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MTV Multiplayer
MTV Multiplayer (multiplayerblog.mtv.com) has great Wii news, photos, videos and more
Today
My 5 Most Anticipated Wii Games Of 2009
Check out the video above to find out what my five most anticipated Wii games of 2009 are. Or read the list and the honorable mentions over at MTVNews.com. You know, it would help if Nintendo or third-parties announced a few more major Wii games. (Videos not viewable by users logging in from Cana...
What We’re NOT Playing (Sorry ‘Far Cry 2,’ ‘Wii Fit’ and ‘Driver’s Ed Portable’)
Why she’s not keeping track of her BMI anymore: Thinking about new year’s resolutions, I naturally thought about weight loss and all the alleged pounds I was going to shed using “Wii Fit” when it came out in May. I stuck with it for a while, using it several times a week along with jogging and ea...
Opinion: Wii Developer To Fans: Keep Me From Making Mini-Games
Itkowitz: That’s pretty much the problem. There haven’t been that many of them so far… In fact, there haven’t even been that many core first-party games from Nintendo either. I think they know that the gamers will wait patiently for the next “Zelda” or “Mario,” but it seems Nintendo’s real f...
‘Mario Party’ Release History Suggests 2009 Franchise Return
That “Zelda” streak started in 1998, the same year that the first “Mario Party” game was released. Since then I could have sworn that we got a new “Mario Party” game every year. Not quite. We’ve been granted eight console “Mario Party” games, one GBA edition and one DS version since then. But som...
Yesterday
Box Art Reviews: The Animal Cruelty Edition
“Hotel for Dogs” (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, PC, Wii, DS) What the Box Tells Us: There are all kinds of dogs in this game based on the upcoming film based on the novel. Pros: There’s a nice variety of dogs shown.
Wii Developer Unsure How His Hardcore Game Will Sell
Borth: When initially released, [Nintendo] seemed as if they were purposely going after a more casual market. Once publishers (and developers) realized the hysteria that followed, a lot of shovel wear was thrown at the system that would turn any proper hardcore gamer off. But the system i...
Monday, Jan 5
The Worst Box Art of 2008
What the Box Tells Us: The “chaos” of an air traffic controller’s job — keeping planes from crashing into each other — would make a fun DS game. I mean, look at that guy: he’s got a huge, shiny grin on his face as he proudly proclaims, “I am an air traffic controller!” You know, in case you weren’t...
An Entire Vacation Without Video Games
Even though I dragged my Xbox 360, PS3, DS and PSP (and iPhone?) through airport security, every system remained stowed away during my nearly two-week visit home. I had every intention of playing through a few games, but it never occurred. Weirder still, this happens to me every year. The onl...
In 2006 Nintendo’s President Had Two Prophetic Regrets About The GameCube
One of Nintendo’s more controversial moves for the Wii in 2009 — the resurgence and re-purposing of GameCube games for Nintendo’s current console — has long been on Iwata’s mind, as I was reminded when I listened to these comments Nintendo president Satoru Iwata made to me in an interview...
Thursday, Jan 1
My 2008 DS Gaming Playlist (22 played, 5 finished)
Today’s entry is all about the DS, a system I got a lot of use out of this year, surprisingly mostly with third-party games, not Nintendo stuff. 2) Air Traffic Chaos - Never did I think a game about being an air traffic controller would be among my DS favorites of the year. It’s basically “Diner D...
Wednesday, Dec 24
My 2008 Wii Gaming Playlist (22 played, 5 finished)
9) Mario Kart Wii 13) Super Mario Galaxy - Started it in 2007. Finished it in 2008. 15) Target Terror 18) We Ski 20) Wii Music 21) Wii Play - Actually worth playing. Who knew? Game I missed - Super Mario Sluggers) Wii Games of 2008: Played 22 / Finished 5
Tuesday, Dec 23
The Top 10 Worst Games Of 2008, According To Metacritic
1. SPOGS Racing (18 — Wii) and Pong Toss: Frat Party Games (18 — Wii) 3. Homie Rollerz (23 — DS) 4. Jumper: Griffin’s Story (28 — Wii) and Racing Team Manager (28 — PC) 9. Target: Terror (33 — Wii) and The Incredible Hulk (33 — PC) 10. Jackass: The Game (34 — PC) and King of Clubs (34 — Wii)
Monday, Dec 22
Video Game Police Blotter: Tigers, Wiis, PS3s And Two-Year Olds
From the Home News Tribune in New Jersey: “An employee of the Apple Store told the responding officer that [Name redacted by MTV Multiplayer] tried to purchase a MacBook Pro computer and an iPod with a credit card that was fraudulent, police said. [Name redacted by MTV Multiplayer] was als...
My 10 Favorite Gaming Moments Of 2008
At last, a Wii game with subtle and precise motion control. Sorry, Ubisoft Montreal, in any other year, the virtuoso shock ending of “Prince of Persia” would have been the finale of the year, but Peter Molyneux’s team out maneuvered you in 2008.
Friday, Dec 19
Opinion: 2008 Market Winners Nintendo and Activision Crushed In Quality By EA and Sony, According To Metacritic
How did some of five the biggest game makers – Activision, Ubisoft, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft — fare amongst critics? Here are their 2008 games that scored above 80: Nintendo [6 Games] Mario Kart Wii — 82 (Wii) Super Smash Bros. Brawl — 93 (Wii) Wii Fit — 80 (Wii)
What Happened In Video Games 2008…
By year’s end Electronic Arts would appear both mighty enough to almost devour Take-Two and tamed enough to face severe cutbacks. Just by June alone, two games — “Grand Theft Auto IV” and “Metal Gear Solid 4” would be considered loudly by critics and gamers as the best games ever made.
Wednesday, Dec 17
‘GTA: Chinatown Wars’ Is Take-Two’s Test Case For More M-Rated Content On Wii
Rockstar owner Take Two hasn’t really put much of its edgy content on the Wii. The 2007 and 2008 hits “BioShock” and “Grand Theft Auto IV,” for example, both came out for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 — but not the Wii. If you were running Take-Two, what would you put on the Wii?
We Annotate Nintendo’s Q1 2009 Line-Up, Topped With GameCube Remakes, Pokemon
Nintendo New Play Control! Pikmin March [Yes. You're reading this right, hardcore Wii fans. The only games Nintendo is releasing for you from January ot March are tweaked versions of games you probably played on the GameCube. Bear in mind that Nintendo's got nothing new on the Wii for their e...
Tuesday, Dec 9
We Debate The Year In Games With The New York Times, Slate, Newsweek
» A year that ends with Prince of Persia—Ubisoft’s adventure of a tower-climbing, cliff-jumping prince and his princess companion that posits that, yes, you actually can craft a romance in a game. The slowly developing flirtation of male and female lead don’t get in the way of all the less...
Wednesday, Dec 3
New Company Aims To Get Wii Players Wagering On Online Games
Since there’s no automated reporting system for the Wii like those used for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network games, players will have to self-report the outcomes of their games. So if you win or lose a bout of “Mario Kart” against an opponent (who you must’ve shared a Friend Code with alrea...
What I Learned About Gamers By Watching My Girlfriend Play ‘Left 4 Dead’
My girlfriend is the definition of a casual gamer. She loves the “LEGO” series, carries a Nintendo DS everywhere and balks at the idea of touching an Xbox 360 controller. But she also thinks many Wii games are too simple. It’s easy to roll your eyes at the people who look at an Xbox 360 controller...
Monday, Dec 1
Game Diary - December 1, 2008: Mom Sunk My Battleship
Back from the break, I can now say that I’ve played and beaten a “Tomb Raider.” More importantly, I’ve gathered more intelligence about how Nintendo’s “expanded audience” — i.e. my parents — play Wii games. Observation: The Wii Motion-Plus controller add-on/enhancement can’t be released...
Wednesday, Nov 26
iPhone Game Development Reminds Former EA Exec Of Wii Development
The moment that former Electronic Arts executive Neil Young held an iPhone, he knew change was coming. One of the reasons some publishers started supporting the Wii early on was lowered development costs. Building a Wii title was far cheaper than the same scale on Xbox 360 or PlayStation. Yo...
Monday, Nov 24
EA Sports’ Peter Moore On The Struggle Of Selling Sports Games To Wii Owners
A few years ago, that kind of sales misery on a Nintendo console would be okay. For a long time, sports games on Nintendo consoles just didn’t sell. But given that “Wii Sports” sparked Nintendo’s GameCube-to-Wii console resurrection, it seems like sports games can sell on the Wii.
Tuesday, Nov 18
Box Art Reviews: ‘Tomb Raider,’ ‘Left 4 Dead,’ ‘Need For Speed,’ More
“Need For Speed Undercover” (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS) What the Box Tells Us: A car speeds away from the police while the sun sets. The sun being an Asian woman’s face. Pros: Most racing games don’t feature people on their cover. Perhaps there’s a story in this game!
Monday, Nov 17
Nintendo: We Will Have Games In 2009 For The ‘Halo’ Crowd
Nintendo has moms and Mario/Zelda fans locked up. But, since the Wii launched in 2006, the company has had a hard time attracting the hardcore gamers who enjoy things like “Halo,” “BioShock” or “Call of Duty.” Nintendo itself, former publisher of “GoldenEye,” hasn’t even made a game for th...
‘Guitar Hero’ Wii Not Getting Jimi Hendrix DLC Due To Wii Limitations
In this case, licensing restrictions from Jimi Hendrix’s people mean Activision Blizzard must offer the music as a “track pack” and not singles. The restriction, combined with Nintendo’s rules, mean Wii players won’t see the music.
Friday, Nov 14
‘Wii Music’ U.S. Launch Sales One Tenth Of ‘Wii Fit’ Debut Mark, Nintendo Not Panicking
In general, Nintendo hardware and software is hot. The Wii sold more than 800,000 units in October. “Wii Play” sold 282,000 copies, according to NPD. “Mario Kart Wii” sold 290,000. And “Wii Fit” tallied another 487,000 units that month. Those games do have legs, having each been on the market f...
‘Guitar Hero: World Tour’ Sells More On Wii Than On Any Other [UPDATE #2: 360 Version Edged Out Wii]
UPDATE: A report at Gamasutra listing the top 20 sellers shows "Guitar Hero" sold better on Xbox 360.] And can anyone recall if a Nintendo version of a multi-platform game ever outsold its competition since the Nintendo 64 and GameCube eras began? “Soul Calibur II” maybe? Anything else? T...
Wednesday, Nov 12
Wii Speak Channel Only For Wii Speak Purchasers, Don’t Buy It Used
A Nintendo rep further clarified to me that the channel won’t be able to be downloaded through any other means. You won’t be able to get it off the Wii Shopping Channel manually, nor would you be able to buy it. Essentially, the Wii Speak Channel will be available to new purchasers of the Wii Spe...
Saturday, Nov 1
The Week In Multiplayer — One-On-One With Miyamoto, Music Peripheral Overload, NXE, More
When Stephen sat next to Shigeru Miyamoto at a charity dinner last week, he got to talk to him about a few things… like the development process for “Wii Music,” the possibility of DLC and negative reviews. Then things took a twist when Miyamoto started interviewing Stephen.
Wednesday, Oct 29
Shigeru Miyamoto Interviews Me About Hardcore Games, Also Talks ‘Punch-Out’ And ‘Mario,’ ‘Zelda’ Shortcomings
The following interview was conducted in person at Nintendo’s Redwood City offices. Miyamoto’s answers were translated by Nintendo’s Bill Trinen. Most of my questions, however, required no translation. Miyamoto responded to most of them without consulting Trinen but replied only in J...
Saturday, Oct 25
The Week In Multiplayer — The New ‘Star Wars’ MMO, ‘Rock Band 2′ On Wii, ‘LittleBigPlanet’ Clarification, Soulja Boy Challenging MTV, More
What’s it like to sit in between Shigeru Miyamoto and Reggie Fils-Aime? Ask Stephen. Stephen gave his impressions of the New Xbox Experience on his home console. A Nintendo employee described how kids use “Wii Music.” Capcom vs. Nintendo: Who has the better lobby?
Friday, Oct 24
Nintendo Surprised At How Kids Play ‘Wii Music’
Miyamoto: ‘Wii Music’ Is ‘More Interesting Than A Video Game’ Hardcore gamers are split on “Wii Music.” It’s not “Rock Band” or “Guitar Hero” — it’s something entirely different. Given the accessibility of “Wii Music,” however, it seems especially designed to engage the younger crowd. A f...
Tuesday, Oct 21
Box Art Reviews: ‘Fable II,’ ‘Far Cry 2,’ ‘Wii Music,’ More
“Fable II: Limited Collector’s Edition” (Xbox 360) What the Box Tells Us: When you first receive the box for the collector’s edition of “Fable II,” you’ll see the protagonist crouching on a gray-white background. But then open it up and remove the cardboard…
Monday, Oct 20
Game Diary - October 21, 2008: A Night Of Failure
On Monday night I tried to play review builds of two major PS3 games on my debug PlayStation 3. My firmware wasn’t up to date and I couldn’t upgrade to new firmware because I’d lost the instructions on how to do it (it’s not the same as upgrading a retail PS3).
Friday, Oct 17
I Think I Finally Get It - How ‘Wii Music’ Works As A (Hard) Game
One of the most charming elements of the game is that your Miis show up everywhere in it. Your six-piece Jam band can be filled with your Miis. Your orchestra in the conducting game is stuffed with your Miis (see the image atop this post — those are all my Miis, from Shigeru Miyamoto to Charlie Br...
Thursday, Oct 16
‘Left 4 Dead’’s Lead Designer Explains Why Split-Screen Has Quietly Disappeared
But split-screen was something “Left 4 Dead” lead designer Michael Booth believed was critically important to the Xbox 360 version of his co-op zombie shooter — even if it was going to be a nightmare to implement. The reason most studios have abandoned, Booth pointed out, are easy to ident...
Harmonix Answers Our Questions About ‘Rock Band 2′ Wii
Nope. That feature was added post-release as a patch on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Nintendo doesn’t allow patches, which means that functionality can’t be added to “Rock Band.” Maybe next time, but don’t count on it. Sadly not. Friend Codes are a Nintendo requirement. You can’t get around that.
Wednesday, Oct 15
What You’ll Miss If You Don’t Buy ‘Shaun White Snowboarding’ At Target
Yesterday morning I got a chance to see the Target-exclusive versions of “Shaun White Snowboarding” for the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 at Target Studios in midtown Manhattan. So what’s so special about the Target renditions of “Shaun White Snowboarding”?
Tuesday, Oct 14
‘De Blob’ Requests — What I Want From ‘De Blob 2′
Even though one of my favorite parts of “de Blob” is its intuitive use of the Wiimote to have your character jump with a flick of the wrist, I understand why someone would get fed up with flicking every few seconds. Just give people the option to map jumping to the A button and move on! Leave moti...
Tuesday, Sep 9
Box Art Reviews: ‘TNA iMPACT!,’ ‘Spore,’ ‘Active Life Outdoor Challenge’ And More
Not all box art is created equal. That’s why in our weekly box art reviews, we bring the hammer of judgment down upon new releases. On deck… “TNA iMPACT!” (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2) What the Box Tells Us: Not sure if there’s TNA, but there’s definitely iMPACT! A bunch of burly-looking men strike mena...
Friday, Jun 20
‘Active Life’ Pad Is A Revamped NES Power Pad
Note: Namco Bandai didn't answer everything I asked. The following are the questions that went unanswered: Will you be working with Nintendo to make more compatible games for the pad? Do you think the total number will surpass 11, the number of Power Pad games for the original NES? Will any...
Saturday, May 31
The Week in Multiplayer — Reviews Week, ‘Alone in the Dark,’ Wii Rhythm Games And Yoshi FTW
Nintendo takes a vacation? For the first time in years, there are no first-party titles out in June. Zen Studios, an XBL developer, defends Microsoft’s de-listing policies. Klepek learned that laughably bad Wii/arcade game “Target Terror” is a response to 9/11, and there’s also a sequel...
