Why Nintendo will win the E3 War

While some may oppose, I would say that last year’s E3 press conference was an epic failure on Nintendo’s part. Although they had some exciting news such as the revelation of Mario Kart Wii and the announcement of 32 player online for Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, the majority of the conference was spent talking about the Wii’s success and how great Wii fit was. Forget about last year.  Lets talk about how awesome this year’s press conference will be. I would go as far to say that Nintendo will steal the show this year.

This last week has shown some surprises already for the Wii. And while we’ve had our fair share of guesses, at E3 we can expect more surprising announcements. Pikmin 3? Perhaps. A storage solution? Most definitely. A Zelda trailer? Highly probable.

It may sound, stumbling, but let me explain. This article from PureNintendo, which shows when all the 3D Zelda games were announced and released, crossed my path. A good read, but here’s a summary:

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Announced- December 1995
Released- November 1998

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Announced- June 1999
Released- October 2000

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Announced- August 2001
Released- March 2003

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Announced- May 2004
Released- November 2006

Now according to the article, every 3D Zelda game was announced one year after its predecessor. Plus, this is the longest time we have waited for Nintendo to announce a Zelda game on a console in over 13 years!

We are overdue. Nintendo will announce a Zelda game at E3 and it will be the most exciting announcement of all three of the console company E3 shows.

If that is not enough for Nintendo to win (which, it is) we can hope for an announcement or an indication of voice chat for the Wii. The DS has it, why not the Wii?

That’s been the question of all online Wii gamers, and Reggie has also been hinting at it for a while. He has noted that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if voice chat made its way onto the Wii. Can we consider that straight confirmation for an announcement?

One last reason why Nintendo will win is the innovation. Nintendo has done some amazing stuff, but nothing to truly show off what the Wii Remote can do (not like Johnny Lee has). Nintendo wants to prove that the Wii Remote is the best controller available, and they are definitely coming up with a game that will show it off. Maybe we’ll see a brand new IP? Or we’ll see them take another existing IP and make a great game perfect for the Remote.  And seeing their repitoire of past titles, that would be just fine with me.

Nintendo will do all they can to “win” E3 this year. And while it isn’t a competition per se, we know that it is close, and we can expect some major announcements.

What do you guys think? Will Nintendo win E3 this year? You have less than two weeks; give us your input in our forums on what will make this year a great year for Nintendo at E3.

My Wii News Countdown: Top 3 Upcoming Wii First Person Shooters

What’s up readers? Today we have a little countdown, giving you the scoop on the top three most anticipated first-person shooters coming to the Wii. The Wii hasn’t been blessed with as many first-person shooters (fps) as other consoles, but it has seen an exceptional amount. Everything from the good, (Metroid Prime) the bad, (Call of Duty 3) to the ugly (Red Steel).

Changes are upon us: with more developers starting to get into gear, soon we’ll see higher quality games. Today we will show you the top three most anticipated fps’s coming out. Will we finally be getting that AAA fps that we’ve always wanted ever since we first saw that Wii-mote? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!

Number 3- Call of Duty: World at War

Last year, Infinity Ward released one of the best first-person shooters of all time. It delivered amazing graphics, a remarkable campaign, and an entertaining online multiplayer mode. This year Treyarch, makers of both Call of Duty 2: Big Red One and Call of Duty 3, are giving the WW2 world another shot with Call of Duty: World at War. This latest fps, said to be the best looking war-time shooter ever, will be running on the Wii with the Call of Duty 4 engine. Treyarch also introduced a mode that will feature four player co-op via Xbox Live, but it is unknown if this will reach the Wii version. However, we will definitely see split-screen co-op, which is a good sign. Unlike Call of Duty 4, the campaign and multiplayer modes will feature vehicular gameplay which I’m sure some people are happy about. Also the developers noted that Call of Duty: World at War is more violent then any Call of Duty game they have ever done. For a more in-depth preview check out our article: here.

Number 2- Red Steel 2

Okay, we all know that Red Steel sucked, but we also know that it had great potential as a launch title. Ubisoft messed up Red Steel due to one big reason; the controls. Of course, they may not have had enough time to give it that Nintendo-quality polish. But since it was over-hyped and was one of the first games to grace our consoles, it still sold very well, only to spawn a sequel. According to Ubisoft, Red Steel 2 has been in development for a while now, possibly since they finished the first one. It is rumored that this game has gotten a new development team. According to Shacknews, Red Steel 2 boasts “better controls, better AI, better multiplayer and online play.” Red Steel 2 is looking good and could possibly be shown at E3 this year, so keep your eyes and ears open!

Number 1- The Conduit

Honestly, does anybody not know about his game? After High Voltage Software hyped the game by saying The Conduit will have graphics on par with the 360, it seems like the whole gaming world has their eyes on the game. The Conduit is High Voltage’s latest project, a brand new IP made exclusively for the Wii. With amazing graphics, fantastic looking gameplay, and an online multiplayer mode (hopefully minus friend codes), what else could you want from an FPS? The game uses a brand new engine made just for the Wii called the Quantum3. With this engine The Conduit boasts some nice graphics that give first-party Nintendo titles a run for their money. While the game is still early in development, it is already shaping up very nicely. Watch out for this one, because it looks like it could possibly be Nintendo’s Halo. (Lets just hope it doesn’t turn out like Haze… Bleh.)

Well, that’s it for this tiny countdown. What do you think about this list? Agree/Disagree? Discuss it in our forums and keep checking back to My Wii News for more Wii and gaming info.

The Top Five Best Looking Wii Games So Far!

Ever since its launch, the Wii has experienced an accumulating amount of shovelware and Playstation 2 ports piling onto the system. This is because most companies developing for the Wii aren’t trying to provide entertainment; they are only trying to make a quick buck. However, a small amount of developers (Nintendo being one of them) actually took their time to make well-fashioned games. We are starting to see software built from the ground up for the Wii, but we’ve just barely scratched the surface as companies like High Voltage Software are actually trying to push the limits of the Wii’s hardware. Last week they showed off their Quantum3 engine that literally has people asking, “can a Wii game really look this good?” Which is exactly what we want publishers to do. My Wii News is here to present to you the top five best looking Wii games on the market right now to give the heroes out there (the good developers) a little bit of praise. Because without them, we would have nothing worth looking at.

Cruis’n - one of the most remarkable Wii titles out there
(note the heavy, heavy sarcasm)

Number 5: Medal of Honor: Heroes 2

On November 13, 2007, EA made history by releasing the first solid first-person shooter on the Wii. Many Wii owners were waiting to use the controller that seemed so perfect for first-person shooters, but nobody seemed to be able to get the control scheme down. Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 was the first game to bring us arcade-perfect FPS controls with the Wii Remote that actually rivaled the precision found with a keyboard and a mouse. Not only that, but it also brought us good graphics, good gameplay and a decent online mode that got rid of those pesky friend codes that we all hate. On top of all that, MOH:H2 also had some really impressive lighting effects, and character models, making for a visually impressive game on a whole. Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 was a title made from the ground up for the Wii, which explains why the game looks good. Even though the A.I. admittedly sucked, the game ran at a smooth frame rate and is still one of the prettiest games on the system.

(Click to enlarge)

Number 4: Geometry Wars Galaxies

Whether you love or hate them, the Wii has seen its fair share of puzzle games. Regardless of your feelings, the truth is that the casual market absolutely loves puzzle games. It’s hard to miss how tight Nintendo’s grip around casual players is, which means that we’ll probably continue to see massive amounts of puzzle games rolling onto the the system.

Even though there’s a ton of puzzle games for the Wii, one of them stands out among the rest as an original, oustanding adenture: Geometry Wars Galaxies. Even though puzzle games aren’t always known for being visual powerhouses, Geometry Wars is more than pleasing to your eyes. With hypnotic colors, incredible lighting, fancy effects and mind blowing colors, Geometry Wars is easily the best looking puzzle game on the Wii. The only reason why this game came in fourth is because it seems much more difficult to make a good looking action or shooting game then a simple puzzle game, but that sure doesn’t mean it’s not pretty. Geometry Wars Galaxies is an absolutely awesome looking game which is why it easily makes its way onto our list.

(Click to Enlarge)

Number 3: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was the first big Wii title to come out from Nintendo (remember kids, Twilight Princess was a GameCube game). After getting delayed for over a year, Nintendo fanboys were going crazy when the could finally get their hands on this game. The game stunned us, in a good way, with traditional Metriod problem solving and a fast paced adventure that was perfectly suited for the WIi. The Wii’s unique controls made what was perfect even better, effectively using the Wii’s IR sensor to point and shoot your way to victory. Many of us were extremely relieved to finally had a good control system to make up for Ubisoft’s poor FPS attempt, Red Steel. But that wasn’t the end of it - not only did Metroid Prime 3 have solid story and controls, it also looked amazing on the Wii. At the time, it was the best looking game on the system, with stunning particle effects, lighting, and character models that showed up almost everything else. Retro Studios succeeded in creating an impressive looking and playing game, which is why Metroid Prime 3: Corruption easy makes its way to number three on our list.

(click to enlarge)

Number 2: Super Smash Brothers: Brawl

Super Smash Brothers: Brawl. Have you heard of it? It was a little game released a few months ago that sold a few copies to the few people that heard of it. Oops! Our bad. We forgot it was actually one of the best selling titles of the year, easily taking the crown for most anticipated title for the Wii so far.

Smash Bros. started out on the N64 and who could ever forget it? One of the best fighters ever made, Super Smash Bros. gave us priceless four-player fun that many of us invested hours upon hours into. While the franchise hasn’t changed much gameplay wise, which is a good thing, it has made a huge leap graphically over both the Gamecube and N64 versions (unlike the dreadful N64-esque Cruis’n above). But the truth is that Super Smash Bros. is just the definition of fun, and you can’t really ask for much more in a game. Sakurai and his team did an awesome job with the latest installment, and made a wonderful game that ended up bring one of the most graphically-impressive titles on the Wii yet.

(click to enlarge)

Number 1: Super Mario Galaxy

Yup, the top three best looking games on the Wii are all first-party titles, go figure. But really, who can compete with “The Big N” for top quality games? Not too many people, thats for sure. But with new and exciting gameplay, along with overachieving graphics, its hard to doubt that Nintendo brought us the definition of a masterpiece with Super Mario Galaxy.

Mario is a character that every gamer knows: a legend, a hero, even a role-model. Mario really does have it all, which is probably why his games are so great. Super Mario Galaxy shot Mario into unfamiliar terrain for a plumber: the vacuous depths of space. Without the brilliant mind of Miyamoto backing up the project, Super Mario Galaxy could’ve become just another lackluster title like so many others on the Wii. But instead, it became a creative, fun, pretty, exciting, crazy and overall mind-blowing experience. There are just not enough words to describe how wonderful, and beautiful, this game truly is. In our minds, Super Mario Galaxy is the number one, best looking game on the Wii.

(click to enlarge)

Well there you have it: the top five best looking Wii games so far. But you know what, that’s not it. Because not only does My Wii News like to look to the past, but we also like to look to the future to see what games might be unseating these beauties in due time. So here are a couple of games to keep your eyes out for in the near future:

The Conduit:

(Yes, these are Wii screens)

WALL-E:

(Robots are taking over the world!)

Sonic Unleashed:

(Sorry, not Wii screens)

Well there you have it, those games are looking good and they can only get better! Leave a comment below. or take it to our forums, to discuss whether or not you agree or disagree with our top five choices. Keep checking back to My Wii News daily for more news and updates on the Wii!

Japan gets a “new” GC Controller for the Wii.

It seems like Japan always gets everything first, and while this may not always be the case, it sure is this time.

Today, Nintendo of Japan re-released a new, pearly white, GameCube controller. The Japanese text to the right states that the cable for the controller will be 3 meters long, which is a tiny bit longer than earlier iterations. With the GameCube already dead, it is clear to us that the newly launched controller isn’t trying to resurrect the GameCube, but giving Wii owners a chance to buy this controller to use with their Wii (Brawl anyone?). We all know how uncomfortable that Classic controller is, so this is good news for those of you who sold or threw away your old GameCube controllers.

While it is only out in Japan right now, we can only hope that the controller will make it to other countries sometime soon. But if you cannot wait, you can fly over to Japan and pick one up yourself for a retail price of 2000 yen (about 20 U.S. dollars).

Chintendo Vii Spreading Throughout Asia?

Way back in February, MyWiiNews brought you news of the Chintendo Vii, as it was reviewed and compared to our lovable console, the Wii. Most of you guys may think it is funny and well… hilarious even. But really, with such rampant piracy in some parts of Asia, the Chintendo Vii can be very disturbing as hell.

Chintendo Vii in Japan

Yes, the Chintendo Vii has actually entered Japanese soil. The very same soil where Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario, and even Nintendo itself was born! And I’m guessing it has been that way since at least December 2007.

Just look at these recent pictures, including Vii Sports:

How About the Rest of Asia?

Living in the Philippines, I definitely saw some of these Chintendo Vii’s myself being sold on selected stores and even on some prominent malls all across Metro Manila. Too bad I haven’t got any pics, but I tell you, it’s not in any way funny. But you know what they say: Imitation is definitely the best form of flattery. So, I guess it’s all fine, right? Unless someone actually (and seriously) buys the system, which is when problems arise. I know I wont.

By the way, it’s already quite old, but you can always check out the Japanese’s reaction and thoughts on the Vii in the video below:

Reference: Akiba Blog