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Well, I’ve got a serious case of the Mondays today. Luckily, Nintendo is giving us a pink puffball and battling crabs on this muggy day. It looks like they are taking it a bit slow this week with only one release each on WiiWare and the Virtual Console, Sandy Beach and Kirby’s Dreamland 3, respectively. Apparently they didn’t read last week’s blog on what games they should be giving us. We demand Knife Girl!!! I digress…

Sandy Beach is a title developed by Konami for 1-2 players. The game will put you in the shoes, or glove, of a happy beach-goer enjoying a sunny day, building sand castles and looking for treasure. Now, you wouldn’t leave your sandcastles defenseless would you? Of course not. That is why you will equip them with cannons and other safeguards that will aid in protection from the crab hordes looking to destroy your fortress of sand. Yes, there are evil crabs on this sandy beach and they mean business!! Once you have slain the crustacean armies, you will be able to use your metal detector to search for treasure such as adornments or more cannons. You can do all of this solo or with a friend in co-op mode and all for a measly 500 points.

Kirby’s Dreamland 3 is a port of the SNES title. The pink puffball will once again jump, duck, slide, fly and inhale enemies in this game to stop King Dedede from ruining the day. Interesting fact on this game is that it was the last first party title released for the SNES in North America. Nintendo is saying Kirby 3 features “detailed graphics, challenging boss battles and the distinct charm of a Kirby game” perhaps that is worth you dropping 800 points on. As for me, I’ll be staying away from this one.

The new year is upon us and 2009 looks to be all about change. So, can Wiispin get a ticket to the change train? Yes We Can. Starting this week we are beginning a new feature called, Do Work Fridays. Every Friday we will look at some of the shortcomings of our beloved system, and ponder on ways Nintendo could improve on them. These are going to tend to be ideas that have the distinct possibility of working, just have yet to come into fruition. Think powerglove.

So, without further ado, I present to you Wiispin’s inaugural “Do Work Friday!” This week I want to talk about the Wii balance board. Now, we all have heard about Wiifit. We know it’s pros and cons, mainly being that it’s an even more expensive Wiiplay, something you buy for the controller and then toss aside. As for the controller, it’s one that Ninty has not capitalized on so far. So, I ask, nay implore, Nintendo to Do Work! They’ve tried, and I’m sure they are going to continue to try but, it just isn’t happening. Take the latest game to use the technology, Shaun White’s Snowboarding: Road Trip. Bottom line, the game just isn’t fun. Ok, we can pin that one on Ubisoft but, it’s a Wii game so Nintendo must take some of the blame. Using the balance board to snowboard seems like it could be amazing, but it kinda fails and on more than one level. Take for example the most basic move in snowboarding, the spin, trying to pull it off can easily result in you almost falling off the board, losing all balance. Ok, we can maybe blame that on my sub par motor skills but, isn’t that the group of gamers Nintendo is marketing to? I mean, how many times do you see a kid fall down a day? Once? Twice?

So, what can Nintendo do to pull it together and live up to the potential of the balance board? First and foremost, make the games utilizing it fun to play. Sure, the hula-hooping in WiiFit can be a bit fun, and playing with your butt is a novel approach but, none of these are what we’re looking for. Secondly, and the most obvious way to improve on the Board, make more games use the Board. Right now there is only a select amount of titles, there should be many more. Sure, more are on the way but none that really seem exciting. I mean, how many people are going to actually play “All-Star Cheer Squad”? Another improvement could be made in the controls. Make them more intuitive, put us in the game even more. In my opinion, the Wii is amazing because it touches on what I dreamed of as a kid, virtual reality. Sure, it’s not VR but, it’s the closest gaming has to it. The Wii gives you that “in the game” feeling of being there and in control, like Tron. It also makes gameplay more meaningful and exciting, like The Wizard (that’s right, two The Wizard references in one post, eat your heart out!). The Balance Board can capitalize on this in so many different ways. How about a racing game for the Balance Board? Not butt-racing, instead have the left foot break and the right foot gas. Rayman’s Raving Rabbids TV Party touched on those controls and it worked well, if not a bit gimicky. You could even throw in the Mario Kart control scheme, just leave out the God-awful racing wheel! Hopefully they will consider this for Mario Kart 2. What about some WiiWare games? Maybe they could have a whack-a-mole type of game which sees you playing a giant and stepping on things. Bugs perhaps?

As you can tell, there are definitely very many possibilities to improve on the Wii Balance Board, we can only hope that Nintendo will Do Work and make the peripheral something that you truly want to use.

Ok, so this story is coming to us through Kotaku, via the forums at NeoGAF. Apparently one of it’s friendly users, HUELEN10, tried to be a good samaritan and explain the wonders of the Wii to his neighbor. Let’s just say, hilarity ensued.

“My neighbors which I don’t really know to well to begin with, got their kids a Wii for Xmas. They got no games for it, but they did get a Classic Controller as well as an additional Nunchuck Combo and a carrying case. They asked me what games they recommended, and I decided to recommend them the Animal Crossing City Folk/Wii Speak bundle, Wario Land Shake It,Mario Kart Wii, and Super mario Galaxy. I also recommended them some VC games including Super mario World, and Sonic 2 8-bit. Anywho, the Mom asks me what VC is, and I told her. I told her that all she needed to do was put in her credit card when prompted on the Shop Channel, and get the amount of points she wanted. I also told her what WiiSpeak is, and how to connect her Wii to the internet via an ethernet connection. Anywho, I got a call today from the mom telling me that the Wii is not working. I asked what was wrong and you won’t believe it……… SHE PHYSICALLY PUT 3 CREDIT CARDS INTO THE DISC SLOT. HOW STUPID DO YOU HAVE TO BE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Also while putting the Wii Speak on top of her sensor bar, she apparently cracked it open. Just ugh. I told her she has to cancel her cards and call Nintendo for a 75USD repair, and now she expects ME to pay for this. Her husband is on my side of the issue, but she is steaming at me right now. Seriously, she put in 1, and thought that that one could not be accepted, so she kept putting them in and they will not come out. I might try to remove them tomorrow with her hubby while she is away on a business trip.”

Now, I’m with Kotaku on this and saying you can’t know for sure that this really happened but, would you really put it past anyone? I know that parents don’t really understand gaming technology, this was made apparent over the holidays and playing Mario Kart Wii with my parents. But, to think that you could actually put your cards in a system and that would charge them well, I don’t know what to think. The user did post some pics so, I guess that means that it happened for real, who knows. A part of me wants to think there is no way it happened, another part of me can’t help but believe it did. Check the link below and judge for yourself.

Moar from the source!

So, IGN is reporting that Clayfighter is available on the Virtual Console today. If I could put into words how excited this makes me, it may not be sufficient. I remember my friend and I spending approximately 20 hours a day one summer playing nothing other than this SNES classic. I mean, who doesn’t want to fight with a claymation evil snowmen, or a ridiculous looking Elvis impersonator?? Could a premise for a game be any simpler, yet retain the sheer level of awesomeness? I think not. Bad Mr. Frosty may be the most amazing game character ever. Give me an evil snowman that can spit deadly snowballs, and I’m sold. Again, IGN simply has the release date for this title being today, and I can’t find any other info out there. So, if you guys want to confirm before I can check my VC at home today, be my guest.

This got me thinking about other titles I’d want to hit the Virtual Console. Mainly, Killer Instinct. A mega-corporation that organizes death matches, sign me right up. The KI franchise hit during the middle of Mortal Kombat mania, and I thought it was an amazing and fresh take for fighting games. Not only that, but I remember it looking absolutely beautiful. Not sure if it would hold up but graphics wise, but certainly Nintendo and Rare can work together to bring us this title.

Another title I’d love to see would be the Sega Genesis title, Pit Fighter. I used to spend weekends at my friends house playing this game. We must’ve been about 10 or so, but would have too much fun. Remember Knife-Woman, she’d come out of the crowd and stab you? I want that!!! Why can’t modern fighting games deliver that sort of wackiness?? So far the Virtual Console has done an amazing job on delivering titles that we all know and love, I can only hope that in 2009, they take it to the next level.

The year is winding down to its final days and that means that this is the final release of 2008 for the Wii’s Virtual Console. Unfortunately, it looks like they are not finishing the year with a bang like some may have had hoped for. WiiWare is giving us two titles to choose from: Maboshi’s Arcade and Cue Sports - Pool Revolution. While the Virtual Console is releasing Zoda’s Revenge: Star Tropics 2.

Maboshi’s Arcade is a game that honestly sounds quite peculiar, and even a bit confusing. You play simultaneously in three different modes and in three different windows. Each of the three modes are based on shapes: circle, square and stick. The common goal of each mode is the same: score a million points. The environment is constantly shifting and changing which mode you are playing at any given time, keeping players on their toes and creating an atmosphere unlike any other. In circle mode you will use controls to smack enemies, stick mode will have you weaving through poles (or sticks) and square mode will see you racing through obstacles - all of this while gaining power-ups and keeping an eye on what effects the other windows may be having on the window you are currently playing in. You will be able to send replays to friends utilizing WiiConnect 24, download a version to your DS and even have your Mii’s in the game. It is definitely an ambitious title, but for 800 points it could very well prove to be worth it.

Cue Sports - Pool Revolution is a billiards game developed by Hudson Entertainment for 1-4 players. All the pool staples are there, from 9 ball to Snooker, and they even throw in trick shots. You can choose from two different control schemes: use the Wiimote exactly as you would a cue, or you can use the buttons on the controller to set the power of your shot then strike away. The game can be played online, or locally using Wi-Fi connections. At just 500 points, if you don’t have a pool game yet this could be the one you’d want to add.

Zoda’s Revenge: Star Tropics 2 is an NES classic. It is also the second to last title ever to release for the NES so, coming at the end of the year is a bit fitting. You once again fill the shoes of Mike Jones (not the rapper) and battle it out with the evil alien Zoda, yes, again. This time though, Mike is traveling through time. Throughout the game you will encounter DaVinci, Sherlock Holmes, King Arthur and even Cleopatra. The title takes Mike through nine chapter of history, and for the bargain price of 500 points, I’d say pick it up and see if you can bring Zoda to his knees once and for all.

Remember Nintendo’s cute little WiiZapper? You know, the cheap piece of plastic that launched with the disappointing Zelda’s Crossbow Training? Well, that very inadequate peripheral has met its maker: the WeeP 5 Advanced Zapper.

Originally posted on Instructables.com, the WeeP 5 has been making its rounds on the blogosphere, and with great reason, it looks AMAZING! The ridiculously awesome mod is the result of great fun with shooters on the Wii, lack of peripherals that translated the fun, an airsoft MP5 gun, some cables and approximately 5 buttons. The creator of the weapon, “THeOReos” deserves all the credit in the world, as this is one of the most amazing mods I’ve ever laid eyes on. The link below will provide you with step by step instructions on how to create what has to be the weapon of choice for FPS gaming.

WeeP 5 Advanced Zapper

Streaming video content is all the rage these days, and those other consoles are even touting it as a system seller. Now it looks as though Nintendo is going to be jumping on that train, and giving it a bit of a twist. Dentsu, Japan’s largest advertising agency, has said it will be teaming up with Nintendo to produce exclusive content for the Wii. Nice to see Nintendo taking a different approach than Microsoft & Sony, though it would be nice to have traditional existing TV shows and movies available. Hopefully this is just laying the groundwork for that very thing. The spokesman for Dentsu has said that some of the programming will need to be purchased, while other content will be made available for free. This really could go any way, we could get amazing content for free, or it could just be previews and game videos. It’s been reported that the content will consist of cartoons and other Wii/Nintendo related material. No launch date has been announced at all for Japan, other than next year. There has been no mention of bringing the service overseas.

Well, this week is a huge one for fans of the Wii’s Virtual Console. Phantasy Star IV is making its debut on the VC. While the game has been available in Europe since November, we here in the states can get a taste starting Today, Dec. 22. “The End of the Millennium” marked the final chapter in Sega’s proclaimed RPG series, and in my opinion, it was the best of the four. The protagonist of the story, Chaz Ashely, was one of the first game characters I remember caring about, other than our beloved Mario of course. Chaz, Alys Brangwin & Co’s. adventures in Motavia were robust and worth a play through again. It was set 1000 years after the events of 3 so, it has a much different setting, while retaining classic Phantasy Star gameplay. The title is available on the VC starting tomorrow for 800 points.

Also releasing on WiiWare this week are: Tiki Towers & Fun Fun Mini-golf. Tiki-Towers is a game that will have you controlling monkeys to build towers out of bamboo and vines. You’ll battle enemy chiefs who are hell-bent on destroying your towers. The game can be played in single player or two player co-op and costs 500 points. Fun, Fun Mini-golf is, you guessed it, a golf game. You play putt-putt with up to four friends and will cost 900 points. Both of these will also be available starting Today, December 22.

Mad World is one of the most highly anticipated games coming to the Wii in 2009. Think Running Man meets Sin City, then put it on the Wii. Yes, it’s in black and white (with tons of blood red). Yes, it’s extremely brutal. And, yes, it looks to be beautifully bloody. You play Jack, a mechanic who’s a contestant on a Game Show “Death Watch”. You are fighting for your life in a game that looks like a graphic novel come to life. Platinum Games is developing this game out of Japan. Mad World is set for a March 2009 release, let’s hope this doesn’t get pushed back as it looks to be a truly enjoyable and hardcore experience unlike any other to be had on the Wii so far.

Check out the action below in Mad World’s completely uncensored Holiday Trailer!

Well, it’s finally here. The Rock Band game we’ve been waiting for, Rock Band 2. Harmonix announced a release date of December 18, yes, Today! It will be available in a few different ways: you can pick up strictly the game for $49.99, a standalone guitar and standalone drums will be available as well for $69.99 and $89.99 respectively, and the full band game will be available for $189.99. Harmonix has also given us Wii owners a bit of good news, every song available on the PS3 and 360 version will be available to download….eventually. Sometime after release they are planning on releasing DLC songs weekly, starting with the pack of 20 free songs & 30 songs that are already available to download on the PS3 & 360 versions of the game. No news on how long this will actually take Harmonix to get to us but, they aren’t leaving us out in the cold.