Late Night Consoling

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The Wii news continues...
  • Nintendo Release More Wii Launch and System Details

    [nintendo]

    Nintendo today revealed launch date and pricing information for the remaining major gaming territories, following this week's earlier announcements of the system's North and South American and Japanese launch details. After launching in the Americas on November 19 and Japan on December 2, the system will reach Australia on December 7 for a retail price of AU$399.95 (US$301.32). Europe will follow on December 8 for GBP 179 (US$336.73) and 249 Euros (US$316.33). Nintendo also revealed the system's Canadian launch price of CA$279.95 (US$250.40). Interestingly, this actually puts the machine at an initial price of CA$20 less than its predecessor GameCube, which launched in Canada at CA$299.95 (US$268.29).

    Shacknews has also received official comment from Nintendo in regards to certain Wii details that have seen various conflicting reports in recent days, thanks to inconsistent statements by Nintendo executives. A Nintendo representative stated that, contrary to a report from CNet, Wii will not be bundled with component video cables but rather will include composite cables. Component cables will be available separately. Nintendo also clarified that, contrary to statements made by Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan, first party software will indeed be region encoded.

    One odd bit of news regarding Wii is that the system's Opera-developed web browser will be a free download via the system's Wii Shop Channel--but only until June 2007. At that point, the software must be purchased. No price was revealed.

    Nintendo's official site now lists the full slate of Wii Channels:

    - Mii Channel, used to create and store caricatured models of the system owner and his or her friends, which can also be loaded onto a Wii remote for transportation.
    - Photo Channel, used to view, sort, and edit digital photos, and create slideshows.
    - Forecast Channel, which reports global weather forecastsusing a Google Earth-like interface.
    - News Channel, with up to date global news broken into various categories.
    - Wii Shop Channel, where users purchase Virtual Console games and can download software such as the Opera web browser.
    - Virtual Console Channel, from which Virtual Console games are launched.
    - Internet Channel, used to browse the internet with the Opera software; Nintendo was sure to note that the browser supports Flash and Ajax, in case you were wondering.
    - Wii Message Board, from which users can send messages and photos to other Wii users, as well as to cell phones. Users can also leave local messages to those within their own household, essentially serving as an electronic corkboard or refrigerator door. This is also the channel through which the always-on WiiConnect24 service can seamlessly deliver downloadable content to games while the system is powered off.
    - Disc Channel, simply used to launch the Wii or GameCube game inserted into the system's disc drive.

  • Current Wii Launch Lineup Status

    [nintendo]

    Nintendo has provided a list of 50 Wii games--41 of which are from third parties--known to be hitting North America by March 31, 2007, which also happens to be the date by which the company plans to have shipped 6 million consoles worldwide. Of these games, 21 are currently expected to launch with the system. Obviously, both lists are still subject to change as developers announce more titles and others inevitably delay some. Launch titles are as follows, prefaced by developer and followed by publisher; no developer is listed when that information has not been released:

    - Monster Games' Excite Truck (Nintendo)
    - Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo)
    - Nintendo's Wii Sports (Nintendo)
    - Treyarch's Call of Duty 3 (Activision)
    - Raven Software and Vicarious Visions' Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (Activision)
    - Rapala Tournament Fishing (Activision)
    - Toys for Bob's Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (Activision)
    - World Series of Poker (Activision)
    - Atlus' Trauma Center: Second Opinion (Atlus)
    - EA Canada's Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports)
    - EA Black Box's Need for Speed Carbon (EA Black Box)
    - Konami's Elebits (Konami)
    - Amusement Vision's Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Sega)
    - Ubisoft Romania's Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII (Ubisoft)
    - Ubisoft Montreal's Far Cry Vengeance (Ubisoft)
    - MTO's GT Pro Series (Ubisoft)
    - Monster 4x4 World Circuit (Ubisoft)
    - Ubisoft Montreal's Open Season (Ubisoft)
    - Ubisoft Montpellier's Rayman Raving Rabbids (Ubisoft)
    - Ubisoft Paris' Red Steel (Ubisoft)
    - Ubisoft Montreal's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent (Ubisoft)

  • Click here for the full list of games up to March 31, 2007.

  • Xbox 360 Under Fire from Kingdom Under Fire

    [xbox360]

    Microsoft and developer Blueside today announced that Blueside's previously-announced Kingdom Under Fire game for Xbox 360 and PC is now an Xbox 360 exclusive. Kingdom of Fire: Circle of Doom, expected to release worldwide in early 2007. Blueside is largely comprised of core team members from Phantagram's epic RTS franchise Kingdom Under Fire, and most recently developed Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes (Xbox). This game deviates somewhat from the series' established conventions, spinning off the KUF universe into an action RPG containing randomly generated environments and dungeon crawling, as well as online cooperative play. The trademark enormous masses of enemies will, however, carry over. "Finally, the world will be able to see what to expect of Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom," said Blueside VP S.D. Kim. "I think its innovative use of technology and new features that we kept up our sleeves will be pleasant surprises for all the gamers out there."

  • Seaman Returns, Evolves

    [ps2]

    Seaman (DC, PS2) developer Vivarium has officially announced details on its upcoming Seaman 2 (PS2). Surprisingly, the upcoming incarnation of the bizarre backtalking life sim features a substantially different creature than the original game. Rather than a grumpy human-faced fish, Seaman 2 features a caveman, of all things. Publisher Sega is expected to show the game at next week's Tokyo Game Show.

  • Ex-Square Enix Designer Migrates to Wii

    [ps2] [nintendo]

    Former Square Enix designer Yasumi Matsuno is known for his directorial roles on Ogre Battle (NES, PS1, SAT), Tactics Ogre (SNES, PS1, SAT), Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1), and Vagrant Story (PS1). More recently, he was directing Square Enix's Final Fantasy XII (PS2) but left Square Enix and the project before its completion, and apparently disappeared from public view. Matsuno resurfaced this week in a video interview shown at Nintendo's Japanese press event. 1UP has translations of statements made by the developer, indicating that he is currently working on a Wii project. "The Wii controller makes total sense when you think about FPS-like games, but my question was, will the controls fit other existing games?" he noted. "However, when I first tried Mario Galaxy, I realized that the controller fit the game almost scarily well. It allows you to intuitively feel the game and its atmosphere." Given his extensive history as a director of roleplaying games, it seems likely that Matsuna's Wii game is an RPG, but no details were given. It is unknown what studio is developing the title.

  • Hudson Announces Eight for Wii

    [nintendo]

    Developer Hudson Soft today announced that it is currently developing eight games for Wii. The titles have only been officially confirmed for Japanese release, though given that the announcement was also parotted by the company's US division, it seems likely that some of the games will find their way to North American shores. Hudson's lineup ranges from simple puzzle games, to more fully fleshed titles, to games with no English description. The full list is as follows (all dates currently pertain only to Japan):

    - Batinda (Feb. 2007)
    - Bomberman Land (working title) (Mar. 2007)
    - Crossword (Mar. 2007)
    - Fishing Master (working title) (launch)
    - Jigsaw Puzzle (Mar. 2007)
    - Korinpa (TBA): A Marble Madness-like game with world-tilt control similar to Monkey Ball
    - Sudoku (launch)
    - Wing Island (working title) (TBA): Hudson's "Flight Game" first announced just prior to E3

    Hudson has also stated that it is currently planning at least 30 TurboGrafx-16 games for Wii's Virtual Console, with multiple titles coming at launch.

Misc. Media/Previews

PS2/PS3

Screenshots: Fatal Inertia (PS3). Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner (PS2).

Xbox/X360

Screenshots: Superman Returns: The Video Game (X360, also PS2, Xbox, GCN, NDS, PSP, PC).

GCN/Wii

Screenshots: Battalion Wars 2 (Wii). Big Brain Academy (working title) (Wii). Disney's Chicken Little: Ace in Action (Wii, also PS2, NDS). Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (Wii, also PS2). Elebits (Wii). Excite Truck (Wii). The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii, also GCN). Madden NFL 07 (Wii, also PS2, Xbox, GCN, PS3, X360, NDS, PSP, GBA, PC). Mario Strikers Charged (Wii). Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (Wii, also PS2, Xbox, GCN, PS3, X360, NDS, PSP, GBA, PC). Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii). Rayman Raving Rabbids (Wii, also PS2, Xbox, GCN, PS3, X360, NDS, PSP, GBA, PC). Red Steel (Wii). Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii). Super Mario Galaxy (working title) (Wii). Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Wii). Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (Wii, also NDS). Trauma Center: Second Opinion (Wii). Wario Ware: Smooth Moves (Wii). Wii Sports (Wii).

Artwork: Red Steel (Wii). Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii). Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Wii). Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (Wii, also NDS). Trauma Center: Second Opinion (Wii). Wario Ware: Smooth Moves (Wii).

Product shots: Wii console.

Hilarity: Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (Wii, also PS2). Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (Wii, also PS2, Xbox, GCN, PS3, X360, NDS, PSP, GBA). Rayman Raving Rabbids (Wii, also PS2, Xbox, GCN, PS3, X360, NDS, PSP, GBA, PC).

Movies: Rayman Raving Rabbids (Wii, also PS2, Xbox, GCN, PS3, X360, NDS, PSP, GBA, PC). Red Steel (Wii).

Portable

Screenshots: Nintendogs: Dalmation & Friends (NDS). Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin character art (NDS). Polarium Advance (GBA).

Multi

Screenshots: Shadowrun (X360, PC). Thrillville (PS2, Xbox, also PSP). Avatar: The Last Airbender character art (PS2, Xbox, GCN, Wii, NDS, PSP, GBA, PC). Rayman Raving Rabbids character art (PS2, Xbox, GCN, PS3, X360, Wii, NDS, PSP, GBA, PC).

Console Game Of The Evening [Submit Yours!]

Phantasy Star IV for the Sega Genesis. "Just when I thought I had passed the game, suddenly I'm travelling to whole new world, I can't believe how shocked I was at the time." (submitted by bakanoodle)

From The Chatty
  • reply
    September 15, 2006 8:59 PM

    How can the Wii browser or any message board be of any use to people if all it supports is 480p? That resolution isn't exactly ideal for using to read text on a display, there's a reason these ideas have been tried in the past and failed. Just more gimmicks for a gimmick based system.

    • reply
      September 15, 2006 9:00 PM

      What? Text is unreadable in 480p? This is news to me.

      • reply
        September 15, 2006 9:04 PM

        I was playing GRAW on an SDTV the other day and I couldn't read half the text in the game without squinting my eyes. Plus the browser will have to compress pages to fit into that low resolution....just a total waste of time and like I said, its just a gimmick.

        • reply
          September 15, 2006 9:06 PM

          What do you mean gimmick? Do you mean "poorly implemented feature"? Or "bad idea"? Or "useless"? If so, just say that. The word "gimmick" has been beat to death on video game forums for years and years, and was meaningless long before Wii was ever announced. Just reading or hearing it makes me want to stab things.

          • reply
            September 15, 2006 9:08 PM

            Ok I guess I'll clarify: A fairly useless implementation strictly for marketing purposes.

            • reply
              September 15, 2006 9:09 PM

              [deleted]

            • reply
              September 15, 2006 9:16 PM

              I've been reading text on standard definition TVs in both games and movies for a very long time, so that arguement is ass. It's only a problem for small text, which isn't a good idea on a TV anyway because people tend to sit relatively far away from the television.

              I'm not psyched about it or anything, but I'd rather have it than not. It's not like they are charging for it.

              • reply
                September 16, 2006 8:11 PM

                I call bullshit! I doubt anyone can read the scores for a football game, or the scrolling text on the bottom of CNN, or the stock ticker on the bottom of CSPAN, or the...

                Oh, right.

          • reply
            September 15, 2006 9:17 PM

            Remo, remember Fanboys 101. If it's not on your system, it's not a feature, but a gimmick.

          • reply
            September 16, 2006 2:43 PM

            Ugh, so agreed.

        • reply
          September 15, 2006 9:08 PM

          GRAW was specifically made for HD. That's an issue with Microsoft and Ubisoft. If these developers put the time into it they could fix that. PC Games, for instance, have the ability to showcase readable text pretty much regardless of the resolution it's being displayed.

          A non-HD game or text on a non-HD TV will be readable. Don't worry.

          • reply
            September 16, 2006 4:59 AM

            but I thought WebTV was made for TVs as well, and that didn't work out that well?

            • reply
              September 16, 2006 10:39 AM

              WebTV did not work out because it is dumb. It looked fine on sites created for it.

              Nintendo is not selling a web service. It is an add-on feature.

              • reply
                September 16, 2006 2:25 PM

                "hen they can surf the Internet right from the comfort of their couch. They can do quick research while watching a television program ("What was that actor's name again?"), or book travel plans and shop during commercials."

                So is Nintendo doing something so these sites that people will be surfing will look a lot better than what WebTV have to offer? Or are you just assuming it will be good on blind fanboy faith?

                • reply
                  September 16, 2006 3:56 PM

                  I don't think anyone gives a flying fuck to be honest. One of the last features I ever need my console to do is web surf. I have a fucking computer as does everyone else who has an internet connection.

                  Call that fanboyism if you wish. When you get down to it, they probably added it because it cost nothing more for them to actually implement it.

                  • reply
                    September 16, 2006 4:46 PM

                    I think you are correct that it is not the console's selling point. But I find it interesting to watch people defend anything Nintendo does but be unimpressed if other companies did the same thing.

                    It would be hot if someone did like a marketing test on some people who post on message boards. Like tell that they are going to ask questions and show them stuff from upcoming video game companies and just make up dumb shit and see how they respond depending on the name of the company that was attached to the information.

                    Example:

                    Nintendo supports 1080p with all games.

                    "WOW, that is awesome, iI can't wait to see that!"

                    PS3 supports 1080 with all games.

                    "Meh, no one even has an HDTV let alone one that supports 1080p, its all about the gameplay man"

                    • reply
                      September 16, 2006 4:54 PM

                      It entirely depends on the person answering and, to a lesser extent, which forum it is. That sort of thing is hardly unique to Nintendo. I think you'd find Microsoft to enjoy a similar benefit of the doubt on these forums. Likewise there are plenty of forums at which Sony would come out on top in such a survey.

                      • reply
                        September 16, 2006 5:46 PM

                        Exactly.

                        Also doing a little research into this specific case, apparently the ability to browse the web is free until a certain date in 2007 then you gotta buy the software from Nintendo or something. Also as far as readability goes, it zooms in and out by moving the wiimote forward and back therefore it probably makes navigating a page that doesn't fit the resolution probably easy to do.

                        Like I said though, I don't care. I just want the games (counting VC too). I could care less about the other features, really. I think Nintendo and Microsoft understand this, which is why I plan to buy both systems.

                        • reply
                          September 16, 2006 8:51 PM

                          "Doing a little research" = reading this LNC?

                          • reply
                            September 16, 2006 9:12 PM

                            No, because I only skimmed this LNC, I didn't really read it. :P

                            Sadly, I wasn't the only one, apparently.

                      • reply
                        September 16, 2006 10:27 PM

                        oh for sure, there are super blind faith fans of every company. And they all sound just as crazy.

                • reply
                  September 16, 2006 6:23 PM

                  I never said it would be good. I said it is an add-on service. I doubt I will ever use it, but if I have a wii before summer 2007, I will use it for free just to check it out.

                  • reply
                    September 16, 2006 6:24 PM

                    ps - I would use the messaging feature though. That in 480 should be fine and functional.

        • reply
          September 16, 2006 10:37 AM

          worst comparison ever.

          GR:AW was made for hdtv, seemingly without regard to sdtv users. As such it looks like hell on standard televisions, especially the text.

          A messaging system made with 480p in mind was, well, made with 480 in mind. It will look fine. Sure, the GUI will probably look like using 640x480 on your computer, but it will be legible.

    • reply
      September 15, 2006 9:04 PM

      try at least watching the vidios before you spout off making yourself look like a fool.

    • reply
      September 15, 2006 9:04 PM

      852x480 is pretty usable for a web browser.

    • reply
      September 15, 2006 9:17 PM

      Wow... Actually, text can be readable on any type of tv if it's been made for its type. My media center is a home-made Linux box plugged on a cheap analog non-HD tv and when I'm playing with it's inner parts, I'm glad to have a console with 80 columns and 24 lines of text because anything at a better resolution would not be readable.

      So don't worry, if the Wii is made for 480p, text will be readable at that resolution.

      • reply
        September 15, 2006 9:27 PM

        Well I tried using Opera Mini on my smartphone (cingular 8125) and while it's useable, it just isn't very practical since all the webpages have to be resized to fit the PDA's low resolution. How will they scale pages without having to constantly zoom in on areas with the Wii?

    • reply
      September 15, 2006 9:42 PM

      I can use the Web just fine from my HTPC running through composite plugs into a normal TV, I just crank up the font resolution. Wii looks like it'll do the same.

    • reply
      September 15, 2006 10:47 PM

      Wii Opera will render webpages so that they are readable from TV screen. And I suppose web will look quite cool from my widescreen LCD tv.

    • reply
      September 16, 2006 3:24 AM

      Why Opera and not Firefox I wonder. :(

      • reply
        September 16, 2006 3:31 AM

        Because Opera has a lot of experience in making browser software for machines with limited resolution and specific interface needs. I don't think the Firefox team has that same expertise.

    • reply
      September 16, 2006 3:05 PM

      All I know is that the shack will look like crap on it. The shack is definately not scalable :(

    • reply
      September 16, 2006 3:11 PM

      http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?id=12584875

      move along people...nothing to see here.

    • reply
      September 16, 2006 9:29 PM

      I think you misinterpreted what the message board does/is.

      It's not a web forum. Think of the weather channel we have seen. I would bet the style is similar to that in at font readability, layout, etc.

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