This week’s additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel are bigger, stronger and faster. It’s all about excess with these electrifying titles. A new WiiWare™ offering puts you behind the wheel of a high-octane racer with no regard for speed limits. A classic Virtual Console™ game transforms you into a larger-than-life beast with a massive appetite for mayhem. Whichever you choose, there will be no skimping on the action. This week’s new games are:
(more…)

Major Minor’s Majestic March

Legendary Designer Masaya Matsuura and Artist Rodney Alan Greenblat
Bring First Marching Band Game Exclusively to the Wii™ System

(more…)

Three new titles are now available on Virtual Console.

• Tecmo Bowl (500 Wii Points)
• Sonic Spinball (800 Wii Points)
• Double Dungeon (600 Wii Points)

More About: Virtual Console.

REDWOOD SHORES, CA – February 22, 2007 – Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm for Hudson Soft, today announced that they are bringing the classic puzzle game Chew Man Fu to both the Wii Virtual Console and mobile phones. Both versions of the game remain true to the original, combining colorful graphics with clever gameplay, and are expected to launch within the next month.

In Chew Man Fu, players must roll 4 magic spheres onto tiles that match the each sphere’s respective color, while avoiding enemies, in order to complete each level. Each sphere has unique properties to discover, which add another element of puzzle solving to the game; for example, one ball is better at breaking walls than the others. It is up to the player to free the Egg Roll Kingdom from the curse of the evil wizard, Chew Man Fu!

“Chew Man Fu represents an era of gameplay during which Hudson established itself as a creator of fun games that were easy to pick up and play, and also appealed to a wide range of gamers,” said John Greiner, president of Hudson Entertainment. “With such a fantastic catalog of games released over the last 30 years, Hudson is in a great position to bring back some of these classics to a whole new generation of gamers.”

About Chew Man Fu:
Originally launched on the TurbofGrafx-16 in 1990, the game charmed players with its colorful visuals and simple, yet addictive gameplay. This classic action/puzzle game saw limited release back then, but is now available to fans on both the Wii Virtual Console and on cell phones. The overall design appeals to gamers of all ages, and to both boys and girls.

Wii Virtual Console Version
The original Chew Man Fu is coming to the Virtual Console. Just like in the original Turbografx-16 version of Chew Man Fu, players must roll 4 magic spheres onto tiles that match the each sphere’s respective color, while avoiding enemies, in order to complete each level. Each sphere has unique properties to discover, which add another element of puzzle solving to the game; for example, one ball is better at breaking walls than the others. Fans can play through all of the original 50+ levels, culminating with a race against the clock to defeat Chew Man Fu’s toughest minions. The original version of the game also featured a 2-player kickball mode, which you can compete against a friend. It is up to the player to free the Egg Roll Kingdom from the curse of the evil wizard, Chew Man Fu!

Mobile Phone Version
For mobile phones, Chew Man Fu has been updated with all-new graphics and animation for a modern twist. The same gameplay principles apply to the mobile version of Chew Man Fu: players must roll 4 magic spheres onto tiles that match the each sphere’s respective color, while avoiding enemies, in order to complete each level. Each sphere has unique properties to discover, which add another element of puzzle solving to the game; for example, one ball is better at breaking walls than the others. The game has been optimized for cell phones, with levels designed specifically for mobile screens, and a control scheme that works with keypads. The game features 50 all new levels, as well as enhanced music.

More About: Chew Man Fu, Wii Virtual Console, Wii

Official press release - Everybody Votes channel

A brand new channel launches today for the Wii Menu providing a quick, easy and fun way to cast your answers to a multitude of different questions. The Everybody Votes Channel allows you to compare and contrast your opinions with those of friends, family and people from across the globe. With a regularly updated supply of new questions to ponder, this is a great way to discover not only differences between you and your family, but also between your country and others!

?If you have ever wondered whether many other people share the same opinions, preferences, likes or dislikes as you, then the Everybody Votes Channel is a quick and easy way to quell those curiosities? says Laurent Fischer, Marketing Director, Nintendo of Europe. ?From whether people believe in aliens to what they would do if they had 1 million Euros, this quirky but addictive channel lets you find out what others think as well as being a great discussion starter with family and friends!?

Cast Your Vote

This latest addition to the Wii Menu features different general poll questions for users to answer. Three questions will always be offered. These will then closed after a week and updated with new ones. When accessing the main page of the Everybody Votes Channel, users will be greeted with the current polls open and can then register their votes by clicking on their chosen one.

Within hours of the poll closing, the latest regional results of the poll will be made available and will be displayed for each region of the relevant country. Vote ratios for each question will be displayed on the Channel using hundreds of Miis to represent the different votes.

The previous twelve polls that a player has voted on are archived so they can check back on them after they have closed. Each time a new poll closes, if the user has voted on it, it is added to the archive and the oldest one on there is deleted.

In addition to casting a vote, users can also predict the outcome of the poll. Every correct prediction will be added to the player’s profile and used to calculate how tuned in they are with general public opinion, which is shown in the ?How Tuned In Are You? ? section.

Fun For the Entire Family

Users are able to register a total of six different players on each Wii console using Mii data and names from the Mii Channel, meaning that each member of the household can have their own say on a poll. The Everybody Votes Channel records all of the votes cast by a player and allows them to check their opinions against those of their family using vote results as well as their ?How Tuned In Are You?? results. This allows users to compare numbers of consecutive wins and overall wins versus losses recorded.

Worldwide Polls

As well as providing three different sets of general poll questions each week, the ‘Everybody Votes Channel’ also features worldwide poll questions. These are set twice a month and run for approximately two weeks, with live result updates appearing just hours after the vote closes.

Miis illustrate the global vote ratio and a bar graph shows the results for each different country globally. Players can sort these results by vote percentage, country or in order of prediction accuracy.

Have Your Say

An additional feature of this channel is the ?Suggest a Question? section, which allows players to suggest a poll topic they would like to see on the service. Each player is allowed to make up to one suggestion a day, the best of which may be converted into a poll question by Nintendo.

Everybody Votes Channel is the latest addition to the Wii Menu and can be downloaded for free from the Wii Shop Channel. The Wii Menu is the starting point for all of the console’s functions and offers a gateway to a rich variety of entertainment options. When connected to a TV, the Wii Menu offers a simple interface letting users pick games to play, receive news and weather reports, view and send photos or even create playable caricatures of themselves to use in actual games. Additional functions allow users to download classic games to Wii’s Virtual Console.

Source: Nintendo press release email

This is an excerpt from the Review of the Nintendo Wii Game Super Fruit Fall by Aussie-Nintendo

FruitFall, an almost-identical version, including the same audio presentation and level design, is available as a free Flash game.

Still, I can’t help but feel the game has some place on the market though, as it will definitely cater to non-gamer adults and arrives as the first puzzle game on Wii. The game’s certainly not flawed at all, but the way in which it’s sold is. Rather than totally criticise System 3, I’d instead declare that this production is absolute proof that Nintendo needs to provide developers with the opportunity to make original games available via the Virtual Console. Were this game released in this manner, or if it were available at a much, much lower price, I’d recommend it. But as a standalone Wii game at $80, I’d be doing you a disservice if I said it wasn’t the single worst title currently available on Wii in terms of value. Unless, perhaps, you’re a very hardcore puzzle fan.

Full Review 

More About: Nintendo Wii, Super Fruit Fall

Third-Party accessory manufacturer Datel will now be selling Wii products very soon. The first is the WiFi Max, the Max Memory 1GB SD Card and The Trans Memory

Datel WiFi Max for Wii

Take your consoles online – wirelessly…

So you have a Nintendo Wii or an NDS (original or Lite). If you’re lucky, you have both! You also have a broadband internet connection for your PC. But you don’t have a wireless network. What’s the easiest, cheapest way to take your consoles online and compete with gamers from all over the world? Simple – WiFi MAX for Nintendo Wii and DS/DS Lite!

WiFi MAX is your ticket to the exciting world of online gaming, and it couldn’t be simpler to use. Just plug your USB WiFi dongle into your internet-enabled PC to create a Wireless Access Point. You can then connect to the internet and play online-enabled multiplayer games with DS and Wii gamers from all over the world. Just the thing if you don’t have a wireless router! Best of all, WiFi MAX supports up to five ‘local’ DS gamers at a time, so you and your mates can all play online at once with no loss of speed!

Don’t forget, there’s more to the Nintendo Wii’s online service than playing games. You can also download additional material such as new levels, skins, artwork and even retro games! That’s right – Nintendo is gradually making its back-catalogue classics for old Nintendo machines such as the NES, SNES and N64 available to Wii owners through the Virtual Arcade service. And with WiFi MAX, you can download them through your broadband internet connection! Just think what you’ll be missing out on if you don’t take your Wii online…

As WiFi MAX operates on the Wireless G standard, it’s five times faster than an ordinary WiFi connection, and if you use our USB cable and dongle stand (supplied), you can position your dongle to maximise WiFi range. If you have other WiFi-enabled devices capable of using the internet, such as laptops or PDAs, you can take them online with WiFi MAX too. It’s the ultimate device for internet surfing without a WiFi router!

Datel Max Memory for Wii

MAX Memory 1GB SD Card is the ultimate memory solution for use with your Nintendo Wii. You can store gamesaves, images, music, downloads and more, safely and securely.

As every console gamer knows, you can never have too much memory space to store your gamesaves. Luckily, you can cram on a huge amount of data onto a 1GB card – enough to preserve all your gaming glory! Best of all, MAX Memory 1GB SD Card comes preloaded with some bonus Powersaves for the greatest Wii titles. These are gamesaves with built-in cheats which harness the power of Action Replay, the world’s best-selling game enhancer. Give yourself Infinite Lives, Infinite Health, All Levels, All Weapons and more!

MAX Memory uses high quality, solid state flash memory chips, so it’s extremely reliable and won’t let you down like some low-quality flash solutions. Its 100% secure digital technology means you never lose data.

Datel 1GB Trans Mem For Nintendo Wii

Wii 1GB Trans•Mem gives you a massive one gigabyte of data storage for gamesaves, music, pictures, downloads and more. Featuring both SD and USB connections, Trans•Mem will fit into your Wii’s SD card port and also your PC’s USB port, allowing you to move data between your computer and your console.

With Trans•Mem, you can exchange data downloaded with your Wii with your friends from all over the world. Just transfer it to your Trans•Mem card, unplug the unit, insert it into your PC’s USB port then email whatever you like to whomever you please. It’s so easy!

No other accessories are needed. Built-in USB means there’s no Need for a clunky card reader, a dedicated adapter or specialised software. It’s the ultimate plug and play device. And best of all, if your Wii’s drive is filling up but there’s nothing on it which you want to delete, you can archive material you’re not presently using on your PC’s hard drive. Just move it across and delete it from your Wii, then when you need it again, move it back. Wowzers!

Source

One  Shadowman fan, recently sent an email to Valiant Entertainment, the folks who own the rights to the N64 installment of the game, asking if the game would grace the Wii Virtual Console. Upon sending the email, he received a surprising response:

“Thank you for your interest. Yes, we have been speaking with Nintendo regarding Shadowman for the Virtual Console. Although, they have a ton of games to review and select from, Shadowman is on their radar.”

Source

More About: Shadowman, N64, Wii, Virtual Console

Please insert your Wii Startup Disc. This will set up your Wii console.

The mysterious Wii Startup Disc that was listed on the back of the Wii box has been summoned in public. While glancing over the Wii kiosk set up at the South Shore Mall Software Etc. in Bay Shore, NY, Engadget superstar Paul Miller snapped the above photograph, with the Wii console pleading (with the above message) for the Startup Disc. The request is written in only English, Spanish and French, implying that the disk is region-specific.

It may be a last-minute firmware update, but why not have the console download the update when it connects? After all, Wii is supposed to be connected 24 hours a day. Maybe Nintendo doesn’t trust its customers, and the Startup Disc is a mandatory orientation film on how to properly handle the Wiimote (think LOST). Or it might just be a very lame game — “insert the disc and win!” — that boosts your self-esteem.

Let’s say the Wii Startup Disc is a region-specific firmware update. If a US Wii owner could obtain a Japanese startup disc, could he or she enjoy a more expansive Virtual Console launch lineup?

source: joystiq

A new Wii Magazine  has been announced in this press release, named Revolution and only for uk

Press release - New Wii magazine headed to UK

Launching on 14 September, Revolution is the only dedicated Nintendo Wii magazine in the UK and is backed by an extensive print and online marketing campaign, including a dedicated website.

Revolution is written to cater for gamers who are excited about the innovation and promise of the Wii console. The magazine offers a complete package of content – from a Wiidevoted magazine delivering up-to-date news, in-depth previews, exclusive interviews and reviews, to two free mini-magazines every issue focusing on the latest Nintendo DS previews and reviews, and the world of retro gaming offered by the Wii’s Virtual Console.

Revolution also offers readers a wealth of online content, including exclusive game trailers, screenshot galleries and regular video podcasts. The website not only gives readers access to the latest assets without the need to pay more for a cover-mounted DVD, but also offers a community haven in the form of the Revolution forums.

Editor of Revolution and life-long Nintendo fanatic, Martin Mathers commented:

“Revolution is a real labour of love. We’ve aimed to create a magazine that’s deeply passionate and knowledgeable about Nintendo, but is completely open and honest too. By offering the only dedicated Wii magazine in the UK, plus free mini-magazines for our Nintendo DS and Virtual Console coverage, we’re able to give our readers the extensive coverage they deserve and offer a unique proposition for our advertisers.”

Rick Porter, Revolution’s Associate Editor added, “The Wii is set to revolutionise the way we play games, so we’ve done our best to create a magazine that amplifies that message.”

More About: Wii Magazine, Revolution, Nintendo Wii magazine