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Sega has released a new gameplay trailer for their Wii remake of the Dreamcast cult classic, Samba da Amigo. If you’re epileptic then you probably shouldn’t watch this, but if not, keep an eye out for another staple Sega character - Sonic the Hedgehog.

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The classic PC franchise is making its way over to WiiWare, developer Hudson announced today, and the new title’s focus hasn’t shifted from what it’s always done best: online play. The new WiiWare game boasts 8-person multiplayer battles, leaderboards and online tournaments.

“The Bomberman franchise is one of Hudson Entertainment’s most popular,” said Sabine Duvall, Vice President of Product Development at Hudson Entertainment. “We’re driven by the support of the fans and strive to provide unique new gameplay features with each new Bomberman title to please the longtime fans, as well as make the game accessible to newcomers.”

To sweeten the deal, you’ll even be able to play as your Mii. Given my half-forgotten love affair with this game almost a decade ago, I’m definitely going to download.

Mark it on your calendar, guys, and I’ll see you in the Bomberman Arena. I hope you like the taste of sulfur.

(via Kotaku.com)

Maryland-based Hillcrest Labs has filed a patent complaint and a lawsuit against Nintendo, claiming that the Wii has infringed upon their patents for “a handheld three-dimensional pointing device” and “a navigation interface display system that graphically organizes content for display on a television.”

Their statement also says that “while Hillcrest Labs has a great deal of respect for Nintendo and the Wii, Hillcrest Labs believes that Nintendo is in clear violation of its patents and has taken this action to
protect its intellectual property rights.”

Hillcrest makes a product called HōME, which “enables consumer electronics manufacturers and service providers to create unique interactive digital media products for TV and other digital media devices.”

A copy of their statement can be found here. Nintendo of America spokesperson Charlie Scibetta says that Hillcrest has yet to file the lawsuit with Nintendo, “We have not been served with any lawsuit or other action by Hillcrest and therefore have no comment.”

This lawsuit is hot on the heels of another patent suit which resulted in Nintendo being ordered to pay out $21 million to Anascape Ltd.

At their Games Convention ‘08 presentation, Activision revealed a pretty neat Wii-only feature for the upcoming Guitar Hero: World Tour title - the ability to play as your Mii.

Improved graphics be damned, this announcement has sealed the deal on which console I’ll purchase World Tour for. It also gives me an excuse to pick up this bad boy:

It’s the Shredmaster by dreamGEAR, a wireless Wii guitar. So shiny and new that it isn’t even up on their website yet.

EA Sports has just announced that the first installment of a new tennis franchise for the Wii is in development at the EA Canada studio in Vancouver. It is slated for release in 2009 and will be the first EA Sports game to make use of the Wii MotionPlus accessory.

“As we look to expand the EA Sports brand and captivate sports fans from around the world with rich new interactive experiences, it was obvious that the renaissance we’re seeing in the sport of tennis provides us with a big opportunity,” said Peter Moore, president of EA Sports.

After its release on the Wii, EA Sports plans to port the game to other consoles as well.

Ahead of the unveiling at Leipzig GC, Sega has officially confirmed a new House of the Dead title for the Wii, slated to arrive in early 2009. They describe House of the Dead: Overkill as “an all-new pulp-horror reinvention of the classic SEGA light-gun shooter franchise” and developer Headstrong Games (formerly Kuju London) promises a “new retro look.”

Players will make full use of the Wii Remote, using it to “fight off zombies when they get too close; pistol-whipping jaws off and smashing in skulls with their shotgun butt.”

“Paying homage to the pulp horror comics and films that inspired generations of gore fans, The House of the Dead: OVERKILL will expose gamers to a brand-new fleshy rollercoaster ride of revolting dismemberment,” said Gary Knight, European Marketing Director at SEGA Europe. “This is the hardcore Wii title you’ve been waiting for.”

Count me in.

Nintendo Co Ltd has announced its July sales figures for the  US, prior to the official NDP release scheduled for later today.

And the results? Wii has sold 555,000 units, and the DS has sold 608,000. That would mean that the Wii has made up 49% of all US console sales, with the Nintendo DS taking 73% of all handheld sales.

Let’s just see how long it takes before Microsoft flips out.

Ever wanted to migrate your Mii from your game console to your Mac? Me neither, but if the fancy ever strikes you then rest assured that it’s possible.

Riverfold has just updated their popular Wii Transfer software which allows users to convert media to a Wii-friendly format and then share it with friends. Wii Transfer’s biggest update, though, comes in the form of a new function which allows you to transfer any of your Miis over to your Mac computer in JPEG format.

You can download the software here, but keep in mind that you’ll need to register the product for $19 before unlocking its full functionality.

(via MacWorld)

And it took a group of coders unaffiliated with Nintendo to do it.

Shortly after Nintendo once again pushed back the DVD-playing Wii in Japan a group of hackers developed their own solution: a hidden channel which provides the system with a libdi file for reading DVD’s, and MPlayer, an open source media player. The package is also capable of playing media from SD cards, but Engadget.com warns that those functions are still “experimental.”

The download links are up on HackMii.com. The homebrew software is easy to install and doesn’t require any modifications or chips for your Wii.

(via MsPixel.com)

Cleveland State University researchers have just wrapped up a study which yielded some surprising results.

“We all sat there for a second like, ‘Really?’” exercise major Kristen Persuk told the Plain Dealer Reporter, “It was actually quite shocking.”

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It would appear as though the upcoming Wii title MadWorld from Sega has ruffled a few oldschool, nanny-state feathers, specifically Mediawatch-UK, an organization which claims on their website to lobby against “the toxic nature of the media.” Apparently the scope of their role has now broadened to determining what games can be released on what platforms.

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iNutrition.com, a health and nutrition website, is currently running a give-away for a free Wii and Wii Fit system. A new winner will be picked on the 1st and 15th of August, September, and the 1st of October. Today the second winner of the “Summer of Fit” sweepstakes was announced– congratulations, Vivia Coorzo of Los Angeles.

We’ve seen conflicting articles about whether or not the Wii Fit works well as an exercise tool- but we all know that it works great as a promotional tool. Good luck, iNutrition.

We’ve all heard the stories and read the articles about the Wii fast becoming a new physical rehabilitation tool. Anecdotes about stroke patients learning to walk again using Wii Fit, or avid bowlers recovering from their car accidents with the help of Wii Sports; if that doesn’t warm your heart even a little bit then you’re obviously some kind of monster.

Now the latex glove is on the other hand, as surgeons embrace the Wii as a new training device to improve hand-eye coordination, steadiness and manual dexterity.

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