They even provide a bit of insight into the Mario Kart Channel, which will allow Kart fans to access info on rankings and competitions as well as enjoy the thrill of inputting friend codes. Like Wii Fit, the dedicated game channel doesn't require the Mario Kart Wii disc to be in the system. The only thing that might impress us more is a proper ship date from Nintendo of America.

Going global with Mario Kart Wii [Nintendo UK]

The other teased feature that ONM promises will keep the Mario Kart formula fresh is a mysterious stunt mechanic, allowing players to pull off special moves while in mid-air. Awesome! We simply cannot wait for the associated lifestyle photography!

News: Mario Kart Wii Info [N-Europe - thanks, Iain!]

While at the Nintendo Media Summit, we were shown a Pokemon Battle Revolution online battle via the Wi-fi Connection and, let me tell you, it was definitely Pokemon. Online. And things were definitely battling. Was it a revolution? I'm afraid I can't be the judge of that. It sure looked pretty, though. While the turn-based gameplay of Pokemon Battle Revolution makes lag concerns mostly moot, interested parties should know that it looked like smooth sailing.

If you're the kind of guy or gal who loves Pokemon and gets pumped for screenshots, keep those eyeballs scrolling downward for 10 new shots of the game in action. Michael McWhertor

If you're new to the Mario Strikers series, it follows the Mario Sports Formula fairly closely—start with Sport X, add Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Wario and a number of Nintendo B-listers like Boo and Shy Guy, throw out most of the rules, make it easy for anyone to control. Mario Strikers Charged not only perfects the Mario Sports Formula it kicks it up a notch by adding a nearly seamless 4-player online component.

The game's art style is "extreme" with gameplay a close match. It's frantic and fun and took me by surprise. I lean closer to a soccer anti-fan more than I do for any other team sport, yet Mario Strikers Charged quickly rocketed to the top of my summer Wii purchases.

For fans of the series, you'll want to know about a few changes. In addition to new team captains like Bowser and Diddy Kong, you'll be able to customize your teams with the sidekicks of your choice. New second-stringers include Dry Bones and Monty Mole. Charged's eight new interactive stadiums add additional chaos to the Mario Sports Formula, with player crushing Thwomps, flying cows and lava pits wreaking havoc on both teams and adding a new strategic element to certain stages.

Mario Strikers Charged uses the Wii-remote and nunchuk, with little in the way of waggle to make the soccer title unnecessarily complicated. Players can flick the remote to knock over other players but the rest of the control scheme follows a simple, traditional set up. Passing is done with the A button, goal attempts with B (held down to charge a Mega Strike), Z chips the ball and C performs character specific special moves.

The Wii remote is used as a pointer in one additional way, blocking Mega Strike shots. After a short, somewhat jarring cutscene, the action will change to a first-person view and require quick reflexes to stop incoming shots.

Online play was, as I mentioned earlier, mostly seamless. We played a handful of multiplayer matches with Nintendo of America employees in Redmond and experienced no noticeable lag, but did see a few dropped frames.

Mario Strikers Charged is a solid addition to the Nintendo Sports Formula and looks to be a great multiplayer title. Michael McWhertor

Actually that last part is me, because I just wet myself thinking about playing some baby Wario! That mega-adorable cover art you see above this post not only makes me thirsty for some breast milk, it gets me equally pumped for some baby Wario and baby Bowser action... on the internet! I could stand to have a little less upturned infant and dragon ass shoved in our faces, but I'm probably asking too much.

Yep, previously unannounced online features and the inclusion of two unannounced characters are absolutely newsworthy, in my opinion. I'm no Yoshi fan, but Nintendo 2D platforming makes me all giddy inside.

Oh, yeah. Sorry 'bout that breast milk comment. Michael McWhertor

I have a hard time believing the Wii will fail. I don't doubt that early games will clumsily utilize the Wiimote, or that the graphics will pale in comparison compared to the 360 or the PS3, until developers realize that style and design is more important to aesthetic beauty than shaders and shimmers. Despite that, the price and the sheer enthusiasm the Wii has generated makes me confident that we are looking at a DS style success here.

Still, I suppose it could fail, and Gaming Nexus has an extremely well-thought out list of Nintendo's potential fubars in the upcoming console war:

Dumb mistakes. Nintendo's made plenty of them in the past. From cringe-worthy advertising to burning bridges with developers, the gaming veteran has hit most of the metaphorical potholes. Does disaster loom? Well, that all depends on the new Nintendo, the Satoru Iwata Nintendo, and if the risks he's taking are right. Iwata has done a good job to cleanse Hiroshi Yamauchi's imperialistic Nintendo image, making amends with scorned developers and paying some honest-to-god attention to the American market (Reggie, anyone?)

These improvements considered, the Wii is still Nintendo's biggest risk since the NES. A massive philosophy change is sweeping the company, and here I'll examine how disastrous it could be if the overhaul isn't handled with the utmost care. Let's look at some key elements of this new movement.

One high probability disaster they cite is Nintendo's WiFi Connection strategy, which looks clunky and unwieldy compared to the 360's Gamer Tag system. They also seem to think that the Wii is not getting the marketing blitz it deserves... a questionable conclusion, since Word of Mouth alone on this one has put the name of Nintendo's next console even in non-gamer's mouths. Florian Eckhardt

Could the Wii Fail? [Gaming Nexus]