“I worked with the assumption that after we put out Gold and Silver, my work as far as Pokémon was concerned would be done. I didn’t intend to make any more Pokémon titles. I even thought that once we entered the twenty-first century, it would be time for me to do something else entirely…I remember that when Gold and Silver were released, I felt like a burden had finally been lifted from my shoulders. We’d had our sights set on the finish line of Gold and Silver for so long, and now that we’d finally completed the major series running right through from Red and Blue, I felt I could say to Tajiri-san: ‘I’ve fulfilled my duty!’…Once we’d released Gold and Silver and it was selling even faster than Red and Green, I couldn’t very well get off the ride halfway through saying: ‘Nice work everyone. Good luck from here on in!'” – Tsunekazu Ishihara, President and CEO of The Pokémon Company and chairman of Creatures Inc.
Can you imagine how different things would be today had the Pokemon games stopped at Gold/Silver? The franchise has been incredibly popular since both versions have been released and the series becomes more popular each day.
Munich, Germany – March 12, 2010 – Shin’en Multimedia announces the EU release date of Art of Balance for WiiWareTM. for March 26, 2010 for 800 Wii PointsTM.
Grab your Wii Remote™ and build a balanced stack in this physics-based puzzler! Puzzle games must be addictive. This was our top priority during the development of the game. That’s why we designed 100 levels that not only challenge your skills but also your imagination. The game is easy to pick up and hard to put away. Play alone or invite a friend to grab a second Wii Remote and drop in at any time for co-op play. We even added a dedicated two players split-screen “versus” mode for extra fun. Art of Balance will be available exclusively via Nintendo’s WiiWare service.
I don’t think that IGN’s Matt Casamassina is lying here, but just because he’s heard rumbling about certain subjects doesn’t mean they’re necessarily true. So, take the following quotes with a grain of salt…
First, here’s what Casamassina had to say regarding Wii 2 in a recent article from GDC…
“Speaking of Nintendo, everyone seems to be waiting for word on the company’s next system. It’s the go-to question in interviews. ‘Yes, I understand Wii sold a bazillion units in December alone, but hey — when’s Wii HD coming?’ Yeah — I’m guilty of that one, too. And it’s no different when I talk to developers and publishers, nearly all of whom receive the obligatory query about new hardware — what and when? I always resign myself to the no comment or the no idea, but at GDC I struck a bit of a niblet when a developer said Nintendo told him it would be ready to roll with Wii 2 in 2012. Anybody with a brain would probably guess as much, but it is even so always refreshing to hear so from a semi-official source.
Next, Casamassina discusses why MotionPlus needs a lot of recalibration…
“The fact of the matter is, the Wii remote shipped with so many problems that Nintendo was forced to release an upgrade device that even needs constant recalibration. And Wii MotionPlus? Word on the street is that the heat from your hands de-calibrates the sensor.”
Again, none of this information is confirmed, although I suppose it’s a little more official than random speculation.
WiiWare
– MILITARY MADNESS NECTARIS (HUDSON SOFT, 1000 Wii Points)
DSiWare
– Pop Island (odenis studio, 500 Nintendo DSi Points)
– Simply Mahjong (Engine Software, 200 Nintendo DSi Points)
– Simply Sudoku (Engine Software, 200 Nintendo DSi Points)
– 4 TRAVELLERS™ – Play Spanish (AGENIUS Interactive, 800 Nintendo DSi Points)
– Elemental Masters® (lbxgames, 800 Nintendo DSi Points)
VC
– IRONCLAD (D4 Enterprise, NEOGEO, 1000 Wii Points)
– Lode Runner (HUDSON SOFT, NES, 600 Wii Points)
Once again, we don’t know if this is what will happen with the Wii version of the game as well, but on the prospect that it does, here’s what we can be looking forward to.
Alice in Wonderland – 7
Aliens vs Predator – 5
Battlefield Bad Company 2 – 8
BlazBlue – 8
Calling – 5
Final Fantasy XIII – 5
God of War 3 – 8
Infinite Space – 8
Just Cause 2 – 7
No More Heroes 2 – 7
P.B. Winterbottom – 8
Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love – 7
White Knight Chronicles – 5
Yakuza 3 – 6
The Grinder has gone through a lot of changes since it was first announced. High Voltage Software most recently caused a stir when the company revealed that the title would no longer be a Wii-exclusive. And now The Grinder is seeing yet another significant metamorphosis.
High Voltage confirmed at GDC today that the PS3/360 version of the game is a four-player top-down shooter. However, the title on Wii may also play similarly. High Voltage has yet to decide if they will keep the first-person shooting gameplay for the Wii version or change the game to match the PS3/360 versions. The company will have a long time to decide, as The Grinder won’t be released until late 2011.
Nintendo DS Family Sets New Portable Sales Record for February
With more than 613,000 units sold in February, the Nintendo DS™ family of systems set a new U.S. record for portable video game sales in the month of February, according to the independent NPD Group. This tally surpasses the previous record of more than 597,000 units set by Nintendo DS in February 2009.
Wii recorded another strong month of sales, despite being hindered by continued product shortages that affected U.S. retail locations during the month. Even so, Nintendo still managed to sell more than 397,000 Wii systems at retail for the month.
