Mii = Wii

Phoenix Wright 2

2006-12-29T15:45:00.000-08:00

I bought Phoenix Wright 2 (DS) some weeks ago because I loved the prequel. And what should I say? It is an amazing game full of humor, lovely characters and a unique setting. While the gameplay basically is a real pest (you're always searching for some kind of small hint, little contradiction, or evidence), it is uncomparably motivating whenever you progress through one of the four cases. Cases? Yes. You play Phoenix Wright, a young defense attorney who always gets the weirdest cases. Ally McBeal meets Scrubs - or something like that.

PW2 again is a very long game with about 20 hours of gameplay or more. If you like adventures there is no way around this game for you.

Wiimote RC Car Control

2006-12-19T05:09:00.000-08:00

Without words!

My new baby

2006-12-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

As soon as I get a component cable, this is the home of my Wii! :)

Play movies on your Wii

2006-12-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

Your Wii is capable of playing movies. Just use that tool over there to convert it to some (memory hungry) compatible format, take an SD-card and start it on the photo channel. It may be worth a try, but since I have a lack of SD-cards, I haven't been able to yet.

Red Steel is bad? No way!

2006-12-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

Today I was following an invitation by Ubisoft to visit them and play a little bit with their Wii and their games. I got my hands on Rayman: Raving Rabbids, Red Steel and Monster 4X4 World Circuit.

I was arriving with low expectations, because I heard so much bad about those games (except Rayman). After all I played, I'm happy to say that most of the reviewers are fools. Red Steel might not be as great as everyone expected/hoped, but hell yeah, it works really fine! You're getting into the controls really quick - I immediately dived into the game. There seems to be a lot of good straight action which makes it a cool gaming experience. How for god's sake could this ever be a game that deserves a score around 50? The only thing that seems a little problematic is that it could be hard to play Red Steel on a small tv. So I'll wait with buying it, until I get me a new one at christmas.

But when I think of my first attempts to play Halo on an Xbox - this is not comparable in any way. Until today I sometimes have problems with those stupid gamepad-controls in shooters.

Rayman was quite nice too, but I guess it is a game which you have to play with friends and a lot of beer. The graphics are really funny and the games are diversified in a fine way - but it's nothing you could play for more then minutes if you're alone.

Same for Monster 4x4. It's a small fun racer with controls you need to get used to. It's neither a must-have nor bad, but I guess it could be quite nice throwing explosives on your comrades while trickjumping with your truck. But if you have no friends, save the money.

I'm looking forward to Splinter Cell: Double Agent and Far Cry: Vengeance. They'll be released soon.

A Wii in Jack Bauers CTU

2006-12-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

Wii seems to be good against terrorism!

I am a pro!

2006-12-10T13:33:00.000-08:00

Haha! This is how a guy looks, who just beat his girlfriend in a golfing duell (-2 against +7). :-)

Uh, I'm so damn good. :-)

37???

2006-12-10T03:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday in the evening I discovered those two vexatious buttons in the Wii Sports interface: Training and Fitness. After I trained for some time and became addicted (highscores are devilish!) I went to bed. Today I was curious, what the fitness-thingy would be (answer: it calculates how old you are by recording your power, precision (and so on) while you play) . Well, I would better have not tried. :-D

I am 37.

German Wii Release

2006-12-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

Mind the fear in the faces of the people working in this store... :D

Girlfriend fighting for Wii [German sound file]

2006-12-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

Too bad that most of you wouldn't understand it (because it happened in Austrian-German), but my girlfriend just was on the radio (FM4), fighting for a free Wii. It was very funny and a lot of lying happened there. (It was a game where two people had one minute to agree over whom of them gets the Wii - else a third person would win it. Of course the two women didn't agree. ;-)) She told them that I would get it at christmas and that I was overweighted, so I need a Wii for my diet. Also she told them that I was crying when I didn't get one.

If you want to hear it: Download (I'm sorry for the bad quality. It happened really quick.)

It's coming home!

2006-12-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

Today I got my hands on a Nintendo Wii for the very first time (thanks to my preordering I didn't have troubles getting one). All I can say: Gaming is coming home. Great work Nintendo! I'm already addicted to WiiSports (Tennis, golf, and bowling - I'm howling with the wolves and don't like baseball too much and didn't play much of boxing) and very much looking forward to using the online mode soon, as well as getting new games.

I did play with my girlfriend and another women who is a friend of ours. They immediately worked out how to play too. (My girlfriend is a casual gamer though - she has a NDS, but the other one isn't).

On Monday I'm invited by Ubisoft for a little Wii-party. I'm sure they will have a hard time, getting me out of their office (good luck for them that I have a lecture at the UNO-centre on that afternoon ;)).

More than that I figured out that my TV is too small for this kind of gaming. I'm going to buy a new one at Christmas. Does anyone know, if a Samsung LE-26R32B is a good choice? This one is lying within the range of my financial situation (although at the absolute limit) and does indeed look quite good in the shop.

Rejected Wii Games

2006-10-19T02:05:00.000-07:00

Some people must be terribly bored (please click on the white field above).

Via CollegeHumor & d-frag.

Update

2006-10-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

I guess it's the calm before the storm, but there ain't too many newsworthy things about Wii right now. That's the most important reason, why I didn't write anything in this blog lately. It's less than 2 months to go now.

Then we will have enough to discuss, I think.

Monkey Ball Girls go wiild!

2006-09-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the lame wordplay in the title... ;)

It's interesting, but when it comes to Wii, even the most annoying gameplay that is based on button mashing-mechanics from 1980 looks like fun :D

Far Cry for Wii

2006-09-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

Ubisoft announced a Wii version of Far Cry. It looks quite okay, but of course can't be compared to the original PC-version. A completely new story around Far Cry's main charakter Jack Carver was announced.

So after Red Steel this is the next great shooter coming to Wii.

PS: There'll also be a multiplayer mode...

Nintendo Wii in Europe

2006-09-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

Release: 8th of Decembre 2006 (YAY)
Price: 250€ (including WiiSports) (OKAY)
Launch games: 15-20 (priced 49-59€, including Elebits, Zelda, NfS: Carbon, Red Steel, Rayman and various others), and further 15 on Virtual Console (priced as in the US) (FANTASTIC)
Controller prices: Wiimote - 40€, Classic Controller/Nunchuk - 20€ (UHM, that's a little steep, but ok)

Could be better, could be worse - I would have bought it anyway.
I want it now! :D

Wii: Tomorrow we will know

2006-09-13T05:12:00.000-07:00

It's only hours now. Nintendo is going to host a series of press conferences all over the globe tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I'm a little excited.

I like guessing, so let's do it.

I say that Wii is going to cost 225€ in Austria/Europe. Launch day will be in the sescond week of Octobre. There will be about 15 launch games (including Zelda, WiiSports, Rayman, and Red Steel - each costing about 45 or 50€) - plus an equal number on Virtual Console (each costing between 3 and 10€).

Pleeeaaase :D

Spore on Wii & DS with cool connection feature?

2006-09-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

Interesting tidbits over at Digital Battle:

According to Nintendo magazine NGamer, Spore will be the first Wii title to use the option of connecting the DS and Wii. Spore hasn’t been officially confirmed as a Wii title yet, but creator Will Wright suggested it at this year’s E3.

NGamer says Spore will be released during Spring 2007, and will connect to the DS over WiFi. Some hardware news are also mentioned; the sensor bar is 50% smaller, Wiimote battery life is estimated at around 60 hours using the AA batteries, and the controller will have built in 6 KB of memory.

Combining the Wii and DS controls in one game could be one great thing. Sure, Spore is going to be cool, though I am thinking of many other possible games (space sim with the Wiimote for fights and the NDS as cockpit console anyone? :)).

Falafelkid's Leipzig conclusions

2006-08-29T04:12:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to get to Games Convention, though I've been scanning the web for the few interesting pieces of information that popped up in Leipzig. For example there were two things that Falafelkid said.

1. There might be an announcement from Nintendo of Kyoto concerning the price and launch date of Wii even before I expected. If that is so, what is Nintendo of America going to do on the 14th of Septembre? While I would appreciate to hear those things as early as possible, I'm not so sure if Falafel is right.

2. He spoke to some gamr designers in Leipzig and there were some interesting statements. Gabe Newell's hint that the Wii controller is the perfect thing for a Half-Life crowbar might mean nothing in the end, but it's good stuff for exciting speculation at least. Also Will Wright seems to be interested in porting Spore to Wii. Still, he couldn't make any statements on that. But honestly I would be surprised, if EA will not bring this to the Wii - Also I would be angry (once again), because Spore still is the only game from EA I'm really waiting for.

New Zelda pics

2006-08-26T03:27:00.000-07:00

Holy shit! If this is, what Wii can, then I'm wholly satisfied (and I guess that at least a little more might still be possible). Zelda seems to look better and better from shot to shot.

Yes, that is not what Xbox 360 or PS3 is able to do. But hey! I am a pc gamer with little money, who therefore has not played too many games in best quality for years - so who the fuck cares, as long as the games look that good (and especially if they look good in motion) and play well?

Red Steel GC06 Trailer

2006-08-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

Wii to cost no more than 250€ in Germany

2006-08-24T03:56:00.000-07:00

Bernd Fakesch, boss of Nintendo of Germany, announced that the Wii will cost no more than 250€ in Germany. He gave no precise release date, but mentioned that Nintendo wants to sell 4 million exemplars until the end of 2006. That's twice as much as Sony is heading for with the PS3, so I guess Nintendo is thinking of a release significantly before the Big-Ugly (Nov. 27th).

I hope that this is a good guess, at least. I'm ruttish on playing with my Wii. I really thought of driving all the way to Leipzig (thats a expensive 720km way), just to try out the little white thingy. I eventually came to my senses. It feels good to be a bit of a nerd again though, when it comes to the Wii.

Lost in Blue 2

2006-08-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

When I played Lost in Blue I was kind of fighting - with myself. I always was close to shut down the game and never play it again, because some of the things that had to be done were so annoying that I doubt anyone could have found they are funny. All in all it was a disappointing experience. Nevertheless the game somehow was cool so the announcement of a sequel is amazing.

Konami has made this announcement at GC and promises to add more touchscreen features. There will be more distinctions between the male- and female insular than before and the devs want to add natural desasters, but at least the sources I read didn't mention other gameplay tweaks such as easing the hunt food.

Well, let's wait. I am - once again - looking forward to this.

Wii: Battalion Wars 2 & Mario Stiker announced

2006-08-23T03:56:00.000-07:00

Wow! Someone from Nintendo might read this blog. A new Battalion Wars for the Wii has been announced (as I wanted) at the press conference of Games Convention. Also Mario Strikers: Charged will be released for the new console.

Ah yes, a release date for Wii was not given to the public, of course.

New Zelda Wii-Controls & old new Wii games

2006-08-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

There might be some reason to have a look at the current issue of Nintendo Dream. Shigeru Miyamoto stated that the Zelda: Twilight Princess controls have experienced major changes since the bumpy looking E3 presentation. You are now able to swing the controller for using the sword. The bow is also used different now - you still pull it, but now you have to press the B-button (which was the sword-key before).

Another maybe even more interesting thing is that Nintendo is going to re-release some GameCube games for Wii. Although Miyamoto did not say which games, he stated that the price would be significantly lower. It is possible that those games may be released on VC.

Raid Over The River

2006-08-20T05:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a fresh tech demo of Ride Over The River, which is heading for an appearance on Nintendo DS (and also on the Wii) in the first quarter of 2007.

Looks great! It is developed by Nibris (who are also developing the horror game Sadness for the Wii). The devs say, they want to add a deep story

New NextGen Star Wars to be shown in Leipzig

2006-08-18T03:10:00.000-07:00

I'm sure not to be the first one who tells the world about it, but I'm not sure if it is too old to mention either. LucasArts is going to show a "NextGen Star Wars" game at Games Convention in Leipzig. Shame on them, if this is no Wii-controls enabled light sabre-game.

Zelda on Wii not playable with Gamecube controller

2006-08-18T03:00:00.000-07:00

George Harrison announced, that Zelda: Twilight Princess will not be playable with a Gamecube controller on the Wii - except you are going to buy the Gamecube version. That is quite a strange descision, since it shouldn't be a too big problem, to convert the controls from the GC-version to the Wii.

Well, this one better works fine guys.

Besides, Harrision mentioned the possibility of also releasing new Nintendo games on the Virtual Console. And Reggie confirmed again that there will be no extra costs for playing online, and also that there will be free games on the VC.

Wii vs. PS3

2006-08-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Though I don't think the cleverness is given to the right side in this movie, it is worth a laugh. ;)

Batallion Wars is the one and only Halo

2006-08-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

It took a while, but I finally managed to get my copy of Batallion Wars on the GameCube. I'm not through it yet, though I think it is a really great game. When I first played it, I was not sure of what it reminded me, because I was sure that I never played something like Batallion Wars before.

Now I know. It is like Halo. No, no! Not that crappy Xbox Halo, that we were playing some years ago - it is a little bit like the true Halo. The one we saw on the first movies, when I thought it was intended to be a 3rd-person shooter with tactical elements, teamwork and a vivid world. When I saw a movie of Halo back at E3 2000, I was impressed (and when I look at it today, I still am). I know there might be some fanboys which will flame me for this, but neither the final Halo nor it's sequel impressed me (yeah, yeah, they were neat). And that's a pitty, because I had really been looking forward to it once.

So Batallion Wars finally comes quite close to what I expected Halo to be. It is something that everyone should have played - a real reason to buy a Gamecube, if you haven't done yet. Easy to learn but quite complex - and, most important, it's fun.

There ain't a Batallion Wars 2 announced for the Wii yet, is it?

Wii! Something about mii!

2006-08-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

I was planning to do a Wii-blog for some months now, but only now I found the motivation to launch it. I have never launched a project about something this specific, I never did something like this in a different language than German - so I am quite curious, how this works out.

So who the hell am I? My name is Tom 'besux' Schaffer. I am a 21 year old gamer from Austria. I study politics and communication science (how is that called in English?) in Vienna and I am the editor in chief of Austria's leading independent gaming magazine Rebell.at. I am responsible for public relations at Bongfish Interactive Entertainment, who are working on a PC-snowboard game called Stoked Rider: Big Mountain Snowboarding. And last but not least I am a big Nintendo fan and really looking forward to the Wii (like everyone else should do).

Well, what else do you want to know about your new favorite game blogger? At your service - in the comments...