Posted by Josh Beebe in General News, Nintendo DS | Comments Off
Iwata Asks – Nintendo DSi
Back when the Wii was being released and later with Super Smash Bros. Brawl (and various other products), Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo, did these sessions with the development teams called Iwata Asks. Now with the Nintendo DSi already out in Japan and soon to be released outside of Japan he’s at it again. In this latest Iwata Asks we find out about a lot of the new features of the DSi and what it took to get them implemented into the system. It’s quite an interesting read also filled with video demonstations throughout.
You can find that here
It was really a rather interesting read and made me want to go preorder my system right away. I’m even more excited for it now.
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Posted by Josh Beebe in General News, Nintendo DS | Comments Off
GTA: Chinatown Wars Website Open
Today Rockstar finally opened up the website for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and with it a lot of neat stuff. On the site you’ll find the first official trailer and another video that shows some gameplay elements like hijacking a car. Interesting, as it seems to be the first video showcasing the game in action. There are also downloads for wallpapers and a screensaver (one for Mac and one for PC), a widget to place on your own website which has the videos linked to it, and news updates. They also link to a lot of online retailers in the US and UK to preorder from.
There are some sections which are not complete though like Multiplayer and the very interesting "Socialclub" tab. Hopefully these sections will be updated before the release of the game.
The website can be found here
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be released on March 17.
Read MorePosted by Andrea Campton in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off
Night Game Teaser Trailer
Yesterday Nintendo announced the release date of many 3rd party games that were headed for their systems. On the list was also a new game that is being developed exclusively for WiiWare by Nicalis, the ones working on the port of Cave Story. The game for now is called Night Game, though that is currently a working title. Released to GoNintendo.com was a short trailer late last night.
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Posted by Andrea Campton in Miscellaneous | 1 Comment
I Am A Gaming Geek
Holy moly I never realized how many gaming shirts I have. Sure, they’re not all gaming shirts, but they fall into that whole geek spectrum. These all tend to get worn as well so they don’t sit in my closet gathering dust. Just thought I’d share the geekery with everyone!
Do you have any gaming shirts? If so do you have many?
Read MorePosted by Jim Avery in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off
Luann Tries Out Guitar Hero
Greg Evans, cartoonist for the popular comic strip Luann, is running a week of stories focused on Guitar Hero: World Tour; more specifically, it focuses on the adult approach to the title, as Mr. DeGroot tries and fails to shred. You can take a look at the first strip of the week at this link.
I think a lot of people can share Mr. DeGroot’s experience with this game. Also, you can see a Wii Remote embedded into their guitars, interestingly.
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Posted by Andrea Campton in General News, Miscellaneous | Comments Off
New Games Coming To The US From Nintendo
Nintendo of America announced today three new games that will be headed to US shores. One new Wii game and two DS game compose the list of new entries:
Wii
Excitebots: Trick Racing has elements that make it one of the more unique racing games on the market. It launches April 20 and lets everyone in the family use the Wii Wheel accessory in unique and changing environments, play fun minigames and perform crazy tricks in a game that builds on the Excitebike and Excite Truck franchises.
DS
In The Legendary Starfy game, which launches June 8, players dive into a spectacular undersea adventure with Starfy, the legendary hero of Pufftop. Players swoop into enemies like a shooting star, glide over bottomless chasms and transform into powerful creatures to help a mysterious, bunny-eared visitor find his lost memory.
Personal Trainer: Walking tracks users’ progress and makes going for a walk a little more fun. It comes with two pedometers that users can wirelessly connect to their Nintendo DS system when they return home.
As of this post there were no assets released to the media.
Wow I was wondering if they’d ever get around to bringing Starfy out here. I’m worried about this Excite entry to the franchise though because of the word minigame in the press release.
Read MorePosted by Andrea Campton in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off
Three Times The Wii Box Art Fun
Box art for three upcoming Wii games have been released by Nintendo today. Two games in the media update include "New Play Controls" box art as well as Punch-Out!!
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Posted by Andrea Campton in General News, Nintendo DS | 1 Comment
Nintendo And MATHCOUNTS Team Up
Nintendo and MATHCOUNTS have teamed up to try and bolster math club memberships in schools. To help the goal of getting more students to sign up for math clubs across the country, Nintendo will be giving away 80 Nintendo DS systems along with 80 copies of Personal Trainer: Math. Four schools in all will be chosen randomly and each will receive 20 system and games.
Wow, I like this idea, but wonder if it will make an impact on club memberships in the long run since math is one of those subjects many don’t care for.
Read MorePosted by Andrea Campton in General News, Miscellaneous | Comments Off
Axis Of Piracy
Nintendo today has made a list of 6 countries that the company feels aren’t giving enough protection to video games. The 6 that made the list are People’s Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, and Paraguay. Allegedly piracy has increased during the year due to devices such as mod chips that allow users to circumvent the security in Nintendo products.
Jodi Daugherty, Nintendo of America’s senior director of anti-piracy had a message for parents as well, "It is important for parents to note that if users of circumvention devices are children, they may be exposed to unsuitable content downloaded from the Internet and played on their Nintendo systems."
Hmm it’s a good thing some of the games in Japan haven’t made it here to the US otherwise Jodi’s comments might be full of hot air. Apologies for the snark if the comment wasn’t directed at homebrew.
Posted by Andrea Campton in General News, Nintendo DS | Comments Off
New DSi Colors To Grace Japan
Nintendo has released pictures of the latest DSi colors that will be hitting Japan. The new colors available are Pink, Lime Green, and Metallic Blue.
They will be available on March 20th in Japan for 18,900 yen or roughly $195 US dollars.
I wish they’d release that hue of blue over here instead of what they’ll be launching with.
Pictures of the open DSi courtesy of Famitsu.
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Posted by Jim Avery in General News, Nintendo DS | Comments Off
Avalon Code Dated In US
Marvelous Entertainment and XSEED Games have announced a release date for their upcoming DS title, Avalon Code. The DS-exclusive action RPG will be hitting stores on March 10, precisely 13 days from today. You can still check out the Avalon Code website for game information and artwork.
Avalon Code looks like it could be pretty fun. As far as I can tell, though, there’s going to be a deluge of RPGs on the DS this year and next, and they’re going to have to stand out amongst one another.
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Posted by Jim Avery in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off
New Ready 2 Rumble Characters Revealed
Today Atari unveiled three new boxers for their upcoming Wii boxing title, Ready 2 Rumble Revolution. Meet Fight Clubber…
Hilarious D…
…and Marcus D. Roxbury.
Click on any of the images to enlarge them. Atari also included a gameplay video, showing off the game’s Character Creation setup.
Ready 2 Rumble Revolution will be released on March 17.
I can’t comment on the character creation aspect, because I’m too busy noticing how they ripped off the Red Hot Chili Peppers version of "Higher Ground" for their music.
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Posted by Andrea Campton in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off
Bakugan Heading To Wii, DS
Activision announced today that they will be publishing Bakugan. It will be available on both Wii and DS. The story is about Dan and his friends as they battle their Bakugan Brawlers to save the planet of Vestroia and, ultimately, Earth from destruction. A CG trailer was released for the game as well.
NOW Production is the cited developer for both Wii and DS versions.
Expect Bakugan at retailers sometime in the fall this year.
Read MorePosted by Andrea Campton in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off
New Cate West Screenshots
Destineer Studios has released more screenshots of Cate West: The Vanishing File for Wii. Sixteen new images in all can be found in the media section.
Posted by Andrea Campton in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off
Big Bang Mini Heads To Wii
According to N-Sider.com, Arkedo, the developers behind Big Bang Mini for the DS are in the process of making a version for Wii. Currently the only information about the game at present is that SouthPeak Games will be the publisher once more and it will not be ready until 2010.
So far no official word has been given about this development from either Arkedo or SouthPeak Games.
Having talked with Matt B. who posted this news, I’m fairly certain it’s true. I expect a press release to pop up sooner or later.
Read MorePosted by Jim Avery in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off
Rock Band DLC Update: 2/24/09
Amidst promises of up-to-date DLC soon to come, Harmonix announced today that the rest of the tracks from the Cars’ debut album, The Cars, will be available for download to Wii owners tomorrow. As usual, all songs cost 200 Wii Points and are purchased in-game.
The Cars "Good Times Roll"
The Cars "My Best Friend’s Girl"
The Cars "I’m in Touch with Your World"
The Cars "Don’t Cha Stop"
The Cars "You’re All I’ve Got Tonight"
The Cars "Bye Bye Love"
The Cars "Moving in Stereo"
The Cars "All Mixed Up"
I’ve never heard the Cars, myself. I do hope that Wii owners will be able to purchase the entire album for a discounted price, like players on other systems can.
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Posted by Jim Avery in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off
Wiikly Update: 2/23/09
As Radical Edward commented in last week’s Wiikly Update article, Nintendo’s surprise was the addition of the Commodore 64 to the list of Virtual Console systems. Nintendo offered the following explanations to last week’s clues:
- In the second paragraph, each sentence contains exactly 64 letters and numbers (not counting spaces or punctuation).
- U.S. Route 64 runs from Arizona to North Carolina.
- The third sentence ends with a comma and the word "door," hinting at the name Commodore.
- "Brick House" was a hit for R&B group The Commodores.
- The athletic teams of Vanderbilt University are known as the Commodores.
- Pennsylvania’s Route 286 passes through a town called Commodore.
- The phrases "birthday greetings" and "who could ask for more?" are found in the classic Beatles tune "When I’m 64."
Three C64 games join the list of available titles today, as well as one new WiiWare game.
WiiWare: Onslaught, 1,000 Wii Points
The release of Onslaught marks the first first-person shooter to grace WiiWare. You’ll mow down hordes of aliens with a variety of weapons, including machine guns and grenades, and each level will offer you enormous bosses to battle. You can also go online and play against up to three other players from around the world.
Commodore 64: The Last Ninja, 500 Wii Points
The evil Shogun Kunitoki, possessing an incredible hatred for ninja, launches a massive attack against every last one as they pay homage to the Shrine of the White Ninja. As the only ninja left, Armakuni must travel the world to destroy Shogun Kunitoki and his followers. The press release, oddly, offered no information on the game’s gameplay, besides labeling it "action/adventure".
Commodore 64: International Karate, 500 Wii Points
This game offers straight-up karate action. Against a computer or another human opponent, you’ll battle it out in a number of different locations, as a judge awards points based on the success of your attacks.
Commodore 64: Pitstop II, 500 Wii Points
This is another straightforward game, pitting you in a race against a human or computer opponent, with an emphasis on the former. Race on one of six tracks, ranging from a complete straightaway to one filled with hairpin turns.
Commodore 64 is one system I don’t believe I have played at any point in my life. I feel like I should, with the way some people talk about it nostalgically. And I should have gotten that Beatles clue, I’ve been on a Beatles kick for weeks.
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Posted by Andrea Campton in General News, Nintendo Wii | 1 Comment
Nyko Announces New Controller Packs
Nyko announced two new bundles of Wii controls. The first, dubbed the Wand Action Pak will include a Nyko Wand controller and a specially made Pistol Grip to hold it for shooter style games. The second is the Wand Core Pak that contains a Kama with Rumble in addition to a Wand controller. This version of the Kama is wired and has a 4 foot cord.
The Wand Action Pak will be available in June while the Wand Core Pak will hit stores sooner in April. Each package will cost $49.99.
I’m eager to try out the new Kama and Wand. I loved the first Kama, but wonder how it feels after the redesign.
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Posted by David Craig in Nintendo Wii, Reviews | Comments Off
Review: WordJong Party
Mahjong is a great game. Scrabble is a great game. So it stands to reason then, that a combination of the two would also be a great game. And here to prove it is WordJong Party for the Wii. WordJong Party isn’t perfect, but it’s a lot of fun for anyone who likes puzzles or word games, and a great party game for even those that don’t.
Boot WordJong Party up, and you’re immediately eased into the game’s soothing Asian-influenced atmosphere. You may be caught off guard at first by how many menu options there are after you’ve chosen an avatar to represent yourself, but once you’ve learned the nuances of each game mode, you’ll be thrilled that there’s so much to do.
First up is Party mode, which as the title of the game suggests, is probably the meatiest of the modes. Party mode can be played by yourself, but is most fun when played with up to three other people. Because four players are required to play, CPU players fill in for anyone missing. To play WordJong, you must put together words using letters that are arranged like tiles on a Mahjong board. In other words, using a letter on top will uncover more letters below it to use. Some letters are worth more points than others, just like in Scrabble. In Party mode, other players can interfere with your word-sleuthing by activating items such as a whirlwind that mixes up your tiles. The items can make things more interesting, but can also be turned off on an individual basis on the menu. There is another variation on Party mode where each person makes only one word per round, but it’s less fun. I don’t know why they couldn’t have included a Wi Fi option, but oh well.
I tested the multiplayer modes with my girlfriend, who is a Scrabble nut. It’s worth noting that at first, not being an avid video game player, she had trouble selecting tiles with the Wii controller. In Party mode, the tiles are much smaller, and so it is somewhat difficult at times to select the tile you wanted. Also, the font used for the letters makes some of them look too similar to other letters when they’re shrunk down. For example, the J looks an awful lot like an I to a first-time player. After playing for about ten minutes though, she was able to overcome both of these problems, and so was I. These problems really aren’t present at all in single player, where the tiles are larger.
If you choose to play alone, WordJong offers a fairly meaty single player experience as well. In Battle mode, you climb a mountain, defeating various animals at the game to progress. At first, you only have access to the bronze path, but a silver and gold path will open for those with enough skill. The battles in single player could have gotten fairly monotonous, but luckily many of the battles up the mountain offer variations on the basic formula. While some challenges simply add a time limit, others have you working as a team with a CPU character or trying to win by a margin of 30 points. I do however have a complaint about this mode. The CPU characters will quite often say something generic, and then take a few moments to think about its move. While I can appreciate the game trying to make them seem more like human opponents, it sometimes really disturbs the flow of the game and frustration can set in if you’ve already spotted your next move, but the computer is taking its sweet time.
If you grow tired of facing opponents though, CPU or otherwise, there is also a Daily Puzzle mode, which gives you one new puzzle a day to solve. These always involve you trying to clear a board completely while beating a set score. They’re often difficult, but they help to keep single player from ever getting too stale.
Another nice addition to the package is the inclusion of achievements and rankings. By completing certain tasks, such as creating a 9-letter word or beating the Bronze path in Battle mode, you receive a butterfly as a trophy, which you can keep track of on the menu. Your rank also increases by using as many tiles as possible. The game already has plenty of replay value thanks to the multiplayer and daily puzzles, but the incorporation of the trophies increases it even more.
Finally, I cannot stress enough how relaxing this game is to play. Lovely asian music accompanies all the modes, while all of the puzzles take place in zen gardens or ponds. In single player mode especially, you can often find yourself just zoning out and entering a zen-like state of relaxation and word-building that few other games can provide. The graphics are nothing special, but they don’t have to be since this is a word game. Really, my only other complaint with the game lies with the fact that the CPU (and you, if you’re experimenting) can often come up with words that don’t really seem to be words. I have a fairly expansive vocabulary, but I’ve never heard the words “roc” or “xi” before. They are in the dictionary, but since the CPU has the luxury of automatically knowing every single word and the average player does not, it can make things unfair at times.
I definitely recommend WordJong Party to anyone looking for a new party game, for anyone that loves word puzzles, or for anyone just looking for a relaxing game to unwind with at the end of the day. There’s something for just about everyone here, and it’s bargain-priced to boot.
And by the way, “xi” is the fourteenth letter of the Greek alphabet.
Read MorePosted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off
Sakurai To Head Project Sora
Nintendo today announced the creation of the development studio named Project Sora. Owned 72% by Nintendo, the company will be headed by famed Smash Bros. developer Masahiro Sakurai, and will aim to develop a title that is "something that can be made because Nintendo is backing you up, but…also something that Nintendo could not make," according to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who assisted in creating the new studio. There are no details available for the title being developed, but an interview available on the Japanese site indicates that core gamers would be interested in the title; the job listing, also on the site, implies that the title may be released in 2011. More details will be posted as they emerge, but don’t expect them anytime soon.
This news definitely has me excited. I can’t wait to see more details on what Project Sora is supposed to be.
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Posted by Andrea Campton in General News, Nintendo DS | Comments Off
Avalon Code Trailer
XSEED Games has released the first official trailer for Avalon Code coming to DS exclusively.
Avalon Code will be available in March.
Read MorePosted by Andrea Campton in General News, Nintendo DS | Comments Off
Frantically Farm On Your DS
Natsume has announced they will be publishing Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming for DS. Players will be able to choose between 12 different characters and play through them all on story mode. Other modes that will be available are Mission Mode, Score Attack and Free Play Mode.
More images have been added to the gallery.
The game will be headed to stores in May.
Read MorePosted by Jim Avery in General News | Comments Off
Harrah’s Entertainment To Host Rock Band Competition
Harrah’s Entertainment is teaming up with Harmonix to find the best Rock Band players in America, hosting a number of smaller competitions. By heading to the official website, players can register their bands, pick their songs, and reserve their spots in the weekly competitions at one of the seventeen participating casinos. The winners of the local competitions will go on to one of four regional tournaments, and the winners there will head to the national finals in Atlantic City on May 8th; the final winners will receive $10,000 and will open for the B-52′s at a show in Atlantic City, while other levels of competition offer prizes in the form of video games and cash money. Players unfortunately have to be 21 or older to participate; for the full rules and list of locations, take a look at the official website.
Why is it that whenever awesome competitions like this happen, they’re extremely far away from me? It’s not fair, I tell you!
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Posted by Jim Avery in General News, Nintendo Wii | Comments Off
Rock Band DLC Update: 2/17/09
Harmonix continues to reiterate their promise to deliver up-to-date DLC updates soon, but for now, Wii owners can check out seven songs from the classic Nirvana album "Nevermind". All of them are 200 Wii Points and can be downloaded in-game.
Nirvana "Breed"
Nirvana "Lounge Act"
Nirvana "On A Plain"
Nirvana "Polly"
Nirvana "Something In The Way"
Nirvana "Stay Away"
Nirvana "Territorial Pissings"
I never really got that into Nirvana, but I’ve enjoyed their music. "Breed" is definitely a good song, I’d pick that up if I was going to get any.
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Posted by Andrea Campton in General News, Nintendo DS | Comments Off
DSi Officially Dated, Priced For US Launch
Nintendo of America has officially announced that Nintendo DSi will be released in America on April 5th. The new system features bigger screens, two built-in cameras, music playing capabilities, and access to Nintendo DSiWare games which start at 200 points each. DSi only games have also been confirmed to be hitting shelves at some point. It will be available in blue or black for the tune of $169.99. A website for the system has been put up by Nintendo which is nothing more than a place holder with a picture for now.
Also confirmed today was the release date of Rhythm Heaven which is set for the same day as Nintendo DSi, April 5th.
I don’t know if they’ll fly off shelves at $170. It’s great that they’re not releasing just white for the launch color though.
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