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Don't Give Up On 'Defend Your Castle,' Play At Least 15 Rounds

Posted 5/13/08 3:30 pm EST by in WiiWare


Defend Your CastleI didn't mean to, but I lied yesterday.

I ended up buying two WiiWare games. Jason Cipriano pointed me towards a trailer for 'Defend Your Castle" and reminded me it was only $5 -- I was sold.

But I wouldn't blame you for feeling as though you were cheated out of that $5. "Defend Your Castle" isn't very fun in the early going. It's downright boring, actually.

But stick with it, at least until round 15 after about 30 minutes of play, before passing final judgment. That's when the game finally decides to kick into gear.

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Which WiiWare Games Are You Buying Today?

Posted 5/12/08 1:09 pm EST by in DLC, nintendo, Wii, WiiWare


LostWindsNintendo of America launched their WiiWare service this morning, with six games coming along for the ride -- "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As a King," "Pop," "Defend Your Castle," "LostWinds," "V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack" and "TV Show King."

I already have "LostWinds" downloading.

How about you?

Nintendo's launch doesn't include my second most wanted WiiWare game -- the spectacularly stylized "World of Goo" -- but "LostWinds" and "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King" aren't bad for headliners.

Then again, I only really anticipate picking up "LostWinds," unless word-of-mouth tells me otherwise. Tell us about your WiiWare buying (and playing) experiences in the comments.

WiiWare Developer Unsure How Much His Game Should Cost

Posted 4/29/08 1:00 pm EST by in Demos, Downloadable Games, WiiWare


PopIn just under two weeks, Nintendo will launch their WiiWare service in the U.S. Yet with 13 days to go, Nnooo creative director Nic Watt still doesn't know how much his WiiWare title, "Pop," will cost.

He does have a range for his multiplayer, bubble-based shooter: 500 to 800 Wii Points (translated: between $5 and $8).

"For a new company like ourselves, pricing is a really tough issue particularly on something like a downloadable service where there are games at a variety of prices," said Watt in an e-mail interview with MTV Multiplayer last week. "Disc-based games are somewhat easier as they all generally retail for about the same price."

Gamers have price and value expectations for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. For now, Watt uses Virtual Console as a yard stick for perceived value. "We feel we are somewhere between a NES and SNES game in price," he said.

One thing that WiiWare won't have, though, is demos. Demos are a requirement for XBL Arcade but merely an option on PSN. For Watt, the difference is moot; he doesn't think a demo would help "Pop" out.

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Five Surprises At Nintendo's Media Summit: Nintendo-Less WiiWare, Pot Shot At EA And More

Posted 4/15/08 1:34 pm EST by in Nintendo Spring Media Summit 2008, rock band, Wii, WiiWare


Lost WindsYou might have noticed a drop in my posting habits at MTV Multiplayer last week. I spent almost every day immersed in games at different events and conferences, including Nintendo's Media Summit, where the media went hands-on with their spring lineup.

The Nintendo Media Summit was also an interesting showcase for third-parties and independent studios teaming with Nintendo on Wii and the upcoming WiiWare. There wasn't much new at the event, but that didn't make it any less interesting.

From my two days spent with Nintendo, here were my five key takeaways:

1. "Rock Band" on Wii proved extremely popular. Even though almost everyone there had played it before. It was always packed -- even singers.

2. No first-party WiiWare titles on display. Nintendo chose to highlight games outside their inner circle, made no mention of their upcoming works.

3. "Lost Winds" was the media's WiiWare favorite. There was no way to avoid a 20 minute plus wait for the "Kirby: Cursed Canvas"-like platformer.

4. The guys behind 'World of Goo" aren't fans of Electronic Arts. They managed to sneak in a clever dig at their former employers in a presentation, cleverly capitalizing "E" and "A" in a slide, when speaking about their worst memories of working in the industry so far. I don't think Nintendo knew.

5. "Boom Blox" is way better than you think. It doesn't come across well in screens, impressions or even in-person demos. You need to play it yourself.

Bonus: Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime was nowhere to be seen.

Becoming A Professional Eating Machine With WiiWare's 'Major League Eating'

Posted 4/15/08 6:01 am EST by in Major League Eating, Nintendo Spring Media Summit 2008, Top Entries, WiiWare


Major League EatingThere were only a handful of WiiWare titles on display at Nintendo's Media Summit last week, but Stephen and I agreed on the first one I should play: "Major League Eating."

Mastiff hasn't been much of a known force in games, but they're on the ground floor of Nintendo's surprisingly indie-focused downloadable games service for Wii.

Anyone who's met me could immediately conclude that I'm not a heavy eater. The last kind of competition I'd ever enter would be one centered on my stomach. Yet, somehow, I was paired up to battle 1UP's Anthony Gallegos, a guy who claims he could eat three super burritos from my favorite Mexican restaurant, Cancun Tacqueira.

That didn't stop me from virtually out-eating him, though!

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Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony Disagree On Demos For Downloadable Games

Posted 3/24/08 4:30 pm EST by in Downloadable Games, PS3, PSN, Wii, WiiWare, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade


pjm.jpgOver the last few weeks I've been asking top people at Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony about game demos for the downloadable games offered via Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare and PlayStation Network.

I can't get the same answer twice.

Microsoft -- yes, demos are a must
Nintendo -- no, demos are not required
Sony -- sometimes demos are good, sometimes bad.

Keep reading to find out why they feel differently.

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Nintendo Talks WiiWare -- Considers Horoscope, Miis, Retailer Reaction and Other Topics Of Inquiry

Posted 3/3/08 12:00 pm EST by in Downloadable Games, nintendo, Top Entries, Wii, WiiWare


"We think that WiiWare offers an opportunity for content that may otherwise not be developed."
--Nintendo's Tom Prata To MTV Multiplayer, February 20, 2008

wiiware1.jpgIf you were sitting in on my interview with Nintendo of America's Tom Prata at the Game Developers Conference you might have thought I was pitching him a Wii horoscope program that features Miis.

I wasn't, though you have to admit the Wii horoscope channel downloadable through WiiWare is a great idea. (No? Disagree?)

I was trying to get beyond the boilerplate. It was the Wednesday of GDC week and I had an interview with Prata, who is director of product development at Nintendo of America and the man Nintendo made available to reporters to talk about the new downloadable games service on the Wii. Prata was more than happy to reiterate the fundamentals -- downloadable service, unrestricted in terms of content, launching May 12, "developers being able to create their own ideas in combination with the Wii remote," "wonderful experiences for consumers to enjoy."

I had already seen "LostWinds" and interviewed game developer David Braben about it. I had already heard the creators of my Independent Games Festival pick for game of show, "World of Goo," invoke Prata's name and then clam up when someone else asked them how their game would be coming to the Wii.

I knew the WiiWare basics. I wanted to know more. Hence my questions about Miis, horoscopes, demos, Americans and more.

Pitching A WiiWare Horoscope

wiihoroscope1.jpgI talked to Prata for just under a half hour in a room in Nintendo's GDC area marked "Zelda." Prata told me about how he and his team, in concert with Nintendo's Japan office and Nintendo of Europe, have been talking about WiiWare to developers around the world. He told me he met with 20 developers just at GDC, game makers from the U.S., Canada, Australia and South America. He said about 100 games are in development for expected North American WiiWare release, a mix of games for hardcore and casual users. And he said that "about 80% of the content is being created by companies that haven't published on Wii before."

Prata kept using the word "content" to describe what they all might offer to the WiiWare service.

I asked him if that word choice was deliberate. Did that mean non-games were allowed? What if, say, someone pitched a WiiWare horoscope?

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How 'Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King' Made Square Enix Stop Worrying and Learn to Love Being Different

Posted 2/26/08 8:09 am EST by in final fantasy, GDC, Middleware, square enix, WiiWare


Final Fantasy Crystal ChroniclesSan Francisco — Change isn't easy. Square Enix learned this during the development of the WiiWare-targeted "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King." At GDC last week, Square Enix shared some lessons in a panel entitled "WiiWare Project Lifecycle: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, The Little King."

"My Life as a King" Designer, former "Final Fantasy XI" and "Front Mission Online" server programmer and self-proclaimed "token English speaker/programmer" Fumiaki Shiraishi and Producer Toshiro Tsuchida told a packed crowd they quickly discovered Square Enix's traditional development tactics -- which produce the sprawling epics beloved by gamers worldwide -- weren't going to work in this decidedly atypical development environment.

"With "Final Fantasy VII," we established a process for developing high-quality games," said Tsuchida. "All our games since then have been developed with a similar process." Additionally, Tsuchida humbly suggested the traditional process could be preventing some creativity at Square Enix.

"Creators need to be creative," he said.

What is Square Enix doing to make sure that continues to happen? Read on to find out.

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