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Virtual Console 5/14 Releases: Pac-Man Is A Ninja, Apparently

Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Nintendo, Retro, Virtual Console, Wii,

Today saw the release of three moderately priced Virtual Console games – Pac-Man, Ninja Gaiden, and Ninja Spirit. I guess the logic was that Pac-Man is like a ninja; evading ghosts without being seen, only to strike when the opportunity (or those corner dots) present themselves. For $5, Pac-Man might be in over his head… which is coincidently his entire body. Pick up the XBLA version (which supports leaderboards and achievements) if you’re really interested in some nostalgia.

The official Nintendo descriptions for each game can be seen after the break.

Click to continue reading Virtual Console 5/14 Releases: Pac-Man Is A Ninja, Apparently

GoldenEye On Arcade Or Virtual Console? “It’s Possible,” Says Rare

Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: First Person Shooters, Nintendo, Rumors, Virtual Console, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox Live Marketplace,

GoldenEye 007 is one of those titles that most gamers have fond recollections of. Released in 1997, it was the first console FPS that really got it - that is, up until that point, everyone looked at FPSs as something that only worked on PCs. But with a solid combination of single player and multiplayer mayhem, it captured the hearts of N64 owners to the tune of eight million copies sold. It seems only natural that a classic of this caliber would eventually makes its way onto the Virtual Console.

But there’s one problem – when developer Rare was sold to Microsoft, the rights to the title became, as Rare put it, “… caught up in a convoluted web of rights the likes of which would make the Weaver from Perdido Street Station jealous. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, just that a lot of people with a lot of different perspectives are involved.”

Click to continue reading GoldenEye On Arcade Or Virtual Console? “It’s Possible,” Says Rare

Google’s RSS Reader Now Wii-Compatible

Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Internet, Nintendo, Wii, Wireless,

Nintendo wiimote Google Reader has always been a personal favorite of mine among online RSS readers. It’s light, is a part of your Google account, and works well – can’t really ask more than that. While porn and gaming sites have been quick to implement Wii-friendly versions of their sites in order to garner more traffic, Google has now done the same with their RSS reader.

4 Color Rebellion found the page, which has an adjusted resolution and improved functionality for the Wiimote. As Google says, “Google Reader can take advantage of the buttons on your Wiimote, letting you navigate easily from the comfort of your couch.” The controls are as follows:

up/down: scroll up/down
right/left: next/previous item
1 button: show subscriptions
2 button: show links

When showing subscriptions:

up/down: previous/next subscription
right: select current subscription
left: close
-/+: collapse/expand folder

The page can be found here. The number of reasons to actually move from the chair in front of you TV is dwindling.

Read More | Google Reader Wii via 4 Color Rebellion

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We are back with another episode of GamerAndy Live! This week GamerAndy, GamerEdie, and Gear Live‘s Andru Edwards are behind the mic, bringing you a fresh dose of this week’s gaming news. Be sure to hit us up on the forums and let us know what you think.

SHOW NOTES FOR EPISODE 79:

A recent ruling by the Copyright Royalty Board threatens Internet radio and independent musicians by increasing costs to webcasters by 1,200 percent retroactively…and even for non-RIAA music. Please send a letter to your representatives to help reevaluate this Draconian and dangerous decision!
Sony throws party to celebrate God of War II. Great. The centerpiece of this event? A partially decapitated goat—and guests are invited to reach into the still-warm body, grab handfuls of offal and eat it. Good lord, what were they thinking?!? (Warning: Photo slightly NSFW in the United States for slight nippleage.)
Edie discusses the relative difference of “titties,” “boobies,” “boobs,” and “tits.” Andy defines “gazongas.”
The Xbox 360 Elite: Does Andru care? Does Edie?
Hironobu Sakaguchi (Red Racer, Final Fantasy) + Ken Kutaragi = BFF? Apparently not.
Speaking of Krazy Ken: He’s gone. Sony doesn’t want him, and neither does Nintendo, apparently. Sayonara, Sony! Konnichiwa, Mickey-Dees!
Andy goes into more detail about his recent PS3 purchase… and it’s not pretty. Andru and Edie also discuss the possibilities for Playstation Home, both pros and cons.
Edie still hearts her PS2, and Bully.
Andy rails about Kotaku’s recent habit of using countless internal search links in their stories—frustrating as hell, he says.

Rumor: Nintendo US Division To Move to NY or SF? Me: SF Please!

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Culture, Nintendo, Rumors, Wii,

According to the online version of GameInformer Magazine, Nintendo employees were recently told that the company would be relocating, away from its current Redmond, Washington offices. According to the article:

Employees of Nintendo of America were told on Thursday that they would have to decide by June 1st whether or not they would be willing to relocate or accept a severance package. Our sources indicated these new offices would be opened as early as this Fall.
...
Both San Francisco and New York were pointed at as being the potential targets for new locations.

Personally, I think a move like this would make a lot of sense for the company. Redmond one day looked like it was going to become the next tech hotbed, but it’s so dominated by Microsoft these days that it’s hard to really make a presence in that area. Plus, the number of third-party publishers located in the bay area is staggering (just look on the case of your most recent game for an address, trust me…), so if Nintendo really is serious about courting third parties more actively, this would definitely give them a more hands-on way to do it. A New York office would also make a lot of sense given that, well, it’s New York and they’ve already got their only US store there.

My guess? IF they do move (and that’s a big “if”, they’ve been in Redmond for a long while)... they’re probably going to do both. I could see it easily being advantageous for Nintendo to have both an east coast and west coast operations branch. But if they HAVE to choose, my vote is for the SF Bay area. Having Nintendo so close to home would be sweet indeed.

Impossible Mission: First Non Virtual Console Game Download

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Internet, Nintendo, Wii,

Infendo today is indicating that the remake of Impossible Mission by System 3 will be coming to the Wii shop channel, rather than by retail disc. Nintendo Power is sourced as claiming the title will head to the Shop channel as well as see a Nintendo DS cartridge version. While the Opera browser for the Wii has lived in the shop channel for a while (and will cost 500 points after the end of June), this would be the first confirmed game title that is not a Virtual Console title. Hopefully this is just the opening of the floodgates to more original works heading to the Shop Channel in the future.

Nintendo Japan Lists 2007 Wii Releases

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Nintendo, Release Dates, Wii,

Wii IGN is reporting that Nintendo of Japan has revealed the Wii lineup for the rest of 2007. Japanese Wii owners can breath a little sigh of relief – high profile titles Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption are slated for release in 2007. North American gamers will have to wait for confirmation on these titles, but a Japan release in 2007 would seem to be a good indication that the same games are on their way to the US as well, particularly Metroid. Nintendo, more than any other hardware manufacturer, relies heavily on their first party line up to carry the console, so getting 13 first party releases, albeit with non-games like Wii Health and Wii Music will help drive demand during the holiday season. Of course, this might be moot if Nintendo can’t increase their hardware supply as they have been promising. With third parties still seemingly adjusting to developing for the Wii, Nintendo is going to be the prime software supplier for 2007.

Castlevania Heads To Virtual Console

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Nintendo, Retro, Virtual Console, Wii,

Shockman Headlining this week’s Virtual Console releases is the original Castlevania for the NES. At 500 points, gamers can explore the origins of the franchise as it appeared on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Those used to the later entries in the series will find this version somewhat limiting – the exploration elements and many of the control refinements wouldn’t appear until later releases. Instead, gamers will get six levels of sidescrolling platform action.

The other two releases this week could best be defined as “cult classics.” The Legend of the Mystical Ninja for the SNES probably didn’t have a huge following on its original release, but for 800 points gamers can experience the US-localized version of the Goemon series from Japan. The gameplay is fairly strong and graphically the game holds its own. Shockman is another arcade like title that mixes standard platforming stages with 2D shooting. At 600 points, the Turbografx16 title adds another quirky entry into the Virtual Console catalog.

Nintendo’s full press release continues below.

Click to continue reading Castlevania Heads To Virtual Console

Rumor: Blockbuster To Start Renting DS Games

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Rumors,

Blockbuster Logo Given that the little-two-screened-handheld that could has been topping the sales charts these days, I don’t see why Blockbuster hadn’t thought of this earlier… if current rumors prove true, then the video-rental mega-chain will start renting DS games in the near future. The rental price is rumored to be $4.99 for a week, which isn’t a terrible deal compared with services like Gamefly. Of course, if their DS selection ends up being anything like what I’ve seen for their other console selections, Blockbuster might not be your best bet for getting the latest, hottest games.

Blockbuster stopped renting GBA carts years ago, due to problems with renters removing the chips inside the cartridges and replacing them with less desirable games. However, this seems like something that should be easy enough to test these days (and charge to the credit card of the offender!).

Nintendo Developing 45 Wii Games, 79 DS Titles(!!?)

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Rumors, Wii,

Tons o' games According to a report on Bloomberg that’s getting a lot of attention, Nintendo is working on at least 45 titles for the Wii (we’re assuming first-party?), and 79 titles for the DS. That’s a number that sounds pretty darn exciting.

Still, other than that, the report is VERY short on details. For instance, are these titles that are slated for release, or are they along the lines of tech demos and test concepts? Are they first-party titles, or does the count include properties being developed by second-party firms, under the auspices of Nintendo? When will these games be released… is this the one-year outlook for Nintendo first-party titles, or are they looking further ahead? And most importantly of all, why the heck hasn’t Nintendo announced some titles and/or concepts for these games in order to drum up a little excitement?

You’ll excuse us if we don’t get too excited just yet… after all, I was pretty excited after hearing about Sadness, and look what that’s gotten me.

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