The DSi will be getting lots of WarioWare love, with several new WarioWare games and programs announced for DSiWare.

Firstly, Nintendo plans to make individual mini games (not micro games, but mini games) from the original WarioWare game available for download for 200 Nintendo Points each. Nintendo has also announced a whole new game called “Utsuso! Made in Wario,” which basically means “Take a Picture! Made in Wario.” (Made in Wario being the Japanese name for WarioWare.) This new game will, predictably, take advantage of the DSi’s built-in camera for micro games, much like Smooth Moves made use of the pointer and motion sensor in the Wii remote, and Touched took advantage of the DS touch screen and microphone.

Got all that? Good, because there’s more.

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Happy Halloween! Anyone dressed as a video game character? Or better yet, anyone playing any scary games?

Believe it or not, I’m actually spending a lot of today listening to scary video game soundtracks. I’ve essentially got this haunted house of Halloween decorations, and I’m using game music to set the mood. There’s a lot of Fatal Frame, Resident Evil, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Assassin’s Creed… and Castlevania. I figured something from the latter would be appropriate for tonight, so enjoy Video Games Live’s performance of Castlevania music!

YouTube

Namco Bandai has been circulating a survey regarding North American interest in Klonoa. This is likely an attempt to test the waters regarding a Western release of the Wii remake of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile.

So what does that have to do with this weird-looking creature you see before you? Well, the survey focuses heavily on the pros and cons of two different character designs. The traditional one, and this lost Sonic the Hedgehog character Namco may be trying to pass off as Klonoa in North America.

I may be remembering this wrong, but I’m pretty sure his original long, floppy ears are pretty integral to the gameplay. This version’s ears don’t seem particularly floppy. 

61 Frames Per Second

Nintendo 64: 32.9 million
Nintendo Wii: 34.55 million

That’s the score so far, and the game isn’t over yet, at least for the Wii. You may remember earlier this year when it surpassed the lifetime sales of the GameCube. This is only two years into the life of the console, too, so it’s pretty impressive.

There’s no doubt that Nintendo owes their current success to their efforts to expand the market and target previously ignored demographics. The Wii is well on its way to becoming the best selling video game console in history.

GoNintendo

Many tears have been shed over the years with the closure of many arcades across the country, along with the hordes of coin-op pinball machines from various bars, gas stations and pizza joints. Hudson is currently developing a science fiction based pinball game exclusively for WiiWare. Peter Dassenko has stated:

You’ll see a few different tables. They all have the same sci-fi alien feel, but each one features different enemies and has different target and ramp layouts. It’s pinball, but it’s not your father’s pinball.

For those of you who don’t remember the previous TurboGraphix-16 Alien Crush, you are in for a treat! Thanks Jim for the tip!

TheBBPS.COM

Even though Super Mario Bros. 3 is one of my favorite games of all time, to this day I still wonder who came up with the idea of having Super Mario inside a giant sock jumping on Goombas. I understand that it is located deep inside the vaults of various Nintendo Big Wig’s brains, but I can only imagine how silly it must have sounded to others during a Super Mario Bros. 3 development staff meeting. These age old wonders haven’t stopped talented crocheter from constructing Mario himself tucked away inside Kuribo’s shoe.

Looks like it’s time to dust off the old classic controller, and find this shoe again on Super Mario Bros. 3 and ponder yet another question. Why in the world can the sock jump on spikes? Thanks Adriel for the tip!

Blogspot

The Word of a Beatles Rock Band or Guitar Hero has been going around for quite a while now. Well, a brand new Beatles music game from Rock Band developer Harmonix was announced this morning. It’s not another Rock Band, though, as Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos made sure to point out:

It’s not a ‘Rock Band’ game. [...] It’s a new creative exploration of their music and a celebration of their legacy in a way that hasn’t been done before.

This is pretty big news for music lovers. No specific platforms have been announced yet, but I’ve Got a Feeling that the massive success of music games on the Wii can’t be a bad sign for Wii owners, and Harmonix will Let It Be for Wii. Hopefully It Won’t Be Long before we start seeing a partial song list. The game hits Here, There, and Everywhere next holiday season. (Getting So Tired of the song references? Really? I think they’re Getting Better. Alright, I’m stopping now.)

MTV

The Freeloader was a godsent to Europeans when it was released earlier this year. The prospect of playing games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl before the rest of the world got bored of them was exciting. You can imagine how heartbroken many gamers were left when they discovered that their version 3.3 firmware upgrade had rendered the disc about as useful as a tiny frisbee. So what are the chances of an upgraded Freeloader eventually hitting the market? One N-Europe reader decided to actually ask that question, and lo and behold, he got a response:

Thank you for your recent enquiry unfortunately at this early stage we are not sure when, if ever, we will be able to release a new version of Freeloader that will run on consoles that have been updated with the v3.3 firmware. No refund is or exchange is available (outside of the terms and conditions of the returns policy offered by your point of purchase) since the Freeloader continues to be fully compatible with Wii firmware 3.2 and below.

Ouch. That’s a real shame. Though a Freeloader may not be necessary, anyway. There are homebrew apps that accomplish the same thing for free. But then again….

N-Europe
via WiiFanboy

Mega Man fans have turned Mega Man 9 inside-out since the game was released, but apparently there’s at least one secret left that hasn’t yet been discovered, according to Capcom Senior Community Manager Seth Killian:

There’s only one undiscovered Mega Man 9 secret that I know about, and this ain’t it. [...] I’m not revealing it here just yet.  And go nuts–I don’t predict anyone will discover this one for quite a while yet…

Protip: It’s not a secret weapon.

So what could it be? Your guess is as good as mine. Well, someone figure it out. For some of us, this kind of curiosity is the kind that gets right into our brains, and then it just lays there and burns.

Siliconera

Video walkthroughs are a dime a dozen, but this one deserves special attention. One diligent World of Goo fan has spent the time and effort to create a nicely-organized Blogspot blog with videos covering every level of the game.

Of course, using a guide isn’t as satisfying as figuring it out for yourself, but honestly, using a guide was much more satisfying than having one unbeatable level nagging at me whenever I started up the game.

I’ve gone ahead and linked to the walkthrough for the first level, as opposed to the main page, just to avoid unwanted spoilers.

One more thought. Buy this game! Support indie developers on the Wii! It’s completely worth every single one of those 1500 Wii Points.

World of Goo - Video Walkthrough