Nintendo Wii Fanboy

We were excited to see that a handful of Family Ski videos were released, only to be disappointed upon actually viewing them. It's not that the game looks bad, but the videos don't actually show us anything. Aside from a quick glimpse at the game's visuals (screenshots would have done the job almost as well) and a fifteen second look at three of the slopes, there wasn't much to take in.

What we really want to see is some gameplay, or even better, a demonstration of someone using the Balance Board, Wiimote, and Nunchuck with the game. For a title like this that doesn't have cutscenes to woo us with, showing gameplay is even more important.

When digging a little bit for a silver lining, it's good to know that the slopes will range in difficulty. If the mogul course entails skiing straight over the moguls (as seen in the video above), though, we're going to be a little peeved -- if you've ever been mogul skiing before, you'll know that's not how it's done.

For those of you unphazed by Namco's minimalistic approach, you can check out two more ski slopes after the break.

Namco Bandai has a big series of Family (activity) games coming to Wii in Japan soon, including the wacky Athletic World (which comes with the Family Trainer mat) and Family Ski. There are new details on both of these games as well as screens of both Family Jockey and the latest in the long-running Family Stadium baseball series.

GAME Watch introduces a couple of Family Ski's minigames, including a game in which you rescue skiers in trouble by stopping near them and performing a series of motions with the Wiimote and Nunchuk, and a "Find Mr. X!" game in which you hit the slopes in search of a specific skier in a crowd. Good luck distinguishing between people in cold weather gear!

The Athletic World page includes the first real screenshots of the game we've seen, and shows off a bunch of adorable games to be played by stomping. Canoe Kawa Kudari (Downstream Canoeing) involves using the Wiimote and Nunchuk as oars and balancing with the mat to keep your boat afloat. Mountain Slider is a sort of snowboard thing in which you ride down a mountain and do tricks under, over, and around wooden structures. Mogura Panic is a Whack-a-Mole game played with your feet, which sounds really fun for some reason. Torokko Adventure (Train Car Adventure) is the mine-cart game seen in the previous video. Taki Nobori (Waterfall Climbing) involves one player hopping up and down on the mat, and another directing movement with the Wiimote. In Maruta Kawashi, two players jump to avoid rolling logs.

The strangest thing about this series to us is that Namco Bandai uses two peripherals to do the same thing in different series: Athletic World has snowboarding, and leaning-based games, but doesn't support the Balance Board. Family Ski doesn't support the Family Trainer. The two teams should really talk.

Read -- Family Jockey
Read -- Family Ski
Read -- Family Stadium
Read -- Athletic World

As well as containing tons of screens we've not yet seen, the latest Famitsu scan featuring Namco Bandai's Family Ski shows off the title's unique use of Wii peripherals. If you've not yet heard, the game will use the Balance Board, while your Wiimote and Nunchuk double up as ski poles. It's the first title to use all three at once, and although we've yet to see a video of this peripheral fest in action, it promises to be a lot of fun.

Perhaps the game will eventually cover all bases, by including a specially devised mini-game that lets a second player shoot bad dudes with the Wii Zapper as player one speeds down the slopes. Or perhaps ideas like that are why we don't design games for a living.

Go past the break for a full-size version of the scan above.

New screenshots of Namco Bandai's seemingly-redundant Family Ski reveal a seemingly-redundant character editor. You can edit your in-game avatar's appearance to look like you! In a Wii game! How novel!

The "problem" with the character editors in games like this one, MySims and even the Simple Wii games is that everyone else's take on DIY character design is actually cuter than Nintendo's. We wouldn't mind swapping out our Miis for these little guys. Of course, you have to earn skiwear and accessories in the game to outfit them, but we hardly care what our avatar's parka looks like.

For those of you with a keen interest in the snowy sport, you can have a look at some of the 10 courses offered in the game. They're all snow-covered paths, but, like, the sky is different colors.

The first reaction we had to Family Ski was surprise that it didn't use the Wii Balance Board. Skiing, which relies so heavily on leaning (we think) seems like a natural fit for the wobbly step, and Nintendo agrees. But these screens, coupled with diagrams of the game's ski-pole-simulating control system, make us think otherwise. Using the Wiimote and Nunchuk as ski poles is a pretty great idea, and the motions look fairly representative.

For example, to crouch, you rotate the Wiimote and Nunchuk away from each other, as if you're rotating your hands to hold the poles up so you can assume a lower stance. And to turn, you move the controllers to one side, keeping them parallel.

It's clear that with the simple, representative motions (and the cute chibi characters), Family Ski is aiming to be the Wii Sports of falling down a mountain. Whether it achieves this goal is a matter of how Wii Fit's skiing works, and how well these controls work, as well as loads of marketing. At least Featureless Wiimote Diagram Guy is doing his part!

Snowboarding games have been pretty easy to find over the last decade or so, but skiing titles? They're a rarer bird. Indeed, when Horace Goes Skiing is still this writer's fondest recollection of the genre, you sense that there's a gap waiting to be filled.

Enter Namco Bandai, which has just announced Family Ski for the Wii. Due for release in Japan during Winter 2007/2008 and able to support up to four players, this cartoony take on the sport is being worked on by the folks behind Ridge Racer.

And yes, we know what you're thinking -- this would be perfect on the Wii Balance Board, right? Sadly, Namco Bandai would beg to differ; instead, the Wiimote and nunchuk become your ski poles as you hurtle down the white powdery stuff. Some Mii integration would certainly sweeten the pot, though.

Hit the break for a Famitsu scan.