“Text input on the Wii has been limited to the on-screen keyboard or large, clunky hardware,” said Chris Arbogast, director of marketing at Nyko Technologies. “We are excited to see the Type Pad Pro release and provide a convenient all-in-one solution to type, navigate and control your Wii experience.”

It may look a little funny, like perhaps a Wii-mote with wings, but Nyko states that this setup will be ideal for typing on the Wii while maintaining pointer functionality.  Currently the Type Pad Pro is ideal for the Opera Browser, Animal Crossing: City Folk and Wii friend messaging.  In addition, the Type Pad Pro has two triggers on the back that are mapped to the A and B button.

The Type Pad Pro is available now at major North American retailers or directly from Amazon.com for a MSRP of $29.99.  Certainly this product fills a gap between the Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3.

Blur is a multi-system title from a combination of teamwork from Bizarre Creations and Activision. Some of the key features from the press release are:

• Power-ups – Drivers will collect and use addictive and intense Power-ups throughout each race, including the ability to blast other cars out of the way with huge bursts of energy, boost speed with Nitros, drop mines and even generate defensive shields to fend off other racers.

• Racing for All Gamers – Blur moves beyond traditional racers by taking genre staples, including licensed cars, photo-realistic graphics and real-world locations and combining them with gameplay designed completely to focus on ‘fun’, featuring intuitive pick-up-and-play controls, a unique and innovative social network style user interface, intense Power-ups, and races where players are always in the pack challenging for the lead from beginning to end. Blur is for all types of gamers, regardless of experience or skill level.

• Social Network – Blur’s new, innovative social network user interface is designed to evolve dynamically as players compete in different races, make new friends, rivals and fans, and connect with other racers both in game and in real life.

• Multiplayer – Blur offers gamers a new kind of racing experience that allows them to race with friends and as part of a network of players in high intensity competition and fun. The game supports competitive and cooperative gameplay, including team and objective based race events, and also features 4 player split-screen for playing with friends from the comfort of the couch.

• Real-World Cars and Locations – Blur features over 50 licensed cars to drive as players race through visually stunning tracks set in real-world locations ranging from L.A. and San Francisco to the streets of Hackney, UK, to the treacherous roads of Barcelona and all the way to Japan.

Screenshots

The results?

An independent report from John Moores University in Liverpool revealed that one hour using jOG to play a typical Wii game can involve taking as many as 10,000 steps – that’s the number the government recommends adults take each day to stay healthy. Not only that, using jOG more than tripled energy expenditure and increased heart rate by 40% in the young adults who participated in the tests.

I can certainly want to get one of these but who knows when they will be introduced to the States as they have just been released to the UK market.

For those who didn’t get into the beta last year, Red Faction offers an environment where building are fully destructible.  In multi-player this works out well as one game style revolves around this and the ability to restore damaged building.  It is similar to Halo’s territories but instead of standing in a certain area you instead destroy and re-build a building to capture it.  Multi-player was excellent in the beta supporting a full 16 player match.  Weapons and extra abilities are well balanced and the pace of the game is comfortable.

The demo that is coming out soon features only one short campaign with the ability to unlock a harder difficulty once completed.  Alex Mason, part of the Red Faction, sets out to recover a mining vehicle that the EDF, the current ruling faction, has held from the miners.  On easy the AI is easy to beat single handed but once they come out in numbers its best to play strategically.   In all actuality I found myself to be more of a threat than the AI.  I kept smashing through structures that held gases and fuels, and imeaditely found myself dead and restarting the mission.

One noticeable difference from most first person shooters is a reputation system.  When playing through missions, destroying EDF controlled facilities gains a good reputation from the miners for the Red Faction but accidentally killing miners will draw away from that reputation faster than you can earn it.

Once I reached the under guarded mining Walker I quickly boarded it and started the short phase two of the mission; getting the damned thing to the truck.  A brief walk carried me through the EDF controlled facility, through several men, and a bridge or two.  Yeah, that thing is pretty much indestructible so I can’t understand how the EDF wrangled it away from the miners in the first place.

Phase three, aka drive away while defending, was pretty much my favorite.  Here I mounted a back cannon gun on the vehicle hauling the Walker away and defending against all the EDF vehicles that persued us.  Why they chose to drive past all those points I will never know but it was certainly fun none the less.  Once passing a bridge that my friends blew up behind me, with planted charges though my cannon certainly would have done the trick, the campaign and the demo ends.
I certainly cannot wait for more Red Faction: Guerrilla, everything about this game just seems right to me.  Maybe I just like destroying things too much?

Virtual Console
Kirby's Dream Land 3 Super NES, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points:
Kirby, Dream Land's resident hero and everyone's favorite puffball, must once again save the day when the mischievous King Dedede starts causing trouble. Kirby must travel through an assortment of levels, battling an exotic array of enemies both new and familiar determined to stop him from completing his mission. Always armed with his trusty ability to swallow enemies and gain special attacks, Kirby can also unite with some of his animal friends and make use of their particular talents. Featuring detailed graphics, challenging boss battles and the distinct charm of a Kirby game, it's no wonder this title is considered a classic.

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Maboshi’s Arcade

Nintendo, 1-3 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points

Featuring three distinct modes and simultaneous play across three game windows, the constantly changing environment of Maboshi’s Arcade creates an atmosphere unlike any other. Each of the modes is based on one of three familiar shapes (circle, stick and square) and offers the same goal: score a million points. Use the intuitive controls to bash enemies in Circle mode, weave your way through Stick mode or burn a path around obstacles in Square mode-all while dealing with power-up items and keeping watch on which effects the other game windows may have on your own. Also featuring Mii™ characters, action replays that you can send to your Wii™ Friends via WiiConnect24™, and the ability to download a version to a Nintendo DS™, you may never want to leave this arcade.

Cue Sports – Pool Revolution

Hudson Entertainment, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points

Grab your Wii Remote™ controller and take a shot at this virtual billiard game. Enjoy match-ups, playing classic favorites such as 9 Ball, 8 Ball, Rotation and Snooker, as well as walk-through trick shots in Puzzle mode. Connect to Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection (Nintendo WFC) to go head-to-head with your friends, or even hustle opponents across the world in Nintendo WFC match-ups. This game offers two types of controls, allowing you to virtually strike the cue ball with your Wii Remote controller or use the buttons to adjust the strength of your shot and then strike. Hone your skills in Practice mode, learning all the cool techniques you need to be a true hustler. Use the edit feature to create your own challenge and nail the trick shot you’ve always dreamed of sinking. Pull off an amazing shot and show everyone who’s the biggest shark in the pool.

Virtual Console

Zoda’s Revenge: StarTropics II

NES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Cartoon Violence, 500 Wii Points

Take on the role of Mike Jones, intrepid hero of the StarTropics universe, and once again battle the evil alien Zoda to control the fate of the Argonian people. In this journey, the island hopping of Mike’s original adventure gives way to traveling through time and visiting locations around the world. And you never know what famous historical figures may appear along the way, giving Mike helpful advice or useful items. Luckily, Mike also has a wider range of weapons and improved play control on his side, so he may yet stand a chance against Zoda. Can you help Mike stand the test of time and save the world again?

Tiki Towers – RealArcade, 1 -2 players, Rated E for Everyone-Comic Mischief, 500 Wii Points

Tiki Towers is a game of construction, destruction, problem-solving and monkeys. Reclaim the islands of your tribe by defeating a series of evil enemy chiefs. Work with your monkey friends to build towers out of bamboo poles, coconuts and vines. Match wits against the enemy chiefs bent on destroying your towers and driving you from the islands. Navigate levels filled with crazy building challenges, and deal with unfriendly wildlife and other environmental obstacles. Get your monkeys to chant for the BananaMana necessary to counter enemy attacks. Play in either single-player or two-player cooperative mode in this game where monkeys rule.

Fun! Fun! Minigolf – Shin’en Multimedia, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 900 Wii Points

Play minigolf with your friends in beautiful environments. Choose a character and turn your Wii Remote controller into a golf club. With its easy-to-use controls, all you need to do is aim, swing and see who’s the best putter. Play 27 holes spread across America, Asia and Europe. Enjoy exotic locations all over the world. Go for gold in single-player mode, or invite your friends. Fun! Fun! Minigolf supports up to four players. You can use one to four Wii Remote controllers. Fun! Fun! Minigolf is the ultimate party game for everyone.

Virtual Console

Phantasy Star IV – SEGA GENESIS, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Fantasy Violence, Mild Sexual Themes, 800 Wii Points

Phantasy Star IV is the fourth released game from SEGA’s epic Phantasy Star series, one of SEGA’s biggest RPGs on the SEGA GENESIS. In the year AW 2284, planet Motavia is once again plagued by strange biocreatures, and it’s up to the brave men and women of the Hunters Guild to exterminate them. You are Chaz Ashley, a rookie Hunter straight out of training who is supported by Alys Brangwin-a crafty veteran whose good looks and prowess with the blade have earned her an awesome reputation. These two Hunters, along with a cast of supporting characters, will go beyond Motavia to unwittingly save their entire solar system.

CONTRACT – Club Nintendo Specialist  (0800000078)

Description of Duties

• Coordinates all aspects of Club Nintendo incentive program ranging from promotion of program, selection and procurement of premium rewards, updating of catalog online, and formulating new initiatives and campaigns
• Coordinates with NCL on initiatives such as acquiring assets, coordinating schedules, procuring product, and adjusting online research questionnaires
• Communicates across multiple NOA groups (Finance, Tax, Web Marketing, Web Analytics, Consumer Research, Project Development, Business Planning, Licensing, Legal) as well as with NOE and NCL
• Coordinates the release of add-on content both for WiiWare games as well as disc-based games
• Maintains and communicates daily Club Nintendo status
• Identifies areas for improvements to optimize Club member activity and membership mix
• Other duties as assigned

If you are interested or just want to see more details of what it takes to be a Club Specialist just head on over to Nintendo’s Job Site

https://nintendo.taleo.net/careersection/10000/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=28660