Not a huge surprise, but it’s nice to know the title is well underway. EA did a fairly good job with the Wii version of Order of the Phoenix last summer. Controls worked almost perfectly and it was the first 3rd party developer to do more than average on the graphic side of things. Give me more spells, duel mode, sandbox world, tighter controls, and improved graphics. Hit the jump to read the entire press release.

(more…)

As is too often the case today, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PES 2008) was released late on the Wii after PS3 and Xbox 360 versions were already well out the door. Sounds familiar, right Harmonix? However, unlike the gimped, no frills version of Rock Band that’s headed to the Wii in June, PES 2008 was held back by Konami to give the game the extra attention it needed to fully make use of the Wii’s unique controls.

Next Generation has a profile up today with PES European team leader Jon Murphy that tells me Konami “gets it” when it comes to what makes a Wii version of any port “sing.” By all signs and portents, the Wii version of PES 2008 is by far the superior version, both from critical acclaim (86% Metacritic) and customer response. (more…)

In just 10 months, Nintendo’s Wii has given the gaming industry much to think about. The sales have been phenomenal, but many long-time gamers are struggling to find games that fit their existing habits. Many of the Wii success stories are about games that were designed from the ground up with Wii in mind. Developers who are taking existing games and trying to make them into Wii games are running into some walls with the control scheme. It’s up to consumers to purchase the games from the developers who get it right. As for the ones who don’t, we simply wonder “what happened?”

(more…)