Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Pokémon, Dr. Mario, Nintendo For All and many more software titles are coming to the Wii in downloadable format.
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.
