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Wii keeps prisoners alive

34-year-old Ian Huntley, who was convicted of the murders of two young girls in England, is apparently spending his evenings doing something you probably do as well -- he's playing Wii. In effort to keep Huntley alive (he's attempted suicide multiple times), The People reports that Huntley has a Wii, as well as other luxuries, in his cell to keep him happy. Huntley had a GameCube, but complained that Nintendo's last console was out of date, and asked for months for a Wii.

He even gets to enjoy a little multiplayer -- prison guards have been ordered to play along. As we figure visits to the ol' exercise yard are out, since Huntley's been attacked by other inmates before -- we can't help but wonder if he won't start pestering them for Wii Fit next.

Miyamoto and Reggie talk storage solutions, peripherals


In a recent Club Nintendo interview, Reggie Fils-Aime and Shigeru Miyamoto both touched on some important things on the mind of all Wii owners. The first thing that many are still asking about is the lack of a hard drive. Well, Miyamoto commented that the company is still working on it and exploring all of the possible technologies, to which Reggie added that the company hasn't specified a traditional hard drive or another kind of storage, but will create a solution that is "better than what we have now."

Miyamoto was also asked about MotionPlus and incorporating it into future Zelda games. Miyamoto said that Nintendo was working on a new Zelda game (and also Pikmin), but would not comment as to each title supporting Waggle 2.0. He also commented that we shouldn't expect any new peripherals any time soon, seeing as how there are so many available for the Wii now. We're glad for that, because our limited closet space has meant that storing them all has been a big hassle.

So, the biggest thing to come out of this piece for Club Nintendo is more of the hard drive talk, although we guess we can't call it that, since Nintendo may want something different than a traditional hard drive. What other kind of technologies could they mean? What could be a comparable storage solution to a hard drive and yet not be a hard drive?

Retail and download releases for the week of September 8th

It's been a fairly long wait to see a hockey game hit the Wii, and we know many of you have been anticipating the sports return. Well, this week you get your wish, as NHL 2K9 hits retail shelves. Joining it are a couple of Virtual Console games and one new WiiWare game. Head past the break for the details.

Continue reading Retail and download releases for the week of September 8th

Animal Crossing/WiiSpeak bundle gets priced


The WiiSpeak microphone add-on should add a fresh dimension to the Animal Crossing: City Folk experience, and having awkward conversations with fellow internet people about fruit prices won't even be that expensive. Nintendo reps have informed a GameStop manager's conference in Las Vegas that the City Folk and WiiSpeak bundle would retail at $69.99 (the equivalent of 423 apples, five Porcelettas, and a Red Snapper at today's dollar-to-Bells rate) when the game releases in November.

That's a tenner less expensive than purchasing the game and peripheral separately, and obviously you'll be able to use WiiSpeak in other titles. Sound fair to you?

Nintendo randomly reveals WiFi Network Adapter

Our faces lit up this morning after seeing this image on Famitsu's site. Surely, this was it: Nintendo's long-awaited solution to the storage woes of every Wii-owning geek and otaku on the planet. Alas, no. After scrambling for a machine translation of the accompanying kanji, our hopes were emphatically mangled. This is no HDD unit, but a portable air conditioner the "Nintendo WiFi Network Adapter." Once again, life had thrown us a cruel curveball. Happy Monday morning, us.

Anyway, if you struggle to get your Wii or DS online (and we know from experience that it can be fiddly), then this dinky wireless LAN router is for you. It can be used with the Wii, the DS, your PC, and other devices, and will be available on Nintendo's Japanese homepage from September 18th, priced at ¥5,800 (US$53). There's no news yet on a launch outside Japan, though as the Nintendo WiFi USB Connector was discontinued late last year, a western release would be a safe bet.

Hit the break for three more images, one of which depicts the adapter's three modes: "Router," "Bridge" (for connecting to your Wii or DS via another router), and "Auto" (which automatically switches your network). As for our ongoing storage issues, we're still waiting, Shiggy/Reggie/Satoru ...

Continue reading Nintendo randomly reveals WiFi Network Adapter

Punch your way to fitness in Shape Boxing Wii de Enjoy Diet


Despite its toony appearance, Shape Boxing Wii de Enjoy Diet regards itself more seriously than the boxing in Wii Sports. There are no Miis to be found here, more technical details (such as different boxing stances) are taken into consideration across the title's 28 lessons, and the game will dole out nutritional advice in a bid to get/keep you toned. Less seriously, you can punch bears, which we don't recall seeing in Rocky IV. Anyway, the overall vibe seems to be self-improvement.

This releases in Japan on October 30th, and will use the Balance Board in some way. We're betting it could actually improve your fitness, based on the fact that we were wheezing, crimson-faced wrecks after one and a half minutes of Wii Sports boxing.


[Via Siliconera]

Cashing in on Rygar is harder than it looks


1UP's James Mielke is, in general, not pleased about the prospect of a Koei-Tecmo merger. He imagines the company's Team Ninja franchises milked incessantly in the manner of Koei's Dynasty Warriors games, with an annual release supported by endless Xtreme Legends and Empires versions and mega-multiplatform ports. Of course, that's taking it to the Xtreme. In the course of complaining about the two companies' venality, he drops an interesting bit of behind-the-scenes info about the development of Rygar: The Battle of Argus.

Apparently, the port was conceived as a cheap-to-develop game (surprise!), but ended up "so disastrous and unportable that Tecmo had to go back to the drawing board with it." That would certainly explain all the delays. Next time you complain about PS2-to-Wii ports, remember this! Companies are working very hard to bring you all those games from 2002.

Sting to shred in Guitar Hero: World Tour


Along with Jimi Hendrix and Ozzy (and other notable classic rockers), Sting will have his likeness featured in the upcoming Guitar Hero: World Tour. The original story over at USAToday.com has since been pulled (all we've got is this image to go on), so we can't find exact details as to what capacity he'll be featured (Will he be playing The Police songs? His own tracks?), but the screen above tells us the man will be rocking the bass.

Any Sting fans out there? Like his old stuff, or his new stuff? Or both?


[Via Go Nintendo]

VC Friday: 250


People, say hello to the 250th title on the combined PAL Virtual Consoles: it's ... one of the below. Woohoo! Let's say Ys Book I and II, as that's the one this blogger is most looking forward to trying out. On a sadder note, this is the last week of the current Hanabi Festival; we shall remember it fondly! Mainly because of, you know.
Make the jump for videos of all four.

Continue reading VC Friday: 250

Answer your Call of Duty this November


Veterans Day this year will be marked by silences, parades, and a bunch of people buying the latest Call of Duty game. Previous speculation that Call of Duty: World at War would launch in November has now been confirmed -- World at War will appear on November 11th, hopefully giving Wii owners an accomplished shooter to play before The Conduit arrives on the scene.

For some time, Activision has promised us that the (Zapper-compatible) Wii title will be "comparable" to versions on other consoles, based as it is on the Call of Duty 4 engine. We'll see how robustly such claims hold up a couple of months from now.

Square Enix takeover denied, Tecmo goes with Koei


It looks like the proposed takeover by Square Enix didn't take, as Tecmo has revealed they'll be merging with Koei. It turns out that this choice provides Tecmo with "a greater chance of boosting corporate value," whch basically means that merging with Koei wouldn't have the company swallowed whole by the huge Square Enix. They can still maintain some identity this way.

Square Enix isn't willing to call it quits, however. Their original buyout offer was for $206 million and they're planning to further investigate the terms of the Koei and Tecmo merger. We guess we'll be hearing more about this in the future.

[Via Joystiq]

Activision Blizzard still 'reviewing' fate of Ghostbusters


For those of us who enjoyed unprecedented levels of excitement at the announcement of a Ghostbusters game, it's been a rocky ride ever since. First, we heard it was canceled, then the Terminal Reality boss said it would be published. Now, we just don't know what's up.

The recently-merged Activision Blizzard doesn't know what's up, either. That's why they're still considering what to do with the game and "reviewing its options regarding titles that it will not be publishing." This means that should the company decide not to publish the game, it could be sold off to another publisher. Either way, we just want to see it release.

Gallery: Ghostbusters

Animal Crossing boxart warms our cold, cold hearts


Just as Animal Crossing: City Folk won't be abandoning the series' trademark graphics, so the boxart is exactly what you'd expect: a bright, bustling village scene featuring fresh fruit, happy animals, KK strumming out a tune beneath a tree, and Tom Nook waiting to rake in your Bells. A lot of those villagers look familiar to! While a lot of traditional elements are on display, there is a hint of the fresh possibilities afforded by the titular city, and a bright yellow bus to transport us there. Ah, we're excited already! Do you approve, dear reader?


[Via Go Nintendo]

Disaster: Day of Crisis hits Japanese shelves on Sept. 25


Imagine our surprise when we heard that Nintendo of Japan plans to release Disaster: Day of Crisis on September 25th. After hearing barely anything about the game for months, including a no-show at E3 and PAX, we were incredibly doubtful the game would release this calendar year, yet alone at all. But, sure enough, the official Nintendo of Japan website has it listed. Right here.

So with a Japanese release ironed out and the European release date for October 24th set in stone, when can North America expect the game? We've contacted Nintendo and are awaiting word. As soon as we get it, we'll update the post.


[Via Wiiz]

Analyst: Xbox 360 price drop won't make Nintendo slash Wii's price


With the Xbox 360 dropping in price later this week, many are looking at one of the console's particular SKUs because, well, it's going to be cheaper than the Wii. For almost 2 years, the Wii has been the cheapest option on the market, so how could this lower price affect the Wii's standing as top sales dog? Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian says Microsoft may see stronger sales, but doesn't "anticipate either Nintendo or Sony to match the Xbox 360 price cut."

The Wii is in good standing and really doesn't need to cut its price, so we're not expecting Nintendo to do so, either. But, if Microsoft manages to start taking away some of Nintendo's sales, we wouldn't be surprised to hear about a price cut early next year or, if sales drop that much, this holiday. We're not expecting sales to shift that dramatically, though.

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