[Wii #224] 2010: Epic Other Mario

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Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus and New Super Mario Bros. Wii have all sold over 10 million copies in just one financial year - exactly as Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata predicted in August 2009.

As of 31st December, Wii Sports Resort (released summer 2009) had sold 13.58m units, New Super Mario Bros. Wii (released November 2009) had sold 10.55m units and Wii Fit Plus (released October 2009) had sold 10.16m units.

Those magnificent numbers, coupled with a Wii price cut - sadly not evident in the UK - helped Nintendo shift over 17m consoles during the nine months beginning 1st April 2009.

Total software sales for Wii reached 156.65m units.

Nintendo's DS series - DSi, DS Lite, DSi LL - also fared well, shifting 23.35m units worldwide.

In Japan, new DS games dominated the charts. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver sold 3.74m units, Pokemon Platinum sold 3.1m units and Tomodachi Collection sold 2.74m during those nine months.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (released December 2009) raced to an impressive 2.45m units worldwide.

So far, 121.38m games have been sold on DS during the financial 2009 year. That ends March 2010, remember.

Net income for Nintendo was ¥192.6bn (£1.3bn), down 10 per cent on the same period in fiscal 2008.

Europe made up a diminished 33.9 per cent of Nintendo's business during those nine months, while the US commanded 44.4 per cent.

"Nintendo continues to pursue "Gaming Population Expansion" based on the idea of putting smiles on many people's faces by offering brand new entertainment that anyone can enjoy, regardless of age, gender or gaming experience," the company said in a statement.

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Op vrijdag 29 januari 2010 08:57 schreef _Flea_ het volgende:
Op Doebie.nl nu Madworld voor EUR 15,95. Koopje lijkt me!

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By Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer , On Friday January 29, 2010, 12:29 am

TOKYO (AP) -- Nintendo's president shrugged off the just unveiled iPad tablet computer from Apple as delivering "no surprises," and displayed as little enthusiasm for 3-D technology and high-definition upgrades for games.

"It was a bigger iPod Touch," Satoru Iwata said of the much anticipated device shown Wednesday by Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs.

Iwata denied speculation in Japanese media that what Nintendo Co. has in the works in new gadgets may be a DS equipped with a motion-sensor similar to the wand for Nintendo's hit Wii home console, or a Wii upgraded for high-definition TVs.

"I question whether those features would be enough to get people to buy new machines," he said of the DS. Nintendo engineers are developing new machines, he said, without giving details.

Iwata also doesn't expect 3D video-gaming to catch on, although he welcomed 3D movies at theaters like James Cameron's hit "Avatar."

"I have doubts whether people will be wearing glasses to play games at home. How is that going to look to other people?" he said at a Tokyo hotel.

Sony Corp. and other technology companies are making big investments in 3-D TVs, expecting it will boost sales growth in the next few years.

Kyoto-based Nintendo, the maker of Pokemon and Super Mario games, would also have to look into the possible health effects of longtime 3-D game playing, which is likely to last longer than a two-hour film, Iwata said.

Nintendo has scored success by making games easier to play for the elderly, women and newcomers. Iwata reiterated his company will continue on that track as potential for sales growth remains in Japan, the U.S. and Europe.

He made no pretense to hide he was totally unimpressed with the iPad.

"There were no surprises for me," said Iwata.

Apple says the iPad is a new kind of mobile device that is more intimate than a laptop but is packed with more functions than a mobile phone.

On Thursday, Nintendo reported April-December profit fell 9 percent as solid year-end sales failed to make up for the weak results for the earlier part of the fiscal year, a rising yen and a price cut for the Wii.

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Closing Comments
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is an amazing win for not only Wii, but the worldwide audience overall. As I consider it to be the true successor of Marvel vs. Capcom 2, TVC melds a few classic Capcom characters with an otherwise totally unknown roster and still manages to make a fighter that can pull anyone in within a matter of moments. The gameplay is simple enough for a fighting game newbie, but deep enough for seasoned brawlers to really sink their teeth into and enjoy.

There are a few inherent downsides to the experience, including the fact that half the roster is entirely unknown outside of Japan, and there’s always the issue of TVC being “too casual” or “too hardcore” for certain people. But when it comes to taking the tried and true Vs. formula that Capcom has continued over the years and making something truly unique and captivating for the Wii crowd, I say "mission accomplished."

The roster is extremely diverse, there’s plenty of content to unlock (most of which was never found in the Japanese version), and the core gameplay is just downright fun. I may be in the minority, but I’d take a few rounds of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom over Street Fighter IV any day. It’s no wonder 360 and PS3 fans are begging for the game to see a multi-console version, as Ultimate All-Stars is a true gem worthy of the Capcom fighting legacy.

9.0 Presentation
You’ll find a huge list of modes, new fighters exclusive to the U.S. version, a competent online offering and a beautifully created Vs. experience bursting with style.

9.0 Graphics
One of the most visually impressive games on the system, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom raises the bar on animation, polish, effects and style.

9.0 Sound
Both English and Japanese voice tracks are included, and the overall audio production is impressive. Sound effects, voice work, and music all set the tone wonderfully.

9.0 Gameplay
Simple enough for newcomers, but deep enough for the hardcore fighting fans. The roster is well balanced for the most part, and there’s plenty of depth to be found.

9.0 Lasting Appeal
The inclusion of new characters, a new bonus game, as well as a full-featured online mode assures that you’ll be coming back again and again.

9.0 OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

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Op vrijdag 29 januari 2010 12:24 schreef Mr.Noodle het volgende:
Tatsunoko vs capcom is gewoon te koop bij thehut.co.uk. voor minder dan 30 euro, ik ga em vanavond bij iemand uitproberen. Dit is echt wel een van de beste fightergames uitgebracht op elk Nintendo platform.

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Op zaterdag 30 januari 2010 18:10 schreef Holy_Goat het volgende:
Wie heeft er wel eens dat voetbalspel van mario gespeeld? is het wat voor op de wii?
(en hoe zit dat met sonic - mario olympische spelen? )

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Op zaterdag 30 januari 2010 18:26 schreef Holy_Goat het volgende:
is trouwens http://www.zavvi.com/ betrouwbaar? werd eerder genoemd. Daar staat die football voor 14 GBP, en volgens de site zonder verzendkosten. (en do they ship to the netherlands? )

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Nintendo's Satoru Iwata has promised to finally reveal the new Zelda game this summer.

Iwata, straight to the point, told investors during Friday's financial briefing that, "We will show the new Zelda title for Wii at E3 this year." He added that the Wii Vitality Sensor and games for it will also be announced at the show.

He also revealed a few new titles heading to Japan this year on Wii and DS.

Top of the bill is a new DS Pokemon game - the first in four years. Iwata gave this no name but said there will be "various unprecedented experiences" within.

There's also a new "full-scale RPG" on the way to Wii called Xenoblade. This will be developed by Monolith Software and Tetsuya Takahashi. You may have known this project as Monado: Beginning of the World. Metroid: Other M will be released this summer on Wii in Japan, and Mistwalker's Last Story and Super Mario Galaxy 2 will appear later in the year.

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Op woensdag 3 februari 2010 14:24 schreef Mr.Noodle het volgende:
Vandaag 10% korting bij TheHut.co.uk. Ik heb Super Mario Galaxy 2 maar meteen gepre-ordered en Tatsunoko vs Capcom besteld

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Op woensdag 3 februari 2010 14:28 schreef Mr.Noodle het volgende:

[..]

Uhm, ik heb em voor ¤39,- besteld..

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Op woensdag 3 februari 2010 14:31 schreef Mr.Noodle het volgende:

[..]

New Super Mario Bros. Wii, was/is ook ¤40,-

Oh, Kak. Super Mario Galaxy 2, Estimated delivery date: 27/08/2010. Ik dacht dat ie eind februari uitkwam ofzo..

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We've just had some shocking news from an inside source at Nintendo: Sonic will be a playable character in Mario Galaxy 2! Wha?

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More teasing from our insider: Sonic levels will be in 'Green Hill Galaxy'

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Shigeru Miyamoto hat bestätigt, dass Nintendo an einer neuen Hardware arbeitet. Das sagte der Mario-Erfinder auf dem "13th Annual Japan Media Arts Festival", wie 4gamer meldet.

Gleichzeitig sagte Miyamoto, dass er auch an einem neuen Spiel arbeiten würde, dass die Wii MotionPlus unterstützt; hierbei handelt es sich nicht um Zelda.

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Op maandag 8 februari 2010 16:48 schreef Mr.Noodle het volgende:

[..]

Nope, ik denk eerder Wiiware titel

Vídeos Consolas - Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Ep1

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Op dinsdag 9 februari 2010 22:45 schreef Mister_T het volgende:
Onze katten hebben het draadje van de orginele wii sensor bar doorgebeten. De wii gebruiken is nu erg lastig

Mijn vraag is of er een winkel is die de originele wii sensor bar verkoopt. Kom namelijk alleen maar die wireless sensor bars tegen. Iemand enig idee?

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February 9, 2010 - That's right, Nintendo fans -- it's time to start up those hype engines. We think there's good reason to rev 'em up, too.

Last month, the Official Nintendo Magazine teased a big reveal for its next issue. Typically, details were scarce, but the publication promised it had "something very special lined up" and that readers should keep their collective eyes peeled for the March 12 release date.

Now, Nintendo of America has officially invited select members of the press to its Q1 Media Summit event, set to kick off February 24 in San Francisco. "Please join us for a full day of presentations, demos and hands-on gameplay," the invite reads.

For your consideration, some big Nintendo games on the horizon include Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M, and the next Legend of Zelda offering. We'd be surprised if the Big N spoiled the Zelda surprise before the Electronic Entertainment Expo, but we would not be at all shocked if Mario or Samus made an appearance at the event, particularly given both titles are more likely to be released this year than Link's next. Also, Nintendo recently updated the official Metroid website with a new focus on Other M.

We're just saying.

Start 'em up.

And rest assured IGN will be on-hand at the event with full coverage.

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First Look: Rock of the Dead
Grab your guitar and shred out to the zombie invasion.
by Craig Harris
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February 9, 2010 - When Epicenter, developer of the sleeper first-person shooter Real Heroes: Firefighter visited the IGN offices earlier today, the guys pulled no punches in describing its next game. "Picture Typing of the Dead but with Guitar Hero guitars instead of a QWERTY keyboard," they told me. And what unfolded up on the big screen was exactly that: a Typing of the Dead-inspired action game where you take out zombies and other undead critters by strumming on the Activision (or Harmonix Rock Band) guitars to "shoot" them into submission.

Chalk this one up for the "Why didn't anyone think of this before?" department. There are several million Guitar Hero and Rock Band guitars out in active use on the Nintendo Wii, and Rock of the Dead targets those peripheral owners with something that's not just a music game.

It's deceptively challenging. When the guys at Epicenter started the demo I watched them rock out and take down the zombie invasion with relative ease on the Normal difficulty level. When the guitar was handed off to me, my experience was a bit less than skilled – I'm not the most talented Guitar Hero/Rock Band guitarist around, for starters, but the "new" way of using the peripheral was definitely a learning process. My mind was having a tough time wrapping itself around the horizontal layout of the fret buttons, but after about 10 minutes and taking a few deep breaths to concentrate, I managed to hold my own.

Take down the undead horde with your trusty Guitar Hero controller.
There are mindless beasts that take basic three- or four-strum combos to take out, but then there are ones that'll lob projectiles at you – these knives/bombs only take a couple of fret flicks to get rid of, but unless you take down the guy that's throwing them out at you, you'll just be endlessly downing those objects. When the screen fills with a half-dozen beasts at once, you have the ability to discriminate and target specific ones by "typing" out the combo of the one you want – the game's smart enough to know which beast you're "aiming" at because it locks in on the enemy as you're pushing out its fret button code.

Periodically you'll have to take down larger enemies in rhythm fashion: this is basic Guitar Hero/Rock Band gameplay as the notes must be played to the beat of the background music to take down the threat.

You can play on the basic Easy or Normal difficulty and still get a good challenge, but the true Guitar Hero rockers will probably want to hit Rock of the Dead's Hard or Expert mode that'll enable all the fret buttons and bring up the multi-button chords. There's stock controller contingency plan in place if Nintendo doesn't allow for the game to require the peripheral, but as of this writing, you'll need a guitar for Rock of the Dead.

It's a solid looking Wii title with a tight framerate and a decent art style. Epicenter is going after the "cheesy/campy" look for Rock of the Dead instead of approaching a realistic appearance as it did with Real Heroes: Firefighter. It definitely plays to the Wii's strengths sticking with something a bit more unrealistic and cartoony, though the team's pulling off some slick texture tricks like normal mapping and lighting effects. But you'll probably be too busy focusing on the advancing baddies and their guitar licks to notice.

Rock of the Dead features jump-in/jump-out, two-player cooperative/competitive gameplay: players share lives and continues but work independently to beat each other's scores. One player's blue, the other purple, and the first one to hit the enemies' fret combo gets the kill and the points. It gets pretty aggressive trying to get your strumming speed higher just so you can beat the other player. The developers anticipate a five-hour run-through with encouragement for multiple plays through thanks to its high score focus as well as its branching path towards the end of the game.

The game doesn't feature licensed music in the same vein as Rock Band or Guitar Hero, but it's definitely music-focused. The team commissioned bands to create "rock" versions of classical music (Public domain, anyone?) and they sound pretty good as a backdrop to the action. According to Epicenter, the team has licensed Rob Zombie/White Zombie tracks for appropriate parts of the action. And I can't forget to mention that the team commissioned the assistance of Neil Patrick Harris himself for the character lead in Rock of the Dead, who provides the cheesy outer-monologue and one-liners. Felicia Day's the love interest here (Neil's partner in crime in Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long), and the game's script was handled by the writer of The Witcher.

Like Epicenter's last game on Wii, the final product will be a "budget" release on the system, targeting a pricepoint between $30 and $40 when it ships. The game's got about another month to go in development and then it's up to Conspiracy to get it out on shelves. Expect a release in the late spring or early summer.

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Op donderdag 11 februari 2010 23:53 schreef Mr.Noodle het volgende:
No More Heroes 2, april pas...