Revolution Portal: Because it won’t be televised.

Wii Music has been teased by the Big N since back in 2005.  In 2006, Shigeru Miyamoto impressed the E3 crowd by conducting using the orchestra game. 

But the title is now scheduled for 2008, so how does one get their conducting groove on Nintendo Wii before then? 

Namco Bandai thinks it has the solution with its newly announced Nodame Cantabile: Dream Orchestra.   The original NC was released on the DS and used the stylus for keeping the pace of the music.

The Wii version will feature 50 songs and a new story mode with cutscenes to play through.  Nodame Cantabile: Dream Orchestra is slated to come out on December 27 in Japan.

The latest issue of Nintendo Power has a report that Wii will be getting a retooled Samba De Amigo, courtesy of Gearbox Software. 

The report described how there would be no external peripherals; the Nintendo Wii remote and nunchuck would be taking the place of the maracas that were included with the original Dreamcast title.

Today, Sega has confirmed that the story is true to 1UP: Samba De Amigo will be making the journey to Nintendo’s hit console. 

Sega promised that more information will be forthcoming.

Truth be told, an issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly just wouldn’t be the same without the juicy gossip. And in the latest issue, EGM has a whopper regarding the hit title Viva Pinata being ported to Wii.  

Lest you think it’s too kooky to think of a Horstachio on the Wii, Rare has already confirmed that VP is coming to DS.  So there’s already a somewhat friendly relationship with the Big N to expand upon.

From Game Life:

Apparently Microsoft isn’t satisfied with putting their first-party, Rare-developed franchise Viva Pinata on the DS: they’d just like to concede the race entirely and make a Nintendo Wii version.

Admittedly, it’s still a bit of a long shot.  It would be in direct competition Xbox 360, so Microsoft would be giving an even bigger edge to a competitor who is already leading the race.  And let’s face it…the prospect doesn’t seem like something they’d be lining up to do.

The Wii Shop channel will be stocked with Hudson’s Legend of Hero Tonma when Monday rolls around.  The TurboGrafx 16 side scroller will cost 600 points…but hopefully the other Nintendo Wii VC titles that will be announced tomorrow will be slightly more deserving of Pointage.

The description from Hudson:

One day, Tonma, a pupil under the tutelage of the magician Merlin, hears the voice of a princess asking for help. He relays this to Merlin, who then reveals that he is actually a prince and that his destiny is intertwined with the princess. Determined to save the princess, the fella sets off to another world.

There are a total of 7 Stages with traps and enemies that you will need to get through in order to reach the castle where the princess is being held. Avoid traps and destroy enemies while collecting Coins and Items from Treasure chests that are strewn throughout. If you come to a dead-end, be sure to go back and check to see if you missed a Key or Ancient map. A boss awaits you at the end of each stage. Defeat the boss to clear the stage.

With Metroid Prime 3: Corruption for Wii receiving both critical acclaim and selling like crazy, the question becomes: what’s next for Retro Studios?

Looks like it could be another Nintendo Wii FPS, according to hints in a recent interview. 

“One of the things we’ve always been told by Nintendo of Japan is they say they appreciate us as a studio because we make games they can’t make,” said Mark Pacini of Retro. “Their specialty is in the casual market. Their specialty is in the platforming and more traditional titles.”

So what is up their sleeves, then?

“I’m really excited about what we’re working on next,” he said. “If people enjoy the kinds of games Retro makes, I don’t think they’re going to be disappointed about what we’re doing.”

Doesn’t look like it’s going to a be a puzzler, that’s for sure.