With the success of Wii Sports, it's easy to see how swinging your arms in Mario Tennis can be more fun than playing tennis with your thumbs. And with Pikmin, using gesture controls to direct your Pikmin is better than commands via buttons. Essentially, some GameCube games would just be more successful on an active-controller supporting platform. On May 4, Nintendo will be releasing Donkey Kong Jungle Beat for the Wii, but unlike its GameCube version, this one uses Wiimotes and Nunchucks so you won't have to pay $50 for bongo drums.

On most Wii games, you have the ability to use Classic or GameCube controllers; however, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Wii only works with Wiimotes and Nunchucks. In the GameCube version, banging on the right and left bongo drums made Donkey Kong move, slamming on them together made him jump, alternately banging both of them pounded on things, and clapping your hands triggered special moves. Worried that the Wii would have identical controls—just on Wiimotes and Nunchucks—I was pleasantly surprised with the Wiimote's more intuitive controls, using basic Nintendo commands: A makes DK jump, B produces a nice buttslam, the analog stick directs him, and shaking either wrist activates special moves, including sonic booms that will do anything from shaking bananas out of tress to slaying your enemies.

The greatest thing about the new play controls is that you won't end up breathless, with stinging palms and a sweaty body. Your arms won't get tired as your thumbs and the analog stick control directions, and the controls are sensitive enough that jiggling your wrist lightly for special moves works fine. Sometimes you'll have to quickly alternate moving your left and right hands up and down to pound enemies to death, but it's barely noticeable or tiring. You may have sweaty palms when you're done, but at least your body will be dry and ache-free. Moreover, because the Wii versions of these GameCube games are basically almost the same games, they'll cost you $30 instead of the typical $50 for a Wii game.

So, what other GameCube games we could be expecting as part of the "New Play Control!" series? Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2, Pikmin 2 and Chibi-Robo! will be available with the new control in Japan this year. Assuming that the technology, game-control conversions and gameplay have already been modified for their Wii counterparts in Japan, it seems safe to anticipate American copies of these games shortly after. [Nintendo]

JD: How long did it take, total?
DK: Fudging the math here. About 3 months start to finish, working probably an average of an hour a day (more on the weekends, less during the week). 110-120 hours probably isn't too far off.

JD: Do you think, given enough time, you could use Mindstorms to recreate the arcade for real? I mean, controlling Mario travelling across the screen to the top. Too complicated?
DK: I've gotten this question a few times now.. It might be possible with some sort of magnet-behind-the-wall system, but it's not something I'll be able to attempt. I'd like to keep my wife.

JD: Any plans to do other games?
DK: I have some ideas for Ms Pacman, but it's still in the brainstorming stages. No promises..

[Vib via Brothers Brick]

Before the NES, the best you could get from Nintendo was a little clamshell porta-system that allowed you to beat up Donkey Kong, among others. Though this is no Twilight Princess, you'll still be able to collect Triforce pieces and free Zelda or beat the living crap out of a gigantic monkey. – Jason Chen

Product Page [ThinkGeek via Geeksugar via uber gizmo]

The ¥483 (US$4) dot-s packages consist of 250 colored pegs, a perforated board to plug them into and a plastic base to make it all stand up. Each box is unmarked, so fevered collectors have no way of knowing which Mario, Zelda or Donkey Kong character they're going to spend the next three minutes slapping together. – Jonny Hiratsuka

dot-s Nintendo edition [Game Watch]