I know this isn’t exactly Nintendo news (although it does affect Nintendo), but it is interesting to note that even one of the industry’s biggest supporters of Hi-def graphics is calling for a change in controls/interaction:

“I hope if there’s a new Xbox that there’ll be fewer buttons on the controller,”  ”I think you could do things with a built-in camera or a little motion sensitivity. You look at the Wii controller with less buttons - they added functionality by doing waggle. Not a lot of games use the waggle well, but Super Mario Galaxy for example uses it perfectly. Zak and Wiki uses it rather well,” he said. 

“There are other ways of providing interactivity without having every single finger doing something at once on a friggin’ controller.”

This is very interesting indeed.  This might be in reference to the rumors surrounding Microsoft releasing a Wiimote-clone at E3.  Time will tell, but I think everyone in the gaming industry is finally recognizing that games, despite graphics, will need to eventually add more intuitive/immersive controls.

Link

Rumors were running around the Internet claiming EA would release Skate It with a Balance Board add-on peripheral.  EA has gone on record saying:

“That’s something I haven’t heard. So… Our focus is just working with what is provided by Nintendo. So there’s not an extra piece. You know, it’s really about working with the Balance Board. So if you have one, this is another game you can play with it. It’s not about fitness, it’s about skateboarding and having fun.”

I think the Balance Board itself will be good enough for the skateboarding experience.  There might still be a chance of this happening and EA is playing games with us, but don’t expect to play Skate It with your friend’s Birdman deck anytime soon.

Link

Alright everyone!  It’s that time of week and we have our latest podcast live and ready for your listening pleasure ; )  Here’s just a basic rundown of what we discussed in this week’s podcast:

1. Elebits 2
2. Skate It!
3. Tales of Heart
4. Rock Band 2
5. Star Wars TFU
6. Chrono Trigger DS
7. Mega Man 9
8. Animal Crossing - UK NOM
9. E3 Stuff - Why nintendo should announce new zelda and ds
10. New Rumors
    1. What to do at E3?
    2. make out with jessica
    3. Meet Miyamoto, Reggie
11. wii fit man

 

 Koopa|cast Ep.4 [43:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (48)

Taken from IGN:

US, June 28, 2008 - Nintendo’s planned DVD-ready Wii system appears to be on hold at the moment. The morning edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports today that at a stock holder meeting on the 27th, company president Satoru Iwata said of the device, “With supply constraints [of the Wii] continuing worldwide, the priority is on the current model.”

This updated Wii system has been mentioned by Nintendo before only in vague terms. The firm originally suggested a release date of some time last year.

Nikkei also reports that at the same stock holder meeting, Nintendo revealed plans for a retail release of the DS’s 1seg tuner peripheral this July. The device, which allows Japanese DS users to view digital television broadcasts, is currently being sold exclusively online.

Wait what….I have heard rumors about this and Nintendo doing there whole jogging around the question when asked about it, but I have never heard any confirmation about it.Well I guess here it is.

Link

Wow!  I can’t remember the last time we had a podcast…it’s been way too long unfortunately.  That’s all about to change though!  We have our long-awaited, and hopefully anticipated Episode 2!!  

Here’s a brief overview of what we cover in the latest podcast:

1. Wii Update 3.3
2. Storage Issues (aka no hard drive support yet)
3. Recent News
   1. Guitar Hero IV using SD Cards
   2. Clone Wars for Wii/DS
   3. and more
4. This Week’s Releases
   1. Guitar Hero: On Tour
   2. Rock Band Wii
   3. Alone in the Dark Wii
5. E3 Expectations
   1. Zelda?
   2. Pikmin 3?
   3. New Balance Board games (Tony hawk, 1080 Snowboarding??)
   4. What to expect from Nintendo
6. All sorts of other Nintendo rumors as well

Check it out below, or head to the podcast page.

 

 Koopa|cast Ep.2 [37:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (115)

- retro 8-bit art style

- Mega Man and Protoman playable, each with separate storylines

- storyline will not lead into the ‘X’ series

- new characters, robot masters, and possibly supporting cast

- plays in the style of MM 3-6

- online in the form of leaderboards and another unknown online element

- once again, another person stating that this will hit all platforms, but will be an XBLA/PSN title. That still points to a retail release for Wii.

Link

The last few post marked “leak,” are leaked news that will be coming from next months E3. Most of the news comes from the Microsoft presentation, which Microsoft has always had a problem keeping under raps. The news is not really rumors, but its not 100% confirmed yet. If that makes any sense? We will just have to wait until E3 to see what really happens.

“I’ve heard strong rumors that Nintendo is going to unveil an all-new game with all-new characters. E3 might make a lot of sense for that announcement, despite its smaller size this year.” - senior GamePro editor Sid Shuman

Link

The has been some rumors floating around that Tom Clancy’s HAWX will be heading to the Wii. It looks like Gamestop has jumped on this rumors band wagan. This is not a confirmation of the game, but there is more hope now.

Link

This mornings Capcom news was bogus!! I am disappointed in you Capcom, I thought you were cool. Anyways, my greatest gaming fears have surfaced. Street Fighter 4 is not coming to the Wii, yet!! This is what Ono-san, producer for SF 4, had to say about a Wii version:

“The fact of the matter is we haven’t planned for a Wii version yet,”

He goes on to say that he felt embarrassedby all the rumors surrounding the Wii SF that he personally apologized to Nintendo for them. Does he feel bad enough to bring SF4 to the Wii? I sure am hoping so.

Link