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Hot Shots 'Refresh' revealed as a minigame collection

by Randy Nelson { Jul 1st 2009 at 6:00PM }

First teased by developer Clap Hanz a couple days back, IGN reports that the latest casual sporting game in the Hot Shots franchise is actually a collection of 12 disparate minigames. Minna no Sukkiri ("sukirri" is Japanese for "refresh") does feature some sports -- karate, baseball, soccer, boxing, racing -- but only in bite-sized servings. The remaining seven games are ... well, they're odd, comprised of book-organizing, vegetable fighting and vacuuming, to name just a few.

We can see this minigame jumble getting a strong push for PSP Go in the States -- under a completely different name, of course. The Japanese version is slated for release this fall and a demo will be made available on Japan's PlayStation Store this Friday, July 3.

New Tingle game and new Tingle 'game' revealed

by JC Fletcher { Jun 24th 2009 at 10:40AM }

The mysterious Tingle game that Nintendo's been teasing was revealed last night -- when it was released. Dekisugi Tingle Pack is a DSiWare download that is actually not a game, but a set of little tools and apps, all starring Link's "pal."

The included utilities are a fortune-telling program (hence the fortune teller on the website), a calculator, a little dancing Tingle image that dances in front of your photos, a timer, and a coin-flipping minigame.

But don't get upset about the secret Tingle project being a 500-point non-game and not a real game, because the latest issue of Famitsu reveals another Tingle DS game, this time more in the style of Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland. The new game, called Irobuki Tingle no Ai no Balloon Trip (Color-changing Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love) features the green-suited adventurer searching for, yes, love. The teaser site offers a fake news report, a fake dating show, and some Flipnote Studio Tingle animations, all in celebration of this new game.

Gallery: Dekisugi Tingle Pack (DSiWare)

[Dekisugi Tingle Pack screens via GAME Watch]

Wii Sports Resort: Video clip marathon

by JC Fletcher { Jun 22nd 2009 at 3:15PM }

Wii Sports Resort has a lot more content than its predecessor. For example, the aerobatics portion doesn't just include the skydiving segment that begins the game -- you can also fly the plane. Similarly, there are multiple aquatic vehicles you can operate -- canoes, wakeboards, and a few different jet-ski-based activities. Each of the twelve base sports contains a few gameplay variations.

After the break, you can see the airplane game and more for yourself, in a series of nine gameplay videos captured by GameVideos. We're glad you'll finally be able to see the surprisingly strenuous canoeing portion in action.

Gallery: Wii Sports Resort

Continued →

Wonderful! 505 Games announces Cooking Mama 3 for DS

by JC Fletcher { Jun 1st 2009 at 4:30PM }

We may have known it was coming, but now we have a nice, official press release announcing Cooking Mama 3 for DS. 505 Games said that it will release the latest in Cooking Mama Ltd.'s surprisingly popular culinary minigame series "in time for Christmas."

The new game will feature "over 80 recipes, 200 mini-games, four player multiplayer," and "two totally new game modes." "What Dish Can You Make" mode lets you and Mama create a new recipe from two recipes you choose. "Let's Go Shopping" gives you a shopping list to buy, with confusing signs and irritating store employees trying to hinder you!

Majesco hasn't officially announced a US release date for Cooking Mama 3, but we expect a fall or holiday release here as well. It's basically Majesco's biggest title of the year!

Let's Tap very carefully around these Silent Blocks

by JC Fletcher { May 22nd 2009 at 1:45PM }

The latest weekly installment of Sega's Let's Tap trailer series, visible after the break, highlights the "Silent Blocks" mode, which basically forces us to unlearn one of the most basic tenets of Jenga: stop hitting the table, you jerk. Normally, jostling the play surface would bring about a quick and rage-filled end to any "stack of blocks" game, but in Let's Tap it's how you play.

In the insane world of Let's Tap (a world where you play video games by not touching controllers), you'd be a jerk for refusing to tap on the table.

Gallery: Let's Tap

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Wii Sports Resort features ... golf and table tennis?

by JC Fletcher { May 18th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Nintendo of Japan's new commercials for the Wii MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort use some very slick high-speed camera footage to illustrate the realistic motions used in, among other things, table tennis and golf. New in-game footage found in the commercial reveals that two of Resort's new minigames will be retreads of things seen in previous titles -- table tennis was covered in Wii Play, and golf, of course, appeared in the original Wii Sports.

Nintendo must be very confident that MotionPlus improves these games significantly. We still don't know how many games will be included in Resort, but if two of them are going to be encore presentations, there had better be a lot of games. We totally understand Nintendo wanting to take a second crack at table tennis, we must admit, because Wii Play's version is not where it's at.

Gallery: Wii Sports Resort

[Via N-Europe]

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Activision shamelessly announces 'Science Papa'

by JC Fletcher { May 14th 2009 at 12:00PM }

Activision came up with a great new idea for a Wii/DS game. It's a bunch of short minigames, right, but each minigame is a component of the process of creating something. Like, say, steps in a recipe. In this particular game, you will perform scientific experiments "from a wide variety of sciences."

Science Papa features "over 30 different experiments," during which players will manipulate lab equipment like Bunsen burners, mix chemicals, and perform other stylus/Wiimote-based activities in order to "prove their scientific worth against a crazy cast of rival scientists in intense competitions."

Here's where it gets really brilliant: while you're doing these experiments, or following these "recipes," if you will, you'll be guided by a cute, cartoon-style helper. A sort of parental figure. We're surprised that nobody else has come up with this winning formula yet!

Gallery: Science Papa (Wii)

Gallery: Science Papa (DS)

Let's Tap to the finish line

by JC Fletcher { May 8th 2009 at 5:00PM }

With this trailer, Sega has managed to pull our attention away from the "Rhythm Tap" mode in Let's Tap just long enough to notice one of the other games. The "Tap Runner" mode here is unusual, and not just because you play it by slapping a flat surface. There really aren't that many side-scrolling platformer racing games these days, outside of this, Sonic Rivals and -- kind of -- Metro-Cross. And Metro-Cross is hardly from "these days."

Let's Tap's multiplayer racing looks like it could be enjoyable even if played by holding stuff. Like everything else in this game, the appeal is merely magnified by the novelty of being able to play without any stuff to hold.

Gallery: Let's Tap

Sega's 'Wacky World of Sports' for Wii includes Extreme Ironing

by JC Fletcher { Apr 29th 2009 at 9:00PM }

Activision picked the wrong day to announce a Wii sports minigame collection, because Sega just outclassed it. Compare the list of sports in Activision's Big League Sports: Summer with Sega's new Wacky World of Sports:

Big League Sports: tennis, beach volleyball, golf, soccer, baseball and football.
Wacky World of Sports: furniture racing, card boxing, log cutting, Fierljeppen, mud sliding, tuna tossing, cheese rolling, extreme ironing, and two more.

One of the characters is also some kind of Naruto parody, but we don't know whether to mark that as a plus or minus. Wacky World of Sports will be out in the regular world in "late 2009."

Gallery: Wacky World of Sports (Wii)

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Activision's 'Big League Sports: Summer' provides more big league minigames

by JC Fletcher { Apr 29th 2009 at 9:16AM }

Activision's first Big League Sports featured small challenges based on sports, which is a somewhat novel approach to Wii sports minigames. The series is returning this June with Big League Sports: Summer, also coming to the DS.

Strangely, three of the six "sunshine pastimes" in Big League Sports: Summer -- tennis, football, and soccer -- also appeared in the first game. Could Activision not think of more sports? Does tennis even have a "big league?" Summer does add three new events: beach volleyball, golf, and baseball. The Wii version features both cooperative multiplayer and competitive All-Star Challenges.

Grab some Big League Chew and get ready to hear about the game from Almost Wilford Brimley in the trailer after the break.

Continued →

Let's Tap along to a new trailer

by JC Fletcher { Apr 24th 2009 at 11:25AM }

We're quite excited that Let's Tap, Prope's "future tapping game," is in our immediate future (the next couple of months). Sega released a new trailer for the box-bopping game that presents Let's Tap as a family party game, much like a previous Japanese trailer did. This one adds visual "tap" effects that we wish could be real!

Let's Tap is a natural for "casual" players, since you don't even have to convince them to touch a controller. But its forward-thinking design and outstanding, unique aesthetic (not to mention the music) make it a lot more interesting to people like us than the average waggle minigame-fest. We approve, Sega, of marketing Let's Tap to the general audience. We also approve of the music in this trailer, even if it isn't the familiar theme.

Gallery: Let's Tap

See what you can do in Made in Ore

by JC Fletcher { Apr 14th 2009 at 12:00PM }

Nintendo of Japan just opened up a site for Made in Ore, featuring new screenshots and even video of the DIY minigame creator, including shots of the process of creation. Many of the 90 (!) included samples look just like real WarioWare minigames, which speaks highly of either the creation tools or the staff at Intelligent Systems.

In fact, it's basically as if there were a full WarioWare game included in the package. The sample minigames, like those in other Wares, are divided into groups based on which WarioWare employee "created" them. Mona's games are "Strange," like in the original GBA game. Jimmy T's theme is "Sports," Ashley's is "Food," Orbulon's games are "IQ" themed, and 9-Volt is "Nintendo."

Not only can you play these sample minigames, you can open them up and mess with them! You can alter the art and music (and look at, but not alter the base gameplay) in the samples, as well as games that you get from your friends.

Iwata: Wii Sports Resort out in Japan this June, overseas in July

by JC Fletcher { Apr 9th 2009 at 9:05AM }

Satoru Iwata has announced both Japanese and Western release windows for Wii Sports Resort, and thus we can assume for the required MotionPlus peripheral as well. The sequel to the Wii launch title will be out in Japan this June, with an "overseas" release the following month, according to Reuters' account of statements made at a lunch meeting. No pricing was announced. The July release is completely in line with the rumored European date called "rumor and speculation" by NoE.

The Nintendo president named Wii Sports Resort as a measure to combat the Japanese Wii market's current slowdown (a situation he described as "the most unhealthy situation since its launch in Japan.") He denied that Nintendo would cut Wii prices in order to increase sales, saying, "If our products are not much different from competitors', price cuts would generate significant fresh demand. But video games are just not that kind of product."

Gallery: Wii Sports Resort

A few details on Made in Ore, the DIY WarioWare

by JC Fletcher { Apr 8th 2009 at 7:00PM }

We've heard very little about one of Nintendo's most promising DS titles for this year, Made in Ore, which is essentially a toolkit for making your own WarioWare minigames. The April 23 Japanese release is totally sneaking up on us! As the unexpectedly close release approaches, a bit more info has started coming out about the game.

According to 1up, Made in Ore is divided into three sections: "My House," the portion of the game in which you make minigames, "WarioWare," presumably Wario's game company, which contains tutorials, and "My Shop," in which you line up your microgames into a game. There are also utilities to create music and four-panel ("yon-koma") comics -- and all of this can be uploaded to Nintendo "for contest purposes." The Asobu Made in Ore WiiWare player is still on the way, as well!

Gallery: Made in Ore (WarioWare DIY) (DS)

Balance Board Bobsledding with Mario & Sonic

by JC Fletcher { Apr 3rd 2009 at 2:55PM }

Eurogamer recently got a hands-on session with both the Wii and DS Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games, at an event in Vancouver during which Sega tried to soften up the journalists with free curling. The absolute best news gleaned from the session? Every game will have multiplayer unlocked from the start. Locking multiplayer is the worst possible design decision for a party game, and it's good to see that Sega picked up on that extremely obvious fact.

Also potentially fun: the new game supports the Balance Board for events like skiing and bobsledding. We haven't had a reason to sit down on the Balance Board since Raving Rabbids TV Party! Well, a reason other than exhaustion.
[Screenshot via ONM]