Hey everyone, DarkWish here. Many of you will probably be surprised by this announcement, but it’s time I let everyone know. I am leaving Wii Live. Wii Live was a big step up from my old blog, NES Online, and I’ve had a lot of fun while I’ve been here. I’ve gotten to know many of you through the podcasts, forums, and comments. The podcasts were a blast, the intense debates on the forums were great, and writing up my Dark Domain articles was fun.

However, due to some circumstances, I have decided to leave Wii Live. I’m not going to explain in detail, but I feel like I could do more elsewhere. And so, I have contacted the owner of WiiNintendo and he has offered me a position there. From now on, I will be posting news at WiiNintendo. Don’t worry though, you’ll still see me around. I’ll still be on the Wii Live Forums, and if you want to talk to me more, you can always head over to WiiNintendo or email me at darkwish120@gmail.com.

I hope to remain friends with the people here at Wii Live. Maybe I can drop by in some of the podcasts, that would be fun. To all of the readers, thank you so much. I would not enjoy what I do if it weren’t for all of you. I hope to see many of you over at WiiNintendo as well. Farewell, Wii Live!

[UPDATE] Just thought I’d update everyone on the current situation. It seems things have changed and I will not be visiting Wii Live in the future, so you won’t see me around anymore unless you go to WiiNintendo. Why the sudden change? Well, I would visit Wii Live…. if it were to continue to exist. I don’t want to say too much, but I’m just giving you a heads up that soon Wii Live will cease to exist. I don’t know if you guys will like what is coming or not, so I don’t know if you will be sticking around or not, but I’m gone. The day Wii Live ends is the day I am gone from the amazing Wii Live community (though I’m already gone from the staff). So, farewell!

I’m actually surprised that no sites have picked up on this interesting little tidbit. In IGN’s latest Nintendo Voice Chat Podcast, they talk about Guitar Hero: On Tour. I don’t know how they phrase it in the podcast since I didn’t listen to it, but in a summary of the podcast, a “secret feature” of the game is mentioned. All that is said, according to the summary, is that it will be made known soon. This could be the bonus song in the game, but I’m thinking it’s something else. If I had to guess, I would say it is connectivity with Guitar Hero: World Tour somehow. If that is the case, then I will be quite happy since it’s another use for the game. Anyone else agree or have different thoughts?

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So, the Wii with DVD playback that Nintendo was supposed to release last year? It didn’t happen, and it looks like it won’t be happening for a while, if at all.

“With supply constraints [of the Wii] continuing worldwide, the priority is on the current model.”

I’d be more surprised if Nintendo did release though. I mean, it’s not like anyone seriously held off on buying a Wii until Nintendo released this one.

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Thanks to some surveys, we now have more information on Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour. While we don’t know if all of the features listed below in the Rock Band 2 games will be in the Wii version, we do know that the Wii version of Guitar Hero: World Tour will have everything that the others do. Check it out below:

Rock Band 2

• 120 songs from the 60’s to the 2000’s
• Songs from AC/DS and many more
• Instruments, character creation, online play
• Develop and personalize artwork and apparel in the game, then order them as actual products that can be mailed to you
• Improved drum

Guitar Hero: World Tour

• Guitar has three options: lead, rhythm, or bass
• 85 songs by artists including Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Korn, System of a Down, Ozzy Osbourne, Interpol, Muse, Tool (at least three songs and a dedicated venue), and dozens more
• Play as Sting, Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent, Billy Corgan, Jimi Hendrix, Travis Barker, Hayley Williams, Zak Wylde, and more
• Create characters and customize instruments, band logos, and album covers
• Create, upload, and share custom tracks online

In my opinion, Guitar Hero: World Tour is looking to be much better. I know, for a fact, that I will be buying that game. Guitar Hero III was awesome, so I know where my allegiances lie. Anyone got a clue as to which version you will be getting?

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Mario Kart Wii owners have a new tournament to look forward to starting July 1st. This tournament takes place in Coconut Mall and the objective is to collect the coins. I’ve only participated in one tournament so far, so I just might have to check this one out.

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Oh man, I had some good time with the Smash Bros. DOJO site. I would stay up until the update and either jump for joy at the revealed news or stare at the screen in utter disappointment at a horrible update. Well, since it closed and the game was released, the site stopped updating. It was a sad moment, but one that we knew had to come sooner or later. Well, Europe just saw their release of Brawl yesterday, and the DOJO was updated with something. It’s nothing big, but hey, it’s another update. You can check out Snapshots Galore #3 here.

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Well, I figured I’d create a post to let everyone know. In case you haven’t noticed, Wii Live is back with its old design and will stay with this design. There wasn’t any advance notice of this decision because…. well, none of the writers knew it was happening. The owner of the site, Darkhunter139, wants to change this design a bit, and so it’s what we’re doing. We hope to improve this site in the future, so your feedback is always valuable to us. Please post your thoughts on things that can be changed in this design or other things we can do to improve this site. Thanks!

NINTENDO’S WARIO, KIRBY BRING THE FUN; SLEUTHS GET A NEW MYSTERY CASE FILES GAME

New Experiences on the Way for Wii and Nintendo DS

REDMOND, Wash., June 25, 2008 – While the game world awaits the E3 Media & Business Summit in Los Angeles next month, Nintendo isn’t waiting to announce new titles for its mushrooming libraries for the Wii™ console and Nintendo DS™. Classic Nintendo characters like bad-boy Wario™ and pink powerhouse Kirby® will star in their own platform games. A new Mystery Case Files™ game brings the best-selling Big Fish Games franchise to Nintendo DS for the first time. These games join the recently announced Mario™ Super Sluggers baseball game for the Wii console.

“Nintendo’s game libraries continue to grow at a rapid pace,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Wario stars in a great new platformer, Kirby enthusiasts get an updated version of a fan favorite, there’s a new mystery for Mystery Case Files aficionados and baseball gets a few new Mario-style twists.”

Wario Land™: Shake It!, a classic side-scroller for the Wii console launching Sept. 29, stars Wario, the smelly, bad-mannered alter ego of Mario™. With the Wii Remote™ controller turned sideways like an old-school controller, veterans and newcomers alike can run, jump and smash their way through hectic side-scrolling stages. Players shake the Wii Remote to help Wario take down his enemies, empty bags of treasure or cause earthquakes. Best of all, there are numerous stages each offering multiple missions to keep players coming back again and again to unlock everything, collect more coins or just improve their best times.

Kirby Super Star™ Ultra for Nintendo DS, launching Sept. 29, re-imagines one of the most beloved Kirby games of all time. Kirby Super Star Ultra features new graphics and fully rendered animated cut scenes. With so many adventures waiting to be unlocked, there will never be a dull moment as Kirby runs, floats, copies enemies and uses Helpers to fight King Dedede and Meta Knight. New modes like Revenge of the King and Meta Knight Ultra await, along with classics like The Great Cave Offensive and Milky Way Wishes. On top of the main modes, there are also three new touch-screen-controlled mini-games that can be played with up to three friends via DS Download Play. Not only that, but players can go on Kirby adventures with a friend via local wireless as well.

Mystery Case Files™: MillionHeir™, launching Sept. 8, uses the unique Nintendo DS interface to expand upon the seek-and-solve game play of the popular series from Big Fish Games. Players seek out cleverly hidden items in a multitude of painted scenes. Players progress through an interactive detective story investigating a cast of characters and uncovering new evidence to find the rightful heir to a million-dollar fortune. This new portable installment is available only for Nintendo DS. With interactive logic puzzles that use both the touch-screen interface and built-in microphone and include the first ever multiplayer mode for a Mystery Case Files game, Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir presents a new generation of seek-and-solve games for casual gamers and franchise fans.

Mario™ Super Sluggers, launching Aug. 25 for the Wii console, stars the ever-lovable Mario and his crew of friends. It builds on the social-gaming fun and movements people learned in Wii Sports™ and turns them into a full-fledged baseball game that can be played by every member of the household. Players make a throwing motion with the Wii Remote controller to pitch the baseball and make a swinging motion to swing at the pitch. The game boasts more than 30 playable Nintendo characters and all the madness of a Mario sports game. Just like Mario Kart® Wii, it bridges the gap between experienced players and those new to the Wii console, with fun challenges and beautiful graphics.

Source: Nintendo Press

Kirby Super Star™ Ultra re-imagines one of the most beloved Kirby games of all time. Kirby Super Star Ultra features new graphics and fully rendered animated cut scenes. With so many adventures waiting to be unlocked, there will never be a dull moment as Kirby runs, floats, copies enemies and uses Helpers to fight King Dedede and Meta Knight. New modes like Revenge of the King and Meta Knight Ultra await, along with classics like The Great Cave Offensive and Milky Way Wishes. On top of the main modes, there are also three new touch-screen-controlled mini-games that can be played with up to three friends via DS Download Play. Not only that, but players can go on Kirby adventures with a friend via local wireless as well.

The game releases on September 29th. Hit the jump for some images!

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Mystery Case Files™: MillionHeir™ uses the unique Nintendo DS interface to expand upon the seek-and-solve game play of the popular series from Big Fish Games. Players seek out cleverly hidden items in a multitude of painted scenes. Players progress through an interactive detective story investigating a cast of characters and uncovering new evidence to find the rightful heir to a million-dollar fortune. This new portable installment is available only for Nintendo DS. With interactive logic puzzles that use both the touch-screen interface and built-in microphone and include the first ever multiplayer mode for a Mystery Case Files game, Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir presents a new generation of seek-and-solve games for casual gamers and franchise fans.

The game releases on September 8th. Hit the jump for some screens!

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As expected, Guitar Hero: On Tour does have one bonus song. If you want to know how to get it, hit the jump.

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Nintendo of Europe released a press release and they unveiled some of their release schedule for this year. On the list is Wario Land: The Shake Dimension, which will release in Europe on September 26th. I guess we can definitely expect to see that at E3. You can check out the press release below and the full list after the jump. Oh yea, one more thing. You might notice Sonic Unleashed for the DS. That game is not in development according to SEGA, they released a statement on that shortly after the press release was released so it was just a mistake.

With summer now in full swing, Nintendo is set to up the temperature and let loose a selection of scorching new titles on to the Nintendo DS and Wii. Summer sees the return of numerous favourites and the debut of new exciting titles ensuring this season’s release schedule has something for everyone.

Hold on to your sun hats as the Wii Summer line-up kicks off with the return of the brawl, in the latest super-charged generation of Super Smash Bros. Brawl! Unleashed on 27 June 2008, Mario, Bowser, Zelda and numerous other Nintendo and third party gaming heroes will be found in the ring fighting for the title of ultimate brawler. With the fight taken online for the very first time, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is set to bring the fast, furious and frenetic world of the brawl to the masses!

If that wasn’t enough Wario makes his debut with his first dedicated adventure on Wii with Wario Land: The Shake Dimension. Nintendo’s most famous anti-hero is shaken and tilted to the very limit using the Wii’s innovative control system, bringing the magic of 2D platform adventure gaming to new and existing gamers everywhere from 26 September 2008.

Hot on the heels of Wii, the Nintendo DS has numerous compelling titles guaranteed to entertain in the summer sun. For years you’ve captured, traded, and battled with them. Now it’s time to become one as Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness launch on the Nintendo DS! Unleash your inner Pokémon to save the world and take advantage of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in a series first to call on help from your friends!

Make 10: A journey of numbers also arrives on the Nintendo DS making the art of mathematics a truly magical experience. Set in the highly visual fantasy world of Make 10, younger players will be challenged to master mental arithmetic to overcome the inquisitive inhabitants and understand the true power of the number ten.

For the full updated 2008 line-up for both the Nintendo DS and Wii, please see the tables below:

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New DS Demos:

• WALL•E (expires 6/29)
• The Incredible Hulk (expires 6/29)
• Kung Fu Panda (expires 6/29)
• Contra 4 (expires 6/29)
• Cake Mania 2 (expires 6/29)
• Crosswords DS - Anagram

New Videos:

• Get Wii Fit with Alyson
• Gyrostarr Info Video
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Orpheum Video
• Rock Band TV Spot
• NCAA Football 09 All Play Info Video
• Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 Info Video
• My Fashion Studio TV Spot
• New Digest Video

You can check all of that out now!

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WII-KLY UPDATE: ONE WIIWARE GAME AND TWO VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

June 23, 2008

Everybody loves a classic battle between good and evil. With the latest additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel, your greatest challenge will be choosing where to wipe out the bad guys-in deep space, on mean city streets or in a monster-ridden fantasy world. Whatever the venue, be ready for outrageous enemies and memorable missions you’ll relish from beginning to end.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare™

Gyrostarr™ (High Voltage Software, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Fantasy Violence, 700 Wii Points): Gyrostarr challenges you and up to three additional players to pilot your ships through a series of twisting, turning technoplasma tracks while battling a variety of deadly alien foes at ever-increasing speeds. While fighting and maneuvering, you must collect enough energy to activate the ancient warpgate at the end of each track. Succeed, and you can journey to the next, even deadlier track. Fail, and the gate will slam shut, destroying your ship. Enhance your ship with weapon pickups, coordinate attacks with your friends to fire powerful combined blasts and use your grapple to snag energy and pickups in the midst of combat. Control your ship with the Wii Remote™ controller, Nunchuk™ controller or Classic Controller™, or use the “paired” control system that allows two players to use a connected Wii Remote and Nunchuk or Classic Controller at the same time. Offering 50 levels of intense action, powerful pickups, high-speed bonus levels and mayhem for up to four players, Gyrostarr is a killer arcade challenge.

Virtual Console™

Alex Kidd in Miracle World (Sega Master System, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Comic Mischief, 500 Wii Points): In this platformer from the 1980s, you’re Alex Kidd, looking for your lost brother Egle. In order to find your brother, you’ll have to contend with the evil Janken the Great, who will send his henchmen and monsters at you to thwart your progress. One aspect of this adventure is that you’ll have to play the classic game of “rock, paper, scissors” against the henchmen in order to defeat them. With 16 different levels to conquer in order to save Egle, this classic is sure to test your skills and your wits at the same time.

BURNING FIGHT (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older-Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence, 900 Wii Points): Released in 1991 by SNK, BURNING FIGHT is a side-scrolling hand-to-hand-combat action game. In pursuit of Casterora, leader of a huge syndicate that has escaped from New York to Osaka, the protagonists are three detectives: Duke, Ryu and Billy. Each character fights using a combination of punches, kicks and jumps, plus his own particular special move, activated by simultaneously pressing the jump and attack buttons. These lethal techniques have enormous destructive force, but they also consume a great deal of energy. For this reason, players must use their special moves with skillful timing. Luckily for the detectives, new weapons and additional health can be found by breaking things like phone booths and street signs along the way. A boss, who must be defeated in order to continue the mission, awaits players at the end of each stage. You can also take on the gang with a friend, but beware-attacks by one player can damage the other, so keep an eye on where your partner is in the heat of the battle. End Casterora’s reign of terror once and for all.

Source: Nintendo Press

I’m in Virginia, and not much happens around here. Every now and then, something cool happens in DC or around the area. Last year, Video Games Live came to Washington DC on June 29th. It was an AMAZING experience and I wrote all about it on my old blog here. Well, there’s another video game show called PLAY! A Video Game Symphony and it’s coming to Baltimore, Maryland, which is about two hours or so away from where I live. The show is on July 18th at 8 pm, and I’ll be going with some friends. I will definitely write up some impressions of the show. And if any of you are in the area, you should definitely let me know, so I can meet up with you and say hi. For more details on the show, check out the official website here. I’m so excited!

Animal Crossing fans rejoice! I was excited when the Animal Crossing movie was announced, though I knew it would probably never see the light of day in the US. A few months after its Japanese release, a subbed version was put online. Well, some fans just had to do the movie justice for those in the US. A fandub for the movie is being made, and from what I’ve seen of it so far, it is actually pretty good. Only part 1 is up now, but I’ll be sure to post part 2 when that is put up. Hit the jump to see part 1 of the fandub!

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Guitar Hero: On Tour is out in stores now (and I don’t have it yet, *cry*) and people are enjoying the 25 songs it has to offer. Well, JoeAdvanced on GameFAQs discovered that the credits list 26 songs, with the extra song being “I Am Not Your Gameboy” by Freezepop. Nobody has yet to find that in the game, so it is possible that it was removed. As far as I know, Freezepop songs are only in Rock Band games because of some deal. I did hear rumors of this song being in a demo that some people played a while back though, and since Rock the Night by Europe isn’t in the game either (it’s on the official site), I assume it was just taken out. Check the link out below to see a blurry picture of the credits.

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My sister and I went to GameStop yesterday and got Deoxys in our Pokemon Diamond and Pearl games. The special event to get Deoxy started on Friday, and was supposed to continue through today and also start again next weekend. Unfortunately for some people, it seems their GameStop stores are having issues. There’s no word on when or if these issues will be resolved, but hopefully Pokemon fans will be able to get their special Deoxys soon if they didn’t already.

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June 19th is the debut of the Guitar Hero spin-off entitled Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. I have no interest in this title whatsoever, but I’m sure there are some people that are interested in the track list, so here it is:

Tier 1: “Getting the Band Together” (Nipmuc High School)
1. “All the Young Dudes” by Mott the Hoople (cover)
2. “Draw the Line” by Aerosmith
3. “Dream Police” by Cheap Trick
4. “Make It” by Aerosmith (re-recorded)
5. “Uncle Salty” by Aerosmith

Tier 2: “First Taste of Success” (Max’s Kansas City)
6. “All Day and All of the Night” by The Kinks (cover)
7. “I Hate Myself for Loving You” by Joan Jett
8. “Movin’ Out” by Aerosmith (re-recorded)
9. “No Surprize” by Aerosmith
10. “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith

Tier 3: “The Triumphant Return” (The Orpheum)
11. “Complete Control” by The Clash
12. “Livin’ on the Edge” by Aerosmith
13. “Love in an Elevator” by Aerosmith
14. “Personality Crisis” by New York Dolls (cover)
15. “Rag Doll” by Aerosmith

Tier 4: “International Superstars” (Moscow)
16. “Bright Light Fright” by Aerosmith
17. “King of Rock” by Run-D.M.C.
18. “Nobody’s Fault” by Aerosmith
19. “She Sells Sanctuary” by The Cult
20. “Walk This Way” by Run-D.M.C. featuring Aerosmith

Tier 5: “The Great American Band” (Half Time Show)
21. “Always on the Run” by Lenny Kravitz
22. “Back in the Saddle” by Aerosmith
23. “Beyond Beautiful” by Aerosmith
24. “Dream On” by Aerosmith (re-recorded)
25. “Hard to Handle” by The Black Crowes (cover)

Tier 6: “Rock N Roll Legends” (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)
26. “Cat Scratch Fever” by Ted Nugent
27. “Mama Kin” by Aerosmith (re-recorded)
28. “Sex Type Thing” by Stone Temple Pilots
29. “Toys In The Attic” by Aerosmith
30. “Train Kept A Rollin” by Aerosmith
–> 31. “Guitar Battle vs Joe Perry” by Joe Perry

Bonus Songs (The Vault)
32. “Combination” by Aerosmith
33. “Kings and Queens” by Aerosmith
34. “Let The Music Do The Talking” by Aerosmith
35. “Mercy” by Joe Perry
36. “Pandora’s Box” by Aerosmith
37. “Pink” by Aerosmith
38. “Rats In The Cellar” by Aerosmith
39. “Shakin’ My Cage” by Joe Perry
40. “Talk Talkin” by Joe Perry
41. “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith

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Here’s yet another video review from KnightWing. This time, he reviews Double Dragon for the Virtual Console. And if you’re wondering what’s next, you can look forward to Goldeneye. Check out his review below!