In an interview with IndustryGamers, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime asserted that Nintendo does care about third parties and does need them, despite the fact that Nintendo's business is sustained pretty well by first-party video games. "The fact of the matter is we know we create great content for younger consumers," he said, "we know we've got great content for more casual players, and we want fantastic content for that more active player who loves Metroid or Zelda, but maybe also wants something like a BioShock 2 to play as well." Reggie then admitted, "We're not good at it and it's not a key focus area," thus Nintendo's interest in third-party developers.

The boss man also reiterated, almost word for word, his previous position that Nintendo would begin work on the next Nintendo system when a developer was unable to do something on the current Wii hardware, and he repeated that an HD feature alone wouldn't be enough to justify a new console.

When asked about the PlayStation Move, Fils-Aime questioned the Sony device's appeal. If the Wii already scratches the itch for motion-based gaming, then why would consumers be moved to pick up a PS3? "What's going to motivate them to spend minimally $300 for a new [PS3] system, plus minimally $100 for the Move motion bundle? So [as a consumer], now I'm into this for $400 and I still have to spend money on software. What's going to motivate me to do that?"

Reggie courts core devs, questions motivation to Move originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following last night's NPD report for February, Nintendo has issued a press release lauding the amazing selling power of its own products. In typical fashion, the gaming giant that got your grandma into gaming has managed to sell a ridiculous amount of DS and Wii systems in the U.S. -- 1.9 million in the first 2 months of 2010, to be exact.

As impressive as that 1.9 million figure is, Nintendo's ability to break its own records is even more impressive. In selling 613,000 DS units throughout February 2010, Nintendo has managed to set a new monthly record, besting the previous top-selling month of February 2009's figure of 597,000 units. It would seem that 2 things are certain in this life: we're all going to die one day and before that day comes, each of us is going to own nine DS systems.

With March 28 fast approaching -- that's the release date for the DSi XL -- Nintendo is hoping to further build on the success of its now six-year-old handheld. And, to think, even after all that time, the gif still hasn't gotten old.

Nintendo sells 1.9 million DS and Wiis through Feb. 2010 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warner Bros. Interactive has revealed that, in addition to the previously announced PS2, PSP, DS and Wii releases, it's putting Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest on PS3 -- with PlayStation Move support. The kid-friendly LOTR video game will now be released this fall (delayed again!) on all five platforms, with the Wii version developed by Headstrong video games (yes, that Headstrong video games) and the others by TT Fusion. Of course, the Wii and PS3 versions will be the only ones with motion control, and they will also be the only versions featuring 2-player co-op (with the second player controlling Gandalf).

The PS3 version won't be an exact port of the Wii one, but it's the same idea -- a video game for which the Wii was originally the lead platform, now spreading to the PS3 thanks to the existence of a very Wii-like motion controller. It may be the first, but this is definitely not the last time we'll see this!

Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest makes 'Move' to PS3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Immediately following his well-attended GDC panel, Nintendo's Yoshio Sakamoto talked with us about (what else?) Metroid: Other M. In addition to all sorts of questions on the unique Team Ninja collaboration, we asked Sakamoto about the long-rumored Metroid Dread project and, barring a confirmation of that product, when we'd see another 2D handheld Metroid.

Joystiq: Speaking of the core Metroid development team that last worked on the GBA, there have been rumors of a video game known as 'Metroid Dread' - purportedly a 2D Metroid video game for DS. First question: Was 'Dread' a real project? Second question: If not, where is a 2D Metroid on DS?

Yoshio Sakamoto: It seems we get a lot of questions about Metroid Dread, especially at interviews following E3 for example. But nothing's ever been announced about this video game; it's all just been rumors so far. So we never know exactly how to respond to questions like this.

While there actually was a point where some teams were meeting to discuss if it was possible to create a 2D Metroid for DS using a relatively small team size, it's not something that we ever really announced or thought of as "Metroid Dread." But whenever people bring out that idea, we recognize that the basic concept is something that we can't say never existed. But at the same time, we can't of course, make any official comment about a Metroid Dread-like project coming out.

Our main goal [with Metroid: Other M] is to, as I said earlier, first raise knowledge about the Metroid universe and the Samus character before we start to introduce different elements like online or even going back to another handheld video game for the next in the series. So there's nothing coming immediately, we want to think about these new challenges first.

But, of course, we never say never.

Metroid Dread concept is something Sakamoto 'can't say never existed' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Now playin: March 8-14, 2010

Now playin: March 8-14, 2010 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rising Star video games has taken an unusual, cost-effective step to get Fragile Dreams into Spanish-speaking homes. In collaboration with fansite DSWii.es, Rising Star is helping a group of 50 fans produce their own translation of the video game's 35,000-word script. The translated text will be made available from DSWii and Rising Star's site following the European release of the video game on March 19.

This is a clever approach to localization for a couple of reasons. First, fifty motivated kids will be able to get the job done in a fraction of the time a professional localization team would take. Additionally, it'll be much easier for Rising Star to laugh off the inevitable errors than it would with a 'real' localization.

Rising Star crowdsources Spanish localization of Fragile Dreams originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don't even lie! You're just as excited as any club kid that boundary-pushing pop sensation Lady Gaga is coming to Rock Band next week. So, in the privacy of your living room, break out the tight-fitting pleather and get your jam on (to the tracks you, publicly, tell everyone you hate).

Of course, you could pretend you "accidentally" bought the Gaga Track Pack, when you actually meant to purchase South Park chubby charmer Eric Cartman's rendition of "Poker Face." Yup, that lil' ditty will also be available. See, now you can cover up that undeniable desire to go goo-goo for Gaga with a veil of irony!

Check out the full release list after the break.

Continue reading Rock Band Weekly: Lady Gaga, Cartman's 'Poker Face'

Rock Band Weekly: Lady Gaga, Cartman's 'Poker Face' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look, we don't like giving out ultimatums here; people are free to do what they want and we wouldn't dare dream of interfering. But we feel like we just can't go on if you don't own a copy of Platinum video games' MadWorld -- or have at least played it -- at this point in time.

So, we'd like to point out this sale over at Newegg. The video game will only set you back a double sawbuck ($10) and even has free shipping -- there's really no excuse for you to refuse our request. Fine, you don't even have to play it. Just give it to a friend and hang out while they enjoy the over-the-top carnage and hilarious commentating duo of Greg Proops and John Di Maggio. Relationships are give and take, so work with us here, guys!

[Via Cheap College Gamers]

MadWorld for an insanely low $10 originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shin'en, developer of the DS Nanostray video games, as well as the recent WiiWare release Art of Balance, has announced a new 3D platformer for WiiWare. Jett Rocket looks like your basic 3D platformer, but slightly smaller in scale, with 3 areas of the planet Yoroppa to explore. It looks impressive, with graphics that recall Super Mario Galaxy.

With a name like Jett Rocket, you'd expect some kind of powered vehicles, and the video game features 3: a paraglider, a "Jet Boat," and a "Jet Snowboard." Wouldn't that melt all the snow?

Shin'en lighting up WiiWare with Jett Rocket originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's debatable whether or not the server crashing this past week was a symptom of Battlefield: Bad Company 2's success. What isn't debatable is the video game's explosive debut on the UK's Chart-Track all-formats chart. The multiplayer-centric shooter, which we've been thoroughly enjoying, outsold the original Bad Company's launch week numbers almost 3 to 1. According to Chart-Track, BC2 is the "best ever launch for any video game released this early in the year." Interestingly, 53 percent of BC2 sales went to the Xbox 360 version, followed by 31 percent and 16 percent of sales for the PS3 and PC, respectively. (The video game also topped the 3, individual platform charts.)

Of course, lurking in the corner was Just Dance. The video game will not go away and continues to stay in the top 3 week after week after week. Last week's top video game, Heavy Rain, slipped down to fourth and the battle of Aliens vs. Predator held onto third. Check out the complete top ten after the break.

Source - Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a born leader [GFK Chart-Track]
Source - Latest UK Software Charts [GFK Chart-Track]

Continue reading Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is new king of UK sales charts

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is new king of UK sales charts originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Speaking to Develop, Telltale CEO Dan Connors had some good news for episodic adventure fans. After noting that Telltale has grown significantly over the last few years, Connors stated that the company is currently "looking to engage more franchises, including those that are more topical and relevant in the current entertainment world." He added that Telltale wants to "work with great characters to tell great stories," and believes that it can target new audiences by "creating interactive versions of the worlds, characters and stories that they love." As an example, he asks what a Sopranos video game would look like, saying, "How can you pull those fans into the interactive world?"

Connors made similar statements last year, and it certainly seems that Telltale is looking to expand further into creating video games based on popular programming, akin to its CSI: Deadly Intent. It actually sounds like a pretty good idea, especially given the preponderance of mystery-oriented shows out there these days. But just imagine all the completely inappropriate shows that could get the Telltale treatment. 2 and a Half Men, The Tyra Show, Perfect Strangers.

Wait, that last one is actually perfect. Someone make that video game right now.

Telltale aiming for new franchises, 'more topical' content originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you were to ask us what to expect from most fast food joints, we'd probably tell you to look inside your garbage can and basically expect that -- but, y'know, inside of your stomach. We don't know; it's all the same pre-processed, assembly line garbage to us and we manage to successfully avoid it for the most part. But the Mega64 dudes instead find themselves in an almost perpetual, Groundhog Day-like loop when it comes to one particular establishment: Sonic.

Even though each trip usually makes the guys wish they never went in the first place, the thought of returning oddly enough fills them with hope that things will be different each and every time, only to suffer the grim realization again. It's such a departure for Mega64, but we can't help but feel like there's some kind of correlation to a current gaming news item in here -- so we thought we'd post this to see what you all think they're talking about. While we think on it, head past the break and check out the video.

Continue reading Mega64 explains the appeal and letdown of Sonic ... the restaurant

Mega64 explains the appeal and letdown of Sonic ... the restaurant originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Taz hate water, but love gallery
Is Taz even still a popular character? Warner Bros. seems to think so, having announced Galactic Taz Ball for DS, the latest to come from the longtime collaboration between WB and developer WayForward (most recently, the 2 announced Batman: The Brave and the Bold, but also partnered for Duck Amuck).

Galactic Taz Ball, set on floating chunks of Earth that Marvin the Martian is in the process of stealing, combines 2 forms of gameplay. In the "Overworld" areas, you control Taz by moving the stylus trackball-style, turning into a tornado if enough speed is gathered. In the "Underworld," the video game becomes a "side-scrolling puzzle video game" in which Taz explores the Martian's machinery. Taz Ball will be released in Europe and Australia this May, with a fall release following in North America.

WayForward behind another new WB video game, 'Galactic Taz Ball' originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We suggested our enthusiasm for THQ's Beat City may be reduced upon seeing actual screenshots of the rhythm-based minigame collection. We're delighted to report that in addition to sounding like a neat idea, we think it looks pretty interesting as well! It's got an unusual geometric art style.

You can inspect the style of Beat City for yourself in our gallery, and even see storyboard-style sequences that are ... intended to explain the gameplay. We see an assembly line of crows being turned into parrots. We see a loving couple wearing outfits that grow spontaneously more ren-faire. We don't feel illuminated.

Beat City screens are nice and confusing originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Capcom's VP of strategic planning and business development, Christian Svensson, officially confirmed the retailer-listed $40 price for the upcoming car vandalism sim, Super Street Fighter IV, in a recent interview with Gamasutra. Expanding on statements made when the video game was first announced, Svensson said, "Going $10 above Platinum/Greatest Hits pricing was sort of a nice compromise ... It's $40 -- we had 2 choices, and the economics didn't work out on one ... no matter what, we were fracturing the userbase, and we had to start from scratch."

He went on to explain that the content was simply too much for a platinum version of the video game, and that a new release would render cross-video game play between SFIV and SSFIV impossible due to differing "title IDs." Svensson also teased that those who played SFIV on the system for which they purchase SSFIV will get access to "a nifty little special set of things that those people will have the option of enjoying that others won't."

Moving on to the subject of January's launch of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Svensson said, "We're a couple weeks in right now, and we've been doing re-orders. We're not at all dissatisfied with the sales at this point." As for long-term sales of the video game, he added, "We are cautiously optimistic that it's going to have long legs ... the Versus series is well served by Tatsunoko as an outing. It really happens bring Versus back as a viable brand for Capcom." With any luck that means we'll see more ... interesting mashups from Capcom's Versus series in the coming years. Maybe Nintendo or Square? Whaddya say, folks?

Capcom explains $40 SSFIV price, 'cautiously optimistic' about Tatsunoko sales originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gamasutra got a chance to speak with the executive VP and GM of Disney Interactive Studios, Graham Hopper, who says that Disney is swinging for the stands on their future video game releases. The video games division is learning from "pure" gaming studios and their success, and while Hopper admits that the company hasn't always treated their properties correctly on the gaming side, starting with Disney's Epic Mickey, it wants to "give their projects the time and appropriate resources to be successful." In other words, let them stand on their own as video games, rather than squeeze them up against a movie's release date.

And Hopper hopes for quite the payoff, too -- while third-party titles on the Wii have been hit or miss (mostly miss), Hopper expects Epic Mickey's success to go "to Nintendo levels." He does say that they don't want to turn Mickey into Mario by "simply using him as an icon or an avatar in a video game," but Disney's goal in the future will be to make sure that each of their properties' appearances are worth it. Hopper says if they port a film to five different gaming platforms, customers should expect "not the same story five times over, but five different stories, each uniquely suited for the platform they're on." A good plan to have, but much easier said than done.

Disney wants to take Epic Mickey to 'Nintendo levels' on the Wii originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It could just be our lowered expectations for video games including kart racing, Sonic or "All-Stars" in the title, but we were pretty surprised by the positive buzz for Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing; the Wii, PS3 and 360 versions are all doing well with a 79 percent average on Metacritic. Here's what's being said:

GameSpot (80/100): "Although the core of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is obviously pulled straight out of Mario Kart, this wacky racer can stand on its own 4 wheels. The tight controls and excellent track design ensure that head-to-head competition is always exciting, but it's so fun just to play around with these karts that it's easy to lose hours climbing the online leaderboards in Time Trial mode."

1UP (B): "Though it has some hiccups, unexciting party modes, and a questionable difficulty curve, All-Stars Racing is a respectable effort that makes a good kart racer at its core (and is at least much more cohesive than Sega Superstars Tennis)."

Nintendo Power (8/10): "It isn't quite the fan paradise it could have been, but it's a very good racer that makes great use of classic Sega franchises. We wouldn't mind a sequel with more franchises and tracks included."

IGN: (8/10): "It's pleasantly surprising to find out that the Nintendo Wii edition - apart from the lower resolution - gets similar treatment with close to the exact same features as the stronger hardware."

Metareview: Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As if Satoru Iwata's pronouncement of a 2010 release date for -- let's call it -- "New Legend of Zelda" wasn't exciting enough, Nintendo of America's Cammie Dunaway referenced a similar timeline for the upcoming Wii video game at the Nintendo Media Summit this week. Speaking to GameLife, Dunaway said, "If you compare the first half of 2010 with the first half of 2009, it's night and day. And from some of the things that Mr. Iwata has talked about, and things that we will talk about at E3, like Zelda, you know that we're going to have a good back half of the year, as well." So then, Zelda in the back half of 2010? Yes, please.

In regards to North American releases of RPGs Xenoblade and The Last Story, Dunaway somewhat baffling said, "It's too early to say whether we're going to bring those here" -- even though Nintendo of America already announced Xenoblade back at E3 2009 when it was called Monado: Beginning of the World. It's possible Dunaway simply misspoke, or she just forgot about Monado -- like everyone else in the world.

Dunaway hints at new Zelda in 2010, unsure about Xenoblade and The Last Story originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2 DSiWare shooters were on show at Nintendo's Q1 Media Summit -- X-Scape (left) and Metal Torrent (right). Both hail from different dimensions (of gameplay and graphics). I played them both, and you'll find my impressions beyond the break.

Continue reading DSiWare First Look: X-Scape and Metal Torrent

DSiWare First Look: X-Scape and Metal Torrent originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smash the image to fling yourself into the gallery.
Nintendo released news about a bunch of big Wii hits today: Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M, Monster Hunter Tri, FlingSmash, Cave Story ... wait, what? Okay, so FlingSmash doesn't have the name recognition of those other video games, but if you've been watching Nintendo carefully over the last couple of trade shows, you've seen it.

FlingSmash is a new name for Span Smasher, a MotionPlus-exclusive video game about throwing a character named Zip through side-scrolling stages, hitting obstacles and enemies pinball-style. It was shown at E3 alongside video games like Line Attack Heroes, which was conspicuously absent from today's proceedings.

FlingSmash features play for up to 2 simultaneously (provided, of course, you have 2 MotionPlusses) and is currently scheduled for a release sometime in summer 2010.

What exactly is 'FlingSmash'? originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At its Media Summit today, Nintendo just announced the North American release date for its new, enormous DSi, the DSi XL: March 28. On that day, you'll be able to walk into a store and pick up a DS that makes your hands (and Cammie Dunaway's head) look super tiny for $189.99; a $20 premium over the regular-sized DSi.

Hopefully, we'll hear about some new DS video games to play on the vast expanses of DSi XL screen space today as the Nintendo Media Summit continues.

Update: The system will be available in Burgundy and Bronze at launch, and will be preloaded with both DSiWare Brain Age video games, Photo Clock, the DSi Browser and Flipnote Studio.

DSi XL releasing March 28 for $190 in North America [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In order to try and pull in visitors to the Conservative Political Action Conference this week, organizers are going all out. They'll have Glenn Beck as a keynote speaker, the NRA will be on hand, and there will be a videogame lounge equipped with Xboxes and Wiis. Why the video games? The conference is aiming to bring in the under-30 crowd, and to do that, organizer Kevin McCullough has created something called the XPAC Lounge, an area outside the Conference where attendees will be able to play Xbox, snack on junk food, and attend a "late night rap/jam session" with cool conservative cats like Mike Huckabee and John McCain's blogging daughter.

Kevin McCullough's name sound familiar? He's the same conservative commentator who had to apologize to gamers after claiming the first Mass Effect video game was "pushing our next generation of young men through the gates of hell." But apparently he's gotten over any issues he's had with interactive entertainment -- he now says that video games like Guitar Hero and Call of Duty can help the conservative conference give this generation "a pat on the back and the encouragement of, 'We believe in you.'" All well and good; Just watch out for Sean Hannity. We hear he's a beast at Halo Wars.

[Via G4]

Conservatives hoping to attract younger supporters with videogames originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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