Is Nintendo too scared to enter the true online world?

Since launch, the Wii has been great and has had a tremendous success. With amazing titles coming from both 1^st party and 3^rd party publishers, the Wii is outselling every console there is. Nintendo is rich, and Miyamoto and his gang are jumping for joy.

But is this overwhelming success keeping them from seeing that the Wii needs some quick improvements? Or are they worried that if they change, their precious casual crowd will turn their backs on them. No one really knows what going on over there but we do know that Nintendo needs to change their clunky online community.

The first thing Nintendo has to do, is take some small risks, for example, instead of using those annoying friend-codes, let us make our own Wii-code, similar to the ones that Xbox-live and PSN use. We all know that the friend-codes get extremely annoying, especially when you have individual friend-codes for every single online game on the console. Nintendo is trying to keep us safe, but there aren’t any stories of children getting molested by playing with a random person on Xbox-Live. Parents can very easily enforce the rule of, “no playing online.” If parents really didn’t want their kid playing with random people, they should be the ones to enforce it, not Nintendo.

The Wii does have great online games for the console, Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 being one of them. But here’s the second problem, no voice chat. When you don’t have voice chat, it really takes away from the multiplayer portion of the game. Not being able to tell your team where and enemy team is coming from really hurts you and your team. EA wanted to include voice chat in the game, but Nintendo would not allow them to do so. Battalion Wars 2 also included online multiplayer and they even included an online co-op mode, but trying to play the campaign with some random person around the world is hard and clunky if you can’t tell them what your going to do.

In a recent interview, Masahiro Sakurai stated why Super Smash Bros: Brawl did not feature voice chat. Here is a direct quote-

“Well, when I first started making Smash Bros. Brawl, I thought it would be wonderful if online battles between friends had voice chat and potentially keyboard based chat as well. But there are all sorts of rules and regulations regarding communication on the Wii platform and so it was apparent to me that it just wouldn’t come together, we weren’t going to be able to do it, so we decided to cancel that feature”.

The fact that Nintendo would not even let one of their greatest franchises use voice chat is very concerning. It brings up the question, “will we every get voice chat?”

We may be in luck though. Reggie Fils-Aime, the president over at Nintendo of America, said that he would, “not be surprised at all” if a headset came to the Wii. Here is a direct quote-

“Since Nintendo found this tech and peripheral on the Nintendo DS, I wouldn’t be surprised at al if the feature appeared on Wii. It’s something we value and constantly look at”

The Wii is doing really good, and I feel that it could do better if it fixed these things. I don’t know if Nintendo knows this, but casual gamers like to have a good online experience as well. With VC games already here, and Wii-Ware games coming soon, the future of Wii’s online is looking better. But does Nintendo have the guts to make these necessary changes? I guess we just have to wait and see!

Commodore 64 Games Coming to Wii

In a move that is sure to surprise almost everyone above the age of 25 it appears that later this year Commodore Games will begin to release Commodore 64 games on the Wii’s VC later this year. In case you don’t remember the Commodore 64 because, say, you weren’t born yet, the system was an 8-bit computer that is still the best selling pc model of all time and had a handful of “classic” games that don’t really stand the test of time.

I don’t mean to be rude but was the demand for these games really that high and is anyone going to be willing to pay 500 Wii points for games that cost half as much when they were originally released? I mean, have you been really craving a go at playing International Karate or Uridum, the first two games being released? Does the average person even know what these games are? OK to be fair I am looking forward to being able to play the two games in the Creatures series and as the chances of actually getting your hands on a working Commodore 64 aren’t all that great this is actually a great chance to play some games that you might never be able to play otherwise. Still 500 points…ouch.

WiiWare Service Gets a U.S. Launch Date

Nintendo’s new WiiWare Download Service has been given an official U.S. launch date of May 12 (it comes out in March in Japan). The date was revealed during the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) going on this week and brought to light in an interview Newsweek’s N’Gai Croal did with David Braben about his WiiWare launch title LostWinds, in which Nintendo of America director of project development Tom Prata sat in on the call in order to answer questions that Braben could not. The WiiWare service is a new feature on the Wii that will allow for new games made by developers to be downloaded directly to the Wii much like the classic VC games are now. Aside from opening up a whole new venue for games on your Wii, the low cost of developing games for WiiWare is great for independent gaming companies who have truly original ideas but not enough capital to get their games out through physical distribution.

In the interview Braben points out the goals of the new Channel saying, “The reason for (smaller file sizes) is that we want the WiiWare development to be more cost effective and have low barriers to entry to allow the content creators to create with that type of risk.” Basically Nintendo wants anyone who has a good game to be able to make it and get it out to the millions of Wii owners. This is good news for all of us as the more people making games the more great games we get. If the few games we’ve heard about coming out are any indication WiiWare is going to be the place to be for unique, fun and challenging games.

Braben also reveals that games will vary in cost much like the VC games. No word on what will make a game cost more or less but if I had to guess I would say it is going to have to do with the depth, length and challenge of the game. Sadly you won’t be able to figure any of these things out before you buy the game as WiiWare won’t feature any downloadable demos, something that Wii fans have been clamoring for since the downloadable Metroid preview videos teased us with the idea. In the only dissapointing part of the interview Golin Harris, a PR rep with Nintendo had this to say,

“We do not intend to have a ‘try-before-you-buy’ model that requires developers to create expensive demos. Nintendo plans to provide information on games similar to what Nintendo in Japan is doing with the Everybody’s Nintendo Channel where creators can share information on their game directly to Wii consumers.”

Don’t be fooled by the old PR double speak, we’re getting gypped here. Game demos, as any XBox Live gamer will tell you, are a great way to try out a game and see if you want it and, in my opinion, would increase sales making any costs to developers worth their time. Still, the WiiWare feature looks to be absolutley amazing and will deliver us some truly incredible and one of a kind games that you can’t get anywhere else so a lack of demos is far from important. Stick around and MyWiiNews will bring you all the info on the games coming to WiiWare.

The full press release from GDC follows including information on WiiWare, WiiFit and Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

NINTENDO REVEALS ITS NEXT ENGAGING EXPERIENCES

WiiWare, Wii Fit, Super Smash Bros. Brawl Shown at Game Developers Conference

REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 20, 2008 – The Game Developers Conference in San Francisco attracts the top creative minds in the video game industry. With that audience on hand, Nintendo announces news that reinforces its commitment to provide entertaining and enriching experiences for veteran and new gamers alike. WiiWareâ„¢, Nintendo’s new downloadable game service, launches May 12 and expands development opportunities for developers the same way Wiiâ„¢ expanded the world of video game players. Wii Fitâ„¢, the upcoming title for Wii, launches May 19 and introduces the Wii Balance Boardâ„¢ peripheral. And Super Smash Bros.® Brawl draws in fans of all kinds.

“We are excited to participate in the Game Developers Conference this year to share with developers and consumers alike our upcoming unique services and products,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “We are hopeful that they will appreciate our offerings of WiiWare, Wii Fit and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which represent a trio that will continue to attract new players to the world of video games.”
At the conference, Nintendo speakers will outline a number of plans for the coming months on their respective panels:

WiiWare: Nintendo’s upcoming WiiWare changes the way both developers create and consumers access video games. Through WiiWare, Nintendo hopes to offer developers a virtual laboratory that serves as a breeding ground for new games, which encourages great ideas that creators always wanted to develop. The combination of low development barriers and unique game experiences found only on Wii should enable developers to try new ideas with lower risk in a quicker, more creative and affordable way.

Meanwhile Wii owners can download a multitude of cool new games from different genres, including some that are unprecedented, which can be purchased from home at a dynamic price range. WiiWare also empowers consumers to determine with their Wii Points which games have the right stuff to become the next big thing.

WiiWare will be a repository for all types of experiences – literally, something for everyone. Early WiiWare games will come from celebrated developers like Square Enix, which is creating FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King, a simulation game for all ages. Also watch for games from up-and-coming developers like Frontier with its fresh, enchanting platform adventure LostWinds and a new episodic game series from Telltale. The first U.S. WiiWare games will be available on May 12.

Wii Fit: Wii Fit demonstrates Nintendo’s commitment to gamers of all kinds. It combines fun and fitness for every member of the family to keep active and play together. Wii Fit launches May 19 in the United States and comes with the weight-and-motion-sensing Wii Balance Board that Nintendo representatives demonstrated could hold great promise for future game development as well. Third-party publishers are already working on new games and applications that will make use of the Wii Balance Board. Additionally, Wii Fit includes access to the Wii Fit Channel, an interactive channel that lets users check in each day to track their fitness progress through weight and BMI. In Japan, Wii Fit has sold more than 1.4 million units since its Dec. 1 launch.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl: This action game launches March 9. With dozens of characters, settings, options and ways to play, it has something for everyone. The game includes characters from all across the Nintendo universe. The previous installment in the franchise went on to become the best-selling game of all time for Nintendo GameCubeâ„¢.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wiiâ„¢, Nintendo DSâ„¢, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCubeâ„¢ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.5 billion video games and more than 430 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Marioâ„¢, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zeldaâ„¢ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com.

Amazon.com’s Friday Goldbox Sale: Wii Edition

Nobody loves a good deal like we do over here at MyWiiNews. I know that I spend so much time online looking for good deals that it probably negates any actual savings that I make when I actually buy something. Sure it might look a little silly in retrospect, but every once in a while, a great deal comes along that makes it all worthwhile. Add a little bit of surprise and anticipation to that deal, and I just might explode with happiness.

Enter Amazon.com.

Every day, Amazon has their special “Gold Box Deal” which features one product for sale all day at a discounted rate, with special “Lightning Deals” that happen at specific times during the day. This Friday, Amazon’s Gold Box has a special theme: All Wii, All Day. That’s right, every single special sale from Amazon.com will be a (hopefully) wonderful Wii game! This special Gold Box sale goes as follows:

• At 12:01 AM PST the first deal will be the Gold Box Deal of the Day. Its special discounted price will be available all day only on Friday, Feb. 22 (or until we run out.)
• Starting at 6:00 AM PST, the second deal will be featured as a Lightning Deal. This special price will be available for the following four hours.
• Each of the three remaining deals will also be Lightning Deals. Starting at 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 6:00 PM PST, each deal will be available for four hours after it begins.
• Discounts on each deal will be available only while supplies last.

That’s right, fellow Wii lovers! The first, and daylong deal goes on sale at 12:01am (Midnight) PST this Friday, so set your browsers to auto-refresh and get ready to checkout with some cheap Wii swag! If you miss out (or don’t care for) the first deal, check back throughout the day to grab whatever tickles your fancy. It’s all Wii all day, and you’ll be darn sure that we’ll be waiting there right alongside you. Good luck!

First WiiWare Game Announced ‘LostWinds’

I am not at all shocked at how great this game looks already. 3rd party developers have something to prove, and they work hard to prove it. If this game plays as good as these screenshots look, the first WiiWare title may be a hit. If it’s under 1500 WiiPoints, I will download it as soon as it is available. I am looking forward to more announcements of Wii exclusive titles such as this one in the near future.

Frontier’s ‘LostWinds’ puts ‘The Power of the Wind in the Palm of your hand’ on Wii.

Leading independent developers announces innovative title available exclusively via WiiWare.

Cambridge, UK. 20th February 2008. David Braben’s Frontier Developments (”FrontierTM”), one of the games industry’s leading independent developers, today announced its first title for WiiWareTM - LostWindsTM; a high quality, enchanting adventure bursting with new gameplay ideas that embrace the innovative controller of the Wiiâ„¢

Built with Frontier’s in-house 3D game-engine technology LostWinds puts “the power of the wind in the palm of your hand” as you wield the awesome powers of Enril the wind spirit - from raging tornados to the gentlest breeze - to guide and protect Toku, a young boy who is the only one who can help you release the curse placed upon the world of Mistralis by evil Balasar. Mistralis is a stunningly presented, magical land full of wonder and intrigue that bursts to life with your every action and exploration. The game’s novel, playful control mechanism lets you use Enril’s elemental powers to help Toku in your quest to overcome Balasar - powering his jumps and glides through Mistralis’ different regions, buffeting and smashing enemies, and solving puzzles.

“LostWinds is an innovative game, and an exciting project for many reasons,” commented David Braben. “Not least the fact that it’s one of the large number of excellent concepts that have arisen through our long running internal forum discussions on game ideas. Frontier is packed full of talented game enthusiasts, and contributing creative ideas and feedback is actively encouraged. WiiWare offers a perfect extra outlet for that creativity, and I hope that LostWinds is the first of many games that will follow this process.”

More details on LostWinds can be found at www.frontier.co.uk/games/lostwinds.