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Nintendo Europe To Offer 36 Virtual Console Titles In Q1
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Release Dates, Retro, Wii,
A press release from Nintendo of Europe has the Virtual Console receiving 36 new titles in the first quarter of 2007. Nintendo plans on offering 20 new Nintendo titles, 7 from the Turbografx-16, and 9 from the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Some of the titles have already hit the US, including Street Fighter II, but gamers in the UK will also see the classic Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. No release date for this game has been revealed for the US, but hopefully gamers in the North American territory will see this as well as Mario Kart 64 and Super Mario World around the same time that the games launch in Europe. Of course, gamers that managed to grab either the Zelda: Master Quest or Zelda: Collector’s Edition for the Gamecube could play those titles now, but the Virtual Console version is a lot cheaper than a trip to eBay to get those releases.
Read More 
| Nintendo Europe
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Nyko Announces Wireless Sensor Bar, Charge Station for Wii
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Accessories, Hot Deals, Wii, Wireless,
Nyko announced two products for the Wii at the CES this week, one that will help you save on battery costs, and one that probably won’t. The first (and most exciting) is a set of battery packs and a charging station for those AA-draining Wiimotes. But even though you’re not wasting AA’s in your Wiimotes, you’ll probably go through them just as fast thanks to Nyko’s wireless Wii “sensor” bar (which is, in truth, just two infrared lights on a stick)
Prices haven’t been announced yet (or at least, we can’t find them!), but we’ll stay updated as more information becomes available.
Click the jump for more pics…
Click to continue reading Nyko Announces Wireless Sensor Bar, Charge Station for Wii
Nintendo announced three new titles for the Virtual Console today, including the delayed Dungeon Explorer for the TurboGrafx-16. In addition to the five player multiplayer Gauntlet style Dungeon Explorer, Nintendo also offers Star Soldier for the TurboGrafx and the classic shooter Gradius for the NES. Both TurboGrafx titles sell for 600 Wii points and Gradius will sell for 500 Wii points. The TurboGrafx console struggled in the US, despite some strong software titles; it is good to see these getting more exposure on the Virtual Console.
The full press release continues below.
Click to continue reading Three New Titles Hit Virtual Console
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Cool WiiMote Mod: The Totally Sweet Glowing A Button
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Mods/Hacks, Nintendo, Wii,
Some readers over at MaxConsole have offered up pictures of a pretty sweet-looking mod for Nintendo’s famous Wiimote. Who hasn’t looked at the beautiful, clear A button before and thought “Dang, I bet that thing would look sweet lit up!”. Well, if you did, you were right… click the jump for more pictures of this mod. Hopefully the user will post instructions on the hack sometime soon, or at very least give us some pictures of the increased-lumens Wiimote without the controller glove.
Click to continue reading Cool WiiMote Mod: The Totally Sweet Glowing A Button
Read More | MaxConsole.net
Wii Web Browser Susceptible to Opera Vulnerability
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Mods/Hacks, Wii,
Obviously, Nintendo has been careful to state that the current Wii Web Browser is merely a trial, “beta” version, but this most recent report should make users a little more cautious when taking their Wii online.
The following security report was released by security & vulnerability research lab iDefense and pertains to the version of the Opera web browser currently implemented on the Wii console.
Remote exploitation of a typecasting bug in Opera Software ASA’s Opera Web browser could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected host.
A flaw exists within Opera’s Javascript SVG implementation. When processing a createSVGTransformFromMatrix request Opera does not properly validate the type of object passed to the function. Passing an incorrect object to this function can result in it using a pointer that is user controlled when it attempts to make the virtual function call.
The question, of course, is whether it would be worth any hacker’s while to write malicious executable code specifically for the Wii’s proprietary linux-based OS. Of course, given the vitriol with which PS3 and Nintendo fanboys have been attacking eachother recently (note that both Nintendo’s and Sony’s respective Wikipedia entries are locked!), perhaps writing malicious code for opposition consoles could signify the next great front in the console wars.
Read More | iDefense.com
Necro-Nesia Coming to US, With Scary Name
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Action, Nintendo, Rumors, Survival Horror, Third Person Shooters, Wii,
This might go down in history as the worst move by Nintendo, ever. And yes, I’m even including the release of the Virtual Boy. Nintendo has decided to bring their ho-hum survival horror game Necro-Nesia stateside, under the oh-so-scary title Escape from Bug Island. Yes, you read that right Escape from Bug Island. Let it just sink in a bit. Escape from Bug Island.
That’s one scary title - if you’re trying to scare people away from buying the game. Frankly, I think Nintendo would see better sales of this game if they’d even decided to call it Don’t Buy This Game: EXTREME. This game had better start finding a way to get some good press before its May 15 release date. As of right now, the gameplay, the graphics, and the title just don’t seem to be cutting it.
Read More | GoNintendo
Treasure Talks Next Generation Gaming
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Retro, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade,
1up recently talked with Treasure, creators of the famed Radiant Silvergun and Gunstar Heroes, about their future development plans for next generation consoles. Treasure is working hard on their Xbox 360 shooter, which should feature 3D graphics with classic 2D-style gameplay. The company confirmed that the game is being developed by the same team that created Ikaruga, but is shying away from calling the game a Radiant Silvergun sequel, which puts into doubts recent rumors of a true sequel. Treasure also talked about their upcoming releases for the Virtual Console, and potentially some releases for the Xbox Live Arcade. The company also seemed excited about possibly developing for the Wii specifically; a future release seems more likely than not. Unfortunately for PS3 fans, however, Treasure doesn’t believe they will have the resources to work with the Playstation 3 for some time. Overall, the interview is an interesting look at a developer approaching the next generation consoles with current graphics but a somewhat retro design esthetic.
Read More | 1up
GameStop’s Holiday Sales Top $1.7 Billion
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360,
It looks like enforced bundles of the Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii, along with strong holiday sales have boosted GameStops financials, as the company raised guidance for their fourth quarter and full year results. GameStop reports that total sales for the holiday season reached $1.73 billion. The top five video game releases for the holiday season were:
- Gears of War
- Final Fantasy XII
- Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Guitar Hero II
- WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2007
Interestingly, no Playstation 3 title made the list, but two Playstation 2 titles did, along with one Xbox 360 release, one combination Wii/Gamecube release, and one multi-platform title in Smackdown. Console shortages might have limited the revenue that the company received from next generation releases, but this would seem to be one more data point indicating that the Playstation 2 will still be a sales monster into the coming year.
Read More | Reuters
Radiant Silvergun 3, Nights Appear On Japanese Release List
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Rumors, Wii, Xbox 360,
Insert Credit is reporting that Japanese gaming site G-rev has listed Radiant Silvergun 3 for the Xbox 360 and Nights for the Nintendo Wii on an upcoming software release list. Insert Credit stresses that the site’s credibility isn’t the best, so gamers should consider this a weak rumor at this point, but both of the titles would be much anticipated releases for their respective platforms, particularly a Nights update that takes advantage of the Wii’s motion-sensing remote.
Read More | Insert Credit
Nintendo’s Wario Ware: Smooth Moves will ship in the United States on January 15th. The game has already been released in Japan and supports game play for up to 12 players. Siliconera now has a video showing off this play mode. Gamers will switch off using the remote to play mini-games; those that fail are eliminated until one player is left standing. The video shows off a bunch of the mini-games offered in the title, as well as a couple of the new games that take advantage of the combination of the nunchuk and the Wiimote. Siliconera also reviews some of the other game play modes in the game, and it sounds like the game will be an excellent addition to the Wii party game library next month.
Read More | Siliconera
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