I have to apologize for that title ... It is happening, but only in Japan (for now).
When Nintendo first unveiled the Wii in 2004/2005, they showed a variety of colors: black, white, red, green, blue, purple, and more. Now, three years after launch, Nintendo is starting to make good on that promise with the release of a black system and controllers in Japan only. Priced the same as a normal white system, the black Wii will ship with a black Wii Remote and black nunchuk, and black classic controllers will also be available. The system will launch on August 1, 2009.
Nintendo also announced a red DSi for Japan, which I'm choosing to ignore because: 1) they release new colors like every week and 2) I STILL DON'T HAVE A FRIGGIN WHITE ONE. Ahem.
No word yet on either of these systems coming to other regions.
Early last week, several game journalists received a (slightly) creepy e-mail pamphlet advertising "Bright Dawn Treatment Center", some sort of rehab program offering new forms of shock therapy. Many of them passed it off as junk mail, but when several game journalists received the exact same e-mail, it became clear that it was not.
Mystery no more, we're now aware that Bright Dawn Treatment Center is the setting for Renegade Kid's Dementium II, as seen in the trailer above. I really loved Moon, and never played Dementium, so I'm looking forward to trying out the sequel.
Despite the hopes and dreams of Nintendo fans everywhere, Nintendo hasn't announced a sequel to 2007's Super Mario Galaxy (yet). Instead, Majesco has just announced their brand new platformer, titled Flip's Twisted World. Flip's Twisted World is, um, Galaxy with bad graphics and bad character design.
Once you get past the obvious similarities, though, Flip's Twisted World looks like it could be fun. There's certainly not an overflow of platformers on the Wii, and if you're going to imitate something, you could do a lot worse than Super Mario Galaxy.
Turns out the rumor from earlier this week was true: Pokemon Gold & Silver are being remade for the DS, under the names Pokemon Heart Gold and Pokemon Soul Silver. I wouldn't be surprised if we got Pokemon Spirit Crystal somewhere down the line... Information is a bit sparse (because I can't read Japanese) but N+ will keep you updated as we learn more.
+UPDATE: IGN reports that "Pokemon Heart Gold and Pokemon Soul Silver will be coming to the Japanese DS this Fall." So we speculate a few months later it goes to North America, which would fall in line with "the holidays"
In a move that is sure to confuse buyers more than they already are, SanDisk today annouced plans to launch a 2GB Rock Band 2 branded storage card, which will launch this spring and retail for $12.99. According to SanDisk, 2GB is enough storage to hold up to 75 downloadable songs.
Now, here lies the problem: any SD card will work on the Wii, despite whatever logo is printed on the decal. A standard SanDisk 2GB card retails for $6.99, while the Rock Band branded will retail for $12.99, and a card with a Wii logo retails for $33.99. ...what? Does anyone seriously pay $27 extra for a logo? Is it that important to you? Let us know in comments.
Readers of N+ may remember a shake-up at Retro Studios occurring earlier this year, when three key executives announced their resignation. Today, three of the key people behind the Metroid Prime series have announced the formation of a new studio that will focus on all platforms: Armature Studios.
Armature Studios is located in Austin, Texas, and will be headed by Mark Pacini, Todd Keller, and Jack Mathews, the former Game Director, Art Director, and Principal Technology Engineer of Nintendo's critically acclaimed franchise.
What does this mean for the future of the Metroid series? Armature Studios is signed to an exclusive publishing contract with Electronic Arts. Under this current contract, Armature is prohibited from developing any Metroid Prime games for Nintendo.
That doesn't mean these employees have lost interest in Metroid, however. Todd Keller stated that: "Personally, I would love to work on another Metroid game. I have been in love with Metroid for years. We had a chance to recreate a game that was created way back when that was awesome."
Fans should note that Armature Studio will have a presence at the Austin Game Developers Conference later this week. Stay tuned to N+ for updates.
Check out the article at Kotaku for more information.
Earlier this week, several German and Danish gaming magazines "confirmed" that Disaster: Day of Crisis would be released in Europe on October 24th. Nintendo responded by calling the news "rumor and speculation", but that rumor and speculation has turned out to be true. Today, Nintendo of Europe officially announced that Disaster: Day of Crisis will release in Europe on October 24 of this year.
Check out this Flickr set for over 90 images from the game, just released yesterday, and check after the break for the full press release.
Still excited? Stay tuned to N+ for more news, including (hopefully) a US release date announcement.
Last week, we told you about a rating for Disaster: Day of Crisis showing up at the OFLC's website. What does Nintendo have to say about that?
Disaster: Day of Crisis is still in development.
I don't see how that can be, as it's been rated by the OFLC, so I'd say it's finished. I'm hoping for a surprise announcement that says it will release before the end of this year...
House of the Dead: Overkill. Definitely not Jet Grind Radio, but still something we can get excited about. Stay tuned to N+ throughout the day for developments.
UPDATE: A logo, boxart, screenshots, and a fact sheet are after the break.
Last month, we brought you the news that Square-Enix would be porting SNES favorite Chrono Trigger to the DS. The news excited many, but we were left without a release date. Until now.
Today, Square-Enix announced that Chrono Trigger will release on November 25, two days before Thanksgiving. Square-Enix promises new dungeons, touch based controls, and an arena mode will be packed into the DS game.
Earlier today at Leipzig, SnapDragon Games announced their "futuristic platformer" for Wii, titled Ratchet and ClankBanjo-Kazooie KORE. Originally planned as an Xbox release (The Kore Gang), KORE boasts six graphically distinct worlds, "dozens" of different enemies, challenging boss fights, unlockable minigames, in-game movies and voice acting, innovative gameplay, a hilarious storyline and characters, a unique artstyle, and a highly original and imaginative premise.
Big shoes to fill, but KORE looks fun, and we're looking forward to getting our hands on the game.
Electronic Arts announced today a partnership with Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami, who are working to create a multi-platform game, Wii included, in collaboration with Suda's Grasshopper Manufacture development team.
Little is known about the game, which will be released on the Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii. Suda describes the game as a "mysterious, unique horror action game", and Mikami states the game is "dark, scary, and exciting."
Everyone loved Capcom's first Wii zombie shooter, Resident Evil 4, so Capcom decided to port another such title over to the Wii: Dead Rising. The 360 game, along with an amazing subtitle (Chop Til You Drop), is being ported to the Wii using the Resident Evil 4 engine. Chop Til You Drop will include additional camera features and new Wii motion controls.
Screenshots and the press release are after the break.
Sure, E3 was totally lame, but today's announcement from High Voltage looks like the best this week. According to Kombo, High Voltage Software announced today that The Conduit, their futuristic FPS, will have support for 16 players online, and will utilize the WiiSpeak peripheral for voice chat during online matches.
High Voltage has also been demoing a level from The Conduit to certain gaming sites. The footage below is of said demo, courtesy of GameTrailers.
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