Wize Blog

Wii Fit to Get US in Shape

It all begins with a pressure sensitive balance board on which you do aerobics, yoga, muscle stretches and games. It's the Wii Fit and it arrives today in the United States. The game's sold out at many online and on-ground retailers.

Sumo wrestlers were on the developer's minds when it designed Wii Fit, the AP reports.
The game emphasizes strengthening the core (stomach) muscles. Hey, by the way, there's a saying out there that says, You're only as strong as your core."

There's a full trailer of the game on youtube. It shows how the "two scale" method works. Check it out below.

Mario Kart Wii Gets Reviewed

MSNBC likes the familiarity of "Mario Kart Wii," the new game from Nintendo.

Added to the road mix of Mario stunts is a motorcycle that pops wheelies.

The biggest improvement in the game doesn't isn't a part of the game itself, but more about who you can play it with--anyone online.

"The online aspect of the game actually outshines the single player mode. Not only does it allow for up to 12 people to race at once, it lessens the “rubberband” effect (the clumping together of karts by the game’s artificial intelligence) that the series has been faulted for in the past," writes Ken Smith, the MSNBC contributor.

Gamespot has also reviewed the game and gave it an 8.5.  It said: " Mario Kart Wii is still very much the game that you have come to love over the years."

The Hot Game, Wii Fit, Is Coming Soon

The fact that people in Europe are going crazy over the Wii Fit game has people in the US chomping at the bit to get one. They have to wait as it doesn't come out until May 21st.

Pocket-lint writes the following about sales of the game in the United Kingdom:

"Here in the UK, it has already outstripped all previous records on Play.com by selling out the entire pre-order allocation in one day leaving the online retailer 'overwhelmed' by demand."

Here's a description of the game, which is aimed at keeping users in-shape, from the Nintendo site:

"The active-play phenomenon started by Wii Sports now spreads to your whole body thanks to the pressure-sensitive Wii Balance Board (name not final), which comes packed with Wii Fit. The board is used for an extensive array of fun and dynamic activities, including aerobics, yoga, muscle stretches and games. Many of these activities focus towards providing a "core" workout, a popular exercise method that emphasizes slower, controlled motions. Family members will have fun staying active and talking about and comparing their results and progress on a new channel on the Wii Menu."

Top 5 Wii Games at Wize.com

Here are today's top 5 games for Wii with their wize.com ratings.

1. Super Mario Galaxy  rated 98
2. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess  rated 96
3. Happy Feet  rated 96
4. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent  rated 96
5. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption  rated 95

Dragon Ball Z Budokai: Tenkaichi 2 Video Clip

Dragon Ball Z Budokai: Tenkaichi 2 for Nintendo Wii (rated 94) is featured on wize.com, a game that also has a clip of the Cell Final Ending on YouTube (video pasted below). Enjoy!

Nintendo DS Lite Sales Better Than Ever

What's sold nearly 50 million units worldwide from the time they was first announced in Jan. 2006 to Dec. 2007?

The DS Lite by Nintendo (rated 97 at wize.com), of course.

In case if you're considering a DS Lite, or just got one, you can find newbie information to help you get started playing the device. 

You can play all kinds of games with the DS Lite. There's a great review of DS Lite at CNET.

Gotta Have My Boom Blox

I was very surprised to see that Steven Spielberg has gotten into the video game business. It was announced yesterday that the game, "Boom Blox," will be available in May. Spielberg has teamed up with Electronic Arts to make the game, which can be played on a Wii player (rated 97 at wize.com).

The game features 300 levels and 30 characters, which challenge players to solve puzzles, some of which can be made by mixing previous puzzles that they have played and passed. CNET describes the game as having more than 300 levels, a cast of over thirty wacky characters and seems to be built around letting players take on Blox-laying chickens or...baseball-throwing monkeys or cartoonlike grim reapers in tiki, medieval, frontier, or haunted themed settings.

This is the first of three games that are spearheaded by the EA/Spielberg team.

What is Nintendo DS Lite?

Now that there's news that Nintendo DS Lite comes in cobalt (blue), you may wonder what exactly is Nintendo DS Lite.

The whole DS thing started with a handheld device with which you could play games. It has two ultra bright screens, 3D graphics, touch-screen technology and wireless communication.

The DS Lite has a slimmer design, dual slot compatibility, (which means it has an additional port for Game Boy Advance Game Paks), a Wi-Fi connection, touch-screen, faster processors and longer battery life.

The device runs about $150.

The Big Three Defined--Wii, PlayStation, Xbox 360

Three Video Game Players lead the pack—Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
Each is compatible with a variety of games and each offers a place online to get free demos of new games (except PlayStation 3) and songs.

Here’s a condensed version of what the Game Players are all about.

PlayStation 3 (rated 87 at wize.com)  costs $400 Online Content: PlayStation Network Games: Rock Band and God of War II

Wii (rated 94 at wize.com) Cost: $250 Online Content: Catalog of older games as paid downloads Games: Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure and Super Mario Galaxy

Xbox 360 (rated 81 by wize.com) Online Content: available through Xbox Live    Games: Rock Band and  BioShock

Video Demo of How Wii Works

Here's a video that shows you the basics of the Wii menu. If you're considering getting one, you'll see how it works here.