Filed under: News

After several weeks of hushed rumors about Electronic Arts' rhythm-based game for the Wii, the video game giant finally pulled the curtains back on its gossiped project, Boogie. The new IP will take advantage of the Wii's unique controls, encouraging gamers to sing and sway along with the karaoke/dance game. The reports of a microphone peripheral for the Wii remote seem indisputable now, but we're puzzled as to how it will work since the nunchuck will already be attached to the controller's bottom port.

Players will be able to customize their characters and even "[star] in their own music videos." We're not sure if that means Boogie will allow us to import our Miis, but it would be a criminal oversight if the game didn't. Judging by the screenshots released so far, it would pain us to hear that our character selection would be limited to SpongeBob rejects with chest hair.

EA Montreal (SSX Blur) is h...

Filed under: Fan stuff

With the above skin, one could couple it with that awesome UK NES decal on the Wiimote to create the best new-gen homage to the old school in existence. Well, maybe not the best, but it would be a pretty sweet looking set-up, would you not agree? And if the NES look isn't really your thing, there are plenty of other decals with anime chicks, building blocks and even Twilight Princess images.

Would you decal your Wii?

See also: Protect your Wiimote with a decalRead | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

 
This is a bit off topic guys (you have been forewarned). The guys over at SegaNerds raised an interesting comparison. How would the Wii's graphics stand against a PSP's? Since they took a common game - Alien Syndrome - between the two platforms and put them side-by-side.

You can click the images above for a bigger view and critique the images in question. Can you spot the difference? According to the SegaNerds, "PSP's textures look cleaner and more crisp." Alien Syndrome from Totally Games is set to hit the shelves in May this year and the game is still decidedly in the works. They conclude that "whatever way you slice it, it's hard to argue that the games don't look pretty similar, graphically speaking."

Would you agree? Maybe the fact that there isn't much difference between the two versions - aesthetically speaking or at least pre-release-wise - that called for this type of criticism for the Wii. Well, that remains to be seen in the long run.

...

The official website of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu has some new screenshots from Koei's upcoming Wii title Opoona. Think of these as late additions to the huge bunch of screenshots that we posted almost a week ago. You can check 'em out below.


Koei's Opoona is a new title being developed by Arte Piazza for Nintendo's next gen Wii console. In the game, gamers will help the title character, Opoona, find his missing siblings. Along the way, players will be experiencing daily life in the planet Landroll, where they'll have to take on jobs in order to live properly.

There are over 20 different jobs in Opoona, and these run the gamut from doing professional detective work to a part time job at a fast food restaurant. Jobs not only increase Opoona's stats, it also improves his relationship with the people of Landroll and opens up new areas of the game world.

There are a bunch of new videos showcasing the improvements added to the Wii Opera browser over at Wii.com. As of right now, the current list of improvements include the following:
Better zooming and scrollingBetter-looking zoomed fontQuicker startup timesQuicker access to your favouritesUser can now erase the toolbarButtons that instantly type common preset letters ("www", ".com", etc.)The videos can't be embedded, though, so if you wanna check them out you can do that by clicking on the "read" link below. To watch the vids, just click on the blue links next to the Play icon that you'll come across on the website.

Also, the website's in Japanese, but if you're just looking for a demonstration of Opera Software's Wii browser's new and improved features then you won't need the ability to read and understand Nihonggo like a native. Kudos to Virgil for the heads up.

We all wish that we have our personal time machines. Lewis from the upcoming Disney movie Meet the Robinsons invented his own to get some unanswered questions. Disney Interactive Studios will of course port the movie to various videogame platforms.

In Meet the Robinsons, Lewis invented a time machine to discover why his biological mother put him up for adoption - and naturally to meet her. Before he discovers why, villain Bowler Hat Guy and his robotic hat companion Doris steals the time machine for his own diabolical plans. Enter Wilbur Robinson and the adventure starts. Plus the cool future gadgetry, of course.

Two developers were involved in porting Meet the Robinsons, Climax for the DS and GBA versions and Avalanche Software for the PC, PS2, PSP, Wii, and Xbox 360 version. In this game, Wilbur will be able to whip out the gadgets in his arsenal: Charge Gloves (default weapon, for the energy shield and energy ball), Disassembler (as the name suggests, take things l...

Orb Networks is priming itself to be a main contender against Apple's Apple TV. The company has just announced that their free MyCasting software now works with the Microsoft Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii, and the Sony PS3, giving gamers the ability to bring all digital media to their TV screen without any additional costs or hardware requirements.

The free MyCasting software allows users to enjoy all digital media from their home PC, as well as online videos, on any networked device with an internet browser - be it other PCs, laptops, PDAs, mobile phones with support for streaming players, and now, next gen videogame consoles.

"There is a lot of anticipation on who will finally crack the code on opening the PC-to-TV connection - especially on what Apple TV can deliver," said Joe Costello, Chairman and CEO of Orb Networks. "That day is here and 17 million households - right this minute - can download Orb onto their home PC, then go turn on their TV, and using their ...

Filed under: News, Peripherals

The crew at Engadget have got a scoop on when exactly these Wii-based peripherals will release. The "Wand Remote Controller" and "Funchuk Controller" from Mad Catz are, according to Amazon UK, releasing on September 28th and June 29th, for a price of £24.99 ($49 US) and £19.99 ($39 US), respectively. Amazon UK is promising the "Funchuk Controller" for a cheaper price at £8.99 ($18 US), allowing thrifty shoppers to save a couple of bucks.

Of course, for these price, maybe it's just best for consumers to purchase the official Nintendo products locally, or import them, right? Do you plan on getting yourself these third-party Mad Catz products later this year?Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Reviews, Meta
Between the bookends of Sonic and the Secret Rings and Super Paper Mario, there lies a game of quirk. Cooking Mama: Cook-Off , the successor to the DS sleeper-hit, has arrived at your Wii's doorstep and desperately wants to entertain you. But should you give it the time of day?

Let's take a look:
IGN (58 / 100) thinks the controls were far from spot on: "What really suffers in the game, however, are the actual cooking actions. Previously the core appeal to the game on DS, the moves needed to perform Wii cooking are a bit less defined." GamePro (65 / 100) feels as though the game has its moments, though: "At its best, Cook Off is an inherently fun experience; you'll probably invite your friends over, shove a Remote in their hands and say "You have to try this game." Unfortunately, for all its charm, the game is deeply flawed, and you can't help but wonder if it wasn't best served as an appeti...

Opera Software and Nintendo confirmed today that release date of the final version of the Opera-powered Internet Channel for Nintendo's next gen Wii videogame console has been moved to April of this year. The channel was previously slated for a March release.

The press release from both companies stated that Opera and Nintendo are "continuing to finalize what promises to be the ultimate Web surfing experience on the Wii console. The two companies are working closely together to meet user requests for browser features and to enhance the overall Wii Web experience."

The final release date in April for the Wii's Opera browser has yet to be finalized. Keep checking back here on QJ for updates.