If that sounds like you, here comes Cammie Dunaway to crash your party.

"You have seen the extent of Nintendo's 2008 holiday lineup," she told Wired recently, in the same interview wherein she also said she's really as jaw-crackingly smiley in real life as she appears to be during press conferences.

When you think about it, though, the holiday's not that far off. And before you know it, it'll be a brand new year, and time for brand new announcements. Such as?

Dunaway told Wired's Chris Kohler:

Well, you heard [Nintendo President Satoru] Iwata's commitment, that the Zelda and Mario teams are hard at work. And you know us, Chris, we don't talk about things until we are confident that they are in a place where we're going to be able to deliver on them in relatively short order after talking about them. So you have to know that those teams are working hard and there will be stuff that will be delightful coming out.

From an Americas-centric perspective, here is the reality we see. We have a consumer base who loves virtual console. We have a userbase who really is enjoying WiiWare content. So for us really our challenge really is how do we satisfy all these consumers who are loving all of the product we make available on a download basis? As we continue to have things, as you point out, like ‘Mario Kart’ that has its own channel when you’re playing from an Internet perspective, we’re just making this challenge tougher and tougher. So in our view this is becoming much more of a mainstream problem, which is why we have a sense of urgency to solve it.

It's comforting to picture Nintendo HQ, deck chairs and money-counting machines upturned, as klaxons sound, tech teams scrambling to "solve" this problem before the Today Show starts complaining about it.

Nintendo: Wii Storage Limitations Becoming A ‘Mainstream Problem’ [MTV]

Analyst Michael Pachter told Kotaku a few months ago to expect supply constraints for Wii this season, and speaking to Forbes, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata seems pretty certain himself that's how it'll go down, again:

"We are really intending to increase the shipments to the U.S., especially compared to last year," says Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's global president and CEO. "However, I can't give you a 100% commitment [that you'll be able to find a Wii this holiday season]. What I can commit myself to is that Nintendo is going to do its best to supply as many Wii hardware units as possible in order to meet demand there."

A Wii Bit Short On Supplies [worst pun ever, Forbes!]

Atlus loves to talk about how its upcoming PS2/Wii "party RPG," Dokapon Kingdom, is going to make you and all of your friends hate each other as you fight one another to be the best kingdom-defender and win the hand of Princess Penny.

But man, how can there be hostility when these screens look so damn adorable and hilarious, seriously? Fist-in-teeth, girl-squealing adorable?

You're looking at the official box art for Wii. Release date is October 14th, new screens after the jump!

The Wii MotionPlus is going to be good. If I had to pick one thing we suffered from, it was imprecise control on the Wii. That meant certain genres were never going to perform as well on the Wii. There are a couple of franchises in our booth. Go look at Dead Space and imagine playing that game with a wand and a Nunchuk. If they improve the precision, then you could have a good experience.

Let's just hope Nintendo is able to get every Wii owner on board so we can actually see developers make the most out of it.

E3 perspective: An interview with John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts [Venture Beat via CVG]

Digital Camera Print Channel [Nintendo via Go Nintendo]

All I can tell you is that since the day I walked in the door, I’ve had a very good relationship with the folks at Take Two, continue to have a good relationship. And so in our view we want just the best content coming on our platforms... You know, a GTA on the Wii is all based on what Rockstsar and Take Two want to do. And again, from our standpoint, if they build a bottoms-up game that takes advantage of what we do well, I’d love to see it on the platform.

And hey, why the heck not?

Nintendo President Talks ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Deal [MTV Multiplayer] [Pic]

When we talked to SEGA of America president Simon Jeffery at E3 last week, he showered us with knowledge and know-how. He also threw in a quick mention of a game we hadn't heard anything about — officially, that is — Resident Evil 5 for the Wii. To say that we were surprised to hear it mentioned would be an understatement, despite our non-reaction if front of Mr. Jeffery.

We followed up with a couple folks about the on camera slip of the tongue, starting with Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime.

Discussing our Executive Pop Quiz, in which we asked Nintendo Corporate Affairs VP Denise Kaigler if Resident Evil 5 was getting a Wii version, Mr. Fils-Aime fired back with a "Not yet!" and a laugh that left us more confused than when we started the question.

Talking to Capcom's Chris Kramer outside the publisher's E3 meeting room, he seemed genuinely surprised to hear of such a product. We told him that we already knew about the existence of Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop and he suggested that Mr. Jeffery was simply confusing the two products.

As far as a Wii port of the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 title, Kramer asked of us "Have you seen Resident Evil 5?" implying that such a port would be almost impossible, adding that he'd not heard any such product was in the works for Nintendo's platform.

Finally, we followed up with Mr. Jeffery himself who said the mention of Resident Evil 5 for the Wii was just a "simple slip of the tongue."

"We’d been discussing the Res Evil 5 showing at the Microsoft event earlier, and it was still on my brain – that’s all," he wrote in an e-mail.

After the surprise announcement that Dead Rising was making the transition to the Wii — as Resident Evil 4 did, very successfully — we wouldn't discount anything at this point. Capcom seems to love all platforms equally. Resident Evil 5 for Wii has been officially denied, albeit in roundabout ways, so we won't cancel our pre-orders for the superior Wii version just yet.

But who knows what the future holds?

Ray, here to save the world from an evil something or other that's covering his kingdom with a black goo, has a pair of familiars that will help him in his fight against, you know, evil. One, a portly bat-winged devil sprays a cleansing orange slime and a sticky green goo. The other, an angelic wisp, sprays water and ice that puts out fires and lays down ice tracks.

The combination of all these things is what gives SPRay its uniqueness.

As you can probably suspect, SPRay takes advantage of the Wii's remote for directing Ray's flow of slop. He'll need to lay down the sticky green stuff to stick to walls (or have other objects stick to walls), stuff that's in a more limited supply. As Ray and his liquidy partners level up, the player will have access to more abilities, giving it a Zelda-like adventure feel.

Like that series' star, Link, Ray also has a sword. He'll use it in concert with the liquid attacks to take out foes, something that should add variety to battling hordes of enemies.

The game looks to have epic boss battles that take advantage of your progressive abilities, something that will surely further comparisons between SPRay and The Legend of Zelda. While the visual design on some of these creatures may not hold up as well to what Nintendo's team has been capable of, we were surprised at how good some of them looked in motion.

The game is due out by the holidays. We look forward to getting some additional time with it... whenever that may be.

The difference with PopStar Guitar is the way you control it on the Wii. While the PS2 version is compatible with Rock Band or Guitar Hero controllers, the Wii version ships with something called the AirG, which attaches to your Wii remote to form "an electrifying air guitar." Sounds dangerous. Look, I'm all for competition in the marketplace, but you have to bring something more to the table than a one-shot accessory and more than 50 pop songs " including several masters performed by the original artists." Several?

XS GAMES ANNOUNCES POPSTAR GUITAR™, NEW MUSIC RHYTHM GAME FEATURING HITS FROM TOP POP RECORDING ARTISTS

PopStar Guitar For the Wii™ Includes the Unique AirG™ Peripheral,
Turning your Wii Remote into an Air Guitar

NEW YORK, NY - July 22, 2008 - Videogame publisher XS Games announced today its new music rhythm game, PopStar Guitar™, featuring songs from top pop music stars including 3 Doors Down, Simple Plan, Blink 182 and many more. PopStar Guitar allows players to unlock their inner pop celebrity and star as the lead guitarist in their very own band. Shipping in October 2008, PopStar Guitar will be available for the Wii™ and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The Wii™ version of PopStar Guitar will feature the AirG™, an exciting new peripheral that turns the Wii Remote™ into an air guitar.

"The popularity of music rhythm games is at an all time high, but to date the games have primarily featured hard core metal, classic and alternative rock music," said Steve Grossman, chief executive officer of XS Games. "With popular songs from today's top pop artists, PopStar Guitar is a game the whole family can enjoy. We've also created a dynamic new air guitar game play experience with our AirG peripheral for the Wii, allowing players to have a blast as they unleash their inner pop star."

PopStar Guitar features a single player Career Mode and two-player Co-operative Mode, along with single player and multi-player mini-games. The game takes the player on a musical journey that starts with forming a garage band to playing at 25 unique venues and eventually performing in the worldwide "Battle of the Bands" contest. Twelve playable characters are featured in the game and can be customized to give the band its own unique look. PopStar Guitar features over 50 pop songs, including several masters performed by the original artists.

Exclusively for the Wii™, PopStar Guitar will come with the AirG™, a peripheral that snaps onto the Wii Remote and turns the controller into an electrifying air guitar. For PlayStation®2 system players, PopStar Guitar will function with any PlayStation®2 system compatible guitar peripheral.

PopStar Guitar has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

The Wii exclusive does a lot of neat things with the genre. First is the fact that while you do take turns controlling both the scorpion and spider in Deadly Creatures, they aren't buddies. In fact, they're deadly enemies of one another. You will never actually do combat while controlling either creature, but you get to witness a few stand-offs as the game unwinds.

While most of the action of the game takes place in the desert of Arizona, there is an overriding story that deals with these mysterious guys searching for something. It's these cut-scenes that sort of tie the entire experience together.

Controlling the spider and scorpion involves a lot of motion control, but the good kind, not the bad one. For instance, while moving the spider around you can target nearby creatures and then strike at them with a sudden flick forward of your hand. This also allows you to do some distant jump attacks. The spider, of course, can also crawl up walls and such, and both creatures regain health by eating crickets. Movement can be just as important as combat in the game too. In one scene the spider had to ditch a rattle snake by tricking it to strike into a cactus repeatedly. The whole thing, from interface, to movement and types of attack, has a very organic feel to it.

Both creatures unlock new abilities, like the ability to spin spider silk to capture creatures, by defeating a set number of creatures to hit predator goals.

Unfortunately, the game won't include any two-player co-op play. Instead you get take turns playing as the two critters in alternating chapters.

While almost all of the game is about surviving the environment and other nasty creatures, the final boss is one of the two humans in the game, the developer told me.

"I don't want to give too much away, but it will make you very squeamish," the developer said. "We do awful things to that poor man."

First of all, I don't think the current system we have with friend codes is perfect. However, if it's an online world where you can get access to anybody without any restrictions, I as a father do not feel like allowing my daughter be engaged in that kind of world. So for Nintendo, especially in terms of the people who have never experienced online video games before, we think that it's still very important to create a world where we can assure that there will be no harassment for these online beginners, and we really want to assure the security and safety for them to do that. So we will be studying this on an ongoing basis in order to improve Nintendo's own circumstances where people can freely and safely enjoy the communications through the net.

Quick show of hands. Who likes friend codes? Okay, who tolerates them? And, who hates them? Nintendo is doing its best to make sure that its online service is friendly to all players, and the company should be commended for that. (Think of the children!)

Interview: Satoru Iwata Talks [GameDaily via CVG]

Mega Man 9 is very hard. We didn't want to do Mega Man, but easy. We want players to get better, we want them to remember. I've always tried to challenge players, and I think there are gamers who miss being challenged by games.

We'd like to think so as well. Takeshita also expressed his interest in making more Wii titles, which is good news for Wii owners looking for a challenge.

And we certainly don't do the consumer the disservice of basically saying that the consoles have gone by the wayside because we have a new one. Right now, a prime example? PS2 is nine years into it. Where's the Xbox? Where's the GameCube?

Same thing with the original PlayStation. At some point we looked around and asked what happened to the Saturn? Where's the N64? So if we're doing that, let's compare apples to apples, and for me, because we're on a ten year life cycle, unless we're talking ten years it doesn't really make that much sense to me.

The only way Kaz Hirai tracks time is with decades.

This is Living [GamesIndustry]

Gradius ReBirth is planned for a summer release in Japan. If it arrives elsewhere, buy it. Convince Konami to restart work on Gradius VI. Seriously.

Gradius ReBirth [Konami]

Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop which has "pretty good for a Wii game" graphics is touted as "taking advantage of the same proven technology that brought Resident Evil 4 so successfully to Wii." Whether that simply means a Wii Remote driven control scheme with zombie killing accuracy or something else more technical, we're not sure. We don't know computers.

The full press release with all the details is after this.

CAPCOM® ANNOUNCES DEAD RISINGTM: CHOP TIL YOU DROP
Wii Gamers Prepare For a Zombie Invasion

SAN MATEO, Calif. — July 21, 2008 — Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Dead Rising™: Chop Till You Drop is in development for the Wii™ home video game system. Based on the critically acclaimed Dead Rising™, which has sold in excess of one million units since its release in 2006, Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop is scheduled to hit store shelves this Winter.

Taking advantage of the same proven technology that brought Resident Evil® 4 so successfully to Wii, Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop delivers a more immersive, intuitive and interactive experience as players use the Wii Remote to shoot, slash and bludgeon their way through a zombie infested shopping mall, fighting for survival.

Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop follows the harrowing tale of Frank West, an overly zealous freelance journalist on a hunt for the scoop of a lifetime. In pursuit of a juicy lead, he makes his way to the small suburban town of Willamette only to find that it has become overrun by zombies. Frank escapes to the local shopping mall, thinking it will be a bastion of safety but it turns out to be anything but. It will be a true struggle to survive the endless stream of enemies, but players will have full reign of a realistic shopping centre and its varied stores offering an endless supply of real and makeshift weapons to fight off the flesh-hungry mob. If Frank is running low on health he can pay a visit to one of the many restaurants or cafes for a meal in order to restore his energy and continue the fight.

The game is split into a series of individual cases, all of which Frank must complete in order to gain vital information that will allow him to piece together the truth behind the horrendous epidemic. In addition to the cases, players will be faced with the dilemma of deciding the rescue priority of the residents of Wilamette who also sought sanctuary in the mall. Depending on the player’s skill, some may not be so fortunate as each rescue needs to be undertaken in a set time period, therefore players may need to delay completion of a case in order to save a fellow human.

Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop’s infectious humor delivers some welcome relief from the incessant tide of zombies with players able to dress Frank up in a variety of comedic costumes and take on the undead hordes with a selection of improvised and sometimes highly ineffective weapons such as a toy sword or a football.

Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop includes the following features:
• Utilizes the same engine as Resident Evil 4 Wii edition.
• New level of interaction – aim and fire guns, swing and throw weapons and shake off zombie attacks with added Wii Remote functionality
• Huge environment – expansive indoor and outdoor areas of the mall provide a variety of different locations to explore
• Improved save functionality allows for more seamless gameplay
• Hoards of enemies on screen at once resulting in non-stop, pulse-pounding action
• Anything in the mall is at Frank’s disposal
• Grab environmental objects like umbrellas and benches to use as improvised weapons
• Snatch items from different stores to use as weapons including golf clubs, lawnmowers, frying pans and more
• Consume food and drink to revive health

Perhaps a little bit of both. I got to watch a couple of LucasArts employees take on one another in a couple of duels during E3 last week, and while it did indeed look like they were waving those sticks around like lightsabers, I got the impression that the controls weren't being handled any different than they would in any other Wii fighting game.

First off, the game shares the same stylized CGI look of the upcoming movie and television series, which fans either love or hate. It certainly takes a bit of getting used to, especially considering I've already acclimated myself to an entirely different Clone Wars animated series. Still, with cartoony graphics come fluid movement, and the game certainly flowed nicely.

Each of the games stages has different phases to better represent the epic battles taking place. One level they showed off took place on a sky platform, which eventually separated from the building it was attached to and began plummeting through the atmosphere, combatants slashing furiously all the while. It isn't all saber rattling either - players will be able to slice bits of the environment and then use force powers to make said bits into weapons to fling against their foes.

There is a nice assortment of characters as well, with old favorites returning and new characters introduced, such as Ahsoka Tano and Asajj Ventress, adding a few more girls to the roster as fighting fans get a kick out of such things.

My overall impressions as they stand? Without getting my hands on those controls it is hard to tell, but the interactive stages and interesting new characters have intrigued me. When you get right down to it, this is a Star Wars lightsaber fighting game, and there's no way I am going to be able to resist that anyway, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on it.

“After the success of Sonic and the Secret Rings we’re delighted to announce a second title in the Storybook Series,” said Gary Knight, European Marketing Director, SEGA Europe, “Following Sonic on his way to knighthood will excite players of all ages.”

The game is due out in Spring of 2009, giving the writers of the "Seven Rings In Hand" theme song plenty of time to swap out the lyric "Seven rings in hand, speed through nights with feet in sand" to "Seven rings in hand, speed through knights with sword in hand." We will NEVER escape this song.

SEGA ANNOUNCES SONIC AND THE BLACK KNIGHT

A new addition to the Storybook Series of Sonic Titles

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (July 21, 2008) –SEGA of Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced Sonic™ and the Black Knight, an all-new Wii-exclusive adventure. Part of the storybook series of games that began with Sonic and the Secret Rings, this new title brings Sonic into the world of Arthurian legend and offers the worlds most infamous blue hedgehog the chance to become a knight. Using the unique Wii control system, this exciting game will take advantage of both the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk to offer an interactive experience that any Sonic fans will love.

Created by Sonic Team in Japan, this innovative game takes Sonic into a medieval world and arms him with a sword to aid in his effort to save the day. Sonic and the Black Knight will provide Sonic fans with an irresistible cast of characters and teach them all what it takes to be a true hero and the ultimate knight. With a series of missions taking place in stunning Arthurian-inspired locations, Sonic and the Black Knight promises to offer a fast-paced adventure that gamers of all ages will enjoy.

“After the success of Sonic and the Secret Rings we’re delighted to announce a second title in the Storybook Series,” said Gary Knight, European Marketing Director, SEGA Europe, “Following Sonic on his way to knighthood will excite players of all ages.”

Sonic and the Black Knight, exclusively for the Wii, will be out in Spring 2009.

[Logitech Wii Keyboard]

We have little info beyond the cover details for Sonic's third Wii outing, but can imagine a Sonic themed adventure with the compelling gameplay of Red Steel or Dragon Quest Swords will fit the series like a glove. Hey, we'll take it (begrudgingly) over gunplay any day.

To sum up... :\

Sonic and the Black Knight (Wii) revealed in new Nintendo Power [NeoGAF - thanks, Carlos!]

I've suggested before that for the videogames industry, the mass market is our long tail. The centre of cashflow in videogames are the hobbyists, the players who buy and play many games over the course of each year. Even with the outrageous sales figures that a mass market game can rack up (tens of millions, versus the old familiar game styles that top out at a few million units at best), the mass market doesn't look like an attractive option for most game developers: they don't know how to develop for it, they don't have a marketing spend big enough to skip over the hobbyists, and even if they made the perfect mass market product there's every chance it would sink without a trace.

The change at Nintendo is apparent: games are only part of Nintendo's focus now. What is less clear is what this change means for the rest of us. Because if this new wider market can only be hit by Nintendo first party software, which may be substantially the case, most developers would do better to continue to compete for a tiny share of a successful hobbyist marketplace, such as the first person shooter market, or the RPG market, even if most of the titles in these over-competed markets do fail miserably. And in that respect, the change in Nintendo is really 'business as usual' - because Nintendo's problem has always been that it can make and sell its own 'first party' software in large numbers, but third party developers struggle to make a profit on a Nintendo platform.

It does suck to be left out in the cold, and that goes for many of us — even those of us who don't have the time to game as we once did. Diversification isn't a bad thing, but it can be troubling at times.

The Change at Nintendo [Only a Game]

What's New in Wii Dead Rising [1UP]

Nintendo's corporate affairs VP Denise Kaigler confirmed to us earlier this week that the Wii Sports sequel is currently the only game that's confirmed to take advantage of the new sensor, but... what if? What if, say, Mario Teaches Sniping is coming down the line and requires the add-on? Will Nintendo release an updated Wii Remote, one integrated with the MotionPlus tech built-in?

Katsuya Eguchi, producer of Wii Sports Resort and MotionPlus subject matter expert, says the company is currently thinking about integrating it into the current remote.

"We're always looking at how hardware will evolve," Eguchi noted, adding that it's too early to confirm anything about a new standard Wii Remote. There's a possibility that MotionPlus may simply remain an attachment only and that it may be used with limited software.

Talking to Nintendo employees after the Nintendo Developer Roundtable, we expressed our concerns that the MotionPlus would fragment the user base, that it may be leading to an overcomplication of the inherently easy Wii Remote. We were told that the MotionPlus accessory may be packed in with more than just Wii Sports Resort to prevent that sort of split between users.

Addressing other concerns that the Wii MotionPlus might lead to more difficult games, ones that require increased precision, Eguchi said that his teams "are very aware of this issue and we're keeping this in our thoughts during our development."

That said, Eguchi noted that "We want a gaming experience where [the player feels] 'the more you bite, the more flavor you get'."

"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.

I was drawn to take a quick peek at Eidos' Monster Lab because of the clever character design art mural all around the play area. The game has you enlisting the aid of three mad scientists, each with a different specialty, to try and take down one ultimate scientist who's mastered all three abilities — alchemy, biology, and one that seems more mechanically-oriented. It's on Wii and DS, but I saw the Wii version.

Monster Lab has the player building creatures and exploring a cartoonishly eerie supernatural land to collect parts to build and strengthen monsters to fight other monsters. As players progress through the narrative, they'll be able to enlist the help of each mad scientist to build new items and reach new areas.

So it's a bit collection and construction, a bit combat, and a bit story-based exploration — a pretty clever core idea with a cool aesthetic.

The Eidos rep had built a patchwork Frankenstein of a creature with tree roots for legs and a big mechanical arm, and he walked this creature through a spooky town back to the monster lab to combine some parts he'd found into a new chain saw arm for his creature. Different parts' attributes combine for different results — though you never know what you'll get when you mix things together, once you've successfully created something, it's added to your recipe list.

Creating an item successfully requires completing a mini-game; this one saw the rep using the Wii remote like a soldering iron, filling a scrolling, twisty maze with molten metal while it quickly scrolled past. The quality of the item you produce and the boost it provides to your monster's attributes depends on how well you perform at the mini-games.

Once you've created a part, you can assemble a fighting creature and head out on the town. You'll be able to walk up to roaming enemies to engage in turn-based combat with them, and the enemy monsters are juiced up with custom parts just as much as you are. That's why it's a good idea to pick your target on the enemy's body — knock off their weaponry and you'll have an easier time of things.

The combat was pretty kooky — once the rep had knocked off both of the enemy's attacking arms, it was able to rather desperately go on fighting with kicks from its two legs, or by head-butting or biting.

This game is aimed a bit at the younger folk, but the diversity of things to do, marriage of multiple elements, and the cool aesthetic seems to indicate older players looking for a creative third-party Wii title might enjoy checking it out.

The Wii is a really cool game system. It's worth better games than it's getting right now. There are some great games out there for the system, but it just seems like there's such an opportunity to do so much more with it. Considering it's such a popular system right now, it just doesn't make sense to not focus on making really quality games.

Matt, be a dear and fwd that onto Ubisoft and THQ, would you? A Conduit dev walkthrough's after the jump if you're at all interested.

High Voltage's Corso: Wii Deserves Better Games Than It's Getting [Gamasutra]

One question asked of Miyamoto was Wii Music's qualifications as a game. You know, a game game. Since Wii Music has no discernible scoring system, no goals and little in the way of those squishy innards that makes a game a "game," isn't it just a "musical toy"? That was the question posed by one European journo.

"Yes, that's right," Miyamoto curtly replied "And that's why it's more interesting than a video game."

That will, of course, be debatable to the Wii owning masses, especially those who bemoaned the lack of games that appeal to them. The Marios, the Zeldas, the Metroids, the... Kid Icari.

Whatever Wii Music is, it's better than what the gaming public saw at Nintendo's E3 2008 media briefing. The cacophonous display of a DJ Ravi Drums waggling and stomping like a madman, followed by a ear splitting executive performance didn't win over many of the folks we talked to at E3.

But the more mellow demo, minus the on stage fanfare made Wii Music seem much more interesting.

Like many gamers, I've yet to go personally hands on with Wii Music. The available melodic and percussive options — from guitar to steel drums to vibraphone to harpsichord to toy piano to singer to tuba to dog suit — may make rearranging the Super Mario Bros. them fun. Plus, your Mii can beat box. That's like hours of fun right there. All those options might not make it a game, but there's at least one person who doesn't see anything wrong with that.

Miyamoto said that he sees Wii Music as a viable educational tool, saying that "I really think that half of an elementary music school could be dedicated to this." His intention, it seems, isn't to court those already on board with Rock Band or Guitar Hero, but, literally, everyone else.

The famed Nintendo developer said "I'm hoping that through Wii Music, we'll get more drummers, more musicians and more people interested in music."

Update: The original quote, that Miyamoto said Wii music was "better than a video game" was incorrect. His correct quote was the Wii Music is "more interesting than a video game."

On its surface Major Minor's Majestic March is very simplistic, but then again so was Parappa the Rapper. And that's an apt comparison. Both games were created by Masaya Matsuura and both feature bright cartoon characters drawn with bold, clean lines.

Instead of tapping out a rhythm on a controller, as players did with Parappa, Major Minor's Majestic March has players setting their own tempo as the Drum Major of a marching band. That may not sound like a big difference but what it means is that it takes the control away from the game and allows gamers to dictate how they want to play. The key to the game isn't rhythm as much as it is consistency.

To play the game you hold the remote facing you and then pump it up and down in your hand as if you were holding a baton. The faster you pump it the faster your band moves and the faster the music plays. As you march along predetermined routes special power-ups and negative items pop-up on the screen. To grab them you have to swipe your controller left or right as you pass the items. You also pass a number of would-be band mates who can be tagged into your band.

The key to te game is to keep your rhythm steady while paying attention to what you want and sometimes have to swipe.

If you march too fast some of your band members might get exhausted and mess up your music and if you go to slow you might not make it up the steeper hills.

The final game will ship with seven levels, each broken up by rest periods, and additional modes including a straight forward multiplayer mode and a father and son mode which allows one player to keep the temp and another to swipe for people and items.

The game will also support bands of up to 80 members, which each of their instruments playing on a separate track.

Playing around with an early build of Major Minor's Majestic March was fun for a time, though also fairly wearing on the arm. The one issue I did have with the game was that the swiping recognition didn't seem as tight as it should be. I was told that they developers were still working to finesse those controls and recognition.

This is one of those titles that could get the sort of fan base that Parappa landed, but I think it's far to early to tell.

The thing when I demoed Wii Sport Resort I noticed that the controller was longer now and asked Nintendo if the charger would still work. Ask Nyko was their reply, so I did.

Unfortunately, it won't work, at least not while the Wii Motion Plus device is attached. The Nyko guys told me they were already looking at ways to solve the problem. They added that they believe the Wii Motion Plus attachment doesn't contain batteries, meaning it likely draws power from the Remote, which would likely reduce the battery life for the controller.

Bad news all around.

We have yet to get comment from Nintendo of America, but will assume for now that they're pleased.

When the game ships it will come with a single Wii Motion Plus add-on and a disc with ten or so games. They haven't made the final decision on which and how many games will be in the final product, Nintendo's David Young told me.

Wii Sport Resort, which will include single player and two player mini-games, will not work without the Wii Motion Plus, so those people who want to play the two-player games will have to buy an extra Wii Motion Plus add-on separately.

Nintendo had only three games on display at the show this week: Disc Dog, Power Cruising and Swordplay.

In Disc Dog you throw a frisbee out into a field for a dog to catch. The object of the game is to have it land as close to a marker as possible. The closer you get it, the higher your score. You control where the disc lands by the angle and speed of your throw. I found the game's precision quite impressive. Twisting the remote with its Wii Motion Plus add-on right and left made my Mii twist their hand with the frisbee in real time and it seemed incredibly precise.

The game was a bit of fun to play, but felt more like something you're going to play around with for 30 minutes or so and forget about. It also only supported single-player gaming.

Power Cruising had me zipping around the rolling waves of a water race course on a jet ski, using the remote and nunchuk to steer. Holding in the trigger on the remote operated the gas and I could kick in a short turbo by twisting the remote. It was a workable game, but not quite as fun as Disc Dog. Again there was no head-to-head racing, which is quite a shame.

The real stand-out of the three games was Swordplay, which has you wielding a two-handed sword in bouts to knock either an AI-controlled mii or a friend off the raised platform you're fighting on.

The precision of the controls was, in a word, astounding. I found that I could move the tip of the sword around in tight figure eights, an old training exercise from my fencing days. I also didn't have to rely on broad swings from either side and above to hit my opponent. The controller was able to sense thrusts as well.

The game itself had you attacking and parrying with swings of your two-handed sword. Attacks were performed with thrusts or slices, while you parried by holding a button and holding the remote in the proper position. It actually seemed to have some sloppy representations of the three basic saber parries built into it.

The game had a little trouble keeping up with fast attacks, but if I slowed my attacks down a bit it was easy to direct and land attacks and parries. The best two-out-of-three matches left me thirsting for me. I can see this being the top game of the pack unless they drop something just as spectacular in the remainder of the games.

Overall holding the now longer remote seemed fairly comfortable. It is a bit heavier, but not so much heavier as to be distracting.

A 'Spiritual Successor': Puzzle Quest: Galactrix:

The most obvious changes in this semi-followup to Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords are the space theme and the new circular game space, which allows for some interesting mechanics that are a slight-but-satisfying shift from the typical match three rules of play. As is obvious from screenshots, Galactrix has a galactic setting, with spaceships, stars, and planets. In this incarnation, players can have up to three ships with various capabilities and stats, so they can swap up play styles easily throughout the game.

I found the new layout of the play area, now in a circle shape, interesting — instead of falling down in a straight line, game pieces can slide in from all sides. The direction from which they slide depends on how you play your line of three (or however many) — while casual players probably won't notice this feature, it does add an extra bit of strategy. The game is due out in the first quarter of '09, for PC, XBLA, and DS.

Aliens for the Kiddies: Ben 10: Alien Force

Ben 10: Alien Force is a Cartoon Network property that features a kid (the titular Ben) who, while on summer vacation, comes to possess a watch known as the Omnitrix. The Omnitrix allows Ben to transform into a variety of alien forms in order to battle evil and save the world. A game based on the series (Ben 10: Protector of Earth) was released last year, and Ben 10: Alien Force is seeking to follow up on the apparent success of that game.

The game is an 3D action-brawler; it features 5 playable characters. While only Ben can transform into aliens, these aliens are selectable and each have unique qualities. The Wii and PS2 versions will feature a multiplayer coop mode; the DS version more strongly resembles a side scroller, but does feature three exclusive aliens. The game also features puzzles, though it was mentioned that it is not a puzzle heavy game — the focus is supposed to be on accessible, fun gameplay, estimated at 6 to 11 hours if one is breezing through and not focusing on collecting all the unlockables.

The game will see an October 28th release, launching simultaneously on the DS, PSP, Wii, and PS2. Yuri Lowenthal, the voice actor for Ben in both the cartoon and the game, wandered over to offer some thoughts on the challenges of recording for games — namely, most sessions are done alone, sometimes with very little context for what is going on beyond the actual lines.

My, That's Some Rack You Have: Onechanbara

Despite the enthusiasm of the person demonstrating this Wii game from Sandlot, which was compared to Earth Defense Force, I came away pretty unimpressed regarding this hack and slash — and I do love me some ridiculous hack and slash games every once and a while. 'It's like playing a cult-following B horror movie!' cried the demonstrator as he hacked and slashed his way through hordes of zombies with the Wiimote. It certainly had enough ridiculous costuming, jiggling cleavage, and blood to qualify.

The game features two sisters, Aya and Saki; players can choose to play as either and also engage in coop modes. Perhaps the most 'interesting' feature is the 'blood coating everything including your character' aspect of the game — if your sword gets covered it blood, it becomes dull and starts getting stuck in your zombie enemies. You must clean the sword off to return your weapon to its slashing glory. Furthermore, your character can become completely coated and go into a special rage mode, doing tons of damage ('The developers really like this because she looks naked!').

The game only has a Wii release planned in first quarter of 2009; it will be a 'budget title' and clock in for less than $59.99, actual price not yet decided.

Classical Shmup: Bangai-O Spirits

A follow up to Bangai-O, a side scrolling shmup released for the Dreamcast and N64, Bangai-O Spirits is a pretty retro looking game that features some playful technology. Featuring over 160 levels with an old school arcade feel, most of the presentation focused on the level editing and sharing capabilities.

Every level can be customized as you play to tailor your play experience, and for those among us who like creating things, levels can be created and shared. The interesting part is the delivery method, known as 'sound load.' It was a little hard to hear in the D3 room, but as a level was saved, it was possible to hear a sort of melody. This melody — the level save — can be uploaded or saved to computer as a .wav file. To transfer a saved level to the DS, one plays back the .wav while using the DS microphone. I didn't get an exact explanation of precisely how all this works, and it does seem ripe for mistranslation somewhere, but it's a cool idea nonetheless.

The North American release features some exclusive content, including eight all new levels and can support one to four player local wifi play. It will be released August 12th, and will be going for $29.99.

Baa, Baa Black Sheep: Shaun the Sheep

OK, I love sheep. I think real sheep are pretty cute, if kind of stupid, and really like the variety that don't barge through fences (i.e., trapped in a video game). Shaun the Sheep is an animated series from the Wallace and Grommet people, Aardman Studios — shown on Disney in the US, it's now getting a darling DS title to go with its adorable show. These are really, really cute sheep, and I had to stop myself from squeeing when the DS was fired up to demonstrate the game.

Shaun is a preternaturally intelligent sheep who is tasked with finding fifteen of his less cerebrally endowed herdmates in the game; the puzzle/adventure title is, unsurprisingly, being marketed as family friendly and fun for kids. Shaun features lots of mini and micro games and lots of cute sheep. The nature of gameplay is designed for kids, but also won't bore the pants off adults, especially those who are fans of Aardman productions.

The game will be released for DS on September 23rd and will retail for $29.99 — and feature lots and lots of cute and fuzzy sheep. Lots of sheep.

Sure, "Turkey In The Straw" may not blow your hair back, but if the company sees fit to put some Balloon Fight or Zelda tracks in there, we'll have no choice but to oblige via our wallets.

You should check out Dogniaux's site for a loads more, as the French naming is half the charm.

Wii recherche [design matin, via 4CR]