Highlights from Nintendo Media Summit 2008

by Ross Miller { Apr 16th 2008 at 8:00AM }

This week, Joystiq had a chance attend Nintendo's annual media summit and check out a few dozen upcoming Wii and DS titles, including many for the upcoming WiiWare service. Check out all of our highlights:

	Head-tracking feature pulled from Boom Blox Perhaps EA feared that we'd hack together a candelabra helmet as an IR emitter. They should have; we totally would.
	Rock Band Wii 'bonus songs' already released on 360/PS3 "Bonus" means different things to different people.
	Joystiq impressions: Guitar Hero: On Tour (DS) 20 new tracks, a few control twists, and a new versus mode should make it more than Guitar Hero Lite.

	Separated at birth: Wii Fit Balance Board and Aperture Science turret Is Nintendo an ancestor of Aperture Science?
	Joystiq impressions: Wii Fit mini-games Sure, Wii Fit is about health and lifestyle, but I'm looking forward to the games.
	Joystiq impressions: Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood A turn-based RPG, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood moves the speedy Sega characters into a role-playing world.
	Joystiq hands-on: Rock Band (Wii) Our short impression: It's Rock Band on the Wii.
	Joystiq hands-on: Wii Wheel We expect most gamers will stick with other control methods.
	Joystiq hands-on: Samba de Amigo (Wii) Samba de Amigo without maracas is like seeing an old friend you've missed for years; it's still the same person, but the subtle changes add up.
	Joystiq hands-on: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed duel mode (Wii) We swung sabers against fellow writers and were impressed by the amount of depth in the matches
	Joystiq hands-on: LostWinds (WiiWare) These techniques feel fresh and the visuals rival other Wii games. LostWinds was one of my favorite experiences from the Nintendo Media Summit.
	Joystiq hands-on: World of Goo (WiiWare) World of Goo hits the required bullet points to be an indie game darling.2
	Joystiq impressions: Boom Blox (Wii) Boom Blox largely centers on tossing balls to knock down block structures. But the adventure mode, level editor, and multiplayer ways to play should make it last beyond the 400 levels included on the disc.
	Joystiq hands-on: Space Invaders Extreme (DS/PSP) As soon as I began tapping the buttons, I was hooked; this update borrows the basic idea of Space Invaders and remixes it into a wild, fast-paced shooter.
	Joystiq impressions: Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People (WiiWare) Strong Bad follows in the game style of Sam & Max and other adventures, but it trades some of the linear, story elements for more random activities.
	Joystiq impressions: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (WiiWare) Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King turns RPG gamers into a coach, vicariously living out the glory of dungeon quests by sending in adventurers.

	Joystiq hands-on: Pop (Wiiware) The simple game is just about pointing and clicking on bubbles that drift by.
	Joystiq hands-on: Zenses: Ocean (DS) Pitched as a relaxing, almost trance-inducing ride -- some bundles of the game will include earphones to play back its mellow soundtrack -- I found few of its six game modes that didn't feel repetitive.
	Joystiq hands-on: Major League Eating: The Game (WiiWare) Is eating actually a game? How do you turn one tenuous "sport" into a tenuous videogame?

Tags: hands-on, impressions, nintendo, nintendo-media-summit, nintendo-media-summit-08, wiiware

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Chase @ Apr 16th 2008 8:06AM

"Bonus" means "sucks you don't have a hard drive" in Harmonixese.

Rususeruru @ Apr 16th 2008 8:19AM

Sorry to make you wait, here are some "free" extras; enjoy it because it's all you'll ever have?

FOXHOUND @ Apr 16th 2008 9:06AM

C'mon people... you don't *honestly* think that Harmonix/Nintendo would've had DLC for it, did you? They're going to either come out with another disc entirely or nothing at all... since it's obvious we won't see a hard drive increase/expansion device on the Wii anytime soon(outside of a SD card that is barely able to be saved/accessed in most games).

SillyShiggy WSN (if it had one): lovsatan @ Apr 16th 2008 9:27AM

Those songs aren't really free when you realize that the Wii version is the PS2 version only ten dollars more expensive. Guess where those ten dollars are going? I am disappointed that Harmonix still cannot grasp the Nintendo vision. They'll learn eventually once they see my Wii Music hit the market!

bm @ Apr 17th 2008 8:06PM

lol o hi killjebus

Evan @ Apr 16th 2008 9:18AM

I'm impressed by the Wiiware titles - a couple of the games look to have innovative gameplay and could be fun! And that's refreshing because innovation seems to be severely lacking in the other consoles' download games - half are dual-analog-stick shooters! It was fine when it was just Geometry Wars, but now we have Asteroids Deluxe, Omega Five, Undertow, Every Extend Extra Extreme, Space Giraffe, Jetpac Refueled, Mutant Storm Reloaded, Super Stardust HD, Blast Factor, Rocketmen, Everyday Shooter... a few of these may be good games on their own, but give me a break, we don't need so many games with identical gameplay. I'm starving for something truly new to play, and the Wii is the system delivering the most original gameplay.

Freelancepimp @ Apr 16th 2008 9:19AM

"Head-tracking feature pulled from Boom Blox
Perhaps EA feared that we'd hack together a candelabra helmet as an IR emitter. They should have; we totally would"

Or maybe it felt rushed and tacked on and they decided not to go with it on this project.