WiiNintendo

DS Demos

• James Cameron’s AVATAR: The Game (distribution ends 12/06/09)
• Cooking Mama 3: Shop and Chop (distribution ends 12/06/09)
• Madagascar Kartz Demo (distribution ends 12/06/09)
• Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games – Bobsleigh Race (distribution ends 12/06/09)
• Bakugan Battle Brawlers (distribution ends 12/06/09)

Videos

• Nintendo Week 11/30
• Flipnote Studio with Jon Heder
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii – Super Fun 3
• Need for Speed: Nitro – Dubai Video
• What’s New at Animal Crossing: City Folk – December
• NHL 2K10 – Opus Video
• Tales of Monkey Island
• Copter Crisis – Info Video
• Christmas Clix – Info Video
• Disney The Princess and the Frog – TV Spot
• Might and Magic Clash of Heroes – Reveal Video
• Planet 51 – Launch Video
• Daniel X – Teaser Video
• Karaoke Revolution – TV Spot
• Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus – Info Video
• F1 2009 – Singapore Video

Ubisoft will release a new Prince Of Persia game in May 2010 but it’s unclear whether it will come out on Nintendo platforms.

Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands will be released for ‘consoles and handhelds’ in May 2010 but Ubisoft is yet to confirm if it will be released for Wii or DS.

“We haven’t confirmed the platforms yet,” a Ubisoft spokesperson told ONM.

The game is said to be released along side the film, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, due out on May 28th, 2010

Earlier today, we posted an announcement from Nintendo concerning a “dynamite” addition to Nintendo Channel and Flipnote Hatena.  The update for Flipnote Hatena is 2 flipnotes created by actor Jon Heder (famous for his roles in movies like Napoleon Dynamite and Blades of Glory), and The Nintendo Channel has a special video of him creating the 2 flipnotes.

Check out Jon Heder’s Flipnote Hatena page, clicking here.

EA LAUNCHES FOTO FACE: THE FACE STEALER STRIKES

ALLOWING PLAYERS TO GET THEIR GAME FACE ON – LITERALLY!

Players Become the In-Game Hero in Adventure to Save Stolen Identity

GUILDFORD, UK, November 30^th, 2009 – Electronic Arts, Inc (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced the launch of Foto Face^TM: The Face Stealer Strikes, a new Nintendo DSiWare™ title that gives players the ability to put themselves into the game and sends them on a wild, adventurous quest to reclaim their own stolen identity.  Leveraging the unique features of the Nintendo DSi™ system, players use the camera and microphone to capture their face and voice to become an in-game character.  Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes will be available on the DSiWare store in North America from today, November 30^th, and in the rest of the world from Friday December 4^th.

“Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes is a great example of how EA is pushing the boundaries of innovative and creative gameplay,” said Harvey Elliott, Vice President and General Manager Casual, EA Play Label.  “By using Nintendo DSi features such as the camera, we’ve significantly deepened the experience by allowing players to personalize the adventure in fun and quirky ways that will deliver hours of entertainment.”

After capturing their picture and recording their voice, players can choose to switch between the eight hero costumes throughout the game, from a muscle-bound barbarian to a slick spy or a sneaky ninja.  The adventure unfolds as players discover that their identity has been stolen by the arch villain, The Professor. They will need to track him down across 15 action-packed levels, each loaded with memorable characters– both friend and foe.  Players will face many challenges along the way as they try to clear their name including battling baddies across the Haunted Hills, collecting stars throughout the Frantic Frontier and solving platforming puzzles in the Mystic East.

Adding to the fun is the ability to capture the expressions and voices of more than 20 friends, family, pets or literally anything – players will be limited only by their imagination – all of which become part of the in-game world. Players can also share their Foto Face antics by uploading in-game snapshots directly onto Facebook® from the Nintendo DSi Camera.

“Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes is not a traditional gaming experience,” continued Elliott.  “We believe there are two key viral components, firstly the enormous fun that people will have putting their friends’ faces into the game, and secondly going to Facebook to check out all what other people have done with the character creation tool.”

Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes was developed by EA Bright Light, the same studio responsible for the creation of EA’s blockbuster Harry Potter™ videogame series. It will be available for download on the Nintendo DSi Shop for 800 Nintendo DSi Points from November 30^th in North America and December 4^th in the rest of the world.

[EA PR Email]

In My Zoo, the follow-up to the hit, My Aquarium, players can choose from eight different zoo animals, ranging from a lion to a koala bear. These animals become pets that families can “raise” together. Users are able to play with, feed and nurture the animals, which may even reproduce creating baby animals. Coming soon, players will also be able to download more animal types to build their dream zoo.

Out NOW on Nintendo WiiWare

Another week and another load of downloadable games from Nintendo. For those of you looking for the next chapter of Monkey Island, today is your day.  If you liked My Aquarium, you are probably going to like My Zoo.  We also get a helicopter game and a Christiamas puzzle-game for WiiWare.  For DSiWare, EA gives us a game that puts you in the action as it uses the DSi cameras and microphone.  The PC game Bookworm also come to DSiWare, as does another Express version of Master of Illusion.  Finally, we get yet another Sudoku game that boasts 100 million puzzles. On the Virtual Console front, we get the beat-em-up SNES game The Combatribes and the arcade action-puzzler Solomon’s Key.  One final note is that fans of Flipnote Studio are promised something “dynamite” on the Nintendo Channel and Flipnote Hatena this week. Sure, some of these are catch-ups from other regions, and they aren’t all “hard core,” but we do get another 10 titles. All I can say is that I hope Nintendo keeps going with this many or more each week. Check out the PR below, where we have embedded videos and screenshots.

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: NINTENDO OFFERS 10 DOWNLOADS TO HELP YOU RECOVER FROM YOUR HOLIDAY WEEKEND

Nov. 30, 2009

Whether you succumbed to a food coma, found yourself trapped at the mall or just planted yourself in front of the television, clearly you need a break from the exhausting holiday weekend. And Nintendo is here to help, with 10 downloadable games sure to provide a welcome distraction. WiiWare™ brings the latest installment in the gripping Tales of Monkey Island series, while Nintendo DSiWare™ serves up some magic along with the popular Bookworm™ and Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes, a game starring…you. And don’t forget to take a trip down memory lane with two Virtual Console™ classics – one from Super NES™ and one from the arcades.

For you Flipnote Studio™ fans, there’s something “dynamite” on the Nintendo Channel and the Flipnote Hatena Web site this week, so be sure to check it out. You can also watch and download Flipnotes created by renowned artists like Aardman Animations LTD. at the new Flipnote Central section.

WiiWare

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 4
Publisher: Telltale Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Cartoon Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Conspiracies, betrayal and shocking revelations as the Tales of Monkey Island intensity builds. Guybrush returns to Flotsam Island, but forget about a hero’s welcome. Handed over to De Singe by the backstabbing Morgan LeFlay, Guybrush is seized by an angry mob and put on trial. With a silk-tongued prosecutor in his face and a hangman’s noose dangling over his neck, Guybrush must figure out how to defend himself against grave accusations. Meanwhile, the determined Marquis sets his sights on a new and far more attractive test subject. How on earth will the Mighty Pirate get out of this mess? The monthly Tales of Monkey Island tension continues to mount in The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood. Brace yourself for a shocking revelation that will rock the world of Monkey Island to its core.

My Zoo™
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: My Zoo is a relaxing animal sim that puts you in the shoes of an animal breeder, raising up animals you’d normally only dream of. All it takes is a Wii Remote™ controller for a simple, yet fulfilling, connection with nature. There are 12 animal types in total (four sold separately as add-on content). Select your favorites and nurture them to adulthood. Feeding them, petting them and cleaning up their messes are great ways to form a lasting bond. Each animal’s personality will change depending on how you take care of it. Watch them get spoiled, turn into over-eaters and more as they grow on a daily basis. Some animals will even have a baby on occasion, and once it’s born, you’ve got another mouth to feed. Game time passes much more quickly than real time, and the different animal types are active at various hours – some during the day and some at night. Sometimes it’s fun to just kick back and watch what they do. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to create your own personal zoo.

Copter Crisis
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Copter Crisis puts you in the pilot’s seat. As a member of the elite Helicopter Rescue Squad, you’ll be assigned to respond to any type of emergency anywhere at any time. As the newest member joining this team, you’ll have to complete various missions with the latest in helicopter rescue technology. When you’re ready, you’ll be tasked with executing rescue missions all around the Black Rock Canyon. Your Wii Remote controller becomes the control stick as you guide your copter along the canyons while avoiding rocks, severe weather and even anti-aircraft fire. Rescue lost hikers, deliver supplies to remote areas, assist on scientific missions and even blast your way into underground cavern systems. Complete all of your objectives and rise through the ranks to take on the toughest rescues and unlock 10 bonus missions. Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play allows you to enhance your flight experience with 10 additional copters, which can give you access to unlimited missiles, larger fuel tanks, cargo holds and even mid-air loops.

Christmas Clix
Publisher: JV Games Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Christmas doesn’t have to be all work for Santa, does it? Santa’s having some fun and wants you to play along too. You can help Santa decorate the tree by removing the presents and ornaments that he stacks. When you consecutively connect packages without missing a beat, you get extra points. Collect as many candy canes as you can because when you collect enough, Santa will add a special star to the game that can greatly help you get through a level or just bring some additional fun.

Nintendo DSiWare

Foto Face™: The Face Stealer Strikes
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Your face, your game, you’re the hero. In Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes, YOU get to be in the game. Using the camera and microphone, you become the hero in your own game. Unlock a variety of hero costumes as you battle the baddies, search for stars and solve platforming puzzles. The Face Stealer has stolen your identity and is creating trouble – and everyone is blaming you. You have to track him down across 15 action-packed stages. Along the way, you’ll come across many memorable creatures, both friend and foe. Use the camera and microphone to create faces and voices for every character in your game. Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes – a game starring YOU.

Bookworm
Publisher: PopCap Games, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Feed your appetite for wordy fun in this download version of PopCap’s hit word-puzzle game. Link letter tiles left, right, up and down to build words and feed Lex in Bookworm Classic mode. But watch out for burning letters – they could spell disaster for you and Lex. Use Reward Tiles and spell Bonus Words to boost your score and link your best words to enter the Hall of Fame. Play unlimited levels of word-puzzle fun and learn new words on the go. You’ll relax and tune up your brain every time you play.

[This video is from the PC version, but the DSiWare version is bound to be similar.]

Master of Illusion™ Express: Mind Probe
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Master of Illusion Express titles are mind-boggling magic tricks that you perform with your Nintendo DSi™ system. Learn the illusions, practice up and then amaze your friends. Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe uses your Nintendo DSi system as a means of detecting information. Ask a spectator to write down a favorite (or least-favorite) item – person, food or color, for example – and then be astonished when the Nintendo DSi system sounds an alarm to indicate when that item is spoken. Use any variation of likes or dislikes to stun the crowd.

[Sorry, there were no videos or screenshots available at the time of this post.]

Sudoku Challenge!
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Now’s your chance to play the brain-busting puzzle game taking the world by storm. With more than 100,000,000 sudoku puzzles, you’ll never see the same puzzle twice in Sudoku Challenge! You can select the classic nine-by-nine sukodu game boards as well as Grand Sudoku, which challenges you to complete five intersecting sudoku boards simultaneously. Just a beginner? Don’t worry – with three difficulty options, even the most novice player can complete a sudoku with ease. But if you’re a seasoned pro, challenge yourself in “Hard” mode and test your true skills. It’s time to get your thinking cap on and see how many sudoku puzzles you can conquer.

[This is the WiiWare trailer, but the game is sure to be similar.]

Virtual Console

The Combatribes™
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The evil gang known as “Guilty Zero” rules the city, and it’s up to you as one of the members of the Combatribes to take them down. Choose one of three characters and fight your way through the city of New York. Progress through the game by tackling the goons and boss of each stage using your arsenal of kicks, punches, throws and other techniques to beat them into submission. Once your stamina bar is reduced to zero, you’ll need to use a continue, but when you’re out of continues, it’s game over. Can you eliminate the threat of “Guilty Zero” and restore the peace in New York City!?

Solomon’s Key™
Original platform: Arcade
Publisher: TECMO
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Solomon’s Key is an action/puzzle game that lets you control the wizard Dana, delving into a labyrinth to seek out a magical tome called Solomon’s Key, an item that will help in your quest to drive away evil spirits let loose in the world. The goal of the game is to use the buttons to create and destroy blocks, and use various techniques to find keys to pass through doors. The game has appeared on a variety of platforms, but the arcade version focuses strongly on the action elements of the game, making it more challenging, and allowing players of all skill levels, from beginners to masters, to enjoy it. Settings like the number of lives and difficulty level can be adjusted.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.

[Nintendo PR]

In a recent interview with Scribblenauts Technical Director, Marius Fahlbusch, he was asked by ONM about a “Scribblenauts Wii”:

ONM: What’s next for 5th Cell? What about a Wii version of Scribblenauts?

MF: It would certainly be interesting to do the game for the Wii, but for the moment we are concentrating on Scribblenauts for DS. We’re always looking to do something new, something that hasn’t been done before. We’re going to continue on that path.

Going by what Cell 5 has done for the DS and their brand of “You create/draw it”, I think we’re in store for some pretty cool things coming to the Wii soon.

Personally, I would love to have a Scribblenauts Wii. I think the only thing holding back the DS version was fine tuning the objects interactation with one another. I think the DS was the proving ground and whether the next game is Scribblenauts DS 2 or Scribblenauts Wii, I think (hope) they improve on all of the great things and fix all the broken things.

The new Legend Of Zelda Wii game is the first in the series to support MotionPlus and series director Eiji Aonuma believes Nintendo’s latest accessory gives him the opportunity to innovate.

“With this attachment, your minute hand movements are more precisely reflected. You can feel it so naturally and so intuitively,” Aonuma told the Guardian. It’s not just an improvement over the movement of Link himself: the realization of your more minute movements on the screen will expand the entire gameplay.”

“I believe that we will be able to offer some great innovations in the new Legend of Zelda. Of course I have to refrain from giving any details, but we are contemplating altering the way the game progresses in comparison with all the past Legend of Zelda franchises.”

[ONM]

Okamiden: Chisaki Taiyou is an action-adventure video game to be published by Capcom for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It is a direct sequel to the PlayStation 2 and Wii title ?kami. It is being designed by Kuniomi Matsushita, the director of the Wii port of ?kami, and Motohide Eshiro, producer of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny. It is slated for a Japanese release sometime in 2010. It will star Chibiterasu, a small celestial wolf who bears a resemblance to Amaterasu, protagonist of ?kami, as well as feature much of the same gameplay as its predecessor, including the Celestial Brush which allows players to freeze the gameplay and draw shapes or patterns using the touch screen.

Development began when Matsushita expressed an interest in creating a new ?kami game, and showed Eshiro a technical demo of such a game in December 2008. Because the demo was so well-done, development began on a sequel. The Nintendo DS was chosen due to both it being the most successful platform of this generation as well as the touch screen being ideal for controlling the Celestial Brush.

Gameplay
The Celestial Brush returns in ?kamiden: Chiisaki Taiy?, allowing players to interact with the game’s world by drawing on the DS’ touch screen to evoke special magic such as plant restoration.

The game plays similarly to its predecessor, ?kami. It retains the ability to freeze the gameplay and use the Celestial Brush to solve puzzles and fight enemies. The theme of returning life to the world also returns from ?kami. A new feature is the ability for Chibiterasu to team up with partners. They can be used to explore the overworld with, as well as battle enemies. The “Shirabe brush” or “courage brush” as called by Daniel Felt of Wired, may be used to move Chibiterasu’s partner independently across areas Chibiterasu cannot cross; this is often required to progress in the game. The game uses both the face and shoulder button controls (the latter used to bring up the Celestial Brush) alongside the stylus and touchscreen, but never at the same time, giving players the time to switch between the two control schemes.

Plot
The game takes place three months after the events of ?kami. In spite of Amaterasu’s battle against the Dark Lord Yami, which would kill all the demons in Nippon, they return. The Konohana Sprite Sakuya, a character from the original ?kami, summons the Sun God Amaterasu, but instead finds Chibiterasu, who looks like a young version of Amaterasu. It is speculated that Chibiterasu could be Amaterasu’s son, but Motohide Eshiro, the game’s producer, said that this will remain a secret for now. He added that he is a “young form of existence” and not fully grown; he retains several abilities of Amaterasu, including the Celestial Brush, but lacks her power, which will be reflected in the plot and gameplay. Chibiterasu’s partners will be incorporated into the main plot as well. One of the partners that accompanies Chibiterasu is Nushi, the son of Susano and Kushi, two characters from ?kami. He was born after the events of ?kami, and appeared in the ending of the first game. They did not reveal how Susano had a son in such a short amount of time, but stated that they would reveal it eventually.

[Thanks, Josh]

Playstos Entertainment, independent video game developer, announced Pallurikio™, an upcoming downloadable game for WiiWare™. Pallurikio is a fast-paced and easy to pick up
action platformer, and will be available on December 11, 2009 on the European Wii Shop Channel for 1,000 Wii Points™. Pallurikio is also scheduled for release soon on the American Wii Shop Channel at a date and pricing to be announced at a later time.

Luca Da Rios, CEO and Executive Producer of Playstos Entertainment, said:

“We are confident in our new venture into digital distribution, and Pallurikio is the
ideal title for this market.”

While playing a mysterious board game he found with his friends, Jimmy and his
dog are taken through a dimensional vortex, they find themselves cast into a
mystical and wondrous world, where Jimmy assumes the aspect of the round and
bouncing Pallurikio.

Using the Wii Remote™ to point at the screen, make Pallurikio jump and roll, and
help him find his way through more than 50 enticing levels, while surviving all
kinds of pitfalls and trickeries he might come across when traversing Bakumbala
Jungle, the far reaches of Palluro Prime and many other weird settings.
Featuring advanced physics simulation, classic 2D platforming and charming
graphics, Pallurikio is guaranteed to keep you coming back for more of its
incredibly fun gameplay.

With a lengthy and wildly varied Adventure mode, Time Attack, collectible cards,
and space rockets to boot, Pallurikio is a game on which you won’t want to miss
out!

[VOTE HERE]