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Nintendo 'hasn't committed' to new Zelda for Wii in 2010
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Nov 8th 2009 at 3:30PM } 
So, feel free to keep that hope in your heart that you'll be Ganon-thwarting once more within the next 365 days -- but don't get too upset if it doesn't happen. Much like a college-aged Lothario, Nintendo's remaining non-committal. You might say the company's as free as a bird, darling -- and this bird, you cannot change.
Game Boy inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame
by Xav de Matos { Nov 6th 2009 at 6:00AM }
Yes, the ball is just now being inducted into the hall of fame, meaning Nintendo's handheld made the cut in two decades, while the ball had been clawing for a spot since the days of Ancient Egypt. In your face, Ozymandias.
[Via Go Nintendo]
Iwata voices interest in Kindle-like free 3G service for DS
by Randy Nelson { Nov 2nd 2009 at 3:00PM }
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has gone on the record with the Financial Times as being "interested" in the strategy Amazon has adopted for free internet access on its Kindle eBook reader. "I'm interested because it's a new business model in which the user doesn't bear the communications cost," he told the publication.
There's no fee for accessing Amazon's "WhisperNet" 3G network on Kindle, as the cost is built into the price of the device up-front. Taking a similar route with DS would mean the handheld would have a free, "always on" connection, something PSP doesn't and mobile platforms such as the iPhone do, but at the cost of a cellular data plan. "Only people who can pay thousands of yen a month [in mobile phone subscriptions] can be iPhone customers. That doesn't fit Nintendo customers because we make amusement products," Iwata said.
Such a move would definitely expose more DSi (and DSi XL) buyers -- especially those without access to home WiFi networks -- to Nintendo's DSi Store, but Iwata admits there would be mixed reactions among consumers, saying, "In reality, if we did this it would increase the cost of the hardware, and customers would complain about Nintendo putting prices up, but it is one option for the future."
[Via Pocket Gamer]
There's no fee for accessing Amazon's "WhisperNet" 3G network on Kindle, as the cost is built into the price of the device up-front. Taking a similar route with DS would mean the handheld would have a free, "always on" connection, something PSP doesn't and mobile platforms such as the iPhone do, but at the cost of a cellular data plan. "Only people who can pay thousands of yen a month [in mobile phone subscriptions] can be iPhone customers. That doesn't fit Nintendo customers because we make amusement products," Iwata said.
Such a move would definitely expose more DSi (and DSi XL) buyers -- especially those without access to home WiFi networks -- to Nintendo's DSi Store, but Iwata admits there would be mixed reactions among consumers, saying, "In reality, if we did this it would increase the cost of the hardware, and customers would complain about Nintendo putting prices up, but it is one option for the future."
[Via Pocket Gamer]
Super Mario Galaxy commercial brings a tear to our eye
by David Hinkle { Oct 30th 2009 at 4:00PM }
You are not likely as hardcore as these Mario fans
by Ben Gilbert { Oct 29th 2009 at 6:45PM }
[Thanks Adam!]
[Image credit: Drew Olanoff]
DSi XL dated for Q1 2010 release, Nintendo confirms
by Griffin McElroy { Oct 29th 2009 at 4:30PM } 
That just leaves us with one final, appropriately oversized question: How much is it going to cost? Don't get us wrong, we love the idea of buying a bigger version of a smaller version of a smaller version of an originally bulky handheld -- but based on the sheer number of titles we'll be buying in the dawn of next year, we're probably going to be kinda strapped.
Nintendo half-year results show profits down in '09; still making boffo bucks
by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 29th 2009 at 1:40PM }
The Wii has now sold 56.14 million units globally, while the DS has reached 113.48 million in unit sales. There's been a general slowdown of software sales, however, as the House of Mario has had fewer high-profile releases so far this year -- we count only: Wii Sports Resort. Although investors may see the profit decline as a bad thing, it's not like Nintendo's plump plumber is going to be forced to cut back on those hearty meals any time soon.
Source -- Nintendo financial report [PDF]
Source -- Nintendo profits slide (MCV)
Analysts: Nintendo may forecast drop in profits
by Ludwig Kietzmann { Oct 20th 2009 at 4:30PM }
Scheduled to report earnings on October 29th, Nintendo is expected to indicate an 11 percent fall in net income to 249.3 billion yen (nearly $2.75 billion) for the fiscal year. Soichiro Fukuda, a Tokyo-based Citigroup Inc. analyst, expects "a large downward revision" from the manufacturer in the form of a 29 percent profit drop to 201 billion yen (roughly $2.2 billion).
While the figures make for dry reading, they illuminate the altered landscape in which Nintendo and its products now compete. Standing atop a wobbling economy, the games industry now hosts a revitalized PlayStation 3 and a Wii that brings in fewer dollars -- the only thing that hasn't changed, of course, is our desire to buy the DS again and again.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii is 'pretty difficult'
by Andrew Yoon { Oct 16th 2009 at 11:20AM }
While "Demo Play" makes concessions towards novice players, NSMBW celebrates hardcore gameplay. By earning the super coins hidden through each level, you'll be able to unlock a series of "Super Guide" videos that highlight "super skills" tactics. These videos will reveal how to get infinite 1-ups, find the secret goals and show alternate ways of playing the game. (One video we saw showed three Yoshis working in tandem to lick and spit a hapless Luigi throughout the level.)
The newly released video above highlights some of the various stages in NSMBW. Does it look "difficult" to you? You can also check out North America's all-red packaging after the break.
Gallery: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Nintendo, Capcom, friends file suit over DS piracy-enabling R4 sales
by Christopher Grant { Oct 15th 2009 at 11:15AM }
Earlier this year, a Tokyo court banned the sale of the devices; however, Capcom now says that "legal action has had no meaningful effect in the intervening period" and that sellers would "ignore" its warnings. Enter: a new lawsuit, which Capcom hopes leads to a ruling that acknowledges "our company and other software manufactures have sustained [extreme] damages from proliferation of illegal instruments." Seems pretty cut and dry to us, but we'll let the courts decide.
Miyamoto expects sustained sales for New Super Mario Bros. Wii
by David Hinkle { Oct 12th 2009 at 6:30PM }
- The game has Mario in it.
- Its DS counterpart is the second highest-selling DS game of all time and has sold consistently since its release in 2006.
- It's super fun.
[Via andriasang]
Hands-on: New Super Mario Bros Wii
by Andrew Yoon { Oct 8th 2009 at 8:10PM } 
New Super Mario Bros. Wii makes the arbitrary distinction of offering a "cooperative" Story mode, and a competitive multiplayer mode, but after a level or two, it's clear that there really is no such thing as cooperation in the Mushroom Kingdom. There's no real reason to switch between either mode, as both feature the same levels and a finite number of lives for the players. The only real addition to the competitive mode is the scoreboard at the end of a level, which ranks players based on their score, coins collected and the number of enemies defeated.
Why do we say there's no real cooperation in the Mushroom Kingdom? Simple: there are so many ways of being murdered in NSMBW. You can grab a fellow player and throw him down a cliff, into an enemy or into some molten lava. Grab a Yoshi and eat your friend ... and then spit him into a Piranha Plant. They won't be your friend anymore! You can even kill someone before they get to live a full life, by finding their spawn bubble and destroying it in an -- ahem -- inconvenient place (over a pit, perhaps?).
Gallery: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
EEDAR: 37% of Wii games went unreviewed in early 2009
by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 6th 2009 at 3:30PM }
Divnich recognizes that "while the Wii has experienced a rise in average review scores (from 60 to 66 in one year), this has come at the benefit of critics ignoring some titles that could have possibly dragged down the Wii's average." However, it's possible that such reviews could have also raised the average score -- we know, that's unlikey, but still. Additionally, the report notes that the unreviewed Wii games weren't "core-targeted titles," which also holds true for unreviewed games on Xbox 360 and PS3.
Divnich maintains that Wii games are getting better, but he concludes, "It is just coming at the cost of not reviewing the increase in casual and low-budget titles." He believes that a similar issue could appear occur with respect to PS3 and Xbox 360 as the consoles' casual demographics increase in conjunction with the continued growth of their install bases.
Game Developer Research's 'Top 20 Publishers 2009' stays the same
by Griffin McElroy { Oct 6th 2009 at 12:40PM }
The full, totally unsurprising list -- which was calculated based on number of games released, average review scores for said games and estimated revenue for each company -- can be found after the jump. Comments stating why Publisher A is still infinitely better than Publisher B can be found further below.
[Via Gamasutra]
Nintendo also offers free repairs for UK's 4.2-bricked Wiis
by Griffin McElroy { Oct 3rd 2009 at 11:30AM }
Fortunately, Nintendo recently confirmed to Eurogamer that the "very small number" of UK-based owners of 4.2-bricked Wiis can get the same free repair service we're eligible for. As long as you haven't diddled around with your console's guts or brains, you can send in your dead Wii for resuscitation at zero cost. Or rather, Wiisuscitation. (Man, Wii portmanteaus are never going out of style.)
