Kotaku: wii sports

Wii Sports Resort Deeper Than Wave Race 64, Says Producer

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:40:45 MDT

Nintendo fans may still be mentally recovering from the company's softcore E3 media briefing that focused on fare like Shaun White Snowboarding and Wii Music, but fans of Wave Race may find the following lifts their spirits. Wii Sports Resort's "power cruising" mode may be a more hardcore appealing experience than it would appear at first blush.

"I'm confident it will surpass Wave Race 64 in depth," said the game's producer, Katsuya Eguchi. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt, considering he's credited with director duties on the Nintendo 64 classic.

Even if it's not as fully featured or "deep" as the original watercraft racer, it's going to have to suffice for now. Eguchi opted not to comment on plans for a sequel, something we shan't hold our breath for.

Wii Sports 2 Demonstration (With Bonus Pricing Info)

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:30:00 MDT

Wii Sports is, pack-in or not, the single biggest game in the Wii's library. Heck, for many Wii owners, it's probably the only game in their collection. So the sequel had better be good. We've heard via Gizmodo it's going to cost $50 when released next Spring, which when you consider it's coming bundled with a Wii MotionPlus accessory, suggests the game will be about as meaty as its predecessor. As in, not $50 worth of meat on its own. You can catch a clip of the game being demoed above, though be warned, the dork factor amongst Reggie, Bill Trinen and Cammie Dunaway is dangerously high.

Snapshots From Scenic Wii Sports Resort

Mike Fahey — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:20:00 MDT

So what do you get with Wii Sports Resort, along with the new, more accurate Wii remote? Tons of puppy goodness, that's what! In case tossing a frisbee to a dog isn't your idea of the perfect afternoon, here are eleven screens from Nintendo's next big collection of little things, only some of which seeth with puppy power.

"Motion Plus" Wii Remote To Debut With Wii Sports Resort

Leigh Alexander — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:48:17 MDT

At E3, Nintendo announced its first title that would make use of the new precision-enhancing add-ons for the Wii remote — it's called Wii Sports Resort, and Nintendo's Cammie Dunaway said it was "literally a day at the beach."

They demonstrated water-skiing and disc dog minigames — that's Frisbee with a pooch. Dunaway demonstrated that when she rotated her wrist, the movement is mimicked in the game in real-time thanks to the Motion Plus addition. Meanwhile, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime played with the jet ski by "revving" the engine with a turn of his wrist.

They also chopped wood with their hands karate-style, and fought one another.

"It's kinda cute," said Fils-Aime.

Nintendo Wii Not Exactly Setting Korea On Fire

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:00:00 MDT

America? America loves the Nintendo Wii. Europe? Ditto. And Japan? Man, Japan is bonkers for the Wii. What about Korea? The country finally has an official Nintendo of Korea branch after years of going through shady third party distributors. According to Korean site GameShot.net, the Wii's first month performance there is only 35,000 units sold out of the 50,000 units released by Nintendo. For game software, Wii Sports sold 30,000 copies, while Swing Golf Pangya and Zack & Wiki each sold about 8,000 copies. FIFA sold 2,000 copies. It seems Korean gamers have better things to do than play Wii Sports — things like waiting for StarCraft II.

How The Wii Is Doing [GameShot.net Thanks, Torokun for the tip and translation!]

Prince William Kicking Ass, Taking Names (At Wii Sports)

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:30:00 MDT

Prince William, future King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland, is apparently a deft touch at Wii Sports. Oh, and shit-talking. While visiting a youth project in Wales, the Prince was challenged to a game of Wii Sports by 18 year-old Martyn James. Martyn got his ass kicked, with Prince William even taking the time to talk some trash to the poor kid, telling him (no doubt with a sly snarl on his face) "you know you're not allowed to beat me". All Martyn could say was "I was stitched up" before curtseying and walking, bowed, out of the room.

William Serves Up A New Talent [Sky News, via Go Nintendo]

Think Hyundai, Think Baseball, Think The Nintendo Wii

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:30:00 MDT

Local television commercial schtick, baseball, Wii Sports, Hyundais, Nissans, this ad for classy, up-market car dealership Hamilton Nissan has it all. Though I'm a little suspicious at the editing on that last sequence, with the "easy" home runs. I don't remember them being that easy, but then...ah, forget it, these guys are car salesmen, who are we to doubt their integrity?
[via Go Nintendo]

Where I Get My Lazy From

Mike Fahey — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:00:31 MDT

I'm not the most productive fellow in the world. An excellent example of this is the fact that I am moving in two days and didn't get started on packing until Tuesday night. I would sit down in front of the television and start stacking up DVDs and games to go into the boxes, and before you know it I've found a game I haven't played in awhile and wasted several hours. Knowing my attention span problems, my mother offered to come over the other day and help me get started packing. Seeing as my mother rarely gets a chance to play video games and generally only plays PC point and click adventures, I figured I would show her Wii Sports bowling while I had her here, maybe let her throw a few balls before we got down to packing. Really bad idea.

An hour later and she's played several full games and we've gotten exactly nothing accomplished. On top of that, all that bowling had made her tired, so we decided to reschedule the packing for another day.

It made me think though. Is my gaming addiction and general laziness hereditary? If video games had been around when my mother was a kid, would I even be here today or would she have been too busy playing an ancient ancestor of Mario to bother going out to meet my dad?

Hereditary or no, I am obviously much better at putting off work than she is. As I type this she is in my kitchen wrapping dishes in newspaper while I sit in a comfortable office chair and tell you folks about how lazy she is. I suppose we'll see just how lazy she actually is when she reads this and then commences kicking my sorry ass.

Today Show Gets Around To Its "Old People Like Wii" Story

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:20:00 MST

NBC's news and entertainment program Today has decided to get around to airing its late take on the Old People Like Playing Wii phenomenon that swept the nation at the end of 2006. In its "Forever Young" segment, which features old folks who are capable of jogging and smiling, it reveals that the aged quite enjoy virtual bowling between bouts of not being visited by their grandchildren. Hey old people! Stop snatching up all the Wiis! Some of us still haven't played Super Mario Galaxy thanks to your Wii Sports obsession!

I'm actually quite surprised that folks confined to retirement homes and elder care facilities aren't finding the orderly-killing simulation in Manhunt 2 more appealing than Wii bowling. Oh God, I'm so horribly depressed.

Ken Levine Calls Casual Games a "Gateway Drug" Over and Over

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:00:37 MST

Ken Levine is a thinker. Which means, he thinks. A lot. And what does the BioShock designer think about casual games? This:

I think, what it is, it's a nice gateway drug. It makes people understand the principles of gaming... I think it is a nice gateway drug. I think it is going to strictly expand the market, which doesn't scare me very much... Nothing on the scale of a Wii Sports, but again, Wii Bowling is like the ultimate gateway drug and God bless them for figuring that out because there is no barrier of entry. "Hey, can you go like that?" [swings arm] That's what you do in bowling, that's what you do in Wii Sports.

Today's Ken Levine catch phrase: Casual games are a gateway drug.
Storytelling Beneath The Surface [GamesIndustry via Go Nintendo]

Roger Federer Is A Dick. We know you're ranked ...

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:00:00 MST

Roger Federer Is A Dick. We know you're ranked number one in the world right now, Roger, but showing up to a match attempting to play tennis with a Wii controller just smacks of cockiness. Maybe Federer's just that good at Wii Sports and real-life tennis, but I can't imagine playing as him in Virtua Tennis ever again. We hope the respected journalists at The Onion Sports call him out on this.

Roger Federer Shows Up On Court With Wii Controller [The Onion]

Forbes Predicts Future Classics

Mark Wilson — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:00:56 MST

The financial minds at Forbes have taken off their big business hats for a moment to focus on a more pressing topic: classic video games. Which of today's titles will become immortalized in our hearts, marble statue-ized into our next Super Mario Bros 3s that we can't put down a decade later? Well, they've compiled a list of their top ten and it's...actually not that bad. And of course, Mario has made an appearance.

Portal Brain Age 2 Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass BioShock Puzzle Quest Rock Band Super Mario Galaxy Wii Sports The Witcher WoW: Burning Crusade

Needless to say, a fiery debate will rage in the comments and give this list a good sorting. I'm actually not so sure about BioShock, of all choices, as single player FPS experiences don't seem to stand the test of time (meanwhile, multiplayer is a whole different story).

And now that the industry has become so successful at creating high quality, more polished sequels, will any of these titles really be in play a decade from now?

The Future Of Videogames [Forbes via WiiWii]

British PM Gets Arse Kicked By His Four Year-Old Son

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 06:00:00 MST

Poor Gordon Brown. Following in Tony Blair's footsteps must be tough. Blair was such a sweetheart! Brown...well, he looks kinda grumpy. Is acting kinda grumpy, too, now that you mention it. No doubt contributing to his grumpiness is the fact his son John - who is four - can kick his arse at Wii Tennis. I don't know what's more amazing. The fact Brown told this to the press, the fact his four year-old son beat him or the fact Gordon Brown has a four year-old son (he's nearly 57!).
Brown aced at Wii by son [The Times]

Nintendo Million Sellers Revealed

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:20:00 MST

We recently got a look at the top five selling Wii games in Japan, courtesy of publisher Enterbrain, but Nintendo themselves have released a more expansive list of the first party-published, platinum-plus titles worldwide, giving us a status update on just how well Nintendogs is selling. While the Nintendo DS dog-raising sim boasts an impressive 17.79 million copies sold globally, it's been bested by Wii Sports which, as of the new year, is at 17.85 million copies. Both have probably been helped by their respective hardware bundles, which are factored into totals, but we suspect Wii Sports got the biggest boost of the two.

Solid numbers for new-ish games like Metroid Prime 3, Link's Crossbow Training and Wii Fit pad the top ten, a list equally filled with mini-game comps as it is traditional games. For worldwide Nintendo DS software numbers, make the jump.

Wii

Wii Sports - 17,850,000
Wii Play - 9,230,000
Super Mario Galaxy - 5,190,000
Mario Party 8 - 4,350,000
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 4,300,000
Super Paper Mario - 2,160,000
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree - 2,000,000
Mario Strikers Charged - 1,650,000
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - 1,140,000
Link's Crossbow Training - 1,070,000
Wii Fit - 1,050,000

Nintendo DS

Nintendogs - 17,790,000
Pokemon Diamond & Pearl - 14,170,000
New Super Mario Bros. - 13,140,000
Brain Age - 11,710,000
Brain Age 2 - 9,840,000
Mario Kart DS - 9,670,000
Animal Crossing Wild World - 9,200,000
Super Mario 64 DS - 5,780,000
Big Brain Academy - 4,610,000
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - 3,820,000
Pokemon Ranger - 2,610,000
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Explorers of Darkness - 1,540,000

Looks like Nintendo is gonna be alright. As long as the kids still love them some Mario and Pokemon, they might just be able to keep the lights on.

Supplementary Information about Earnings Release (PDF) [Nintendo of Japan]

Wii Boobs (So Old), Dreamcast Moobs (So New)

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:00:55 MST

Know this: Hot Tears of Shame is equal opportunity. Hot Tears of Shame doesn't care if it's featuring jubblies or ding-dongs — just as long as it's embarrassing or shameful. We've got two HTOS clips to prove just that! One involves a fat dude in his underwear playing Samba De Amigo, and the other features a naked woman playing Wii Sports. But since we've already seen naked women playing Wii Sports (so old!), we recommend checking out the fat dude's man boobs first. What's more, the naked lady clip (starring Penthouse Pet Shay Laren) doesn't really feature that much gaming. We feel kinda ripped off. There is real bowling, though. Oh, both clips aren't sorta Not Safe For Work, they're TOTALLY Not Safe For Work.

Hit the jump for the shameful and embarrassing clips.

Topless Girl [Giz]
Topless/Bottomless DC [Giz]

Gamers Will Be Bored If All Games Like Wii Fit, Wii Sports

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 03:30:43 MST

The Wii looks pretty easy to make, huh. Folks think it's just a GameCube version 1.5 with so-so graphics. And the titles Nintendo is releasing for it, like Wii Sports and Wii Fit? Probably pretty easy to churn those out. Wrong! says Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. They are hard to make. He points out:

An astounding amount of effort was actually put into the fundamental development process of these titles [Wii Sports and Wii Fit]. We're investing our efforts in other areas besides graphics and data capacity. However, as I mentioned earlier, if all our games mirror games like Wii Sports or Wii Fit, our gamers would soon grow bored.

Whew. He knows. This should inspire hope at least!
Iwata Asks [Wii.com] [Pic]

Nintendo Sponsors Aussie Open

Mike Fahey — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:40:41 MST

Once again Nintendo uses Wii Sports to get themselves prominently displayed at a major sporting event. First Nintendo of America holds court at the U.S. Open, and now Nintendo Australia has announced that they have signed on as the "Official Gaming Console Supplier" of the 2008 Australian Open tennis tournament. Visitors to Melbourne Park during the January 14-27 event will be able to participate in the Wii Championships, a Wii Sports tennis tourney, with daily Wii console prizes and one grand prize - a chance to play Wii tennis against Australian tennis vet Mark Philippoussis. Visitors will also be able to get their eyes on Sight Training for the Nintendo DS, with daily prize packages up for grabs.

Nintendo sponsors Australian Open [GameSpot]

Nintendo Defines Dorky Family Fun

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 23:00:13 MST

Canada? Nice place. Nintendo of Canada? Fine. Nintendo of Canada's new Wii campaign? Meh. Called "Get Up and Play!", it "challenges" Canadian families to, you guessed it, get up and play. So clever. There's a weekend challenge that does things like pits boys vs. girls or kids vs. adults and puts at stake things like "Taking out the garbage and recycling" and "Making lunch for the following week." There are even certificates you can print out and online badges. Things Nintendo of Canada recommends to have on hand:

* Headbands
* Wristbands
* A ceremonial trophy
* Water Bottles filled with ice-cold water
* Easy to eat healthy snacks like dried fruit and granola bars
* Digital camera to capture all the winning moments

Jeepers! This totally sounds like a gaming tournament that kids won't be up for.
Get Up [NoC via Wii Fanboy]

Erickson's Bowling Championship Round 2

Mike Fahey — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 09:20:02 MDT

The bowling action heats up in round 2 of the Erickson Sports' Wii Bowling Championship, as the retirement community residents lose the kid gloves and start bringing out their A game. Crecente might be rooting for the Highland Springs Sidewinders, but the smart money is on the Sedgebrook Alley Cats. That Ginger Snap is one tough cookie. I'm just glad they didn't pick Halo 3 instead, because then we'd be in some real trouble.

Erickson Sports' Nintendo Wii Bowling Tournament- Game 2 [Erickson Sports]

Erickson Sports' Wii Bowling Championship

Brian Crecente — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:00:12 MDT

Erickson Retirement Communities recently hosted a national Wii Bowling Championship at their different locations, handing out a Erickson Sports Trophy to the winner. A trophy that will get moved from winner location to winner location year to year. That in and of itself is pretty damn cool, but to top it off, Erickson put together this pretty damn funny video production of the first game of the championship playoffs.

I'm rooting for the Highland Springs Sidewinders.

Erickson Sports' Nintendo Wii Bowling Championship- Game 1 [Erickson Sports]

The Prince Of Wii Sports Tennis Controllers

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:40:38 MDT

The licensing department at Prince—normally a manufacturer of real life tennis rackets and tennis equipment—smells cash. The kind of cash that only casual gamers can provide. That's why they're getting into the Wii accessory game with their own Prince branded Wii-mote holders designed for last year's non-hardcore hit, Wii Sports. Remember that?

Well, Linda Glassel, Vice President of Marketing and Brand Image at Prince, says the licensed shells are "really a win-win for players and gamers" and we have a hard time arguing with win-win assessments that come from the VP level. They'll be available the second week of November for a cheap $14.99.

More pics of the princely rackets after this.

Iwata: We Won't Do The Easy

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 19:40:10 MDT

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's conversation with the Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun—author and Earthbound and Mother creator Shigesato Itoi's semi-daily blog—continue, with today's update confirming that Nintendo has no plans to "do the easy." And by "doing the easy" Iwata essentially means that Nintendo has no plans to rest on its laurels and release incremental, expected sequels. And he's right, parts of Wii Fit are hard.

Iwata tells Itoi "Our mission is to surprise people in a good way, and this became very clear as we made Nintendo DS and Wii. You can't open up a new market of customers if you can't surprise them." That may be good news for fans of originality, but Iwata brings a scrap of bad news for gamers salivating for Wii Sports II. A sequel, he says, is "definitely not coming out soon."

More of the Iwata versus Itoi rap session at Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun.

Don't Do The Easy [Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun]

Wii Tennis on a 103-Inch TV

Brian Crecente — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 17:30:33 MDT

Walking through the Panasonic booth at CEDIA, I saw plenty of Playstation 3's being used to demonstrate the high-def screens. Panasonic is all about the Blu-ray so they nixed the Xbox 360 I was told... yes, I know that make no sense. As I rounded a corner I saw this, two guys playing Wii tennis on a 103-inch high-def television. My perspective is all screwed in this shot, but trust me it was impressive. Nearby a Panasonic rep fidgeted.

"I thought you were just using PS3s in here because of the whole Blu-ray thing?"
"Yeah, we have a PS3 hooked-up to it too, but everyone wants to play with the Wii on this television."
"Are you worried about people accidentally throwing their remotes into that screen?"
"Yes, but that's why they're wearing the straps."
"That would really suck."
Sickly smile.

Iwata's Personal Theory on Human Reproduction

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 06:30:49 MDT

Nintendo honcho Satoru Iwata doesn't just like to talk Nintendo games. He talks other stuff. Deep stuff. Stuff like reproduction and DNA and how this factors in why we compare out strengths and weaknesses. I'll let Iwata say it. It sounds better:

This is my personal theory, but all living creatures bear the task of passing down their DNA through reproduction. To reproduce, there's the necessity to show your superiority. The individuals who can do this well are the ones that were able to pass down their DNA... So I think it's natural for us to try to show that we're better than others. That's why we tend to compare our strengths with other people's weakness. This happens in any type of social organizations, such as in companies.

Way more interesting then hearing him drone on about old people playing Wii Sports!
Conversation with Iwata [Itoi's Site]

Games Convention Is A GREAT Place To Play Wii Sports

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:30:53 MDT

Nintendo's 2006 mega-hit Wii Sports isn't just a hit with stroke victims and alpha moms, the Germans love it, too. Capitalizing on the opportunity to finally show Wii Sports to the three attendees of Games Convention who haven't yet played Wii Sports—I presume having just been released from a long prison stay or pulled from a nine month stay in a well—Nintendo has opted to dedicate nearly a quarter of its 28 display kiosks to the game.

How many for Super Mario Galaxy? Two. Yes, two. That's one more than both Super Paper Mario, Zack & Wiki and Metroid Prime 3. Good work, Nintendo! Who'd want to play Super Mario Galaxy, or any of these other non-minigames, when they could spend a handful of hours creating Miis then watching them walk about a flat plane?

The title that has the biggest Nintendo presence at Games Convention is Wii Fit, available for standing on at seven demo kiosks.

Given this great news, one might feel a bit defeated. However,i t's not too late to book your flight to Germany. If you head to the airport now, you could be playing Wii Sports and watching the line for Super Mario Galaxy swell to the teens by, say, Friday. How could you possibly pass up this opportunity?

Play Wii Tennis, Win A Lexus IS F

Mike Fahey — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:25:50 MDT

Visitors to the US Open in New York will get a chance to bring home a big prize for playing tiny tennis. From the 4th through the 6th of September, Lexus is setting up a scaled down tennis court in Rockefeller Center (rendered above) where players can participate in a Wii Sports Tennis competition, complete with color commentary from ESPN's Luke Jensen. The top two players will compete in finals on the 6th, with the winner receiving a one-year lease on a new Lexus IS F performance sedan, the same model the Men's Singles Champion will receive in the real tournament, as well as the opportunity to watch the US Open finals from the Lexus Luxury Suite. On top of that, for each serve hit during the competition Lexus donates $1 to the Andy Roddick Foundation to help abused, neglected, or catastrophically ill children. Hit the jump for full details on your chance to win a Lexus while supporting a good cause.

Lexus brings Virtual Open to Rockefeller Center New Yorkers can participate in ultimate tennis experience for chance to win a one-year lease on a new Lexus IS F NEW YORK —As the world's professional tennis players vie for greatness at the US Open, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to share the experience at the Lexus Virtual Open at Rockefeller Center during the second week of the tournament. Participants can compete on a scaled down version of a tennis court for the chance to win a one-year lease on a new Lexus IS F and tickets to the US Open finals.
Tennis and gaming enthusiasts will take to the virtual courts at Rockefeller Center, in the heart of New York City, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sept. 4-6. Professional tennis player and ESPN on-court analyst Luke Jensen will instruct participants and provide commentary as they compete on Nintendo's Wii console. For each serve hit during the virtual tournament, Lexus will donate $1 to the Andy Roddick Foundation (up to $30,000).

"As a sponsor of the US Open we created this event to bring the excitement of Flushing Meadows to Manhattan," said Steve Jett, Lexus national marketing communications manager. "There's nothing like the thrill of competing in the US Open, and while tennis enthusiasts may never experience the roar of the crowd and feel the courts beneath their feet, the Lexus Virtual Open at Rockefeller Center gives them the opportunity to get a taste of it—and win a one-year lease on a new IS F performance sedan, the same vehicle Lexus is awarding to the Men's Singles Champion."

The top two scorers will compete on Sept. 6 for the chance to win the grand prize, a one- year lease on a Lexus IS F and two tickets to watch the US Open finals in the Lexus Luxury Suite on Sunday, Sept. 9. The runner up will receive two tickets to watch the US Open semi-finals on Sept. 8 in the Lexus Luxury Suite.
The event is open to the public. For more information about the Lexus Virtual Open at Rockefeller Center, participants can log on to myownpursuit.com.

Retirement Home Hosts Wii Home Run Derby

Brian Crecente — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 11:00:30 MDT

I know there's been a ton of stories about retirements homes, nursing homes, hospitals, rehab centers getting on board with the casual fun of the Wii, but this one sorta tickled my fancy.

The Riderwood retirement community in Silver Spring, Maryland not only hosted a Wii Home Run Derby, but they had a pitcher from the 1940s' All-American Girls Baseball League play in it. Yeah, as in A League of their Own. Doris Terry pitched for the Racine Belles as a semi-pro back in 1947.

The Riderwood community, whose residents are on average 75-years-old, decided to throw the little Derby last week in honor of Barry Bonds historic home run. Each resident had a chance to swing at 15 fast balls with the top three players winning baseball memorabilia.

Check out that ump, I wouldn't want to cross him, he looks cranky.

Stroke Victims Find New Lease On Limbs With Wii Sports

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:40:15 MDT

A Minneapolis hospital has become the latest unwitting Nintendo viral marketer with its new rehabilitation plan. The Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute at Minneapolis' Abbott Northwestern Hospital aims to aid patients who have suffered from strokes by giving them access to the popular Wii pack-in, Wii Sports, and a Wii-mote, putting the fun back in motor function recovery.

Today's Star Tribune profiles former real-life tennis player and stroke victim Jerry Pope as he strives to make his way back to the court by playing Wii Sports Tennis. His therapist, Matthew White, began experimenting with the Wii after reading reports of those suffering from strokes using them at home.

Nintendo's own Perrin Kaplan is summarized in the piece, noting that while the company isn't officially/actively pursuing Wii Rehab development, "anything is possible." C'mon, Wii Fit has gotta be at least somewhat applicable here.

Stroke victims find 'Wiihab' [Star Tribune, thanks Ted!]

Physical Education Final? Twilight Princess!

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 06:00:06 MDT

Virginia high school student Andrew sends us what could be best described as a Nintendo marketer's wet dream. He writes:

Last Friday, for my gym class's Physical Fitness Final Exam, my teacher brought in 3 Wiis and an Xbox, all hooked up to LCD projectors projected on the walls of the gym. For 2 hours we had tournaments on 2 of the Wiis in Wii Sports, Wii Play, Excite Truck, and Wario Ware while others played Twilight Princess on another and DDR on the xbox. We were also given the option of playing basketball but all 20 people in my class were more interested in Wii.

Great, but since when are wrist flicks while playing Excite Truck and Twilight Princess considered exercise? Oh, right, they're not. Brian Ashcraft

Elder Bleszinski Doesn't Welcome Wii Dominance

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 23:00:45 MDT

Look familiar? That's Tyler Bleszinski (in green), older brother of Gears of War designer CliffyB. Known primarily as a sports blogger, TylerB is also a big gamer. Over at Newsweek's Level Up, he's written an editorial on why he's on edge about the current Wii popularity. From the piece:

My problem is what this new crowd appears to be drawn to. Games like Wii Sports, Wii Play and Cooking Mama have become some of the biggest sellers, and that is what has me worried. If these are the type of games that become blockbusters, then you can count on other gaming companies who cater to the more hardcore gamer—aka me and the milions of others who've been driving this business—to promptly change direction. If we've learned anything about videogame companies, it's that they all are quick to follow each other if one is successful with something.

It's a provocative thought piece — complete with BeeGees-Nintendo Wii comparisons! Sure, it's not quite the bombshell of CliffyB saying that, but they're brothers. So somewhere, deep down, he must feel the same way. Or something. Brian Ashcraft

TylerB Worried [Level Up]

Wimps Still Suffering From "Wiiitis"

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:40:10 MDT

The mainstream media scare tactics continue, as CNN/Reuters report that Dr. Julio Bonis, family physician, has self-diagnosed himself with the affliction "Wiiitis." Cause? Playing Wii Sports while being a flabby, soft-armed milquetoast.

He warned in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine that Wiiitis is "probably an underdiagnosed condition" but calmed fears that it can be treated by "ibuprofen for one week, as well as complete abstinence from playing Wii video games." Bonis also warned of future cases of the condition based on unexpected waggle motions causing different types of muscle strain.

And then he put a little winking emoticon at the end of his letter and cashed his check from Nintendo. Michael McWhertor

If it's not tennis elbow, it may be 'Wiiitis' [CNN]

Nintendo: The Comeback Kid

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:20:51 MDT

The mainstream press love-in for Nintendo continues with Business 2.0's latest piece highlighting the phenomenal success of the Wii and DS. It recounts the history of Nintendo's current rise to console dominance and the series of good decisions surrounding the transition from the Game Boy brand to the Nintendo DS.

It's all fairly familiar stuff, but some interesting revelations are contained within. According to Business 2.0, Nintendo is making $50 profit on each Wii sold and Nintendo president Satoru Iwata was the driving force behind the console's petite footprint.

Will Nintendo be able to keep the love train rolling? I'll put a dollar on "yes." However, they'd better get more Wiis in store soon to properly capitalize on the public's warm and fuzzy feelings. Michael McWhertor

How the Wii is creaming the competition [Business 2.0 @ CNN Money]

Nintendo & Playstation Up for D&AD Awards

Kim Phu — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 12:40:00 MDT

The D&AD Awards (which stands for "Design and Advertising" Awards) that LocoRoco, Buzz, and Wii Sports are nominated for this year for game development, is sited as being an "educational charity" on their website and many of the articles I have been reading. Although on paper that might be true, I would like to just take a moment to clear all of that up.

The thing about how the D&AD Awards works in advertising is you have to pay a truckload of of money for every entry (your creative work) you submit, in hopes that you win a yellow pencil so that your work can then be bound in a $150 book called the D&AD annual that showcases that the "winners". Winning a yellow pencil is how everyone is advertising knows they're the nacho chip with the most cheese, and the annuals are always "a way to steal a good idea" (thanks expensive art school teacher for the tip - I know why you went so far in life!).

What will be interesting to see is how Playstation and Nintendo can actually pick up a D&AD Award for their innovative work they do without winning an award for the way their games are marketed. Kim Phu

Sony, Nintendo nominated for D&AD awards [Games Industry Biz]

Simple 2000: The Japanese Software Sales Chart

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:30:52 MDT

Japan has baseball fever! With no less than four baseball titles in the top thirty (five if you count Wii Sports), it's clear that Gundam and Naruto aren't the only games in town. Or the country. Or whatever.

It really shouldn't come as a surprise, as the lack of Wii hardware most likely had plenty to do with it, but Wii software is uncommonly scarce in this week's charts, with only Wii Play and Wii Sports cracking the top thirty.

Here are the top ten for the week of April 2nd to the 8th.

01. Naruto: Shippuuden Narutimett Accel (PS2) - 75,453 / NEW
02. Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T. Portable (PSP) - 58,751 / NEW
03. Yoshi's Island DS (DS) - 47,566 / 629,459
04. Pro Baseball Spirits 4 (PS2) - 40,891 / 82,052
05. Musou Orochi (PS2) - 36,168 / 515,803
06. More English Training (DS) - 34,933 / 84,645
07. Wii Sports (Wii) - 30,807 / 1,315,931
08. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball Portable 2 (PSP) - 29,944 / NEW
09. Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ (PS2) - 29,638 / 202,850
10. Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village (DS) - 27,833 / 392,135

Now let's play a game of Spot the Lonely PLAYSTATION 3 Game!

11. Detective Conan: Tantei Ryoku Trainer (DS)
12. Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan DS (DS)
13. Pro Baseball Netsu Stadium 2007 (PS2)
14. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
15. Wii Play (Wii)
16. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (PSP)
17. Rakushou! Pachislo Sengen 5: Rio Paradise (PS2)
18. Tamagotchi no Appare! Niji-Venture (DS)
19. Mario Kart DS (DS)
20. Digimon Story: Sunburst (DS)
21. More Brain Age (DS)
22. Animal Crossing Wild World (DS)
23. Pro Baseball Spirits 4 (PS3)
24. Dragon Quest Monsters Joker (DS)
25. SimCity DS (DS)
26. Kageyama Method - Dennou Hanpuku: Tadashii Kanji Kaki to Rikun (DS)
27. Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Goku Legend (DS)
28. English Training (DS)
29. Common Knowledge Training (DS)
30. Super Robot Wars W (DS)

Did you find it kids? Tomorrow, hardware! Michael McWhertor

Media Create Sales Figures

Look Horribly Fashionable Playing Wii Sports

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 20:40:22 MST

Want to look your absolute best when playing Wii Sports? City Mag, who thinks we have much more disposable cash than reality tells us, has some tips on how to spice up your wardrobe for your sexy game sessions. Hermes gloves for bowling? C'mon! And that Chanel gym bag doesn't even have a price! People are starving out there!

Still, if you label whores insist on wearing $375 Porsche sunglasses indoors during Wii Tennis games, we won't try to stop you. Thanks to the upper class readers who sent this in! Michael McWhertor

Wiiner Takes All [City Magazine]

Nerf Gets Into Useless Wii Accessory Game

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:20:40 MST

Spotted at this year's Toy Fair in New York City by the folks at Cnet's gadget site Crave, the Nerf Sports Pack for the Nintendo Wii makes it easier for you to not smash your television screen. It also gives you that "I'm holding a foam golf club" sensation for maximum Wii Sports immersion. Also included in the pack are a Nerf tennis racket and baseball bat, both safe for swinging like a madman, as well as a Wiimote protective sheath.

So, we have Wii boxing gloves, the three attachments listed above, now all we need is a baby soft mini-bowling ball within which we may stash our Wii-motes. Then the circle of stupidity will be complete. Michael McWhertor

Nerf and Nintendo's Safety Dance [Crave via NeoGAF]

Nintendo Does Pebble Beach

Brian Crecente — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 08:02:45 MST

No, they're not making a game about the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, golf tournament to the stars, at least not that I know of.

My sources tell me the company will be hanging at the AT&T PRO-Am Tournament closing night celebrity party tomorrow night getting celebrities, pro-golfers and other A-listers to check out Wii Golf. I'm told Nintendo will have two Wiis on site for gamers and non-gamers to check out Wii Sports.

I wonder if they can cajole Bill Murray to check it out... afterall, it doesn't have any gophers. Brian Crecente

Pebble Beach Golf

Wii Sports Boxing Gloves

Mike Fahey — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 13:20:04 MST

Another candidate for the useless peripheral hall of fame, the Wii Boxing Gloves actually transcend my usual criteria of being only useful in one game by being useful in only one fraction of one game. Created with Wii Sports in mind, the fingerless padded gloves feature sleeves on the top that you actually tuck the wiimote and nunchuck into, offering all the functionality of simply duct taping the controllers to your hands with none of the messy skin irritation.

If these were fully padded regulation boxing gloves I could see the need for them, as my girlfriend tends to get hyper-aggressive during a round of Wii Sports Boxing, but since the fingers are exposed she would retain full use of her knuckles and nails, leaving me short $22 on top of being beaten to a bloody, shredded pulp. Michael Fahey

Wii Boxing Glove for Wii Sports gives that Powerglove feeling [Videogamesblogger.com]

Clip: Conan Vs. Serena Williams In Wii Tennis

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 00:22:21 MST

Late Night host Conan O'Brien battles it out with tennis superstar Serena Williams in Wii Sports. And man, Conan kicks her ass. Brian Ashcraft

Thanks dean0130!

Wii Parties Like Tupperware Parties For Dudes

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 19:40:03 MST

The only thing people like doing more than playing the Wii with their friends and family is writing positive mainstream press articles about how much people just love the damn Wii.

Reuters is chronicling the latest gaming trend, Wii parties. Whether it's an informal get together, a scheduled Wii Sports tournament or a WiiParty.net organized Excite Truck session it seems that everyone is getting into the waggle scene.

Could Wii parties be the key parties of the new millenium? Maybe. My household is heading out in fifteen minutes for our monthly Geek Night which will include healthy doses of Wario Ware Smooth Moves and some Wii Sports. Of course, we're also going to be getting some Samba de Amigo time in, so let's at least give a little party credit to the Dreamcast. RIP. Michael McWhertor

Wii is guest of honor at new genre of parties [Reuters]