In a surprise classification by the OFLC today, Mario Kart Wii has now earned its ratings wings and has been given a G rating like every Mario Kart before it. Nintendo Australia has yet to set a date for the online enabled racer but if the UK schedule is anything to go by we should have the racer sometime in the first half of the year. However, Games like Battalion Wars which were classified months ago, are still yet to be released. Nevertheless, if the GameCube and DS launches of Mario Kart are any indication then we should see a worldwide simultaneous launch. If only Nintendo held the same vigilance with a certain popular mascot fighter. >_>
Revealed a while back at a retailer conference by Nintendo, nothing much has been heard of Wii Chess until today. According to a German news source, Wii Chess will be hitting the Wii in Europe on January 18 at a budget price. The game will not only feature a local multiplayer component, but will also feature Wi-Fi Connection play. No Australian release has been mentioned but since this is a PAL release, it will work just fine on Australian consoles.
Four new Wii games are out this week, and two of them make use of Nintendo’s brand new Wii Zapper - the bundled Link’s Crossbow Training, and Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. Also out on Wii is Cranium Kabookii and The Golden Compass.
The Golden Compass is also available on the Nintendo DS, along with Master of Illusion, three Wi-Fi enabled games - Steel Horizons, Ultimate Mortal Kombat, and Warhammer 40,000 Squad Command.
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In the wake of the success of Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training, and its sequel, More Brain Training on the DS, Namco Bandai has announced that they’re currently developing a new game for mobile phones with the good doctor’s help.
Reported to be adhering to the established DS style of daily training, the new grey matter testing title was “scientifically tested at a leading university in Japan,” and is set to be released before the end of the year there.
Masaji Okubo, MD of Namco Bandai, commented that “the formula of this application has already proven successful by establishing a base of millions of Nintendo DS players worldwide, and with Dr Kawashima’s approval we are pleased to bring this official mobile game to the larger mass of mobile phone users.
“Players are now presented a new and scientifically proven series of fun brain training challenges that actually help activate different parts of the brain.”
None of the minigames featured in the new title were mentioned, however, and no release outside of Japan has been announced.
Nintendo of America has projected that the Nintendo DS will be the best-selling piece of gaming hardware of the year in the United States, with internal figures indicating sales of more than 6 million units through to November 30, 2007.
“There’s no letup in sight,” said George Harrison, senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications at NOA. “Nintendo DS appeals strongly to both core and casual gamers, and its momentum is set to propel us into 2008.”
The Thanksgiving sales week most recently passed, and Nintendo DS managed to break the all-time sales record for that week with more than 650,000 units sold - topping the Game Boy Advance’s previous record of 600,000 units in 2005.
Four Nintendo DS games have sold more than 2 million copies to date in the US, Nintendo also said, including New Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart DS, Pokémon Diamond, and Super Mario 64 DS. Games to have broken the 1 million mark include Brain Age, Pokémon Pearl, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Big Brain Academy, and four versions of Nintendogs.
As well as today’s Wii system update Nintendo have released Pokémon Snap on to the Virtual Console for PAL users. The game has arrived outside of its normal day probably due to the system update. The Pokémon Snap VC release has the surprising ability to post photos from in the game on the Wii Message Board and you’ll be able send them to your friends! Pokémon Snap is now available for 1000 points.
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Nintendo has enabled another system update for the Wii, which you will be prompted to download next time you visit the Shopping Channel. The new update adds a new look to main channel and splash page of the Wii Shopping Channel. The gifting facility to games and software is included the channel as well. The other update available is for the Photo Channel available in the Wii Ware/Wii Software section of the Shopping Channel. This update for the Photo Channel removes MP3 support, and replaces it with AAC, as well as this it also allows you to set a photo for the channel on the main Wii Menu.
We’ve heard it over and over: demand for Nintendo’s Wii is outstripping supply, just as it has been for a year. Rose Lappin, the managing director of Nintendo Australia, has told AustralianIT that the Big N will start to produce more units next year, with numbers to be finalised at a global meeting in Japan in early 2008.
Speaking in regards to local retailers’ expectation of shortages, Lappin said, “I see it as very positive - the Wii is still selling as strongly as it is a year after it launched.” Next week, 20,000 units will be shipped to retailers, she continued, complementing the 20,000 already in trade, in an effort to satisfy Christmas demand.
40,000 consoles were also in the market following the console’s launch last December, which was a sell-out. The same’s expected this year, and Lappin said that following Christmas, more stock will be available in January, then at regular intervals from then.
EB Games managing director, Steve Wilson, said “We’re anticipating that we’ll run out. If it goes as hard as it should we should run out.” And Jason Williams, the national product manager for games and entertainment at Harvey Norman, said, “If people put off getting off their Nintendo gift until the last minute, it’s going to be very hard.”
In addition to bringing Pokémon Snap to the North American Virtual Console this week, Nintendo of America has ushered the new ‘Gifting’ feature to the service, allowing customers to to buy and send games to those they’ve traded Friend Codes with.
Nintendo said in a statement, “It’s an easy and inexpensive way to give your fellow Nintendo buffs the gift of a classic game—no wrapping paper required. And don’t worry about duplication. If your friend already has the game you’re trying to give, you’ll get a simple message and be bumped back into the catalog to continue shopping.”
The feature, although not announced specifically for Australia as yet, is expected to be on offer this Friday.
Earlier today, Nintendo revealed its Q1 and Q2 release schedule for Europe, with a lack of Smash Bros Brawl shocking and worrying many people. However, Nintendo has now spoken up and said that the Q2 part of the release list may not be final. Along with the confirming the final Q1 dates, Nintendo had this to say about the Q2 dates:
“Nintendo [has] also included some titles which were fixed for release beyond Q1 2008 such as Mario Kart Wii. All Nintendo software titles launching in Q2 2008 have not been finalised or confirmed to date.”
So is Smash back on the cards or are they just trying to avoid a nice healthy dose of PAL backlash?
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