Lately, I’ve been preoccupied with playing video games on my handheld consoles (Nintendo DS and Sony PSP) and of course Rockband on the XBox 360. At the same time, I’ve basically ignored my Nintendo Wii and haven’t played many games (aside from some Super Smash Brothers Brawl). After checking online, I’ve noticed some big news for Wii owners:

1) Confirmation and release date of Rockband for the Wii

So after much waiting and suspense, Harmonix has FINALLY announced the release of their popular Rockband game for the Nintendo Wii. The game will be released in North America on June 22nd, 2008 as a Special Edition package (which includes the game, guitar, drums and microphone) and each instrument will also be sold separately. As you can see, the drum set for the Wii are actually white (as opposed to black for the other consoles). However, there are some bad news in that there will be no downloadable content (DLC), no customizable avatar/band members and there will be no connectivity with Wiimotes (which also means that there is no compatability with the Guitar Hero III controllers). With all these shortcomings, the game will feature a total of 63 songs and will retail for $169.99

2) Preorders for Wii Fit have started at GameStop and is priced at $90 US

It looks as though from a blurry image taken from a Gamestop terminal over the weekend, that the Wii Fit will be priced at $90.00 (which include the game and balance board). It has also been confirmed that Gamestop has also started taking preorders for the game (with a $10 deposit). What is interesting is that the price of the Wii Fit for the North American market had yet to be confirmed by Nintendo, however, they have been announced for Australia and Europe at a price well over $100 USD. The game is due to be released on May 19th, 2008.

3) Guitar Hero III owners for the Wii receive free faceplate for their guitar controller

For those of you Wii owners who purchased Guitar Hero III with the defective game (only have monoaural sound), Activision has finally corrected the matter by providing owners with replacement Guitar Hero III discs and an added bonus. As an apology, Activision also sent out a free faceplate for their guitar controller! Though it may not be much, but it’s a nice gesture by Activision to those who had to wait for a replacement.

4) Japanese video of Mario Kart Wii

Well, you’ve probably heard of the new Mario Kart game coming for the Wii on April 27th, 2008 and that it’ll come with steering wheel attachment for your Wiimote, so as to experience the new Wii control scheme by Nintendo. Though I’m a little iffy on the responsiveness/effectiveness of the new control scheme, I’m still pretty excited about it’s upcoming release. In order to whet your appetites, here is a Japanese video of Mario Kart Wii:

-Stephen