Wii Rally

European gamers will soon to be able to buy an alternative to the Wiimote. sunflex Europe will sell the snakebyte Riimote, a wireless controller for the Nintendo Wii. The Riimote will be available February 8 for 39,99€. It comes in either lipstick pink or glossy black. Also available this spring from sunflex will be a Nunchuk as well as classic controller for the Wii.

Who doesn’t dream of creating their own monster and then taking that monster out into the world? Everybody, right? Well, in Monster Lab you can do just that at least in the confines of your own home.

In Monster Lab, you play an apprentice scientist who creates his own monster to explore Uncanny Valley. It’s a land ruled by the evil Baron Mharti. It’s your job to find parts to make more monsters while battling those you come across in your quest.You and your monsters must liberate the land by ousting the evil Baron Mharti, ending his reign of terror.

You can also take your monster online to fight other created monsters. Monster Lab will be released sometime this year for both the Nintendo Wii and DS.

Looking for the ultra geeky gift this Valentine’s Day? How about a Mii Valentines?

The chocolate Mii figures are about the size of a large candy bar. The Miis come in a special console-shaped box. There are less than 40 of these boxes still available and will ship February 6th.

Slim pickens for new virtual console games today. Only one new game to report about.

1080°® SNOWBOARDING (N64®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points) - Think of it as the safe way to snowboard. More game information:

Hit the slopes for some serious shredding in one of the first truly realistic snowboarding games ever created! Start in the lodge and select from five characters, each with his/her own particular attributes and special tricks. Then take a look at the wide assortment of available boards and choose one that best suits your rider and style. Once you’ve got the gear, six different modes of play, including Match Race, Trick Attack, and 2-Player Versus, await. Pick a course and get ready to experience a sensation of speed that’ll make you forget all about the cold—but it might just send a shiver down your spine. Throw in hidden characters and boards, varying weather and snow conditions, multiple paths through each course, and a variety of tricks to master—topped off with rock-solid play control—and you’ve got a recipe for winter fun that you can enjoy any time of the year. It’s all the fun and excitement of the sport, without the bruises and frostbite!

There are a few words that come to mind when I think of WarioWare Smooth Moves. Fast, chaotic, strangely addictive. Warioware: Smooth Moves is full of 3-5 second micro-games that challenge players to do crazy tasks like pick someone’s nose or balancing a broom in the palm of your hand.

There is a story behind all the chaos. Here it is from the Nintendo website:

While pursuing a strange creature that stole his snack, Wario accidentally stumbles into an old building called the Temple of Form. Inside, he finds a mystical treasure called the Form Baton, which looks suspiciously like a Wii Remote. He discovers that the Form Baton gives him special powers depending on his “form” - the way he holds and moves the baton. Wario decides to pocket his new treasure, and soon the form craze spreads through Diamond City.

To advance in the game you have to clear those wacky micro-games that change how you use the Wiimote. Be ready to adapt your game play really fast.

I had recommended WarioWare to friends because I thought that they would enjoy playing it. Apparently they didn’t and were very disappointed with it. So I guess the game antics aren’t for everyone. So, if you like crude humor and short games, WarioWare Smooth Moves might be worth checking out.

There are a few new games for the Wii this week. Most notably No More Heroes, a Cowboy Bebop-like story of an anime fan flung into an Assassin’s organization.

Kawasaki Jet Ski - $19.99 - Everyone

No More Heroes - $49.99 - Mature

One Piece Unlimited Adventures - $39.99 - Teen

Endless Ocean - $29.99 - Everyone

Americans aren’t the only ones enamored with the Wii as the latest sales figures show Europeans love it too. Here are some of the figures:

European Wii sales (sell-through estimate) figures at a glance as of beg Jan 2008:
Product Total European Cumulative Sales to date (Sell through estimate as of beg Jan 2008)
Wii Over 6 million units
Wii Play 2.3 million units
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 1.3 million units
Mario Party 8 1 million units
Super Mario Galaxy 1.3 million units

The figures are provide through independent research companies.

Fans of the books Wizardology and Dragonology will be thrilled to learn that these very popular title are coming to the Wii. Dragonology will be the first ology game released for the Wii and will be released sometime in the second half of 2008.

Dragonology explores the study and conservation of dragons, while Wizardology is a manual of spells and magical information, supposedly written by Merlin. The game will make good use to the Wiimote. The Wii games will offer something for younger kids who are likely to be fans of the books and also offer something of a challenge for older kids.

NiK NaK, known for creating games for young players, will develop this game for Codemasters.

After reading all the praise for the new Mario game for the Wii, Super Mario Galaxy, I finally decided last week that it was time to play this game that is being touted as the best Mario game in years.

After playing Super Mario Galaxy for a little less than a week, I’m beginning to see what all the fuss is all about. I knew at the opening scene that I would like this game. It’s almost as if “you had me at Mario” moment. My only trepidation with the game for the Wii was that I would have to use the nunchuk and the Wiimote in the game, something I feared would be too much coordination for me. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy I mastered moving Mario with the nunchuk while also using the Wiimote to make him jump and to capture star bits. Star bits are important since you can feed stars or fight enemies using them. You can also earn 1ups when you collect 100 star bits.

This will not surprise Mario fans to know that at the root of the premise of the game is to save Princess Peach. Bowser has stolen something that allows him to travel through time and space. So, it’s up to Mario to set everything straight, as always.

The worlds of Super Mario Galaxy are quite different from the standard Mario game. There’s still enough of the game like Mario’s patented moves or the retro music mix to remind players that this is indeed a game starring the Italian plumber.

The only downside I have found so far to the game is the camera angle is somewhat clunky at times. You can use the Wiimote to move the camera around but can take a little getting use to.

Overall, Super Mario Galaxy is a great addition to the Wii line of games. It’s fun and provides a lot of entertainment.

Two new games are released through the virtual console this holiday Monday.

ADVENTURES OF LOLO 2 (NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points)

SUPER STREET FIGHTER™ II: THE NEW CHALLENGERS (Super NES®, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen - Violence, 800 Wii Points)

It really doesn’t surprise me to learn that Wii Play finished second in games sold for 2007. While Wii Play is a fun game, it comes with a Wiimote, a huge selling point for the $50 game. It’s best to have at least two Wii remotes so that multi-player games are easier to play.

When we bought our Wii, we asked the sales guy what game he would recommend. He pointed out a few and then said Wii Play was a very good choice because it came with a Wiimote. The mini-games are enjoyable and are really more fun when playing with another person. Wii Play is a good choice for your first game for your new Wii since it comes with a Wii remote. Also I have to believe that our sales guy isn’t the only one giving out the advice about buying Wii Play to new Wii owners.

Wii Play includes nine mini-games that make good use of the Wiimote. Players can play pool, pose a Mii, or ride a charging bull. Even though the Wii comes bundled with Wii Sports that has some multi-player mini-games, Wii Play is a little more in-depth and offers a larger variety of games.

The biggest advantage to Wii Play is the Wiimote and is without a doubt the reason it was the second best selling game of 2007. The number one selling game of 2007 was Halo. Surprise, Surprise. Two more Wii games made the top ten list: Super Mario Galaxy came in at 5 and Mario Party strong sales ranked it at 10.

The sales figures are in for 2007 and show that Nintendo’s Wii and DS both finish strong among consoles in the U.S. With 8.5 million units sold, the Nintendo DS takes top honors for the year. The Wii placed second with 6.3 million units sold.

Some other interesting sales figures for Nintendo for 2007:

Nintendo accounted for 52 percent of all video game hardware systems sold in 2007 – more than all other manufacturers combined.

Wii Play™, a collection of nine fun mini-games, finished 2007 with 4.1 million units sold.

Super Mario Galaxy™ sold through more than 2.5 million copies since it launched on Nov. 12.

Askimet is marking everything spam. It’s a problem that has been network wide but I thought it was getting better since I did get a notice of a new comment. Ironically it was a spam comment at that.

Every few days I’ve been trying to sort through the spam filter to de-spam true comments. I apologize if your comments do not immediately show up and hopefully this problem will be fixed shortly.

For those looking for a Nintendo Wii, EBGames.com will soon be selling Wii bundles in limited quantities.

There is the Ultimate Action Wii Bundle that sells for $581.91 and includes:

* Nintendo Wii system (system, remote controller, nunchuck, stand, sensor and Wii Sports)
* Wii Memory SD 1.0GB
* Wii Charge Station (Dual port rapid recharging dock, 2 rechargeable NiMH battery packs, rubberized battery covers and 6 foot power cable. *Does not include additional remote controllers)
* 1 additional Wii Nunchuck Controller
* Wii Play with Remote
* Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
* Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
* LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
* Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution

The Wii Multi-player Bundle retails for $594.91 and includes:

* Nintendo Wii system (system, remote controller, nunchuck, stand, sensor and Wii Sports)
* Wii Memory SD 1.0GB
* Wii Charge Station (Dual port rapid recharging dock, 2 rechargeable NiMH battery packs, rubberized battery covers and 6 foot power cable. *Does not include additional remote controllers)
* 1 additional Wii Nunchuck Controller
* Wii Play with Remote
* Mario Party 8
* High School Musical: Sing It! with Microphone
* Mario and Sonic: Olympic Games
* Rayman Raving Rabbids 2

Nintendo of America releases a partial list of Wii titles that will be available this spring. Here is the list:

Jan. 7: Kidz Sports Ice Hockey from Destineer
Jan. 8: Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law from Capcom
Jan. 15: SAMURAI WARRIORS: KATANA from KOEI CORPORATION
Jan. 15: Furu Furu Park from Majesco Entertainment
Jan. 21: Endless Ocean from Nintendo
Jan. 22: One Piece: Unlimited Adventure� from Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
Jan. 29: Bomberman Land from Hudson
January: No More Heroes from Ubisoft
January: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Hard Evidence from Ubisoft
Feb. 8: Kawasaki Jet Ski from Destineer
Feb. 11: Go Diego Go!: Safari Rescue from 2K Play
Feb. 12: WWII Aces from Destineer
Feb. 12: Dream Pinball 3D from SouthPeak Games
Feb. 18: MX vs. ATV Untamed from THQ
Feb. 25: Agatha Christie And Then There Were None from DreamCatcher Games
Feb. 26: Baroque from Atlus USA
Feb. 26: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors from Square Enix
Feb. 27: Kidz Sports Soccer from Destineer
Feb. 27: London Taxi: Rush Hour from Destineer
February: Garfield� Gets Real from DSI Games
February: Yamaha Supercross from DSI Games
February: Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore from Konami
February: Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30� from Ubisoft
February: BALLOON POP from UFO INTERACTIVE GAMES
March 3: Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed from THQ
March 9: Super Smash Bros.� Brawl from Nintendo
March 10: Worms: A Space Oddity from THQ
March 25: Okami from Capcom
March 25: OPOONA from KOEI CORPORATION
March: MiniCopter: Adventure Flight from Aksys Games
March: Alone in the Dark from Atari
March: Ninja Reflex from Electronic Arts
March: Obscure: The Aftermath from Ignition Entertainment
March: Target: Terror from Konami
March: Nitro Bike from Ubisoft
March: Emergency Heroes from Ubisoft
March: HEAVENLY GUARDIAN from UFO INTERACTIVE GAMES
March: Rebel Raiders from XS Games
April 15: Castle of Shikigami III from Aksys Games
April: Pro Evolution Soccer from Konami
April: Wild Earth: African Safari from Majesco Entertainment
April: THE MONKEY KING-THE LEGEND BEGINS from UFO INTERACTIVE GAMES
April: Super Pick Ups from XS Games
May 6: Speed Racer from Warner Bros. Games
May 13: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian from Disney Interactive Studios
May: BlastWorks: Build, Trade, Destroy from Majesco Entertainment
May: King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga from SNK Playmore
May: THE DOG Island from Ubisoft
June 8: Wonderworld Amusement Park from Majesco Entertainment
June: Catch of the Day from Electronic Arts
June: Ford Racing Off Road from Empire Interactive
June: Cooking Mama Cook Off 2 from Majesco Entertainment
June: Rygar: The Battle of Argus from Tecmo, Inc.
June: DeBlob from THQ
June: Wall-E from THQ
Spring: Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel from Nintendo
Spring: Major League Baseball� 2K8 from 2K Sports
Spring: Don King Presents: Prizefighter from 2K Sports
Spring: Top Spin 3 from 2K Sports
Spring: Kung Fu Panda from Activision
Spring: LEGO: Indiana Jones from LucasArts
Summer: Deca Sports from Hudson
Summer: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed from LucasArts
Summer: Active Life�: Outdoor Challenge� from Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
Q2: Wii Fit from Nintendo