Gamernode: Latest Wii News

November 5th Virtual Console releases

This week's Virtual Console update is just about as close to a one-game show as it's going to get. Super Mario Bros. 3 has finally found its way onto the Wii, in an obvious effort to drum up some extra excitement for the pasta-loving plumber prior to Super Mario Galaxy's release.

It looks like Alien Soldier and Power Golf must've drawn the short straws when the Virtual Console release schedule was inked, because SMB3 is most certainly going to be the download of choice this week. This line from the press release is the icing on the cake (or should I say the salt in the wound?):

"It's not just any game, it's Super Mario Bros. 3 – considered by many to be the greatest video game of all time (for at least one more week, anyway)."

While you read the official descriptions, I think I'm goin...

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Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles weapons trailer...

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles is almost upon us, and I have to say that it is looking pretty good. I've always been a big fan of the franchise, but could never get into either Dead Aim or Survivor, so I'm hoping against Umbrella Chronicles can buck that trend. If nothing else, at least the weaponry is well-executed.

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Iwata says Nintendo won't rush their next console

At Nintendo's recent Q3 financial results conference, company president Satoru Iwata shot down the idea of realeasing a new console every four to five years, as is the current trend in the industry. His reasoning for this is that new hardware should be released when the market is ready for a change, not when a hardware manufacturer reaches a pre-set deadline.

"I'm quite doubtful that such a notion of platform cycles can be applied in the future...As we continue our research and study for new hardware, when we will be able to launch a new kind of hardware will actually depend on when we can change entertainment completely, and so have a strong impact on people around the world. Or, there will certainly be a time when we have to say that we have done everything possible with the current mac...

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Buy Mario Galaxy at Toys R Us, get $25 gift card f...

If you own a Wii and won't be buying Super Mario Galaxy, please stand up. Is anyone standing? I'll assume no, because you'd be an odd person indeed to have a Wii and not get this one. (Forgivable excuses include: lack of money, being sick, or being a fool.)

For those of us picking up the lovable mascot's latest title, Toys R Us is offering a deal where you can get a $25 gift certificate just by picking up SMG in the store. That's about half of most other current games, depending on your platform of choice. If you haven't preordered yet and live near a TRU, why not take advantage of the deal?

And if you don't want the gift card, I'm sure there's someone who is writing this news right now that would gladly take it off your hands for you. 

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Nintendo says "no" to Wii hard drive

If you have visions of hard drives dancing around in your head for your Wii, you can put those dreams to rest as Nintendo has trounced any hopes for that happening. Why? The issue seems to be security for their game property. 

Eric Walter, PR manager for Nintendo of America said, "The way that we look at it is, we really don't want people storing every single game they buy on their drive." And the veiled meaning behind that is that they probably don't want every pirated game of theirs on hard drives either.

Walter continued in his logic. "When you buy a game, it's yours forever, so you can delete it, and go back and get it at any time you want. In a way, we liken it to putting music on your iPod; you listen to it for a while, and then you get tired of it, and you pull it off, and you put som...

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No Portal for you! For the Wii, that is...

Over the weekend, a rumor sprang forth stating that the highly acclaimed, mind bending puzzle game, Portal, was coming to the Nintendo Wii. Understandably, the internet was buzzing and Wii owners were smiling from ear to ear.

Sadly though, these rumors have been squashed by Valve's own Doug Lombardi, who said a version of Portal for the Wii was not likely any time soon.

"It's an extremely interesting idea, but there's nothing in product - not yet, anyway."

While some Wii fans can hold out hope that Mr. Lombardi did not completely deny the idea, it is probably unlikely that Portal will come to the Wii. Sure, the Wii remote would work perfectly as a Portal gun, but there are other issues that have to be looked at.

At the moment, Portal is only a two to three hour experience. There is no way Va...

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Heresy! Guitar Hero III Incompatible with Dolby Pr...

You, as a Wii gamer sat on the sidelines and watched as the other console dudes wailed on guitars and rocked out in your face.

Secretly brooding and smiling, knowing that one day Guitar Hero III would be ported to your console, you could finally say, "Ha! Patience has paid off, and now it is you that is ruing the day, for now we are equal with guitars, yet I still possess Wii Sports!"

So the day has come and you tear open the GH III packaging to reveal your very own Gibson Les Paul with a built in Wiimote. "Nothing shall stop us from consummating this marriage of awsomeness!" You fire up your Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound and crank it up to about half way, because even at that level the whole block will hear you.

The title screen comes up. "huh, that's odd, there's no sound on the title...

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Amazon has Wiis, but with a stern buying policy

Well, the rumors of Amazon.com stocking a bunch of Wiis for sale this morning have proven to be absolutely, 100% true.

At a few minutes past 10AM PST, the floodgates opened, the sea parted, the clouds disappeared and a voice from heaven said, "Go thou and buy your Wii."

Ok, maybe I exaggerate a little on the voice from heaven, but the Wiis really are stocked again at Amazon. What is interesting to note is the following message posted by Amazon on the quantities that people can purchase:

"As you may know, the Nintendo Wii is in great demand, and there are shortages of this product across the U.S. In an effort to provide as many customers as possible with the opportunity to purchase a Wii, we are limiting the number of Wiis customers can purchase in a given calendar month. As a result, each ho...

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Still looking for a Wii? Amazon may have them!

Are you one of the unfortunate wretches who have been searching week after week for a hot new Nintendo Wii, only to be shot down.

Like me, you've probably become a regular at your local Gamestop, Wall-mart, Target and Best Buy and have a sales rep at each one like Matt, Mike, Laura, and Heather as I do in my hometown.

Your search may be over soon, because rumor has it that a PR rep for Amazon.com announced a new shipment due tomorrow.

Indeed a short notice, so hopefully I caught enough of you before its too late. Nintendowiifanboy.com says that their info from a "PR rep from Amazon" revealed the shipment is due Wednesday, October 31, 10am PST.

There's no exact number on how many consoles they have, but they say it's a "significant" amount. Could be 100, could be 10.

Rumor or not, it'll be wo...

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Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition ships one million

Capcom announced today that the company has shipped one million copies of Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition worldwide. This game joins the ranks of Capcom's other million-shippers of this console generation, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition and Dead Rising.

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition was released late this spring, and is the definitive version of the game, taking the best elements of the Gamecube and Playstation 2 games, and adding Wii-specific controls. If you haven't played Resident Evil 4, I recommend you pick this one up, and if you haven't played it on the Wii, then you still might want to try out the new control scheme.

You can check out the GamerNode review right here.   

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Nintendo says hardcore gamer not forgotten

We've heard these words before from Nintendo, but it seems as though the company wants to reemphasize this in order to keep their feet in the hardcore gaming market as well.

Although Nintendo and hardcore gaming sounds oxymoronic, David Yarnton, general manager of Nintendo UK, said this at a recent press conference held in London:

"It's important to know that we're not ignoring the hardcore gamer. They're still very important to us."

But Yarnton didn't abandon ship by saying Nintendo is going totally over to hardcore. He also mentions that Nintendo is still holding true to it's cash cow--the casual gaming crowd. "And Christmas alone we have already catered on the Wii with Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy, and on DS with the Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass."

Most likely, Nintendo doe...

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Custom Stages Coming to Brawl

Well, it looks like Nintendo finally has gotten its act together. Super Smash Bros. Brawl is going to give gamers the ability to construct custom levels. That's right ladies and gentlemen; Brawl has its own map editor. Not excited yet? It gets better. Not only will maps be saveable on the SD memory cards, in case a friend has an awesome creation you're dying to download, but they will be also be distributed online.

Any map created can be sent to Nintendo via the Wi-Fi connection, and from there Nintendo will release a new user created map each day. This map will automatically download to the Wii, and from there be full playable. These maps will only be available for one day, however.

Thank you Nintendo for seeing the light, and embracing the online component of the gaming market. With a legi...

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October 29th Virtual Console releases

This week's Virtual Console update features three action titles from three different game consoles of yesteryear. According to the press release issued by Nintendo, these games are intended to fit the Halloween theme, just in time for the the one holiday that makes cosplay seem normal.

The group includes the vampire-ridden Castlevania II for the NES, the paranormal Samurai-Ghost for the TurboGrafx16, and the mystical Magician Lord for the NEOGEO.

Read on for the official descriptions from The Big N:

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): In this one-player adventure, you'll take on the role of Simon Belmont once again and duel to the death with Count Dracula. Grab your legendary whip, Vampire Killer, and roam freely thr...

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Nintendo is not planning a Wii price cut

Fresh from hot Q2 financial earnings, Nintendo revealed that there wouldn't be a price cut for the Wii, detailed an upcoming new feature for the Wii and that the company has plans to launch Wii in China next year.

Even with the extra earnings from Wii's recent dynamite sales streak, Nintendo continues to struggle to meet demands and ultimately ruled out a price cut.

Satoru Iwata, Nintendo President, mentioned that Nintendo have been producing 1.8 million Wii consoles per month but still predicts that there will be Wii shortages once the holidays come.

Iwata said in a brief statement, "We're still focusing on how to meet booming demand. We're absolutely not considering a price cut." He revealed a new feature for the Wii too; a gift-giving feature that'll allow friends to send each other games...

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Krystal of Star Fox in Super Smash Bros. Brawl?

The cast of Super Smash Bros. Brawl continues to grow week to week and has fans constantly wondering: who's next? Fans have been keeping close tabs on any clue they can get, and through some hints from voice actor Alesia Glidewell, they may have found what they were looking for. 

On her website, Glidewell lists her roles, including those she is doing for Smash Bros. Brawl. Among that list are names like Knuckle Joe, Zero Suit Samus, and... Krystal from Star Fox.

Krystal has been in the rumor mill for a while, so this makes sense. Once again these are just rumors, and it's possible that she may not even be in the game. Knuckle Joe is an NPC Assist Trophy, so there is also a possibility that Krystal could play that role as well.

via [wii.advanced.mn]

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Super Smash Bros. Brawl includes recordable replay...

I think we've all had those moments in just about every game we've played that are just amazing. You crush a guy and watch him rag doll across the screen and think to yourself... man I wish I could see that again. Halo 3 introduced the theatre feature, which allows you to view and record played games, and it's worked out pretty well.

From first hand experience, I love the ability to make a scrapbook of sorts and reflect on some of the funnier and cooler moments I've had. The boys over at Nintendo apparently also liked this idea, and are adopting it for their new baby, Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

On their official website they announced the replay ability so that you can compare Target Smash scores, or just show some cool stuff. Personally I like the fact that the recordable replays are spreadin...

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Nintendo's profits up. Surprise!

Nintendo released their 2nd quarter financial results today and reported a massive profit increase, thanks to the Wii.

Net income took a hop, skip and jump to 132.4 billion yen ($1.2 billion) during the 2nd quarter, which ended in September. This is up from the same period last year at only 54.3 billion yen ($464 million).

The increased income is due to Nintendo selling 7.33 million Wii units during the quarter; though they weren't able to beat rival Microsoft and its Xbox 360 since the Xbox 360 sold more units than the Wii in September -- largely due to Halo 3.

Nintendo is planning several titles for the upcoming holiday season to hopefully rally more Wii sales - Wii Fit, for example.

In the light of events, Nintendo also increased their annual profit outlook to 275 billion yen from a previ...

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An Animal Crossing MMO?

MCV reports that the newest rendition of the Animal Crossing franchise due for the Wii will be a massively multiplayer online experience. The original cute cuddly game had a large social aspect to it, where you could exchange gifts and information using in game codes.

Quite lame, but it was a start. The DS version stepped it up and used the Wi-Fi technology to swap info. It's only natural to add the online experience, but full fledged MMO? Whoa.

Get ready for a world of round people and infinite happiness. Think Disney's Small World ride... FOREVER!

via [MCV]

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Wii Sports sweeps the BAFTA Awards

Wii Sports has hit a home run, bowled a strike, sunk an eagle, punched a knockout and slammed an overhead smash in landing a majority of the awards in the video games category at the British Academy of Television and Film Arts ceremonies held in London.

So just what did it walk away with? Wii Sports took home the winners in the categories of game play, innovation, simulation, strategy and of course, sports.

The best game award went to Bioshock for the Xbox 360. The PS3 didn't win squat, but the PS2 won awards for artistic achievement for Okami while God of War 2 won awards in the technical and story/character categories.

Can Nintendo follow up this blazing performance next year? It'll be a hard act to follow, that's for sure.

[via BBCnews]

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Yamaoka says, "Wii user isn't a hardcore user."

I better put my battle armor on because it's time for our weekly segment titled "Time to go ape over one quote from a major game developer employee!" This week's segment involves Akira Yamaoka, chief composer for Konami, taking a brief jab at the Nintendo Wii when talking about Silent Hill V on Game | Life.

The outrage stemmed from this quote, "No plans. The Wii user isn't a hardcore user." Trust me, if there's one battle you don't want to wade through, it's calling the entire Wii crowd a bunch of casual gamers. There are the hardcore gamers who own Wiis. Also there are "hardcore" games available for the Wii but I think these types of titles will be only sprinkled onto the gaming market every so often.

Nonetheless, what do you folks think? For you ones with a Wii, do you think it stinks to ...

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