Nintendo’s upcoming Wii MotionPlus accessory for the revolutionary Wii Remote controller again redefines game control, by more quickly and accurately reflecting motions in a 3-D space. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion. Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo’s commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone. Nintendo will reveal more details about the Wii MotionPlus accessory and other topics Tuesday morning at its E3 media briefing.

Looks like one company is putting the Wii first with it’s “Wee 1st” program. Of course this doesn’t mean they are shifting all of their resources to developing on the Wii first and foremost, they are just coming out with a line of games specially designed to take advantage of the Wii controls, which is still a GREAT thing:

ACTIVISION ANNOUNCES “WEE 1ST”; NEW BRAND FOCUSED ON TITLES DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR Wii™

“Wee 1ST” Games Will Hit Shelves This Holiday Season

SANTA MONICA, CA – JULY 9, 2008 – Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today unveiled a new consumer initiative to expand the company’s Wii portfolio this Fall. Dubbed “Wee 1ST”, the brand highlights the company’s games that were developed specifically with the Wii in mind.

“The Wii is introducing new audiences to gaming,” said Dave Oxford, Activision Publishing. “Clearly, the Wii’s accessible controls are changing how the audience plays games and how we look at game design. This initiative is designed to showcase games that take full advantage of the Wii’s capabilities.”

With the Wii on track to be the leading platform by Christmas, the company’s move to expand its offering has been in the works for more than a year. The first titles under the “Wee 1ST” brand include Little League® World Series 2008, Rapala® Fishing Frenzy and Dancing with the Stars™: Get Your Dance On. More games will be announced in the upcoming weeks, all of which will hit shelves this holiday season.

The “Wee 1ST” brand is supported by a national television and print advertising campaign scheduled to kick off this fall. New branding is featured on the front of all boxes and at retail locations nationwide.

About Activision, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Founded in 1979, Activision posted net revenues of $2.9 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

I hope you all had a great 4th of July holiday weekend but it’s Monday again which not only means it’s back to work time but it’s also time for a WiiWare and Virtual Console update! It seems Nintendo is going to stick to the 1 VC game, 1 WiiWare game routine at least for now as that’s all we’re getting this week. On the WiiWare platform, you’ll find SPOGS Racing and if you check out the VC, you’ll find King of the Monsters from the Neo Geo. I used to love that game! Videos are below the press release:

July 7, 2008 - 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.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare

SPOGS Racing™ (D2C Games™, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Cartoon Violence, 1,000 Wii Points): Coming at you full throttle is SPOGS Racing, an all-new racer from D2C Games featuring classic arcade racing, pick-up-and-play controls, all-new racing vehicles and Crash N’ Grab™ instant upgrades. Jump in, gear up and modify your ride on the fly as you compete head-to-head for a totally outrageous arcade racing experience on your Wii console. Whether you’re a casual gamer or hardcore racer, SPOGS Racing features fun for all and is a must-have download for your WiiWare digital game library.

Virtual Console

KING OF THE MONSTERS (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older-Fantasy Violence, 900 Wii Points): Released by SNK in 1991, KING OF THE MONSTERS is an action/fighting game that features city-destroying battles between huge monsters. Choose one of six monsters and travel around Japan, stopping to fight in various famous cities with the aim of becoming the ultimate winner. In addition to punches, kicks and other regular moves, each character has the ability to use more devastating maneuvers, like throwing flames and shooting laser beams, to defeat opponents. Wrestling elements are also incorporated, as you must completely exhaust your opponent and get a three-count to pin him and be victorious. Along with the player-versus-computer game, multiplayer options allow you and a friend to enjoy one-on-one matches and two-on-two tag-team matches against the computer. Take on the challenge and claim the title of King of the Monsters.

I still haven’t gotten around to playing My Life as King from the WiiWare platform, but I hear it’s good fun stuff and it’s only going to get better with DLC. DLC! On a Nintendo Wii! What’s included in this round of updates? NintendoWiiFanboy.com has a list of what’s been added to the list of available purchases and I’ve taken the meat of it and posted it below for your perusing:

* The Infinity Spire pack for 300 points, which contains two dungeons, one of which levels up when it’s completed,
* Castle Renovation for 100 points, a dungeon that enables you to rename your adventurers and listen to the game’s music in a jukebox mode,
* the Library for 200 points, a dungeon that adds libraries to the game and lets you teach your adventurers skills.

It also mentions you can purchase new outfits for your characters for 100pts a piece - including bikinis. Hot. I mean it’s hot outside! What do you think I am, some kinda perv?

Another Monday, another selection of titles for the WiiWare and Virtual Console platforms and this time we’re going to get a puzzle game in the form of Magnetica Twist and a fighter from the Neo Geo with Fatal Fury 2. Here’s the press release from Nintendo along with a few videos below it showing what to expect. They both look like great fun but I’m especially excited to see Magnetica Twist using Mii’s.

You want fireworks? Look no further than the Wii™ Shop Channel, where vibrant bursts of classic gaming action and fresh WiiWare™ content will help fill your living room with a flurry of ooohs and ahhhs. Puzzle-game mavens can enjoy a wild new addition to the WiiWare library, while the Virtual Console™ brings a truly classic fighting game to the fore. For an added holiday-week blast, fans of the WiiWare hit FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: My Life as a King™ can enhance the action with new Add-On Content.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare

Magnetica™ Twist (Nintendo, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone-Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points): The classic puzzle game Magnetica is now available on WiiWare , putting its own unique “twist” on the puzzle-game experience. You’re surrounded by marbles, marching slowly but surely down a track. Use a launcher (piloted by a Mii™ of your choice) to shoot marbles with matching colors and wipe them out before they reach the end of the track. Control couldn’t be simpler, as all you need to do is twist the Wii Remote™ controller to aim and press the A button to shoot. And the game play remains as addictive and deep as you’ve come to expect in Nintendo’s puzzle games, with five varied play modes, advanced mechanics such as the ability to lob marbles, and a never-ending supply of combos. This definitely isn’t your typical game of marbles.

Virtual Console

FATAL FURY 2 (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen-Animated Blood, Violence, 900 Wii Points): Released in 1992 by SNK, FATAL FURY 2 is the second installment in the renowned fighting-game series. In addition to Terry, Andy and Joe, who appeared in the original game, another five distinctive fighters gather from around the world to compete for the championship title. Also newly added are stage-specific hazards and the ability to perform desperation attacks when a character’s strength is low. These particularly deadly techniques create the chance for a come-from-behind victory achieved with a single strike. Moreover, the innovative two-line battle, which proved popular in the previous version, also has been radically enhanced. Pressing the weak-attack and strong-attack buttons simultaneously enables players to move their fighters to another line themselves, or to launch an attack that pushes opponents back to another line. This game mechanic, unique to this title in the series, allows the player to take advantage of the depth of the screen and create even more exciting bouts. Can you prove yourself the king of fighters again?

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.

And now, for some videos:

GoNintendo has the scoop based on the latest issue of Nintendo Power that the Castlevania game coming to the Wii is going to be a fighting game. Weird. But it just might work! More info will be coming out about this title shortly, but so far we know you fight as classic characters from the game and it’s got some of the weapons from the franchise in there also.

Would you be interested in playing a Castlevania based fighting game? And why does this bring back memories of the N64 Castlevania for me?

Oh now this sounds like some hardcore street racing. Check out the press release from Popcorn Arcade for Urban Extreme: Street Rage on the Wii:

With the price of petrol going through the roof this could mean the nail in the coffin for Boy Racers, Speed Maniacs, Street Racing and Joy Riders. So how are you going to get your thrill of driving through city centres in illegal street races, where you need ram your foot on the accelerator and bugger the consequences?

Well now you can experience that excitement in your own home thanks to… Data Design Interactive - a successful video games publisher and games developer, who today announced a new title to be added to their Nintendo Wii label, Popcorn Arcade, Urban Extreme: Street Rage.

Urban Extreme: Street Rage is set in Fortune City. As an experienced Street driver you are forced by the Underworld into a series of extreme and sometimes lethal urban races. Competing in these contests is a dirty business and could cost you your car, and even your life..

* 32 Unique play and unlockable vehicle designs.

* 16 level choices and Cup challenge modes set in a gritty urban environment.
* Test your nerve and take out the most cars with explosive results in Carnage Mode.
* Split screen multiplayer support with widescreen, and hires progressive scan modes.
* Career mode: Spend your hard earnt prize money to buy new cars and enter more expensive races.

The rules of the road don’t apply in this high-speed, anything goes competition……

Here’s this week’s press release concerning the addition of titles to the Virtual Console and WiiWare. Be sure to check out the videos after the press release for an idea of what to expect:

Everybody loves a classic battle between good and evil. With the latest additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel, your greatest challenge will be choosing where to wipe out the bad guys—in deep space, on mean city streets or in a monster-ridden fantasy world. Whatever the venue, be ready for outrageous enemies and memorable missions you’ll relish from beginning to end.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare™

Gyrostarr™ (High Voltage Software, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone—Mild Fantasy Violence, 700 Wii Points): Gyrostarr challenges you and up to three additional players to pilot your ships through a series of twisting, turning technoplasma tracks while battling a variety of deadly alien foes at ever-increasing speeds. While fighting and maneuvering, you must collect enough energy to activate the ancient warpgate at the end of each track. Succeed, and you can journey to the next, even deadlier track. Fail, and the gate will slam shut, destroying your ship. Enhance your ship with weapon pickups, coordinate attacks with your friends to fire powerful combined blasts and use your grapple to snag energy and pickups in the midst of combat. Control your ship with the Wii Remote™ controller, Nunchuk™ controller or Classic Controller™, or use the “paired” control system that allows two players to use a connected Wii Remote and Nunchuk or Classic Controller at the same time. Offering 50 levels of intense action, powerful pickups, high-speed bonus levels and mayhem for up to four players, Gyrostarr is a killer arcade challenge.

Virtual Console™

Alex Kidd in Miracle World (Sega Master System, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 500 Wii Points): In this platformer from the 1980s, you’re Alex Kidd, looking for your lost brother Egle. In order to find your brother, you’ll have to contend with the evil Janken the Great, who will send his henchmen and monsters at you to thwart your progress. One aspect of this adventure is that you’ll have to play the classic game of “rock, paper, scissors” against the henchmen in order to defeat them. With 16 different levels to conquer in order to save Egle, this classic is sure to test your skills and your wits at the same time.

BURNING FIGHT (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older—Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence, 900 Wii Points): Released in 1991 by SNK, BURNING FIGHT is a side-scrolling hand-to-hand-combat action game. In pursuit of Casterora, leader of a huge syndicate that has escaped from New York to Osaka, the protagonists are three detectives: Duke, Ryu and Billy. Each character fights using a combination of punches, kicks and jumps, plus his own particular special move, activated by simultaneously pressing the jump and attack buttons. These lethal techniques have enormous destructive force, but they also consume a great deal of energy. For this reason, players must use their special moves with skillful timing. Luckily for the detectives, new weapons and additional health can be found by breaking things like phone booths and street signs along the way. A boss, who must be defeated in order to continue the mission, awaits players at the end of each stage. You can also take on the gang with a friend, but beware—attacks by one player can damage the other, so keep an eye on where your partner is in the heat of the battle. End Casterora’s reign of terror once and for all.

The ever so plain VC News Blog has the latest top 10 games from the VC and WiiWare so without further ado, let’s take a look at the results:

Virtual Console
Rank (Last) - Game Name (System)
1 (1) - Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
2 (2) - Super Mario Bros. (NES)
3 (3) - Super Mario World (SNES)
4 (5) - The Legend of Zelda (NES)
5 (7) - Mario Kart 64 (N64)
6 (6) - Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)
7 (8) - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
8 (4) - Punch-Out!!! (NES)
9 (9) - Super Mario 64 (N64)
10 (11) - Donkey Kong (NES)

Wii Ware
Rank (Last) - Game Name
1 (3) - My Pokemon Ranch
2 (1) - Dr. Mario Online Rx
3 (2) - Defend Your Castle
4 (4) - Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
5 (5) - TV Show King
6 (7) - LostWinds
7 (6) - Family Table Tennis
8 (8) - Toki Tori
9 (10) - Protothea
10 (9) - Pop

My Pokemon Ranch as #1!? LostWinds seems a little low on the scale, but whateva. No surprise to see nothing but Nintendo franchise games at the top of the heap on the VC. People are wondering how 3rd party devs are going to compete with Nintendo game wise on the Wii and it’s funny as it’s never been anything different.

The VC and Wii Ware have been updated and this week you can break a few blocks, kick a few butts, then go fishing. Check out the PR tomorrow which talks about Block Breaker Deluxe and Cocoto Fishing Master for Wii Ware and the original and always classic SAMURAI SHODOWN for the VC from the NEOGEO. Oh there’s also videos below the PR as always.

This week’s additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel will have players setting their sights on a wild variety of targets. From solid walls to wriggling fish to fierce samurai warriors, you’ll face plenty of fresh and unusual challenges as you master these distinctive games, each featuring an inventive twist on a proven formula. You’ll also notice the ongoing expansion of both WiiWare™ and Virtual Console™ offerings, bringing you the best of what’s new along with classic titles that hold fond memories.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare

Block Breaker Deluxe™ (Gameloft, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Suggestive Themes, 800 Wii Points): Prepare for the frenzy of the coolest block-breaker game ever. Block Breaker Deluxe is a reinvention of the classic arcade brick-breaker game with a trendy graphical style, fun atmosphere and an exclusive multiplayer mode. Lively characters and amazing graphics provide distinctive settings of the jet-set nightlife, including a cool bar, dance club, casino and more. Special bricks, multiple bonuses, secret weapons, paddle size options and ball-speed variations make this fascinating game even more challenging. The Block Breaker Deluxe rage has arrived.

Cocoto Fishing Master (Neko Entertainment, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 700 Wii Points): Welcome to the adventures of Cocoto, Fishing Master. Get ready for a completely new experience on Wii. Play the role of Cocoto and travel the world to find five millennial fish. Only they can stop the magic cauldron from overflowing with lava and prevent the world from being destroyed. Thanks to Cocoto Fishing Master for Wii, fishing has never been such fun. Use the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers like a real fishing rod to catch more than 30 different fish. Discover five enchanted lakes in five different worlds from Cocoto’s universe. Confront gigantic bosses to collect each fragment of the statuette that will allow you to wake the great god Geo from his slumber. Meet Cocoto’s friends, sell your fish to Baggy and buy new fishing equipment from Neuro’s shop.

Virtual Console

SAMURAI SHODOWN (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen-Animated Blood, Crude Humor, Violence, 900 Wii Points): This first entry in the extremely popular and revolutionary fighting-game series was released in 1993. Choose from 12 swordsmen with highly individualistic characteristics and fight furiously, ultimately confronting the evil Amakusa Shiro Tokisada. Each character wields his or her own specific weapon, but you must be careful not to lose it during the heat of battle. Some of the fighters also bring an animal companion into the fray, offering a unique aspect to the quick-paced action. Another significant feature of the game is the anger gauge, which indicates the level of anger felt by each of the combatants as they suffer repeated injuries. If the anger reaches its maximum level, the attacking ability of the character increases, leading to even more intense confrontations. Through it all, the refined camera system smoothly zooms in and out of the playing field, presenting the frenzy of the battle while showcasing the lively background (watch as the referee scores hits). Awaken the samurai spirit within and get ready for a new kind of fight.

Speaking of the Nintendo Channel, there’s also been an update to the DS demos available:

- CrossworDS ‘Wordsearch’: removed on 6/22
- Arkanoid DS returns
- Cake Mania 2 returns
- Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 hangs around

Nothing very exciting and new, but I hear Arkanoid and Crosswords are fun times.

The Nintendo Channel has been updated, this time with something a little bit different. You can now check out stats for games and what gamers think of them in some cases. You can log on to the Nintendo Channel through your Wii to see the entire list of stats, or you can check out GoNintendo as they have a rather lengthy list. Me? I’m gonna give you a taste of what’s up there:

Super Mario Galaxy - played 5 million times at 25 hours per person.

Lostwinds - played 48,689 times at 3.4 hours per person.

Wii Sports - played 24 million hours at 33 hours per person. 21 million times played with 28 times per person

Top Selling VC Titles
DKC - ~55265
DKC2 ~ 25023
DKC3 ~ 11776
Contra 3 ~ 21103
LttP ~ 63386
Sim City ~ 15333
Castlevania 4 ~ 25626
SMW ~ 115725
Super Metroid ~ 51208

Gunstar Heroes ~ 31250
Shining in the Darkness ~ 8543
Sonic 1 ~ 43369
Sonic 2 ~ 23775
Sonic 3 ~ 19978
Toejam + Earl ~ 17289

F-Zero X ~ 14495
Kirby 64 ~ 27466
OoT ~ 73923
MK64 ~ 112091
Paper Mario ~ 67157
Pokemon Snap ~ 38399
Sin & Punishment ~ 24846
Star Fox 64 ~ 61345
SM64 ~ 101305
Yoshi’s Story ~ 25746

I don’t know what to say about DKC outselling Super Metroid but look at all those +100k sellers! Either way you cut it, that’s alot of money being made on some old assed games. Keep printing money, Nintendo!

Man the fitness train is just chugging along for the Nintendo Wii and video games as a whole maybe, who knows at this point that sucker is just rumbling on by and I haven’t even bought my ticket for Wii Fit yet. There’s already a few games announced that will use the Balance Board to let you ski or skateboard or play minigames but Majesco says “choo choo” as they attempt to ride the train of healthy video gaming with “Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatium 2009″ coming this holidays. It’s going to feature the Balance Board and none other than Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser. No, Jillian Michaels isn’t that over the top Marine drill instructor that yells at fatso’s for not dropping a pound, he’s on the Celebrity Fit Club show. This is Jillian Michaels and the press release for her upcoming fitness title on the Wii is below it:

SAN DIEGO — Game publisher Majesco Entertainment has announced a partnership with celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels for an exercise-themed video game for the Nintendo Wii.

“Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum 2009,” slated for a holiday release, leverages the motion-based Wii system and Balance Board accessory to create a title that combines solid game play with a fitness regimen, advice and exercise techniques provided by Michaels, the strength trainer and life coach on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.”

“I truly think this type of product will be instrumental in revolutionizing the fitness industry and will help combat the childhood obesity epidemic in this country,” Michaels said.

Thanks to the popularity of the Nintendo Wii and its emphasis on physically active game play — and last month’s successful release of the “Wii Fit” game and Balance Board accessory — exer-gaming is quickly emerging as a hot category.

Interactive Game Group brokered the deal for “Fitness Ultimatum 2009.”

Majesco CEO Jesse Sutton said the title is aimed squarely at the growing casual gaming audience, especially women. He said exer-gaming should create a growing opportunity for fitness celebrities, especially those who already have make their mark on TV and DVD.

“Exercise and entertainment have gone hand in hand over the past 20 years,” he said. “So we think bringing that to games is the next big step.”