News

April 2008 - Posts

• Mario Kart Wii HANDS ON! *Spoiler Free*

  I happened to pre-order from GAME, and the pre-order arrived at my door in a shiny red Royal Mail van this afternoon, so I have been able to play it before it's technically released in the UK! And what a game it is! The new tracks are pretty much all simply amazing, with some real classics dotted throughout the cups, and the retro tracks look really good too - especially with the graphical upgrades for the DS and GBA ones which really work well! Everything looks crisp and tasty and the game plays really smoothly with a great frame rate. The real decider is the "Wii Wheel" - it comes free with the game and your Wiimote simply slots into it. It is very sturdy and feels good in your hands, although does take a little getting used to. According to my stats, I've used the Wheel 53% of the time, with the other 47% being used by the old GameCube controller, which does seem to feel more 'natural.' That aside, the Wheel is very good, much better than I expected. Moving to online,  the modes supported are wide and varied, and they take up to 12 players on one race. There isn't much waiting in-between races and if you have to wait to join a race then you can watch the progress live. Track choices are made through voting and there is absoultely NO LAG AT ALL. Which is awesome, especialy in a 12-player karting melee! Battle mode is also online, although has been ruined; the only bad point of the game. This game is amazing. Buy it tomorrow morning ASAP! 9/10  Posted Apr 10 2008, 09:13 PM by superscott with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Wii, Online, Mario Kart, Awesome, Wi-Fi, Hands-on, Pre-order

• iPlayer to work on Wii

  The BBC have today announced that the iPlayer will become compatible with the Internet Channel on the Nintendo Wii.  An early test version of the Wii compatible iPlayer is available from today, with a final version expected later this year.  Once the service is ready, Nintendo will message send out a message out to Wiis notifying them that the iPlayer service is ready.  The iPlayer will only be available to UK Wii owners, and will require Wii owners to have brought the Internet Channel.  By making the iPlayer compatible with the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo are allowing people to catch on the TV they've missed throughout the week on their television as opposed to a computer, which is great news.  Even better news is that the BBC have said that they are looking at ways to make the iPlayer service a totally free on Wii, i.e. removing the requirement for the Internet Channel, so us Brits may soon be getting a new Wii Channel. Posted Apr 09 2008, 02:43 PM by afscrome with no comments

• Trauma Centre: Under the Knife 2

  Atlus have today announced a new Trauma Centre game for the Nintendo DS - Trauma Centre: Under The Knife 2.  The game is a direct sequel to the original game, dealing with the aftermath of the GUILT virus. From the official press release "GUILT is no more. Dr. Derek Stiles and Nurse Angie Thompson faced humanity's greatest threat and triumphed. Now, in the aftermath, they find themselves in unknown territory, forced to deal with the disastrous consequences of the killer virus. Join them as they scramble to address questions left unanswered and put an end to the mystery behind the disease." For those of you who found the original game too difficult, the second version includes a new "Easy Play" mode with clearer directions and improved tools, which should make the game more accessible.  For those of you who found the original too easy, the game also includes some harder modes, and new operations to get your heart racing (but hopefully not the patient's...) The Game is scheduled for release in the Americas on 1st July, with a European date yet to be set. For more information on the game, including a video trailer, visit the game's official website at http://www.atlus.com/tcutk2/. Posted Apr 08 2008, 01:53 PM by afscrome with no comments

• Brawl out sooner than expected?

  Before I go on, I'll make it clear but this article should be placed purely in the RUMOUR category. Currently, the general consensus is that Brawl is going to be coming out in the Summer or Autumn this year.  N-Revolution magazine however disagrees, and has given the game a release date of 30th May.  Even more reassuring for the optimists out there, the magazine lists that date not once, but TWICE!  The same magazine also gives "Pilot Wings Wii" and "Disaster: Day of Crisis" release dates of the 27th June. My take is that N-Revolution likely does have information on these game's release dates but are under embargo from Nintendo, meaning that they're not supposed to publish this information.  For this reason, I suspect that these dates could well be the dates Nintendo is targeting to get these games out but, since no official announcements have been made, it is very easy for Nintendo to move these dates about. afscrome Posted Apr 05 2008, 09:13 AM by afscrome with 1 comment(s)

• Sonic's Unleashing himself onto the Wii!

  Recent reports on ONM's website have told us that Sonic is storming back onto our Wii's after last year's pretty successful (yet shockingly named) "Sonic And The Secret Rings." According to Sega, Sonic is going back to his 2D roots. Of course, we're not going totally back to the 16-Bit era with this game as it blends sweet 3D graphics and gameplay with the side-scrolling platforms. The trailer looks pretty sweet and ONM are promising an exclusive playtest so, for a change, this Sonic game may be something to look out for! Scott Posted Apr 03 2008, 10:16 PM by superscott with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Games, Wii, Sonic, platforming, 2D, Sega