High Voltage Software, the makers behind the exciting Wii-exclusive title, The Conduit, have released new footage on their game today. The graphics? Much better then before, they easily can compete with first-party Nintendo games visually, which says a lot. The action? The action and gameplay, judging from this trailer, would give any FPS on the 360 a run for its money. Plus, when you add in the control scheme (based off Medal of Honor: Heroes 2), the online mode, and the fact that it’s all running at silky smooth framerate, The Conduit is starting to look like the real Halo Killer.
Don’t believe me? Take a look at the new gameplay footage. Also, this is Youtube footage and the game will look much better on a TV, obviously.
I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical at first. But as others have noted, this footage really does make you believe.
What do you think? Do you think The Conduit will be the next ground-breaking title on the Wii or do you think it will flop? Discuss it in our forums.
I woke up this morning, groggy as always, rolled out of bed, and proceeded to shake myself of the sleepies. My morning routine proceeded like usual, but something felt, different.
I glanced at my Wii in its castle (Wii tower, which I love) and it was glistening with its little blue “look at mii” glow. Normally this means something about the Check Mii Out channel, but not this time.
Today, hit up the Wii Shop Channel to pick up our newest time waster: the Nintendo Channel. What’s it do? The official Nintendo site elaborates:
Nintendo Channel is an interactive guide to what’s new in the world of Nintendo - now available for easy download from the Wii Shop Channel. Watch trailers, mini-documentaries, product demonstrations, and gameplay videos. Browse the game guide pages to get information about your favorite games on Wii and Nintendo DS. You can even click to order games straight from your Wii, if you have the Internet Channel installed. Make sure your Wii is connected to the internet, and get started!
In other words, it holds all the features the Wii Shop Channel already should have!
So take your Wii online, and grab something else to keep you preoccupied before those Wii Ware games hit in five days!
Ever since Sega’s blue hedgehog thoughtlessly entered the three-dimensional world, the Sonic franchise began to sink deeper and deeper into a seemingly endless hole. Over the years Sega has made numerous attempts to bring back the glory to their prized mascot which at one time only Mario could rival. They failed time and time again, and while one of their latest attempts on the Wii (Sonic and the Secret Rings) was a good effort, it just did not capture the thrill and pleasure that the legendary franchise was once known for. The small spurt of reputation that came with Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games feebly pushed Sonic back onto the radar and is now giving the hedgehog another chance to leap back on to the podium of famous mascots.
Sonic Unleashed definitely has the chance to do just that. While Sonic’s latest adventure will be breaking new ground, it is also going to stick to it 2D side scrolling roots that worked so well for it in the past. A quote from the lead designer of the Sonic team, Yoshihisa Hashimoto, states that Sonic Unleashed will have no relation to Sonic the Hedgehog (360/PS3) or Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii). Instead it will have more in common with the older Sonic adventure games.
Everything about Sonic Unleashed has been developed completely from scratch, from its new character models, to its “Hedgehog Engine.” Players will still be able to use Sonic’s iconic moves, such as the “spin attack” and the “homing attack” but you can expect to see a bunch of new elements in the game that will give it a breath of fresh air.
Sonic has a few new tricks up his sleeve, including the new Sonic boost, which will have you collecting rings to fill up an energy bar that allow you to dash throughout the course at a high speed, Sonic Drift, which will allow players to take short, sharp turns at curves while running through the course, and the Quick Step, which allows players to move left or right rapidly to avoid an oncoming obstacle. We can probably expect to see more actions revealed at a later date.
Though details on the storyline are slim, it is confirmed that Sonic will turn into a “were-hog” at night time. It is also confirmed that in the beginning of the game Sonic will be trapped by Dr. Eggmans evil plan and the power of the Chaos Crystal will be misused and something inside Sonic’s body changes. This most likely causes him to turn into Were-Sonic during the nighttime levels. Were-Sonic has been reported not to be evil, but more of a Hulk-like version of sonic. So far Sonic’s trusty sidekicks Tails and Amy have been confirmed to be in the game, but it is still unknown if other fan favorites such as Knuckles or Shadow will be making an appearance.
It’s fine to be a little skeptical on the fact that there will be a new Were-Sonic in the game. But from what we can tell so far, Were-Sonic looks to be a welcome addition to the game and the franchise. According to Hashimoto, Sonic during the day will maintain his quick and agile speed, but during the night he is a slightly slower, and surprisingly a more agile beast. While regular Sonic darts past and aviods obstacles, Were-Sonic will “manhandle” them out of the way and can “toss enemies around like nobody’s business.” The Official Nintendo Magazine has reported that instead of running, Sonic will use his tremendously long arms to swing across the level, sort of like an ape.
There is also some very good news for us Wii owners, as Sega has said that the Wii version will be a graphical showcase for the system. The Official Nintendo Magazines reports that the Wii version of Sonic Unleashed has “shiny next-gen visuals.” It is even reported that the Wii is the lead-platform version of the game, while the PS2 version will simply be a downgrade from the Wii. Of course the 360/PS3 version may be tuned up with a little extra polish and gloss, but My Wii News cannot currently confirm this.
Very little is know about the gameplay and nothing is known about the controls of the game except that the main controller for the Wii version will use the the Wii Remote and Nunchuk combo instead of holding the Wii Remote sideways like in Sonic and the Secret Rings. It is still not know if players will be able to use other controllers such as the Gamecube or Classic controllers, but it seems like Sega is trying to use the Wii Remote’s unique abilities to the fullest, so it appears to be unlikely.
The developers mention that their new side-scrolling camera angle works extremely well. While it keeps Sonic up to date with the 3D environments, it also allows for the game to keep that old Sonic essence that everybody knows and loves.
So far, Sonic Unleashed appears to be a breath of fresh air to the Sonic franchise which has been struggling over the past decade. Hardcore Sonic fans will definitely want to keep an eye out for this one, because we all know that we want the old Sonic back. I have high hopes for this game and it looks like it will show people that Sonic can be awesome in 3D too. Give us your thoughts by leaving us a comment below, check out the debut trailer, the ONM screens, and keep checking back to MyWiiNews.com for more Wii and Sonic info
Wii’s all over Japan were illuminating their blue lights today, asking the Japanese to download a new channel! This new channel was the Terebi no Tomo Channel which translates to English as Television Friend Channel. The new channel can be downloaded free of charge!
The Televsion Friend Channel is actually a very nifty TV Guide, it offers information about programs one week before they air. You can even search for your favorite program using keywords or genres. The program guide also includes a ’stamp’ feature which allows you to mark your favorite programs in Mii shaped themes. If you stamp a program and you have put in your cell-phone number and/or e-mail address into your Wii, it will alert you 30 minutes before the marked show has started. You will also recieves alerts from shows that your Wii friends have stamped. The Channel also tracks the stamps of Wii users world wide and rates programs based on viewer interest.
Your Wii-mote will also be able to act as a remote control for your TV that allows you to change the channel and the volume. This may seem impossible due to the fact that the Wii-motes signal is sent to the sensor bar, but Nintendo has acheived this by having the sensor bar send out a signal, that bounces off a wall and back to your TV. (Amazing isn’t it?!?)
There is no conformation yet that the channel will hit the U.S. but it seems likely! Unfortunately, Nintendo of Europe stated that the new channel would not make it into their region.
Let’s cross our fingers and hope that we will recieve this cool new channel too!
Lukatoll | July 12, 2008
