Wiikly Wii Releases - 5/18-5/24: Wii Fit Edition

Welcome to the this week’s edition of the Wiikly Wii Releases! Here we’ll pick out a small selection of the upcoming week’s Wii titles and give you some information to help you pick the game that’s right for you. When applicable, we’ll choose one game to be the “MyWiiNews Pick of the Week,” a game that stands out among all the others as the title that takes the crown for that week. Without further ado, let’s look at what’s coming out this week

Wii Fit

Nintendo – May 21

With the release of such an important title as Wii Fit, it makes perfect sense that every other publisher decided to back off this week. Sure, there’s slim pickin’s out there for new titles, but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to gloss over this important title and not give it our fabled My Wii News Pick of the Week.

What’s to say about Wii Fit that hasn’t already been said? Nintendo continues to set its sights on the casual market through its latest peripheral bundle, Wii Fit, which comes with a huge hunking Wii Balance board to help you keep track of your body’s progress on its way to fitness. Sure, it can be seen as interactive edutainment, or worse, another low-substance minigame title, but let’s not lose focus of Nintendo’s dream: to completely integrate the Wii’s into every aspect of a gamer’s life, from the core to the casual. Here Nintendo opts to shift the focus from the social, interactive element of the Wii (found in most games, especially minigame fests like Wii Play) to the personal and individual experience of working out and getting yourself into shape.

Wii Fit is more than just an interactive board to stand on. It’s a peripheral that both calls out to legions of gamers looking to get into shape and integrate videogames into all aspects of their lives. While Wii Fit in itself isn’t enough to get you into shape, it does help people see their progress towards their goal and adds a bit of incentive along the way. I’m hoping to hear about some inspirational tales of people really helping themselves due to Wii Fit, yet I’m also skeptical about the finicky general public sticking with a strict gaming regimen. Any way you look at it, Wii Fit is certainly an original and worthwhile title, and one that helps to distinguish the Wii from its current-generation competition.

Wiikly WiiWare Releases For 5-19-08

Critter Round-Up (Konami, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone - Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points): The critters have escaped, and the barnyard is in chaos! It’s up to you to quickly corral the animals in this puzzle-action challenge. You’ll have to mend fences in a hurry to keep all the critters safe and satisfied. But the fun doesn’t stop with the farmland; more than 50 challenging levels take you to several exotic locations, including the outback, the icy Arctic and more. There’s even a series of minigames for when the critters get you down: Snowball Soccer, Predator Rampage, Chicken Catch and Fence Trap. Up to four players can compete or cooperate as the critters run wild. So roll up those sleeves and grab a friend-those critters won’t catch themselves.

Star Soldier R (Hudson Entertainment, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): Star Soldier R is a new kind of shooter where players aim for the best scores within a two- or five-minute time limit. Develop various scoring strategies, and pump out those points within the breakneck time frame. Assembled in record time to counter the advance of a powerful enemy, the mysterious Brain Forces, the “Caesar” starfighter takes off to fight for the very future of mankind. Shoot down countless enemies, upgrade your ship to the max with power-ups hidden throughout the levels and wage an all-out assault against the core of the enemy fortress. Combining the excitement of shoot-’em-ups with in-depth scoring strategies, this state-of-the-art competitive shooter will keep you coming back for more. Upload your best scores with Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, and pit your skills against the world’s best fighter pilots from the comfort of your living room. Hone your skills and show the world who’s boss.