Nintedo Press Releases: WiiWare, Animal Crossing, Donkey Kong and eXiteBots

We enjoy using our Wii for screentime fun in our own house. Because my friends know I write about technology, they ask me for information about Wii games. So I decided to add myself to the Nintendo press release site to keep up to date. Here are some recent press releases of interest:

• WiiWare downloadable video game service for Nintendo's Wii™ home console  Excerpt from press release:

"WiiWare™, the downloadable video game service for Nintendo's Wii™ home console, launched one year ago today. It arrived with a promise to provide a venue for game developers to showcase their ideas, while delivering to consumers the newest, most interesting games available at accessible prices, directly through the Wii Shop Channel in their Wii consoles. With 81 games in its library, WiiWare ensures that there's something for everyone. But beyond quantity, WiiWare offers quality games and experiences for all types of Wii owners.

WiiWare games have been created by more than 40 different development studios, from large companies to small startups. In fact, more than half the games in the WiiWare library were created and self-published by small independent studios, many with five or fewer employees."

• Number Crunching with Animal Crossing Calculator and Animal Crossing Clock:  Excerpt from Press Release:

"Fans of the popular Animal Crossing™ series can enjoy a pair of downloadable—and practical—debuts this week via the Nintendo DSiWare™ service (Animal Crossing Calculator and Animal Crossing Clock) . Whether you're telling time or doing arithmetic, these handy applications will give your daily number-crunching a critter-friendly boost".

• New Controls for Donkey Kong Excerpt from Press Release:

"Today's launch of the New Play Control! Donkey Kong™ Jungle Beat™ video game for the Wii™ console lets players grab their Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers to assist him. Players control Donkey Kong's running, jumping and banana grabbing by using the traditional control stick and buttons, while motion controls add a realistic feeling to actions like grabbing vines and boxing.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat originally debuted on the Nintendo GameCube™ system. This new version has been remastered with motion controls, new enemies and obstacles, and a new final boss battle. Nintendo also has added special monkeys to each stage that give tips or let players save their progress. The new controls make this well-reviewed game accessible to new players while giving those who played the original new challenges.

The goal of the game is to guide Donkey Kong through beautifully rendered stages like lava caves, tempestuous oceans and even a ninja-chimp fortress. Racing through the game will get players to the goal, but the real skill comes from helping Donkey Kong perform multiple mid-air acrobatic moves as he collects bananas in each stage. The more sweet moves he does in a row, the more bonus bananas he gets at the end of the stage. To become the king of the jungle, he must team up with animal friends and defeat multiple contenders in boxing matches.."

• eXciteBots Excerpt from press release:
  

"Expanding upon the fast-paced action of Excite Truck™, Excitebots™: Trick Racing puts players in command of wild robotic vehicles styled to look like animals and insects. Players must drive, sprint and fly around the track to earn stars, performing wild stunts to boost their score while racing with an incredible burst of speed. The game puts the built-in wireless features of the Wii system to use, allowing as many as six friends to compete online using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Players can also trade ghost data via WiiConnect24™ and challenge each other to outdo their most dazzling tricks. Excitebots: Trick Racing uses the Wii Wheel™ accessory to let drivers pick up and play with ease, combining familiar steering motions with unique special moves such as turbo bursts, power slides and huge jumps.

As if tearing around the track wasn't entertaining enough, Excitebots: Trick Racing also engages players in a set of wild in-race mini-games. Drivers may find themselves smashing through a set of bowling pins, hitting a clown in the face with a pie, hitting a baseball or assembling a sandwich by twisting the Wii Wheel to maneuver their racer through a series of specific ingredients - all while navigating the track and trading paint with opponents for position. For longtime gamers and newcomers alike, these unexpected twists help to distinguish Excitebots: Trick Racing from other racing titles and extend the game's replay value well beyond the finish line.

Wii owners without a Wii Wheel accessory can play Excitebots: Trick Racing using a standard Wii Remote™ controller. Broadband access is required for online play."

We recently received the Nintendo eXciteBots game in the mail for a test run - which made me very excited. My boys like racing games and robots so this game seemed to be a nice combination. It also allowed us to do a split screen for two players to race together. The game comes with one steering wheel attachment that attaches to the Wii Remote, but we already had extra steering wheels (from Mario Kart) to allow all racers to have their own steering wheel. Both eXciteBots and Mario Kart are fun racing games that allow multiple players for group fun.

Disclosure: This is NOT a paid post or review, only information sharing. The eXciteBots game was provided to Techmamas.com for a test run, I mean test RACE!

Comments

[wow gold cheap]

These are awesome. I look forward in playing these games soon and I'm really interested in eXciteBots. If this is already out in the market, I'd be trying it so I can give myself a break from playing Warcraft as well.