Looking past the Wizard of Oz reference, you'll see all these animals and more in the upcoming Wii spin-off to Majesco Entertainment's popular Zoo Hospital, originally released on the Nintendo DS. The game will feature even more ailing animals as you treat their various sicknesses. Find out more about Zoo Hospital for the Wii in our full article.

GoNintendo has announced that Shrek Smash N' Crash - game that's gone but not entirely forgotten - will not be coming out for the Nintendo Wii. A gamer was concerned that the video game still wasn't on shelves so he contacted Torus Games to find out what happened to Shrek Smash N' Crash. Maybe his kids ate him?

The game appeared in 2006 for the GameCube, Playstation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy Advance, and an announcement was made later that year that it would make it to the Wii. Unfortunately, Shrek Smash N' Crash must have been scrapped because no developer was commissioned to make it.

Torus Games replied to the gamer saying that there were talks about releasing a version of Shrek Smash N' Crash for the Wii at the beginning of the year and retailers were informed of its release. Eventually the decision was made that Shrek Smash N' Crash won't make it to the Nintendo Wii, but the information must not have been passed on to the retailers.

Looks like we won't be seeing Shrek burning rubber until the makers decide to make a new one for the next-gen consoles.

If you're not big on the whole Formula One racing craze, and off-road, rally-style driving isn't your thing, there's a game coming to the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS that just might fit your picky taste. Indianapolis 500 Legends from Torus Games and Destineer is on its way, and it's looking very nice indeed. Have a peek:

Within three seconds of watching that trailer, you can already tell that it's an old school sim of the legendary Indy 500 races that have enthralled American race fans for decades. In Indianapolis 500 Legends, you'll race at breakneck speeds with luminaries of the ages aboard cars that changed history.

A lot of details are yet to be revealed, but already, we know that some races are objective-based. Overtaking a set number of opponents or finishing in record time are among the goals that you must accomplish in order to complete your missions. We'll keep you posted for more updates on this rubber-burner.

The Game Connection organizers appear to be expanding their influence as of late, as news circulates regarding the event's very first advisory board. The Game Connection event, for those asking, was established to help provide a meeting place for both publishers and developers, which is in turn hoped to give both groups a better chance at creating and planning future video game projects.

This announcements signifies the growing support the gaming industry now provides for Game Connection, which was also part of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco last March. As for the advisory board's roster:

• Svetlana Gorobets – International Licensing and Acquisition Manager –  1C  (Russia)
• Patrick Pligersdoffer – CEO –  Cyanide  (France)
• Ed Dille, – CEO – Fog Studios (Canada)
• Chris Charla – Business Development Director – Foundation IX (United States)
• Kurt Busch, – Product Development Director– Konami (United States)
• Sébastien Motte – Product Planner –  Microsoft (United States)
• Jason Kingsley – CEO –  Rebellion (United Kingdom)
• Harald Riegler – Managing Director –  Sproing (Austria)
• Alexander Fernandez – CEO –  Streamline Studios (Netherlands)
• Colin Gordon – CEO –  Valcon Games (United States)
• Gilles Langourieux – CEO –  Virtuos (China)
• Bill Mc Intosh – CEO –  Torus Games (Australia)
• Olivier Masclef – CEO –  Widescreen Games (France)
  

As Kurt Busch said regarding his assignment in the advisory board.

As interactive entertainment production becomes even more globalized, the ability to identify these opportunities becomes even more critical. I am honored to have been asked to join the board as I believe the Game Connection events build positive relationships across the industry, regardless of a company’s size, market or language.

In line with this announcement, we're also letting readers know that Game Connection organizer Connection Events is set to hold future conferences in Tokyo, Lyon, and San Francisco respectively:

• Game Connection Asia: Sept.  24-25, 2007: Tokyo - Japan
• Game Connection Europe: Dec. 4-5-6, 2007: Lyon - France
• Game Connection America @ GDC: Feb. 18-22, 2008: San Francisco - CA, USA
  

Exhibitors and service buyers interested in making it into these upcoming events are advised to visit the Game Connection home site. Stay tuned for further details.