Nintendophiles 03.13.08
Posted by Theo Fraser on 03.13.2008
Mario Kart Wii gets a US release date, and new details emerge on Namco Bandai's action/horror title 'Fragile'. Plus, the WiiWare service is heating up with both a new Konami project in the pipeline AND Tetris on its way. Check all of that out and more in this week's edition of Nintendophiles!
Hello? Is anybody there? *Silence* Oh...right...you're all playing Smash Bros. Brawl, aren't you?! To say that I'm somewhat jealous would be the understatement of the century. I shall console myself with the PAL release of No More Heroes tomorrow, but nevertheless...color me green with envy!
On a different note, last week I mentioned having a special something planned this coming weekend. And I figured I'd go ahead and spill the beans now! Wembley Stadium in London is hosting the first ever "Play.com LIVE" event, and I'll be there in person to represent the 411 Games zone! So check back Sunday evening (possibly Monday morning) for a full rundown of the show, complete with hands-on playtests with some of 2008's most anticipated games, such as Haze, LEGO Indiana Jones, Resident Evil 5, Ghostbusters, Condemned 2, Rockband, LittleBigPlanet and much more! So mark it down in your diaries, people; you definitely don't want to miss 411's exclusive coverage of the proceedings.
Alrighty, with all of that out of the way, let's get down to business.
Mario Kart Wii US release date confirmed
Credit: CVG
We found out a couple of weeks ago that Mario Kart Wii would land on European shores on April 11th, following in the footsteps of Mario Kart: Double Dash on the Gamecube, seeing a PAL release before the NTSC version hits store shelves. Much like Double Dash, however, you won't have long to wait, as a US release date has been confirmed for April 27th.
Good news, certainly, but there's something else worth pointing out here. Reggie Fils-Aime recently stated that this ‘staggered' release across the world was due to problems with disc duplication, as it would be nigh on impossible to produce enough copies to satiate worldwide demand. Fair enough, that's a very feasible answer. But the delay between UK and US release dates is only two weeks. Smash Bros. Brawl was delayed in the UK for the very same disc duplication reasons, and yet we've still yet to receive an official release date. Something doesn't quite add up there.
Grievances aside, we now have various worldwide release dates for Mario Kart Wii, so that's something to look forward to. For us PAL gamers, we've got just under a month to wait! Time to start saving up then...
Latest Fragile information released
Credit: Dengeki, Cubed3
Namco Bandai's upcoming third-person action/horror title Fragile is seemingly coming on nicely, and Japanese gaming magazine Dengeki recently previewed the title, revealing a few new details along the way.
The Wii-remote will function in two primary ways. Firstly, as has been mentioned here in Nintendophiles before, it will act as a flashlight, and you'll be able to direct its beam across the dark environments, searching for clues and on the lookout for the local townsfolk who have mysteriously disappeared. Its second use will come in the way of a sound detector, which will utilise the Wii remote's speakers, emitting bleeps as you scan the area for spectres and ghostly presences. Those two different gameplay mechanics should help freshen things up, making sure players don't get bogged down with a ton of combat.
On the combat front, no new details have been revealed, but just to quickly go over it again, you'll take hold of the Wii-mote for real-time battles against enemies, commandeering anything you can get your hands on, including a stick and a bow. Gameplay seems to be set in place now, so it's only a matter of time before we start to see actual in-game videos crop up.
As far as the environments you'll explore go, three areas have been confirmed, and it appears that you'll traipse through a train station, a theme park and a hotel. Good bit of variety there, and I'm sure there are plenty more still under wraps.
Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (to give it its full title) is scheduled for a Japanese release by the end of the year, so we're probably looking at an early 2009 Stateside launch. This one definitely has potential, and I'll be keeping a close eye on it, so you'll likely hear more on Fragile very soon.
Konami have their sights set on WiiWare development
Credit: IGN, Cubed3, Nikkei
With Metal Gear Solid 4 almost complete, Konami are beginning work on future projects, sparking much debate and the usual healthy batch of rumors.
News from the Konami camp by way of president Fumiaki Tanaka indicates that Hideo Kojima (MGS creator) is starting work on a new title outside of the Metal Gear franchise, which still in its conceptual phase, hence why no other details are available. Still, that minor tidbit is enough to work the gaming industry into a frenzy, as rumors fly around about what this title may be. Personally, I think it's useless trying to figure this one out, as Kojima is the man responsible for the innovative solar-powered Boktai franchise, so with that in mind, it could literally be ANYTHING.
In the same interview with Tanaka-san, the Konami president mentioned that the company was very interested in the WiiWare service, and would likely pursue that avenue as they take a new direction, dipping into their past repertoire of classic games and franchises, potentially updating them for a new market. This is an extremely interesting concept, as Konami has a strong back catalogue, and we could be in for some real treats if this is truly the case. Again, it's all still talk at present, but we'll likely get word of their plans in the coming months. Stay tuned!
Tetris falls on to WiiWare service
Credit: Cubed3
With WiiWare set to launch in Japan on the 25th of this month, the catalogue of titles coming to the service is beginning to take shape. Now we can add one more to the list...Tetris!
The ever-popular puzzle game is being brought to WiiWare via Hudson and Tetris Online, who have stated that they are aiming for one million downloads worldwide. With Tetris being a franchise synonymous with gaming, I'd say they'll easily reach that target. But what do Hudson have planned for us in regards to game modes and the like? Is a simple port of Tetris enough to ensure that many downloads?
Fortunately, we won't be getting a straight port. This is Tetris amped up to the max. Online support is included, with up to six players able to challenge each other at any one time. I'm sold already! There will also supposedly be Wii remote-based pointer activities, motion controls, and a mode involving obstacles blocking the path of the Tetris blocks. From the sounds of it, I'd imagine you'll be tasked with "shooting" those obstacles out of the way with the Wii-mote, whilst still trying to match up the Tetris blocks underneath. Better put your puzzle hats on!
I wholeheartedly approve of this motion to bring Tetris to the WiiWare service; this is exactly how it should be utilised. Good to see the Wii's online capabilities being tapped for a WiiWare title as well; Hudson could have easily thrown together a shoddy port of the original Tetris, but they have clearly taken the time to make it into something special. It seems that more and more WiiWare titles are announced by the day, so who knows what we've got in store! Check back next week for all the latest news!
The 411 Games Crew
Super Smash Bros. Brawl is out now across the nation, and Derek Robbins is here to countdown the Top 10 Best Things About Brawl in this week's edition of The 10th Hour.
Mark Salmela's The SIXAXIS News Report features news on GT5 Prologue, SOCOM and GTA IV, amongst other titles. Plus, Mark shows us all how to install Linux on the PS3. Check that one out ASAP.
Chris Evans catches us all up with the week's PC-related gaming news, with a look at what Valve and Steam have been up to, a fully online future Call of Duty, and a quick look at C&C3: Kane's Wrath, the expansion pack to the popular RTS title. That's all inside this week's PC-Centric Extravaganza!
The Select and Start News Report by Vincent Chiucchi has more on the sad news of the Dungeons and Dragons creator's passing, plus all the rest of the week's multi-platform news.
That wraps things up once again, so come back next week for another edition of Nintendophiles, but also remember to check the Games zone this coming Monday for the breakdown of the Play.com LIVE event. It's shaping up to be one heck of a weekend.
