Frontier Developments had something short, but special, on their hands when they launched Lost Winds via Nintendo’s WiiWare service last month. It received mostly critical acclaim, numerous downloads, and is currently the number one WiiWare download in Europe. As Frontier boss David Braben sees it, the game provides evidence that the development process it came out of is constructive.

What Braben refers to in the Game Industry article is the internal development process at Frontier, but I’d take it a step further, and say that Lost Winds validates Nintendo’s spin that WiiWare could be something different on the digi-distro scene.

The “different” part is a relatively hands-off approach from Nintendo with higher profit for developers. In Frontier’s case, this meant they could continue to implement their “Game of the Week” spin cycle game development process, wherein the entire company picked and poked at various game ideas until the best of them floated to the surface. We got Lost Winds, and they got a hit on their hands. Oh, and some cash in hand for Lost Winds 2, too.

12-player worldwide online multiplayer is a blast, but what if you want to play Mario Kart Wii with a friend and can’t find the right time to meet up? Send your friend a Time Trial challenge! In a way, it’s like playing Advance Wars through the mail. One player races on the course of their choice and then sends their result to a friend. That friend takes their turn when they have time to do so. Results are shared and you can brag the heck out of it; repeat.
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Join the staff and readers tonight at 9PM EDT for some online Brawl action and take a spin with our newest entry to Wifi nights, Mario Kart Wii! Be sure to login to the Infendo IRC, and forum to exchange your brand spankin’ new MK Friend codes. So turn up Episode 101, and kick back for some fun.

Just take it easy on Rainbow Road!

Nintendo guru Shigeru Miyamoto realizes there are parallels to be drawn between Wii Fit and real, live actual exercise, so he wants to make sure you understand that there’s no substitute for going outside and “moving around.”

“Spending too long, staying in and playing any video game is not good,” said Miyamoto. “I always tell my children to get out on a sunny day and I, myself, went jogging in Central Park yesterday. But I do my stretching on Wii Fit. They work together.”

This is just a sample of what amounts to a pretty good interview with Miyamoto. Take a look when you get the chance. Another sample: “Web-enabled Wii Fit Balance boards will be hooked up to the internet to enable users to compete live against anyone, anywhere. If Miyamoto has his way, we’ll all be doing press-ups at dawn and comparing ourselves with millions of others.”

[Times Online]

In an interview Thursday with MTV Multiplayer, Majesco’s Kevin Ray had nothing short of praise for Nintendo and the company’s oft-criticized online implementation philosophies.

“If you see the tools coming out from Nintendo today, they are providing a lot of support for developers to integrate the Internet into their games,” said Ray. “It’s really up to the publishers now to adopt these features into their games; the tools are there and the support from Nintendo is there as well.”

While promoting Majesco’s upcoming Wii title BlastWorks: Build, Trade & Destroy, Ray contrasted the game’s robust online component, fueled by an ambitious user-generated content system, against the pervasive perception that Wii is not capable of a competent online gaming experience.

“There’s no technical reason why games for the Wii aren’t more connected,” said Ray. “The Wii is a very connected device and Nintendo not only provides library support for communications, but was very supportive with positive feedback and marketing input.”

Maybe Harmonix just missed the memo. Majesco’s BlastWorks: Build, Trade & Destroy is set for a May 6 release in North America.

Thanks to Infendo reader Pete for the tip.

We’ve reported on this DS service a bit in the past when it was pay-to-play, and today Nintendo took the next step by making access to the Nintendo Fan Network free for Seattle Mariners baseball fans.

I’m curious to see how it does as a free service (even if the drinks and food you order with it are anything but free). Release follows after the jump.

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Hello Infendo readers. I come today inquiring information on the state of Brawl’s online mode. There’s no other way to say this, but online has crapped out…big time. Unfortunately I have yet to connect to a single random match. That’s right. It has been over a month and a half and I can hardly login without getting error code 85010. I try twice a day, but to no avail. I know I’m not alone.

Yes, I know Nintendo fans have been known to be impatient, picky complainers, but you have to admit this is a bit ridiculous. Call me crazy, but when I purchase a game that has online support clearly implemented I expect the mode to work. I realize servers/connections are going to overload/fail at the start, but again a month and a half! Thankfully many can connect via friend matches with ease. Though for me it’s unplayable when it takes 3 sec to throw a shield up or jump into the air due to immense lag.

Nintendo, I’m really trying to think of an acceptable excuse for these issues, but I really can’t think of any. I really wish I didn’t have to type up such a disgusting post, but I’ve had my fill. I love ya, Nintendo, but you’re killing me here!

Have you been able to connect to any random battles?

Embargo is up on all Nintendo Media Summit content. Through a mess of WiiFit and Wiiware titles, Mario Kart Wii made a showing complete with online friend matches against Nintendo of Japan. We know Europe and Japan are having a blast with online right now, but US gamers have yet to have a go. IGN Nintendo team had a chance to put the US versions online mode through its paces.

…As far as online performance goes, Mario Kart Wii can boast a flawless 60 frames per second for single player online, and what appears to be a locked (or mostly locked) 30 frames per second for two player online. The single player affair is where the game really shines though, as the experience is extremely smooth, even going as far as to make people passing by ask whether what they were seeing was on or offline at all. We tried it not only at the summit itself, but also at the San Francisco and LA IGN offices, and the experience turned heads. It’s worth a mention that Mario Kart Wii uses the same predictive online system as the DS version, so you’ll see racers popping around at times or reacting late to what you’re seeing, but it’s a sacrifice to save the framerate, so as long as you’re expecting it (and understand that the game isn’t cheating you) it’s still very entertaining…

Be sure to click over to IGN to read their full impressions. This really does look to be a great addition to Wii’s online library (if there is one). Though the graphics aren’t a “huge” upgrade from Double Dash, 60fps is worth the sacrifice. Mario Kart Wii Launches in the US on April 27th.

What do you think? Will Mario Kart Wii’s online pwn?

Mario Kart Wii hasn’t been out in Europe and Japan for a week and cheaters are already taking advantage of various glitches spread though out the online modes. One of the most common and annoying glitchs right now deals with time trial track times. All the player has to do is race through 1 lap, stop, and the “time” cut scene rolls, giving players unbelievable lap times. These of course get ranked to the top of the charts, allowing users to download their ghost data. Unlike snaking in Mario Kart DS, this glitch is just plain cheap.

Yet the unthinkable has happened. Nintendo actually stepped in within hours of this discovery to prevent knowledge of the glitch from spreading. Not only did Nintendo terminate all online cheating records/accounts, but they seem to have patched the online portion of the glitch. Great job Nintendo of Europe and Japan! You’re finally starting to live up to your online gaming commitment. Now do you think NOA could get around to repairing Brawl online? 

Where you one of the cheaters?

LOS ANGELES, April 10 /PRNewswire/ — Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix(TM) interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today that it will launch a completely re-envisioned FINAL FANTASY(R) IV for Nintendo DS(TM) on July 22, 2008. A new generation of gamers will now have the opportunity to experience a legend reborn.

The team that brought FINAL FANTASY III to Nintendo DS comes together once again to breathe new life into a classic that broke convention and introduced a wide array of innovations to the RPG genre. With its groundbreaking Active Time Battle (ATB) system and an engrossing, character-driven plot, FINAL FANTASY IV was a stunning step forward for role-playing games when it was originally released for the Super NES(R) in 1991. (more…)

Eidos announced today that Gauntlet is coming exclusively to the DS complete with wireless multiplayer co-op and voice chat over VoIP.

Take it away press release:

The co-op story mode campaign features 40 maps across three realms, allowing players to experience Gauntlet with up to three friends, banding together with their powers to defeat swarms of demons and skeletons and clear a path to victory. The arcade style competitive multiplayer feature strengthens the addictive Gauntlet experience by introducing ranked multiplayer games like Death Match, Team Death Match and Treasure Hoard game modes across 16 unique maps.

It’s a sign of things to come on the Wii as far as I’m concerned. It’s also a great exclusive pick up for the most popular system on the market right now.

Nintendo and its approach to online gaming has been pretty perplexing to guys like us, huh? Friend Codes head us off at every pass like some small town sheriff drunk with power; servers groan and creak when we attempt to Brawl with friends and strangers alike; and don’t get us started on trying to chat in-game, right?

Most of us are optimists, I’d like to think, and deep down we give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt. Soon, we say, soon they’ll get it right and we’ll be seamlessly battling it out online tossing taunts at friends while the latest Wii Connect 24 update downloads in the background, complete with an “adults only” Friend Code nullifier that essentially makes the annoying online gatekeeper a thing of the past.

But I’m not an optimist. I don’t believe any of that. Two different things happened this week that lead me to believe none of it will ever happen. This has been Nintendo’s plan all along. The ironic thing about it all? It’s going to work. (more…)

I’ve played quite a few online-enabled Wii games in all their varying degrees. Elebits with its basic WiiConnect24 features; Mario Strikers Charged, which is perhaps one of the most underrated Wii games, especially online; Medal of Honor Heroes 2 which lovingly bypasses friend codes like other EA games; Metroid Prime 3 (kidding); Guitar Hero 3; and most recently, Super Smash Bros. Brawl which suffers from some pesky lag and inability to currently “Play With Anyone,” but is still a giggle fest when playing friend matches.

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Capcom stroked a sweet little birdie when it announced last Wednesday the addition of an online multiplayer component to its upcoming exclusive Wii golfer, We Love Golf.

According to the announcement, We Love Golf will allow players to test their golf slice against random competitors in World Play Mode or match up with friends in Friend Play games, taking full advantage of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Capcom also revealed that We Love Golf will be the first sports game on Wii to enable the use of Mii characters in online gameplay. As announced prior, players can also dress their We Love Golf character with classic outfits as worn by characters in Capcom franchises such as Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Dark Stalkers and more.

Developed by Camelot Software, the North American version of We Love Golf has received several tweaks since the lackluster reception of its Japanese counterpart last December. In addition to the online mode, which was not available in the Japanese version, Capcom recently allowed fans to vote on two additional mascot costume inclusions in an effort to increase the title’s Western appeal.

We Love Golf has an unspecified 2008 North American release date.

I’m an obvious cas-core proponent of online gaming. I don’t need voice chat, but I definitely feel more excited about a match in Mario Kart DS when I know there’s a real live human being on the other end. They usually beat me.

Even so, Nintendo’s foot dragging about any kind of concrete online gaming message is frustrating for some; annoying to others; and a deal breaker for others still. Some online gaming news out of Japan today, in my opinion, goes a little way towards explaining what, exactly, might be going on in that alabaster Nintendo Tower in Kyoto, Japan. (more…)