Exploring the Wii Storage Update

So finally Nintendo decided to grace us with an update that we actually cared about.  Nintendo has updated its storage capabilities on the Wii itself, which has been long overdue and a topic that many loyal Nintendo gamers have complained about since the Wii was first launched.

Why Nintendo thought that 512MB was enough storage space on the Wii itself to being with, is absolutley ludicrous.  I believe, personally, that I filled that up within 2 weeks of owning the Wii.  I then had to run out to Best Buy and buy some 2 GB  SD Cards to save the rest of my Wii files on.  It was a routine that quickly got old.  This is why I ask the question…why did it take Nintendo so long to remedy this unfortunate setback?

The Wii’s 4.0 system menu update went live on March 25th and I instantly checked it out.  Nintendo’s solution to the hardware space problem was to open up the Wii’s SD card slot.  First off, you can’t really tell a difference in the 4.0 menu and the older version, the only noticeable difference on the menu is a little memory card icon on the bottom of the screen, this is where you access the SD Card menu.  If, by chance, you have an SD Card plugged into the Wii that has any channels saved on it, clikcing on the SD Card menu will allow you to access anything that you have saved on the SD Card, much in fashion of the regular menu.  A total of 20 pages Nintendo has allowed you with 12 spots each potentially allows you a total of 240 slots to which you can download programs, games, etc. to.

Clicking on any game you have saved on the SD Card will prompt you to load from the card itself, which might take a few minutes for the program to load, as it won’t run off the SD Card, you will still need enough memory space for the game to load.  Now, this may sound discouraging but wait, there’s more…Wii Update 4.0 has a little surprise for everyone.  The Wii now comes with an Automanage feature that will alert you if you try to load something from an SD Card and you don’t have enough memory space.  Automanage will then offer to clean up some memory space to free up enough of that memory to load whatever it was that you were trying to load to begin with.

After the AutoManager is done moving things around, as it will never delete anything you have saved, the program will load up just fine without you ever having to do anything manually.  Wii System Update 4.0 is certainly more easy to handle and more conveinent.  But, alas, with everything good comes something, quite confusing.

The Save feature is now a little jumbled in my opinion.  If you play any game on the Wii your save data goes onto a little block in the Wii’s memory space and if you’ve ever moved any of that data onto an SD Card, with this new update, you will notice that, while playing a game from the SD Card itself, your save data has disapperaed.  If the game you’re playing does not have save data already on the Wii itself, the data on the  card from old games, etc; can not be recognized.  I guess this is just another issue for Nintendo to take their time solving.

In conclusion I believe Nintendo is actually taking the time to do what is right and listen to their loyal gamers and the problems they have had with the Wii.  While with every step forward it seems the Wii takes two steps back, I do believe that we will see a shift in what Nintendo plans to do with the Wii longterm.

Wiispace First Look: Batman- Arkham Asylum

Developer: Rocksteady Studios

Publisher: Eidos Interactive

Game Engine: Unreal Engine 3

Release Date: June 9, 2009

Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3, PC

Have you ever wanted something so much but couldn’t have it until, say two months later?  Well that’s exactly how I feel with Batman: Arkham Asylum. Rocksteady Studios has broken the mold with this one, creating a free roam Batman universe inside one building, Arkham Asylum.  This game  will have everything you want in an award winning game: Action, Adventure, Puzzles, Great Characters, Great Story, Great Weapons.  I have even heard that this Batman game is much along the same lines as Bioshock was…a great story mixed with great gameplay.

Batman: Arkham Asylum takes you into the world that is the “funny farm” or “nut house”, but this isn’t your ordinary, everyday insane place…this is the place where Gotham City sends their very worst criminals, the ones who show no remorse over the evil deeds they have done, the heinous crimes they’ve committed, or the families lives they have destroyed.  Most of them were sent to this dreary place by the Caped Crusader himself.  The game starts out with you capturing the Joker after his latest plot to destroy the city.  As you are transporting this mad Clown to Arkham, you find out that alot of Gotham’s criminals have been transported to Arkham as well due to a recent attack on the city’s jail.  Little do you know it’s all apart of the Joker’s trap he has set for you.  The game depends on you capturing the Joker once more while fighting off his demented minions all the while trying to escape this dreadful place.

Batman: Arkham Asylum’s game play is that very much like Dead Space, Grand Theft Auto, and the Chronicles of Riddick. It’s mostly an over the shoulder third person game.  Certain villians have been rumored to be “playable” characters throughout the game, but I’m not sure how true that is or not.  Perhaps it is unlockable content attainable after you have completed the game once?  Gameplay will also put huge emphasis on Batman’s detective skills as well as his combat skills.

The combat system works as such…some boss battles focus on Batman’s combat skills and others focus on his gadget skills.  You will be in charge of reconnaissance as Batman watches over the Joker’s thugs in one level as they search for paperwork in an office and on another level Batman will use his investigative skills to accomplish level objectives.  The combat system works in three modes…Attack, Stun, and Takedown.

Arkham Asylum has an RPG style points system where you obtain points for so many take downs or doors unlocked, or investigations made.  You can then assign those points to certain skills that Batman has, including combat, gadgets, etc.

This particular game was not really influenced at all by the Christopher Nolan Batman universe, but more of the comic book Batman that is over 70 years old.  All in all, this game looks (right now) to be a serious award contender when it comes time at the end of the year.  Imagine a “bioshock” Batman…oh man!

- Hombre

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks- Trailer Analysis

Hey Wiispace, it’s your friendly neighborhood SuperQ here again, trying to keep up with Hombre’s top quality, daily work.  Man, I just felt more depressed typing that.  :/  Anyway, here’s my article!

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks- Trailer Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuW2LY6u8uQ

So, most of you probably already know of the newest Zelda game for the DS, right?  Well, I went back to analyze the trailer, and found a truckload of new information I didn’t know from before.  The trailer is above, so follow along as I narrate it.  Keep in mind, while writing this, it’s as if I’m seeing the trailer for the first time, and I’m discovering the game itself.

0:10- A train whistle?  Huh.  What could that possibly mean?

0:16- A DSi?  Is this a DSi exclusive?  No, it showed the normal DS logo before.

0:17- I was right!  A train!

0:31- What?!  Link is the conductor?  Where’s his traditional green attire?  This is very odd.  I don’t like it.

0:36- Those train tracks seem like they can be built…  Could this possible be a feature?

0:42- Is that the Gale Boomerang from Twilight Princess?  Or, something similar?  It seems more plant-themed this time around.  Well, Link has his green clothing back.  That’s good.  And the controls seem the same.

1:00- The Phantom Guardians are back?  What could they have to do with the plot?  Is Link…  Controlling it?

1:18- This is obviously a new Zelda; not Tetra from Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass.  I’m guessing it takes place before the two, before the flood, with a new Link, and a new Zelda.  But, then the trains come in…  Could it be possible it takes place after the events of Phantom Hourglass, and the water levels dropped?  And is Link a postman?  He seems to be delivering a letter.

1:28- The train seems very similar to the boat in Phantom Hourglass; especially the cannon.

1:32- The Skulltula makes a return!  Will the golden ones make the cut?

1:38- Woah.  That is a huge bug.  Boss.  Bug-boss.  It seems very simlar to other Nintendo boss battles, in the way it was set up.

1:43- Wow.  That is one strong boomerang.

1:52- Could it be possible the trains specifically could have anything to do with the plot?  Last game, it was Phantom Hourglass, and that was the most important plot device.  Or could the tracks themselves be important?

Well, that was my take on the whole thing.  Hope you enjoyed it.

~SuperQ

Would an Apple a day keep the Big 3 away?

What I am about to present to you is an idea that would change the way we view gaming, the way we play games, and what we play our games on.  For the longest time Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony have owned the gaming market…most notably Nintendo.  Each of the three companies consoles, that run this gaming business, have something directly unique about them.  Take for example, Nintendo has the Wii which is motion controlled primarily; Microsoft has the Xbox 360 which is widely a success due to it’s online capabilities and it’s great graphics; Sony has the Playstation 3 which has Bluray and the best graphics of all three consoles.  What if I were to pitch the idea of a new company entering the gaming industry?  What if someone swooped in and swept us gamers off our feet?  Would you listen?

Most of you have probably, at one time or another, pondered the thought of why exactly hasn’t Apple gotten into gaming?  They are arguably the most popular manufacture of MP3 players worldwide, their computers are far superior to anything Microsoft has to offer, and their software when it comes to graphics and multimedia just can’t be beat.  So why hasn’t this media giant entered the ‘biz’ yet?

The following is a quote from Don Reisinger who writes for CNET’s “The Digital Home”:

“Apple has the infrastructure in place through Itunes to create a real value proposition for those who want to extend the capability of their console beyond gaming and has the cash-$20 Billion-to not only invest in the best components on the market, but in an online gaming experience that could rival Xbox Live.  That cash could also be put to good use by acquiring major developers (Take-Two perhaps) that could go from third party powerhouse to Apple’s first party publisher”

Imagine the developers of the Grand Theft Auto franchise being a first party developer exclusive to Apple.  Would you contemplate buying Apple’s console then?  Apple’s console would almost certainly have a very well done online system.  Something along the lines of an internet browser (Safari), Itunes built into it, and a way to download movies, tv shows, songs, podcasts, anything else available at the itunes store…right to the console.  Which could then be synced up with your ipod and everything that you downloaded to the console could be moved back and forth from there to your ipod.

Apple’s online game play would have to be superb to rival that which is Microsoft.  Imagine an online experience that allows you, at one minute surf the internet and at the next minute a buddy sends you a game invite, and with the drag of a finger across the controller you can access the game without ever having to back out of anything that you were previously doing…think the ipod Touch or the Iphone where to navigate your way through things you have to drag or flip the finger on the screen.  That’s how I would envision the Apple console controller.

Take a look at the picture above and then imagine that as your gaming controller for the Apple console…can you see it?

Over the years Apple has really taken over the entertainment gadget industry and really I believe it’s only a matter of time before they grow tired of every person in America owning an ipod and set their sights much higher.

The last point I’d like to touch (pun intended) on would be the way the multimedia is presented on this Apple console.  Should it use DVD’s?  Should it use SD Cards?  What about USB drives?  None of the above actually, I’m thinking that an Apple Console would make all of their gaming software exclusively downloaded through the Itunes store.  So say you wanted that new Grand Theft Auto V game that just came out and you wanted to buy it, all you would have to do is log into your Itunes account from your Apple Console and download it to the harddrive, which would come standard at 60GB.  From there you would never need to own a disc to play a game again.  What about if you grow tired of playing said game and it really serves no purpose anymore…what then?  Simple, you would use Itunes trade in feature, in which the program would retrieve the software off your harddrive, it would then give you a trade-in monetary credit redeemable only in Itunes towards the purchase of another game.  How sick would that be?

Sure, this is all just one guys dream that will probably never happen…but just ask yourself this, if it did happen, would you buy?

- Hombre

GDC News EXPLOSION!

Hey, SuperQ here with the latest in Wii and Nintendo DS news.  At GDC, many new games and features were introduced.  I even made a video about one.  Read on for a new Zelda game, a Wii System Memory Solution, and more!

First up, we have a cowboy Miyamoto.

Yeah.  There’s a story behind this.  Apparently way back when, Miyamoto kidnapped several Nintendo emplyees, handed them a controller, and forced them to duel to the death.  That’s Miyamoto; a child at heart.

Here are some quick sales figures for the Wii and DS:

Wii- 50 Million Shipped Worldwide

DS- 100 Million Shipped Worldwide

Next, they finally announce a new Wiiware game; ‘Rock & Roll Climber’.  It’s a game where you both use the Wii Remote/Nunchuck Combo and the Wii Balance Board to climb mountains.  That explains the ‘Climber’.  But what about ‘Rock & Roll’?  After completing a level, you grab a guitar off the top of the mountain, and watch a cutscene of your avatar ‘rocking’ out.  Please pardon the pun.

Next, is a solution to the Wii’s memory woes; Wii System Update 4.0.  That’s right; you can put Wii games on an SD card up to 32 GB.  They give you 20 pages of 12 panels for games and channels, bringing the amount to a total of 240 games total!  I took the liberty of making a video for you, fresh out of the oven.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjDFLZXO3Ws

Next, they demonstrate some DSi Ware games.  Well, the first really isn’t a game; Moving Memo Pad!  Gamers can create animations by drawing them on the DSi’s screen.  The next is Warioware Snapped.  This is a game in which you use the DSi’s cameras to play minigames, and make a fool of yourself.

Next up is a breath of fresh air for Final Fantasy Fans; TWO Wiiware games are announced; ‘Final Fantasy IV: The After Years’, and ‘My Life As a Darklord: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles’.  You can expect the after years to be a 2-D game, that was released fro Japanese cell phones last year, and Darklord to be like ‘My Life as a King’.  Also coming to the shop channel are numerous classic Final Fantasy games, which are coming to the Virtual Console this year.

Speaking of the Virtual Console, there is a new feature coming out soon called ‘Virtual Console Arcade’, which is basically a collection of arcade games, like Gaplus, Star Force, The Tower of Druaga, Mappy and more, which are available now.

Finally, what you’ve all been waiting for; a new Zelda game!  For the DS!  Featuring trains!  Why aren’t you smiling?  This game’s trailer starts out with Link conducting a train, and seems to be similar to Phantom Hourglass; whether or not it’s connected to Phantom Hourglass is unknown.  The game is titled ‘The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks’.  Expect it later this year.

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