Nintendo Global

It's Time to Get Blogging Again

2011-02-10T18:55:00.003Z

It's been a while since I used this blog, something I really shouldn't have let happen. However, life can be very busy sometimes, for me it was finding out if I had made it to University, enjoying the summer, and then settling into University life.

But, I'm now fully committed to getting back to writing about the vast world of Nintendo, and anything technology related. See you around.

Jamie

New Mario and Sonic Trailer

2009-09-08T18:00:00.007+01:00

A new Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games trailer has emerged. The game, which has a October 13th release date, looks like it has shaped up nicely over the months. The trailer shows happy people playing and enjoying the game, (something common in trailers for get up and play Wii games) while showing some new gameplay as well. Do you like what you see?

Mario, Luigi and Bowser Hit Europe in October

2009-08-28T22:19:00.003+01:00

Some exciting news here: Nintendo has just confirmed that Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story will be in your hands on Friday, 9th of October.

The third in the respected Mario and Luigi RPG series, Bowser's Inside Story revolves around a mysterious infection called "The Blorbs" taking over the Mushroom Kingdom, causing Toads to inflate to many times their normal size and roll around uncontrollably. Not unlike a Nintendo Life staff party, to be truthful.

The battle system from the previous two Mario & Luigi games has been brought back for this instalment with the addition of Bowser as a playable character in and out of battle. The Mario Bros. will move around inside Bowser's stomach trying to find a way out, while Bowser himself dukes it out inside the Mushroom Kingdom.

Metroid Prime Trilogy Developer Interview Video

2009-08-25T13:31:00.005+01:00

With Metroid Prime Trilogy out in the US and almost out in the UK , developer Retro Studios has treated us to a look back on the history of the Prime cannon. The video details it's birth, the obstacles facing the team and of course the marvelous experiences the games have given us.

It's almost here, are you going to buy it?

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes Screenshots

2009-08-24T19:25:00.005+01:00

Some nice new screenshots of the upcoming Star Wars game. Clone Wars is an action adventure game developed by Lucas Arts for pretty much all the platforms under the sun, of course these are taken from the Wii version. The game will allow players to play as both Jedi Knights and Clone troopers as well as other characters, and will contain over 30 missions. Thanks to GoNintendo for the images.

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Game Con Trailer

2009-08-23T22:01:00.008+01:00

The hotly anticipated sequel to the popular Umbrella Chronicles is fast approaching and a new trailer has surfaced to wet our appetites. The trailer was released at this year's Game Con, and shows the game shaping up nicely. Enjoy!

Nintendo is a "Toy Company"

2009-08-23T16:30:00.009+01:00

Former Nintendo employee Howard Phillips said that Nintendo is a "toy company". Phillips also mentioned that while Nintendo is "pretty darn good" at making toy-ish products, Microsoft is a "utility software company" who has been better at creating products that appeal more to the kind of the "intellectual" and "nerdy", maybe "hardcore" gamers. He concluded by saying.

"That being said, things are changing, and you are seeing toy-like games being played by hardcore gamers."

Is Phillips right about how these companies are perceived today?

Two new Pokémon games announced for Nintendo DS

2009-08-23T13:13:00.014+01:00

Ever thought about digging up your old Gameboy Colour to go and play your old Pokémon silver or gold? Well now you can because the Pokémon Company International and Nintendo of Europe revealed that Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems will be released in spring 2010 in Europe. These newest entries for the best-selling video game franchise were announced amid the biggest Pokémon video game event of the year and in front of the top Pokémon video game and trading card game players in the world at the 2009 Pokémon World Championships.

Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version return players to the scenic Johto region first introduced in the beloved original Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver games nearly a decade ago. The richly detailed adventure of Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver is now enhanced for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems with updated graphics and sound, as well as new Touch Screen features and a host of surprises. Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version bring dozens of Pokémon characters back into the limelight for a new Pokémon generation – and long-time fans – to catch, train and battle.

Pokemon HeartGold and Pokemon SoulSilver should be some of the most exciting additions to the DS in 2010.

New additions to DSi Ware

2009-08-23T13:05:00.009+01:00

This week two very exciting titles have been added to the DSI shop channel.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong™: Minis March Again!
The re-opening of Mario’s theme park, Super Mini Mario World, was going so well... until Donkey Kong burst in and kidnapped the hapless Pauline once again! So it’s up to you and the Mini Marios – tiny mechanical Mario toys – to rescue Pauline from that crazed ape’s clutches. Click here to see what the guys at Nintendo life gave it.

Pop+ Solo
Pop your way through 16 waves of bubbles in Adventure, Normal or Advanced. Test yourself against the clock in a 1, 2 or 5 minute run and take on the new Bonus Round mode where each bonus round can be played in 3, 5 or 10 rounds of increasing difficulty! Or just chill out in the relaxing Chill mode with no score or time pressures to worry about. Click here to see what the guys at Nintendo life gave it.

More than enough reason to get some Nintendo Points this week.

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Source: http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/news/2009/take_off_with_a_classic_flight_sim_then_master_some_mario_mischief_with_this_weeks_downloadable_titles_14406.html

Icarian: Kindred Spirits Let's Catch and A Little Bit Of Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: Maths Edition

2009-06-21T11:45:00.002+01:00

A trio of games have been added to Nintendo's download services today. WiiWare sees the release of Icarian: Kindred Spirits and Let's Catch, while DSiWare owners can download A Little Bit Of Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: Maths Edition.

Icarian: Kindred Spirits tells the story of Nyx, a winged girl who has to descend from heaven to find her missing friend Icarus.

You have to make use of the powers of the Greek gods like Zeus to control the environment in order to progress: controlling the wind, changing the scenery and the like.

You can also play in co-op mode, with one player controlling Nyx and the other controlling the powers of the Gods.

Released to coincide with the release of Let's Tap on Wii, Sega's Let's Catch is a multiplayer party game for up to four players which includes six different catching-based mini-games. If you own both Let's Tap and Let's Catch you'll unlock "special features", which as far as we can tell so far means unlocking the stuff in Let's Tap which is hard to unlock through normal means.

Finally, The first of three Brain Training games comes to DSiWare in the shape of A Little Bit Of Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: Maths Edition. Unlike A Little Bit Of Dr Mario and A Little Bit Of Magic Made Fun, this actually has a decent number of options for Brain Training fans.

It's a compilation of the best maths puzzles from both Brain Training games, along with a few new ones added for good measure. As well as the daily Brain Age check and Training modes, the Dr Mario-like Virus Buster mode from More Brain Training is in there too as well as a "Themes" mode which has you using the DSi's camera and microphone to do some acting.

Icarian: Kindred Spirits and Let's Catch are both on WiiWare now for 1000 Points each, while A Little Bit Of Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: Maths Edition is on DSiWare for 800 Points

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Wii Fit Plus

2009-06-12T22:03:00.003+01:00

Tired of the same old games every day while you strive to get in shape. Then Wii Fit Plus is your answer it will provide you with all neew ways to get fit it will bring a new variance to your experience.

Wii Fit Plus will feature:

Workouts combine the original Wii Fit activities and selections from 15 new balance games and six new strength training and yoga activities.

Users can input the amount of time they want to spend on their workouts or select an area for personal improvement, and Wii Fit Plus will suggest a number of diverse activities for them.

For the first time, users can mix and match which strength and yoga activities they prefer on a given day. The seamless exercise flows make it easier than ever for users to maintain their daily workout routines.

Users might be asked to run an obstacle course across a series of platforms, zoom across a beach on a Segway® x2 Personal Transporter or flap their arms to help their hilarious chicken-suited characters aim for targets.

The range of games and customization options will make players want to play every day. They’ll be having so much fun that their workouts will seem to fly by in no time at all.

Players also can see estimates of calories burned and can even activate a feature that lets them weigh their dogs or cats.

Wii Fit Plus comes packaged with the Wii Balance Board accessory. For people who already own Wii Fit, the Wii Fit Plus disc will be available for purchase separately.

Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball

2009-06-10T20:35:00.004+01:00

An interesting title to an interesting looking game. With its title i am unsure whether i should laugh or cry because i am sure that this will be one of the most bizarre games ever to hit the wii. Pirates vs Ninjas will feature:

Seven teams to choose from including not only ninjas and pirates, but zombies, robots, aliens and more!

8 unique arenas form the perfect stage for the ultimate battle.

Multiplayer modes boost the fun factor, with up to four players able to take part at the same time.

Customisable control systems let you optimise your game.

Classic dodgeball mode takes the sport back to the school playgroundSeven teams to choose from including not only ninjas and pirates, but zombies, robots, aliens and more!

8 unique arenas form the perfect stage for the ultimate battle.

Multiplayer modes boost the fun factor, with up to four players able to take part at the same time.

DS Download Service

2009-06-09T22:07:00.002+01:00

This is the official statement from nintendo on the new nintendo ds download service:

'Did you know that you can download demos of Nintendo DS games directly from the Nintendo Channel on your Wii console to your Nintendo DS?

This week the following demos have been added to the Nintendo Channel:

Ninjatown
MySims Racing
Mazes of Fate DS

Downloading the demo from the Nintendo Channel is quick and simple:

1. Make sure your Wii is connected to the Internet and go to the Nintendo Channel. If you don’t have the Nintendo Channel yet you can download it for free from the Wii Shop Channel.

2. Click on the “Find Titles for You” link and then select the “DS Download Service” option.

3. You’ll see a list of currently available demos from which you can for example select the Ninjatown demo.

4. Now turn the power ON on your Nintendo DS and select the option “DS Download Play” from the menu.5. Once your Nintendo DS has connected to your Wii console, you just need to accept the software download and you’re ready to play!

In addition to the newly added demos mentioned above, please note that currently you can also download demos of the following titles:

Rhythm Paradise
100 Classic Book Collection
Big Brain Academy
42 All-Time Classics
Mario Kart DS
Picross DS
Professor Kageyama’s Maths Training
Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain?

Please note that all demos will be available for a limited time only, as the demos on offer in the Nintendo Channel will be regularly updated.'

Miyamoto "We have 5 years experience on Motion controls"

2009-06-08T19:46:00.004+01:00

Miyamoto the Nintendo legend

Shigeru Miyamoto has responded to the announcements of Microsoft's Project Natal and Sony's motion controller by saying that new control schemes only work if you make compelling games with them.

"The interesting thing about [these announcements] is it takes a great deal of experience to be able to create full gameplay experiences that take advantage of motion control," he told the BBC.

"We've been experimenting with motion control for over five years now, and based on the announcements we've seen here at E3, it seems like the other two companies have really only been experimenting with this only very recently."

Miyamoto isn't worried, apparently, and believes that both announcements show that, "number one, they've looked at what we've done with Wii, and seen the value in that, and now they're moving in the same direction that we have already established."

Miyamoto's comments continue the fine E3 tradition of executives passively slagging off the competition. For example, Microsoft's John Schappert told Eurogamer last week that having to hold a controller is "a big barrier to being able to get people to enjoy interactive experiences".

With Wii Motion plus on sale this friday with it's first game, Nintendo are well ahead of the competition.

E3 Recap-The Legend of Zelda™: Spirit Tracks

2009-06-08T18:21:00.003+01:00

This new adventure in the Zelda series puts Link into a whole adventure with a new story even more puzzles and a whole new mode of travel. Link can nowtravel by train which brings a whole new level of gameplay on the ds.

The game features:

Link has a valuable new companion. While navigating dungeons, he’s accompanied by a Phantom, a hulking suit of armor that responds to his commands. Players can tap the Phantom to take command of him, then draw a line on the touch screen to direct him where to go. The stout Phantom can walk through fire or lava, be used as a platform to carry Link above dangers, or even run interference to block Link from harm.

When Link conducts the train, players enjoy a satisfying combination of action and real-time puzzle solving as they determine which track to take and how to best manipulate their speed. When on the train, Link must plot the best route to the end of the line around ever-moving obstacles. While en route, Link might need to fire an onboard cannon at enemies who attack the train or sound the whistle to scare animals off the tracks.

Link uses a variety of new items and weapons, including the Whirlwind, which players activate by blowing into the microphone of the Nintendo DS or Nintendo DSi™ system.

As with The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, players can draw notes on the in-game maps using the stylus on the touch screen.

This next installment of the Zelda series is sure to be a hit and will be a new way to play Zelda on the DS.

E3 Recap - Wii Sports Resort

2009-06-06T18:49:00.011+01:00

Wii Sports Resort is sure to be an excellent twist to the highly successful Wii Sports which attract many people to the Wii console. Wii Sports Resort is intended to be a pick up and play game just like the original but it will include deeper levels of gameplay which will challenge even the experienced gamers. It will be sold together with the Wii Motion Plus and the key features of Wii Sports Resort are:

Wuhu Island has so many things to do, there’s never a dull moment. A dozen activities await visitors: Archery, Frisbee®, Basketball, Cycling, Canoeing, Power Cruising, Table Tennis, Air Sports, Bowling, Swordplay, Golf and Wakeboarding.

The activities use the precision controls of the Wii MotionPlus accessory to help players come much closer to the physical reality of engaging in the actual sports. Every real-world action, whether it’s a perfect drive on the fairway or a slice off the course, is meant to be faithfully replicated

Each activity has multiple fun challenges designed to keep visitors coming back for more. Basketball players might compete in a three-point shootout or jump into a three-on-three pickup game. Archery enthusiasts must aim for the bull’s-eye across ever-increasing distances and obstacles.

Different activities use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk™ controllers in different ways. For example, players hold the Wii Remote like a paddle in Canoeing, while in Cycling they use both arms to “pedal” with the two controllers. The Wii MotionPlus accessory picks up every nuance of motion and translates it onto the TV screen.

Depending on the activity, players can compete solo or against other players. Some activities even let players team up to work cooperatively.

So Wii Sports Resort will provide an exciting new change to the original Wii Sports and will appeal to young and old and new and experienced gamers.

E3 Recap - Metroid Other M

2009-06-06T11:33:00.005+01:00

Metroid Other M was a huge announcement at Nintendo's Conference and Metroid fans will be happy to hear that Yoshio Sakamoto director of the Metroid series has said it will be the best expereince yet. Thanks to IGN for the interview.

IGN: Metroid: Other M was a huge surprise for us at E3 2009 and we're really excited for it. We're wondering how the partnership with Team Ninja came about.

Yoshio Sakamoto: I've been working on Metroid games for quite awhile, but in 2006, having seen the Wii, its capabilities and the features available through it, I wanted to challenge myself to see what I could produce for that particular system and it was at that point that I started mulling other concepts. My team and myself have had experience working on Metroid game, but it's all been in the handheld realm and it's all been in 2D, so we lacked both the experience and the manpower to create a 3D Metroid experience. It was at that time that I realized I needed to find a partner help me realize my concept.

Metroid Other M looks stunning

When I was considering what I was going to look for in this partner, I not only wanted to find somebody who was going to understand my concept as it existed, but could also contribute based on their own experience and expertise and I was very fortunate when I proposed this idea to members of Team Ninja and they seemed to really be able to understand and grasp my idea and they were happy to jump on board as well.

During those initial meetings, I did not approach Team Ninja knowing that they were Team Ninja and had that experience behind them. Granted, I appreciated the fact that they did have game development experience, but not specifically with regard to action games. What I was looking for was a partner that could contribute their strengths and possibly balance out our weaknesses, assuming we could do the same for them. We have the experience of creating Metroid games. They have the experience of creating action games. Together, instead of being Nintendo and Team Ninja, we became Project M. And our goal is to create the best Metroid: Other M that we can.

IGN: How is Project M separated between the teams? How big is the overall team?

Yoshio Sakamoto: In addition to the members of the staff from Nintendo and Team Ninja, as you saw in the trailer, there are a lot of cinematics that help us tell the story within Other M so we're also working with a company called D-Rockets, led by a director named Mr. Kitaura. In total, with the the three companies combined that make Project M, we have over 100 people on our staff.

IGN: We're all huge Metroid fans. We loved Super Metroid and Metroid Prime. So we're really psyched that we're finally going to get some real back story on Samus. How much in terms of story and cinematics can we expect?

Yoshio Sakamoto: One thing I need to explain is that I was really not that involved directly in the development of the Metroid Prime series. What I was involved in was the development of the initial NES Metroid, the GBA Metroid, Super Metroid and then finally Metroid Fusion. And within that timeline, the Other M story will take place between Super Metroid and the Fusion stories. What I hope to achieve with Other M is answer those questions -- you know, who is Samus? What is her background? Who are the characters that made her what she is? All these questions and more will be answered. I could tell you a little more about the details of what you might expect, but I don't want to ruin it for you so I'll just leave it at that.

IGN: Can we expect a lot of storytelling and cinematics in the game?

Yoshio Sakamoto: That's actually a really interesting question. A lot of times movies within games are handled as decorations as augment the experience, but my goal is to make the whole experience very seamless. So when you're going from an action sequence where you're controlling it and then the game will naturally progress into the cinematics. So I hope the experience is very seamless and natural.

Kirby Superstar Ultra finally coming

2009-06-06T11:29:00.002+01:00

Kirby fans will be pleased to learn that Kirby Super Star Ultra will be released in the UK. The remake of the old SNES game was originally scheduled for release in 2008 but it will finally hit the UK in September.

The SNES original featured a selection of different Kirby games and in this update there are many different plots for each of the adventures. These range from Kirby's fight to stop King Dedede from stealing all the food in Dream Land to Meta Knight's quest to train for the ultimate battle. While most of the modes are traditional adventures, several of them, like Megaton Punch and Samurai Kirby, are quick mini-games.

The original modes found in the SNES original are all here with updated graphics and fully rendered movie scenes.

There are also three new touch-screen controlled mini-games that you can play with up to three friends via DS Download Play. These are Kirby Card Swipe, Kirby on the Draw and Snack Tracks.

As usual you'll be running, floating and fighting your way through the adventure games, gobbling up enemies as you go. Kirby can inhale enemies and spit them out as stars and swallow foes and copy their abilities. The pink blob can also create Helpers out of Copy Abilities who will fight alongside you. This is great news for the Kirby lovers out there!

The Wii Motion Plus

2009-06-05T22:39:00.010+01:00

Nintendo's eagerly awaited Wiimote add-on The Wii Motion Plus.
You will now be able to enhance your Nintendo Wii with this Great little add-on, simply plug the Wii Motion Plus into the bottom of your current Wiimote to greatly enhance the response of your current controller. The Wii Motion Plus will allow you to interact in 1:1 real time, giving you an unequaled gaming experience.

The Wii Motion Plus will be initially be available with a disc containing around 10 games - not to dissimilar to the original Wii Sports. It was recently showcased across 3 games and by all accounts the boys at Nintendo have once again out done themselves by once again pushing the boundaries of modern gaming.

The 3 featured games were :

Swordplay - The aim to beat your contender out of the ring using your 2 handed sword thrusts.

Disc Dog - Throw your frisbee as close to the marker as possible, perhaps not the most challenging of games but shows off the Wii Motion Plus’ added benefits nicely. You can control the eventual landing place of the frisbee by the speed and angle of your throw.

Power Cruising - A racing format game, this time on water by Jetski. Using the Wii nunchuck to control yourself around the various courses.

Definitely an impressive outing of the latest addition to the Wii - Bring on the Wii motion Plus.

E3 Recap - Red Steel 2

2009-06-05T20:18:00.008+01:00

After the announcement of the sequel to the brilliant first person shooter Red Steel which was one of the first fps games to hit the wii, excitement is growing for Red Steel 2 and whether it can live up to Red Steel.

Red Steel 2 will be released in late 2009 and will include in its bundle the wii motion plus. the story line Ubisoft have confirmed will be set in "a desert-bound, high-tech metropolis."

Ubisoft have also confirmed that the main character will be called (The) Swordsman.

However Red Steel 2 will not included any multiplayer. the developpers had this to say to explain why:

"..our focus is on creating a strong single player experience and taking full advantage of Wii Motion Plus. Adding multiplayer would detract from that focus. That's another example of something we learned from the first Red Steel [Laughs].”

E3 Recap - Zelda Wii picture

2009-06-05T20:06:00.002+01:00

Nintendo has released the first image of the next Zelda game for Wii, which was shown by Shigeru Miyamoto to selected journalists behind closed doors earlier this week.

Miyamoto said: "The story setting for this Zelda is, of course, in a completely different era and Link is older than he was previously. More approaching adulthood"

Miyamoto said: "I can tell you, as you just pointed out, that Twilight Princess was developed and ran on both hardwares while this new game will be only on Wii, so I think there are some expectations as to what it will be since we are focused on this console."

The picture below is all we have so far, interestingly Link does not have a sword in the picture. Will this be the change in the gameplay? Who knows? We'll keep you up to date.

E3 Recap - New Super Mario Bros Wii

2009-06-05T15:46:00.002+01:00

A Brand new Mario Adventure with all the classics and brand new twists.

The announcement of the New Super Mario Bros Wii was undoubtedly one of the biggest announcements of the entire E3 when it was announced just a few days ago. i for one cannot wait to sink my teeth into this new epic Mario adventure that hits stores this Christmas.

The game features:

New Super Mario Bros. Wii offers a combination of cooperation and competition. Players can pick each other up to save them from danger or toss them into it.

Mario™, Luigi™ and two Toads are all playable characters, while many others from the Mushroom Kingdom make appearances throughout the game. Players can even ride different Yoshi characters and use their tongues to swallow enemies – or their fellow players.

In some areas, players use the motion abilities of the Wii Remote™ controller. The first player to reach a seesaw might make it tilt to help his or her character reach a higher platform – and then tilt it incorrectly just to mess with other players.

New items include the propeller suit, which will shoot players high into the sky with just a shake of the Wii Remote and Mario’s new ability to transform into Penguin Mario.

At the end of each stage during the simultaneous multiplayer mode, players are ranked based on their score, the coins collected and the number of enemies defeated.

As you can clearly see New Super Mario Bros Wii is going to be the standout game this Christmas and is a must for any Nintendo Wii owner and more than a 100 reasons to go out and buy a Nintendo Wii if you don't already own one.

E3 Recap - Super Mario Galaxy 2

2009-06-04T21:38:00.002+01:00

Although E3 is over, there is always time to discuss what was announced at Nintendo's conference, and boy was there some awesome stuff!

Super Mario Galaxy 2

The plumber returns to space for another starry adventure.

The Big one, the one nobody really expected. Super Mario Galaxy 2 looks much like the first with the inclusion of Yoshi. Nintendo legend Mr Miyamoto has assured us though that there will be up to 99% new content and it won't be a quick rehash to satisfy the hardcore gamers.

The reason this is so exciting is that Super Mario Galaxy was one of the highest rated games of all time coming in third place on Game Rankings. Whether this one can live up to the brilliant first remains to be seen, fingers crossed. Meanwhile the screens below and the trailer is all we have for now.

Black Wii heading to Japan

2009-06-04T21:14:00.002+01:00

A new black variant of the Wii is heading to Japan in August. The Black Wii will cost ¥2,500 YEN, in addition to this a new Black Wii controller and Nunchuk will be coming as well as a new Pro Classic controller.

Will we see this in Europe? Who knows, but going on past history the future doesn't look good for this tasty variation of Nintendo's best selling console.

The blog is born!

2009-06-04T18:52:00.002+01:00

The blog is now open! It's being set up at a perfect time as Nintendo's E3 has just happened, which means there are lots of events occurring in the world of Nintendo, and of course gaming itself. The blog will take a while to get going but myself and my team are committed to get it up and running.

Feel free to comment!

The Nintendo Global team