When we got a press release from Nintendo on Monday titled "Nintendo's Marketing Blitz: Wii Play for All!" our (admittedly arrhythmic) heart fluttered a little bit. You see, Wii Play is the name of the free pack-in collection that Japan, Europe, and Australia are going to be getting when they drop some local currency on an additional Wiimote. The Wii Play minigames include Table Tennis, Laser Hockey, Fishing, Find Mii, Pose Mii, Shooting, Pool, Charge!, and Tanks. Could Nintendo be planning to give North America a super special bonus copy of Wii Play, no Wiimote purchase necessary?

After reading through the remainder of the presser (several times) it was clear there was no mention of the elusive Wii Play ... just fluff about their marketing blitz. Well, North American gamers, you'll be troubled to hear there continues to be no release date for a North American release of Wii Play. Hoping for a last minute retail inclusion? We received a retail Wii and Wiimote which were, despite our most fervent wishes to the contrary, sans Wii Play. Thinking you could just import one from one of our overseas friends, are ya? So were we, until we remembered that Nintendo told us the "Wii will be region encoded, as will first-party software." We've sent our query to Nintendo, who've yet to get back to us. This isn't your big secret, is it Reggie?