Pokemon Battle Revolution updated fact sheet

Pokémon® Battle Revolution
Format: Wii
Launch Date: 06/25/07
ESRB: E (Everyone): Mild Fantasy Violence
Game Type: Battle
Players: 1-4
Developer: Genius Sonority
Game Information

KEY INFORMATION

* The game takes place on an island called Pokétopia. There are 10 different Colosseums to battle in. The objective is to win all the Colosseum battles and become the Pokétopia Master.

* Players use Pokémon from their Pokémon® Diamond and Pokémon® Pearl games (sold separately) and battle them on the big screen. Pokémon Battle Revolution is the first title where players can link Wii with Nintendo DS. Players can connect Nintendo DS to Wii (compatible wireless router or Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector and broadband access required for online play).

* DS Battle Mode (requires DS systems for all players, sold separately): Four players can gather together and battle while using Pokémon from their Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl video games. All players use the DS as their controller in this mode, and it uses the same battle interface found in Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl.

* Players can customize their Trainers in the game.

Colosseum Battle Mode: There are 10 Colosseums (Battle Fields) altogether throughout Pokétopia. Many will need to be unlocked by playing through the others.

Nintendo DS Battle Mode: This multiplayer mode is for those who also own Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl as well as Nintendo DS systems. Four players can get together and battle while using their very own Pokémon from their Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl games. All players use the DS as a controller in this mode. The same battle interface that is used in Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl is used while battling with friends.

Battle Passes and Trainer Customization: Players can create and customize their own Battle Pass by transferring their favorite Pokémon onto the Pass. They can then save the Battle Pass to their Wii Remote™ and take it to a friend’s house to battle with them.

More About: Pokemon Battle Revolution, Wii

Mario Strikers Charged updated fact sheet

Mario Strikers™ Charged
Format: Wii™
Launch Date: 07/30/07
ESRB: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and older)
Game Type: Sports
Players: 1-4
Developer: Next Level Games
Game Information

KEY INFORMATION

* The captains from Super Mario® Strikers are back, joined by four new ones, and now players can create their own original teams by mixing and matching their captain with a new cast of sidekicks. All characters have their own sets of special abilities, making each one play completely differently from the others. New captain super-abilities and sidekick skill-shots add a new level of depth to already crazy soccer battles on the most unpredictable and hazard-filled pitches in the Mario™ universe. Each field features its own set of interactive hazards that alter game play during the course of the game.

* There are tons of new single-player modes, from tournaments to challenges to tutorials, but the game truly shines in multiplayer. The game features a robust multiplayer mode: Up to four players can battle locally, or they can go on Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection for one-on-one matches.

* Building on the frantic fun of Super Mario Strikers, this game gets players into action only possible on Wii. Primary game-play controls use both the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers. Players use the Nunchuk to control their characters and deploy items. Flick the Wii Remote to perform the defensive “Big Hit” move and flatten foes. To defend against a “Mega Strike” goal attempt, use the Wii Remote to point at the screen and manually defend against multiple balls as they rocket toward the screen.

Game storyline: Characters from the Mario universe clash in a sensational battle-sport based on Super Mario Strikers. In the Road to the Striker Cup mode, players take their favorite captain and compete through a set of tournaments. Players must first battle their way through the Fire Cup and the Crystal Cup, eventually reaching their goal of competing for the Striker Cup. The competition is fierce, and the difficulty grows as they battle their way through the tournament ladders on their way to the Striker Cup.

How to progress through the game: There is tons of fun to be had just playing a single match in single-player or multiplayer modes, but players also can settle into tournament play in the Road to the Striker Cup. Or they can try to finish 12 of the toughest game situations in Striker Challenges. Beating either of these modes will unlock new stadiums, new captains and player cards useful for game cheats.

Characters: Mario Strikers Charged welcomes eight new characters to the field of play: Petey Piranha, Diddy Kong®, Bowser Jr. and Bowser are the new captains, and Dry Bones, Boo, Monty Mole and Shy Guy join the roster as sidekicks. Back from the first Strikers are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Wario™, Donkey Kong®, Waluigi, Yoshi®, Daisy, Koopa, Toad, Birdo and the Hammer Bros.

Stadiums: Mario Strikers Charged features 17 total stadiums. Nine of them are new, each with its own terrain and set of perils that affect the game play. New stadiums include the Sand Tomb, Thunder Island, the Vice, the Lava Pit, Galactic Stadium, the Wastelands, Crystal Canyon, Storm Ship Stadium and the Dump. Also included are the classic stadiums updated from Super Mario Strikers and a new Strikers 101 field.

Special powers/weapons/moves/features: Mario Strikers Charged is all about maximizing the abilities of the different characters, as each character has a unique set of abilities and skills, not to mention super-abilities like Donkey Kong”s Thunder Wham or Bowser”s Fire Storm. Charging a ball provides a more powerful shot for both the captain and sidekick characters. A fully charged captain shot will result in a devastating Mega Strike goal shot. A successful Mega Strike can split into six different balls, all of which must be blocked by the defensive players by using the Wii Remote to point at the screen. Practice passing and charging the ball to increase the chance of scoring. The player can charge the ball by completing a series of successful passes and avoiding steals, or by holding the B button to charge the ball quickly. The interactive stadiums, each with its own pitfalls, make each game an exercise in chaos.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Play: Players climb the rankings boards as they compete on Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection specific to the region they are playing in. They earn ranking points by scoring goals, posting game wins and even just competing. Players can earn up to 20 points total: 10 points for a win, 1 point for a loss and 1 point per goal, to a maximum of 10 points. With a positive structured rankings system, players are rewarded for playing games in their entirety, creating better online experiences for all participants. The ultimate reward is watching a player”s rank climb the leader board. Players are matched up with opponents of similar skill levels through a rankings-based matchmaking system. The player who has earned the most points for that day will be rewarded the title of Striker of the Day. To keep the ranking system honest, players earn points only when competing in ranked games, not when playing against friends.

Community: Mario Strikers Charged will offer a strong sense of Wii community, as players will be able to create Mario Strikers Charged profiles using Mii™ characters for their online identity and create Friend Roster to manage their social community. Using their Mii profiles, players can track their progress on the ranking leader board and their performance against their friends specifically. The goal is to build a community that is accessible and friendly to new players, yet also rewarding for more advanced players.

The Article:

Nintendo press room

More About: Mario Strikers Charged, Wii

This is the Geometry Wars Galaxies Press Release

READING, ENGLAND (25, May 2007) – Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, announced today that Geometry Wars™: Galaxies, a 2D arcade shooter game, will be coming to Nintendo exclusively on the Wii Console and Nintendo DS system. The Geometry Wars: Galaxies videogame is developed by Kuju Entertainment (Surrey) and is the follow-up to Bizarre Creations’ Xbox LIVE® Arcade sensation, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved.

The Geometry Wars: Galaxies videogame delivers an all new mission-based campaign where players blast-off on action-paced quests across the galaxy, defending solar systems one by one, defeating waves of alien enemies on new and classic Battle Grids. The controls have been optimized for Nintendo systems, allowing gamers to use the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controller or DS touch screen to execute hotshot moves as never before.

For the first time ever, the Geometry Wars videogame will let players battle via hot seat, co-op, simultaneous and versus in multiplayer mode. Those that own both the Nintendo DS and Wii can link the game together using Wi-Fi to unlock bonus content. Elite players will be able to challenge the universe by posting high scores on the Wii’s online leader board.

The Geometry Wars: Galaxies videogame also includes the full version of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, winner of IGN’s 2005 Best XBLA Title of The Year.

“The Geometry Wars: Galaxies videogame is an entertaining title blending old-school arcade fun with next-gen gameplay and action,” said Al Simone, SVP of Global Marketing for Sierra Entertainment. “We are excited to bring the Geometry Wars brand to the Nintendo platform as both the Wii and DS enable a fun and frenetic experience for gamers.”

For more information, please visit the game’s official Web site at http://www.sierra.com/geometrywarsgalaxies/.

More About: Geometry Wars Galaxies

This is an excerpt from the Preview of the Nintendo Wii game DK Bongo Blast by CVG

There are bits of Bongo Blast that are still a mystery, such as who left the tanker-load of bananas lying all over the track, and how they relate to the ‘banana bar’ on the right of the screen. But we do know that four-player split screen is definitely in, and it’ll be a raucous racing punch-up awash with powerups (see right). And Wi-Fi? Surely it’s a no-brainer. Mario Kart DS online was so good that we inadvertently made little squeaking sounds with our mouth, and in the continued mysterious absence of a Mario Kart on Wii, we’d love to see Bongo Blast bring high-speed, barrel-flinging screaming ape battles to those information superhighways.

All this speculation will be moot in a few short weeks: Bongo Blast is pencilled in for Japanese launch on 28 June, and - we suspect - the minimalist translation needed (for “COOL!” to become “OH, SUPER!”) means the UK surely won’t be far behind.

The big hairy monkey of a question is whether Bongo Blast will suffer for having to crowbar its original bongo-slapping idea on to the Wii controllers - and if we’ll be left pining for Mazza, a tarmac racetrack and a pile of red shells as weepily as we are now.

Full Preview

More About: Preview, Nintendo, Wii, DK Bongo Blast

This is an excerpt from the Review of the Nintendo Wii game Mario Strikers: Charged by Eurogamer

Of course, like most sports games, Mario Strikers is best played against friends - up to four, with decent Wi-Fi options. The single player game is strong enough to warrant a purchase too, especially as Mario Strikers finally breaks the recent drought of Wii releases. As the most original, admittedly surreal, take on the sport for years, Mario Strikers is a gem of a game and manages to flawlessly meet Nintendo’s brief of appealing to absolutely everybody.

Full Review 

More About: Review, Nintendo, Wii, Mario Strikers: Charged

An excerpt from an IGN article about the Fire Emblem Game for Wii:

“This would be the first FE for the Wii, so we decided to focus on single player and held back on Wi-Fi. However, for the next title, if we have the chance, we’d like to use it.” - Hitoshi Yamagami, Nintendo producer.

Source

More About: Fire Emblem, Wii

System 3 announced the development of Ferrari Challenge on Wii and Nintendo DS. Based on the licence, this race game will have official cars and circuits.

The DS DS will be playable for up to 4 players in a local Wi-Fi while on Wii, Wiimote will act as wheel of course.

Ferrari Challenge Website 

More About: Ferrari Challenge, Wii

Nintendo announces second quarter Wii lineup, Pokemon Battle Revolution confirmed as first wifi title for the console:

REDMOND, Wash., March 7, 2007 – Wii™ owners of all ages have discovered the fun of playing with a group of friends in the same room. Now for the first time players can compete with one another near and far with Pokémon® Battle Revolution, a game of remarkable firsts:

* the first Wii game to include Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection play
* the first Pokémon game for Wii
* the first game to link Wii and the hand-held Nintendo DS™
* and the first Wii game that can be controlled using Nintendo DS

When Wii and Nintendo DS are linked, players can use their Nintendo DS units as controllers or import characters from the upcoming Nintendo DS games Pokémon® Diamond Version or Pokémon® Pearl Version. Pokémon Battle Revolution launches on June 25 exclusively for Wii and brings a dramatic new chapter to the Pokémon franchise, which has sold more than 155 million units worldwide. Pokémon Battle Revolution also serves as one of the standouts in Nintendo’s second-quarter launch lineup, which the company revealed today in conjunction with the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Pokémon Battle Revolution will be joined by Super Paper Mario™, the first Mario™ game for Wii; Mario Party® 8, a multiplayer party game; and Big Brain Academy™, a brain-training game that builds on the phenomenal success of the Nintendo DS brain games. These will add to the ever-growing library of Wii games, which will total more than 50 by the end of June. Nintendo DS fans will see the arrival of Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version, two surefire smash-hits.

“With strong third-party support, Wii and Nintendo DS have games on the way for both casual and veteran gamers,” says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “Our new ways to play have attracted millions of players around the world. This lineup demonstrates our commitment to leading the industry with the future of video gaming.”

Third-party publishers also have stepped up their support of both Wii and Nintendo DS, recognizing these systems as the hottest things going in the video game industry. The list of games for April, May and June includes the following:
Wii

• April 9 Super Paper Mario Nintendo
• April Prince of Persia Rival Swords Ubisoft
• April Bust-A-Move Bash Majesco
• April Bioncle Heroes Eidos
• May 15 Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Midway
• May 29 Mario Party 8 Nintendo
• May Tamagotchi Party On Namco Bandai
• May Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean at World’s End Disney Interactive
• May Escape from Bug Island Eidos
• May Spider-Man The Movie 3 Activision
• June 11 Big Brain Academy Nintendo
• June 25 Pokémon Battle Revolution Nintendo
• June Cosmic Family Ubisoft
• Spring Heatseeker Codemasters
• Q2 Legend of the Dragon American Game Factory
• Summer Shrek the Third Activision
• Summer Transformers the Game Activision

Nintendo DS

• April 22 Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl Nintendo
• May Pirates of the Caribbean 3 Buena Vista
• May Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu Atari
• May Pony Friends Eidos
• May Diner Dash Eidos
• May Touch the Dead Eidos
• June 4 Nintendo DS browser Nintendo
• June 4 Planet Puzzle League Nintendo
• June 11 Touchmaster DS Midway
• June Zendoku Eidos
• Spring Naruto Ninja Council 3 Tomy
• Spring Time Ace Konami
• Spring Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom Konami
• Q2 Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon Natsume
• Summer Shrek the Third Activision
• Summer Transformers: Autobots Activision
• Summer Transformers: Decepticons Activision

Game Boy® Advance

• Summer Shrek the Third Activision

Nintendo press room

More About: Nintendo, Wii lineup, wifi

In the new TMNT world the Ninja Turtles are no longer confined to sewer system and are now both above and below ground in the world. Strange events have been occurring in New York City – weird star alignments and mysterious creatures have been on the attack. The City needs the Turtles now more than ever. But with Leonardo away on special training, the family must fight as individuals but then come back together, even stronger, to fight against the forces of evil as a team.

New York City… fast-moving shadows, strange star alignments, and creatures attacking the city. Is the wealthy and mysterious industrialist MAX WINTERS involved? The city needs the Turtles now more that ever, but they are in their most trying time as heroes and as a family.

While LEONARDO was away on a special training mission his brothers MICHELANGELO, DONATELLO and RAPHAEL became lost and directionless. With the city and family at stake, it’s up to LEONARDO with Zen Master SPLINTER to restore unity and ninja discipline to the Turtles.

Play as all 4 Turtles characters: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo are represented with unique combat skills and acrobatic moves.

Relive the CGI movie: The game follows the movie plot and includes all same key environments, characters and enemies.

Combat Evolution: Begin the game playing as a single character, then rejoin the family to fight as a team with the option of collaborative, combat moves.

Exciting Action Experiences: Acrobatic jumping from rooftops, scaling tall buildings, diving down sewer pipes, pole-vaulting moves, and flying with nun-chuck weapons.

Special Video Game Bonuses: Some enemies from the original comic book series will feature as guest stars in the video game!

Go Multiplayer on Handhelds: the handheld consoles will feature special Multiplayer features with special gameplays and environments via Wi-Fi or Internet.

• Playing as all of the 4 turtles and switch from one to another at your will.
• Playing through the movie storyline and discover guest stars from the original comic.
• Executing different amazing acrobatic and combat collaborative moves by combining any turtle duo.
• Having the opportunity to play with or against other players via the DS or PSP multiplayer online mode.
• The only action adventure game that lets you experience the gritty, ninja action and acrobatic fighting moves of the new TMNT CGI movie.
• Join the Ninja Turtles team and experience intense acrobatic navigation, collaborative combat and powerful fighting moves for over the top Ninja action.

More About: TMNT

Rumour has it that the latest issue of Game Informer enlisted Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a title to be released on June 1st. Could it be possible? Perhaps, but it would be a huge shocker if an announcement was made real soon as Reggie promised to announce Wi-Fi compatible titles for the Nintendo Wii during the first quarter.

Source 

More About: Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Nintendo Wii