The GameShadow Blog

Like many, I’m altogether rather chuffed that Okami is coming to Wii. It was clearly always going to find a home on the platform’s motion sensing controls, but the fact that it’s finally arrived in the US, and is on its way to Europe is still a cause for celebration - perhaps not least because the internal Capcom team that developed it, Clover, has now closed doors, and this release will represent its swansong.

The trailer’s right here, and it looks as if any concerns over the game’s performance on the low-powered machine can be put aside.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Tam Fry, exec of the National Obesity Forum in the UK, has lashed out at Nintendo for branding perfectly healthy children as fat in Wii Fit.

The game uses the (obviously inappropriate and archaic) Body Mass Index system for calculating physical health. It compares your height and weight, and lets you know if you’re over or under weight for your bracket. The idea is that it works for ‘average’ built people, but clearly anyone else is knackered - if you’re a stocky guy you’ll be told you’re obese, while a skinny guy could nurse a 2 stone pot belly and still be in the healthy range.

These problems are exaggerated in children, who are clearly still growing into their natural body shapes, and results in Wii Fit informing ’solidly built’ girls that they are fat. The article goes on to talk to a father of a healthy young girl who’s been scarred (presumably by the gizmo’s slander, rather than physicaly).

Now, clearly interactive entertainment gets a lot of flak in the media, mostly for no good reason, but the nice thing about this story is that it seems perfectly fair. A game that’s targeted at the family clearly shouldn’t be acting in this way - what’s more, it’s perfectly understandable that a ten year old girl could be quite distressed by the scenario.

Finally - a game targeted at children that can legitimately be criticised for emotionally scarring them. Finally - proof that the wrong games are being researched and censored in the wrong ways.

All that time buggering about with Manhunt - ironic it’s Nintendo’s family fun that’s doing the real damage in the gaming industry.

Hardly shocking - but I’m for once going to remain non-cynical on this one. I may even be slightly positive about it.

Yes, plainly EA has identified Nintendo’s inventive and astounding success with Wii Fit and the Balance Board, and has a case of the Me-Toos. It wouldn’t be EA if it hadn’t. However, as well received as Wii Fit has been, there have been complaints and weaknesses, especially in the Western market, and it seems to me EA may well be the company to put that right.

“We also need to make sure we’re delivering something that’s truly exercise. I’ll call [Wii Fit] more eastern fitness, where it senses weight and balance, like Tai-Chi. It’s more about holistic fitness.” The wise words of Peter Moore, ex Xbox boss, current EA Sports President.

It seems to me that if there’s something EA’s good at, it’s producing mass marketable games that get ever so slightly better with each iteration - and that’s not something that seems to conflict with the concept of a fitness game, nor is it something Nintendo is likely to manage itself.

The game will release on the as yet unused EA Freestyle label, and it’ll be a great test of EA’s true development metal, and new innovation-friendly stance.

Pretty straight forward, real (if very cool).

The BBC launched its iPlayer download service on the Wii internet channel.

The iPlayer allows users to stream selected BBC programmes up to 7 days after they’ve been broadcast - it seems unlikely the PC’s ability to download programmes will be present, given the Wii’s lack of storage. The service is only available in the UK.

This really brings the Wii into prime position for being a full, family entertainment system - way ahead of the 360 and PS3, at least over here. Functionality and ease of use is gradually being ramped up, and it’s hard not to see this as a real feather in the Nintendo cap.

8Bit Joystick is reporting that the joypad (codenamed Newton) rumoured to revolve around Wiimote-copying motion sensing functionality is indeed in development at Microsoft. They also helpfully point out it’s named after some guy who invented gravity, so give yourselves a pat on the back for not being as ignorant as the 8Bit audience in needing to have that pointed out to them.

Word has it Microsoft has licensed technology from the same company Nintendo did in developing for the Wii, and that the controller will be out for Christmas 2008.

No More Heroes, the Japanese assassin game from Killer 7 devs Grasshopper Manufacture, is to be censored in the UK, but not in the US.

This is old news, but since No More Heroes is due here in Blighty March 7th, it’s making me want to spit blood all over again. This completely over the top Wii game features cartoon violence, decapitation, and endless Kill Bill style blood as a key part of its charm and style - in the US, traditionally associated with over the top censorship, that’s how it remains. In the UK and the rest of Europe, however, it will be released sans blood.

When asked whether this decision had anything to do with the BBFC`s stunning lack of judgement in refusing to rate even an edited version of Manhunt 2, the publisher replied ‘Maybe’.

This is deeply cool stuff.

Let’s get those boring targets replaced with Nazis and we’re away!

According to the People, Her Majesty is a fan of Nintendo’s new console. Prince William’s girlfriend Kate Middleton bought him the console for Christmas, and now can’t get her away from it. The People says she saw William playing ten-pin bowling, begged to have a go and “by all accounts was a natural.”

Will we be seeing “By appointment to Her Majesty the Queen” emblazoned over Wii Fitness?

Call it opportunist, call it cynical exploitation, call it downright cheeky or just call it a good marketing idea - we’ve just discovered that The Carphone Warehouse have managed to get hold of some Nintendo Wiis (which as most gamers are aware are currently harder to get hold of than a decent English football manager) and they’re offering them out to new customers. The (not entirely unreasonable) condition - you have to buy a contract phone too…

Check it out here…

Recent announcements from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony have shown the differing costs of launching a console:

Microsoft’s shares rose more than 10% yesterday after their quarterly results announcement showed strong results in the Vista and Office divisions, while sales of Halo 3 pushed the consumer division, which includes the Xbox 360, into profit.

Nintendo announced it has trebled its first-half profit driven by the success of the Wii and the DS and is now the third most valuable company in Japan after car-maker Toyota and financial services giant Mitsubishi UFJ. It surpassed Sony in market value earlier this year.

Sony, in contrast, admitted that PlayStation 3 sales targets of 11 million units might not be met, and that it had lost $848 million in the games unit in Q3 07. They expect to break even in the next six months and make a profit next year.

All of which is tough for Sony. Alongside troubles in its television unit, Sony’s games units is holding it back, with all of the issues of an expensive unit lacking must-have software going into the Christmas season. Nintendo, with a low-priced, low-spec machine, is currently trouncing its opposition and Microsoft is, perhaps surprisingly, emerging into a strong second place.

It’s too early to write Sony off, but amongst all of their corporate woes, turning around the games unit must be a really high priority.