Written by Rebecca Wigandt and Didi Cardoso
Nintendo’s presentation revolved around innovation in game control and finding surprises in places we though didn’t have any left, beginning with a new way to play a Mario game.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii bring traditional Mario-style gameplay to up to four players simultaneously. Some of the new features here include carrying other players around, coming back to the game screen in a bubble if we die (shake the Wii-mote will pop the bubble, or another player can do that to bring us back), the camera pans out when the players get too far apart from each other, and once one player reaches the flagpole, the others have 3 seconds to get there in order to grab bonus points. A score tally is shown at the end of each level, but it’s up to the players to progress co-operatively or competitively.
But Nintendo went on stating that Mario wasn’t enough to attact all kinds of consumers to their game, and explaining how Wii Fit has brought a whole different audience to Wii gaming. They have been working on finding ways to make Wii Fit easier to apply to daily life, and presented us with Wii Fit Plus.
Wii Fit Plus is more about customization of the exercises you prefer. In the Locker Room you can become your own personal trainer and choose from the 6 new yoga and strength activities and 15 balance games (including Perfect 10 – described as “Brain Age for your backside” – where you pick numbers by swinging your hips, juggling, skateboarding and jumping over rolling timber.). You can mix and match them, repeating the ones you prefer, even omit intervals between exercises to create your personalized exercise session.
Wii Fit Plus is supposed to arrive this fall, as stand-alone software or in a bundle with the balance board.
The next item on the list was WiiMotion Plus, which we had already know from last year. This new add-on for the Wii-mote adds more precise controls and movements to the gameplay, exemplified here by WiiSports Resort. A number of activities were shown in a trailer: sword fighting, ping-pong, canoeing, basketball, golf and archery. The actual demo of the game started by showing how we arrive at the resort: by jumping out of a plane. While you skydive, you can tilt your remove in whichever way you want to cause your Mii to do some acrobatics, twist, turn and grab onto other Miis.
In archery, the Wii-mote becomes the bow while the Nunchuk turns into the string. You press Z to draw it back and you actually hear the stretching sounds. Panning the view with the Wii-mote is reflected on the screen, and you must also pay attention to the wind and compensate to make your shot.
Basketball was a quick 3-point game where you reach down to grab the ball, aim, and with a flick of the wrist shoot some hoops.
WiiMotion Plus was confirmed to be used in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (software will be bundled with the hardware), SEGA’s Virtua Tennis 2009 and Red Steel 2, which is ONLY playable with WiiMotion Plus.
From here to RPGs and other titles, we watched quick trailers of:
– Final Fantasy: The Crystal Bearers (Wii)
– Kingdom Hearts 358 / 2 Days(Wii)
– Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS), a very awkward story where the heroes are microsized and swallowed by the villain, expected this Fall
– Golden Sun DS, aimed at 2010
– James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club: Games of Passion (DS)
– C.O.P.: The Recruit (DS)
– Style Savvy (DS), a fashion-oriented game for girls
– The Legend of Zelda: Sprit Tracks