Hoo, boy. So much went on yesterday, I decided to seperate the Wii news from the non-Wii news. Look below this and the next article for the rest.

Or just read the titles.
(more…)

1. Whew! Believe it or not, there ARE things that happened today that DIDN’T involve the Wii. No, seriously, I kid you not.

   For example, Bully got a T rating, thereby symbolizing the end of Democracy unless Our Lord And Savior, Jack Thompson, can manage to take the metaphorical bullet and protect us from ourselves.

   Ironically, for all the ruckus that the game has stirred up, it may not even perform that well due to being released exclusively, of all places, the PS2, according to Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter.

   And with people rolling pennies and getting second jobs to afford the next generation of gaming(or glasses for their eyestrain), it would be sort of sadly ironic, as after having read some actual information on the game, I myself must admit it sounds like it may be worth a shot.

2. If you’re going to BotCon, then don’t miss out on your chance to become Optimus Prime.

   Wish I could enter.

3. Atomic Fire has pulled out some new info on Ryuusei no Rockman, aka “I Need An Official English Title, Stat!”

   I still don’t have a great opinion for good nor ill on this one, except to say that with THREE different versions, they’d better differ in more than just what form you play as. I mean, really now, that from the same guys who remake a Street Fighter game until it has so many characters that it collapses on itself?

   Unless this is budget priced in America, I don’t see many people buying into more than one, two tops.

   If I get one, it’d likely be either Fire Leo or Green Dragon.

4. Oh-ho, now THIS is interesting(not that the other stuff isn’t, but damn, going through it all can be exhausting)!

   Imagi, the studio producing the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie(titled TMNT) has picked up the rights from Tezuka Productions to create a feature-length computer-animated Astro Boy movie, scheduled for a 2009 release.

   I’m eager to see this, though I have to wonder what the combination of Jim Henson Pictures and Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars creator Genndy Tartakovsky would have come up with.

5. You may not realize it, but you’ve probably heard of a man by the name of Jonah Hex.

   If you watched the early 90s’ Batman: The Animated Series, you may remember a tale told by one Ra’s al Ghul about the old west, and a bounty hunter by the name of Jonah Hex who came after the man later revealed to be the son of The Ghoul’s Head, in a rather memorable episode that had very little involvement with Batman himself.

   Now, over at DC, Jonah Hex is finally going to have his origin story revealed.

   So if you liked that old episode, and are curious about the man’s origins, you might want to look into picking this one up.

6. More origins are revealed in the funny-books, as GI Joe’s enemy Zartan will also see his story detailed in a 3-issue mini-series by Devil’s Due Publishing.
7. In case you haven’t heard, Jacko(not the one that sings) has just gotten himself some new ammo, as both Joystiq, Kotaku, and even my loving wife criticize the media’s reaction and pointing of fingers in the Montreal shootings.

   As far as events, I actually think the nature of this is worse than the above. Mind, I don’t speak of the results, but this one just seems more wrong on principle.

8. Well, it’s about damn time.

   Captain N: The Game Master is coming to DVD on 2/13/07.

   Pity this probably won’t make it to Canada, much like the Mario and Zelda sets.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

The official Wii website is no longer a teaser, but they have actual content running on there now. There’s a bit more of a detailed look at what was covered in the conference, and you can see the interface and more detailed descriptions of various functions, such as the Wii Channels(which you can also see movies of here).

They have a small first-party game list as well. Brain Age for Wii? Ought to be interesting…

And after all the Google translations and other posts, Nintendo has finally begun to translate the Wii development interviews.

I’ve always had a sort of geeky liking of messing around with my systems without playing the games, and it looks like it’s about to get a lot more interesting…

LBD “Nytetrayn”

So Nintendo came and had their big US press conference out of the Nintendo World Store over in New York. Wish I could’ve gone, but what can you do?

Well, you can dig around for information at various sites online(or just come here, where it’s been compiled).

IGN was pretty well on top of things, perhaps faster than anyone else. GameSpot did alright as well, though their “live” video was anything but. And somewhere, Luke Smith seems to be hunting and pecking at his keyboard while everyone else runs off to play.

Anyway, if you want a step-by-step of the entire thing, check either of those first two links above. Here are the high points:

1. Reggie basically reiterates a little of what we know- November 19th, $249.99. 25,000 points of distribution across the Americas.“One price. One configuration. One color.” Which is, for the record, white.”
2. America, as with the DS, will be getting the Wii first, with 4 million units being shipped by 12/31, and America getting the lion’s share of the stock.
3. The box will contain the Wii, the cables, a sensor bar, one remote, and one nunchuck, and Wii Sports, which features golf, boxing, baseball, bowling, and of course, tennis. Additional Wii remotes will go for $39.99, $19.99 for a nunchuck.(OUCH. I know it does a lot more than your standard run-of-the-mill controller here, but that’s still a tough sell.)

   Reggie invites someone from NOA to show off the bowling:

   To play the game, the controller is swung backward and then pushed forward — almost like you’d hit a golf ball. It’s as simple as that. You can give the ball spin by tilting the controller as you release.

   “This is designed to get everyone involved playing.” Game will be packed with Wii. Everyone’ll get it when they buy the system.”

4. “With Wii sports, these titles(including Excite Truck and Zelda) represent a fantastic trio…” “First time we have a Zelda title available on launch day. It gives us a huge boost and huge momentum right out of the box. It’s a masterpiece game. We will continue to make those big masterpiece titles for the core gamer, as well as new games to drive market expansion.”

   “If you were to play Zelda all day to day for six hours, you’d only be scratching the surface…”

   I love how big this game is sounding. Oh, by the way– Link is no longer a lefty.

   I think he should be ambidexterous, myself…

5. Japan showed off 104 titles yesterday, and America will see 30 available in the launch window, with about half at launch itself, first-party games being priced at $49.99. Third-parties are encouraged to “price appropriately.”
6. Some games due out on Day 1 are: Call of Duty 3, Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Need for Speed: Carbon, Madden 07, Elebits, Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, Rayman: Raving Rabbids, and Splinter Cell: Double Agent.
7. They talk about Wii channels, which includes the Virual Console with 30 games by year’s end(including Super Mario World and Super Mario 64), and 10 more per month after that. NES games will be available for 500 Wii points, Super NES games for 800, and Nintendo 64 for 1,000 via a “Wii Points” card available at retail, which goes for about 2,000 points for $20($24 Canadian).“Looks like they’re taking the same tack as Microsoft: Consumers part with fake money more easily than real money.”

   Reportedly, Nintendo’s rates are better(Microsoft’s 5000 = $62.50).

8. Bill Trinen shows off the Wii Channels, which “will make non-gamers want to pick up the Wii.” The “Mii” Channel allows for custom user images such as we saw at E3, presumably. Saying he wants to create Samuel L. Jackson, Bill modifies many aspects of a 3-D modeled head, including eyes, nose, lips, mustache, clothing, and name, all by pointing and clicking the remote. After finishing the Mii, he’s got it running around with pretty accurate Mii versions of Iwata and Miyamoto.The second component of the Mii concept is transporting your Miis elsewhere, since they’re stored on your remote. Head to a friend’s house, play tennis with your controller, and you’ll see your Mii pop right up in the game.

   The Internet channel requires Opera, which takes Wii Points to purchase.

   The Photo channel is next. “For the first time ever, photo viewing is not a time-consuming thing.” Take SD Card out of your digital camera, insert into the front flap on Wii and “boom — you’re looking at digital photos.” The interface is smooth, fast and easy. He then shows off an iPhoto-like slideshow feature, complete with Ken Burns-style zooms and pans, and a movie playback mode, where you seem to be able to transfer home-brewed movies to the Wii, where you can then modify and view them in real-time.

   “We want consumers to come to rely on their Wii channels every day. Because then it’s a short hop from using the Wii remote to playing their first game.”

   The channels will come up immediately, with no lengthy boot-up process.

9. Reggie talks up the free Wi-Fi internet(still requires an internet connection within the house): “When connected to the Internet, users have access to news and weather channels.” News is constantly updated via WiiConnect24. Also a Wii message board where users can send messages and photos to other Wii owners; or to PC owners or cell phone. You can also leave messages on a calendar-based note system.
10. Reggie recaps. First, a revolutionary new way to play game. Second, the ability to time travel to the best of legacy content. Third, the biggest combined software launch in history. Fourth, the unique channel system acting as a “pied piper” for new gamers. And finally, a price point that says “mass market,” ready from day one.
11. Some other Q&A are tackled:Will the system have its own internal memory for photos and such? Kaplan says it will have some capacity for internal memory, but “most” of the storage will indeed be through SD card.

    GameCube Zelda has been pushed back to December 11th. While there’s bound to be complaints, it’s probably the smartest move from a marketing standpoint. As for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, that’s now a ’07 title, with Zelda, Excite Truck, and Wii Sports seeming to be Nintendo’s only first-party launch titles.

    Regarding widescreen TVs, “all first-party games and most (if not all) other Wii content will be capable of the 16:9 aspect ratio used by HDTVs, but will not be in high definition.”

    And finally, Pokemon Battle will be the first online title, with Japan getting that one at launch, and the US shortly after.

And that’s pretty much the sum of what’s been covered. More is bound to come throughout the day, but I’ll get to that stuff tonight.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

Since the big US Nintendo Wii conference is going to be at 9am, I want to be sure I’m up for it, so I’ll try and keep this brief-yet-informative.

1. Even though the Wii big event we’ve all been waiting for isn’t, as noted, until 9am, it seems that there is some information that has leaked, and GameSpot reports that the New York Times has it.The Times reports that the system will launch on November 19th in North and South America(with 4 million reaching retail by year’s end) with 25 first- and third-party games available, with first-party going at $50 a pop, with the exception of Wii Sports– that one’s a freebie, featuring bowling, golf, tennis, and baseball.They also mention that while The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Excite Truck will be available by the end of the year, Mario, on the other hand, won’t me making his Wii debut until after the clock strikes 12 in Times Square, if you get what I mean.

   Internet capabilities are also reported by The Times, with web-surfing said to be “akin to that of a home computer.”

   “Nintendo also appears to be moving away from its GameCube-era “game consoles should be for games only” mantra. Besides the Wii’s previously announced DVD playback abilities, the console will also have many multimedia functions. “There will be a photo channel that will allow users to use the Wii to display digital photographs on television,” read the report. “There also will be an easy-to-use interactive news channel and weather channel.”

   An interesting development, if slightly hypocritical. On the one hand, Nintendo in the past has boasted dedicated machinery as being its bread and butter, but conversely, in their attempt to reach the non-gamer market, perhaps they felt that such measures work best in tandem with the Wii’s approach.

2. IGN brings further details from the same source, citing “Nintendo’s Wii console will come packaged with one Wii remote, one nunchuck attachment, an AC adapter, an audio/video cable, a sensor bar, sensor bard stand, a Wii console stand and two batteries. The package will also come bundled with a copy of Wii Sports, a compilation sports game that best shows off the mechanics of the system’s unique controller. Wii Sports features tennis, baseball, golf and previously unannounced bowling and boxing games.”IGN also cites that the price will be $250, Opera will be the included web browser, and that 30 Virtual Console games will be available at launch.“Virtual Console games will cost between $5 and $10 each. Specifically, Nintendo Co. Ltd. announced that Virtual Console games would cost 500 yen ($5), 800 yen ($8) or 1,000 yen ($10); we’re presuming these prices are for NES, SNES and N64 games respectively.”

   Next-Gen also adds that “titles from the Zelda, Mario and Donkey Kong franchises” will be included.

   Additional “Wiimotes” are said to cost “3800 yen or about $40; the nunchuck 1800 yen or about $20 and the classic controller 1800 yen or about $20.” Whether or not that will hold in the US is of course up to speculation, though one would suggest that selling the pieces seperately at such a price may not go over so well here. But on the other hand, Japan isn’t getting Wii Sports in their bundle, so clearly packaging may vary by region.

   Surprisingly, and if I’m not mistaken, in an unprecedented move by Nintendo, the US will get the system first, with Japan receiving it on December 2nd.

3. IGN also reports that the new Famitsu reveals the title of the upcoming Wii Resident Evil/Biohazard game as Biohazard Umbrella Chronicles, though there’s little other information about the game at the time.You can see the scan at JeuxFrance.com.
4. FINALLY, IGN has some screens of a new level from Sonic and the Secret Rings.Looks nice, still want to see more. MORE!
5. onNintendo covers the Japanese Wii conference, and adds:“30 Nintendo games are going to be launched within the year, another 30 will be launched; after which; 10 Virtual Console titles will be launched every month after that. You will be able to purchase these with a credit card or the Wii point pre-paid card.”They also mention there’s now a Japanese version of Wii.com(now sporting a simple teaser), which you can see here, which Go Nintendo says has tons of videos to see.
6. Go Nintendo has linked to a Wii lineup preview video that shows off several titles, and how they may be played.
7. After having pretty much covered everything else of value, I can still give you at least one piece more from Joystiq, that being the Japanese Wii box, down at the bottom of their post there. And unless my eyes deceive me, it may be worthwhile to note that the console itself isn’t pictured on the front of the box, simply a hand holding a controller.
8. I still don’t see Contra.Why do I keep seeing the same reports for this if there’s no Contra?WHY?!
9. Soundwave is a perennial fan-favorite TransFormer, at least among fans of Generation 1, so it only stands to reason that he should see a reissue eventually, and via The Allspark, TFormers brings us a few pics of the reissue, who should now be able to store TWO of his Cassettecons!
10. Just a reminder for the TransFans out there: if you’re planning to go to BotCon, pre-registration ends… well, tomorrow, actually.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Hmm, Pac-man and Tetris on iPods?

   An interesting concept, but I don’t see it holding a very broad appeal except among those with perhaps a twinge of nostalgia who don’t want to invest in a dedicated portable.

2. So if you actually care about Evangelion(it seems to be a series one either really gets into, or just remains largely indifferent to), you’ve probably heard about the new movies that are in development.

   “Of the four upcoming films, two will essentially retell the original story, combining footage from the series with new backgrounds and soundtracks. The third and fourth movies will be entirely new stories, progressing from the first two and (hopefully) tying up all those loose ends into a satisfying conclusion.”

   Hell, I may give the first one or two a shot. Maybe the movie format will be more engaging to me.

3. Tomorrow, IGN will have some impressions of Mortal Kombat Armageddon, but for now, co-creator Ed Boon talks a little about moving the franchise into the new generation, starting by closing off this part of the saga.

   “Boon mentioned some of the reasons behind the elimination behind some characters. “In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, we wanted to end a number of things, actually. We wanted to end this chapter of the story. This is the last Mortal Kombat on this generation of consoles, and we also wanted to end this kind of fighting mechanic for Mortal Kombat.”

   I must say, I am rather curious to see what the new fighting mechanics entail, as well as where the story turns.

4. Following up on yesterday’s story about the PSP Bundle Pack with ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin’ Trails, a UMD movie, and a 1GB Memory Stick, IGN has revealed that the movie included will be Lords of Dogtown.

   Um… yay?

   …oh, who am I kidding? I really couldn’t care less. If I didn’t have a PSP already and I decided to get this pack, I’d probably just trade the movie in.

5. If you’re looking for a cheap-but-unique experience for your Nintendo DS, then it may please you to know that Cooking Mama shipped today, and is going to retail for a mere $19.95.

   Might have to give that a shot.

6. Following up on their Anima Crossing: Wild World Mario item promotion at Toys R Us, Nintendo.com reports that on September 30th, visitors to TRU from Noon to 3pm will be able to download Mew to certain Pok?mon titles.

   Click the link for all the specific details, and you too can unleash the power of Mew!

7. Go Nintendo reports that Hudson is working on 30 games for the Virtual Console, with some to be available at launch.

   Sounds good to me!

8. Go Nintendo also reveals some rumors from Famitsu, including the possibility of a Wii Gundam game and new Yuji Naka and Hideo Kojima projects.
9. Once again, it’s TransFormers Tuesday, and the TransFormers the Movie 20th Anniversary DVD website has updated to give us a sneak-peek at the DVD’s main menu screen.

   Quite nice, I wonder how it looks in action…

LBD “Nytetrayn”

…well, sorta. Maybe, maybe not exactly.

IGN reports that Capcom and Games Arena(a subsidiary of Japanese communications company Dwango) will be creating a subsidiary called Daletto Co., with Capcom holding a majority interest.

With Mega Man and Dead Rising creator Keiji Inafune as president, Daletto will begin in October to manage amusement portal sites, which will cover all areas of online entertainment, from management of online titles to web-based sales, as well as avatar character development and sales.

It is expected that certain titles from Capcom’s list of franchises will be pulled for the service’s use.

Naturally, of greater concern to some may be where the Mega Man/Rockman franchise may go from here. Some feel that the games suffer without Inafune’s personal involvement, even though it seems the amount of his direct involvement in the games has been in decline over the recent years as he has continued to see promotions through Capcom, with some titles even being published by other teams and companies such as Inti Creates and Arika.

With his new duties as the president of Daletto, one can only wonder what will become of his involvement in the development of new Capcom titles.

In any event, congratulations to Mr. Inafune for his prestigious advancement, and may he find great success in this new venture.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the net, a new Rockman.EXE game appears!

   Of course, this new game, The Legend of the Network, is probably more a side-story than anything, but I guess if you can read Japanese and play these games on your celphone, it may yet be worth your time.

   Frankly, I’m surprised no one’s made some fan translations available online for some sort of emulation…

2. Mega Man ZX is set for shipping today, and GameSpot has broken out all the coverage they’ve been holding back, including their review(7.7-Good), as well as three gameplay movies.

   Strangely, the movies seem to cut off early, if the progress bar is any indication. But perhaps even stranger still is the weird absence of lifebars in the movies, but as the second one shows, they can still die anyway.

   Which is actually quite sad, as that first boss is quite easy.

   In addition to GameSpot’s coverage, IGN also has their own review(8.2-Impressive), as well as an interview with the producer, to help gain a little more insight into the changes the series has undergone… and why Mega Man can’t duck.

   GameSpy reviewer and Mega Man fan Phil Theobald also gives his two cents on the new title, rating it at 4 and a half stars out of five.

3. On November 14, Warner Bros. is bringing to DVD Looney Tunes: Golden Collection vol. 4, and man, does this thing ever look packed.

   I really ought to check something like this out, as they just don’t make ‘em like that anymore.

4. Also in November will come the first DVD set for the cartoon that got boys to play with dolls in the 80s. Yeah, I’m talking about She-Ra: Princess of Power(hey, it’s cool, she’s He-Man’s hot sister, you’re excused), and like the Looney Tunes Gang, she’s got quite a few extras on her as well(NO, I don’t mean those).

   If it weren’t for the noteworthy pricetags of DVD box sets, I would scoop this stuff up faster than a groundbreaking for a new Starbucks, you can be sure of that.

5. Wow, MGM is really looking to churn some stuff out in the next few years. Terminator 4, The Hobbit, The Pink Panther 2… wait, The Pink Panther 2? I thought that one didn’t do so well?

   Ah, Hollywood, you fickle beast you…

6. IGN reports some seeming confirmation of SEGA titles coming to Virtual Console.

   Not a shabby lineup, with the likes of Sonic, Toejam & Earl, and Ristar leading the way.

7. Elsewhere on IGN, there’s a preview for Chousouju Mecha MG, for the Nintendo DS, and interesting looking mecha game that I would hope might come out over here.

   Come on, Nintendo. Transforming robots on the DS is EXACTLY what we need.

8. According to Next-Gen, it would seem that Sony is looking to add a game and a movie with a 1GB memory stick to the PSP package in lieu of an actual price-cut.

   No doubt this isn’t what people wanted to hear, but at least it’s a start. Unless you hate ATV Offroad Fury and don’t like whichever movie they pick.

9. Go Nintendo once more comes through with the goods as they bring a translation of Volume 2 of the Wii development team interviews.
10. Kotaku has dared to go where no one(save Korcas) has dared to go before, and that is to find good things to say about Sony.

    I can sort of relate with Eliza there, in that being different was cool. And while I have no intentions of kissing up to Sony, I admit I have backed off a bit, and given credit where credit is due(it just doesn’t happen often). It was more fun when I was pretty much the anti-Sony guy, though.

    #2 is definitely one I still applaud, anyway.

11. Interestingly enough, Kotaku also brings about news that 80% of the PlayStation 3s are going to be from the high-end SKU number.

    I guess even Sony knows that not a lot of people are going to buy into that one.

12. Missed this at IGN, as I seldom go into the individual sections, but anyway, if you’re wanting to know what the PS3 game packaging looks like, then look no further.

    Not bad. Reminds me a little of the early PS1, the PS2, and… well, a whole lot of new.

13. Hmm, sports games aren’t usually my thing, though for Mario sports, I usually make an exception.

    But in the case of Mario Hoops: 3-on-3, I may be forced to make an exception.

14. If you live in the UK, and are a fan of Nintendo gaming, then the upcoming Nintendo Wii magazine “Revolution” might just interest you.

    And if you’re in Canada, well, it’s not uncommon for us to see such publications show up around hereabouts.

15. Newsarama’s Joe Monday features some interesting info, and teases, regarding the costume of a certain Friendly Neighborhood… oh, how does the rest go?
16. Finally, if you aren’t afraid to order online and would like to save about $50 on an XBox 360, then maybe this is the deal for you.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. If you live in Norway(or just would rather import) and have not yet jumped on the Nintendo DS bandwagon, it seems there may yet be some good news coming your way.

   QJ.net reports on a special DS bundle package which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Nintendo Entertainment System’s launch in Norway.

   The package, besides having a spiffy NES celebration motif, contains a Black DS Lite(not yet available in the US, btw), New Super Mario Bros., and the NES Classics Super Mario Bros. GBA game. That’s quite a nice pack of Mario Madness.

   And if you can find a place that’d import all that for you, the bundle goes for 1,595 Norwegian Kroners, or about $245 US, versus the 2000 Kroners (around $305-310) it would normally take there.

   But this would appear to be a limited-stock item, so if this item appeals to you, then don’t delay.

2. TransFormers news aplenty coming from over at The Allspark.

   First up is report of an eBay auction for a pre-release version of Classics Grimlock.

   Classics will be a hard line to resist, and I must say, this toy is looking really good, perhaps even better than I’d hoped from the hard-to-see photos taken earlier this year. My only real gripe is that the sword seems to be fixed in bayonette mode, instead of one he can swing like in the old days. That and the handheld tail makes for a decent homage to Pretender Classics Grimlock, though.

   Additionally, the Japanese trademark patenting office has shown to us what will be prototypes for Classics Jetfire and Ramjet, as well as Classics Prime and Starscream.

   I want Jetfire SO bad now… the fully-completed form should have his added armor and weapons, from what we’ve seen.

3. Via Seibertron, The Allspark also brings us a look at movie Bumblebee, as seen from above as he’s on his back.

   Rather nice, though I question the placement of a license plate on his crotch. Can you imagine some thug lifting that and then realizing what he grabbed after the fact?

   In fact, now that I’ve thought about it, I want that scene in the movie. Guy would probably be all like “Aww, man, I just grabbed that dude’s–wait, you are a dude, right? Aww, MAN!!!!” *drops the plate and shakes his hands*

4. And finally, the baddest TransFormer sporting only one eye is getting his very own one-shot comic in TransFormers Spotlight: Shockwave, for which the first five pages can be seen here.

   …oh, and who’s that trailing our favorite transforming cyclops at the end there…?

5. Wow, Nintendo’s really kicking some ass… sort of.

   In Japan, the GameCube is outselling the XBox 360, and the DS is obliterating the PSP.

   Funny to think then that there are those who have sworn that Nintendo would be getting out of the hardware business not all that long ago…

6. Disney and Pixar’s Cars is coming home on November 7th, and it looks to be packing in a nice bevy of features.

   I really wish I’d gotten to see that one in theaters, but alas…

   …incidently, I still need to get Toy Story and Toy Story 2.

7. Game|Life has a piece up about the late Mr. Gumpei Yokoi, whose 65th birthday would have been yesterday.

   I wish I had more to say myself, except that I am sorry that he had departed the world in such a way, and I wish he were still around today.

8. Hey, remember that crazy-awesome Japanese commercial for The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past? Go Nintendo has found someone to make sense of it all.

   Interesting stuff… it even shows you step-by-step how to… er, “Do the Zelda?”

9. Go Nintendo also links to an interesting video of a game show from long ago, where the Nintendo Ultra 64 was shown off, but was well behind schedule.

   It’s most interesting to see a pre-release version of Super Mario 64 or the F-Zero-esque speedboats of Wave Race 64 as they originally were, prior to being finalized for launch.

10. Wow, the Beatles really stick it to the PS3.

    …ok, not really. Kind of an amusing video, but a bit heavy-handed.

11. Guess Game|Life has either fallen behind or abandoned the interview Nintendo Prez Mr. Iwata conducted with the Wii development crew. Fortunately, there are still ways to view other parts of it, including Part 2 and Part 3.

    It may be stuff no one here cares about, but sometimes it can be interestin to find out what they were thinking with some things, such as “fanless at night.”

    The end also offers this interesting little tidbit:

    “Wii is the first machine that Nintendo can update its OS(Operating System). So, possiblity of Wii can be enlarged in the future. You can look forward to this feature, and I am very excited about it too.”

12. Burn.

    Long story short: It seems there are GameStop employees who are not at all above knowingly selling counterfeit games, in this case a Game Boy Advance title.

    I’ve seen a suspicious Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 at an EB around here, too…

LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Well, this ought to be interesting…

   Know that new XBox 360 game, Viva Pinata? Well, together with Rare, 4Kids is bringing it to Saturday mornings this fall, starting tomorrow on Fox’s 4Kids.tv lineup.

   Also of related interest, I believe that tomorrow also marks the begin of the regular airings of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward, starting from episode 1.

2. Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon talks with IGN Wii a little about developing Mortal Kombat Armageddon for Nintendo’s new system.

   Nothing too revealing, but I’m curious to see what he comes up with…

3. Hmm, this could be good for Nintendo… Sam Fisher’s going to be at launch with Splinter Cell Double Agent.

   Unfortunately, they’re still fine-tuning and testing the controls, so we don’t yet know how the Wii’s unique interface may play into this version.

4. Go Nintendo decides to screw the language barrier, and give Tingle a try.

   Sounds addicting. Still hope Nintendo brings it over.

5. Wow, seems like the people at G4 don’t know anything about giving credit where credit is due.

   For shame, indeed.

6. If you’ve signed up with IGN, or are thinking about it, first consider this.

   Man, why does it seem fewer and fewer businesses want to earn money on their own merits these days?

7. Hmm, seems that Sony’s PS3 developers are in a bit of a pinch, as there seems to be a shortage of PS3 development testing kits.

   I could see this being a problem come launch time.

8. Hmm, N-Europe reports that Traveller’s Tales is moving from the combined world of Star Wars and Lego to a setting that’s not quite so far, far away as Lego Batman could be their next project.

   If it carries the quality of the Lego Star Wars games, then I can’t wait to give this a shot…

   …waitaminute. Wouldn’t that mean… there would be a GOOD Batman game to play? I shudder to think…

   1UP, meanwhile, casts a shadow of doubt over the report, saying it may yet be a rumor.

9. Wow, even Ken Kutaragi can admit there are some chinks in the armor of Sony.

LBD “Nytetrayn”