1Up has a preview of Prince of Persia: Rival Swords up and they have mixed feelings on the game. Check out the snippet below and click the link for the full details:

Another nice feature is that the game handles camera control very well. Instead of pointing around the screen with the Wii Remote to look around, you can choose to either use the D-pad or rotate the Wii Remote left and right as if you are unlocking a door. In our few hours with the game, we found ourselves using the D-pad almost exclusively to move our view, and it felt fantastic. Since it’s placed right above the A button on the Remote, it’s easy to reach and has more than enough precision to get the job done.

Combat is where things start to falter. Like Zelda, you flick your wrist in any direction with the Remote to attack, and repeated flicks (along with combination movements with the Nunchuck) allow you to perform combos, throws, and all your fancy attacks. As it has been throughout the series, combat in the game is a bit clumsy, so when you combine the lack of precision in the combat engine with the downgrade in precision you get by moving the Wii Remote to trigger your attack animations, it all feels a bit loose. That noted, in our time with the game, not once did we die as a result of poor combat execution, so it doesn’t seem like the change is a major flaw — at least early in the game — but it definitely presents a significant change.

They also have some screens for the game here.

IGN has some info and screens about Space Station Tycoon coming to the Nintendo Wii from Namco Bandai and is scheduled to be here in the Summer of 2007. Here’s a quote from the article and a couple of screens, hit up the link for the rest of the info:

IGN Wii: Before we go into the Wii specifics, please tell us what it is that you do in Space Station Tycoon. Can you also give us a couple of gameplay examples?

Jeremy Throckmorton: Space Station Tycoon puts you into the shoes of a wet-behind-the-ears kid named Shawn, and his sarcastic monkey friend Tam, who decides he wants to run space stations. He travels the galaxy building and maintaining stations where you have to deal with and serve all manner of wacky characters: a voodoo chicken, ninja starfish, filmmaker pigs, etc. These characters all have things they want from you and your goal is to take care of them so you can become the ultimate space station tycoon. Sometimes you will need to do what they want in order to progress through the game, other times you have more choice on how to deal with them. What you do can change how the character feels about you or acts later in the game. Charging a guy to use your restroom might seem like a good idea at the time, but letting him pee for free could be better in the long run.

You also have control over a mobile gravity well that opens up all kinds of ways to interact with things around your station. A visitor might not be getting to the expansion you built for him very quickly, so you can take a hands-on approach to customer service and drag him there. You can catch cannonballs and throw them back at attacking pirates, making sure they don’t fire any more. You can fling mines at asteroids, blowing them up and clearing room for your station to expand.

Here’s that link to IGN again for the full article.

ComputerandVideoGames.com has a preview up for the Nintendo Wii version of Scarface: The World is Yours and it goes into detail covering how the game works so far on the system. I remember playing the XBOX version of the game and enjoying it and knowing you will be able to aim with the Wii Remote should make running and gunning even more fun. Here’s what C&VG has to say about the controls:

Shooting - a key part in most missions - is mapped on to the remote pointer, with players able to direct the aiming reticule around the screen, leaving a trail of Miami dead in its path. Moving your hand to direct Tony’s gun while your body remains still captures Montana’s steadfast mentality perfectly, that stubborn determination to stand his ground - an anchor with an AK. Montana’s mindset is one of such single-mindedness that only a mind-focusing device such as player controlled remote aiming could do it any justice.

The perfect example is the opening ten-minute prologue to the game - the climactic mansion shootout of the film. The famous filmic image is of Tony standing in his office doorway, legs wide open, determinedly bolted to the floor with his “little friend” the M16 held firmly in his hands. On the Wii, players will be able to adopt this pose, spraying bullets as one with Montana - gaming and filmic iconography merged into one. Melodramatic. Ridiculous. Very Scarface.

They also have a few screens at the full article, we’ve grabbed an example shot below:

Scarface for the Wii is scheduled to appear on the system sometime in 2007 and we look forward to the first open area, “sandbox” type game for the system as well as one that aims to appeal to the Mature audiences.

GameSpot has a cool preview of the upcoming flight combat game from IR Gurus, Heatseeker with some new screens as well showing off how the game will look on the Nintendo Wii. The game is coming for other platforms as well with the Wii version making great use of the motion sensitive controls allowing you to fly around carrying out various missions using the Wii Nunchuk and Remote. Here’s quick quote offering more insight into the control schemes available:

There are two different Wii-exclusive control setups available, letting you choose which part of the Wii’s unique two-piece controller you use to fly your plane. The most popular control option during our demo was undoubtedly the one that will let you tilt the Nunchuk controller to steer your plane while using its analog stick to control the throttle, brake, and roll. The Wii Remote’s directional pad is used to switch weapons, the A button is used to switch between active targets, and the trigger buttons on the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk are used to fire missiles and machine guns, respectively. The second motion-sensitive controls option works in much the same way, except that the Wii Remote is used to move an icon around the screen that your plane will always point toward.

And now, some screens from the game, check the link to GameSpot for even more:

Looking great and should add to the great diversity of games so far coming to the Nintendo Wii system!

IGN has a great preview of Sonic and the Secret Rings up talking a bit about what they enjoyed in the upcoming Wii version. There’s a few unexpected bits including an experience and upgrading type system for Sonic this time around as well as various paths Sonic can take during the levels. Here’s a quote then check out the videos we’ve gathered from the game below:

The level that we can talk about right now is Desert Oasis, featured at last year’s E3, and little has changed since then — although that may not be such a bad thing. The game is still controlled by holding the Wiimote in the sideways position, and tilting it left or right, much like in Excite Truck. Sonic is constantly running forward, although you can back up if you get wedged somewhere uncomfortable by simply twisting the Wiimote back towards you.

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While some may worry that this gameplay dynamic of rapidly speeding through levels while avoiding enemies and obstacles might wear thin quickly, it seemed to be entirely the opposite in our experience. As we progressed further into the game, more and more depth became apparent. Levels in the game have multiple branching paths, allowing for some degree of exploration. Furthermore, each of the game’s levels features not only the standard “race to the finish line” objective, but also a series of challenges that could be tackled at the player’s whim.

Check out the IGN Sonic and the Secret Rings preview here and watch the videos below by clicking play on each on:

Gamespot has a first look at SSX Blur up which covers a good deal of what the game has to offer up to this point. They check out the current build of the game as a preview and talk about the controls, game modes, graphics, sound and more in the write up. Check out some clips from the article bleow:

So just how do you snowboard on the Wii? Pretty easily. The game has taken the basics of SSX’s mechanics and smartly married them to the Wii Remote’s unique attributes. To keep it simple, the system keeps air and ground controls separate. You’ll steer your racer by turning the Nunchuk, and the analog stick lets you carve for sharper turning. You’ll use the Z button to boost, and you can jump by quickly flipping the Nunchuk. Once you’re in the air, you’ll use the remote to turn by moving it left and right and perform flips by moving it up and down. To land some of your crazier tricks, you’ll hit the B button to set your character up to hit the ground at the right angle. You’ll use the analog stick on the Nunchuk to perform grabs while in the air, as well.

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Blur’s visuals are shaping up well so far. The SSX games have tended to lean more toward the stylized than the photorealistic, so the Wii hardware’s horsepower doesn’t seem to be an issue. Mac looked solid, sporting a modest amount of detail and smooth animation. Little flourishes such as Mac getting covered in snow when he tumbles were a nice touch. The mountain course was well done and featured a good dose of flat areas mixed with drop-offs, assorted spots to leap from, and tunnels to pass through. Falling snow and chunks of ice kept things lively, as well. The various pickups stood out thanks to vibrant coloring and yielded some flashy particle effects when collected. The game also featured some screen filters for dramatic effect. The action was buttoned up with a smooth frame rate that was fairly consistent, even in the game’s unfinished state, which is good to see.

Here’s a nice mix of trailers I found up on YouTube:

IGN has a lengthy article up looking at the Wii version of Tiger Woods golf which is scheduled to ship in March, and they seemed to have enjoyed what they saw while at EA. The game is much more realistic than say Wii Sports Golf or Super Swing Golf and takes a slightly different approach to the controls that the former golf based games. Here’s a nice peice from the article describing the controls for Tiger Woods golf on the Wii:

The swing tracking is very accurate for drives and approach shots, and I found myself interlocking my fingers on the Wiimote, trying to get a traditional golf grip. Here’s how the controls break down:

To swing, hold down B and make a golf swing. It’s that simple. Like in other versions of Tiger, if you don’t take the club back all the way, you will have less power on your shot. Unlike in other version, power is controlled by the speed of your downswing. The faster you swing, the farther it goes. Of course, if you push your downswing left or right, you’re very likely to dig your Nike ball out of the bushes.

Once the ball is in the air, you induce spin by tapping the D-pad and shaking the Wiimote. The wrist strap is recommended here. To fade or draw the ball, you simply open or close the club face, respectively. Since the club face is really the Wiimote, you rotate it so the A button is facing the screen or facing away from the screen. Then take a natural swing and admire your physics-defying spin.

They also have a few screenshots and videos from the game thusfar, I’ve posted a teaser below, check the full article for the rest:

And here’s a YouTube version of one of the IGN videos:

A great preview to what will surely be popular with the golfing fans out there, check out the article at IGN for the full story.

Wario Ware Smooth Moves for the Wii is a very odd game…

IGN has some info about Godfather Black Hand Edition, which is coming to Wii.

from the article:

The Godfather Blackhand Edition is an emergent open-world 3rd person action game taking place in 1940’s New York. The player assumes the role of a low-level gangster who quickly joins the Corleone family and over the course of the story, works his way up in the ranks to soldier, capo, and ultimately Don. While the player’s story isn’t the same as the book and movie, it intersects with all of the great moments we know and love…. so for example, when Don Corleone is shot, you need to fight off his attackers and get him to the hospital. When a horse’s head needs to be delivered to a certain bed, you get to be the guy. Whenever the family needs something done, you’re the Don’s right hand man, taking orders directly from Sonny, Luca, Don Corleone, Tom Hagan… all the main characters from the movie.

The biggest difference from this and previous versions of the title? With the Wiimote you’ll be able to slap people around….sounds cool…

Click here for the full article

This blog (with an incredibly long name) posted some great upcoming Nintendo cover art. From the highly anticipated Mario Party 8 and Wii Play, to DS titles like Final Fantasy 6 and Wario, Master of Disguise, there is cool artwork to be seen.

You can click on the image here to see the high rez Mario Party 8 art, but you have to check out the full article here, for the others.

GamePro has a nice preview for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption up talking a bit about what to expect from the upcoming Wii version of the mega popular franchise. Here’s a nice tidbit from their look at the game:

The graphics looked amazing — better than Halo 2 on the Xbox without a doubt — and the levels showed off sparkling details, proving the Wii is far more powerful than the Gamecube. Out of all the games we played, the Wii controller seemed most at home with Metroid.

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The experience was much like playing a PC first-person shooter, especially since the nunchucku analog stick controlled movement We found that standing roughly four feet from the TV provided the best motion, and the cursor stayed smooth and steady — no shakiness! The frame rate was also smooth and consistent, even when the screen got crowded with special effects.

Sounding awesome, but honestly we expected nothing less! Here’s that link again to their writeup, I’m going to be playing through Metroid Prime 1 from the GameCube very soon for the 3rd time or so, the games are just that good and I can’t wait for Prime 3 for the Wii! As a bonus, here’s a video from GameInformerOnline from the game:

And one from IGN showing some in-game play:

I can’t wait for this game!

inXile entertainment has acquired console rights to the internet Flash game Linerider - coming to Nintendo DS and Wii.

First appearing on the internet on September 26, 2006, the game has attracted more than 15 million viewers, with over 11,000 videos of the game in action posted on YouTube. Linerider is about as simple as a game can get. Players can draw out a 2D level with hills, slopes, jumps and whatever else you can draw. Then press the play button and a man on a sledge is sent hurtling along in the user-created stage.

The game features some nifty physics and you will have to ensure you build your level so that the man on the sledge doesn’t get stuck at the bottom of a hill. There’s also the danger of crash landing after launching into the air at the top of a hill.

The Flash game is a fun time consumer, but there’s no goal as such. The DS and Wii versions will expand on the basic game, but how hasn’t been announced. A points system would seem an obvious addition, as would some form of objective-based mode.

Linerider for the DS and Wii is scheduled to ship in spring 2007 and you can try out the Flash game for yourself over on the


game’s official website.