Wii three
Wii news, big and small: our British sister site has three interesting reports up. The first concerns 128 Marios, a game Nintendo mentioned (and even showed a demo of) that was originally in the works for the GameCube. Yeah, we weren't exactly expecting it to come out, at this point. But it turns out that 128 Marios, did, in fact, provide the underpinnings for Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii. You can checkthe UK storyto find out more, but be careful - it says that Galaxy is "doubtless" going to launch alongside the Wii, but it must mean in Europe; Nintendo of America has already admitted it won't be available day one here.
Next up: Nintendo wizard Miyamoto has made mention of a faintly strange wish to remake GameCube games on the Wii for budget prices. To us, this seems like needless rehashing; to Nintendo fans, judging from some conversations we've had, it seems like inspired genius. It's probably actually somewhere in the middle. No mention of titles, but he's hoping that other companies besides Nintendo get into the act, too, according toGamesRadar UK's report. We'll see.
Finally, apparently it turns out that Sonic is the most-requested character among fans of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. So far, Metal Gear's Solid Snake is the only non-Nintendo character confirmed. A Sega spokesman didn't have much to say about the situation, but seems flattered. Checkthe original storyto squeeze a few more droplets out.
Developer blog delivers the goods
A smattering of new details about online/offline action RPG epic Phantasy Star Universe have hit the web. The original source is a post from the official Phantasy Star Universe blog;PSO-World.comhelpfully translates the main points. In all honesty, most of this stuff is only really exciting if you're a hardcore fan of the game - the best bit is still the claim cheating will be "impossible" since the character data will be stored on Sega's servers. Judging from current online RPGs, we're betting that's not exactly true, but we hope for the best. This post also confirms the fact that the PC and PS2 versions will be compatible, but the 360 version will stand alone - so pick where you want to play before you buy. You can readthe restif you'd like to know more, but gamers who aren't already planning their character creation months before the game's release would probably do better to readour all-new hands-on preview.
No PS3s just yet
Oh, the PS3. As much as we want to like it - screw backlash - we're having many of the same problems everyone else has.News out of GameSpot.compoints to the fact that the system hasn't even begun to be manufactured yet, thoughrumorshave suggested that's not the case. Who to believe? We'd like to say you should listen to Sony, but let's face it - those executives spew a lot of bullshit. Whatever the price, we're expecting things to be much the same as they were at the 360 launch last year: tough on anyone who wants to buy a system. For that matter, does anyone remember the PS2 launch six years ago? That was no joyride, either. If nothing else, it should prove pretty interesting to see how the PS3 actually does, given the massive amounts of anti-hype on the web...
He may not be able to sing anymore, but...
Ordinarily, the inclusion of a single song in Guitar Hero II wouldn't be news. However, we're inclined to agree withKotaku, which reportsthat Guns N' Roses' 1988 number one, Sweet Child o' Mine - which rocks the socks off of even the second-snootiest music fan on GamesRadar's staff - is in the offing. If you're not sure what makes the inclusion of this song such an event, maybe this871-word treatiseon the subject over at allmusic will get your blood pumpin'. Get ready to wield that plastic axe...
Ca...California...
The Wizard - aka 90 minutes of garbage followed by 5 minutes of Super Mario Bros. 3 - is out on DVD today. As Chris Kohler points outon his Game|Life blog, the movie was "Generally recognized even by the small children who saw it in 1989 as being a ninety-minute ad for Nintendo..." but somehow, it's burned an evil but indelible mark onto the souls of gamers all the same.Amazonrather hilariously describes the film as an "inside look at video games" while listing no special features whatsoever. But, hey - it's less than $12!
August 22, 2006
