Filed under: News

AMD ships 50 millionth 'Hollywood' graphics processing chip for Wii

by Griffin McElroy { 9 months ago }

A recent AMD press release brought word of yet another hardware milestone for Nintendo -- earlier today, AMD shipped its 50 millionth "Hollywood" chip, the graphics processor for the Wii. With such a large number of units sold, the "Hollywood" has become AMD's most successful (and likely most profitable) gaming console chip in the company's history.

It's safe to assume by AMD's missive that Nintendo has manufactured around 50 million Wiis -- though their most recent LTD numbers place the console's sales around 45 million. Since Wiis stay on store shelves an average of fourteen seconds, this can mean only one thing: Someone, or something, has stolen five million Wiis. As usual, we blame the Nazis.

February's Wii software usage: Smash Bros. still on top, Animal Crossing sees boost

by Griffin McElroy { 9 months ago }

MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo recently posted a breakdown of the amount of playtime users logged during the month of February for various Wii titles using statistics that are readily available on the Nintendo Channel. Most of the results are unsurprising -- the top three spots are currently occupied by Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Guitar Hero III and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, respectively. Those three titles have remained in said spots since September of last year.

However, a number of games saw massive usage boosts over the past month -- most notably, the average user's monthly playtime with Animal Crossing: City Folk increased nearly seven hours, bringing the game to a fifth-place finish for February. Similarly, Call of Duty: World at War's average playtime increased over five hours, bringing it up to 13th place. Sadly, Ninjabread Man didn't place at all -- but that won't stop us from holding out hope for a strong March showing.

The new Jake Hunter game may not be terrible

by JC Fletcher { 10 months ago }

We were ridiculously excited about the North American debut of Workjam's Tantei Jinguuji Saburo detective adventure series -- until Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles actually came out, and turned out to be a mess of poor localization and incomplete content. Whoops.

North American publisher Aksys Games is taking the rare step of correcting its mistake in the followup, Jake Hunter Detective Story: Memories of the Past. In addition to three new cases (judging by the art, they are the cases from the DS game Tantei Jinguuji Saburo Detective Story: Kienai Kokoro) and six new adorably drawn "comedic" adventures, Memories of the Past also includes all three cases from the first game, with a new localization! "Like a Phoenix, Jake Hunter has been reborn as a game infused with personality and a brand new localization that will keep you coming back for seconds," Frank deWindt II, project lead for the game, said in the press release. We see what he did there and wonder if it signals an intentionally quirkier re-Wright for the cases.

In other Aksys news, the company announced a very cute multi-instrument music game called Rockin' Pretty.

MTV's Totilo: DS version of Galactrix plagued by load times

by Griffin McElroy { 10 months ago }

Considering our outrageous, unslakable handheld lust for Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, we didn't think anything could keep us from diving back into our dual-screened device for a go at Galactrix -- though a report from MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo is giving us slight cause for concern. According to Totes, the DS version of the game suffers from "surprisingly long load times." Yes, he said the DS version -- not the Commodore 64 version. We were confused at first as well.

Totilo said that the four to five-second load times occur before each puzzle, during mission selection and when checking inventory. Doesn't sound like much, but as he assures us, "it adds up." Anyone else notice their precious seconds being squandered whilst participating in some interplanetary gem-swapping?

Nintendo launches official Pokemon Platinum site

by Griffin McElroy { 10 months ago }

We've long suffered the blight of the Pokéholic, so we're well aware of the unslakable thirst one can develop for new information as we near the release of another installment in Nintendo's highly lucrative monster indexing franchise. Thankfully, Ninty just released a veritable compendium of Pokéknowledge in the form of the official website for Pokémon Platinum, supporting and elevating our addiction to collectible, pocket-sized animals to extremely dangerous levels.

If you've found it hard to follow the slow trickle of news concerning the lustrous revamp of Pearl and Diamond, the site does a good job of clarifying Platinum's updates with a few nifty slideshows. If you want to catch a glimpse of the game's new features, such as the Wi-Fi Plaza, the Battle Frontier, the trippy Distortion World, and the new pokémon forms, we highly suggest checking out the site -- just have a reliable friend at your side to cut you off once you've had enough.

Europe set to catch em' all (again) on May 22

by Griffin McElroy { 10 months ago }

We know our European readers were probably worried that Nintendo decided at some point to stop worrying about making money, and had therefore elected to neglect Europe the latest installment in their pocket-sized monster-indexing franchise, Pokémon Platinum. Fear not, our transatlantic acquaintances -- Ninty just set a European launch date of May 22 for the Diamond and Pearl follow-up. That gives us Americans two whole months to create a devastating arsenal with which to exact our revenge for a little something called the Battle of Lexington. Oh, you thought we'd forgotten?

Treasure World turns Wi-Fi networks into hidden treasure

by JC Fletcher { 10 months ago }

In December, Aspyr announced a creative DS game called Treasure Troves, a "real-life treasure hunt" that generates in-game items based on Wi-Fi hotspots. The company released more details about the game yesterday, as well as the first screens.

Treasure World, as it is known now, creates a unique item for each Wi-Fi network it discovers. The items can be used to customize the character, or traded with others. There are other gameplay uses for the items, but we don't know much about the actual gameplay outside of the Wi-Fi hunting and trading.

Aspyr will open an online community that lets players interact away from the DS, allowing them to display their collections and set up trades with other players. Treasure World and its associated community will be available this summer.

[Screenshot via IGN]

Majesco encourages Wii owners to Go Play its new games

by JC Fletcher { 10 months ago }

Majesco has announced a new branding initiative for Wii games: the "Go Play" line. Three games in the lineup of "energetic, motion based Wii games" are planned for release this year. The first, Go Play Lumberjax, is a collection of logging-based minigames (seriously!) due out in "late spring." Go Play City Sports will follow in summer, and Go Play Circus Star is planned for fall.

Go Play Lumberjax allows players to use the Wii Remote to "chop, climb, saw, and logroll" in a series of competitive multiplayer events. Go Play City Sports could be retitled Go Play in the Street, with "six classic games played on street "courts" filled with manhole covers and parked cars." Go Play Circus Star features 15 different games simulating circus attractions. We're ... vaguely interested in playing a lumberjack game, for some reason.

First look at Nobilis' music training game

by JC Fletcher { 10 months ago }

Maybe we're just suckers for video games as music teaching tools (as suggested by the dusty NES Miracle Keyboard in our closet), but we're pretty intrigued by Nobilis' MUSIC. The publisher has released the first screens about the training title, revealing the focus of some of the lessons, most of which seem to deal with reading music.

In addition, interactive quizzes ask players to identify notes, arrange notes to match sound samples, and match pitch contours to samples. MUSIC also features virtual keyboard and drums, along with a selection of songs to play. The minigames on the cartridge include activities like a rhythm game in which players pop balloons by clapping.

MUSIC comes out in Europe in April. No US release has been announced.

Gallery: Music (DS)

Dragon Quest IX delayed until July in Japan

by JC Fletcher { 10 months ago }

Square Enix has announced a delay of Dragon Quest IX from its March 28 release date to July 11. The March release date had been announced at a Dragon Quest-specific press conference in December. The announcement indicates that major bugs were found in the game code.

This delay seems like somewhat of an emergency measure; as NeoGAF members note, Square Enix had already put a lot of money and effort into advertising the game around Japan, including promotional signage around 7-Eleven stores -- a partnership that has since proven ironic.

In somewhat less terrible news, Famitsu has posted new screens of the game, featuring an inn-based communication system. Players can visit their friends' version of Ricca Inn, and leave messages and treasure maps.

Gallery: Dragon Quest IX

[Via NeoGAF]

Knights in the Nightmare in North America in June

by JC Fletcher { 10 months ago }

Atlus has officially announced the North American version of Knights in the Nightmare, the last DS game to come out of that Amazon.ca "leak". Knights is the third game in Sting's "Dept. Heaven" series: Yggdra Union was the first, followed by Riviera. Confusingly, this is "Episode IV" of the series, while Riviera is "Episode I" and Yggdra is "Episode II." A bundle of Knights and Yggdra Union was available in Japan -- wouldn't that be a lovely "Atlus Spoils" bonus?

Knights of the Nightmare incorporates "strategy RPG, real-time strategy, and shooter elements" into a game about a wisp who can occupy and control soldiers on a battlefield. Players use the stylus to position soldiers and then fire projectiles at enemies from multiple angles.

Knights will be available June 2nd for $34.99. Check our gallery for new English screens, and come back next week when Atlus inevitably announces an included soundtrack!

Gallery: Knights in the Nightmare

Atlus draws us into the dungeon with free Dark Spire soundtrack disc

by JC Fletcher { 10 months ago }

Not only does Atlus love announcing DS games, it has developed an appreciation for putting those DS games in fancy boxes with soundtrack CDs, and we cannot say that we are displeased with this development. Add the recent delays, and Atlus is on their way to being the reincarnation of Working Designs!

The latest game to get the deluxe treatment is Success's breathtakingly beautiful, punishingly old-school dungeon RPG The Dark Spire. Like Super Robot Taisen OG Endless Frontier and Legacy of Ys, The Dark Spire will be a boxed edition with a bundled soundtrack. The disc will include 24 tracks, pulled from both the "modern" and "classic" modes of the game. Samples of the synth-heavy soundtrack are available at the official site!

Gallery: The Dark Spire

Retailers suggest April release for Rhythm Heaven

by JC Fletcher { 10 months ago }

Rhythm Heaven could be out in North America on April 5th, according to listings on the websites of Amazon and Best Buy. Gamefly lists the 7th, but their release dates are uniformly a couple of days behind the official one. Nintendo has yet to specify the release date for the WarioWare team's rhythm microgame collection beyond the "first half" of the year. At least Amazon moved their date up from November!

Siliconera notes that Nintendo has scheduled one first-party DS game for every month in the first quarter: Personal Trainer: Math in January, Fire Emblem in February, and Pokémon Platinum in March. Rhythm Heaven could be their one game in April! It could also be the "launch game" for the DSi, also rumored to come out in April.

Gallery: Rhythm Tengoku Gold

This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Imagine Ice Champions

by JC Fletcher { 10 months ago }

Last week, Nintendo offered a demo of My DoItAll, and we didn't really mind, because despite being kid-focused and a non-game, it was kind of a novelty, worth trying out for a few minutes. This week, though, we're faced with the dreaded "I" word: Imagine. The one new demo on the Nintendo Channel this week is Ubisoft's Imagine Ice Champions, the sequel to Imagine Figure Skater. Maybe there's some novelty value in getting to try an Imagine game without any commitment -- just to see what it's like -- but we doubt this is going to send anyone running to the Wii.

We've got the full list of returning demos after the break, as well as this week's rather large crop of videos.

Continue reading “This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Imagine Ice Champions”

Boost your Dex with the Toys R Us Shaymin download event

by Griffin McElroy { 10 months ago }

With the release of Pokémon Platinum a little over a month away, we're beginning to find ourselves relapsing into feverish pokémania. If you've ever known the thrill of a full-to-brim Pokédex, we're sure you've got the bug as well -- which is why we're sure you'll be excited to hear that Toys R Us will be offering a free download of the legendary Grass-type pocket-sized monster, Shaymin, from now until Saturday. Just pop into your local TRU with your copy of Diamond or Pearl in download mode, and snag the lil' guy.

Shaymin comes in two distinct (yet equally delicious) flavors -- "land form", which is how he'll appear once you've plucked him out of the Wi-Fi ethers, and "sky form", which he'll change into should you trade him to Pokémon Platinum. Rumor has it that the toy store will offer another downloadable 'mon in mid-March: the towering Regigigas -- not to be confused with Reggie-Giggles, our nickname for Nintendo of America's equally statuesque president.