Rumor: Mario Galaxy Pushed Back To X-mas Metroid Coming in April

 

Filed January 20, 2007 @ 4:57 pm

An anonymous local Nintedo rep, (the kind that checks in on EB stores) gave me a little inside info today. The word around the company is that promises of Mario Galaxy in the spring are not going to be kept. Although, the New Metroid for Wii will be coming sometime between April and June. He also told me that Metroid will be the first Wii game to be playable over the internet. When, I expressed my dismay at lack of Wi-Fi capable games at launch he explained that the infrastructure is all up and has been ready to go. The lack of Wi-Fi games so far has been due to developers not making use of it.

Take it for what it’s worth, but I predict a showdown this fall/Christmas between everybody’s favorite little plumber and the Master Chief. And, by then Sony will most likely be offering free hand-jobs to get people to buy the PS3.

Source: The GameDrift Podcast » Rumor: Mario Galaxy Pushed Back To X-mas Metroid Coming in April

Digital Podium

 

I have a Wii which everyone in my family has very much enjoyed, and a bunch of my aunts and uncles had each asked if I could buy them one if I saw any available.
So I heard about Target holding Wii's for today, Sunday, January 21st, 2007. It was 8:06 AM this morning when I called the first Target store in the Los Angeles area. This is how the guy answered the phone:
"Thank you for calling Target where we have already sold out of the Nintendo Wii, what can help you with today?"
I started laughing... every other Target in the Los Angeles area is the same, NO MORE WII'S! Since the Wii has obviously achieved a high level of demand in the mainstream mass market, it will be a long time until it's easily available. I guess next time there is a shipment people will have to camp out!

Source: Digital Podium

Twilight Princess Death Clock

 

Well this is upsetting. I'm one boss fight away from (supposedly) finishing the thing, and this program is telling me I'm actually only 58% of the way through the game. No, I don't have a third quiver. I didn't even know there was one.

Way to dampen my spirits with cold, precise mathematics guys. Luke Plunkett

% Complete Calculator for "The Legend of Zelda : Twillight Princess" [via Opposable Thumbs]

 

Source: Twilight Princess Death Clock
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 12:40:00 GMT

Tummy rumblin' NES cartridge hits Ebay

 

Filed under: News, Fan stuff

Made from only the finest Austrian chocolate and 1 out of 3 available in the world, this milk chocolate NES cartridge looks like a Nintendo fanboy's Easter basket dream. Weighing in at about 7 ounces, the current highest bid is $41.00 USD at the time of this post. Looks delicious, but is it worth the cost?
If you bought it, would you plan on eating it or displaying it? More pictures have been embedded past the post break.

Read |

 

Source: Tummy rumblin' NES cartridge hits Ebay
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 15:25:00 GMT

Wii lan adapters shipping

 

For those of you who ordered the Wii lan adapter, they seem to be shipping. Reader Ken sent in a pic of his, which arrived in the mail today.

Anyone else get theirs?

Source: Wii lan adapters shipping
Originally published on Tue, 16 Jan 2007 01:10:49 GMT

Wii/DS sales in Europe

 

15th January 2007 –Nintendo’s Wii and DS games consoles topped the must have gifts chart this Christmas, with thousands flying off the shelves across Europe at an amazing rate throughout the festive period. Record-breaking numbers of Nintendo DS and Wii consoles sold out as quickly as they could be restocked, proving that Europeans are embracing Nintendo’s revolutionary new take on gaming.

In the UK, independent sales figures released by Chart Track confirm Nintendo’s Wii and DS games consoles topped the must-have gifts this Christmas, in total almost 200,000 Wii consoles were sold in the UK over the Christmas period. Nintendo DS further cemented its status as the market leading hardware format in the UK for 2006. The total number of Nintendo DS units sold in the UK in December topped 500,000 making it not only the best selling console of any kind in the UK this Christmas - but the best selling console of any kind in 2006.*

In Europe, Nintendo’s consoles have been going from strength to strength over the last few months with the Nintendo DS and Wii accounting for over half of all European video game hardware sales in December.

Two years after its launch Nintendo’s dual-screened handheld console, the Nintendo DS is leading the console market in Europe. Nintendo DS, enjoyed a record breaking Christmas experiencing its highest ever monthly sales since its launch in March 2005, 1.7 million units were sold across Europe during December making it the best selling games console in Europe across all formats, both in December and 2006, by a substantial margin.

Wii also took Europe by storm when it launched on 8th December 2006 and became the fastest selling games console in European history after its first weekend. In a matter of days Wii was totally sold out across the continent. Since launch Nintendo has been continually shipping more stock to retail outlets to meet unprecedented demand from both gamers and non-gamers alike. Despite selling out faster than it could be restocked, over 700,000 Wii consoles were snapped up across Europe in December 2006.

Wii software has performed equally well with more than 500,000 copies of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess sold in December, meaning that over 70% of Wii owners purchased this game. Wii Play has seen similar success with 320,000 copies sold to date, accounting for 45% of all Wii owners and showing that playing together was a priority for over half of Wii gamers thanks to the Wii Remote bundled with the game.

Laurent Fischer, Marketing Director for Nintendo Europe commented:
“We have enjoyed one of the most successful Christmas holidays ever, with both Nintendo DS and Wii selling at staggering rates. The success of our products this Christmas clearly shows that Nintendo’s drive to make gaming accessible to everyone has attracted people of all ages and abilities to the industry. We are facing such high demand for both platforms that unfortunately we are facing stock shortages, however we are doing everything possible to combat this by attempting to deliver both consoles and games to retailers on a daily basis.”

Last week, Nintendo increased its projected worldwide financial performance for the year ending on March 31 to be the best in company history.

Wii launched across Europe on 8th December 2006 and retails at an estimated retail price of €250 (£179 UK) with Wii Sports. Nintendo DS and DS Lite are available across Europe at an estimated retail price of €130 - €150 (£89 - £99 UK).

GamesPress

Source: Wii/DS sales in Europe
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 18:25:17 GMT

Meet the Robinsons Wii fact sheets

 

Overview

Disney’s Meet the Robinsons, based on the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures animated film, is a time-traveling action/adventure game. Players will experience the adventure as Wilbur Robinson, helping him chase the dastardly Bowler Hat Guy and his diabolical robotic hat Doris through multiple timelines in an attempt to thwart their evil plans. The game weaves in and out of the film’s plot, expanding the Robinson world and offering an all-new adventure. Wilbur will have a host of gadgets at his disposal as he battles enemies and solves puzzles while pursuing Bowler Hat Guy and trying not to alter the future.

Key Features

Game control will utilize the innovative Nintendo Wii controller
Experience large-scale and stunning environments that deepen the movie universe — fully explore the Robinson’s House, Lewis’s science fair, Lizzie’s Ant Underworld and much more
Travel through time to alter the past and affect the future, interacting with the funny and distinct cast of characters from the movie
Utilize and upgrade the game’s myriad cool gadgets in funny and clever ways, including the: Chargeball Glove, Disassembler, Scanner, Family Album, Havoc Gloves and Levitation Emitting Volume
Solve puzzles and complete missions, discovering hidden upgrades, new items, and adventure areas in an interactive environment
Play various Charge Ball mini-games and collect Virtual Reality discs to download new courts

About the “Meet the Robinsons” film

Lewis is a brilliant 12-year-old boy with a surprising number of clever inventions to his credit. His latest and most ambitious project is the Memory Scanner, which he hopes will retrieve early memories of his mother and maybe even reveal why she put him up for adoption. But before he can get his answer, his invention is stolen by the dastardly Bowler Hat Guy and his diabolical hat – and constant companion – Doris. Lewis has all but given up hope in his future when Wilbur Robinson, a boy from the future, whisks our bewildered hero away in a time machine into a great big beautiful tomorrow. In a world filled with flying cars and floating cities, they hunt down Bowler Hat Guy, save the future and uncover the amazing secret of Lewis’ future family. Meet the Robinsons is based on the book A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce.

GAME PUBLISHER: Buena Vista Games
DEVELOPER: Avalanche Software, a BVG studio
GENRE: Action/Adventure
SHIP DATE: Spring 2007
ESRB RATING: Rating Pending
PRICE: To Be Announced
TARGET AUDIENCE: Kids 6-14
PLAYERS: 1
GAME PLATFORM: Wii (also for PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance)
BVG CONTACTS: Mark Ward and Lee Skittrell at Bastion
mark@bastion.co.uk
020 7490 1323

GamesPress

Source: Meet the Robinsons Wii fact sheets
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 18:31:24 GMT

My goodness, that's pretty

 

Filed under: Mods, Controller

We've seen some Wiimote mods before, but certainly none were quite as aesthetically pleasing as this. Not only has the modder-in-question placed a bright LED behind the transparent A button, but he actually changes the color of both the button and the lower LED based on player position. This mod is apparently quite difficult to pull off, but if you've any electrical savvy in your body, we all think you owe it to your Wiimote to at least take a look at how it's done.
It's so pretty.
[via 4cr]

Source: My goodness, that's pretty
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 19:20:00 GMT

Kotaku Magu: Cooking Mama, Space Invader In Wii Train Game

 

Title says it all. Japanese game maker Taito is giving Mama from Cooking Mama and an alien from Space Invaders make cameo appearances in Densha de Go! for the Wii. Sure hope that a bullet train doesn't run over Mama! Brian Ashcraft

 

Source: Kotaku Magu: Cooking Mama, Space Invader In Wii Train Game
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 20:22:34 GMT

Mad Catz Coming Out With Wiimote, Images

 

It seems that Mad Catz will be coming out with their own edition of the Wiimote and Nunchuck controller. As you can see from the images, the design is a bit more "tough" than the original Nintendo device. We may have to give this one a shot for ourselves. (Thanks, Hso)

Source: Mad Catz Coming Out With Wiimote, Images
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 20:37:52 GMT

NES Purse Mod

 

The original NES might not have been able to play a game without being blown on, but over the years it has proven to have millions of household uses beyond simple TV entertainment. You can use it to tell time, play music, watch DVDs, or even run Mac software.

Now, thanks to the glory of yanking out innards and adding hinges, it can even double as a purse.
This stylish console accessory was created by eBayer bikemike13dog, and features a modded NES controller as a handle. It utilizes the unused connector port on the bottom of the system as a lighter holder, and the cartridge slot can either fit a cellphone or his own custom created NES cart cigarette holder (sold separately). The auction ends tomorrow, and the bidding is only $28!

Ever since I bought a Yobo to help curb my girlfriend's Yoshi Cookie addiction my original NES has done nothing but collect dust. Think how much more dust I could collect if it were a purse! The mind boggles. Michael Fahey

Nintendo Purse [eBay via The Last Boss]

 

Source: NES Purse Mod
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 21:40:48 GMT

Virtual Console Mondays

 

Three classics hit the Shop Channel. Xevious, R-Type III and Moto Roader ready for download.

Source: Virtual Console Mondays
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 22:32:00 GMT

One More Amazing Line Rider Clip

 

It still doesn't beat out the most amazing Line Rider clip ever, but since the "web toy" is coming to the Nintendo DS and the Wii, here's one more (final?) demo of what you can strive for with the commercial release. Stick around for the sad ending. Michael McWhertor

 

Source: One More Amazing Line Rider Clip
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:40:06 GMT

Wario Wii: It's All About "Block Star"

 

I got Wario Ware Smooth Moves for Wii this morning, and quickly got to this one boss stage where you had to catch blocks on a moving platform that you steadied by holding the controller in your hand. It was awesome, and I thought, "Gee, they could make a whole game out of this if they wanted." Well, immediately afterwards, a new icon opened up on the map screen. Block Star. A whole game of this.

Even if you don't think you like Wario games, this is so much fun (and so potentially difficult as you start to balance more and more blocks that fall faster and in odder positions) that you should at least rent Smooth Moves and check it out. Here's an example of a game that you just can't do without a motion-sensitive controller, because it's the little tiny shakes of your hand that make it so appealing.

Source: Wario Wii: It's All About "Block Star"
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:34:18 GMT

Nintendo Records Best Holiday Selling Season in U.S. Video Game History

 

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 11, 2007 – There has never been anything like it. Independent U.S. sales figures released by the NPD Group today confirmed a red-hot launch for the new Wii™ system by Nintendo, and the crowning of the portable Nintendo DS™ as the best-selling video game device of any type for both the holidays and all of 2006.

Along with stunning success for The Legend of Zelda®: Twilight Princess and historic sales of accessories, including more than 1.5 million extra controllers for Wii alone, Nintendo recorded the most successful across-the-board holiday performance in U.S. video game history.

Among key results:

* Consumers purchased every Wii console available at retail—more than a million in just the 44 days between U.S. launch and year end.
* With sales of another 1.6 million systems in December alone, Nintendo DS achieved full year sell-through of 5.3 million.
* The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was purchased by an extraordinary 86 percent of Wii buyers, or more than 900,000 games for that system alone. Coupled with the companion version released in December for Nintendo GameCube™, the two versions of the newest Zelda title totaled approximately 1.5 million unit sales in less than seven weeks, which would represent one of the five best-selling games for the entire year.
* Wii owners also purchased an average of three additional games from a wide library of choices, in addition to the Wii Sports title packed in with every hardware system.
* Two Nintendo DS titles, New Super Mario Bros.® and Brain Age™: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, also were top-10 sellers for the year.
* Throughout the November/December holiday shopping period, Nintendo accounted for more than half of all video game hardware systems sold in America.

Earlier this week, Nintendo increased its projected worldwide financial performance for the year ending on March 31 to be the best in company history.

“Millions of players, both hard-core and brand-new, are already enjoying the unique entertainment provided by Wii, but demand for the system remains incredibly high,” says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “So our work is just beginning. We’re dedicating ourselves to maximizing both manufacturing and distribution full bore throughout 2007, to make sure everyone who wants to experience the future of video gaming can do so just as soon as possible.”

The momentum behind Wii will continue unabated through the early weeks of 2007, with retail debuts of WarioWare™: Smooth Moves, Wii Play™ and Mario Party® 8 from Nintendo; a host of third-party releases; and a steady stream of classic games made available via download with the Wii Shop Channel.

Nintendo Press Release

Source: Nintendo Records Best Holiday Selling Season in U.S. Video Game History
Originally published on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 02:10:48 GMT

Massive WarioWare: Smooth Moves email advert

 

Thanks Mexxim!

Source: Massive WarioWare: Smooth Moves email advert
Originally published on Thu, 11 Jan 2007 22:48:22 GMT

Lexicon Entertainment interview

 

A portion of C3 interview with Glory Days 2 developer Lexicon Entertainment…

Cubed³: Can you please tell our readers a little more about yourself and your role in the company? Also, how large is the team working on Glory Days 2?

Oliver Denis: Hello, I’m Olivier Denis and I am the creator of Glory Days2. Actually, hundreds of people have helped me in the creation of Glory Days2. We really took time to read journalists and public comments before developing this second opus. More concretely, Raphael Gesqua, in particular recognized for his music for Motoracer and Fade to Black (and Flashback, and can’t quote them all as there are too many) will work on the music for this game. I also working with a comic author, Julien Rolland, who knew perfectly how to adapt the very strong character of each pilot.

Beyond that, I have the friendly assistance of Christophe Kohler, Frederic Brutin, and George-Henri Portefait. For the rest, I guess we could say that we like to work day and night. Ultimately, I’ve attached more and more importance to remain a very small team in particular to respect the final quality of my game. I work on games that I want to play and release them on the market when they are perfectly finished. Glory Days2 is the fruit of more than four years of hard work.

C3: From the recent information released, it seems that Glory Days 2 will use elements from a number of genres. What genre would you say the game predominantly focuses on?

Read the full interview here

Source: Lexicon Entertainment interview
Originally published on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 02:04:09 GMT

Wii Wireless Sensor Bar with 25 Foot Range

Wii Wireless Sensor Bar with 25 Foot Range

IGN reports on a sensor bar unveiled at CES that should be hitting the market soon. The company boasts their sensor bar will pick up the Wii Remote up to 25 feet away from the IR source. It runs on 4 AAA batteries with up to 30 hours of life. No price point was mentioned.

 

 

IGN: The Godfather Blackhand Edition Interview

 

The Godfather Blackhand Edition Interview

We shake down EA producer Joel Wade in this exclusive Wii-specific interview. No wise guys allowed.

by Mark Bozon

 

January 11, 2007 - Coinciding with the official announcement of The Godfather Blackhand Edition for Nintendo Wii EA Senior Producer Joel Wade sat down to chat with IGN about the upcoming release, specifics on the game's unique control, and EA's future with the Wii console.

Source: IGN: The Godfather Blackhand Edition Interview

Wii Sports wins Game of the Year award in Time Magazine

 

Filed under: News

Once again, Wii Sports is the media darling of the mainstream press. Time is as big as they come. But Game of the Year? Many of us may disagree. As hardened, totally awesome gamers, we've come to expect grand adventures, interesting characters, nail-biting action sequences, and wonderfully infuriating logic puzzles. (And if you were wondering, dear readers, our own game of the year award goes to Twilight Princess, naturally.) But totally awesome gamers do not run Time, and thus, we don't think they really care about such nonsense.
Still, stepping off our pedestal for a moment, Wii Sports has brought more new and lapsed gamers to the screen than any game since Super Mario Bros. Having fun with friends and family; is this not the point of gaming in general? It's an interesting question, and one akin to comparing Old School with American Beauty. One may have been an inspiring, cinematic masterpiece, but which did you have more fun watching? Which do you guys think deserves the award?
[via Joystiq]

Source: Wii Sports wins Game of the Year award in Time Magazine
Originally published on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 17:00:00 GMT

Hudson talks Dungeon Explorer VC delay

 

Hudson's Dungeon Explorer missed its target launch date yesterday, leaving Urban Champion (NES) and Baseball (NES) to represent Wii Virtual Console's New Years releases. The muff doesn't sit well with TurboGrafx-16 fans who have already suffered through two Hudson VC blunders: a broken Military Madness and a pricey R-Type.
Speaking on Dungeon Explorer's tardiness, Hudson's John Master Lee cited "funky things" (bugs) appearing during last-minute tests. Lee wisely avoided suggesting a new release date, saying only that an update on the game's condition would be "coming soon."

Read 

Source: Hudson talks Dungeon Explorer VC delay
Originally published on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 16:25:00 GMT

Nintendo Vs. Sony Stock In 2006

January 2nd, 2007 by Matt Stone

After a record year for Nintendo, both hardware and software wise, the value of its stock doubled in 2006. The DS has been e best seller all year long, while the Wii was the best selling new console this holiday season, where a reported 3 million were sold in five weeks.

Sony’s stock on the other hand, has had a rollercoaster ride in 2006, ending at the same value as it begun in January. There wasn’t one month without bad news for Sony, from defect laptop batteries, to PS3 production issues, delays, and even more delays.

Ubisoft Announces 4 For Wii In March

 

Ubisoft has announced four new Wii titles on the way for this March. The titles are: Cosmic Family, Driver Parallel Lines, Brothers In Arms D-Day and Spelling Spree. Spelling Spree? Oh boy! The others sound fine although they are mostly ports.

Source: Ubisoft Announces 4 For Wii In March
Originally published on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 20:59:23 GMT

Nintendo Partners With MMO Developer

 

Nintendo has announced a partnership with Nexon, a Korean MMO developer. The company has developed Maple Story in the past, and now we assume they will be making a new MMO for the Wii. More details when we have them.

Source: Nintendo Partners With MMO Developer
Originally published on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 14:44:29 GMT

Wii and the back-up conundrum

 

Contained in the embedded video, available past the jump, You Tube user Yadokingu takes us step-by-step through the Wii's security features and showing several backdoors one could use. Now, we don't condone doing anything that would void your warranty or get you tossed into jail, but this video is just too impressive to keep a lid on.
[Thanks Eoin!]

Source: Wii and the back-up conundrum
Originally published on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 10:35:00 GMT

Ninety makes other folks rich, too

 

 

Here's an interesting little factoid: the Wii is driving the Asian import/export market to record highs, and those are just the legal imports. No, we don't mean the act of one guy selling another guy a console, but rather the market surrounded the creation and transportation of our favorite new console. Nintendo had a big part in the record-setting month of November, when toy imports from China (where they build Wiis, as well as everything else ever) to Japan came in at a little over 200 million big ones (¥25.3billion). Apparently, the Wii was responsible for a good 40% of that amount -- nearly half! That's a huge effect, and according to Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shinbun, "No other video game console has had such a big effect on imports."
Well, take that, analysts. You may continue to sing the imminent victory of the PS3, but the Wii drives global commerce. We hear it also serves as a volunteer firefighter on off days. Now if only you could find one ....

Source: Ninty makes other folks rich, too
Originally published on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 16:00:00 GMT

Nintendo: Wii Sports Is Time's Game Of The Year

 

by Jerry Mitchell Wii Sports is numero one, Zelda #4We promise, we'll stop writing about Wii Sports and The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess winning awards the second the Nintendo Wii games stop...well...winning awards. The latest comes from the always reputable Time Magazine, whose writers were utter delighted by Wii Sports and put the title at #1: ...it's hilarious, and it shows off the power of the motion-sensitive controller to put you right in the game, sweating and yelling and trying crazy spins and lunges and angles. The tennis game alone is worth the price of admission. Which is nothing, since it comes free with the Wii.

Source: Nintendo: Wii Sports Is Time's Game Of The Year
Originally published on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 03:58:33 GMT

It's (technically) Virtual Console Monday!

 

And you know what that means ... new games! Unfortunately, it looks like Nintendo has one hell of a hangover (we can't blame them, we were up till 6 AM ourselves), and they only managed to spit out two rather inauspicious titles: Baseball and Urban Champion, both for the NES. After five hundred points each, we maintain that both playing baseball and punching someone in the face are both far more enjoyable in real life in Wii Sports.
And by the way, fellow fanboys, Happy New Year! Did your megaton party involve raucous Wii-playing? As you know, there was a more important countdown in Times Square around a month and a half ago, so if you played right through midnight, wish yourself a happy belated 2007 and check the ball-drop on your TiVo. Just kidding. We know you've already erased that to make room for the next episode of Heroes.

Source: It's (technically) Virtual Console Monday!
Originally published on Mon, 01 Jan 2007 14:44:00 GMT

Wii Sports is TIME's #1 Video Game of 2006

 

There is no possible way to say this enough times: great graphics don't make great games. Wii Sports—a mini-sports anthology that includes golf, boxing, tennis, baseball and bowling—looks like ColecoVision. The little guys on the screen don't even have arms. The tennis game alone is worth the price of admission. Which is nothing since it comes free

Source: Wii Sports is TIME's #1 Video Game of 2006
Originally published on Mon, 01 Jan 2007 07:40:01 GMT