 | [VIDEO GAMES] Nintendo to release two more colors for the DS |
May 31, 2007 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
Mainichi Shimbun reports that Nintendo will be releasing two more colors for their DS portable console.
According to the article, “The “metallic rose” and “gloss silver” versions of DS Lite will go on sale from June 23. Each machine costs 16,800 yen.”
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| [VIDEO GAMES] NINTENDO NEWS: NINTENDO DS GAMING SERVICE TOPS 5 MILLION USERS, 200 MILLION GAME SESSIONS |
May 31, 2007 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection has crossed two huge milestones within just days of one another. Worldwide, since its launch in November 2005, Nintendo’s wireless gaming service has now connected more than 5 million unique Nintendo DS™ owners, and those gamers have racked up more than 200 million game-play sessions. Worldwide, nearly 65 games can be played via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The five most popular globally are Animal Crossing®: Wild World, Mario Kart® DS, Metroid® Prime Hunters, Pokémon® Diamond and Pokémon Pearl.
“Nintendo DS gamers globally use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection as an easy, fun place to find fellow players, all without paying anything extra for the service,” explains Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “The milestones represent millions of hours of fun and camaraderie despite miles between players.”
Nintendo DS continues to enjoy record-breaking success. According to new figures from the independent NPD Group, DS was again the top-selling video game system in April, with more than 470,000 units sold in the United States alone. That’s nearly 16,000 per day.
Nintendo DS also finds success beyond the stereotypical young male gamer. According to internal Nintendo demographic tracking studies, in less than 18 months, DS purchases have increased by 42 percent among women, 127 percent among people 30 and older and 212 percent among people 35 and older.
For more information about Nintendo DS, please visit www.NintendoDS.com.
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| [VIDEO GAMES] WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ANNOUNCED FOR WII SHOP CHANNEL |
May 29, 2007 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ANNOUNCED FOR WII SHOP CHANNEL
It’s the end of a three-day weekend, but there’s still time to cram some last-minute gaming into your life. And what better way to do that than to go on a quest? Today the Wii Shop Channel on the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo offers three questing opportunities for folks who aren’t quite ready to surrender their weekends: battling an evil dude and regaining your godly powers; rescuing your friends, who have been sucked into a video game; and rescuing “a wealthy man who’s been kidnapped.”
So do whatever it is you usually do when you go on a quest. Pack a cooler with deep-fried munchies and energy drinks. Dial up your best elf, dwarf and wizard buddies. Or grab your pal Hadji and your dog Bandit. Whatever. Just get questing.
The three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
ActRaiser™ (SNES®, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): A masterpiece of game design originally released in the early days of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System®, ActRaiser’s enduring popularity stems from its revolutionary combination of action- and simulation-based game play. The user plays the role of the Master, a dethroned deity whose once-idyllic world has fallen under the control of the Evil One. Stripped of godly power, the Master must somehow put an end to the Evil One’s reign and rebuild his desolate realm. Game play alternates between two modes: Action and Simulation. In Action mode, the Master must battle against impossible odds to pacify six lands. Pacifying a land unlocks Simulation mode. In this mode, the Master must oversee the development and repopulation of the territory he has reclaimed. In doing so, he will gain followers who gradually restore his godly might, empowering him to take back the next land and, ultimately, defeat the Evil One.
Kid Chameleon™ (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): The local arcade is packed with kids, all lining up to play the latest, most realistic video game they’ve ever seen. It’s called Wild Side, and it uses holographic images to immerse the player in a strange world. But there’s a problem… Kids are literally getting sucked into the game, and now several of them are trapped. Throughout more than 100 levels, you’ll take on several different forms, such as a Berzerker, a Micromax, a Maniaxe or a Skycutter, which will make you much more powerful. It’s up to you, Kid Chameleon, the best gamer in town, to get yourself inside the game so that you can defeat the game’s boss and bring your friends back to reality.
J.J. & JEFF (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): This comical action game features two bungling detectives, J.J. and JEFF, as they travel through a total of six fields. One day, a request comes into their office to take a case that requires them to “rescue a wealthy man who’s been kidnapped.” Choose between the two characters and set off alone to outwit your partner and save the day. Each field is broken down into four areas, where enemies, as well as your partner, will try to keep you from your goal. There are many items throughout each area. Kick around in various locations to make them appear. Jump and spray-paint your way toward your goal. If you find a hidden room, you can regain health while being completely entertained by its short sketch and surreal allure.
For more information about Wii, please visit Wii.com.
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| [VIDEO GAMES] NINTENDO NEWS: NINTENDO’S SUMMER LINEUP SATISFIES CORE AND NEW GAMERS |
May 21, 2007 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
| NINTENDO NEWS: NINTENDO’S SUMMER LINEUP SATISFIES CORE AND NEW GAMERS
May 21, 2007 Whether you’re a longtime gamer who likes classic franchises or a newcomer aiming to keep your brain sharp, Nintendo’s summer lineup of games has something for you. Nintendo’s offerings are anchored by key Wii™ games like Metroid Prime® 3 Corruption and Mario Strikers™ Charged. Nintendo DS™ owners can challenge their minds with games like Brain Age™ 2: More Training in Minutes a Day and the new picture-based puzzle game, Picross DS™. Licensees also are demonstrating a strong commitment to Wii and Nintendo DS by announcing more than 40 titles in all genres. The unique controls of Wii and Nintendo DS make the Nintendo platform versions of these games entirely new experiences. No matter what your taste or experience level, you’ll keep busy this summer! Wii
Nintendo DS
For more information about Nintendo, visit Nintendo.com. |
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| [VIDEO GAMES] WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ANNOUNCED FOR WII SHOP CHANNEL |
May 21, 2007 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
May 21, 2007The elves mining Nintendo’s vaults for classic games have unearthed three new ones to add to the Wii Shop Channel. They feature ragers, lasers and, um, monkeys not in cages. Anyway, it’s unlikely that you’ve played all three of these, so go ahead and check ‘em out. Or the elves will cry.
The three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
Donkey Kong Country 2™: Diddy’s Kong Quest™ (SNES®, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): In the sequel to the immensely popular Donkey Kong Country™, Diddy Kong® gets the spotlight, along with his girlfriend, Dixie Kong™ – a great little monkey with a dangerous ponytail. The action starts on the wreck of King K. Rool’s Gangplank Galleon that has apparently broken up on a reef offshore from the Kremlings’ Island. Diddy and his friends will have to work together to rescue Donkey Kong®, exploring all the hidden areas of the Kremlings’ island: a spooky haunted forest, treacherous swamps, a giant beehive oozing with sticky honey and lava-filled caves, just to name a few.
Streets of Rage™ 2 (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): To celebrate their defeat of the Syndicate exactly one year before, Blaze, Adam and Axel met for drinks. The next morning, Axel received a frantic phone call from Eddie “Skate” Hunter, Adam’s younger brother, whom he was living with on the edge of the city. Blaze and Axel found Adam and Skate’s house wrecked, and a picture showing Adam chained up at the feet of Mr. X. The city then once again returned to its nightmarish state as criminals ran rampant. Unable to contact their old friend in artillery, Axel and Blaze team up with Skate and Max Thunder to free the city and rescue Adam from the Syndicate. It is up to you to take down Mr. X once and for all.
Blazing Lazers (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): Blazing Lazers is a vertical-scrolling shooter that was praised for surpassing the limitations of the hardware of its time. Players control the extraordinary firepower of their Gunhed Star Fighter to take on the Dark Squadron that has begun its invasion of Earth. Collect power-ups to increase your ship’s battle strength so it can cut through enemies and defeat the bosses in all nine areas. Of course, as part of the “Soldier” series, the game contains a good combination of fast-paced speed with catchy, drum-propelled background music, coupled with the Field Thunder that can be used to destroy enemies in one fell swoop for the ultimate sense of satisfaction. With its fine-tuned difficulty levels, Blazing Lazers is a shooting game that anyone can enjoy.
For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.
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| [PR] NINTENDO NEWS: NINTENDO RUNS THE TABLE IN APRIL SALES |
May 17, 2007 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
Already riding a streak as America’s No. 1 seller of video game consoles, No. 1 seller of portable game systems and No. 1 publisher of video games, Nintendo added more chips to its pile in April-with not just one, but the country’s four best-selling games.According to independent sales data gathered by the NPD Group, the two best-selling games in April were Pokémon® Diamond and Pokémon® Pearl, exclusively for the Nintendo DS™ hand-held game system, followed by Super Paper Mario™ and Wii Play™ for the Wii™ home video game system. Combined sales for the two related Pokémon titles exceeded 1.75 million units in just 14 days of availability during the reporting period.
The DS remained the most popular game system of any kind in April, with projected sales of more than 470,000 units. At the same time, the Wii from Nintendo, despite nearly universal sold-out status, was still purchased by twice as many consumers as any other home game console, according to the NPD data. Unit sales of 360,000 Wii systems in April bring the console’s installed base in America to nearly 2.5 million in less than six months on the market.
“Nothing is more valuable in the entertainment world than an evergreen franchise,” says Reggie Fils-Aime, president and COO, Nintendo of America. “These new Pokémon titles have cemented their place alongside the most enduring intellectual properties of the book, music and movie industries. And that appeal will expand even further with the introduction of Pokémon® Battle Revolution to our Wii home console next month.”
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| [VIDEO GAMES] WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ANNOUNCED FOR WII SHOP CHANNEL |
May 14, 2007 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
| WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ANNOUNCED FOR WII SHOP CHANNEL
It’s the age-old question: Which is cooler, ninjas or circular yellow dot-eaters? This week the Wii™ video game system’s Wii Shop Channel gives gamers the chance to explore this subject in depth, with three awesome classic games. The three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are: Pac-Man® (NES®, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Move Pac-Man through the maze, avoiding ghosts and eating all the Pac-Dots. Beware, each of the ghosts behave differently. When Pac-Man chomps a Power Pellet, he becomes invincible and is able to eat the blue ghosts. The more ghosts Pac-Man eats in a row, the higher the score. Don’t forget to eat the bonus fruit too. Released in 1980, Pac-Man is the most well-known video game on Earth and is also commonly acknowledged as one of the most successful coin-operated games in history. Enjoy this masterpiece of gaming history today. Ninja Gaiden™ (NES®, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Players take on the role of Ryu Hayabusa, a rising warrior in his family’s clan whose main role in the world is to protect the Dark Dragon Blade from falling into the hands of evil. Ryu travels to America to seek vengeance for his father’s death. Players fight their way through 14 challenging side-scrolling levels while defeating gangs of street thugs, battling evil ninjas and fighting barbarian bosses by using the deadly Dragon Sword, ninja skills and Ninpo (ninja magic). Players can run, crouch, jump and climb as they make their way through each stage and collect items to gain points, strength and weapons. Ninja Spirit (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points): Ninja Spirit is a side-scrolling action game that amazed the gaming world with its precision graphics and quality game play. Play as the ninja Moonlight and engage in a fierce battle to avenge his father’s death and unlock the secrets of his birth. Select between the original ARCADE MODE and PC-ENGINE MODE, which includes a life gauge. Use four types of weapons: katana, shuriken, bombs and chain and sickles to battle your way through the enemies. Pick up power-up items and switch between weapons to give you the advantage. You’ll need to consider the enemy attacks and your weapon’s abilities in order to deftly make it through all seven stages. Use your skills and attacks to get through the game’s boundless enemies and traps. That’s what ninja action is all about. |
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| [VIDEO GAMES] WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ANNOUNCED FOR WII SHOP CHANNEL |
May 7, 2007 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
May 7, 2007 – A crime spree on the Virtual Console™ this week has resulted in a trio of kidnappings, threatening to ruin the weekend of three classic video game stars Mike Haggar, Dr. Tomari and Mighty Bomb Jack! Do you have what it takes to bring their enemies to justice on three generations of consoles; NES, Super NES and TurboGrafx16? For the best retro gaming around, it’s time to pay a visit to the red-hot Wii™ video game system’s Wii Shop Channel.The three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
Mighty Bomb Jack™ (NES®, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Mighty Bomb Jack is an action/adventure game that was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987 by Tecmo. The hero of the game, Jack, must make his way through 16 levels of a pyramid in order to defeat the demon Belzebut and rescue the royal Pamera family. Each level is split into two parts; an action zone and a Royal Palace room. Action zones can be split up into several portions, and contain power-ups usually hidden in treasure chests such as money bags, Mighty Coins, and Mighty Drinks. Mighty Coins allow Jack to change colors; blue allows Jack to open orange treasure chests, orange allows him to open any treasure chest by simply touching it from the side, and green transforms all enemies on the screen into coins for 5 seconds. Mighty Drinks add 10 seconds to the game’s timer.
Final Fight (Super NES®, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): Jessica had it all. She was the daughter of former wrestling star and mayor of Metro City Mike Haggar and girlfriend to Cody Travers, one of the coolest and toughest boys around. But now she has been mysteriously kidnapped! Take to the streets with either Haggar or Cody and fight your way across town, deep into the turf of the Mad Gear Gang. As you cross the town, fight with all your strength to save the one you love. Enjoy unmatched beat ‘em up action in this arcade classic and discover just who is behind the Mad Gear Gang in what may be Metro City’s final fight.
Ordyne™ (TurboGrafx16, 2 players, 600 Wii Points): Ordyne is a port of the popular side-scrolling arcade shooter that includes simultaneous two-player co-op play as well as impressive visuals and catchy background music. The evil Kubota has kidnapped Dr. Tomari’s fiancée, Kana, and taken the colossal nuclear reactor Ordyne. In order to reclaim them, Dr. Tomari and his assistant Felix take to their battleships and head off in pursuit. Avoid enemies and advance through seven different levels that take place on land, sea, and air. Collect crystals from defeated enemies and use them to buy items or upgrades for your ship at the Space Inn. Do you have what it takes to defeat the boss at the end of each level and ultimately reach Kubota in the final stage, Kubota World?
For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com
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| [KOREA] Former NCsoft employees accused of leaking “Lineage” code |
May 1, 2007 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
In a recent article on Chosun, the software company NCsoft popular for the online “LINEAGE” game has accused former employees of leaking code.
According to the article, “The seven left the Korean firm in February and allowed the Japanese company to review the software during a job interview. Police believe that the technology might have been copied during the demonstration.”
“The former NCsoft employees are also under suspicion of having leaked the program design of “Lineage III” by email or portable disk last September.”
