Wii Rally

It’s been long rumored that it was coming and alluded to during a January projections meeting by EA officials. Now Rock Band Wii has a release date.

Look for the Wii Rock Band bundle June 22nd and will sell for $169.99. Non-bundled instruments will also be released the same day. The Wii version will feature 63 songs, including five bonus songs just for the Wii version.

Hanna-Barbera characters are coming to the Wii. Wacky Races: Crash and Dash will be available this June.

For those who have played this game before will remember it for its fun cartoonish graphics and entertaining gameplay. It is a racing game and will make a great addiction to the growing list of Wii games.

Wacky Races will also be available for the Nintendo DS.

Apparently some Wii owners are having issues with their Wii not playing their new Super Smash Bros. Brawl discs. The culprit? You might remember this news from a few months back as it was a problem in Japan. The Wiis are having problems because of second hand smoke. Nintendo is saying that the Wii needs to be cleaned to read dual discs like Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Nintendo has offered to clean the affected Wiis at no charge. Only catch is you have to send in your Wii. So the wait to play that highly anticipated title just became a little longer.

Clear your gaming calendar for April 27 as that is the release date for Mario Kart for the Wii in the United States.

A lot of Wii owners have been waiting for this one and will be glad to know that through the WIFI connection they can compete with up to 11 people. Mario Kart will include 16 new courses and 16 classic drivers. Mario Kart will be compatible with the Wii wheel that will be sold separately. Mario Kart Wii supports four different control options: Wii Remoteâ„¢ with or without the Wii Wheel, Wii Remote and Nunchukâ„¢ controller combo, Classic Controller and even the Nintendo GameCubeâ„¢ controller.

Mario Kart will launch with a new Wii channel, the Mario Kart channel. The channel will allow gamers to find opponents, compete in tournaments, check worldwide ratings, see when their friends are playing, and download ghost data.

For more, visit MarioKart.com.

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 BokujÅ? Channel, Dr. Mario & Bacteria Extermination, and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Young King and the Promised Land.

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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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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Playâ„¢, a collection of nine fun mini-games, finished 2007 with 4.1 million units sold.

Super Mario Galaxyâ„¢ sold through more than 2.5 million copies since it launched on Nov. 12.

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