WiiNintendo

[Business Wire]

I JUST posted the information about the Wii Fit Plus release date and the White and Pink DSi colors in the US, and now we have a press release with those details and more! Here are the highlights:

- Wii Fit Plus releasing October 4th: Bundled with Wii Balance Board for $99.99 or separately for $19.99
- White and Pink Nintendo DSi colors releasing September 13th
- Black Wii Remote and Wii MotionPlus bundle this holiday season
- Black Nunchuk this holiday season

Here’s the full press release:

Announcements Give Consumers New Options

LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Nintendo today announced that the new Wii Fit™ Plus game will launch in North America on Oct. 4, and also revealed new colors for its popular Nintendo DSi™ system and for the revolutionary Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers and Wii MotionPlus™ accessory. Starting Sept. 13, Nintendo DSi will be available in White and Pink, joining the Blue and Black versions already on the market. Additionally, this holiday season, Nintendo will release a new Black version of the Wii Remote bundled with a Black version of the Wii MotionPlus accessory, which brings precise motion control to games that have been designed for it. A Black version of the Nunchuk controller also will be available for the holidays.

Nintendo of America President & COO Reggie Fils-Aime made these announcements in his keynote address at the 2009 GameStop Manager Conference.

“All of these announcements bring more options and more choices to consumers as our industry heads into its busiest time of the year,” Fils-Aime said. “Each of these products allows consumers to enjoy a more personal gaming experience, no matter how they choose to play.”

Here are the details of today’s announcements:

* Wii Fit Plus: This enhanced version of the top-selling game offers a range of new features, along with new exercises, yoga activities and balance games designed to keep workouts fun. For the first time, users can customize their workouts to target specific areas of their bodies or to fill specific intervals of time. Wii Fit Plus will replace the current Wii Fit™ configuration at retail, and will be bundled with the Wii Balance Board™ accessory at a suggested retail price of $99.99. For people who currently own Wii Fit and want to add the expanded options to their fitness regimen, the Wii Fit Plus disc will be available on its own at a suggested retail price of $19.99.
* White and Pink Nintendo DSi colors: The two new colors give consumers even more options to personalize their experiences. All models of the Nintendo DSi hardware come with two cameras and interactive options to let users create and manipulate pictures or sound in fun and creative ways. All versions of Nintendo DSi are available at a suggested retail price of $169.99.
* Wii Remote and Wii MotionPlus Black bundle: The Black bundle is the first new color for the Wii Remote and Wii MotionPlus.
* Black Nunchuk: The Black Nunchuk will be available as a standalone purchase.

Remember that the Wii™ console features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about Nintendo products, visit www.Nintendo.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™, Nintendo DS™ and Nintendo DSi™ systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.1 billion video games and more than 526 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi, 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, visit the company’s Web site at www.Nintendo.com.

In addition to the news about new DSi colors for the US, the GameStop Manager’s Conference gives us a release date for a game that is sure to sell well this holiday season. It looks like October 4th will be the release date for Wii Fit Plus, the sequel to the popular fitness title Wii Fit. Remember, this game will be sold with the Wii Balance Board for those that don’t have it already or separately for those that have already purchased Wii Fit. No word on pricing details yet. Expect more details soon.

[NeoGAF]

Those in the US looking to buy a Nintendo DSi have been stuck with two colors: Blue and Black. Well very soon that will change. Two new colors, White and Pink, have been all but confirmed through various retailer listings. We have received word now that they have been officially announced by Reggie at the GameStop Manager’s Conference in Las Vegas. The rumors listed a mid-September release, but expect the official details tomorrow in a press release (at least, I would assume so).

[NeoGAF]

Muramasa follows the story of Kisuke, a fugitive who has lost his memory, including that of a crime that he committed and Momohime, a lithe female ronin possessed by a dark spirit. Gameplay allows players to use the Wii Remote, the Classic controller and the Gamecube controller. The game allows players to use two different characters and features two difficulty levels.

Setting
The game takes place during the Genroku era at the time of shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi on Honsh?, the main island of Japan. Because of his thirst for power, a conflict over immensely powerful swords, the Demon Blades, occurs. The swords are cursed and are said to bring tragedy, madness, and untimely deaths. As the chaos from the conflict spreads, creatures from the netherworld are summoned by these blades, along with Dragon and Demon Gods.

Story
Kisuke is a fugitive being chased for a crime he no longer remembers. His only desire is to find a certain katana. After defeating his arresters, he meets Yuzuruha who offers to guide his path. Meanwhile, Momohime, after being possessed by the soul of foul swordsman Jinkuro Izuna, is forced to flee her castle and accept Jinkuro’s offer to complete his plan.

STRIDE® gum is putting together an 80’s gamer dream to SAVE THE ARCADES!

Sadly, many arcades across the country are down to their last quarter and facing closure.

It’s time gamers everywhere band together and Save the Arcades!

By simply playing the insanely epic Zapataur, you can help one of these four amazing arcades score $25,000 and continue to provide gaming goodness to their community. Every point you score will be added to the tally of the arcade you choose to support. So the more you play, the better chance that the arcade you’re rooting for will score 25,000$

[SaveTheArcades.com]

Nintendo’s Masato Kuwahara, project lead on the Nintendo DSi, revealed that games playable only on the latest revision Nintendo DS were in the works at this year’s GDC. Those first DSi-only games will hit this fall, retail sources tell Kotaku.

Software that will only work on a Nintendo DSi will join titles playable on a Nintendo DS or DS Lite but also feature DSi-specific enhanced capabilities, like Ubisoft’s Jam Sessions 2 and My Healthy Cooking Coach. Games and apps that will only be playable on a DSi will be visually distinct from past product, sources say.

More at Kotaku

I play all of the instruments simultaneously on expert on the Stevie Wonder song, Superstition.
The only twist is that I play drums in real life instead of on the game!

[Thanks Kevin]

Monster Hunter developer Capcom is taking cheating seriously. Very seriously. That, or it’s automatic responses might be incorrect.

The above image reads:

“Dear Customer

You are presently banned for using modded data to connect online. The ban will be left at 22:49 on 12/12/9999. The next time you violate the terms of use, you will never again be able to connect.”

At least you aren’t banned forever

Source

It seems like another “catch-up” day for the North American download service.  Today, we get the 2nd chapter in Monkey Island, which has already released on the PC.  We also get a rather interesting, yet poor attempt at a WiiWare party game with 3-2-1 Rattle Battle.  The original Phantasy Star heads to the Virtual Console, perhaps in anticipation of the upcoming DS game. And, finally, we get a slimmed down version of Planet Puzzle League on the DSi.

Nintendo Download – August 31, 2009

Pirates, Puzzles, Rattlers and Role-Playing

“All for one and one for all” is an apt way to describe the latest lineup of downloadable games from the Wii™ Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi™ Shop. Each of this week’s new titles is a single-player affair, but they’re all quite different in genre and style, offering something special for a variety of gaming tastes.

WiiWare™

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 2
Publisher: Telltale Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Alcohol Reference, Cartoon Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Guybrush’s adventures continue on the high seas as pox-plagued pirates lay siege to the innocent Mer-People. Between defending the Mer-People and dodging the persistent pirate hunter hot on his trail, Guybrush manages to catch up to his beloved wife and despised arch-nemesis, but the reunion is short-lived. Now Guybrush must focus on eradicating the Pox of LeChuck before more harm can be done. And as the Mighty Pirate draws closer to a cure, the waters will only grow murkier in this thrilling chapter of the epic saga.

3-2-1, Rattle Battle!
Publisher: Tecmo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: 3-2-1, Rattle Battle! is a party game packed with exciting mini-games. Intuitive controls mean that anyone can enjoy playing – just grab the Wii Remote™ and shake it to “rattle.” Great fun for single players, but the party really gets started when you register high scores on Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection to see how you measure up against players from around the globe.

Virtual Console™

Phantasy Star™
Original platform: SEGA Master System
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone 10 and Older) – Animated Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Originally released on the SEGA Master System, Phantasy Star is a pioneer in the role-playing game genre. Alis is the fearless female protagonist out to avenge her brother’s death at the hands of cruel dictator King Lassic. Players must guide Alis and her troops through the sprawling environments of the Agol solar system in an attempt to defeat King Lassic and liberate the people of Agol. Engage in dynamic turn-based combat with dragons, ghouls, giants and magicians by using unique weapons such as glowing daggers, crossbows and magic spells.

(Original Japanese commercial.)

Nintendo DSiWare™

Puzzle League™ Express
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: The ever-popular Puzzle League comes to Nintendo DSiWare. As it is with all good puzzlers, the concept is simple: Connect blocks of the same color to clear them from the screen and prevent your stack from becoming too high. There are four single-player modes to choose from: Endless (survive to earn a top score), Clear (eliminate all blocks above the line), Score Attack (score as high as possible in two minutes) and Vs. COM (use items and combos to attack a computer opponent). You can choose from a variety of background music to help get you in the zone, and even play in horizontal or vertical mode by holding the Nintendo DSi system normally or like a book. Whichever way you play, you’re guaranteed maximum fun.

[Nintendo PR]

Announcing The Mystical Journey: the upcoming first epic role-playing game for the Nintendo DSi Browser. TMJ sends homage to classic Final Fantasy games of the 16-bit era with tile-based levels, hand-drawn sprite characters, and photographic battle backgrounds. The game engine has full stylus control like The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, using the stylus for analog motion control and for menu navigation.

The game’s main single-player quest will span over 100 levels, contain more than 10 playable characters, and boast countless items and enemies. These elements are all being created by a team of about a dozen talented designers.

The story revolves around Norse mythology and the human struggle for survival as the warring gods prepare for the great Ragnarok battle. Humans are thrusted into the mix when the god Hoedr is hiding from execution in a mine north of the town of Bryn, where his cover is blown by the nearby villagers.

The Mystical Journey will also have a multiplayer battle arena where players can compete on leaderboards and wager in-game items and gold.

The game will be released as episodic content, with new levels and story elements being revealed until the game’s completion. Early into the release will be the battle arena.

The nearly 9000 members of DSiPaint, HullBreach Online, TWiiter, and WiiOperaSDK, will automatically be able to take part immediately upon release. New players can sign up for free at any time.

Preview of new songs

It’s almost here! The new album, Varia Suite, is available for preorder, and will be hitting the streets of Zebes 9-8-09. it’s only $8. A new shirt design and sticker is also available with an album bundle.

It’s true! Metroid Metal Live will be taking the stage at the Penny Arcade Expo 2009 September 4-6, 2009 in Seattle. We’ll be recreating a list of ‘troid tunes with a few surprises. Can’t wait to bring the walls down. \m/ Other performers include Freezepop, Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot, Anamanaguchi, and Paul and Storm.

The MM lineup includes the same cool dudes that graced the Magfest stage back in January:

Stemage – guitar – stemage.com
Chunkstyle – bass – dan-taylor.net
Danimal Cannon – guitar – Arm Cannon – WeaponEx
Kirby Pufocia – guitar – Temp Sound Solutions
Kevin Lawrence – drums – God