Nintendo News Part 1

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Nintendo News Part 1
Topic Started: Sunday Mar 9 2008, 04:59 PM (38 Views)
StevenKoops	Sunday Mar 9 2008, 04:59 PM Post #1
Posts: 24 Group: Moderators Member #98 Joined: March 4, 2008	Reminder: Setting Clocks Forward Brings Brawl Home Sooner With many gamers no doubt planning to whittle away their weekend on Brawl action, some may be liable to forget that Sunday also marks another important milestone: the beginning of Daylight Savings Time in those areas that observe it. The change officially takes place at 2:00 am, local time. This means two things for Wii owners. One, retailers in affected areas will be opening Sunday morning on Daylight Savings Time. That means that those picking up Brawl first thing on Sunday morning in most areas will be able to do so an hour earlier. (Those attending the midnight GameStop launch are, of course, unaffected.) Two, those who plan spending all day tomorrow playing the aforementioned Brawl should remember to change their clocks. We would not want Wii owners missing important work or school obligations on Monday morning. Source: Nintendojo GameStop Kicks off Brawl Tourney At Midnight Tonight Omnipresent U.S. game retailer GameStop is among those launching the Super Smash Bros. Brawl era promptly at midnight tonight. Those who preordered the game from the retailer will be able to pick the title up at that time. In addition, selected GameStop locations will be home to the first round of a nationwide Brawl tournament. Winners from tonight will be able to continue on in Round 2 next Saturday, while winners from Round 2 will go on to Round 3 on Saturday, March 29. The national Brawl championship will take place on April 12 in San Jose, California. Prizes will be handed down at all levels, with the national champion scoring an LCD TV, a Wii, a game library, and \$5000 in cash. Source: GameStop Nintendo, GolinHarris Win Twice at PRWeek Awards Nintendo and marketing partner GolinHarris were big winners at last night's PRWeek 2008 awards, held in New York City at Tavern of the Green, taking home the Campaign of the Year award. Titled "Wii Launch: How Wii Helped Nintendo Get Its Game Back," the Big N and GolinHarris ad campaign also claimed the Consumer Launch Campaign of the Year. The advertising efforts of Nintendo and GolinHarris didn't go unnoticed with consumers, who have continued to buy Nintendo's shiny white console at a dizzying rate. Source: Reuters Australia: Mario Kart Wii Due in April Nintendo of Australia revealed today that Mario Kart Wii will debut in the land down under on April 24, about two weeks after its April 10 release in Japan and April 11 entrance in Europe. The game will retail for the usual Aussie price tag at \$99.95, and will come bundled with the Wii Wheel attachment. Nintendo also recently announced that the Mario Kart Channel will be included with the release of the game. The Mario Kart Channel allows players to download ghost data from other players worldwide, try out Competitions and track other various statistics with online players. Source: Aussie Nintendo PR: All Star Cheer Squad Exclusively Coming to Wii, DS AGOURA HILLS, Calif. -THQ Inc. today announced that All Star Cheer Squad, the first-ever cheerleading video game, is currently in development to make its scheduled debut exclusively for Wii and Nintendo DS this fall. In All Star Cheer Squad, players will immerse themselves into the world of competitive cheerleading as they experience the thrill and excitement of cheer through creativity, customization, style and teamwork. The release will mark THQ’s first original property created specifically for girls on Wii and Nintendo DS. "With the explosive growth of the girls gaming market in recent years due to the continued success of Wii and DS, our ongoing goal is to stay at the cutting edge of that success by bringing a brand new property for this segment to these popular systems," said Jim Huntley, director of global brand management, THQ. "We’re thrilled to introduce All Star Cheer Squad to the industry as a triple-a title that will get players involved in the action of what it takes to be an all star as well as make up their own unique cheer routines." In All Star Cheer Squad, players will follow a year in the life of a cheerleader as they learn new cheers, participate in practices and create their own routines to make the squad and eventually become captain. High-energy gameplay includes squad competitions and one-on-one cheer-offs, where players will use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to perform dozens of real-world cheer and dance moves. In order to ensure that All Star Cheer Squad has the latest cheer action and top routines, world-renowned cheerleading choreographer Tony G, best known for his work in the Bring It On movies, has signed on as chief consultant for the game. All Star Cheer Squad will also incorporate use of the Wii Balance Board to get the player’s entire body involved in the game and add to the ultimate cheerleading experience. Players will be able to customize the look of their cheerleader and squad including body, facial features, hair and outfits. The Nintendo DS version of the game will feature a storyline unique to the system that focuses on the adventure of cheerleading camp, where players will compete to beat the rival camp. All Star Cheer Squad is being developed by Gorilla in Tampa, Florida. For more information on this game, as well as additional THQ titles, please visit www.thq.com. Source: THQ Contra 4 Devs at Work on WiiWare Puzzler WayForward, developer of Contra 4 for Nintendo DS, revealed today that it is jumping on the WiiWare bandwagon with Lit, a 3D horror action-puzzle game, an exclusive title for Wii's downloadable gaming service. Lit will take place at a high school teeming with monsters, with players assuming the role of below-average student Jake, who must escape the school and find his girlfriend. Lit's quirky genre setup as a horror action-puzzle title was chosen by WayForward "because of how infrequently horror and puzzling gets combined in games, and to squeeze out the greatest amount of gameplay possible from a limited file size." No release date has been announced for Lit. We'll have more on this title as information trickles out. Source: Gamasutra PR: GameStop Hosting Brawl Tourneys on Launch Night GRAPEVINE, Texas– GameStop Corp., the world’s largest video game and entertainment software retailer, today announced that it will host Super Smash Bros. Brawl video game tournaments at 2,500 of its U.S. GameStop and EB Games locations on Saturday, March 8, 2008. The tiered tournament program, which represents the largest in-store tournament event to date, is one of several events that GameStop will host surrounding the launch of Super Smash Bros. Brawl by Nintendo, available March 9, 2008. Each round one tournament will provide players with an opportunity to “duke it out” one-on-one with other contestants in a single-elimination tournament to determine the 2,500 store winners. Many of the participating GameStop and EB Games locations will begin their tournaments at 10:00 p.m., local time; however, customers are encouraged to contact their local store to confirm the exact time of the tournament. All contestants must check-in at least thirty minutes prior to the start of play. Store winners will advance to a series of District tournaments on March 15; winners of these competitions will advance to Regional tournaments, which will take place on March 29 (visit www.gamestop.com/smash for District and Regional tournament location details). The top eight scoring Regional winners will be declared the Semifinalists for that region and will advance to the Finals event, to be held on April 12, 2008, at the GameStop tournament store in San Jose, CA. Semifinalists will “brawl” against one another in a series of matches until one player with the best of three rounds score is declared the Grand Prize Winner. The Grand Prize winner will receive one Vizio 37” LCD-TV, an entire Nintendo Wii Software Library, one Nintendo Wii console and selected accessories, and \$5,000 in cash. Prize packages in the form of GameStop gift Cards will be awarded to the second and third place players. For additional tournament details and to obtain a list of official rules, visit a local GameStop or EB Games retail location or www.gamestop.com/smash. Midnight Brawl Events To continue the Super Smash Bros. Brawl celebration that all fans can enjoy, GameStop will also host Midnight Launch Events on Saturday, March 8, 2008, at more than 2,500 locations. Most participating GameStop and EB Games locations will begin their countdown to launch at 10:00 p.m., local time; however, customers are encouraged to contact their local store to confirm the exact time of the event. Fans can also check out GameStop’s inventory of special Super Smash Bros Brawl add-ons including extra controllers, charge kits, and skins. Super Smash Bros. Brawl features dozens of Nintendo characters, from Mario to Link to Pikachu, as well as new characters like Solid Snake, a gritty soldier from Konami’s hugely popular Metal Gear series, and Sonic The Hedgehog. The combat-filled game lets characters of all kinds brawl until only one is left standing. Brawl has more characters, more features and more action-packed fun. What’s more, Super Smash Bros. Brawl uses Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, which allows up to four players to simultaneously brawl no matter where they are based. For a complete list of characters and features, visit www.SmashBros.com. (mmh) Source: GameStop Sega Has No Interest in Mergers or Acquisitions In light of recent merger and acquisition news, Sega has made it publicly known that it has no intention to seek such propositions from other gaming companies. Sega of America CEO Simon Jeffrey said during a Reuters interview that the the realm of mergers and acquisitions is "not an area we want to play in right now. We have no interest in being acquired; we are very happy with our position right now." Sega is currently the sixth largest video game publisher in terms of revenue according to data compiled by the NPD Group. These comments downplaying the need for Sega to merge with another company comes in light of recent news that the company's Wii and DS title Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games has sold more than five million copies worldwide. "I don't think we believed in our wildest dreams that it would sell 5 million units in just three months," Jeffrey said. Source: Reuters PR: Mario & Sonic Reaches Five Million Sold Worldwide Sega Corporation today announced that its history-making video game title, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, has sold five million copies worldwide in just over three months. Developed by Sega for the Wii video game system and the Nintendo DS system, with creative input and executive milestone approvals by Nintendo's developers, the title brought together for the first time the two most beloved icons in the entertainment industry. In the spirit of the Olympic Games, the legendary mascots also brought friends from their storied franchises along, including Luigi, Knuckles, Yoshi and Tails, to compete in a variety of Olympic events. "With adored icons and fun game play, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games has shot to the top of the sales charts and is clearly resonating with the growing audience of casual gamers that want an engaging and accessible gaming experience," said Simon Jeffery, President and COO, Sega of America. Published by Sega across Europe and North America, and by Nintendo in Japan, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games made its worldwide debut on November 6, 2007, when the Wii version hit store shelves in the United States. According to the NPD Group, which tracks sales data in the United States, the game was one of the top-ten best-sellers in the United States - across all platforms - in the critical holiday sales month of December. When Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games launched in Europe just days later, it was an immediate hit, rising rapidly to the top of sales charts. Mario & Sonic became the best-ever performing Wii game over the seven-day period that ended on December 11, 2007. In January, Mario & Sonic was the best-selling video game in England across all formats. "The market for entertaining games that everyone can enjoy is growing faster than any other segment in the industry, thanks in part to the explosive popularity of Wii and Nintendo DS," continued Jeffery. "A key element of our growth strategy at Sega is to develop and publish games that appeal to this expanding market." Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is licensed through a worldwide partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), the exclusive Interactive Entertainment Software licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Source: Sega Nintendo UK Dishes on Mario Kart Wii Ready to go online with Mario Kart Wii? Nintendo UK is detailing the online features of Mario Kart Wii on its website, and one of the new announcements concerns the Mario Kart Channel, which will be included on the game disk itself. The Channel will include data on other racers worldwide, as well as downloadable Competitions, which are similar to the Missions from Mario Kart DS. Players can also download ghost data from other Mario Kart players. Either the best Time Trial data for any given course can be chosen, or players can gather ghost data from "rivals," who have only slightly better times than a player's best. The features of the Mario Kart Channel work regardless of whether the Mario Kart disk is inserted into the Wii system. For online racing, players can compete with either friends, players on the same continent, or throughout the world. Among friend, players can text chat in the lobby while the game's host selects the mode of play and settings. All players together will vote on selection of course. Text chat is available after the race as well. Mario Kart Wii is coming April 11 to Europe, April 28 to America. Source: Nintendo UK House of the Dead Remake Includes New Extreme Mode Sega's remake House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return will feature a new Extreme Mode, according to a Punch Jump report. Extreme mode will look to ramp up the difficulty of the game considerably, offering single players the opportunity to take on faster enemies with faster reloading and interestingly, a melee attack option. No word yet if the physical strikes will be mapped to gesture input or a simple button press. House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return launches on March 11. Source: Punch Jump Japan: Nintendo Launches WiiWare Site Nintendo debuted the official Japanese site for its WiiWare downloadable gaming service, showcasing eleven titles that will be available for it. Since the site's text is almost entirely in Japanese, it's a little difficult for gamers -- and volunteer fan site writers -- to figure out the titles of all eleven games on the front page of the site. From what we can tell, Square-Enix's Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, Hudson's top-down shooter StarSoldierR, Pokemon Ranch from Nintendo and what appears to be a take on the popular Dr. Mario puzzle games are a few of the titles on display. Detailed information of each game is scarce on Nintendo's WiiWare site, as a few screenshots are all we really get to see. We'll have more on WiiWare as information is released. (mmh) Source: Nintendo (Japanese Text) VC Monday: Super Turrican Flies Solo Super Turrican makes its lonesome debut on Nintendo's Virtual Console service in this week's VC Monday update. After several weeks of two-title VC installments, side-scroller Super Turrican is the only classic game to release today. The following description of the title comes directly from Nintendo: Super Turrican (Super NES®, 1 player, Rated E 10+ for Everyone 10 and Older – Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): You are Bren McGuire, on a United Planets Freedom Forces mission to save the peaceful planet Katakis from the Machine, source of all that is cruel and evil in the universe. The only weapon on your side is the state-of-the-art Turrican Assault Suit. Equipped with multiple weapons, including the incredible Freeze-Beam that temporarily immobilizes almost any enemy, the Turrican Assault Suit gives one man the power of an entire army. Use the myriad weapons and powers at your disposal to fight through 12 increasingly insane levels, free the innocent residents of the planet Katakis and crush the oppressive Machine. For more information on Super Turrican, or to check out the entire library of retro games available for Wii's Virtual Console service, please visit the system's Shop Channel. Source: Nintendo Rumor: American Wii Fit Boards Bigger Than Japanese Ones Wii Fit is headed to North American shores on May 19, several months after the product saw release in Japan. Various reasons have been advanced for this delay, including supply issues, localization issues, and Nintendo’s desire to create a more staggered release schedule for its American audience. According to reports on NeoGAF, though, there may be another reason. NeoGAF cites the latest issue of EGM, which allegedly claims that Wii Fit was delayed Stateside while Nintendo designed and produced a larger Wii balance board. Why a bigger board for Americans, you ask? We'll let you draw your own conclusions. Source: NeoGAF forums PR: North America Wii, 360 Getting Tales NAMCO BANDAI GAMES CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF TALES SERIES WITH TWO NEW GAMES IN 2008 Tales of Vesperia™ for Xbox 360® and Tales of Symphonia®: Dawn of the New World™ for Wii™ Highlight Celebrated Role-Playing Series’ First Decade SANTA CLARA, Calif., (February 27, 2008) – NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced Tales of Vesperia™ for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Tales of Symphonia®: Dawn of the New World™ for Wii™. Marking the 10th anniversary of the Tales franchise in North America, these two new games expand the series’ winning combination of real-time combat, captivating storylines and remarkable graphics while introducing original elements that set a new standard for role-playing gameplay and interactive storytelling. The debut of the Tales series on the Xbox 360, Tales of Vesperia launches the series to new heights of interactive narrative and engrossing gameplay with incredible anime-style graphics, a captivating storyline and characters as well as an upgraded battle system. Set in a world reliant on a mysterious ancient technology known as “blastia,” the game follows former knight Yuri as he delves into a shadowy plot to use these magical devices to control civilization, or destroy it. A bold new interpretation of the elements that made the Tales series a hit with gamers around the world, Tales of Vesperia delivers a standard-setting RPG experience on the Xbox 360. Using an all-new graphics engine and character designs by the renowned Kosuke Fujishima (Ah! My Goddess, Sakura Taisen), the game delivers high-quality HD character models and environments that are indistinguishable from traditional cel-based anime. The game also makes significant additions to the series’ trademark real-time combat system, allowing players to do battle in massive battlefields and learn new special attacks that are tied to individual weapons. New finishing blows allow players to take down enemies in a single hit with correctly timed button combinations, while mission-based battles increase the variety of each encounter as players gain unique items by fulfilling various battle objectives. Players can also use materials collected by successfully executing finishing moves to craft rare and unique equipment for their characters. Set two years after the events of the award-winning Tales of Symphonia for the Nintendo GameCube™, Dawn of the New World follows the journey of two new young heroes, Emil Castagnier and Marta Lualdi, as they seek to uncover the mystery of why their world has fallen into ruin. In their quest, their paths will cross with the original cast of Tales of Symphonia including Lloyd and Colette, as well as a summon spirit known as Ratatosk who claims to be the lord of all monsters. Advancing the combination of story, characters and real-time battles that made Tales of Symphonia one of the best-selling and highest-rated role-playing games for the Nintendo GameCube, Dawn of the New World introduces a new monster recruitment feature in which players can capture more than 200 unique enemies and train them to actively participate in battle. Players can then feed these monsters to make them more effective, and even evolve them into several new fearsome forms. The game also features an updated real-time battle system that lets players move freely in all directions around the battlefield, execute powerful unison attacks and take advantage of a new elemental alignment system for even more strategic depth. Dawn of the New World gives players complete control over a full roster of Tales of Symphonia characters and ally monsters, letting them customize their adventure party into hundreds of unique combinations. “The Tales series is one of our most successful and well-regarded franchises, and we’re celebrating its 10th anniversary in a big way with two new games that redefine role-playing on the Xbox 360 and Wii,” said Todd Thorson, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “Not only can gamers look forward to playing these two incredible titles later this year, but we’ll be supporting special anniversary-themed programs throughout the year to thank all the fans of the series for their dedication and enthusiasm.” Tales of Vesperia for the Xbox 360 and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World for Wii will be available in stores later this year. Tales of Vesperia is currently featured in the March issue of Play magazine, and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World is featured in the March issue of Nintendo Power magazine, both now on sale nationwide. For more information on the Tales series, please visit www.namcobandaigames.com. Source: Namco Bandai Japan: Wii on Top in February Nintendo Wii continued its dominance on the Japanese sales charts, besting its closest current generation console competitor -- Sony's PlayStation 3 -- by a nearly 4-to-1 margin in the month of February. In terms of figures, Nintendo sold 331,627 Wiis in Japan, with Sony moving 89,131 PlayStation 3s. Microsoft's Xbox 360 continued to lag behind its counterparts with 14,079 purchases. Wii sales were likely boosted with the help of a little title called Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which garnered 1.33 million copies sold. Wii Fit was also a successful seller, with 309,311 copies of the fitness title moved. Source: Reuters PR: Disney Unveils Ultimate Band for Nintendo Systems LONDON, England – (February 28, 2008) – selection of current hits and all-time rock favourites. Friends and families can rock out on guitar, bass, drums or as the front man. “Ultimate Band invites kids, tweens and teens to join in the jam session,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president, global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “And whether they choose guitar, drums, bass or front man, members don’t need to buy costly, single-function peripherals to play their way through Ultimate Band’s deep song list, dynamic venues, and customizable characters. The Wii Remote and DS stylus are the only tools they’ll need to reach rock stardom in Ultimate Band.” Working with leading London-based music consultants, Radial Music, Disney has chosen to combine familiar classics with today’s hottest songs in creating Ultimate Band - a product with global appeal across all age groups. Instantly-recognisable songs from classic rock to current hit singles will bring players together for endless hours of entertainment. "Radial worked closely with Disney to compile the perfect song list for Ultimate Band," said David Hill of Radial Music. “With iconic songs from every decade since the 60s, these games feature music for everyone." Ultimate Band, being developed by Fall Line Studio in Salt Lake City, UT, is slated for release during autumn 2008. When Disney formed Fall Line Studio in November, 2006, Ultimate Band was the first project the team began building. Fall Line Studio’s focus is to develop Wii and Nintendo DS games based on new intellectual property, Disney brands (with Disney/Walden Media’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian on the Nintendo DS being its first release), and innovative new technologies such as DGamer which will provide a fun, connected game community for Disney video game fans. Ultimate Band for Wii allows players to live the life of a rock star, by advancing their music careers and popularity from playing in a neighbourhood garage to performing in front of an international audience at a world famous venue. Ultimate Band utilizes the innovative Wii Remote and Nunchuk to give fans the ability to play the drums, bass guitar, lead guitar, or take on the role of the front man. Players can also create and customise characters that reflect their own unique personalities and attributes. Along the way, players will unlock new songs, venues, and accessories that can be used to customise their band members. Ultimate Band for Nintendo DS is a rhythm-based music game with a built-in recording studio. Players can jam to current and classic songs using the drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, or rhythm guitar. Players can also create their own original songs using the DS touchscreen and stylus to lay down tracks for each instrument and apply creative mixing effects. Ultimate Band for Nintendo DS will also include DGamer functionality which will allow players to engage with others in a secure online community via their DS (Wi-Fi or ad hoc) or computer. For more information on Disney Interactive Studios and Fall Line Studio, visit http://www.disney.com/videogames. Source: Disney via Games Press WiiWare Final Fantasy Title Pricing, Release Revealed Square-Enix has finally divulged information we've been waiting to hear about its upcoming WiiWare title Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King. My Life as a King's debut will coincide with the release date of the WiiWare service itself, on May 12. The Final Fantasy game will be accompanied by a 1500 Wii Points price tag. While the first Crystal Chronicles game, which released on Nintendo GameCube in 2004, played as an action RPG title, My Life as a King will play out with more simulation elements, according to The Wiire. We'll keep our eyes and ears open for more information on Final Fantasy Crsytal Chronicles: My Life as a King as nears its May 12 release date. Source: The Wiire PR: MLB 2K8 Fantasy All Stars for DS Announced New York, NY – February 26, 2008 – 2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., in partnership with Deep Fried Entertainment, today officially announced Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars, an exciting new baseball title that will put fans into the action like never before. Available exclusively for Nintendo DS, Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars will offer fans of all ages a wildly fun experience featuring starting lineups from all 30 Major League Baseball clubs, a variety of exhibition and tournament modes, All-Star training mini-games, along with fantasy-themed baseball stadiums. Utilizing the functionality of the Nintendo DS touch screen, Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars will provide fans the unique opportunity to control the power and technique of their swings and the speed and accuracy of their pitch by performing specific gestures and intuitive usage of the stylus. Fielding, baserunning and other controls will also utilize the DS touch screen, as players drag and trace lines to execute these specific baseball actions. Adding to the addictive gameplay experience, players will also have the ability to obtain special “power ups” to complete incredible batting, pitching, and fielding performances. Players can force their opponents to chase after the “chicken ball” that runs away from fielders once it’s on the ground, or confuse them with a “crazy ball” that takes an unpredictable flight path. Pitchers can throw amazing new pitches such as a “super splitter” that splits the ball into two pieces to confuse the batter or a “fireball” that screams over the plate at rocket speeds while engulfed in flames. Fielders can join in the power up fun with the “brick wall” that causes a wall to instantly rise out of the ground to stop the ball in its tracks or the “super jump” that allows them to jump incredibly high toward the ball in flight. “It’s exciting to continue expanding our wide number of baseball offerings with Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “With all new fun and innovative gameplay features, fans will now have the great opportunity to step up to the plate and enjoy playing baseball like never before.“ “We’re proud to offer fans a unique and interactive baseball experience on Nintendo DS that is both fun and appealing for all ages,” said Brenda Bailey, chief operating officer of Deep Fried Entertainment. “With Spring Training right around the corner, Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars comes at the perfect time to put players in touch with the action on a new level.” Some of the fun and exciting features included in Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars include: * Unique Interactive Experience - All aspects of the game will be controlled on the Nintendo DS touch screen, including batting, pitching, fielding and baserunning. * Exciting Gameplay Modes - Exhibition mode will allow players to quickly choose their favorite teams so they can immediately jump into the intense baseball action, while Fantasy Pennant mode will offer various tournaments to compete in. All-Star Training will assist players in learning the fundamental DS control functions wrapped up in a variety of fun and challenging mini-games. * All-Star Lineups - Players can create their own unique baseball teams by choosing from the different starting lineups and putting together their favorite All-Stars. * Uniquely Themed Stadiums - Set in extreme environments that portray the diverse North American environment, uniquely themed stadiums are in locations ranging from the Everglades in Florida to the Frozen North, locations that can only be mastered by the best. * Multi-player - Supports two-player DS Wireless and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. For added competitiveness, Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars will utilize DS Wireless and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connections so players can go head-to-head in intense worldwide multi-player gaming. Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars, developed by Deep Fried Entertainment and published by 2K Sports, will be available exclusively for Nintendo DS this April and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. For more information about this title, please visit: www.2Ksports.com. Source: 2K Sports Rumor: Capcom at Work on Resident Evil Zero Wii Port The latest issue of Japanese gaming rag Famitsu shows images of what look to be a Wii port of Resident Evil Zero, which previously released on Nintendo GameCube. Translated information from the magazine scans reveal that Capcom is planning to release the game in Japan sometime in the summer of 2008, with European and North American dates not yet known. Players will still assume the roles of Billy and Rebecca in the game, but Resident Evil Zero Wii will control exclusively with the Wii Remote. Capcom has not confirmed the existence of the game, so for now we'll have to consider this information as rumor. We'll keep you informed if we hear confirmation from the usual sources. Source: CVG, Jeux France Wii Set to Launch Officially in Taiwan Nintendo is preparing its Wii console for release in Taiwan in the second quarter of 2008, according to a DigiTimes report. Two sales agents will be participating in Wii's Taiwan launch, Hakuyu and Weblink. Hakuyu has previously partnered with Nintendo in the past, while Weblink is just beginning a business relationship with the Big N. Since Wii has been available for some time in Taiwan through the gray market, it has been hypothesized by some industry analysts that Nintendo will officially debut Wii in the country at a lower price to spur sales. (mmh) Source: DigiTimes Mario Kart Wii to Support Text Chat Welcome to the 1990s, Mario Kart Wii. Nintendo recently confirmed that its go-kart racer will support text chat, leaving gamers hoping for voice chat functionality in Mario Kart Wii in the dust. Online players of the game will be able to form rooms with friends to engage in some chit-chatting before a match begins, but the typing functionality will stop there -- texting and driving in-game will not be allowed. Although the primary mode of text input appears to be the Wii Remote, IGN posits that there's a good possibility Mario Kart Wii will include support for USB keyboards, a feature most Wii channels already incorporate. Mario Kart Wii is slated for a second quarter release date in 2008. We'll have more on the game as its ship date nears. Source: IGN Europe: Reggie Says No Brawl Until Fall Don't shoot the messengers! Nintendo of America chief Reggie Fils-Aime let slip when being interviewed by 1UP that Wii's Super Smash Bros. Brawl is being prepped for release in Europe sometime this fall. Stateside, the mascot fighter is due to ship in less than three weeks on March 9 and is currently available for purchase in Japan. When asked for the reasoning behind gamers across the seas getting their hands on Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit before North American gamers, Reggie replied, "Yeah, but they don't get Smash Bros. until fall." A fall Brawl release in Europe is somewhat curious considering the game is all but ready to release in the United States -- there shouldn't be much, if anything, in the way of localizing the title for a European audience. Check back with Nintendojo for more information on Europe's release date for Super Smash Bros. Brawl as we uncover it. Source: 1UP via Aussie-Nintendo Wii Gets Face Time at Academy Awards Nintendo Wii was in full display at the Oscars. Comedian Jon Stewart, hosting the movie awards on the evening of February 24, was in the midst of a heated Wii Sports tennis match displayed on a giant screen on stage as the show came back from a commercial break. After realizing he was on-the-air and collecting himself, Stewart deadpanned, "Am I supposed to be winded?" No word as to whether this was a Nintendo-sponsored bit of product placement or not. Source: YouTube SCE President Phil Harrison Resigns The weekends are supposed to be quiet time when it comes to video game news. Less than a day after video gamers found out Electronic Arts was looking into absorbing Take-Two Interactive, Sony Computer Entertainment announced that its president Phil Harrison will be stepping down on February 29. Reasons for Harrison's departure have not been disclosed at this time. SCEI CEO Kazuo Hirai will take over Harrison's position when he resigns. “I am grateful to all the PlayStation family for their incredible support, guidance and friendship," Harrison said in a statement. "It has been a privilege to serve as part of the team and be inspired by them on a daily basis. I am so proud of everything PlayStation has achieved and will continue to support its future in every way I can.” Harrison has been with Sony since 1992. Phil Harrison's plans for life after Sony aren't known. Source: Game Informer Online EA Seeking to Acquire Take-Two Electronic Arts made public its attempts to acquire Take-Two Interactive over the weekend, offering the makers of the Grand Theft Auto games and Wii's upcoming MLB 2K8 an all-cash deal 64 percent above Take-Two's market value as of February 15. The bid, which would have totaled more than \$2 billion, was quickly declined by Take-Two's board of directors. EA and Take-Two have since released on the internet the e-mail correspondence traded between the two companies as they continue to sort the matter out. Take-Two deemed the bid by Electronic Arts as "undervalued", although the Manhunt 2 publishers did remained open to the possibility of discussing a takeover deal after April 30, a day after the release of Take-Two's much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV. The buzz surrounding the potential deal appears to have benefited Take-Two financially today, as the company's stock has risen 52 percent at the time of this writing. We'll have more on this potential deal as more information is released. (mmh) Source: GameSpot 1 (Takeover Announced), GameSpot 2 (Take-Two Rejects), Yahoo! VC Monday: Kirby Puffs Up This Week The Pink Puffball's first 3D adventure and a TurboGrafx16 shooter make their debut to Wii's Virtual Console in this week's update to Nintendo's retro gaming service. Kirby 64 for Nintendo 64 and Turbografx16 title Psychosis are now ready for download and play on Wii. The following game descriptions, as always, come courtesy of Nintendo: Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Nintendo 64, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Kirby's first 3-D adventure is also his Nintendo 64 debut, and it finds the always-versatile hero battling a new enemy called Dark Matter. Dark Matter is after a distant land's powerful crystal, but a young fairy named Ribbon attempts to save it by escaping with the gem to Dream Land. Now the crystal has been broken, and it's scattered around the world. Take control of Kirby and help him journey across six worlds, battling a wide variety of enemies and challenging bosses, as he tries to collect all 100 pieces of the shattered crystal. Along the way, you'll use Kirby's trademark copying ability to use enemies' strengths against them. Not only that, but try combining any two abilities to create a brand-new one that is usually stronger than the original. Throw in three exciting multiplayer minigames, and you've got a package of which even King Dedede would be proud. Fans of Kirby and action games with bright, colorful graphics should vacuum this one up. Psychosis (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 600 Wii Points): This is a side-scrolling shooter played in a world created from the mind of a twisted demon. Your soul has suddenly wandered into that evil world that exists in every person's heart. The only way out is to blast your way past the grotesque creatures that block your path in five "causes" (stages). You must face the dangers of this psychedelic world by making full use of three shot types and the satellite option. With power-ups, you can change your shots to a wide-coverage beam, a satellite-generated laser and more. Each shot type can be powered up to three levels. You can also block enemy fire by rotating the satellites to a desired position. How you use these features will be the key to successfully escaping this strange and surreal world. The entire library of classic games available for play on Wii's Virtual Console can be found by visiting the system's Shop Channel. Source: Nintendo



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