A Sliver Of Flash Memory Hope?

So then, who's excited for WiiWare? Pretty much everyone with a Wii I'd assume, well there's still no updates on when it's coming out, but there might be a solution to the Wii's notoriously small amount of flash memory sneaking it's way onto the market soon.

There has been no official confirmation, but during a Financial Q&A with Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata, there was a hint, a glimpse, a glimmer of hope that Nintendo is recognizing they need to add more memory for those gamers who want to download, and keep every Virtual Console and Wii Ware game they possibly can.

Q6 I am personally enjoying WiiWare and Virtual Console but feel Wii’s flash memory size is not enough and annoyed that I need to use a SD memory card. Will this situation be improved?

A6 Iwata:
Statistically speaking, it is true that there are a small number of customers who feel that the flash memory is too small, while many others find that they have plenty of memory. However, because this small number of people are none other than the most avid players, we know we have to review the best possible solution to eliminate their inconvenience.

Could this mean that gamers don't have to worry about running out of memory space anymore on their Wii with the help of an external accessory? It's anyone's guess at this point in time.

[Nintendo Q&A]



-Undrallio

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A Wii Ware Game That Looks Fun AND Original?

Well, it's sort of original at least. The game is called Lost Winds and the objective is to use the Wiimote to control the wind to move your character up and about.

There's a gameplay video too, and if the music from the video says anything, Lost Winds seems like it will be a stress-reliever more than anything. The music is so...calming...

-Undrallio

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Wii Ware Announcment, Gameloft to Make Some Games

Gameloft, a publisher who does mainly casual games like solitaire, backgammon, all those goodies; and more recently Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles for the DS has announced that they will be developing games for Wii Ware.

With games set to launch in Europe, Unites States and Japan, Gameloft is planning a diverse line-up that consists of Block Breaker Deluxe, Midnight Pool, Midnight Bowling and TV Show King. Each game will either be completely original to WiiWare or vastly enhanced and redone for the platform. In addition, all the games are created to complement the Wii RemoteTM, a motion sensing controller which allows the player to interact with the screen.

I'm not sure what exactly Midnight Pool and Midnight Bowling are (probably just turn the lights out) but it sounds like exactly the kind of casual games that the Wii Ware section was designed for. Press release after the break.

GAMELOFT SET TO DEVELOP FOR WiiWARE

Paris, France, March 27th, 2008
Gameloft®, a leading developer and publisher of mobile games, announced today it is developing a strong line-up for WiiWareTM, Nintendo's new downloadable game service for the Wii systemTM.

With games set to launch in Europe, Unites States and Japan, Gameloft is planning a diverse line-up that consists of Block Breaker Deluxe, Midnight Pool, Midnight Bowling and TV Show King. Each game will either be completely original to WiiWare or vastly enhanced and redone for the platform. In addition, all the games are created to complement the Wii RemoteTM, a motion sensing controller which allows the player to interact with the screen.

"We are delighted to be working with Nintendo on the WiiWare," said Michel Guillemot, president of Gameloft. "We have great confidence in the games that we are developing, several of which include award winning established brands and original creations specifically for WiiWare."

Block Breaker Deluxe is the best selling brick-breaking game, over 8 million copies sold, that has been vastly enhanced and improved for WiiWare. The longest, most feature-rich brick-breaker game created, the game is easy to navigate by moving the Wii Remote left and right to shift the pad and connect with the ball.
TV Show King is an original game only available on WiiWare. The game takes on the role of a mock game show testing players' general knowledge.
Midnight Pool and Midnight Bowling, are top sellers on the mobile platform, but have been completely redone with new features for WiiWare. For Midnight Pool, the Wii Remote is used as a cue and in Midnight Bowling it substitutes for the bowling motion.

Gameloft is a Nintendo Official Publisher in Europe and the United States.

-Undrallio

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Japan Gets Wii-Ware

Last week in the Western world, Wii owners could install an update that would prepare the Wii for the upcoming (prospectively May released) Wii-Ware. Now Japan just got their WiiWare all fresh and ready for debut along with 9 games to start off with.

* Okiraku Ping Pong Wii (500 Wii Points)
* Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan Wii (1,000 Wii Points)
* Saku Saku Animal Panic (1,000 Wii Points)
* Star Solider R (800 Wii Points)
* Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (1,500 Wii Points)
* Tenshi Solitaire (500 Wii Points)
* Dr. Mario & Saikin Bokumetsu (1,000 Wii Points)
* Minna no Pokemon Bokujou (1,000 Wii Points)
* Lonpos (1,000 Wii Points)

Not much is really known about Wii-Ware, except that it may be used for original game titles and indie developers to market games through. A lot like Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network.

Most likely US and Europe will be getting different games than Japan, but I wouldn't mind seeing the Final Fantasy one come overseas to us.




-Undrallio

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