Electronic Arts has slipped on a pair of bootie shorts and shaked its groove thang all the way back to the well, announcing Boogie SuperStar exclusively for the Wii. A follow up to last year's family-friendly rhythm game, Boogie, the game is the latest to be counted among EA's casual brand, and is being targeted specifically at girls – though how exactly the game will favor the fairer sex remains to be seen.

Once again being developed by EA Montreal, information about the game was first leaked last month, at that time indicating that Boogie SuperStar would have players dancing on the Wii Balance Board, though EA's official announcement makes note of no such functionality. What we do know is that Boogie SuperStar will allow up to four gals to keep rhythm, customize characters, and cut rugs using the Wii remote, all while being judged by the game on their road to win it big in the game's 'Boogie Star Show.' The sequel will also feature more than 40 different licensed tracks from groups and singers such as Maroon 5, Britney Spears, and Kanye West, though EA bills the music as being 'made popular by' these artists, so cheap imitations will likely be the order of the day when Boogie SuperStar ships in both North America and Europe this October.

EA's newest IP -- Army of Two -- apparently isn't all it's cracked up to be. So says GamesRadar sister-magazine Xbox World, who were set to review a near-final build of the game, until EA Montreal decided the game wasn't quite ready for release. The resulting preview is downright nasty in its condemnation of the cooperative FPS, which it fancifully re-titles "Army of Sh*t."

The criticism lies mostly with the game's storyline and main characters, the latter of which Xbox World decries as the least likable in video game history. The plot of the game is apparently incredibly xenophobic, with generic terrorist enemies who refer to the main characters as "f*cking infidels." The gameplay, meanwhile, is described as bland and repetitive, with numerous cut-scenes and clumsy controls.

Is there any hope for Army of Two? Not according to Xbox World, who describe the game's delay as nothing more than "a stay of execution." Considering their qualms lie largely with the game's intrinsic plot, writing, and characters, they could very well be right. We'll have to see come first-quarter 2008 whether the game is truly as sh*tty as they make it out to be.

[Via X3F]

I recently played an almost-complete version of Army of Two, days before the decision to delay it until Q1, 2008. Originally planned to be released November 13, EA told me that the delay related most to them wanting to make sure this new intellectual property can be all it can be. (Did somebody say "franchise?") Of course, the company will easily benefit by spacing the game out from the current flood of mega hits.

Army of Two casts players as mercenaries, responsible for blowing up the local scenery while following your employer's missions. Often, those objectives are the same. The Army of Two I played was a risky game that stood out in its story tone and gameplay mechanics. Some of those gambles clearly paid off -- the co-op style is the best part of the game. But EA may take this extra time to re-tune repetitive elements, like the revive-your-teammate mini-game.

Should there be reason for concern with another hodgepodge of reviews? IGN gives SSX Blur a thumbs-up, but warns it's for "hardcore" gamers only; 1UP disses, claiming SSX vets will be turned off. So which is it? Why have we been sifting through so many mixed reviews for Wii games?

It's sorta like DS's first year, no? Everyone -- publishers, developers, and gamers -- are trying to figure out how it works; and what works. So then, aren't we a little concerned? Fearful that Wii is just a gimmick. The gems will come, but might we also be faced with a lotta "meh." SSX has been a reliable franchise, but Blur has so far scored the lowest average of any of the series' console iterations -- it's hard not to see a message in that.

EA was kind enough to provide the name of its upcoming SSX installment for Wii: SSX Blur. But despite a projected March release date, developer EA Montreal remains vague about the project that was revealed five months ago.

Producer Alex Hyder did imply extensive use of motion, saying, "We wanted to take the soul of the franchise ... and Wii-ify it," but stopped short of defining the specific mechanics. Let's just hope this series doesn't get butchered the way Activision did Tony Hawk for its Wii debut.