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[CreatureX3]

Awesome thread!

Here are my top 5 most wanted:

1. Dr. Mario

2. Star Soldier R

3. Defend Your Castle

4.Plättchen Twist 'n' Paint

5. Lost Winds

I can't wait for WiiWare to launch!

 

[Jiggy]

Besides that, people saying it [Lost Winds] looks good probably are not talking only about the graphics, believe it or not.

Usually when people say things like "best-looking game on Wii" or "why can't other Wii games look this good" its understood that they're referring to graphical quality.

Maybe, but I'm certainly not one of those people. I want each game out of Star Soldier R, Bomberman, and Dr. Mario more than any disc game on Wii that doesn't have "Smash Bros." or "Symphonia" in the title.

Plattchen Twist 'n' Paint, World of Goo, and Lost Winds are also right on the cusp of being in that category from what little we've seen, but I need a bit more information before I've really decided. (As opposed to the other three, where I already know how the gameplay will work in general.) If Lost Winds is a 2D platformer (I can't quite tell whether it's more platformer or a puzzle type of game), it's almost automatically in that category as well.

 

[DDayton]

Too right. If Bomberman Live and Pac Man Championship Edition came to Wiiware, I wouldn't even be vaguely tempted to buy a 360 anymore! (Sorry I'm not one of the real gamerzzz)

I'm waiting for Pac-Man Championship Edition Wii ... this is Namco, it has to come...

 

[Gigglepoo]

I can't wait for Lost Winds and World of Goo. These look and sound incredible. If these things are $10 or less, I am all over them.

 

[Rlan]

I've been playing the Flash version of Defend your Castle and I'm enjoying it quite a lot. But once I get up to Stage 14 - it seems that.. every single guy I made gets "Lost" and I have nothing left but the few backups. What the hell?

 

[titiklabingapat]

I've been playing the Flash version of Defend your Castle and I'm enjoying it quite a lot. But once I get up to Stage 14 - it seems that.. every single guy I made gets "Lost" and I have nothing left but the few backups. What the hell?

You need to make sure you don't spend your all your money at night and have some in reserve to pay for the upkeep of the men.

 

[sprsk]

It's kind of weird seeing WiiWare titles up next to Arcade\PSN titles, they seem to be so different than what we've seen from downloadable titles.

 

[PantherLotus]

^^ Agreed. On one hand they it still looks like we could see some arcade-style games, like Pacman or Plattchen, but on the other hand, WiiWare looks simply like another system for the VC that devs have built games for from the ground up. Very encouraging actually.

Maybe, but I'm certainly not one of those people. I want each game out of Star Soldier R, Bomberman, and Dr. Mario more than any disc game on Wii that doesn't have "Smash Bros." or "Symphonia" in the title.

Plattchen Twist 'n' Paint, World of Goo, and Lost Winds are also right on the cusp of being in that category from what little we've seen, but I need a bit more information before I've really decided. (As opposed to the other three, where I already know how the gameplay will work in general.) If Lost Winds is a 2D platformer (I can't quite tell whether it's more platformer or a puzzle type of game), it's almost automatically in that category as well.

Outside of MarioKart, I basically agree with this. There's something about these few titles (FFCC, LW, and WoG) that if they hit that magic price point (less than $20), I'll be all over it.

One thing I'm wondering, assuming an HDD is announced, is whether we could eventually see games that were originally released on disc but were given a second life as a budget title on WiiWare. At 1500-2000 points, games like Dewey's Adventure could really see more love.

 

[wsippel]

Needs more Lit:

- Developed by WayForward Technologies (Contra 4, Shantae)
- Directed and designed by Adam Tierney
- Art by Foo Swee Chin

Short description:

LIT is a horror puzzle game that revolves around a high school kid named Jake, trapped in his school as it's overrun by dark creatures resembling the school's students and staff. It's up to Jake to make his way through each classroom, breaking windows and turning on light sources (in typical puzzle fashion) in order to bridge the darkness and reach each exit safely.

http://www.adamtierney.com/index_blah.html

There are no screenshots yet, but I found a few related artworks on Foo Swee Chins website:
http://fscwasteland.com/inky/sketches2.html (October 2007)

 

[Plinko]

I'm looking forward to the WWE No Mercy remake that EGM said was coming a couple months back. That's an instant buy for me. The FF:CC town-building game looks interesting as well.

 

[batbeg]

Needs more Lit:

- Developed by WayForward Technologies (Contra 4, Shantae)
- Directed and designed by Adam Tierney
- Art by Foo Swee Chin

Short description:


http://www.adamtierney.com/index_blah.html

There are no screenshots yet, but I found a few related artworks on Foo Swee Chins website:
http://fscwasteland.com/inky/sketches2.html (October 2007)

Holy shit, that sounds awesome, and the art is spectacular!

 

[Dan]

Damn, Dr Mario isn't at launch? I want that so badly!

A lot of these titles sound absolutely awesome though. This summer should be stellar.

 

[gutshot]

Developer: 2D Boy
Website: http://www.2dboy.com/games.php
Genre: Puzzle game
Players: Single
Release Date: Sometime in 2008
Price: Unknown (500-1500 Wii points is the general opinion, will update when known)
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A_JfkzPwww
Previews: http://pc.ign.com/articles/846/846912p1.html | http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=90750

The basic concept is somewhat similar to Lemmings – get a requisite number of your charges to the exit by using their particular skills. That's, however, where the similarities end. World of Goo is essentially a structural engineering puzzle game (I know, I know, your eyes aren't exactly lighting up with glee at that description, so bear with me). You must use your animate balls of goo to create towers, bridges and other structures to get to the pipe representing the exit. Sounds simple, and as you start grabbing individual balls of goo and placing them near other balls to tether them together, it certainly seems to be. This is a game that's utterly intuitive to get into, but once you're a couple of levels in you'll also discover that it's a uniquely challenging physics-based puzzler.

 

[RedShift]

World of Goo looks awesome, as long as the price isn't too high it's another definite buy.

WiiWare is certainly looking a lot better than I thought

 

[super funk]

The reason I am really interested in these games is the same reason I am interested in the PSP: innovative, quirky 2d games that dont cost a lot of money. I could definately see myself getting a lot of these, as I do with the VC games, but I probably will not buy any of these games, at least for now.

No HDD or other storage medium is the worst thing Nintendo has done this generation. I stopped buying VC games long ago because I ran out of room, and Im not going to go buy an SD card to transfer games nor am I going to delete and redownload games when I want to play them. I cant understand how the are completely ignoring the fact that they can make more free money, unlike with their reluctance towards online and hd, at no cost at all. These game look great, but until I have an easy way to get them, its no thanks from me.

 

[Stormbringer]

Needs more Lit:

- Developed by WayForward Technologies (Contra 4, Shantae)
- Directed and designed by Adam Tierney
- Art by Foo Swee Chin

Short description:


http://www.adamtierney.com/index_blah.html

There are no screenshots yet, but I found a few related artworks on Foo Swee Chins website:
http://fscwasteland.com/inky/sketches2.html (October 2007)

Wow, I've been searching for artworks of this game for ages. Nice find.







Can't wait to see more.

It's kind of weird seeing WiiWare titles up next to Arcade\PSN titles, they seem to be so different than what we've seen from downloadable titles.

^^ Agreed. On one hand they it still looks like we could see some arcade-style games, like Pacman or Plattchen, but on the other hand, WiiWare looks simply like another system for the VC that devs have built games for from the ground up. Very encouraging actually.

Yep, I kinda thought I was the only one who noticed the divergence regarding some types of games offered by these services, so far... Anyway, personally, I can already say that I'll love Wiiware if it effectively turns into the very experimental, slightly arty, and creativity-fostering gaming service it's apparently set to become. But it's looking like a great start indeed.

 

[Shiggie]

wow, wiiware puts almost all 3rd parties to utter shame! it kinda worries and i hope it wakes up EA and such.

 

[jarrod]

Star Soldier looks hot... Hudson needs to follow it up with Adventure Island and Bonk revivals too.

 

[RetroMG]

Is there any credible information about Joy Sound? My whole family loves Karaoke, and we've had to make do with the Wii Karaoke Revolution (American Idol Encore) for now. But I'd love a good Wii Karaoke Game with Downloadable Song selections.

 

[gutshot]

wow, wiiware puts almost all 3rd parties to utter shame! it kinda worries and i hope it wakes up EA and such.

Maybe I'm just picking nits and arguing semantics, but all of the games announced for WiiWare thus far, excluding Dr. Mario and Pokemon Farm, are third party games

Some of them are even being produced by major developers (Square-Enix and Hudson for example). So how exactly is WiiWare putting 3rd parties to shame? If anything, it is showcasing what 3rd party games developed from the ground up for Wii can do.

 

[bryehn]

Maybe I'm just picking nits and arguing semantics, but all of the games announced for WiiWare thus far, excluding Dr. Mario and Pokemon Farm, are third party games

Some of them are even being produced by major developers (Square-Enix and Hudson for example). So how exactly is WiiWare putting 3rd parties to shame? If anything, it is showcasing what 3rd party games developed from the ground up for Wii can do.

I think a better statement might be that a lot of these games look better than most of the $50 retail games being put out on Wii.

We're seeing a lot of creativity go into these titles.

 

[PantherLotus]

I think the even better statement is that these games actually look like the price tag, unlike the majority of every 3rd party game for the Wii. This certainly doesn't make up for the lack of 3rd party megagames (GTA, FF, etc), but its a start. Perhaps WiiWare will help establish what 3rd parties should have been doing (and realizing) from the start:

1. Your games look like complete shit next to the next gen versions. Why are you charging the same price?

2. Mini-games fucking suck.

3. Casual DOES NOT mean: stupid, mindless, absurd drivel meant for old ladies and babies.

4. Casual DOES mean: intuitive games that anybody can approach AT A MUST-BUY PRICE POINT.

5. Games built for the Wii from the ground up look decent if not a little better than the PS2. Perhaps if we get developers to spend time on the hardware, they can squeeze both GCs worth of power out of it, instead of just one!

 

[VideoMan]

New?

The official (Japanese) WiiWare site is up.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/features/wiiware.html

 

[Jiggy]

Star Soldier looks hot... Hudson needs to follow it up with Adventure Island and Bonk revivals too.

I'm hoping for Neutopia. Loved the second one enough that I can't decide whether I'd rather have a Neutopia III or Star Soldier R, even though SSS and Soldier Blade are my favorite shooters on VC.

 

[PantherLotus]

New?

The official (Japanese) WiiWare site is up.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/features/wiiware.html

Hey that's cool. Translation:

Listed:

* FFCC: The Young King and the Promised Land
* StarSoldierR
* Word Puzzle Mojipittan Wii
* Pokemon Ranch
* Dr. Mario's Virus Buster
* Marubou Shikaku
* Magnetica
* Bomberman
* Okiraku Ping-Pong Wii
* Angels' Solitaire
* Joysound Wii

Pics:

 

[swerve]

There is currently 1, singular title scheduled for Wii release by 3rd parties in April in Japan.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/index.html

Looks like Nintendo marketing have blocked off the month for Mario Kart, and Wii Ware promotion. I'm interested to see how they advertise WiiWare - as a service, or as individual titles?

 

[cws]

Looks like Nintendo marketing have blocked off the month for Mario Kart, and Wii Ware promotion. I'm interested to see how they advertise WiiWare - as a service, or as individual titles?

no need to - mk wii will sell regardless of any other releases....

 

[AceBandage]

Valencia, Calif. – (March 5, 2008) — Independent game developer WayForward Technologies announced today that its forthcoming game LIT will make its debut exclusively on Nintendo’s upcoming download service, WiiWare. LIT utilizes the unique features of the Wii to bring a tense and unnerving adventure to the Nintendo Wii audience.

“This is the first time in recent memory that our team has felt the freedom to begin experimenting on consoles outside the confines of established IP, budget, or publisher dictates,” said John Beck, CEO of WayForward Technologies. “The scope and business model for WiiWare really make this possible.”

LIT is a 3D horror puzzler set in a dark high school overrun by creatures. The game follows Jake, a below-average student and the game’s protagonist, as he makes his way through each classroom, utilizing what light he can find to create safe paths across the darkness. Jake’s objectives are to escape his school and reconnect with his girlfriend, Rachael, who uses the school’s phones to keep in contact with him. LIT combines environmental puzzling with horror combat and boss battles to create a uniquely unsettling Nintendo Wii experience.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be working on an original game for the WiiWare platform,” said Adam Tierny, director of LIT. “After settling on the concept of light vs. shadows, a horror theme seemed to make sense. The team working on LIT had also recently finished a creepy demo for the Nintendo DS that I think whetted everyone’s horror appetite. We decided to make it an action-puzzler because of how infrequently horror and puzzling gets combined in games, and to squeeze out the greatest amount of gameplay possible from a limited file size.”

LIT is WayForward’s first internally-developed property since the hair-whipping, belly-dancing Shantae was released by Capcom on the Game Boy Color in 2002. LIT currently does not have a release date or price point.

Wow.

 

[Neo C.]

Is PL banned? There are a few games announced in the last two days. :/

 

[batbeg]

Is PL banned? There are a few games announced in the last two days. :/

Yeah, his Nintendo are 3rd Party thread was kind of... odd.

 

[Amir0x]

odd in what way? Seemed pretty in-character for him. Just in thread form

 

[Stormbringer]

Starting on March 25th in Japan :

Overview of every launch title + pricing here :

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/wiiware/

 

[Sindou_Hikaru20]

Dr Mario 1000 Wii Points? Great

 

[Stormbringer]

+ overview trailer (which also serves of TV commercial) and individual wiiware games trailers.

The voice of the "Wiiware" announcer(s) at the start of every commercial is kind of creepy...It really does sound to me like a cohort of fanatical sect members uttering "JOIN US" :lol ...

 

[mrpogi23]

im so looking forward to this!!! http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/wiiware/wbwj/index.html

looks cool and cute.

 

[The Hermit]

Why was he banned aga... oh I remember, he went crazy!

 

[Stumpokapow]

For anyone that didn't watch the trailer, some game prices revealed:

Dr. Mario - 1000 Wii points
Eliott Spitzer's Pokemon Prostitution Ring - 1000 Wii points
Star Soldier R - 800 Wii points
Mojipittan Wii - 1000 Wii points
Anime Table Tennis - 500 Wii points
Lonpos - Weird Chinese Checkers-esque Puzzle Game - 1000 Wii points
Solitaire - 500 points
FF Crystal Chronicles - 1500 Wii points

 

[Jiggy]

Thoughts:

Table tennis game at 500 Wii Points - So freaking cutesy and so freaking cheap that I'd probably buy it just on principle. Is it shovelware? Well, yeah, probably. But it's shovelware that's actually priced as it should be. I kind of hope it gets a worldwide release, despite the anime look. I mean, again, it's cute. Like, really cute.

Star Soldier R at 800 - Way cheaper than I thought it'd be, not that I'm complaining. If it's awesome enough (and Super Star Soldier and Soldier Blade give me very little reason to doubt that), I might start gifting it to people or something.

My Life as a King at 1500 - Well, if DS and PSP weren't enough proof that Square-Enix likes overcharging just because they have the name "Square-Enix"... Count me out on this one, much like all their $40 portable games.
...is what I was going to say. But then I remember that I expected the average price of a WiiWare game to be 1500, and right now this pricing only looks bad to me by comparion because everybody else ended up going lower. (Almost half the price in the case of Star Soldier R, which is the game I want most out of all of these.) The gameplay doesn't interest me anyway, but I just find it interesting that S-E basically has a $5 premium going on. Still, I suppose they've somewhat earned it when their game looks better than a very, very large majority of Wii disc games.

Dr. Mario at 1000 - Also cheaper than I thought, by 500 points. This moves it from a "maybe" to a "will get" for me.

Pokemon Ranch at 1000 - Again, cheaper than I thought by 500 points. So basically it's half the price of Pokemon Box and has 66% as much storage capacity, which works out. And at least it's wireless this time. Don't care about the rest of the "game" at all, just the ability to store stuff outside of my overflowing copies of Diamond and Pearl.


As someone who both really likes cheap games and is hoping for an all-downloadable future eventually, I love how WiiWare is shaping up and looking better than Wii's retail library for my own tastes even independently of those two advantages.

 

[Stormbringer]

New Wiiware (non)game from Bandai-Namco : Ouchi de Mugen Puchi Puchi

Yup, it's basically a bubble wrap popping simulator :lol ...
More precisely, it looks like it's a spin-off product or an adaptation of a Bandai toy which allows you to enjoy "infinite bubble wrap popping sensations"...
Looks like they still added some kind of game-like concepts (i.e. : points), but as the press release implies, the main attraction of the game is probably still the feeling of popping things...It goes for 800 points.

 

[Phife Dawg]

800 points for SSSR? That's great. Other prices are OK as well, makes Dr. Mario a definite must-have.

 

[Iam Canadian]

Star Soldier R is an absolute must-buy and World of Goo and Lost Winds intrigue me, though I'm not yet sold on them.

I'm glad there's WiiWare coming in a few months. With Smash out now, I've basically run out of retail Wii games to look forward to. >_>

 

[CreatureX3]

Oh man the trailers for Dr. Mario and Star Soldier R look fantastic!

 

[Aladuf]

Sweet! Tetris is coming to WiiWare, and it has online Multiplayer:

http://kotaku.com/366700/hudson-bringing-tetris-to-wiiware

 

[gaheris]

Here at developmag they have a whole series on WiiWare I suggest you people take a look it is a great series of articles on it.

WiiWare Week: Why WiiWare?
by Michael French

Of course providing lower-risk and higher-rewards is something Nintendo is currently praised and famed for in the industry across the board - its DS and Wii offer the same promise in the face of rivals the PSP or Xbox 360. But knowingly introducing a lower-class of hardware (at least from a coding and production stance when you compare Wii development with that for 360 and PS3) hasn't just been about forcing developers to come up with games more oriented towards 'casual' or inclusive gameplay - it's seen Nintendo create a more inclusive environment for developers as well.

http://www.developmag.com/interviews/139/WiiWare-Week-Portrait-of-a-launch-title

 

[PantherLotus]

Updates
As posted above, March 25th is the big day in Japan. At that point we're really going to see a lot of stuff coming out and we can expect a robust selection of titles to be announced by the time it hits the US in May. Specifics are coming out slowly, here are some:

1 player - Hudson - 800 pts

1 player - Square Enix - 1500 pts

1-4 players - Nintendo - 1000 pts

=========
Insight into gameplay:

Cryptic Picture:

Can be controlled either NES-style or Pointer-style. See HERE.

^ And I'm not sure wtf that is.


=========

Recently Added:

 

[RetroMG]

This is my regular statement of anticipation and desire for information regarding Joy Sound Wii. I want Karaoke with Downloadable content, please.

 

[gutshot]

Gravitronix has a website with nothing on it but the logo. If someone a little more adept at Photoshop than myself wants to take a crack at a banner here is the link: http://www.gravitronixgame.com/

Also, Panther, while you were "away" I posted a summary of World of Goo for OP linkage purposes.

 

[Fuu]

WiiWare launch:

 

[Brandon F]

WiiWare launch:

So true!:lol

But Wiiware needs some Kururin and Mr. Driller loving.

 

[XxenobladerxX]

Developer: 2D Boy
Website: http://www.2dboy.com/games.php
Genre: Puzzle game
Players: Single
Release Date: Sometime in 2008
Price: Unknown (500-1500 Wii points is the general opinion, will update when known)
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A_JfkzPwww
Previews: http://pc.ign.com/articles/846/846912p1.html | http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=90750

Holy shit that looks awsome,woware confirmed.