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New Monkey Ball trademark discovered, may use Wii Balance Board

by Andrew Yoon { Jun 16th 2009 at 4:40PM }

Isn't it weird when you wake up in the morning, covered in sweat, waking up from a dream where you are trapped in a plastic ball, forced to roll around in hundreds of deadly mazes -- collecting bananas you have no way of eating? This happens to us all the time. It looks like our dream may be becoming a reality, as Sega looks to be creating a Wii Balance Board-centric Monkey Ball game.

The US Patent & Trademark Office has revealed the title of a brand new game in Sega's long-running series, called Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll. While the listing doesn't confirm use of the Balance Board, it seems like a perfect fit for the franchise. The active nature of the title makes us believe this is indeed Sega's attempt at letting players use their real-life balance to navigate the tricky Monkey Ball worlds. It's such an easy concept to visualize, we're surprised it hasn't already been made yet.

[Via 1UP, Kotaku]

Hands-on (and flapping like wings): Wii Fit Plus

by JC Fletcher { Jun 8th 2009 at 9:00AM }

While the idea of leaning on a board and waving a stick around may no longer carry an inherent wow factor after everyone has introduced a motion controller, it's clear from just a few minutes with Nintendo's Wii Fit Plus that the company has been thinking of new ways to use its existing technology in gameplay. We weren't allowed to demo the new strength or yoga exercises in the expanded version of the megahit Wii exercise game -- thus sparing a crowd of gaming's best and brightest the sight of us stretching -- but the new balance games were open to us.

Gallery: Wii Fit Plus (Wii)

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Wii's new Dance Dance Revolution is Balance Board-based, fitness-focused

by Randy Nelson { Jun 3rd 2009 at 7:23PM }

It's with no amount of surprise whatsoever that we tell you Konami is making a new Dance Dance Revolution, or what it's for Wii. Neither is the fact that it will feature licensed pop/rock/dance songs and videos. What is surprising: the game will support the Wii Balance Board and features a number of new elements focused on personal fitness. It's not about stomping on the right arrows anymore; hip-swaying and other full body movements -- still guided by on-screen arrows -- are the revolution.

Shaun White Snowboarding sequel is Wii-exclusive

by Randy Nelson { May 27th 2009 at 2:00PM }

click to make with the bigness

Ubisoft has announced that its sequel to last year's multiplatform Shaun White Snowboarding is coming exclusively to Wii. Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal and is planned for a holiday 2009 release.

The move to a single-platform release may seem surprising, but it's made less so when you consider that the Wii version of the first game outsold other versions by nearly a 2:1 margin. We've contacted Ubisoft for comment on the decision and to clarify whether or not this news marks a full-stop for the franchise on other platforms. In the meantime, start waxing those balance boards.

Gallery: Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage

Vertigo tumbles into retail June 16

by JC Fletcher { May 5th 2009 at 5:15PM }

We haven't heard about Playlogic's Vertigo, the weird racing/Monkey Ball/labyrinth game, at all since last September. Today, Playlogic announced that the Balance Board-compatible "futuristic racing puzzle game" will be available on PC and Wii June 16. In a weird coincidence, this "futuristic racing puzzle game" will come out the same day as Let's Tap, Sega's "future tapping game" for Wii.

This trailer reminds us of a 3D Marble Madness more than Monkey Ball, with its future theme and precision jumping, but even that doesn't quite capture it. The levels seem a lot longer and more platformer-like.

Vertigo also features four multiplayer modes: "Time Trial, Xorb Football, Death Match, and 10-pin Xorb bowling," as well as single-player time trials. For our own sake, we hope that the time trial grades you on how quickly you fall off the side.

Gallery: Vertigo

Southpeak bringing Sled Shred to Wii

by Justin McElroy { Apr 29th 2009 at 12:00PM }

Here's a perfect example of why there needs to be freer communication between the press and game publishers. This morning, Southpeak announced that it would be releasing Sled Shred on the Wii, a downhill racing game that takes advantage of the Wii Balance Board. More importantly, though, the release stated that players would race "with and against the world-renowned Jamaican Bobsled team."

Springing into action, we asked the most obvious, important questions: [1] Will Doug E. Doug appear in the game? [2] Will zombie John Candy appear in the game? [3] At any point, will someone say "Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time!"? Get this: We still haven't gotten a response from Southpeak. Guess we'll have to wait until Fall 2009 to find out for ourselves.

The 'Wii Riiser Aerobic Step' for ... the Wii Balance Board

by Ben Gilbert { Apr 22nd 2009 at 7:00PM }

From the folks that brought you ... erm ... a bunch of case mods for the Xbox 360, comes the "Wii Riiser Aerobic Step" for your Wii Fit Balance Board. Just in case you were unsatisfied with the heights that the existing step peripheral offered, Zoozen has gone out and created an attachment to boost the level up to a more challenging four inches.

The company contests this is the average height of an actual stepper (which we won't point out also costs significantly less than the Wii Fit and "Wii Riiser Aerobic Step" combined), and as such, will help "improve your step aerobic workout." While we're sure this peripheral would attach to your Balance Board that much easier than two pieces of equally sized wood, we're not so sure it would serve a different purpose. Zoozen's "Wii Riiser Aerobic Step" is available now for the not-so-nice price of $39.99.

Video: EA Sports Active Balance Board features in detail

by Xav de Matos { Apr 14th 2009 at 10:00AM }

You've already seen what comes in the box, now watch what the Balance Board adds to EA Sports Active. Using the fitness-focused peripheral, players can lunge to hit tennis balls, skate on one foot and dance the night away, all in the name of exergaming. Of course, use of the peripheral is optional but this trailer recommends adding it to your daily routine and the game's 30 Day Challenge (aka, the Career Mode) to "broaden" Active's variety.

To recap: EA Sports Active makes use of a leg strap, resistance band, the Wii-mote, nunchuck and (optional) Balance Board. We presume EA is looking to break some kind of Guinness World Record for most peripherals used by a player, at once. We can't wait for Active's next add-on to be revealed -- a spandex leotard that measures the player's heart rate and reduces their self-respect.

Gallery: EA Sports ACTIVE

DreamCatcher & JoWood bring dedicated Yoga game to Wii

by Xav de Matos { Mar 31st 2009 at 9:00PM }

DreamCatcher and JoWood have announced a dedicated Yoga game for the Nintendo Wii, simply named Yoga for Wii. The game, which was built for use with the Wii Balance Board, includes three modes: Training, Routine and Story -- where players must seek revenge for the death of their brother... wait, no. Wrong press release. Oh, here it is, the purpose of the story mode is actually to turn Yoga novices into routine gurus. Also, players can go through a number of preset routines or create their own to fit their daily needs.

Using the Wii Balance Board in conjunction with the Wii Remote is said to analyze balance, making suggestions for better routine execution with the help of a Yoga Master that tracks overall progress. Yoga for Wii is set to downward-dog into stores this October.

GDC09: Nintendo reveals Rock and Roll Climber

by JC Fletcher { Mar 25th 2009 at 12:54PM }

Nintendo's latest Balance Board-equipped game is a WiiWare title that combines the rush of rock climbing with the thrill of single guitar chords. Rock and Roll Climber uses the Wiimote and Nunchuk to simulate arm movements while climbing, while the Balance Board acts to read leg movements. According to our liveblog, at the top of the rock wall, "The character reaches the top, picks up a guitar, and plays a single riff."

This isn't entirely unexpected -- the title showed up on the ESRB database last week, but Nintendo apparently wasn't ready to tell us about it!

Punch-Out! will support Wii Balance Board

by Andrew Yoon { Mar 25th 2009 at 1:00AM }

This ain't your dad's Punch-Out! No, with Balance Board support, it'll be your mom's Punch-Out!

The Italian Nintendo site leaked details on the various control schemes found in the upcoming Wii-make of Nintendo's classic boxing game. The first two modes are as-expected: play with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck to recreate the physical motion of boxing, or play with the Remote on its side to play it NES-style. The third mode documented takes advantage of the Wii Fit Balance Board, allowing players to dodge attacks by shifting their weight. Coupled with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, this mode should provide quite a workout.

[Via IGN]

Gallery: Punch-Out!! (Wii)

See the accessories included in EA Sports Active

by Andrew Yoon { Mar 24th 2009 at 3:30PM }

Peripheral gaming is in. Exergaming is in. So, EA Sports Active really should rake in the bucks. It'll support (but won't require) the Wii Fit balance board and to make the package even more attractive, it'll include two peripherals in the box. The leg strap (after the cut) will allow you to attach the Wii Remote to your leg. The game will then keep track of your movement, allowing you to run and jump without feeling too tethered down by a physical object.

The resistance band (above) will allow you to do other exercises that work out the upper body -- a rarity in the Wii exercise genre. These two peripherals are small, and really do allow for some freeform movement. Will you be picking them up?

Gallery: EA Sports ACTIVE

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Get juiced for Ubisoft's 'Gold's Gym: Cardio Workout' on the Wii

by JC Fletcher { Feb 26th 2009 at 12:01AM }

YES! CARDIO BOXING ON THE WII! FROM UBISOFT AND GOLD'S GYM, YEAAAHHHH! AWESOME! Sorry, we were just doing our best to get your heart rate up. Consider it a free cardio workout from Joystiq, because Joystiq Cares™ about your health!

Ubisoft announced a partnership with Gold's Gym to market the new Wii exercise game Gold's Gym: Cardio Workout, due out March 31. The Balance Board-compatible game includes "cardio boxing, running, sit-ups and other activities" as well as calorie and weight tracking. The new game will include a coupon for one week at Gold's Gym, and in turn, Gold's locations will feature advertising for the game.

Wii nerds (like us) may remember developer Rocket Company's Japanese release Shape Boxing Wii de Enjoy Diet, which featured cardio boxing-based exercises and a few wacky minigames. Screenshots of Cardio Boxing (via Amazon) reveal it to be a localized version of that game. We have yet to determine whether the bear-punching minigame is still present. We can only hope.

Gallery: Gold's Gym: Cardio Workout (Wii)

OSX and Balance Board play nice, have fun together

by David Hinkle { Jan 21st 2009 at 5:27PM }

If you're a Mac user, this video is likely to interest you. An aspiring individual hacked the program Wiiji (which is designed to allow Wiimote integration with Macs) to recognize the Balance Board as a joystick, allowing the use of Nintendo's peripheral with games that allow for joystick control. In the video above, you can see it in use through games Neverball and Extreme Tux Racer. Looks fun, if we may say so.

Enjoy this kind of thing? Then you'll definitely get a kick out of our Revolutionary feature, where the extremely talented Mike Sylvester tinkers around with all kinds of things. Aside from making his own homemade Balance Board, he helped us train with the Wii Wheel and also showed us what is really crappy about our favorite console.

Wooden labyrinth made cooler and more frustrating with Balance Board controls

by JC Fletcher { Jan 13th 2009 at 11:50AM }

Some geniuses from Kansas City's "Cowtown Computer Congress", with the help of an Arduino microcontroller and copious amounts of SCIENCE, have added Balance Board controls to a wooden labyrinth toy. Leaning on the board controls the servos attached to the game's two dials, causing the game to tilt in response to the board. It's like The Incredible Maze, but actually incredible! It can also be controlled with an Xbox 360 controller, though that lacks the representative motion element.

The whole thing cost about $60 in parts, not including the Balance Board. Of course, that's if you don't already have a couple of servos and an Arduino lying about, which, if you're electronics-savvy enough to carry this out, you probably do.