Countless developers have cited the system’s inherent weaknesses, rather than their own effort, as the catalyst for poor Wii graphics.

When footage like this comes along, one can’t help but wonder.

Mined by the folks at Unseen 64, this tech demo was used in a May 2001 software development kit for the Nintendo GameCube. It hosts a virtual tour of eight rooms in Princess Peach’s Castle, each of which showcases an effect or feature possible with GameCube hardware.

Room two, for example, features large textures and mipmaps. Room three uses a massive spiral staircase to highlight specular, bump and shadow mapping. Antialiasing, texture projection, local lighting and more then-advanced graphics features are also showcased.

Features, I might add, you’re to believe Wii just can’t handle.

(more…)

Months had passed since I last used my DS for personal gaming.

It certainly isn’t because I’ve lost interest in the handheld. Recent releases just hadn’t sparked my interest the way older games did.

Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise changed that, and I haven’t been able to put down my DS because of it.

I received the game from the good folks at THQ to review for another site, and I immediately fell in love with its beautiful visuals and addictive gameplay. Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise is the best game Rare has made since leaving Nintendo.

For those who care about superficial review scores as opposed to the full text, I gave the game an 8.5 out of 10. Not trying to pimp my wares, I simply want to spread the word about this great game.

If you’re also neglecting your handheld, Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise might help you rekindle your love affair with the Nintendo DS.

Probably more than William Shakespeare thought! Little did the famous playwright realize that his now immortal lines “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” would take on a totally new perspective in today’s world of gaming and its associated community. When Nintendo announced the Wii, there was a great deal of speculation behind the eccentric name – while some thought it had a Japanese meaning, others pondered over the pronunciation. After all, there is bound to be a certain amount of gossip when the most-awaited game of the year changes its name from a sedate Revolution to the more flamboyant Wii.

(more…)

Infendo was lucky enough this morning to hear from a reader who attended PAX last weekend, and his on-the-scene reporting is pretty timely, given the gaming landscape today.

“El Hajjish” attended the “Is Casual Gaming Killing Core Gaming?” panel, which featured Start Trek actor and uber geek Wil Wheaton, no less. If anyone can guess how the panel progressed before you read this column, congrats, you’ve probably been reading Infendo for a while now. For the rest of you, take a read. It’s a good way to start your morning.

(more…)

It’s pretty crazy to think about it, but E3, with all its Wii Music-induced Nintendo-is-the-end-of-gaming paranoia, was about two months ago now. And, as predicted, the cacophony of rhetoric and vocal minority-driven criticism has subsided, only to be replaced with cold, hard facts.

Facts like Wario Land: Shake It and Mega Man 9, which will no doubt revolutionize and modernize 2-D platform gaming when they launch this fall. Or the fact that Disaster: Day of Crisis—perpetually delayed, canceled, and then revived for a rumored October release (in Europe)—is actually alive and ready for release, thank you very much. And then there’s The Conduit, now on the cusp of being published and heralded by respected tech blog ars technica as an impressive feather in Wii’s cap.

Hell, even Sadness, like the drunk uncle that shows up at Easter and Christmas, made an appearance in August with admittedly suspect “game play” footage. It’s what we’ve come to expect from the next great vaporware title (behind Duke Nukem Forever, of course), but at least it was something.

The bigger picture in all this (and my point), bigger in fact than whatever “negativity” arose from Nintendo’s kooky E3 keynote, is that each of these titles is pretty mature. They’re also all pretty exclusive, and none of them are technically Nintendo first party IP. Again, I renew my criticism to those who incorrectly belittled Nintendo for treating E3 as the clown-driven, yesterday’s news circus that it was. What’s the deal? It’s time to fess up, grow up, or shut up. Personally, I’d prefer a mashup of all three. (more…)

If there’s one thing I would have loved to have seen revealed at E3 this week, it was a long-term memory for people who frequent the Internet. Something they could download easily and upload into their cortex. Nothing fancy. I say this because, by and large, the apoplectic reaction to Nintendo’s “sell out” press conference has been baffling. (more…)

With each day and subsequent disappointment, I am getting less and less excited for Mega Man 9.

To clear vernacular discrepancies, I feel there is a distinction between “excitement” and “anticipation.” For example, I was excited when I first saw Super Mario Galaxy. I felt the same way about the original Metroid Prime. These games brought classic franchises back to life in a relevant, natural and genuine way. Instead of attempting to duplicate former glories, they nodded to the past and made organic progressions.

For gamers, geeks and otaku, they were worth being excited about.

Conversely, I anticipate things like my morning bagel and recent WiiWare release lists. These are things I look forward to, certainly, but there is nothing exciting about their lackluster ordinariness.

Mega Man 9 falls into that category, and it breaks my heart.

(more…)

Does the above in-game screenshot look three years old to you? It shouldn’t (even though it is) because Shadow of the Colossus for PS2 is still one of the most impressive-looking titles to behold, next-gen consoles included.

(more…)

While skimming the paper in the Infendo HQ penthouse this morning I happened to glance at my television, my laptop, and Shigeru Miyamoto all in the same instant (he occasionally makes us breakfast).

On Infendo there was Derek’s superbly written expose on the most anticipated Nintendo E3 announcements; on my TV was the Opera Wii Browser, with Malstrom’s news page pronouncing the end of close-minded gaming; and on Shiggy’s face was the devilish grin of a man who had something wonderful up his apparently bottomless sleeves.

(more…)

Over the past two years the Wii, and by extension Nintendo, has enjoyed immense success. Massive sales, new avenues of consumer adoption, grannies boxing grannies, and soccer moms getting fit on a video game controller–it’s all here, and the impact is undeniable.

Why then, I ask, am I still so annoyed with this amazing machine?

Before I jump headfirst into flame land, however, here’s a brief explainer about what’s NOT on the list, and why.

First, shovelware. Like the PS2 and DS before it, the Wii is seemingly inundated with crappy titles, but that’s not going to be in this top 10. Why? Because no one is forced to buy shovelware. However, you are forced to endure the Wii Home screen load animation, and so it is on the list. Ditto for HD graphics, because I play the Wii for games, not movie experiences. Besides, Nintendo never advertised the system as an HD machine, so it would be selfish and exceedingly stupid to be annoyed about something that was never promised to me in the first place.

But enough about me, let’s bash the Wii, shall we? (more…)