MTV Multiplayer, in an interview with the developers of the Cartoon Network MMO FusionFall, got some juicy news regarding the flexibility of the tech behind the game.

“We’re not announcing anything but Unity [the game's client technology] is supported on the iPhone and the Wii. Actually, our tech director had a mock-up of our little avatars running around on an iPhone, so it’s certainly possible, but there’s a lot of backend we need to explore. They’re extensions that are within the realm of possibility, but there’s nothing planned — we’re exploring.”

We don’t know what to feel about an iPhone version, but porting it to the Wii would certainly cause an epic struggle over the family television.

Source: ‘FusionFall’ Developers Say Wii, iPhone Are Possibilities

If you were one of the few who played Rare’s latest installment of the Viva Pinata series, good for you. Rare thinks so too, and is rewarding you with some exclusive scan cards for the Valentine’s Day “holiday”.

Being the season of love, one of our countless admirers, developer Rare, sent over a set of scan-friendly Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise Valentine’s cards, including three new Killer Instinct characters for your collection.

MDIAG! Pro Tip: Check the endcaps in your local Target’s electronic section, as both Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise and the superior Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise are red-tagged for under $20.

Source: Rare expresses its Valentine’s love with new TIP cards

Confirmed: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, which will be released on your favorite console later this year, follows the storyline as first published in Marvel’s Civil War event from a few years back. MDIAG! parental note: Although you might be excited to show off this game to your kids when it comes out, you should be aware that it’s all about their favorite superheroes fighting against each other, not with. So they might be a little confused when Captain America goes up against Iron Man; and although it may be slightly spoilerish, everyone probably already knows Captain America dies at the end.

Nonetheless, click on the link below to view the latest trailer of the game from the NYCC.

Source: NYCC 09: Fuse your powers with this Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 trailer

With the juggernaut that is everything Wii, it was surprising to analysts when the NPD numbers indicated Wii Music didn’t quite live up to expectations this past holiday season. Nintendo has been trying to stay optimistic about the title, but now it’s finlly coming clean on why word of mouth never reached company expectations.

“There are people who highly appreciate it and those who do not appreciate it at all,” Iwata said, adding that perceptions can be changed. It’s all about word of mouth to him, as he said, “A cycle is born where people who have hands-on experience can immediately understand its appeal, easily explain the positive experience they had to those around them, who then spread that information to the others.”…With Wii Music, the company was never able to achieve this “positive cycle,” and Iwata says Nintendo now needs to “reevaluate” why it hasn’t been able to “clear that hurdle.”

Readers – if you played it, what did you think of it? Did it meet your expectations, and did your family enjoy it enough to recommend it to others? Share your experiences by posting in the comments.

Source: Nintendo: Wii Music needs to ‘clear the hurdle’

Super Smash Bros. Brawl fans, take notice. Ubisoft today announced its latest entry in the Turtles franchise, TMNT: Smash Up, as part of the 25 year celebration at New York Comic Con. After suffering through a few bad Turtles games in recent years, this one at least comes from good pedigree – Game Arts, which was responsible for SSBB on the Wii.

Joystiq has posted the trailer from the NYCC. Click the link below for a first look.

Source: First TMNT Smash Up trailer reminds us of something

Edge Online reports the UK games industry body ELSPA, the equivalent of the ESRB, has published “The Good Online Gaming Guide”, available through their website, Askaboutgames.com.

“Children,‭ ‬especially today,‭ ‬see gaming as normal part of everyday life. ‭ ‬Everything from Scrabble to World of Warcraft can be played over the Internet and against other human opponents,‭” ‬says ELSPA
chairman‭ ‬Andy Payne.‭

Microsoft has been very aggressive in promoting the family features on the Xbox 360, but this is a good guide that covers all gaming platforms including PCs, PS3s and Wii.

Source: Industry Body Releases Safe Gameplay Guide

When MDIAG! first saw footage of this pre-teen MMO, we were fondly reminded of the days when Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast dominated our bachelor lives. But since it’s aimed at kids, it can’t be any good, right?

Wrong. FusionFall, which combines the characters of Cartoon Network past and present, has been garnering praise from blogs and publications everywhere. The latest comes from Variety, which mentions the platforming elements of gameplay and amount of free content as standouts.

With SOE’s Free Realms around the corner, the market is ripe for free-to-play, browser-based MMOs aimed at kids. Just proceed with caution, parents – we don’t need a WoW-like epidemic on our hands.

Source: FusionFall: Warcraft-lite done right

Have your children shown difficulty in wielding the Wii remote due to its adult-sized nature? Worried that it could rapidly turn into a projectile headed for that HDTV? Well, have no fear, because modder DHREK has the solution for you. That is, if you have oodles of available time and are quite the handy craftsman. Which pretty much eliminates all parents, since our only ability is to change diapers, fish boogies from toddler noses and color inside the lines. And yes, we are parents, that’s why we can use the word “oodles”.

Via Kotaku, DHREK has instructions on how to build your own Wii remote at 2/3 the size of a standard one. Or you can wait for Matcatz to release one. Just sayin’.

Source: How To Build A Wii Remote For Children, Others Of Short Stature