Joystiq [Nintendo]

Tecmo dates Again, dusts off Monster Rancher DS

by JC Fletcher { 1 hour ago }

Tecmo just sent out a release date for Again, the latest mystery adventure game from Hotel Dusk and Trace Memory developer Cing. North American gamers will be able to watch digitized actors explore the past and get headaches from dollar bills in March 2010.

In addition, the company surprised us with another March 2010 release date for a Cing-developed DS game: Monster Rancher DS. Two DS games in Tecmo's once-massive monster generating and collecting series came out on DS in Japan in 2007 and 2008, featuring the ability to unlock monsters by drawing on the screen or talking into the microphone, but nothing was ever said about a North American release until now. Monster Rancher DS features both local and online monster fighting, and the return of many of the nostalgic monsters you may remember from the older games, like that one with the big eye.

Gallery: Monster Rancher DS (11/10/09)

The House of the Dead: Underpriced at Newegg

by JC Fletcher { 5 hours ago }

If you like film grain effects, shooting zombies, and getting cursed at, but you haven't picked up The House of the Dead: Overkill yet, this deal from Newegg is exactly what you've been waiting for. The online retailer has marked the game down to $12.99 (with free shipping).

Be warned, there really is a lot of cursing. Even the first 15 minutes of the game sounds like someone stepped on Samuel L. Jackson's foot. That's what that M rating is about. Well, that and all the disgusting dead people exploding and stuff.

[Via GoNintendo]

New Super Mario Bros Wii launch event in NYC this Saturday

by Alexander Sliwinski { 6 hours ago }

Nintendo is holding a little family-friendly launch fiesta for New Super Marios Bros. Wii this Saturday, November 14, at its flagship store in New York City. The House of Mario will "transform" Rockefeller Plaza into the Mushroom Kingdom, providing demo stations, "costumed characters, trivia challenges, prize giveaways (while supplies last)."

The event takes place from 3-7PM and NSMBW is available to purchase early from the Nintendo World Store during that time. The game officially launches the following day, November 15. If getting it a day early seems worth the trip, remember to add NYC's lovely (8.875%) sales tax to your budget.

Shaun White Snowboarding World Stage trailer is all big air, winding grinds

by David Hinkle { 6 hours ago }

Almost every post on Joystiq about Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage has been met with cries for a new SSX game, but this launch trailer for Ubisoft's upcoming game actually does a good job of mimicking the EA series' over-the-top X-TREME thrills. Sure, there's manufactured virtual pals to laugh at and stereotypical caricatures of foreigners from countries you never bothered to learn about in there, but the warm, nougety center of snowboarding goodness seems warm and inviting enough.

Also, what's with that logo? Why is Shaun White's hair the dot on the "i?" If we were him, we'd try to steer as far away from being associated with that other red-headed dude as possible. We'd also be too rich to blog for you people.

EEDAR predicts Nintendo dominance, weak GTA and Brutal Legend performance in October sales

by JC Fletcher { 6 hours ago }

EEDAR has released its predictions for October sales charts in North America. Analyst Jesse Divnich expects year-over-year declines for every console except the PS3 -- but also expects the Wii to regain its place at the lead, with an estimated 600,000 units sold. Divnich predicts that the Wii will remain at the top for the rest of the year -- based partly on New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Divnich expects the title to lose initially to Modern Warfare 2 in November, but pick up sales in the holidays and become the best-selling game of the year.

Other games expected to pick up in the holidays include Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City and Brutal Legend. Divnich expects both games to underperform in October (coming in at under 100,000 and 300,000 units, respectively), but to receive significant boosts in the holidays.

Demon's Souls, however, may exceed expectations. Divnich estimates that Atlus's punishing RPG sold 100,000 copies in October.

Japanese Nintendo downloads: Street Fighter II', Panel Connection

by JC Fletcher { 9 hours ago }

There's no WiiWare this week in Japan, but there is the best 8-bit adaptation of Street Fighter II ever. Not that the PC Engine version has much competition outside of pirate Famicom cartridges and the terrible Game Boy port. But the PC Engine's SF2 holds up respectably against even the Genesis and SNES versions. It's joined on Virtual Console by a pair of tank games from Namco.

DSiWare offers a Chinese vocabulary learning tool and a new puzzle game by Intelligent Systems. Panel Connection involves setting panels into a grid to create an uninterrupe\ted exhaust path for a rocket.

Street Fighter II': Champion Edition (PC Engine, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
Grobda (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points
Tank Force (Arcade, 1-4 players, 800 Wii Points)
ACT Series: Chinese-Japanese Vocabulary (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
Panel Connection: 3 Minute Rocket (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)

[Image credit]

Interview: Wicked Studios president Yves Bordeleau on Dawn of Heroes (DS)

by David Hinkle { 10 hours ago }

Dawn of Heroes is a tactical RPG from Wicked Studios and Majesco. You'll be able to check it out for yourself when it releases next month, but Majesco was kind enough to offer us a preview build, as long as a brief interview on the with Wicked Studios president (and executive producer on Dawn of Heroes) Yves Borderleau. While we're still hammering out our preview (look for it tomorrow!), have a look at our Q&A session after the break.

Gallery: Dawn of Heroes (DS)

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VC in Brief: Wonder Boy III (SMS) and Cybernoid (C64)

by David Hinkle { 1 day ago }

This week's Virtual Console update is quite the doozie, giving us one obscure C64 title and one game we've played a billion times. We don't mean to sound bitter, but we're pretty sure there's a baker's dozen Wonder Boy games littering the lands of the Virtual Console. Check 'em out above!

Cybernoid (C64, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (Sega Master System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)

Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks like that.

ToeJam & Earl creator says XBLA port not so certain; future games in franchise still a possibility

by Ben Gilbert { 1 day ago }

Greg Johnson has been in the game industry for a long time. Having designed 16-bit Sega icons ToeJam & Earl way back in the early 90s and now running Humanature Studios, he's seen his creation rise to fame and subsequently slip into gaming history as the years ticked by. But last summer, when Sega created a poll tasking fans with selecting the next Genesis title to get the XBLA treatment, ToeJam & Earl popped back up on our industry's collective radar by taking the gold.

But it's not so simple! Johnson says Sega may have "got ahead of themselves a little bit" with that announcement "and didn't realize that they don't have the rights to the property." Apparently, Johnson assures us, "it's an easy mistake to make." This same shortcoming is also the reason why the characters will not be appearing in the upcoming Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, though showing up as DLC is still a possibility. "TJ&E will not be included ... and the option for including them as downloadable content is still open," Johnson said. "Sega said they're not ready to talk about that yet because they haven't started making any definite plans, but they promised to give me a shout when they get there – so hopefully we'll be able to work something out."

More interesting yet, it seems that Mr. Johnson shopped around the idea for a Nintendo DS multiplayer ToeJam & Earl game – though his pitch unfortunately met with deaf ears at "pretty much all of [the game publishers]." Check out some images of what could have been in the gallery below and continue past the break for more from our conversation with Greg Johnson.

Gallery: ToeJam & Earl 4 concept art/pitch

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This Week on the Nintendo Channel: It's a New Super Mario Bros. world

by David Hinkle { 1 day ago }

Nintendo has unloaded a pair of TV spots for upcoming New Super Mario Bros. Wii and they're pretty slick. Each features a foursome of gamers playing the new Nintendo title while surrounded in what seems to be a convergence of the Mushroom Kingdom and reality -- not unlike the plot of the horrible 1993 film. Unlike that movie, however, these ads are entirely watchable.

But, before you boot up your Wii and check 'em out for yourself, head past the break to see the rest of this week's Nintendo Channel content.

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Portable GameCube hack brings Sunshine everywhere it goes

by Ben Gilbert { 1 day ago }

The disc drive out back may be a bit precariously placed, but 'Hailrazer"'s portable "NCube" reeks of everything we'd want in a handheld version of the last-gen Nintendo console (except for wireless multiplayer, of course). Engadget spotted the 90-hour-in-the-making portable GameCube over on – surprise, surprise! – the Ben Heck forums. A breakdown of the construction process can be found just after the break in video form, though you may want to set up the drool tray now before proceeding.

All set? Alright, now go ahead.

[Via Engadget]

Gallery: 5 Great GameCube Mods

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Nintendo extends Ultra Hand to Japanese Club Nintendo members

by JC Fletcher { 1 day ago }

We're enjoying our DS game cases , and our other DS game cases, and all, but we can't help but be a bit jealous at the latest gift available for Japanese Club Nintendo users. Wii de Ultra Hand is an exclusive Wii game based on the classic extendable grabbing toy -- specifically, Nintendo's own version, designed by Gunpei Yokoi and released in 1967.

The game uses the Wiimote and Nunchuk to simulate the handles of the Ultra Hand, and tasks players with picking up meat from grills and depositing it on plates. It's available today for just 50 Club Nintendo points, one third the cost of a Wiimote stand.

[Via GAME Watch]

Now Playing: November 9-15, 2009

by James Ransom-Wiley { 1 day ago }

Yup. That about sums it up for this week, folks.

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PEGI: Moonwalker throwing a magical hat into Virtual Console

by JC Fletcher { 1 day ago }

Somehow, Sega has done the impossible: reacquired Michael Jackson's likeness rights for a digital re-release of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. At least, that appears to be the case, because the game has been re-rated by PEGI for release on Virtual Console. To give you an idea of the ridiculousness of that feat, Q? Entertainment has yet to release its PSP game Lumines for download on the same system because it has yet to acquire a license for digital release of its music.

We don't know if this will be the Genesis version or the very different arcade game -- or even, we suppose, the Master System port of the Genesis game. We're contacting Sega for those and other details. Right after we catch a shooting star and turn into robotic, missile-firing versions of ourselves. Ow!

[Via Nintendo Life, image by Orioto]

NintendoWare Weekly: Excitebike World Rally, Electroplankton, Cybernoid, and more

by JC Fletcher { 1 day ago }

It's a very exciting day for Nintendo downloads, thanks to one very thrilling two-wheeler. But Excitebike World Rally is far from the only offering this week. In fact, there are multiple games available for WiiWare, Virtual Console, and DSiWare, which seems like a rare feat for Nintendo of America. Head past the break to see if any of the other new games excite you.

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