My first 30 min. w/ We Ski (direct feed) and video of me playing We Ski with the Wii Fit Balance Board over top the footage. The footage goes out of sync in some spots, but you get the idea.
I do have to say that this game controls amazingly well with the Wii Fit balance board. It didn’t feel like something they just tacked on at the last minute. The skier controlled even better than the slalom game in Wii Fit. You’ll notice that under the skier you’ll see a bar showing where your weight is shifting.
The video above is my very first time playing, I played solely with the Wii Fit balance board, so you’ll notice a slight learning curve, I’ve gotten a lot better since I filmed that.
Prepare to experience a new kind of skateboarding game as Electronic Arts reintroduces last year’s Skate title with a new spin off on the Nintendo Wii and DS platforms. Entitled Skate It, the game will make use of the innovative controls from both platforms and integrate it with the intuitive FlickIt control system from the previous title.
While it may not be considered as a direct sequel of the first Skate game, Skate It does provide the same kind of hardcore skateboarding action with its own unique spin integrated into its intuitive control system.
11/05, Australia: On Friday I returned home to an early birthday gift from my sister after being out of town for four weeks. I eagerly opened it and jumped for joy at the site of Wii Fit.
I put the batteries into the board, inserted the disc and began the game. After going through my body tests, I got into the exercises. I tried Balance Games first, mainly because I saw ‘Games’ in the title and naturally chose it.
I stepped onto the board to play. Your first steps feel really wierd; as if you don’t want to break it, but you eventually learn that it’s not going to break. My first mistake was playing a Balance Game where you tilt your weight to move a board to get a ball into a hole. It felt very ‘trippy’. It’s a similar experience to when you first use a Wii Remote, but after a good hour or so, you get the hang of it.
I tried some Yoga and some Muscle exercises, my sister did the Aerobic ones. The Wii Fit Piggy Bank collects coins for amount of time played just doing the exercises, not menus or anything. So you know that if it says 34 minutes, that’s 34 minutes of constant gameplay. Throughout the game, the Wii Fit board, represented by a flexible animated character, tells you workout tips and gives you advice on which exercises can be used in conjunction together to give you optimal results.
All in all, my impressions of the game were completely different. I thought it would be a gimmicky, tacky excuse to make money, but there is a lot of research behind it and the Balance board is of a high quality.
Also, you can get the Wii Fit Channel added, which acts a shortened version of Wii Fit, just in case you’re too lazy to put the disc in. Or something.
Above: WiiNintendo takes Wii Fit for a 2 hour test run last month
MetaScore: 81/100
(as of May 8th, 2008)
Official Nintendo Magazine UK, 91/100
Assuming you can afford it, Wii Fit is a great way to stay in shape. The Balance Board is top-notch technology and as a package the whole thing works tremendously well. [May 2008, p.66]
Cubed3, 90/100
Simply put, this is one of the best packages on the Wii and something that everyone should at least try out, whether you are a fitness fanatic or not.
Ferrago, 90/100
Wii Fit is going to make Nintendo money by the bucket load. But rest assured there is some pretty impressive substance behind the hype.
Maxi Consolas (Portugal), 90/100
If all of Nintendo’s efforts to reinvent the interaction with player produce such great results as Wii Fit, they are more than welcome. You can say that this a new kind of social game that will bring you closer to friends but, above all, motivate you to healthy habits and burn those “extra” pound that have been bothering you for a while. [May 2008]
Console Monster, 88/100
Whether you are working on a Yoga pose, stretching your thighs, or going for that perfect down hill run, there is a quality and a depth to each of the activities. This speaks volumes about the investment (and commitment) Nintendo has to their causal gaming approach.
IGN AU, 83/100
Parents will love it; it gets their kids off their butts and into sports – even if it’s still in front of the tube. Kids will go for the micro-games and competitive elements. Stay-at-home mums can work out pent-up anger and health-nuts might use this as the excuse they need to buy a Wii. Old people will still scratch their heads, though.
Games Master UK, 83/100
Impressive. But games won’t get much from it and it’s unlikely to get you trim on its own. [May 2008, p.66]
n-Revolution Magazine UK, 82/100
Every bit as good at its job as “Wii Sports” was, Wii Fit has enough gameplay in there to please nearly everyone. [JPN Import; Issue#18, p.72]
NTSC-uk, 80/100
Wii Fit is already flying out of the shop doors in Japan and the same will happen when it arrives in the West too, not because it’s a gimmick that’s easily bought into, but because it’s a great product.
Total Video Games, 80/100
Wii Fit is a “game” that excels at everything it sets out to achieve.
IGN UK, 80/100
On the understanding that you’re signing up for either casual use or a supplementary exercise regime, then Wii Fit is undeniably great value. It’s beautifully presented, joyfully accessible and effortlessly entertaining.
VideoGamer, 80/100
It’s not a solution to weight problems, but it’s definitely a good addition to your fitness routine. The mini-games are really just the icing on the cake, opening Wii Fit up to everyone. People of all ages will love how you control the games using nothing but your balance and competing for new high scores is great fun.
EuroGamer, 80/100
It’s produced a superbly made peripheral and a piece of software that offers both entertainment and a sense of achievement. It’s all very slick and lifestyle, with plenty of white everywhere, but there are the bold shapes, bright colours and moments of sheer charm you’d expect from Nintendo.
Level7.nu, 70/100
There are a lot of workout tools that claim to make working out fun, but Wii Fit actually pulls it off. Using your weight and balance to control the game is both fun and healthy, but the absence of online play and a party mode combined with a steep price tag puts a damper on the experience.
games(TM), 70/100
You need to know before paying out for (and therefore committing to) Wii Fit that it has to become part of your daily life for it to mean anything. And if you are willing to commit to it then Wii Fit is a loyal and multitalented trainer. [Feb 2008, p.136]
NGamer UK, 68/100
You can look at Wii Fit in two ways. On one hand it’s a pretty comprehensive selection of exercises, cleanly presented and given a novel twist thanks to the board. Alternatively, you can see it as a series of lacklustre tasks that beautifully demonstrate the technical abilities of the board, decorated with the silly lifestyle trappings we’re willing to overlook as long as Ninty keep delivering the proper gaming goods.
A unique racing game experience developed for the Wii in part by the movie directing duo, the Wachowski brothers. The game is designed as a game that players can build their own racing track, and it also has a “choose-your-own-adventure” aspect that presents the experience as a series of choices that the player must make in gameplay.
In Speed Racer, players take on the role of the characters from the film, getting behind the wheels of each character’s signature vehicles to experience firsthand the film’s high adrenaline, combative racing style. The car-fu style of action within the game closely represents the action style designed by the Wachowski brothers for the film.
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Reviews:
NintendoWorldReport, 75/100
Speed Racer at its core is an amazing game, with great depth, control, and nice difficulty progression. Perhaps Sidhe Interactive will use this great engine (and maybe even the Speed Racer license) for another title with more inspired track design, better graphics, and a more fully-featured package overall.
GamePro, 75/100
For what it is, with voiceovers from the actors, what I imagine is probably movie soundtrack, and some excellent-looking, swift racing with seriously fun combat stunts, Speed Racer: The Videogame is awesome.
GameTap, 60/100Speed Racer is a decent racing game, but it never gets your adrenaline pumping. Even the movie connection doesn’t juice up the show. Also, unlike most racing for Nintendo systems, only two players can race in split screen mode, and there’s no online mode at all.
*Originally posted on WiiNintendo on March 21st*
(Since the US launch date is next week I figured I should bump this)
Like a lot of single/multiplayer games, this one is a lot more fun with a group of friends competing against each other (I just played single player in the video). The game variety is great and the controls are really good for the most part (simplistic, but good). Archery in particular was really fun. The two “motor” games, dirt bike and go kart were a little week on control options (Hit 2 and go). The basketball and soccer games left more to be desired, but other than those gripes I had a lot of fun with this.
Remember this is just the first 40 minutes, there are dozens of more levels to unlock with much more diverse landscapes and puzzles each challenging you a little more, here are some of the reviews so far:
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MetaScore: 84/100
(as of 5/7/08)
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1UP, 100/100
Boom Blox may not be the best Wii game, depending on your proclivities, but it’s definitely the best use of the Wii yet. It’s immensely accessible, wonderfully tactile, and stands as one of the best treatments of gaming in a 3D space. Read full Review
Yahoo! Games, 100/100
BOOM BLOX is so simple and its appeal so universal that we’re hard pressed to think of another Wii game that can so effectively bring a room together… [it's] one of the most gratifying jump-in-and-play games you can get on the Nintendo Wii. Read full review
G4 TV, 100/100
Boom Blox delivers so much content, that it would be hard not to find something to love in this title. Give it a try. What looks to be rather simple is actually complex and will keep you playing for hours. Read full review
GamePro, 85/100
Boom Blox offers a great gaming experience with a ton replayability; you’ll have to excuse the pun but this is one title that truly does qualify as a “summer blockbuster.” Read full review
IGN, 81/100
Boom Blox is one of freshest and most enjoyable puzzle games you can this generation and it is an especially good multiplayer title. Read full review
GameTap, 80/100
It’s one of those rare family games that doesn’t fall into the genres of minigame collection or rhythm title, and your seven-year-old kid will have as much fun as you do. Read full review
Nintendo Power, 80/100
The production values aren’t going to win any awards, and some of the mechanics work better than others(the hose is pretty lame), but Bloom Blox is an innovative and amusing piece of entertainment worthy of the Spielberg name. [June 2008, p.87]
Wired, 80/100
Boom Blox does what so many Wii titles wish they could, by splitting the difference between casual players and lifelong gamers. You can pass the Wiimote to your grandma or a 5-year-old and they’ll have a ball with its clever mix of brainy puzzles and satisfying explosions. But hard-core players like me will find a surprising amount of depth to the gameplay and a satisfying, addictive challenge.
Read full review
Well its happening again! Today I have posted another hunt for a prize provided by http://www.prizerebel.com. Like it worked a few weeks ago you will start off with a certain keyword, in this case it is escape. You will try to find something strange with one of the articles found in the search, then using that you will search again and try to find a link which will lead you to a photo. With the photoand a short description of the final article you can post in the forum (below) to claim your prize! There is a new rule for this round though. There can be 3 winners (For the chance that the 1st or 2nd winners do not like their prize =p)
Here is the link to the forum for entry and more info
The ESRB has just added a rating for Earthbound. A quick search over at esrb.com will show you that Earthbound has been rated “E” and is listed on the Wii platform. Could this be the news that many of you have waited so long for? Now, how long will we have to wait before it shows up on a VC Monday?
