Voice chat is the new name for the Wiikly review. It also has a new day. (Thanks Alkaline for the Summary)

Summary

Smackdown vs Raw 2008
DS version
– Weren’t able to go hands on with it, but the DS version seems to be turning out great – just needs traditional control and fine-tuning.
– Developed by the makers of Rocket Slime. There’s actually an RPG system with an overworld system where you upgrade certain aspects of your character (eg: arm strength, leg strength, etc).
– Looks great – like No Mercy on DS. Phenomenal 3D models. Lots of cinematic stuff with the camera.
– Single-player only. It’s really only supposed to be an “RPG.” Matt thinks this might piss some people off.
– Needs traditional controls. Touch screen controls work alright but traditional controls really are needed.
– Also contains Create A Superstar for the first time. Hopefully this turns out to be the first good portable wrestling game.

Wii version
– Looks almost indentical to last year.
– Lots of motion used – control recognition has been refined. Uses a lot more motion than most Wii games.
– Still playing catchup, but this year there is over 30 new match types (eg: barbed wire).
– The wonky Success Mode is gone, replaced by Career Mode which is the same as what you will get on PS3/360.
– Online play for the first time on Wii. It will probably be quite bare-bones but it’s a start.
– Interactive entrances and finishes. Sounds gimmicky but it sounds like it could be fun. You can continue to beat your opponent even after a match.
– Create-a-finisher and some other PS3/360 content will not be in the Wii version. The Wii version is an entirely different beast.

Okami
– Matt has been playing a lot of it. Over 10 hours into it. It’s a very long, epic game.
– Having a lot of fun with it, finds it not as good as Twilight Princess in terms of level design and dungeons, but still a worthy contender.
– Likes the fact that you can use new abilities a lot after acquiring them. Beats TP in this regard.
– Looks amazing. 16×9 and with paper filter. The paper filter isn’t as pronounced as the PS2 version but the Wii version looks better due to more sharp, vibrant visuals. The only noticeable flaw is that the framerate has received little improvement from the PS2 version.
– Paintbrush controls work wonderful. Makes you think “why was this on PS2?” Controls definitely add to the experience.
– Will score very high and is was worthy of winning Game of the Year, despite being arguably inferior to Twilight Princess.
– Buy this game. Capcom may have future Wii games that bank on the sales of games such as these. It’s a great game, comes at a great price and everyone must buy it.

We Love Golf/Camelot
– Camelot are very understanding of what a good Wii game requires.
– HUD starts off cluttered to give you a tutorial but you can remove this as you move through the game.
– Measures the power of your shot, but also measures the angle of your shot by twisting the remote. Works really well.
– If you work with it, you can have traditional control accuracy with the tactile feedback of motion controls. Shows Golf games can work on Wii, and work great.
– One problem is that the characters, other than those with Capcom costumes, are really generic. The original pitch was that Camelot wanted a Capcom golf game, but Capcom didn’t want that. The artist was such a huge Capcom fan that he really wanted a Capcom presence to remain in the final project.
– Think that even if there was a Mario Golf, it wouldn’t be as jam-packed as We Love Golf. This game has a ton of content.
– Looks to be very worthy of a purchase. Comes out later this month.
Japanese launch of WiiWare
– Underwhelming – there were no true standout products (only FFCC makes a solid presence).
– Dr. Mario, Ping Pong and Star Soldier are solid, but stripped down. Star Soldier doesn’t even have the arcade mode, so it’s limited to 2 different levels which are either 2mins or 5 mins. That’s it. It costs too much for what it is, despite the fact that it’s good fun.
– Most games on the channel so far are incredibly shallow, in particular Solitaire and Pokemon Ranch. Some games make little to no use of the remote.
– When the channel comes out in USA, it will likely have a much better lineup of games.
– More complaints about the lack of voice chat and the Friend Code system.
– WiiWare isn’t XBLA quality as of yet. Hopefully the situation improves, and it should with promising games such as Lost Winds.
– Defend Your Castle coverage coming soon – interview, videos, etc. Only costs 5 bucks, great framerate and runs fast, terrific style.

de Blob/Deadly Creatures
– Got to play it exclusively before THQ’s upcoming Gamer’s Day. Posted a preview today which provides information and impressions on the game.
– It’s coming together visually – the splatters have textures and are more defined. The water effects shimmer and look better than before.
– Added new music developed by a popular band in Australia. Gives the game a funky feel.
– One apparent flaw is that the game doesn’t have a solid framerate yet. Hopefully this improves by release.
– This, along with Deadly Creatures, are both really promising games from THQ.
– There will be coverage of Deadly Creatures, hopefully on Wednesday. They will show real gameplay for the first time, making this the game’s first true unveiling.
– Also expect Battle of the Band coverage soon.

Chocobo’s Dungeon
– There is now Wifi card battles, which worked well on DS and hopefully translates well on Wii.

Virtual Console
– Wonderboy, which came out on Master System. It’s the first Master System game to come out on the channel.
– Cruis’n USA, despite coming out years ago, is still much much better than Cruis’n on Wii. This is probably why it came out after Cruis’n, because it blows it away.

Reader Questions
Q: Has EA signed any 4th rate studio to develop the PS2 port of NHL for Wii?
A: Boznn wants to see PESWii controls for the Wii version. They have no idea whether it’s coming.

Q: Any new information coming out for Sonic Chronicles?
A: New coverage and videos should be coming soon.

Nintendo Media Summit coming out on April 10 and 11.

Q: What new direction would you like for the Zelda series?
A: Want to see a new direction for the series – the core game has been the same for a while now. Darker, more moody. Want them to use the wii remote to its full potential.

Q: Will Smackdown vs Raw 2008 look better than the Xbox games?
A: It looks about the same as last year, maybe character models have been slightly improved. Day of Reckoning might appear better in screens but the style is different.

Q: Thoughts on Rock Band Wii?
A: Looks like a very rushed port. Very disappointed. Sales might reflect the lack of effort.

Q: Thoughts on Nintendo Power giving Okami a 7.5?
A: Can’t comprehend it. The only control flaw is the strafe move mapped to the nunchuk. Everything plays much better than it did on PS2 – puts it to shame. Would only play it with the Wii remote.

[b]Q: Any 3rd party AAA games releasing this year for Wii?[b] A: Okami, obviously. Boom Blocks looks great. We Love Golf is the definitive golf game on the system. de Blob looks very promising. Deadly Creatures has potential but there are questions marks on it, they’ll find out more soon. We should know a lot more on 3rd party and 1st party games as the year progresses, even though thus far it seems a bit weak.

Q: Predictions for E3?
A: Expect to see Kid Icarus. Definitely Wii Music. Maybe something from Retro, if it’s far enough in development. Hopefully Animal Crossing and Pikmin.

Q: Is the returning Nintendo franchise for Wii coming in 2008?
A: That was Kid Icarus. We’ll find out more soon enough.

Q: Have you tried Mario Kart online yet?
A: Not yet no. NOA hasn’t allowed it yet.

Is de Blob more than just a nice concept?
A: It’s a very promising game. It’s fun, has some depth and since there’s not many platformers on Wii, it’s fresh to see a game like this. However, it does have retrictions. For example, there’s little use of the remote pointer.

Q: Have you seen much of Lost Winds?
A: Not much yet, no. Apparently it looks very cool. However, they will get to see the game in action soon. Expect to see it at the Nintendo Media Summit or soon after.

Q: Is WiiWare getting better 3rd party releases than Wii?
A: WiiWare’s offering small developers with the ability to create great, fun games that they normally would not have the budget for retail. WiiWare should deliver more value than anything else on the system. You’re getting developers with passion and skill, who are willing to create games that are fun and push the system, as opposed to rushing products in order to make a quick buck.

Q: Porn games coming to Wii?
A: It’s not impossible. There’s Japanese porn games on DS.

Q: Wii Voice Chat be accessible from the main menu?
A: No. Don’t expect it to be a standard – only a feature for some Wii games.

Q: What happened to Wii Motorsports?
A: Think that it’s likely still in development.

Q: Thoughts on Guitar Hero DS?
A: Really cool concept. The peripheral looks pretty great and it should make a killing.

Q: Rumour of lack of friend codes in Mario Kart Wii?
A: There’s nothing we don’t know about it. European media are able to play the game online now and apparently it works well.

Q: When are we going to hear more about Factor 5?
A: Not sure about anything yet. We should hear more around E3.

Q: Will there be any more guest appearances on Voice Chat?
A: Hopefully. There’s a lot of opportunities and it’s something they will endevour to do in the future.

Q: When will storage problems be fixed?
A: Maybe something will be revealed around E3, at the earliest, but they’re not certain. All they have to do is open up SD card functionality.

Q: What do you want for Pikmin 3?
A: An online mode, especially co-op, would be great. Wii remote functionality. And more complex puzzles.

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