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Wii Price Drop And Nintendo Selects Announced

Justin Berube — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:25:11 +0000

Nintendo of America has just confirmed that starting May 15th, 2011 the Wii will now be $149.99. Additionally the Wii’s bundled at this price will no longer come with Wii Sports, but instead will include Mario Kart Wii and come with a Wii Wheel that will match the hardware (white or black).

Nintendo of America has also announced a new budget line of Wii software, known as Nintendo Selects, which will be available starting May 15th, 2011. These games will be sold for $19.99 and include Animal Crossing: City Folk, Mario Super Sluggers, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and being sold by itself for the first time at retail Wii Sports.

Nintendo has also revealed that the Black Wii Wheel accessory will be sold separately for $9.99.

For more information on this price drop be sure to check out the official press release below!

Want to stay up to date on the latest Nintendo news, information, editorials, and more? Follow me on Twitter @KingNintendoFan or Like Me on Facebook. Be sure to let me know what you think about this exciting Wii news.

NINTENDO UNVEILS NEW WII PACKAGE AT $149.99, LAUNCHES ‘NINTENDO SELECTS’ $19.99 WII GAMES

Having Fun with Family and Friends Just Became More Affordable than Ever With New Suggested Retail Pricing

REDMOND, Wash., May 4, 2011 – Nintendo is dropping the suggested retail price of its Wii™ system to $149.99 and including a Mario™ game with the Wii hardware. Starting May 15, the newly priced Wii system will come in either black or white with the Mario Kart™ Wii game and a matching colored Wii Wheel™ accessory, replacing the previously included Wii Sports™ and Wii Sports Resort™ games.

Also on May 15, Nintendo launches the new Nintendo® Selects collection of Wii games, a set of popular games that millions of people have already experienced, at a suggested retail price of $19.99. The four must-own games in this collection are The Legend of Zelda™: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing™: City Folk, Mario™ Super Sluggers and Wii Sports, which is available for the first time as a separate software purchase. Parents and video game fans can now easily expand their library of fun, family-friendly Wii games.

“From the day it launched, Wii has let players of all ages and experience levels have fun with one another,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “The new suggested retail pricing for both the hardware and select games will help create more of these magical moments for even greater numbers of people.”

With Mario Kart Wii now included with the Wii hardware, players will be able to enjoy fun go-kart racing with Mario and all his Mushroom Kingdom pals right out of the box. The Wii Remote™ Plus controller, Nunchuk™ controller and Wii Wheel included in the package will all match the hardware, meaning they will be either black or white. The new black Wii Wheel will also be available separately at a suggested retail price of $9.99.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://wii.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.5 billion video games and more than 577 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.

Wii Sports Resort And Wii Party Soon To Be $39.99

Justin Berube — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:39:05 +0000

Nintendo has just announced that both Wii Sports Resort and Wii Party will be getting a price cut starting April 25th, 2011. Both games, which were originally $49.99 USD, will now be sold for $39.99 USD. Be sure to check out the official press release detailing these price drops below.

Want to say up to date on the latest Nintendo news, information, editorials, reviews, previews, and more? Follow me on Twitter @KingNintendoFan or Like Me on Facebook. Be sure to let me know what you think about the new price for Wii Sports Resort and Wii Party.

WII SPORTS RESORT AND WII PARTY TO DELIVER BIG SOCIAL FUN AT AN EVEN BIGGER VALUE

April 18, 2011

From sparking instant social fun with friends to putting an interactive twist on family gatherings, Nintendo’s Wii Sports Resort™ and Wii Party™ games are surefire ways to get groups of all ages on their feet and laughing together. Starting April 25, each of these two must-have games for the motion-controlled Wii™ system are now even more accessible at a new suggested retail price of just $39.99. Both games offer hours of multiplayer enjoyment that friends and family members can share together, regardless of their age or prior experience with video games. Once the games get going, everyone wants to join in.

With a dozen resort-themed activities that maintain the wide-ranging appeal of the original Wii Sports™ game, Wii Sports Resort transports players to the tropical paradise of Wuhu Island. While there, every member of the household can get in on fun activities such as golf, basketball, archery, wakeboarding and Swordplay. As they swing the Wii Remote™ Plus controller (or a Wii Remote controller with a Wii MotionPlus™ attachment) like a golf club or wave it like a sword, players can watch their movements precisely replicated on-screen for an immersive, instantly enjoyable experience. Since launching in 2009, Wii Sports Resort has sold more than 10.7 million units in the United States alone.

Wii Party packs 13 party game modes and more than 80 minigames that will keep friends and family smiling and having a blast. Best of all, the game allows every player to take a turn in the spotlight by placing his or her customized Mii™ characters at the center of the action. Some of the included games put an interactive twist on popular board games like bingo, while others use the speaker and vibration functions of the Wii Remote to move the action beyond the TV screen and into the living room. In Hide ‘n’ Hunt, for example, players must locate Wii Remote controllers that have been hidden around the room, while Animal Tracker challenges them to pick up the Wii Remote making the correct animal sound.

Additional controllers are required for multiplayer modes and are sold separately.

For more information about Wii Sports Resort and Wii Party, visit http://www.wiisportsresort.com and http://www.wiiparty.nintendo.com.

Red Wii Gets North American Release Date

Justin Berube — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:38:18 +0000

The limited-edition Red Nintendo Wii bundle has finally received a North American release date. The highly anticipated Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary Wii bundle will be hitting retailers on November 7th. The bundle will include a copy of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Red Wii Remote Plus, Red Nuchuck, and Wii Sports. This special edition bundle will be available while supplies last and have an MSRP of $199.99 USD.

Nine Modern Games Like Gears, Killzone, & LBP Get Retro NES Cover Treatment

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:43:54 +0000

Ever wonder what your favorite modern day games like Gears of War, Little Big Planet, or Call of Duty might look like had they been released on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in the 80s? Well, the nifty piece of retro pixel art should give you a pretty good idea.

[Thanks AGB]

Review: Wii Sports Resort

Rangebar Merani — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:50:54 +0000

The first time I saw and got my hands on Wii Sports Resort was at last year’s E3. I had a chance to actually play the Frisbee mini-game and it immediately put a smile on my face. I thought it was a great idea for Nintendo to come out with a sequel to Wii Sports, but damn, I didn’t think it would take them a year to get it to us. Well, after a long wait and in the middle of a summer video game drought, Wii Sports Resort has finally arrived and it sure was worth the wait.

Wii Sports Resort takes place on Wuhu Island, a resort island where players and their Miis can play 12 different sports and activities. One of the best things about the game is that all 12 mini-games are available right out of the box. The 12 mini-games in Resort are Swordplay, Wakeboarding, Archery, Frisbee, Basketball, Power Cruising, Cycling, Golf, Bowling, Canoeing and Air Sports. Just like the original Wii Sports, not all the mini-games are a hit, but they’re all available from the start leaving it totally up to you to choose which games you want to play.

My favorite of the 12 mini-games have to be Table Tennis, Frisbee, Archery and Basketball (the 3-point contest is dope), which are all amazing and fun as hell, especially with friends. Some of the others like Power Cruising, Air Sports, Swordplay and Wakeboarding are fantastic, and the rest of the mini-games are definitely worth a few plays, but Cycling and Canoeing are my least favorite. As for Golf and Bowling, they are almost identical as the originals from Wii Sports, but with a few slight changes and new courses in Golf.

Some of the mini-games actually have different game types to choose from, adding more depth and replay value to an already baffling amount of gameplay. The Swordplay and Air Sports mini-games, for example, each have three different ways to play. So if you really think about it, there are actually more than 12 mini-games, sort of.

Wii Sports Resort comes bundled with the Wii MotionPlus device, which Nintendo introduced last year as well. The Wii MotionPlus accessory gives the Wiimote more precision then ever before. It easily attaches to the bottom of the Wiimote and is the only way you can play Resort. For example, the Table Tennis mini-game is amazingly accurate in reiterating my real-life actions as I hit the ball and performed lob shots.

Sadly, if you only have one Wii MotionPlus device and want to play with friends, you’re going to have to get more Wii MotionPlus devices, although some of the mini-games allow you to take turns sharing one Wiimote with MotionPlus. This is easily my biggest complaint about the game as it forces you to purchase more Wii MotionPlus devices, as if Nintendo isn’t already taking all of our money. And much like the original Wii Sports was almost like a tech demo for the Wii, Wii Sports Resort is much of the same thing with the Wii MotionPlus, but obviously better and with more mini-games.

I’m just going to go ahead and say it, if you own a Wii and like playing your Wii, you must get this game. Whether your a hardcore gamer or just a casual one who likes to pick up a Wiimote every once in a while, Wii Sports Resort is a great addition to your Wii library of titles. With 12 different mini-games to choose from, some better than others, you’re bound to find a few of them a blast and a great way to have fun with friends. And as a bonus you get a Wii MotionPlus bundled with the game all for $50 (the Wii MotionPlus is $20 alone). Go ahead and cop this game if you get the chance, you won’t regret it.

Wii Sports Now the Best-Selling Game of All Time

Dan Landis — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 06:27:49 +0000

Wii Sports has surpassed Super Mario Bros. as the best-selling game of all time. With over 40 million units sold (obviously including bundles), Wii Sports is estimated to break the 50 million mark while resting comfortably at the top of the list. Check out the closest competition as we list the top 10 best-selling games of all time.

According to VGChartz, the top 10 numbers are as follows (in millions):

Wii Sports, Wii – 40.52
Super Mario Bros, NES – 40.24
Pokemon Red / Green / Blue, GameBoy – 31.38
Tetris, GameBoy – 30.26
Duck Hunt, NES – 28.31
Pokemon Gold / Silver, GameBoy – 23.11
Nintendogs, DS – 21.37
Super Mario World, SNES – 20.61
Wii Play, Wii – 19.68
Super Mario Land, GameBoy – 18.14

Coincidentally, the only non-Nintendo game in the top 15 is GTA: San Andreas, which certainly lends credence to the idea that maybe, just maybe, Nintendo actually knows what it’s doing.

Also, I have no idea why CliffyB (The Blaznats!) is playing Wii Sports in that picture.

Mark Wahlberg Injured by Unruly Wiimote

Dan Landis — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:21:06 +0000

Mark Wahlberg was spotted with his hand wrapped from a recent injury. Did he bust himself up during one of his diving slo-motion gun battles on the set of Max Payne, or perhaps from punching someone in the face with extreme Funky Bunchedness? Nope, turns out he took a crack on the wrist doing something far more dangerous: playing Wii Sports.

In an interview with British movie magazine Total Film, The Mark explained his injury:

“Um, it was tennis on the Wii! I was playing with my daughter the other day and she swung the remote real hard and it cracked me on the side of my wrist! Yeah, yeah. I know, I know. It sounds kinda funny – but it fuckin’ hurt, man!”

Seems strange to me that he would wrap it up, though. Why doesn’t he just pop some painkillers and chill out until his health refills? Duh!

Source: Total Film via Games Radar

Nintendo Kicks Off 2008 With A Bang

Dylan Duarte — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:30:43 +0000

2007 ended on a great note for Nintendo, with both the Wii and the DS being insanely successful. However, according to the first Japanese software chart of 2008, they’re just getting started.

For the week ending in January 6th, 25 of the 30 top selling games in Japan were for the Wii and the DS. Even more impressive, the two systems took up every top ten spot. The other five spots went to three Playstation 2 games and two PSP games.

Mario Party DS topped the list with just under 200,000 units sold, while Wii Fit came in second and Wii Sports surprisingly took third, followed by Final Fantasy IV for the DS and Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii.

The full list was as follows:

1. Mario Party DS (DS)
2. Wii Fit (Wii)
3. Wii Sports (Wii)
4. Final Fantasy IV (DS)
5. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
6. Wii Play (Wii)
7. Dragon Quest IV (DS)
8. Prof Layton and Pandora’s Box (DS)
9. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)
10. Mario Party 8 (Wii)

I have never been more proud to be a Nintendo fanboy.

Via GamesIndustry.biz

Wii Gift For Dad Goes Unwanted; Children Place It For Auction On eBay

Dylan Duarte — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:20:12 +0000

While I highly doubt that the story told in this eBay auction is true, the user still gets points for creativity.

According to eBay user ericjfox, he and his sister bought their computer geek father a Nintendo Wii for Christmas, which ended up being a not-so-great idea. It turns out that dad didn’t want a Wii, and he ridiculed them for not being more attentive when he speaks.

So the ungrateful son and daughter are now unloading the Wii on eBay, and starting the auction at the console’s retail price of $250 USD.

The story details their attempts to get the system and goes more in depth about their father. While it’s obviously a big load of dung, it’s still an entertaining read, and you have to give the guy credit for not jacking up the price on the Wii (even though the buyers will do that for him).

I do have one complaint though. Unless this is completely accidental, it’s pretty shady to list Wii Sports as “five different sports games.”

If you want to read the story or bid on the auction, you can do so here.

Review: High Velocity Bowling

Cavin Smith — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:58:38 +0000

Don’t laugh. This is probably going to be you in thirty years.

I didn’t think last week’s Pain was worth a Hamilton, so what about Sony San Diego’s second attempt on the PSN, High Velocity Bowling? Coming from Team Ramrod (hi, Super Troopers reference), this game of ten-pin features waggle, online leaderboards, and, wait a tic… custom soundtracks using an in-game XMB! Sure, it all sounds a lot like Wii Sports, but will it make Grandma Bessie want a Playstation 3 for Christmas?

If she still remembers growing up in the 50s, she might. High Velocity’s got the retro chic down pat. Right from the moment you boot it up, you’re confronted with a neon-lit marquee soaring high into the twilight sky, its star-like beacons summoning small-town soccer moms and over-the-hill bachelors from the countryside. I half expected to see a cameo by Walter Sobchak, but the sublime odor of cigarette ash mixed with disinfectant was all too real. Okay, maybe that was just my feet. Moving on.

Said marquee also functions as your main menu, giving you the options of solo bowling, competing in several different challenges, or scoping out what trophies you’ve earned. There’s also an option called “My Balls” (tee hee). If you want to take a look at your ball selection, head there.

“Let’s Bowl” is your basic pick-up-and-play mode. You can have up to four players rotating turns locally (sorry, no online except for leaderboards). Multiplayer’s a key component to a game like this (who wants to bowl by themselves?), so it’s good to know that setting it up is easy as pie — just hit square to add extra people on the character select screen. Pick one of several alley-cat stereotypes and then its off to the lanes!

I don’t think High Velocity is about to kick Wiis out of the retirement home (and where else would they go if they’ve ~~already outlived their usefulness to society~~ led a long and fulfilling life?), but the motion controls are both slightly more complex and more satisfying. You grip the Sixaxis underhand, which feels a whole lot more like holding a bowling ball than it does when clutching an oblong Wiimote. Proper positioning puts your thumb over the X button to select options and your pointer/pinky over the R2 and L2 buttons for spin.

Character positioning and aim are selected by twisting the Sixaxis left or right (the dead zone in this case is where the controller’s left side points towards the ground). Once you’ve got your shot set up, your avatar will shuffle towards the foul line. Rear your hand back and then quickly follow through. The speed at which you do this determines how fast your ball travels down the lane, though slipping into the red part of the meter will overpower your throw. The game also accounts for spin (determined, in analog, by how hard you hold down either of the back shoulder buttons), the type of ball you’re using, and any quirks your character might possess.

Admittedly, it feels a little strange at first, but you get used to it quickly and it makes a whole lot of sense when you consider how one might toss an actual ball.

It’s honestly more intuitive than Wii Bowling’s cheat-prone controls, but because of the shape of the Sixaxis, it may not be compatible for people with small hands. Just as well, this is one of the few games on the Playstation 3 that actually justifies its motion-only controls. And before you ask: yes, options for southpaws are included.

If you don’t have any friends around, it might be best to head for the Challenges first. Here you can knock pins with CPU rivals, compete in tournaments, or complete special trick shots. The last of the three is probably the most interesting part of the game, as the developers have set up ramps, chairs, and other obstacles on the lane for you to overcome. You’ll have to complete each of the three Challenge categories once to move onto the next level, but you’ll unlock new balls and bowlers along the way.

One of High Velocity’s most baffling (though undeniably welcome) features is its use of Custom Soundtracks. Hitting select at any time will pop up a stripped-down version of the XMB with all of the mp3s that you have stored on your system. It doesn’t seem to support the system’s more esoteric music-playing features (such as album art or playlists), but you’re free to set repeat and shuffle options.

Considering the only music I have on my PS3 is that one Lair track they put up for download a couple of months ago, I set it to play that. Needless to say, EPIC BOWLING (and lulz) AHEAD! I’d recommend putting this feature to good use; otherwise, you’ll be stuck listening to kitschy lounge music the whole time.

Overall, it’s a good little package. High Velocity Bowling isn’t brimming with content, and its micro-transaction posturing is only a tad less annoying than it is in Pain (there’s an option on the main menu to “Buy Characters”), but the core game itself is infinitely replayable. Leaderboards are certainly a nice touch, but features similar to Wii Sports’ stat tracking are sorely missed. Likewise, character choices are dull and samey; some customization would’ve gone a long way to making the experience more enjoyable.

In terms of capturing the pedigree and mechanics of the original game, High Velocity arguably works a lot better, but it’s little touches like these that makes Nintendo’s “clean slate” approach to casual sports so compelling in the first place.