Nintendo

Wii virtual console releases for this week: NEOGEO fighters edition

As promised, Nintendo has rolled out a brand new Virtual Console category today. NEOGEO titles will now be available for download for 900 Wii points each and to celebrate, Nintendo has released three today--all of which are fighters. Cheesy box art not included.

Fatal Fury (1991, NEOGEO, 900 Wii points)--One of the original games in the fighting genre, Fatal Fury gained much attention for its unique gameplay that allowed fighters to switch between two planes, thus dodging attacks. World Heroes (1992, NEOGEO, 900 Wii points)--This fighting game based its characters on historical figures all throughout time and had … Read more

Hands-on with the Wii Zapper

EA Games held a preview event last night in Manhattan, showing off the company's latest big-name games, from The Simpsons Game to Half-Life 2: Orange Box. While most of the action took place on the various screens around the room, my eyes were drawn to a large, funky-shaped piece of white plastic at the Metal of Honor Heroes 2 display. They had an actual Wii Zapper set up to demonstrate the game's on-rails shooter-style Arcade mode. I couldn't resist the chance to try Nintendo's new Wii peripheral, not scheduled to hit stores until November.

The Wii … Read more

Episode 573: Hard out there for a PMP

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Get a free Wiimote sleeve from Nintendo

Nintendo has revealed the Wii Remote Jacket, a silicone grip intended to make the Wiimote more comfortable in the hand and give it some semblance of protection. Silicone sleeves for the Wiimote have been available since the Wii first came out, but this new product carries an important distinction: it's free.

Every new Nintendo Wii, Wiimote, and copy of Wii Play that ships from today on will include the Wii Remote Jacket. Nintendo hasn't announced any price changes for these products, so new Wii and Wiimote buyers will be getting the jackets gratis. If you've already bought … Read more

Microsoft Japan: We can learn from Wii

CHIBA, Japan--Microsoft for years has been trying to bring more consumers into computer gaming, but Nintendo was the company that figured out how to do it, said Yasutoshi Magara, managing director of Microsoft Japan, in a briefing at Ceatec Japan 2007, the country's big technology trade show.

The Xbox 360, Magara said, was designed mostly with a relatively well-defined demographic in mind, namely 18- to 30-year-old males into networking games.

"They (the console developers at Microsoft) start there," he said.

By contrast, Nintendo, with the launch of its Wii motion-sensing console, aimed for the family and developed … Read more

Wii virtual console releases for this week--importers rejoice

Straying away from the typical trio of releases, Nintendo today has unveiled just two new virtual console games for the week. Previously available only as imports, these titles carry jacked-up prices.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986, NES, 600 Wii points)--We got a vegetable-yanking game and Japan got the true sequel--and unless you played Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES, this will be the first time you're exposed to Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, the true Super Mario Bros. 2. Sin and Punishment (2000, Nintendo 64, 1,200 Wii points)--This on-rails shooter may be a … Read more

A Link to New York

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass ships this week, so naturally Nintendo tried to get the word out. The company threw a shindig at the Nintendo World Store at Rockefeller Center last Sunday, showing off Phantom Hourglass and giving Zelda fans a chance to play the game early.

The event included a Zelda-themed costume contest and trivia contests, where winners got to leave with their own copies of Phantom Hourglass. The store also brought out plenty of old Zelda memorabilia to display, ranging from Link action figures to the life-size, metal Master Sword and Hyrule Shield Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto … Read more

Wii virtual console releases for this week

Two classic franchises round out this week's virtual console releases. But don't worry, there's a token TurboGrafx 16 game hiding behind them.

Kirby's Avalanche (1995, Super Nintendo, 800 Wii points)--In this departure from the conventional platforming you're used to in other Kirby adventures, Kirby's Avalanche will have you racking your brain in this fast-paced color matching puzzle game. Streets of Rage 3 (1994, Genesis, 800 Wii points)--A staple series in the beat-em-up genre, Streets of Rage brought great action and gameplay to consoles everywhere. In this third installment of the franchise, you … Read more

Why 'Halo 3' will decide the Xbox 360's fate

With Halo 3 hype soaring, people are already dreaming about fragging aliens, dual-wielding machine guns and taunting 12-year-old kids when they sneak up behind them and put one in their head in a massive online battle.

But what many may not realize is that tomorrow's release of Halo 3 could be a watershed moment for Microsoft and the Xbox 360. With a blockbuster title that will surely captivate millions across the globe, the Xbox 360 will be the most played video game console for the month of October and should catapult the system to the top of the video game world.

As we're all aware, Nintendo currently enjoys the top spot in the video game console war. With nearly 404,000 Wii units sold last month alone, Nintendo is hands down the most successful hardware company of this generation. And while Nintendo fans are quick to cite this number when their favorite console is under attack, they fail to mention how it compares to previous months.

According to The NPD Group, Nintendo Wii sales dropped 5 percent from July, while the Xbox 360, with 277,000 units sold, witnessed a sales increase of 63 percent from July. To round it out, the abysmal Playstation 3 sold just 131,000 units--a drop of nearly 18 percent.

Sure, the Nintendo Wii is doing well and it continues to sell better than the competition, but the main reason the Xbox 360 did so well last month was its software. Most notably, Madden. According to NPD, Electronic Arts sold 897,000 copies of the Xbox 360 version of Madden, representing the first time in years that a non-Sony console topped the Madden sales list.

I've said it once and I'll say it again--software and software alone will drive hardware sales after the initial hype dies down. And if the 5 percent drop in sales is any indication, maybe the Nintendo Wii's hype is finally dropping too.

Halo 3 will undoubtedly be the biggest game of the year. With millions already enjoying previous iterations, tomorrow's release could be the biggest we have ever seen. For many casual gamers, the release of Halo 3 means it's time to buy an Xbox 360. And it's this cadre of individuals that Microsoft has been waiting for.… Read more