vICEfliP
11-24-2006, 01:35 AM
Comparison: 480i vs. 480p
November 23rd, 2006
Many have always asked as to what was the real difference between 480i standard and 480p progressive scan (also known as EDTV). Gamespot has a feature which shows off screenshots from a few Wii titles and if you mouse over for a few seconds on each shot, the 480p version will appear; showing off a more detailed image.
In order to achieve 480p, one must have either an EDTV or HDTV and purchase Component Cables.
Source:CodenameRevolution
http://www.gamespot.com/features/6162297/p-2.html
Wii “Easter Eggs”
November 22nd, 2006
It appears the Wii has its own “Easter Eggs”. The following are some interesting “Easter Eggs” that are part of the Wii, WiiSports and the Wii Channel:
* Catch an evil cat in the Fun option (by pressing A and B) in Photo Channel that runs across the screen so you can get some tips
* A 194 piece puzzle can be created by holding down the 1 button before selecting any piece amount
* You can e-mail a JPG file to your Wii Message Board (around 1MB limit)
* In Wii Bowling, you can throw your ball into other people’s lanes
* If you put mp3s in your SD card along with your photos, you can change the background music during a slide show to one of your mp3s
* When the message board records your play time, if you don’t exit to the Wii Menu before you power off the machine, it records the play time as “other”. If you properly exit to the menu and then shut off it will record it as the correct game
* You can rearrange almost anything on the Wii…like the channels and messages by just holding the A and B
* The plasma burn in reduction kicks in the second the Wiimote shuts down.
* When you get an e-mail, not only does the disc drive light up and pulsate blue, but your Wiimote sends out a little chirp
* When you’re in the Mii channel and you don’t use the Wiimote for a little bit and your Mii’s start walking around, if you then suddenly use the Wiimote, all the Mii stop and follow the ‘hand’ for about 3 seconds
* When typing messages, and you need to go back and edit the message(while still typing) instead of deleting letters, just point to where you want to edit to move the type cursor.
* In Wii Sports Bowling, when you press up on the Directional Pad, it will zoom in on the lane. The zoom in sound is the exact same sound from Super Mario 64 any time you moved the camera.
* Co Op Jigsaw puzzles in Wii photos
* You can place the sensor bar upside down and it doesn’t reverse the directions of your movement
* In Wii Bowling, you can release on the back swing and throw the ball backwards. It scares all the Mii’s behind you
* Classic controller has analogue shoulder buttons. With the GC “click” at the bottom.
Source: CodenameRevolution
Sensor Bar Demystified
It seems that the sensor bar is not necessarily needed to play a wii game. And it seems that the "sensor bar" are just some IR stuff...Just watch how the dude substitutes the sensor bar for 2 normal remote controls.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JTGSkYRDpWY&mode=related&search=
Virtual Console Game List
NES Games (500 Wii Points)
! Mario Bros.: Mario and Luigi punch turtles.
! The Legend of Zelda: The original Hyrulean adventure.
! Donkey Kong: The game that put Nintendo on the map.
* Donkey Kong Jr.: Not quite a classic, but its cameo in Yoshi's Island DS is pretty boss.
* Ice Hockey: Fat guy, normal guy and skinny guy hit the ice.
! Pinball: Mario moonlights as a paddle in this one.
! Soccer: Another early NES sports title. About soccer!
* Tennis: Simple but effective volley action.
* Urban Champion: An early, and not particularly good, brawler.
! Wario's Woods: A falling-block puzzle game starring Wario.
* Baseball: Yet another early NES sports game.
! Solomon's Key: A surprisingly difficult puzzle-action game.
SNES Games (800 Wii Points)
! F-Zero: A futuristic racer that reinvented the genre.
! SimCity: Make your city awesome and you'll get a statue of Mario!
N64 Games (1000 Wii Points)
! Super Mario 64: The template for 3D platform gaming.
Genesis Games (800 Wii Points)
! Sonic the Hedgehog: Spiky guy, attitude, goes fast. You know this one.
! Altered Beast: This bestial brawler will make you wise fwom your gwave!
* Golden Axe: One of the best multiplayer brawlers ever made.
* Columns: Before Bejeweled, there was Columns.
* Ecco the Dolphin: Save the ocean in this beautiful (but difficult) adventure.
* Gunstar Heroes: The action/shooter/platformer/brawler that made Treasure a hardcore fave.
* Space Harrier II: A fast-paced shooter featuring super-scaler action!
* Toe Jam & Earl: A funky and oddly mellow adventure.
* Ristar: Sega's less popular 16-bit mascot.
* Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine: (Psst, it's actually Puyo Pop.)
TurboGrafx 16 Games (600 Wii Points)
* Bonk's Adventure: Carnivorous caveman antics.
* Super Star Soldier: Superlative space shooting.
* Victory Run: Slick racing action.
* Bomberman '93: Explosive multiplayer mayhem.
* Dungeon Explorer: Classic RPG combat.\\
! = Launched Title
* = Announced Title
Source: 1Up
GC Homebrew working on the Wii
November 22nd, 2006
It looks Gamecube homebrew applications are working on the Wii according to several reports on websites and message boards. While homebrew applications like Linux are always nice, gamers who fall into the “piracy” category of things have already started on running emulators on the Wii.
Homebrew applications that were built for the Gamecube is working due to the fact that the Wii is built from Gamecube hardware. Emulators working on the Wii doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s terrible news for the Virtual Console. There are gamers who would want to play retro games legally, non-gamers who are not familiar with emulation and gamers who would rather play retro games on the Television than a PC monitor.
At this point Wii has not been “hacked”, nor is it capable of playing backups of Wii games for now. It’ll take a while before the homebrew world really starts working on the Wii hardware.
Wii sets UK Sales Record
November 21st, 2006
Previously held by Harry Potter and Coldplay’s X&Y album, Wii is now the fastest selling item in Amazon UK’s history. According to Amazon “We expected a high number of people to visit the site today but the response was phenomenal.” (thanks Omar!)
http://www.cubed3.com/news/6343/1/Wii_Sets_UK_Sales_Record
Source: Codenamerevolution/Cub3d
Under the Hood of the Wii Video!
November 20th, 2006
Semiconductor Insights has been analyzing the components inside the Wii from the CPU to the 4-Gbit (512MB) NAND Flash memory as can be seen in the video below. The ram that was found was 512-Mbit (64MB) of GDDR3 Ram along with an extra 16-Mbit of SDRAM (which is 2MB and possible for texture memory). I wonder where the other 24MB of RAM is?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kihXP9WYhLc&eurl=
Source: CodenameRevolution
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=194500278
[/COLOR]
More HD Talk on Wii
November 21st, 2006
Game Informer spoke with Nintendo about a possible firmware update to patch the Wii for High-Definition support. According to Nintendo, currently they have no plans for HD on the Wii, however they stated that Microsoft was able to patch the 360 to support 1080p, which means that it’s not entirely impossible. Will we be able to see a game like Resident Evil on 720p? Now wouldn’t that be a nice treat.
Source: CodenameRevolution
CR Exclusive: Nintendo Power January 2007 Issue!
November 21st, 2006
Here is the January 2007 issue of Nintendo Power featuring first Wii reviews and with Twilight Princess on the front cover!
UPDATE 1: Nintendo plans to bring more Wii console colors “down the road”, but there is no set time-line of their release.
UPDATE 2: Nintendo Power has confirmed that it made a mistake about the Opera Web Browser in the previous issue and that you WILL be able to download it for free until mid-June 2007!
UPDATE 3: Current top selling Gamecube game is LEGO Star Wars II.
Wii’ Most Wanted:
1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
2. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
3. Super Mario Galaxy
4. Fire Emblem
5. Harvest Moon Wii
UPDATE 4: Nintendo Power confirms that Wii Play (w/Wii Remote) will be available in January! Also new screenshots (that were shown from Nintendo World 2006) of Fire Emblem, MP3, Disaster, Hammer and Mario Part 8 are shown and Metroid Prime 3 looks really sweet!
UPDATE 5: The BIGS, a baseball title from 2K Sports and Big Castle Games will include online play! Cooking Mama will include more than 300 real-world recipes from 10 different countries. Super Swing Golf will be released in December 2006.
UPDATE 6: First feature is on WarioWare: Smooth Moves: Some of the mini-games included are scrubbing a cow, a “wild wild west” classic duel shoot-out, a can-shooter, a slapping game, samurai “microgames”, sketch artist, number matching (from brain age), paper airplane, Balloon fight, darts, a diner game, a waiter game, a chauffeur game, a soccer game and more. In multiplayer mode, you can have up to 12 players (switching Wii-motes from one player to another) and throughout the game itself it will include Mii’s. In a multiplayer mini-game your Mii’s end up tightened by a rope, hanging and below your Mii is a swamp filled with crocodiles and your goal is to survive. There are also mini-games involving Nintendogs and even Link in Wind Waker (parachuting).
UPDATE 7: Next feature is on Virtual Console and while there is nothing new, Ristar is listed as one of the “31″ games for the launch window. Next feature is on Twilight Princess: (Note: Skip to the next update if needed, this one contains Spoilers) When you start the game (in Ordon Village) for a third-time, you’ll earn a piece of heart. Get some explosives at Kakariko Village and to earn two extra pieces of heart, hit a rock on a high ledge wit ha bomb arrow and use a boomerang to collect it. Destroy a larger rock on the ground to open a path to a pool and another treasure. Get help from Gorons after you return from the mines, to climb the tower on the north end and at the top you’ll be able to start an archery mini-game (you can earn a piece of heart). Visit Malo Mart to purchase a “telescopic” Hawkeye for sniper-like shooting.
When you fill the third Vessel of Light, Castle Town will be “full of life” and you can find a man on the east road who accepts donations and for 1,000 rupees, he’ll give you a piece of heart. Give 1,000 rupees to the Goron at Malo Mart for fixing the bridge, give an additional 2,000 rupees to bring the shop at the center of Castle Town so oyu can purchase a Magic Armor for 598 rupees. There is a STAR Minigame, and with a Clawshot you can grapple onto cage walls so you can earn 60-arrows and if you win again you can get 100.
Go to southeastern part of Castle Town to meet Agitha, round up 24 Golden Bugs for her and give her one bug for Big Wallet (holds 600 rupees) and all 24 for Giant Wallet (1,000 rupee capacity). Speak to the fortune teller Fanadi in Castle Town and speak about your career so she can point out your next challenge and speak about love to get a piece of heart. There are 45 Pieces of Heart in the game. (Note: the next two pages are dungeons which have been reported before in spoiler posts except the last one) There is a “Rollgoal Minigame” where you press the C button to look at the game and you have to roll a ball through a maze (in Hena’s shop) and you can earn a “frog lure” if you win the eight maze. There is more info and I suggest getting a copy of this magazine or read the official guide itself.
UPDATE 8: Interview with Zelda director Eiji Aonuma, the following is an excerpt: “I think it’s safe to say that Twilight Princess has a lot more Miyamoto influence than other recent Zelda games…The total scale of the world, has definitely surpassed that of Ocarina of Time. There are a lot more dungeons as well…I must warn you that this game will take a lot longer to complete than Ocarina of Time…there were actually instances whee the control changes made for Wii were adapted to GCN, and they ended up improving the gameplay in the Gamecube version…Twilight Princess is set about a hundred years after Ocarina of Time…Twilight Princess has elements in it that were made so that people who played Ocarina can say ‘Oh, I remember this!’…releasing Twilight Princess for the Gamecube and creating a whole new Zelda for Wii immediately after (as it was planned) that would have been extremely diffciult to do time-wise.”
“I haven’t decided whether we’ll make Link right-handed or left-handed in future Zelda games…(he likes Goron Mines the best and his favorite character in the game is Link)…(in the future) I hope to offer more guidance to these talented young creators (on the TP team) so they can create a Zelda that I would never be able to make.”
UPDATE 9: Next feature in Excite Truck and in Summary (point-form):
1. Most of it you’ll have to see the screenshots (they are new) to read about it
2. You’ll earn 50 stars for finishing first in the game
3. Later tracks you’ll need to get a minimum of 100 or 150 stars
4. Strategies to use is Smash-Tested (crashing into opponents by boosting), end faster and hit a morph switch when trucks are in front of you
5. The feature looks at “Super Tree Run” in Scotland and Canada, “Super Air Spin” in Finland and Mexico, “Jump Combo” in Fiji and “Super Drift” from China.
UPDATE 10: Castlevania creator “Iga” on the Wii: “I am still thinking of all the possibilities, but right now I am thinking about all the systems the next game could be on. For me, the Wii controller doesn’t yet connect with the core gameplay of Castlevania. I definitely don’t want to make a game with gimmicky controls where you swing the controller like a whip, so I’ll have to think about it longer.” (Comments: I don’t hear anyone complaining about the Wii-mote being used as a whip? Come on Iga, you’ve been asked a million times about this and have gone on and off about it…make it for the Wii will ya! Heck even use the classic controller, I’m sure gamers would still get the game.)
UPDATE 11: The reason why Twilight Princess got a 9.5/10 was because of Wolf Link and Music. Although the gameplay was great, the issue was in the early goings when you’re forced to remain a wolf for extended periods and seek out creatures of darkness (meaning it can be a drag). The other issue was Music, and the tracks are too “subtle” for their own good.
UPDATE 12: The ratings once again for those who missed out:
Wii Titles:
Zelda TP: 9.5
Trauma Center SO: 8.5
SMB BB: 8.5
Excite Truck: 8.5
Madden 07: 8.5
Wii Sports: 8.0 / 8.5
Marvel UA: 8.0
Red Steel: 8.0
Metal Slug Anthology: 8.0
Rayman RR: 7.5
Need for Speed Carbon: 7.5
Tony Hawk DJ: 7.5
Spongebob: 7.0
CoD3: 6.5
Monster 4×4: 6.5
Rampage TD: 6.5
Splinter Cell DA: 6.0
DBZ BT2: 6.0 (9.0 for DBZ fans)
GT Pro Series: 5.0
Happy Feet: 4.5
Gamecube Titles:
Tomb Raider Legend: 7.5
The Sims 2 Pets: 6.5
Bionicle Heroes: 5.0
UPDATE 13: Former World Wrestling Entertainment “World Champion” Rey Mysterio dropped by Nintendo’s headquarters for a hands-on the Wii and went up against (in multiplayer-mode) Nintendo Power’s Chris Hoffman (who also wore a lucha libre mask). Rey Mysterio had the following to say after playing Wii Boxing: “(it was) awesome…exactly like real-life boxing, except for feeling the punches.” He also made a comment about how he was one of the first to play the Wii and it makes “King Booker” jealous. (Comments: Glad you enjoyed it Rey…now can you convince THQ to bring Smackdown vs. Raw on the Wii?)
UPDATE 14: Next Month will take a look at WarioWare with a review and the 50-floor “Cave of Ordeals” guide from Twilight Princess.
Tidbits: Eragon coming to Gamecube is still in question. Nintendo Power speaks about the game for DS and GBA. Odd thing though is the advertisement doesn’t show a Gamecube logo BUT it says “Also Available on Console”. Will this game be on the Wii instead? This issue also includes (besides the pokemon comic) a Twilight Princess poster and Wii stickers (with Wii Sports)! Also Sonic the Hedgehog on the GBA and it’s history is also featured. Also this is your chance to subscribe to Nintendo Power if you haven’t as yet, as a free copy of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Official Guide and Soundtrack CD will be made available!
Source: CodenameRevolution
Here are just a couple random images...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/viceflip/Wii/chucksnake.gif
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/viceflip/Wii/raymanbunnies.gif
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/viceflip/Wii/rev_bruce.jpg
November 23rd, 2006
Many have always asked as to what was the real difference between 480i standard and 480p progressive scan (also known as EDTV). Gamespot has a feature which shows off screenshots from a few Wii titles and if you mouse over for a few seconds on each shot, the 480p version will appear; showing off a more detailed image.
In order to achieve 480p, one must have either an EDTV or HDTV and purchase Component Cables.
Source:CodenameRevolution
http://www.gamespot.com/features/6162297/p-2.html
Wii “Easter Eggs”
November 22nd, 2006
It appears the Wii has its own “Easter Eggs”. The following are some interesting “Easter Eggs” that are part of the Wii, WiiSports and the Wii Channel:
* Catch an evil cat in the Fun option (by pressing A and B) in Photo Channel that runs across the screen so you can get some tips
* A 194 piece puzzle can be created by holding down the 1 button before selecting any piece amount
* You can e-mail a JPG file to your Wii Message Board (around 1MB limit)
* In Wii Bowling, you can throw your ball into other people’s lanes
* If you put mp3s in your SD card along with your photos, you can change the background music during a slide show to one of your mp3s
* When the message board records your play time, if you don’t exit to the Wii Menu before you power off the machine, it records the play time as “other”. If you properly exit to the menu and then shut off it will record it as the correct game
* You can rearrange almost anything on the Wii…like the channels and messages by just holding the A and B
* The plasma burn in reduction kicks in the second the Wiimote shuts down.
* When you get an e-mail, not only does the disc drive light up and pulsate blue, but your Wiimote sends out a little chirp
* When you’re in the Mii channel and you don’t use the Wiimote for a little bit and your Mii’s start walking around, if you then suddenly use the Wiimote, all the Mii stop and follow the ‘hand’ for about 3 seconds
* When typing messages, and you need to go back and edit the message(while still typing) instead of deleting letters, just point to where you want to edit to move the type cursor.
* In Wii Sports Bowling, when you press up on the Directional Pad, it will zoom in on the lane. The zoom in sound is the exact same sound from Super Mario 64 any time you moved the camera.
* Co Op Jigsaw puzzles in Wii photos
* You can place the sensor bar upside down and it doesn’t reverse the directions of your movement
* In Wii Bowling, you can release on the back swing and throw the ball backwards. It scares all the Mii’s behind you
* Classic controller has analogue shoulder buttons. With the GC “click” at the bottom.
Source: CodenameRevolution
Sensor Bar Demystified
It seems that the sensor bar is not necessarily needed to play a wii game. And it seems that the "sensor bar" are just some IR stuff...Just watch how the dude substitutes the sensor bar for 2 normal remote controls.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JTGSkYRDpWY&mode=related&search=
Virtual Console Game List
NES Games (500 Wii Points)
! Mario Bros.: Mario and Luigi punch turtles.
! The Legend of Zelda: The original Hyrulean adventure.
! Donkey Kong: The game that put Nintendo on the map.
* Donkey Kong Jr.: Not quite a classic, but its cameo in Yoshi's Island DS is pretty boss.
* Ice Hockey: Fat guy, normal guy and skinny guy hit the ice.
! Pinball: Mario moonlights as a paddle in this one.
! Soccer: Another early NES sports title. About soccer!
* Tennis: Simple but effective volley action.
* Urban Champion: An early, and not particularly good, brawler.
! Wario's Woods: A falling-block puzzle game starring Wario.
* Baseball: Yet another early NES sports game.
! Solomon's Key: A surprisingly difficult puzzle-action game.
SNES Games (800 Wii Points)
! F-Zero: A futuristic racer that reinvented the genre.
! SimCity: Make your city awesome and you'll get a statue of Mario!
N64 Games (1000 Wii Points)
! Super Mario 64: The template for 3D platform gaming.
Genesis Games (800 Wii Points)
! Sonic the Hedgehog: Spiky guy, attitude, goes fast. You know this one.
! Altered Beast: This bestial brawler will make you wise fwom your gwave!
* Golden Axe: One of the best multiplayer brawlers ever made.
* Columns: Before Bejeweled, there was Columns.
* Ecco the Dolphin: Save the ocean in this beautiful (but difficult) adventure.
* Gunstar Heroes: The action/shooter/platformer/brawler that made Treasure a hardcore fave.
* Space Harrier II: A fast-paced shooter featuring super-scaler action!
* Toe Jam & Earl: A funky and oddly mellow adventure.
* Ristar: Sega's less popular 16-bit mascot.
* Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine: (Psst, it's actually Puyo Pop.)
TurboGrafx 16 Games (600 Wii Points)
* Bonk's Adventure: Carnivorous caveman antics.
* Super Star Soldier: Superlative space shooting.
* Victory Run: Slick racing action.
* Bomberman '93: Explosive multiplayer mayhem.
* Dungeon Explorer: Classic RPG combat.\\
! = Launched Title
* = Announced Title
Source: 1Up
GC Homebrew working on the Wii
November 22nd, 2006
It looks Gamecube homebrew applications are working on the Wii according to several reports on websites and message boards. While homebrew applications like Linux are always nice, gamers who fall into the “piracy” category of things have already started on running emulators on the Wii.
Homebrew applications that were built for the Gamecube is working due to the fact that the Wii is built from Gamecube hardware. Emulators working on the Wii doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s terrible news for the Virtual Console. There are gamers who would want to play retro games legally, non-gamers who are not familiar with emulation and gamers who would rather play retro games on the Television than a PC monitor.
At this point Wii has not been “hacked”, nor is it capable of playing backups of Wii games for now. It’ll take a while before the homebrew world really starts working on the Wii hardware.
Wii sets UK Sales Record
November 21st, 2006
Previously held by Harry Potter and Coldplay’s X&Y album, Wii is now the fastest selling item in Amazon UK’s history. According to Amazon “We expected a high number of people to visit the site today but the response was phenomenal.” (thanks Omar!)
http://www.cubed3.com/news/6343/1/Wii_Sets_UK_Sales_Record
Source: Codenamerevolution/Cub3d
Under the Hood of the Wii Video!
November 20th, 2006
Semiconductor Insights has been analyzing the components inside the Wii from the CPU to the 4-Gbit (512MB) NAND Flash memory as can be seen in the video below. The ram that was found was 512-Mbit (64MB) of GDDR3 Ram along with an extra 16-Mbit of SDRAM (which is 2MB and possible for texture memory). I wonder where the other 24MB of RAM is?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kihXP9WYhLc&eurl=
Source: CodenameRevolution
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=194500278
[/COLOR]
More HD Talk on Wii
November 21st, 2006
Game Informer spoke with Nintendo about a possible firmware update to patch the Wii for High-Definition support. According to Nintendo, currently they have no plans for HD on the Wii, however they stated that Microsoft was able to patch the 360 to support 1080p, which means that it’s not entirely impossible. Will we be able to see a game like Resident Evil on 720p? Now wouldn’t that be a nice treat.
Source: CodenameRevolution
CR Exclusive: Nintendo Power January 2007 Issue!
November 21st, 2006
Here is the January 2007 issue of Nintendo Power featuring first Wii reviews and with Twilight Princess on the front cover!
UPDATE 1: Nintendo plans to bring more Wii console colors “down the road”, but there is no set time-line of their release.
UPDATE 2: Nintendo Power has confirmed that it made a mistake about the Opera Web Browser in the previous issue and that you WILL be able to download it for free until mid-June 2007!
UPDATE 3: Current top selling Gamecube game is LEGO Star Wars II.
Wii’ Most Wanted:
1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
2. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
3. Super Mario Galaxy
4. Fire Emblem
5. Harvest Moon Wii
UPDATE 4: Nintendo Power confirms that Wii Play (w/Wii Remote) will be available in January! Also new screenshots (that were shown from Nintendo World 2006) of Fire Emblem, MP3, Disaster, Hammer and Mario Part 8 are shown and Metroid Prime 3 looks really sweet!
UPDATE 5: The BIGS, a baseball title from 2K Sports and Big Castle Games will include online play! Cooking Mama will include more than 300 real-world recipes from 10 different countries. Super Swing Golf will be released in December 2006.
UPDATE 6: First feature is on WarioWare: Smooth Moves: Some of the mini-games included are scrubbing a cow, a “wild wild west” classic duel shoot-out, a can-shooter, a slapping game, samurai “microgames”, sketch artist, number matching (from brain age), paper airplane, Balloon fight, darts, a diner game, a waiter game, a chauffeur game, a soccer game and more. In multiplayer mode, you can have up to 12 players (switching Wii-motes from one player to another) and throughout the game itself it will include Mii’s. In a multiplayer mini-game your Mii’s end up tightened by a rope, hanging and below your Mii is a swamp filled with crocodiles and your goal is to survive. There are also mini-games involving Nintendogs and even Link in Wind Waker (parachuting).
UPDATE 7: Next feature is on Virtual Console and while there is nothing new, Ristar is listed as one of the “31″ games for the launch window. Next feature is on Twilight Princess: (Note: Skip to the next update if needed, this one contains Spoilers) When you start the game (in Ordon Village) for a third-time, you’ll earn a piece of heart. Get some explosives at Kakariko Village and to earn two extra pieces of heart, hit a rock on a high ledge wit ha bomb arrow and use a boomerang to collect it. Destroy a larger rock on the ground to open a path to a pool and another treasure. Get help from Gorons after you return from the mines, to climb the tower on the north end and at the top you’ll be able to start an archery mini-game (you can earn a piece of heart). Visit Malo Mart to purchase a “telescopic” Hawkeye for sniper-like shooting.
When you fill the third Vessel of Light, Castle Town will be “full of life” and you can find a man on the east road who accepts donations and for 1,000 rupees, he’ll give you a piece of heart. Give 1,000 rupees to the Goron at Malo Mart for fixing the bridge, give an additional 2,000 rupees to bring the shop at the center of Castle Town so oyu can purchase a Magic Armor for 598 rupees. There is a STAR Minigame, and with a Clawshot you can grapple onto cage walls so you can earn 60-arrows and if you win again you can get 100.
Go to southeastern part of Castle Town to meet Agitha, round up 24 Golden Bugs for her and give her one bug for Big Wallet (holds 600 rupees) and all 24 for Giant Wallet (1,000 rupee capacity). Speak to the fortune teller Fanadi in Castle Town and speak about your career so she can point out your next challenge and speak about love to get a piece of heart. There are 45 Pieces of Heart in the game. (Note: the next two pages are dungeons which have been reported before in spoiler posts except the last one) There is a “Rollgoal Minigame” where you press the C button to look at the game and you have to roll a ball through a maze (in Hena’s shop) and you can earn a “frog lure” if you win the eight maze. There is more info and I suggest getting a copy of this magazine or read the official guide itself.
UPDATE 8: Interview with Zelda director Eiji Aonuma, the following is an excerpt: “I think it’s safe to say that Twilight Princess has a lot more Miyamoto influence than other recent Zelda games…The total scale of the world, has definitely surpassed that of Ocarina of Time. There are a lot more dungeons as well…I must warn you that this game will take a lot longer to complete than Ocarina of Time…there were actually instances whee the control changes made for Wii were adapted to GCN, and they ended up improving the gameplay in the Gamecube version…Twilight Princess is set about a hundred years after Ocarina of Time…Twilight Princess has elements in it that were made so that people who played Ocarina can say ‘Oh, I remember this!’…releasing Twilight Princess for the Gamecube and creating a whole new Zelda for Wii immediately after (as it was planned) that would have been extremely diffciult to do time-wise.”
“I haven’t decided whether we’ll make Link right-handed or left-handed in future Zelda games…(he likes Goron Mines the best and his favorite character in the game is Link)…(in the future) I hope to offer more guidance to these talented young creators (on the TP team) so they can create a Zelda that I would never be able to make.”
UPDATE 9: Next feature in Excite Truck and in Summary (point-form):
1. Most of it you’ll have to see the screenshots (they are new) to read about it
2. You’ll earn 50 stars for finishing first in the game
3. Later tracks you’ll need to get a minimum of 100 or 150 stars
4. Strategies to use is Smash-Tested (crashing into opponents by boosting), end faster and hit a morph switch when trucks are in front of you
5. The feature looks at “Super Tree Run” in Scotland and Canada, “Super Air Spin” in Finland and Mexico, “Jump Combo” in Fiji and “Super Drift” from China.
UPDATE 10: Castlevania creator “Iga” on the Wii: “I am still thinking of all the possibilities, but right now I am thinking about all the systems the next game could be on. For me, the Wii controller doesn’t yet connect with the core gameplay of Castlevania. I definitely don’t want to make a game with gimmicky controls where you swing the controller like a whip, so I’ll have to think about it longer.” (Comments: I don’t hear anyone complaining about the Wii-mote being used as a whip? Come on Iga, you’ve been asked a million times about this and have gone on and off about it…make it for the Wii will ya! Heck even use the classic controller, I’m sure gamers would still get the game.)
UPDATE 11: The reason why Twilight Princess got a 9.5/10 was because of Wolf Link and Music. Although the gameplay was great, the issue was in the early goings when you’re forced to remain a wolf for extended periods and seek out creatures of darkness (meaning it can be a drag). The other issue was Music, and the tracks are too “subtle” for their own good.
UPDATE 12: The ratings once again for those who missed out:
Wii Titles:
Zelda TP: 9.5
Trauma Center SO: 8.5
SMB BB: 8.5
Excite Truck: 8.5
Madden 07: 8.5
Wii Sports: 8.0 / 8.5
Marvel UA: 8.0
Red Steel: 8.0
Metal Slug Anthology: 8.0
Rayman RR: 7.5
Need for Speed Carbon: 7.5
Tony Hawk DJ: 7.5
Spongebob: 7.0
CoD3: 6.5
Monster 4×4: 6.5
Rampage TD: 6.5
Splinter Cell DA: 6.0
DBZ BT2: 6.0 (9.0 for DBZ fans)
GT Pro Series: 5.0
Happy Feet: 4.5
Gamecube Titles:
Tomb Raider Legend: 7.5
The Sims 2 Pets: 6.5
Bionicle Heroes: 5.0
UPDATE 13: Former World Wrestling Entertainment “World Champion” Rey Mysterio dropped by Nintendo’s headquarters for a hands-on the Wii and went up against (in multiplayer-mode) Nintendo Power’s Chris Hoffman (who also wore a lucha libre mask). Rey Mysterio had the following to say after playing Wii Boxing: “(it was) awesome…exactly like real-life boxing, except for feeling the punches.” He also made a comment about how he was one of the first to play the Wii and it makes “King Booker” jealous. (Comments: Glad you enjoyed it Rey…now can you convince THQ to bring Smackdown vs. Raw on the Wii?)
UPDATE 14: Next Month will take a look at WarioWare with a review and the 50-floor “Cave of Ordeals” guide from Twilight Princess.
Tidbits: Eragon coming to Gamecube is still in question. Nintendo Power speaks about the game for DS and GBA. Odd thing though is the advertisement doesn’t show a Gamecube logo BUT it says “Also Available on Console”. Will this game be on the Wii instead? This issue also includes (besides the pokemon comic) a Twilight Princess poster and Wii stickers (with Wii Sports)! Also Sonic the Hedgehog on the GBA and it’s history is also featured. Also this is your chance to subscribe to Nintendo Power if you haven’t as yet, as a free copy of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Official Guide and Soundtrack CD will be made available!
Source: CodenameRevolution
Here are just a couple random images...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/viceflip/Wii/chucksnake.gif
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/viceflip/Wii/raymanbunnies.gif
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/viceflip/Wii/rev_bruce.jpg