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    Rumor: EA bundling MotionPlus with Grand Slam Tennis in Europe

    March 24, 2009 - 11:05am

    NeoGAFfer CubeRevolution reported that EA was planning to release a version of Grand Slam Tennis for the Wii bundled with one of Nintendo's MotionPlus peripherals, for 59.99 Euros, just 10 Euros more than the standalone release.A listing on Amazon.de for "EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis + Wii Motion Plus" bears out CubeRevolution's claim. It appears that Nintendo really is allowing EA to bundle its first-party accessory with a third-party game in Europe this July. Amazon even took a few Euros off the price!While it's great news that people might be able to buy a MotionPlus in July, and with more bundle options, we can't help but entertain the theory that this option frees Nintendo up to delay Wii Sports Resort past the summer.
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    Boom Blox Bash Viewing Party

    March 24, 2009 - 10:00am

    EA finally sent out real screens of Boom Blox Bash Party, and they're mostly what you would expect from a Boom Blox game: exotic towers of colored blocks surrounded by cute, blocky characters -- including those robots. Wonderful! The characters can now be grabbed, knocked over and interacted with just like Blox, so there's more of a reason to maliciously toss stuff at them.These latest screens show off the crazy new environments (like under the sea and in space), as well as the new paintball item! Basically, it looks like it splatters the wall with color. We're sure there will be some reason in-game that you'd want to color the wall rather than knocking it over.
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    PETA joins protest against World at War's attack dogs

    March 23, 2009 - 8:48pm


    Following a Massachusetts high school petition protesting the treatment of dogs in Call of Duty: World at War, the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is now joining the protest as well. Upon seeing news of the protest, PETA sent publisher Activision Blizzard an invitation to take one of its "Developing Empathy for Animals" seminars for free. The organization has also sent the company a package of Nintendogs for the DS, which it deems "dog-friendly." PETA hopes the puppy sim will help influence Activision's treatment of animals in future games, with the organization's blog noting "perhaps the next Call of Duty game will have you unlock achievements for petting the dogs you encounter and going on walks or playing Frisbee with them."Is that before or after the Nazi attack dog bites the player's hand off?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    VC in Brief: Bomberman '94 (TG16) and Detana Twin Bee (TG16)

    March 23, 2009 - 6:45pm

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    Wanted's Wanat considers Wii development a 'narrow market'

    March 23, 2009 - 5:55pm


    Wanted: Weapons of Fate executive producer, Pete Wanat, says Sega -- whom he has no current working connection to -- would need to sell "2-3 million units" to make a sizable profit on MadWorld. Wanat doesn't pull his punches during an interview with web show Invisible Walls, criticizing the Nintendo Wii's development process where spending more than "$350,000 to $500,000" on a game runs the risk of making little to no profit. "[Nintendo was] getting their ass handed to them [last generation], trying to compete with hardcore gamers. So they said, 'We're not going to bother, we're going to find our niche audience.'" says Wanat. "[Nintendo] has succeeded overwhelmingly so. But do not expect the rest of the industry to get down on its knees and 'blow' Nintendo to make games for that system when you can no longer use it and the same porting mechanism [when creating multiplatform SKUs on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC]." Now Nintendo fans, before you feverishly type a retort, Wanat wants to make it clear that the Wii is home to some "unbelievable experiences" (specifically calling Nintendo's first-party titles, "Awesome"). However, as a third-party developer, "cracking the code" and finding success on the platform doesn't allow a game to be ported to other systems without completely changing the game's unique features, like gesture-based controls. "You're really getting narrowed to that one, narrow market. And what sells there? Nintendo games." It seems Sega is already feeling that sting.[Via Sega Nerds]

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    Rumor: Downloadable Game Boy and GBA games as DSiWare

    March 23, 2009 - 5:45pm

    According to a secondhand report from one of last night's GameStop Club Nintendo DSi preview events, Nintendo is planning to release Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games as downloads in the DSi Shop. According to Kombo's "man on the scene," only first-party Nintendo titles will be offered at first.Other details from the event: Apparently, North American DSiWare includes three pricing levels: free, 500 Points, and 800 Points, which differs from the Japanese model in that there's no 200 Point category. The event seemingly confirms the Mario and Animal Crossing calculators for North America as well, though both of those are in the 200 Point category in Japan.Of course, like all news that comes from something heard at GameStop, take this with as much salt as you can find.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Punch-Out!!!

    March 23, 2009 - 4:45pm

    Yes, okay, there are three demos for DS games up on the Nintendo Channel, including one for the Monsters vs. Aliens game and the return of TrackMania. Great. Whatever. All of that is just filler for this week's main update: this Punch-Out!! video. The pink sweatsuit is back. The full list of new things that aren't this Punch-Out!! video (and one that is) can be found after the break.

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    Gamestop executive thinks DSi is 'priced right'

    March 23, 2009 - 3:51pm

    As those of us who have spent enough time staring at the preorder pages know, the DSi costs a bit more than the DS Lite: $169 for the new handheld versus $129 for a Lite. Bob McKenzie, GameStop's senior vice president of merchandising, doesn't think that's a big problem. Even if he doesn't have the details quite right off the top of his head.Talking to Gamasutra about GameStop's success in the portable market, McKenzie said, "Now with the DSi coming out, I think that's going to help too. Even with that, [Nintendo has] a $179 retail on that, so it's a $30 upcharge from the original DS Lite." We believe he's referring to the original $149 price of the DS Phat here. As for the $179, no idea where he got that. But if he thinks it's priced right at $179, he must think the real price is a bargain!He said that Nintendo has "got the value there. It's great; I think it's priced right. They've done a good job. Seeing the demo of that thing really makes you realize how much different it is from the original DS Lite." As for the loss of GBA compatibility: "I don't think that the consumer is really going to look at that as a negative." Speaking of GameStop DSi pricing, if you use the coupon code 3DAYDSi at checkout, you can get free three-day shipping on a preordered DSi from the retailer.
    Not invited to the Club Nintendo event? Don't worry -- we've got you covered. Check out our unboxing of a Japanese system for a hands-on rundown of features, and have a look at the awesome DSiWare downloads that have come to Japan. Then torture yourself with the limited-edition FFCC: Echoes of Time DSi that probably won't make it here!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Rock Band 'Classic Rock' Track Pack set for May 19, all consoles

    March 23, 2009 - 3:21pm


    MTV Games, Harmonix and EA have announced the May 19 release date for Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock on Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, and Wii for $29.99. While GameStop revealed the same date and price a few weeks back, following an ESRB listing a few weeks before that, today we have official confirmation, along with the full setlist (which is set in stone after the break).Additionally, purchasers of the Xbox 360 or PS3 version can download -- free of charge -- the on-disc tracks onto the console's hard drive (via Xbox Live or PSN), integrating the songs with any preexisting Rock Band DLC. It's worth noting that the Track Pack offers a reduced cost per song ($1.50) when compared to the $1.99 single-track DLC price. Of course, if you're as impulsive as we are (we done bought all these classics -- twice), then this entire post isn't really worth noting at all.

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    Conduit devs had 'dusty Wii syndrome,' hope to release cure

    March 23, 2009 - 3:05pm


    The dev team at High Voltage Software has suffered from dusty Wii syndrome, but is hopeful that its upcoming shooter, The Conduit, will hold a piece of the cure. Speaking with CVG, Conduit producer Josh Olson said High Voltage Software's Wii units had been "gathering dust" due to a lack of games for the core audience. Of course, Olson's comments echo (Conduit publisher) Sega's recent company line that the hardcore market needs Nintendo Wii love too. To that point, Sega has recently released The House of the Dead: Overkill and MadWorld. Or maybe High Voltage just wants gamers to start cleaning up their rooms. Olson also took an opportunity to discuss the multitude of player customization options found in The Conduit. In the game, players are free to remap the controls, alter the sensitivity, remodel the in-game HUD and pretty much change anything they can think of because High Voltage isn't "so arrogant to think that the game has to be played a certain way." Then Olson throws it down, exclaiming that he is confident that The Conduit will be "the best-looking game on the console" and will include the "best available" multiplayer the Wii has ever offered. Unfortunately, High Voltage hasn't detailed any multiplayer features other than the use of Wii Speak.[Via GoNintendo] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments