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Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces Announced For Wii

2009-11-19T22:36:29Z

Namco Bandai Games today announced the European and PAL release of Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces exclusively for the Wii in February 2010. The flight action game is based on the 2008 Japanese anime feature film from acclaimed director Mamoru Oshii, and is described as having “a unique blend of high-altitude fighter action and beguiling Japanese anime production values”.

Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces has been developed by Project Aces, the team responsible for Ace Combat. It boasts hi-fidelity renditions of arcade-style aerial combat, with the Wii Nunchuk used as a joystick to control the planes in flight. When not dog-fighting in the vast blue skies, players can feast their eyes on over 30 minutes of anime cinematics.

“The talented Project Aces team here in Tokyo have worked very hard to make the best possible flight game on Wii and we are very proud with what we have achieved,” said Daisuke Uchiyama, producer Namco Bandai Games Inc. “The control system lets players handle the game like a real aircraft, which is really a lot of fun for anyone who likes flight games.”

The action takes place in a world where real war no long exists, so corporations hold fictional war shows instead. In the game, you play the role of an ace pilot who has been transferred from another base to the Rostock Corporation. Also newly arrived at the corporation is a squad of mysterious new pilots who all seem to be children, including one particularly gifted young girl, Maumi Orishina.

Unique Wiiwaa Puppet-Controlled Game Announced

2009-11-19T22:11:53Z

Whatever will they think of next?! It seems not a day goes by without someone thinking of somewhere interesting to stick a Wii Remote, and today Zoink Games has announced possibly the maddest thing we’ve seen yet, Wiiwaa, a game that comes complete with a special plush toy puppet (pictured) that has a slot in which you can insert the Wii Remote. You then play the game by moving the puppet around, with the puppet’s movements being reflected in the gameplay as the Wiiwaa creature in the game explores the onscreen worlds, plays mini-games and follows the adventure storyline.

“Use your Wiiwaa puppet to control this little fellow just like a puppeteer would do,” said Klaus Lyngeled, creative director, Zoink Entertainment, and concept originator. “Walk, jump, dance, do crazy somersaults – whatever you do with your Wiiwaa puppet directly affects the Wiiwaa in the game. This innovative control system makes it super intuitive to tell the creature where to go and what to do. I don’t think there has ever been a simpler and more natural way to play a videogame. Just pop in your controller and your Wiiwaa comes to life on the screen!” Check out the video below, it actually looks kind of fun!

To find out more about the game, which does not yet have a release date, visit www.wiiwaaworld.com.

Ace Attorney Announced For WiiWare

2009-11-19T22:28:08Z

Capcom has today announced that three classic Ace Attorney™ games are due for release via WiiWare™ in early 2010, starting with the game that kicked off the whole series, Phoenix Wright™: Ace Attorney™ (Episodes 1 through 4). That release will then be followed by Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All and Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations.

The Ace Attorney games are hugely popular in both Japan and the West, with the franchise selling over 3.7 million units worldwide. This will be the first time an Ace Attorney game has appeared on a home console. Fans will get the chance to play as defence attorney Phoenix Wright as he weaves his way through the maze of the justice system. You will get to collect evidence, listen to testimonies and face up to hidden corruption, all in the pursuit of justice and the truth. The storyline of the first game in the series, which is due for release on WiiWare in early 2010, sees Phoenix Wright defending his childhood friend Larry Butz, who is facing a murder rap. Fans will eventually be able to download the bonus episode featured in the original Nintendo DS™ version of the game.

The second game in the series, Justice For All, will be released digitally in Spring 2010, as the action resumes with a much more experienced Phoenix now having five court victories to celebrate. However, he faces his biggest challenge so far when ruthless new D.A. Franziska von Karma muscles her way into town bent on extracting revenge against him.

The third game, Trials and Tribulations, will be available for download some time in 2010. In it, Phoenix faces off against the mysterious prosecutor Godot, who has no intention of letting Phoenix stand in the way of his plans.

Yoga For Wii Out Soon

2009-11-19T22:06:35Z

If you’re starting to feel that pre-holidays stress building up inside you like a coiled spring of rage and fury, JoWooD Entertainment are offering the perfect antidote to help you unwind and relax, and it could also double up as a Christmas present for someone too, so everyone’s a winner! According to the makers of the game, Yoga for Wii “helps you focus on your spiritual and physical wellbeing, balance and serenity, right in your living room.” The game features top model and Yoga practitioner Anja Rubik, who guides you through the main part of the game and lets you in on some of her Yoga secrets. You get to participate in Yoga training sessions in seven massive levels in authentic Asian locations. The game is designed to suit both Yoga novices and those who have more experience, by taking you through each Asana in detail and helping you create your own customised training plan. You will also have an interactive Yoga Guru supporting you on your path. Those players who have a Balance Board will be able to use it to receive feedback on their progress in Balance and Breathing exercises, although the game can also be played without a Balance Board.

Yoga for Wii will be released in November.

F1 2009 Released Today For Wii In North America

2009-11-18T14:49:46Z

The long wait is finally over! Well, if you live in North America it is! The official game of the 2009 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™ is released today in North America, and Codemasters has released five brand new screenshots to celebrate. The game features all of the drivers, teams and circuits from the 2009 season, and represents the first time that 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have appeared in a Formula One game. F1 2009 is also the first game to include the 2009 FIA Formula One Constructors’ World Champions Brawn GP, as well as the new Singapore, and Yas Marina circuits.

Players will be able to fully participate in every aspect of a Grand Prix weekend, including all practice sessions, qualifying and the race itself. You can choose to compete in the full 17-round Championship mode, or participate in a three-season Career mode in an attempt to become the FIA Formula One Drivers’ World Champion. There are also Quick Races and Time Trials as well as several mini-game challenges such as overtaking a set number of cars. All game modes will also be available in competitive and co-operative multiplayer modes.

F1 2009 will be released in PAL territories on 19th November and in the UK on 20^th November.

New Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll Screenshots

2009-11-18T14:46:17Z

Sega has today released a whole load of screenshots from the forthcoming Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll party game, which is due out next February. The game is set to incorporate the Wii Balance Board™ so that you can experience how it feels to roll around like a little monkey in a ball, or if you don’t fancy that you can always stick to the tried and tested Wii Remote and Nunchuk which will both be catered for. The game will also feature new puzzle levels and multiplayer mini games, including Seesaw Ball, Monkey Bowling and Monkey Race, where up to four players can participate. Other options include the chance to play with a friend in Co-op mode.

Some of the screenshots also show brand new character Jam, your personal athletics trainer who will give you lots of tips and tricks about how to play the game. He looks like he might be a bit bossy though!

Free WiiWare Demos In UK From Today!

2009-11-17T15:18:16Z

Nintendo’s official UK website has today announced the immediate launch of the WiiWare Download Demo Service. It’s great to see that the rumoured development is actually now happening for real, although so far there’s no news on whether or not it will be available in other territories.

The first three demos that are available so far are: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord (six levels); Bit.Trip Beat (one level) and NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits (one level).To download a demo, at the moment all you have to do is go to the Recommendation page of the Wii Shop Channel from where you can directly download the demos. Later on, you will have to go to the WiiWare section of the Wii Shop Channel and choose “Demo” from the “Search by Genre” section.

Note that the free WiiWare demos are available for a limited time only, from 16 November to 31 January 2010.

London We Sing Launch Party To Feature X Factor Stars

2009-11-17T15:13:14Z

Nordic Games has today announced that X Factor band Miss Frank will be appearing at the GAME We Sing for the Wii™ launch event in London. Members of the public who get themselves down to the GAME store in Oxford Street will be given the chance to sing with Miss Frank live on stage.

X Factor band Miss Frank will perform several of the 30 smash hit songs that are featured in the game when they take to the stage between 1:00 and 3: 00p.m on Thursday 19^th November. While they are performing, various competition winners and members of the public will be joining them on stage for a singalong so if you happen to be in London and anywhere near Oxford Street on Thursday lunchtime, get yourself along there and maybe you’ll get a chance to appear onstage!

We Sing is out on 20^th November, exclusively for the Nintendo Wii, at an SRP of £29.99 (game only) and £49.99 (game and two microphones). The game is also compatible with all Logitech Nintendo Wii microphones.

Wii Riding High Again In US After Price Cut

2009-11-17T15:09:12Z

Gamesindustry.biz is today reporting that the Wii has returned to the top of the US game hardware sales chart after sales figures were released today by the NPD Group, a retail tracking organisation. According to Gamesindustry.biz, the Wii sold 506,900 units in the four week October tracking period, following on from the price cut at the end of September.

“Compared to last month, which was a five-week month as compared to four weeks this month, Wii, PSP and NDS sales increased on an average sales per week basis, while the PS3 and Xbox 360 declined,” said NPD analyst Anita Fraser. She added that it would be hard to tell if the increase would carry forward into November and December, as those were traditionally the best sales months of the year for the industry anyway, so a rise in hardware unit sales would always be expected. Either way, nice to see the price cut is having a positive effect!

BBC iPlayer to Launch As Wii Channel

2009-11-15T04:10:33Z

In an interesting move for Wii owners in the UK, the BBC and Nintendo UK have today announced that a new version of the BBC iPlayer will soon be available for the Wii. The iPlayer was previously available via the Wii’s Internet Channel, but from Wednesday 18^th November it will have its own dedicated Wii channel. The iPlayer enables you to watch BBC TV programmes and listen to BBC radio programmes that you might have missed when they first went to air. Since it first launched on the Wii in April 2008, there have been a staggering 900, 000 requests for TV and radio programmes. This new version of the player is intended to provide a much higher quality viewing experience, complete with full-screen user interface.

“We’re pleased that we’ve been able to work with Nintendo to evolve BBC iPlayer on the Wii, providing a faster, high quality and improved viewing experience,” said Erik Huggers, director BBC Future Media & Technology. “It’s important that we offer audiences more ways to access the huge range of BBC content available, and this improved version of BBC iPlayer underlines our commitment to reaching new audiences by making BBC iPlayer available on as many platforms as possible.”

UK Wii owners can download the BBC iPlayer Wii Channel via the Wii Shop Channel from 18^th November.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles Tofu Screenshots

2009-11-15T04:06:30Z

Those nice people at Capcom can’t let a horror-tastic day like Friday 13^th go by without commemorating it in some way, and today is no exception as they’re treating us to the news that the fans’ favourite Tofu mode is back as an unlockable mode in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. Tofu first appeared in the spoof Tofu Survivor secret minigame in Resident Evil 2, where a large block of Tofu fights his way around a special scenario. This time around though, the tables are turned and Tofu becomes the hunted rather than the hunter. Capcom has even sent us some soya-soaked screenshots to prove it, as well as screenshots of some of the unique unlockable costumes from the game, including Mercenary Krauser, Cowboy and Biker Leon and Cowgirl and Biker Claire.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is released exclusively for the Wii™ on 17^th November.