cult following.  Hopes that a tbhird movie might be live action with the old cast all together again have all but been shelved in favour of an animated ramble, but it seems a game is definately on the cards for 2008 in the autumn.  I suppose Bill Murray can always do his sarcastic voice samples in a different studio to the others ...

If you caught our recent interview with Keith "Cheggers" Chegwin, do check out the teaser trailer of Cheggers Party Quiz from Oxygen Interactive.

Click on image to enlarge.

Alone in the Dark.

These words bring a smile to the face of any long standing gamer, and with good reason. A classic game franchise in the eyes of the industry, Alone in the Dark is very much the game that Hotel Dusk (DS) wanted to be - and so much more.

Atari have announced previously that a new AitD game was coming to Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Little cause for Wii gamers to get excited, until Tuesday. Suddenly, the game is coming to the Wii and PS2 as well!

Perhaps they thought it wouldn't sell on a last generation machine such as the PS2, or the Wii which is still seem as a family machine, regardless of the fact that it is outselling everything in it's path. Silly analysts, I say. Still, a rather telling statement from Mathias Hautefort (Atari) reveals much.

"Realising the enormous ambition of Alone in the Dark is a huge technological challenge, which becomes even more demanding on Wii and PlayStation 2," said Mathias. "However, we're certain players will be impressed with what Hydravision have achieved on the two consoles, not least with the Wii game which is perfectly adapted to the gameplay thanks to the console's unique controllers."

Even more so on the Wii and PS2? We suspect they're talking about graphical power here, since traditionally developing a game for a last generation machine is actually easier. The Wii certainly isn't the hardest of the three current machines to code for (that would be the PS3).

Whatever anyone thinks, we're chuffed to hear that Alone in the Dark is heading for the Wii. In the past it has been a truely gripping game, and it promises to please again. Over the course of one apocalyptic night, hero Edward Carnby must uncover the earth-shattering secret hidden in New York's iconic Central Park. The control system is specially adapted to make full use of the Remote and Nunchuck to manipulate objects in real-time, a key gameplay feature of Alone in the Dark.

Scripted by New York Times best-selling writer Lorenzo Carcaterra, it looks to be a title that all gamers - including the mature - can enjoy on the Wii.

Dennis sent the intrepid Simon Brew to corner one of TV's top talents, Keith Chegwin.  Why?  Cheggers Party Quiz releases soon on Wii and frankly, we want to know everything about the man soon to grace our little white box ... is he house trained?  Does he do tricks?  Will he have your family in stitches as you enjoy a party game this Christmas?  Read on ...

Q: How much are you a fan of the Nintendo Wii?

I'm just into video games in general, I can't tell you. And I've always been a fan. God, I started off years ago with an Atari and we played Ping Pong and did a bit of tennis.

Q: You did the Ocean Software interview on TV in the 1980s didn't you?

My gosh yeah, it was me who was quite insistent on doing it, because I wanted to find out how these young kids who were 15 years of age in Manchester were earning so much money, and what happened to them when they were 18.  And they were basically burnt out by then.

Q: So did you choose to go to Ocean - you chose that company specifically?

Oh yeah, I did a series about things for kids, and the idea was to introduce them into politics, and explain a bit about that, explain about fears, and one fear was technology in the future. So I found Ocean Software, who were literally pumping out so many games at the time and it was quite interesting to see where these kids were working and what kind of environment they were in.

Q: Are you a Nintendo man?

I haven't got a Nintendo! I've got a Playstation 3 and Playstation 2...

EMG Magazine

produced a rumour of some interest to us this issue.  THQ (of Juiced and Company of Heroes fame) may be planning on bringing WWF No Mercy (an N64 classic) back to the Wii using Wii ware, with updated rosters to allow players to be all of their current WWE Superstars.

Our resident wrestling games expert Ken explains, "It has the same basic appeal as Firepro Wrestling, in that it's not exactly the best looking game but it's a lot of fun and people really enjoy it, especially real wrestling fans who play the wrestling games. As a wrestler and games fan, it's how the game feels that makes it more fun than the speed of the moves or the flashy graphics."

The No Mercy game engine was very popular and user friendly, especially the create-a-wrestler option. We think that being able to purchase an updated No Mercy game through the shop channel with the current roster would open the door for so much else to come flooding through, and the Wii to get better use out of the shop channel.

 

Plus, wrestling fans could once again use their favourite wrestling games engine but this time feature stars such as John Cena, Batista and MVP.

Super Mario Galaxy is launching in the UK on the 16th November. This means men in dresses, quite possibly.  Let me explain...

For all you men that have secretly wanted to dress up as Princess Peach/Daisy/Mushroom/Toadstool - how many names has she had now?! - here's your chance to do it and win yourself a Wii and a game, just a game on it's own or at the very least, look like a gaming nut for the night and receive a goodie bag from Nintendo.  Where's it all going down?

Eight special GAME 6pm store openings will take place on the 15th November in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, Newcastle and Belfast.  This will allow gamers to get their hands on Super Mario Galaxy 24 hours before the main launch.  The most interesting costume of a Mario character will win the brave gamer a Wii plus a copy of the game, with runners up receiving copies of the game and everyone lined up receiving goodie bags regardless. Press are expected, so if the camera loves you, you know where to be!

So where do I get my chance to win a Wii?

GAME, 100 Oxford Street, London, W1D 9LL GAME, Unit SU312, Bullring, Birmingham, B5 4BU GAME, 124 Peel Centre, Trafford Centre, Manchester, M17 8BL GAME, 17 Red Pathway, Metro Centre, Gateshead, NE11 9HZ GAME, 92 Queen Street, Cardiff, CF10 9HX GAME, 2 Dawson Street, Dublin GAME, 5 Donegall Arcade, Belfast, BT1 1PT

We see no harm at all in this sort of silliness, especially if every day gamers are in line for some free stuff and early copies of the game. If you were going to get the game anyway and you live in one of these cities, we'd encourage you to make your way down - preferably in drag!

They always said that it pays to be brainy, and it seems they were right.  The Chouhan family of Leicester (UK) have won a national contest to find Britain's Brainiest Family; making it through the knock out stages to reach and then win the final, against the Wilson family from Essex.

Karen (50), daughter Chhaya (17) and son Amar (10) now face the  unusual twist that playing video games can be good for you - £20,000  good to be exact.  That'll cover a few bus rides and textbooks for the kids, we're betting.  Over 260 families took part in the competition hoping to land free university fees for their children.

Mum Karen said: "It still hasn't sunk in yet that we, the Chouhan's from Leicester are Britain's Brainiest Family.  We're both amazed and speechless!  This is such an amazing prize and Chhaya and Amar will benefit so much from the free university fees."

The Chouhan family used their combined knowledge to identify, memorise, analyse, compute and visualise various puzzles and brain teasers on family favourite Big Brain Academy (Wii).  This is also a popular DS title, so you can improve on the go.

It's good to see Nintendo pushing home the educational materials they are selling via the Wii and also the genuinely difficult challenges that their educational packs present.  There's no two ways about it - some of the challenges are very hard and will push even the most educated adult to concentrate their brain.  We're all for it - I  imagine that in the future, this sort of stuff will get into schools  and help children to learn in more culturally interesting ways.  I know that I'd far rather play on a DS in a classroom or go head to head using the Wii and a projector in order to improve my maths.

Perhaps the future is a white box, but it's going to be you the consumer who'll eventually decide how you want to be educated.  Do you want your guns and lasers back?  Or is this the refreshing, spring breeze gaming has been screaming out for since the Playstation generation?  We will decide with our wallets.

 

Yeah right, I hear you scoff.  As if a game is going to actually tap into the weather using the Wii's unique Weather Channel and change the gaming environment ...
 
Well, it is.  Today Sega have annouced a first for not only the Wii but gaming everywhere.  Using the Wii Weather Channel and your Wii's registered global location, the 'My Dream' sandbox area on NiGHTS will react to your local weather patterns and give you a bright, sunny day if the weather is sunny where you're living.  Whether it's a gimmick or not, this is certainly a first for video gaming.  We actually think it adds a totally unique feature to the game that will set it apart from your friends playing NiGHTS elsewhere in the country.  NiGHTS will also provide a WIFI-enabled two player mode where you can battle and race against your Wii friends.

When I was at home as a child, I remember seeing Alvin and the Chipmunks.  I remember getting that 'Chipmunks' effect when speeding up my voice using a tape player or clever audio set, and referring to unfortunately high-singing lads at school as 'chipmunks'.

That dates them, it really does.  They were a cartoon back in the day, but this Christmas (sorry - I refuse to call it 'holiday season') they're not only a multiformat game but also a live action movie.

So, it's another movie licence game, then.

Yes and no. There's a big budget being slung at this one in terms of the music; we're promised over 40 songs spanning several decades that most music fans will be able to recognise.  The game follows Alvin, Simon, & Theodore on their latest mission to play during the battle of the bands event "Rockathonapalooza". As the Chipmunks perform in each of the musical levels - from school proms to Burning Man to Forest Arenas to the ultimate, Rockathonapalooza - players are challenged to keep in rhythm with the music.  At least we know it won't be just another movie licence game where you wander around as 'Mr X' collecting 'Items' and progressing through 'various levels'.  Wake me up when something changes, will you?  I think I bought that game back in the 80s and it was cheaper then, too.

I'll certainly reserve judgement for this one, although the cheese-o-metre may just go off the scale; the Chipmunks were always very cheesy.  However, it's good to see an attempt being made to add new challenges to movie licence games such as rhythm-based gaming, rather than opt for the standard platformer or 3D sandbox roamer.

We'll review Alvin as soon as we get him out of our cookie jar!

Nobody wants a pile of pants, do they?  Certainly not when that pile of pants is a video game you just spent 30-40 quid on. Or even 20 quid, now that I think about it.

With all of the shouting and baying over Manhunt 2 being effectively banned here in the UK (due to the BBFC refusing to award the horror game a rating), a question has been raised by some of the inquiring public.  Is there more going on than Rockstar want us to see?  Perhaps it's all a publicity stunt to cover up one, glaring admission - that the game is crap.

Pardon my bluntness, there.  But seriously, it's a strong argument.  After all, today 411Mania awarded Manhunt 2 a not-very-flattering 4 out of 10.  Having once worked on a title with the same sandbox, violent world approach to Manhunt 2, I can certainly say that great looking, gruesome screenshots and even an acceptable looking graphical user interface do not by any means show the game is any good.  The title I was working on was pants. Giant bloomers if ever I saw them!  But the screenshots, game concept and interface looked perfectly reasonable if you saw them in a games magazine.  Until you've played the actual game itself, there's no real way to tell if it's a stinker or not.  Perhaps Manhunt 2 has been hiding behind a wall of press coverage and dark, gruesome screenshots all this time - hiding a dark secret.

If you have a US Wii (or you're a US gamer), you'll make up your own mind.  For those of us who don't however, we can perhaps take some solace in the fact that if the guys over at 411 have any sort of gaming savvy (and we think they do), we're not missing a great gem of development.  It would seem that Manhunt 2 is more image than substance.