[Wii] WiiWare. Like SpyWare only less useful.

WiiWare is finally set to launch fairly soon, and I figured a good time to make a thread would be........ NOW!

LAUNCH DATES:

Japan - 03/25/08
USA - 05/17/08
PAL - ??/??/?? (as usual)


Here is a list of games that will launch in Japan on the 25th:

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as King - 1500 WiiPoints
Dr Mario - 1000 WiiPoints
Pokemon Ranch Channel - 1000 WiiPoints
Lonpos - 1000 WiiPoints
Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan - 1000 WiiPoints
Saku Saku Animal Panic - 1000 WiiPoints
Star Soldier R - 800 WiiPoints
Okiraku Ping Pong - 500 WiiPoints
Angels Solitaire - 500 WiiPoints


The only know games slated for the US launch are an episodic title, LostWinds (which sounds fantastic), and FF Crystal Chronicles.


Here are 5 excellent articles relating to WiiWare to get you all up to speed:


WiiWare Week: Portrait of a launch title - Interviews & Features - www.developmag.com

WiiWare Week: Why WiiWare? - Interviews & Features - www.developmag.com

WiiWare Week: Versus Round - Interviews & Features - www.developmag.com

WiiWare Week: Ready to Ware? - Interviews & Features - www.developmag.com

WiiWare Week: What's next - Interviews & Features - www.developmag.com


I can't wait for WiiWare. Just based on how Nintendo is running things, I think it's going to provide a slew of games we'd normally never see. Independent studios are given free reign over their games, and in the end everybody wins.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

From what I understand, WiiWare sounds like it could be promising. I'm hoping for some nice, addicting titles to come through.

...Really though, I just want more FFCC (Crystal Bearers excluded).

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I'm not having high expectations based on the large shafting that we have received in regards to the VC. I would be interested in some of the less "Japanese-oriented" products (read: shooters) in favor of some unique titles. Lets hope the costs don't skyrocket like the VC, either.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I just received the message from Nintendo to update my Wii Shop Channel, in order to be ready for WiiWare this spring.

Nothing seems different, though.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Nintendonomicon

I just received the message from Nintendo to update my Wii Shop Channel, in order to be ready for WiiWare this spring.

Nothing seems different, though.

to be ready for it.

That means you don't have it yet.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I guess it's too early to ask if there's any actual info on those games yet? I'm guessing Animal Panic is a puzzle game judging from the title. Dr Mario's an awesome game but I wonder why it costs 1000 points? Isn't it a NES game? Why not just put it in the normal Wii Shopping Channel?

I'm really excited for Star Soldier R. I've bought Star Soldier (PSP) and Blazing Lazers (VC) recently and I'm having a blast with them. I remember playing the games when I was young and I forgot all about them until now.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

The reason Dr. Mario is on WiiWare is probably because it was remade for the Wii, and also features online playing against one another via WFC.

Dr. Mario & Saikin Bokumetsu:

YouTube Video

In Pokémon Ranch, you basically upload your Pokémon from Diamond and Pearl, and then you watch them walk around, and you can throw your Mii in, and take pictures.

Then you send it to people. Amazing. Really.

Saku Saku Animal Panic seems like some sort of puzzle game, in which you are supposed to fence off animals so they will not get in contact with other animals. Don't want crocodiles to touch your giraffes and such.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as King is basically Sim City with a Final Fantasy twist. The warriors in your town (which you are rebuilding due to events from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles) go out and kill monsters and explore dungeons all on their own. Your job as the King is to make sure the city can satisfy all the needs of the people and that your warriors are capable of defending the town itself.

LONPOS is a game similar to Daedalin Opus for the GameBoy. You are given an area with some blocks. Make it so all the shapes are used and every space is filled. The video can speak for itself. This is a brainteaser that is a big hit to some people.

LONPOS:

YouTube Video

If there are any other games that need to be explained let me know.

How ya doing, buddy?

I assume all these WiiWare games will take up a fairly HUGE chunk of internal memory. =/

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I think I read somewhere possibly on the internet with my eyes that there's a 40MB limit for the games, and the Wii can hold what, 1.44MB or something? Yeah that's gonna be a lot of floppy swapping. ;__;

I like the Bomberman WiiWare game though! You get to save your Mii's from bosses (wow!) and it's got an eight player onriiine battle mode.





Defend Your Castle (500 points) has a really nice graphical did you see the latest Nintendo newletter whoa style to it, too.





Jam it back in, in the dark.

Thanks for the awesome info, Lacerta! Now I have a better idea of what they are. I also looked up pics and stuff.

Online Dr. Mario sounds very nice. I don't particularly like the 3D-ness of it though.

Pokémon Ranch sounds dreadfully boring.

Animal Panic doesn't sound that exciting after seeing images. It reminds me of the old GB game Qix. You had to block off sections and stay away from the Qix.


Judging from your description, CC sounds more like CityLife than SimCity. SimCity was basically the managing and building of cities, whereas Citylife is about managing the citizens of the city and making sure you help their needs. Still, managing a town does sound interesting but it also sounds like it's going to take up the most memory : /

You know...I actually had Daedalin Opus for the GB!!! I had the Japanese version, and since the title was in Japanese I never knew what the game was called. Now I know! XD
This type of game isn't something I'd like to play so I'll pass this on.

Update
Holy mo, a new reply posted while I was typing this up. More Wiiware games!!

Bomberman sounds fun, especially if people can play from the same Wii! I've never actually played a single Bomberland game in multiplayer, you know. Amazing, isn't it?

No idea what Defend Your Castle is though. It looks...weird.

Damn, just saw a trailer for SSR and it looks sweet!! It looks quite similar Star Soldier for the PSP. I just got that a few days and am loving the heck out of it. SSR is definitely a must buy for me!




I saw a vid of CC and it doesn't er, look that exciting. Maybe it's because I can't read Japanese, but I'll see.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Ahoy. The Gamingforce. I am Bumps McKenzie. "Look at this" "oooh ho, Jill Sandwich".







NEW ALIEN CRUSH FOR WIIWARE

AUHAUHAUHAHUAUHAUHAUHAUHAUHAUHAUHAHUAHUAUHAUHAAUHA HUAUAUHAUHAUHAUHAUHA GOTY GENEIS DOES, 16-BIT ARCADE GRAPHICS, CAN'T DO THIS ON NINTENDO, GENESAUHAUHAUHAUHAUHAUHAUHAUHAUHAUHHUA

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

IGN has the first gameplay footage of LostWinds up:
IGN Video: LostWinds Nintendo Wii Trailer - First Look: LostWinds

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

IGN gets another exclusive reveal in the form of Gyrostarr, a psychedelic racer/shooter from the makers of upcoming FPS The Conduit.
Check it out right here. It looks quite good, and it will be available at launch for 700 points.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Nintendonomicon

IGN gets another exclusive reveal in the form of Gyrostarr, a psychedelic racer/shooter from the makers of upcoming FPS The Conduit.
Check it out right here. It looks quite good, and it will be available at launch for 700 points.

Saw that last night, and I have to say it looks like the first WiiWare game to go on my "Probably puchase" list...until my current craving for shooters dies down at least.

Anyhow, I don't think anyone posted about this game:
World of Goo
Looks like one of those structure-building games I've seen people play on school computers, but with way more personality. Neat, and I'm sure some people would love this game, but not sure if it's my cup of tea.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Quote:

It all starts "down in Mexico," where the Valle De La Sol Public Zoo, run by the charismatic geezer Don Eduardo Mendoza, has found itself in crisis mode. The animals -- elephants, monkeys, warthogs, and walruses, to name a few -- have begun dying only to be reborn as flesh-eating zombies. High Voltage elaborates, "Now, wandering freely through the zoo, the rotting beasts are no longer content with eating visitor scraps they get tossed into their cages -- instead they prefer to eat the whole visitor."

Quote:

Animales de la Muerte plays similarly to classic fixed position shooting games like Smash TV and, more recently, Alien Syndrome for Wii (the latter of which failed to live up to its potential, sadly). Since the title has been developed specifically with Wii in mind, High Voltage has naturally been able to make much better use of the Wii remote than SEGA did. To play, you move your character around the screen with the nunchuk's analog stick and aim with Nintendo's pointer. You aren't merely limited to shooting in various directions -- you can also very quickly and accurately target enemies with pinpoint precision (using an on-screen reticule) and blast them to bloody pieces. This control method nurtures the characters' abilities to run in one direction and simultaneously shoot into another. In addition, a speedy flick of the nunchuk will toss grenades at whatever spot you've got your reticule aimed. You can go it alone or with up to three friends in a four-player single-screen cooperative mode, which becomes chaotic.

IGN: Animales de la Muerte Preview

WiiWare's putting full priced Wii retail games to fucking shame.

FELIPE NO

You have to be kidding me. They have the power to essentially make this a valid alternative to what the 360 has to offer with Live Arcade, and they instead decide to go with games that look like shit you can find in a 1980s computer game bargain bin sale?

I've got a new game for WiiWare that goes well with their current lineup:

WiiFail.

I guess Bomberman appears to be the one of the only redeeming factors of the whole thing.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Kostaki

and they instead decide to go with games that look like shit you can find in a 1980s computer game bargain bin sale?

This shouldn't be a shock to any Wii owner.

Also, Alien Crush >>> Stinky Stink Faced Bomberman. Yeah take that. Big apple, 3 aaaayy eeeeemmm

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Yeah, no kidding. Wii just got Target Terror, which costs about 4x more than WiiWare titles, and looks like a WiiWare game.

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So WiiWare launches today in the US; any comments/reviews of the launch titles so far?

-Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As a King - $15: Some kind of SimTown game with moogles.
-Pop - $7: Pop bubbles with your Wiimote. I can get my cat to do this for free and get more entertainment.
-Defend Your Castle - $5: Based on a browser game where you build up your castle and try to defend it from invading stick people. For $5, this might not be half bad.
-LostWinds - $10: Platformer/puzzle game where you use the Wiimote to guide the wind (and your character) through the level. I'm reserving judgement until I hear some other opinions.
-V.I.P. Casino Blackjack - $7: Card counting action without Pamela Anderson.
-TV Show King - $10: Trivia game with 3,000 questions.

All in all I'm disappointed. Where's Dr. Mario, or World of Goo, or that animal herding game they got at launch in Japan? Of course, from what I've read, even if you had a clean Wii with nothing on the hard drive but the currently available channels, you couldn't download all six games at once anyway. Way to plan for the future, Nintendo.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I'm buying My Life as a King, but I need to free up some space for it (requires 287 blocks for just the game................................~)

Apparently, while looking it up at wikipedia, it has downloadable content, each with their own pricing:

Who wants to read a giant textbomb:

The downloadable content was made available from April 1, 2008 and 8 items were initially offered:

* Lilty House, Selkie House, Yuke House (300 Points each): Houses that produce new adventurers of the other three races from the Crystal Chronicles world.
* Three Races Pack (800 Points): All three new races in one slightly discounted set.
* King's Change of Clothes (100 Points): A pirate outfit for the King.
* Chime's Dress-Up (100 Points): A new outfit for the player's assistant Chime.
* Sacred Shrine (200 Points): A shrine that lets warriors temporarily buff themselves up.
* Gorgeous House (100 Points): A big house that many different people can live in.

Additional content has since been added and announced:

* Castle Update (100 Points)
* 11 Dungeons Pack (300 Points): A pack containing 11 new dungeons due out in late April 2008. Clearing these dungeons will reward the player with new buildings.
* Tower of Eternity (300 Points): A special dungeon featuring a gigantic tower and a formidable monster. If the monster is destroyed, the player is rewarded with an invaluable treasure. This dungeon is due out in June 2008.
* Library (200 Points): Gives the player the skill to memorize race-specific abilities and to train their warriors further. Also due in June 2008.

100 Point downloads for a new dungeon and the ability for the player to alter their adventurers' names, as well as additional clothing items, including a bikini for Chime, will also become available in future.

Users who purchased and downloaded the game before April 1 can redownload an updated version of the game in order to access the new content.

It's going to eventually end up costing more than an actual hard copy of a game, and depending on what you're comparing it to it probably already does...

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If you buy all that content listed plus the game, it would run you $38, which still isn't too bad. Looking at it, though, it sounds like the Houses and the Races packs should have been part of the original game, since it sounds like that's a pretty major part.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Yeah, it's not too bad. I wouldn't mind paying it, although I'd only go for the important things like the dungeon & races. Races really should have been included though.

At least it warns you before you download that Wii Points will be required for additional content. The red sticker of doom.


Assuming those that are out are available to us right now, the only thing I'd grab with my leftover points (500) is the dungeon pack and the shrine. Not sure how many dungeons are available right off the bat, but considering how I bend time to complete games I'd probably get bored of watching them walk into the same dungeon time and time again.

Spoiler:

Who am I kidding, I'll just fall asleep and let the game play itself

Decided to see what was available for Add-on Content:

Spoiler:

This content is licensed by Nintendo (lol)
(after it connects to the server and retrieves the data)

Add-on Content Name - Wii Points - Blocks Required
Dungeon Pack - 300 - 1
Triple Race Pack - 800 - 2
Lilty Hut - 300 - 1
Selkie Den - 300 - 1
Yuke Shack - 300 - 1
New Royal Outfit - 100 - 3
New Chancellor Outfit - 100 - 3
Luxurious House - 100 - 1
Sacred Shrine - 200 - 1

I guess to go a bit "in detail" (more like just say what it tells you on the purchase screen):

Spoiler:

(All or some content carries over into new games):

Dungeon Pack - Adds 11 dungeons, clearing said dungeons raises the limitation on weapon,armor, item shops. Also taverns, parks, gaming halls, and houses. Only the new building limits of weapon, armor, item shops, and parks will carry over to new games.

Triple Race Pack - Adds dungeons that unlock Lilty huts, Selkie dens, and Yuke shacks to the game. You CANNOT purchase this if you have purchased any of the single housings. Carries over to new games once unlocked, however the gender and job of adventurers are preset and cannot be changed.

Lilty Hut - Adds Erithrow Cliffs. Clearing this adds Lilty Huts to buliding menu. This feature can be carried over to new games once unlocked. 1 male and 1 female family member are recalled to a hut. The Lilty adventurer recalled is always a male warrior who cannot change jobs.

Selkie Den - Adds Axilla Cinderwood. Clearing this adds Selkie Dens to the building menu. Carried over to new games, yadda yadda. 3 female family members are recalled to a den. Always a female thief.

Yuke Shack - Glisera Oasis. Yuke Shacks. Carries over. 1 male and 1 youth. Either male black mage or female white mage.

New Royal Outfit - Costume for the king.

New Chancellor Outfit - Costume for Chime. I assume this and the royal outfit would carry over. I don't see why not?

Luxurious House - Adds 3 dungeons. Clear them to add luxurious houses. Greatly increases your income. Carries over.

Sacred Shrine - Adds 3 dungeons. Clear to add sacred shrines. Boost stats temporarily. Carries over.

Bought all the DLC available. It piles itself into one nice file for backup purposes I guess.

Buying everything costs $16, and you get:

• 20 New Dungeons (the game itself has enough dungeons to keep you satisfied I figure. I put in a few hours, but I'm barely scratching the surface and have 10 dungeons to explore)
• 5 New Buildings
• 3 New Races
• 2 Outfits (One for Leo, one for Chime)
• Increased limits on weapon/armor/item/tavern/park/gaming hall/house (aka you are allowed to build more)

Leo should get a new outfit tomorrow, while Chime's bikini comes on the 20th. The buildings and races must be unlocked, and they are for Lv16~40 range. The Races are pretty easy to grab though if you play it smart and abuse Morale support, considering they are for Lv 8.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I'll get My Life as a King at some point, but for now, I grabbed Defend Your Castle. I never played the Flash version, but I played this one for a bit last night. It's getting a little chaotic now. I can't say it's been worth the 500-point aka $5 price though.

I wanted to get TV Show King, but I was kinda hoping for a buzz-in type game instead of something multiple-choice/everyone-can-see-what-you-pick. I read the wrong answers for questions were generally obviously incorrect too, which isn't fun. meh

FELIPE NO

Yeah, I picked up Defend Your Castle last night, and I wasn't all that impressed. It's fun and all, but I was hoping for a few more interesting ways to upgrade/kill the enemies. Besides, you only get points if you kill the invaders yourself, so beefing up your defenses with archers and the like can hurt you in the short term. Perhaps Heroic mode is more fun, but I was getting bored. It'll be good for short spurts, though.

FF:CC is really, really tempting. I like the occasional sim game, and this one sounds right up my alley (who can go wrong with moogles?), the only problem being that I'm trying to play GTA/Lost Odyssey/Mario Kart, and I don't have time to get lost in a sim as well.

Everyone is raving about LostWinds, but for some reason I can't get motivated to buy it. The movie on the Nintendo channel didn't do much for me, and I have trouble plunking down $10 for a 3-4 hour game, unless it's the best thing since sliced bread.

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Originally Posted by nuttyturnip

The movie on the Nintendo channel didn't do much for me, and I have trouble plunking down $10 for a 3-4 hour game, unless it's the best thing since sliced bread.

This from the person who keeps assuring me that $10 for dinky little XBLA games isn't overpriced at all? Make up your mind already.

I picked up Defend the Castle and LostWinds, and so far I've been enjoying both. DtC took forever to build up to the meat of the game, but maybe it's faster on Heroic difficulty. If they wanted to make sure you'd have enough money for a fully upgraded castle before things get hectic they should've made things cheaper and added more upgrades. The lack of stuff to build past the initial towers is a letdown, but at least the daytime battles are enough fun to warrant $5.

As for LostWinds, it's enjoyable and didn't take long to get the hang of the wind jumping. My only problem so far was when the game glitched right after acquiring the Slipstream ability and the guy would neither hop nor be affected by the wind in any way. Thankfully it autosaves whenever you get a power, so I lost maybe 30 seconds by quitting. Even if it's short, I've payed $10 for less.

Crystal Chronicles would be tempting if it wasn't so expensive. I might as well just buy the DS game and not worry about it being a constant expense. Not to mention I already had to delete the Internet Channel to make room for these. Where is my external HDD, Nintendo?

Jam it back in, in the dark.