WiiNintendo

POPULOUS DS uses the touch-screen controls, and dual-screen action to enhance the power of this legendary series. POPULOUS DS includes a 4-player wireless multiplayer mode where up to 4 players can compete, sending natural disasters such as earthquakes, tidal waves and volcanic eruptions on each others’ lands. The game also features a challenge mode with 50 missions and a “Find the Warrior” mini-game.

POPULOUS DS is set to be released this Fall.

To get a head start on creating your world: http://www.box.net/shared/2zpo1u74sp

Captain Rainbow

Josh showing us, Alien Crush Returns

Here is an in depth Video Demonstration of Captain Rainbow from our friend, Josh, over at wiifolder.com. This video explains the controls, story and overall basics of how the game plays out.

[Thanks Josh]

Last week, we did Podcast Zero of The Wii-kly Fuse, which is WiiNintendo’s podcast. Everything went well and so we decided to post it on the main site for all of you to listen to. We got your feedback and have now begun the podcast. Last night, we recorded podcast #1 of The Wii-kly Fuse, entitled “Let’s Get This Party Started”. You would think that Podcast Zero, our test podcast, would give us hints to any future issues, but apparently not. Podcast Zero went well, but we encountered a few issues this time around. Despite that, we kept on trekking through. The crew consisted of me, MOMZ, Charmy, queenzelda, and mazer. Throughout the night, mazer and Charmy kept dropping out of the podcast, and eventually mazer gave up and left for the night. Charmy also was breaking up every now and then, so he couldn’t speak much. All in all, it wasn’t as we had hoped.

BUT, we made the best of the night. The podcast was still fun to record and after listening to some of it again, it seems like it’ll be fun to listen to as well. We implemented some of your feedback already (like reader questions) and hope to implement more in the future. I hope you enjoy this installment of The Wii-kly Fuse. It’s pretty long, but has some very interesting discussions (and a nice, heated debate). Here’s a glimpse at what we talked about in this week’s podcast:

- MOMZ is introduced and future plans for podcasts are discussed
- Go over this week’s Wii, DS, and Wii Shop Channel releases, as well as what we’ve been playing on Wii and DS
- Discuss Disaster, the DS Motion Pack, The Conduit, and more
- We give our thoughts on the Brawl tier list, The Force Unleashed, and the quality of recent Sonic titles on Nintendo systems
- Reader questions are answered, and FlamingSquirrel’s question provides a very long and heated debate.
- Guest appearance by my roommates at the end

This podcast is much longer than last week’s podcast, mainly due to a big debate we had. This time around, it clocks in at 1 hr, 41 minutes, and 10 seconds. I hope it’s interesting for all of you to listen to. We had fun recording it, and I hope you enjoy listening to it as well, despite any technical difficulties we may have had. If you would like to listen to the podcast, download it (file size is 92.6 MB), subscribe to the RSS feed, or subscribe to the podcast on itunes, you can do so at the bottom of this post.

And PLEASE give us your feedback and any suggestions you may have for future podcasts. The whole point of these podcasts is for all of you to have a great listening experience and for us to enjoy recording the podcasts. We have included some of your suggestions already and plan to include more int he future. If you have anything more you want to suggest or to submit a question for the podcast crew (which we’ll play in an upcoming podcast), you can do one of three things: You can post a comment on this post, you can email me at DarkWish@WiiNintendo.net, or you can post it in the Submission/Suggestion Thread on the WiiFuse forums. I look forward to hearing from you!

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Listen Now:

Standard Podcasts [ 1:41:10m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download |

Mario Super Sluggers

Average: 72

Top 4 & Bottom 4 Reviews
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Games Master UK - 80
A step back for Wii baseball controls, but enough of a gameplay leap to warrant playing. [Sept 2008, p.70]

GameDaily - 80
A major improvement on the formula first introduced in 2005 with “Mario Superstar Baseball” on the GameCube.

GameSpy - 80
The biggest control-related issues arise from the system’s imperfect recognition of your motions and button presses.

NGamer UK - 79

It isn’t quite the game we were hoping for, but taken as another Mario sports game rather than a baseball sim, it’s as solid and enjoyable as you’d expect. [JPN Import; Sept 2008, p.52]

Kombo - 70
It’d make a great rental though. Take it for a test drive and see if the experience sticks for your preferred control method and number of available players.

GameSpot - 65
It’s not another Mario sports gem, but Mario Super Sluggers still has a rough, unpolished appeal.

GamePro - 60
Poor controls, frustrating gameplay and a repetitive single-player mode mean it’s three strikes and you’re out for Mario and his friends.

Game Informer - 55

Multiplayer is amusing in that hanging out with your friends is fun anyway, but the single-player content is truly terrible. A series of boring one-off challenges punctuated by simplistic exploration and the occasional full game makes up Mario’s quest to foil Bowser Jr. via baseball. Yes, it’s as insipid as it sounds.

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Helix (WiiWare)

Average: 62

7 Latest Reviews
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GameFocus - 85
The game has a ton of real value because there are plenty of songs to unlock, difficulty levels and the price is so low it makes it worth while to pick up even as an impulse purchase.

WiiWare World - 80
A refreshing entry into the rhythm action genre and, without a doubt, one of the more worthwhile additions to WiiWare.

Cheat Code Central - 76
Wii Fit is a pricier option for health conscious players who like to have a good time while getting in shape, but Helix does the trick and then some at a budget price of $10.

GamerNode - 75
A pretty fun, if not, simple game. If you don’t have coordination, you might be frustrated with the gameplay. However, the easy mode makes up for this. A good all around game for exercise and pretending that you’re John Travolta.

Console Gameworld - 70
Helix has the potential to be a better title in future incarnations, but for now you’ll just have to enjoy the music and dance to the beat of your own drummer. Get it for the music!

Gamervision - 50
Die-hard rhythm game fans might get a kick out of this, but for the average gamer, there’s nothing here worth ten bucks.

IGN - 43
But rather than approximate real activity, Helix incorporates the same shallow motion controls so many other Wii games use to embarrass the user. The blah visuals and generic techno don’t make struggling through it any easier.

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Madden ‘09 All Play

Average: 82

Top 4 & Bottom 4 Reviews
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Nintendo Power - 90
So while EA may not have lived up to its marketing directive, it’s succeeded in creating quite possibly the best, most fully featured sports sim available on the Wii. [Sept 2008, p.85]

IGN - 86
EA is showing a serious investment on Wii, and Madden NFL 09 All-Play truly delivers. Whether you’re a gaming rookie or seasoned veteran, there’s something here for everyone, and that’s what All-Play is all about.

WonderwallWeb - 85
Madden NFL 09 All Play improves greatly on last years Wii effort, there is a bit of retreading on old ground, especially in the Party Play area but in all it makes for a great family game, keeping a sensible balance for beginners and experienced players.

Nintendojo - 84
The improvements are welcome, however, as the 5 vs. 5 mode is great for playing with friends locally, and the online interface is another step in the right direction for Wii.

Games Radar - 80
It’s an undeniably fun experience that will please many in its target audience, and even includes roster updates and online play. Not to mention we’re really starting to like a little waggle with our football.

GameSpy - 80
Madden NFL 09 All-Play is not a dumbed-down version of this year’s best football game. Think of it more like a specialized version that successfully refines the crucial elements of football and distills them into a final product that is at once accessible and plenty of fun.

G4 TV - 80
Madden NFL 09 is a big improvement over last year’s version, if only because it’s more playable. The new features aren’t earth shattering, and it’s hard to fathom why the five-on-five mode wasn’t juiced up to provide an even more arcade-like experience.

GameSpot -70
Simple controls and a number of newcomer-friendly features make Madden 09 on the Wii a good game for beginners, but there’s very little new here for series veterans.

(Sorry for being late)

The winner is….

(more…)

People are waiting to hear who the publisher for The Conduit is (please be Nintendo!) and recently they said we’ll find out in the coming month. Well, Wired spoke to them at PAX and they said they scored a publishing deal, which they may announce in two weeks. Come on High Voltage, just get it over with and tell us already!

[Via Wired]

View The Trailer

The Conduit is one of the most anticipated upcoming Wii titles. It’s set to release next year, around March, and gamers are hyped up for it. Not only does it have great graphics and controls, but it has 16 player online play, will feature WiiSpeak compatibility, and as we recently discovered, the game will feature Wii MotionPlus. Well, even more information about the game has been revealed. Ars Technica found out some new details at PAX, and it makes the game even better. A High Voltage representative said that they are working with Nintendo to provide LAN Play. He also mentioned that they will announce a publisher “in the coming month”. That sounds to me like they have a publisher already, so that’s good news. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too much longer to hear who it is.

[Via Infendo]