Wii-kly Update
Two WiiWare Games and One Virtual Console Game Added to Wii Shop Channel
After a long, lazy holiday weekend, it’s time to shake off your post-Thanksgiving daze. Need some suggestions for boosting your activity level back into the red? Let the latest additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel be your guide: Take command of a UFO in an epic space battle, get your engine revving as the leader of a frenzied pit crew, or storm the battlefield in a high-tech military mêlée. With all this excitement, you may be ready for another vacation day sooner than you think.
Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
Last month, TT Games stated that no LEGO Harry Potter title was in development, though CVG reports that the well-known wizard will be suiting up – LEGO style – in the near future. Unfortunately, there are no solid details about gameplay yet. CVG guesses, however, that Warner will be publishing the game.
In the latest issue of the Official Nintendo Magazine, there is a small article about Fatal Frame IV. The magazine has dated the game as ETA February and has essentially confirmed the game’s release in Europe. ONM additionally writes that Nintendo will be publishing the game.
However, you may also be wondering if the game will ever reach North American shores. If statements from XSEED representative Ken are valid, the game will be made available in the US as well.
“If you’re talking about Fatal Frame 4 for the Wii then it’s coming to the US, even though it won’t be by us,” he said. “Can’t tell you who’s bringing it over, but keep your eyes peeled for an official announcement, hopefully sometime soon.”
The Speed Gamers will be hosting a 72 Hour Marathon to raise money for charity starting December 19th. My Pokémon Ranch will be used as well as some GameCube games.
The Speed Gamers ( www.thespeedgamers.com ) have been running marathons for
nearly a year, starting with Zelda, twice, followed by Mario, Metroid (with support from Retro Studios), Earthbound/Mother, Halo and recently a collection of Horror games for Halloween. Combined they have raised over $10,000 for various charities.ACT Today, an autism support group, will be the benefactor this marathon, which
is mentioned on their News & Events page (http://act-today.org/newsandevents.html ). Prizes will be awarded to viewers and donators including the final Pokémon Diamond cartridge with a Pokédex complete to 491, excluding only the two which are not available by legitimate means.
Thanks to Robbie for the news tip!
Best Buy
Free $10 gift card when you purchase Animal Crossing: City Folk and Wii Music
Smarty Pants (Wii) – $14.99
Need For Speed: Carbon (Wii) – $14.99
Medal of Honor: Vanguard (Wii) – $14.99
Sims 2: Castaway (Wii) – $14.99
Hannah Montana (DS) – $9.99
Circuit City
Save an extra 20% on all clearance video games
Free $10 gift card with purchase of Wii Music or Animal Crossing: City Folk
Carnival Games (DS) – $23.99
Littlest Pet Shop (DS) – $23.99
Drawn To Life: Spongebob Squarepants Edition (DS) – $23.99
LEGO Batman: The Videogame (DS) – $23.99
Transformers: The Game (DS) – $23.99
My Baby Girl (DS) – $23.99
2 for $40 Wii/DS games
-Circus Games (Wii)
-Winter Sports: Ultimate Collection (Wii)
-All Star Cheer Squad (Wii)
-Bratz: Girlz Really Rock! (Wii)
-Endless Ocean (Wii)
-MLB Superstars (Wii)
-Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? (Wii)
-Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (Wii)
-Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors (DS)
-Pokemon Ranger: Shadows Of Almia (DS)
-Madagascar 2: Escape Africa (DS)
-Spore: Creatures (DS)
-Mario Party DS (DS)
-Kirby: Superstar Ultra (DS)
-Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Jedi Alliance (DS)
-Shaun White Snowboarding (DS)
Target
$44 Wii games
-LEGO Batman: The Videogame
-Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip
-Ultimate Band
-Mario Super Sluggers
-My Sims Kingdom
-Tiger Woods PGA Tour ’09: All Play
-LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
Shinji Mikami, best known for his work on the Resident Evil series, was recently asked how the gaming industry has changed since he began working…
“When I joined the industry in 1990, it was an industry where anything was possible based upon the strength of your ideas. Since large amounts of financial capital have become necessary, the balance has tipped toward return on investment via extensive use of marketing and acquiring larger numbers of users. Because of this, I feel that the number of games made as creative challenges has decreased. I wish the market had more of an adventurous spirit. As a creator, my desire to challenge myself by making interesting things hasn’t changed a bit.”
Although I partially agree with Mikami, there are a great deal of games that step outside the box and take risks. Super Mario Galaxy, for instance, is conventional in the sense that it is another Mario game, but the element of gravity is creative.
LOS ANGELES, Nov 29, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Despite Slow Economy Traffic Increases 11 percent compared to Black Friday 2007
PriceGrabber.com(R), a part of Experian, today revealed that economic conditions motivate value-driven consumers which lead to an 11 percent increase in traffic year-over-year on Black Friday. Data from PriceGrabber.com shows that online consumers are taking advantage of promotions on popular electronics including: LCD and Plasma TV’s, Blu-Ray Disc Players, Digital SLR Cameras, Laptops, and Video Game Consoles.
“Prior to the Black Friday weekend, 71 percent of shoppers intended to spend less money this holiday season compared to last year and 66 percent planned to give practical gifts,” said Ron LaPierre, president of PriceGrabber.com. “Thanksgiving and Black Friday traffic shows that value drives consumer spending. Consumers are responding to aggressive promotions and price drops on popular electronics.”Top 10 Categories and Percent Growth over Black Friday 2007
1. Women’s Boots – 203%
2. Watches – 202%
3. Blu-ray/HD-DVD Players – 147%
4. Women’s Sleep & Lounge Wear – 415%
5. Games & Puzzles – 151%
6. Women’s Jackets – 110%
7. Music – 96%
8. Headphones – 103%
9. Women’s Dresses – 107%
10. Women’s Casual Shoes – 143%Most popular products on Black Friday
1. Nintendo Wii Console
2. Ugg Australia ‘Classic Short’ Boot
3. Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player
4. Samsung LN52A650 52? LCD TV
5. Nintendo Wii Fit
6. Panasonic TH-42PX80U 42? Plasma TV
7. Sennheiser HD 555 Headphones
8. Canon EOS Rebel XSi Black SLR Digital Camera Kit
9. Acer Aspire One AOA110-1295 Notebook
10. Canon PowerShot A590 IS Black Digital Camera
Nintendo Wii
North America:
1. Wii Fit (Nintendo)
2. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision)
3. Rock Band Special Edition (MTV Games)
4. Wii Music (Nintendo)
5. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
Japan:
1. Animal Crossing: City Folk – WiiSpeak Bundle (Nintendo)
2. Animal Crossing: City Folk (Nintendo)
3. Wii Fit (Nintendo)
4. Wii Music (Nintendo)
5. Rune Factory Frontier – Special Edition (Marvelous)
Europe:
1. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
2. Wii Play (Nintendo)
3. Wii Fit (Nintendo)
4. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega)
5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 ‘All-Play’ (Electronic Arts)
Nintendo DS
North America:
1. Guitar Hero: On Tour (Activision)
2. Personal Trainer: Cooking (Nintendo)
3. Disney Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force (Disney)
4. Build-A-Bear Workshop (American Game Factory)
5. Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (Nintendo)
Japan:
1. Professor Layton and The Last Time Travel (Nintendo)
2. Kirby Super Star Ultra (Nintendo)
3. Wagamama Fashion: Girls Mode (Nintendo)
4. Pokemon Platinum (Nintendo)
5. Professor Layton and The Last Time Travel – Plus Main Theme Music CD (Nintendo)
Europe:
1. More Brain Training (Nintendo)
2. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? (Nintendo)
3. Imagine Teacher (Ubisoft)
4. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo)
5. Professor Layton and the Curious Village (Nintendo)
Numerous statements from Nintendo of America spokesman have echoed the same sentiment about the fate of Disaster: Day of Crisis in North America: Wait and see how the game performs in Europe. At this point, it’s no secret that the game has sold rather poorly, which would lead one to believe that the game has a small chance of coming stateside. Strangely though, an email from a Nintendo customer representative may indicate otherwise.
The actual response written by the Nintendo customer service representative was the following: “I’m pleased to report that Disaster: Day of Crisis has been announced for North America, but no release date yet.”
Strangely, there never has been a formal release announcement for Disaster in North America. The representative simply might have been misinformed about the game, but it is encouraging to know that Mr. Camden even knows that the game exists!
