Whilst producing a wide range of exclusive titles tailored for its own unique control style, the Nintendo Wii is often overlooked for its action/RPG exclusives. That said, one title unveiled towards the end of 2009 took the software sales by storm and earned great praise amongst gaming circles; Wii's Muramasa: Demon Blade.

The title follows a pair of sword slingers as they battle their way towards their own goals. Kisuke is a young Ninja struggling to access his memories whilst tracking down the ultimate weapon, and Momohime, a samurai girl possessed by a foul spirit. Wii's Muramasa: Demon Blade is tailored towards the great skills each of these protagonists employ as master fighters.

Gamers can make use of three different control methods; the Wii remote itself, or by employing the Gamecube controller or the classic one. Additionally, in a neat development, players can opt to play Wii's Muramasa: Demon Blade as a focussed RPG, urging levelling up, or as a clean cut action adventure.

Visually, the game excels where most Wii offerings might falter. Likened to Square Enix's Odin Sphere, the title demonstrates a classic Japanese art style currently becoming popular amongst players. There's a massive range of swords to collect and forge throughout the campaign too, steeping users in sword lore.

Wii's Muramasa: Demon Blade is an awesome exclusive title which undoubtedly earns the kudos it has garnered thus far. The differing play styles and impressive graphics offer a title which merits multiple playthroughs, a clear pick for lovers of feudal Japanese ethos and sword play!
 

Avid gamers around the world are anxiously awaiting the release of House of the Dead: Overkill for Wii. Due out in early February, 2009, Overkill is already set to take the Wii world by storm.

For players who have followed the House of the Dead Series by Sega won’t be disappointed.

Developer Headstrong was given a large creative license by Sega who checked the story and wanted to make sure that the physical game play was up to par and had the same overtones of the HOTD series.

According to interviews with some of the production team, House of the Dead Overkill being developed for the Wii and not a public facility such as an arcade has given them much more liberty in what they could and could not do, for example language is more explicit than you would hear at a public game room.

Overkill remains a light gun game with an assortment of handguns, shotguns, and automatic rifles that you can upgrade to as your levels of skill increase.

The producers also offered one upfront hint about a new feature of the game. If a player successfully kills 50 zombies gangsta’ style – gun held sideways – they receive a 50% power increase. Not an easy task considering the Wii remote is the gun.

Entering ZombieHood

The game starts with Agent G in the parking lot of a hospital that you wouldn’t want to send a corpse to, let alone go walking around in. One solitaire mutant takes a bullet and suddenly it’s a feeding frenzy as the zombies come at you from every direction. Who rang the dinner bell?

Of course, all those zombies are the point of the game; you are there to annihilate them. The Wii remote is your pistol and with a tap of the 1 it switches to a shotgun. During game play you can earn upgrades by firing chain shots in an effort to reach the needed multiplier.

Once inside the hospital the blood flow – the graphics of which are another reason it wouldn’t be in the local arcade – continues. Nurses, doctors and patients all overcome by the mutagen. With Detective Washington by your side you continue on through the hospital taking out zombies.

Later in the game and further into the hospital you go up against the boss of the level. Graphically speaking, she is a shocker and will probably make you shudder.

Incorporating the Wii’s special effect options such as the rumble in the controller is another aspect of Wii House of the Dead: Overkill that makes it a winner. According to the producers some enemies will be too close for comfort and if you happen to get caught you must follow prompts to get them off which means in-your-face action for the player.

 Wii House of the Dead: Overkill, due in early February, 2009 combines the tried and true storyline created by Sega with the graphical development of Headstrong to create a gruesome, interactive game guaranteed to keep you awake for hours.

Pre-orders of House of Dead: Overkill for the Wii can be ordered from:

Nintendo has stepped up the fitness routine for Wii Fit with My Fitness Coach for Nintendo Wii.

My Fitness Coach is geared more towards a virtual personal trainer with training programs set up specifically for you, based on a much more thorough fitness evaluation than Wii Fit’s program.

MFC does not however utilize the balance board and so you have to track your weight outside the program.

My Fitness Coach contains over 450 different exercises focusing on flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, strength training and more.

This program allows you to choose your music and backgrounds that you workout to on the days you choose to workout.

Your personal trainer demonstrates each move to you and motivates you to workout.

My Fitness Coach is a very individualized program. The initial set up itself takes at least half an hour to complete.

You can set up your program to include workout equipment that you have such as barbells, stair step or stability ball. You can include them in your setup but you do not have to use them on your workout days, your virtual trainer will ask if you are using them.

During this initial set up you are asked for body weight and measurements. If you want to enter these you need to have a tape measure and scales handy, otherwise you can skip to the next part.

In order to set up a customized workout, which is why you are using this program in the first place, you will have to go through the fitness assessment. The Virtual Trainer (Maya) will guide you through a series of exercises.

First she needs to determine your heart rate both elevated and resting. She will walk you through that part.

Next, it’s time to test your strength with squats, pushups, and crunches – and you must do them the proper way. Maya will have you record how many you are able to do before saying enough already.

Finally, she tests your flexibility by having you sit on the floor and bend as far forward as you can and hold it then compare what you can accomplish to some pictures and pick out the one most like.

Maya then asks you what you want to focus on, what your goals are in terms of weight loss and what your commitment is in terms of how often you are going to exercise.

At long last Maya is finished and has your workouts all planned out for you based on the grueling 30 minutes assessment she put you through.

You are now ready to start your workouts based on the assessment. Maya will also guide you through each day of your workout.

This individualization of My Fitness Coach is the core of its popularity. For people who want to know specifically what exercises they should be doing based on their current weight and fitness level and their long-term goals.

Even without the use of the balance board My Fitness Coach is a must for anyone looking for a virtual trainer to help get them in shape.

• Publisher: UbiSoft
  
• Platform: Nintendo Wii
  
• Price: Around $29.99 – $34.99
  

My Fitness Coach Meet Maya, your virtual personal fitness coach on your Wii Maya will guide you through dynamic workouts featuring close to 500 unique exercises – this ensures that no two workouts are ever the same. Choose your music, your mood, areas you want to focus on and Maya will take care of the rest.

We’ve had quite a few enquiries about the Wii Fit release date and prices, so here are the latest updates. Firstly, if you are not sure what the Wii Fit is then read our article Wii Fitness with the Wii Fit, or checkout our quick summary below.

Wii Fit Summary

With the Wii Fit, Nintendo turns your living room into a fitness center for the whole family. The Wii Fitness product includes the Wii Balance Board and a series of 40 mini games and training activities. For example, you can lean to block soccer balls, swivel hips to power hoop twirls or balance to hold the perfect yoga pose.

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WiiFirst.net Preview of Manhunt 2 for the Wii  – Can You Ever Truly Tame Manhunt?

Title: Manhunt 2 for the Nintendo Wii
UK Release Date: 01/02/2008
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Rating: TBA
RRP: £39.99

Manhunt is a game which is well known for its violence. Banned in various places, the game was thought to have contributed to a number of murders that were committed after its release. So the development of Manhunt 2 had a task on their hands to ensure that the game was suitable for its target audience. So is the Wii version of the game really any tamer than its predecessor? With the Manhunt 2 release date just around corner we reveal more…

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Have you got what it takes? Pimp My Ride is possibly one of the most talked about TV shows both in America and the UK. The show was so successful in America that they even created a UK version hosted by Tim Westwood.

Following the success of the television show, Pimp My Ride is now due to be released in early February 2008 and it is set to be a big hit with most Nintendo Wii gamers.

(click for larger image)

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