Archive for February, 2008
 Everyone has something to look forward to this March as 2K Sports has announced today that its highly anticipated baseball sim title Major League Baseball 2K8 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and Wii has gone gold.
Fans who enjoy hardcore baseball action can expect even more realistic sports play in this year’s iteration to the popular baseball sim. Featuring a unique trading card system, Signature-Style animations, and a robust Minor League system, the game definitely promises to be bigger and better than its predecessor.
And if all of this still isn’t enough, sports announcers Jon Miller and Hall of Famer Joe Morgan will be lending their voice talents once again as they deliver all the insightful commentaries and analysis on the virtual baseball field.
Major League Baseball 2K8 is scheduled to be released this March 4, so fans should be on the lookout next week when retail stores in North America finally release this great baseball title.
Buy: [Major League Baseball 2k8 (PS3)]
Buy: [Major League Baseball 2k8 (PSP)]
Buy: [Major League Baseball 2k8 (Wii)]
Buy: [Major League Baseball 2k8 (Xbox 360)]
 Via [wii.qj.net]
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Posted by: admin in Wii News
Filed under: News
 In speaking with Eurogamer, Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono commented that having a port of Street Fighter IV on the Wii is entirely possible. He wants everyone to know that graphics don’t make the game, gameplay does. And, we’re hoping that should this game come to the Wii, it doesn’t incorporate waggle shortcuts for maneuvers.
Ono explains “Street Fighter IV, as it stands now, would be well-suited for the higher-level platforms. But the game doesn’t have to have these visuals in order to be fun, We could go, potentially, to the Wii. We could make it on Game Boy, for all we know right now.” He goes on further to explain that as “long as the rules are the same, that can be independent of the visuals. So we’re not going to be limited by any hardware specs; we’re going to aim as wide as possible.”
Take it as you will, but it’s hardly a confirmation the game is coming to the Wii. However, that bit about aiming as widely as possible could very much mean a Wii port is in the works. It is the console with the largest install base right now, after all.
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After the gigantic video game publisher Electronic Arts stood up to offer Take-Two Interactive a huge sum of money for acquisition, many industry watchers and commoners wonder why Activision hasn’t displayed the same interest in Take-Two as much as EA has. For Activision chairman and CEO Bobby Kotick, the company behind the successful Grand Theft Auto franchise simply does not meet Activision’s criteria.
For a company to be an attractive acquisition, Kotick stated that “we need a history of profitability, good management, the proprietary technology for a franchise, history of multimillion unit sellers.” He added, “they would have to be non-dilutive and operating margin accretive.”
Take-Two, according to Activision’s head honcho, failed to meet the requirements. Kotick said, “…for us, Take-Two didn t fulfill those requirements. Maybe it does over the long-term for EA, but it doesn’t for us.”
Electronic Arts, which line of sports games has seen competition from Take-Two’s 2K Sports camp, apparently has a reason strong enough to take over the company on a 60 premium. Kotick noted that EA has some unique insight in the business of expansion. “I’m sure they have a good sense of what its prospects are for the future,” he concluded.
After Activision sent shockwaves around the globe by merging with Vivendi Games, we all have a fairly good idea what superstars the big player wants. Before that deal, EA’s purchase of BioWare and Pandemic Studios was the biggest talk of town. Meanwhile, it is believed that Rockstar North may part ways with Take-Two when its contract ends in February 2009, so we could see another hefty buy-out in the near future.
 Via [wii.qj.net]
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 After Microsoft UK corporate affairs head Matt Lambert’s statement yesterday, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has responded in order to explain their games classification system and why they insist on using the same ratings system they employ for the movie and film genre.
The BBFC countered that they don’t expressly classify games in the same way that they classify film, since they “physically play the game”. They continued by saying that the film classification system used is a familiar one and is most easily understood by parents who want find out how appropriate a game is for their children.
To reiterate a strong point made by a BBFC spokesperson: “Yes, we’re using the same symbols that we use for films, but that’s because parents understand what those symbols mean.”
The British censor board explained that unlike PEGI, the BBFC employs well-qualified game examiners who playtest the games to give a proper rating based on their rating system. In contrast, they mentioned that PEGI merely uses a tick-box system which is usually filled in by the game distributors themselves.
According to their own research studies made last month, many of the categories employed by PEGI weren’t as easily understood by consumers as the straight forward method that the BBFC used.
Here’s an excerpt from the statement released by a BBFC spokesperson regarding the matter:
Just like when they get a film that’s an 18, and says ‘Strong bloody violence’ they have an idea of what that is, because they’ve seen it in 18-rated films… The fact is, sticking a spider on the back of a box is not going to help a person make the kind of decision that they ought to be making about games.
 Via [wii.qj.net]
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Posted by: admin in Wii News
Filed under: Homebrew
The Trucha Signer is the latest tool to hit the Wii hacking scene, enables kids at home to “modify the contents of a Wii ISO and then re-sign it with an electronic signature the Wii will accept.” So, does this mean you’ll be able to play pirated games without modding your console? No, not at all.
From what we understand, whenever someone alters the code of a Wii game, the resulting product will not match its signature, and the disc will be rejected. Using an undocumented bug, Trucha Signer will resign the code of an adapted ISO (disk image for storing data on a CD-ROM), allowing you to load the disc successfully onto a modded Wii. We’re not sure yet what’s possible with this new development, but we’ve already heard a wide range of fantasy scenarios — downgrading firmware, copying VC games, switching regions, etc.
Already, GBAtemp forumer Mr.O has posted instructions for “enabling gore” in Manhunt 2 (chipped Wii required). Keep in mind that Nintendo can patch this exploit at any time with a firmware update.
[Via GBAtemp]
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 It’s only been a few days since the initial release of the WriteELF homebrew application for the Nintendo Wii, and Brakken has sent us word that WriteELFv1.6 is now available.
In case you missed our coverage last time, WriteELF is basically the brainchild of homebrew developer cybermind and it grants users to write ELF files onto their SD card using their Windows Personal computer. The capability to load ELF files onto the Wii was, in turn, made possible by the release Twilight Hack v0.1 Alpha 2, so-called because of
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 Disney Interactive Studios’ Fall Line Studio has announced that its first game, Ultimate Band, will be coming to the Nintendo Wii and the DS. This collaboration between Fall Line and London-based music consultants Radial Music is scheduled for release during the 2008 holiday season.
If you’re a fan of Harmonix’ Rock Band (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3) and Neversoft’s Guitar Hero games (Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, PC, PS2), then you’re sure to enjoy Ultimate Band on either platform. In the Nintendo Wii version of the game, you’ll be able to advance your music career and popularity and realize your dream of becoming a rock star by either building your own band or jamming alone in front of an international audience at famous venues. Character customization is also an option in this version of Ultimate Band.
Disney Interactive Studios‘ senior VP for global marketing, Craig Relyea, tells you more about the game:
And whether they choose guitar, drums, bass or front man, members don t need to buy costly, single-function peripherals to play their way through Ultimate Band s deep song list, dynamic venues, and customizable characters. The Wii Remote and DS stylus are the only tools they ll need to reach rock stardom in Ultimate Band.
The Nintendo DS version of Ultimate Band on the other hand is a rhythm-based music game where you get also get to play any of the instruments. Using the touchscreen and the stylus, you’ll be able to create original songs and tracks for any of the instruments. This version will include DGamer functionality, allowing you to engage with others in an online community over ad hoc or Wi-Fi.
Disney boasts of Ultimate Band’s perfect song list. According to Radial Music’s David Hill, the game has “iconic songs from every decade since the 60s,” making it a game for everyone. Disney is currently working with some known artists in rock, emo, indie rock, alternative, and pop music to ensure that gamers of all ages will be able to enjoy the game.
 Via [wii.qj.net]
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Posted by: admin in Wii News
Filed under: News, Peripherals
Everybody who cares, that is. Okay, maybe that’s a little harsh. But having had previous experience with other Wiimote clip-ons, yours truly has yet to be sold on the Wii Wheel that will come with every copy of Mario Kart Wii.
Some of you might think differently however, and that’s fine! In fact, Nintendo totally has you pro-Wii Wheel people in mind, because it’ll be selling spare Wii Wheels (Wiils?) in Japan from April 11th, just one day after Mario Kart Wii launches. At
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Posted by: admin in Wii News
Filed under: Fan stuff
 We can’t help but love Little Mac, the quintessential underdog. If seeing him on your virtual console isn’t enough, though, how about seeing him around your neck in the winter? You may have also noticed that this scarf has Mike Tyson’s big mug on it, so you won’t have to settle for Mr. Dream.
Realistically, we know you won’t buy this — after all, the scarf is a whopping $175 on Etsy. Still, we admire the craftsmanship that went into Beatboxtaun’s crocheting, and we hope you do, too. We only wish we had such skills ourselves, so that we didn’t have to drool over these kinds of things on Etsy all the time.
In our opinion, this definitely beats out the Punch-Out mat for the best craft featuring Little Mac (that we know of).
[Via Technabob]
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