The guys over at the NeoGAF forums have posted a bunch of scores for games and rumors that are in the January issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly.

Wii
Zelda (Platinum) Jeremey - 10 Crispin - 10 Shane - 10 Game of the Month
Downhill Jam - 7.5 8.0 7.0
Madden 07 - 6.5 6.0 4.5
Red Steel 5.0 4.5 6.0
Wii Sports - 6.5 5.5 7.0
Excite Truck - 7.0 7.5 6.5
Elebits - 7.0 4.0 4.5
Trauma Center - 6.5 7.5 7.0
Rayman RR - 7.0 7.5 7.5


PS3
Resistance (Silver) Garnett 8.5 G. Ford 8.0 Joe 9.0
Genjii - 6.0 5.0 4.5
Untold Legends - 4.0 5.0 5.0
NBA 07 - 6.5 5.0 5.0
Ridge Racer 7 - 8.0 6.5 6.0

PS3 vs Wii winner - Wii (I'm shocked. Haven't read this article yet, but they all pick Wii.)

XBOX360
Gears of War (Gold) - Shoe 10 Bryan 9.5 Andrew P. 9.0
Sonic 5.5 3.0 3.5
DOA Extreme 2 (SotM) - 4.0 4.5 4.5
Viva Pinata (Silver) - 9.0 8.0 8.0
Tony Hawk P8 (Silver) - 9.0 8.5 8.0
Call of Duty 3 - 6.5 7.0 7.0
Rainbow Six Vegas (Silver) - 8.5 7.0 8.5
Phatasy Star Universe - 8.0 7.0 6.5
Superman Returns - 3.0 6.0 5.0
Marvel UA - 7.0 8.0 7.0

Handheld
SOCOM - 6.0 6.5 8.0
Thrillville - 5.5 5.0 3.0
Sonic Rivals - 3.0 6.0 3.0
Vice City Stories (Silver) - 9.0 8.5 9.0
Portrait of Ruin (Silver) - 8.0 9.0 9.0
Kirby Squeak Squad - 7.0 7.0 6.0
FF V (Silver) - 9.0 9.0 8.5

Rumors
-Sticky Balls - New Katamari for Wii, PS3 and Xbox Live arcade.
-Turning War Around - Microsoft is crafting a brilliant plan to flip flop Gears and Halo every year, so expect Gears of War 2 in 2008 and a new Halo game in 2009.
-Count the COMs - three new SOCOM games are in the works. One on PSP and two on PS3.
-Mii Crossing - Mii's will be your avatar in the next Animal Crossing. All the shirts and accessories you collect will cross over to other games.
-Hudsun is releasing a TG16 pack with 3D remakes of Bonk, Adventure Island, and Super Star Soldier for the PS2
-Rare is working on a Viva Pinata Kart racing game.
-NFL may drop EA once it's contract expires in a few years.

Link

Labels: Microsoft, Nintendo, Playstation 3, Sony, Wii, Xbox 360

Well, it was only a matter of time before this happened. A group of guys have figured out how to crack the SNES Virtual Console game 'F-Zero', and, get this, they have posted it online available to download via bittorrent. The size of the file seems reasonable at 3.8MB, which is about the size of most SNES roms that you can get off of emulation websites. Here is some info about the torrent that is avaliable to download here:

iND presents,

F-Zero.SNES-VC.NTSC.Wii-iND

Size : 3 487 808 octets
Support : SD Card / Wii
Protection : Nothing

Needed:
          - Nintendo Wii
          - SD Memory Card
          - Saved Channel *Included*

Instructions : Access your SD card and place the file named 'private'
onto the drive. Take the card out of your system and
place it in the Wii. Navigate to your Wii memory management settings
and find the section that is labeled 'Channels'. You will find two tabs
inside, one for your Wii and the other for the SD card. Select the SD
tab and you will find the saved channel present. Copy it to your Wii
and you will be done.

UPDATE: We've tried it here at GoNext and we jumped the gun. Sorry to report this guys, but its true. The games WILL be hacked at some point, but Nintendo will come out with a patch for it as soon as it happens.

Labels: Hacks, Nintendo, Wii

A new device is coming out for the Wii that will allow users with a Nintendo DS Lite to charge their unit using the Wii's rear-end USB ports.



This is the first time that the USB ports for the Wii will actually be used. If you are a Wii owner, then you have more likely than not, never touched the USB ports. They kind of just sit there as of now. If you have ever been curious, and tried plugging in an optical mouse, you would find that the bottom light brights up, but doesn't do anything.

It has not been confirmed, but you can probably charge the unit by plugging it into a computer. As of yet, there have been no announcements for a North American release.

Labels: Device, Nintendo, Wii

If you suffer from "Wii-Elbow", then why not try stretching before jumping around the room like a maniac? Follow these simple instructions, and you shouldn't be walking around with a hunched back after playing Wii-Sports for 50 minutes.


Thanks Sicka

Labels: Nintendo, Wii

Hey guys,

Here is the boxart for the North American version of Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Wii.

The game, which is the first Sonic game for the Wii, will come out sometime next year. The game was previously called "Sonic Wildfire", but since that sounded to cool, Sega had to change the name to something as lame as "the Secret Rings".

Oh well.

Labels: Nintendo, Title, Wii

In a recent press release from Nintendo, new information came out about the Wii's Weather Channel and the News Channel. And the info isn't good.

Everything does not seem to be going as planned for the Big N as they have announced that the neither the Weather or News channels will be available to use on launch day. Instead, the channels will be rolled out in the upcoming 2 months.

The "Forecast Channel" will be launched on December 20th. The News Channel, which will be powered by the associated press, will come out in '07 on Jan 27. Yes, that is more than two months after the launch of the system.

Obviously, things are not going as well as Nintendo had hoped. About the Opera web browser, the press release said:

"More information about the availability of the browser will be released in the coming weeks"

Hopefully the browser is available at launch and not 2 months later.

Press release below:

Nintendo’s new Wii(TM) video game system not only changes how people play games, but redefines how they interact with both the system and their televisions. With the Wii Menu, Nintendo offers a gateway to new experiences through a collection of interactive channels people can use to customize their gaming and entertainment options.

The Wii Menu serves as the main portal to the different functions of Wii, and is designed to evolve throughout the life of the system. Some functions can be used right out of the box and more will roll out during the next few weeks and into next year, with content continually changing over time. Wii goes on sale in the Americas Nov. 19 at an MSRP of $249.99.

“The diversity of the Wii Menu has something for both gamers and non-gamers,” says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “The options exist to help introduce current non-players to Wii and help us bring gaming to the masses.”

On launch day, players who want to play a Wii game or a (TM) game simply pop in the disc, aim their motion-sensitive Wii Remote(TM) at the Wii Menu and click on the Disc Channel to start the game. It’s that simple. But some of the real fun with the Wii Menu comes with customization. The Mii(TM) Channel lets users create caricatures of themselves (or anyone else) that can be used first in Wii Sports(TM), a collection of five sports games packed in with the Wii system. Up to 10 Mii characters can be stored in a single Wii Remote, and players can carry them to a friend’s house and populate multiple Wii systems.

Using the Photo Channel, users can explore their creative talents by developing a slide show or showing off their best shots in an easy, fun way. With an SD memory card from a digital camera, users can display their photos on their televisions and perform basic editing and manipulation.

The Wii Shop Channel serves as Wii’s online storefront, where visitors can redeem Wii Points(TM) to download games or other items. Users need a high-speed Internet connection to access the Wii Shop Channel and choose from at least 12 classic Virtual Console(TM) games that will be ready to play on launch day. Some of the games a player can download include: Donkey Kong(R) (NES(R)), based on the arcade game of the same name; SimCity(R) (SNES(TM)),
where players get to build a city from the ground up, being responsible for each decision they make; Super Mario 64(R), the first-ever true 3-D game, which changed the face of gaming forever; Sonic the Hedgehog(R) (Genesis(R)), the fastest blue hedgehog on Earth whips through hair-raising loop-de-loops and into dizzying dives; and Bomberman(R) ‘93 (TurboGrafx16(TM)), the exciting, powered-up version that followed the original Bomberman(R).

More Virtual Console games will become available weekly every Monday following launch and by year’s end, gamers will be able to pick from a library of 30 or more classic games from the Nintendo Entertainment System(R), Super NES(R), Nintendo(R) 64, Sega Genesis(TM) and TurboGrafx16 consoles. Users buy Wii Points at retail or with a credit card in the Wii Shop Channel and redeem their Wii Points to download the classic games. NES games start at 500 Wii
Points, Super NES games start at 800 Wii Points and Nintendo 64 games start at 1,000 Wii Points. Sega Genesis games start at 800 Wii Points and TurboGrafx16 games start at 600 Wii Points.

The Wii Shop Channel is also where users will go to download the Opera browser that will let them surf the Internet from the comfort of their couches on Wii’s Internet Channel. More information about the availability of the browser will be released in the coming weeks.

On Dec. 20, Nintendo will roll out the Forecast Channel. Users will be able to access free local weather information, which is continually updated. Users can access worldwide weather information by browsing a 3-D globe. Weather information will be supplied by Weathernews. A high-speed Internet connection is required to access the Forecast Channel.

Then on Jan. 27, the Wii Menu News Channel will make headlines with the latest news from around the world provided by the Associated Press. A high-speed Internet connection is also needed to access the News Channel.

For more information about Wii and the Wii Menu, visit Wii.com.

Labels: Nintendo, Wii

Here are the commercials that aired last night for the Nintendo Wii, the first one aired during 'Dancing with the Stars', we are not sure about the second one. We have to directly link to the last one because for some reason, we do not have permission to embed it. Damn Google.

There are supposedly 4, we will bring you more as we get them.



Click here for second

Labels: Nintendo, Wii

Pokemon Revolution for the Wii will be one of if not the first game for the Wii that will have online play.

So without further ado, here are some links to the pics. Thanks to GoNintendo for the headsup.

It appears in the 'Roster Screen' that there will be Wii-DS compatibility. Even more excitingly, it should be wireless.

Labels: Nintendo, Title, Wii

This video is, put simply, amazing. The Nintendo Wii will launch on Sunday, and this video will make all fanboys, and just gamers in general, squeal with glee. The guys who made the video make the Wii seem like the holy grail and that the world's future depends on it. Bravo to the guys who made this.

Thanks to reader Josh Gilfoy for the heads up!

Labels: Nintendo, Wii

EBgames has a bunch of accessories for the Wii on their website. They're pretty interesting too.

First up, as you can see below, there is an SD card out with the name 'Wii' on it. Thats all, nothing special here. The only reason that is has the Wii on it is to try and get people who don't know much about videogames to buy it. This is because some people may worry about compatibility with the Wii, but if the name of the console is specifically on it, they will feel much better.


Second up we have a stand for the Wii, and the Wii-mote and nunchuck. It looks pretty slick from the photo, even though the photo appears to be a prototype picture because everything looks mildly photoshoped. It looks pretty good, hopefully the plastic won't be cheap and have a crappy feel to it. The product sells for $19.99, which isn't bad if you want to be able to keep all of your Wii things together.



Who really gives a crap about the following item. Its just a case to put game disks in with the word 'Wii' on it. Most people would rather keep their games in their respective boxes anyways, so this is kind of foolish.



Here is a case to hold the Wii-mote in along with some SD cards. Nothing much to see here either.


We also have to mention this 3rd party nunchuck, as seen in a previous post. This one is confirmed as it can be seen on the Walmart website. To quote the previous article we wrote about this,

"Its not just a nunchuck in itself, it also comes packed in with a stand that will hold the Wii console, SD cards, the nunchuck, and it also appears to be capable to hold the Wii-mote behind the nunchuck. It doesn't look very slick though. It looks kind of sloppy and cheaply made, but it is nice to see that metal will hold the nunchuck and Wii-mote instead of cheap plastic."

Last we have a Wii 'Sling' bag being advertised on Barnes & Noble. This is actually a pretty good idea! The size of the Wii is very small, making the system very portable, so why not have a specific bag to hold the system in, along with all of its games? The only problem with it is that you're basically advertising that you have a Wii in your bag, so prepare to get mugged.

Labels: Nintendo, Wii

There is a 3rd party nunchuck coming to the market, and this one we can confirm, mainly because of the fact that it is on the Walmart website.

Its not just a nunchuck in itself, it also comes packed in with a stand that will hold the Wii console, SD cards, the nunchuck, and it also appears to be capable to hold the Wii-mote behind the nunchuck.

It doesn't look very slick though. It looks kind of sloppy and cheaply made, but it is nice to see that metal will hold the nunchuck and Wii-mote instead of cheap plastic.

3rd party devices are usually cheaper than 1st party ones, but not in this case. The device will sell for $26.82 USD, the official Nintendo nunchuck is $19.99. I guess that, to be fair, you do get a stand to hold the Wii with it, so it isn't a bad deal. The only problem is that this nunchuck may not be as responsive as the Nintendo one, making this a bad buy.

Link
Source

Labels: Nintendo, Wii

Computer and Videogames recently had an interview with Nintendo asking them about the Virtual console. Check out the interview here, or below.

Do N64 games on Virtual Console have the rumble feedback compatibility?

Nintendo: The rumble feature is not supported on N64 games downloaded to the Virtual Console.

Multiplayer games - will these now incorporate an option to allow the second/third/fourth player to connect over the internet to play, as some PC emulators have made possible?

Nintendo: All games will be faithful recreations of the original versions so they will not feature new functions like multiplayer or internet play if the original title did not.

Will the Wii iron out all slow-down that existed in old games, including the 2D formats? It would be great to play all the old games at a silky-smooth framerate, but some retro gamers, for some reason, consider the slowdown to a part of the game's old-school appeal.

Nintendo: The Virtual Console games faithfully reproduces the original game in all areas, including content, movement and expressions. Principle programming, characters, sound etc. have not been changed.

Being as the Wii classic controller cannot be used to play GameCube games, will Nintendo continue to produce and sell GameCube controllers?

Nintendo: No plans have been announced to date. But Nintendo GameCube accessories are still available from all good retailers.

How configurable will controls be? The N64, with its C-buttons, effectively had six face buttons. The VC controller only has 4. How will this mapping work?

Nintendo: Controller layouts will be determined on a game-by-game basis and detailed in the electronic manual.

Will their be any price difference between buying Wii Points through the online Wii Shop Channel and via retail stores?

Nintendo: Wii points will cost the same online as they do in retail. They can be purchased on the Wii Shop Channel using all major credit cards. 2000 points cards will cost €20 (£14) both online and in shops.

Will there be a published release schedule of VC games or will they just come out as and when?

Nintendo: More Virtual console games will be announced at a later date. New Virtual Console titles will be added in 2007 and beyond creating a constantly growing library of games.

How large (in storage terms) will VC games be? At present what is the average size for games on each of the formats?

Nintendo: Games vary in size but approximately NES games will be 1MB, SNES 5MB and N64 32MB.

How will VC games be organised on the channels page? Will each game be an individual channel or can users group say all the titles of one format (SNES) or all the titles of one series (Zelda)?

Nintendo: Each VC title downloaded will be displayed as an individual channel. Users may move these channels around to suit them.

Labels: Nintendo, Wii

A bunch of major gaming network's received a pleasant surprise today, and that surprise was the Wii.

Even though these guys get their Wii first, don't be too jealous, because they can't do everything that they want to. Nintendo seems to have placed a failsafe in with the Wii console. Just in case somehow gamers got their hands on the Wii early, they would not be able to access any of the online features. It appears that the Nintendo network will only be up and running on launch day, November 19. This will stop any retailers who sell their Wii units early from giving the consumers any advantage over the guys who play the game fair. This means no Virtual Console, News Channel, Weather Channel, Console Messaging, or Opera Web Browser. But yes, you can still play the games.

This is typical of Nintendo who just loves to keep secrets from the public, making the hype build up more and more. They're pretty damn good at marketing, you have to give them that. Interestingly, when the Wii 'Update' disk that updates the Wii's firmware was put into the console, it 'froze' for a couple of minutes, only to say that it could not connect to the network. This would mean, more likely than not, if you do not have access to WiFi internet, then you will not be able to update the system. This would mean that the only update has to do with the internet.

It was previously announced that the Opera web browser would be available to those who buy a Wii before June of 2007. Although the browser is not pre-loaded onto the console when you take it out of the package, you will be able to either get it off the Wii shopping channel, as previously stated, or it may possibly be automatically downloaded from

Labels: Nintendo, Wii

Here is a list of more games that will be coming out for the Virtual Console sometime in the near future. Here they are.

* Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Super NES; rated E for Everyone)
* Kirby's Super Star (Super NES; rated E for Everyone)
* Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64; rated E for Everyone)
* Starfox 64 (Nintendo 64; rated E for Everyone)
* Super Metroid (Super NES; rated E for Everyone)
* Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Super NES; rated E for Everyone)
* The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64; rated E for Everyone)
* Excitebike (NES; rated E for Everyone)
* Ice Climber (NES; rated E for Everyone)
* Dr. Mario (NES; rated E for Everyone)
* Mario Brothers (NES; rated E for Everyone)
* Ice Hockey (NES; rated E for Everyone)
* Soccer (NES; rated E for Everyone)

=The list is starting to look better, and thankfully, some more SNES and N64 games were added.

Source

Labels: Nintendo, Wii

Here are some new screens for Necro-Nesia, a Resident Evil type game that will be coming out for the Wii.
The game looks very, well, interesting. Check out the video below, and tell us what you think.

It looks kind of choppy so far, and at the very start of the video, you can tell that there is an invisible wall there, which always ruins the experience. Combat in the game also looks very annoying and if you don't have the Wii-Mote strap around your hand, you will end up throwing the Wii-mote across the room.






Source

Labels: Nintendo, Title, Wii

Here is the first video for the Wii version of Farcry.

The game is an announced launch title and many fans of the PC version and Xbox game will enjoy this version. You guys say what you think of the video, we don't want to get into it this time.

Source

Labels: Nintendo, Wii

IGN has posted a list of some upcoming Wii Virtual Console titles.

* Duck Hunt (E for Everyone)
* Hogan's Alley (E for Everyone)
* Kid Icarus (E for Everyone)
* Kirby's Adventure (E for Everyone)
* Pilot Wings (E for Everyone)
* Pro Wrestling (E for Everyone)
* Punch-Out (E for Everyone)
* Wild Gunman (E for Everyone)

We cannot verify whether or not they will be coming out at launch, but more likely than not, you will be able to pick them up, or download them, by the end of the year.

Interestingly enough, Duckhunt was on the list. It is likely that you will use the Wii-Mote to play this game. Strangely, no N64 games were on the list. The only game for that console that we know of available to download to this date is Super Mario 64.

Source

Labels: Nintendo, Title, Wii

Here is a very quick post to show you all a battle out of the upcoming Pokemon game for the Wii. The graphics look pretty good, but the gameplay seems a little dull.

Labels: Nintendo, Title, Wii

We're a little late posting this, but here is the disk for 'The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess'.

Labels: Nintendo, Title, Wii

Here are a couple of videos of Mario Party 8. The game looks good and you can tell that there is a graphics upgrade, although it is very minor. The Wii-mote integrates into the game very well. As long as the game can go online, this game is going to be a smash hit. Hell, even without online play its going to sell like crazy.

Labels: Nintendo, Title, Wii