Wii Zapper, Wii Wheel, Wii Fit and New Games from Nintendo
Since Nintendo launched Wii, the gaming console has been a phenomenal success for the company. Now Nintendo takes the Wii to the next level, demonstrating new Wii gear and games at the E3 Media & Business Summit in Santa Monica, Calif. There's a bunch of gaming entertainment on the way, highlights include new motion-sensing gadgets with the Wii Zapper device for first-person shooters and targeting games, a Wii Wheel for the Mario Kart game, and Wii Fit with its pressure-sensitive Wii Balance Board that is sure to take exercise videogames into the mainstream. Let's not forget the new Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. games as well. With more than 150 games now available for Nintendo's Wii console, the company says there will be about 350 Wii game titles in the United States by the end of the year.
Wii Fit(TM): The active-play phenomenon started by Wii Sports(TM) now
spreads to your whole body thanks to the pressure-sensitive Wii Balance
Board (name not final), which comes packed with Wii Fit. The board is used
for an extensive array of fun and dynamic activities, including aerobics,
yoga, muscle stretches and games. Many of these activities provide a "core"
workout, a popular exercise method that emphasizes slower, controlled
motions. Family members will have fun staying active and talking about and
comparing their results and progress on a new channel on the Wii Menu.
Mario Kart(R) Wii (name not final): The new version of Mario Kart, due in early 2008, features new vehicles and lets players near and far compete using Nintendo(R) Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo's wireless gaming service. Mario Kart launches with the Wii Wheel(TM) (name not final), a steering wheel housing for the Wii Remote(TM) that brings new controls and challenges for veteran gamers, while making getting into a race easy and intuitive for newcomers.
Super Mario Galaxy(TM): The latest masterpiece by legendary video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto puts a smile on the face of everyone who plays it. Until now, no game has matched the sheer fun and sense of delightful awe produced by the groundbreaking Super Mario(R) 64. Using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk(TM), players navigate iconic hero Mario(TM) through a series of planets, each with its own gravity, chaotic challenges and power-ups. The game bursts through the screen in vivid artistic detail, and a second player can even provide some assistance along the way. It blasts off Nov. 12
Super Smash Bros.(R) Brawl: Nintendo's all-out smash-or-be-smashed franchise remains one of the most highly anticipated games of the year. Its predecessor became the No. 1 selling game of all time on Nintendo's previous console. Super Smash Bros. Brawl ups the ante with new characters, new moves and new arenas. The game smashes into North American stores Dec. 3.
Wii Zapper(TM) (name not final): This new accessory combines the
accuracy of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in a single housing for a new
experience for first-person shooters and targeting games. Players can hear
the sounds of battle through the Wii Remote speaker when it is incorporated
into the Wii Zapper. It arrives on store shelves later this year, packaged
with Nintendo-developed software that shows off its versatility. The Wii
Zapper also will be used with a host of third-party games, including
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles from Capcom, Ghost Squad from Sega and
Medal of Honor from Electronic Arts.
Check Mii Out Channel (name not final): Launching in 2007, this free new channel builds on the huge phenomenon of Wii owners creating fun caricatures of themselves, their friends and celebrities. The two main components of the free channel include an area where users can post Miis they have created to let others vote on their artistic abilities, and a competition element that lets users test their skills to create the most accurate likeness of individuals or other themes suggested by Nintendo. The Check Mii Out Channel joins the lineup of cool channels on the Wii Menu, which includes the Internet Channel, the Everybody Votes Channel and the Forecast Channel, among others.
Metroid(R) Prime 3: Corruption: This final chapter of the Metroid Prime trilogy introduces unmatched first-person controls by letting players use the Wii Remote as an arm cannon for a feeling of complete immersion. Heroine Samus travels between planets to stop her nemesis, Dark Samus, from corrupting them. All the while Samus fights the spreading Phazon that is taking over her body while giving her incredible powers. It launches Aug. 27. More to Come: Other Nintendo titles launching this year for Wii include Mario Strikers(TM) Charged (July 30), Donkey Kong(R) Barrel Blast (Oct. 8), Battalion Wars(TM) 2 (Oct. 29), Endless Ocean(TM) (Oct. 29) and Fire Emblem(TM) (Nov. 5).
Third-Party Support: Third-party publishers are racing to see who can put the most resources behind Wii. By the end of the year, about 100 new Wii games will hit stores. EA brings Boogie and EA Playground, as well as online action for its Madden NFL and FIFA Soccer franchises; Mario and Sonic team up for the first time ever in Sega's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games; Sega shows off dreamy aerial acrobatics with NiGHTS Journey of Dreams; Activision jams with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock; Namco Bandai puts the battle blade into players' hands with SoulCalibur Legends; Disney Interactive belts out High School Musical: Sing It!; Square Enix brings Dragon Quest Swords in early 2008 -- and that's just a taste of what's to come.
more | Nintendo E3
via | Playfeed
