August 2007 Archives

Ah, the hype machine.  But hey - stats are fun, right?  So let's get them in since today is Friday:

The Wii has become the fastest selling games console in British history after one million were sold 38 weeks after the Wii went on sale.  This beats the Playstation 2, which went on to sell 115 million units after a shaky start, becoming the world's most successful machine to date.  Now, the Wii looks set to challenge for that trophy.

Also, theres been a ripple of excitement this week in the wake of Nintendo saying that a revised Wii "is ot out of the Question".

Nintendo vice president of marketing George Harrison confirmed on Monday that a new and improved Wii may arrive. "But we're not even to our second holiday yet, so it's kind of premature to talk about any revisions to the hardware itself." Harrison explained.

That seems fair enough, plus the longer youw ait for revisions, the better they'll be when they actually get here. That means Nintendo can watch the progress of Sony's PS3 and potentially rip any workable ideas from them ... which would be justice considering how badly Sony did the very same thing once they found out key facts about the Wii (remote controller etc). We await a string of 'Want to Wii again?' jokes from the mainstream press ...

 

EA have announced the release date on Wii for their upcoming EA Playground title!  It's going to be with us on October 23 2007 in America and on November 2 2007 in the UK & Europe. The game comes packed with an assortment of playground games including American classics like dodgeball & tetherball, as well as some over-the-top, fantasy games like Kicks and Dart Shootout.

Executive Producer, David McCarthy said, "Young, old, male or female, this is a game that expands the appeal of videogames to a market of non-traditional gamers. For kids it's about indulging in the energy and magic of the playground; for parents or even grandparents, it's about re-experiencing childhood thrills."

Do you agree? Can you re-experience the thrills of school aged life by pressing buttons or waving a stick around?  EA are sure that you will.  I can't help but remember my own school days and wonder if there's a 'beat the bully' mode in there somewhere, or 'the lunchmoney run'.

But enough of my cynical self; who is this game really for, then?  By the looks of what we've seen so far, it's aimed at kids and the non traditional gamer - established adult gamers may want to look somewhere else.  There's definately a second life / sims vibe going on here, and we'll have that review for you as soon as we get it.  In the meantime, watch out for new screenshots and the ilk!

It's true! Arguably the only answer to the mighty FIFA brand in terms of football gaming excellence, Pro Evolution Soccer or PES as it is sometimes known will be brought to Nintendo gamers in Q1 of 2008. The source? Konami themselves.

According to information released today, 'the Wii version of PES will offer the same level of realism that has established the series, but has undergone a radical rethink to make the most of the Wii's motion-sensitive control system. The game will make full use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, offering total control over every aspect of the players and their movements both on and off the ball. The use of the Wii controllers will allow users to send players running into space, and to distribute the ball with ease.'

"We are extremely keen to introduce PES to as wide a selection of football fans as possible, and the Wii and its unique abilities are a perfect fit," commented Jon Murphy, Pro Evolution Soccer Team Leader.

Translation? Spawn the money printing machine! But perhaps not; after all, PES is a worthy opponent to the FIFA crown and for many, it is the Pro Evo games which hold that lofty title of 'best footy game evaaar!'. Which ever game you prefer, the important thing is that one of the world's best football games is coming to the Wii, which means Wii footy fans can lick their lips in 2008.

SouthPeak Games has announced a Wii title for this year's Leipzig Games Convention. Brave will be coming to the Wii, DS and PSP and is due to hit stores in Q2, 2008.

So, what can we expect? According to today's release, Brave is an action adventure drawing on the culture, history and mythology of Native America. Players take control of a young boy embarking on a journey to save his beleaguered tribe from disaster. Not much to go on there, but at least this finds us with more potential games to play that aren't 'cop in town avenging death of brother/wife/kid/gerbil' or 'demons spill out of hell and mutate, one man stands in the way' capers.

Depending on if it is a sandbox adventure or levels based, we might end up with something fairly same-old, same-old or alternatively a fresh adventure title. We'll quiz SouthPeak as soon as they're back ... and take some of their German beer, too. Wait, did I type that out loud?

Details coming out of the Leipzig Game Convention are thick and fast right now, but what news is there for Wii gamers aside from the games themselves? There has been some good news in fact; detailed below are products that Pinpoint Consumer Electronics hope to see go to market for the Wii, including the much needed Wii remote charger. See what you think and fill that virtual shopping basket:

Title: Wii Remote Charger Brand: BiGBANG! Distributor: Pinpoint Consumer Electronics Release Date: August RRP: £19.99

Description: Mains powered Remote Charger. Includes twin charge station & 2 NiMH rechargeable batteries for upto 22 hours play time.

Title: Wii Wireless Sensor Bar
Brand: BiGBANG!
Distributor: Pinpoint Consumer Electronics
Release Date: September
RRP: £9.99

Description: Provides a wire free connection to your console, increases play upto 20ft away. Installation solution ideal for wall mounted TV's.

Title: Wii Blaster
Brand: BiGBANG!
Distributor: Pinpoint Consumer Electronics
Release Date: September
RRP: £9.99

Description: Blaster grip attachment for a more lifelike shooting experience. Features authentic firing action when used with Nunchuck and Remote.

Will you be getting any of these? Less wires, more controls and longer sessions of play time without battery downtime and replacing batteries out of your own pocket all sounds pretty good to us. Keep posted!

Our series of videos continue and this time the highlighted game is Metroid Prime 3. Join Samus Aran and other bounty hunters as they do battle against Space Pirates and other nasties. Also watch out for Phazon - a mutagenic element that mentally and physically corrupts anything in contact with it, as well as the return of the evil Dark Samus. This video demonstrates Metroid in action with additional clips of how the control system will be played. Click Play when ready.

If fast cars and authentic Ferrari racing is your thing, Leipzig is where you should be this Thursday.

System 3 has announced that it will be unveiling Ferrari Challenge to the world at the Leipzig Games Convention. A press conference will be taking place on Thursday 23rd August at 15:00, where for the first time gamers will be able to see a playable version of the officially licensed racing sim, which draws upon close ties to Ferrari, the input of professional racing drivers and the expertise of racing game development specialists Eutechnyx to produce the definitive Ferrari experience.

Germany a stretch for your wallet? Never mind! You'll only have to wait until November 23rd this year to catch it on the Wii, where we've been promised 'the most accurate motion-sensing steering yet seen'.

Mark Cale, CEO, System 3 said: "Leipzig is the ideal stage for us to reveal our labour of love to the world. It's no secret that I've been a Ferrari fan for many years ... We're sparing no expense to insure Ferrari Challenge will be the definitive Ferrari experience and now is the time to show the press how far we've come."

Frankly to non-driving game fans, a driving sim is a driving sim. But wait! Surely the very least we should do is try the thing and see if it really is that damn good? That is this writer's opinion, anyway. I'll be getting my mitts on it soon enough, and reporting back when I do. Dennis needs a driver with pazang ...

Songs announced for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock so far include:

Slash's Original Boss Battle Recording
Welcome to The Jungle (by Guns N' Roses)
One (by Metallica)
Paint It Black (by The Rolling Stones)
Cherub Rock (by Smashing Pumpkins)
Sabotage (by Beastie Boys)
The Metal (by Tenacious D)
My Name is Jonas (by Weezer)
Knights of Cydonia (by Muse)
Even Flow (by Pearl Jam)
Lay Down (by Priestess)
Cult of Personality (by Living Colour)
Miss Murder (by AFI)
Through Fire and Flames (by Dragonforce)
Number of the Beast (by Iron Maiden)
3's and 7's (by Queens of the Stone Age)
Suck My Kiss (by Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Raining Blood (by Slayer)
Reptillia (by The Strokes)
Paranoid (as made famous by Black Sabbath)
Cities on Flame (as made famous by Blue Oyster Cult)
Mississippi Queen (as made famous by Mountain)
La Grange (as made famous by ZZ Top)
Rock and Roll All Nite (as made famous by Kiss)
School's Out (as made famous by Alice Cooper)
Rock You Like a Hurricane (as made famous by Scorpions)
Slow Ride (as made famous by Foghat)
Barracuda (as made famous by Heart)

Are you ready to rawk?!? Daaamn that's a good list!

Hurrah! Den of Wii has already reached it's 100th post in relative infancy. Meanwhile, the Wii has gone from strength to strength, outselling the opposition and bringing whole new gaming communities to the table. But have Nintendo kept going their relationship with the traditional gamer?

Certainly through August there's been a retro theme stateside for the Wii, as Metroid launched today on VC 3 for 500 points and Super Metroid too follow on August 20 for 800 points. Europe & the UK has already seen Metroid come to VC of course, and now awaits Metroid Prime 3: Corruption on August 27th. To add to the interest, Nintendo have released a preview of the game on the Wii Shop channel - a first for the Wii.

Will Metroid 3 pacify a growing groaning amongst traditional gamers, concerned with Nintendo's percieved lack of hardcore gaming titles to keep them attracted to the little white box? Time will tell, but the Ninty argument seems to hold that these traditional gamers are secretly playing the likes of Big Brain Academy, Cooking Mama and Wii Sports on the sly anyway. Whichever is true, Metroid 3 will certainly be a milestone for the Wii in any light.

Let's hope it'll be everything the traditonal gamer is looking for this time, and not miss the mark.

The latest in the Fire Emblem series takes its turn-based strategy gameplay over to the Wii in this direct sequel to the Gamecube title Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.

Up to 72 playable characters will be on the menu (42 from the previous game and 30 new faces), plus 45 different chapters (with up to 4 parts each) to play your way through. Take a look at the preview video to see this upcoming title in action.

Donkey Kong is blasting his way onto the wii litterally in this new 'pod racing' style venture. Speed your way through the courses in single or multi play as Donkey Kong and his supporting cast are taking road rage to the skies. Donkey Kong Barrel Blast is set to hit the shops early October.

What better way to start a tournament than featuring the recently voted 'Most Favourite Gaming Star' - Mario! XLEAGUE.TV will be kicking off on the 18th August with an open registration for Mario Strikers Charged; football with 'get in!' written all over it. Think you're hard enough? Then you know what to do.

Tournament, league play and finals will be broadcast on XLEAGUE.TV's Sky channel 279, with cash and prizes. If you wanted to have fifteen minutes of fame playing video games, this could be a breath of fresh air enabling you to pit your wits against some of the best of other players.

"Being in the exclusive position of having an online and television presence, we're able to give unprecedented support for the Nintendo Wii unrivalled by any other UK platforms," says Lee Catania, Marketing Manager for XLEAGUE.TV."It's a terrific console and we're proud to be including it in our line-up as we intend to bring our viewers and on line community the very best in next gen gaming."

We advise that anyone who has become a hardcore Strikers Charged player heads straight to their web site and signs up; for the rest of us? Continue to drool over the stuff thats come out of E3 and the talk that's already gripping gamers everywhere concerning Leipzig, instead.

Our series of preview videos continue with a further demonstration of the much talked about Wii-Fit. Unlike the previously posted E3 display this video shows off more in game graphics and is also shown from a living room viewpoint. Play clips of Soccer, Aerobics, Hula Hoops (not the snacks), and Yoga are among the mini games featured in the clip. Enjoy!

The following media will be the first in a small series of videos showcased this week on denofwii.com.

Super Mario Galaxy is set to take the iconic plumber above, beyond and further with new powers (such as the bee and boo costumes!) and crazy new worlds to conquer.

Fasten up your jetpacks and witness the marvel of one of this year's most eagerly awaited Wii games!

"Let's a go!"

There's more good news for Nintendo; the Wii outsold Sony's PlayStation 3 by a ratio of over 4-1 in Japan in July, publisher Enterbrain has reported.

The figures read a telling 396,752 for Wii sales and 91,987 for PS3. One wonders if the trend will continue, but so far every month it has been the same story. This creates a very masterful hardware base for Nintendo, who are still tapping into new money in the form of casual and previously non gamers such as the elderly, female and family audiences, off the back of the DS which very successfully inserted itself into these key market regions, bringing new customers to the gaming table.

Sony are talking about changing the tide later in the life of the current generation of consoles, linking in with popular technologies worldwide to set a vice like grip on traditional gamers and the young male audience. However, we don't see how that will effect Nintendo, who are aiming for a different demographic and right now seem to consider any sales to traditional gamers as a nice bonus ... which they don't need. Sony do however, and that makes this a fascinating war.