Hey guys! How's the Mario Karting going?
Today, I uploaded a special WiiWare banner to celebrate next weeks impending launch! I'm so excited I can barely type. Well... not that excited! We're hoping to get a full list of WiiWare launch titles for North America, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen, so we'll just have to wait until Monday!
I just celebrated my birthday on May 6th! I'm now officially 16! Maybe I'll get a little bit of respect in the video game journalist industry now...
Here's what I got:
1) Rock Band [XBOX 360]
2) Wii Fit preorder
3) Wii Points Card
Also, check out our latest video, a tour of the Nintendo Channel for Wii!
Keep on gamin'!
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Site Update: May 8th 2008: WiiWare Banner!
Wii Fit unboxing/setup pics
I am so ready to be friends with the Balance Board! And despite the opinions of a certain other Nintendo blogger, I don't think it's creepy at all! Can't wait for May 19th!
More pics here
Sierra Entertainment’s Video Game The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor To Rise This Summer on Wii and DS
MARLOW, UK (8th May, 2008) – Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced the development of The Mummy™: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, a video game based on one of Summer 2008’s most highly anticipated movies from Universal Pictures. The game, which will mirror the fast-paced action and adventure depicted in the film, is being developed by Eurocom Studios for the Wii™ home video game console and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and by A2M for Nintendo DS™.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor game was created through a licensing agreement with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group.
“Sierra Entertainment is pleased to partner with Universal to deliver an exciting extension to this popular film franchise,” said Al Simone, senior vice president, Global Marketing, Sierra Entertainment. “Developed in collaboration with the film’s creative talent, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor video game will add another opportunity for players to experience the thrill and excitement of this adventure favourite.”
“The Mummy is one of the most distinctive and expansive franchises in Universal’s portfolio, and there is inherent gameplay in the property,” said Bill Kispert, Vice President and General Manager, Interactive, Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group. “The new film amps up the action, introduces a ruthless new villain and takes our heroes to incredible new locations. We are thrilled to bring all these attributes to life in this game.”
In the third-person action-adventure game The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, players will take on the roles of Rick O’Connell and his son, Alex (played by Brendan Fraser and Luke Ford, respectively, in the film). Gamers will follow the lead characters on their harrowing journey - across exotic locations from ancient Chinese catacombs to beautiful, but dangerous, Himalayan peaks - to defeat the revived servants of the Dragon Emperor (Jet Li). The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor allows players to switch seamlessly between gunplay and hand-to-hand melee attacks, and also features a fast and fluid combat system and an arsenal of weaponry that can be used to vanquish the many bone-chilling enemies players will face during their journey. Fans of the upcoming Universal Pictures film, directed by Rob Cohen and set to hit cinemas this 1st August, will fight their way through The Mummy universe by utilising combat, puzzle-solving and hieroglyphic decoding gameplay elements.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor video game is expected to be available from UK retailers on 8th August, 2008. For more information, please visit the game’s official Web site at www.mummyvideogame.com.
Nintendo's Wii Fit advertising campaign is starting soon!
Preorders are already selling out nationwide, and the marketing push has barely begun! Nintendo is starting their big campaign blitz for Wii Fit in two weeks, and here's what they have planned so far.
-TV commercials -Print ads - Manhattan: A flip-card type ad on subway walls. The ad appears to animate as the subway cars speed by. - more ad wraps on taxi cabs and buses - Los Angeles: huge wall-sized billboard ad on Sunset Boulevard - posters in bus shelters across the US
Needless to say, Wii Fit is the next big thing!
ESRB confirms PictoImage for DS, Space Invaders for Wii
PictoImage is no surprise, considering SEGA filed a trademark for the name a few weeks back. But Space Invaders is news to me!
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Nintendo Channel now available in North America!
Nintendo today launched a brand new Wii channel, called the "Nintendo Channel" Most Wii fans will already know this channel by it's Japanese name, the Everybody's Nintendo Channel. It provides Wii users with game trailers, interviews, information, and ratings on most of the latest Wii and Nintendo DS games. The Nintendo Channel also allows users to rate games that they have played for more than an hour, as well as even download demo games to a Nintendo DS system.
I've already downloaded the channel and made a quick video tour, so check it out below:
Monday, May 05, 2008
Crosswords DS Challenges Players to Fill in the ______ (6 Letters)
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mario’s parent company (8 letters). Letter-based puzzles (10 letters). Dual screen, abbr. (2 letters).
Today’s launch of Crosswords DS for the portable Nintendo DS™ video game system puts more than 1,000 crossword puzzles into the palm of your hand. Crosswords DS includes puzzles at multiple skill levels, so anyone from beginners to experts can give it a try. As you progress, the puzzles get bigger and more challenging. Because you write all your answers directly on the touch screen with your stylus, there’s no need for erasers – just write your new answer over your old one. Crosswords DS also includes a sophisticated hint system if you get stuck. Just tap the Hint button with your stylus and choose to receive another clue, reveal a hidden letter or solve the whole word.
“Crosswords DS brings crossword puzzles into the 21st century in a way that’s accessible to everyone,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “And because Nintendo DS is so light and portable, you can play it anywhere at any time.”
Crossword puzzles aren’t the only classic word games found in Crosswords DS. There are also more than 200 Wordsearch puzzles that let you hunt for hidden words amid a jumble of letters. For more word fun, you can turn to Anagrams and construct almost endless combinations of words from a handful of letters.
Crosswords DS, with its quick and accessible word challenges, is the latest in the Touch Generations line of Nintendo DS games. Previous games include Brain Age®: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, Brain Age® 2: More Training in Minutes a Day and Flash Focus™: Vision Training in Minutes a Day.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Nintendo says licensing Miis is like licensing Mario
To Nintendo, licensing Mii is identical to licensing Mario. If you read Iwata Asks interview series in website, you can understand how Mii was created in detail, so I hope you can read them if you have time. Mii is actually the result of more than 10 years of efforts.
Mr. Miyamoto, the inventor of Mii, himself has been saying that, “In a sense, licensing Mii is same as licensing Mario - Nintendo should grant the license when we can conclude that the proposed project is worthwhile. Should we allow any and all the licensees to use Mii license for whichever projects, Mii’s brand image will be hurt. Because we are not granting Mario license to any and all, we should not do so with Mii either.”
This is the current policy of Nintendo. So, at the software development stage, we are consulting with the developers as to how they would like to make use of Mii, and our Licensing Department handles on a case-by-case basis. - Satoru Iwata
Westin Hotels Want to Play… Westin Announces Industry-First Partnership with Nintendo
Becomes the First to Adopt Nintendo’s Specially Designed Wii Console for Hospitality Industry; Announces Plans for Integration of Wii Fit
REDMOND, Wash., & WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Tennis, anyone? Nintendo and Westin Hotels & Resorts announce a partnership today that will allow guests to experience the Wii™ sensation with a special version of the console ideally suited for use in the hotel environment. Westin Hotels is the first hotel company to partner with Nintendo for its Wii console and will feature this specially designed console as part of the brand’s WestinWORKOUT program at 10 hotels across the United States. The special game console is pre-loaded with many popular games, including the groundbreaking Wii Sports™ game, and today debuts at WestinWORKOUT fitness centers at The Westin Times Square in New York City and The Westin Bellevue in Washington state.
Using the innovative motion-sensitive Wii Remote™ controller, WestinWORKOUT users can get both body and brain moving with a variety of interactive games, including Wii Sports (featuring tennis, golf, baseball, bowling and boxing activities), Big Brain Academy™: Wii Degree and Wii Play™ and others, all played with natural, intuitive movements of the Wii Remote. The special Wii system will be updated automatically with hot new Wii games as they become available and includes features to simplify system management for the hotel property. A simple new game menu makes it easy to jump in and play without inserting game discs, and each property can manage what games are offered and how game data is stored.
“We jumped at the chance to be the first hotel to partner with Nintendo and add interactive entertainment to our successful WestinWORKOUT program,” said Sue Brush, Senior Vice President, Westin Hotels & Resorts. “We think our guests will be eager to make Wii a part of their workouts during their stay with us.”
With this partnership, Westin will be among the first hotel brands in the United States to receive delivery of Wii Fit™, the highly anticipated interactive fitness game, set to release during the week of May 19 in North America. Using another Nintendo innovation, the Wii Balance Board™ accessory, hotel guests will be able to participate in a dynamic mix of more than 40 yoga, aerobics, strength training and balance activities.
“Delivering an active entertainment experience is what Wii is all about,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Games like Wii Sports and the upcoming Wii Fit are ideal for business travelers and families who want to stay energized while on the road.”
Eight additional Westin properties will join the program in May: The Westin Hilton Head; The Westin Crown Center, Kansas City; The Westin Harbor Castle, Toronto; The Westin Diplomat, Hollywood; The Westin St. Francis, San Francisco; The Westin St. Louis; The Westin Galleria, Houston; and The Westin Savannah Harbor. Westin plans to roll out additional Wii systems following guest feedback from the initial hotel pilot.
WestinWORKOUT was developed in partnership with worldwide fitness leaders to develop the travel industry’s most extensive fitness and wellness program. Last month WestinWORKOUT was extended with the addition of BrainBody Fitness, a program connecting mental and physical fitness through a series of original exercises distributed at each Westin throughout North America. By placing expert-recommended mind and body stretches in a variety of strategic hotel touch points, including the front desk, guestrooms, public spaces and WestinWORKOUT fitness centers, Westin is providing guests with simple and effective ways to sharpen their thinking and calm their minds and bodies for better health.
WestinWORKOUT state-of-the-art equipment and high-performance workouts provide the perfect solution for people committed to maintaining personal wellness. Customized WestinWORKOUT guestrooms feature full-body equipment for all levels of performance where guests can elevate their well-being with a challenging and exhilarating workout. Also available at select hotels is runWESTIN, a complimentary program offering guided, scenic three-mile morning runs three days a week. Led by Westin’s trained Running Concierge, the run includes a warm up session with training tips and can be customized into a fun individual or group run.
The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.5 billion video games and more than 430 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com.
Nintendo Announces Worldwide Mario Kart Wii Tournaments
Nintendo has thrown down the gauntlet for Mario Kart® Wii racers worldwide. Now it’s time to see who’s up to the challenge, as players take on the world in Mario Kart Wii Tournaments.
Every few weeks, a new tournament will appear on the Mario Kart Channel, an online feature that not only allows players to compete in tournaments, but also exchange race data with friends. Tournaments might take the form of a challenge for players to race a certain course as fast as they can with specific characters, or to collect a number of coins on a course using the Wii Wheel™ accessory or another control setup. They can feature unique rules or obstacles on the course.
The first tournament, which appears today, directs racers to compete for the fastest time on the Mario Circuit. Look closely though – something may be different. Players can attempt the challenge as often as they like during the duration of the tournament. Their best time will be recorded and added to the worldwide rankings, allowing players to see how they stack up against the best racers from around the world.
NOTE: If you would like to participate in Mario Kart Wii tournaments, your Wii™ console needs to be connected to the Internet. For more information about how to get online, visit Wii.com. For more information about Mario Kart Wii, please visit www.MarioKart.com
Sega reviving Cosmic Smash
I've never heard of this title before, but when I saw the video, I thought it looked cool. The video above is of the original Cosmic Smash on the Dreamcast. However, Sega will be reviving this series in the future, as they have just filed a patent for the Cosmic Smash name in North America! Looks like a perfect fit for Wii! We'll keep you posted...
Iwata says Nintendo is considering a Wii storage solution!
A bit of info from Wired. Iwata discusses the idea of a Wii storage solution:
“Statistically speaking, it is true that there are a small number of customers who feel that the flash memory is too small, while many others find that they have plenty of memory. However, because this small number of people are none other than the most avid players, we know we have to review the best possible solution to eliminate their inconvenience.”
Huge Iwata interview at MCV
This interview is so big, it had to be split into three parts!
In the interview, Mr. Iwata discusses what he thinks about Microsoft's rumoured Wii Remote competitor:
We are not concerned about what other companies may do but rather more concerned with presenting them with new ideas to our customers based on the prospect that our existing customers will surely get tired of the plays enabled by Wii Remote if we do not try to improve the experience.
Definately worth a read! Go check it out!
Sonic Chronicles boxart
I like it. I'm personally not one for RPG's, but Sonic Chronicles is really appealing to me right now!
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