It's the box art for Dreamcatcher's Yoga, the upcoming Wii Balance Board-supported title promising to help players discover the exercises' unique way of providing strength, flexibility and endurance training while at the same time creating a powerful connection between mind and body.
It doesn't hit the shops until November, but you can pre-order your copy from Amazon.com now.
A portion of the Daisy Fuentes Pilates Review from IGN:
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Daisy Fuentes Pilates doesn't offer unlockable exercises, doesn't track your weight change and ultimately doesn't encourage you to continue using the program. The points you receive don't really matter, especially because the tracking system doesn't work. With no incentives to come back, the game becomes just as effective as a workout tape. You're either committed to doing it or you aren't."
A portion of the NintendoLife review of Overturn on WiiWare:
"Competitive Mech fans will be in heaven with this release. While the single-layer aspect of OverTurn is a little underwhelming and can be completed with relative ease, the impressive nature of the online multiplayer is practically worth the price of purchase alone. Studio Zan has done a wonderful job with its WiiWare debut and is a company worthy of future inspection."
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A list of Special Moves in the upcoming Academy of Champions for the Nintendo Wii:
Super moves:
* Super tackle: Take the ball off your opponent's toes in a blink of an eye with this lightning-fast slide tackle.
* Helix Kick: Bamboozle the goalie with this insane corkscrew shot.
* Banana Kick: Put extreme bend on the ball - the keeper won't know which way to turn.
* Chopper: A spinning tackle frenzy that will send anyone in your path flying - including your own teammates!
* Unstoppable Rush: Release that pent up aggression by knocking over anyone that gets in your way as you charge towards goal.
* Cat-like Grace: Glide through tackles and defense like a knife through butter.
* Stealth Attack: When Sam Fisher turns on his night-vision goggles nobody can see him - ideal for getting through on goal undetected.
* Eagle Strike: Altair's assassin training helps him to launch into the air and unleash a lethal strike that will take out the keeper before it hits the back on the net.
* Acrobatic Leap: Why go through the defence when you can just leap over it? The other team won't expect that!
Plunger Shot: The Rabbid weapon of choice makes for a very potent shot at goal.
* Photo Fanatic: Jade will use the flash of her camera to temporarily stun her opponents and make them lose the ball.
* Perfect Dribble: Opponents will be stunned by Pele's unbelievable ball skills rendering them unable to stop him.
* Bicycle Smash: Mia Hamm's stunning backflip bicycle kick makes her one of the best strikers around.
* Speed Burst: An explosion of pace that will help you catch up to opponents.
* Dodge Move: Jump over or go around players quickly with these cool and easy to use tricks.
Academy of Champions is scheduled to be released in 2009.
A portion of the IGN review of Overturn for WiiWare:
Overturn is definitely worlds better than Battle Rage, a joke of a mech fighter on Wii that sells for $25 at retail. This downloadable effort is just $8, runs better, and includes online multiplayer. It's still not a great game, though. These one-on-one robot battles just aren't very exciting. Environments are dull and empty and there isn't even an audience to cheer you on. It fares better online with four-player battle royales, but the gameplay is still very shallow. Add in the fact that the entire story mode and cast seem to have been removed from the Japanese version, and Overturn just doesn't have a lot to offer.
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A portion of the TotalVideogames preview of Super Monkey Ball Step and Roll:
"From what we’ve seen of Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll so far, SEGA doesn’t appear to be straying far from the game’s classic formula in this, the series’ tenth iteration. We’re sure that there will be a wide range of new mini-games in the final version and maybe a couple of new ideas in the main campaign, but the biggest focus here is on balance board implementation. A couple of nifty gameplay tweaks should ease the transition into balance board play for Step & Roll, although we do question exactly how innovative this latest installment will be. Put another way, the phrase ‘Milking a cow dry’ does come to mind."
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A portion of the GameSpot preview of Super Monkey Ball Step and Roll:
"From what we saw, Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll looks like it will make a great addition to the series. It adds an interesting new control scheme with plenty of fun party games, and we're looking forward to going hands on with the game at a later date. Step and Roll will be rolling onto retail shelves in early 2010, but you can get up to speed by watching the official trailer."
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A portion of the MTV interview with Daisy Fuenties about Daisy Fuentes Pilates for Wii:
What advice would you give to someone considering Daisy Fuentes Pilates?
"If you are looking for just a very private way to get started in Pilates, this is definitely the way to go. You can do it in the privacy of your own home. You can track your own progress. It is very motivational. I do give a lot of dietary and nutritional tips to keep you going. And it does go beyond the one-way-sided workouts of traditional DVDS. This is really a great way to venture into Pilates to start seeing the benefits of it. Or if you are looking to add something to your workout or you do Pilates and you are advanced, you can jump right into this and it will be challenging. You can customize your own routines as well. It really is the cutting edge of an at-home workout."
Daisy Fuentes Pilates is out now - grab your copy at Amazon.com here!
A portion of the Official Nintendo Magazine preview of Super Monkey Ball: Touch and Roll:
"With more fun mini-games like these and some hardcore maze levels, Step & Roll could be a lot of fun and along with Sega's Mario & Sonic At The Winter Olympic Games, could be one of the better reasons to bust out that Balance Board."
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A portion of the Spong preview of Super Monkey Ball: Touch and Roll:
"If Banana Blast proved anything, it that the Wii’s motion controls are no real replacement for the perfection of the Game Cube's analogue stick. If the same is true of the Balance Board, hopefully the stage design will compensate appropriately so that gameplay is fun and interesting rather than frustrating.
Time will tell how it pans out – until then, let’s rejoice that one of the best puzzle games starring a monkey is returning to our screens."
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A portion of the Eurogamer preview of Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll:
"The big question is whether being able to control your monkey with the balance board adds much to the experience. Without having had the chance to try this for ourselves it's impossible to say, but the idea certainly makes conceptually. If it's implemented well enough, Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll could turn out to be a great follow-up to Banana Blitz. Or rather, a great evolution of where it was going, obviously."
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A portion of the UGO preview of Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage:
"I predict SWS2 will be an eye-opening experience for hardcore gamers that missed the original. For the rest, Shaun White Snowboarding 2: Extraneous Subtitle isn't change; it's more of the same. More great art design, more riders, more fun."
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Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll will be released on the Nintendo Wii in February 2010, we learn today.
Originally given a vague 'early 2010' release date, SEGA has revealed that the Wii Balance Board-supported title will now roll in February 2010.
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A portion of the Electric Pig preview of Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll:
"The best part of any Monkey Ball game is the sheer variety of nonsense mini games though. Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll will be no different: Sega won’t confirm the figure, but in the preview build we a subtitle under the Mini Game option listing 50. They’ll include the likes of Monkey See Saw, which sees you shuffling on the Balance Board to drop down rotating platforms, as well as other promised classics. We’re hoping that means Monkey Target, the most tactical, evil party game ever."
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A portion of the KidzWorld review of Go Play Lumberjacks for the Nintendo Wii:
"Go Play: Lumberjacks stands out among other mini-game collections as it has a unique and strong theme. It can be easy to spend several hours playing this game by yourself or with>family and friends."
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Daisy Fuentes Pilates Wii - Lifestyle Video:
Yoga for Wii has received a tentative release date on Amazon.com of November 24th 2009. The JoWood and Dreamcatcher title looks to expand on other exergame titles' offerings.
Utilizing the Wii Balance Board and following step-by-step instructions from a variety of in game Yoga Gurus, players will be guided through a variety of popular Yoga exercises. Players will be able to monitor their progress with a dynamic tracking system and set up a schedule to follow. The yoga guru, acting as your own personal trainer, will make suggestions to you based on your progress and computations taken from the Balance Board.
Pre-order your copy of Yoga for Wii from Amazon.com here.
World Championship Athletics is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, and will be released in just a few days on August 4th.
Check out the product blurb below:
The battle for Gold Medals and personal bests ignites excitement and healthy competition in World Championship Athletics. Athletes from all over the world run, throw, jump and swim for victory. Millimeters and split seconds will decide the winners. Athletes compete in 28 summer time disciplines, including hurdles, high diving, javelin and pole vault. Customize your character and develop your career as a professional athlete in career mode or challenge your friends in head-to-head competition.
And buy your copy of World Championship Athletics at Amazon.com here.
Conspiracy Entertainment has revealed new details of the multiplayer modes in the forthcoming World Athletics Championship.
Four players can join the fun in all events of arcade or simulation mode. Playing simultaneously on splitscreen or one after another in hot seat mode is only a question of taste. The Wii Balance Board Cup with eight disciplines to be controlled via Balance Board can be played in hotseat mode as well.
Up to four players can start as one team in 4x100m relay or medley relay. The controllers have to be handed over like a baton. Being quick and precise is crucial to secure the team’s spot on the winner’s
podium.
The track and field challenge will be available this summer for Wii, Xbox 360 and PC in multiple territories. In the United States, the game will be published under the name World Championship Athletics by Conspiracy Entertainment.
A battle for Gold Medals and personal bests sparks excitement and healthy competition in the game. Athletes from all over the world run, throw, jump and swim for victory. Millimeters and split seconds will decide the winners. When playing with friends and family, a living room becomes a stadium.
The athletes compete in 28 summer time disciplines, including 100 meters sprint, high diving, javelin or the new skeet shooting event. In Berlin World Cup mode, a national team can go for ultimate glory in the World Championships in 15 track and field contests.
With a variety of game modes, format specific controls and up-to-date graphics, World Championship Athletics will be challenging and fun to play at the same time.
A portion of the News & Observer article comparing EA Sports Active, Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009 and Wii Fit:
"To be fair, however, in trying all three products, it's obvious that I very likely lost just about as much weight playing Michaels' game as I did playing "EA Sports Active" -- so far, I simply haven't been able to allow my dieting lifestyle to mesh with my love of video games. Even so, if you think you can pull off such a balancing act, "EA Sports Active" is the game most likely to get you to whatever your goal may be."
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Studio Zen's robot-battling WiiWware title Overturn will hit WiiWare in North America this coming Monday.
The Wii Balance Board-supported title sees players taking control of aggressive mechas and, well, bashing the living daylights out of one another.
A portion of the 100-word EA Sports Active review from No Added Sugar:
Despite the lack of coverage from ‘casual’ game snobs in the videogame media, this is a strong, well-structured effort from EA that is eminently fit for purpose- but it certainly isn’t for everybody.
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Buy your copy of EA Sports Active from Amazon.com - click here!
Toying over the idea of snapping up EA Sports Active, but don't know whether it'll over you much more than you're already getting from Wii Fit? Perhaps PopMatters' comparative article will help you make up your mind.
Read it here.
NewU is a Wii title that perfectly combines Fitness, Nutritional Advice and Daily Healthy tips to offer a holistic experience through personal well-being. The first release, NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer, has been conceived in collaboration with Fitness First, the largest health and fitness operator in the world, and You Are What You Eat, a well known TV format and healthy eating book series.
Fitness First has designed the Full-Body workout and has been strongly involved in the development of the game. Each exercise is demonstrated by one of Fitness First’s leading Personal Trainers. The Wii Balance Board and Wiimote are used to provide feedback on user’s progress and performance.
Despite expectations, in order to create the six in-game personal trainers, Lightning Fish have used video footage of the real trainers and avoided 3D graphics. For the target market this feels a lot more approachable and authentic than using computer graphics. In this way, NewU offers a choice of six different personal trainers, each with their own personality and the choice of several workout locations.
The exercises and workouts are only half of the story, You Are What You Eat has provided experienced nutrition experts to create a series of recipes that can be used to complement physical exercises, whether you want to put on muscle or lose some extra weight. The bespoke recipes can even fit any personal dietary needs such as vegetarians, vegans and gluten intolerant diets.
NewU allows people to select a lifestyle goal in order to create their custom exercise plans and their custom nutritional plans.
“We are very proud about this agreement - commented Virgilio Bixio – President Black Bean Games – to have the involvement of a top publisher like Ubisoft means that our strategy, based on top quality and original IP, is moving in the right direction.”
“NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer is an interesting game concept developed in collaboration with major fitness and nutrition partners”, said John Parkes, EMEA marketing director at Ubisoft. “We are confident that our expertise of the Wii market will give the title the commercial success it deserves.”
The title NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer incorporates the Fitness First branding directly, this is to reflect not only the level of involvement they have had with the development of the product, but also to assure customers that NewU is a REAL fitness experience. All exercises are demonstrated by real video of qualified Professional Trainer’s .
NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer considers well-being as a perfect balance between physical exercise and a healthy nutritional eating, the latter having been designed by the experts at You Are What You Eat.
Nowadays, the opportunity to have some spare time is a real pleasure; a personal trainer and a nutritionist are real privileges. Why not create something that can benefit everyone?
German developer Hause Tivola has today confirmed that its first outing on Wii, Play the World, supports the Wii Balance Board.
In Play the World, gamers are led on a 'breathaking' journey around the globe, offering up 12 fast-paced mini-games in some of the planet's most famous locations - racing in Paris, dancing in the rainforests, curling seals in Antarctica... and a whole lot more besides.
A portion of the GameSpot preview of Walk It Out for the Nintendo Wii:
"Walk It Out will feature a number of different locations to stroll around, and each location features many branching paths, some of which will have to be unlocked in order for you to take them. This exploratory element is bound to appeal to some young walkers, and the bevy of unlockables offers another goal to strive for, as well as another thing to distract you from the fact that you're actually getting exercise. By the time our brief walk was done, our calves were definitely feeling heated. You can see what we mean when Walk It Out hits store shelves this fall. "
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The most advanced, innovative and practical fitness product for the WiiTM is set to top Christmas wish lists this year with NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer already making a huge impact in the market.
Due for release mid-September the all-video product combines goal based training with great nutritional advice and the option to train with one of four top class personal trainers.
Advance orders from retailers have exceeded all expectations as the UK continues to lap up health and fitness. Gym memberships are up year on year, celebrity fitness regimes never fail to capture headlines and Government initiatives such as Change4Life are driving home the importance of health and fitness to young and old.
