Home

    Wii News

    DS Lite gets gangsta-fied for GTA: Chinatown Wars release

    March 17, 2009 - 4:00pm


    As part of the push to promote GTA: Chinatown Wars, the Nintendo World Store had a custom DS Lite on display for those who bothered to show up for the game's midnight release Monday night, which you can see via this flickr stream. While we'll admit that the combination of almost-black blue and fire truck red aren't the most pleasing from a visual standpoint, we definitely wouldn't mind snagging some of those awesome little GTA figurines next to it. What do you think? Yay or nay on this DS?[Via Tiny Cartridge]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Phantasy Star Zero coming to DSiWare in bite-size form

    March 17, 2009 - 1:30pm

    According to an IGN writeup of an article in Famitsu, Sega of Japan has announced plans to release its first DSiWare game, Phantasy Star Mini. The game is a tiny "score attack" version of the DS's Phantasy Star Zero, in which players (in parties of up to four) select from a roster of three characters and fight a boss called Raven. Phantasy Star Zero's signature (pun unintended) visual chat interface is still available.The game is supposed to be out this month, but Nintendo's DSiWare page makes no mention of it. When it does come out, we suspect a Monster Hunter-obsessed Japan will be happy to drop 200 points for a quick bout of multiplayer boss-fighting.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Dead Space Extraction 'about as long' as original

    March 17, 2009 - 11:30am


    You'd better pack a lunch before getting on board Dead Space Extraction's rails. According Steve Papoutsis, the executive producer on the project, the upcoming adventure will last "about as long" as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 original.Dead Space filled roughly ten hours or so of our time last October, a period split crying for mommy and backtracking through the USG Ishimura's haunted hulk. Regardless, if accurate, this would make Extraction quite long for an on-rails shooter, though we wonder if Papoutsis' estimate took into account time spent nursing our wrists after all that twisting.[Via GoNintendo]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    VC/WiiWare Tuesday: Calm waters

    March 17, 2009 - 10:30am

    Japan has it pretty rough in terms of downloadable game releases this week. Gamers have the choice between a super-niche strategy game from Koei or a Master System Sonic game. Uncharted Waters II will make an appearance on the North American Virtual Console, by the way, as Uncharted Waters: New Horizons -- it was rated by the ESRB back in November.

    The slim pickings on Virtual Console are a feast compared to Japan's WiiWare offerings this week:

    • Nothing

    Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Club Nintendo Platinum members getting early look at DSi

    March 16, 2009 - 9:30pm


    Are you a Club Nintendo Platinum member? The most dedicated Nintendo fans have registered their numerous Nintendo games and have earned VIP status. These faithful are getting rewarded yet again in an "exclusive" event meant specifically for Club Nintendo members. Platinum members that live near a event locations will gain entry to a special DSi event where fans can preview the upcoming system weeks ahead of its US release.The DSi isn't a revolutionary upgrade from the previous DS Lite, but we're glad to see Nintendo rewarding its fans in new and unique ways. We hope this event is but the first of a long line of events planned for Club Nintendo elite.
    Not invited to the Club Nintendo event? Don't worry -- we've got you covered. Check out our unboxing of a Japanese system for a hands-on rundown of features, and have a look at the awesome DSiWare downloads that have come to Japan. Then torture yourself with the limited-edition FFCC: Echoes of Time DSi that probably won't make it here!Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Amazon has full Guitar Hero World Tour kit for $120 today

    March 16, 2009 - 8:15pm


    Yeah, yeah, it's a little late in the day to be mentioning Amazon's Deal of the Day, but the online retailer is currently vending the full Guitar Hero World Tour bundle on current-gen consoles for $120 -- that's $70 off. The pack includes the game, mic, guitar and drums. If you were considering picking up the GHWT drums as a standalone package, this might actually be a solid alternative deal, as the drums alone retail for $100 (with free shipping and likely tax free). If you have any questions about the game's peripherals working with your other rhythm titles, be sure to check out our Instrument Compatibility Matrix.
    [Via 1UP]
    Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    VC in Brief: Summer Games II (C64)

    March 16, 2009 - 7:30pm

    Summer Games II (C64, 1-8 players, 500 Wii Points)We say: do not downloadSummer Games II features 8 different sports that are just horrible to play. The controls and gameplay just leave a lot to be desired, and the game has not held up well. It's just plain bad, and my time with it will be easily forgotten. Avoid this one, folks.
    Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks.Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Nintendo phasing out white, silver DS Lites in UK

    March 16, 2009 - 6:40pm

    The UK will gain two new DS options in April, but two current options are on the way out. Nintendo has "ceased" production of the Polar White and Metallic Silver models, which have been available since launch and October 2007, respectively. We would expect those more "neutral" colors of DS to be the most popular, but apparently UK consumers like their DS Lites to say "Hey everybody, this guy's got a DS!""Nintendo can confirm that going forward, we will be focussing our supply of the DS Lite range on the range of exciting colours that have proved most popular since launch: Black, Pink, Red, Green and Turquoise," a Nintendo UK representative told CVG. The company also said that it would increase the number of DS Lite bundles.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Wii sales may finally slow down this year

    March 16, 2009 - 6:30pm


    After two years flying high in the sales charts -- even going so far as to offset declines for other consoles in 2008 -- EDGE reports that the Wii sales train might finally be slowing down. Screen Digest analyst Ed Barton notes that supply and demand for the Wii in the US has balanced since the beginning of 2009. Meanwhile, Wii sales in Japan have slowed dramatically, seeing it fall from selling in excess of 100,000 units per week during the holidays to selling just over 16,000 units last week.According to Barton, there are few "major" game releases for the Wii in the coming months apart from Madworld, which he says "is way outside the kind of software which has typically succeeded on Wii." Barton states that this along with sales data and the possibility of a UK price increase are "a number of things which will not help Nintendo succeed with the Wii in the way that it has for two years."Of course, there's one more Wii sales factor that has to be considered: Nintendo is probably running out of people to sell them to.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Go to NYC Pokémon party, get Platinum a day early

    March 16, 2009 - 5:30pm


    So just how bad do you want Pokémon Platinum? Would you, for example, be willing to attend a Pokémon-themed party in the hub of the civilized world where you could be seen by the national news media and (more alarmingly) girls to get the game a day early? You'll have the opportunity to put your Charizard where your mouth is at New York City's Nintendo World Store on March 21, where the game will be sold a day early as part of a full-on Poképalooza.Just remember: Everyone's anonymous when they're cosplaying as Ambipom.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments