As you may have been aware, Iwata-san held another Nintendo Direct to showcase upcoming content to consumers at 12PM Japan time today (or 10PM EST yesterday, depending on your timezone). Although much of the context was hidden behind a rather forceful language barrier, I've taken the liberty of transcribing the video's contents as best as possible and have compiled a list of content that Nippon gamers and importers alike can expect in Q1 2012 for their gaming pleasure:
1Nintendo World Report has shared a recent announcement from Nintendo of Europe of a special The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Nintendo 3DS. Essentially, it is a Cosmo Black 3DS with special golden patterns on it and gold coloring on the button letters and depth slider. The highlight at the register, however, is the included copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. The sleeve on the game box is also reversible. The bundle is set to hit store shelves November 25th.
2Nintendo of Europe has also announced on their Nintendo 3DS page that it will be releasing two additional product bundles on November 18th and December 2nd, featuring Nintendogs + Cats and Super Mario 3D Land, respectively.
Thanks to Ben Markham for getting the ball rolling on this story. It seems that Official Nintendo Magazine's Michael Gapper has written a two-paged article regarding the upcoming anticipated title, giving it an estimated release period of "Autumn 2012". The following video shows the ONM scans, as well as some new Subspecies scans; again, courtesy of Ben. More after the break.
With the recent confirmation that Nintendo will be showcasing its new tech at E3 this year, it's only natural to see retailers taking discretionary measures to continue pushing current-gen units. GameStop has taken such measures, recently announcing a price drop for all Wii bundles.
Get a new Black or White Nintendo Wii bundle for only $169.99! Get off the couch and experience a great value! Bundle includes Nintendo Wii console, Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, and more!
Needless to say, the influence of Project Café on the industry is already evident. If you're among the folks who missed last year's E3 offerings, now may be your chance to join in on the fun!
And, if you've been missing out on the discussion, it may be your chance to join our forums!
It's a slide from something that reads "Project Café is simply the most developer friendly SDK the industry has ever seen. Deliver unparalleled next generation performance at current generation costs. It doesn't get any easier than this." Also, there's a picture of a box. Is it the Wii 2? Probably not.
I'm going to Claim it's a stupid hoax because it also says: "Easy portability from PC and XBOX 360." Doesn't sound anything like Nintendo to say "hey you can port games you made for that cool system over there to us afterward!" Also slides like this are generally for developer conferences... conferences that are easily noticed and reportable.
UPDATE: Read More for the rest of the rumors, as well as another fuzzy image of the possible system and controllers using "Screen Stream"...
Who knows why these things happen, but it looks like those of us in the Americas have already gotten notice of our first update for the Nintendo 3DS. A partial transcript is below
Update Notice
March 27, 2011
Thank you for purchasing the Nintendo 3DS™ system.
System Update 1.1.0-1U is available and provides improvements to the overall system performance. As an added bonus, this update also includes the 3D music video "White Knuckles" by OK Go for your enjoyment.
*Please note that the "White Knuckles" music video is provided for a limited time and may be deleted from your system with subsequent updates.
Nintendo
After updating my own system, I've noticed that the video displaces the "Health and Safety Information" from the far left of the Home Menu. The information is still available further along the menu, so don't fret.
Additionally, after viewing the video myself, it is confirmed that it will be removed with the next update, so get it while you can!
You. Happy? Share that happiness and chat with us at the N+ forums!
de Blob 2 will hit the shelves next February, and this time, it promises to deliver an enhanced experience over the original. Pure speculation on my behalf, I still haven't played the original
Below is a video posted by IGN:
Video uploaded Nov. 10, 2010
You can also follow de Blob on Facebook for more updates from THQ as they develop. -Mason Mack, Writer We <3 reader reaction. Share your thoughts in the N+ Forums.
Ok, so the new region and three starters just received some English names, as well as the classification and abilities of the two legendary cover beasts Reshiram and Zekrom. What we have been calling the region of Isshu will now be known as Unova, which sounds pretty cool I think. Reshiram, the white colored beast that can be obtained in the Black Version, is classified as the Vast White Pokemon with the ability Turbo Blaze. The black colored beast Zekrom which can be obtained in the White Version, is classified as the Deep Black Pokemon, with the ability Teravolt.
To cap everything off we have the three starters:
Grass: Tsutarja is called Snivy in English (Snake + Ivy)
Water: Mijumaru is Oshawot (? + Water?)
Fire: Pokabu is Tepig (Tepid + Pig)
Personally I would have called Mijumaru Wotter, and that's EXACTLY what I am going to nick name the little guy once I get one to hatch, because I'm going to start with Snivy once White releases here. What do you guys think of all the English naming? visit the Pokemon Black and White website for more fun!
But first, GameStop's got a new program running called PickUp@Store. As you would imagine, this programs allows you to select a title listed online which is available for pickup at a local GameStop store. In GameStop's own words, that means: It should be noted that terms and conditions apply. These include a waiting period of up to two hours (or the next business day), minor occasional differences in price between online and in-store, and you will need to print out the confirmation email they send you in order to pick up your game. It could also mean that a game you've finally come across in the store could be on hold for someone else by the time you've reached the checkout counter. Only certain titles are available for pickup, however, so we can only hope that GameStop uses discretion when offering this program. Edited by Mason; Geoff says no
Donkey Kong's latest prospect undoubtedly seeks to eclipse the buzz surrounding other Wii titles announced at E3 this year (although perhaps only because it is one of the last to be released this year). I've certainly heard more hype about this game than I'd expected, with even Game Informer predicting that it will drastically outperform the original. As if to add jet fuel to the inferno of anticipation that already surrounds this title, Nintendo has included the following tidbit of information in it's latest "Weekly Downloads" email circular:
Yup, it's finally official: NoA got to work and finally announced that the much-craved-for Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary Edition Red Wii and the less-craved-for-but-equally-cool DSi XL that made us jealous of Japan and Europe is finally making its way across the Great Divide and into the New Continent. Start emptying your piggy banks if you want any of the systems ready for a Red Christmas.
If you want the Red Wii bundle you see above, it will set you back a couple of hundred bucks. The package includes a Red Wii, a matching Red Wii Remote Plus, a copy of New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Wii Sports. However, no news on whether the American version will include either the special-edition Super Mario Bros. or the original Donkey Kong game pre-installed as with other regions.
Also, as posted before, a Red DSiXL is also on its way to the States. This bundle includes a couple of Brain Age games, Photoclick, and a copy of Mario Kart (also two extra value games if you buy it from Wal Mart) and will cost you US$180.
Both bundles alongside the Wii Remote Plus (which will carry a price tag of US$40) in a variety of colors will be out on the market on November 7. Makes me cry just to think how IMPOSSIBLE it is to transfer your Wii data from one console to another (read: have to re-add FriendCodes).
GoldenEye 007 hits Facebook! That's right... To prepare for the launch of the Wii-exclusive re-imagining of the classic N64 game, Activision announced that it has developed a Facebook game based on GoldenEye 007. You can play the game at http://www.facebook.com/GoldenEyeGame on the Challenge tab.
Ah, good ol' NPD... Fueler of console-war forums, demise of studio-revealed sales numbers... Well, not anymore. The NPD Group, which up until this week was letting console and games' sales numbers out every month, will no longer do so for free. And their subscription is NOT cheap, either.
The company behind the most popular list of games and console sales analysis has announced that as of October 14th. it will no longer be offering the monthly sales information for free and will only deliver the list to paid subscriptions; also, the ability to share or make the information publishable for free access will, too, be removed.
Freely available information will now be super-condensed, with console sales just showing the total amount generated and no longer divided by consoles. The Top-10 selling games list will still be published but no actual sales numbers will be given out.
So, get ready to get your 'sales facts' just from the game's developer and/or publisher. How cool is that?! (Sarcasm...)
Yes, drool. Done? No? OK, we'll wait... Ready? Alright. Not everything was 3DS-related at Nintendo's conference, they also brought up a Special Edition DSi XL to mark the occasion for Super Mario's 25th. Anniversary and yes, it is red and oh so cool-looking.
The special, red version of the handheld will be out on October 28 and will be sold at 18,000 Yen (just about US$215) in Japan. However, no word on whether this version of the handheld will make it into other territories.
Via Kotaku. Check past the break for another image including the packaging.
The word is out: Nintendo has set a date and a price tag to their upcoming handheld, the 3DS. However, they also announced that the console would be released at a later date in non-Japanese markets. Bummer.
The company revealed that their newest baby would be out on shelves by February 26th, 2011 and it will carry a heavy price tag: 25,000 Yen (around US$300), so apparently that German tabloid got the date sooooo wrong, but almost got it right on the price. However, the Big N also announced that the console wouldn't be released until about March in Europe and the US.
The console will be released with two versions available at launch: Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black. So the red version is a no-go
When you close it with a page open, then open it that page automagically opens? On the program toolbar go through: Opera > Settings > Preferences. In the "General" tab, you will see "Startup". Select how you want that to operate ;)
My Opera
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