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

Peripheral makers project a promising future for the advancement of game controllers. Jon Middleton, VP of business development at third-party peripheral company and game publisher Mad Catz said, “I think the stuff from our side that’s most exciting is that we’re getting into the interactivity aspect of everything. Look at Wii, and games like our Real World Golf.”

He continued, “We’re coming to a point where the user interface is one of the more innovative aspects of games. Companies like us who are interested in content and hardware have a really good opportunity to grow into something different than we were in previous generations.”

Middleton also said that the Wii controller and its many possible configurations opens up doors for third-party peripheral manufacturers and publishers who are looking to create new types of gameplay. Third-parties aren’t limited to just imitating the standard Wii controller; they are now able to create controller shells that can have gamers manipulating games in unique ways.

“…When you look at Wii, we can go out and work with other publishers to help them develop hardware or even shells that work well with the first party hardware,” Middleton said. He also said that Mad Catz is “definitely” working closely on Wii controller shells with unnamed publishers.

First-party controllers are still the first choice for discriminating gamers, but third-party peripherals have more potential than ever to move on up. “Third-party hardware has always been kind of the red-headed stepchild, and I think now it’s going to get a bit more involved in the actual games, in all honesty,” Middleton said.

source: Next-Gen

More About: Jon Middleton, Mad Catz, Wii controller, third-party peripheral manufacturers, controller shells, Wii

While efforts were made for Super Smash Bros. Brawl to use Wii’s unique controller (wiimote), it will likely use a standard GameCube controller and not the Wii Remote or analogue attachment, this is where the controller shells will be important for games that wont use the wiimote capabilities.
Shigeru Miyamoto and Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai felt the remote was making the control scheme too complex, as Smash Bros. emphasizes simple gameplay.

It will use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, but we are not sure how at this time.

source: E3

More About: Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wii, wiimote, controller shells, games, Masahiro Sakurai, Nintendo, Wi-Fi