Twitter can be an absolutely amazing service. That said, it's not always the most reliable source of news. That's why this story is marked as a rumor; one I'm reluctant to post.
If this Twitter account, supposedly that of voice actor Charles Martinet, is real, then we have quite an interesting story on our hands. Martinet, who voices several characters for Nintendo, including Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi, dropped some major Mario-related news over the past week:
Mama Mia!!!! I'm going to Seattle this week to record a new Mario game! Woo Hooo!!!!! I can hardly wait!!!!1
Big day tomorrow! Seattle for a new Mario game! Yippee!!! And just as a joke, it's going to rain....in San Francisco tomorrow!
Awesome new Mario Game! And it's not NSMB Wii, and it's not Galaxy 2, but it's going to be crazy fun!
Even if the Twitter account is real, I wouldn't get my hopes up just yet. Martinet could always be teasing Mario Party 9.
Starting on October 12, Nintendo of America will offer a "limited edition" Wii Sports Resort bundle with two MotionPlus units instead of one, for $59.99.
Currently, Wii Sports Resort is bundled with one MotionPlus unit for $49.99, with additional MotionPlus accessories costing $19.99.
Sounds like a great deal ... if you don't already own Wii Sports Resort and an additional MotionPlus. Grr.
Two of Nintendo's most anticipated only holiday titles, New Super Mario Bros. Wii and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, now have concrete release dates.
Yesterday, at the annual Tokyo Game Show, Nintendo announced that New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the first 2D console Mario platformer since Super Mario World, and the first multiplayer Mario title, will be released in America on November 15, 2009.
A few weeks ago, the Big N also announced a released date for the hotly anticipated sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, known as The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Spirit Tracks will be making a stop on American shelves on December 7, 2009.
After the break, you'll find press releases for both news items, as well as the final boxart for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.
Let's see: we had a Toys 'R Us ad and Nintendo denied it; a Wal-Mart ad and Nintendo denied it; a Target ad and Nintendo denied it; a Best Buy ad and Nintendo denied it; an internal Best Buy memo and Nintendo denied it; and then yesterday, a Sony rep mentioned it in a conference, and Nintendo denied it.
Guess what? Nintendo is dropping the price of the Wii to $199 in America, effective September 27.
This week's Tokyo Game Show has been great for fans of the Okami franchise (it's a franchise now!). Capcom has released a brand new, adorable, trailer (above) for Okamiden, the DS sequel to Okami, while a couple of media outlets have posted off-screen footage of the game in action (available after the break).
Capcom has also launched the official Japanese website for Okamiden, featuring artwork, screenshots, and video.
We at N+, like everyone else with brains, absolutely loved the original Okami, and can't wait for the sequel, so we'll be sure to keep you updated with any news we hear!
It's probably a good thing, then, that Sonic is returning to his roots. In a title codenamed Project Needlemouse, the Blue Blur will return to his 2D home. The teaser video above also mentions HD graphics, but that shouldn't disqualify Wii just yet - we wouldn't be surprised to see a downgraded version for Nintendo's console.
We'll keep you updated as the game's 2010 release date draws nearer.
It's no secret that Nintendo generally holds media summits and press briefings in early October. It's also no secret that a new Zelda title is in the works, and the only bit of information we have to go on is a piece of art released at this year's E3 conference. Put two and two together, and what do you get? A Zelda trailer at the October conference!
It may sound like wishful thinking, but Infendo is claiming that an "inside source" has told them the trailer will indeed debut in October, and will shed some light on the mystery of why Link didn't have a sword in the released art.
Late last week, noted gaming website Kotaku claimed they had seen a Wal-Mart advertisement for the first week of October that claimed a Wii price "Rollback" was on the way. We had no reason to doubt Kotaku's report, but, we didn't have any reason to believe it either. No pictures of the actual ad were available to back up the report, and Nintendo simply responded with their standard "rumors and speculation" line.
Today, however, we're much more inclined to believe their report. A Toys R Us circular from September 27 has been leaked online (through Kotaku, no less) that seems to confirm that the Wii will drop to only $199 at the end of this month. The fact that multiple retailers apparently have the price in their databases, and the fact that we have a picture of the ad pretty much confirms the price cut, though Nintendo is insistent that this is just more "rumors and speculation." Sure.
This cut should put the Wii back in competition with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, both of which recently dropped to $299.
Our very own "putrid, horrible, and disgusting" Dr. Wario has now returned to N+ after being trapped under a garlic avalanche. Be sure to head own over to our forums and ask Dr. Wario anything you wish... I'm sure he'll have an informative answer.
The Conduit, from High Voltage Software, was universally acclaimed as the most anticipated third-party Wii title of 2009. The developer, previously known for titles such as Dora Saves the Snow Princess, promised they would make The Conduit "the definitive first-person shooter experience for the Wii." Does The Conduit live up to the hype, or does this Cinderella story end with a rotting pumpkin? Read on to find out.
IGN has the exclusive first trailer for the upcoming Metroid Prime Trilogy. Due out on August 24, this collection contains all three games, a metal tin, and an art book for only $50, with some retailers offering extra goodies like posters and t-shirts. Is it sad that my most anticipated game of the year is a collection of games I've already played?
The gaming industry was abuzz at this year's E3, with news of Microsoft's Project Natal and its promise to deliver gaming without having to touch a controller. Just two weeks after E3, though, Sega and developer Prope beat Microsoft to the punch with the release of Let's Tap, an innovative Wii game controlled entirely by tapping one's fingers. An interesting idea, to be sure, but how does it play? Read on to find out.
Just when you thought the Metroid Prime Trilogy couldn't get any more awesome, GameStop goes and announces an exclusive pre-order bonus - a Metroid themed T-shirt! Available to both online and in-store customers, the Metroid Prime Trilogy T-shirt will be free to anyone who pre-orders Metroid Prime Trilogy at GameStop, and will be available at time of pick-up.
Let's get this straight: for only $50 USD, you get three awesome games with Wii controls, 16:9 and 480p graphics, a metal collector's tin, an artbook, and now, a free T-shirt. Best deal in gaming ever?
Bit.Trip Core, the brain melting sequel to Bit.Trip Beat, has long been confirmed to have a release date of "Summer 2009." When exactly in Summer was always a mystery, leaving fans of the Bit.Trip franchise to cluelessly wait for the next time they could get their hands on a mind-blowingly hard game from Gaijin Games. That wait will soon be over, as Gaijin Games plans to release Bit.Trip Core on WiiWare on July 6, 2009.
Yesterday, Gaijin Games posted a teaser image (seen right) on their blog, which stated "7 + 6 + 9 = 100", which, as a mathematical equation, is completely flawed. Fans correctly guessed that "7 + 6 + 9" referred to a release date of July 6, but had no idea what the "= 100" line meant. As it turns out, Bit.Trip Core will be the 100th title released on the WiiWare service. Nintendo often reserves such milestones for major first-party releases, so it's good to see a cool third party title get some preferential treatment.
Did you enjoy the (optional) backstory regarding Rosalina and the Lumas in Super Mario Galaxy? We hope you're not expecting something similar in the sequel due out next year.
Speaking to Wired.com, legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto said that Super Mario Galaxy 2 won't have a deep story, if he has his way (and let's be honest: he always does). His reasoning for cutting the story?
I just feel that the Mario games are something that should be a much more bright and active experience. With the Mario games, you don’t need to have such a complicated setting where you have these particular characters with complicated backstories that can weigh down the bright and fun feel of the game. [...] They always want to have these dramatic scenes where Princess Peach gets kidnapped, but I always tell them, no, it’s fine — Princess Peach likes cake, so you can just have them use cake as bait to kidnap Princess Peach, and that’s enough.
So, that's what Miyamoto thinks, and according to Chris Kohler at Wired, that stance might be causing some internal problems at Nintendo. Apparently, Yoshiaki Koizumi, the director of the Mario series, told Kohler that he often tries to sneak bits of story into Mario titles, with or without Miyamoto's approval.
We want to know: what do you think about stories in your Mario games? Do you side with Miyamoto or Koizumi? Let us know in comments.
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Fans correctly guessed that "7 + 6 + 9" referred to a release date of July 6, but had no idea what the "= 100" line meant. As it turns out, Bit.Trip Core will be the 100th title released on the WiiWare service. Nintendo often reserves such milestones for major first-party releases, so it's good to see a cool third party title get some preferential treatment.
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