Genre: First-Person Shooter
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Paris
Release Date: TBA

Nintendo has been pimping Red Steel unusually hard for it to be a third-party title, especially a third-party FPS with a Western developer. It's because Red Steel embodies Nintendo's promise that the Wii's games are going to cater to every possible type of gamer, including the aggressive, predominantly male demographic of FPS fans that felt distinctly ignored by the GameCube. Red Steel is not just an FPS, either, but almost a tech demo that shows third-party developers just what kind of an experience they can create

Genre: Rhythm/Adventure
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: Avalanche Software (Wii), Gorilla Games (DS)
Release Date: October 30, 2007

So much of the press coverage of children's games is either overly snarky or noticeably brief, and the reasons for this are numerous. Some of it can be chalked up to a generational gap or a lack of knowledge or interest in the license, but I suspect that much of it comes from the sad fact that most licensed games developed for young audiences are surprisingly uninventive (check our High School Musical preview), often with disastrous results.

To my

Genre: Rhythm
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: A2M
Release Date: August 2007

The wildly successful “High School Musical” made-for-TV movie seems to lend itself well to rhythm gaming, and not just because its title contains the word “music.” More notably, its original soundtrack has shifted more than four million units, making it the best selling album of 2006. With that kind of built-in market, not to mention the hugely anticipated August release of the Disney Channel sequel on the horizon, it would be foolish not to expand the license into the world of video gaming.

After seeing

Genre: Classics Collection
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Namco Bandai
Release Date: October 2007

The endless repackaging of decades-old classic games has been one of the least admirable developments in the modern era of gaming, and the Namco Museum series has led the charge with iterations for nearly every major system released since the original PlayStation. Luckily, Namco Bandai has sensed the series’ dwindling necessity and will be shaking things up a bit with Namco Museum Remix for the Wii.

Namco Museum Remix will pack a total of 14 games within its digital confines, but just nine of those will be pixel-perfect ports

Boogie

Genre: Rhythm/Karaoke
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Montreal
Release Date: August 7, 2007

Boogie is not the most technical rhythm/dance game on the market, nor is it likely to be the most comprehensive karaoke experience, but the most important negative statement we can make after spending time with the game is that it is not, by any means, hardcore. The learning curve is largely nonexistent, the visuals and concepts are notably non-threatening, and the soundtrack is comprised entirely of pop and R&B hits from the last several decades. In other words, the game is very, very mainstream.

Which is fine, but many

Electronic Arts today announced that the first Wii trivia game, tentatively titled Smarty Pants, will be available this holiday. The title will combine age-targeted trivia with action-based gestures, making it a truly trans-generational game for the Wii.

How smart are you? Do you know more than your Grandma about world history? Does your little sister know more than your Dad about sports?

"Our Wii family trivia game is a perfect addition to EA's recently formed Casual Games label," said Kathy Vrabeck, President, EA Casual Entertainment. "Part of our charter is to offer entertaining and stimulating games for the whole family. The prospect

Genre: Action/Adventure
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Headstrong Games
Release Date: Q4 2009

With the exception of the poorly received The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, every modern LotR title has been based on Peter Jackson's very popular set of movies. This has caused most of the games to have a very similar, distinctive look: dark, grim, gritty and realistic; featuring the likenesses of the movie actors; and monster and enemy designs similar to those in the film. Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest is still based on the movie, and you'll

Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon follows Crypto on a journey of enlightenment and Hi-Fi destruction as he faces his most dangerous enemy yet and lampoons the pop culture of the Funked Out 1970s. Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed will serve as the story prequel to "Path of the Furon," taking advantage of the unique Wii Remote controller and allowing Crypto to unleash massive destruction in an all-new character in the series - Big Willy, a prototype alien mech, masquerading as a fast food restaurant mascot.

Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed

Designed from the ground up for the Wii,

Genre: Rhythm/Music
Publisher: MTV Games
Developer: Harmonix
Release: September 9, 2009

How can a game be both so much more than its predecessors, and yet so much less at the same time? This conundrum defined what I saw of the upcoming Rock Band release, The Beatles: Rock Band. The game floored me as a Beatles release, but its heritage as a Rock Band game seems a bit tenuous.

The basics are all there; this is Rock Band, with one significant evolution and some major interface modifications that I'll get to in a bit. The big new idea

Developed for the Wii by THQ’s Australia-based studio, Blue Tongue Entertainment, and Nintendo DS by THQ’s Helixe studio, de Blob’s innovative style features ground and aerial maneuvers and color-spray gameplay that take full advantage of the Wii Remote and DS Stylus. Players will take on the form of de Blob in a bouncing battle to explore, liberate and revitalize Chroma City, which has been drained of all color and life by the evil I.N.K.T. Corporation.

de Blob is an action puzzle title that allows players to explore and liberate an alien city from the evil, monochromatic I.N.K.T. Corporation that has taken

Genre: Sports
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Release: July 26, 2009

Before you read any further about Wii Sports Resort, go do a bit of bowling in Wii Sports. Notice the subtleties that are there in the simulation, and those that aren't. The Wii Remote, ultimately, is limited, and many of those limits have been removed with the recent introduction of the Wii MotionPlus, which links to Wiimotes to let you do more with them. While it is launching with two EA Sports titles for Wii, the MotionPlus clearly seems custom designed for the upcoming Wii Sports

Genre: Platformer
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Release: Q4 2009

Nintendo came out of E3 2009 much stronger than they did in 2008. They started off our booth tour with their big announcement of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and I got to squeeze in some play time with the game.

If you've played the DS version of New Super Mario Bros., most everything is going to be familiar, including major elements of Super Mario Bros. 3 from the NES era, new and entertaining power-ups, and a fair supply of secrets to keep things interesting for a good, long

Genre: Turn-Based Strategy
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Firaxis Games
Release Date: Spring 2008 (PS3/360/DS), Fall 2008 (Wii)

To call Civilization console-agnostic would be a misnomer. In actuality, it's just been a long damn time since Sid Meier's turn-based world-beating sim last made a console appearance. Almost a decade, in fact — Civilization II for PSone popped up in 1998 (following the original Civilization for Super Nintendo in 1994), and since then, the closest the series has come to escaping the clutches of computer gaming is an N-Gage version that quietly shipped early last year.

So it came as

Get the Beautiful Katamari [X360] Trailer off WP (24/14mb)

Experience the new high-definition, next generation sights and sounds of Beautiful Katamari as the Prince takes on a new high-rolling adventure, with his famous cousins in tow, to save the Katamari universe once again after the King of All Cosmos has a very un-royal and unfortunate accident. As usual, the King of All Cosmos demands the service of his son, the Prince, to roll anything and everything up into massive clumps and set things right, bringing harmony once again to the Katamari Cosmos.

Take the Prince for a spin in

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom pits Capcom's iconic characters against Tatsunoko Production's anime superheroes. This clash of heroes face off in two-on-two battles for the ultimate 2D tag-team battle. During the E3 madness, we sat down with Capcom's senior communications director, Chris Kramer.

WP: Who has the honor to speak with us? State your name, rank, and occupation!

I'm Chris Kramer, and I'm the senior director of communications and community at Capcom.

WP: One of the big announcements for E3 was the fact that Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is coming to the U.S. and Europe. What was it like getting that brought over? We kept hearing

Featuring a graphical makeover, Namco Museum Remix, includes five "remixed" Namco arcade games with new controls utilizing the Wii Remote to whip, swing, twist and shake up the video game classics. In addition to the entertaining "remixed" titles, Namco Museum Remix will also feature a collection of arcade games that stay true to their original arcade style.

"Namco Museum Remix breathes new life into all time classic games like Galaga, Rally-X and Pac'n Roll by taking their fun and famous gameplay and adding new twists which are easy to grasp, involve multiple players and offers a level of fun that is

Genre: Sports
Developer: Hudson
Publisher: Hudson
Release: Q4 2009

Sports-based mini-game collections might be the most specific genre you can get to on the Nintendo Wii and still find a metric ton of competing products. Wii Sports, Big League Sports, EA Playground and, of course, Deca Sports are just a few examples of the area and how crowded it can be. Now, Hudson's giving its work a sequel with Deca Sports 2, and they were showing it off at E3.

Fortunately, they've added several new ideas to the series to match with the 10 new games. Not only will

Genre: Shooter
Publisher: City Interactive
Developer: City Interactive
Release Date: Oct. 2, 2009

Shooting should be one of the most generic genres on the Wii. Just look at all the gun-shaped items that have already been sold, and consider that some of the Wii's gem titles have included House of the Dead games. But the more I think about it, I haven't seen that many. As City Interactive's most complete game that isn't near release date yet, Redneck Chicken Riot is odd, perhaps inspired by Wallace & Gromit, but with a confusing idea of its very own.

The game is a pretty

Genre: Role-Playing
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: Chunsoft
Release Date: Q1 2010

Mystery Dungeon: Shiren The Wanderer was a roguelike for the Nintendo DS, with most of the trappings thereof (when a character dies, all items are lost, etc.) The game has had several console releases in Japan, and now the third is coming to the U.S. for the Wii. At E3, they were showing attendees a demo of the Japanese game and explaining everything to those who were interested.

The basics of Shiren the Wanderer are your standard roguelike. The game even features two difficulty levels, with a hardcore mode

At first glance, 10-year-old Ben Tennyson looks like your average, everyday kid. But take a closer look, and it’s plain to see he’s the world’s youngest superhero stopping evildoers from Earth and space! In Ben 10: Protector of Earth, players take on the role of Cartoon Network’s popular hero Ben 10 and, using the power of the alien Omnitrix device that has attached itself to Ben’s wrist, become the only everyday kid to take on super powers and change into alien forms as they save the world through the game’s diverse challenges, puzzles and skirmishes. In Ben 10: Protector of

Get the Space Station Tycoon [Wii] Trailer off WP (9mb)

Space Station Tycoon follows the adventures of Shawn and his high-strung monkey sidekick Tam through pirate infested space, meteor fields, supernovas, and bizarre characters as they seek out fame and fortune. Expand your empire with an increasing number of stations and customize each one to attract business. Keep the customers happy and they will gladly spend their money. Throughout the game, players will encounter over 30 kooky characters; but watch out because unruly space pirates, starfish ninjas and mysterious voodoo-practicing chickens can disrupt your stations at anytime, bringing your tycoon

Get the Dewy's Adventure [Wii] Trailer off WP (5mb)

Discover this original game for the Wii from the producer who created the acclaimed video game, Elebits. Using the Wii Remote, take control of Dewy, a tiny droplet of water, rolling him around the environment and using special elemental powers with unique gesture-based controls to take on the dastardly forces of Don Hedron.

Release date: Fall 2007

With the likes of Grand Theft Auto IV and BioShock in Take-Two's second-half lineup, it would be easy for a Wii-exclusive title like Carnival Games to get lost in the spectacle that is E3 (even in its weakened state). In fact, we weren't totally sure that we were going to see it, but after our brief look at Civilization Revolution, we were whisked into a curtained-off section of a nearby room at get a quick hands-on look at the late-August release.

While unlikely to

Get the DDR: Hottest Party [Wii] Trailer off WP (5mb)

Combining the traditional mat-based gameplay of the Dance Dance Revolution series with the motion sensing Wii Remote, DDR Hottest Party lets players move their whole body as they dance for a physical and immersive gameplay experience. While matching the directional arrows with their feet on the dance mat, players will also make specific movements with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk™, adding even more complexity to each song as they dance alone or with up to three other players across a variety of new game modes, including fun new

Get the Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire [Wii] Trailer off WP (25mb)

In a fantasy world devastated and scorched by powerful dragons, you will rise from the ashes a hero. But to fight fire with fire, you must find the pieces of the Dragon Blade—a sword that contains the soul and abilities of a dragon—and unleash a power unlike any seen before! Created specifically for the Nintendo Wii™, Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire™ is a 3rd person action-adventure game where players unleash the supernatural powers of a magical dragon, creating a unique and visually stunning weapon through their sword and