Wii Rally

Two video game powerhouse franchises are coming together. The teams of LEGO and Rock Band are joining forces to bring LEGO Rock Band to the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 for Christmas 2009.

Players will get to experience Rock Band from a different perspective. This game brings the fun and customization of the LEGO franchise to Rock Band. Venues, characters, stages, and everything else will have the LEGO touch. This game will be family friendly. Here’s a few of the songs:

Blur: “Song 2”
Carl Douglas: “Kung Fu Fighting”
Europe: “The Final Countdown”
Good Charlotte: “Boys and Girls”
Pink: “So What”

Gamestop CEO Dan DeMatteo has some advice for the big three console makers: drop your prices. Although the gaming industry has been somewhat ‘recession-proof,’ DeMatteo believes that a drop in console prices will ensure that it will stay that way.

DeMatteo says that Nintendo may want to consider lowering the price of the Wii since component parts are cheaper and Nintendo makes more money off each console.

For the month of March, only the Xbox 360 saw an increase in sales from the previous March sales.

DeMatteo’s comments were from CNBC. He also mentioned that Nintendo has told him to clear a lot of shelf space this Christmas season as Nintendo is planning to release a “key property.”

Maybe we will learn more about this key property at the E3 Expo. It does sound intriguing, though.

Soon we will know just exactly how the Wii MotionPlus will enhance game play. A June release date has been set for the accessory and there’s new when to expect Wii Resort, too.

June 8th, 2009 is the date when the Wii MotionPlus will be available. The Wii MotionPlus will retail for $19.99 and is suppose to improve motion detection for the Wiimote. Of course a game will have to be designed to use the Wii MotionPlus so current games will not support it.

The much anticipated Wii Sports Resort is due to be released July 26, 2009. The game will cost $49.99 and comes with a Wii MotionPlus. Wii Sports Resort is designed to use the Wii MotionPlus. It’s the follow-up to Wii Sports and is set on a tropical island where players can take part in games like disc dog, Sword Play, and Power Cruising.

If you are like me and are collecting quite a few WiiWare/Virtual Console games, then you probably have some on your SD card. But you might be running out of room on the 1G or 2G card. This week Nintendo announced at the GDC that now Wii owners can download content directly to high capacity SD cards in addition to SD memory cards.

Wii owners can also launch games directly from the SD card. There will need to be an equivalent amount of internal memory to run the program. This new feature will be available in the latest Wii updates. You will be able to use them once you have downloaded the updates.

This is a step in the right direction to give Wii owners more storage options. Now if Nintendo would only release a Wii hard drive.

A very huge gauntlet was thrown down today in San Francisco at the Game Developers Conference. Touting it as ‘the most powerful gaming system in the world,’ the OnLive gaming service has a very high bar to reach this winter when this new way to play games is released.

This new service gamers can use on their PC or TV with an HDMI connection. They only need to download a small file on their PC. Games are run on the server farms of OnLive - meaning no lag in gaming and games start up in mere seconds. It will be a subscription service and players will have to buy games and/or rent to play them on a daily basis.

Steve Pearlman and the rest of the 100 team that has spent the last 7 years developing OnLive believe it to be a competitor and even superior to next gen consoles like the Wii. That is a very bold claim especially for a game service that will cost you money but won’t give you any tangible in return. The good thing about console games is that there is a used market for unwanted games. At least you can recoup some of your money. With OnLive, that option will not be available.

I find it incredibly hard to believe that a game service that uses a keyboard/mouse/generic USB game controller can compete with the Wiimote/Nunchuk. Wii gamers prefer Wii games for a reason. I don’t think a PC-like game service is going to be able to dethrone the Nintendo Wii.

Wii Play - which is a nine mini games - reaches an impressive milestone. The game has sold 10 million units in the United States. Wii Play was released in February 2007. Wii Play is now the top selling software game for consoles and portable systems in the United States.

One of the reasons that so many Wii owners buy Wii Play is because the game comes with a Wiimote. So it’s a good way to get a game and another Wiimote for around $50. Wii Play is a fun game and is a wonderful introduction into playing games on the Wii. Each Wii Play game teaches you a different technique using the Wiimote. Players can use their Miis in each game.

The nine games include billiards, shooting range, and my personal favorite, Charge! Wii Play is for 1-2 players and is rated E for Everyone.

After looking through the upcoming Wii releases, I was struck by the phrase “New Play Control.” It looked to be in front of several familiar titles. And after a little research it makes sense why that’s the case.

New Play Control is a program that brings GameCube games to the Nintendo Wii. These games now support 16:9 widescreen. They will also be retooled to use the Wii controllers like the Wiimote and Nunchuk. Upcoming releases include:

Pikmin
Mario Power Tennis
Pokemon Platinum version
Punch Out

The Nintendo Wii does play older GameCube games so there doesn’t seem to be much incentive to buy a repackaged version of games. Maybe some will like the format for newer televisions. But the game would have to have a lot of replay value to buy it again.

Some games will have updated content but for the most part with be the classic GameCube version.

There are a few games that I would be interested in getting like Pikmin. I never played the GameCube version but have heard that it is a fun game.

The good news about these games is that the pricing will be reasonable. Pikmin for the Wii will retail for $29.99. So for those who are interested in playing these games with Wii controls, at least the pricing will be in line with what the GameCube version would set you back.

The dynamic duo of Mario and Sonic is back in another Olympic licensed game. This time the rivals will take on winter games. Mario and Sonic’s newest Olympic game will be released later this year.

The game will take players to Vancouver, Canada - the host of the 2010 Winter Olympic games. There will be new players for the winter games that will be announced later this year. Some of the venues include Alpine Skiing and Speed Skating.

The Wii version will feature co-op and competitive multi-player modes. Mario and Sonic the the Olympic Winter Games will be released in late 2009.

Have you read about sales actually being better in January 2009 than expected? So it’s not at all surprising that January was another banner month for Nintendo of America. Sales of the Wii were up 148% from January 2008 with nearly 680,000 units sold.

The same momentum was seen in sales of Wii games. Wii Fit was number one with more than 777,000 sold. Wii Play was number two with 415,000 sold and third was Mario Kart Wii with 292,000.

While the economy may be slowing down, demand for the Wii is still strong. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s a fun system for both gamers and non-gamers. Those looking for an escape from the economic crisis can find it with the Wii. Plus with so many New Year resolutions that deal with weightloss and exercise, it’s no wonder the Wii Fit is a popular choice especially for those who have tried other exercise programs or gym memberships.

It really isn’t a surprise that the Wii is doing well in sales in the U.S. The Wii is a fun console and with titles like Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii, it’s fun for the whole family.

Now here is some good news for fans of Rock Band. There will be six new tracks to download for the Wii including four Boston songs.

The tracks are -

Boston “Hitch a Ride”
Boston “Peace of Mind”
Boston “Smokin’”
Boston “Something About You”
Blondie “Hanging on the Telephone”
All-American Rejects “Dirty Little Secret”

Downloadable content for Rock Band has been available for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for some time. Now Wii owners will be able to buy new song tracks to add to their Rock Band experience.

While it’s not immediately available, eventually all of the 550 downloadable tracks will be available on the Wii. Each track costs 200 Wii Points ($2.00).

Downloadable content for the Wii is purchased through the Rock Band in-game Rock Band music store. You will have to buy Wii Points through the Wii Shop.

Showing that no company is exempt from feeling the pinch of tougher economic times, Nintendo has lowered their earning expectations. The recession that is hitting Europe, Japan, and the United States to be the reason the the projected demand for the Wii will be down. Net income is expected to be $2.6 billion in the year ending March 31 - that’s will be 33 percent lower than what Nintendo predicted in October.

The demand for the Wii in the United States is still strong and was thought by some to be enough to keep the company recession-proof. But with a world economy heading toward recession, it just isn’t enough.

It’s sad news to read that the recession is now affecting video game and console giant Nintendo. Too bad Mario can’t come to the rescue on this problem.

The Nintendo Wii reaches a sales milestone no other console has been able to reach. In 2008, there were 10 million units sold of the very popular console.

To Wii owners, it’s not surprising to hear this news as we already know how much fun and versatile the Wii can be. The Wii definitely has a far reaching appeal and with a price tag of only $250 is a downright bargain when compared with the pricey PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Sales of the Wii console could also be driven by the very popular Wii Fit. It seems everyone I know either has Wii Fit or is looking for it. Also Mario and other franchise Nintendo characters remain very popular and some of the better games for the Wii feature these beloved gaming icons.

I would also wager that the tighter economy had something to do with it. Wiis cost less than its competition - making at an affordable choice for those wanting to buy a next gen console.

As the inauguration was taking place, The White House staff was busy moving the First Family into their new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Apparently on the of the items moved was a Nintendo Wii.

The Obamas bought their daughters - Sasha and Malia - a Wii console over the Christmas season. The Wii was set up in the family room of the White House.

Wii bowling seems to be a favorite with many Wii owners, but when you have a bowling alley in your home, how can the video game compete? But there are plenty of other games that are available for the Wii that would be perfect for the Obamas. With their workout ethic, Wii Fit might be a good choice on those days that it’s just impossible to make it to the gym.

So, which games for the Wii would you recommend for the First Family?

Here is an interesting Yahoo! article on the Nintendo Wii and how the video games for it are up to standard. Apparently a lot of Wii games have scored low points from video game critics. Almost half of the games reviewed since 2006 have had a rating below 65% - about 1/3 of all Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games fall below that number.

Does this really mean anything? I take video game reviews with a grain of salt. Some factors that might cause a game to get a low score have very little to do with how fun the game might actually be. And for Wii owners, it’s all about the fun. I bought Carnival Games because I thought it would be fun. It is fun but the controls need a little more work. Of course, I see that a lot in these mini-Wii games. But these types of games aren’t necessary about beating the game but just about having fun.

The article goes on to say that these low scoring games are big hits on the Wii - like Carnival Games and Boom Blox. Having written for a video game review site, I can tell you that some reviewers are video game elitists. If the game doesn’t use the latest technology, have impeccable graphics and sound, then they care nothing for it. I know a lot of people with a Wii. For some it’s the only console they own or have owned in years. They want fun games. Boom Blox was on sale after Thanksgiving and quickly sold out at one store. It took me about a month to find Carnival Games in stock to buy it.

I don’t mean to sound too critical of video game reviewers because a lot of the time they are spot on when it comes to a game. But - just like the article suggests - they must not get the appeal of Wii games to Wii owners. If they did, then they might judge these games with a different criteria - overall family or group fun.

This year we bought an Xbox 360 on Black Friday. Target had a nice deal that when you bought one then you also received a $60 gift card. We figure that might be the best deal that we see in a while for one. So we buy one and finally get an update to run on our Internet satellite.

After the start up of the Xbox 360, you are prompted to choose an avatar or a starting point for your persona. Once you’ve chose from a selection of characters, you can then change features much like you can on your Mii. My first reaction was is the Xbox 360 trying to be more like the Wii? What is up with this?

Apparently these avatars are used in Xbox Live to represent players. Also, players will be able to buy apparel for their avatar sometime next year.

So, does this mean that the Nintendo has influenced Microsoft? Who knows. It is very interesting and will have to keep a watch to see how ingrained the Xbox avatars become in future games.