Category: Video Games

Nintendo Summer 2010 Competition Draws to a Close

Photo: Casey Rodgers / AP Images for Nintendo of America

Today marks the end of summer for many people, but Nintendo made sure to have one last summer weekend bash with the Labor Day Wii Games: Summer 2010 Competition championships in the Los Angeles area. The X-Games it was not, but it did show attendees that video game doesn’t have to be a completely sedentary activity, and that gamers can (and we think should) get off the couch from time to time.

Approximately 200 finalists from around the country, who were joined by family, friends and spectators, took to the field in Redondo Beach, California to get in the game. Tournament play included game sessions with Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit, as well as the new Super Marios Bros. Wii and Mario Kart Wii. Olympic Gold Medalist and Wii Games: Summer 2010 Ambassador Shawn Johnson was on hand to help with a warm-up session with “Hula Hoop Activity” from the Wii Fit Plus.

Wii Games Summer 2010 Official Site

Cage Fighting Comes to the Living Room With Kinect

Two gamers enter, one gamer leaves – that’s the concept behind this new fighting game, but let’s hope the living room is left in order after a session of Fighters Uncaged. The twist with this upcoming story-centric fighting game is that you don’t sit your backside on the couch and merely mash buttons.

Fighting Uncaged from Ubisoft and developer AMA Studios, which is scheduled for release this November, is being designed exclusively for Kinect on the Xbox 360 video game system. In this action fighter players will experience authentic fighting style of Thai boxing with everything except actual contact thanks to the controller-free Kinect. That means getting off the couch to make the moves just you would in real life, but without the fear of actually getting your ass kicked in the process.

In the game players can create 70 different strikes inspired by martial arts and compete in 21 different fight environments, which on screen will transport gamers from their living rooms to dark alleys, abandoned churches and other “exotic” locations. In addition to tracked moves, players can further utilize voice-activated strikes, and unlike new skills to use against their opponents. The Kinect body tracking system will allow for accurate dodging and blocking of incoming strikes, which should make the gaming experience more realistic than ever.

“Fighters Uncaged is the first motion fighting game for Microsoft Kinect, dedicated to a core audience,” said Adam Novickas, U.S. director of marketing at Ubisoft. “Fighters Uncaged requires players to get out of their seat to engage in a controller-free full-body combat game and experience the authentic fighting style of Thai boxing.”

Fighters Uncaged will arrive for the Xbox 360 this November from Ubisoft. It is likely the next best thing to taking it outside.

Fighters Uncaged Official Website

Tony Hawk Flies Again New Game

After the last game it looked like the Hawkman’s wings were clipped for good, as Tony Hawk Ride wasn’t so much a thrill ride as outright spill. But you can’t keep a good skater down, and the champ of the board is rising from the ashes, proving he’s a video game phoenix. All indications say it looks like he’ll back in full video game form with the upcoming Tony Hawk: SHRED, in part because this arcade style game isn’t just about the usual sidewalk surfing either. This time the game includes both skateboarding and snowboarding action, and more importantly puts players on a truly revolutionized controller to get the wannabes off the couch and on a virtual deck. Continue reading Tony Hawk Flies Again New Game

Virtua Tennis Takes a Swing with PlayStation Move

Did you have a tantrum and want to throw your racquet at the referee last time you played tennis? Sure, everyone has. Get ready for the court next year. SEGA is in development with Virtua Tennis 4 for PlayStation 3, which will use the Sony PlayStation move controller and be 3D for those who spring for a new 3D HDTV set. Continue reading Virtua Tennis Takes a Swing with PlayStation Move

Ubisoft Lets You Dance Your Way to the Gold

While Sony and Microsoft prepare to roll out their respective motion-centric game system add-ons this fall, Nintendo isn’t taking it lying or sitting down. The company, which has essentially danced its way to the bank with the Nintendo Wii, now will let gamers do the dancing. This week Ubisoft announced that Gold’s Gym Dance Workout is available for gamers to shake their way to better fitness.

 The game offers a variety of dance routines with workouts that include Latin dance styles, as well as choreographed boxing dances and even mini-games that target specific muscle groups. Gold Gym Dance Workout includes multiple training modes to appeal to a range of fitness levels, whilst the difficulty of the gameplay can evolve as the player’s actual fitness level increases. Virtually players can hit the gym and visit some of the most iconic locations, including those in Japan, Egypt, India, Australia or even the legendary Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach. Continue reading Ubisoft Lets You Dance Your Way to the Gold

BLAZE Gets Scary With Fitness First for Wii Based Products

Global popstar and former Spice Girl Mel B has teamed up with BLAZE and Fitness First to spice up the fitness video game market with a range of new products for the Nintendo Wii. The erstwhile Scary Spice began her relationship with Fitness First last year, when she became the not-so-scary face of National Fitness Week, and followed up with a workout DVD titled “Totally Fit.” Now she’s jumping into the video game arena with a range of products, with the first being released next month. Continue reading BLAZE Gets Scary With Fitness First for Wii Based Products

Kung-Fu Live Lets You be the Next Karate Kid

Try some stretches before you try this at home and pull something

Think you have what it takes to throw down with Jackie Chan or Jet Li? Chances are you probably aren’t at their level and never will be. So what is an aspiring Kung Fu master to do? You could spend the next few years training, honing your skills and doing all that Karate Kid styled “wax on, wax off” stuff. Or you could fake it and show off your skills in a video game. Of course that means sitting on a couch, which we don’t recommend. As an alternative to just more button mashing, there is the Kung-Fu Live fighting game, which will let players show off their badass fighting skills for the PlayStation Network this fall. The game is currently being developed by the Virtual Air Guitar Company, a Helsinki-based independent game producer and computer vision specialist. And yes, virtual air guitar does sound a bit redundant to us too. Continue reading Kung-Fu Live Lets You be the Next Karate Kid

Can You Lay Down With the Kinect

Game developers might have a problem with gamers hitting the floor with the Microsoft Kinect. We’re not talking about those who suddenly collapse after working out for the first time in ages, but rather on how the Xbox 360 add-on will be able to track users who lay down in certain games. Who is not lying down on the job is Blitz Games CTO Andrew Oliver, who said his team is trying to resolve the issue for the upcoming game The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout.

Joystiq.com is reporting that Oliver noted this problem recently at the Develop Conference. It seems that many of the exercises done on the TV version, such as the usual push-ups and even certain yoga poses, require that one lies on the ground. The Kinect 3D motion sensing hardward can’t track this, and that could be a problem – one that would be a problem in any shooter where you might go prone. Oliver is reportedly working with the team on the issue, and progress has been made so gamers will be able to drop and give the game 20 when it comes out this fall! As if they’d actually get out of doing push-ups!

[Via Joystiq.com: Can Kinect handle a player lying down? Yes and no]

Will the Wii Actually Get You Fit?

Staying home and playing video games probably sounds like a lot more fun than actually hitting the gym, but a research from Ohio State University is questioning whether even “exercise” games such as the Wii Fit actually do any good? The New York Times reported that researcher Derek Troyer compiled a database that looked at the chances of getting an injury while taking part in a virtual workout as opposed to actually going to the gym.

The results are actually mixed. On the one hand users aren’t at as great a risk of getting injured by staying in their living rooms – the study noted that those who lift weights at the gym are four times more likely to get hurt, while those who run on a treadmill are 1.5 times more likely to hurt themselves. On the other hand, the study did find that real exercise at the gym far outweighs the benefits of virtual exercise – “even when the risks of injury are accounted for,” notes The New York Times.

The paper further quotes Jack L. Nasar, professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State, who oversaw the research, as saying” Wii Fit is probably not a serious threat to users, but it’s also not very useful for getting them fit.”

This maybe true, but the study probably didn’t take into account that hardcore gamers aren’t exactly the type of folks to hit the bike or the gym. So the fact that people are using the Wii Fit is actually something that needs to be considered as well. The benefits might not be up there with the gym, but we have to say it is better than just another game of Mario or Metroid.

Via The New York Times: Wii Exercise Doesn’t Beat the Gym

EA Sports Active Goes to the NFL

Even if you’re not as toned as Mark Wahlberg in the movie Invincible, you can still live out your NFL training camp fantasies. EA Sports plans to release EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp for the Wii. This new version of EA Sports Active is a collaboration with NFL strength and conditioning coaches to provide authentic NFL football drills.

The Wii game will use Total Body Tracking, which includes a heart rate monitor and wireless motion tracking to track your every move and progress. Tone up by doing over 70 drills and challenges targeted to improve strength, power and conditioning. EA is also offering an NFL 60 Day Challenge, where users can go into multiplayer mode and go head-to-head doing NFL training camp drills. Those drills include the QB Window Challenge and Field Goal Challenge. NFL Training Camp shows that EA Sports is getting creative about extending its Active brand, and providing new exercises through the Wii and other console systems.

EA Sports Active

Microsoft Announces Kinect Pricing

You won’t have to wait long to go controller-less with the Xbox 360. Today Microsoft announced that the Kinect game console add-on will be released in North America on November 4, and will cost $149.99. We were hoping that Microsoft would include a fitness game, but instead it looks like the motion and voice control system will be released with the game “Kinect Adventures.”

This game will be also be part of new Xbox 360 bundle, which will include the soon to be released matte black version of the console that now offers a 4GB hard drive. The quasi-fitness game “Kinect Sports” will also be available at launch on November 4, and we’ll expect many third party titles will also arrive in time for the holidays.

Xbox.com

Move Your Racquet

Game, set and match… and all in your living room. This is what Ubisoft’s Racquet Sports allows users to do, with a multisport game that includes tennis, ping-pong, badminton, squash and beach tennis. While originally released with the Nintendo Wii, this get-off-the-couch game will be heading to the PlayStation 3 this fall. It will of course be compatible with the PlayStation Move so you’ll get the chance to hit the court in your living room. The game promises pinpoint gameplay mechanics that bring every serve, swing and backhand to life.

Racquet Sports features 30 rich graphical environments, and many probably look better than your local tennis court too, and are certainly places where you’d expect to get in the swing of things. These include real-world landmarks such as the beach of Copacabana, the foot of Mount Fuji and even the skyline of Dubai. These include animated backgrounds, dynamic sounds and even day and night modes. Players will further have the ability to customize their onscreen persona, and can perform with 11 different athletes, each who has a distinct personality and flair. There are 30 outfits, 30 hairstyles and even 15 different racquets available as well to keep things fresh.

Players will also have the chance to play together cooperatively or against each other, with up to four players taking the court. About the only thing missing is the chance to jump over the net, but at least you won’t have any balls to chase when this one arrives this fall!

Racquet Sports Official Site

The Wii Games: Summer 2010 Takes it Off the Couch

The East Coast heat wave has likely kept families indoors but as things cool down just a bit outside the video game competition will be heating up. Nintendo will be hosting the kickoff event for its Wii Games: Summer 2010 Competition at Liberty State Park in New Jersey on July 16. This will be the start of the first-ever nationwide Wii video game tournament, which encourages participants to get off the couch.

Olympic gold medalist and Dancing with the Stars champion Shawn Johnson will be the first official Wii Games ambassador and he’ll be on had to greet participants. While the first event will be in New Jersey, follow-up competitions will be held all summer at Six Flags theme parks and select shopping malls throughout the United States. The events are open for gamers of all ages, and qualifying winners at these competitions could qualify for a chance to compete in the Wii Games: Summer 2010 national championships, which will be held in Los Angeles in September.

Wii Games: Summer 2010 Official Site

Information on the kickoff event:

Friday, July 16, 2010
11am to 6pm

Liberty State Park
South Lawn
Jersey City, NJ
201-915-3440