Familiarity breeds contempt, as they say. So yet another story about Nintendo selling a hell of a lot of hardware is bound to make us yawn disinterestedly, punch our stuffed Pikachu, then flick over to see what else is on.

We can’t go on like that. Not with a blog with a name like WiiWii - so good we copied and pasted it once. We need some pep. We need to go into this with a bit of wow and show our fanboy support. We wouldn’t want to come across as blasé. Here we go, then. Three average stories. Look at how we spice them up.

MEGA NEWS ONE:

Oh my God! I cannot breathe. Nintendo have managed to sell a stunning twenty million (count ‘em - count ‘em ALL!) DS handhelds in Japan. That is stunning. That is amazing. To put that into perspective, that’s almost as many as the number of people who had their child benefit details lost in the UK. Except, the uproar would be a lot, lot worse if everybody lost their Pokemon data all at once in a freak bout of Nintendo incompetence.

MEGA NEWS TWO:

A stupendous 650 000 Wiis were sold in the United States of America in two weeks. WHOOP! That’s the best month for Nintendo since launch. Astonishing. We’re a thousand times more excited than the miserable family who won’t be playing Wii Sports this Christmas because they’re all sold out. And when we say ‘more excited’ we hope they still contain a modicum of excitement within themselves, otherwise the law of mathematics will cancel our own excitement out. We think. Um…FANTASTIC NEWS!

MEGA NEWS THREE:

I can’t take it anymore! Back to Japan, and the DS version of Dragon Quest IV has been flying off the shelves. 360 000 have supposedly been snatched up by gamers eager to play through a remake of a game they just remade five minutes ago. The Dragon Quest series is currently up to number nine, which will also soon be selling out on DS. Coincidentally, nine is the number of Japanese people who bought Super Mario Galaxy. AMAZING!

How did we do? We hope you’re buoyed on by our excitement and didn’t, perhaps, notice that we just wrote normal news stories and them pasted in unnecessary superlatives. Really, we’d do ourselves an injury with all that excitement.

Source: C&VG

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Anyone expecting a Super Wii or a DS Mark 2 soon had better settle in for the long haul. Nintendo have no plans to bring out new hardware in any sort of timeframe that adheres to the traditional five year hardware cycle, reports Gamasutra.

In an interview with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata on the company’s website, he outlined a “when it’s ready” approach to iterating on current technology. The Wii and DS will instead benefit from developers exploring them to the utmost of their powers and abilities as opposed to abandoning them for a vision of the future. “We long for a new weapon whenever we cry that we cannot fight anymore with the current weapons. But today’s situation is such that we are not desperate for any new weapons at all,” said Iwata, with the underlying notion that Nintendo’s intentions are less to do with honouring the present than milking the two machines’ absurd popularity for all they’re worth.

“When we will be able to launch a new kind of hardware will actually depend on when we can change entertainment completely, and so have a strong impact on people around the world. Or, there will certainly be a time when we have to say that we have done everything possible with the current machine, that we can never propose anything new.”

Given that the Gamecube was rudely neglected in its twilight years as Nintendo’s raced to innovate in the face of Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen hardware, we can respect their decision. After all, there were certainly a few more drops of quality that we’re convinced could have been squeezed out of that purple box yet never were. Given their consummate lead this generation, though, yes, it’s not hard to see their reticence to let the Wii and DS go anytime soon. Their only danger is shooting over that perfect upgrade time into a period of stale complacency. Let’s hope not for all our sakes.

In other news: no Wii hard disk planned. Shame.

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No, it’s not dedication that you need, it’s just a DS. 381 people gathered together in Parramatta, Australia to invoke the spirit of Roy Castle and break the world record for the number of DS handhelds played in one place at the same time. Well, we say ‘break’, but we don’t think anybody had particularly wanted to set out to do it beforehand. We think, however, it could easily be surpassed by getting Norris McWhirter (RIP) to walk along a Tokyo tube train during Monday morning rush hour.

We don’t think it was a pointless publicity stunt by Nintendo. Collecting so few of the total of their DS sales in one place is probably like an irritating dewdrop after a refreshing post-pint siphon. We do see that Guinness have a World Records Gamer’s Edition book to release, though. Should be available some time to browse at all good book shops and nitpick over all year.

Source: Next-Gen

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Hello and welcome to another instalment of Ask WiiWii, a semi-regular feature where we answer a question about the Wii or DS sent in by our legions of readers. We don’t profess to be experts, but we can certainly point you in the right direction. The best way to reach us is via the contact form here.

This week, we have a question sent in by a reader called Jack. Without further ado:

“Can I connect my Wii to my DS and play a game or send messages?”

Well Jack, there’s a short, disappointing answer and a long, hopeful answer to that one. The short answer is “no”. Although Nintendo stated that this would be a major feature when the Wii was first launched, as yet we don’t have any functionality connecting the Wii to the DS. It’s a different story in Japan and the US, where Pokemon: Battle Revolution allows players to control their Pokemons on the Wii using the DS. Unfortunately, that game hasn’t been released here in Europe… yet.

The long answer however, would be “no, but ask us again in a couple of months”. Recent announcements and indications from the Nintendo stable are that we’ll soon have a number of services launched for DS to Wii connectivity. Primarily about downloading software for the DS, these will include demos of DS games, Virtual Console games (Game Boy and Game Boy Colour only), and possibly even “official homebrew” applications along the lines of WiiWare.

In summation, it’s very much a case of wait and see. Let’s ask another question, though; what do you hope to gain from Wii to DS connectivity? Nintendo have done this several times before, remember - the original Game Boy could hook into the Super Nintendo, and later the Game Boy Advance could be connected to the Game Cube. It’s a gimmick that has yet to produce any software of merit, and Nintendo’s engineers have been doing it simply to prove it could be done, rather then it having any real purpose.

Our advice, Jack? Be happy with the DS and Wii as individual consoles. They work great by themselves, and have nothing to gain by being joined at the hip.

Related Posts:
Nintendo introduces official DS flash cards, homebrew to become legal?
Nintendo Conference: Sonic in Brawl, Fire Emblem DS, and more
Wii-DS connectivity – what do we know so far?

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We’ve been playing nothing but Phantom Hourglass this week. We’ve played it everywhere: on the tube, at the dinner table, in the library. From the moment we pick up the DS and flick the “on” switch, we turn into some kind of Zelda Zombie who can’t stop playing until the battery dies and we tear the house apart to find the damn charger. Typically, it’s always in the last place you look.

After so many hours of awesome adventuring, we thought we’d share some basic tips and tricks for progressing through the game. Of course if you don’t want to hear our (potentially spoilerific) advice then stroll on, good sir, and ignore our blather. This post is purely for those folks who’d like a helping hand.

1) Top up your health: Jars are the usual source for life-refilling hearts, but there are other methods for keeping your energy full. On islands, patches of grass can hide a heart or two, but the quickest method to find them is by digging with your shovel. Energy will be quickly restored, and you’ll also find a whole bunch of blue rupees. Finally, it’s recommended that you carry two potions with you at all times. A purple potion will automatically refill some of your energy if you happen to die, which is great for emergencies. A red potion, meanwhile, is also handy for a quick pick-me-up whilst on the move.

2) Performing a roll: This move is important to master because certain trees can conceal an all-important heart or rupee. The problem is, the game’s explanation on how to perform a roll is quite misleading. Instead of “drawing tiny circles” on the edge of the screen, you’re better off doing this: as you walk, touch the very edge of the screen, then drag your stylus towards Link and quickly slide back to the screen’s edge. Follow our instructions, and you’ll soon be rolling around like a monkey in a ball.

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The super soaraway Sun - the nation’s leading purveyor or family-friendly filth - has ventured into the games business with a new DS title, The Sun Crossword Challenge. As you can guess, it involves solving crosswords. And that’s it.

Of course, hep cats like ourselves will be giving it a wide berth. We’re too busy having our minds blown by Zelda to bother with anything as mundane as a word game. But believe it or not, The Sun Crossword is immensely popular with the elderly demographic, and this game is pitched at the older casual gamer who’s grown bored with Brain Training and is looking for their next, er, “thrill”. Seeing as it’s priced at a knockdown £19.99, it’s hard to see how it can fail.

The only drawback, of course, is that if the game makes enough money for The Sun they’ll want to produce more software. Fancy playing strip poker with some Page 3 girls? Or how about perusing the collected witticisms of Gary Bushell? No? Me neither. Which is why we must all don balaclavas and chuck a molotov cocktail through the window of any shop that stocks The Sun Crossword Challenge. It sounds extreme, but the ends justify the means.

Via Tech Digest

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Our sister blog Crafty Crafty has been scouring the internets and found this rather fetching Game Boy purse. Designed and created by Emma Ferguson, it measures 13 x 9cm (so plenty of room for your cards and cash) and has all the detailing to replicate the original Game Boy - but without the functionality. If it’s any consolation though - and ladies will appreciate this bit - there’s a zipper running down the side to keep everything secure.

We’re already using a manly leather wallet to store our essentials, so we’re not in the market for a Game Boy purse. However, we can think of an alternative use that’s rather witty and clever. Would you like to hear it? Yes, of course you do. How about using it as a carry case for your precious precious DS? The post-modern irony is so brilliant we’re hugging ourselves with glee.

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Blimey! No sooner had we hit “publish” on our previous post, then another fantastic bit of news pops up from the very same source. Edge magazine sez that Nintendo is going to introduce an official DS flash card so they can start selling the back catalogue of Game Boy and Game Boy Colour titles via the Wii’s Virtual Console. Somebody pinch me, I’m dreaming.

It doesn’t stop there, though. Though initially the card can be used to sell games, there’s rumours that it will also be used to support third parties who want to - legally - develop applications for the DS. Kinda like WiiWare for the DS, except it’d have to be called DSWare, which isn’t as catchy.

Ironically, we were making similar observations about the piracy and homebrew scene earlier today. Given that it’s so popular, it’s blatantly counter-productive for games companies to try and stamp it out. Far better to legitimise the practice by offering these talented code monkeys an outlet that can be monitored and regulated.

And by regulation, we’re not talking about Big Brother style antics. We’re talking about fostering software standards, the absence of which makes most homebrew DS applications a tricky proposition. Knowing how domineering Nintendo can be, however, an element of Big Brother control may well come into play. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Via Next Gen

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Okay, we have to ‘fess up. When we said that posting on this blog was sporadic because of technical difficulties, we were only telling you half the story. It’s true that the site was down and temporarily unavailable, but that only happened because we coshed the web monkey over the head and pulled the plug on the server. We needed time, y’see. Time to sit back and enjoy this new Zelda adventure without any interruptions whatsoever. And oh boy, it was sure worth it.

Phantom Hourglass is a direct sequel to The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker, which was released on the Nintendo GameCube way back in 2002. Picking up where the last game left off, our hero Link is sailing with Tetra (a.k.a. Princess Zelda from the lost Kingdom of Hyrule) and her crew of pirates in search of new lands to explore. It’s not long before they encounter trouble, however. Tetra is kidnapped by a mysterious Ghost Ship, and Link must rescue her by recovering an ancient artefact called, you guessed it, the Phantom Hourglass.

That’s the plot summary out of the way, now about the control scheme; it’s a work of genius. Using the stylus and touchscreen, players use a series of taps, lines and sweeping movements to move, fight, take notes, and interact with other characters. When controlling Link on land, you simply tap the screen in the direction you want him to move, and then use the same motion to to communicate with other characters and gain information. Whilst at sea, players will be able to navigate a path for Link’s ship and fire the onboard cannon at passing enemies by tapping the screen over them. It works really well, better than expected even, and it’s so accessible that anyone can just pick up and play.

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The Advance Wars series has some of the most hardcore and dedicated fanbase of any gaming franchise ever, which is kind of surprising considering it’s merely a turn-based strategy game. Thanks to those same fans, fresh details on Advance Wars: Days of Ruin are filtering thick and fast through the electronic interwebs.

Especially for you, we’ve got pictures, we’ve got a plot summary, and we’ve got details about the types of weaponry available. Don’t worry, there’s no need to thank us, we’re just doing our job.

As reported earlier, the light-hearted cartoon style of previous games has been abandoned for a more grim and gritty feel, and the apocalyptic storyline confirms this. Natural disasters have ravaged the earth; the planet and its people are dying due to heat, earthquakes, tsunamis and even meteor strikes. This has led to 90% of the earth’s population dying, with the surviving factions fighting for control of the planet.

Sounds intriguing. Even though the window dressing has been dramatically altered, Intelligent Systems can always be relied upon to deliver the goods. Expect a release date to be announced soon, though we hear rumours that it’s going to be sometime in January 2008. Just to get back into shape we’ve paid Advance Wars: Dual Strike a little revisit, and would you believe it, we’ve fallen in love all over again.

Some of the units available are:

• Infantry
• Bazooka
• Motorbike (new)
• Recon
• APC
• Anti-Air
• Tank
• Md. Tank
• Mega-Tank
• Artillery
• Defender Cannon (aka. “super artillery”) (new)
• Rockets
• Missiles

Related Posts:
More Advanced Wars DS 2 pics
Sneaky peaky at Advance Wars 2

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