Given the year is now 2020, you likely don't expect to see a lot of new games coming for Wii or Wii U, save for perhaps the obligatory ports of the latest entry in Ubisoft's Just Dance series. However, in news that will have you checking to make sure it's not April 1, a new, non-Just Dance game is on the way for the two Nintendo consoles that preceded the Switch, and it's releasing quite soon.
The game is Shakedown: Hawaii, a retro-style open-world action game in the vein of the early Grand Theft Auto entries. It originally released on a number of platforms last year--notably including PlayStation Vita--but is now coming to Wii and Wii U seemingly due to a random impulse on the part of the developer.
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Now Playing: Shakedown: Hawaii - Nintendo Switch Trailer
"Like most of my ports, Shakedown: Hawaii on Wii began one Friday night on a whim of curiosity," wrote developer Vblank. "Perhaps a jolt of Wii nostalgia rushed through me that evening, but I suddenly wondered... how long would it actually take to port? How would it feel to play with a Wii Remote? How would it look in 4:3? Would it hit 60 FPS right off the bat, or need optimization? I had many questions, but as soon as I held that Wii Remote and started playing, I knew I wanted to take it to the finish line."
However, while Vblank says that many ports for discontinued platforms get started, they don't necessarily end up seeing the light of day. In this case, however, they will: The Wii version launches on July 9, with the Wii U version (and a Steam port of the existing PC version) set for sometime in August.
The Wii edition is limited to 3,000 copies and will be sold for $30. Unfortunately, those in North America won't be able to play it, at least easily--despite working with Nintendo of America, given the age of the platform, a disc-based release couldn't be worked out. (Wii discs aren't region free, so importing would require you to have a PAL region system to play it on.) However, Nintendo of Europe was able to make this a reality, and those 3,000 copies will go on sale at 6 PM BST on July 9.
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A digital Wii release also couldn't happen given the Wii Shop has been shut down (and thus robbing us of the pleasure of one last Update Day.) That's where the Wii U version comes in--this release will be available even in North America. A precise release date has not yet been announced.
In terms of what to expect, this is the full version of Shakedown: Hawaii that's available on other platforms, even including post-launch updates. But there are some new features, with the game offering support for the 4:3 aspect ratio. On Wii, you can play with the Wii Remote (with shake support), Classic Controller, Classic Controller Pro, or GameCube controller. The Wii U version supports the GamePad, Pro Controller, Wii Remote, Classic Controller, and Classic Controller Pro, with the ability to play entirely on the GamePad with touch controls, if you so choose.
Work has also been done to ensure the disc-based nature of these versions didn't result in new load times. "I took special care to ensure it parallels the experience of the more powerful platforms, and further optimized it to fit entirely into the Wii system memory," Vblank said. "This means that you won't experience any disc load times during gameplay. Once the game boots, you're in!"
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