Wii Rally

Being a huge Mario and Sonic fan, I couldn’t wait to play Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. I finally got my chance to play when the game was available for rent at the local Blockbuster. I couldn’t wait to get home and give it a shot.

My first impression of the game is ‘boy that is hard.’ It seems to be a steep learning curve to use the controls properly in what are basically a set of mini-games with an Olympic twist. It was disheartening because on some games it took longer to read the instructions than to play it.

Still it was fun to compete in Olympic games like swimming, shooting, and track. Even though my first experience playing it wasn’t that great, I hope to give it another shot in the future. Maybe the price will drop in a few months, and I’ll pick it up then.

Two games have been released to the virtual console this last week of February.

Kirby 64™: The Crystal Shards: (Nintendo 64®, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points)

Psychosis: (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 600 Wii Points)

The title that might truly marry video games with exercise, Wii Fit, has been given a US release date. Wii Fit will be available May 19.

Gamers use the special Wii Balance Board to ‘play’ this game that includes such activities as balance games, yoga, and aerobics. You can also check your BMI(Body Mass Index) as well as your Wii Fit Age. The Wii Fit Age will test your well you can control your left and right balance.

Wii Fit will be sold with the Wii Balance Board. Pricing details have yet to be released.

Nintendo announces from the Game Developers Conference a US launch date for the much anticipated WiiWare, a new component of the Wii Shop. WiiWare is slated to be launched May 12, one week before WiiFit hits the United States.

Wii owners will be available to download new games with their Wii points through WiiWare. Several titles have already been announced for WiiWare. Games include: : Pokémon Bokujō Channel, Dr. Mario & Bacteria Extermination, and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Young King and the Promised Land.

The Grim Reaper’s teenage son will be coming to the Wii this summer in a whole new adventure. Death Jr Root of Evil will be a shooter platform game.

While arguing, DJ and Pandora accidentally release an evil spirit and must set things right again. You can either play as DJ or Pandora or play cooperatively. Besides DJ’s scathe and Pandora’s whip, there are weapon upgrades that can be earned during the game. Root of Evil has 19 levels and over 60 unique enemies and bosses.

Death Jr Root of Evil is set to be released this summer.

Two more classic games are now available through the Virtual Console.

Harvest Moon® (Super NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points) - This RPG title will have you living the not-so-simple-life down on the farm. Grow and reap crops in this well respected title.

Lords of Thunder (TurboGrafx-16 CD-ROM, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points) - is a side shooting scroller that casts you as a warrior. Shoot the bad guys to heavy metal tunes.

Both are available beginning today.

It seems buzz about the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl is everywhere. This game is already out in Japan and Gamespot has a hands on review.

The video game isn’t due out in the States until March 9th, just over a month away. There are many fans who are patiently awaiting for Super Smash to be available. Here are a few more character renders from the game.

If there ever was a franchise game that was made for the Wii, Mario Party would have to be it. This party game veteran title is a perfect choice for the Wii because of the mini-games and multi-player mode. Plus it’s Mario. ‘Nuff said.

Mario Party 8 continues to do this title proud with fun games that make great use of the Wiimote. It’s also a great title to bring out when your friends come over. Gamers and non-gamers can enjoy this one.

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Rock Band for the Wii is indeed in the works. Back in Rock Band was first announced in April 2007, it was alluded that Rock Band would be developed for the Wii. No updates have been given on the progress or even if Rock Band was still in the works for the Wii until now.

EA’s chief executive John Riccitiello let news of an upcoming launch of Rock Band for the Wii slip during a conference call. That is all Riccitiello let slide. No word on a time frame or release date. It will probably be like most video game release dates: it will be ready when it’s ready.
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Atari has shipped its latest game for the Nintendo Wii. My Horse and Me will soon be available and will sell for $29.99.

Live the equestrian lifestyle from the comfort of your own living room. Take care of your horse as well as take part in many different activities. The championship mode will challenge you to take part in indoor and outdoor events at venues from around the world.

My horse and me will also be available for the Nintendo DS and PC.

While the effects of second hand smoke on humans might be up for debate, for the Nintendo Wii it could be very bad.

Dust particles on the Wii’s laser will cause disc read errors. Apparently this is problem plaguing Japanese Wii owners. So much so that Nintendo has offered to clean the Wiis for free.

So, Wii owners might want to either light up outside or knit a tea cozy for their Wii.

Two new games are added to the Wii shop this week. One is full of action as you set out to free hostages. The other offering is to bury your competitor with jewels.

OPERATION WOLF™ (NES®, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Use of Tobacco and Violence, 500 points)

Columns III™: Revenge of Columns (Genesis, 1-5 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 points)

For Christmas, I received some Wii points as a stocking stuffer. Eager to use those points to buy a couple of virtual console games, I fired up the Wii and selected the Wii shop channel.

I received a message that a system update was available and that I must download it before continuing. No problem. So, I start the process, accept the user agreement, and the download begins. About 30 seconds pass when I receive an on screen error code 32004 and a little message that the Wii can’t proceed and to try again later. After digging up the error code on Nintendo’s support page, I learn that possibly the Wii servers are receiving a high amount of traffic and to try again later. It also gives advice on router channel settings. I try that out but still get the error. I decided to try to update another day.

Since this was right after Christmas, I thought that all those folks who got a Wii for Christmas must be updating their system. In a few days it wil be better. Boy was I wrong.

After a month of trying to update, tonight it finally worked. I was beginning to think that I would have to take my Wii somewhere to have it download since I had read mixed reports of the Wii update working with satellite Internet. In fact, Nintendo even says on their support page that the updates do not work with satellite Internet. But it updated before with no problem, so I wasn’t sure what the culprit was.

I guess the new Christmas Wiis might have been the hold up after all. Now I can finally spend those Wii points.

It’s the ultimate “What If” for video game fans as they can take on some of the most well known characters head to head. Now this popular franchise is coming to the Wii. Super Smash Bros. is set to be released in early March.

The Wii version will allow up to four players to brawl at the same time. There are many familiar characters like Link, Mario, and Pikachu. Players will duke it out in one of several locales that will be familiar to fans. In single player mode, the world of Smash Bros. is invaded, and it’s up to you to put things right again. In past games, when enemies were defeated, they turned back into stone but not in this version. The Ancient Minister, who is in the invader, turns characters into trophies to harness their power. Eventually, all the characters must work together to defeat the invading creatures.

But the heart of this game is the multiplayer game where players can choose their favorite character and do battle. Players will be able to customize the game experience like so players choosing how often items appear or adjust musical scores.

Here are some of the characters who will be Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Mario, Samus, Bowser, Donkey Kong®, Solid Snake, Meta Knight, Kirby™, Pikachu®, Zero Suit Samus, Link, Zelda™, Pit and Wario™.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl will be available March 9th and will retail for $49.99.