RSS Feeds
wii
Weekly Wii Update - Finally, Balance Board Tetris
Posted by Mike Fahey at 12:20 AM on October 21, 2008
We've had some pretty major Weekly Wii updates over the past few months, so it's about time we take it down a notch and give our Wii points a little rest, isn't it? Today sees the release of two WiiWare titles and two Virtual Console classics that we could really give or take. I suppose the multiplayer online of Tetris Party for WiiWare (1200 points) is somewhat exciting, as is the prospect of somehow controlling Tetris with your Wii Balance Board, but nothing we're in a hurry to check out. Digital Leisure brings us The Incredible Maze (500 points), another Balance Board compatible title that has you navigating...incredible mazes. Okay!
The Xbox 360 port of Konami's arcade boobs + Gradius side-scrolling shooting game Otomedius G: Gorgeous has been pushed back. The game was originally slated for release on September 25th, but the company announced that it holding back the game. The reason? "To eradicate bugs and improve the quality even more", Konami stated. No other release date was given.
While we were hunkered down at the Los Angeles Convention Centre last week, wondering "Is that it?" of E3 2008, Konami announced Gradius ReBirth, a WiiWare title that looks to fill the Gradius void in our lives. Like the retro stylings of 
Well, looks like Konami's site 
Another Gradius game is looking less and less likely, now that talk of Gradius VI for the PlayStation 3 has been completely silenced, but shmup fans can at least remember the good old days with this excellent Vic Viper model. Based on the Gradius II design and expected to ship in April, the Atelier Sai distributed ship follows a trio of previous Vic Vipers. Those three were based on Konami's slightly creepy Sky Girls anime, which featured spindly teenage girls in exoskeletons. Targeted at the aircraft fetishists who like women with wings for legs, the Sky Girls Vic Vipers was tainted with off-canon colours, but still looked pretty snazzy.
When Konami of Japan announced Otomedius, we quickly realised what it was up to. Konami had little interest in trying to revitalize the shrinking arcade shmup scene or looking in a new direction for the Gradius and Parodius series. No, they wanted to bring more boobs into the Konami family and shill loads of Otomedius toys. And they're making good on it again, with new redemption prizes in the form of 14cm tall toys and, yes, smaller than life-sized inflatable versions of the busty shooter girls. You're either shaking your head, sighing with defeat or whipping our your credit card again, I'm sure—it's been a big week for plastic video game girls.
We. Want. These. Next February, Japanese toy maker Yujin is releasing a "Shooting Game History" capsule toy collection that includes the R-9A Arrow Head from R-Type, the 0F-1 Daedalus from Image Fight, the Vic Viper T301 from Gradius, the Metarion from Gradius 2 and the Silver Hawk from Darius Gaiden. Yujin, you had me at R-Type! For those that don't live in Japan (sorry), know that National Console Support is selling complete sets for $US45. But, really, can you put a price on miniature Gradius toys? Survey says "no." 
Konami's arcade shooter Otomedius—taking the best of Parodius, Gradius, tiny skirts and hefty cleavage—is, unsurprisingly, a great opportunity for the company to cash in on the game's titillating space maidens. From the day it was announced, it's been clear that Konami's arcade division is marketing to the loins of Japanese otaku. That's why news of a pair of Otomedius figures doesn't come as a surprise. What does is that they don't look that good, failing to properly capitalise on the oversexed character designs that will garner the most attention.
