Home

    Wii News

    You've got Mario in my DSi calculator app

    February 27, 2009 - 10:30pm


    So, you've got $2 burning a hole in your pocket and you want to calculate money you only wish you had? Well DSi users, you're in luck with a nifty calculator. But, the convenience doesn't end there. The application utilizes sound effects and visuals from Super Mario Bros. If you think about it, it's a really smart idea! For years we've been joking that the DS prints money, but now the DSi can count it, too. Oh, technology ... where would we be without you? Check out a video of the application in action after the break.

    Continue reading You've got Mario in my DSi calculator app

    Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    ESRB rates Crystal Defenders R1 & R2 for Wii

    February 27, 2009 - 9:28pm


    The ESRB has left the vault door wide open, revealing a rating for the long rumored North American WiiWare release of Crystal Defenders R1 and Crystal Defenders R2. Taking place within the Final Fantasy Tactics universe, Crystal Defenders is a Tower Defense style game from publisher Square Enix that takes place after the events in Final Fantasy Tactics A2.Originally a mobile phone title -- and soon to be released on the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Store -- Crystal Defenders will see an episodic release for the Nintendo Wii. Being history buffs we can see that the Japanese release of each episode clocked in at 1000 Wii Points ($10 USD) apiece, and since history often repeats itself, it's a good chance those prices will remain the same in North America. Let's hope history is ignored this time.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Family Pirate Party brings pirates, oxymorons to WiiWare

    February 27, 2009 - 8:30pm


    By all rights, "pirate" and "family" should never be used in the same sentence, unless that sentence is "A pirate killed my entire family." Still, somewhere between Sid Meier's Pirates! and Johnny Depp it seems that pirates have gone from being the scourge of the Seven Seas to high-flying family entertainment. Sure, they might rape and pillage, but they also say "Arrrrrgh!" and keep hilarious monkeys as pets. We imagine it's the newer, friendlier brand of pirates that's present in Aksys Games upcoming Family Pirate Party for WiiWare.Actually, as it turns out, the game stars the same family seen in Family Glide Hockey, which released earlier this year and was pretty awful. Family Pirate Party is a board game that has players sailing to various islands, plundering treasure and participating in "hilariously exciting minigames." Hey, the Wii could always use more minigames, right?Fun fact: Family Pirate Party is made by Arc System Works, the same developer that brought us Guilty Gear. We're confused too.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Japanese Virtual Console: March lineup revealed

    February 27, 2009 - 7:30pm


    Nintendo Japan has revealed its March lineup for the Virtual Console and we're more than a little jealous. That's right, The Revenge of Shinobi is on the list and we don't know if we'll ever see it. You see, at one point the boss characters in the game were (very clearly) Batman, The Terminator, Godzilla and Spider-Man and while some of those characters have changed, Sega has never included the game on any Genesis compilations in North America for possible copyright restrictions.Japan nets a few other exclusives this month, beginning with Koei's New Horizons for the Super Famicom and the classically terrible platformer Takeshi no Chōsenjō from Taito on the Famicom. And in a surprising twist, Japan will play catch up to a few Virtual Console releases already available in North America, including: Sonic Chaos for the Sega Master System and the Famicom puzzler Clu Clu Land.The first titles to be made available -- releasing on March 3 -- will be Nihon Falcom's Mega Drive RPG, Dragon Slayer Legend of Heroes II and the PC Engine original Space Invaders from Taito. The rest of the titles will gradually release over the course of the month.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Let's play ... Spot the Real Wii or DS Game!

    February 27, 2009 - 5:50pm


    Hey gang. After checking out this staggering release list, we played a hot new game on the Joystiq Podcast this week. It was such a hoot, we encourage you to do the same with someone you love. Here are the rules: In Round 1, you're trying to pick the one real game among the fakes. In Round 2, you're trying to find the fake amongst all the real games. In the Lightning Round, you just have to identify each game as real or fabricated. Then, see how you rate!

    • 0-5 -- You're a Nintendolt
    • 6-11 -- You did NintendOK
    • 12-17 -- You Nintendidit!

    Let us know how it goes!

    Continue reading Let's play ... Spot the Real Wii or DS Game!

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

    MTV's Totilo: DS version of Galactrix plagued by load times

    February 27, 2009 - 5:30pm


    Considering our outrageous, unslakable handheld lust for Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, we didn't think anything could keep us from diving back into our dual-screened device for a go at Galactrix -- though a report from MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo is giving us slight cause for concern. According to Totes, the DS version of the game suffers from "surprisingly long load times." Yes, he said the DS version -- not the Commodore 64 version. We were confused at first as well.Totilo said that the four to five-second load times occur before each puzzle, during mission selection and when checking inventory. Doesn't sound like much, but as he assures us, "it adds up." Anyone else notice their precious seconds being squandered whilst participating in some interplanetary gem-swapping?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Touch Ruminations: Progressive Necessity

    February 27, 2009 - 3:30pm


    In the latest edition of Touch Ruminations, former DS and Wii Fanboy Lead David Hinkle talks about whatever he feels like. He's a jerk like that. This week, it's 480 lines of progressive scan, and whether or not it should be the standard on Wii. The opinions expressed here belong to the author and don't necessarily reflect those of Joystiq, Weblogs Inc. or its affiliates.I've been so pumped for MadWorld, it's not even funny. Then Monday came around and we found out the game wasn't going to run in 480p and I knew it had to be this week's topic. Some people went bonkers, but, to tell you the truth, I don't think it's such a bad thing.

    Continue reading Touch Ruminations: Progressive Necessity

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

    EA not waiting on Nintendo, will release MotionPlus-compat games on time

    February 27, 2009 - 2:30pm


    EA is determined to release its new crop of sports game, whether or not Nintendo has released the Wii MotionPlus peripheral or not. As you may recall, EA revealed the next Tiger Woods game would feature MotionPlus support, as well as a new tennis game the company is developing, and both will ship to retail on June 16, 2009. EA Sports' PR chief, David Tinson, said that both games "will be compatible, but not dependent, on WMP. They will ship with the functionality, regardless of when WMP comes to market."The peripheral is a tie-in with Wii Sports Resort, a game that was woefully absent from Nintendo's big release list yesterday. Will MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort be on store shelves by June 16? Nintendo has yet to comment on an exact release for the Wii Sports successor, but we'll be sure to update you as soon as we hear.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Final Fantasy IV: The After Years coming to Wii

    February 27, 2009 - 1:44pm


    It seems that Nintendo's recently discovered trademark for "The After Years" was, in fact, referencing a Wii port of the cell-phone based follow-up to the SNES role-playing classic Final Fantasy IV. An ESRB rating for the sequel confirms that the game will be hitting North American Wiis, though a time frame for its release, or even its release format (retail? WiiWare?) has yet to be revealed. The ESRB stamped the title with an E rating, as it doesn't classify the frequent usage of the word "spoony" as inappropriate for adolescent ears.Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, which was released in an episodic fashion on a number of Japanese mobile platforms last year, follows the exploits of Ceodore (the progeny of FFIV protagonists Cecil and Rosa) nearly 17 years after the events of the original game. It'll also feature appearances from other major characters from the SNES title -- well, the ones who survived, anyway. Those who played the title will recall that FFIV was somewhat Hamlet-esque in its final body count.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Rock Band 2 PS3, PS2 on Mar 27 in UK, coming Apr 24 for Wii

    February 27, 2009 - 12:45pm


    UK Rock Band fans, you better bust out your plastic instrument polish, because you're going to want to have your gear in tip-top shape when Rock Band 2 releases. For PS3 and PS2 gamers, the sequel will be available on retail shelves March 27. For those that have subscribed to Nintendo's console, the game is coming a little later, as it has been set for a April 24 release on Wii. PS3 gamers will have to shell out a cool £49.99 for the title, whereas Wii gamers will only need to spend £39.99 on it. PS2 gamers catch the biggest break in the price department and will only have to spend £29.99 on the game, although one could argue it's barely Rock Band. Instruments will also receive a new price and will be set accordingly:

    • Stand alone guitars will retail at £39.99
    • Stand alone drums will retail for £49.99
    • An "Instrument Edition" including drums, guitar and microphone will retail for £89.99

    Also, consumers in the UK will now be able to purchase the "Instrument Edition" along with the Rock Band software together for £119.99 on PS3 and Xbox 360, and £109.99 on the PlayStation 2 and Wii. Are you ready to rawk?Permalink | Email this | Comments