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First Footage Of Punch-Out!!’s Multiplayer Mode
Last night’s episode of GameTrailers TV debuted a new trailer for the Wii remake of Punch-Out!!. Said trailer reveals one new character, in a fashion, the hulked out Giga Mac. While the rest of the featured lineup consists of boxers we already knew about—Glass Joe, Von Kaiser, Disco Kid, King Hippo—this is our first look…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 10, 2009 -
Grudge Director Working on Game
Takahashi Shimizu, famed Japanese horror film director best known of his work on The Grudge, is working on a Wii horror game called Feel, according to the latest issue of Famitsu. According to the gang at Neo-Gaf, the game will be based on the original Grudge movie, known as Ju-on (or The Curse) in Japan…
By Brian Crecente Published April 10, 2009 -
Rhythm Heaven Scratch Academy
Yesterday, Nintendo held a Rhythm Heaven Scratch DJ Academy event in New York to promote the release of the DS title. Gamers who showed up were able to check out the rhythm game and then received free DJ lessons from professional DJs. Did anyone here go? Looking at the photos it looks like attendance may…
By Brian Crecente Published April 10, 2009 -
Nintendo Ruled Japanese Software Sales In 2008
ASCII Media Works, publisher of Japanese game magazine Dengeki, released domestic game sales rankings for 2008. Nintendo came in first place for the sixth year in a row, fueled by 5 million selling titles and grabbing roughly a 40 percent market share. Konami Digital Entertainment had a solid year, going from fifth place in 2007…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 10, 2009 -
Strong Bad Sales Double With Wii SD Card Support
Nintendo’s addition of SD memory card play to the Nintendo Wii has done amazing things for WiiWare developers, with Telltale announcing that sales of their Strong Bad series have doubled since the GDC announcement. Those looking for proof that a solution to Wii storage limits was sorely needed by both developers and customers need look…
By Mike Fahey Published April 9, 2009 -
Nielsen Drops the Ball on Console Usage Numbers
Remember that study of video gamer habits Nielsen released earlier this week showing the Wii in third place and the Playstation 3 in seventh, last even after the GameCube and original Xbox? It was wrong. Fast Company reports that they’ve been told that the graph was mislabeled. The real graph, which now appears in the…
By Brian Crecente Published April 9, 2009 -
Don’t Know How It Plays, But Dead Space Wii Looks Gorgeous
Dead Space on the Wii is a “guided experience”. Read: on-rails shooter. That’s a shame. Oh well. At least it looks great! Putting aside the fact this is another damn developer diary, with selling points like “our game weapons have alternate fire modes”, there’s a lot of gameplay footage to be had in this clip…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 9, 2009 -
Nintendo President: “Wii In Unhealthy Condition”
Wii sales are sliding in Japan. Nintendo wants to re-energize the Japanese market because the company is “beginning to look vulnerable.” New sales figures show the PS3 outselling the Wii for the first time in 16 months. The Nintendo Wii dropped 69 percent in the five weeks to March 29. According to Nintendo president Satoru…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 9, 2009 -
Nintendo: DSi Sales Numbers High, No DS/Wii Price Cut
In a presentation in Tokyo today, Nintendo discussed not only Wii Sports Resort, but Wii price cuts and Western DSi sales numbers as well. Given by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and senior director Shigeru Miyamoto at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Japan, the presentation covered more than the Wii Sports Resort release dates and reaffirming…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 9, 2009 -
Nintendo Looking For A Few Good Testers
Want part-time work? Live in Japan? Like Nintendo? The company has just put up a job listing for testers. The trial period for those selected is two weeks, and the actual testing job is between 3 and 6 months depending on your performance. It’s possible to renew your contract after that. Salary is set at…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 9, 2009 -
Nintendo: We Need To Re-Energize Japanese Market
The Wall Street Journal, following news of slowing sales for the Wii and Nintendo DS and a boost in “hardcore” games sales in Japan, says Nintendo is “beginning to look vulnerable” after years of success. The Journal is referring, of course, to the most recent sales data from Japan, courtesy of sales trackers Enterbrain and…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 8, 2009 -
Analyst Cautions Wii Investment May Be “Fool’s Gold”
Investors looking to score some easy green on Nintendo’s little white console may be left blue, particularly if they fall for the “red herring” that is the console’s massive install base, says one analyst. Cowen & Company’s Doug Creutz says the Wii may represent “fool’s gold for someone looking to invest in video game development”…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 8, 2009 -
A Eulogy For The Game Boy Advance
The arrival of the Nintendo DSi in North America, Europe and Australia brings about the first Nintendo handheld in nearly eight years that doesn’t support Game Boy Advance games. Who wants to reflect? MTV Multiplayer’s Stephen Totilo does, lamenting the symbolic passing of the Game Boy Advance. He calls it “the first portable I cared…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 8, 2009 -
The 2009 Pokémon Video Game Championships
Do you want to be the very best, like no one ever was? Now is your chance, as Pokémon USA delivers the details on the 2009 Pokémon Video Game Championships. An excellent way to sell their newest title, the U.S. leg of the 2009 Pokémon Championships requires that players participate using the newly-released Pokémon Platinum.…
By Mike Fahey Published April 8, 2009 -
Snowbound Mini Ninja Screens
A ninja is at home in any environment, as evidenced by these frosty screens for Eidos’ Mini Ninjas for the Nintendo Wii, DS, and Xbox 360. The screens truly show the full range of Mini Ninjas, both graphically and size-wise. Mini Ninja Hiro and his companions, the giant Futo and the musical female ninjette Suzume,…
By Mike Fahey Published April 8, 2009 -
This Year’s Nintendo E3 Press Conference Is “About The Games”
Last year, Nintendo’s E3 press conference was a train wreck. Nintendo marketing exec Cammie Dunaway is upbeat about this year’s though, giving reasons why we should be excited about this year’s presser. “Well, because, I’m going to be up on stage presenting, something that your fans ought to love,” Dunaway told IGN. “But I’m not…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 8, 2009 -
Don’t Get Your Wii Price Cut Hopes Up Just Yet…
Hey! Wii’s manufacturing costs are apparently down by 45 percent. Time for Nintendo to pass on those savings to you with a price cut, no? Nope, the UK got a price hike. “Regardless of the cost price of manufacture, the decision to raise the [Wii’s trade] price to retailers in the UK was taken due…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 8, 2009 -
Tecmo: Nintendo Holding Back Fatal Frame
When asked about when Mother 3 would be coming to the States, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said that wasn’t his decision. Japan makes those decisions. If so, what’s up with Wii title Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse? When asked about the game, Tecmo replied, “Nintendo holds the publishing rights to ‘Fatal…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 8, 2009 -
So, How Many Wii Games Are Any Good?
Picture the scene: your mum walks into GameStop. She walks to the Wii section, and picks out a game for your birthday. At random. What are the odds she picks a good one? Let’s find out! Just like they did for both Xbox 360 and PS3 games, market research firm EEDAR have rounded out the…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 8, 2009 -
Nielsen: People May Buy Wiis, But Do They Use Them?
Entertainment research firm Nielsen have released a fresh set of usage statistics, giving us an insight into not how many consoles are out there, but how long they’re actually being used. There are all kinds of charts and colourful graphs contained within the report, but the key findings were: – That the PS2 is still…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 7, 2009