This video features very little about the gameplay, but it’s dripping with attitude, which is what they’re trying to convey the most, I imagine. Some veterans frome several serious game development teams have formed Bionic Games, and their first release is a sarcastic action adventure
game promising the fun of Saturday morning cartoons with the wacky antics that only a misfit group of super-powered bionic heroes can provide.

And it’s a Wii exclusive. Something about using innovative controls to create a one-of-a-kind adventure experience.

New game IP, innovative control scheme, sarcastic fun? 2009 seems so far away now.

Full press release for you marketing junkies by following the link.

SAN MATEO, Calif. — June 3, 2008 — Capcom® Entertainment, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced Spyborgs™, a new action game coming exclusively to the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo. In Spyborgs, players take on the role of a diverse team of five bionic superspies in a fight to save the world from a group of dastardly villains. Wii gamers will be set to save the world when the game launches in 2009.

The first title developed by Bionic Games™, a newly-formed development team comprised of former Insomniac Games and High Impact developers known for their work on hugely popular franchises Ratchet and Clank™ and Resistance: Fall of Man™, Spyborgs is a unique action-adventure game set in a stylish world that resembles a Saturday morning cartoon. Engaging players in team-based challenges designed to utilize 2-player co-op play, Spyborgs takes the theme of “team” to a whole new level of fun. In Single-player mode the “team” theme continues as players jump from one member of the superspies’ team to the next, rapidly tackling different challenges designed around each character’s unique abilities. Fast, addictive gameplay, unique controls offered by the Wii Remote™, and a storyline that refuses to take itself too seriously, Spyborgs will provide players with a dynamic and fresh gaming experience like no other.

“Our goal is to maximize the potential of the innovative Wii Remote while delivering a new paradigm in cooperative game play,” said Michael Haller, president, Bionic Games, “We also wanted to bring a lot of humor to the game which we feel we have accomplished. This game will make you laugh — for all the right reasons.”

Players jump between the identities of a team of five bionic superspies to combat a rogue squad of wacky, dysfunctional super villains. Each character has unique powers to match their super-spy skills, such as heavy firepower, martial arts, bladed weaponry, acrobatic skateboarding skills or pure robotic destruction. This cast of characters may make a misfit group individually, but by utilizing them as a team, the Spyborgs will have the power to save the world – if they don’t blow themselves up first! Spyborgs’ tongue-in-cheek action and compelling interactive cartoon theme keeps players engaged from the first episode to the last with one of the most fun and entertaining games to be developed for the Wii system.

ABOUT BIONIC GAMES
Bionic Games, Inc. is an independent game development studio located in Hollywood, California. Bionic Games was formed specifically to bring the best talent together in order to create SPYBORGS for Capcom as the ultimate action/adventure experience on the Nintendo Wii. The studio pedigree includes leading artists, programmers and designers responsible for such mega-hit games such as RATCHET & CLANK, SPYRO, CALL OF DUTY, TONY HAWK, SHREK, LEGENDARY, SIMS, RESISTANCE: FALL OF MAN and MEDAL OF HONOR

ABOUT CAPCOM
Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment for game consoles, PCs, handheld and wireless devices. Founded in 1983, the company has created hundreds of games, including best-selling franchises Resident Evil®, Street Fighter®, Mega Man® and Devil May C ry®. Capcom maintains operations in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Korea, with corporate headquarters located in Osaka, Japan. More information about Capcom can be found on the company web site, www.capcom.com.

Capcom, the Capcom logo, Lost Planet, Resident Evil, Mega Man and Devil May Cry are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd., in the U.S. or other countries. Street Fighter is a registered trademark of Capcom U.S.A., Inc. Wii and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Super Smash Brothers Brawl is a sloppy wet kiss from Nintendo to its fans over the year. The Smash Brothers franchise was this to begin with — a pinnacle of fanservice (the good kind, you pervs), but more than your typical fanservice. The basic mechanic of the entire series is bound to the idea that Nintendo threw together characters from its most popular franchises to let them whallop on each other outside of any story continuity. It’s silly, over the top, and has twice already succeeded in becoming that game, you know the one that you buy with the console. So, does Nintendo capture that same lightning in a bottle for a third outing?

If you don’t know how the Smash Brothers paradigm works, it can be a little disorienting at first, especially if you’ve cut your teeth on pretty much every other brawler known to man. Every other brawler gives you a life meter and you proceed to pummel your opponent to the point of zero life meter, equalling unconsciousness. Smash Brothers takes a different approach.

Probably stemming from presenting their properties in the best light possible, a character never dies/passes out/loses consciousness in Smash Brothers. Rather than a life bar, characters have a damage meter. The more they get hit, the more damage they take, and the easier it is to knock them out of the Arena. The damage meter turns the entire brawler mechanic on its ear, transforming this fighting game into a huge round of king of the hill, and it works. The Nintendo characters never get bloodied, and the mechanic is dynamic and interesting beyond the standard Street Fighter scheme.

So, the question is, does the game stand?

What Works
First thing that stands out is the visual presentation. The Wii is not a graphics powerhouse, at least not by the standards set by most of the current gen of hardware, but that doesn’t mean that the dev team didn’t work magic with what they have. Smash Brothers Brawl is a gorgeous game. You can see the denim on Mario’s overalls, particle systems abound, and at any given time, the screen is crackling with activity without skipping a beat.

Once the visuals sink in, you can settle in and see the game proper. It’s obvious a great deal of care went into the level design and overall package. This version isn’t just about the brawling. There are a number of single player options, in case you can’t drum up a friend to play with. For instance, there’s an entire single player adventure that ties in all of the characters into a storyline. It’s not a terribly coherent storyline, but it’s a story adventure all the same. Adventure mode will take you about 10 hours or so to just hammer through. About 15 if you want to unlock everything.

Playing the game is a excercise in good design and availability. Each character has the same basic set of activation moves. Smash moves with a direction stick and super moves with a direction stick. There are no tap three times, or forward back half circle punch, or anything like that. Now, each main character has a different set of moves to activate — on the up super, for instance, some characters fly, others have an up attack — but by and large, you can fiddle around with random characters and hold your own no matter the match. This opens up game options for any player and really extended my enjoyment of the game.

If the control schemes are good, the controller schemes are equally accessible. The Wiimote can be used alone (my favorite scheme), likewise you can use the nunchuck-Wiimote combo, and even plug in your old GameCube controller if you have one lying around. Other seasoned Smash Bros. players report enjoying their GameCube controller the most, but I can hold my own quite well with the Wiimote turned on its side. If you don’t like the default layout, Brawl allows you to set your own button assignments and remember it in your player profile.

Wi-Fi is a nice touch as well. This is the Wii’s first serious title to feature online game play. Don’t get me wrong — there are other online titles, but this is the first one that sold off the charts. The implementation is, by and large, as good as the Wii is going to get as long as we’re tied to those awful friend codes. Most of my online games were quite enjoyable. Sure, you could peg the serious players quickly from the button mashers, but this is one of those games where both types of players can hold their own pretty well.

The level editor is a welcome addition. It’s amusing to see how levels go together when you’re creating your own. The ability to share those levels is also fun with your Wii-playing friends.

Smash Brothers Brawl also has a large number of game modes for both single and multi-player mayhem. Add in the vast number of characters, levels, trophies, and other sorts of assorted goodies to unlock, and there are hours and hours of playtime to be had with Brawl.

What Doesn’t Work
THe unlockable content gets put into this column as well as the “What Works” section above. It’s lovely that there’s so much to keep a person playing, but when you tout certain characters so highly before launch, then give the players a game that has to be unlocked before you can see the characters behind the hype — that’s a problem. Before your friends come over to play, you’re going to have to put some time into the game if you want to show off all of the cool stuff the game has to offer.

The Wi-Fi connection works quite well most of the time, but when it doesn’t work, it’s spectacularly bad. Seconds-per-frame bad. I’d say about 20% of the online games I played started lagging so severely that they couldn’t be played. That’s pretty high. I was hoping it would get better as time goes on, but my experience is that it’s going to stay like this for the lifetime of the game.

The lack of online leader boards is a shame as well. Mario Kart Wii has them, why not Smash Bros.?

My last nit to pick is the size of some of the levels. Some of them are so ridiculously huge that, when zoomed out to accommodate all of the action, the avatars are mere dots on the screen. Teensy critters that make big flashes but lose all detail.

The Verdict
Coming in with highly accesable and fun gameplay, beautiful visuals, and a ton of content, Brawl overcomes its criticisms handily. Simply put, the good outweighs the bad. Or in other words, my six year old and I are still having fun with it over a month after release. It’s become a favorite game in the house, and is good for 30 minutes to an hour of togetherness at game time. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty dang good, and a fun game value.

To which I say, “Sign me up!”

I’ve been looking forward to this for a while. Large and small studios alike are trying their hand at WiiWare, bringing both indie effort and mainstream flair to my favorite little console.

To launch, we have a Final Fantasy exclusive, a platformer, an update to a flash favorite, gambling, and casual.

Here: check it out.

I’ll probably be getting Pop. Looks zen.

FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: My Life as a King™ (Square Enix, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, 1,500 Wii Points): FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King takes a legendary franchise and launches it into the realm of simulation gaming. Players are challenged to rebuild a kingdom, leading its young king on a path of discovery through an adventure bristling with mystery and intrigue.

LostWinds™ (Frontier Development, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 1,000 Wii Points): A fresh, enchanting platform adventure that puts the power of the wind in the palm of your hand - from raging tornados to the gentlest breeze. You’ll wield your Wii Remote™ controller to power Toku’s jumps and glides, suspend and smash enemies, meet friends and solve puzzles using LostWinds’ novel, intuitive and playful control system.

Defend your Castle™ (XGen Studios, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone - Cartoon Violence, 500 Wii Points): Defend your Castle takes place on a grassy plain surrounded by invaders. You are the commander of your castle, and it is your duty to fling the invading enemies sky-high, watching them plummet to their demise. As you progress, add powerful spells and upgrades to your arsenal for repelling the attacks. How long can you hold them off?

Pop™ (Nnooo, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 700 Wii Points): Pop bubbles to score points and stop the timer from running out. Pop can be enjoyed by anyone - casual gamers can simply play to pop bubbles and keep the game moving, whereas advanced players will need to pick their shots rapidly and accurately and generate combos to maximize their score.

V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack™ (High Voltage Software®, Inc., 1-4 players, Rated T for Teen - Simulated Gambling, 700 Wii Points): V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack re-creates the casino experience, with fully animated players and a realistic Las Vegas dealer. Single players can increase their bankrolls, while multiple players can engage in a head-to-head mini-blackjack tournament.

TV Show King (Gameloft, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): TV Show King transforms your living room into a real TV quiz show studio where you’ll face the challenge of answering more than 3,000 questions across six different categories. Compete against family and friends and use your Wii Remote controller in original ways to make it to the finals to see who can win the greatest amount of cash in one final, deciding duel.

Don’t know about you, but I can live with downgraded graphics for some analog lightsaber tracking.

The guys at Engadget found out that popular SNES emulator SNEX9X has been ported to the Wii. All the information you need is in this forum post. The emulator does include support for the Wiimote, but it’s currently at version 0.1.1a so don’t expect 100% perfect play. Opinions on its usability are, unsurprisingly, pretty mixed so far, but it can at the very least run SNES games, so have at it!

While North America waits for Mario Kart to arrive in their hot little hands, scandal is afoot in Japan… where reports are trickling in that the Mario Kart discs have disc-read errors (which is what you normally get if the disc is damaged or scratched). Nintendo has told Eurogamer that they are unaware of any such problem with the discs, but this does sound suspiciously like last month’s release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which also brought a flood of complaints with it due to errors related to the dual layer disc. Mario Kart is just a single-layer disc, so that scapegoat can’t be used again, so the matter remains unresolved. Destructoid takes pains to remind readers that reports are “few and far between”, and over here at GameLedge we’d like to remind you that there’s still enough time before the North American release for Nintendo to quietly correct whatever it is that’s causing the problem.

Check out the Wii Mario Kart pics over at Shacknews and clap your little paws together. Coming April 27 to North America, Mario Kart for Wii is pretty much money in the bank for Nintendo; the franchise is already firmly established as one of the best lightweight games around and the pre-release fanfare has been very strong. You can catch 15 screenies over at the link which show off the various tracks and courses. Mario Kart was released in Europe today, but we’re gonna have to sit on our hands for a couple more weeks.

I almost used the word “inexplicable” when describing Wii Fanboy’s fervent desire to jack up Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto in Time Magazine’s poll for 2008’s most influential people… but then I reminded myself that they probably didn’t call themselves “Wii Fanboy” for nothing.

The poll in question looks at a diverse list of 2008’s heavy hitters, like John Colbert, Barack Obama, Jay-Z, and Miyamoto. The Fanboys are all googoo over “The Shig” (as they call him) because he’s the man behind the influential and ground-breaking Wii controller as well as many other touchstones of Nintendo’s success and dominance in the market. I’m not sure I’d like to throw my weight behind a plea to spam this poll with votes for The Shig because, frankly, I both think that the results should stand for themselves and, also, I have more weighty concerns on my mind. Like whether I prefer the purple or green robe for my level 54 Warlock…

In other news: Mia Farrow is on this poll??

Bethesda’s cult-classic franchise, Fallout, will be receiving its third installment (rumored to arrive this October), and GameStop has cried “ta daaa” and shown off a special collectors’ edition for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. The verrrrrry special box will include a Vault Boy Bobblehead, a hardcover art book and a making-of DVD (the box itself will be a Vault-Tech Lunch Box). According to Shacknews, the Collectors’ Edition will be $79.99 (whereas the PC version is $69.99), and the “standard” version will be $59.99 for consoles and $49.99 for PC. Shacknews also has some nice impressions in their preview of the game in case you want to get a sense of whether or not it’s good enough to fork out $79.99 to get it in a special lunchbox.

I’m really looking forward to Wii Ware. These tight little low-budget games are often full of the most surprises. They certainly don’t have strong expectations to live up to, and people being what we are, that lack of expectation can lead to a better game in the long run.

Enter Strongbad and Homestar Runner.

Go here and watch the trailer.

This is not a game you play for the innovative gameplay concepts. This is a game you play because you love the characters and Homestarrunner.com’s brand of absurdist comedy. And you’re not going to find a game like this outside of indie-focused channels.

It’ll be episodic — five episodes, to be exact — and debuting in June 2008, if all goes well. It’s Strongbad’s Cool Game For Attractive People, and you can play it, too!

Popular satire news outlet, The Onion, has posted a topical little piece called “Wii Video Games Blamed For Rise In Effeminate Violence”. As we all know, nothing kills a good joke more than some fool like me trying to recap the funny parts in his own words, so let me point you at a blurb from the article itself:

Concerned parents are again blasting the Nintendo Wii for an incident of effeminate violence following a 13-year-old boy’s limp-wristed attack on three of his classmates at a Cleveland-area middle school Tuesday.

The incident—the sixth of its kind in as many months—has left parents searching for answers and struggling to comprehend the dainty assault, which left the necks of two sweaters severely stretched out and countless fingers stubbed.

God, I love that site.

Rock Band, recently announced for the Wii (deetz over at Joystiq), Just to quickly bring you up to date: Rock Band is a game created in the style of Guitar Hero in that you play along with the music on the screen (which, in turn, is borrowed from the Dance Dance Revolution motif). Unlike Guitar Hero (or DDR), Rock Band provides all the virtual instruments necessary to create an entire band (in-game of course) and encourages people to get drunk off their asses and play it with their friends, only to ruminate later about how the game makes them good enough to play the real-life equivalents. Anyhow, there’s a lot of Q and A with Harmonix at Joystiq about how it’s all going to work and, best of all, a nice big pic of the Wiitastic drum kit.

When developing Rock Band for the Wii platform, we focused on making the core gameplay experience as solid and enjoyable as possible while tailoring it specifically to the strengths of the platform. The Wii version still contains the robust four-player band experience and all the fun at the core of other versions of Rock Band. However, because the Wii’s online capabilities and potential have yet to be fully realized, we wanted to wait before we explored online functionality for Rock Band to ensure that players get the high-quality of online performance they’ve come to expect.

My kids are already asking me to buy this, and it was just announced a few days ago. So that should tell you something.

I’m not the biggest fan of Minigames. Especially for the Wii. Wii Sports did it really well, and Rayman Raving Rabbids is fun, too, if not completely insane. WarioWare started pushing my patience. Yes they still come. Hudson just posted a trailer for their latest minigame entry, Deca Sports. The soundtrack for the trailer oozes “casual game target demographic” and yet I’m still torn.

It has curling. Like some blast from the past of the Epyx Games series, Hudson delivers Beach Volleyball, Snowboard Cross, Badminton, Basketball, Figure Skating, Archery, Supercross, Soccer, Kart Racing, and Curling.

That takes cojones, you know? I mean, curling is not a sport for the weak.

Not that anyone’s surprised, but Nintendo’s recently released Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii has breezed right past the 1.4 million sales mark in one single week since its release in the US. Joystiq reports that Nintendo’s press release says 874,000 of those sales happened on release day. Wow. This reportedly makes it the “fastest-selling video game in Nintendo of America’s history.” As Joystiq says, Nintendo claims to have sold “at a rate of more than 120 units per minute between launch and March 16.” Assuming they mean the entirety of March 16 (i.e. the first eight days), that amounts to 8 days * 24 hours/day * 60 minutes/day * 120 units/minute = 1,382,400 units.

I still don’t have a copy because the guy at EB Games hates me.

If you ever wondered what Jennifer Lopez’s Wii would look like, Kotaku is here to show you. Picture it: 20,000 Swarovski crystals pasted onto your Wii to give it that “I have too much money” look, made by a company called Crystal Icing whose contribution to the solution of the world’s problems is to cover every bare inch of something with pricy crystals and then charge you a bomb of cash. It’s worth a click to see the photo but even if you could afford it you’d have to be kinda stupid to do it… even if you’re Jenny No Longer From The Block.

(Just to clarify… this isn’t actually Jlo’s Wii. I just thought the remark was funny)

Super Smash Bros. Brawl has been out for a week, and if availability when I was trying to get my copy is any indication, this thing is selling fast.

What’s that? You don’t believe me? You don’t have to. There’s a press release:

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Smashes Nintendo Sales Records

Wii Game Sells at a Rate of More than 120 per Minute

REDMOND, Wash., March 17 /PRNewswire/ — After just one week on store
shelves, Super Smash Bros.(R) Brawl for Wii has become the fastest-selling
video game in Nintendo of America’s history. Since its launch on March 9, the
feature-packed fighting action game has sold more than 1.4 million units in
the United States, including more than 874,000 on March 9 alone. It has sold
at a rate of more than 120 units per minute between launch and March 16.

“Super Smash Bros. Brawl has made the leap from video game to cultural
phenomenon,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice
president of Sales & Marketing. “Game reviewers and the public alike praise
its fun game play and extensive, inventive content.”

Super Smash Bros. Brawl features a nearly limitless variety of options for
players. Dozens of classic Nintendo characters like Mario(TM) and Pikachu(R)
are joined by industry icons like Sonic The Hedgehog(TM) and Metal Gear’s
Solid Snake for all-out four-player battles. The endless customization keeps
players coming back for more. The previous game in the series, Super Smash
Bros.(R) Melee, became the best-selling Nintendo GameCube(TM) game of all time
with more than 7 million copies sold worldwide, so it’s no surprise to see
this latest installment racking up record numbers.

120 per minute? Jinkies. That’s pretty good for a fad system without any real games on it.

Nintendo.co.uk has posted some lovely teaser tidbits about the new entry into the Mario Kart franchise and its relationship with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection capabilities of the Wii.

From the article it appears that you’re not limited to matches with friends, though you will be able to set up private races with just those people designated your friend if you prefer to not have random jerks powersliding their way through your game. Those races are going to support up to 12 players, so that’s sure to be pretty wild.

The Mario Kart Channel that comes with Mario Kart Wii has a couple of compelling modes revealed by the article.

First, leader boards. In a brilliant move that I hope will be copied shamelessly by the Super Smash Brothers team, you can pop into the Mario Kart channel and check out how much you suck where you stand compared to every other racer in the world.

Second, from time to time, Nintendo is going to use the Mario Kart channel to set up competition events. Time trials and other competitions will be featured here.

Here’s the full article.

A neat little story from Wii Fanboy talks about the appearance of the “Television no Tomo Channel G Guide” (the what?) for the Wii. With this application, users can use their Wii tech to check out TV shows, rate them, and share their favorites. They can even mark favorite programs and receive email/text alerts an hour ahead of time to remind them it’s coming up. Sounds great… if you’re Japanese, that is, seeing as the service is available only in Japan and no plans to bring it to the US are imminent. “The coolest feature we’ve heard about, though, is the ability to use the Wii remote as a universal remote control. Wii owners can use the controller to change channels, adjust the volume, and switch back and forth between their shows and the TV Guide Channel. Apparently, the sensor bar transmits your commands to your TV, making this all possible … in Japan.”

Sucks.

A silly-but-not-entirely-useless idea (just mostly useless): Bloom Box executive producer Lou Castle told the guys at Joystiq about a feature (which he describes as more of an “easter egg”) whereby you can use two Wii remotes with the game, one of which is meant to go on your head so you can control the camera by moving it around thusly. Interestingly, no explanation was offered about how one is supposed to affix a Wii remote to one’s head but I gather that, no matter what your approach is, it’s not something you want your friends seeing you do.

In case you need a little Head Tracking 101, Joystiq also included a video of some dork showing you how it’s done.

Speaking of the Commodore 64 (as mentioned in my Gears of War story): It’s the gaming platform that simply never dies, and Nintendo isn’t helping. In a flurry of retro passion, Nintendo will be offering C64 games to Wii uses via their Virtual Console service, starting with International Karate and Uridium. The games will cost 500 Wii points apiece and, even though the offer is currently available only in Europe, we can be pretty sure that the deal will come to North America before long. You can get a good taste of what’s going on by reading over here, or you could just take a look at that sweet gaming rig in the picture I just posted and get all excited.

Buzz about the upcoming Mario Kart title for Wii has been going around, but Nintencast comes across with some sweet, sweet facts about what to expect from this highly-anticipated game (not to mention some dope screenshots). Here’s a bit of what we can look forward to:

- D.K’s snowboard Cross is a half pipe sort of track. You’ll be able to drive up the side of them and pull off awesome tricks in the air.

- Miis will be spectators in the background.

- Luigi’s circuit is still a simple track.

- Koopa Troopa will be a playable character.

- Coconuts Mall has players driving around a huge mall with multiple routes.

- D.K has a new go-kart.

- Names hover over players during online play.

- Motor bike will be able to be used online.

There’s no mistaking that one of the biggest Mario titles making its way to the Wii is going to drive fans loopy (especially if Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Brothers Brawl are any indication of receptivity), but I think that it won’t just be hype that puts this one between the goal posts; it looks like there’s some truly solid gaming in there and, what’s more, the screenshots are super nice.

Ok. I’m excited. I’m a dork. I know.

No-one should be too surprised that the ground-breaking Wii from Nintendo has outstripped their also-cool-but-not-as-cool Gamecube in sales, but… it’s just good to know it’s officially happened.

Between November 2006 and February 2008, the Wii has sold 21.490 million units whereas the Gamecube is up to 21.515. By the time you read this, the Wii will already have surpassed that number. The Gamecube sales have also slowed to a crawl, selling only 500 units per week whereas the Wii is selling hundreds of thousands per week. This likely shocks no-one (especially considering that those who upgrade from the Gamecube to the Wii can use their old games and controllers, so they don’t have to be concerned with backwards compatibility), but it’s yet another stake in the ground to show that the Wii is definitely the one to watch.

Kotaku is reporting that Super Smash Bros. Brawl has rocked Japan’s gaming scene with a record million units sold in the two weeks since it’s release. They compare by saying: “It took Wii Fit seven weeks to hit a million copies sold, and it took Wii Sports eleven weeks to hit that milestone.”

The game, which isn’t released in North America or Europe yet, features tons of characters from various Nintendo franchises (all the way from Mario to Link to Samus) in various combat match-ups. Early reviews says the game rocks, so make sure you keep a few bucks in your pocket for its release.

This is a game that I can really get excited about. You’re an alien looking to harvest human DNA. The humans don’t want you to do that. See, they don’t like having their brainstems harvested from their bodies — they’re kind of attached to them. Humans have tanks and guns. You have extraterrestrial technology, devastating mental powers, and a giant Big Boy robot to do your bidding.

What’s not to love?

I just received a press release in my inbox that says it’s a developer diary. Whatever it is, it gives a tremendous amount of insight into what I hope will be quite a sleeper hit for the Wii. You can read the whole document after the jump.

Among the hallmarks of the Destroy All Humans franchise are weapons and Crypto’s mental powers. If you’ve played either (or both) of the previous games, you know the weapons in the games are exotic, over the top, and often just plain hilarious. And the second game offers a good number of weapons the first one didn’t. So when it came time for our team to begin designing Big Willy Unleashed, we wanted a whole new way to play the game and still remain true to the franchise.

What better way to do that than to offer even newer weapons.

Time-Tested Fundamentals

The first two games (taking place in the 50s and 60s respectively) have shown that when it comes to destroying all humans while simultaneously harvesting their DNA, it’s always the “right tool for the right job.” Even in the modern era of ‘70s, the flying saucer’s Death Ray is just about the best thing around to rain down pain and terror from above, just like it did in prior decades. The Sonic Boom is still the weapon of choice to send enemy tanks a message of “greetings from outer space.” And nothing still says “take me to your leader” like the Quantum Decontructor, the ultimate weapon for any Furon invasion for turning a thriving metropolis into a smoldering redevelopment zone.

But wait, that’s not all!

For Cryptosporidium-137 (affectionately know as Crypto), his Zap-O-Matic delivers gig-a-volts of tooth-rattling electro-shock goodness as it did in the first two games. His Ion Detonator continues to pack a plasmatic wallop that’ll break up any family picnic. The Anal Probe, a recurring favorite, remains the best instrument for both harvesting a brain stem AND eliminating a pesky combatant – all with a single shot! And the Disintegrator still turns matter to a mere memory.

Mental Powers

So let’s start with our hero, Crypto. Even without weaponry, his mental powers give him a devastating advantage over any pathetic human. Psychokinesis allows him to turn a propane tank into a concussion bomb, or to toss a dump truck into an angry mob – more fun than Bowling for Dollars. Crypto’s mental powers also allow him to hypnotize a person to carry out a specific command or even transform inanimate objects into ammunition. You gotta love those Furon genetics!

And for not extra cost, Big Willy Unleashed gives your a whole new collection of ways to slice and dice your target more effective than a Ronco Food Processor.

New Toys For Crypto

Among what’s new for Crypto in this new installment are a few side-arms. The Ball Lightning Gun is a fire and forget electrically charged ball of, er, lightning… that hovers like St. Elmo’s Fire over carefree masses, automatically discharging on nearby targets until nothing is left of its victims except perhaps their shoe-laces and a strange ionized smoky odor.

The Zombie Gun (or as it’s known by its technical name, the Reanimatron) hurls projectiles of green goo at a target, which transforms a human target into a zombie – a simple concept really. But the best thing about zombies is that other enemies will attack your zombie, effectively making a zombie a decoy – the perfect means for distracting a bouncer as you sneak into the disco.

The final “boom” stick in Crypto’s toy box is the Shrink Ray, ideal for transforming a hulking ballistic missile launcher into matchbox-sized action figure. The shrink ray is only awarded when you reach a particularly impressive level on the carnage-o-scope, so don’t expect to wield this wonder weapon very early in the game.

Improvements to the Saucer’s Armaments

The saucer has one new weapon this time round - the Electro-Cone, which clears out enemies directly beneath the flying saucer with shocking results. This is the only saucer weapon that is capable of destroying all humans while leaving structures in tact! Now that’s value!

Big Willy, The New Kid On The Block

In front of every Big Willy’s fast food restaurant stands a cheery rosy-cheeked irresistible mascot named Big Willy. It’s no wonder there are over ten million humans served! But Big Willy has few secrets of his own, not the least of which is the fact that this oversized marketing icon is really a devastating war machine armed up the wazoo with Furon weaponry, capable of wreaking havoc in an up close and personal way! And who doesn’t love all those wazoo armaments!

Never mind the fact that a twenty foot tall rampaging kid will send even the bravest among us fleeing with fear into the hills. And forget that when Big Willy jumps, he lands with concussion-inducing thud that’ll give everyone nearby an Excedrin headache number 27.

Big Willy is armed with three implements of devastation. First, is the Heat Beam Eyes – similar to the saucer’s death ray, but this system can be aimed freely at unsuspecting targets while Big Willy careens through the streets of an otherwise quiet neighborhood.

Often, Big Willy finds himself surrounded by cranky skirmishers. But with one quick discharge from the Regurg-a-tron, that well-armed militia is reduced to a chunky smoldering puddle that even seagulls won’t touch.

To round out his arsenal, Big Willy can also be upgraded to activate the WindBreaker, an odoriferous explosive blast that’s emitted from the south end of a north facing Willy.

Even though Big Willy is indestructible and has the most advanced weaponry imaginable, alas his power system is still Earth technology and prone to run down. Fortunately, DNA can replenish Big Willy’s charge; so it’s a simple matter of grabbing a nearby human, and harvesting his or her DNA by popping the heads open like a Pez dispenser and consuming the brainstem.

1. He has a lot of time on his hands.
2. He’s freaky creative-smart.
3. Nintendo, hire him, already. He’s making freaking cool stuff for your console in his spare time.

Patience is a virtue. This guy is incredible.

Nintendo.com is running an interview with the lead developer of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Masahiro Sakurai, conducted by the president of Nintendo himself, Satoru Iwata.

They detail how the project came to be in the first place (surprise!), the steps taken to assemble a team, and tease us with an upcoming part 2.

All in all, I find it to be a fascinating interview. Read it here.

Nintendo sent out a press release with the 2008 release schedule, and Nintendo fans all over the world fainted in a rapturous state of glee. DS Fanboy has the whole DS list there for you to peruse, and a little commentary to go with it.

For the first time, the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon sequels have been announced for U.S. release. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness are tentatively slated for a “Q2″ release. More personally exciting is the revelation that Bangai-O Spirits was picked up by D3 of America, also Q2. And by “personally exciting” we mean “OH YES AWESOME. AWESOME.”

Think that’s good? Check out the Wii schedule

Just when I thought we wouldn’t get terribly substantial for character reveals from the Dojo with the release of the game now frustratingly longer away, the Dojo goes and drops Sheik on us. Zero Suit Samus isn’t the only transformation in SSBB with sex appeal, apparently.

Sheik is a secondary Princess Zelda character. You get her by performing the Princess’ down special move. Apparently this was an idea for Twilight Princess that never got into active development, but where Zelda is more of a defensive character, Sheik appears to be a bedouin ninja, and that spells awesome.

She kicks high. Yowza.

More at the Dojo here.

There won’t be any internet gameplay for Team17’s upcoming Worms installment for Wii (cleverly entitled “Worms: A Space Oddity”), due out this March. This is going to rub some people’s fur backwards, as it was previously announced that there would be multiplayer of this variety, but Shacknews confirmed with publisher THQ that it’s not gonna happen. “There will not be an online component in Worms: A Space Oddity”, they said. Hard to get any clearer than that.

What’s kind of disappointing about it is that previous versions of worms (such as Worms: Open Warfare 2) did, actually, support online multiplayer gaming… so this seems like a step backwards. Shacknews got more of the story: “Worms: A Space Oddity is a social gaming experience that is best enjoyed locally, in a party-game atmosphere with other players,” explained THQ. “Team 17 has proven it can deliver a world class online gaming experience through the popular Worms: Open Warfare 2…. We’ve chosen to focus on making the best possible local multiplayer experience through fast-paced gameplay and entertaining party-games,” the company continued. “Players will get even more fun and satisfaction from being able to see the reaction of their friends and taunting them with attacks face-to-face.”

*clearing throat*

When I was a kid and we were playing Scorched Earth, we didn’t even have worms, let alone fancy internet gameplay. In fact, I’d like to go on record as stating that I have never had worms, period.

Wait, what?

Nintendo Wii Fanboy reports that you can now pre-register for your replacement Guitar Hero III disc online instead of calling Activision on the phone. If you’ve got the Wii version of GH3, you can use this form to pre-register for replacement discs. Activision only says “early 2008″ as far as a shipping date goes, but it’s a start.

In case you’re wondering why GH3 owners want a replacement disc: The Wii version is missing Dolby Pro Logic II technology.

Over at Super Smash Dojo, Masahiro Sakurai announced that we won’t see the upcoming (and much-anticipated) Super Smash Brothers Brawl game for Wii until March.

Due to delays in the completion of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, we’ve had to change the release date of the game to Sunday, March 9th. I deeply apologize to the people who have looked forward to playing the game for so long and ask that you hold on just a little longer. Thank you for your patience.

Super Smash Brothers Brawl is a game which pits various characters from the Nintendo universe (such as Mario, Pokemon, Link from Zelda, Samus from Metroid, etc) against one another, gladiator-style. It’s a game that sounds like bug fun but, alas, you’ll have to find something else to do for (checking watch) about seven weeks.

Kotaku serves it up fresh: Forget about a Wii-mote lightsaber peripheral for any present or upcoming Wii games. It’s a short story, but definitely dashes the hopes of Star Wars ner-… uh… aficionados everywhere. According to Kotaku, “Nintendo wouldn’t even let Lucas Arts release its own “bat like attachments” (think lightsaber add-ons) for its talked about Wii game. The reason? Nintendo is worried about safety issues.”

And please, Star Trek fans… no forum posts about a Wii-mote bat’leth. Kthx.

There’s something about the Wii controls that makes people want to strap stuff to them. I’m not sure what it is, but it always kinda makes me laugh. If you’re like me and you think the idea of someone swinging a Wii remote around with some strange weapon stuck to it for “realism”, this article from Gizmodo will be a real knee-slapper. I think my favorite is this one which, at first, I mistook for gynecological stirrups (in which case the title of this article would have been “What the hell game would you use THIS for?”).

Sounds like a really cool kung fu move, hey? Instead, it’s a really cool perspective-shifting final smash move for SNAAAAAAAKE himself.

When Snake initiates his final smash, he calls in for air support, leaps a ridiculous distance straight into the air, grabs a dangling rope ladder from a helicopter, and whips out a grenade launcher.

Then the game shifts to an over-the-shoulder perspective and you rain down grenade death upon your unwitting foes, who will undoubtedly scoot back and forth all over creation trying to avoid the aforementioned raining death until you run out of time or launch 12 grenades, whichever comes first.

Hit the Dojo for more screens.

Yesterday I posted about Engine Software mentioning that their Wii Ware game was due in March. This excited me. I was excited to the point I wanted to believe it. Well the gang at Nintendo Wii Fanboy wanted to believe it, too, but they took the next logical step and called Nintendo. Clever, that.

Turns out that, no matter what an obscure developer from the Netherlands says, there is no official date set for the launch of Wii Ware. Rather they insist that there hasn’t been any official announcement regarding the launch date of the Wii Ware service.

This could mean a couple of things. 1) that there really isn’t a set release date for Wii Ware or 2) there is a set release date, and Nintendo would prefer to not be scooped by an obscure developer from the Netherlands.

Stay tuned. We’ll get that release date nailed down one way or another.

Wii Ware: remember Wii Ware? Announced for March ‘08, Wii Ware is Nintendo’s answer to XBox Live Arcade. The plan is to have smaller titles available for download from the Wii Shop channel. Hey, it’s how Geometry Wars got its start, and there’s even rumor of Geometry Wars creating more game content for Wii Ware in the future.

So, I just received word about a developer in the Netherlands called Engine Software prepping a new game for Wii Ware. You remember Engine, right? Their latest release is something for the GBA called “High School Musical: Livin’ the Dream,” a game released without any irony at all.

Their new game is dubbed “Project Bang” for now, and it’s, well, it’s vague what the game will actually be — a casual game with addictive game play and unique Wii controls. There you are. I’m all for new casual games, and as soon as I can figure out more about this one, I’ll post it up.

Nintendo has started making inroads on putting Das Boot to the Wii grey market which has arisen in response to the notorious Wii shortages of the last two years. The story is well known at this point: 1. Christmas is coming, 2. Everyone wants a Wii, 3. Nobody can find one, 4. People selling Wiis on Ebay go to heaven in a little gold rowboat by charging a bazillion dollars for a console which normally retails at $250. Nintendo now has begun to saw away at the grey market’s legs, and an editorial at Kotaku explains how:

On December 14th, Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime held a conference call to address the growing problem of Wii shortages, detailing the companies plans to get customers matched up with systems by any means necessary. First came the raincheck system, which allowed customers a chance to pre-purchase the machine at GameStop stores across the country, with the understanding that they would be guaranteed a system by the end of January.

Then he announced that seven retail outlets - Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, Kmart, Toys R Us and Circuit City - would have the coveted consoles in stock that weekend, revealing that stores had been stockpiling the systems for a massive, last-minute flood.

While the rainchecks met with varying success due to limited ability, the flood of systems that weekend had a huge effect on the eBay market.

The Dojo reports today on the Multi-Man Brawl Stadium of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Described as a “ruthless battle with an army of enemy pawns,” this game mode features such brawls as the “Cruel Brawl,” the “Endless Brawl,” and the “100-Man Brawl” to name a few.

Brawl is one of those words that quickly loses its meaning if you keep saying it over and over… Brawl brawl brawl. Try it with me! Brawl brawl brawl… Anyway, where was I? Oh yes.

The Multi-Man brawl sets up pawns, indeed, for you to knock down. Colored robots with different abilities come after you in wave upon wave until you fall down or you rock the level.

Yet, this isn’t simply about the Multi-Man Brawl, per se. It’s no doubt welcome news to fans of Super Smash Bros. that they’ve included the return of the Multi-Man Brawl, but SSBB takes it up a notch. Co-op mode. Battle endless waves of relentless foes with your friend by your side. Or, if you don’t have any friends within biking distance, catch some play on the internet.

Online Team Multi-Man Brawl. Sweet, sweet mayhem.

More insight from the creator of the game and screenshots here at the Dojo.

The Dojo took a bit of time off there and I was getting ready to check out my local methadone clinic. I had the shakes, man. It was bad.

But Gametrailers came through for me. See, they posted these Japanese commercials for SSBB. Character animations. In-game fighting action. It’s what I needed. Hey! I don’t have a problem! I can quit any time I like!

And two more after the jump!

Sweet, sweet digital crack.

Majesco announced this weekend that they are developing Our House for the Wii; a home-design game where the Wii remote is used to design, create, and decorate houses players create. Get a load of this:

“Few things are as exciting as building and personalizing a home of your own, and only the innovative Wii Remote makes it possible to hammer every nail and paint every wall,” said John Merchant, Marketing Manager, Majesco Europe. “We believe Our House’s combination of unique subject matter, endless creativity and competitive multiplayer fun will resonate with players of all ages.”

The Queen of England (yes… that Queen) has apparently become a fan of Wii Sports. A story at The People.co.uk claims that the Queen, who has become of a technophile in her twilight years, has bogarted her grandson Prince William’s Wii and has been kicking it Tudor-stylee on the bowling Wii Sports game. The Wii was bought by Kate Middleton (William’s girlfriend) as a gift for the Prince, but the Queen seems to have decided that he can wait his turn while she’s busy pwnz0ring b1tchez.

“His only difficulty now is prising (sic) it away from the Queen’s clutches. She showed all the signs of becoming a Nintendo addict.”

The Queen is also, apparently, a user of iPods and Blackberries and texts William via SMS throughout the day (no, I’m not making that part up).

We at GameLedge are eagerly awaiting word about when someone introduces her to World of Warcraft and she forgets to eat for 72 hours.

How many times have you been playing your Wii and said to yourself, “Gosh, this Super Mario Galaxy is just too darn fun. I think I should set it down for a while and take it on the down-low with a little bit of chess…” Yeah? Me neither.

But that’s okay. Certainly there are a few people out there who like computer chess, and Nintendo isn’t going to disappoint them. It has support for online gameplay! Y’know, when you can’t find an actual human friend to sit across a chess board from you.

Currently on track for a January 18 release in Europe alone, Wii Chess is going to be a budget title. No word on other regional release dates. I’m guessing that when our European friends pine for an exclusive title, this isn’t exactly what springs to mind.

A Wii-exclusive RPG title based on the One Piece anime, Unlimited Adventure has his gold status, and is set to hit its January 22 release date with ease.

From the release:

With the innovative Wii Remote™ and Nunchuck™ controller, players will pull, turn and swing to battle nefarious villains using each character’s own unique set of moves including Luffy’s “Gum Gum Storm” and Nami The Navigator’s “Cyclone Tempo”. Players can experience the exclusive new storyline in Adventure Mode with one of eight Straw Hat Pirates; put their skills to the test in Survival Mode; or go toe-to-toe with friends in Vs. Mode. Players can also unlock over 40 characters, secret items, and special costumes. With more characters to play as and hours of gameplay, One Piece: Unlimited Adventure marks the spot for fun and adventure on the high seas.

For fans, that exclusive story line but may be terribly compelling, and early previews are generally positive about this game for the rest of us.

It’s old, I know, but it’s new to me.

Charles Martinet, in case you didn’t know, is the voice of Mario (and Wario, and Luigi, etc.). CVG.com posted this interview back in November, and I find it fascinating. He’s a journeyman voice actor whose talents have become inseparably associated with the most recognizable character on the face of the planet. The man is Mario. And Mario is the man.

You get to the video through a link here. Gain a little insight. Oh, and in case you wanted to get right to the question that’s on your mind, Super Mario Galaxy is his favorite Mario title, of course.

My only experience with Nintendo support was thoroughly pleasant. I called them up, told them the problem, they set up a repair, and not all I have to do is wait for my Wii to come home to me. No accusations, no problems.

Over at Wired.com, Geekdad shares his experience with a Nintendo support call. No less helpful and kind than my experience, it is decidedly funnier.