Gamertell

I find that lightweight gun frames for the Nintendo Wii like the 2-in-1 Combined Light Gun from Brando usually have two problems. The first is that the companies that make gun frames assume first-person shooters (FPSs) do not use the Nunchuk and put all the design controls in the gun frame to hold the trigger. The second is that they also assume the WiiMote’s top A button doesn’t get used much and put it on top so you have to use the other hand to access it. Unfortunately, the ezShot Gun by ezGear takes these design flaws a bit further…

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Nintendo is first out of the gate in announcing the successor to its current gen platform.

Even though the Wii continues to make more money than any man or machine can dare to count, Nintendo is looking into capturing the hearts and wallets of future consumers. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata spilled the beans by saying:

“The hardware team started work on the next thing as soon as they were done with their previous project, but what they think up doesn’t necessarily become a product. We only turn something into a product after it’s been thoroughly vetted inside the company. We’re not at a point where we can give specifics, but of course we’re working on it.”

Iwata also spoke on the topic of Wii peripherals…

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The next time your mother/significant other says videogames have no real-life value, point them in the direction of this article, which recaps an interview between News 8 Austin and surgeon Mark Smith. Smith claims that playing the Wii (with it’s motion controls and demand for precise movements) can help trainees improve their skills by 50%, and the relatively inexpensive console is a cheap, effective alternative to the ultra-expensive simulators (or actual surgery).

From the interview:

“I have never thought I’d be in video games to this extent. We have surgical simulators in virtual reality, but this has taken it to a whole new level, which is exciting.”

It looks like this is the new Wii-hab, and I’m sure Nintendo is eating it up. Speaking of learning on the job, the article also addresses the fact that only a few years ago, the only way for surgeons to train was the real thing - actually going in with a knife and assisting a real operation. Scary.

Read [Austin 8] Via [CVG]

I hope you didn’t download any of these games on the Virtual Console. SNK Playmore has just released a solid retro collection of early ‘90s arcade games, including titles from the Art of Fighting, Metal Slug, Magician Lord and Samurai Shodown series, along with other hardcore brawlers, shooters and action-adventure titles. The game also rewards players via a “goals system” which doles out medals and bonus materials (including artwork, music tracks, move lists and game videos from the titles) for completing various tasks within each game.

Via press release, the 16 titles included in volume 1 are:

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This month’s issue of Nintendo Power cover story reveals that Sonic the Hedgehog is back.  According to the magazines, Sonic and the Black Knight will be released exclusively for the Wii.

If the magazine’s cover art and teaser text is true, Sonic will be wielding a broadsword in his new adventure: “Big Blue swings cold steel in his big new adventure.” No other…

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The videogames media is abuzz with rumors of a new, groundbreaking PS3 controller that will “break apart” into two separate units. Sony hasn’t commented on the news but industry insiders expect an official announcement during this year’s E3. If such a controller does materialize, it would be the third controller for the PS3, the most for any single console. SIXAXIS and Dualshock 3 are the two PS3 controllers currently in use.

Heavily disguised and highly placed sources told GamesIndustryBiz that working units of the new controller have already been…

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It may have been a holiday yesterday, but Nintendo delivered four new (or old...) games as DLC for the Wii’s various services. This week’s highlight is probably the highly anticipated re-imagining of Dr. Mario with Dr. Mario Online Rx. All VC titles are available on the Wii Shop channel, with a fresh batch arriving every Monday at 9 AM Pacific time. Wii points can be purchased at a rate of $1 for 100 points. The new games bring the North American VC count to 226.

Click through for full descriptions of the games…

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All you air guitarists can continue to pamper your musical dreams and fantasies in grand style as Activision has heralded the Guitar Hero game. The game titled Guitar Hero World Tour was announced on May 22, 2008, in a press release and it will come stuffed to the hilt with several new additions.

The release heavily plugs revamped guitar among other additions but it drops a bombshell with the promise of downloadable content (DLC) for the Wii version of the Guitar Hero World Tour.

The game will feature recordings from the eminent likes of Linking Park, Van Helen and…

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Today, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opens in America, signaling a return to form for superstar director Steven Spielberg, master of the summer blockbuster, the action flick, and the American box office in general. I probably won’t be in the movie theater tonight because I’ll be far too busy with another Spielberg creation – the small, unassuming, and utterly fantastic Boom Blox on the Wii. It’s strange, and sort of amazing that what is potentially the least cinematic game in history (heck, even Tetris could go Hollywood!) has come from the mind of filmmaking’s most successful, talented figures.

The game is an action-puzzler that tasks players with knocking down towers of blocks, or rearranging them Jenga-style to complete objectives. It’s deceptively simple, wildly addictive, and satisfyingly challenging. In fact, it’s truly one of the best games on the Wii (including first-party software), and aside from a few wacky cut scenes starring the cute animal blocks, it…

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With the advent of WiiWare, we need to try something a bit different with these weekly (Wiikly?) updates of downloadable gaming on the Wii. Until you hear differently, we’ll be covering both the WiiWare and regular Virtual Console updates all in one convenient, easy to digest post. Special, no?

This week, we have one VC title - SkyKid; and two new games on WiiWare: Critter Round-up and Star Soldier R. All VC titles are available on the Wii Shop channel, with a fresh batch arriving every Monday at 9 AM Pacific time. Wii points can be purchased at a rate of $1 for 100 points. The new game brings the North American VC count to 224.

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