Latest Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy, and GameCube news, screenshots, and game previews

At Nintendo’s financial briefing held in Japan, company president Satoru Iwata made a comment about what to expect at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

What we are looking at are the cumulative Wii and DS sales through the end of 2008. Wii has been selling at industry’s record pace so far, and with new customers acquired by the gaming population expansion efforts, it is not impossible for Wii’s total sales to exceed the final install base of PS2. Wii still has much more room for expansion. We can expect more sales of software in the next fiscal year than in the current year. With what kind of software is Nintendo going to achieve this goal? Well, it will be shown at E3 to be held in the U.S. this June.

It seems Nintendo has big plans for the Wii at this year’s E3. I wonder what kind of games can we expect to see? Mario, Zelda, or perhaps Kid Icarus? Then again, Iwata could simply be referring to games we’ve already seen, such as Wii Sports Report.

Tags: E3, E3 2009, Electronic Entertainment Expo, PlayStation 2, PS2, Satoru Iwata, Wii

The sequel to the best selling game of all time is on the way! It will be very interesting to see how well Wii Sports Resort does for Nintendo. Punch Out!! and Sin & Punishment 2 are also potential big hits on the Wii.

Nintendo’s New Play Control! games are updated Nintendo GameCube games with modified controls for the Wii; they’re getting good reviews and selling well in Japan, so keep on eye on them.

• New Play Control! Pikmin (Feb. 6 Europe, March US)
• New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis (March 3 Europe, March US)
• Punch Out!! (First half 2009, Europe and US)
• Wii Sports Resort (2009 Europe, first half 2009 US)
• Sin & Punishment 2 (2009, Europe and US)
• Another Code R and Endless Ocean 2 (2009 Europe)
• New Play Control! Pikmin 2 (First half 2009, Europe)

These are some awesome Wii games for both casual and hardcore gamers. But what about the second half of 2009? Will Kid Icarus ever see the light of day? Will Satoru Iwata reveal any new games at the Game Developers Conference?

Tags: Another Code R, Endless Ocean 2, Mario Power Tennis, New Play Control!, Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Punch Out!!, Release dates, Sin & Punishment 2, Wii, Wii Sports Resort

Pokemon Platinum should be an instant seller. This game is similar to Pokemon Yellow, Crystal, Emerald in that it won’t be an entirely new adventure but an extension with added story elements and improved graphics. Also look forward to more Mario, Kirby, and Fire Emblem!

• Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir (Feb 2 Europe)
• Walk with me! Do you know your walking routine? (Feb 20 Europe, 2009 US as Personal Trainer: Walk with Me!)
• Pokemon Platinum (2009 Europe, March 22 US)
• Rhythm Paradise / Heaven (2009, Europe and US)
• Mario and Luigi RPG 3 (2009, Europe and US)
• Kirby Super Star Ultra (2009 Europe)
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Feb 16 US)

Tags: Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, Kirby, Kirby Super Star Ultra, Mario, Mario and Luigi RPG 3, Nintendo DS, Pokemon, Pokemon Platinum, Release dates

Japanese analyst Hiroshi Kamide speculates that the Wii craze might be coming to an end, as Nintendo today cut its income forecasts by 33 per cent.

Although Nintendo still expects to finish the year in the black, “analysts described Nintendo’s guidance as a ‘baffling and potentially very worrying‘ sign for worldwide sales of the Wii as recession curtails household spending around the world”.

Part of the problem, according to games industry insiders in Japan and the UK, is that the pipeline of “must-have” Nintendo Wii software is less strong now than it was six months ago.

On the most widely read gaming websites, there are few forthcoming Wii titles generating the sort of excitement that preceded the release of Mario Galaxy or Smash Brothers.

One big source of margin destruction has been the soaring yen, which rose 24 per cent against the dollar and 30 per cent against the euro in 2008.

Tags: Recession, Sales, Wii

Square Enix today hinted that players might be able to go online to “expand” upon Dragon Quest IX. No details were given but many are hoping for downloadable content such as additional quests.

Dragon Quest IX is scheduled for a March 28th release in Japan, exclusively for Nintendo DS. A North American release date has yet to be announced.

Tags: DLC, Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest IX, Nintendo DS, Square Enix

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time was released in Japan this week and included a bonus trailer for Square Enix’s highly anticipated Wii game Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers.

Tags: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, Square Enix, Videos, Wii

Satoru Iwata, the current president of Nintendo, has been announced as a keynote speaker for the 2009 Game Developers Conference. Iwata’s keynote speech, “Discovering New Development Opportunities”, is scheduled for Wednesday, March 25th.

2009 marks Iwata’s return to the GDC stage since 2006 when he spoke about “disruptive development,” and introduced to the Western development community the philosophies on engaging new players and surprising existing players. In his 2005 keynote, Iwata discussed the next-generation console then codenamed “Revolution,” which has since become known as the Wii. Stay tuned for updates on what he will say in 2009!

Tags: Game Developers Conference, GDC, Keynote, Satoru Iwata

According to “several credible sources“, a touch screen-enabled version of the PlayStation Portable (PSP) is on the way soon. Considering the success of the Nintendo DS and iPhone, I don’t find this hard to believe.

According to our sources, the PSP 2 will feature a widescreen multi-touch interface comparable to that of the iPhone for both in-game control and menu navigation. Unfortunately, we were unable to secure any additional details on the alleged new system, but this latest batch of rumors seems to fall in line with other recent claims orbiting the vast recesses of the internet.

A Sony representative recently denied the rumors.

Tags: PlayStation Portable, PSP, Rumors, Sony

The developer of The Godfather for the Wii was recently questioned about the possibility of The Godfather II coming to the Wii. The answer wasn’t exactly what Nintendo fans wanted to hear: because the Wii isn’t next-gen, a sequel to The Godfather would never “reach their vision of what The Godfather II had to be”.

Tags: EA Games, The Godfather, The Godfather 2, The Godfather II, Wii

Here’s an update on Brownie Brown, thanks to Siliconera:

Shinichi Kameoka, President of Brownie Brown, tells us, “I’d like to try making games for the Wii. We’re optimistic about it and looking into it.”

Brownie Brown’s history is entirely made up of portable titles like Sword of Mana, Magical Starsign, and the Japan-only Magical Vacation. On the prospect of downloadable games like WiiWare and DSiWare Kameoka-san explains, “we’re really interested.”

Brownie Brown also had a hand in developing Mother 3. While it’s way too late for Nintendo of America to backtrack and release Mother 3 as a Game Boy Advance game they could port it to the Nintendo DS. “If we were asked to make one [a DS version of Mother 3], then we would definitely like for fans abroad to play the game,” Kameoka-san said.

I know a lot of gamers were disappointed Mother 3 didn’t make it to North America for the Game Boy Advance. A rumor was printed in the August 2006 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly claiming that “Nintendo would release an EarthBound compilation for the DS, complete with touch-screen functionality”. Let’s hope the rumors are true!

Tags: Brownie Brown, DSiWare, EarthBound, Mother 3, Rumors, WiiWare