No industry gets greater attention during the months approaching Hanukkah and Christmas than the video game business, which always manages to produce hot sellers nationwide. Many great titles are expected for release over the next several months, many of which are for the Nintendo Wii. Here are a few of the highly anticipated games for the Wii that will be hitting stores just in time for those beginning their holiday shopping. Wii Games For Kids Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (October 13, 2009, $49.99 MSRP): After the success of Mario & Sonic at the Olympics, which was geared toward the Summer Games of 2008 in Beijing, it seemed only natural that Nintendo would release a similar game for the Winter Olympics of 2010 in Vancouver. Enter Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. Following the same formula as its predecessor, characters from the Mario and Sonic franchises will compete in many of the actual events that take place in the Winter Olympics themselves. These events include alpine skiing, ice hockey, figure skating, bobsledding and the snowboard halfpipe. Unlike the summer version, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games will make optional use of the Wii Balance Board and players will be able to compete in an entire Olympic Games with the new Festival Mode. Your Shape (November 24, 2009, $69.99 MSRP): The functionality of the Nintendo Wii system has allowed for various fitness titles to hit the market and become highly successful. The Wii Fit and EA Sports Active games are two of the more widely popular exercise-oriented games that have done big business for Nintendo and produced great results for consumers. Now Ubisoft is about to enter the game with Your Shape, a fitness game hosted by Jenny McCarthy that utilizes an included camera to personalize a specific workout program geared toward an individual's body and goals. Best Wii Tools Click here LEGO Rock Band (November 3, 2009, $49.99 MSRP): It is always interesting to see two successful franchises merge into one when it comes to video games. Over the past few years, no genre of video game has been more popular than music, with Rock Band and Guitar Hero titles sweeping the nation. The LEGO franchise has also done quite well for itself, with its cute characters and fun gameplay that has made LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Batman and LEGO Indiana Jones incredible hits. Just as each franchise is continuing to produce its own games, LEGO and Rock Band will come together this holiday season for LEGO Rock Band. No instrument bundle has been announced for this title, but the game itself will allow gamers to jam away using instruments from other Rock Band sets while LEGO characters plays away on screen. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (4th Qtr 2009, $49.99 MSRP): Ever since Super Mario 64 was released for the Nintendo 64 system, the Mario franchise has basically been about Mario exploring wide-open 3D worlds. But this holiday season, Nintendo intends to remember where it came from when the company releases New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which will utilize the side-scrolling formula that initially made Mario such a hit on the original Nintendo and Super Nintendo systems. This game will of course make use of Wii controls, allow players to use characters other than Mario and supports multiplayer gaming for up to four players. Backup Wii Games Step by Step Guide Click here
|