“…I mean, seriously, there’s all manner of new interactions with the NPCs, or have you not played hide-and-seek yet? And the multiplayer is much more robust than in previous Animal Crossing games. Have you noticed that the villagers don’t all run and hide indoors when strangers are around? I’m so proud that they got over their stranger fear.” – Rich Amtower, member of the localization team at Nintendo’s Treehouse
“Because there are so many small elements that come together to make Animal Crossing what it is, it’s easy to think that this is the same game. But once people pick up the controller and experience life, they’ll see how different it is. The aspect of communication or interaction was really enhanced in this version — not only when it comes to visiting friends over Nintendo WFC but also interacting with friends over WiiConnect24 by sending letters and photos and participating in the auction in the city.” – Reiko Ninomiya, member of the localization team at Nintendo’s Treehouse
I’m willing to acknowledge the fact that City Folk does bring a few additions to the series, but personally, I don’t think they’re entirely significant. The game isn’t bad…It just seems like City Folk was a missed opportunity to truly revolutionize the series.
More people are using the online capabilities of the PS3 over the Wii to browse the internet according to statistics from Market Share. The PS3 is ahead with 0.04%, but both browsers control only a tiny portion of the internet market. The PC leads all platforms with a 88.7% majority.
It comes at a surprise that the Wii Internet Channel is used sparingly considering that the install base for the system is at around 44 million, quite a great deal more than the PS3. At the same time, the data from Market Share makes perfect sense if you take into account that the Wii browser does not readily receive updates and lacks crucial features such as the latest version of the Adobe Flash player.
These details come from German magazine N-Zone. A bit of the information we already know about, but there are a few pieces that are new.
– Both online and offline multiplayer support
– Item-exchange and stat access via Rockstar Games Social Club Support (Achievements)
– Will include some sort of chat function
– Day/night cycle, weather effects such as rain
– Can pick from already played story-missions, mini-games (police/taxi/firefighters) and sidequests from your hideout – play them again and get a better mission rating (bronze, silver, gold for every mission)
– N-Zone says the graphics are impressive, city feels alive with citizens
– Magazine also praises the controls, says they work perfectly
Course: Toad’s Factory
Main objective: Complete the course
Secondary objective: Find alternate routes
Tournament date: 1/1 – 1/10
Nintendo announced that a new Video Channel would become available in Japan early this year. TV execs and those who work in the television industry, however, are not anticipating its release. A senior executive over at Fuji Television said that if the channel is successful, it could lead to “the stuff of television producers’ nightmares.”
The executive also worries that prime-time viewing figures could see a reduction. This comes at a time in which broadcasters have been criticized for repeats and focus on celebrity formats.
It might be a bit premature to begin worrying about how successful Nintendo’s video service will be. However, one has to admit that the Wii does have a huge and varied audience – That will definitely help Nintendo get the channel off the ground.
A few old and a few new in this batch. Old images are now watermark free.
A few days ago, a story about a woman who jammed three credit cards in her Wii were made public. Some people – though not everyone – doubted that anyone would be that silly to actually break their system in such a way. Well folks, now there are pictures. We admit, they’re not entirely conclusive. However, this is the best evidence you’ll be able to see. And I still don’t think anyone would ever lie about a situation like this…There’s just no reason to.
