My initial reaction to the introduction of the Wii MotionPlus at last year’s E3 was, well, a bit blunt. I believe my exact words were “And the original Wiimote doesn’t do this because why?” Of course, the staff patted me on the head to calm me down, and I forgot about it, but even when I think about it now, it seems odd — why does the device offer more movement when the Wiimote is all about movement in the first place? Shouldn’t Nintendo have thought of this?

Masaya Matsuura, the creator of the Parappa the Rappa games and the upcoming Major Minor’s Majestic March, was recently interviewed by MTV Multiplayer and the topic came up. Here’s what hehad to state in regards to MotionPlus:

“We tried to adapt “Major Minor” to MotionPlus, but doing so didn’t really make it any more fun than it already was. Maybe MotionPlus titles need to be planned as such from the beginning. The basic structure of “Major Minor” was pretty much determined before MotionPlus arrived, so there wasn’t a massive advantage to adapting it to MotionPlus. And what’s more, the controller would become bigger, so we gave up on the idea.”

I can’t help but wonder if this is an issue many developers will run into when trying to interpret MotionPlus use into their games. After all, who wants a more massive controller? Are you interested in trying MotionPlus out, or feel like you can do just fine without it?

source Destructoid

Somewhere, an overworked brain is crying. The tangram-based Nintendo DS puzzle title, NEVES, will breath new life on WiiWare. Set to hit in the second quarter this year, NEVES Plus looks to be everything you might remember from the DS version, except with a glossy new Egyptian theme and more multiplayer.

In case you missed it the first time around, NEVES is an addictive puzzle title that isn’t snobbish about its challenging gameplay. The objective is to assemble seven geometrical shapes, without overlapping, into a silhouette shown on the screen. Each piece will need to be — in most scenarios — twisted, flipped and rotated in order to perfectly fit inside of the silhouette. It sounds simple, but the ancient Chinese were on to something with tangram. Your brain often locks into an incorrect assumption of the answer. Fiddling with the blocks and finding a new way to approach the puzzle is where the fun can be found.

NEVES Plus has over 500 levels up play and a variety of cooperative modes (Versus, Speed, Lucky Number, of course, Party). If you’re a puzzle gamer, be excited. It’s okay — no one will laugh at you. I promise.

Akinai Games Announces NEVES Plus For Nintendo WiiWareTM

Puzzle Game Returns with New, Improved Features for the Wii

CHICAGO – March 19, 2009

Akinai Games, a publisher of digitally distributed games for next-generation platforms, today announced NEVES Plus, their latest addition to Nintendo’s WiiWare™ game service. NEVES Plus is a deceptively challenging puzzle game that packs over 500 tangram-style puzzles appropriate for gamers of all ages. The game will go live on WiiWare in Q2, 2009.

“NEVES Plus is a great follow-up to the original Nintendo DS™ version, and now we’ve introduced plenty of multiplayer modes that bring the game to the center of family entertainment,” stated Nate Fitt, Marketing Manager at Akinai Games. “With an Egyptian-themed style, new puzzles, and a variety of modes, NEVES Plus promises hours of engaging and addictive gameplay.”

In NEVES Plus, players solve the 500+ different puzzles by moving, rotating, and flipping the seven easy ‘Lucky’ stone pieces into each silhouette puzzle with the Wii Remote™. You can play alone, or invite your friends in on the fun since new players can join in anytime. Whether you work co-operatively or go head-to-head, NEVES Plus will charm you with its tricky silhouette puzzles.

“Puzzle games are a timeless and highly-entertaining genre for everyone,” stated Ken Koyama, Director of Business Development at Akinai Games. “With NEVES Plus, our focus is to capture the simple-yet-riveting appeal of a crossword or Sudoku puzzle, and bring the fun of tangram-style puzzles to a whole new audience.”

Features:
o Five different modes you can play alone or with up to 4 people
o Test your observation skills against friends in the Party Trivia mode
o Over 500 puzzles to provide hours of play
o Simple to use controls for the Wii™ make it accessible and fun for the whole family

About Akinai
A division of YUKE’S Company of America, Akinai Games is a Chicago-based video game publisher for all the major digital distribution platforms, including Nintendo’s WiiWare service, Xbox LIVE, and the PlayStation Network (PSN). Formed in January 2009 with a focus towards embracing and advancing the digital age of entertainment, Akinai Games’ mission is to create fun and innovative digitally downloadable games for various videogame consoles, mobile phones, and other on the web platforms. The company’s first title Evasive Space is now available for download on Nintendo’s WiiWare service. To learn more about Akinai Games, please visit www.akinaigames.com. For more information on YUKE’S Company of America, please visit: http://www.yukes.us.

source Destructoid

Activision’s Nintendo DS and Wii title, Space Camp, is hitting retail in June. Much to my dismay, I’ve learned that Space Camp isn’t the videogame spiritual successor to Space Jam. It does not have Michael Jordan, Marvin the Martian, Bill Murray, or the sport basketball. But it does have an astronaut of sorts — and I’m about two percent sure the Grammy Award winning film had that.

So, okay, Space Camp is about some crazy dude who wants to be an astronaut. He’s managed to get himself to the moon and your goal is to get him back by completing a variety of tasks such as “scientific experimentation,” killing aliens, shooting rocks, pooping in low gravity, and “controlling spacecraft.”

A party mode and cooperative multiplayer are, naturally, confirmed so get your waggle wrists loose in advance. Hit the break for the press release and check out the gallery for some screenshots. The game looks thrilling.

ACTIVISION PUBLISHING’S SPACE CAMP

Capcom just announced that MotoGP ’08 for the Wii ships next Tuesday, March 24. According to the little blurb we received with the release information, you can look forward to controlling the motorcycles in the game with the Wii remote — just like ExciteTrucks, except without trucks and the make-believe physics.

Way back in the day, I’m guessing around 2002, I played the hell out of MotoGP because a demo of the game came packaged with the first Xbox Live Starter Kit. Whenever I started losing a race (never took long) I would turn my bike around and begin driving backwards on the track. The collisions with the winning racers were awesome to behold, but the best part was hearing the racers’ screams of fury because I just tossed their chance of placing well.

I guess, in a small way, I shaped the landscape of grieving on Xbox Live. Thanks, MotoGP. I’ll never forget you.

Anyway, in addition to crazy controls, you can look forward to all the staples of MotoGP including a variety of bike classes to select from, a deep campaign mode, and tarmac based on real tarmac. (Indianapolis was added this year. Go Indiana!)

source Destructoid

Just like with 2D fighting games, there are basically two types of shmup fans: those who love them primarily for the fun of developing the skills required to play them with any modicum of success, and those that are still attached to the genre for reasons of nostalgia. For those in the first category, games like Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun are often referred to as the pinnacle of gameplay excellence, while those in the later camp will often cite R-Type Final or Gradius V as their favorite shmups of all time.

I fall into the second category. Honestly, I’ve never played a shmup that I didn’t like, but my favorites are definitely the games that predate the “bullet hell” paradigm that has pretty much dominated the genre for the past ten years. No, my love of shmups is definitely more tied to rose-tinted memories of “the good old days,” hence my complete adoration of Bionic Commando Rearmed, Mega Man 9, and Contra 4.