Resident Evil Zero for the Wii

Capcom is going to tinker with Gamecube title Resident Evil Zero and release it on Wii.

The first snaps were found in Japanese magazine Famitsu (and spotted by Resident Evil Horror).

Zero, just like Resident Evil 4, will be given Wii remote controls and probably some extra story fluff.

However, it was a weaker instalment in the series than RE4 and, if given the same ham-fisted Wii controls, could be a less appealing package. Plus you can already play it on Wii using backwards compatibility.

If and when the new version does come out in Europe it will probably carry a cut-down price-tag like RE4, which was GBP 25. But if you hunt around you can find the original for much less.

Capcom Europe was unavailable for comment at the time of writing.

Head over to our Resident Evil Zero review from a whole five years ago for more information. Or glance at our Resident Evil 4 Wii review to put ports into perspective.




source: eurogamer

Wii Tennis surprisingly appears at Oscars

There was no saucy saunter down the red carpet, but Nintendo's casual darling Wii Sports did manage to surprise gamers with a guest-spot at the 2008 Academy Awards. In one of the night's many gags, host Jon Stewart gets caught off guard when the show returns from commercial break, to find him using one of the event's gigantic projection screens to play a quick round of Wii Tennis.

The entire segment lasts only thirty seconds, but it's chuckle-worthy, to be sure. Check out the video after the break.

source: joystiq

Big Beach Sports coming to Wii

THQ is preparing to release Big Beach Sports for the Wii in the summer of 2008, clearly tapping into an overlooked genre on Nintendo's system.

Big Beach Sports lets players compete in a number of outdoor sports, including American football, volleyball, football, cricket, disc golf and bocce, the later of which is like the best winter sports game of all time, curling. Except without the winter bit.

The game is being developed by HB Studios Multimedia, who has previously produced a series of EA Sports games for the PlayStation 2 and notably co-produced Madden NFL '07 for the Wii.

Up to four players can compete in the game, while the structure of the single player tournament encourages players to master each sport through the use of real-life sport motions.

How this applies to the football mode we can only guess - are you supposed to kick the Wii Remote around the floor? That'll hurt.

source: cvg

Wedisk flash drive apes the Wiimote, is less fun to play

Are you searching for some way to express your devotion to the Wii, but trapped in a corporate job that might disapprove of ill-considered tattoos or Mario outfits? Well, at least you can cart around your Excel spreadsheets in style -- check out these Wiimote lookalike Wedisk flash drives from SolarMemo. The A button releases the USB connector... and that's about as much fun as you can have with it, short of miming your sick WarioWare skills when no one's looking. Available in sizes up to 8GB, but sadly there's no pricing information available -- but can the true fanboy really put a price on devotion?

source: engadget

Death Jr. 2: Root of Evil coming to Wii

Eidos is bringing the PSP game Death Jr. 2: Root of Evil to the Wii in Summer 2008.

Developed by Backbone Entertainment, the game charts the adventures of the Grim Reaper's son. Despite the '2' in the title, this is actually the third game in the series.

We don't like to be judgemental, but it's hard to remain calm when we see a major publisher release a game ported from a handheld that only has a Metacritic rating of 68.

It's also not a good sign that Konami, the previous distributor of the series, isn't involved with this project.

Anyway, take a look at these screens, right here.

source: cvg

Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer for the Wii

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer features Marvel Entertainment's legendary super-powered foursome in its second big adventure. In the game and the film, Marvel’s first family of Super Heroes faces its greatest challenge yet as the enigmatic, intergalactic herald, the Silver Surfer, comes to Earth to prepare it for destruction. As the Silver Surfer races around the globe wreaking havoc, the team must unravel the mystery of the Silver Surfer and confront the surprising return of their mortal enemy, Dr. Doom, before all hope is lost!

The game is based on both the popular comic book series, as well as the movie sequel, with exclusive plot elements that complement the film. It features all of the foursome’s over-the-top super powers, as well as a unique fusion attack system that allows players to combine forces with one, two or all teammates, in order to execute devastating team attacks against the opposition. In addition to fighting familiar enemies from the Fantastic Four universe, players can unlock alternative costumes, comic covers and more!

26 Reasons Why Brawl Will be the Best in 2008

A is for... Assist Trophies

Brawl's mishmash of historic gaming figures stretches far beyond the playable roles. Not content with the already hugely impressive lineup, Nintendo have included various assist trophies that, when used, take the guise of different characters and lend a hand mid-bout. Figures like Mr Resetti (mwa-ha-ha) will be joined by retro heroes Little Mac, and Sin And Punishment's Saki Is-it-a-boy-or-is-it-a-girl1 Amamiya.

B is for... Bowser

Bowser's Final Smash is the most impressive move of the whole lot - transforming the monster into Giga Bowser and sending him on a rampage like he's Gamera's evil uncle just escaped from Jurassic Park. BOWSER SMASH!

C is for... Coin launcher

While dumping coins into a random dispenser is all well and good, we always wanted to do a little more to earn those trophies. Enter: coin launcher. It's a minigame that requires you to shoot the ones you want to collect. Much better.

D is for... Diddy Kong

We asked for it, Nintendo provided it. Finally. FINALLY! A chance to smash his face in once and for all. Note to all game developers: a Diddy Kong pummelling minigame in your product may entitle you to an instant 5% score bonus. Possibly more.

E is for... Excitebike

When the Excitebike racers are unleashed, the rules go out the window, and you must stay aloft unless you want to die. We're all for tactical matches, but it's impossible not to smile when a spanner like this is thrown into the works.

F is for... Fludd

Let's be honest now: while we all have fond memories of Mario wa-hooing his way across Delfino Plaza, the majority of Mario Sunshine simply couldn't hold a candle to the FLUDDless sections. So why are we looking forward to it? Because the vertically-challenged plumber will be a better fighter for it. At last, E Gadd's invention has finally found its place in the Mario universe.

G is for... Gambling

Brawl just keeps on giving. Most games have nothing to offer when your fingers have been reduced to bloody stumps, but Spectator mode allows you to watch Wi-Fi battles and gamble on the outcome. You'll even get some stickers if you lose. We just know that our fingers will crumple at some point, so during recovery we'll make a fortune by betting against Matthew.

H is for... Home-run contest

When you're tired of fighting... No, scratch that. When your eyes can no longer handle the retina-bursting speed of Brawl's primary attraction, there's plenty to fall back on, including this old favourite. You can even pretend you're playing Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games without, you know, actually having to buy it.2

I is for... Items

Smash Bros has always had great items, so we're eager to get our mitts on the latest additions. For example, gobbling a plate of Super Spicy Curry will let you perform mind-bending combos you'd never even dreamed of. The Gooey Bomb's even better: letting you tag an opponent and run away giggling like a schoolgirl while they try their best to pass it on. Every single item adds a layer of depth, and you can choose which ones to activate to create the perfect match.

J is for... Jumping

No, really. The new footstool jump has taken a leaf from Mario's book, and allows everyone to 'boiiing'3 off of their fellow competitors. It's also the best way to kill someone. Think of the humiliation: there's no greater way to KO someone than to leap off a stage's edge, land on top of a recovering character and then jump back to safety as they plummet off-screen. Awesome.

K is for... K Slider

Wild World's best moment, listening to KK Slider belting out blippy music, is also the reason why Smashville will be the place to visit at 8pm on a Saturday. What other fighting game lets you wrestle while a singing dog plays guitar?

L is for... Level Editor

Seriously, it's making us paranoid. Every month we come up with great ideas for Brawl, and every month Nintendo go and put them in the game. Our super-fantastic 'wouldn't-it-be-great-if' list of awesomeness had a level editor somewhere near the top (just under Sonic actually). AND IT'S IN! Once the issue's done we're going to start scanning for bugs.4

M is for... Music

A quick straw poll about gaming's best music should see Nintendo run away with the votes. When we saw the list of musicians involved in Brawl we nearly cried with joy. Not only have we got pieces from every major Nintendo franchise, we've got contributions from Metal Gear's Akihiro Honda, Kingdom Hearts's Yoko Shimomura and Grandia's Noriyuki Iwadare.

The game's brimming with classics, and by using the My Music option you can choose which tracks will be played on any given stage. There are plenty of hidden songs too, and it's always worth risking a life to snaffle the CDs when they appear.

N is for... New Pork City

"We want to beat-'em-up in a city that never sleeps, And find we're king of the hill, top of the heap.

That little air ship, is destined to sway; We'll make a brand new start of it, in old New Pork.

If we avoid the Chimera, we'll take you on anywhere-a; We'll meet you there, New Pork, New Pork."

O is for... Olimar

Best. Playable. Character. Announcement. Ever. Anyone that's ever tried taking on a Wollywog with a handful of reds will know that Pikmin frequently die. We're dying to play as Olimar because he needs to forever replenish his minions to attack - with his plucking down special - and can craft specific attacks based on the colour-combos of the Pikmin. Go go fiery reds!

P is for... Pictochat

The Pictochat level is absolute genius - who wouldn't want to scrap in an area that's always morphing? Beware the flames: they look harmless but they burn... Let's just hope they're better than Team NGamer's efforts. (see page 110)

Q is for... Quitters

Filthy cheaters deserve all the abuse they can get. But while we can't send swears across the net, we won't find our games ruined by people dropping out. If anybody quits, Brawl will leap to the rescue and replace the abandoned character with an AI.

R is for... Rob

R is for revenge. Revenge against ROB: Emptier of wallets and drainer of batteries. You promised us so much, and yet delivered so little. Where were all your games? No matter, your rotational spin and broken neck joint will be no match for our Classic controller...

S is for... Snapshots

Catch Mario humping Peach? Certain camera angles make it look like Snake's snapped Diddy's neck? It's good to share the funniest moments, which is why we reckon the snapshot function is one of the best additions. Pause the game, take the picture and then send it to a friend or save it to an SD card to keep forever.

T is for... Target smash

We've always liked Target Smash, so we're delighted that a replay option's been added for extra bragging rights.

U is for... Ultimate item

Kirby's Air Ride may have worked as well as an inflatable dartboard, but that hasn't stopped Brawl from making its Dragoon the ultimate item. Find all three pieces and you can shoot down your opponents for a one-hit KO.

V is for... Vault

The vault is the one-stop shop for all things collectible. If you're like us, you'll be visiting here after every match, eyeing up your latest swag and trying to snaffle new trophies in the Coin Launcher. Gotta Catch 'Em All? All right, but it'll take months...


W is for...Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is, without question, the single greatest thing that's ever happened to the series. Not only will we be able to play people across the world, we can share video footage and photographs, and watch other matches.

X is for... X

Along with appearances from ROB and FLUDD, the inclusion of music from Game Boy game X represents something brilliant: Ninty's unwillingness to let its past creations die. We're itching to see what other retro treats are in store.

Y is for... Yoshi's Island

Sometimes we just want simplicity from our stages.5 Yoshi's Island has always been present in the series, but never has it looked so beautiful. Rolling seasonal changes and that music... We're welling up just thinking about it.

Z is for... Zero Suit Samus

Who can explain how the Big Bang occurred, or the fate of Atlantis, or even why Samus in her Zero Suit is much, much, much more appealing than in her armour? Such are the mysteries of the world. Who are we to question them?




source: cvg

COD 5 Confirmed for Wii and DS

Call of Duty 4 was so good that even internet hyper-critic Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw hardly had a bad word to say about it. That all looks set to change though, as Activision has confirmed the next COD will be released on DS, PS2 and Wii.

As we reported earlier, in a financial conference call yesterday publisher Activision briefly mentioned the title would be available on all formats.

Couple this with the last effort to bring a Call of Duty game to the Wii, the rumors that COD 4 devs Infinity Ward are not involved with the project, and the extremely short development period, and you have a fantastic recipe for a sub-par port to Nintendo's consoles.

Even worse, the game is going back to The Second World War, because obviously the contemporary setting wasn't ever one of the most refreshing and interesting parts of Modern Warfare, and we all want to go back and fight the Nazis' yet again.

source: cvg [Feb. 10, 2008]

Rygar: Battle of Argus

Grab your Diskarmor and swing into action on the Nintendo Wii as the legendary warrior, Rygar! Immerse yourself in Greco-Roman mythology as you journey through the sundered Island of Argus. Intuitive use of the Wii remote allows you to deftly and effectively control the use of the powerful Diskarmor to destroy enemies and maneuver on, around, over, and under obstacles to save Princess Harmonia!

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

The three main characters of Sonic game namely Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are incidentally alerted by robots from a place called Meteor Tech, as they start attacking cities around the world, starting with Megalo Station. They settled a party to retrieve the legendary artifact called "Ark of the Cosmos", an item that has the ability to control gravity. On their journey, they are discovering lots of surprises, including the Babylon Rogues, its a group of avian thieves who are also after the Ark of the Cosmos. This issue sets off a war between who gets the artifact, now leading them to settle their dispute by having an Extreme Gear competition. At the end of the game, it is revealed that the Ark of the Cosmos together in Babylon Garden will form a black hole. So the Babylon Rogues and Team Sonic go to stop the black hole, leading to the ending where Team Sonic are exiting Megalo Station, where Jet appears to challenge Sonic of course in a race. The game ends with those two racing in the city.

Screenshots

WiiPhone vs iiPhone: Who's sexier?

The WiiPhone is one of those mods just adored by the House of Giz. It's the bastard son of a Wiimote and a common or garden-variety DoCoMo cellphone, stuck together by a clever guy who's good at this kind of stuff. I particularly like the wrist strap, to stop unnecessary accidents (just ask another writer here, whose CrackBerry met an unfortunate end when it hurtled to the floor following a difference of opinion he had with his wife).

source: gizmodo