Gamernode: Latest Wii News

The Wii gets an IQ boost, Kynapse AI on the way

Everyone loves good artificial intelligence in their interactive virtual worlds, no? Well, if that is indeed the case, then Wii owners have something new to smile about. Middleware maker Kynogon has announced that the company will be bringing its Kynapse AI technology to Nintendo's little white box.

Said Kynogon CEO Pierre Pontevia:

"Wii is a remarkable success and we are proud to offer Kynapse to Wii game developers. The unique capabilities of Wii allow developers to produce creative forms of gameplay that require innovative AI. Kynapse has been selected by a very significant number of industry leaders for the development of AAA titles. With Kynapse, we feel Wii developers have another critical tool in their hands that helps them unleash the real magic of the Wii system."

Exactly when we ...

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Super Mario Galaxy director Koizumi--The interview...

Last week we brought you an interview with Mr. Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and big influence with the latest Mario game, Super Mario Galaxy. This week we have another interview, this time from Super Mario Galaxy director Yoshiaki Koizumi.

As always, reading the full article is probably best, but for those of you that still don't have enough spare time to read it (thought you would have learned your lesson from the last article) here is the basic gist.

The most interesting part of the whole interview is when Mr. Koizumi talks about how food influenced a lot of the level design in Mario Galaxy. Everything from pancakes with bean paste, from watermelons, to peanuts--is all present in some form in Mario Galaxy.

Turns out this food design implementation has stretched back all the way to Mar...

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Make your own Wii Zapper from Legos!

So if you're like us, most of you will be having quite a relaxing time catching up on video games and perhaps doing more of those late all-nighters during Christmas break. But if you want to put your time to some creative use, how about putting together your own Wii Zapper out of Legos?

Some retail stores are already gouging customers by raising the retail prices for the scarce Zapper so why not strike back at "The Man," by making your own? A forum member over at NeoGAF did just that.

He made the contraption by basing it on another manufacturer's game accessory. He left an opening at the rear of the gun to put the nunchuck in and presto change-o, you have a "Zapgo" gun.

From the looks of it, there probably could be some more work done on the design aspects of the project. But that's just us.

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December 3rd Virtual Console releases

Once again, the Wii Virtual Console has been updated with three classic titles. Once again, these games are nothing to scream about, leaving us all in the unthinkable situation of having to play retail releases such as Mass Effect, Unreal Tournament 3, Crysis, Rock Band, Super Mario Galaxy, Uncharted, and the like this holiday season. It is truly a sad day in videogameland.

Today's update features shoot-em-up action, 2-D fighting, and insects' heroics, all brought together under the theme of "the most unrelated games we could find." Seeing Zanac on this list does bring on a hint of nostalgia, though, as I fondly remember the good old "Nick Arcade" TV show, where contestants were constantly offered the option of playing that game, but almost always went with a different choice.

Read on for...

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Mario working on an autobiography

According to CVG, Mario is currently working on an autobiography. No, not the fictional character himself: Charles Martinet, the man who has voiced Mario for over a decade now.

Martinet first voiced the iconic plumber in 1995's Mario's FUNdamentals, but most will remember him first as the voice of Mario in Super Mario 64. Since then, Martinet has voiced Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi in Nintendo's games.

Martinet's book will talk about what it's like working with Nintendo from the inside, as well as the issues of voicing one of the most famous characters in the world. "I've actually started working a little bit on a book, but it's about finding the discipline to keep going.", he told CVG. "But I will be inspired by fans," such as one, explained Martinet,...

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Pokemon Snap coming to VC, bringing new features

If you owned a Nintendo 64 a few years back, you may remember Pokemon Snap. The on-rails camera-based FPS where the entire goal was to photograph Pokemon was a fairly popular game, and showed just how popular that Pokemon name was.

Nintendo is hoping some fans have fond memories of that game, as they plan to release it on Virtual Console on December 10th in North America. That itself isn't big news (surprising, maybe, but not big). What is big news about the release is that Nintendo is adding VC features to the game, such as allowing you to share your snapshots with friends and the Internet via the Wii's message boards.

One of the largest complaints about VC has been that - unlike XBLA - Nintendo doesn't really offer any updates on the games. With this addition to Snap, we may see a differe...

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Nintendo--no plans to expand in the U.S.

You'd think with the Wii's "sold-out" mystique and high demand, Nintendo would be milking the hell out of it. Maybe pump more games out, maybe come out with more peripherals, or maybe just get it over with and take over the world. 

Senior vice president George Harrison recently stated, "I'm not aware of any plans to push for more software development here in the U.S. The actual decision about producing more software and who should do it is driven by Satoru Iwata and the management team, including Mr. Miyamoto, in Japan."

The Wii is selling more here than it is in Japan... so what's the hold up?

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Nintendo's VC service earned $32.6 million

While Nintendo has remained mum on its Virtual Console sales, one number was revealed today that finally gave a hint to its "success." During a conference held by Nintendo in Tokyo, Shinji Hatano, a Nintendo executive, mentioned that the service earned 3.5 billion yen ($32.6 million) in sales so far.

So finally, something else to compare with the already known fact that the Virtual Console exceeded 7.8 million downloads so far. While $32.6 million may sound rather nice, Hatano said, "We're currently unsure if this is a lot or low. They're not bad figures."

But without more figures, most of us are left in the dark regarding download numbers of the Virtual Console service.

[Via IGN]

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New Japanese Wii channel, DS demos downloadable

A new channel has launched for Nintendo Wii systems of the Japanese variety. "Everybody's Nintendo" is a sort of promotional channel for the Big N's upcoming products, and will eventually be chock-full of videos, game information, and even demo versions of DS games.

The channel acts just like a DS download station, allowing users to stream the content via wi-fi from the Wii to the DS. This is just what many gamers have been looking forward to, and since the DS is in more Japanese pockets than Uncle Sam is in U.S. pockets, I'm certain the Everybody's Nintendo channel will be quite popular.

The video content available through the channel will consist of game footage, interviews, and commercials. Another section displays information on upcoming Wii and DS games, such as release dates, box ar...

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650,000 Wiis sold during past two weeks

Thanks to the past holiday, Nintendo announced they've sold 650,000 Wiis during the past two weeks. The Big N sold 350,000 last week and 300,000 the previous week.

In accordance with the sales figures, Nintendo is on track to sell 17.5 million Wiis once the company hits its next fiscal year starting on March 31st. While Nintendo increased its Wii production to 1.8 million units per month, retail stores will hit shortages till the new year begins.

Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America President, said, "Nintendo has ramped up production to about 1.8 million per month, but its manufacturers cannot increase production again. I couldn't find a single Wii system on the shelves - literally as I was walking into a Wal-Mart at 11 a.m., someone was walking out with the last one. Consumers are buying e...

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Retailers milking the Wii Zapper

Several chain stores, including the retail giants GameStop, EB games and Circuit City have begun to milk the Wii Zapper gun for its popularity.

The high demand of it has caused it to consistantly sell out (a lot like the Wii itself...) since its Nov. 19th release.

Like the vultures they are, these retailers began to sell the Zapper at $24.99, $5 more than the $19.99 MSRP.

Bastards. This isn't gas, it's a freaking Zapper. Give us a break here and stop thinking about the massive profit margins you're going to get off of this move.

If it wasn't always sold out online, I'd say look for it at the $19.99 MSRP price on Walmart.com and Amazon.com. Otherwise take the hit, and shake your fist at the guy selling it to you from across the counter. It's only 5 bucks after all.

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$677 Wii bundles sold out at Wal-mart

To prove that video gaming can be as expensive as other hobbies, Wal-mart is offering a $677 Wii bundle to online shoppers. You'd think that a price tag like this would drive away shoppers, but it hasn't 

The mega package is called the Wii Customer Choice Bundle and you get extra controllers, an accessory, Mario Party 8 and your choice of six game titles. The bad news to all this, (besides the pricey cost) is that the bundle is presently sold out.

No word on further replenishment of this uber bundle, but if the swiftness of how fast these specials sold is any indication of the Wii's continuing popularity, there's going to be a lot of crying in many households during the holidays as they experience Wiiless presents.

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Nintendo responds to fake Wii conspiracy story

Suspicious onlookers everywhere are crying "conspiracy!" at Nintendo, accusing them of feeding the media with stories faking the hype about the demand for the Wii console. Ok, so this is no Kennedy assassination, but it's still a big deal. Big enough to piss off Nintendo.

The cause of the rumor began when two UK newspapers ran identical articles about families paying over the odds (a quaint way of saying over paid) for the Wii. Maxconsole immediately ate this up and suggested that it was no coincidence and that Nintendo could have injected it's own rumors to both publications to boost the demand of the Wii.

Nintendo defends itself by saying "...there is absolutely no truth whatsoever in what they have written, it is totally unsubstantiated and merely rumour that they are reporting as fact. ...

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November 26th Virtual Console releases

Another Monday, another Virtual Console update. This is the welcome-back-from-a-long-weekend-of-face- stuffing-and-family-gatherings edition, and sees players getting thrust into the casino, onto the basketball court, and into the ocean.

Tara the baby orca will be sure to count all your chips for you as you take part in fierce simulated gambling, and Kitnee the young Atlantic dolphin will be throwing 'oops for you to hawk on your opponents. Have fun.

From the press release:

DOUBLE DRIBBLE (NES, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): DOUBLE DRIBBLE, the first 5-on-5, full-court home basketball game, is pure hoops action at its finest. While still a surprisingly accurate basketball game for its time, the frantic action keeps you on your toes as your players run from one end o...

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1400 Wiis sold out in 10 minutes on Amazon

I don't know how, but the Nintendo Wii continues to sell out like it's still launch day. Last week Amazon unleashed their next batch of Wii stock for some early holiday shoppers, and they sold out. Fast. 1,400 Wiis in ten minutes fast.

With Christmas fast approaching, things don't look like they'll get any better. Nintendo is shipping almost 2 million Wiis a month, but many people still can't find one since launch.

Meanwhile, if anyone's looking for a Wii, the stores near Portland, OR always seem to be swarming with them. Maybe they're keeping all the extras in the Pacific Northwest since it's cheaper to ship from Seattle to Portland? (Or maybe it's because the Northwest is Microsoft Country?)

[via Gameater]

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Tri-Crescendo developing new Wii RPG

The newest issue of Famitsu has revelead that Tri-Crescendo (Baten Kaitos, Eternal Sonata) is working on a new Wii-exclusive RPG titled Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon.

Fragile is set in the near future, in a world that has lost it's light and population and is covered in a dense fog. You play as a boy named Seto, searching the abandoned cities for clues to what happened, and for a companion.

Not a whole lot is known about the actual gameplay yet, other than a large portion of it will involve the use of a flashlight, which is controlled by pointing the Wii remote at the screen. Seto also has a metal detector which supposedly is used via the remote, and holds a stick, although its purpose and use isn't really known yet.

According to the game's website on November 24 more information wil...

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SMG sold over 500K copies within first week in U.S...

So how about that Super Mario Galaxy? Considering its been accumulating rave reviews like no tomorrow, including a 9.5 from Brendon and Eddie, it must of sold pretty well at retail, right?

Courtesy of this press release, George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing, revealed that Super Mario Galaxy sold over 500,000 copies within its first week of sales in the U.S. Also the game had the strongest one-week debut of any Wii title to date.

"Super Mario Galaxy had the strongest one-week debut of any Wii game to date and has also become the best-selling Mario title ever in its first week, with U.S. sales of more than 500,000, based on internal sales figures. It makes an easy gift choice as the holiday shopping season kicks off."

You still got it in you Mario, bravo!

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Wii is one year old and still going strong

Last year, Nintendo's Wii was released upon the world and gaming, for many millions of people, has never been the same since. The Wii celebrated its one year birthday and Reggie Fils-Aime had a lot of crowing to do during this auspicious occasion. 

Since the debut of the Wii, the cute little game console seems to be in a state of constant shortage. Fils-Aime said, "We can sell every single unit that we put into the pipeline, from a distribution standpoint. For us, it really is all about maximizing where we put those units on a worldwide basis."

This Christmas doesn't seem to be looking too good for potential Wii buyers as the supply line is already reported to be drying up like spilt water on the Sahara Desert.

Fils-Aime continued by saying, "Right now, there is no competition for us using th...

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Nintendo making 1.8 million Wiis per month

So we've all heard the accusations that Nintendo was holding back some of its Wii stock, just to make consumers want it more, but in a recent interview, The Big N's George Harrison asserts that the company is doing all it can to meet the demands of the drooling masses.

"We’re still expecting some shortages in December. But we’re not going to be pulling back on our marketing."

"We're at a rate now worldwide of about 1.8 million Wiis produced every month...We're trying to make decisions on almost a weekly basis about which market to ship the product to...It's almost an embarrassment of opportunity in terms of where to place those Wii hardware units."

They are producing 1.8 million Wii consoles a month, and they are still having trouble meeting demands? I guess that's why Harrison a...

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November 19th Virtual Console releases

It's the one year anniversary edition of Nintendo's Virtual Console update, and it couldn't be more...spectacular(?).

This week, Nintendo brings us the classic titles Wrecking Crew, Sonic 3D Blast, and Super Air Zonk, none of which are particularly exciting to this GN writer, especially with all the top-notch software coming out for the current generation platforms. I just have no time after the inundation of games I'm currently wading through. Maybe some of the GN faithful can get more out of this week's update than I.

From the press release:

Wrecking Crew (NES®, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): In the days before Mario and Luigi became sports stars in their downtime between plumbing and saving the Princess, they tried their hands as one-man wrecking crews. With a hammer ...

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