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    New Roogoo: Twisted Towers trailer shows off gameplay, sweet muzak

    April 9, 2009 - 2:00pm

    Roogoo: Twisted Towers is a fast, action puzzle game coming to the NIntendo Wii and DS later this month. Taking over where the original Xbox Live Arcade and PC releases left off, the game supposedly sports new modes and features, including touch and waggle. All right, maybe it's more than "supposedly" including waggle since the latest trailer actually shows the feature in action. You know what else the trailer shows? Adorable music. Okay, it doesn't show music but ... you get what we mean. Geeze. Just read our hands-on for more details and stop being like that.Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Mini Ninjas, big media update

    April 9, 2009 - 1:00pm

    Eidos sent out a ton of screenshots for Io Interactive's massively multiplatform miniature melee, Mini Ninjas, including our first looks at the Wii and DS versions. The latest game from the Hitman creators follows a trainee ninja named Hiro, the youngest ninja in his clan and the only one left, and his friends Futo and Suzume as they battle the Evil Samurai Warlord and his army of "mindless Samurai warriors," transformed from helpless forest creatures. Head past the break to see the Wii and DS galleries. We don't know if it's because the Wii version's graphics are extra-sharp or the 360 version's are extra-simple, but the game looks fairly consistent between the two platforms! Publisher Eidos plans to release Mini Ninjas this fall, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii, and DS.

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    DSi sells 600k over US and EU release weekend

    April 9, 2009 - 11:31am


    Earlier today, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and childhood memory manufacturer Shigeru Miyamoto delivered a presentation about Wii Sports Resort and Wii/DS price cuts (or lack thereof). However, neatly tucked within the folds of their discourse was a fascinating figure for the hardware salesophiles among us -- in its launch weekend in the US and Europe, the DSi sold 300,000 units in each territory. Our on-call mathematician is currently visiting his grandkids in Des Moines, but we're pretty sure that equals 600,000 units.The two went on to discuss some of the miscellaneous features Nintendo hopes to implement in the shutterbug handheld, such as museum maps, schoolroom applications, and tour guide programs. Those sound intriguing, though ultimately not compelling enough to steal us away from our tireless all-catching endeavors.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Iwata: Wii Sports Resort out in Japan this June, overseas in July

    April 9, 2009 - 10:05am

    Satoru Iwata has announced both Japanese and Western release windows for Wii Sports Resort, and thus we can assume for the required MotionPlus peripheral as well. The sequel to the Wii launch title will be out in Japan this June, with an "overseas" release the following month, according to Reuters' account of statements made at a lunch meeting. No pricing was announced. The July release is completely in line with the rumored European date called "rumor and speculation" by NoE.The Nintendo president named Wii Sports Resort as a measure to combat the Japanese Wii market's current slowdown (a situation he described as "the most unhealthy situation since its launch in Japan.") He denied that Nintendo would cut Wii prices in order to increase sales, saying, "If our products are not much different from competitors', price cuts would generate significant fresh demand. But video games are just not that kind of product."
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    Edge analyzes Wii, PS3 review scores

    April 8, 2009 - 8:45pm


    Following up its work with EEDAR on Xbox 360 review scores, Edge has now compiled similar data for both the PS3 and Wii. The idea is simple: Look at every game on each console and find out how many games scored either above 85 or below 65 on EEDAR's review scale. What results is a basic snapshot of the overall quality of games on each platform.According to Edge and EEDAR's numbers, 17 percent of PS3 games have scored 85 or higher, while 30 percent are rated below 65. This compares favorably with the Xbox 360, which saw 13 percent of its titles above 85. The Wii sees only 4 percent of its titles rated 85 or higher, while a full 54 percent fell at or below 65. Those who follow the industry can probably guess why Wii seems to attract a disproportionately large number of poorly reviewed games. Edge cites the low entry barrier for Wii developers, allowing more bad games to hit the market hoping to ride the Wii cash wave -- or, if you prefer not to mince words: shovelware. The report also points to developer difficulty in grasping the intricacies of Wii's control interface. Furthermore, the article posits that review scores don't really matter to the system's primarily casual audience.Of course, the critical caveat concerning the analysis is that review scores are subjective. After all, one gamer's must-have is another's don't-bother. Just look at Fatal Frame IV.Source - Games At-a-Glance: PS3 QualitySource - Games At-a-Glance: Wii QualityPermalink | Email this | Comments

    A few details on Made in Ore, the DIY WarioWare

    April 8, 2009 - 8:00pm

    We've heard very little about one of Nintendo's most promising DS titles for this year, Made in Ore, which is essentially a toolkit for making your own WarioWare minigames. The April 23 Japanese release is totally sneaking up on us! As the unexpectedly close release approaches, a bit more info has started coming out about the game.According to 1up, Made in Ore is divided into three sections: "My House," the portion of the game in which you make minigames, "WarioWare," presumably Wario's game company, which contains tutorials, and "My Shop," in which you line up your microgames into a game. There are also utilities to create music and four-panel ("yon-koma") comics -- and all of this can be uploaded to Nintendo "for contest purposes." The Asobu Made in Ore WiiWare player is still on the way, as well!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Analyst: Investing in Wii development is 'fool's gold'

    April 8, 2009 - 7:15pm


    Cowen & Company's Doug Creutz thinks the Nintendo Wii installed base numbers are misleading and he's not afraid to tell the world. When asked by Gamasutra which system developers are best off investing in, he said, "The choice here is really between investing for the Xbox 360 and PS3 -- since their capabilities are fairly similar -- or the Wii. I would caution investors and developers that the larger installed base of the Wii is really a bit of a red herring."Creutz explained that while there are 19 million Wiis on the loose in the US, the combined numbers for Xbox 360 and PS3 still edge out the Wii by 3 million units. Creutz continued, "I think the Wii installed base represents, to a certain extent, fool's gold for someone looking to invest in video game development." We'll keep that in mind once we get Joystiq Publishing off the ground.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Furry Legends isn't what you think it is

    April 8, 2009 - 7:00pm


    click to increase magni-FUR-cation
    No, no it's okay. This post is totally safe for work, we promise. Despite what the title may imply, Gamelion's upcoming WiiWare game, Furry Legends, is perfectly tame. It's a puzzle platformer starring a nondescript ball of green fuzz, that's all. Now, take a deep breath and relax. You can check out some screens in the gallery below and find a trailer after the break.Also, don't worry, it's just a trailer for this game, not some other furry video. We promise.[Via N-Europe]

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    No split-screen multiplayer in The Conduit to preserve visuals

    April 8, 2009 - 6:00pm


    Sorry, split-screen fans, The Conduit is hanging you out to dry. According to lead designer Rob Nicholls, the upcoming shooter will exclude a split-screen multiplayer option in order to maintain the game's visual punch. In an interview with HD Warriors, Nicholls said the main reason the feature isn't included is because of concern the graphics quality would be reduced when "double-rendering" the game for the mode. High Voltage's top priority in developing The Conduit is making sure the title achieves the "best looking" graphics on the Nintendo Wii, said Nicholls. While the in-house tech team at High Voltage continues to squeeze power out of the console, The Conduit will ship without split-screen -- but Nicholls said it is a possibility for future titles.[Via Nintendo Everything]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Nintendo comments on Wii manufacturing costs, not planning price cut

    April 8, 2009 - 4:15pm

    Following Credit Suisse analyst Koya Tabata's estimation that Wii manufacturing costs are down 45 percent, Nintendo has come out from its corner swinging, ready to put down any and all speculation that a price cut for the console is due soon. In speaking to Edge, Nintendo said the depreciation of the U.S. dollar and British pound is also a factor, as from "launch in December 2006 to December 2008, the value of the pound fell by 43 percent against the yen," and, in the same period of time, the U.S. dollar and euro fell against the pound 22 and 18 percent, respectively.Ed Barton, analyst for Screen Digest, thinks that if Nintendo is to cut the console's price, it could first happen in Japan if "supply has truly equaled demand." Barton points to Nintendo's next financial earnings report, where any and all reduction in manufacturing costs should be evidenced in the company's operating profits. Though trying to gauge an improvement in Nintendo profits is kind of like finding a giant needle in a stack full of giant needles.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments