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E3 2009 highlights: The Nintendo roundup


Nintendo E3 2009 checklist:

  • Mario? *check*
  • Zelda? *check*
  • Metroid? *check*

Are we missing something? Head past the break to find out!

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Target offers gift cards with MotionPlus games, Guitar Hero Smash Hits


The Target flyer for the week of June 14 shows the retail chain will offer gift cards for two very particular game purchases. First off, customers who buy both Tiger Woods PGA 2010 (with Wii MotionPlus) and Grand Slam Tennis will receive a $20 Target gift card. Meanwhile, those who purchase Guitar Hero Smash Hits (which isn't out until Tuesday) will receive a $5 gift card, no matter what platform they buy it for. However, we should also mention there are Smash Hits pre-order specials from several other retailers, so you should check to see if those are still available.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Interview: WayForward's Voldi Way talks blobs, Shantae, and street cred

Voldi Way, president of WayForward -- or "Tyrannical Overlord" of the company, if his business card is to be believed -- gave us one of the company's first interviews as a "publisher," having recently self-published downloadable games on DS (Mighty Flip Champs) and WiiWare (LIT). During this E3 interview, Way told us that the company has at least three new unannounced projects, two of which are coming this year on Wii, and one also headed for PC. He also addressed the purported Aliens vs. Predator DS game and discussed the company's licensed game strategy, about which we may have accidentally given him a complex.

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Nintendo Wii sets US sales record


According to the latest NPD figures, the Wii has done more than introduce gaming to your grandma, as the console has managed to reach the 20 million mark in just 31 months on the market, MCV reports. That makes it the fastest-selling console in US history.Following Nintendo's announcements for New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Wii Fit Plus, we wonder if the console will ever run out of steam. Considering how well it continues to sell in this region, despite the poor economy, we doubt it will any time soon.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Reggie: Metroid Other M is a 'more traditional' Metroid game

With all the rapid-fire 3D action, Metroid: Other M may not look anything like any Metroid we've seen before, but according to Reggie Fils-Aime, it's a return to a more familiar Metroid style. "A year ago, someone could have asked me, what's going on with Metroid?" Fils-Aime told GameSpot. "When are we going to go back to the more traditional Metroid series versus the path that we went down with Prime? Here's the answer: Other M." The more traditional series -- with a "harder edge," according to Fils-Aime.Reggie would like Other M to sell a bit more than the traditional Metroid game, however. "Metroid, for us, is a key franchise. And, in our view, really, since the SNES Metroid, we haven't broken through in terms of 1.5, two million units, and that's our bar," he said. He also told GameSpot that he's beginning to hear feedback from other companies, hoping to work with Nintendo in the same way Team Ninja is on Other M.
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Sixth European Track Pack invades Guitar Hero: World Tour


For those of you stuck in the Guitar Hero: World Tour bus, looking for some new tunes to crank out, know that some international influence is about to rock your copy of Activision's game. The sixth European track pack is now available for download, and includes the following songs:

  • Placebo - "The Bitter End" (France) - 160 / $1.99 / 200 Wii Points
  • Loquillo y Trogloditas - "Cadillac Solitario" (Spain) - 160 / $1.99 / 200 Wii Points
  • Finley - "Adrenalina" (Italy) - 160 / $1.99 / 200 Wii Points

You can download each track individually for the listed price, or if you would like to grab them all together in one fell swoop, you can nab the pack for 440 or $5.49 on Xbox Live and PSN, respectively.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Guitar Hero: Van Halen is all David Lee Roth


Dream of playing the upcoming rhythm game Guitar Hero: Van Halen as your favorite Van Halen lead singer Gary Cherone? Well, Rolling Stone is reporting today on the dashing of your dreams, claiming that an Activision/RedOctane representative confirmed to them the game's exclusivity to David Lee Roth as lead singer. This is also to say that the tequila-shilling Sammy Hagar will also be excluded from the band's lineup in the game. We already kind of sort of knew about the exclusion of Cherone and Hagar from Activision's Senior Vice President of Global Brand Management telling us way back when, "Oh this is definitely Van Halen, not Van Hagar." The RS piece posits that the only Van Halen tracks featuring David Lee Roth will be making it into the game, possibly destroying all hopes of the chance to drunkenly belt "Why Can't This Be Love?" and "Fire In the Hole," though, as of press time, Activision had yet to respond to our inquiry.
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Green Day DLC packs coming to Rock Band


Harmonix has been hinting around this, but now we have some official word: Green Day is bringing tracks to Rock Band via DLC in three-song packs. The first will arrive on July 7 and will include ... why, their new stuff, of course! Just like you were hoping! Specifically, you can look for "21 Guns," "Know Your Enemy" and "East Jesus Nowhere" from the band's new 21st Century Breakdown.Before you lose your mind, take heart! More (hopefully earlier) material from the band is coming on an unannounced date. Can we request "All By Myself"?Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wiimote genius Johnny Chung Lee on Project Natal team

Here's an interesting piece of E3 news we missed due to being at E3. Johnny Chung Lee, the human-computer interaction Ph.D. who came to prominence for his brilliant Wiimote interface hacks, announced on his blog that he's part of the team making Microsoft's Project Natal, something that suddenly increases the believability factor of its functionality by quite a bit.Lee said that he isn't responsible for anything seen in the E3 demo, however. "The part I am working on has much more to do with making sure this can transition from the E3 stage to your living room - for which there is an even larger team of very smart, very hard working people involved." For once, we can say that Microsoft has made the absolute best move possible. If you're designing a new video game interface that uses a camera or motion tracking of any kind, hire this person.[Via CNet]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ask Joystiq Nintendo: On rails edition

We thought we would be inundated with questions following E3, but it appears that you guys are still too shell-shocked from the Metroid: Other M trailer to speak. Or from the Wii Vitality Sensor reveal. We don't mind telling you, by the way, that we can't help but be delighted that Nintendo is making something that weird. And if you don't think it's a good idea, don't worry too much about it. It's Nintendo, after all, and the thing will end up being used in one game at most.Anyway, our question this week is about rail shooters. If you have a question for us, send an email to asknintendo AT joystiq DOT com!

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