Topic: New WiiWare Games and Wii Channels Coming

[WindyMan]

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Pokémon, Dr. Mario, Nintendo For All and many more software titles are coming to the Wii in downloadable format.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=14590

 During yesterday's Nintendo Conference 2007 in Japan, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata revealed new Wii Channels and WiiWare games that would be available for all Japanese Wii owners before the end of the year.    

Beginning with WiiWare, Iwata claimed that so far Nintendo has received more than 100 proposals from companies regarding the development of WiiWare software. This includes requests from small developers that have historically relied on publisher support and companies who have never created games before.  Nintendo plans to launch the service in Japan in March 2008.    

Here were the WiiWare games highlighted in the conference:    

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Young King and the Promised Land was the most significant WiiWare game shown.  Called a "nation building RPG" by Iwata, the game will be separate from the already-announced FFCC Wii game, The Crystal Bearers.  The Square Enix project will likely rely heavily on the console's online features.    

Dr. Mario's Virus Buster is a remake the classic Dr. Mario, and includes Wi-fi and four-player multiplayer modes.  Minna de Puzzloop (Puzzloop for Everybody) is a Wii version of the DS puzzle game, Magnetica.  Maruboushikaku was also announced, but we currently have no information on this game at this time, other than that it is being developed by Nintendo.    

The third party games  announced at the conference were the previously known Star Soldier R from Hudson and an as-of-yet unidentified game from Namco Bandai.    

And now, the new Wii Channels.    

Pokemon Ranch Channel - Owners of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl can upload their Pokemon to the Wii so that they may see and interact with them in 3D.  You can also use you own Miis to play with the Pokemon.  Even if you don't have Pokemon DS, you can still interact with the ranch and the Pokemon that litter it.  Players can also take pictures and send them to friends.    

Nintendo Channel for All - This new channel will let people view game trailers of upcoming Wii and DS games and download demos to the Nintendo DS.  What's more, Wii owners can also see how many other users have purchased Wii titles and show everyone how much time people are playing each game based on the play history information stored in the Wii console.  Nintendo aims to give consumers ways to find new games based on popularity and their own preferences. Nintendo will also collect this data for future use.  This channel is also scheduled to launch in November in Japan.    

Mii Contest Channel - Announced at E3, this channel will let you post your Miis for anyone to download.  Nintendo will also administer themed contests, where users create, post, and vote on Miis.  It is also set for a November launch in Japan.    

Wii Fit Channel - Instead of being a download, the Wii Fit Channel will actually come with Wii Fit when it is released in Japan on December 1.  The purpose of the channel is to make it easier for people to track their fitness progress without needed to swap out game discs every day, something that Nintendo says would make it troublesome to stick to losing weight or otherwise using the game to help stay healthy.    

We'll bring you more information on these new games and channels for the Wii as soon we know more.

[UncleBob]

Dr. Mario, Online?

Wow... when my wife finds out, y'all are screwed...

[IceCold]

The WiiFit Channel is an awesome idea - they should have done that with WiiSports..

[MarioAllStar]

WiiFit is a channel? Full 3D (mini-)games as channels?

Hard drive add-on confirmed?

[Shift Key]

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Originally posted by: NewsBot
Nintendo will also collect this data for future use.

HAY BIG BROTHER

[KDR_11k]

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Originally posted by: MarioAllStar
WiiFit is a channel? Full 3D (mini-)games as channels?

Hard drive add-on confirmed?

Sounds more like you can just look at your stats in that channel.

[planetidiot]

Cool.  Very soon we will be running into the need for smarter channel organization (folders maybe?) and seamless SD card memory expansion.

Whether Nintendo will deliver on those needs or just say "YOU CAN DELETE AND DOWNLOAD LATER!!!" remains to be seen.

[Ian Sane]

It seems almost like a waste of Nintendo's time to make a WiiWare Dr. Mario when they already have a version on the NES and N64 that could be released on the VC.  Hell even the SNES had a version though it was packed with Tetris so they probably couldn't release that version.  The online play justifies it I suppose and it's not a big deal but it seems like Nintendo could have easily just released it on the VC.  Seems like a questionable business decision.

The screenshots also show your Mii playing the role of Dr. Mario.  Well then how is it Dr. Mario if I don't play as him? Wouldn't this be Dr. Mii?

[LuigiHann]

I'm glad that they're putting effort into a new Dr Mario. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they release the NES version first, though. The only thing better than getting people to buy a game is getting people to buy a game twice.  

[vudu]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
The online play justifies it I suppose and it's not a big deal but it seems like Nintendo could have easily just released it on the VC.  Seems like a questionable business decision.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this exactly what you've asked for in the past?  Nintendo is updating its old games and putting them on WiiWare.  They can do similar approaches in the future and put out games like Street Fighter II w/ online play or an updated Sin & Punishment w/ remote functionality.  

[Caliban]

Download DS demos? Huh? AWESOME!
Now we need that hard-drive expansion, or direct use of the SD card, so that we can also download Wii demos, and to download videos with good quality rather than the sucky streamed videos that we got from the MP3 channel which I think is the same quality of the DS and Wii videos that will be initially available to us.

[Ian Sane]

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this exactly what you've asked for in the past? Nintendo is updating its old games and putting them on WiiWare."

Typically I prefer accurate versions with no modern perspective tinkering.  That's when you get annoying voices in Super Mario Bros 2.  The only exception I would make is for games that appeared in multiple formats with different versions having exclusive features others didn't.  In that case a "definitive" version would be nice.  Like Turtles in Time is four players in the arcade but only two on the SNES.  BUT the SNES version has extra levels.  A combo of the two would be nice.

Hey if Nintendo has this version and the NES, SNES, and N64 versions for download then that's great.  Options for everyone.  Just seems very unnecessary to devote resources to a WiiWare title that could easily be made available on the VC.

I wouldn't mind online play like emulators offer where you pretty much just play multiplayer but player's two controller is in another house and both people see the same thing on their screen.  Obviously there's lag issues and it probably would require some complexity that isn't non-gamer friendly but it would be nice for those that want it.  If you're going to make Dr. Mario online then introduce this idea and make a system where every VC game can be played online if the user is willing to deal with any lag issues.  But this is a very hardcore gamer focused idea and I can see why Nintendo wouldn't do this.  But then they have games with Japanese text in it on the VC and that's pretty hardcore and not non-gamer friendly.

With each game having it's own emulator the online idea might be impossible anyway.

[KDR_11k]

But why implement a hacky online mode with much lag when it's easier to just remake the game and give it prettier graphics and new gamemodes in the process?

[Ian Sane]

"But why implement a hacky online mode with much lag when it's easier to just remake the game and give it prettier graphics and new gamemodes in the process?"

I'm assuming the hacky online mode is easier to do.  Maybe it isn't.  Though it provides a solution for the entire VC.  For just Dr. Mario might as well just remake it I guess if online is so important for it.

And prettier graphics?  It uses polygons for a 2D game.  The hell that's prettier.

[Kairon]

See you all in Dr. Mario online... i9f my Mom doesn't totally shame me at the game first and crushes my soul thereby.

[Tuxedo.Bond]

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something that Nintendo says would make it troublesome to stick to losing weight or otherwise using the game to help stay healthy.

Damn, how lazy can you be? -_o

[Infernal Monkey]

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The screenshots also show your Mii playing the role of Dr. Mario. Well then how is it Dr. Mario if I don't play as him? Wouldn't this be Dr. Mii?

Because you can play as Dr. Mario if you want.