February 27, 2007
Filed under: News
To celebrate the release of SSX Blur, EA held an event at Quebec’s Ice Hotel, which is a hotel made of ice. A hotel, where people sleep, where the walls are made of ice.
Journalists got a chance to play the new game and see new demos of Army of Two and a mysterious new property that is, unfortunately, under embargo. Junkie XL, who is responsible for Blur’s soundtrack, provided a performance, presumably using non-ice-based instruments. The crowd was also treated to drinks at the ice bar (a bar made of ice), and, of course, warm chicken soup, which no doubt helped everyone keep warm. Ice, as you may have heard, is cold, and the event took place in a building made entirely of ice.
We don’t know whether to be jealous of the people who were invited to this unusual locale, or happy that we spent the day in an environment habitable by humans. Luckily Blur is out in stores and we can enjoy it in our nice, temperate homes.
[Via QJ.net]
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Originally Syndicated via RSS from Nintendo Wii Fanboy
Filed under: News
We mentioned this yesterday, and now look! There’s a helpful scan to illustrate our point. While some female-oriented publications are all about Nintendo’s new console, it looks like the good folks at Cosmopolitan aren’t quite convinced.
Cosmo’s take on the Wii craze? Guys assume girls might want one, because the guy really loves the Wii. That’s some deep psychologizin’ they’ve got going on there. And in referring to the Wii as the “wrong gift,” Cosmo is insinuating that the modern woman just isn’t interested. Are they wrong? With all the stories and videos of nongamers embracing the hands-on experience that Wii provides, we’re not sure that Cosmo’s on the right side of the fence with this one. Can’t the modern woman want to decode weird male behavior, agonize over not-so-harmless habits,* and then play a game of tennis after work?
The Wii is perfectly poised to help gamers break down some of these walls that we’ve created to keep the interests of men and women separate. The DS broke some of that ground, but the Wii brings the fun and ease of gaming into the open, making it a social experience that anyone can get into, even if you have to kick off your stylish shoes first.
*Actual stories in the same issue.
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Originally Syndicated via RSS from Nintendo Wii Fanboy
Filed under: Fan stuff
Bunnies probably don’t like to be eaten, but that didn’t stop Flickr user protozoider from making these Rayman Raving Rabbids cupcakes. Some of them look like they’re going to eat you! The set includes instructions on making your very own (somewhat creepy) rabbid cupcakes, and features pictures of the best efforts, and some of the not-so-successful. The secret? Bunny-themed cake pans for Easter cakes. Creative, we must admit ….
See also:
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Originally Syndicated via RSS from Nintendo Wii Fanboy
Filed under: News, Controller
Looks like Peter Moore’s homage to the Wii has started the wheels of speculation in motion. Our comrades over at 360 Fanboy are considering the possibilities for Microsoft outside of the realm of casual games.
Moore did make the point about the Wii being about an experience, after all, so the idea that Microsoft might go the motion route isn’t too far-fetched. And it’s not like Microsoft never “borrowed” anything before (wink, wink). But like many, we’re uncertain that we’ll see motion-sensitive controls on the 360. Likely, Microsoft will try something entirely new, but the possibilities there are so widespread that we’re not even sure how to start. Let’s just hope any extras are cheaper than some we’ve seen in the past.
We know many of you are proudly sporting the Wii60 badge, so we wanted to ask you what you thought. Can anyone do what the Wii does, and should anyone even try?
[Via Joystiq]
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Originally Syndicated via RSS from Nintendo Wii Fanboy
Filed under: News
Next Generation recently took a look at the video game top sellers through online retailer Amazon for this week, compiling several lists organized by each console. Most interesting to all of us is the list of notable Wii-based items, which might surprise a few of you. The list reads:
- Wii Play bundle
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Sonic and the Secret Rings
- WarioWare: Smooth Moves
- SSX: Blur (pre-order)
- Rayman: Raving Rabbids
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (pre-order)
- Mario Party 8 (pre-order)
- Trauma Center: Second Opinion
- Call of Duty 3
How many of these games do you own? Did you pre-order any upcoming titles?
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Originally Syndicated via RSS from Nintendo Wii Fanboy
Filed under: News
Data Design Interactive, a UK-based development studio, has apparently announced it is currently developing for Nintendo’s Wii console. This news comes from EL33TONLINE, who report that six of the company’s games are being ported over to the console, however the company’s official website lacks any information supporting this claim. The six titles that are apparently being ported are:
- Billy the Wizard
- Myth Makers Super Kart GP
- Ninjabread Man
- Anubis II
- Monster Trux Extreme
- Elviz: Rock and Roll Adventures
We have never played, nor heard of, any of these titles before. We suppose it’s good to hear about another Wii supporter. What do you all think?
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Originally Syndicated via RSS from Nintendo Wii Fanboy
Filed under: News
Remember that God of War 2 dev who thought the Wii’s appeal was a novelty and wore off quickly? Well, he’s posted a response to all who found his earlier claims to be too hard to digest. He goes on to say “First let me say I am not so quickly judging and writing off the wii..I am just saying what I played was not doing it for me. I think it is a good system…I just did not get bowled over with a sense of “Oh my god this is the future.”
He also goes on to say a few things in regards to the social appeal of the system, stating “When friends come over though…I will be playing the wii a whole lot more…cause it is fun in a social situation…like freaking Guitar Hero. I played the hell out of the first one for a week or so…but then it kind of wore off for me…I still played it, just not as much. Of course when I have people over it becomes fun again. So to me..right now…the wii is a great social machine…but when I want to sit around and get sucked into a game for a lengthy session I am not gonna be playing the wii.” Again, has this guy heard of Twilight Princess? We sank 50 hours into the game before our final confrontation with the game’s boss and found the experience to be one of the most immersive of our entire life.
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Originally Syndicated via RSS from Nintendo Wii Fanboy
Filed under: Video
The Japanese pop star is none other than Ayumi Hamasaki, who is (according to her Wikipedia page) one of the country’s most famous singers. Well, for how famous she is, she’s not used any of her wealth or free time to master the minigames in WarioWare: Smooth Moves. She flops many of the minigames, including using the tennis racket to bounce a ball and shaking a puppy’s hand. Not only that, but she’s just about the worst at the chaffeur boss stage we’ve ever seen.
Still though, the video is worth a laugh as just about anyone looks like a total idiot when they’re playing this game. Be sure to keep an eye on Wii Fanboy as we’re set to give away a copy of WarioWare: Smooth Moves to one lucky reader.
[via Codename Revolution]
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Originally Syndicated via RSS from Nintendo Wii Fanboy
Filed under: Screens
IGN got ahold of some freshly-baked screens for Cooking Mama: Cook Off. The screens depict the various different steps one must perform before making a meal (such meals as Paella). So we get to see some raw meat being sliced, eggs improperly cracked against a bowl and how to properly top off a meal with some cream puffs. So, if you’re looking for one tasty time in video game form, look no further.
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Originally Syndicated via RSS from Nintendo Wii Fanboy
Filed under: Reviews
>Update: Finally, the reviews are rolling in. We’ve updated the post with plenty of more scores.
With SSX: Blur being available at retailers today, the reviews are rolling in kind of late. As of right now, only two online outlets have reviewed the game, giving it very decent scores. Looks like many of you who were hoping for a game from a third-party with the same attention to detail that many of Nintendo’s first-party titles receive may just be getting their wish. Many of the popular online outlets have yet to review the game, so keep in mind we’ll be updating the post when their reviews go live.
Without further delay, let’s check out what some of the critics had to say:
- Game Informer (85/100) says the controls aren’t as precise as they would’ve liked them to be: “The one real problem I have with this game is that the ubertrick system doesn’t work nearly as well as it should. The new controls do add something new to the series, but almost the entire time I pined for something more traditional.”
- GameTrailers (84/100) finds the experience to be authentic: “It replicates the feeling of sliding down a mountain side with eerie precision and manages to make other control schemes feel dated. There’s certainly plenty of opportunity for improvement with the sequel, but with a ton of content and even more fun, it’s hard to go wrong with SSX Blur.”
- GameDaily (80/100) says that eventhough the game lacks online play, it’s still quite fun: “No online play hurts, and the two-player split screen mode offers limited enjoyment, but overall, EA successfully “blurs” the line between realism and fantasy, creating a great video game for all ages.”
- 1UP (55/100) finds the game prevents you from really getting into the flow: “No matter how badly you want to get into the game, to find the flow…the game doesn’t let you. And that’s too bad, because it really does look great, the multiplayer mode is basic yet competent, and there are flashes of true SSX brilliance.”
- GamePro (50/100) says it takes too long to figure out the game’s controls: “Dedicated (read: sadistic) gamers willing to invest the time necessary to figure out the controls might get a kick out of this one, but the convoluted controls will turn off most players. The lesson here is clear: Wii developers need to start with a blank slate rather than graft old-school control schemes onto the Wii Remote because, as SSX Blur demonstrates, it just doesn’t work.”
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Originally Syndicated via RSS from Nintendo Wii Fanboy