Wii Play minigames WRU?!

by Christopher Grant { Nov 15th 2006 at 10:15AM }

When we got a press release from Nintendo on Monday titled "Nintendo's Marketing Blitz: Wii Play for All!" our (admittedly arrhythmic) heart fluttered a little bit. You see, Wii Play is the name of the free pack-in collection that Japan, Europe, and Australia are going to be getting when they drop some local currency on an additional Wiimote. The Wii Play minigames include Table Tennis, Laser Hockey, Fishing, Find Mii, Pose Mii, Shooting, Pool, Charge!, and Tanks. Could Nintendo be planning to give North America a super special bonus copy of Wii Play, no Wiimote purchase necessary?

After reading through the remainder of the presser (several times) it was clear there was no mention of the elusive Wii Play ... just fluff about their marketing blitz. Well, North American gamers, you'll be troubled to hear there continues to be no release date for a North American release of Wii Play. Hoping for a last minute retail inclusion? We received a retail Wii and Wiimote which were, despite our most fervent wishes to the contrary, sans Wii Play. Thinking you could just import one from one of our overseas friends, are ya? So were we, until we remembered that Nintendo told us the "Wii will be region encoded, as will first-party software." We've sent our query to Nintendo, who've yet to get back to us. This isn't your big secret, is it Reggie?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Fubar @ Nov 15th 2006 10:39AM

What does the Welsh Rugby Union have to do with this?

aC @ Nov 15th 2006 10:25AM

I was just going through all of this with a friend of mine yesterday. Looking at the wikipedia page for it reminded me that everyone BUT NA seems to be getting this title.

I'm really disappointed too because it looked like much more fun titles than Wii Sports. Between the supposedly Havoc-like air-hockey, to the duck hunt clone. I really wanted this title at launch.

A big release surprise sure would be nice ;) but I doubt it.

Masaki @ Nov 15th 2006 10:27AM

The big secret is Master Chief in Smash Bros. Brawl

You heard it here first.

Al @ Nov 15th 2006 10:34AM

This is too bad, I really wanted to have a copy of that air hockey game. It looks excellent.

JodyAnthony @ Nov 15th 2006 10:34AM

toys r us has some free wii dvd they are giving out in stores, and in the little ad book thing that comes with it, it mentions Wii Play, so it seems that they would/should be bringing it over here somehow.

aC @ Nov 15th 2006 10:35AM

>>The big secret is Master Chief in Smash Bros. Brawl
>>You heard it here first.

Actually no, we heard it 50 million other places since SSB:B was announced :P

Ron @ Nov 15th 2006 10:42AM

I shall guess that this will be a free download once you get connected to the WiiConnect24 service. I'm mean, unless this thing cooks my breakfast, I'm not sure what else could be hidden in it.

Prof-KOS @ Nov 15th 2006 10:43AM

I expect this to hit retail in two fashions. At the same time it will be released as a pack-in for a different colour Wii system down the road (March-April?) and it wil hit store shelves then too. As a sort of sequel to Wii Sports. I'm looking forward to the game, but I can wait. I'll be too busy with Zelda and other games to think about it for a while anyways.

Pat @ Nov 15th 2006 10:53AM

u guys get an early release date over other countries by 3 weeks, quit complaining eh?

ackmondual @ Nov 15th 2006 10:58AM

I'm a proponent of the Wii, not to say I'm anti-PS3 and 360 either, but if this follows through, this 'll certainly be a blow against Nin's NA fanbase. The games in Wii Play are Universal. Fishing, Find/Pose Waldo (which I think that's what that Mii mini-game is
about), table tennis, billiards, hockey.... are Americans so backwards (or alternatively, Aussies being on the other side of the world and Japs for being... well, Japanese b/c let's face it, Americans alone could've never came up with the Wii) that we don't deserve Wii Play?

WHY!!!!

Steve @ Nov 15th 2006 11:07AM

10. ackmondual
>> Americans alone could've never came up with the Wii

Yup. We Americans just aren't known for inventing anything [/sarcasm]

Perhaps you should put down the celebrity and entertainment magazines and try reading a history book or some modern science magazines for a change.

G99 @ Nov 15th 2006 11:10AM

This is why i am holding off on the th8ird and 4th controller untill later on in the year. I bet you tha5t this will come to our shores eventually. hopefully attached to a remote, or something like the remote.

Hmmm...I just thought of something. The zapper has been rumored for a while, What if it came packaged with that? It would make prefect sense. If i remember reading it right, the wii play game comes with at least one shooting type game.

This way they can also introduce VC shooting games like hogans alley and duck hunt.

JodyAnthony @ Nov 15th 2006 11:13AM

G99, that is the most sensical posibility.

it would give people more of a reason to get the zapper shell

Intentless @ Nov 15th 2006 11:21AM

if Solid Snake can be in Smash why can't Master Chief... And no it isn't like a Fisher Price toy... Again as many have stated on here before... Just because it isn't rated M doesn't make it kiddy. Its all about the fun factor and however much I love curb stomping in Gears or owning in Halo, the most fun I have is in Mario Party and Smash Bros.

MSaccarello @ Nov 15th 2006 11:19AM

this whomps. i want duck hunt damn it!

Chris @ Nov 15th 2006 11:26AM

Japs is a racist term FYI

crono141 @ Nov 15th 2006 11:28AM

Or an abbreviation for lazy people, FYI.

Its only racist if the intent is racism.

Meophist @ Nov 15th 2006 11:49AM

How about this: Games rated E or T are kiddy. Games rated M are extra kiddy. Only AO-rated games aren't kiddy.

Kevin @ Nov 15th 2006 12:08PM

I want to play pool. That game looks awesome. And I thought Reggie said there is no secret? Well, no secret that he himself is aware of anyway.

Re-online @ Nov 15th 2006 12:10PM

"Wii will be region encoded, as will first-party software."

So, when we are going to see the first mod-chips being released???
If Wii is so similar to the gamecube than I am going to make my own mod-chip with some rubber, a paper clip and some matches, just like Macgyver, because it was so easy then.

Nikon1177 @ Nov 15th 2006 12:13PM

I just got back from my local westfield mall where Nintendo has set up a kiosk with 6 Wii's playing a bunch of games, Wii Play was one of those games.

I'm thinking that the first round of Wii's will get a free copy of wii play with retail purchase of the system, like the PS3 and Talladega Nights.

Dan @ Nov 15th 2006 12:15PM

I thought a lot of the games mentioned in Wii play were built into the Mii channel?

Todd @ Nov 15th 2006 12:31PM

I would really be interested in getting this game, even importing, if that were possible. A shame the European version won't work on our US version, unless there is some fluke in the process.

Gnick @ Nov 15th 2006 12:35PM

Lazy polite people use the term "japa"...

Chris @ Nov 15th 2006 12:37PM

@17

I dare you to say that to a group of Japanese people.

"Hey I'm just lazy, thats why I called you a bunch a Japs."

The way people rationalize their unintentional racism makes me laugh.

Jackson Pritt @ Nov 15th 2006 12:44PM

Oh god, I hope that isn't the official box art for Wii Play! It looks like it was thrown together in 5 minutes in Photoshop, or maybe like it was a Graphic Design 001 student project. I get that they're going for the minimalist white look for a lot of Wii stuff, but that's just pathetic.

sockatume @ Nov 15th 2006 12:52PM

It's not free, it costs an extra £10 (about $16) more than just buying a remote. Also, didn't Reggie say at his last big PR session (a week or so ago) that he's not heard anything about a "big secret"?

John @ Nov 15th 2006 1:07PM

omg something europe are getting that the yanks r not! *dies in shock* lol

Brad @ Nov 15th 2006 1:26PM

For uk people - you can get Wii Play + a wiimote for £27.99 at http://www.play3k.com/ Cheapest i've seen anyway. Cheaper than a Wiimote alone in most cases!

Paul @ Nov 15th 2006 2:01PM

I find the lack of Wii Play inclusion surprising since the production line video shows a disc being packed with all the Wiimotes. Hmmmmm.

Sean DL @ Nov 15th 2006 2:41PM

"I find the lack of Wii Play inclusion surprising since the production line video shows a disc being packed with all the Wiimotes. Hmmmmm."

Well it's a matter of what production line that was for....

I have a feeling that Nintendo did this so they can have more remotes out in the US....and next year Wii Play pack in will be out when production isn't so ramped up...

NoBullet @ Nov 15th 2006 2:52PM

I dont get it. People bitch and moan that Wii Sports isnt a real game. Then a disc with a bunch of mini games less interestng than Wii sports isnt coming here and you get all pissy faced.

Ed @ Nov 16th 2006 11:40PM

Guys, don't you realize that this 'Wii Play' IS Wii Sports?

C'mon, it's freakin obvious! People in the US find the name more appealing, so Nintendo packaged it differently. Next think you know, Joystiq will say 'Wii Sports isn't bundled with the Wii', when the box they are looking at says, "Includes Wii Sports!".

Noodlez @ Nov 16th 2006 2:09AM

Wii play is actually not free here in Australia. As far as I am aware (Was told by the Nintendo rep when i went to a Wii retail night) that it is an extra $10 on top of the wiimote if you buy them as a bundle.
Not too much extra, but definitely worth it I think (even if it is just for the shooting game).

x23 @ Nov 16th 2006 7:54AM

"The way people rationalize their unintentional racism makes me laugh."

the way people think a collection of symbols representing phonetic sounds arranged in a certain manner is more or less 'racist' than any other collection makes me laugh.

actions are racist. intent is racist. words are not *by themselves* racist.

actually... i take that back. i saw a few of those anthropomorphic letters from Sesame Street spelling out "JEW" and then they went and curbed an actual Jewish man. so i guess i'm wrong. a collection of letters CAN be racist.